Inaugural editorial

LEAVING SOON ... Everyday, close to a thousand OFWs are working on their exit documents at the POEA departure services. Their flight to their overseas work destinations could be the most exciting and for some, harrowing, experience. They knew that it is one plunge into the unknown. - MWBpic by ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

The Global Mambulaoans - The desire to connect

ACROSS the face of the earth -- at seas in oil rigs, on maritime vessels and warships, in red-hot-and-glacial desert oil fields, in malaria-infested forest jungles, farms and skyscrapers shooting sky-highs, in corporate boardrooms, hospitals and care-giving homes, government circles, in shopping centers and markets, or simply in the safe cradle of the home - there are Pinoys.

And among them would surely be a Mambulaoan.

The diaspora of Mambulaoans in places overseas - either hostile or friendly but where a living could be made -- more or less began with the decline of mining in the 50s in San Mauricio, that gold-rich mountainous section of Mambulao (aka Jose Panganiban), and the gradual slump of mining activities at the Philippine Iron Mines (PIM) in the 60s, which was long hosted by a fortunate community called Larap.

Being the heart, the decline of PIM and its eventual demise had also been the decline, more or less, of Larap - the body.

Not to be caught holding the proverbial empty food basket, our breadwinners who had solely depended on Larap for a living had to take off and searched for the greener pasture elsewhere even if it hurt most -- for the sake of the family.

Being away from loved ones to suffer the curse of loneliness in exchange of whatever wealth - substantial or meager -- and news of opportunities that one could send back home, is like being in hell.

But a Mambulaoan has to provide for the family and that is all that mattered. Loneliness, boredom and the hurt deep inside that you're earning the now-less mighty US dollar in virtual exile, is no much to the little comfort an "abroad" Mambulaoan could give his/her family.

But the good news is that boredom, nowadays, has become a matter of choice. The emergence of the internet has spawned a host of devices that eventually reduced homesickness - and of course - made boredom an obsolete and misplaced complaint.

Time to leave the family and loved ones...

Now we have the power of email, Skype, Twitter, Yahoo messenger and of course our favorite convergence zone called FaceBook, where people hooked to the internet could interact for as long as they want, and thus, reduce the desire on the part of the overseas Mambuloan to pack up and go home.

In short, The Net has made the world small.

It is for this reason that this online bulletin board -- 'MAMBULAOANS WorldWide Buzz' -- has been thought of with thoroughness and eventually put online.

It strives to improve a better dissemination of information which is relevant, important and entertaining to our target audience - the Mambulaons, whether he/she is nestled back home in Jose Panganiban, elsewhere in the Philippines, or abroad.

It will carry bits and pieces of information and news of happy events that would be coming from a Mambulaoan. Although this is already a common event on Facebook, the "MaMBULAOANS WorldWide Buzz" would have its own uniqueness - being a one-stop cyber bulletin board.

It's something similar to a campus bulletin board where one could stand before it, read what has been pinned on, browse the messages and react, if necessary.

Simply said, a kababayan who has some news - or a little story to tell for that matter could simply send it in - and this news could be about birthdays, sports activities, social activities and other similar functions that also involve himself or another Mambulaoan in his area; news on coming home for a holiday, on personal successes, or anything that would create interest from our kababayans; news of birth in the family and death as well. Retirement and coming-out of retirement; wedding and separation-divorce, election into a public office or in an organization. Or simply an event that makes a Mambulaoan feel great for himself and the kababayan with him.

And pictures, too, with appropriate caption.

In short information available from contributing/corresponding Mambulaons would be posted here, in a coherent and cohesive manner, so that nothing is missed out on by the eyes of the reader.

The bottom line is that a Mambulaoan(s) is involved.

All input will be processed in an appropriate way, as a news story in a newspaper should.

Another important point: The "MAMBULAOANS WorldWide Buzz" would strive to stay away from becoming political, religious and most of all - a bore.

Initial feedback from friends who were apprised on this project indicated that "it could be a worthwhile and workable".

But it needs the support and involvement of all Mambuloans.

For one thing, the soul of "Mambulaoans WorldWide Buzz" will be the Mambulaoans themselves and its strength will come from nowhere but them.

Please embrace it and take it as your own. And tell your stories only you could tell.

- By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

  Batch ’65

  Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

November 2011

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