CEBU, Philippines - National hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal did not only write important books about problems in our society, like Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo (The Filibuster); he also authored handed-down stories with significant lessons that could guide children how to live fruitful lives.
One of his most popular children's stories is about the intelligent but cunning monkey who was outwitted by the slow-moving but clever tortoise.
The story went a little something like this:
There was once a tortoise and a monkey who found a fallen banana shrub (it's not a tree). Since Mr. Bao knew that Mr. Unggoy loves bananas, he offered to him right away the succulent, ripe fruits.
"Friend, I have thought of you initially at the sight of these great tasting fruits. Before they'll rot and be of no use, I'm giving these all to you," Mr. Bao offered Mr. Unggoy.
Mr. Unggoy was so glad that he jumped for joy at the thought of having all the bananas. "Wow, you're truly a thoughtful friend, Mr. Bao. Yes, I will have them all. It would last long enough for me. It would save me from searching for food for a number of days."
Mr. Unggoy immediately gathered the bananas and took it home with him. Boy! But did he ever thank Mr. Bao?
While he was at home stacking bananas just received from Mr. Bao, an idea struck him: "Oh! Why didn't I think of this immediately?"
He rushed back at Mr. Bao's yard and began looking for the fallen shrub.
"Hi there! Mr. Bao. I just find it a great idea if I would have half of that banana, from the trunk down. It would be nice to plant it at my yard where the soil is more fertile than yours," he began the sweet talk. "You see, if it grows there it would yield more fruits than it had before. I know you're such a kind and gentle tortoise that you would find this idea perfect for us to have more food."
"But Mr. Unggoy, I need to have my own share of the bananas to be self-sufficient. How can I be sure I would harvest some of the fruits if it were planted in your land?
"Geez! You don't trust me, Mr. Bao? We've been friends for some time. Have I failed you once?" The monkey pointed out.
So Mr. Bao, trusting and gentle and kind, gave in to Mr. Unggoy's idea.
When the banana began bearing fruits, Mr. Unggoy's very bad side also began to show. He started building a fence around it and even placed a sign: NO TRESPASSING. PROPERTY OF MR. UNGGOY BAROT AND FAMILY.
Mr. Bao who thought of visiting the area to check on the plant, and hopefully to be of help in weeding out grasses, was so shock he thought he would suffer from a heart attack. Fuming mad, he looked for Mr. Unggoy. "How come you already have a fence around the banana and dare place a sign that you own it? Am I not the one who gave you permission to plant it in your backyard, believing in the promise you would share it to me?" an angry Mr. Bao confronted Mr. Unggoy.
"Ha? Did I say that, Mr. Bao? Did I ever sign a contract with you? Do you have proof of the promise I made to you? Oh, poor Mr. Bao for believing in loose talk. I'm sorry, I lied! The banana belongs to me now. It is in my property. So you better go home and look for another fallen banana to plant. That way, you won't have to come again." Super bad Mr. Unggoy said.
Mr. Bao, with a heavy heart, left Mr. Unggoy who was laughing and poking fun at him. "I was a fool to have believed in you, Mr.Unggoy, but I promise you will never taste those bananas. Never!"
"Try me!" Mr. Unggoy harked back. "Try me, you foolish tortoise."
Mr. Bao did not really want to hurt Mr. Unggoy. He knew he would find more fallen banana shrubs when the winds become stronger in the typhoon months of July to December. But he was determined to teach the cunning monkey a lesson.
So that night, he gathered thorns. The following day, while Mr. Unggoy was up there harvesting the bananas, he painstakingly stuck the thorns one by one into the trunk of the banana. Mr. Unggoy was in high spirits. "Ah! Good morning, banana babies. Finally, the fruits of my labor are mine to reap," he shouted.
But the moment he started going down, the sharp thorns pricked his legs and his hands. "Ow, ouch...," he began shouting loudly. Then he saw blood oozing from his legs and hands. "Who could have...? Mr. Baoooooooooooooo," he shouted all the louder.
He hunted Mr. Bao for being the only suspect because of their argument. "Nobody could have done this other than you. Where are you? Show me your ugly shell and I will open and crack it to pieces, you foolish tortoise," Mr. Unggoy growled in anger.
Mr. Bao's shell is also a camouflage, so that when he heard the angry monkey, he then hid his hands, legs, tail and head inside his shell and pretended to be a stone. Mr. Unggoy knew far too well how Mr. Bao's shell design is different from the stones and rocks, he pulled poor Mr. Bao off the ground.
"Wahahahaha! Here you are. I'm going to throw you into my bonfire so I can make grilled meat out of you," Mr. Unggoy cried out in victory.
"You think I'm afraid, Mr. Unggoy? The fire would make my shell shinier. Bleh! And yeah, thanks for doing that because the fire would make my flesh redder, more attractive to the girls." Mr. Bao replied bluffing Mr. Unggoy.
Struck, Mr. Unggoy thought for a while and began to reconsider. "Okay, not into the fire. Into to the swift currents of river then."
"Oh, please! Please, pardon me, Mr. Unggoy. I will surely drown for I don't have gills like a fish. Please, Mr. Unggoy, don't do this to me, I promise not to bother you again, have pity on this frail friend of yours. Have I failed you ever?"
But the monkey brought the tortoise near the river bank. At the count of --- 1, 2, 3 --- the tortoise went in a whoosh, splashing in the river. For sometime, bubbles were bobbing up the surface where he plunged. Afterwards, there was no sight of the tortoise.
"Mr. Unggooooy," somebody called from the distance. "Yoho! Mr. Unggoy! Thanks for throwing me into the river, ha? Didn't you know the water is my home?"
Lesson:
A small and slow-moving creature may also outwit an intelligent, cunning monkey.