Nana Pining
By Rudy A. Arizala
When my sister informed me that Nana Pining passed away, there were many incidents which assailed my memory about her. But the first to come to my mind was when I was barely three or four years old.
Nanay brought me one day to the house of Nana Pining so that she could baby sit for me while Nanay was away to the market. I was playing in the yard of the house of Nana Pining under a huge santol tree when Nana Pining told me: “Enong, stay here for a while because I will check on the merienda I am cooking. Go on playing, but don´t go out of the yard,” she admonished me.
When Nana Pining had gone inside the house, there was sudden thunder followed by lightning. When I looked up, I saw dark clouds forming in the horizon. I was so scared that my first impulse was to be with my mother. So, I climbed over the wooden gate and walked back alone to our house which was just about two short blocks away. When I arrived, nobody was in the house. So I sat down on the stairway and started crying looking for my mother. When mother arrived and found me crying, she was surprised to see me home and asked: “Why are you crying and who took you back home?” Between sobs and as I hugged by mother, I told her that I was playing in the yard of Nana Pining´s housse when suddenly there was thunder followed by lightning. So, I decided to go home by myself to look for her.
Nanay with me in tow, went to Nana Pining and asked her what happened. Nana Pining told my mother that she just went inside the house to check on the “sampurado” she was cooking for the merienda of Rudy when suddenly there were thunder and lighting. So she immediately went back to the garden looking for me. However, “Rudy was gone” and she was already about to look for me outside when mother and I arrived.
Nana Pining served me a plate of steaming hot “sampurado” and I forgot about the thunder and lightning. Nanay and her elder sister Nana Pining started talking of other matters as if nothing happened about me. That´s how close my mother and Nana Pining were. They were like twins, loved and enyoyed each other´s company. When they were still both alive during family gatherings such as birthdays, the two used to sing old Tagalog songs. Both of them could sing very well. I remember when I was already in the diplomatic service assigned abroad, mother sent me a photo with Nana Pining both of them singing a vocal duet during a school program held on 30 November 1975. Both of them were still looking young then despite their age. Nanay was 65 years old while Nana Pining was 68 years old.
I also remember in June 2000, when Nanay was already bedridden, Nana Pining used to visit her. And the first thing she would ask her upon arrival: “Coring, kumain ka na ba?” (Coring, have you taken your meal?”) “Kumain ka ng mabuti upang lumakas ka agad at tayong dalwa ay muling kakanta .” ( Eat will so that you will regain your strength and both of us shall sing a vocal duet again.).
Nana Pining is the last of the siblings of Carlos Azcarraga and Maria Galero to join in heaven her other brothers and sisters. The first to depart was the eldest Nana Sepa. She was followed by Tata Adiong, then by Tata Apin, Nanay (Coring), and now Nana Pining. All of them lived a long, peaceful, contented, and fruitful life. They never lost faith in the Lord.
May their souls rest in peace.