A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN OCTOGENARIAN

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN OCTOGENARIAN

                Moving away from the Bay Area (we lived in Daly City for 27 years to be close to Chita’s place of work as accountant) in 2008 to Sacramento was a very good decision.  First off, we are both retired and cost of living in Daly City is high as in most Bay Area places for it is close to San Francisco a major tourist destination, once the number one in the world!

                After seven years living here we have come to enjoy many unforeseen and unexpected good things that many retired people look forward to.  So, today I have deiced to compile the good points which I term to be factors towards our “happiness and contentment”.

                Waking up to a sunny and slightly cool morning even though it is still summer (and California is always sunny which can be a problem if ran does not come soon) I look up at the ceiling of our bedroom and see some slits of sunlight that comes through blinds and then I say a prayer of thanks for another day in my life.  Getting up slowly, I remove my bipap machine (I suffer from sleep apnea and I have to use this mask that transports air through my nostrils down my throat passing the uvula) and again thank the good Lord I have no aches and pains on my legs and ankles and therefore I can walk a bit faster today.

                Chita has also risen by now and is busy preparing our breakfast which consists of bread and some jams or depending on our mood, fried rice, egg and bacon.  But this morning we opt for a lighter fare for at lunch we will enjoy a slightly heavy meal and dinner will definitely be very light.

                If it is Monday, Wednesday, or Friday my schedule of meals would be a light breakfast, moderate lunch and a sandwich for dinner (which is after my three hour session at the dialysis center). I must always watch my fluid intake for it is important I stick to about the equivalent of 3 plastic water bottles each day.

                As we drive out of our rented but gated apartment complex I am often glad to see no vehicles on the road for aside from the rush hour hardly any road traffic exists for we are in a small town atmosphere. Imagine a state capital, Sacramento, which is the capital of California appearing like a small town! That is what we all love rare to hear the roar of car engines and…noise is minimal or none at all.  Cruising at country speed (which is between 30-40 mph) we head for our parish St. Clare Catholic Church 15 minutes away. We do this on a daily basis and we love it.  By now we have made lots of friends with the Caucasians and especially the Filipinos and Indians.  We socialize often with the Filipinos during special occasions like baptisms, wedding anniversaries and birthdays (lots of this). We consider St. Clare our second home.

                Tony has a third home – the dialysis center where he goes MWF.  By now he has been on dialysis for 16 months, and he knows all of the technicians and nurses who are all very warm and friendly but professional in their behavior. 

                Two years ago Tony suffered from internal hemorrhage and had to be rushed to hospital. Luckily he got there in due time and after two days in ICU was back home but had to undergo rehab which included his indoor and walking exercises to bring back the strength of his limbs.  At the same time he began his dialysis which was a bit strict at first but later relaxed and now I am enjoying the procedure for has has put on weight and feels great as he himself states.

                When we feel like taking in gourmet meal which Chita is expert in finding out in Sacramento we go and make it a lunch with or without some friends.  A part of our enjoyment perhaps as one living in America is that unlike war torn places today in the world, we to not fear that while we are eating our place would be bombed by terrorists.  When we shop around we know that the shops will not just erupt into shootings (although we did have sporadic shootings in schools and stores but they came very rare).

                And when we go back to our parked cars after a meal or shopping we are confident that no one has rigged the car with a bomb which would explode once I turn the ignition on! 

                One good fortune I enjoy is the fact quite accidentally that happened when we moved in to Sacramento.  Fist to move were our two children, Bobby and Gina in their respect homes years before Chita retired.  Once we arrived a sister of hers also moved in to join what I call our “network”. And this has worked well whenever we need help from one or another. Chita is an excellent chef and she enjoys cooking favorite dishes of our children, she is able to share them with Bob and Gina who either come over to pick up their portions or just join us at mealtime.  The same goes for Lita who works and has little time to cook. Chita shares a portion for Lita to take home to her apartment where her husband Cris lives. And they live just five minutes away from us.

                It is heartwarming to always realize today that our five children are happily well situated with good paying jobs which they love and houses of their own and  doing well during their leisure when other Filipinos who have come to settle and work are there to share their leisure moments happily.

                Whenever we have a visiting “fireman or firemen” from Manila or just somewhere in California, we make sure they come and enjoy our company and of course our social moments.  We usually find one who can pick them up from the San Francisco or Sacramento airport to ferry them here with us.  Once with us the person is a relative usually stays in one of the houses like that of Bob or Gina where they always have an extra bedroom for guests.  And since our place is strategically placed driving wise to entertainment places our guests have a choice of Lake Tahoe, Reno, or three gambling places not far to drive to like Thunder Valley Casino, Cash Creek Casino, and Red Hawk Casino (all owned and managed by American Indian tribes).  The closets to our place is Thunder Valley about 20 minutes one way. We have tried their buffet features often as well as their quality Chinese restaurant where we go for excellent dim sum and congees!  Or those willing to really shop, we drive to Vacaville about one hour away where factory outlets galore sell very low prices but good quality products.

                In my twilight years with the surprising energy I still have I continue to write reflections and biographies (about friends as well as commissioned ones).  Once in a while I am invited to speak on subjects like HOW TO WRITE YOUR MEMOIR or as in the coming months about my country THE PHILIPINES. Most of my audience is old Sacramento Caucasians, many of whom have not even left California in their entire lives.

                Every year or so we manage to visit the Philippines and see our relatives there, as well as enjoy many goodies we cannot enjoy here in Sacramento such as Philippine fruits and delicacies which we do miss a lot.  Over the years we were able to join ocean cruises outside the U.S.

                At sundown, having had a relaxing and happy day, we drive home moderately, and park in our designated slot (strangers who park are towed and they are charged for it) which we have occupied for many years now as one rightful slot as apartment dwellers of Antelope Vista a gated community. Depending on how I feel, I take a jigger of brandy or two just before bedtime. That serves as my nightcap before I brush my teeth and perform my ablution before sleeping.  I gulp my set of pills and then hit the hay.

                If and when we like to watch a movie we go whenever there is a senior discount for tickets. Once inside we can decide to see more than one depending on our energy and eyesight for one ticket. When we do not feel like going to a theatre we watch good movies on TV through a channel service called NETFLIX which we watch in our huge bedroom TV monitor that show high definition images…until we fall asleep!

                ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

THE ATENEO EDUCATION -A MODUS VIVENDI

 The Ateneo education – a modus vivendi  

     Coming from a Catholic girl’s school run by Dutch nuns from kindergarten to grade two I immediately noticed the difference between that and the Catholic boys school I had to move to. 

The first element I noticed strongly was the emphasis of the school run by the Jesuits on the study of Roman Catholicisim. 

     In fact, as I entered the main lobby of the Ateneo grade school building at the Walled City grounds that year of 1938, one could not avoid noticing the magnificent statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary prominently facing the lobby.  I learned soon enough that the school’s patron saint was the Blessed Mother.  Thus, our lives revolved around the life and role of the Blessed Mother  which included among other devotions, prayers that started and ended each class.  Then, there was the organization to which all of us were members of, called The Sodality of Our Lady.  There were more devotional prayers to be said from time to time

     The Ateneo Grade School edifice in Intramuros the Walled City at that pre war period was austere but not really quiet for during our recess periods, we had time to play and run around imagining ourselves to be cops and robbers.  In fact, the building was still under construction when I joined the school.  History tells us that the lot was originally the place where our National Hero Jose Rizal  studied during the Spanish period.   

     However, the building was burned down and for many years remained unbuilt until in 1938 authorities decided to rebuild it for the Grade School department.

     Among the prohibition imposed by the headmaster was that students must be confined within the grounds of the school and strictly forbidden to go outside the building premises especially to play by sliding on the slopes of the grounds that stemmed from the Walled City down to the grass below. 

     With the use of the rotting bark of  the palm trees that lined the walls, a boy can sit on it like it was a sled and using one end of the bark direct his slide downward which was a good 20 feet in length.  Yes, it was a thrill and many could not resist it and risk being punished – and they were punished with having to stay after class to write 100 hundred times “I shall not slide down the walls.”

     Soon, I got to learn about the life of our Jesuit religious teachers who were ordained priests of the Society of Jesus.  Some of our instructors however were lay teachers, some  who had graduated from the Ateneo and who had advocated the same philosophy of the priests.  In time, we young students were discussing how the Jesuit Order was founded by a certain Spanish officer named Ignatius de Loyola.  In Spanish his name was Inigo de Loyola (Ignatius in English). Inigo was a dedicated Spanish officer who learned more about the life of Jesus Christ when Loyola was in the hospital recovering from a leg injury that he got during the Battle of Pamplona in Spain. 

     According to history, it was during Ignatius’  convalescence that he underwent a deep spiritual conversion after having read THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

     So, after his recovery from his wounds, Ignatius left the military service and instead pledged to be a soldier of Jesus Christ.   It was then when Ignatius formed the Society of Jesus or in short the Jesuits.

When the war came to the Philippines in 1941 our newly rebuilt grade school edifices were bombed and so for three years after that no classes were held until 1946 when Ateneo reopened at the main campus in Padre Faura St.  The Grade school lot remained unbuilt.

     In 1946 as I enrolled in the Ateneo high school, I learned that students  had to take up Latin and pass it or they would not be able to earn their diploma.  I must admit learning Latin I was difficult but once you understood the structure you will realize its importance especially when one would pursue a career as a priest, in the medical or engineering profession or even a chemical degree because lots of terms used in these disciplines stem from either Latin or Greek, but mostly Latin.

     I also discovered that while the subjects were difficult since they were a combination of science, mathematics, the classics and philosophy,  they were carefully designed to form a pattern of learning known to the Jesuits as the course called Ratio Studiorum.  It was supposed to prepare a student to hone is skill in Speaking (Eloqentia) and Thinking (Sapientia), very important equipment to possess in pursuing one’s life goals. Added to these were the cultural subjects, the arts, the Humanities subjects and of course sports.

     But later there were more theology and Epistemology but I felt that we learned more from the Jesuit priests themselves and their particular lifestyle and not much from the textbooks we used. 

     To illustrate, one characteristic of Jesuit priests was that aside from being an ordained priest, each one of them have to major in a specific discipline like financial management, dramatics, or even meteorology. 

     A review of Philippine history, one can see how many Jesuit priests have pioneered in many skills from the time they landed in the Philippines.  For instance, the Rev.  Padre Faura, S.J.  was the  Spanish Jesuit who first built an observatory with a telescope to be used by the Filipinos.  The first Jesuit labor union organizer was Fr. Walter Hogan, S.J.. 

     The nation’s popular theatre amateur group before the war was that of the Ateneo College under the direction of Fr. Henry Lee Irwin, S.J. who was a master in the presentation of Shakespeare’s plays. Later on Fr. James B. Reuter was designated overall communications czar by Cardinal Sin that produced radio and TV Catholic programs for the different provinces in the country. Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ. is known for being the leading Constitutional law professor in the country and is sought after by law schools when they need expert advice on Constitutional Law.

     But among the features which made Ateneo more meaningful for me were the extracurricular activities such as the G.K.Chesterton club (for oratory) the drama club (theatre) the Sodality of Our Lady (devotion to the Blessed Mother) and the distinctive Spiritual Retreats we had to undergo through high school and college the way St. Ignatius himself had designed them.

     The Jesuits have long been respected in the world because of their distinctive quality of education, to a point when sometimes they are envied by the local diocesan clergy and therefore, for many years Jesuits had been expelled from many counties they were operating in bevause the citizens loved to relate with them, only to be allowed to return later by the same diocesan clergymen who drove them away.

     One cannot just look at Ateneo in isolation for it is also a controversial institution that has to deal with the community especially in the field of amateur sports.  Without fear of contradiction over the years Ateneo which had become a university had been a leading school in amateur basketball, soccer and other campus sports to mention a few.  But, as the Jesuit philosophy states, sports is good to a point.  Mens sana in corpore sano, A healthy mind in a healthy body.  Thus, it is stressed upon every Ateneo student that one goes to Ateneo to study and not to just play.  The rule is that if one is failing in two subjects, no matter who he may be, he cannot play in any game – even a championship one- unless those failing marks are removed before the game starts. 

     So, this policy came to a head when in one particular day during a basketball season the fight was close between Ateneo and another school.  The captain of the Ateneo basketball team had two failing marks in the grading period.  So, the Fr. Rector called his attention to the policy, and told him that he could not play in the coming crucial game with the other school’s team.  The captain did not expect that the school would not allow him to play in thatl close a fight of a game.  So the day came and the players came out of their dugouts to warm up before the basketball game.  All the fans of the captain were all waiting to give him a rousing applause as he would usually emerge from the dugout to join the other players members in the court amidst the usual applause from his fans. 

     The fans waited. And waited. And waited some more.  Soon, the game was about to start.  No captain had emerged. So, the game was started without the captain.  Where was the captain of the team? The poor athlete was all dressed up and sobbing into a towel as he sat on the bench all by himself in the locker room. 

     He knew the rules.  The school had to impose it strictly for all athletes/students. No exception. He learned it the hard way but later emerged as one of the valuable players of the school and when he died there was a monement installed in the sports memorabilia of his alma mater with his statue prominently visible.

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joaquin 2016 newsletter

OUR JOAQUIN 2016 NEWSLETTER.

The Holy year of Mercy opened on the 8th of December 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of Mercy on this day through which anyone who entered would experience the love of God who consoles, pardons and instills hope.

After the holidays, We  (Tony and Chita) started to visit Jubilee Churches (designated by the Bishop) in our diocese in order to earn indulgences by fulfilling the Spiritual and Corporal works of Mercy. Chita continued to visit more Jubilee churches  when she was in the Philippines in late February. She further visited more Jubilee Churches and entered the "Holy Door" in Barcelona, Pisa, Marseille and the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. All in all, Chita was able to visit a total of 16 Jubilee churches.

While in the Philippines, Chita bonded with her siblings and some close friends and visited the new resort called Balesin. Balesin is an exclusive tropical island paradise situated in Quezon Province with white-sand beaches which accommodation is inspired by well renown destination like Balesin, St Tropez, Toscana, Bali, Puket, Mykonos and Costa del Sol.

In May, Lizza and Greg Streicher visited us at Sacramento and this coincided with Cristina's flight to San Francisco. Thus, all our children were able to be together after quite a long spell. They certainly had great fun, enjoying San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf.

Julian was so excited when he was treated by his Lola Chita to a European cruise during summer. Together with Nico, they traveled to Spain, France, and Italy. Julian’s favorite site was the Leaning Tower of Pisa the picture of which is now his screen saver.

We were delighted by the visit of Julie Byers in late August,  (she was our Rotary Exchange student when Tony was President of the Rotary Club of Makati West back in 1983)  She also got to see Cris and Regie Concepcion and other Filipino friends who hosted her during her year with the Rotary club.

After working with Franklin Templeton Group for 28 years, in August Gina decided to move to Rodan and Fields, a cosmetic company as Director of Technology Engineering based in San Francisco.

A pleasant surprise in September was a dinner treat by my Joaquin cousins, Ditas, Susan and Yoly. It was a welcome moment recalling memories of our youth back in the Philippines.

We lost our beloved sister, Pacita in October. We will always remember her loving nature, her hearty laugh and generous spirit.

We had the good fortune of another visit of Cristina,  her last flight to San Francisco before her retirement from Cathay Pacific Airways after 32 years of service in January 2017. We cherish occasions like this because she is our only daughter who lives the farthest from us. Cristina will retire in Nuvali, Philippines with her husband, Jowin.

Thanksgiving Day is one of our favorite holidays. We thank the Lord for all the countless blessings showered on us this year just about to end, especially for the gift of our Faith. The family had a sumptuous dinner prepared by Bobby, GI and Chita with Lita and Lou as our special guests.

We are looking forward to our trip to Brisbane, Australia in March 2017 to witness the marriage of our first grandson, Mikee to Sammy, a Filipino Australian lady whom he met while on a dance tour at the Gold coast of Australia. Mikee was dancing with the Jabbawockeez at that time. Mikee is currently teaching preschool kids and was awarded the Best Teacher Award 2016 by the college. Congratulations to the 'Teacher of the Year' Mister J!” You really ARE an amazing teacher.

Nico, our second grandson, is back to school completing prerequisite subjects needed for him to pursue his studies leading to a doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Julian, the youngest of our three grandsons, a consistent honor student will be graduating from elementary school next year. He currently plays in the basketball team and getting good at the game.

We thank our friends and family who shared the happiness of the year by their visit.

Let us enjoy the Christmas season and may God's blessings fill your hearts and home with abundance of mercy, peace and love. May the New Year bring fresh hopes and bright beginnings?

               

A FILIPINO BOY’S FIRST WARTIME CHRISTMAS

In my youth, PEACETIME did not take on its real meaning for like thousands of Filipinos never really had reason to think otherwise. As an eleven year old native Filipino boy born and raised in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines the Feast of the Birth of Jesus was one of the highest celebrations there was since the Philippines was 89 percent Catholics.

But December 8 (December 7) 1941 tragically changed the way we prepared and celebrated Christmas.

In the Philippines the tradition for all Catholics was to prepare oneself spiritually and socially for this great Catholic Feast. Thus, every family followed a certain pattern of behavior as early as the start of the Advent Season. I will never forget the ritual which my parents and grandparents observed in preparing for Christmas.

First off, my father would make sure that we have a live Christmas tree installed in our two story home following the American model [for we have been under the Americans for almost one hundred years, after being under Spain for 350 years] All around residential streets hung  decorative buntings and lanterns in the shape of stars which were displayed in every home.

By early December my mother Sarah which was her yearend ritual, would already be checking the shipping schedules of American liners that brought over her orders of toys and gift items that she had ordered through the mail order catalogue of U.S. based Sears and Roebuck Inc.  Every year end, once the local firm of Sears in Manila contacts mother Sarah my father would then send someone to pickup the items from the South Harbor where most major ocean going vessels from the U.S. would dock.

We were sternly forewarned by our mother that no one can touch any of the items until Christmas Day when the opening of the gifts take place. While this was going on, the other tradition in our household was manned by my Grandma Salome (my father’s mother) with her team of cooks  in the person of our Aunt Naty,  Aunt Nene, and all the younger brothers of my father. They were helped by the housemaids (and we always had a platoon of them in every Filipino home) prepare all the food and specially cooked Spanish-Filipino fare we serve for this great Catholic feast day.

The Christmas dishes included Pork Caldereta, Menudo, Pochero, Lomi Soup, Lechon on a spit, Escabeche, and Sinigang na bangus.  This array of traditional dishes is then topped by desserts which included Leche Flan, (custard), all kinds of locally made rice passed sweets, and more.

In the meantime, about two weeks before Christmas my father would drive towards downtown Chinatown in Manila and procure the Chinese ham which was sought after by most Filipinos for its quality.  Once we have the ham it is glazed by my mother with sugar and other ingredients to sweeten the ham before serving.

There were three children in the family, and I was the eldest and only son. Two sisters followed me in sequence. We were always the recipients of gifts from all the aunts and grand aunts as well as extended families as we Filipinos are known for.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese Imperial Forces in December of 1941 our peaceful existence dramatically changed.

In stark contrast with previous Christmases where most Filipinos were often primed to put their all in the preparation of food and other necessities designed to make the celebration truly Catholic and definitely memorable, Pearl Harbor changed all that.

Once Pearl was attacked the Japanese airplanes then flew towards the Philippines and began to bomb and shell military installations in Manila where my family and I lived.  We could see the effects of the bombing from our second story residence. Thus, all the traditional preparation by our family were put on hold.  We were ordered by Philippine President Manuel Quezon to observe blackouts by putting dark tar on windows so that none of the living room lights would filter out onto the streets. Instead of buying food and gifts, nothing of the sort occurred at all for we were often in the air raid shelter whenever the siren would sound when an attack was imminent. 

The items my mother had ordered through Sears and Roebuck never got clear or delivered because the U.S. ships were all held at bay waiting  for instructions.  Soon enough, the Japanese Imperial Army were allowed to enter Manila which was declared by Pres. Quezon as an “Open City”.  The enemy just sauntered into the city leisurely with no shots being fired.

Soon, it was Christmas eve. We tried to attend Mass on Christmas Eve but we saw just a handful of parishioners in attendance and right after Mass we had to go home upon orders from the president’s office.

Christmas Day was no different. What we usually would be doing in past Christmases was celebrating with all my aunts and uncles exchanging gifts and hugging one another. Nothing of that took place on Christmas of 1941.

Instead, we had reports from the radio of more bombings and dead and injured victims being rushed to the different hospitals in the city.

Not far from our residence was a school run by nuns.  When the Japanese forces came to Manila all the families of their enemies (Americans, Canadian, Australian, etc.) were detained in this school. 

I got to visit the children once and befriended a nice looking American girl named Gigi.  I had my mother wrap a little present to be given to Gigi which I did.  Just before she and the rest were removed from the school for another place I gave her the present through the window of one of the classrooms.  She smiled at me with tears in her eyes.  Soon after, they were gone.

Such was my first wartime Christmas which I shall always remember for the rest of my natural life.

Nick Joaquin by Rosalinda Orosa on November 7, 2015 The Sunday Times Magazine

Tony Joaquin discloses the following little-known facts about his uncle Nick Joaquin, National Artist for Literature, who is generally regarded as the greatest Filipino writer in English.

1. The very first edition of his Prose and Poems in 1953 containing Nick Joaquin's short stories and poems were among his best works. The soft cover issue is on its third or fourth re-edition already. (Baby Orosa was then the assistant of Chronicle editor Indalecio Soliongco when he asked me to review Joaquin’s book. The review appeared forthwith under Soliongco’s byline. RLO)

2. Nick’s latent generosity surfaced when he was bumped by a jeepney one night as he was crossing the street. Nick suffered minor bruises and contusions because of that accident and so was brought to the hospital by the people. When the police officer assigned to the case asked Nick whether he was filing charges against the jeepney driver, Nick said no and instead asked to see the driver and when Nick saw the hapless driver, he even offered him some money to take home to his family. The driver was speechless but very grateful for the gesture.

3. When Jose Rizal’s classic Ulitmo Adios was translated into English verse, Nick’s translation was acclaimed to be the best compared to others like that of Sen. Claro Recto who himself thought so.

4. A rare display of defiance and considered a heroic act was Nick’s “negotiating” with the late President Ferdinand Marcos that Nick could agree to being considered Philippine National Artist for Literature only if he released Nick’s buddy Pete Lacaba who was detained at the time. Nick got his wish and the rest is history.

5. Nick was said to be the ONLY writer who ”dared” to look into the lives of so-called Filipino heroes and won accolades for his having written the book A Question of Heroes.

6. Nick’s now classic stage play Portrait of the Artist as Filipino is now translated into two languages (Tagalog, Spanish) and presented as a play and as a movie.

7. Lamberto “Bert” Avellana stated that Nick’s short stories, if one were to read them, looked like professionally written  screenplays that a movie director could easily  shoot the plays outright just reading the book.

Grandfather Balbino, Grandma Carlota, Tio Koko Hernando

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BALBINO KABIGTING Y YUSON

     Balbino had a brother Salvador who were both adopted by a family from Nueva Ecija named Yuson for the boys were complete orphans.  Balbino studied accounting while Salvador banking and finance. Balbino worked as accounting clerk for a government firm and this is where he got to know the government service and people who helped him rise in his chosen career.  Although he admits to being a Catholic, Balbino does not believe in going to Mass but is one of the most honest persons I have ever met. I say this as a young observer of 8 years old when Balbino whom I called Lolo Binong was already in his senior years working as provincial treasurer assigned to Batangas, province where I was spending my vacation, being the oldest grandson at the time. 

     One evening he was taken to the hospital when he collapsed while supervising his staff to double check errors in their accounting reports.  It turned out that he was just looking for centavos that were missing (probably miscounted) in the report and because of this he had to stay after hours working until his blood pressure shot up and had to be hospitalized. Perhaps, I said to myself, that was also how he was able to go up the ranks of the Masonic club he joined.   

     I was often with Lolo Binong as a young boy studying at the Catholic school in San Juan, so much so that he wanted me to almost behave the way he did. One day he brought me to a hat maker in San Juan where he was still the Provincial Treasurer of Rizal and San Juan was the official place he held office.  At the hat maker he ordered them to make a Panama hat that resembled exactly the one he was wearing.  They did and I went around with Lolo wearing this hat wherever he went. I felt like a midget walking beside Lolo both of us wearing the hat. When Lolo decided to let Mama use the main residenial building in San Juan he had another annex built at the back of the property which was a 1000 sq meter lot for him and Lola Carlot. This was connected with a footbridge made of wood from their veranda to our kitchen.  This made coming and going for him and Lola much easier for Lola was already having problems with her asthma which he relieved by having a morning inhaler. I would always get up early to join Lola early in the morning when I would cross the footbridge to try her coffee with milk which she herself made. We would then chat a while until Lolo Binong wakes up and begin his calisthenics using his golf club.  for he was an avid golfer and was good one at that.

     I am not sure how Lolo Binong and Lola Carlota met but when they were married he was still a lowly accounting clerk while Lola was a housewife but with lots of skills.  Over the years with Lolo Binong being assigned in various provinces at a time to be their provincial treasurer, Lolo was able to do some gardening growing all sorts of vegetables.  With the humble salary of Lolo Binong however Lola was able to save enough to purchase a one hectare plot of land which she planted with fruit trees including mangoes lanzones, and all the Filipino fruits available.  When the trees were ready for plucking she would dispatch through her hired tenant farmer managing the land to ship by train basketfuls of all the fruits in season. My family would drive over to the Santa Mesa train station each time a train comes with these produce and we had to hire a truck in order to fit the baskets of fruits which we would consume ourselves and sell the rest to neighbors and friends wanting to buy them.

     When my father and mother separated in 1946, I felt that this led to the great disappointment of Lola Carlota which caused her sudden death for Lola loved Papa Ping and beside Lola was a very healthy woman (in fact her teeth were so healthy she had no need for dentures until her death). Before Lola died they had a maid who helped her with many things and upon her death Lolo developed an affair with this maid which produced one child who carried Lolo Binong’s family name and who lived with him and the maid until Lolo’s death.

     During town fiestas Lolo Binong, the provincial treasurer, was among the joyful officials who would lead the dancing and singing. He also enjoyed drinking alcoholic beverage but never misbehaved for he knew how to hold his liquor.

LOLA CARLOTA CARLOS KABIGTING

     As a young wife, she managed to live on the small salary of her husband just learning the ropes of being an accounting in a government setting. Because her husband Balbino Kabigting was later groomed for higher position in the Philippine government service she had to adjust to living in different provinces in the Philippines especially when Balbino was already one of the bright provincial treasurer and with ample salary and perks which allowed her to live in houses that had big yards where she could indulge in her hobby of planting vegetable trellises and flowers like champaca jazmin and the like.  In the early nineties they had their first child Balthasar (shortened to Sarah by the daughter herself). However, when other pregnancy followed it was discovered that Lola Carlota was suffering from the sourge at the time known as Rhesus factor – which produced fetuses that never matured and died before it came to term. So, after Sarah it took six dead fetuses before Manuela came around.  Manuela was the eight pregnancy and she was a lovely and fair complexioned child.  Sarah was of the Filipino complexion known as Kayumanggi. 

      Sarah completed her finishing school course at an exclusive Manila school known as Centro Escolar de Senoritas and after that she went to pursue her college degree at the University of the Philippines with a major in Psychology.  However, right after graduation she opted to teach college at a school called Jose Rizal College. It was while she was teaching in this school that she met her husband to be Porfirio Marquez Joaquin who was a professional piano player in the Jazz idiom. He was playing piano and even band leading in several cities abroad like Hongkong, Shanghai or Java, Indonesia. Ping as everyone close to him called him was a likable personable guy with a charming mien. So attractive was he that even his mother in law loved him and often asked him to accompany her when she visited their farm in Laguna.

FRANCISCO KOKO HERNANDO, MD.

     During those moments in my boyhood life I was discovered to have a talent which cost nothing – to walk as ring bearer at a wedding.  When I did this and succeeded Mama was deluged with lots of request to allow me to walk in their weddings and I counted a total of eleven before I outgrew that role. One of the weddings was that of Francisco Hernando and Manuela Kabigting.  Manuela completed her college also at Centro Escolar de Senoritas with a Pharmacy degree.  She did not get to practice it despite the fact that she wanted to but Koko had other plans.  As a doctor, Francisco Hernando worked with the government for a while with the military.  Later he was appointed to several different clinics in Great Manila districts. In the meantime, Manuela who answered to the name of Nene enjoyed playing mahjongg very much that she did it almost everyday, even after the couple had produced several children namely Eugenio, Marita, Benny, and much later Aurea who was almost a menopause baby.   When the war broke out the Hernando family and ours were together in the evacuation exodus to a neighboring province thinking that the place we were in would not be bombed by the Japanese bomber planes.  Koko was very nervous whenever there was an air raid while we huddled in the first glory of our San Juan residence. I remember

     Papa Ping liked to smoke and Tito Koko would admonish him to douse the cigarette lest it can be seen by the Japanese pilots flying thousands of feet above.  Another uncle we had at the time was one who always brandished a Kris (a double bladed sword made by Muslims that had a wavy pattern) at the time as if he could use it to fight the enemy. But during the war years when almost everyone had to switch to horse drawn vehicles I discovered the real love of Tito Koko which were horses.  He had two at home and the way he took care of them brushing  washing  and feeding them was something to behold.  Aunt Nene remarked that he should not have taken medicine but animal husbandry which fitted his desire. But as it was in the past when one’s father strongly suggests that his son will be a doctor, the son has no choice left but to be one even if he did not want to be one. But Tito Koko also likes gadgets and cars. Once he fitted his car with a loud muffler that he would turn on when we were taking long trips. Of course, we kids enjoyed that loud roaring noise and so did Tito Koko.