12/09/2025
โ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ด๐ผโ (๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ)
Back in the day, people from Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga would often see this man roaming the streets. Locals called him the โ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด ๐บ๐ฎ๐ปโ because of the unusual clothing he wore pieces of torn fabric stitched and tied together, making him look like he was draped in countless rags.
Rumors spread quickly in the community. Some said he used to be a musician, part of a band, before he lost his way because of prohibited vices. Others whispered different stories about why he ended up wandering the streets in this state. But as with many urban legends, the truth is often much more complicated.
In our own search for answers, we came across another account of his life. According to information shared with us, this man was not just a random drifter. He was once a contract worker someone who even appeared on the Marcos-era payroll. He had spent several years abroad, working hard to support his family. But upon returning to the Philippines, tragedy struck.
He discovered that his entire family had been killed. Adding to the cruelty, someone had been forging letters, pretending to be his wife, while the money he was sending home was being stolen and squandered by deceitful people. When he sought justice through legal means, he had nothing leftโno resources, no support system, no one to turn to. Eventually, he lost everything.
From then on, he walked the streets in his tattered rags. To him, it wasnโt just clothingโit was a statement. He wanted people to see, to feel, the devastation he believed Marcos and the government had brought upon countless Filipinos. His appearance was his protest, his way of telling society about the injustice and suffering that had defined his life.
And perhaps, as time went on, the heavy burden of his thoughts, the weight of sadness, anger, betrayal, and daily hunger all piled up. Layer upon layer, until he slowly drifted away from reality. His wandering became endless, and little by little, he lost his grip on what most of us would call sanity. But in his mind, maybe a new world had formedโa world only he could see. And maybe in that world, he was no longer alone. Maybe in that place, he was finally happy again, walking side by side with the family he had lost.
We may never know which version of his story is true. Was he really a former musician? Was he really a victim of betrayal and injustice? Or was his fate written by both tragedy and human cruelty? One thing is certain: people donโt simply end up like this without deep pain behind their eyes. Everyone we see struggling on the margins of society carries a storyโone filled with battles we may never fully understand.
The โrag manโ of Balibago reminds us of a truth that is easy to forget: compassion costs nothing, but it can mean everything. Before we judge, let us remember that behind every face, behind every set of tattered clothes, there may be a story of love, loss, and survival. And perhaps the kindest thing we can do is to see them not as strangers, but as human beings who once dreamed, loved, and livedโjust like the rest of us.
Sometimes, behind the rags is a story worth remembering.
[A] Ronnie Seramines
[image] credit to the rightful owner
โ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ด๐ผโ (๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ)
Back in the day, people from Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga would often see this man roaming the streets. Locals called him the โrag manโ because of the unusual clothing he woreโpieces of torn fabric stitched and tied together, making him look like he was draped in countless rags.
Rumors spread quickly in the community. Some said he used to be a musician, part of a band, before he lost his way because of prohibited vices. Others whispered different stories about why he ended up wandering the streets in this state. But as with many urban legends, the truth is often much more complicated.
In our own search for answers, we came across another account of his life. According to information shared with us, this man was not just a random drifter. He was once a contract worker who had spent several years abroad, working hard to support his family. But upon returning to the Philippines, tragedy struck.
He discovered that his entire family had been killed. Adding to the cruelty, someone had been forging letters, pretending to be his wife, while the money he was sending home was being stolen and squandered by deceitful people. When he sought help through legal means, he had nothing leftโno resources, no support system, no one to turn to. Eventually, he lost everything.
From then on, he walked the streets in his tattered rags. To him, it wasnโt just clothingโit was a statement. His appearance told the story of devastation, loss, and betrayal that had defined his life. It was his silent way of making people see the pain he carried.
And perhaps, as time went on, the heavy burden of his thoughts, the weight of sadness, anger, betrayal, and daily hunger all piled up. Layer upon layer, until he slowly drifted away from reality. His wandering became endless, and little by little, he lost his grip on what most of us would call sanity. But in his mind, maybe a new world had formedโa world only he could see. And maybe in that world, he was no longer alone. Maybe in that place, he was finally happy again, walking side by side with the family he had lost.
We may never know which version of his story is true. Was he really a former musician? Was he truly a victim of betrayal and injustice? Or was his fate written by both tragedy and human cruelty? One thing is certain: people donโt simply end up like this without deep pain behind their eyes. Everyone we see struggling on the margins of society carries a storyโone filled with battles we may never fully understand.
The โrag manโ of Balibago reminds us of a truth that is easy to forget: compassion costs nothing, but it can mean everything. Before we judge, let us remember that behind every face, behind every set of tattered clothes, there may be a story of love, loss, and survival. And perhaps the kindest thing we can do is to see them not as strangers, but as human beings who once dreamed, loved, and livedโjust like the rest of us.
Sometimes, behind the rags is a story worth remembering.
[a] Ronnie Seramines
[image] credit to the rightful owner
