From the Midwest redneck author of "The Rooster Crows at 4am!," "Lizard Poop!," and "The Philippines Expat Advisor"
The End of the Tubig Turf War!
By all appearances, Jesus has made peace. The Tubig Turf War seems to have concluded. Haven't seen any security guards have a little talk with Jesus since last Thursday. That's when, pardon the expression, "all hell broke loose."
The past two weeks have seen an almost daily contingent of our armed subdivision sentries paying a visit to our neighbor, Jesus the carpenter. The son of Jesus, Mike, and a newly-hired employee make the rounds every day in our development with their tubig (water) truck delivering containers of drinking water for P25 (57¢) each.
Someone had evidently pissed somebody off. A truck from a rival company had stopped by our neighbor's home recently, and my asawa heard the driver talking to a security guard on bike patrol. "He's getting a lot of complaints about his water," is what my spouse was able to overhear.
I would spot guards posted at our intersection looking over at Jesus' home. They would sometimes stay for 30 minutes, always staring in our neighbor's direction. I was hopeful that my asawa's manicurist would be able to give us some details on what was going on. She's known to have all the latest tsismis (gossip.)
But I guess she must have been ill or out of the country as she knew absolutely nothing about our recent events. It's kind of sad when the main person you depend on for information let's you down. I was eager for at least one crumb of chitchat.
So when two of our subdivision's finest came chasing after Jesus' tubig truck, with son Mike driving, and the hired help riding shotgun, I quickly went to our kitchen screen door to check out what was going on. The elder Jesus was nowhere in sight. My asawa said she saw him fleeing the scene.
I could hear quite a loud argument, though I did not understand a word. I managed to take a picture through our kitchen screen door (see first photo), but felt I would be pressing my luck if I asked everyone to argue in English and not their native Ilonggo.
My nephew Sharwen and niece Shaina were seated at our duewende-sized kitchen table having their afternoon merienda (snack), so I asked my niece what was going on.
"Kinachoendelea nje?" I might as well had been speaking Swahili when I asked her what was going on outside. She just grinned and shook her head. She either couldn't hear the commotion (and was obviously already deaf at the age of 14), or didn't understand my "English" slang.
A crowd was gathering. My spouse came in from our sala to investigate. She hears something about water containers. Someone had called in to security reporting that Jesus' crew had taken their water receptacles! Every company marks their canisters (see next photo for close-up of how Jesus marks his) like a cowpoke brands a calf (ok, they use a "Magic Marker" instead of a branding iron.)
One guard whips out his walkie-talkie and quickly takes off on his motorbike. His partner soon follows. Jesus' son and the group gathered around his home are extremely agitated. I keep an eye on things as the guys continue to get steamed up. I'm hoping they don't blow a gasket and turn this into a full-scale riot.
After about 30 minutes Jesus returns. Security does not make another visit that day, and things finally calm down. Why would a competitor claim Jesus was taking his containers? It didn't make any sense to me.
The following day I spy a huge SUV pull up to our neighbor's home. Jesus' truck is not parked in front, but Mike, the only son, goes outside. A rather tall middle-aged Filipino man gets out. He has an air of authority about him. Soon, a rival tubig truck (pictured in the next photo) pulls up.
Soon Jesus whips his truck around the corner. The large Filipino goes up to the window and sticks out his hand. My neighbor shakes it, a huge smile across his face. Jesus' crew is now outside talking to the workers from the rival company. Mike has got his laptop outside furiously punching keys on it.
After 15 minutes and an exchange of some water containers, Jesus and his son drive by our house, wave and honk their horn. Looks like the water container issue had been resolved. My asawa and I had gone outside at this point, me feigning interest in all the flowers and plants my spouse has planted in our yard. We wave back.
The rival truck driver also waves at us as he passes by. We return the gesture. All has been quiet in the neighborhood since then. Now the biggest problem we have are dogs that stop by and poop alongside my spouse's plants and flowers. Do I clean it up? Are you kidding? I'm retired. I think she should just leave it there for fertilizer.
Never a dull moment at you place
.
Luckilly for me my Ledesco house we are finally moving into this weekend is all the way at the back of the subdivision in an inner lot. So I have nothing but my gate facing the street and no neighbours across from me. It’s nice and quiet back there.
I usually keep to myself except for a couple neighbors and try to ignore the neighbourhood gossip. The only time I venture out in the subdivision is to walk up the street a couple times a week for my SMB at the Big Sari Sari on the corner. Now that’s the gossip factory. I guess every subdivision has one.
Paul in Iloilo
I just send the helper next door to get my Red Horse. We have 3 Sari Sari stores very close by. Busy street!
I have never seen a water jug like the ones you have Dave. Ours are round 5 gallon jugs. You can get drinking water right from the tap here in Tagum City but Meriam doesn’t like the taste. I guess it is the germ killers they put in the water.
Glad to hear it’s nice and quiet for you, Paul. Hopefully things have settled down for us now that the “tubig turf war” seems to be over. See you at Langford Place this Saturday. Nice relaxing place to have a few SMBS.
Red Horse, Gary? That sounds pretty good.
I didn’t even drink water out of the tap back in Illinois, Gary. And since the water that comes out of our tap smells like kerosene, I’m not drinking it out of the tap here either.
Doesn’t beer contain water? That’s good enough for me…most days.
Guess you will have to find or wait for another event for new writing material, huh? Just glad everything worked out safely.
Dave, if your water smells like kerosene, you could get a water filter that attaches to your house’s main incoming water pipe that would clean all your water.
Good point, Randy.
But I need a little drinking water in the morning for my cup of coffee. But guess I could switch to Gold Eagle beer if we run out of water.
Randy, I can assure you that’s there always something to write about here. I’m glad the “war” has ended. Sounds like both parties “manned up” and settled their differences without resorting to beating the crap out of each other.
We do have a filter in our kitchen faucet, Lance. But we can look into the idea for the water filter for the main pipe, good idea, thanks.
I have a water filter on the shower too, that would be cheaper than a whole house unit.
Lance, by the time the water pressure builds up enough in the day to take a shower, the kerosene smell is gone. As long as no one light lights up a cigarette around me, I guess I’m OK.
LOL !!! Just be careful lighting the grill after you take a shower
I had great water back in Michigan but it was hard as a rock. Had a water softener put in and that took care of that. They sell water softeners here but living in a apartment where in the world would I put it??? The water is very hard here in Tagum City.
For bottled water Meriam has been getting that water with a PH of 9. Wow does that make a super cup of coffee!!! Yes we got a coffee maker and they sell Folgers coffee at the mall.
Gary, I don’t know if the water we get from Jesus is hard or soft, but at least it hasn’t killed us… yet.
Dave, the easiest way to know if you have soft water is if you still feel ‘slippery’ or soapy in the shower after you have rinsed. If not, then it is probably more on the hard side. The real way of course is to do a ph test.
Thanks for the info, Randy. In that case, I would say our water, when we get it, is on the hard side. When we have the new place built, we plan to have a well along with water tanks on the roof which are very common in our area. Have to do the PH test at that time. Thanks, again.
Dave,
Glad it all ended w/o any bullets flying over your head. Hopefully soon you will have running water soon and won’t have to worry about getting water delivered to you. Have a nice day.
Thanks PapaDuck. Don’t think we’ll have running water anytime soon, however. Our plan is to have a well and water storage tanks in place when we build our new home. In the meantime, looks like we’ll be getting our water from Jesus.
Well I wouldn’t get on Jesus’ bad side. Did you notice his last initial is “C” also….. you never know. I’d try not to make any “Jesus C” mad!
Yep, I noticed his initials, too, Paul. And you can bet I’ll always try to be on Jesus’ good side.
In the Bible…….Jesus turned water into wine……..In the Philippines Plus….Jesus turned water into… $ MONEY $
You’re exactly right, Ralph! HE didn’t want those wedding guests to go without some of the finest wine, and our own Jesus wants us to have the best drinking water.
Ouch….go to your room Ralph.
can I have a glass of water first…Gary
Would you like to listen to a story too???
I always enjoyed “The Three Little Pigs” before bedtime, Gary.