Sometime after Christmas, my uncle, Ray, feeling generous and in need of a little fun invited youth from our neighborhood to use his newly made drier (bilaran ng palay) cum basketball court to hold a mini league.
At first, the youngsters had misgivings, but then, when they found out that there was no registration fee and no uniform requirement, they started to form teams and sign-up. Initially, there were only three teams. But when the game officially started and everybody seems to be having so much fun, the three registered teams became six and closed at eleven. So, there were eleven teams in all, with no manager, no uniform not even shoes but with bright faces that shone with anticipation.
Besides the free use of his drier, my uncle also donated a small amount of money for cash prizes and inexpensive trophies. Seeing how much fun he was bringing to the youth of our place, some other people including Councilor Mike Libunao, former Councilor Nestor ‘Toy’ de Leon, Mr. Jose ‘King’ de Leon, and Mr. Narciso ‘Doyong’ Imperio started to hand in their own donations to keep the fun going. Special thanks was owed to Mr. Bitoy Silva and his family for facilitating the games with humor and passion and to Melody Silva for keeping the league together.
All in all, the little league was successful. It was not just a short time of fun but a diversion from mischief and boredom. It was an example of spontaneous kindness, giving without expecting anything in return. It was fun for the sake of fun without any political or religious agenda but a purely neighborly gesture.
Congratulations to all those who participated in this little league. And to Mr. Ray ‘Pate’ Silva, may God bless you for your generosity that you may continue to flourish and may other people of better means learn from your example and emulate what you have done for the community. Salute to you!
posted under
