The story of Lolo Barya
OUR grandparents – especially those who lived through the war – told us time and again to save and persevere. In this age of instant gratification, when was the last time you listened?
“Alam nyo ba kung saan namin mahahanap si Tatay Lando?” we queried, upon entering a small farm-fieldside village with no street names, after driving for over an hour from Cabanatuan in search of our peculiar interviewee.
“Aaaah, si Lolo Barya!” chimed the group of playful children who were more than excited to point us to the house behind one of the side streets. Clearly, he had quite a reputation in this neighborhood. And it was exactly why we had come to pay this special man a visit.
As we approached the property with an open lawn with free-range chickens roaming about and a planting field for a backyard, we saw him waiting for us--right next to his new Kawasaki CT100 motorbike-turned-tricycle. He was expecting us – all ready with refreshments and some tasty homemade lugaw in true Filipino, hospitable fashion.
Our person of interest was Rolando ‘ Tatay Lando’ Cruz Gapac, more popularly known as ‘Lolo Barya.’
Lolo Barya became quite the local icon of frugality and perseverance after his legendary purchase of a brand new Kawasaki CT 100 at a Wheeltek dealership in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija using a sack of coins that he saved up over many years – amounting to over P45,000 in total change – as his straightup payment.
As the story goes, he took the sack full of coins from San Pedro to Santa Rosa (Nueva Ecija) in a jeepney on the day of his purchase. “Of course, tinanong ko muna sa saleslady kung
tumatanggap ba sila ng barya!” explained Tatay Lando. The question to which, Wheeltek saleslady Arlene Cornes enthusiastically replied, “Opo, sir! Kahit piso, tatanggapin po namin.”
Of course, the sales crew didn’t know what they were really getting into. And so Tatay Lando simply asked for their help to come get his money from the jeep. And until this day he smiles when he remembers how he couldn’t describe the look on their faces when they had seen that he literally meant a sack full of coins!
“Patigil-tigil kami sa pagbuhat,” he recounted, of their physical struggle to carry the heavy sack of coins into the shop. “Pagdating namin sa loob, binuhos namin sa lamesa... at limang tao silang
nagbilang,” he described with a big smile. The total amount counted was more than P45,000 – enough to make his planned purchase. “And that day,
dineliver na nila!” shared Lolo Barya, while letting out a smirk as he admitted to us that no one else really knew about it, at the time... not even his wife!
His children were shocked that a new CT100 was delivered to him; and they nervously speculated about the possibilities of how their father had acquired this bike. Eventually he revealed to his family how he had been secretly saving up for this purchase by throwing in some coins into his money sacks everyday for the past few years.
“Itinanim ko dito,” exclaimed Lolo Barya as he pointed one finger to his head, “na pagdating ko sa bahay, ay maghuhulog na ako.” And when asked if he combined his savings with anyone else’s, he was quick to reply that, “This is all mine.” and emphasized that he did it with absolutely no help. He even explained that he never really individually counts his saved money; and that he has in fact, discovered after weighing it once, that about 1kg of P5 coins amounts to approximately P1,150!
Lolo Barya is a 73-year-old farmer who spends his mornings farming, and then walking around his horse (which he owns simply as a pet and does not use as a work animal at all). As a matter of fact, he also happened to purchase his pet horse solely out of his own pocket, after many years of saving – testament to the fact that this frugal farmer truly has prudence ingrained in his system—a virtue so many spendthrift Filipinos could use these days!
And to make the happy ending of this story even sweeter – the executives of Wheeltek were so inspired by Lolo Barya’s unique story of perseverance that one month later, as Lolo Barya recounts: “Tinawagan ako ng manager. Naku, bumabagyo pa nga nung araw na
iyon!” And to his surprise, he was invited to the Kawasaki plant in Muntinlupa – which he accepted – and there, Kawasaki Philippines awarded him with a half sack of rice; t-shirts; two brand new Rudy Project watches (one of which, he was wearing during our interview; while the other, he gave to his son); a suitcase, caps and even groceries.
And to top it all off, Lolo Barya also got a free sidecar that he always wanted for his Kawasaki CT100! In fact, this was something he was saving for next.
“Syempre, tuwang- tuwa ako –
Lumulundag ang puso ko!” exclaimed Lolo Barya of his initial reaction. His whole family was quite shocked with the turn of events, he said with a mischievous laugh. But meanwhile, he snappily worked on having his new sidecar installed and immediately took his grandchildren around in it for a spin!
These days, he uses his new tricycle to drive down to the town and pick up bundles of grass to feed his horse. He does not use his tricycle for pamamasada, but instead uses it for important errands and to drive his family around.
When asked if he feels if he has inspired his community, he said ‘Yes!’ and even pointed out that his neighbors expressed that they would like to start saving up, like him, as well! “Ilagay lang lagi sa isip, na kailangan magsumikap!” were Lolo Barya’s words of advice. “At huwag ninyong kakalimutan – na lahat ng bagay ay may pamamaraan!” Kudos to Lolo Barya, and may he be an example and an inspiration to us all.