By Pesteng Ahem
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These are a series of stories about life during the extended community quarantine. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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My name is Shaira Panela. I am a 19-year-old student. This is the story of my experience during the ECQ.
In 2019, I received a scholarship from the Mayor’s Office to study at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. I decided to take up a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a specialisation in English. Things were going smoothly for a while, then the ECQ was imposed.
Our family tried its best to abide by the advice of the government despite our lack of money. We were supposed to receive social support payments from the government, but for some reason, we did not appear on the list of beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Things grew harder and harder as the ECQ was extended. There were days when we ate only one meal a day. Then, the Mayor ordered a 48-hour “hard lockdown” of Sampaloc. Everyone was confined to their homes except for barangay officials. The tanods were accompanied by police and military personnel on their patrols. Again, we were supposed to receive food and basic goods during the hard lockdown, but my family did not receive anything from the barangay.
Early on the second day, I received a text message from my classmate. She said that she heard that my family was struggling and managed to collect some rice and canned goods. I burst into tears and thanked her for her kindness. She lived in Santa Cruz and was unaffected by the hard lockdown. However, she was prevented from entering Sampaloc because of the checkpoints. I said that I would sneak out to collect the goods in a few hours. We agreed to meet near P Gomez Elementary School. I informed my mum about my plan and left the house at 6:00 PM. It would take me about an hour to walk to the meet-up place and return. I had to be careful to avoid the roving patrols.
The trip to the elementary school was uneventful. I met my friend and she helped me put my things in my backpack. It was now quite heavy with food and supplies. She wanted to help me carry some things, but we both knew that she wouldn’t be allowed to enter Sampaloc. I hugged her goodbye and made my way back home.
I expected the trip home to be equally uneventful. It was about dinner time and the patrols were fewer as the security personnel were getting ready to have their meals. Nevertheless, I tried to listen for their approach and made sure to travel only using the back streets. I has about three blocks from home when my luck deserted me.
PRRRTTTTT!! The shrill sound of a whistle made me stop in my tracks.
“Shai, bawal lumabas ngayon.” I heard the voice of Dodong Ilustre swell with authority. The 49-year-old deadbeat and former drug addict was a large, dark man with a prominent beer belly. He was bald and shirtless and swung a truncheon as he approached me. He was also a bagangay tanod.
“Pasensya na kayo, Mang Dodong. May nagbigay lang po sa amin ng bigas at pagkain.” I removed the heavy backpack from my shoulders and opened it. He sidled up to me and took a look. I could feel his fetid breath on my neck.
“Mukhang masarap ang hapunan ninyo mamaya. Pero, alam mo naman ang bilin ni Yorme. Kailangang dalhin kita sa kulungan dahil lumabag ka sa hard lockdown.” Mang Dodong got up grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Parang awa ninyo, Mang Dodong. Kilala nyo naman ako. Hindi po ako lumabas para gumimik. Kumuha lang po ako ng pagkain para kay Mama at Papa.”
Mang Dodong did not respond.
“Baka pwede nating pagusapan ito. Pwede naman nating paghatian ang mga de lata na ito.” I brought out a can of corned beef and some Vienna sausage.
Mang Dodong cracked a smile and released his grip on my shoulder. “Sige, hija. Tutal, wala naman ibang tao na nakakita sa iyo. Dalhin mo yung bag sa likod ng puno na iyon at susunod ako.”
“Salamat po, Mang Dodong!” I took the backpack and rushed under the eaves of the small tree that he indicated. Behind the tree was a low concrete wall that marked the banks of the estero. The place was dark and secluded.
I knelt and started to lay out the canned goods on the ground next to the wall. I could hear Mang Dodong’s footsteps approach me from behind. “Ito na po ang mga de lata. Kumuha na po kayo ng gusto ninyo. Kukunin ko na lang yung natitira.”
“Wasto ang sinabi mo, Shai. Kukunin ko lang ang gusto ko.” Mang Dodong’s voice was a low growl. He bent over and covered my mouth with a small cloth that smelled of perspiration. With his other hand, he grabbed my right breast. “Ang seksi mo talaga, bata. Matagal ko ng kitang gustong tikman.”
Mang Dodong grabbed me by the throat and slammed my head and body against the concrete wall. I saw stars as pain exploded behind my eyes. His hand around my throat was making it hard for me to breathe.
Mang Dodong lifted my right arm and buried his nose in my armpit. “Ang bango mo talaga, Shai. Napakaswerte ng nobyo mo.” I felt his tongue lick my armpit, leaving a sticky residue.
“Huwag po, Mang Dodong. Kababata ko po si Kate.” I hoped that emphasising that I was close friends with his eldest daughter would bring him to his senses. It didn’t work.
“Haha! At sino ang akala mo ang tatay ng anak ni Kate? Kinakantot ko na yan noong 14 pa siya. Siya nga ang pumatol sa akin. Sa tantiya ko, mas masikip ang puki mo sa kanya.” Mang Dodong was forcefully undoing my belt and unbuttoning my shorts while he continued to hold my throat in a strong grip.
At the same time that I was processing this revelation, I began to understand the futility of my situation. A father who fucked his own daughter is unlikely to be swayed by pity. My only hope was to fight. I forced my body to relax. Mang Dodong noticed this and loosened his grip on my throat. He interpreted my action as one of submission and smiled.
At the right moment, I brought my right arm down on his face, scratching his cheek with my fingernails. With my left leg, I kicked him in the shins. I twisted my body to get away from his grip. Mang Dodong cried out in surprise, but he quickly regained control. He slammed my head against the wall and whispered in my ear. “Huwag ka na pumalag, Shai. Hindi ka makakaiwas sa pagkantot ko sa iyo ngayong gabi. Kung hindi ka lumaban, ako lang ang titira sa iyo. Pag patuloy kang magpumiglas, ipapasa kita sa mga ibang kagawad.” To emphasise his point, he licked my face and laughed.
He knew I was beaten. I knew I was beaten.
My whole body went limp and I started to cry. Mang Dodong responded to my quiet submission by grabbing my wrist and inserting my hand under his basketball shorts, where I felt the bulbous head of his hard cock rubbing against the back of my hand, smearing a wet trail of sticky pre-cum. “Ang lambot ng kamay mo, hija. Hawakan mo ang titi ko.” He released his grip on my wrist but maintained it on my throat.
My hand remained still inside his shorts. Mang Dodong grabbed my breast over my shirt and bra and squeezed hard, causing me to wince. “Hawakan. Mo. Ang. Titi. Ko.” My hand quickly grabbed his cock. “Ayan naman pala.” He released my breast. “Sige, Shai. Alam mo naman siguro ang gagawin mo.”
His cock was shorter than my boyfriend’s, but it was much thicker. I also noticed that it was bent to the right. My hand started to shuck his cock slowly. He reached under my shirt and undid the clasp of my bra from behind. Then, he forced the cups upward and ran a ca…