Sarrat: A famous historical town left behind

By Arnel M. Barangan

Contributor

I am a pure Ilocano and a Sarrateño residing now in Cebu City. I spent the last Christmas in Sarrat and in time also on the occasion of my first cousin’s wedding last December.

I used to visit Sarrat, my father’s hometown and birthplace in the late 1990s. How I loved to swim in the crystal clear waters of Padsan River that divides the town. My cousins and I were very happy catching goby or the so-called “bokto”. Then we caught crabs, lobsters, tilapia, dalag from their rama, a cluster of twigs covered with coconut leaves submerged into the water and used as a sanctuary and a habitat of fish and other crustaceans. We also had a nice time picnicking at Sagpatan Dam located at Barangay 22 in Sarrat.

To maximize my last vacation here in Sarrat, we toured and traveled the neighboring cities of Batac and Laoag and almost all the towns of Ilocos Norte except Carasi and Adams. I’ve noticed how fast Ilocos Norte have soared to progress. I love the windmills in the northern towns. Gosh, big malls are already in San Nicolas Town and Laoag City.

I loved going around the market of Batac City where I bought the rare vegetable my father used to tell me called “banitog”. Then we dropped by San Nicolas for the famous Ilocano “bagnet”. I remember from San Nicolas we preceded to Dingras town. It was a Wednesday morning and luckily it was the town’s open-market-day. I bought my favorite tupig a native delicacy made from malagkit. On that same day, we went to Solsona town and I bought a deer horn and venison (deer meat) as pasalubong. From Solsona, we decided to go and pass by Piddig town before going back to Sarrat. Inside the market of Piddig, I noticed a bottle with shells in it. I asked my uncle what that is and he answered me that is called “birabid”, one of the Ilocano favorite dishes.

During our dinner that same day, I asked my uncle why our dear Sarrat is being left behind in terms of progress compared to neighboring adjacent towns. My uncle just shrugged his shoulder and said it is because of too much politicking and no will of the chief executive to work for progress. At that moment I just let my uncle speak. He continued, you see son, just a matter of observation from our trip from San Nicolas to Dingras—I did not see any more the welcome arc along the national highway at Sitio Tagiporo in Santa Rosa village. He told me that the welcome arc was accidentally bumped and destroyed by a dump truck and my uncle came to know that the dump truck owner had already paid the damages but reported allegedly pocketed by a Sarrat official.

I remained adamant for a while but to break the silence, I asked my uncle—why public market of Sarrat is like a skeleton not like the beautiful and clean markets of neighboring towns. He told me it is because of no transparency and no full accountability? Why? I asked him and he threw back the question to me and said, if you are a member of the legislative body, would you concur for the passage of additional budget for the market if the last fund allocated is not yet clear on where it was spent? Would you not ask for the supporting documents where the people’s money went? I did not ask anymore question to my uncle, perhaps, I just kept to myself my own observation that Sarrat public market and plaza is the worst of all the places in Ilocos that I saw.

My dear kababayan Sarrateños wake up! Rise and shout again our slogan “Ritritemon Cayong”, I AM URGING YOU THAT THIS COMING MAY ELECTIONS—IT IS NOW TIME TO THINK AND VOTE FOR A CHANGE. LET US ALL HELP EACH OTHER TO MAKE SARRAT GEARED TOWARDS REAL PROGRESS. DO NOT VOTE FOR THOSE WHO MAKE POLITICS AS THEIR SOURCE OF INCOME. YOU KNOW THOSE WHO ARE CORRUPT.  DO NOT VOTE FOR THEM FOR THEY DO NOT HAVE THE MORAL ASCENDANCY TO GOVERN. THOSE WHO DO NOT RESPECT THE DIGNITY OF WOMEN HAVE NO PLACE IN PUBLIC SERVICE. PUBLIC SERVICE IS A PUBLIC TRUST. IT MUST BE THE WELFARE OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND NOT THEIR SELVES.

(Mr. Barangan is a seaman and a professional photographer. His father is a retired public school teacher and a member of Sarrat National High School Batch 1965.)