Asingan 2010

A POEM FOR MARCIE

2010-12-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

As we approach this Day of Days,
I'll wrap a gift for you,
A box wrapped with a special thought,
And filled with wishes true.

I wish your wish will be fulfilled,
Your heart is pure, I know
I saw how much you cared for those
Who cared for others too.

The Love from God is wide and deep,
He cares for all He made
We are a part of His Creation,
I'm sure He knows your need.

When midnight bells announce His Birth,
I'll play a hymn for you
I'll blend my voice with all the others
Who'll wish you'll make it through

---Vic Costes

WHY CHRISTMAS CAROLS MAKE US HAPPY

2010-12-07T02:42:00.000-08:00

WHY DO CHRISTMAS CAROLS MAKE US HAPPY?..Music is one element that would stay with us from the moment of birth, to our adult and senior years

Infants are soothed to slumber with the singing of the mother ( and the father too ).The voice of the mother however will always be familiar to the child because maybe it has been hearing it from the time he/she was still swimming inside the mother's womb...

After the child is born and the child grows up, it is already exposed to the various sounds, music or otherwise of the environment around, especially Christmas Carols.These are the timeless pieces created by musicians (God bless them all )... People usually associate a certain song or music to the moment or ocassion when the music is being played...Christmas days, to children as well as adults are the happiest ones of all.

As early as September, ( this is in the Philippines ) a few Christmas songs are already being played over the radio. I remember hearing WHISPERING HOPE on September and I would always run to our small radio just to turn the volume as high as it can go without distorting the sound. As the Yuletide season approached, more and more of the same are being played. And when December 1 kicks in, most stores in the malls are already playing nothing but..I seldom, if ever, spent Christmas Day in Manila.

When I was a College student, right after the last day in school, we all joined in a great exodus unlike seen even by by Moses himself. The buses are packed to the roof with people going home. One has to be in the bus station several hours before the departure of the bus of your choice...

Listening to Christmas Carols enkindle in our memory these vignettes, these scenes: from the hectic struggles in the bus station to the happy arrival in our homes and meeting our parents and siblings once again. Then the midnight or morning church worship followed by the great feast. ....

The classic Christmas carols never changed and will always be with us : Bing Crosby's WHITE CHRISTMAS, Mahalia Jackson's SILENT NIGHT, Jo Stafford's duet with GORDON MacRae rendering WHISPERING HOPE . This song is the only non Crhristmas Carol sang during the Christmas season in the Philippines.Why?.I do not really know exactly. Maybe because of the word ANGEL in the first line. Strictly speaking this song is just a religious hymn. But who cares ? It is always ANYTHING GOES in the Philippines, Asingan included. ..Misa de Gallo ( Mass of the rooster ) will commence next week in Asingan.... To the kids, we always brainwash them about Santa...Yeeesh, he has a mile long list.I wish I could see the names ( and phone numbers ) he wrote down under the " NAUGHTY BUT NICE" section! Just kidding folks!..HO-HO-HO, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

LITTLE RITA FAYE-not so little anymore

2010-11-26T06:21:00.000-08:00

	Little Rita Faye - I Fell Out Of A Christmas Tree .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

MORE CHRISTMAS MEMORIES FROM ASINGAN

When I was still barely out of my short pants in the late '40s, some Xmas music were the harbringers of the upcoming holidays. I listened to this small tube radio. It ran on several D sized cells which costed a lot because electricity was still many light years away from Asingan.

One of them is the above I FELL OUT OF A CHRISTMAS TREE..by ( Little ) Rita Faye. Other titles were: Twinkle Toe, Dance Mr. Snow man Dance by the Crewcuts, PASKO AY SUMAPIT version by Ruben Tagalog ( I do not think this version exists today ) and the usual ones like MERRY CHRISTMAS POLKA. YOUR ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS and those perky Christmas Carols by my favorite group THE FOUR ACES. O Holy Night, Silent Night, The Christmas Song, etc.

the misa de gallo

During the time of Fr. Jose Estrada, when Dec. 16 rolled around he woke up the sleeping Asingan populace at 3:00 am with his strong PA system rigged up the top of the church. The bell tower was just a low building then. The new tower was built by Fr. Joe Ferrer who arrived in Asingan much later.

But man o man, while sleeping on December when the weather gets cold is so heavenly, here came the Diana band playing the unforgettable Diana music. I still remember the tune which will be with me even if I have already forgotten my name..

The DIANA music was played by a 4 piece group consisted of Messrs. Badua, Guillermo, Malalang, and Sison...Each one, except Mr. Sison who was the bass drummer, played a wind instrument. Each one played the Sax, the Bones ( trombone ) the stick ( oboe ). When Xmas time is over, or even if it is not, they also played for funerals until the age of the modern funeral entourage arrived.

the christmas church music of old

I remember listening to the choir trained by Mr. Juan ( Bong ) Salinda, one time Principal of the Rizal Junior College. Their singing sounded best when heard from the choir loft of the old church. The big earthquake of 1990 toppled it down and it was never reconstructed anymore. I envied then those singers and organists before and I wished I would be able to join them. Their singing sounded like a heavenly choir which would really lift your spirits up to heaven. I joined the choir years later but not with the RJC group anymore who have already graduated and left Asingan.

The finale song then was always one Ilocano ditty entitled RAMBAKAN TAY APADAPADA ( Let us rejoice altogether ) and it is another of the local folk yuletide songs which I will never ever forget.

Christmas Present is in Toronto, Canada but my heart will always dwell with Christmas past which all took place in Asingan several years ago.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!!!!

LOOK A LIKES

2010-11-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

These two photos, among the many that I saw and picked up from FB belong to two ladies who are not sisters, let alone relatives..But somehow, their resemblance is uncanny..The top one is a contestant during the Miss Bikini Contest in Asingan last April 2010..

The second one is a Filipina from Pampanga who has just immigrated to Alaska.

In the scheme of nature ( a very complex science which we will never understand completely ), there are incidents which some call "freak of nature.." One of these are physical resemblances.

Facial resemblances were used in many stories, novels, movies. To mention a few, we have PRINCE AND THE PAUPER by Mark Twain, PRISONER OF ZENDA, THE WRONG MAN, HOUSE OF NUMBERS, and many others.

In PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, two boys with same facial features exchanged places. They just wanted to experience fun for a day, the prince will live as a pauper and vice versa. Then after 24 hours, they would switch back to their real places. However, some complications took place and the switch did not happen immediately thus the adventure was prolonged until one of them was almost beheaded.

The plot is similar to THE PRISONER OF ZENDA. A man who would be King was imprisomed then to be murdered so the nearest kin could get the throne. But the good guys found a look alike on time and he became a replacement during the coronation. In the WRONG MAN, Henry Fonda was nabbed by the police because his face resembled a wanted person in the Police picture files. This movie is excellent because it was directed by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock. In HOUSE OF NUMBERS, there are two Jack Palances. One was a prisoner in Sing Sing and his look alike brother plotted a scheme to let him out of the the prison which they called THE HOUSE OF NUMBERS. Well, the plot was successful but again something happened which I can not tell here. Too long and complicated. Anyway, sometimes you can catch these films commercial free in TCM.

Happy movie watching everyone and Happy Thanksgiving day! Nice day to watch movies!

VDC

MEETING ALEX ROMERO last April 2010

2010-09-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Alex and Menchie Romero taken during their last wedding anniversary..

A long time friend whom I met in Asingan last April 2010 was Alex Romero, Pare Alex for short..I have known him since the early '50s when we were still studying at the Dupac Intermediate School. As a Grade 6 student, he was popular with the teachers because of his fine tenor voice. Good singers, like Pare Alex, were always liked by them because he could do some singing parts during those Christmas or Graduation ceremonies that mark the end of another school year.

I fondly and still vividly remember our graduation ceremonies that April 1954. Most of you, younger readers of this Blog may not even been born yet. Mr. Fabian Ballesteros and Miss Remedios Jose, two of our Intermediate Grade teachers recruited talents from the graduating class to put up a literary-musical program that would be something unforgettable to watch.

I remember Nueva Domaoan ( now in New Jersey ) being the emcee ( Mistress of cermonies? We have to be politically correct during these times, you know )and I would say she did a fine job.

Then there was this song-and-dance number. Alex did a song called ON WINGS OF SONG a very popular classical solo made for tenor voices. He sang without any accompaniment ( no karaoke yet during that time and figuring the guitar accompaniment for that piece would be a bitch ). And while he was singing, Aurora Pascua in an Arabian costume was doing ( surprise!) an Arabian Dance. Oh yes, I think Alex was also garbed as an Arabian Prince, complete with a head turban. It was one of the highlights of the program. It was the last get together of all Grade 6 students ( class '54 ) before going separate ways the next day...

Well last April, I met Alex again. He asked me to do a story about a quaint machinery which is not being used anymore in his premises. He does not want to sell it to the junk man since somehow, somewhere there would be someone who might have a good use for it..

So he tracked the original company which made the machinery. Lately he e-mailed me the photos ( it's really a rice huller which was a workhorse for polishing palay into rice during those years in Asingan.)and some results of his ardent research.

So here are the e-mails he sent after doing some research in the Internet concerning the machinery...

I have an old rice-huller(kiskisan). The ricehuller is very old, more than 120 years. I have been locating thru the internet the relatives or descendants of the inventor. His name is Evarista Conrado Engelberg of Piracicaba, Sao Paolo, Brazil.

I have located Mr. Alfred Engelberg and Mr. Stephen Engelberg. I sent messages to them but responded they were on vacation. Please help me find the relatives or descendants of Evarista Conrado Engelberg. Enclosed is my letter to Mr. Alfred Engelberg and Mr. Stephen Engelberg.

Dear Mr. Engelberg, I came across your name in the internet and i am writing you this letterto inquire if you are in anyway related or a descendant of the late Evarista Conrado Engelberg of THE ENGELBERG HULLER CO. OF SYRACUSE, NY, U.S.A. for many years now. The following data are embossed in the huller's cover.

THE ENGELBERG HULLER CO. 1925 86 MAY 22, 1888 APR. 1, 1890

Assuming that you are relative or a descendant of the aforementioned Evarista Conrado Engelberg, I am sending this information about this very old ENGELBERG ricehuller in my possession because i am interested to dispose of this rare huller. i think that if it be disposed at all, i would certainly prefer that it to be returned to a member or descendant of the ENGELBERG family. You can communicate with me:

mr. alexromero72004@yahoo.com

alexander p. romero #22 bauzon st., poblacion east asingan, pangasinan, philippines 2439

thank you very much.

sincerely yours,
alexander p. romero

PHOTOS OF THE VERY OLD RICE HULLER( KISKISAN )

A LETTER BY AMBASSADOR RUDY DUMAPIAS

2010-09-13T04:10:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Rudy Dumapias is my classmate from Grade 1 to Grade 6 at the two Asingan Elementary Schools, the North and the South. .We became friends starting from Grade 1 under Mrs. Valentina Lising because of common interests: Drawing ( sometimes we exchanged drawings in the middle of a class ) and movies ( he introduced me to the culture of Hollywood Movies even during these early formative years by how he described old time movie idols like Audie Murphy and James Dean )

He had a very exciting and colorful career in the Philippine Foreign Service having worked in many places like Bahrain, Korea and his last assignment which was Mexico City.

He is an outstanding writer in his own way. He can write as fluently as he can speak. Not many have that kind of communication skills working together, hand in hand. Reading his stuff can be a sheer pleasure..

Many people, particularly Americans, do not understand the Muslim phenomenon. In total, I agree that so-called "political correctness" will eventually result to the loss of American freedom and democracy as was originally conceived in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Worse, once it takes more power, it will lead in the persecution of Christians. It cannot help but be the scourge of Western Judeo-Christian civilization because it is commanded in its precepts that infidels (non-Muslims) shall be converted, and if they refuse they shall be killed.
Here are points to consider:
1. Whereas religious freedom is observed in the US, this is not so in some countries. Although there is religious tolerance in some countries (ex: Malaysia, Bahrain) in that Christian congregations are allowed to exist, Christians however cannot evangelize to the local Muslims; penalty is death. Furthermore, Christian churches and the Bible are burned openly and Christians murdered because of their faith, and the authorities do not punish the perpetrators in the same urgency that American courts punish Christians for praying in public in their own country.
2. There are two main sects, the Sunnis and the Shia-ites, or Shiites. The Sunnis are moderate whereas the Shiites are the extremists; basically, the terrorists come from the latter group. Thus, it is easy for advocates of "religious freedom" in America to claim "persecution" and "Islamaphobia" since they can point to the moderate and peaceful Muslims as the victim Muslims; meanwhile they hide the truth about the terrorist sect. Many Americans fall into the trap and they feel guilty, and are lulled into an accommodation with the Muslims while the truth about the violent sect is glossed over.
3. But whatever "gains" achieved by the terrorist groups such as the 9-11 atacks, Fort Hood killings, etc., these are credited as "gains" to the whole Muslim faith and the moderates do not condemn them. To the Muslims, the "victories" are confirmation that "jihad", whether by violence or peaceful means, are justified and they become additional basis of encouragement for further JIHAD, regardless of how many lives are lost. Thus, if the mosque is allowed in ground zero, it would provide more justification for more attacks on American "infidels".
4. In view of the aforementioned, it does not matter whether the prayer or parade in NY is only once a year or weekly; it has the same impact on the idea of jihad -- it is seen as confirmation that turning America from being an infidel into a follower of Mohammad is correct. Expect the war on terrorism to go on for a long time.
5. Consider the religious intolerance in Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc: a) whether you are shopping, etc. when prayer time comes, everybody must stop whatever you are doing, go outside, and observe/join the prayer (in public address system); this practice is enforced by religious police and there is heavy penalty; b) Filipino workers in these countries have to hide their Bibles, bury them in the sand, and conduct their Bible Study in secret because penalty is beheading; c) the wife of the American ambassador was arrested for wearing Western casual attire, not the traditional Muslim women long gown, veils, etc. I have lived in the Middles East to see for myself that the "religious freedom" enjoyed by Muslims in America is grossly denied in most Muslim countries. In countries where Muslims extremists take power, expect the above practices to be enforced. Western Europe and America, be aware!!!
Conclusion: Americans should not see the Muslims as if they have the same values, tolerance, priorities, objectives, modus operandi, etc. that Americans live by. Instead, Americans should view them in the light of their culture and tradition, and particularly their religion because to them it is their way of life. Islam (including jihad) permeates into every aspect of their life. Extremist Muslims are not likely to change because every legal, social, and political accommodation given to them in America would reinforce their belief that they are right and the Judeo-Christian culture is wrong. And while the moderates can not calm down the terrorists, they benefit from the "gains" achieved through violence.
Americans may wake up one day to find that the very freedom they have extended have become the very tool used to snatch their freedom in their own country. But then, it would be too late.
God's angel said this about Ishmail, the ancestor of the Middle East Muslims: "His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." Genesis 16:12.
Rudy D.

A GREEN PARADISE IN SANTA MARIA

2010-09-09T06:58:00.001-07:00

Sta. Maria is Miggie's hometown, but when she was still single and teaching in Urdaneta, she seldom comes home. She prefers Dagupan where her Uncle lives and where life was more exciting.

However, time shifts everything like a deck of cards. Their old house is already gone. All her siblings have drifted to many places: in Manila or in the US. But their big lot is still there, a witness to the many happy childhood events with which she grew up with. Now her sights are beamed towards home, sweet home, this time in Asingan.

The next photos were taken in the backyard of a childhood friend, Manang Gloria, a retired nurse from California who decided to spend her retirement years in Sta. Maria. She has a number of Bon Sai plants aside from the different fruit trees and flowering plants that gives a pleasant verdant color especially during the rainy months. Gloria has a full time gardener to look after the front and backyard.

A part of the PERGOLA or GAZEBO found in the backyard.

This is a fine way of recycling materials. This capiz window came from their old house ( Gloria's ) and instead of throwing it away, she had it fastened to a part of the concrete wall surrounding their house. At first glance, I thought her surrounding walls have windows through which you could see what is happening in the neighbour's !

Many Filipinos are naturally religious. Gloria spends much time as a volunteer in their local Catholic church. If I am not mistaken, this is an image of St. Anthony de Padua found in a corner of her front garden..

MORE PHOTOS FROM ASINGAN CIRCA 2010

2010-09-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Grace Ramos Gurion and Ana Fe Ramos. Yes, I believe they are relatives. But then, most Asinganians are related to one another in some way..:)

The famous song-and-dance girls of the Mammy Juanitez orchestra..Cheers!

Miggie with a very friendly host at the Santilla residence in Bantog. Boy, did he take care of us then. Brought lots of grub in our table!

Hello, buddy! Sorry I forgot your name as I am writing this caption. Must be the start of dementia..ha-ha! Beside him is Evelyn Antonio. Evelyn is from Carosucan and Moncada..:)

The logo of Pangasinan as seen in the Lingayen Capitol...

ASINGAN PHOTO ALBUMS...

2010-09-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

An unpublished shot ( I think ) of Leo Guerrero Asingan's Health Officer, Evelyn Antonio ( Rudy's better half ), my better half Miggie and Epifania Salom, a good friend of mine during those high school days at the Rizal Academy..

Two shots of the same subject: a typical morning scene in the western part of the Public Market. These 2 photos were taken from the veranda of Dr. Ben Gurion's residence...

See how many Asinganians can you identify in this photo..:)

A photo with my good friend Francisco ( Belo ) Malala. He was instrumental in my meeting Grace T. Gurion, a first cousin of my first cousins, Father side. These cousins are the Tenderos whose Mom was my Father's only sister. Miggie and I had an idyllic stay in her residence for several weeks last April 2010..

Also in the photo is Noemie, Belo's daughter and Miggie Hufana Costes...

ASINGAN DRAG QUEENS...

2010-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

THE SONG OF CLAUDIA

2010-08-05T03:11:00.000-07:00

She came to her island by the sea,
This time to be a lovely bride,
She is back to fill a long lost dream,
That failed to grow during her early teen.

It was many, many years ago on the bay,
When she met her groom that day,
She was then fifteen barely a lady,
Growing on this island by the sea....

But aspirations flew her over oceans away,
Long, long ago from her island by the sea,
She moved to the west leaving the east,
To achieve what she wanted to be.

Years after the year she became a young lady,
She found a love from a man who is free, ,
They toiled their life and built a family,
Away from home on the island on the bay....

As their love grew people would envy,
How barriers were crossed along the way,
Feelings and sweet words that they convey,
Nourished their mornings and the rest of the day.

Then it happened many, many years ago,
In her world that was lovely place she knew,
When she laid still one quiet night,
He dashed away from the very bright light....

She traveled back to her island by the sea,
To lift her sadness and to refresh her memory,
When a chance encounter one bright sunny day,
She met the boy who was on the bay.

Ever since then he extended his hands,
He liked her back to her little island,
To be with her became his life’s yearning.
Ignited by the spark of the second beginning....

Ever since that encounter, she felt so well,
That she decided to make a lifetime farewell,
To leave the country she spent many years,
To come and live on her island that is dear.

One day in April with the tingling of a bell,
Walks the bride sheathed by a flimsy white veil,
Her man by her side and at last it will be,
Their celebration on her island by the sea....

I met Claudia, not her real name, through the Pang.org and she became my friend. She was born on an island by the China Sea, on the western tip of Pangasinan but moved to Europe after graduation from high school. This is her story--A.G.

The SAMPAGUITA music soundtrack was provided by this talented young man. This is his video from Youtube...

MANILA THE UNFORGETTABLE

2010-08-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

I found another oldie in Youtube and this one was sung by VICTOR WOOD ( hey tukayo! ). I bought many of his audio tapes when I went home in 1988 ( first time after 12 years ) from Alemar's along Avenida..The sky train was not still constructed then so Avenida has still the ambience I enjoyed when I was a College student.

I love browsing over its books. That's all I can do because then, I was still in college. My pockets were still very deep. And some pockets have holes in them. In short, I was always short of moolah!

But I did spend most of free time in Avenida and its surrounding networks of streets..Raon, Ronquillo, Carriedo, etc. Either street you go, you can always find interesting shops or eateries that would really make your salivary glands swell like crazy..Very nice aroma of Comida Chinas or all kinds of meat in their barbeque spits..AND all I can afford then was a siopao and a coke..Rest of money was for jeep or bus fare going to school.

Avenida Rizal is now a grimy street out of a Bladerunner movie set. Dirt, black mud and piss are splattered all over..The surviving book store is now National Book store with its numerous franchises in various swanky malls all over the metropolis..

Manila is still the place for me to wander if I only have the freedom to pull up my stakes and leave Canada.

But then, you need a good place to stay in Manila too so hustlers won't deprive you of your wallet ( or maybe even your life ) while you are doing some serious window shopping..:)

gaano kita kamahal

2010-08-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Ikaw lamang ang aking iibigin
Magpakailanman

Ang pag-ibig ko sa 'yo ay tunay
Nais ko sanang patunayan
Huwag ka nang mag-alinlangan
Ang pag-ibig ko'y hindi kukupas
Tulad din ng umaga
May pag-asang sumisikat

Chorus:
Ang ating buhay
Maikli aking hirang
Kung kaya't kailangan ng pagsuyong wagas
Kailanman

Ang sumpa ko sa iyo'y asahan
Ikaw lamang ang aking iibigin mapakailanman

Chorus:
Ang ating buhay
Maikli aking hirang
Kung kaya't kailangan ng pagsuyong wagas
Kailanman

Ang sumpa ko sa iyo'y asahan
Ikaw lamang ang aking iibigin
Magpakailanman

attaching the video I deleted accidentally...

FIRE AND ICE by Robert Frost

2010-07-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice. --Robert Frost

2010-07-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSAY!!!!!! TO BOTH OF YOU. THAT HAS BEEN QUITE A WHILE BUT YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT STAYS AS FRESH AS MARUNGGAY JUST PLUCKED FROM ITS LIMB. I HAD THE GREATEST TIME IN MY LIFE PLAYING A BIT ROLE IN YOUR GRAND LOVE AFFAIR. I LOVE TO REMINISCE THE NIGHT SWIMMING WE DID IN LINGAYEN BEACH. ONCE IN A WHILE, I THINK OF THAT NIGHT AND THE NAUGHTINESS OF MY YOUTHFUL DAYS ONCE AGAIN BRINGS BACK MEMORIES WRITTEN IN THE DARK AND HAD STAYED INTACT IN THE AGING PAGES OF MY BOOK OF LIFE. YEAH, IT WAS DARK AND THE MOSQUITOES WERE FEASTING ON US BUT NEVERTHELESS, IT WAS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER. YOU AND NITZ WENT THE OPPOSITE WAY TO EXPLORE THE WONDERS OF THE DARK IN A BEACH WHOSE STILLNESS DEFIED RELENTLESS WAVES AND DROWNED THE THUNDER OF POUNDING HEARTS. I TOOK HER HAND AND LED HER TO WHERE THE WAVES KISSED THE SANDY BEACH AND IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT, (AND AWAY FROM BOTH OF YOU) WE WROTE A BRIEF STORY (WITHOUT A HAPPY ENDING LIKE YOURS), BUT ONE THAT I WON'T GET BORED READING UNTIL MY MEMORY FADES. SHE IS NAMELESS HERE BUT I'M SURE YOU REMEMBER HER. PLEASE SAY HI TO HER FOR ME, IN CASE YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH HER. WELL, BUDDY, JUST THOUGHT TO SAY HI. IT HAS BEEN A REALLY LONG TIME. I WISH YOU COULD COME BY AGAIN. THE HOUSE THAT I DID NOT GET TO SHOW YOU BECAUSE IT WAS ALL TORN UP, IS NOW PUT TOGETHER. WE ADDED A NEW WING WHICH IS NOW OUR MASTER BEDROOM, A LARGE DECK, A NEW GARAGE WITH A LARGE ROOM ABOVE IT, AND A GAZEBO OVERLOOKING THE DECK. IT IS ACTUALLY OUR DINING ROOM. THE OLD TOOL SHED IS GONE AND WE HAVE A NEW ONE THAT I DESIGNED MYSELF AND IT STANDS OUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE IT IS UNCONVENTIONAL IN TERMS OF TOOL-SHED DESIGN. WE CONVERTED THE OLD GARAGE INTO A CULINARY LABORATORY WHERE I PERFORM SOME CULINARY EXPERIMENTS EVERY FULL MOON. I CALL IT THAY WAY INSTEAD OF "DIRTY KITCHEN' BECAUSE IT IS NOT DIRTY AT ALL. WHOEVER COINED THAT TERM MUST NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BROOM HANDLE AND A SPATULA. WE HAVE THREE GUESTS THIS WEEKEND. THEY WERE FORMER DORM MATES OF DAUGHTER KARLA WHEN SHE WAS IN UNDERGRAD SCHOOL AT N Y U. THE LADIES LOVED HAVING BREAKFAST AT THE GAZEBO THIS MORNING. THE COLORFUL SIGHT IN THE BACKYARD MAKES UP FOR WHAT IS MISSING ON THE BREAKFAST TABLE. I TRY TO KEEP THE DECK AND THE YARD ALIVE WITH COLORS DURING THE SUMMER. I GET UP AS EARLY AS 3:00 AM TO TAKE CARE OF THE PLANTS BEFORE I GET READY FOR WORK. SO LONG. HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOMEDAY, SOON. BEN

___________

Thanks for the encouragement, Sonny. Bay-am ta no manayon ti biag ko ket agbalinak to piman nga mannurat. That will be in my next life. Then my English instructor's wish for me to be published, will indeed come true. I had to take a class in English Composition as a pre-requisite to my BSN. I must have impressed her a lot with the papers I wrote. One day she took her daughter to the Navy Tricare clinic where your Auntie used to work at. She got curious, apparently, when she noticed your Auntie's name tag which of course, is my last name. To make the story short, she found out that your Auntie is my wife. When your Auntie came home that night, she related to me how this Mrs. Cooper went on singing praises for me in the presence of your Auntie's co-workers. "She calls you the "last sensitive man of the 20th century." I was tickled to death to hear that. Anyway, with time, maybe I could develop half of your writing prowess and style. Some old fellow predicted that you will grow up to be a sharp man. You must have been three years old at the time. You developed some indurated lesions on your scalp. They were rather large, almost egg size. If you were in America then, I'm sure that the clinician would have ordered a whole bunch of diagnostic tests to find out the etiology of your condition. But back there in the country where we all grew up, that didn't seem to be of much concern for anyone. Of course we were all worried but it was compensated by the prophetic diagnosis that kids who develop those kinds of scalp lesions grow up smart. (They must have been extra brain cells.) But anyway, the funny thing about that was, the old folks' way of getting rid of the "bukols" from your head Guess what? Now that I have some medical orientation, I can laugh about it. The folks' recommended treatment was for you to plant spider lilies. So your Inang dug up some spider lily bulbs from your Auntie Rosing's garden and had you plant them in your front yard. That was real weird, but it seemed to have worked because your lesions disappeared not long after you planted the lilies. And did you know who picked your name, by the way. I'll tell you next time I visit the board. Vic is right. Not that I have 2 paying jobs but it seems that way with me. My weekends are busier than normal work days. I used to be able to access the website from my office computer but the government had started cracking down on computer abuse and misuse at work, so now, they have installed mechanisms to keep people from visiting unauthorized web sites. And when I get home from work, the last thing I want to touch is another computer. Oops, it's past midnight. Got to be up at 4:30 this morning. I'll catch up with you and the board. Good night. Uncle Ben

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I have but just a hazy recollection of that boyish episode. But yes, I know I had those “dugol” but I can’t recall now how they went off. Those spider lilies are called “bakong” in Ilocano and they are still a common fixture in most local gardens. I didn’t know they have this mystical power… >>>> After you left DWA, I appropriated for myself a literature textbook of yours and another one called Philippine Reader by Camilo Osias from your old bookshelf. I actually borrowed it from Auntie Lita but I never returned them after you all went to Guam. These were my informal reading materials which I voraciously read and re-read many, many times from cover to cover. It is from these books that I learned to appreciate good literature and we were probably nurtured from the same books. I did not find such good quality materials from the NCS or RA Textbooks during my time. Reading materials then were somewhat difficult to come by. Every Wednesday, my cousin Ambong and myself will be eagerly awaiting Apong Abe’s Bannawag. While he reads on his rocking chair, we will be pestering him from behind until he is finished with it - prematurely surrendering the magazine to us, most of the time, because of our boyish meddling and mono-syllabic reading aloud of the adventures of Captain Barbell, etc. Sometimes, I would go under Apong Pe’s “parsa” and remove the magazine pages wrapped around the dangling ampalayas just to read their contents. I was such a sponge then but there is not enough to be absorbed. What I lacked in books is filled in by komiks. Auntie Mila has a big collection and she has a network of komiks addicts in the neighborhood. I used to run errands for her, returning and retrieving komiks from “neighbor’s” houses which could be half a kilometer away. I didnt mind the distance, its the chasing dogs that I detest. >>>> I don’t know how I was given my name nor was I aware that there is a story behind it. But I am happy with it. Its quite rare and unique. And in all the literature that I read and movies that I watched, my name is always associated to a good guy - which I am.  But in Rizal’s El Fili, Isagani is a hopeless romantic (which I am, also) who chose to save her ex-GF from the explosive filled lamp aimed at decimating the top civil and religious leaders who were in attendance at her wedding party. Thus, he unwittingly exposed and untracked the revolution which is to start that night. Now, would have I done the same given the situation… most probably yes. So to prevent such a treason on my part, I married ahead of my ex… .

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Pity I didn't get to closely watch you grow up. You were not of school age yet when I left town for college. But let me tell you, besides Marlene, you and Ambong never ran out of eager arms to hold you. Marlene was the first one to enjoy that much attention, then you and Ambong came along. Every chance we had, we took turns carrying you. We were that hungry to play with little kids like you. Ambong was more emotionally sensitive than you were. We had to be careful not to make him cry because if he did, he would turn blue from losing his breath. The most difficult thing to watch about you was your habit of keeping your food in your mouth for the longest time. By the time you finished breakfast, it's lunch time. Your favorite among us was your Uncle Arthur. You used to cry everytime you saw him leave for school. Then he left for the seminary hoping to become a priest someday but, we all know what happened with that. Then it was my turn to go. I don't remember seeing you on the day I left. It was the morning after my high school graduation. I stopped in Manaoag for a brief pilrimage at the shrine of the miraculous Lady of Manaoag, then caught a Pantranco bus for Baguio. I made a promise to myself to come home to Asingan only after I earned my college degree. Of course that didn't happen because I came home for Cielo's baptism. I was her godfather. (May she rest in peace.) I was in my junior year at the time. I heard of you early academic successes. For instance, your participation in a provincewide competition. Not too sure if it was math or spelling but you did an outstanding job in that event. I'm sure you had a lot of those academic conquests which slipped by me because I was too absorbed trying to make it through college while working at the same time. I wrote briefly about my life of deprivation as a working college student in my autobiography that was required by the diocese of Virginia for my petition for annulment of my first marriage in the Catholic Church. The diocese official who interviewed me prior to granting my request was quite moved by that part of my sad story. She was misty-eyed, her chin was down on her chest. Anyway, back to you. Yes your name came from that classic Philippine novel. I volunteered the name "Elmer" for you but your Auntie Rosing prevailed. It was a good choice, indeed. Nobody in town (that we knew of) was named Sonny or Isagani at that time. You would have been the second "Elmer" known to us because there was a guy in poblacion who went to school in Dupac with your Auntie Mila whose name was Elmer (Agsalud). And yes, you did have one heroic act that I can remember. It was on your Auntie Laling's wedding to Uncle Sally. Alex, who was going to be the ring bearer could not be awakened from deep sleep. Your Apong Misiong cautioned everybody not to push him because he would surely throw a fit if he woke up. Who would know him better than his own father? So the one and only choice was you. The houses being so close, I heard your Auntie Rosing yell out a command through the window for your Mama to get you ready. Everybody was kind of stressed out because it was time to hit the road for the church and no ring bearer, yet. I was in your house that morning. You were doing the usual thing, playing with your food in your mouth early in the morning. Your Mama picked you up, your mouth full of food and got you dressed for the occasion. You saved the day for the happy couple. I'm sure you did other feats of heroism. I know you can write about them and let us enjoy your stories. So long. --uNCLE bEN

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2010-07-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

Numerology is sometimes accepted as a "psuedo" science just like reading Tarot cards..:D..There is an upcoming movie which will star Shirley Mclaine as the psychic Sandra Browne,I think..Ms. Browne is a GENUINE PSYCHIC. That means she can read the future of other people, but NOT HER OWN FUTURE..Just like a doctor can treat others, but he can not treat himself..I believe in ESP, I believe in GENUINE PSYCHICS..These people are gifted by God with these powers...The image of Genuine Psychics are being screwed by Fake ones..:D..I will tell you a story, and this might change a line in my previous posting..When I quit UPCF, I did not receive my Visa approval yet but I did already my medical exam done by a Canadian Consulate doctor..But life in UPCF has grown so hectic due to internal politics that I decided to quit...So I packed all my things and went back to Asingan...Went back to the old hometown on March '75..stayed in our old house. My brod had already gone ahead to Canada, a month before(February )..I took the silong of our house where they stayed for several years while I stayed in Laguna...Our maid was an old woman from laoac. She said she knew some psychics in this barrio. I believe her because I think my grandma is one of them..But she is already dead when I came back to Asingan.. I had 2 kids already ( Miggie is expecting our 3rd ). Passing a medical exam by the consulate does not guarantee you a visa yet..I wanted to know if I will get one. ..Our maid said I will ask my psychic friends, they are good!She called them mammuyon.. ..I did not even tell her the actual question..Just ask the pyschics, I said:"Will my present plan be realized?" My maid went to Laoac in the am and in the pm, she came back.."My friends said YES..You just wait for 4 months.!" Here is the number 4 again..I felt slightly relieved and I tried to while away the days of terrible days of waiting and waiting by visiting friends in Asingan...After 4 months, came July 4, I received the letter from the Canadian Consulate saying our Visa was approved..This is not a cock and bull story. It really happened to me. 1 month later, August 30, we left the Philippines..Ergo, I believe that there are real psychics amongst us, it is just a matter of finding them..The psychics who predicted it did not even ask for any money in return...!

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Suddenly i started to count and tried to match numbers with my past. Just for fun i tried counting how many GFs i had. This time my magic number 10 fall short he he he. I am short by a point. Still lucky number though. So you were in Asingan sometime in the early 70's. Nagpang-abot pala tayo. I was first year high school when martial law was declared in 1972. You probably had seen me walking under the sun on my way to Asingan Community High School. We always passed by the front of your Hispanic inspired ancestral house. Most of the time we slowed down and take refuge under the shady acacia trees just accross your house.If you happened to notice a "lovely" couple under one umbrella, that's me and the number 1 in my list. She's long-haired with an angelic face. Don't know how such duo match, me being in the opposite category. We had this (mag-kapayong) going until she graduated and went to college in Manila. She's ahead of me by one year. I was in my senior year then when you left and migrated to Canada in 1975. Will try to recollect if such first love of mine is worth another posting, uhmm.--aLAKDAN

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Do post your stories, Alakdan because I am sure love stories are quite popular to readers or fans tele-novela series..And the most interesting ones are those that got away ( or we the male sex were the ones who run away..?..just kidding )..I could not get too close with the my first crush. I loved her to a passion, but she was 15 years older than me, ha-ha! They say first love never dies. This one died maybe after 10 years..Funny how we teenagers loved then in a setting that is Asingan..If they see you walking side by side, they would say you are already sleeping together ..I was in Asingan ( working for RA ) from 1966-68.. Just graduated from College and Mr. Amado Esteban offered me a teaching job. I accepted the job because number 2 was still in town ( I was starting to forget no. 1 )..THis time no. 2 is very much younger than me, I went to the opposite direction..:)..Geez, either too young or too old, hah!!..And there were still a few, the short lived ones, who happened to be there when I was in a rebound..:D...I do not feel embarrassed anymore first, I do not live in Asingan anymore, second, most of those who knew re: my early loves are either dead or have the Alzeimer's or are already abroad and they are not fond of opening computers, muche less going to AMB..Go ahead, write down a cursory account of your puppy loves..Hopefully, Icarus will follow suit..ha-ha-ha!!!

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( This is quite a long story to read but I just like to share it with all of you, young lovers of yesteryears, hehehe) **First Love*** I was then a 15-year-old, unassuming, and an easy going teenager. My social life was with my high school classmates and with my neighborhood friends. Girls were not in my mind and nothing excited me more than goofing at the beach of Lingayen Gulf or watching movies in the cinemas of Dagupan City. My high school was a rural, non-academic in curriculum and homework was minimal so I had a lot of free time... Going to church on Sundays was an obligation which was a habit that I acquired from my parents. It was on one of those Sundays in church when I first noticed a young girl in blue gingham dress walking towards the front of the church with her mother. For the first time in my life, I thought I saw a very beautiful girl. Although I’ve known her since she was seven and I was eight, she somehow looked like somebody new in my hometown... Ever since that Sunday, I started grooming myself so she’d take notice of me. I thought of her often during the day and she sometimes enlivened my dreams at night. Like most teenagers, I was inpatient and to satisfy my longing, I passed by her house every evening just in case I’d have a chance to talk to her. Occasionally, I would catch a glimpse of her inside her house, but nothing could satisfy me until she’d know that I existed... After a month of desperately wanting to be noticed to no avail, I gained enough courage to pay her a visit. One Saturday evening, I put on my best outfit and proceeded to her house but my attempt fizzled out when I saw their family car in the carport. Her parents were prominent citizens of the town because they were well schooled. Her mom was a school superintendent and her dad had a high government position as shown by the car plate license number... My family was modestly middle class and as a young boy I looked up at her parents as above my social level. Two weeks later, I noticed the carport empty so I hurried back home to groom myself, then plucked some roses from my mother’s potted plants and hurriedly went to her house that evening. Thinking that her parents were away, I knocked at her house door. With the porch light shinning bright on my face, the door opened with a big surprise. Her mother was smiling and greeted me as she was amused at the sight of a dashing young Romeo holding some roses. I stood frozen as my whole body temperature shot up and my fair skin could not mask the blushing of my face. I could feel beads of perspiration rolling down my forehead but her mother was very nice and quick to calm down my anxiety by inviting me to come inside. Without hesitation, she announced my very presence to her daughter. She conveniently left the living room and her daughter sheepishly came out and noticed my flushed complexion. I handed her the roses and all I could say was “how are you?” because my sight was fixated on her without saying any word.. She did the talking, trying to calm me down from my embarrassment. Fifteen minutes was all I could bear. The heat all over my body and my unease made me suffocate so I decided to bid her goodnight. I went home extremely happy for feeling like a winner, having hurdled the first inning... The second and succeeding visits got me accustomed to her very nice mother who was understanding and very entertaining. For my part, I planned the topics on what to talk about so I could impress her and also make an indelible mark to her mother who was a smart. Valentine’s Day, February 14 came and during the dance at her school she gave me her valentine heart pin, a pin that I kept like a million dollar souvenir. At the end of the school year, I graduated from high school and was accepted at a University in Quezon City. I impressed her mother and she told me that she attended the same school and wished me good luck. Before I left for college I told my friend that I liked her and I’ll miss her dearly and I‘ll always think of her. She replied with a smile and said that she’ll also miss me... College was tough for me, the experience was a payback for not being trained in high school. I managed to write her once but the pressure I encountered with the likes of College Algebra, Chemistry, College English were so overwhelming that I had to work double time in order to catch up with my classmates and avoid being kicked out of the school. I stopped my correspondence with her with the thought that I would see her when I’d go home during the semester and Christmas breaks. To my surprise, I was disappointed to find out that her parents had moved to central Philippines because her mother was transferred to a new office... In the meantime, I met other girls whom I developed some fancy and after graduating from college, I ended up working for a company in Pasig. I occasionally visited my hometown but she was nowhere around during my visits and our path didn’t cross again until I was about to leave the country to immigrate. It was during the town fiesta dance at the auditorium when I saw her as a full bloomed lady, lovely and beautiful as ever. She was surprised as I was to see her and I invited her to dance. I complemented her that she was pretty and she smiled and whispered “bolero”. I didn’t pickup what she meant, whether it was about what I said or what I did, but after the music as I was walking her to her seat, I asked how life was treating her for which she replied that she was getting married the following month. I was dumbfounded but I managed to congratulate her. She introduced me to her fiancé and that was the last time I saw her because I left the Philippines soon after. Twenty years later during my visit to my hometown to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary of my parents, I met her mother again and we became good friends, corresponding regularly until she passed away. I found out that her daughter had moved to America where she raised her family.---a rEADER

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When I was in high school, my friends and I would have a beat on who can collect the most numbers of Valentine pins during the Valentine dance. It was our simple way of knowing who among us was the most likable boy. We did it in other high schools in town where we were not familiar with the girls. In this way, the power of persuasion was based only on the way we presented ourselves. --a rEADER

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Memories of early Baguio

2010-07-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have the privilege of staying and seeing Baguio during its unspoiled finest, which was in the late 60’s to the early 80’s. An uncle of mine used to operate a small photo studio in the Baguio Hotel building along Otek Street which was later on taken over by my Mom. It was called Bayanihan Studio and it employs a number of photographers plying the trade in Burnham Park and in other Baguio spots. During summer breaks and Christmas vacations, we used to go up from Asingan via Urdaneta where we boarded Dangwa Tranco or Baguio Auto Line (BAL and later on became PNR), or Pantranco buses which come so far in between; those long wait for buses along the national highway in Urdaneta is the part that I hate the most. Later some other bus lines were added to the route including my favorite, the yellow and speedy La Mallorca Pambusco and others - including Victory Liner and Philippine Rabbit. My very first trip which was when I was about six was spoilt by extreme nausea and thus I missed to see the breathtaking view of the Kennon Zig-zag - despite exhortations from my two aunts with whom I tagged along - except for some short glimpse when I have to throw up the window… hehehe. But what I remember so vividly was the way I shivered to the bone while my teeth chattered uncontrollably as we descended from the Dangwa bus. Baguio was much, much colder then than now. And it has a certain peculiar smell which, I learned much later on, comes from the Pine Trees and mountain flowers in bloom. Otek street is just a block away from Burnham park. The circumferential road around the park called Lake Drive was then used for motorized go-carts which I watched with childish amusement because I was too small to try them. On the southern end of the park was the skating rink. That is where I usually end up, hiring and riding kiddie pedal rides and racing with other kids. On the western side, adjacent to Kisad Road, is the kiddy Playground with all sorts of see-saws, merry-go-rounds, swings, climbing bars and that centerpiece: a multi-level slide with a rocket ship shaped central frame which you have to climb to get to the top of the slide. It took me a while to try the highest level. Even then, there were ambulant vendors selling snacks from ice cream in cones and bars, to peanuts, corn on the cobs, green mangoes, drinks, etc. For 50 centavos, I can have Royal Tru-Orange with La Pacita Saltine Crackers after I’m done with the rides. Sundays could be very crowded. Picnickers and excursionists spread mats on the lawns while enjoying the view of the lake with multi colored sailboats and paddle boats; and some occasional outburst from the water fountain in the middle. I enjoy walking around inner path around the lake which is artistically paved with faux cobble stone. The outer side of the path is lined with small weeping bottle brush tress wearing their red hanging flowers on their draping green hair and interspersed with occasional trumpet flower tress. Romantic benches lie underneath with old gentlemen reading papers while shoe-shine boys work feverishly on their sunday shoes. The lake side of the path is lined with a low metal grill fence to protect the flower beds where roses, hollyhocks, daisies, sunflowers and marigolds flourish. The lawns, the hedges, the tress and the flower beds, and specially the cleanness of the place, were immaculately maintained by a special group of lady gardeners in uniform. Many unsavory things could be said about Imelda Marcos but during her times, Burnham Park was at its very best. On a lucky Sunday, one could watch PMA Cadets formation and parade on the Melvin Jones grounds just to the southern side of the park, adjoining Harrison Road. But I didn’t want to go for those kinds of stuff; it bores me. More memorable to me are summer days when the Tour of Luzon set their finish line on the Lake Drive or the Athletic Bowl just to the south of the skating rink. We would go to the grandstand very early to ensure a good view of the scramble to the finish and follow the race with a transistor radio. My man then was Cornelio Padilla, Jr. and when he retired, I switched to the then rookie Paquito Rivas who was known as the Eagle of the Mountains because of his mountain climbing prowess. Many, many times Rivas arrived at the summit all by his lonesome, his nearest pursuer at least 5 minutes behind. Another favorite is Manolito Moring, Jr – co captain of Rivas and is known for his daredevil sprinting. When the riders finish as a pack, rest assured it would be Moring by a nose! Later on the photo studio was transferred to Abanao Street, fronting the old Market where Marbay Shopping Center and Marhalika Building now stands. We were neighbors with Sunshine Grocery and Bakery, then the biggest and most popular in Baguio. Abanao was a two-lane street at that time but the sidewalks are so wide and tiled! Very neat. Cars could park on both sides. I remember the old market building just at the foot of session road with its stone pillars and tin sheet roof selling all sorts of Baguio souvenirs, wood carvings, fruit jams, everlasting garlands, Baguio brooms, etc. Inside that maze of stalls, I found a small favorite nook which I frequented with other boys renting and reading komiks along the aisle on a bangkito. Going back to Asingan for the start of June classes, I would have the time of my life regaling my barrio playmates with my stories of Baguio... Ah, those were the innocent Baguio days… The not-so-innocent ones would come much later and would justify another post.

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Ok Dad Vic here's another obra maestra he-he...Icarus ,Alakdan and Mr Pogi i was trully amazed that you can remember vividly the details of your early days in the city of Pines. Oh Baguio oh baguio how can i forget you,almost half of my life was spent in this green lush city atop the cordilleras, those old days smelled of pine scent. During my childhood days i spent with my lola who lived in Lexber Court Baguio....back to the caniao days those big chunks of roasted pig i just requested my friend to sliced them thinly for me for bassit ngiwat ko he-he kasatno met kasla nga binalsig ti kadakkel na :))when we left the caniao we were given a kilo of the big chunks of roasted pork. Mr.pogi rekindled the two mining communities in baguio philex and balatoc, your portrayal of balatoc mines is very accurate i say this because when i was a child i was a frequent visitor of this place i remember those bunkhouses were rent free including amenities, and just take care of the food because balatoc is a community by itself. I found my place in the sun here in Baguio, but then itutuloy ha-ha-ha!!! maybe the three of you have bumped into each other before here in cordilleras but if we did know each other life could have been different . We will be drinking buddies here ala tapey just joking wala lang akong magawa ngayon. --Rain

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I am sure Ben Soloria is your kinfolk and he is also Miggie and me's co-teacher at the DWA in Urdaneta a long time ago. Ben is also a brilliant teacher, and a good writer too. His writings were in my first publication of SUNSHINE STORIES FROM PANGASINAN..Maybe you shared the same genes..Anyway, here is a story about Ben Soloria when he was still a student in Baguio..I happened to come up to Baguio one time with some of his kinfolks. We stayed in a boarding house ran by Ben's sister. I am not sure whether it is in Bayanihan st. But it is the first time for me to meet Ben. At that time, he was also a part time photographer to a studio ( maybe that is the same studio owned by your sister ). He usually take shots of the tourists in Burnham Park. Slept in their boarding house that night, then left for Asingan the next day...Years later, I accompanied Ben to apply at the DWA where I was already teaching. He was hired.. Then a year later I left, but he stayed behind. He was a sponsor during our wedding ( Miggie and I )..We became already good buddies..I never saw him anymore for decades, until I found his name in the Asingan Board..To cut to the chase, Miggie and I went to Virginia to visit him. He showed us nice places in Virginia including the oldest University in the US. He was already a retired USN, but he was still working as a nurse in a hospital. He worked with the Medical corps while he was in the USN. He attended to some casualties aboard ship during the Persian Gulf war, that took place when George Bush Sr. was still the President. When we are in a Mall and when Miggie was out windowshopping ( and buying a few stuff ), Ben and I would have coffee and share stories of the old days in Urdaneta. We talked about girls, of course, what else is new?..:)

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Indeed, your friend Ben Soloria is my uncle. And we are talking about the same studio! It was ran by uncle Flor Aquino, a Manaoag native who was married to my Auntie Fe, Uncle Ben's sister. Their apartment which opens on the arcaded sidewalk of Otek street served as a studio on the front half of the ground floor and a boarding house on the second floor. Many Asinganians who studied in Baguio once boarded in that address. Dr Zenaida Suyat, Ms Salud Soloria and Ms Julie Delmendo were three of the more prominent. The studio then was called Noli's, named after their first born and my cousin Noli. In 1968, the family migrated to Guam and they sold the business to my mom. The name was changed to Bayanihan Studio to associate it with the famous hotel with which it shares premises. For some reason, Bayanihan Hotel(formerly Baguio Hotel)closed shop and occupants of the entire building block were asked to move out. What we heard is that the owners are persecuted political nemesis of the Marcoses. (The building still exist to this day and the ground floors were converted into Ukay-ukay stores.) Thus, the move to Abanao and this time, the boarding house and the studio went separate ways.

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Ben is such a nice friend to me during those years at DWA. I resigned from DWA in the beginning of the school year to spend a whole year in Asingan "bumming" around. In the meantime Miggie was still teaching there and in my absence, Ben acted as a "go-between", "a cupid" etc. on my behalf for Miggie. .I think he did a good job..:D...I think we had a courtship period only of about 2 months; I never believed in prolonged engagement. Something will eventually happen if you wait that long, esp. in the Philippines..After we got married, Miggie opted to stay behind in DWA Urdaneta for a few more months, while I started my Editorial job in Los Banios Laguna. Getting married in one weekend then going separate ways a week after is no good way of starting a marriage.We stayed in Pila, Laguna for a week long honeymoon.That week end, she had to leave back for Pangasinan, and I had to stay behind. I brought her to the La Mallorca bus station in Cubao. It was a real heart breaking good-bye...From then on, I had to go home every week end just to visit my new bride. And it's a hell of a long distance from Los Banios to Asingan. I went home Friday nights and go back to Los Banios Monday dawn...In the mean time, Miggie stayed at home in Asingan. Every morning, she went to work riding on a passenger jeep owned by an Asinganian. Ben was still teaching at the DWA and he rode in the same jeep with Miggie. According to Miggie, each time she rode on the jeep, a "love smitten" DWA student would like to sit down beside her on the front seat but Ben would tell him, "that's my spot!" just to make the guy go away. The student would smilingly oblige because 1) Ben was a teacher and 2) Ben has bigger muscles. So, that was the traveling arrangement every working day with Miggie while she was still in Asingan. Everyday until she decided to join me several months later. She finally quit her job to leave for Laguna because 1) Fr. Harwardt, the school director, advised her it is not good for married people to be separated and 2) she is already pregnant with our first child, Oliver....:)

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NUMBER THAT POP UP IN MY LIFE..If you examine your life, sometimes you find a number that pops up: in my case, it is THE number 4. Might be my lucky number, I do not know. I was married on July 4, 1971, I receieved ourCanadian visa approval on July 4, 1975, 4 years later...I worked in Pangasinan for 4 years, 2 years teaching in RA, 2 years teaching in DWA. I am the 4th child of a family of 5, my dad belonged to a family of 4 siblings...I have 4 children, 3 biological and 1 adopted..:) And I think you know who the adopted one is..I met her online 4 years ago...:)And oh yes, I worked in UP Forestry for 4 years: 1971 to 75. I quit working there after receiving my Visa approval..I lived under the shadow of Mt. Makiling for 4 years. Sometimes after work on Friday afternoons, I would go up a hike towards the peak, but I never really got up there to the summit. In the afternoon, the forest in the UPCF building is filled with shrill singing of cicadas punctured by an ocassional song of a wild bird. Somehow, I sometimes imagine the bird to be the fabled Adarna made famous by the Francisco Balagtas poetry..There is a river beside the College of Forestry: going down to the rocks one would be astounded by the big roots of certain trees. So beautiful. They are twisted, irregularly shaped and you would be amazed that beauty sometimes comes out of ugliness..I do not now if it still exists, but there was also a tree whose fruit look like yellow candles..I have still to see a boa constrictor which some people hereabouts say are abound in the Makiling forests. But there are smaller snakes which sometimes cross the roads. If a jeepney driver see a snake crossing the road, he would try to run it over ..Miggie was almost bitten by a snake in one of our walks in there. And she was pregnant with our 2nd daughter Michelle. We were crossing a grassy patch in the UPCF campus. She was about to put down her sandaled foot when I saw there was a moving thing: it was a green colored snake.She missed stepping on the tail and I still get the shivers thinking what could have happened if she stepped on it. At that time, there were no snake bite antidotes in the Campus hospital. The nearest place to get snake bite serum was a laboratory few towns away going to Manila...Some snakes there are not poisonous. One time, one of the children of our landlord there saw a snake and she tried playing with it. The snake bit her and she ran to her Mom crying. Fortunately, she did not show any kind of adverse reactions, so she was okay. The snake bite was non lethal.

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Starting life as a married couple is as unforgettable as your first kiss, first date, first whatever..On the day we decided to go for it ( Marriage Life or bust )Pare Alex Romero offered his mini jeepney and we hired it to bring us and a few worldly goods to Los Banios. One dining table, two chairs, pillows, etc. clothes etc, packed into the empty passenger section of the vehicle...The Father director of DWA gave me this very profound advice inside his office on that afternoon when I visited him. "There can never be two Queens inside one house," he said. The two Queens were my wife and my Mom. He was always right, of course.Miggie can never work yet because of her pregnancy, so I must rely on my paycheque from UPForestry for everything we need at home. Our first one bedroom apartment was 75 pesos/month and that was already expensive at that time. But we are just newcomers, and as soon as we get settled for a bit, then we will look for other lodging places. We heard of certain places that go for 50 pesos a month,including utilities...It was a real cozy one bedroom newly constructed apartment unit. Newly painted too. It overlooks the beautiful Laguna de Bay which could be reached by a brief hike...We are right between the rustic town of Los Banios ( which some months ago was the location of a Fernando Poe Jr. movie ) and the International community of College, Laguna where very important people involved in Asian agriculture were living, teaching, doing some research. Come to think of it, my stay in the UPLB community changed a lot of my outlook towards life. Plus it was the initial place where I started to build my family, alone, just by myself, without much help from my own or my wife's family..

2010-07-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

To: Rain ,Icarus and ambers
Remote Name: 67.10.78.233
Date: Friday, June 25, 2010

Message
Napadasak met ti nakidayag kadagiti gagayyem tay nga taga ngato ket husto dayta imbagan. Kasla binalsig ti iwa ti karne. Nagdadakkel. Yes, they are friendly and hospitable. No bumaba kam ket nagado ti ipaw-iwad da nga nateng. Ngem adda met ti kalkalikaguman da nga sukat na, daytoy ket diay famous nga basi tayo. I had really nice and memorable stay in Tublay, Benguet. --Alakdan

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Jun Millano over the phone related to me an experience he had in Atok, Mountain Province where he worked as a nurse (by the way, he mentioned that he and Oscar Agtarap are some of the first male nurses in Asingan. During that era, some fathers do not think that Nursing is appropriate for men). Anyways,Jun told me that he attended a Caniao for a relative of the affluent one time Mayor Dangwa of Baguio City.Caniao took place several nights, he said.A grisly thing he saw during the ceremony was the sight of the dead person seated in a corner facing his guests(!). But that is one of the traditions of our highland brothers..The animal used in that particular ceremony was a carabao. Remember the carabao slaughter scene in the movie APOCALYPSE NOW by Francis Ford Coppola? ( the very last major Hollywood film to be shot in the Phil).The killing was similar to that movie scene. Men with long bolos gathered around the doomed beast and they started hacking it to pieces which then were soaked in a big vat of boiling water. Each guest was given a piece which he was expected to finish. An unconsumed portion must be brought home. Jun's unfinished meal was wrapped in paper and some of the guests called him "Balcot" ( wrapping )..To Amboy, the dead relative he said was buried RIGHT UNDER THE STAIR CASE GOING UP THE HOUSE.Why? I can only guess they believe that his spirit woud be guarding his house 24/7 thus discouraging possible intruder/burglars from committing any dastardly deed..Before I forget, I read somewhere that in some places of the Mountain Province, the dead are buried seated. I guess rigor mortis set in while the corpse was in a seated position. I also read in another article that some of the dead are mummified by smoke and their bodies are kept in a special house in the premises...Which brings to my mind the body of the late Ferdinand Marcos. I heard it is still drawing some tourists in a special viewing room in his hometown in Ilocos. Some comment the body is no longer the original but it is just a wax replica...Believe it or Not! ( apologies to Mr. Ripley )---Vic

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You folks are talking about highland lives and it's good to remember them,having spent my pre-grade school years in Balatoc Mines,in Itogon and Acupan, by the Mill Site,we lived in communal residences called bunkhouses, sometimes three to four stories high.living in mining communities is okay ,we have our own supermarkets,hospitals, schools and even school buses to go to Baguio City for higher education.Anyway growing up with the Ibalois and Igorots, my mom used to have me wear the 'baag" /G-string to avoid unnecessary dirt in my pants.The ceremony of burial is sacred to the highlanders and all the tribes have almost the same customs, where the dead relatives were buried within the vicinity of their dwellings ,animals (mostly pigs, cows, and carabaos) were butchered fresh and cut in chunks and dumped in boiling water,come chow time each person is given the ubbak ti saba as their plate(as time goes by..paper plates metten)with a good portion of upland rice and a pinch of salt to season the meat, plus the local rice wine,tapuey,for older people, it is imperative to consume the food, no leftover as much as possible ,but you're allowed to take home as long as you remind the grieving family.The Igorots of the deeper Mt. Provinces have this unique way of having their dead relative in a sitting position during the wake where they take turns in fanning away flies that come near the decomposing body, they do this ritual especially for respected elders and women/men of lengthy ages.Hope my memories of the past corrects me well and Manong Vic .just for the laughter of it, La Trinidad is in Benguet, i believe sometime in the '70"s the Cordilleras were divided into what is presently now,the provinces of Benguet,Ifugao,Kalinga,Apayao,and Mt. Province,or the popular name of Bontoc.Having a degree in Mining Engineering from SLU, i was able to work in Philex Mines,in Tublay and then eventually transferred to Batongbuhay Gold Mines in Pasil,Kalinga-Apayao, i learned a lot about the customs and traditions of these brothers,having attended a lot of rituals/budongs(peace pacts)and weddings the highlanders way from Sagada, Lagawe all the way to Tinglayan and Pinukpuk it's an experience and it will stay forever in my heart...... Mr. Pogi

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"during the wake where they take turns in fanning away flies that come near the decomposing body,.." Grisly as it sounds, it is true. Boy, this posting is not good to be read before you have a meal, but sometimes it could add to our knowledge of some facts about the culture of our brothers in the highlands..To add to your statement, Jun Millano said last night that the relatives of the dead put a basin under the seat of the dead relative.."WHY???" I asked, out of curiosity.And as you know, curiosity sometimes kill the cat..:)...Jun said, "the family members do not like their dead to be embalmed, so as the body decomposes water drips down to the basin below..It is a medical fact that water makes up more than 50 % of our body."..With us lowlanders, we have our dead embalmed and we are aware of what the embalmers do to them. I heard that when I was a kid right after my grandmother died..I was still 6 years old then...Well, let me end this posting with a joke to lighten up the sombre mood. Maybe you heard this already. A man was asked by the funeral director about his just recently died Mother In Law.."Sir, what do you want to do with the corpse of your Mother In Law? Embalmed or cremated?.." The man answered: "Embalm and burn her: I just wanna be sure she is really dead.."---Vic

2010-07-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

Inhabitants of Mountain province have culture so unique and unusual especially to the people of lowlands like us. Burying their dead in their backyard is one of them. I was amazed but not shocked when i personally obeserved such practice. I was in Tublay, Benguet (Tublay School of Home Industries is at least an one hour travel from Baguio City)doing my three months practice teaching. I taught Design subjects in highschool and Techincal Drawing in college. One of our newlyfound friend invited us in their ancestral place. It was Sunday so we had the luxury at least a day to explore . Together with my batch mates Sally Amarillo, Letty Coloma, Merlita Pacis and Jesus Salagubang (now OIC of TESDA in LMMSAT) went to a remote village somewhere and hidden behind the rugged mountains of Cordilleras. It is so remote that there are only two trips (vice-versa) available in ordinary days. It's most likely that the same jeep which you ride on in the morning will be the same jeep that will take you back in the aftrenoon at the junction of Halsema highway. (Halsema highway is the highest highway point in the country.)After some breathtaking travel along Zig-zag roads and deep mountain ravines below, we reached our distination at almost lunch time. The host family were very hospitable and friendly. Instanteneoulsy, they offered us their homegrown and made produce, hot tea fresh from the "kalan". We had sumptous meal, with their version of pinakbet as main course and sayote tops on the side. While we were eating i noticed some structures beneath their house. The kitchen and living room is adjacent to this "resting place" separated by some bamboo poles nicely erected and spaced together but one can able to peep in an glimpse what's inside. At least there were three of these cemented rectangular blocks. I did not bother to ask my friends neither the host family about this. I just keep it to myself but not for long. After lunch we attended a Catholic Mass officiated by a priest from Atok. WE didn't stay longer for we have to catch the last trip going back to our place. Upon reaching our boarding house, we found out that all of us have the same observation and finally have the same conclusion, that our brothers and sisters in the mountains so loved their departed ones and that even death can not make them apart.--Alakdan

Thank you for the "travelogue" style article. I love reading these kinds of stories re: tourist spots in the Phil. .Especially Baguio because it is close to Asingan and I joined several Asinganian excursions before when I was still a teen ager using a Pantranco bus. Leave Asingan at dawn, back to Asingan at around 8:00 pm..While in Baguio we visited places like: Burnham Park, Wright's Park, Mansion House, Mine's View Park, PMA, Trinidad Valley, Camp John Hay, Loakan, etc. etc...Baguio at that time looked so fresh and virginal (uncorrupted ) because at that time, there were not so many people yet . The air smelled of Scotch pine and so many highlanders were still using their native costumes. When I visited Baguio alone ( one day trips), I used to have lunch in this area near the market. For 5 pesos, I had rice, beef soup, adobo..I thought this was the Slaughterhouse then. But last time, I found out that that place have already dissapeared. *** My wife studied in SLU and she shares lots of memories too about the City of Pines. I stayed with relatives in Jungletown or Engineer's Hill. From here we often walked to Mansion House then proceed further to Mine's View park. Not much traffic, tourists and when the afternoon sun started its descent, chill started to gnaw your bones and the smell of burning pine logs start teasing your nostrils. I believe many houses here have fireplaces. Sometimes you would see a small cloud descend on a distant road. When a cloud descends on the road you are walking, everything is enveloped with mist and a slight moisture sometimes mask your face. ***After a holiday I leave Baguio via the Zigzag road. Upon reaching the toll gate close to the highway going to Ilocos, I felt that the mountain spirits are whispering: "come back, come back.." . Only Hawaii ( especially Maui ) has this kind of spiritual ambience....Vic

I wanna add stories about cordilleras. When i was still in baguio i attended a wake and part of it a caniao it's their culture, a sort of feast where you're treated to a roasted pig. All of us mostly highlanders they're very good friend of mine and we all ate the roasted pig sliced into a very thin strips and dipped into a mixture of soysauce and crushed red pepper. So you can imagine how spicy , and the trouble was the roasted pig was half cooked :)well it taste yummy sometimes with the mixture of soy and crushed labuyo ha-ha and of course a drink that kicks .RAIN

While you are on the subject of "loving our departed ones", we have a family friend whose son died as infant several years ago yet they celebrate his birthday every year and we are invited to the party. They put up a tent at the memorial site; we are invited to join the prayer and a catered lunch including lechon and other Filipino delicacies... (This is in the United States). ---Amboy

I had a similar experience going to a caniao ceremony in Mountain Trail(thats a place)together with my Baguio officemates. We arrived quite early in a clearing with a cluster of about 6 houses at the edge of a watershed forest. There was a big bonfire in the middle of the yard which I thought was one of those ceremonial fire but I learned later that there was a practical use to it. And then they brought in a big black pig which was killed not by slitting the neck but by stabbing it with a long knife aimed at the heart. This way there is no blood, less struggle and squelching from our intended lunch. I expected that they would dip it in the kawa of water being boiled nearby or douse it with boiling water so that the skin and hair could be rubbed off. Instead, it was dumped unto the raging bonfire and turned a few times until the hair burned off, leaving only semi- scorched skin. It was brought to a dulang where the belly was opened for the removal of the innards after which it was butchered into big cubical pieces, not in clean and professional grocery cut but random dismemberment. The pieces, about 500 to 800 grams each, are strung together with pliant bamboo strips, four pieces for each loop. The strung pork meat were then placed in the boiling water of the kawa. In Asingan, we do that for preliminary cooking to cougualate the remaining blood and to facilitate the slicing. Ah, it would take a while before we will have lunch... i was thinking to myself. Meantime we were enjoying the pinkish strawberry flavored tapey which taste heavenly but packs the kick of a horse. after three shots, cicadas started humming in my ear. Tapey is prepared from fermented rice,aged and distilled to almost essential alcohol and taken as it is, or flavored. In this case it is given a flavor from another plentiful product of the area which is strawberry. No sooner than I had my fourth shot of tapey, that they announced that lunch is ready! A lady was giving out banana tree barks followed by another one with a basket of rice. Alice, my friend and host was a little embarrased but I told her we also use it for eating in the lowlands. And then the coup-de-grace. The butchers cum cooks were giving out the steaming lumps of pork still strung on their bamboo loops. At first i didnt know what to do with my piece but taking a hint from those around, i dipped it in salt which came with the banana bark and bit off a generous portion. It was good. And more so when shredded siling labuyo was passed. It seems that the pork taste were locked-in without being overwhelmed by the flavor and smell of spices except that there is an enhancing smoky flavor from the hair and skin burning. And with soup of pinikpikan nga pato with etag, I soon was lining for my second round of rice. I am lucky to have experienced the hospitality of the cordilleras. The people are hospitable and generous to a fault. When it was time to go back, we were each gifted with sangabakroy nga uggot ken bunga ti sayote. --Icarus

Th Summer of '60

2010-06-15T03:18:00.000-07:00

In 1960, I took a year long sabbatical from my University studies( I could not adjust to Manila life then ). That was the summer of 1960 when I joined the Cathecism League in Asingan, headed at that time by Fr. Lazaro de Guzman, the town's Parish Priest. His assistant then was Fr. Geronimo Marcelino from Camiling, Tarlac (the hometown of CP Romulo ).. So during this summer of 1960, I and several out of school Asingan young people(YPs) took a crash course on Catechism, aiming to teach Catholicism in the Elementary schools for the next school term, 1960-61..

I joined this club before because there was nothing much to do in Asingan.Being idle in this town could be the pits. So I signed up with Lito Domaoan and Philip Martin. Pretty soon, Lito found a job in Manila and Philip Martin joined the US Navy. I was left alone in Asingan, but I persisted with the project where I met other friends in town, mostly women.

Anyways, before we entered the church at around 3:00 pm for the hour long lectures, , we socialized, played games, etc. For me, this is the best part of the afternoon's agenda.

After 20 afternoons of "intensive" studies, the "successful" students ( those who did not give up ) received a membership card and half a cavan of rice. Which was nice.

When school opened that June, we were assigned schools to visit. The school curriculum was adjusted through an arrangement between the priest and various schol principals so religious teachers could come 3 times a week and teach Catechism. I was assigned to South Central and North Central Schools.

A month before the closing of the school year, there was a first confession for all students taking up Religion. A week later, there would be their frst communion followed by a breakfast for all first time Communicants.

Fr. Gerry Marcelino was the priest who heard their confessions the kids who took Religion in South Central. We accompanied him to the school together with one altar server..

The confessions took over an hour, and after the session, he appeared to be in a mild nervous wreck.Then we heard from his altar boy some little stories about Fr. Marcelino's first encounters with the new would-be-members of the flock... "I heard the confession of about 30 pupils. They seemed to have the same "sins" like they were reading from a common piece of paper...

"But what really made me lose my cool is one kid who confessed..'I pinched my brothers, my sisters, my friends and I also pinched our cat..!" Fr. Marcelino, nearing his wits' end, blurted in a much louder voice" It is not a sin to pinch the cat!!!"

I added one story, that goes.."On our last day of school, I gave a short quiz ( the kids wrote their answers on a 1/4 piece of pad paper)..There were just 10 easy questions. One kid had only one answer from numbers one to ten. Just the word GOD. He figured that out of the 10 questions, there there would be a few whose answer would be GOD.."

Sparky's New Video in my Blog...

2010-06-14T02:29:00.000-07:00

IT was raining: drip-drip-drip constantly yesterday..Our dog Sparky positioned himself in front of the patio door as if he wanted to go out, but when I opened it, he ran back to his comfortable bed in the kitchen..'stupid dog," I said, "but I will always love you.."

He is my constant companion at home. He loves roaming around the backyard which had grown green and fresh and flowery with the arrival of summer rains and days of sunlight. Every three days, the grass has grown taller than the day before. Thus, they seem to call to me, in their silent plant language, cut us now, cut us now..just like the plants in ALICE IN WONDERLAND...

So I had to take out the very long extension cord and to begin the preliminary ritual of trimming the lawn, our dog Sparky's play ground..

A WITNESS TO THE EXECUTION

2010-06-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

One of the more interesting Asinganians I met in my work as a correspondent for our town was a 90+ senior who lived in the Malong residence along the road to Dupac. I do not know if he was related to the Cardinez or the Malong family..Anyway, I learned the fact from a friend that he was one of the oldest persons in Asingan at that time and he was a former member of the defunct KKK ( the famous Katipunan league )

I found his mind then was still sharp, and his eyes were bright and he was responsive to my questions.. He showed me a certificate (yellow with age ) showing his emmbership to the KKK league. One of the signatories on the document was Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo...He related to me further that on the day of Dr. Rizal's execution, he and a few compatriots ( all KKK's ) were hanging out around Bagumbayan. Somebody concocted a foolhardy plan to rescue Rizal from execution, he said for there was an overwhelming feeling for the martyr-to-be. He said he was there in the crowd of witnesses for the execution with a short knife hidden underneath his trouser pants. But security was very tight he said and to do anything drastic then would mean sure torture or death for the perpetrators of the rescue plot. So the plan was aborted the last minute..He said he saw Rizal from a distance, and he said it seemed he heard him reciting some verses from his MI ULTIMO ADIOS... After the volley of shots, he fell the same way as described in some history books...

I sent in the story to my agency a few days before Dec. 30..When I opened the Manila Times on that day, Rizal Day, I saw it appear in the front page. I was then in Los Banios. Miggie has just resigned from her job from the DWA in Urdaneta to join me. The day before, Dec. 29, we visited Calamba, Laguna just to see this birthplace of our national hero. It was a very beautiful Philippine town. On its entrance is a big clay jar ( Calamba or Caramba meaning jar )embellishing the entrance to this picturesque community.---#

scenes from our Asingan Hospital

2010-05-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

On April 28, Grace Gurion, Miguelita, myself and Sonia Agsalud embarked on an all day journey that brought us from our own Asingan Hospital ( located on the diversion road which passes from Binalonan-Asingan-Santa Maria) to the grand Capitol grounds which sprawled on an area close to the Lingayen beach..

Taken on the front of the hospital together with some staffers..

Photo says it all...

Sonia on her work desk

2010-05-16T03:47:00.000-07:00

April 17

This morning, I dropped by the headquarters of Jun Esperon with Miggie to see Rudy and Linda. Initially, I missed Linda who left earlier on an assigned campaign trail. I saw my classmate Rudy Esperon who looked fine and sounded like a radio announcer with his deep voice. I also met Jaime Esperon who recognized me. There were so many people in the front part of his house. In this spacious area, there was a wide screen LCD TV monitor, several cushioned seats, a number of tables, a receptionist with a laptop, two washrooms ( his and hers ) for obvious purposes; water fountain, a xerox machine, flyers, a centralized air conditioner ( what with the kind of weather ) and staff busy attending to an endless list of chores...Rudy and Jaime attended to us. I overheard schedules for the day. Not far from us was Jun Esperon having a haircut while having breakfast. He has just arrived a few hours ago ( around 3:00 am ) then he had to deal with some paperwork. That is how busy he is..Then new arrivals: Leticia Malalang who came to see Norma Esperon..and we had a few introductory chats...People inside a campaign headquarers come in and out as quick as the wink of an eye..Then Jun Esperon was done with his haircut and he came over to shake hands with us....There was reminders about a wedding, some places to visit in the pm..et ce tera..And I have not seen the busiest part yet...Well we bade good bye cuz we want to visit another place...Walking along the road going to Poblacion, we met a van with Esperon stickers..We continued walking....A minute later, a young voice called out from behind: Sir, sir balik daw kayo sabi ni Madam Linda..We turned around and we saw Linda at last whom we were trying to track since the time she arrived. I have no cel phone, she said..We had to go back to her house and we shook hands with Rudy again was surprised to see me back in such a short time..Rudy had to go and take some rest and Linda attended to us: talking about the Fiesta, activities, checking new details in the house..New guests come and go..Busy busy busy...Tonight we will attend the Gay Night at Sobol..All siblings of Gen. Esperon are helping out within all human capabilities to help in his campaign. His sisters are doing house to house distribution of pamphlets, flyers, fans, umbrellas, t-shirts, hats ( but no money )..In a nutshell, this is how life is in a campaign house...more to follow...

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REAL ESTATE PRICES...The average price per square METER of a property right now on where I am staying ( beside the Chua mansion overlooking the busy market area ) is about 5,000 pesos. Converting the amount to US or Can $$ gives you quite a hefty sum. Ownership of certain properties along this block have changed considerably through the years. Some did not. For example, one time the house of my classmate Teofilo Bugayong one time was located not far from here. Now, a massive store stands on its place. The house owned by the Lavarias family is still there. The SALVATION ARMY has opened a school around that area too. The building is quite eye catching, and I heard it is getting quite an attention ( and enrollment ) from Asingan residents.>>>>The main entrance to the market seemed to be presently on the area where the "puesto" seemed to be. That strip of stores made with wood standing a long time ago. The market entrance is marked with an arch emblazoned with the letters:PAMILIHAMG BAYAN NG ASINGAN over a governemnt seal. Other stores: PB SAPIGAO builders, then RICHPRO BAKERY hot pan desal, munay, etc. then COR FARM MART ( ANIMAL FEEDS ) and also TRES HERMANAS PAWNSHOP (TAKBUHAN NG BAYAN )..Meaning a place to run to if you have some valuables and you are short of cash..There is a constant flow of motor cycles, motorized tricycles, expensive looking vehicles ( including cars and SUVs )If you see this flow of human and motor traffic you will conclude that Asingan and the rest of the Philippines is not really in recession. The town is in the black, business is healthy, people are happy. There are jobs from well to do professionals in town who need labanderas, cooks, nannies, etc. Some of them pay as high as 3,000 pesos a month..The Philippines in recession? WHAT RECESSION??

2010-05-16T03:43:00.000-07:00

we revisited Gloria Andrada in Sta Maria a close friend of Miguelita's.They were neighbours in the old days...Gloria is a retired nurse who spent so many years in California working sometimes 3 shfts just to see to it her kids could finish their college studies...Her husband is also a US Airforce Surgeon and when they retired, they decided to sell their California home and settle in Sta. Maria....When she learned that Miggie is still straddling on the fence whether to retire or not, she said: "You should retire now, now that you can still go about. What is the use retiring when you are already confined to a wheel chair?"...Then she showed us her home which was just beside Miggie's family land. The back yard was full of fruit trees, flowering bushes, ferns planted on the trunk of some tress giving it an unbelievably beautiful appearance We also saw some bonsai versions of tamarind and some other Phil. trees..Very cute. As we walked deeper into the "sanctuary" for living plants and various birds, we saw 3 bahay kubos. a water fountain and an empty chicken house..."Why are they empty?" I asked. "Did they die of an epedimic?"...Then she began to relate the story of the empty chicken coop. She said one time there were around 30 native chickens caged in there..Then one day, a friend asked her:"Why are these native chickens inside the cage?,,They should be allowed to roam free and find nourishment from the ground.".."Oh Okay," she said. The next morning she unlocked the cage and set al l birds free....NOW, the same afternoon, she went to check some of her vegetables planted in the backyard. Oh No!, she said,,Those ruthless chickens ate all my camote plants and several other veggies which suited their appetites..So she ordered one of the servants:"Capture all of those stupid chickens, kill 'em all and stuff them in the freezer..".. she said, that in the next few days, they had nothing but chicken dishes:adobo, arroz caldo, lechon AT IBA PA.."

Life starts early here at the Marketside..4:00 am brings the vendors, tricycles, farmers dropping in some veggies for consignment and the omnipresent sidewalk vendors..Our proximity to the marketside makes it easy to have freshly made tupig or bibingka in our breakfast table...Our hosts are Drs. Ben Gurion and spouse Grace Ramos, who is also an MD but she stopped her practice because after 10 years without a child, all of sudden, she was blessed with one. She wanted to take care of her daughter named Mia ( just like my first grandaughter ) and so she resigned from her post in a manila hospital..Her husband is one of the best loved Pediatricians in town and around town..Grace's mom is a sister of Dr. Regalado Tendero who was the husband of my aunt Minay. On day 1 of our stay in her house, we found that Stauro stayed here also for almost 2 years! Stauro is grace first degree nephew and the books I donated one time all landed in her house!..She related some "horror" stories re: him which filled in some of the mystery jigsaw pieces of why the library project collapsed. Grace found a job for him in UCC Urdaneta..She and her husband are quite prominent, affluent and respectable figures in Asingan ( I never knew that til now )..They let us stay in their guest room which has the amenities of houses abroad...It was such a nice time recalling the early childhood days when the tenderos and costeses were still grade schoolers living in close quarters. She knew most of the Tendero chronicles which I also knew with some I knew and she did not know because she is very much younger than I am..Oh boy, I said to myself as I write this entry, God really has willed that I would meet her to renew those days and renew ties with long lost relatives..Anyhow, that is WHY we take holidays in Asingan..To try to look for missing jigsaw pieces which dissapeared as we started growing up to be adults..I loved the books you sent, she said..The boxes landed in my house..You should have been the rightful recepient I said since your husband is partly involved with a local pediatrician charity group helping kids not only with their medical needs but also with reading skills..Oh we need children's books, she said..Her husband have outreach work not only in Asingan but in tayug where he holds office in the government..Thus right there and then on the dining table, Miggie and I promised to send them books out of our expenses and they were so happy..This is just one way of repaying their hospitality for letting us stay with them as long as we can while in Asingan..If you hear how Dr. ben Gurion explain his experiences as a starting physician in Asingan, you would both laugh and cry..Starting a practice in Asingan is hard said Grace, because most of the patients are my relatives and sometimes it not easy charging them!..But after several years they now have a big home, lots of patients ( Asingan kids ) and he has also some visits to another hospital in Urdaneta..Doctors like teachers enjoy such a high standing in the eyes and hearts of people in a community, even Asingan....

From: A Reader
To: Vic
Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Message
I am not from Asingan but you make me feel like I belong there because of the way you describe the places in town. It is so vivid that I could visualize what you are talking about. Your down to earth approach of writing is indeed good journalism, you write it as you see it and that is the reason why I feel like I am by your side listening to your stories. Thanks, keep on going till you leave town. Tasyo

2010-05-16T03:41:00.000-07:00

Archie and Sam, I’m relieved to see you post. I thought all of you have gone home for the fiesta, leaving just elmer omar and myself stranded in the limbo. Except for peter and norbet, I don’t see you guys post as you used to. Even Ricky is asingan bound, I heard. Hey armando, just in case you get to Mng Elsa Sindayen’s joint, splash a shot for me and reynold, ok. And wheres annie? Jessie, shy and timid boy, are you in asingan, too? I still don’t get it! Why is it that Gin and Kappukan are much tastier in Asingan than anywhere else…Can someone explain? Mng Vic, you’re doing a great job being our eyes and ears. We want more… every sumptuous detail. Asingan should give you a retainer for doing a great balikbayan promotion. You have re-activated everyone’s homing instinct with your little stories.

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From: alakdan
Town_City:
Email:
To: manong Vic
Remote Name: 67.11.82.24
Date: Friday, April 16, 2010

Message
Manong Vic, dont forget about the succulent chico found only in Manaoag. Your first bite will be for me, yumm, yumm, yummmmmm.

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From: Zeus
Town_City:
Email:
To: Manong Vic...
Remote Name: 76.175.165.68
Date: Friday, April 16, 2010

Message
Hindi baling hindi ako nakauwi nandiyan naman si Manong Vic Para narin nandoon ako sa Asingan. Although its mesmerizing I want to go home I feel homesick now. While reading Manong Vic's narrative posting my mind played back and jogs and grooving in forward all the chronicles from the places he mentioned. Nice job Manong Vic!

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From: VIC
Town_City:
Email:
To:
Remote Name: 124.217.85.180
Date: Friday, April 16, 2010

Message
Hello, Marcie!..We are now staying in the street close to where Mr. Jovencio Esteban lived before. The place has also a bit of history. Our host told us that a house was transfered to another spot nearby because the first house in question was standing on a road going to the market. I believe the widow of Rudy Esteban had a grocery hereabouts..Natalie was a co teacher of mine at the Rizal Academy, so with Rudy..20 years of absence from a place makes you long for some updates..

2010-05-16T03:33:00.000-07:00

Asingan is in a gaeity mode..Like expecting the Big Circus arriving soon..It is not easy campaigning. All politicians have to bite the dust: they would stay in the roadside in the grueling heat. Their smile muscles MUST not get tired. And the country is suffering from an unprecedented hot spell now a days..The commercial on audio truck jingles goes on and on and on extolling the virtues of each candidates..TV is no better..The 6:00 pm TV patrol does its part in showing mud slinging gimmicks by different parties..I do not want to discuss these issues because I still abide by Mr. Marinias rules..No political issues..Just describing what I see..That's all..All I am praying is for the RAIN to come..Even the toilets in Urdaneta restaurants have signs saying NO WATER IN CRS..Take a crap at your own risk..:D

Things are getting better in Asingan when it comes to Digital photography..There is a FUJI FILM imaging centre which could provide printing services for digital cameras at a fraction of what is normally charged in US/Canada..The place is right near the western side of the Asingan market in an impressive, multi-storied business building.I had some of the images in my camera burned into a CD so I can delete some of the shots to free my card...Saves me the trouble of buying another card for my future shots..Services are cheap, workmanship is good! What more could you ask!..( the sales girls are also very polite and always smiling )..All around are the non technical services, mostly food and snacks..There is a fresh buko juice vendor who peddles a cup of fresh buko juice for 5 pesos only..He has a cartful of bukos which he peels as his pitcher of juice runs low..There are also ice cream vendors, slurpees stands, and as night falls, the fires of bibingka makers dot the sidewalsk with the unmistakable orange glows...Bibingkas and tupigs are 5 pesos each..Then there are the balut vendors..And also a portable Jolibee truck which offers some jolibee sandwiches/drinks to hungry fiesta revelers..This truck is stationed in front of the South Central school..All around the plaza are different snack stands offering home made Filipino dishes like papai-tan, dinuguan, pinakbet, etc..Again, eat 'em at your own risk..:)..A better place to eat would be the eatery run by Blanca Gonzales ( whom I heard is on a tourist visa in London with her husband )..A wallmenu advertises mami, siopao, sio mai, and drinks like RED HORSE ( it could kick like a horse ) and l do not think Asingan requires a liquor license for a joint to sell alcoholic drinks..If a customer looks like a teen ager, they do not ask for an ID anymore..What else is new..:) It is nice to observe the sceneries all around..jeeps plying from Urdaneta to Santa maria via the "diversion road" crossing the bridge to Santa Maria..Roads again are cramped because of the tricycles and the tiangee (night market ) surrounding the plaza..I took a few video shots of Asingan but you have to wait until May until you can see it cuz I need my PC in Toronto to process 'em..But I assure, there is nothing like being in Asingan, looking, hearing, and smelling the scenery ( and trying to avoid a tricycle wheel which would almost run over yiour foot

April 16

I went to the froNT of the ASINGAN town hall at around 11:30 am to wait for the Asingan bound Viron bus from Manila. Miggie is supposed to be one of the passengers.. I have to walk under shady parts of the Asingan streets. Can't find my hat so I had to grin and bear it. In the waiting shed are a few assorted characters waiting for the bus. There were three gays and they looked like women really. They are good people. I was given a haircut by one of them a few days ago and my wife said he was good! Then there was the lady who did a dance during the canvassing. This time she was trying to make conversations with a waiting passenger. After she left, the passenger said: "Agmauyong sa met?"..She made her rounds somewhere else...But my heart go to the tricycle drivers. Under the heat of the sun, as soon as the bus arrives, they would tryto get a fare. Their voice are soft spoken, they would ask where the newly arrivals are going, and you can read in their faces a kind of brave spirit..Not to give up inspite of hardship. Some have tattered clothes, their skins have already several layers of tan, if this is possible.God bless them all and even with no high education, they can make some kind of living or fill their pockets with little but honest cash...+++

staying in the Motherland is really an expat's dream.The common situation for retirees abroad is the lack of many friends. Here in Asingan, it is just the opposite. I LOVE standing near a crowd here, and try to eavesdrop..:) I know its bad, but there are lots of things you learn preening your ears to daily chat by people in the street..Each person has a story to tell. events that can only happen in Asingan...One can develop that sense, that intuition by listening closely between the words..Once upon a time, there was a long line of mini shops operated by the likes of:Victorino family, Calindas family, del Rio family,etc. Now there is a line up of joints selling feeds, offering xerox copiers, cel phone loads, different snacks ( whether safe to eat or not )..At 5:00 am, this section stirs to life with the arrival of people of all ages, sizes and looks...It becomes like Portobello road, a flea market from a story book. The market is Portobello road, Asingan style...Some items are still sold from the time I was in Gr.2: big knives, ropes, scythes, bolos, clothes, ..now there are pirated DVDs and CDs, The animal slaughter area still looks ( and smells ) the same..The jeepneys that leaves Urdaneta for Asingan goes further up to Sta. maria, then back again to Urdaneta via Asingan...Now you do not have to cross the river in Sanchez just to travel to Sta. maria from our town..However, Tayug is already cut off permanently from Asingan. You have to reach Tayug thru Santa maria...I know in a few weeks I will be back again in Toronto so I will drink my cup to the dregs and proclaim loudly to the stars my joy that , the fates allowed me again to step into Asingan soil!!!

###

Laoac is such a lovely place too..I used to visit it especially during the sugar cane season when my grandpa hoisted the carabao and it turns the sugar cane mill round and round..The frothy POLOTIPOT is just the perfect topping for a plate of newly cooked rice...Then travel a few more miles and one sees the venerable Manaoag church..Many legends abound this hallowed edifice. One is the wandering image of the Virgin Mary..We enter the church, say a prayer foR our loved ones. Then go out after and check out the PATOPAT or the SARGUELAS!!

Wow.. reading about your posting make me, want to come home now. I wish I could be there. Love reading about your posting. Foods. yumm..yumm. yummy. Don't forget your bottle water. --Marcie Uson Wise

a mini forest in Asingan

2010-05-16T03:11:00.000-07:00

VISITING SOMEONE IN DOMANPOT

Posting this entry in Magic Mall, Urdaneta, Pangasinan ..

It is another hot day in Paradise. We visited a friend in Domanpot, Pangasinan. He is one seemingly successful professional our town could be proud of. He has a mini forest in his backyard, It is the sanctuary of native pigs ( the kind with pointed snouts ), turkeys, and a surprise "tenant": a boa constrictor inside a glass cage.

We could hardly see the occupant because the glass walls are foggy and dirty. To clean the glass, you have to bring out the reptile, put it in another cage temporarily, clean the original glass cage, then put the snake back. Another way is to open the top of the glass cage ( it is locked )clean the inside of the glass cage with a windex as fast as you can because the occupant is looking at your hand with beady eyes. Maybe just maybe, he wont bite some of your fingers off. Then, as soon as you finish the cleaning job, take your hands out, lock the top of the cage and finish the outside of the glass cage..Then you can get a clear shot of ol' snake eyes coiled in repose...:)

See, there are lots of interesting places in Asingan. All you have to do is to ask for 'em!..ha-ha-ha!

LOVE FROM BEYOND

2010-03-28T03:35:00.001-07:00

Ray was my College friend from Bontoc. We parted after we received our College diplomas as we went to our separate ways.

Decades later, we met again on the Internet. He was already a retired Army Captain, married to a lady from their hometown. They had a daughter, two sons and one grandaughter with their only daughter. There was a Nanny taking care of their lovely and only grandaughter.

When we had a homecoming on a certain year, Ray met us at the airport, and he also brought us to the same place as our holiday ended. On that holiday, we heard from him his wife had cancer and she had a few months to live.

Back to Toronto. Our online communication continued almost daily. He was just a prolific writer as I am although he finished Chemical Engineering. And he retired as an Army Captain from a branch of the AFP that deals with explosives and guns.

He loved songs from the 50s and I sent him MP3s almost daily too which he saved in his PC. During one party, he said, he connected his PC to an amplifier and played his MP3 collection the whole day. He told his guests the music came from his friend in Toronto. His favorite was Paul Anka's VERBOTEN.

Then his wife died. His correspondence never stopped. A year later, he told me he fell in love with his grandaughter's Nanny. She was much younger than him. At first she refused him, but mutual love prevailed and soon she accepted him. But she had to go home by herself first to Bontoc to tell her parents about Ray.

Ray told me that during her long trip from Manila to Bontoc, they exchanged text constantly all the way. Later he said, he learned her parents accepted him, no reservations.They were townmates. He was to follow her to Bontoc, meet her parents, and follow the traditional Bontoc way of asking her hands from the parents.

There was what they called a "Kaniaw" an all day festivity of drinking and eating. They set the wedding day and then he and his new bride to be went back to Manila in his car.

Invitations were printed, the church was contacted and all necessary preparations were made for the great day.

But then something happened and I wished it never did. Ray was crossing Quezon blvd. one day when he was struck by a passenger jeepney. He was brought to the hospital, but he died after one day.

The accident was e-mailed to me by one of our college friends.

Even today, I am still struck by the uncanny incidents surrounding Ray's death.

Was it merely a coincidence, or did a love from beyond reached out to take him away from this world?.

I still believe it was nothing but an accident, but certain events in this world are really beyond our control.

Here is a link to Ray's favorite song. Please copy and paste the link to your tool bar.---#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw5LC0TibYM

WHEN I AM 84

2010-03-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

One of the perks in our volunteer work is an access to the self-serve coffee shop located in the lobby of the facility. Our sing along session usually starts at 4:00-5:00pm, at the 2nd floor then from 6:30 to 7:30 on the first floor of the LTC ( long term care ) In the 4:00 to 5:00 session, most of the participants have already dementia.

Each time we sit down for a coffee right after the 4-5 session, we talk about our observations, especially how the residents react with us.

Like one time, as I was setting up my keyboard and amplifier., one resident approached me. Then she asked: "How is my car doing? Are you fixing it?"

"Uh-uh.." I would say silently then I would tell her: "Ask that lady over there ( a staff who works in the facility, trained to deal with these situations. I am not!)

There was one lady who has such a wide knowledge of songs. She knows the title of most of the tunes I play. In the beginning, she fancied me. Oh, you can tell, because she would hug me right after the last song, or shake my hand gripping it and never letting it go. She would be telling how marvelous I am, or telling me that she wants to bring me to her home, stuff like that. Well, she does not know what she is already telling..

Lately she does not bother me anymore because she found a partner among the other residents and I am happy for her!

Miggie saw several of these "love-struck" partners. The spouse of one partner is still alive, but she hardly know her real husband anymore. She is more attached to the one whom she see and interact frequently in the facility.

Of course, these residents are never allowed to go out of the wing. Doing so would be disastrous. Not unless a relative would be there to acompany them..

So I joke Miggie."Would you leave me here when I am 84 and be just like some of them?"

"Of course, not" she said.."Neither would I," I would answer."PATIEM!" she would remark and we would both laugh. But we know too well the situation is not a laughing matter once it arrives.

There are some options aside from being confined to a facility. Stay in your own house and let someone visit you regularly, a paid caregiver.

Me?..I can never tell. Who can? Hopefully, I could be like one of my daughter's grandmother in law, a feisty Scottish lady.

At the age of 90, she can still drive, travel and one time, she wanted to learn how to fly a plane. Her mind is still sharp. Her face is already wrinkled but she can still move about with agility. She can converse very intelligently.

In fact she is inviting us to Scotland for her next birthday anniversary.---#

IN PRAISE OF OLDER WOMEN ( AND MEN )

2010-03-23T00:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I bade good bye to two of our Music "classes" at the Senior's Home. We told them we are going home to the Philippines for a 6-week vacation.

Maybe God gave me some musical genes so I can serve these people at this point in my life.

When I was still about 10 years old, I have already been listening to different genres of music from an old, battery operated RCA radio in Asingan. Folk songs from different countries ( esp. Ireland, Scotland, England, ) and also the current hits of that era..

Of course the hits then were YOU DON'T KNOW ME by Jerry Vale, QUE SERA SERA by Doris Day, I UNDERSTAND by Julius la Rosa, and other names whom younger readers of this Board would remark "Never heard of them.."

But right now I still know them : ITS A LONG WAY TO TIPERRARY, HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN, HARBOUR LIGHTS, LILI MARLENE..etc. My Senior singers love to sing these, every week..They may not remember their room numbers, but they still know the tune and lyrics of these ditties..

We have no piano at home in Asingan. But there was a piano in our neighbour's house, who was the late Fr. Castaneda, a priest of the Aglipayan church. I love going to that church during those days, but only when there was no service. So I sometimes visit the empty church in the afternoon to play with Pete Castaneda, one of the Pastors sons.

Pete was a bit older than me, but he was full of fun. We would play Indians and Cowboys inside the empty church. There were plenty of nooks and crannies where we can hide ( including the confessional box ) which, like the Catholic church in Asingan, was also hardly ever used that time.

He was the one who can piay the piano. So after we played , we would go to his house located behind the church. Then Pete encouraged me to try their piano. I fell in love with the instrument the first time I tinkled its ivory keys. Started playing them then and never stopped playing it ever since.

Now I am using this unique acquired skill, not to earn money but to provide entertainment for the helpless older men and women in the senior home..As a volunteer, of course. There is no pay but I get the feeling of being useful and appreciated by the Recreational Director and the residents themselves. The feeling of self worth is important to anybody's mental health..

In addition, I found a good activity for me and Miggie. She is still working, but after she retires, there must be something we can do together aside from watching TV day and night.

She loves singing to a "captive audience", the residents of this brand new, multi storied facility that looks like a 5 star hotel, from the outside and from the inside .

The building was one time a high school, and then it was bought by a corporation specializing in building Retirement homes.

Thus we found ourselves as "musicians" We sing nothing but the old songs, the ones I heard in Asingan when I was young. I learned their tunes first, and then when I learned how to play the piano, I also learn by memory how to play them without the use of written scores..( to be continued )

next installment: WHEN I AM EIGHTY FOUR..

ELECTION TIME, FOLKS!

2010-03-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

ASINGAN WAS OUR STOPPING PLACE...

2010-03-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Life is but a stopping place, A pause in what to be

A resting place along the road, To sweet eternity.

We all have different journeys, different paths along the way,

We all were meant To learn some things, But never meant to stay...

Our destination is a place, Far greater than we know.

For some the journey's quicker, For some the journey's slow.

and when the journey finally ends,

We'll claim a great reward and find an everlasting peace as always.

Anonymous

Asingan is, and will always be
That oasis that lies beyond the sea
The years will drop as dead leaves from a tree
But this town will always be, a part of you and me...
---vic costes

ASINGAN'S POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

2010-03-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Written by Victorio Costes from files by Samuel Soloria, Carl Calderon, Francisco Malala and Celestino Necessito

Asingan has contributed four Congressmen to the political history of the Philippines: Juan Millan, Narcisco Ramos, Justino Benito and Luciano Millan. Juan Millan was a hard working Nacionalista lawmaker who died after the end of his second term. Narciso Ramos, a member of the Liberal Party later became the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Then there was Justino Benito, a brilliant lawyer who was chosen as an outstanding Congressman during his term. The fourth is Luciano Millan ( Asingan Public High School eventually was named after him ) a "fighting" Nationalista Congressman. His record was so good that he was selected to represent the Philippines in the United Nations General Assembly with another brilliant statesman. That statesman's name was Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.

It is said that Ferdinand Marcos came to Asingan a few times. Narciso Ramos, the father of Fidel Ramos and Leticia Ramos-Shahani, was his close relative . He stayed then in a stately house that belongs to the Agsalud family. Mrs. Pura Ramos Agsalud is the sister of Narciso. It is said that Ferdinand Marcos came to Asingan during the war, then as a Senator and finally as a Presidential candidate.

Asingan came to the limelight when Fidel Ramos won the Presidential election many, many years later. A month before the election, I was in Asingan to attend the town fiesta. I saw him with many bodyguards and friends participating in the TARAY ASINGAN. Back in Toronto, I was elated a month later when I heard that finally, a townmate of ours became the President of the Philippines. His sister also won a senatorial seat. However, there are a few townspeople from Lingayen, Pangasinan who claim that Lingayen is the true hometown of Pres. Ramos since his mother is from this town and he was born in this provincial capital. Some say Fidel Ramos finished his Elementary schooling in Lingayen and his teachers say he had shown a promising capacity for leadership. I gathered these stories when I visited Lingayen during one of my balik-bayan holidays.

However, the fact remains that Pres. Ramos and Sen. Leticia Shahani have residences ( rather vacation houses ) here in Asingan.And many schools in town are renamed after their parents.

Rafael Colet is another addition to the Who's Who in Asingan's Hall of Fame. Rafael Colet once served as the governor of Pangasinan. Ranjit Shahani, the son of Leticia Ramos Shahani has also served as a Congressman for the 5th District of Pangasinan.

You might have seen ( or heard ) of two towering Narra trees at the Mayor's gate at the south side of the town plaza. The seedlings which grew into these gigantic trees were brought over from Dapitan, Zamboanga by an Asinganian, Professor Jose Blando. It is said that the seedlings came from the narra tree planted by our country's national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. He planted this tree while he was in exile in Dapitan. The last time I saw the trees, they are already dead but I know they witnessed the unfolding of Asingan from a small settlement into a bustling community belonging to the second millennium. I remember Asingan during the 50's, 60's and '70s. It was a "sleepy" community. Now a days, it seems Asingan hardly sleeps at all. Resorts with modern swimming pools and picnic areas sprung up in the poblacion and in many barrios. Night life in town would be a visit to countless "Karaoke" bars which are open 7 days ( or rather 7 nights ) a week.. Apartels and Hotels are established for transients and visitors. Tricycles come and go out of town almost the whole night. You can even text a tricycle to come to your doorstep if you have a cell phone, assuming the driver have a cell of his own.

Thus the story of Asingan continues with the passage of time and history. Its townspeople come and go like the waves at the beach. But like the beach, Asingan does not go away. It is always there, patiently awaiting for her visiting sons and daughters from all over the world.

THE END.

*******************************************************

#

A Short History of Asingan (or how Asingan got its name)

2010-03-20T02:19:00.000-07:00

a view of Domanpot-Dumakit( behind the tree lines ) from the top of PSU...

Francisco Malala, a retired school teacher and a local writer-researcher from Asingan, provided us with additional materials pertaining to the history of this town. Mr. Malala also worked the defunct HOMELAND NEWS, a Community Newspaper published in Asingan and being circulated in nearby towns of Pangasinan.The editor/publisher then was Nonong Necessito.

According to Francisco, when the revolt against the Spaniards broke out in 1762, only Asingan and Binmaley did not join the uprising. Asingan became the refuge of Dominican friars whose lives were endangered; thus Asingan earned the title of "Most Noble and Most Loyal Asingan."

As early as 1600,Francisco said, Dominican missionaries established religious missions in a place called Caboloan ( said to be the first name of Pangasinan ). One was called SAN BARTOLOME DE AGNO ( 1687 ) the first to be established near the present site of San Manuel. Then another mission was put up in a neighbouring area ( now the present site of Asingan ). This second mission is called SAN LUIS BELTRAN DE SINAPOG (1698). In 1719 some Igorots from the nearby mountains of San Manuel attacked the mission of San Bartolome and massacred some inhabitants. The Dominican friars and some survivors fled to San Luis Beltran mission for safety.

In 1733, the Governor General granted a license to establish a town in the San Luis Beltran mission. This town became Asingan in 1802 and up this day, it is still located beside the Sinapog river.

ASINGAN got its name from an early incident when some visitors cried "Naasing kayo" ( Ilocano for you are hostile ) to some natives who did not want the visitors to hang around. But the present inhabitants of Asingan are now anything but hostile.

If you visit Asingan now a days, you can view the Asingan Catholic Church in its fully restored elegance. Like any church in Pangasinan, it has survived earthquakes, insurrections and other man-made calamities.

On March 16, 1892 an earthquake left the church with some horizontal cracks. But the church was still usable for worship. Then in 1898, General Makabulos of the KKK ( Kagalang galangang, Kataastaasang Katipunan ) organized some secret groups in Pangasinan. It is written that during this year, Binalonan, San Manuel and Asingan were captured by the KKK. It must have been during this period that the Asingan convent ( the biggest convent in Eastern Pangasinan at that time ) was razed to the ground by a Katipunero named Agustin Alejo.

In 1947, Rev. Jose Macaraeg renovated the church in preparation for the second post war celebration of Christ the King in Pangasinan. Thus in October 1947, the faithful from entire Pangasinan, and also the towns of Lupao and Cuyapo in Nueva Ecija and other towns like Camiling and Gerona in Tarlac converged in Asingan for a huge celebration. ( at that time, these towns are still part of the Diocese of Lingayen.)

On July 16, 1990, an intensity 8 earthquake rendered the church useless. Whole walls came down. Masses were held outdoors. But Asinganians from all over the world ( even those from other denominations ) pitched in their financial help for the restoration of the church. Thus, on October 10, 1993, which is celebrated in Asingan as the feast day of their Patron Saint St. Louis Beltran, the reconstructed church was opened to all Asinganians for the first time. This first Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Jesus Galang, D.D. Asingan Parish Priest Msgr. Marlo Peralta and assistant Parish Priest Benjamin Mangonon.

The parishioners were honored in April 23, 1995 when President Fidel Ramos came to his hometown to see the new church . Msgr. Peralta acknowledged before the congregation the presence of the former President of the Philippines.--#
---Vic Costes with files by Francisco Malala

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How wonderful to have a talented amber who can create a blog line for Asinganians in addition to what we already have here in the AMB.I thought it was creative for Mr. Marinas to set a medium for all Pangasineneses where he can help us touch each other heart while we are away from our home sweet home.

Manong Vic, yours is more intensified as we get to preview pictures of specific topics that can even really really touch not only our hearts but also our souls. Asinganians, keep posting pertinent stories, informations or unforgetable experiences in your life and don't worry about spellings and grammar because Manong Vic will edit and improve your blog entry before posting it.

Thanks Manong Vic!--LINDA

ALWAYS A PLEASURE, LINDA!---vic

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MORE ASINGAN TRIVIA--
Even if where you come from is a little bit complicated, it's still interesting to learn that I do have a little affinity with you, Sunrise, Manong Vic and Icarus. Kindly allow me to explain to you how. You and Icarus are from La Union. My late grandmother on my late father's side is from La Union. The thing that makes me sad is I never have had the chance of meeting and knowing any of her kin. Then you and Sunrise are from Pao, Manaoag, Pangasinan. Manong Vic's late mom, Apong Petra, is from Manaoag. The roots of my wife's mother are all in Laoac, Pangasinan. And as we know, Laoac is a former barangay of Manaoag. So there you go! Bale-bale la'tan agi! Am I right with what I said?

I admit, the handicap here is my inability to speak fluently the Pangasinan dialect. I can understand and speak some simple words. But other than that I'm at a loss on what to say when I'm in the company of Pangasinan-speaking people. I really regret it that I never got the chance to learn it and learn it well..Perdona mi agi.--a posting on the AMB from Puna to Madame Ricky

Without blowing his cover, I believe it is safe for me to say here that PUNA is a published writer in Hawai'i.--vic

IN PRAISE OF ASINGAN

2010-03-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

ASINGAN AS SEEN BY AN EYE IN THE SKY

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

I compare Asingan, our hometown to a big and tall fruit tree. When the fruits become ripe, they drop into the ground where they decompose. Some seeds would remain where the fruits originally fell, but some would run off with the flow of the water especially when it rains. Thus some seeds braving the turmoils, current and shifting of the water will turn out where they will grow robustly.

In real life there's Linda in San Diego, Arsenia in Texas, Manong Vic In Canada, Arsenio in LA and countless Asinganians all over the world. But you know what? We are all brothers and sisters because we all came from a single "tree" which is Asingan. We all love one another but sometimes we argue and even fight but in time of need we forget the petty fueds and we help one another. --Linda

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Asingan is a place like no other..Steady like a rock, patient like a parent,tall like a narra tree, happy like a child's laughter, sad like the plaza when the fiesta is over..I also compare it to a beach which waits for visits from sons and daughters scattered all over this world. They arrive like waves, linger in the rocky dunes for a while to play, then ebb back to the ocean where they came from.

For any Asinganian who have tasted its waters, will always yearn to drink it again and again and again...Vic

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

SEND ME YOUR SHORT ESSAY PRAISING ASINGAN AND I WILL BE GLAD TO PUBLISH IT IN MY BLOG. AN APPROPRIATE, DIGITAL PHOTO IS MOST WELCOME. HOPEFULLY, TOWNMATES WHO WOULD READ THEM MIGHT BE CONVINCED TO COME HOME FOR A VISIT...

MANNY P. FOREVER!

2010-03-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Our hero looks down on Cotto who could not figure out where the blow came from...

It shows that there's a limit for a lot of people. Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao should learn from a Waikiki concert flop that everyone will not support him on all the things that he wishes to do. A lot of people tries to ride on his success especially those politicians in our country..

Manny is one of the greatest boxers and one of the greatest person I've read about, but like I said, there's a limit for everything. I still idolize him as a boxer, but I think that would be it...singer-politician---naaaahhh, i don't think so....a boxing fan

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OK, let me make some predictions: Pacman will not win this election..He will lose some money but he has tons of it anyway..Mayweather will NOT meet him in the ring, he is too scared to meet our man Pacman. A day after his last fight, I went to Chinatown here in Toronto to check up the DVD sellers. I bought a copy of the PPV DVD of the night before: I found one. Price: 2.99 $ Can. Beats paying 49.50 for the PPV the other night!

I like the way the announcers described his style: BANG-BANG-BANG!..One writer said, most of what Pacman hit were the leather gloves of Clottey. Such a "dirty" fighter making a mockery of the whole 12 rounds. But I do admire Pacman.

He is a role model. For me, it is the way he prays before and after each bout..He would be able to teach many people the efficacy of prayer in times of need. I would say: if he becomes a Preacher, rather than a Politician, I believe he would win more followers than some of the independent churches here in the outer areas of the Philippines!

He reminds me of an old movie in the 50s. The title is THE LEATHER SAINT. Playing the title role is John Derek. He is a boxer in the movie. His real job during the day is a Catholic priest!..If it comes out on DVD or in the TCM, watch it. It is a quasi religious movie!--Vic

Hands Across the River ( Agno, i. e. )

2010-03-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the kalapaw across the Karayan Agno! Thanks for all the "padigos" that you have extended to us so far , and we hope you will never get tired doing so...

Heard you're going home this year..Lucky you, and Buen Voyage, hope you enjoy every bit of your time over there! Is Manang Miggie coming home too???? Yes you are right Manong , the internet is becoming to be the most used medium of exchanging messages and ideas so far because you can reach everyone with just one click of a key and voila! a response is right there in front of you, whether it's good or bad hahahhhhh!!

Anyway, regards na lang to the Hufana clan and extend our warmest hugs to Madam Esther, be safe and have a good time!!!!--Mr. Pogi

< Maybe Miggie will just do the hugging for you...:)>--vic

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I thought you are going home to Sta. Maria, too..Umay kami kuma makipalanit..ha-ha!just kidding!!..Yes Miggie is coming too, somebody has to pay the holiday expenses, hardy-har-har!..

I think she has a load of kinfolks there..Edwin Torres, Ms Bustria, etc..We have to visit her Mom's graveyard too..Miggie was the favorite of the clan..Her Mom even named her as her juniora..Miguela became Miguelita...Yes, at least you agree to my perception of the Net..Very good, but also very bad..Depends on who is the one using the keyboard...:)

Thanks for the Bon Voyage...I will think of you when I am chewing the kilawen being washed down with Tanduay..:D---Vic

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Point well taken Manong. Well, guess you are right, I wish my kapitana and I could go home too, but circumstances beyond our reach prevent us from doing it, so we'll just bite the dust and hope the next year will shower us with blessings and be there during the town fiesta too.

Going home to our towns are becoming to be a hot commodity lately but with a price,from someone's bank/wallet pay hahahhhh!! Anyway i will be happy to be with you folks any day, any time, in both Asingan and Sta. Maria when given the chance ..

Maybe someday we will be able to taste the Ginebra San Miguel BLUE(GSMBLUE) which is the best partner for those "kilawen" and 'jumping salad" during the "tagayan sessions"..Please enjoy the trip and don't forget to take photos of everyone we know!!!have a nice day!!!!--Mr. Pogi

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Ginebra San Miguel BLUE(GSMBLUE)..Hmmm, never heard of that before, but there is always the first time. Locals say the weather is really HOT in the Philippines right now because of El Nino. No Rain. Grounds are cracking up. I even heard of 2 Balikbayans who died of heat stroke in Manila. Oh well, I guess the beach is the best place to go. We will see! I will let you know!...--Vic

Tracing Family Roots....

2010-03-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

a mini album of Icarus' family and friends...

My family tree traces its root from La Union and its very interesting to note that most families in Barangay Dupac migrated from there. In fact, the northern part of the barangay is otherwise known as "Kabalawanan" which roughly translates to "a place for people from Balaoan” which is in La Union.

No wonder, the more prominent family names in that place today are Ordonio, Orpiano, Obra, Orallo, Pascua, etc which are also the more common family names in Balaoan. Notice how almost invariably the names starts with the letter "O".

It is said that during the Spanish times, when the Ilocos was being Christianized, the authorities provided lists of Spanish names to each town from which the people are to select their Christian names. Wittingly or unwittingly, the alphabetical listing was literally divided and torn apart so that each town was given only a part of the list and thus, only certain first letters to choose from.

Thus, the old towns of Ilocos have each a unique first letters to their family names. Balaoan is populated by people whose family names start in "O" as was previously mentioned, Luna town by Nelmidas, Nacionales, Nunez, Nieveras, Navors, Nuvals, Naguns, etc; Tagudin by Lastimosos, Las Marias, Landingins, Laranangs, Lacanarias, etc; Narvacan by Cabbats, Cabebes, Cacholas, Cabanillas, Candelarios, Cabradillas, etc. The pattern, however, do not apply to our Asingan because it was, and more so now, a melting pot.

The central and southern portion of Dupac were peopled by migrants from San Juan and other towns of La Union which includes the Cariazos, Delmendos, Abuans, Solorias, Buccats, Almerols, Baduas, etc. Inter-marriage has blurred the family lines but it is very interesting indeed to know that most of us share common bloodlines and origins. By the way, Eastern Poblacion is otherwise known as “Kalawagan” not because it is the brightest of the barangays, whether true or not, but because it was once the sanctuary of people migrating from Laoag, Ilocos Norte…--Icarus

a Family Portrait

2010-03-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I lifted this from Linda's FB account...Thanks Linda..:)

One incident in the Dupac Intermediate School was a wrestle match I had with Rodrigo Esperon. I was smaller in height and build than him. Before we went home after class, we usually played first with friends in the wide grassy expanse of the school's back yard. It was then a beautiful open area. ***At first he was winning ( he was strong ) then I managed to pin him down with my thighs around his neck..I let him go after because I noticed his gums were bleeding. I saw this because all the time, he was smiling as if he was enjoying the sport very much.... He had lots of friends during our Gr. 5- 6 years, but I believe our teachers had a hard time asking him to study his books..Well, who would like to study when there is more to childhood days than being a bookworm..:)Me? I hated studying too during the elementary, even high school years. I prefered reading comic books at home or in the school yard..:D

On April 2009, I met Rodrigo after more than 50 years, maybe. We were not paying attention anymore to the ongoing festivities at the Asingan auditorium. We were joined by Rogelio Vicencio, another classmate from Sanchez...I did not see Rodrigo anymore after the Dupac years, but he told me he stayed in Isabela for a bit looking after some family business. He was wearing a hat. Now I saw that his curly hair was shortened by the passing of the years. But he is still good-looking as ever.

He looked robust but he said he is under medical observation. He invited me and Rogelio to see him the next day in his house. I said yes, but I was picked up the next day by a batch of friends and we went up to Baguio.

That always happens during a holiday in Asingan. One day it is so boring and quiet, and the next day 2 or 3 invitations would arrive at the same time.

I went to Baguio but I was promised I will be back so I could visit Rodrigo. We arrived late in Asingan and I had this migraine because of the cold, rainy weather in Baguio.

Hopefully this time, I will be able to see him.---#