By Rex Catubig 

 

AS we continue to rally and promote the restoration and revitalization of the old PNR Train Station, which is at the center of our advocacy, skeptics are quick to raise the issue of priority.

“Bakit yan ang ginagawa, wala namang pakinabang ang tao diyan?”

Coming from fellow residents of the city who profess love for and loyalty to their place of birth, it is dumbfounding. Yet, it is also understandable, as it is probably an offshoot of their frustration in a fast-paced, burgeoning city. Beset with constant challenges, one gets overwhelmed and loses his coping mechanism –in the process negating anything that from his perspective detracts from the issues and concerns of everyday living. If it doesn’t fit, forget.

But the simple truth is: one does not negate the other. In fact, they reinforce each other. Keeping our cultural and historical heritage alive should work in harmony with the task of managing the myriad challenges of a bustling city by the river.

“For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?”

Commerce and industry determine a community’s progress but it is culture that ultimately determines the quality of that progress.

Culture and commerce run on parallel tracks.

Our historical and cultural heritage defines us as uniquely and distinctly Dagupeños. It is the soul of our being. Take that away or disregard it and we are no more than “clanging cymbals”.

It is in this light, that we need the blessing of our fellow Dagupeños to give this fledgling excursion into our storied past that is at the same time a journey to its future.

This endeavor should not be looked at as a frivolous diversion of aging citizens as exemplified by the heritage advocacy group, Jayceeken. It is a noble and significant endeavor deserving the support and cooperation of fellow true-blooded Dagupeños.

This is because it is a legacy of a lifetime that the next generation is heir to. The legacy of heritage and history, customs and traditions, mores and values, that define what is Dagupan, who are we as a people.

While rising tide and floodwaters might one day sink Dagupan, we can always look back at the time when the royally decreed Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan brought commerce, culture, and the nobility of heroes into our coastal city. And the PNR Train Station would stand tall as the unsinkable testimonial.

Let us not begrudge the next generation its historical root and cultural identity. It’s all we can proudly bequeath them: the pride and honor of being a Dagupeño.

I am a Dagupeño. You are a Dagupeño. Let us not forget whence we came from–the past that shaped us, as we ride the train to our future.

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