The Filipino is often depicted as “Juan Tamad”, the Filipino words equivalent to the English words “Lazy Johnny”, a mythical male Filipino character who, to the chagrin of his parents, would waste precious time doing nothing but dream, in sleep or awake.
Take for example this story about him: One day, his mother sent him to the market to buy crab meat for their meal. It was already past noon time and he was not yet back, so the mother worried. She followed him to the market. In the market, vendors who knew the boy said they saw him carrying a basket loaded with live crabs. And he was walking the road back home. So the mother followed his track. And, because it was the only route to take him home, she could not understand what happened to him. Was he waylaid? And as she was piecing what probably had happened to him, he saw his son stretched beneath a guava tree. At first she thought that he was robbed of his goods, for the basket was empty, and it lay beside him. Is he dead? No. For his eyes were wide open. And it seemed to look up to the fruits of the guava tree. “Hey, you lazy son of your father!, whatever happened to you?,” his mother exclaimed. They boy was startled that his mother appeared in his dream, for he thought he was already in a dream. When he was able to come to himself in complete senses, and mother was asking what happened to the crabs, he answered: “I sent them home. I said.” Be on your feet, there’s only this way home, you’ll never get lost,” pointing to the road. “And I watch them as they processed in a race!” The mother said, “Did you believe they’d obey you? Go, march home, and find out!” He scratched his head, wondered why mother would tell this to him, while he watched the clouds got by, and the yellow guava fruits have not fallen to the ground as yet. He laid on the ground still, wondering what has happened to him. And when his mother said:’ You lazy son of your father!’, he was beside himself wondering why the clouds were careening fast while the ground stood still beneath him. Is he dead? And he quizzically wondered if this is the way to die. And so, what should he do? Should he stand up? But if he’s dead, how could he stand up? Besides, the flies were buzzing round him; then, the smell of decay was he, indeed, dead? He did not move his eyes round him and did not see the flies buzzing round the fallen ripe guavas that were the objects of his earlier contemplation. What had happened to him? Mother should have at least pitied him and gave him a fine burial accorded an obedient son. Where were the neighbors, the whole villagers? And mother walked away and she seemed to be saying, “Wait until you get home!” Is this the way to treat a dearly departed son?
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