CARABAO DAY at the MONTANA FUENTES FARM

"Mata na dong, kay ubani imong Tatay manigway ug kabaw" my Nanay would say every morning during my grade school years. My wake up call is 4:30 A.M. and I had been used to that. Me and Tatay will divide the carabaos between us and will  bring them by 2 groups for their early pasture in nearby Benuatan grassland.
While some individual  breeds horses and cows, my Father had his life's bond to the beast  of burden,  farmer's best friend----the sturdy, uncomplaining and timid...child friendly animal..locally called KABAW.

We had 12 carabaos in our backyard plus 3 little cara-babies and one pregnant one. In my hands are the ropes of six while my Father took the rest of the beasts. Every morning I always silently questioned my Father's fondness to carabaos. He was not tending a  farm....all our lands in different villages were tilled by our farmers. Each farmer is provided by one carabao. Just imagine how surprised I was when I got to know that we have a total of 36 big carabaos...cara babies not counted yet!...wow ang tigway ....how kalisod sa pobre huh.... I thought. 

So why not let our SAUPS tend the beasts and let my early hours be free before I should wake up, take coffee or tinoghong or mais coffee before I go to school?...mmmm, I DID NOT HAVE THAT PRIVILEGE.

As I grow older and met lots of experiences in life......like my later love to the environment, I did realize all my childhood questions were answered.

My father loved Carabaos...that, plain and simple.
It was  his answer to dog breeding.  So he took care of them all...and took time to visit all his carabaos in all our lands. Every 15th of JULY ALL OUR CARABAOS will meet at the MONTANA FUENTES FARM and a feast was given to them, of course we won't eat Carabao meat on that special occassion, nor will ever for  the rest of our lives...IN RESPECT TO OUR TATAY.

I organized the first and only CARABAO FESTIVAL in our town, dedicated to my Father's Carabaos. That was a day of happiness for the humble carabaos. I gave prizes too like THE BIGGEST CARABAO OF THE YEAR, THE MOST HANDSOME CARABAO, THE LONGEST HORN, THE BEST BALSA, and had a beauty contest too--the MISS FESTIVAL BEAUTY CONTEST, this time it was not carabaos in the ramp but real pretty ladies vying for the title.