Wartime Acurantes Life
Democracia Acurantes-Calasanz It was tough bringing up, feeding and educating us--Acurantes children. Food on the table was rationed. Papa was assigned as Juez de Paz in Nabas and Mama was a housewife, brought up 9 surviving, out of 10 children.
The boys were sly in stealing food from the girls’ plate. Manong Hector or Manong Quiling would distract my attention and soon as I was not looking, they would dish out pieces of fish or shrimp that was on my plate and would have a laugh because he stole my food. Tale such as this was common because life was hard but somehow we survived. Nabas did not have a high school up until 1948. We all went to Ibajay Academy. Manang Ena had already finished school when Manangs Saling, Lily, and Eden were students in Ibajay Academy, then I joined them. We rented a room in Nay Pilay’s house which was near the school. Some of the rooms were also rented to others from Nabas like Democrito Palomata, Amrafel Palomata, as well as to Jose Zaldivar. One of the bigger rooms of the house was rented to Dr. Telesforo Calasanz and his wife, Manang Conching. He was then assigned as a Red Cross dentist in Ibajay. Julian, his brother, stayed with him wherever he was assigned.
Juling went to Ibajay Academy from 1st year of to 3rd of high school and were classmates of Manangs Saling, Lily and Eden. They were already barkadas and good buddies enjoying each other’s friendship and company. They were on their 3rd year when I started my freshman year. I remember every evenings Juling would tutor them in Math, Algebra, and Physics as he had always received first honors in their class. They had all laughs and frolics as they did their homework diligently as a group.
There was an excursion of the Ibajay Academy’s 3rd year students at the Jawili Falls. For some reason, I tagged along. In coming back, the river was swollen and became too dangerous to cross. Manang Saling and my other siblings, who had to fend for their own getting across the fast running river, entrusted Juling to help me. He told me way, way, way later, that at this instance, he had mentioned to me that someday he would come back and marry me when we both have finished school. Everything was too vague for me to know of what’s going on and was too naïve of boys then. I don’t remember him saying it so to me; years later he recalled that he did say it to me then.
Dr. Calasanz was reassigned to Kalibo when Juling was going on for his 4th year. So we all separated and had not heard of him since, except on an occasional remark by one of my sisters, that they missed his tutoring. I heard someone mentioned that he was first honors when he finished high school in Kalibo but he was not bestowed the honor as the class valedictorian because he did not have the required residency in that school.
Graduating from high school, Eden proceeded to Philippine Normal College to become a teacher, Manang Lily got married, and Manang Saling went to school to become a seamstress, her own choice of vocation. With Manong Quiling, Manang Saling and Eden in college all at the same time, I was forced to stay home. It was during this time when Tay Peping (Jose Acurantes), cousin of Papa came for a visit together with his wife, Nay Tinay and convinced Papa to allow me to come and live with them for a while in Iloilo. They didn’t have a child of their own.
Tay Peping was the branch manager of the Philippine National Bank in Iloilo and had a good life. They owned a car and a piano and lived comfortably in a very nice house. They have influential friends and colleagues and I was introduced to their kind of social circle. I remember dancing on a ship on a beautiful moonlight cruise by the harbor bay in one of the many social occasions I went with them. While in Iloilo, I had a “so called” boyfriend by the initials JT but decided to break it up when Tay Peping was assigned to the Cagayan de Oro Branch of the PNB.
With the right connection, I started to teach immediately in Cagayan de Oro. In those days, anyone with high school diploma could teach. There was even more social life waiting for me in Cagayan de Oro and a lot of admirers too. There, I met GN, my second boyfriend. I now belonged to a Saturday Evening Club where we had dancing very Saturday. I remember our dance hall as fully decorated with different colors of long hanging waling-waling, an exquisite type of orchid.
In one occasion, Tay Peping’s friends invited us to a dance in Davao City. Nay Tinay, Tay Peping and I rode together in the family car. On the way back, we had several bushels of lanzones in the trunk from his friends. As we approached Kamatayan Hills, a stiff hill, our driver panicked and instead on gearing it forward, he geared it in reverse and the car started to roll down fast. Luckily, the car was stopped by a young growing coconut tree. Looking deep down below, we could see the debris of rusting cars which had met their final fate at that very curb. It was not meant for us to meet our creator that day.
While in the care of Tay Peping, I became a candidate for Miss Cagayan de Oro. He had lots of contacts and influences that helped me win the title of Miss Pearl of the Orient. The coronation was dampened by the heavy rain and storm. Luckily, some pictures were taken earlier. It was a meaningful event with me passing under the cross swords of the ROTC cadets. My cape and gown was soaking wet. I stayed in Cagayan for a memorable 2 years.
Tay Peping was later assigned in Batangas, so I decided to take the boat back home to Nabas. On that very same boat, my ex-boyfriend JT was one of the passengers. Upon seeing me, he started to cry out hard and poured out regrets of his marriage. He would not leave my side even if the wife was his traveling companion, explained regrettably that this woman, now his wife came upon him one night. An event forced him to marry her and now with tears asked for my forgiveness. As if his tears would melt my heart and I’d come rushing to him! Excuse me!
I eventually pursued my schooling at the Far Eastern University for my teaching degree. I was an intern in the practice house and graduating that coming Dec 18. On December 9, the Japanese occupied the Philippines. Manong Hector searched me out from the dormitory to hide first in Intramuros. I packed my clothes in a small portfolio. I brought with me a kimono with an exquisite dragon embroidery design, just a few blouses and high-heeled shoes. Looking back, what was I thinking?! Going to a party?
We proceeded later to Batangas and stayed with Tay Peping. To hide from the Japanese, most families dug holes and hide in the ground when they sensed that the Japanese were coming and then later return to their homes when everything seemed calm and peaceful. Batangas at that time was full of well trimmed bamboo grooves by the road side.
One day, we heard a thunderous passing of heavy tanks and artilleries. We run to our dugout across the street and behind the bamboos to hide. The Japanese proceeded to the plaza and fired loud and incessant guns and canyon as the sound of a thunderous war zone. From our dugout, we counted 10 flags with the emblem of the sun, the Japanese flag! All we could do was pray. Soon as the gunfire subsided, we run across the street and back to the house.
The following morning, before we could run to our dugouts, we again heard more trucks and more Japanese troops marching in full force. We were so scared but could no longer run across to the safety of the dugout. As they passed marching through, we figured that the Japanese were proceeding to Manila. We stayed a couple of more weeks in Batangas before deciding to go back to Manila by train. We wanted to get whatever we could salvage from our belongings in the practice house, but we could see the clothes of the Japanese soldiers hanging from the windows. We could no longer go to the house.
We had to go back to Batangas. Life was hard and food was scarce. Manong Quiling found snails for food in the rice field among other things we had to eat in order to survive.
We were supposed to have taken a ship from Manila but missed it because of the distance coming from Batangas and the hardship of finding transportation to Manila. It was a fortunate bad luck for us to miss it because that very same boat exploded and sank when it hit an explosive and killed all passengers. A lot of my friends and dorm mates were on that boat.
It was about this time when Papa seek the help of Ansel Maglinte’s father to look for us in Manila and to take us back to Nabas. He owned a small ‘batel’, a boat the shape of round tub enough to carry some 10 passengers. It had a sail in the center for wind power.
So on the batel, there were about 10 of us cramped but thankful to come home. Nene Tessing was with us.Our strategy was to stay as close to shore as possible and as we approached Verde Island, the Japanese spotted us, crashed their boat with ours. The batel had a gaping hole and was taking in water. We were so scared thinking that the boat would capsize and we would all drown. We women had to hide so the Japanese wouldn’t see us. The people on the shores saw what happened and cried and prayed hard for our safety. They had known that the Japanese raped the women when they encounter them on occasions such as this.
The people on the shore clapped so loud and rejoiced when they saw that the Japanese boat had left us. They happened to be on a mission so they had to hurry out. They ordered us to return to Calapan. As soon as they’re gone, the people helped fix the damaged boat and would not allow us to leave, not until everything was cleared and apparently safe. They kept us there for 3 days. Various families donated food and other necessities. At night, the Japanese conducted searchlight towards the Island and since the people had dug a very big and deep hole to bury the batel, the Japanese could not pick up any trace of unusual activity on the Island.
Later, we started inching towards Nabas. I don’t remember anymore how long it took us to reach Panay Island. The good people from Verde Island gave us some food and some sintores, a kind of oranges they grow. We run out of food so we had to sustain on water and sintores. We finally reached Nabas safely. Our family home was where Nonoy Butchoy and his family now lives. It was a 2 story house, the lower level was Mama’s store.
In the safety of Nabas, after a few days, on a full moon, we were startled to see flowers pouring in through the window and into the bed and someone was serenading. He had a very beautiful voice. Manang Saling and Manang Eden told me that it was Juling. I asked, Juling who? I didn’t remember him anymore. It had been over 6 years. He was assigned to organize a group of guerilla in the area. The Manangs quickly refreshed my memory of who Juling is.
Juling was already teaching in Jamindan, Capiz when the war broke out. He was commissioned to form a guerilla group hence he soon learned of my return to Nabas. Panay Island had only 3 provinces at that time, Antique, Iloilo and Capiz. Capiz had 3 district. The 3rd district became the 4th province, now Aklan sometime in the 50’s.
Soon he came to see me everyday. I was just remembering him to be my sisters’ friend in Ibajay. He now wants to marry me in a hurry. I was not into marriage, I don’t remember much of him from before and personally, I know nothing of him. I had 3 boyfriends before, the third one with the initials of TR of whom I met in college and all were so good looking and rich. So it was a sort of “no, I don’t want to marry you attitude” that I invoked upon him. But my brothers and sisters were his barkada and strongly approved of him and it was war time. He reminded me that several years earlier during the excursion at Jawili, he had said he would come to marry me someday.
With the war still going on, the whole Acurantes clan decided to temporarily move to Buenavista. Lovice was born in a house by the lomboy or duhat tree where Carling and Mildred Tuangtuang now lives. Barely three days after she was born, a policeman hurriedly informed us that the Japanese was looking for the Calasanz family, they pronounced it 'Ca-rasang'. So swiftly, Lovice was placed inside the patadyong while hanging from the neck of Papa’s boy helper. It was going to be the start of the rice planting season but we had to cross the rice field and the mud was up to my thigh. And we had to go up and down the cahon. It was by fate that I did not suffer a relapse because of recent childbirth.
Wartime life was difficult. There was barely any place to get food but every time Juling comes home, he somehow manages to bring food for us and milk for Lovice. Juling was later assigned in Tablas. The house were we were staying was close to the beach. Juling was on a horse looking for volunteers and I was bathing Lovice one day when someone shouted “Japon, Japon”. And the Japanese were already so close. The people helped us, even hide Juling’s military uniform as we went hiding somewhere along some other side of shore. The Japanese did not see us but shot their guns in the air to show their strong military presence.
We passed by the church on our way back to Nabas when we heard hundreds of plane passing and dropping bombs. It was the US planes on rescue mission and destroying the Japanese tankers. Juling’s assignment in Tablas was over. Toto Ulysses and Pacquing Palomata were with us. As everywhere we go, Toto usually came with us. The sea was so thick and black and our boat would not budge. The boat was seemingly going to capsize so everybody helped scoop the water and made room for the boat to pass through while Juling maneuvers the boat. We were still a few yards away from the shore but could not get off because the dark water was thick. Perhaps a miracle happened, a very strong wind pushed us to shore and everybody had to jump out for fear that the wind would push the boat back to the thick black murky water. What we also had on the boat with us were some pigs, chicken, rice and other provisions brought back with us from Tablas. It was all gone and wasted. We found out the following day that all of the sea from somewhere near Ibajay to Nabas was covered with crude oil from the Japanese warship bombed by the US.
A little tale I can say about the war. Mama and Papa and every member of the family who were in Nabas when the war broke, had to climb the highest mountain to hide from the Japanese. When I saw Papa upon my return from Batangas, I saw his hair had turned all white for worrying too much. Every time they sensed that the Japanese were closing in, Manong Badong would call out ‘Aronsa, Aronsa’, I’m assuming it means get going, move on as everywhere are Japanese soldiers.
Nabas, was lucky somehow because even when the houses were burned, it was burned by the allied troops and not the enemies to prevent the Japanese from taking over. Tell tale was that in Ibajay, anybody suspected of aiding the Philippine or US military were all lined up and decapitated. None of this happened to residents of Nabas. It is because of our devotion to Nuestra Senora de Salvacion that kept our family and neighbors alive.
Looking back, Manong Hector raised the Philippine flag from the Buenavista home when the Philippines declared independence on July 4, 1946. We know of course that the true Philippine Independence was changed to June 12.
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A Love Story...
Justicia Acurantes-Filarca From 1946 to 1955 I was teaching 5th grade Home Economics in Quezon City. Every Valentine’s day our school would have a Valentine’s Party. My friend Feliza, also a teacher, invited me to come over to her apartment in Manila on the Saturday morning of the party. When I arrived, she introduced me to her husband’s first cousin, Louis (who, by the way was still in his pajamas!). We had a short conversation about why he was in Manila and what brought him there. He was going to school in Manila, studying Business Administration. After a short while, Feliza decided that she did not want to attend the party that afternoon because she was not feeling well. So because I did not want to attend the party alone, I went back to the dormitory in Quezon City and instead went to the movies with my friends.
That Monday, Feliza came to school and during our recess she handed me a sandwich for our coffee break. She told me it came from her “cousin” Louis. It was a peanut butter & jelly sandwich!
Every day that week she brought me a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, telling me that it was from Louis.
After a few weeks, Feliza asked me if it was alright for Louis to come and see me at the dormitory, which I told her was okay. About two weeks later, on a Sunday he showed up in a white, well pressed outfit. I invited him to sit down but before he sat, he took another chair and offered me a seat before he would sit down. What a gentleman!!
He continued to come visit me at the dormitory every Sunday for the next few weeks and we had many conversations.
He told me about his purpose of coming back to the Philippines from the U.S. to go to school under his G.I. bill of rights. He also talked about his family who came from Vigan, Ilocos Sur, that he had lost both of his parents already and had only 2 sisters left living in Vigan.
That March he came to visit one Sunday and he said to me, “ I know you are also an orphan now, as I am. How about you and me facing the world together?”
With this, I questioned his “status”. I asked him right out if maybe he had another family in the States. He said to me, “ your brother works in Immigration, why don’t you have him check me out?”
So I did.
I called my brother, Manong Quiling and told him that this 45 year old guy was asking to marry me and he wanted an answer quickly or he would be leaving to go back to the States. I asked Manong Quiling to check out his immigration file and let me know if he was “ok”. The next day my brother called up and told me, “ yah Ne’- he is here to go to school on the G. I. Bill. He is okay, he is not married to anyone else!”
So the following Sunday when Louis came to visit, I told him all right. I told him my brother had checked him out and he was “okay”. We had further discussion that day about where we would live, how many kids he wanted and “sleeping arrangements”
And we agreed on everything.
So we went to our parish priest to find out if we could get married at another parish, since we would be getting married in Malati Catholic Church, which was not our own parish. The priest told us it would be fine. We were married in the Malati Catholic Church on April 23, 1950. The only family members in attendance were my 2 brothers, Hector and Achilles and their wives. Everyone else lived too far away to attend. This was all of 2 months after I met Louis!
We went ahead and looked for an apartment in Manila. We found one on Galicia Street, where we stayed for 6 months. Later, we bought a duplex in Quezon City and were living there when I was visited by my sister, Manang Saling. I was complaining of a stomach ache during her visit, and she said to me, “oooh you might be pregnant!”. A month later on a visit to the Doctor, it was confirmed. I was to have my first child!
I continued teaching school, and Louis was going to school and received a salary of $50 a month. He was so excited that we were going to have a baby! He would keep looking through all of the baby clothes and diapers. When our daughter Eloisa was born January 25, 1951 we had her baptized at the church on the way home from the hospital with Marina Aguirre as her Godmother.
Louis graduated in 1952 and looked for a job in the Philippines. In January of 1953, our second child, Cynthia was born. Since Louis could not find a decent job at that time in the Philippines, he decided to go back to the U.S. to work in 1954 and work with the Military Sea Transportation Service, in charge of transporting Veterans back home to the U.S.
During the time that Louis was working for the MSTS, he was able to visit us only every 6 months. We were living in a duplex in Quezon City. I remember our neighbors had a little boy who was Eloisa’s age, 2 years old. Every afternoon when his dad would return home from work, the little boy would run to greet him shouting “Daddy! Daddy!”. Eloise would follow him and also shout “Daddy! Daddy!” and that was when I knew it was time to reunite our family and move to the States.
I wrote to Louis and told him I wanted to come to the U.S. He tried to discourage me from coming, because he knew that I had 2 nannies to help take care of the children here in the Philippines and would not have them when in the U.S. He explained that I would be the one that would have to do the laundry, the cooking, and the cleaning because we would not be able to afford help as we had in the Philippines. That did not discourage me, so he sent me all the paperwork, support and money and we soon boarded the ship, the President Cleveland in April of 1955. We were going to live in America!
Louis had already rented a flat in San Francisco, where we lived for less than a year. Soon after he was given a choice of transferring to either San Jose or San Diego, California. Since he had a nephew already in San Jose, that is where we decided to live and raise our family. We lived with his nephew for 6 months until we found a duplex to rent. We moved into the duplex and stayed there for three years. In March of 1956 we had ANOTHER daughter, Josephine.
In 1958 we were able to purchase our own home in San Jose. When Josephine was two years old I asked Louis if I could look for a job, since by this time he was working two jobs to support our family. He was not in favor of my looking for a job but because I was insistent (I was not used to staying home!), he finally relented and took me to San Jose Hospital where I wanted to work. When I went to personnel to inquire about a job, the woman in charge asked me what shift I wanted to work. I told her I’d like to work the 7am to 3pm shift. I was lucky because there and then she asked me when I could start. At that time we had to take 6 weeks of training as a nursing assistant. She told me I would work in “Post Partum” I signed all the papers and fulfilled all of the requirements and left the office. At this time Louis was waiting for me in the car and when I returned he asked me what department I was going to be working in. I was grinning and said, “I’ll be working in Post Mortem!” He started laughing really hard and asked, “ So you’ll be working with the dead people?” I’ll never forget that laugh. I said, “you know, with the mothers who’ve just had their babies delivered”. He replied, “ Oh, you mean POST PARTUM! Not post Mortem!” We both cracked up on the drive home.
So I began attending training as a nursing assistant for 6 weeks. Then I worked on the maternity floor. The fun was getting my first paycheck for 2 weeks, a total of $80. Wow that was big money!
I worked at San Jose Hospital for twenty-six years. In 1962 my friends at work were kidding me that I was going through menopause (I was 42 years old), I was very sure I was pregnant and sure enough after 6 months they ended up throwing me a baby shower.
I was so disappointed when I found out I was pregnant. What if it was another girl?? And Louis said, “it doesn’t make any difference, you’ve already taken care of three girls, the fourth won’t make any difference. Who knows, that will be you guardian angel”. In August of 1962, I had my last baby, another girl- Julie Ann
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MEMORIES OF NABAS Exciting , glorious Nabas. Summers were the most exciting times of my growing up life because it meant the plane or boat ride home to Nabas. It meant sleeping over at Manang Thelma’s house with the Compania Maritima ticket office on the ground floor to prepare us for the long dusty trip home to Nabas. It meant loading all our luggage ( and we had a lot) on board jeepneys with passengers sitting on the roof, in the middle aisle and across the door carrying chickens, pigs or goats. It meant being turned over to the care Auntie Ena, designated keeper of this headstrong child and house hopping to Auntie Lily, Auntie Eden ,Auntie Saling and the glamorous Auntie Crasing , to say hello and bring pasalubongs. It also meant being under the watchful eyes of Manang Lynne and Sepa who were always there with me and for me, or walking around town or to the beach with Maybelle, Boy Francis, Grace, Eva and Ramon. It was sitting under the old house of Auntie Ena drinking “Pipsi” and eating “borita” or watching the helpers cook polvoron in the kitchen with the gasera as light. It was sleeping under kulambos and making “paypay” and having to go to the outhouse to use the bathroom and closing the sawali windows propped up by bamboo poles so that the “aswang” would not get in at night! and eating siniguelas and langka whiling away the hours on the makeshift wooden benches in front of Eva’s house It was Manang Thelma and Manang Inday (the Manila girls) creating a stir in town every time they came home to visit their Mama and Papa. It meant early everything, breakfast at 6, lunch at 12 noon, dinner after the church bells tolled for the orasyon. After dinner was the time to meet up with friends and cousins as soon as the moon rose above the designated tree of the day sitting around the plaza scaring each other with ghost stories or walking over to Uncle Juling’s house to listen to records and to Boy’s guitar playing prowess or to Mon’s house to sit around their patio. But no matter where I went, there really was no escaping Auntie Ena at 8:00 p.m. with her flashlight moving up and down the streets calling out “Stella, uli na”. Summers were Thursday Market Day when everyone in town trooped to market to sell or buy. That day of the week almost everyone had pork for lunch and dinner. Thursdays meant a huge turnout of customers for the Palanog store so we had to stay out of the way and be good. Summers meant fiesta frenzies with the required early family Sunday mass, the procession with our beloved Salvacion and San Isidro , the non-stop house to house eating, the basketball tournaments and then the “baylihan” at night where you had a chance to “saot” the latest steps. Summers also meant excursions and picnics to Malay with the ebullient Manong Solomon or to Hurom Hurom or to distant, quiet Boracay so far away then with the whole gang in tow. These excursions were huge production numbers so I can only imagine the preparation that went into it. In time, progress slowly creeped into my town . Auntie Ena’s bamboo mansion was replaced by one made of stone. Auntie Saling’s old house where Manang Glenda used to hold clinic also became a modern structure. Soon enough, even Auntie Lily’s house, where I learned how to cluck so the chickens would come to me , disappeared and in its place stood a one story cement house with Beta rental shop on the side. Things changed very fast after that. Electricity became a necessity. The road to Nabas became a highway. Boracay became a tourist attraction. Television replaced after dinner walks and quiet cicada filled nights were replaced by loudspeakers. We drifted away. We grew up. Somewhere in between my childhood and my adolescence, I lost Uncle Badong, my distinguished Uncle Pacing, my Auntie Eden and my Auntie Saling. Although I was too young to realize their impact on my life then, I know it now and I am grateful. Many of you left this small town to make a life in Manila or abroad. Manang Lovice was the first to go followed by Bambam, Boy and Grace. Not long afterwards, Sepa or Josie as she is known now, left to join her siblings abroad. Then Allan, then Ramon and Maybelle, then Eva and Manang Lynne and suddenly… summers were no longer the same. I too stopped coming home to the Nabas I so loved. In time, I married, started my own family and got caught up with the demands of everyday living. The wheels of fortune took a turn and from so much, we were reduced to so little. Age, economy and reality caught up with us. Life became a struggle and I forgot about being happy. But my father in his last few years, had other plans. After chasing all his dreams and helping many others achieve theirs, he realized that his heart was ,and forever would be, in Nabas He came home to the comfort of his family and all things familiar. The return home invigorated him. Following Uncle Paci’s lead more than 2 decades before, he built his cottage by the beach. This was a dream come true for him. Now, he had something to live for again.. a steady schedule-watching the store for Auntie Ena from 8:00 a.m. till around 4:00 p.m., discussing politics over lunch with Manong Francis and Manang Vivien, drinking beer with Manong Bobby in the afternoons, sitting around in the tree house with nieces and nephews who visited, market on Thursdays, Mass on Sundays. His return home made me realize a lot of things too. I realized what Nabas and my family there had given me.. a haven where I will always be welcome no matter how long I’ve been gone , regardless of what I may have made of my life. I realized that my girls needed the experience of “family” in its purest most loving form- the unconditional acceptance of aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins, the “no-frills” “no pretensions” “no strings attached” type of caring that is so rare these days. I realized that they had to know all of you ,through any means possible, to make them a part of all that is good and worth living for. My children have since then spent summers here and they have seen and have been part of this experience called Nabas. My wonderful, magnificent, opinionated father has since moved on to a better place to take his place beside his brothers and sisters, in-laws Uncle Ades, Uncle Juling and Uncle Louie. Manong Condring has gone too and even my indomitable Auntie Ena has left us . We are all that’s left of this intricately woven tapestry of Acurantes history. Although we may have grown a hundred strong with the addition of spouses, children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and in-laws, we have also drifted apart. I know that in time, economy and reality will drive us farther away from each other but this I believe … when we reach the stage when we have achieved all we can of our dreams and have been instrumental in having other people achieve theirs, when opinions of people no longer matter, when our bodies have grown weary with all the climbing and the pushing… when we realize that the things that matter cannot be counted or measured … and when we have learned to follow our heart … we will all come home to Nabas. My summers took on a whole new meaning because of you. Thank you for the love, the care, the attention, the concern, the generosity and the acceptance. Thank you for all my wonderful memories. I love you. We love you. God bless us all! Till we meet again.. |
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LOOKING BACK...
Lovice Calasanz Medina Visiting old hometown gives all of us a chance to renew kinship that has always been strong in us. Thanks to cousins and their families who stayed in and around the area. You have kept strong the Nabas fort for us. Your beacon is so bright, it leads us back to where home once was and deep in our hearts, we always shall belong. Auntie Ena, Auntie Saling, Auntie Lily, Auntie Eden, and Mama, the 5 formidable Acurantes sisters, lived in Nabas while Uncle Hector, Uncle Quiling, and Uncle Toto had their residences in Manila and suburbs, as well as Auntie Nene but then she later moved to California. This was the geographical picture of the Acurantes family of Nabas during my childhood years. As in a square, our first house was next to Auntie Lily whose house is facing Auntie Ena. Auntie Eden’s was facing ours. Auntie Saling’s was next to Auntie Ena's but facing the plaza. Imagine the 5 Nabas Acurantes sisters with a multitude of young and prolific children in arms length proximity of one another. Just among ourselves, we had more than enough playmates to keep us entertained. We were a rowdy but lovable bunch. Can’t afford to be landi landi in those days. Malilikot kami but well behave naman paminsan minsan. We had all the support and watchful eyes of Aunties and Uncles. Sometimes nakatikim din naman ng kurot. Araguy!
With lots of cousins in varying age group, my contemporaries were Cecil, Mary Ann, and Vivien. I am the eldest of us four. To mention the boys, there were Butchoy and Clifford. Of Butchoy, he was like an older brother to me. Mama would entrust him to keep an eye on me when she and Dad would be away for a number of days. Nonoy: When we were 13 or 14...remind me again why and which guy friend did you gather those tender guava leaves off our tree?? I think the term we used then was paltak.
Clifford was my classmate from grade 1 till graduation in high school. We both also attended Aklan Colleges for 1 year. Our school building during our 1st grade was on the ground floor of Auntie Saling’s house. I went to school one day and heard the crying and sobbing of Auntie Saling from Auntie Ena’s house and no Clifford. It was so unusual because he was always present. He came in running to school and out of breath couple of hours later. He then informed the teacher that the reason why he was late was Lola Conching just died, and that he had been sent to do some errands.
My recollection of Lola is very limited. Just that every evening after the church bell toll the oracion and should we be still on the streets playing around the house of Auntie Ena, any auntie who happened to be around would require all apos to bisa the hand of Lola before sending all of us home.
Ah! Elementary years…Mama, Uncle Nading, and Daddy were my teachers in some subjects in higher grade. I don’t recall having Auntie Eden or Uncle Adis as being my teachers. School was ok but I hated pulling the amorsico weeds in the school yard as required of all students to do every so often.
Nabas was dark at night, no electricity then. I may have displayed some sense of responsibility already because by the time when I was about 5th or 6th grade, I was assigned to light the petromax or coleman every evening. That was our major source of light in the house. For the bedrooms, we had a small gas lamp that was only lighted when needed. 99 percent of the time the bedrooms were dark. Now do we ever wonder why in the old times a normal family raised a dozen kids?
It was in my Junior years in High School when we moved next to Mrs. Leal’s. Despite the distance, alright, it was only some 150 meters away, mama’s evening after dinner continues to be spent in the tiendahan of Auntie Ena where they hold the Acurantes sisters’ meeting on any subject. One could hear the roar of the Acurantes laughter as could be heard around the whole town and also attracted others to come and join in the fun. The Acurantes girls COULD LAUGH. It’s hereditary, I can tell you that.
Ah, the tiendahan of Auntie Ena it is still there, now under new management. We used to have a long list of utang in Auntie Ena’s store, I think. I hope Mama cleared her account before she left for the US. Ok, haven’t heard of a delinquency notice from Neneng Vivien so far.
Dad used to send me to Auntie Saling and Uncle Adis store to buy café, Dad would send me off with a cup and saucer and Uncle Adis would pour and mix the coffee, cream and sugar. On the stove at home, Mama would have the salabat or boiled water and ginger and that was our so called tea. We were not allowed to drink coffee then. Aside from coffee as being expensive (I thought) they say young people would not grow tall if they drink coffee so that was it, no coffee allowed then. I think my first taste of coffee was when I was hmmm already 20, that is, when definitely I’d grow lengthwise no more. Now growing sidewise is another topic and not worthy to be mentioned on this page.
The occasional visits to Nabas of the Acurantes Uncles had always been a treat, especially Uncle Toto’s visit. He would require his pamangkins to take some afternoon naps and he would even come by and checked us up if we really do. At a designated time later in the afternoon, he would gather all of us by the Palanog’s window and from there he would toss some coins for us to catch. No young fool at that time would refuse to nap for a fistful of coins. Uncle Toto I have to tell you this now, it was very hard to take that afternoon nap especially when one is not used to, what else should I do but fake it. But I think you knew that too.
College years in Manila weren’t a traumatic experience as being away from home. At one time, I shared the same dorm with Manang Inday and also later, shared the same boarding house with Manang Glen. Manang Thelma had just finished her degree or taking up the board. So at all times, I had that comfort zone knowing there was always someone for financial or emotional support should I ever needed one. Thank God, I did not use a single penny on my credit line with them.
Going to and from Manila was very tedious. There was no exact schedule of ship’s arrival and departure. No one knew what time the ship would arrive, finish the load and unload of cargoes and passengers. If the itinerary states that the ship is to arrive at noon, be sure to be on the dock side by 5 or 6am. Bilad na sa araw so dapat may payong and pamaypay. What if it rains that time? Patay! Teheras was agawan so it was not unusual for Dad to pay someone to run on board and secure the necessary number of teheras before they were all taken. It was a 21 hour boat ride to Manila so at least a cot could provide something to lay one’s weary body, even if you know you could not fall asleep with all the crowd, the noise, the smell, and grime around. A good 100 to 200 cots could be laid out at a given time and so close together. Our normal luggage would include rolled up banig (woven mat) with all the unan (Pillow) and kumot (blanket) inside. It is a must to bring these essentials as you would also use it in the boarding house.
During college, one pretty well knew when to go home and back, just by following school calendar. But once I started to work, it was something like, who knows when I could be home. So my coming home to Nabas became scarce after that. I missed out on a lot of happenings. I could only hear about it, how much fun they had from some pictures I’d see later.
After college, I tried to find a job on my own. Each time I made my application, I never fail to mention, “That I am of good moral character.” Now that I come to think of it, I know why I wasn’t able to get one on my own in the Philippines. Ah, what qualification should I have written down to get a job then? Should be “immoral character”? Didn’t think of that one before…
Uncle Quiling was the one who recommended and got me my 2 Philippine jobs and oh how I always bogged Uncle Toto to get me free passes on Compania Maritima so I could take the boat ride home for free. I also had bugged Uncle Hector to assist me find a job in the government sector of which he tried. Had I started a job in the government sector, I may have never left the Philippines. All turned out for the best, in the long run.
Of Auntie Nene…I bugged her too to send me an affidavit of support for the US. It was immigration’s requirement. Lucky I got a job a month after arrival and I never used that “I am of moral character” line in my application again. Looking back now, is there a written rule not to seek the aid of your Uncles and Aunts when in need?
Some memoirs I intentionally omit, but some I truly forget. Don’t blame me for Father Time has his little grip on me, just a little, not much. I am now looking forward to meeting all of you again. Thank you all for sharing the time, the effort, and the expense to make this reunion happen. Let us all rekindle the torch that Lolo Intong and Lola Conching had lit for all of us.
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Jerelyn Calasanz Aguilon In the early 50's, our old house in front of the Quimpo's, though made of nipa and bamboo, had electricity and we were the only one with a radio in town. It was always noisy because in the "batalan" (back porch) the generator was always on. Elizabeth, Francis and I were born there. I still remember when Elizabeth would have high fever especially at night, she would point to the roof and say "Ma, may aswang o." I hated that! One unforgettable thing also was going to the "comfort room." You had to pass by the batalan, walk on a narrow bamboo bridge a few meters away to reach your destination. Potty training was easy then. Day time, you go to the batalan for #1. Doing it at midnight cost you a "sermon". Doing a #2 cost you a sermon plus a "cusi" (pinch). Who would want to go out of the house at midnight, the aswang might get you, right? Luckily, when I was in 3rd grade we moved to a concrete house with the bathroom adjacent to our bedroom. The next round of family planting came Edmundo (Ladot), Allan, me (Inday), Errol, Marieta (Inday diutay-small to differentiate from me), Elizabeth, Lynne, Josefa, Eve, Francis, Ramon and Maybel. The late Uncle Badong used to give us pet names but I think his favorite was Elizabeth whom he fondly called "tambok puyo" (plump fish). One noontime at home, I wondered why Mama was crying while making sinangag. As kids we were very nosy. I heard that Uncle Badong passed away in some place. Auntie Lily was crying in their living room. Ladot was crying too in their kitchen stairwell when suddenly it gave way and Ladot fell on the ground. Looking at the old pictures, (thanks, Stel), we were like "yagits". Together with other neighboring kids, we were a big group. Our games would consist of any favorite game of the day. It could be Step-no/Step-yes, jackstone, cut-out paper dolls, with boys, marbles, sigay (sea shells), balaring, tagsi and most of the time "huyop-huyop" and other games using rubber bands. Sometimes Ladot and Nono would build our payag-payag. I forgot who we designated as the tatay and nanay. But we did some cooking too. We liked to play hide & seek (if you get caught, Bong!) at dusk or when there was a full-moon because it was more scary. Sometimes, we would improvise a ball by using coconut leaves to form a cube, put a small stone inside, used our fist as a bat and Viola! it was baseball time. Summer games were usually cut-off in May when Auntie Ena would go around reminding us to attend the catechism class at the church. In preparation, we had to collect flowers to offer to Mama Mary for the "Curamos" and the "Dulcici". Couple of Mays passed, I guess we were ready for our first confession and communion. It was a big day for us but Auntie Lily, Daddy and Mama were out of town so the Palomatas slept over at our house. Our dilemna was....what if we wake up late? The unanimous decision was to sleep with our communion attire on and so everything went fine. Our hideout was always the Palomata house. Subconciously, I guess because it was the ancestral land. Their house had a porch where you can see almost all the action in town. Besides, Auntie Lily was always in Manila and nobody was around to scold us when we were loud. There was always something to eat there like the bugnay, the guavas and sometimes the rimas. If nothing else, there was the crisp semi-ripe papaya or sincamas with very sour vinegar and salt. Hmm, sarap. In the market, we would watch out for timon (cucumber), lomboy, siniguelas, or santol. All of that when eaten with salt tasted sooo good. We had strict house rules. Wherever we were at the sound of oracion, we had to go home. If fifteen minutes late, Mama would be at the door. Pak, Pak, Pak, goes the slipper on our behinds. More for me because I was the oldest. Saying bad words was a no-no. What kid would not eat their food when their other choice was a rolled up belt on a plate. And when the baybay became sooo inviting, and all the cousins were swimming, I mean dipping, not even Nonoy Butchoy as the lifeguard would be acceptable to Mama and Daddy when they came home and gave their verdict. But still........ Couple of years later, Ladot, Allan, Errol, Marietta and I, now teenagers, found more friends in classmates our age. One of my best friends 'til now is Almera. At that time, there would always be free movies at the plaza. Almera with some classmates would pass by the house and with the boys in town behind us, we would watch the movie standing room only. O, di ba exciting? Little did I know that Almera and Allan had an "MU" ever since. I guess Nene was my mentor in the art of " Magpa irim-irim"(meaning subtle flirting). Say mo, 'ne. We would also plan jam sessions either at our house or at the Quimpos. Daddy would always have the car battery charged in Kalibo ready for the party. I thank you Mama and Daddy for you never complained about the noise, the mess and the hustle we made. Notice now why Almera and I like to make pakialam when it comes to organizing parties? Some days we would "angkas" in the bike to Toledo to get some guavas, star apples or young coconut or even just for fun. When in season, we would walk to the curba to buy some sugar cane (tubo) for 5 cents each. Then we would get off the bridge to the creek, wash the tubo and start biting on it (Yuk!). One of our favorite spots was the Basang River. It is further than Hurom-Hurom, the water is so cool that the soft drinks we brought were submerged in the river first while we dip in the water and have fun. Some of us would enter the cave. I saw some familiar names written on the cave walls like Manang Love's, Clifford's, etc. Sometimes we would go to Agbal-a wherein you would pass a very narrow trail meaning your body had to go sideways while holding on to the grass behind you, then reaching out to eager hands waiting to hold you or catch you in case you fall while going down the hilly rocks to the nice and peaceful beach cove. O, di ba exciting uli? High school days were over and I headed to Manila to study. It was a very difficult adjustment because people there were not as friendly as the people in Nabas. I went home during summers and Christmases. I took the boat once and since then Daddy decided that I take the plane everytime I leave. I was his favorite girl of course. Proof is, everytime he played mahjong, I would follow later with his wallet. One time, I got lazy and told our houseboy to deliver his wallet. Night time came and I got some "palo". Maybe he was unlucky that day. Around my 18th birthday, I was home for vacation. This time, the younger ones Elizabeth, Lynne, Josefa, Francis, Ramon, Maybel, Eve and their contemporaries were the sikat in town. I think it was at this time that the local boys were saying "if they could only catch an Acurantes girl." Seeing that none of my friends were around, I joined their party and I never felt so old in my life that I decided I didn't want to be a spinster. I had to look for a boyfriend! Luckily, Pabling fell into the trap. At 20 years old, I got married. This year will be our 39th year wedding anniversary and now with six kids and a handsome grandchild, what more can I ask for? |
