The Escuela del Rey in Balete



My bolano has just uploaded a magnificent panoramic frame of some antiquated posts at the heart of the Balete Town Plaza. Then, he wondered out loud what they represent or what they used to be in their heydays.

Most of my contemporaries remember the "structures" just as that--four pillars guarding quietly and indiscriminately the playground from the pedestrians and motorists passing the Plaridel St. (now, Bernardo J. Rodriguez St.) Few however know what they were, just like my bolano. I myself heard only some hazy stories about its "glorious past" and those hazy stories I will attempt to reconstruct.

The late Bingo Altavas used to tell of an entry in the Mi Diaro of his great grandfather, the eminent Baleten-on Senator, Jose Cortes Altavas, where his old man recalled of having learned cartillas at the Escuela del Rey just beside the Parish Church of Balete in the early 1880's. A picture in albumen print preserved at the Archives of the University of Michigan dated 1890 shows the Balete parish rectory (convento), the parish church and the bell tower were all made up of light materials endemic of Balete, i.e., nipa thatches, bamboos and nipa shingles. Most probably, the same materials were used for the Escuela del Rey when Sen. Altavas was learning his cartillas there.

During the times of the Thomasites, the Americans constructed a school building made up of hardwood in the same site, although per Ng. Mila Andrade's account, the site was donated by a certain Don. Juancho Oquendo (I'm not sure if he is the same person as Juan Oquendo who was elected the first Municipal President of New Washington in 1904 and as first Municipal President of the reestablished Municipality of Balete in 1920). By 1935, the site was already used by the Balete Elementary School with its steel gates affixed on concrete columns facing the Plaridel St. Tay Abun (Abundio Guadalupe) used to tell of having befriended a member of Peace Corps who resided at the vacated school building after BES was transfered in Uphill sometime in 1938 or 1939.

Hazy memories of some concrete structures...Perhaps, some older, better informed readers can substantiate these accounts so that my bolano's curiosity could be satisfied.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pitiw 101 for the Curious and the Kids at Heart

Image
So you want to know the art of playing pitiw . That you are reading this piece tells me so. Pitiw, my friend, is my old folks' version of the western world's baseball or softball, only that we don't use a ball but a stick. The knowledgeable will surely react at my simile (for it is actually a "snake game"), but let me finish. Let me describe it by laying down the materials and rules. First, the materials: 1 stick, 2 cm diameter x 50 cm long - Kamagon is preferred but Coffee or Guava stem will do--they don't easily crack (This one serves as your bat) 1 stick, 2 cm diameter x 16 cm long - of the same wood with the bat (This serves as the ball or originally, the snake) Second, the venue: Find an open field to play--we used to play on the streets when the traffic was almost zero during our bygone years. Today, the Ceres Bus and the " Ro-Ro " are making a lot of cracks on the newly paved road which are ideal for playing Pitiw but the busy traffic wo
Read more

SOOTHING AS NIGHT WINDS ARE: An Interpretation of the poem by that title by Salvador B. Espinas

Image
Love is gentle, love is quiet Like any distant star; In loving by which we approximate the nature of love, we do not coerce those we love—as much as possible we give room for freedom to grow and respect each other’s independence, i.e., each other’s time of searching. In loving, the lover is like the distant star, manifesting his presence and yet quietly, not trying to obstruct or block the path of the beloved. He stands besides quietly assuring her of his gentle presence and constant attention. Love is beauty, love is music Soothing as night winds are. Lovers are enchanted by the wonders of creation. One who is in loved would often quips that everything seems beautiful and that “ life has music, rhythm and rhyme” –which actually is. Somehow, love enables man and woman to see reality as God sees it. As even in times of trouble, loves comes like night winds, soothing our weary mind and aching heart.
Read more

Something About Tumbo (Cara y Cruz): A Hypothesis

Image
They say that mahjong is just a diversion, a recreation of some sort of the bored and the retired. But they say that cara y cruz is a different case. However you look at it--in both sides of the coin (pun intended), it is gambling and therefore those who indulged in it (read, the poor ones) are playing in conflict with law. And so, since yesteryears, people accepted those facts. Mahjong is recreational while cara y cruz or tumbo is gambling and illegal at that. An Alfonso showing its head and tail or if your prefer its "hari" & "corona" But I was amused at the scene of a group of individuals by an "island" at corner T.M. Kalaw and Taft Avenue I happened to pass by while doing research at the National Archives of the Philippines sometime in August 2010. I just alighted from the Light Rail Transit (LRT) at UN Station and was finding my way to cross T.M. Kalaw when I noticed a bunch of lot playing cara y cruz on the elevated concrete "isla
Read more