Mesmerized by the beauty of the sea reflecting the sunlight in its waves. It was surely the view that Ada will miss as soon as she starts pursuing her dreams in the city. While her mind rests by the sound of the waves continuously slamming in the sand, her senses heightened as she felt that someone was watching her.
Eve: Wag ka na kayang umalis? Tignan mo 'yang mga mata mo, bukod sa ganda ng dagat ang maaaninag ay sumisilay rin ang kalungkutan.
Ada: Bakit, Eve? Are you ready to eat the forbidden fruit again, and let everyone know that we are having a deeper connection than what we already have?
Eve: Sabi ko naman sa'yo Ada. 'wag mo akong piliin. Katulad lang ako ng prutas na kinagat ko noon, magkakasala ka dahil sa'kin.
No one else knows about their relationship. It was a secret carve in an old tree, she wanted to read aloud, but Eve does not allow her to do it.
Ada: Stop pushing me away, will you? Look, I’m fully aware of the consequences, but I’m here, Eve. I am here. And do you know what it meant? Nandito pa rin ako dahil ngayon lang ako naging sigurado sa kung ano ang gusto ko.
Both of them were dreamers, but the opportunities waiting for them differed mainly because of the social class to which they belonged.
Eve was raised in a normal family on this island, selling their labor to the capitalists while being underpaid in relation to the productivity they contributed to their employers. While Ada lives her life following everything her family wants for her, that's why, despite the fact that her family is earning 15 times more on average than the families in the bottom 10%, where Eve's family belongs, to Ada, she is not living a comfortable life nor actually living her own life.
Eve: Walang pakpak na dinisenyo para sa akin, Ada. Pero ikaw, you can fly limitless with all the opportunities waiting for you. Kung siguro'y nasa posisyon mo ako ngayon, maiintindihan mo kung gaano kahalaga ang mga oportunidad na nakalaan na para sa'yo.
Ada: We can fly together Eve if that's your main concern. But right now, please listen. If we continue to hide our true identity because we are afraid to lose the opportunities and people around us, we can never be happy. We are not a sin, Eve. This is not a mistake. There is no shame in genuinely loving each other while taking on the process of accepting who we really are. We can be brave together, we can and we will.
After years of letting her family control her, Ada finally found something where she felt alive and in control of her own life.
Eve: Kung tutuusin wala rin tayong pinagkaiba, Ada. Ikaw dinidiktahan ka ng pamilya mo, habang ako naman ay nagpapadikta sa sasabihin ng ibang tao. At habang nagkakaroon ako ng kamalayan sa reyalidad, kailangan ko rin isiksik sa isip ko ang katotohanang habang tumatagal lalo lang lumalaki ang agwat nating dalawa dahil hindi kami nakakasabay sa pag-angat n'yo.
Ada: And that is not supposed to be like that, hindi ba? It is exhausting to please everyone and feel hopeless at the same time.
Eve: Yeah, it is. Most of the time, I feel like I am punishing myself excessively in order to fit into the label imposed by society. I cannot be extra because people want me to be in the box they designed for me.
Ada: Exactly. That's why when I reached my edge, I decided to sit with my own feelings, embrace my true self, and start investing in the things that make me feel happy and alive. Sana marating mo rin 'yon, Eve.
Eve: Hindi pa naman ako huli 'diba?
Ada: Hindi pa, Eve. Anumang oras ay pwede mong bitawan ang lahat ng nagpapabigat sa'yo, at piliing maglakad nang hubad at totoo dito sa isla na kinagisnan mo.
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Written by: Christine Vallecera
Layout and Design by: Dan Kurt Buenaventura
Reference:
Saloma, C. (2021, August). The University of the Philippines and Economic Inequality in PH. Philippine Journal Science. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/images/pdf/pjs_pdf/vol150no4/EDITORIAL_FinalCopy.pdf
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