Remnants of the Sixth U.S. Infantry in Balete

The town of Balete has 10 constituent barangays (political sub-units) of which 9 where named in memory of the landed few. One of these barangays is called Fulgencio, a vast agricultural area consisting of rolling hills bordering the municipalities of Banga in the north and Batan in the north-east. It has two major sitios, named Gama and Morton which could be made into two distinct barangays based on verifiable indicators of viability and projected capacity to provide basic services.

The name Morton was adopted after Capt. Morton of the 6th US Infantry who used to reside in the area during the American period (c. 1904). Old folks used to tell stories that the American official took sojourn in the locality during one of the skirmishes between the Filipino soldiers and the American colonizers. He later returned to the place and settled there for good. Some thought that he was even a general.

Sometime last year, I was given a copy of the book, A War History of the Sixth US Infantry (Cuban and Philippine Campaigns) written by Elkanah Babcock. It described the pacification of the Panay Is. during the Filipino-American War--something which the Americans never accepted as fact. The book introduced Capt. C.G. Morton of Company K, mustering officer and in charge of the operations in the Aklan valley during the American campaign in Panay. The photograph shown above is taken from that book and it shows Capt. Morton posing with captured or surrendered Filipino revolutionaries. Right behind Morton in white cap is the co-opted "Peace Commissioner" Mobi. The photograph was taken in 1901 at the heights of the Fil-Am War.

Totog's Harvest

Totog gave me a half-filled basket of newly harvested corn yesterday afternoon. The corns were sweet even if they were underdeveloped. The El Niño phenomenon was the culprit that frustrated his attempt of supplementing his already diminished supply of rice. His last sack was already milled last Monday. He expressed his worries as he handed me down my share in his dismal harvest.

But despite the burden and the frustration, Totog is up and about. Over a lapad of Tanduay we planned out our next strategy in view of the coming rainy season. We decided to give our piece of land a fallow of three months. After then, I am to find some good seeds while he prepares it for the planting.

Yes, we won't give in on corn. At least for this time.

Opportunities in Japan

Mayor Bubut requested me this morning to facilitate a message board concerning a training program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and its Japan counterpart, Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO). The special training is introduced to young Filipino skilled workers for a maximum period of 3 years in Japan. She said that her friend, Juri Koga, had been proposing to her to conduct another orientation right here in Balete. They agreed to hold it on the 29th of June at the Teodoro F. Calizo Civic Center. Ms. Koga is with the Ocean Bridge and Arc Foundation, a TESDA-accredited sending organization which handles the pre-departure training of qualified applicants.

Anybody who possesses the hereunder qualifications may attend the said orientation at the TFC Civic Center, Balete, Aklan on June 29, 2010 around 10:30 in the morning:

1. Male or Female
2. 19-25 years old
3. At least High School Graduate
4. Skilled in welding, electronics, plastic molding, painting or sandblasting among others
5. of good moral character

The program per se operates in this manner:

1. Applicants attend orientation given by any sending organization (in this case, the OBAF)
2. Manifest her/his intention to undertake the 3-year training.
3. Take exams and undergoes medical examination.
4. If she/he qualifies, she/he is sent to a training facility in Laguna to learn Nihonggo for 4 months. The training is free but the applicant has to shoulder his board and lodging throughout the entire 4-month pre-dispatch education.
5. Undertakes language exams. If she/he passes the exams, she/he will be assisted in processing his passport and other documentary requirements.
6. He/she is then sent to Japan to start his 3-year formal training with allowances in any accepting organization such as Hitachi, Canon, Sony, etc. Transportation fare to Japan is free. The allowance is attractive and competitive compared to salaries/wages given here in the Philippines.

Let Us Go Up to the House of the Lord in Guadalupe

The Guadalupe Shrine. Monasterio de Guadalupe. San Agustin Seminary. Our Lady of Grace Parish. Those are the many names associated with that quiet haven right at the heart of Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City. The facade is familiar, especially to those TV fanatics. The church has been from time to time backdrop to numbers of advertisements aired on tvs. I remember Kris Aquino having a shooting inside the church for one of her movies and how the seminarians scampered for some photo opportunity with their idol. I could not forget that one particular incident as I was the one who took the picture. What I can't recall though is the one who had the copy of those photographs as well as those other documentaries I'd made while I was a resident of that venerable place. Hazy also are the many events which took place inside its four walls when we were religious formandees struggling to imbibe the spirituality of Augustine while rationalizing the Summa Theologica of Aquinas.

Now, Marcial Barrios is proposing that we call to mind all those things gone by. He wants us to visit once more the Guadalupe Shrine and perhaps retrace our paths on those ancients steps. Ah, I rejoiced when I read his remarks. As if, the friar is reechoing the Psalmist's song extolling the virtues of going up about the house of the Lord. As if he's beckoning the pilgrim and the exile to experience once more sharing life with those who stayed put.

So I look forward to that day. In the meanwhile, floods of memories came down upon my head. Yes, I now remember that Fr. Rodolfo M. Arreza,OSA, when he was prior during the post EDSA years, commissioned the restoration of the shrine--an event which triggered some criticism from some parishioners. He managed also to write a book (The Guadalupe Shrine) about its history,a copy of which I was privileged to have been given by the author. Years later, Fr. Bernardino Ricafrente, OSA, acting as the new prior, took as his legacy the remodeling of the rest of the structures abutting to the shrine. He was responsible for the imposing "Monasterio de Guadalupe" engraved on the seminary building.

I left the place in March of 1993 and managed only to visit it once in 2002 while I was doing research about my town's elusive history. Much have changed and many events took place which I know not about. Marcial's invitation is worth heeding, that is if I want to retrace my paths upon a road less traveled by.

Be Still, My Soul

Be still even if your heart is restless; even if you're away and far from home. Be still, my soul. Keep quiet and know that your God is near.

Si Rizal nga Nagapampuayan sa Plaza (Rizal, The Thinker)

The old folks in Balete have misgivings on the manner Dr. Jose Rizal is portrayed on his monument right at the heart of the Rizal Park in the Balete Town Plaza. It's a culture thing. Old folks don't trust close figures especially if one is in a sober mood with his head resting on his hand. To them, he is inviting disaster to happen. Hence, they wanted that Dr. Rizal's statue be remodeled after the typical standing statues of him in other towns and cities. They hope that by doing so, we could exorcise negativity and maleficence out of our quiet town.

The monument itself was constructed as early as 1956. No one knows to date who made the statue though. I remember that it was desecrated by some delinquent individuals way back in the late 70's where Dr. Rizal's leg was amputated and the monument splattered with human waste. Yet the monument stands still. "Ueanon silakon, si Rizal man guihapon..." we used to chorus during our childhood days.

Personally, I find the statue unique for a Rizal monument. I recall that I wrote something about it as a cover story of an old souvenir program. It reminds me of Auguste Rodin's masterpiece, The Thinker. Perhaps, the sculptor (or the one who commissioned him) wanted to depict Rizal, the Thinker. Looking at it, one could discern an image of a man deep in thought. Really, ours is an explicit representation befitting our National Hero whose thought begot a revolution and the birth of the Filipino nation.