I thought I’d share a recorded excerpt from Vida Cruz-Borja’s story, “Have your #Hugot harvested at this Diwata-owned Cafe”. This is a story that’s available online at Strange Horizons and if you click on the title line, it will take you there. For some reason the podcast doesn’t work for me (I also didn’t realise there was already a podcast of this story, but this is an excerpt and not the whole thing.)

“Have your #Hugot harvested at this Diwata-owned Cafe” is one of the stories in Vida’s Song of the Mango and Other New Myths which is available from the Ateneo de Manila university press. I’m pretty sure it’s also available from outlets like Amazon.

Vida’s fundraiser which has been up since May 2025 has only just tapped 10% of what she needs to raise for her medical needs. Cost of medication has never been cheap in The Philippines, and with the rising cost, her need has become more urgent.

In the Philippines, we have this tradition of bayanihan which originates from when a house needed to be moved from place to another, an entire community would show up to transfer the house from its current location to wherever it needed to be by carrying the entire house on their shoulders. It’s also symbolic of how we help one another as communities.

I’m writing this post and sharing this excerpt in the spirit of Bayanihan. If you feel so moved, do feel free to share, to signal-boost, to donate whatever you can.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt and if you’d like me to record a full story, just let me know. When we reach 50% Vida’s goal, I’ll be happy to record one of Vida’s stories or one of mine.

Here is the excerpt from a section in the story titled: Eating One’s Feelings.

I hope you enjoyed this excerpt.

Blessings and peace to you who read this and maraming salamat for passing by.

Editing to highlight: Click to Vida’s fundraiser.