Bulihan: My Land of Origin

The famous Bulihan arch (Photo from CBP Creative Designs)

I grew up living in a blissful community. A place wherein people foster love and solidarity and a place  I widely consider my neighbors as a family. A place wherein people give importance and value the aesthetic of nature. Sadly, the time has come and I wouldn’t be able to see more of this because my family and I need to move to the  place I’m not familiar with. But wait, did I mention above what I am talking about? If I’m not, I am pertaining to my Hometown, Bulihan. The place where my mother raised me and the place where I faced struggles that made the person I am today—empowered and resilient.

Barangay Old Bulihan Hall (Photo from CBP Creative Designs)

Before I dig deeper and tour you to my place, just grab and popcorn and your fave drink first because I will tell you a short story about it. Bulihan is a barangay located in the municipality of Silang in the province of Cavite. I don’t really know anything about this place and why people called it ‘Bulihan’ not until my teacher in Social Studies revealed that before the industrialization of this place, there are numbers  trees called ‘Buli’ that is similar to Anahaw. The leaves of trees are useful for the people who resides there in the earlier years because it can be used in making houses. As time passed by people decided to call this place Bulihan since it has a lot of Buli trees. In the present time, the population in Bulihan increased due to development of establishment and other public infrastructure. In fact, Bulihan has a total population of 23,275 that represents the 9.38% of the total population of Silang according to the 2015 census.

Commercial establishments located along Bulihan Road (Photo from CBP Creative Designs)

Are you wondering why a lot of people chose to live here? Well Bulihan has  a lot of things to offer to its people. First, there are a lot of accessible commercial establishment that made the daily lives of residents easier. It includes, public market, fast food chain, money remittance centers, general merchendise store, clothing store and a lot more that are too many to mention. Second, Bulihan is a safe place for everyone. As I live in this place for almost 18 years, I barely hear any crime or malicious acts. Also, there are Barangay tanod along with the local Police who are securing the safeness of the people during night time. Third, Bulihan is an eco-friendly place. Since 2013, the Barangay officials have implemented the waste segregation and the “Tapat mo, linis mo” program which helps the street sweepers to clean the surroundings. In addition, plastic bags and cups aren’t allowed in any commercial establishment. Lastly, people who lives here are actually friendly. I’m sure if you’re going to move here you wouldn’t take long to be friends with your  neighbors because they are welcoming and hospitable towards to other people. There are a lot of activities that are arranged by barangay to help people socialize with others like clean up drive and free zumba class for everyone. 

Zone 4 arch (Photo from CBP Creative Designs)

While I’m also living here, everyday was also a battle for me especially when I was a little kid. I have experienced being bullied on my 4^th grade because of my weight. My classmates are making fun of my physical appearance and constantly calls me ‘fat’ which I find disrespectful. As a child, I have zero idea why they are doing this to me. That phase of my life made me anxious of my physical appearance. I desperately want to lose weight to the point that I started starving myself just to look thin and visually appealing to my classmates and I wasn’t aware that these things are not good for my mental and physical health. These happenings didn’t end not until I met my real friends that taught me to be be a warrior who has a thick skin that nobody can hurt. Lucky for me that during my darkest times, someone burned the torch inside of me.

Aerial view captured from drone (Photo from Winelfred Pasamba)

Leaving this place wasn’t easy for me. It makes me feel sad and blue because I spent most of my life here with the people I love. On the other hand, I’m still thankful that I grew up in that beautiful place. The joyful memories that I made here that still vividly emblazoned in my mind. My heart is full of joy everytime I come there to visit my friends and it’s good to see that Bulihan is getting better every time I see it. Lastly, one thing I will always remember about this place, it’s my home and this is where I belong.