There is an ongoing campaign now by Caritas Philippines called “I Vote God”, “I Vote Good” and we add to that campaign now with “Let’s Vote Peace!” This is intrinsically related in the sense that Peace with God, with oneself, with others and with creation is one and interrelated. Since peace is integral, this too relates well with the theme for Mindanao Week of Peace: “Interfaith Unity Inspiring Health Protocols.” This calls for a responsive and responsible governance and leadership.
A God of Peace
“For to us a child will be born, to us a son is given, and the government will rest on His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Is. 9:6) This prophecy of Isaiah reflects well on our God of Peace. He bestows us this gift of peace, Jesus, the prince of peace, his beloved Son. Truly, at the heart of our faith lies the God of peace. (Rom 15:33) This too is his perfect response to the cry of the poor. He listens to their pleas and anguish. (Ps 34) He desires peace for all far and wide. (Is. 57:19, Ps 85)
Peace in this sense as in the greeting shalom, refers to the total wellbeing of the person. It can mean physical, social, psycho-emotional, and the spiritual wellbeing of the person. It can refer to the need to feel safe and secure, free from danger and threats wherever we are. That is why when something deprives us of these, it disturbs us. The threat of covid virus for instance makes us wary especially that some of our friends were really infected and others perished. Hence an interfaith unity following health protocols is highly appreciated. It brings peace.
Even a notice “beware of pickpocketers” in a place where we travel somehow disturbs our safety and makes one uncomfortable, rich and poor alike. It consoles us if those perpetrators of the crime are captured and penalized. One who shoplift for instance are penalized and at times jailed. This gives peace too to the store owners and the customers as well. But what is astonishing however is our reaction to those who stole from the coffins of our government. It seems that we are already anesthetized. Yes, people may have an adverse reaction in the beginning and yet later the news just fade away. We no longer bother to follow up what happens to those allegedly accused of corruption. Matud pa “ang kawat sa likod sama sa pickpocketing dali madakpan apan ang kawat sa atubang nga dinagko pa gayud tagsa ra ma sentensyahan.” This too should disturb us as we value the gift of peace. This one should challenge us to have responsive and responsible governance. We Need to Vote Peace!
Peace with others and ourselves
Peace is founded in right relationships. A relationship is right when it is rooted in God’s peace, in God’s love. Peace is a fruit of justice and justice or right relationships spring from love, a love that nurtures others, nourishes our relationship with one another, respecting each one’s dignity and defending it. As St. John Paul II said, “the human person is the way for the church and society to walk.” This calls for conversion of ourselves. True peacemaking can be a matter of policy only if it is first a matter of the heart.
Jesus shows this in his ministry by healing the sick, the mute, letting the lame walk, giving food to the multitude, preaching forgiveness and compassion to the sinners signifying the fullness of life and proclaiming God’s reign in our midst. In Luke 4:16-24, Jesus summarizes his mission proclaiming the gospel of truth responding to the cries of the poor being the prince of peace. We learn from him that the way for truth is the way for peace. In this manner, we are called to establish the “Truth farms” against the “Troll farms” that flooded the social media to build peace. We vote for God; we vote for Truth and we Vote for peace.
We know very well the challenges in our society until today. There are various faces of unpeace in our midst marked by violence, conflicts, divisions, injustices, underdevelopment and poverty. We are digitized already with so many gadgets, we are tech-savvy, especially our young people, but the problems of poverty are still glaring. The pandemic I believe worsens our poor condition with our foreign debt amounting to trillions of pesos already. Our quality of life does not match with the advance of technology we are going through. We long for peace, which is sustainable and rooted in authentic development. As St. Paul VI said, “development is the new name for peace in Populorum Progressio.” We need leaders that will lead us in this direction.
Peace with Creation
We belong to the same web of life and responding to the cry of the poor and of the earth is inseparable. We must do both. As we long for total healing amidst this pandemic we too long for the healing of our planet which is in a climate emergency. We are interconnected in this ecosystem hence what we have done to our environment affects us all.
There are only very few remaining forests covers now in Mindanao which need to be attended to. The call to care for our common home must be an urgent demand for all of us. Certainly, our Indigenous brethren living in the last frontiers of the forest are primarily affected with the destruction we continue to inflict in their areas. Due to the ongoing armed conflicts for instance, our environment and the IPs are greatly affected. We deplore the use of bombs which cannot just kill human lives but kill the remaining forest as well. How much is the cost per bomb thrown into this area? If that amount should have been channeled to the poverty alleviation of our poor people, improve the infrastructure and services among our IP communities that might bring peace and not more hostilities and poverty. The care for our common home needs leadership who are passionate, dedicated and strong-willed hence we must Vote for this kind of leader. A Vote for Ecology is a Vote for Peace!
Be Peacemakers
“There is no peace because there is no peacemaker” an advocate for peace remarked. This is a call and a challenge for all of us. We can respond to this first, in the forthcoming election. We must Vote for Peace, we need to elect leaders who are responsive to the call of building sustainable peace in our land. Mindanao is bleeding for peace, our people and the environment. I believe this too reflects the whole country. We should choose leaders who will bridge these warring parties in our land by leading them to the negotiating table addressing the root causes of all these.
A certain peasant wrote to St. Oscar Romero of El Salvador, “we are tired of weapons, bullets and wars, our hunger is for justice, for food, for good health, for education, and for fair development.” Just like them we too need all that will bring us real peace in our land rooted in both social and ecological justice. We cannot remain uncommitted in this cause. We need to get involved, first by Voting for Peace, electing our Future by electing responsible and responsive leaders who are sensitive to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth.
Finally let us heed the story told by a Lutheran pastor during World War II, “when the Nazis came to get the communists, I was silent; when they came to get the socialist, I was silent; when they came to get the Catholics, I was silent; when they came to get me, there was no one left to speak.” My dear friends this coming election is another opportunity for us to speak; so let our voices be heard, let us Vote for Peace! Let us Vote for God for peace is a fruit of Godliness!!
Cagayan de Oro’s signature restaurant of Mindanao Heritage Dishes is five years old, and looking forward to more decades of furthering its cause to bring the Culinary Patrimony of the island to the rest of the Philippines and the world.
During a simple program and lighting ceremony of the restaurant’s Christmas tree commemorating the event, Jan Michael Uy, president and CEO of the TFC Group which owns and manages Cucina Higala spoke of their gratitude in reaching the milestone.
Jan Uy reflects on the learning curve of failures in past years which have made Cucina Higala a success.
“My message is really about gratitude, and perseverance in this industry, that I would translate into lighting this Christmas tree. The stars are our guiding principle, a symbol of hope, a symbol of integrity in what we do, and also a symbol of perseverance. And lights would be a bonus, when we open the lights for Christmas, it’s really about abundance, its more of a mindset in this pandemic how we will really adjust to this.”
Although this was Cucina Higala’s fifth anniversary, it actually started even earlier than that as Thai Me Up, complete with Thai Menu and motif.
“We are grateful for the experience learned from 7 years of learning failures. While the market for a Thai restaurant in Cagayan de Oro then was there, it wasn’t big enough for a place this big. We followed that with Fil-Me-Up, which featured Filipino and Thai fusion dishes, but that just served to confuse the market, so that was another learning. It was only when we focused on Mindanao Heritage specialties with Cucina Higala that we gained clarity and traction with our customers,” Jan noted.
“Without the benefit of the learning curve of those seven years of learning failures, we would have not gotten to where we are now with Cucina Higala,” he added. “For leadership it’s easy to give up, but as an entrepreneur adding all those mistakes, putting it together, Cucina Higala is our last hurrah, the sum of our past failures.”
Cucina Higala is ranked No. 1 among 191 Restaurants in Cagayan de Oro City by TripAdvisor.
Decius Esmedalla, OIC Chief Tourism Operations Officer of DOT-10, acknowledged Cucina Higala’s contribution to not only expanding the choices of fine restaurants in Cagayan de Oro, but to promoting the culinary heritage of Mindanao as well beyond the confines of its immediate boundaries.
Visitors who have visited Cucina Higala have ranked it as No. 1 of 191 restaurants listed in Trip Advisor, and the following random selection of their remarks are indicative of the high esteem and satisfaction they experienced during their brief sojourn.
“The food is great, no doubt, it’s really the best restaurant here in Cagayan de Oro. The service is excellent, staff and crew were very accommodating.”
“We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of food being served here, especially the Pinakbet with its crunchy lechon kawali, and freshly cooked vegetables as well as the heritage dishes, like Beef Rendang for the tender and aromatic beef, and the Surol Chicken with the special coconut milk sauce mix in lemongrass and fresh native oregano, plus the Sizzling Binaki with caramel sauce.”
“I’ve been here many times. I love the ambiance of the place, the vintage décor as conversation starters and a much relaxing feel. I recommend their delicious tuna salad flakes, fresh lumpia, pinakbet, tinolang blue marlin, crispy pata, sinuglaw, beef rendang, and the jaw-dropping binignit ice cream. Food arrived quickly which is number one for me, waiters are attentive, water is refilled right away without having to ask and the place is clean. They have a private area where you can talk and bond without interference from other customers. I will definitely recommend this restaurant to all balikbayans, vacationers or tourists. This place is mostly packed on weekends so plan ahead. It’s truly great food, great place, and great service. You will surely keep coming back and that’s why they call it “Cucina Higala.”
Indeed, Jan himself acknowledged how the perseverance and resiliency of their staff and crew was another of the things he was grateful for.
Satisfied diners have often cited the Staff and Crew of Cucina Higala as among the top reasons for their unforgettable dining experience.
“I’m also grateful for the people in our team who have been with us since the start, who bring with us the culture of resilience at our darkest moments, we reached a point where our sales cannot even cover our overhead. It’s a team effort to put Mindanao food on the global map.”
Despite the debilitating effects of the global pandemic on their operations and development, Jan is optimistic the improving health situation and the constantly lowering cases all over the country would allow them to proceed with their plans for the next 5 years and beyond.
“We are planning to open a destination restaurant, we have found our niche, and we are not really considering malls. Inspired by our experience, we would rather open in the next two years in nearby scenic places where we can offer our diners a memorable dining experience similar to what they have found in Cucina Higala.”
A destination restaurant is one that has a strong enough appeal to draw customers from beyond its community. The idea of a destination restaurant originated in France with the Michelin Guide, which rated restaurants as to whether they were worth a special trip, or a detour while one travelled by car in France.
Such “destination restaurants” may be similar to Cucina but would be a different concept based on specific locations offering a menu based on available ingredients in their immediate surroundings such as beef and corn soup for Bukidnon, although they would still carry the Cucina Higala brand.
Cucina Higala Christmas Tree and Lights celebrate 5 years of gratitude.
The night’s festivities were highlighted by the lighting of the Cucina Higala Christmas Tree and Lights by 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division commander Maj. General Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. and Jan Uy immediately followed by a feast for the invited guests including Donna Ocampo and Nicole Datayan of Hello CdeO, Carlston B. Maglangit of DOT-10, Raphy Arcaina of Rapidofoto, and Dana Dale Medina and Luisa Bingtan of Laag Kagay-an.
Jan Uy and friends give the High Five sign celebrating Cucina Higala’s Grateful Fifth.
From metrocdo.com and in behalf our CDO Bloggers Network, our warmest felicitations to Cucina Higala Management, Crew and Staff on your 5th Anniversary! Here’s to the next five years and beyond, Salud!
(photos courtesy of Raphy Arcaina and Cucina Higala)
The global pandemic lockdown last year virtually shut down business enterprises worldwide, and Cagayan de Oro’s white water rafting industry was no exception.
Already attracting over 20,000 a year from all over the Philippines and the world, the self-styled Whitewater Rafting Capital in the Philippines, claims to be the only location in the country where guests can enjoy rafting any time of the year.
With 59 rapids over its 48 kilometer length, guests could choose from any of the seven outfitters with professional river guides certified by the International Rafting Federation who could safely transport them along Beginner, Advanced, or Extreme courses in what for many was the adrenaline ride of a lifetime.
Pioneer rafters on an exploratory tour of the upper rapids of Cagayan River in 2005. (photo courtesy of JB Deveza)
Its river depth, incline and rock formations make rafting in the Cagayan River a once in a lifetime adrenaline pumping experience. With rapids every 10-15 minutes, guests can enjoy a one-of-a-kind roller coaster ride, interspersed with the breath taking flora and fauna of the primeval forest.
Now with herd immunity eminent driven by the country’s aggressive vaccination drive and alert levels settling down to Levels 1 and 2 in many parts of the Philippines, the local whitewater industry is looking to restart its once burgeoning tourism attraction.
Rafting regulars can’t wait to do the Cagayan River courses again.
The Upper section of the Cagayan River (Talakag, Bukidnon area/Bgy. Tignapoloan CDO side) features not only pulse-quickening Class 4 rapids but also breathtaking vistas like this one. (photo courtesy of Chisum Christopher Factura)
“Yes, I tried it before. It was an amazing experience. In fact, it’s the best white water rafting I’ve done in PH. The rapids are fabulous. Will definitely do it again,” quips Glen Santillan, founder and former president of the Davao Digital Influencers.
Mountaineer, caver, diver and award-winning freelance photographer Rhonson Ng, whose images are printed in brochures, coffee table books, airport billboards, and tourism materials all over the country, has done white water rafting in all three of the country’s current top 3 rafting destinations.
“I did three rivers. Chico was supposed to be the top, but unfortunately when I did rafting in Chico summer time kaya mahina ang tubig. I would rate Davao River 7 on a scale of 1-10, and Cagayan River 8. Yes, I would do it again provided the river guides are vaccinated.”
New Normal Reset
The outfitters who provide professional river guiding to guests for the Cagayan River white water rafting tours have organized themselves into the Organization of Association of Rafters (OAR) to ensure the safety and enjoyment of their guests.
OAR is seeking an audience with officials of the City Tourism Office and the regional Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Covid-19 to iron out the guidelines and protocols for rafting under the New Normal.
Sinulom falls, between Sitio Tambo Barangay Tignapoloan in Cagayan de Oro City, and Barangay San Isidro in Talakag, Bukidnon, used to be a prime source of potable water for Kagay-anons during the Second World War. The rafters are Chisum Factura’s workmates from Hong Kong, who visited CDO after their fall season. (photo courtesy of Chisum Factura)
“I came up with the rafting protocols, Best Practices – Whitewater Rafting in the New Normal,” said Chisum Christopher Factura, OAR President and outfitter operator KAGAY Outdoors. “I already sent an email to Atty. Egay Uy and to the City Tourism Office re Protocols, I will just ask OAR to ask for a meeting with them.”
“These rafting protocols and best practices will ensure quality service and safe whitewater rafting trips for guests and crews, to continue promoting adventure tourism in our city in accordance to the safety guidelines and procedures provided by the LGU IATF and DOH and in adapting to the new normal,” he added.
Not the least, the proposed protocols and best practices also aim to revive the industry which had lain dormant for the past 20 months, so it may continue providing jobs and services for the many upstream and downstream industries which had prospered around it.
Outfitters usually hire local jeepneys to transport their rafts, providing additional livelihood for drivers and operators. (photo courtesy of Chisum Facture)
“Among the industries which have benefitted from rafting tourism are the travel(airline, domestic shipping and buses), local jeepneys (we hire them for a day especially when demand is high ), motorelas, taxis, restaurants, wet market vendors where we buy food ingredients for meals to be cooked during rafting, hotels, malls and pasalubong stores, and local souvenirs from starting point and end point of the rafting,” said Jan Uy, principal outfitter of CDO Bugsay River Rafting.
Among the health protocols and best practices prepared by Factura in behalf of OAR and for consideration by the Cagayan de Oro Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (which regulates the industry), City Health Office and IATF are the following:
Staff and Office/Warehouse Hygiene Considerations, including full vax for all office staff and river crew, daily staff health screenings (anyone showing symptoms will not be allowed to work), strict compliance with minimum covid-19 health protocols;
Pre-booking/booking: only fully vaxxed guests with recognized/certified vaccines by WHO will be allowed, bring vaccination cards, only guests 15-45 yrs. old with no existing medical conditions and exhibiting no symptoms will be allowed, medical/travel history, contactless payment in advance, initially will cater only to guests from Northern Mindanao/Region X.
Rafting day: health check for guests prior to departure, (guests exhibiting symptoms to be referred to local health authorities), mandatory wearing of PPEs from pick-up point and again after rafting back to their accommodations, sanitation before and after trips, social distancing with 50% capacity, max of 5 guests and 1 guide in 13’ rafts. Only 2 rafts per jeepney.
White Water Rafting in Cagayan River became an overnight sensation when then Tourism Secretary Dick Gordon (left) got President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and husband Mike Arroyo to try the basic course in 2003. (Photo courtesy of Rupert Domingo (back, between Mr. Gordon and Pres. GMA.)
In office/shop: only 5 guests allowed inside at any time, follow sanitation and hygiene best practices at all times, alcohol based sanitizers in office, PPEs required when in the office.
Monitoring and Government Engagement: OAR to ensure all outfitters are updated on LGU protocols and guidelines to be secured directly from the LGU, IATF and DOH.
“We are just waiting for them to call the meeting,” said Rex Tapungot, lead outfitter from Red Rafts.
Beside Red Rafts, only four other outfitters (Bugsay, Kagay, Great White Water Rafting and 1st Rafting Adventure) have remained from a high of seven who served the industry during its heyday before the global pandemic struck.
But it wasn’t always like this.
Just 4 Fun
“We started rafting sometime around June 1995 from Barangay Taguanao with makeshift rafts not meant for water rafting,” said Rupert Domingo, acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the sport in the city.
“We never expected it to evolve into a tourism attraction, and we were only rafting for pleasure on weekends using used paddles we bought from (Bgy.) Bonbon,” he added.
Rupert Domingo and son Kim were among the White Water Rafting pioneers who started the craze during weekends. (photo: Rupert Domingo)
The rafting pioneers were mostly members of the Northern Mindanao Mountaineering Society (NORMMS) and included Ronnie Vidal, Kim Domingo, Julius “Tabiocs” Bioco, and Reynolds Domingo.
“We were joined later by Chisum Factura, Rolly Barretto, Albert Lagamon, among others,” Domingo recalls. “I don’t recall now who the others were because we had a different group every weekend when we went rafting.”
The inflatable boats they used at the start were actually only meant to be used in swimming pools, since they had no idea what sports rafting was all about. It was only three years later when the group managed to buy a second-hand inflatable boat from the United States.
Two of the earliest celebrity guests to White Water Rafting in Cagayan River were Piolo Pascual and Angel Locsin. The makeshift welcome sign at the starting point of the Beginners Section in Bgy. Mambuaya is dated 1995, just when the local rafters were starting their weekend jaunts. (photo courtesy of Rupert Domingo)
“There was nobody who taught us about white water rafting, we just learned by ourselves as we went along,” Domingo said. “It was only around 2005 when Glenn Lewman Jr. introduced us to his SOTAR products and allowed us to buy three boats on installment basis.”
Factura recalls his early experience with the adventure sport.
“I started to go on weekends as a paddler, not as a raft guide. I joined every weekend, whenever there were friends who just wanted paddle with us, eventually gaining experience and being confident to bring a group in the boat as a raft guide. There’s always a feeling of excitement/thrill, especially when you’re guiding ang bringing guests on the river, he reminisces.”
“We had a book “The Guides’ Guide Augmented: Reflections on Guiding Professional River Trips” by William McGinnis. It helped me a lot on the do’s and don’ts of river guiding.”
A picture from one on the first upper river exploratory trips taken in 2005. R-L: Ron Foster, Randy Shelman, Glenn Lewman Jr., Chisum Factura, and Glenn Lewman III (photo courtesy of JB Deveza)
“We didn’t have any formal training until we met Glenn Lewman Jr. of SOTAR who introduce us to the IRF in 2005. I usually did the lower and mid-sections of the river. I was one of the pioneering guides who ran the upper river section. We started at Bgy. Sto. Niño, Talakag after the IRF trainings,” he added.
But even earlier than that, the group was already offering rides to the public practically for free since all they had to pay was for the jeepney fare from Divisoria to Taguanao.
When the outfitters later started charging for the rides, they started at P300, which later increased to P500, P700 up to the present P1,200 per head.
White Water Rafting in Cagayan River got a big boost from celebrity rafters like David Bunevacz and Diane Castillejo (left) and Mikee Cojuanco. (photo courtesy of Rupert Domingo)
The first white water rafting guests came to Rupert’s residence, and later the pick-up points moved to the McDonald’s parking lot in Limketkai Center and in Plaza Divisoria, while still others parties preferred to be picked up in their respective hotels. Although SM Uptown provided a space for this purpose for the outfitters at their parking building, guests still preferred to meet up downtown close to their respective hotels.
Then Department of Tourism Regional Director Dorothy Jean B. Pabayo was one of the staunchest champions of the infant industry, often making it the centerpiece attraction in various travel expos held around the country.
White Water Rafting as the center piece of the Cagayan de Oro Booth at th 2018 Philippine Travel Mart. (photo courtesy of ExhibitsToday.ph)
However, to ensure the safety of their guests, the outfitters contracted an instructor from the US with the help of Lewman to train their members as international river guides.
“We pooled our resources for the plane fare of two trainers and the training was conducted at Ugiaban around 2006 under IRF guidelines and accreditation,” Domingo recalls.
“I was one of those who got certified as a Class 3 River Guide,” Factura said. “To ensure the safety of our guests, the proper training of our guide and the provision of the proper safety equipment is really important.”
Eventually, Factura got certified as a White Water Rescue Technician-PRO in 2020 by Rescue3 Europe, along with five other river guides from Kagay.
One of the best rapids of the section with class 3-4 rapids. Visible from the top of the highway going to Talakag, Bukidnon. (photo courtesy of Chisum Factura)
With Cagayan de Oro already under Alert Level 2 these past four weeks, hopes are high rafters can again enjoy the incomparable thrill of white water rafting along Cagayan River.
(For a more detailed account of the early days of White Water Rafting in Cagayan River, click here to read JB R. Deveza’s account of one of the early upper river sections exploratory trips by the white water rafting pioneers in 2005.)
“Fish is held out to be one of the greatest luxuries of the table and not only necessary, but even indispensable at all dinners where there is any pretence of excellence or fashion.” Isabella Beeton (1836-1865)
The people of Misamis Oriental, including its three cities of Cagayan de Oro, Gingoog and El Salvador, enjoy a wide variety of fishes from the waters off its coastline and the many rivers that feed the Iligan, Macajalar and Gingoog Bays.
According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, some 45 of 54 major species of Philippine fishes are found in these coastal waters, including barracuda, jacks, wahoo, skipjack (bonito or tulingan) and Spanish Mackerel (tangigue) which not only make good eating, but are also prized by sports and leisure fishermen for their fighting qualities.
Similarly, the waters of the Cagayan River abound with halo-an (mudfish), pantak (catfish), kikilo (spotted scat), buwan-buwan (tarpon) and other indigenous species like the hipon (goby), balanak (Goldie river mullet), dalapakan (Loach goby), Bluespot gray mullet, casili (Bengal eel) and the most prized fish of them all, the magnificent pigok (Tapiroid Grunter) which sells for as much as P1,5000 per kilo in the local market, if you can get it.
The pigok (Tapiroid Grunter) is endemic to the Cagayan and Tagoloan Rivers. (photos courtesy of Anna Rivera Velez)
For a somewhat cheaper but no less tasty treat, there’s also the green-yellowish aha-an (freshwater snapper) which can be had for P300 per kilo.
While that seems by itself already a wide menu to choose from, it’s the dishes residents make out of these fishes that make eating them such a unique gustatory experience.
Kagay-anon native Titus Velez recalls the time when there used to be a bamboo fish cage owned by the community in Cagayan River.
“We used to make Inun-un with a yellowish fish,” Velez reminisces. “Sometime ago, sarap and hipon was still easy to catch in Zone 7 Carmen and Macasanding. We also got two types of shellfish (bivalve and suso) from Zone 7 Carmen which we would let stand in a pail or basin of water for a day to allow the shellfish time to spit out any dirt or any other substances they may have ingested before cooking.”
Inun-un comes from the Visayan verb un-un or un-on, meaning to “stew with vinegar, salt, and spices such as ginger, onions, shallots, pepper, salt, and sometimes siling mahaba with very little or no water is added to the broth.
Acknowledged as one of the most knowledgeable local experts on the indigenous fish of Cagayan River, former Nazareth Barangay Councilman Felipe Abrogar, agrees inun-un is the best way to cook the local river fishes.
Pipi Abrogar and friend with a Tadlungan (Mangrove Red Snapper) caught from the Cagayan River. (FVAbrogar)
“But when I can catch or buy Tadlungan (Mangrove red snapper)I find it tastier because it has a meat-like texture. During our summer vacations before, we would just bring some rice wrapped in banana leaves and eat kalaykay (clam shells) by the river bank because they were so abundant. But now they have all but disappeared as a result of the sand and gravel quarrying upriver.”
Carl Cesar Rebuta of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc.- Friends of the Earth Philippines (Kasama sa Kalikasan) and a constant traveler and mountaineer, likewise shares an inclination towards ginataang suso (shell) or sinabawang kalaykay (miniature clams).
Kalaykay (clam shells) are delicious even when simply boiled in water.(Batang Pinoy, Noon at Ngayon)
Kalaykay is also the same Bisaya word for rake, or the action of raking because that’s how you look for these small clams under the sand, which also falls under the more general term of manginhas (shell gleaming in the sand), which residents along the sea coast or river banks indulge in during low tide.
Chef Candy Lu of Candy’s Cafde and Chef Cathy Dano of Thai Me Up restaurant in Uptown Cagayan de Oro both expressed a penchant for the exotic Pigok although Chef Cathy also likes pinyahon (oilfish) and banak (sea mullet).
Gwendolyn Ramos-Garcia, author of Memories of the Old Hometown (a memoir of old Cagayan de Oro) but who now resides in the US, has fond memories of a more esoteric portion of the pigok which is its bihod (fish roe), that her mother the late city councilor Pureza Ramos, used to cook for them.
“We don’t cook the bihod whole. Instead, we break it up and season with a dash of salt. First – saute minced garlic, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, add julienned ginger strips in olive oil or any kind of cooking oil. Add the bihod and mix well. Add some green onions. Bon appetit!”
“Bihod is an appetizer, not a main dish! You put it on top of your rice! Super delicious because it’s not salty unlike guinamos (fish bagoong made with anchovies).”
Another exotic fish of yore from the municipality of Talisayan was the meat of the whale shark, locally known as tawiki.
Medel S. Tacna, who hails from the town, recalls how they used to enjoy the meat of the gentle giants during the time when there was still a whale shark fishery in Sitio Giwanon, which has since been shut down by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
Nita’s Place Eatery in Talisayan, Misamis Oriental, a legend since 1971.
“Tawiki meat was very tasty and we used to buy them from the whale shark fishermen of Sitio Giwanon near Nita’s Place Eatery (a legendary carenderia and turo-turo in Talisayan where Tawiki dishes used to be served),” Tacna recalls.
“Dried Tawiki meat we either fried or broiled, but if the meat was fresh it was delicious cooked in coconut milk,” he added.
The meat was first cooked in coconut milk (the second pressing of grated coconut meat) before the first pressing (coconut cream) was added when the meat was just about ready to be served.
Another exotic fish dish, (though not exactly a fish but rather a shellfish) is the sea urchin, locally known as tuyom or swaki. As described by travel blogger Pinoy Adventurista, it is a popular Japanese delicacy called uni, but is considered a rather exotic food in Southeast Asia.
Sea Urchin is known as Swaki or Tuyom in Misamis Oriental (photo courtesy of Pinoy AdvenTurista)
“As a country surrounded by waters, sea urchins abound in the Philippines. Locally called Tuyom, Tiyok or Swaki in the Visayas, or kuden-kuden in Bolinao, Pangasinan and maritangtang in the Ilocos Region, this extremely jelly-like creature tastes very fishy and is best eaten raw as kinilaw. And guess what, sea urchins are believed to have aphrodisiac properties!”
Pickled Tuyom can be bought along the national highway in Balingoan, Misamis Oriental for P200 a lapad. (Yasi Yasi)
Nana Malferrari Uy, who with hubby Roel and family operate the popular Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort in Balingoan town, says you can buy it pickled and bottled by itinerant vendors along the sea shore. They can also be found in the fish stalls along the national highway of Talisayan just across the Iglesia ni Kristo church where the road takes a sharp turn where a lapad starts at P200.
Dinalutan a seda (photo courtesy of Cucina Higala)
In downtown Cagayan de Oro, one can also enjoy Dinulutan a seda, a popular Maguindanaoan dish featuring a crispy fried snakehead (mudfish, haluan) from Lanao with coconut milk and other spices. Though not exactly an indigenous dish to the city and province, it nevertheless provides an intriguing option for more adventurous visitors looking for something more exotic.
Not the least, in fact, in my personal opinion, my favorite among the exotic fish dishes in Misamis Oriental is the oilfish or escolar, better known locally as the pinyahon or pinya-pinya.
It is one of about 25 species of the Gempylidae family of perciform fishes commonly known as snake mackerels or escolars.
Elongated and similar to barracudas, the largest species grow up to 2 m long, with the oilfish reaching 3 m, though they rarely surpass 150 cm. They are deep-water fishes, and several species are important commercial and game fishes.
Pinyahon being sold at P180 per kilo at the Iligan Public Market (Iligan Online Fish Market)
Local gourmands also call it Darigold (after a brand of evaporated milk) because once you eat too much, the effect will be very much like drinking an full can of Darigold Evap!
That’s because the fish has a high proportion of wax esters which are not digestible by the human digestive system so those eating it for the first time are warned not to eat too much. Still intriguing is it affects different people differently, like some can only take a bit before suffering the Darigold effect while others (like me!) seem unaffected by even large portions.
Perhaps because of its dubious reputation, you can buy pinyahon relatively cheap from P140 per kilo, but rarely exceeding P200. It’s easy to cook, simply season with a little salt and pepper and smoke it on your grill, carefully brushing back the oil drippings and turning it as needed so it won’t blacken and singe.
Tina-anang (smoked) Pinyahon sells from P25-P50 a stick, along the Iligan-Cagayan-Butuan Road.
However, believe it or not, you can now buy both the raw fish and the smoked tinap-anan online, just use the key words pinyahon for the raw fish and tinap-an pinyahon for the smoked fish on a barbie. Prices range from P25-50 per barbie with two pieces of smoked pinyahon.
Tinap-anang pinyahon used to be available from a certain corner of Cagayan de Oro’s Cogon Market during the early 1980s for only P5 a barbie with three pieces, but it’s now rather difficult to find there.
The taste is light and delicate which may lead to some people eating more than they should, and promptly suffering the Darigold effect, thus it’s not even offered in local restaurants. But it remains a perennial favorite among those who can reasonably tolerate it, so don’t dare leave Cagayan de Oro or Misamis Oriental without at least tasting it.
Malaybalay City, Bukidnon – Travelers along the Sayre Highway going from Malaybalay to Valencia and vice versa have long been curious about this mysterious house at Barangay Cabangahan near Bancud, with its man and animal sculptures and baroque architecture.
According to Levi Ann Pacana Babas, contrary to popular belief, the house was actually built in the late 1950s and was originally called “Casa Alegre”, though it has long been known to residents as “Torre ni David”.
Lynlyn Alegada of Valencia City confirms that her grandfather Mateo Caluna was the master carpenter who supervised the construction of the sprawling, three-story residence built by David Valmorida as a simple residence and still shelters the descendants of the Valmorida and Pacana families.
How the ‘Casa Alegria’ looked like during its glory days in the 1960s. Photo courtesy of the Valmoria & Pacana families as reproduced by Bobby Timonera.
Local folklore says David Valmorida built it a room at a time, adding a new segment every time a new child was born, thus the seemingly disjointed series of seven buildings which make it look so mysterious to the passing motorist and commuter along the nearby Sayre national highway.
Adding to its quaint look are the wooden carvings of eight men with the same faces and clothing seemingly carrying the four corners of the second and third floors of the house on their shoulders.
Another early picture of the house courtesy of Hans Brandeis taken sometime in the winter of 1982. (Hans Brandeis)
The house and its fixtures are slowly being restored by the family and a quick glimpse into its interior reveals that it looks almost exactly the way it did during the 60s and the 70s, from the old photographs hung on its walls to the long flights of narrow wooden stairs which link it to a not too distant past where many things unexplained seem to linger.
David’s daughter, Erlinda Valmorida-Pacana said in an earlier interview how even family members have unexplained experiences which they don’t bother too much about.
Their neighborhood is replete with tales of dwarves and mysterious ladies having a party outside their house although she hadn’t personally seen them.
Her son Douglas and granddaughter Patricia also personally has unexplained experiences
“We hear a lady crying every full moon,” said caretaker Teresita Nabaha. “But we only hear her and have never seen her. My younger sister, who cared for David’s wife, told me she hears footfalls of someone walking up and down the house at night.”
How the house looks from the same viewpoint today, photo courtesy of courtesy of Fel Vin Matabalan Photography/ Viajero Series .
Nabaha claimed the mysterious footfalls could be heard walking among the house’s seven large rooms and originate from the third floor. She added that kapres also live among the large trees, which surround the house’s spacious yard.
Boy Valmorida, who like his father David is reported to have a third eye which enables him to see things not visible to ordinary persons, also claims to have seen and heard mysterious things.
Besides the playful duwendes or dwarves and elves who make the house their playground during the night, Valmorida claims to have seen a “floating lady” on occasion.
“Ako usahay makakita ko’g floating lady diha sa likod pero dili lang nako panumbalingon,” he said in the vernacular. “Mulutaw lang na siya’g mulakaw, mulutaw. Babaye ug taas giyu’g sinina. Tagsa ra man giyud siya motunga ug sa gabi-I ra.” (I sometimes see a floating lady at the back but I don’t pay any attention to her. She walks as if she’s floating and has a very long dress. But she appears very seldom and only during the night.)
The house from another perspective clearly showing the “Torre ni David” in the rear from which it got its present moniker. Photo courtesy of Hans Brandeis, also taken sometime during the winter of 1982.
Gardenia (not her real name) relates how her previous manager was driving along Sayre highway around 3AM in the vicinity of Cabangahan going to a Cagayan de Oro for a morning meeting when a woman dressed in white with hair down around her face suddenly appeared in the middle of the road.
He hit the brakes hard expecting an impact but there was nothing, and when he looked at his rear view there was nothing there too. He heaved a sigh of relief and resumed driving, when to his horror, he saw the woman was now riding in his back seat!
He closed his eyes and recited “The Lord’s Prayer” aloud with his heart seeming to jump out his chest. After praying, he sneaked a peek and was relieved to see there was no one there. He jumped on the gas and made Malaybalay in record time where he related his tale to an amazed restaurant crew, warning them to be respectful when passing through the area by saying “Tabi Apo” and always honking your horn when passing by that area.
A closer look at how the house looks today courtesy of courtesy of Fel Vin Matabalan Photography/ Viajero Series.
A production team from a show of a national television network which featured mysteries and the unexplained visited the house in 2004 and slept overnight with video and audio recorders running, in an attempt to document the mysterious sounds and images.
Although they failed to get any video, they did manage to record a myriad of mysterious noises which sent the crew packing back to Manila the very next day. A tourism staff who accompanied them later related how apparently an unseen being accompanied them back Cagayan de Oro after their taping and played with the light switch in their hotel room all night!
David Valmorida’s descendants still keep family heirlooms from times past, such as the huge enigmatic heads (higantes) which were often featured during parades and festivals in the sixties and the seventies. Now they are kept in a bodega where they have lain silent for long years now, with their secrets sealed perhaps forever.
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(Photos of Torre ni David courtesy of Fel Vin Matabalan Photography/ Viajero Series FB page posted 25 December 2020, Hans Brandeis and Bobby Timonera).
Even before the global pandemic became full-blow, many journalists all over the country were already finding themselves out of work as social media displaced many community newspapers, and no less than 11,000 workers found themselves jobless with the closure of ABS-CBN.
However, being journalists and by nature resourceful, it did not take long for some to reinvent themselves in digital media, without straying far from their passion for telling stories.
Following is the experience of three groups of displaced journalists from the Visayas and Mindanao who faced adversity squarely and lifted themselves up.
Cotabato City : The iMinds Experience
When ABS-CBN went off the air on May 5 at 7:52 PM following the last airtime of its primetime newscast TV Patrol, it left its employees not only without a job but with the bleak prospect for the future as the country went under a nationwide lockdown as the Covid-19 pandemic surged.
But a pool of talents from ABS-CBN Cotabato pulled themselves together and created iMINDS Studio.
As described by Lerio Bompat-Kulayan, former News Desk of ABS- CBN Cotabato who manages the team, iMINDS Studio is a digital radio and television production company mainly producing educational learning and instructional materials for radio and television such as E-learning materials, visual and motion graphics (animation), audio-video material, and social media content.
For its first client Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) iMINDS Studio produced 32 TV and radio-based Instruction materials now being used by public school students in Regions V and VI.
Following the success of its first project, iMINDS is currently engaged in producing radio advocacy materials of the International Organization for Migration IOM. iMINDS is also handling content management and promotions of several public and private organizations and institutions all over the Philippines.
It has since diversified to social media content management and promotions. In the absence of local TV newscasts, the company evolved into Digital Media and in March 2021, it launched its Digital News, Digital TV, Digital Radio, and Digital Magazines.
Lerio Bompat-Kulayan anchors iNews at iMindPH
Its programs include iNEWS, a weekday news program, with reportage of stories from South-Central Mindanao and the BARMM that is streamed online and simulcast over DXMM 107.3 Magnet FM; iTALK, a one-on-one interview of personalities involved in current issues on peace and security, health, education, and politics; SANA OL, a weekly entertainment program showcasing people who impacted the lives of many homegrown enterprises, travel destinations, and other mundane topics that bring colors to the mood of viewers.
Since its FB Page iMindsPH was launched in December, 2020 it now has over 50,000 followers with another 5,000 in its YouTube channel. One of its produced video materials has been viewed nearly 3 million times.
Bompat-Kulayan, former producer of TV Patrol Central Mindanao for 17 years, is also the chief content officer of the company. The content team members are graduates of mass communications from a local college with modest experience and exposure in media broadcasting. Its video and audio editors are licensed radio technicians from ABS-CBN while IT specialists, Computer Engineers, and licensed radio technicians take care of their technical requirements.
Looking forward, iMinds Studio envisions itself to become the leading source of credible news and information in Southern Mindanao and the BARMM; a creative producer of video, audio, and social media materials; and an emerging social media content management and promotions company. It soon plans to launch its own FM radio station soon.
Bacolod City: SERBISYO Patrol
Bacolod SERBISYO Patrol is a developmental communication project which features stories of progress, inspiring stories of Bacoleños, stories of survival, hope and unity that underscore what a Genuine Bacoleño especially in the midst of a pandemic.
The team includes former TV Patrol Bacolod anchor and executive producer Yasmin Pascual-Dormido and former ABS-CBN Bacolod Reporter Mark Salanga, Former TV Patrol Director Rene Jun Ogapong as Creative Editor, and Benjie Torre as Executive Producer.
“We believe that in the time of pandemic people would rather have more stories of hope and inspiration aside from helpful information on the ongoing covid 19 response of government and other services they can avail of from the government,” said Pascual-Dormido. “It also features outstanding Bacolodnons and stories of struggles and triumphs of micro and small entrepreneurs and how government can motivate people to keep going despite the hardships.”
The project started when Pascual-Dormido started vlogging soon after the ABS-CBN shutdown, and is a product of the team’s shared and collaborative vision.
“My vlog is all about positive stories as my personal vision mission, since for over 2 decades of media work, I’ve been mostly telling stories that are sad, gruesome, and negative. I though that because of the pandemic people would rather that are light and hopeful, rather than the depressing and negative news which have dominated media since the pandemic started.”
Yasmin Pascual-Dormido anchors Bacolod SERBISYO Patrol with Mark Salanga.
Bacolod SERBISYO Patrol is basically a public affairs digital platform presented in a magazine format and focused on developmental stories.
With a collective pool of resources made possible by their settlement package from ABS-CBN following the closure, the five former Kapamilyas set up their new media outfit.
“We’re a small team since we are already trained in multitasking, thanks to ABS-CBN. We outsource staff for additional camera work when the situation warrants.”
The team broadcasts from a virtual studio made possible by the latest software, and had its maiden broadcast last October 25, 2021 at 5PM simulcast on their FB Live and YouTube.
Cagayan de Oro: the Northern Mindanao Daily Source
Another venture born out of adversity, the Northern Mindanao Daily Source (NMDS) started on July 1, 2020, exactly a day after Sun Star Cagayan de Oro closed down a day earlier.
“We were told of the closure one month before, so we met right away to decide what we could do so we wouldn’t be idle,” said Alwen Saliring, former editor-in-chief of the closed paper. Joining him were Super Balita Cagayan de Oro Chief Reporter Stephanie Berganio, and Pamela Jay Orias, also a former editor in chief of Sun Star Cagayan de Oro.
Alwen Saliring anchors Northern MIndanao Daily Source’s one on one interviews which are streamed online in social media.
NMDS describes itself as a newly-established content and news provider in digital platform, committed to deliver quality information anchored on the tenets and ethics of journalism.
Despite its relatively new status as a digital news platform, the firm already has 145,000 followers on its FB page.
For now, Saliring said they are still newscasting from home due to restrictions mandated by the quarantine protocols to keep the covid-19 pandemic at bay.
“I use a virtual studio every time I go live for a news report,” Saliring said. “If it will already be allowed by then, we plan to rent a studio by January next year.”
At present, NMDS is focusing on news and information, and has managed to keep going since the three principals also have other means of livelihood.
“So far so good, we have been able to get public and private clients since we are a legitimate firm with a legal personality,” Saliring noted. “We also have other jobs, like I have a full teaching load at USTP (University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines) while Pam works for Philhealth and Steph also has a buy-and-sell business.”
Thus, most of the content creation for their FB page and website is done by Saliring and Berganio.
“I have managed to do it since my classes are still being held online, so this keeps me stuck in my computer most of the day,” Saliring confessed. “It really is rather stressful, since classes in USTP are still not regular and not all my students have internet access, I just manage my time, including my masteral classes. This situation has certainly improved my time management.”
Indeed, it sure beats staying at home with nothing to do all the time.
October 4, 2021 is the 31st Anniversary of the 1990 Mindanao Crisis, better known hereabouts as the Alexander Noble Mutiny.
It was counted as the seventh of the 1986-1990 coup attempts against the government of President Corazon C. Aquino and lasted from October 4-6, 1990 in the Northern Mindanao cities of Butuan, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.
There have been rumors that a coup attempt was brewing in the region for nearly six months.
Military sources said the mutineers were planning to stage ″pocket rebellions″ in remote areas of the country before striking in the capital.
Mrs. Aquino had previously survived six coup attempts since she took office in February 1986. In the most recent attempt, in December, rebels seized Manila’s financial district in bloody fighting and nearly toppled the government. Over 100 people were killed.
On Thursday, October 4th, 1990, a bomb exploded at a water pumping station at the Philippine Army headquarters in Manila three hours after the Mindanao base was taken, but caused no casualties.
It was the 35th explosion in the capital since August. Officials viewed the bombings as the work of military officers hoping to destabilize the country.
The 1990 Mindanao crisis began when rogue Col. Alexander Noble and his supporters seized two military garrisons in Cagayan de Oro and Butuan without firing a shot and unilaterally proclaimed the independence of the Federal Republic of Mindanao on Thursday, October 4, 1990.
According to an informed military source, Noble had gathered some 500 military followers from two infantry units that had been chasing him through the jungles of northern Mindanao for the past two months. The 43-year-old former deputy chief of Aquino’s Presidential Security Guard was also backed by about 200 Higaonon tribesmen and 1,500 civilian supporters of Reuben Canoy‘s Mindanao Independence Movement, the source said. Some 150 Scout Rangers from Iligan also declared their support.
Rebel Col. Alex Noble with his Higaonon bodyguards. (The Associated Press)
According to Noble, the proclaimed state would have a civilian-military junta as government. He later announced the next day that he was calling for dialogue with the Philippine government.
Noble is a former bodyguard of President Corazon C. Aquino. He had been hiding in the jungles of northern Mindanao since his involvement in plotting the two attempts against Aquino last December 1989. The police had offered a $40,000 reward for his capture.
Butuan
Officials said about 200 rebel soldiers launched the revolt about 1 a.m. on Thursday, October 10, 1990, seizing the 402nd Brigade army base in Butuan City. Flights to Mindanao were canceled and schools on the island were closed.
De Villa said soldiers from the 53rd Infantry Battalion, one of the units of the 402nd Brigade, organized the takeover.
The rebels later moved to Cagayan de Oro, 70 miles west of Butuan.
″This shows that the free Mindanao movement is not just propaganda,″ Noble told reporters at Camp Evangelista.
Iligan
Earlier Friday, about 150 Scout Rangers from the 23rd Infantry Battalion in Iligan City, 88 kms from Cagayan de Oro, declared their allegiance to Noble.
PAF North American T-28 Trojan (photo by Peter Steinmann)
Military officials reported government planes attacked and destroyed a Sikorsky AUH-76 gunship commandeered by the rebel soldiers.
Late Friday, the mutinous Rangers left their camp and marched to the heart of Iligan, where they planned to camp overnight.
Government forces did not attempt to stop them to avoid a firefight in the industrial center.
Cagayan de Oro
National Security Adviser Rafael Ileto said that the rebels hoped to establish a secessionist government on Mindanao, then ″move up north.″
Noble’s forces from Butuan parade along Velez Street in Cagayan de Oro surrounded by curious onlookers. (photo courtesy of Froilan Gallardo)
Witnesses said rebels were marching around the streets of Cagayan de Oro in a virtual ″victory parade,″ attracting large crowds of curiosity seekers.
But no other Philippine Army units joined the uprising, and it fizzled out after government planes bombed the rebel positions in Butuan City on Friday.
The Government’s air strike on Friday morning, by two T-28 fighters deployed from Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City, destroyed buildings, trucks and equipment at the camp in Butuan.
Air Response
To counter the rebellion, six AT-26D Trojans (colloquially known as “Tora-Toras”) from Mactan Air Base and another two from Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City, took-off to eliminate the rebel gunship and perform persuasion flights over Cagayan de Oro.
T-28 Trojans of the Philippine Air Force 15th Strike Wing (pinterest)
Lt. Hubert Yulo, one of the pilots from Mactan was on his first combat mission with Lt. Arne Mangubat. They reached Cagayan de Oro after one and a half hours but were unable to locate the rebel helicopter and with Yulo’s plane low on fuel, Mangubat decided to return to Mactan.
However, 20 minutes after turning back, Yulo reported engine vibration and soon after said his aircraft was losing power. Although he was ordered to eject, one of the pilots seeing a beach line below called out for him to ditch. But Yulo’s plane was descending too fast and was unable to reach the beach, so he ejected at around 100 feet and drowned underneath his parachute as he was unable to disengage from it.
Lt. Hubert Yulo (photo from PAF Historical Records courtesy of PAF Col. Francis Karem Elazegui Neri, MNSA)
Yulo became the sole casualty of the Noble uprising, ironically it turned out, as Noble apparently staged his mutiny without firing a single shot. In four previous coup attempts, at least 168 persons were killed and more than 900 wounded.
Government Response
President Corazon Aquino ordered the country’s security forces to stop the mutiny. The Armed Forces of the Philippines was put into red alert. Hundreds of troops were stationed near the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Manila due to a military report months before the rebellion warning of a coup attempt would follow an uprising in Mindanao.
Troops with anti-aircraft weaponry were stationed around the military compound while troops with anti-tank weaponry and machine gun stationed within the walled compound and outside its gates. Aquino’s military advisor, Mariano Adalem in a briefing for foreign diplomats said that Noble’s actions in Mindanao could be a distraction, and his actions in Mindanao a regional destabilization effort leading to a coup d’état.
Gen. Renato S. de Villa, the armed forces Chief of Staff, said he was ”100 percent” certain that Noble was coordinating with the leadership of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), an underground group of right-wing former military officers involved in previous coup attempts.
Analyzing the revolt before the surrender, Alexander Magno, a professor of political science at University of the Philippines, said: ”Apparently the underground network began to develop a plan, although it was not prepared to execute it as yet.”
”Noble, under pressure, initiated the plan independently, hoping to create momentum, hoping for support from comrades in the rebel military network,” he said. ”But a sequence of camp defections would have to occur quickly to build political momentum and force the Government to commit mistakes and to panic in the face of the defection. This didn’t occur and Noble became isolated.”
Peaceful Surrender
Accompanied by priests and local officials who negotiated his surrender, Noble gave himself up to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., a former mayor of the city, at 3:00 am of Saturday, October 6. Pimentel flew to the city Friday to offer himself as a negotiator to end the crisis.
Cagayan de Oro media interview Col. Alex Noble. (Photo courtesy of Herbie Gomez, lower right of photo)
Noble told reporters that his basic goal had been to call attention to Mindanao’s problems, and that he had achieved it, The Associated Press reported.
”At least the basic issues can be resolved peacefully,” the renegade colonel was quoted as saying.
“They want me to continue their cause for Mindanao, which is for the national government to give enough attention,” Pimentel said. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Besides Noble, government forces arrested renegade colonel Victor Erfe, a former coup plotter who had been hiding out on Mindanao for three years; Reuben R. Canoy, a Mindanao independence advocate and the rebellion’s leading civilian supporter; and about 200 other officers and enlisted men, military officials said. They said other rebels who changed into civilian clothes and fled were being hunted as part of “mopping up operations” on the northern coast of Mindanao.
Noble was escorted to Manila by military officials led by Brig. Gen Arturo Enrile, superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy. Despite the arrest, Noble claimed success in his goal into bringing attention to the issues affecting Mindanao.
Aquino’s Executive Secretary Catalino Macaraig said Noble and Erfe would face a court-martial. Canoy would be charged with rebellion before a civilian court.
US ambassador Nicholas Platt said that America “strongly condemns any effort to destabilize the elected Philippine government.”
The United States provided air support for Aquino in quelling the December uprising in which 119 people were killed and more than 500 were wounded.
Epilogue
In an online post dated August 24, 2013, Mindanao Gold Star Daily Editor in Chief Herbie Gomez, and veteran journalist Froilan Gallardo interviewed Noble 23 years after he led the 7th unsuccessful military rebellion against the Cory Aquino government.
“Froilan and I were among those who covered the pocket rebellion in October 1990,” Gomez remarked. “Early this week, we sat down and had coffee with Col. Noble and I asked him if he encountered the fleeing Brig. Gen. Miguel Sol (4th Infantry Division commander) after the siege of Camp Evangelista. He said, “Yes.” Sol allegedly told him: “Ikaw talaga Alex. Kung hindi dahil sa kalokohan mo, wala sana tayo dito ngayon.” Both faced the military court. Noble still has that pony tail 23 years later.”
In an even later interview published by the Philippine News Agency on March 1, 2020, Noble told journalist Alexander Lopez of the Philippine News Agency thatthe longstanding communist insurgency problem in the Philippines is deeply-rooted in economic inequality, not in ideology.
Lopez interviewed Noble at the headquarters of the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion based in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, during the unit’s 37th-anniversary celebration, served as the battalion’s seventh commander from April 10, 1980, to November 1, 1985. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
Lopez interviewed Noble at the headquarters of the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion based in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, during the unit’s 37th-anniversary celebration, served as the battalion’s seventh commander from April 10, 1980, to November 1, 1985.
The former Army official recalled that he once trained members of “Alimaong” when he served the intelligence service of the Army in the hinterlands of Esperanza and Sibagat, Agusan del Sur, in parts of Surigao del Sur, in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental, and in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.
“The warriors are an integral part of the tribe. They can effectively defend their territories and communities from the NPA,” he said.
However, this strategy must also be complemented by programs geared at improving the economic standing of the tribe members. Failure to address the economic side, he said, would render any effort to bring the IP communities on the government side unsustainable.
For instance, Noble said that despite the campaigns and training they provided to the tribal warriors, the NPA still managed to recruit them.
“The tribes were neglected. When the NPA did the recruitment, they (the tribe) were easily swayed and convinced to join the communist movement,” he added.
Noble also recalled the time he was invited to a National Security Council meeting in Malacañang during the administration of former president Fidel V. Ramos where the problem of insurgency was discussed.
“I told them that insurgency is not a political or military problem. Insurgency is an economic problem. The NPA recruitment is anchored on the poverty the ordinary people experience,” Noble said.
The former Army official said the government is on the right track when President Rodrigo Duterte introduced the “whole-of-nation” approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).
The new approach, he said, would address the core aspects of the insurgency problem in the country–economic inequality–by mustering the weight of the entire government to develop areas in the countryside that have long been a breeding ground for anti-government sentiments.
“All instrumentalities of the government must contribute and participate in the fight to finally end the insurgency,” he said. (Collated by Mike Baños)
Shortly after I got married in 1985, I worked as a medical representative for a German-based pharmaceutical company with Cagayan de Oro City, Bukidnon, Eastern Misamis Oriental and Gingoog City as my assigned territory.
I would make my rounds of Cagayan de Oro for two weeks, take a week long trip to cover Eastern Misamis Oriental and Gingoog City, and another week for Bukidnon from Manolo Fortich to Kibawe.
During these monthly trips to Bukidnon, I often hitched a ride in the Volkswagen Beetle of a fellow detail man whom we shall call Jean.
Vintage photo of the Sayre HIghway as it snakes through the Mangima Canyon in Dalirig-Tankulan, Manolo Fortich. (NARA)
During the mid-1980s, the roads in Bukidnon left much to be desired. The asphalted portion terminated at Malaybalay City and from thereon to Valencia (still a municipality) and beyond to Kibawe, the Sayre Highway was a two lane graveled road which threw up clouds of dust in summer and turned to a muddy morass during the rainy season.
But this story isn’t about Jean or me, but about his supervisor, a veteran detail man who was now Mindanao Manager whom we shall name Eadgar. Ed was an easy going fellow, and often regaled us with tales of the bad old days of detailing in Bukidnon, when the roads where even worse, and med reps often had to sleep in the residence of the doctors in their call list for want of a suitable motel or pension house in the immediate vicinity.
It was during one such sojourn in a distant barrio of Manolo Fortich that Ed was invited to stay with a doctor, since it was getting late when he called, and there was no pension house or inn he could sleep over during that time.
Even by the late 1970s, not much had changed in the condition of the Sayre Highway in Manolo Fortich since it was constructed in the early 1940s.
After they had taken dinner, his physician friend told Ed he could sleep in the couch in the living room with one proviso: under no circumstance was he to open the door after the midnight, no matter who was knocking on the door.
“Bakit po?” Ed asked (who was a Tagalog from Batangas). “Paano kung may emergency?”
“Ah, basta huwag na huwag mong buksan ang pintuan pagkatapos ng hating gabi!” (Under no circumstances should you open the door after midnight, no matter who is calling or what they’re saying) the doctor replied.
After a shared beer or two following dinner, the doctor excused himself and Ed went to sleep in the couch which his host had provided with some pillows and a blanket.
Being exhausted from the day’s calls and further bolstered by two beers, Ed instantly fell asleep but was rudely awakened by a frantic knocking at the door not quite three hours later.
“Doctor! Doctor!” a voice called from the outside. “Palihug tabang! Nagsakit akong amahan ug dili na kabakod! Maluoy ka Doctor! (Doctor, please help! My father is sick and cannot stand anymore! Have pity Doctor!)
Ed was up in an instant and was about to open the door when he remembered what his host warned him about and stayed put. However, the knocking at the door did not cease, but became even more frantic, until Ed could no longer stand it and went to the doctor’s bedroom where he knocked and asked, “Doc! Paano iyan? Baka delikado na iyong pasyente niyo?” (Doc, what now? Your patient might already be in dire straits?”)
His sleepy host opened the door and irately told him, “Di ba sabi ko sa iyo huwag mo pansinin kung sino man kumatok basta’t hating gabi na? Matulog ka na nga!” (Didn’t I tell you now to bother answering the door after midnight? Go back to sleep!”)
Mystified and a bit upset about the whole thing, Ed slowly went back to his couch but the knocking on the door continued unabated. After a few minutes, it resumed with even more vigor, but instead of a human voice, he now heard what he swears was a series of growls and hisses, followed by a scratching on the door, as if someone was running his fingernails across the wood.
It took quite some time for the racket from outside to subside and eventually in the wee hours of the morning after much tossing and turning, Ed finally dropped off to sleep from sheer exhaustion.
In the morning after breakfast with his kind host, he took his leave and left for the day’s rounds for the further parts of the province.
However, before he left the premises, he couldn’t resist sneaking a look at the door which was the source of all the commotion the night before. His eyes widened and he felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on their ends and a shiver run down his spine at what he saw.
There were several streaks on the wood which looked as if someone with a rake or really long fingernails scratched repeatedly at the door.
He told us he couldn’t remember seeing them the night before since it was quite dark already when he called on the doctor but he resisted going back to ask him about them and instead quickly hurried to his car and left the property as fast as he decently could, making the sign of the cross and repeatedly muttering the Lord’s prayer under his breath.
Needles to say, he never slept at that residence again, choosing instead to call on the doctor and leave early.
There’s more to the Mahangub Highlands Integrated Farm than meets the eye, far more than your usual tourist destination.
Owned by Elmer Velasco Sayre and his family, and now styled as the Sayre Highlands Resort, you can find it in Sitio Mahayag, Barangay Digkilaan in Manticao, Misamis Oriental.
As a B.S. Agriculture graduate of the Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan College of Agriculture who walks the talk, Sayre envisions the Sayre Highlands Resort as no mere farm-tour destination, but rather a training and outreach facility for his various advocacies.
Enjoy a respite with the simple country life at the Sayre Highlands Resort in Manticao, Misamis Oriental.
“With the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the mountains offers a respite, a means to re-charge ones soul and spirit, and learn something new,” Sayre said. “I am just starting to build a few huts with basic necessities where visitors can relax and enjoy, developing a modest children’s playground and a place where campers and adventurers can stay for the night, and establish a modest karaoke and library hub.”
“A farm during this time is ideal because the wide spaces and distance from each other can easily be maintained in order to avoid close contact without fear of the virus.”
Fruit of the Dragon
Although it is becoming increasingly common in the Philippines, not many people know that dragon fruit (also known as pitahaya and strawberry pear) is the fruit of various varieties of cacti belonging to the genus Selenicereus (formerly Hylocereus), both in the family Cactaceae.
Guests at the Sayre Highlands Resort can enjoy Unli Dragon Fruits during harvest time.
Sweet pitahayas come in three types, all with leathery, slightly leafy skin with prominent scaly spikes on the fruit exterior which most probably gave rise to the “dragon fruit” moniker.
The most common dragon fruit is Selenicereus undatus (Pitaya blanca or white-fleshed pitaya, also known as Hylocereus undatus) a pink-skinned fruit with white flesh. The red-skinned fruit with red flesh is Selenicereus costaricensis (Pitaya roja or red-fleshed pitaya, also known as Hylocereus costaricensis), while Selenicereus megalanthus (Pitaya amarilla or yellow pitaya, also known as Hylocereus megalanthus) is the yellow-skinned fruit with white flesh.
The fruit normally weighs from 150 to 600 grams although some may weigh as much as a kilo.
Dragon fruit is cultivated in Mexico, Southeast Asia, India, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, Mesoamerica and throughout tropical and subtropical world regions.
Sayre started growing dragon fruit in early 2019 after he dropped by a dragon fruit plantation in Zamboanga del Sur.
“I interviewed the dragon fruit farmer and she said that dragon fruit is a very lucrative and high-valued crop because of its many health benefits, and demand and prices for it is always high,” he recalls.
Prior to this, Sayre was growing vegetables in his 8-hectare farm, but had issues with the highly fluctuating market, high usage of pesticides, low shelf-life of some vegetables, and savvy traders reaping profits at the farmers’ expense by dictating low prices.
“At that time I did not know of any farmer raising dragon fruit in commercial scale in Misamis Oriental, so I decided to do a trial crop with about 200 posts. Dragon fruits are grown in concrete posts supported by a used tire on top,” he explained.
A glimpse of a portion of the Dragon Fruit Plantation of the Sayre Highlands Resort showing the post with a junk tire used to propagate the cuttings.
Sayre figured that with 200 posts, he would be ensured of a sufficient supply of cuttings for expansion if the venture proved successful. Although they can also be grown from seeds, dragon fruit is best grown from cuttings of a mature plant.
“In 2020, I harvested my first crop and true enough, demand was indeed very high, with my harvest practically sold out at the farm, and only a few fruits sold to neighbors in our place in Initao town,” he recalls with a smile.
Even though he sold his dragon fruit at only P100 per kilo (vs. the market price of P150 at the time), Sayre still turned a handsome return from his first harvest of 600 kilos.
Roadside dragon fruit stall selling the farm’s produce along the national highway.
He immediately stopped growing vegetables and focused on expanding his dragon fruit plantation with the mature cuttings from his first plants, side stepping the problem most often encountered by novice dragon fruit farmers.
The Sayre Highlands
Encouraged by the fruits of his first harvest, Sayre decided to develop his farm into a resort with a twist, where visitors can enjoy the ambience of the mountains, see the plants growing, learn dragon fruit farming techniques, and come harvest time, taste the sweet, delectable fruits straight from the plants.
Your choice, fresh dragon fruit, wine, jam or ice cream. Elmer Sayre does agricultural extension the fun way.
To further strengthen his various advocacies, the Sayre Highlands Resort is now an accredited Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) by the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center 10 (ATI-RTC 10) based in El Salvador City, as well as an accredited Learning Site of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for 3 TEC-VOC Courses (Produce Organic Concoctions and Extracts, Produce Organic Fertilizer, and Produce Organic Vegetables).
In addition, Sayre researched downstream products to further encourage the long term demand for his harvest with dragon fruit wine, ice cream, salad, pastries, and vinegar.
A plate of dragon fruit, a bottle of dragon fruiit wine, and Thou (left photo courtesy of Angie Derequito Torniado). Dragon Fruit Cake by Arlene Taduran (right).
Although he has successfully grown some varieties of dragon fruit, his best-selling varieties are the Moroccan Red and Vietnamese White.
He is now also experimenting with LED lights to induce the growth of flowers during off-season to be able to supply dragon fruit to the market all year round.
“Starting October the dragon fruit seldom produces flowers due to the shorter availability of daylight. With the LED lights, hopefully we can induce the plants to continue producing flowers and fruits. However, we need to maintain plant health and vigor in order for them to continue producing large fruits.”
First off-season dragon fruit buds, effect of applying supplemental light to mature plants. The experiment aims to make the dragon fruit plants bear fruit year round.
Winter may be coming, but we have learned never to underestimate the Dragon Lord of the Mahangub
Highlands, and he could just surprise us with the luscious fruit throughout the different seasons.
The House of Representatives unanimously approved with a 195-0 vote on third and final reading on September 7, 2021 House Bill No. 9850, a measure integrating a comprehensive study of Philippine history during World War II (WW2) into the Higher Education curriculum.
The World War II in the Philippines Education Act mandates the study of World War II in the Philippines, to cover 50% of the mandatory Philippine History subject being offered under the general education curriculum in higher education courses.
It also directs the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to develop, in close collaboration with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office-Department of National Defense (PVAO-DND) the program to execute and implement the measure.
National Conference on the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II in the Philippines (NHCP)
HB 9850 also encourages all higher education institutions to keep in their libraries adequate books, resources and reference materials on WW2 in the Philippines.
However, the measure has drawn criticism from a number of netizens, mostly regarding the apparent haste of its approval, and how it constitutes an inordinately big proportion of the Philippine History subject at the tertiary level.
“The bill mandates the integration of World War II in the Philippine History subject, requiring that it cover not less than 50% of the subject. Anybody who has taught Philippine history knows how ludicrous and out of touch with reality this sounds,” said John Lee Candelaria, a PhD candidate from Japan’s Hiroshima University in an opinion piece “The dangers of a World War II-centered Philippine History subject” posted Sept. 20 in Rappler.com.
“Covering the entirety of the nation’s history in sixteen weeks for a semester is a feat that requires cutting topics here and there…There was not much time to focus on the contemporary period, let alone World War II. The war itself lasted only a little over three years — 1941 to 1945. The war may be short, but it is an important historical event that had lasting implications for the country later on. Still, to dedicate half of the subject to the war discounts the equally critical historical events and periods consequential to our identity today.”
The 35th Japanese Imperial Army surrenders to the Allies on Sept. 8, 1945 at Camp Impalambong, Malaybalay (courtesy of Mrs. Marion Hess, (widow of Fredrick W. Hess, Jr.) as President of the 124th Infantry Regiment Association & posted by The History Crier, a publication of IndianaMilitary.org
“Such focus on World War II also privileges this historical event over other wars the Philippines has been involved in, such as the Philippine Revolution against Spain, and the Philippine-American War. It also demotes other historical conflicts that also deserve attention, such as the conflict in Mindanao,” he observed.
Feedback
“I read Mr. Candelaria’s piece in Rappler and fully agree with it,” said Ricardo T. Jose, History Professor at UP-Diliman and acknowledged as the country’s foremost scholar on the Second World War in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific.
“When I first learned about the bill, it was to develop a separate course, like the Rizal course, dedicated to WWII in the Philippines. But what happened was that it now mandates 50% of the Philippine History course in college to be devoted to WWII. Given the K-12 curriculum, which reduced the amount of time for Philippine history, it seems unfair to take 50% of the college course for WWII. While our WWII heroes have to be given credit and more awareness should be developed, I don’t think it should be at the expense of other aspects of Philippine history,” he explained.
Dr Ricardo T Jose is hosted by WW2 History Buffs in Cagayan de Oro.
“My own personal feeling is it was not that well discussed and stakeholders were not involved in the formulation of the bill. A lot of positive input might have been provided to ensure a win-win situation.”
Jose specializes in military and diplomatic history, focusing on the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
“Every Filipino should know of Filipino heroism in WWII,” said former Misamis Oriental Provincial Board Member Cromwell G. Generalao. “But to develop a strong nation, we should give more emphasis on pre-history and pre-colonial native Filipino achievements and the richness of the Filipino native culture in DepEd. I prefer the study and allow our youth to appreciate our own roots, our own capabilities, rather than reflecting on our identity to foreign influences and our responses to foreign interventions. It is more fundamental to learn of our own native culture that should be the basis of our socio-economic systems, instead of merely adopting American, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, or Arab models.”
Desiree Ann Cua Benipayo, author of HONOR, a biography of World War II hero Jose Abad Santos, winner of the Nonfiction Prose prize at the 2019 National Book Awards, and executive producer of the similarly titled film documentary, expressed her apprehensions.
“You very well know my advocacy for WW2 education, but this HB was done blitzkrieg style. No discussion with university heads was done. To incorporate it into the general Phil. History course, and make it at least 50% of the syllabus is impossible. As it is, this course is already sorely lacking in class hours to include pre-colonial to contemporary history.”
“Instead of increasing and nurturing the interest of students in WW2 history, it will be a burden considering the required volume of readings. I am privy to and actually part of the group who lobbied for this around 3 years ago, but had left it due to my busy-ness. At the time, we were lobbying for a separate elective class on WW2 history only. Something interested students can get as their elective, with a very WW2-adept professor. This I truly supported.”
“To my surprise (and horror), the lobbying got radical and imposed this as a big chunk of the already jam-packed Phil History course! Of course the universities and professors will react.”
“When the HB was approved, I was anything but jubilant for the reasons I cited. Instead of creating interest in WW2, it will be a burden pa for both teachers and students. This bill wasn’t thought of thoroughly, sad to say.”
Benipayo is also the Vice President for Research and Education at the Philippine World War II Memorial Foundation (PhilWar) which aims to initiate, develop, and carry-out projects and activities that will educate and enlighten the Filipino people, especially the youth about our World War II history.
Jose shared a similar experience when he was asked a couple of times to comment on the draft bill.
“I did not know anything about the bill until someone brought it to my attention in February 2019, when I was emceeing an important international conference on the Battle of Manila. A note was slipped in saying there was a bill to that effect. I did not hear anything more about it until early this year, when I was asked if I could comment on a draft. I would have done so but I was so busy with my regular classes that I was unable to go over it. Besides, there was no timetable given and no follow up,” he said.
“Then a couple of months ago I was contacted by PVAO to ask if I could be a consultant on the bill. I was provided a hard copy of some materials. Again, there was no timetable and I thought they would contact me to schedule a meeting to discuss it. There was no follow up whatsoever, and the next thing I heard – via the mainstream media – was that the lower house had passed the bill.”
“While hearings were held, I was not aware of them. I asked the chair of the UP History Department if he knew about the bill, and he said he did not. So were any of the affected educational institutions – history departments of various universities and colleges consulted? It would have been good if they were, at least so there was more transparency and open discussion. Things like this are better discussed among those most affected, i.e. the teachers and history departments,” he added.
“I think Cong Roman’s intent is okay. Maybe the wording and implementation needs some adjustment,” said Miguel Angelo C. Villa-Real, First Vice President of the Philippine Veterans Bank Marketing Communications Division.
The Philippine Veterans Bank’s War of our Fathers Exhibit at SM City Cagayan de Oro in October 2016. (RMB)
“But for the majority of Gen Z, the majority of them don’t have an active interest in history in general. I also agree with BGen Resty that more time must be given than the 1-2 pages in our current curriculum. Des is right that an elective course or a GE course may be more suited just to get that information base in their heads to spur interest but not to solve everything. It’s a start.”
“To connect to a broader audience, it has to connect in a personal way, as taught by Dr Rico (Jose) and what I’ve learned from 15 years of promoting WWII history around the country. I agree video is the way to go and that may awaken their interest since Gen Z are more visual. However, to reach them, they have to be short videos (5-7 minutes is long for them). Films are too long for their very short attention span, for most of them anyway. Basing it from research in the advertising and communications industry.”
“While legislating the study of WW2 is one way, care must be taken to ensure that the courses developed are truly interesting. We already have enough required textbooks that are of such lousy quality as to turn off the student from what would otherwise be interesting course material. I think the emphasis should be on interesting content, not requiring it,” noted Dennis Posadas, an amateur history buff who has written a few screenplays about the War. “You don’t need Congress to legislate interest. You just need to make it interesting.”
Genesis of the bill
However, one of the bill’s major proponents assures the measure was neither a spur-of-the-moment initiative, nor was it railroaded through Congress.
“It was the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) and the Department of National Defense (DND) in collaboration with groups of descendants of WW2 in the academe who started this,” said BGen Restituto L. Aguilar (ret), former chief of the PVAO Veterans Memorial and Historical Division, and now executive director of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
BGen Restituto Aguilar (ret) featured in the Metro Cagayan de Oro Times.
“Contrary to the impression that it was rushed, the bill was first drafted in 2019 and there were hearings conducted. I attended once at the Congress in 2019. I represented PVAO when I was still the Chief of Veterans Memorial and Historical Division. We also took into consideration the US Curriculum which was provided to me by Des,” Aguilar commented.
“The version of the War in the Pacific was what was adopted by the schools for California and perhaps Hawaii where the greater number of Filipino-Americans are residents. We crafted the version that would suit the Philippine situation. The set of documents were all submitted to the office of Congressman Romulo which was thoroughly studied by his staff.”
“The US curriculum was used to create the Philippine version,” says Marie L. Silva-Vallejo, a historical researcher and author of The Battle of Ising. “I have not read the US version but I believe for the Philippine version, it should be at deeper levels in each island, and citing specific guerrilla and civilian heroes. We should gather all the local WWII information that we have to craft a good version. There are a handful of local WWII books and articles written by veterans of the war and many are unpublished. A class on WWII might just bring out these unpublished works that are a part of our WWII history for preservation.”
Marie Vallejo lectures veterans and their families on how they can use the Philippine Collection from the US National Archives to support their claims. (RMB)
Ms. Vallejo and her team digitized surviving records of Filipino regular soldiers and guerrillas during World War II known as the Guerrilla Unit Recognition Files (GURF) from the Philippine Archives Collection of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington D.C. in June-October 2015 with the support of PVAO.
Phase I of the digitized files collectively known as the BGen. Francisco H. Licuanan, Jr. World War II Memorial Collection were uploaded at the PVAO website and now made available to the general public, educational institutions and libraries.
“The records were proof of the guerrillas’ resistance to drive out the invaders. Numerous names are in the records both guerrillas and civilians they fought with, or provided them the needed support to continue the fight,” Vallejo notes.
“From the information in the records, I was informed of an NHCP marker that was established to commemorate the town’s guerrilla fighters, meetings on an island’s war history held, school exhibits held, and professors using the stories in their classes. It is fortunate that the records were kept in the US Archives because it was offered to the Philippine government to keep.”
Aguilar further clarifies that the bill is still a work-in-progress and not yet set in stone.
“Unfortunately, the bill was so broadly stated but the details will be the next aspect to be tackled. The documents submitted may not satisfy the standards of those who are more knowledgeable than us but we tried our best. It was never our intention to take a big chunk of the History curriculum. The language in the bill was not ours,” he further noted.
“It was not a knee jerk reaction. It was a product of about 5 years of intense study by our shop at PVAO. You are aware of our commemorations of WW2 all over the country with PVAO on the lead. We hold ceremonies to honor our veterans and in all those awarding ceremonies, we give each veteran proper research-based on his military service record on what he or she did during the war.”
Reenactment of the 75th Anniversary of MacArthur’s arrival at Macabalan Pier following his Breakout from Corregidor, 13 March 2017. (Froilan Gallardo)
“In all those travels over the country, we always end up being requested by DepEd teachers for a copy of the citations we read for each veteran. Each year, we honor 20-40 veterans, and the teachers were amazed that there were local heroes in their midst and why study Rizal and other heroes while they have their own home grown ones.”
“I was part of those who were invited to say about the proposal submitted not based on the whims but based on feedback from students and professors on 2-day seminars conducted in 2 universities in Pangasinan, 1 in Baguio and 2 Academies (PMA and MAAP).”
“A proposal was initially made by SND to Chairman, CHED and that eventually was studied by Cong. Romulo who authored the bill. He sponsored one seminar in Pasig for selected students and teachers of various schools in Pasig, and the feedback was similar with the 5 seminars earlier conducted. The documents needed by the Congressman were part of the references in the possession of the committee.”
Further studies urged
Benipayo urged Cong. Romulo to further elucidate on the text of the bill since she had received many negative reactions to it.
“We all want WW2 history highlighted but as my historian friends put it, paano pa isisingit, eh kulang pa nga ang oras. This is a victory, but will be a hollow one when the teachers/professors are not comfortable implementing it,” she stressed.
“World War II in the Philippines is such a broad subject. I agree with Desiree that it would be better if this was an elective, rather than a standard syllabus in history class. Besides, the standard WW2 topics are covered already in history subjects,” said Tony Feredo, a member of the Pacific Air War History Associates (PAWHA), and recognized as one of the country’s leading authorities in military aviation and coastal artillery.
Screenshot from Tony Feredo’s Blog ShellWings
Feredo is an avid fan of history and specializes in military aviation and coastal artillery, which he posts in his blog Shellwings. His main interests are the air war, seacoast fortifications and military campaigns in the Philippines during the Second World War.
“Anything specific or details on subjects of interest in WW2 would be best tackled in an elective. Even professional historians and we WW2 enthusiasts are still learning to this day in spite of our vast collection of resources and decades of research,” he adds.
High school students at the 75th Anniversary Exhibit of MacArthur’s Breakout at Centrio Mall on 14 March 2017. (RMB)
Benipayo concurs.
“Imagine if the elective class was enrolled in by young WW2 enthusiasts, ang saya siguro. They would not feel that they’re forced to read, but they would devour these readings and enjoy them too! That would be a victory if the house bill called for this. We’ll help in any way we can to make this house bill a more realistic and easily implementable one.”
Rationale and Process
Aguilar further explained the rationale for the bill and the process it has so far undergone at this point.
“The heroism of ordinary Filipinos remains to be told. The study of WW2 is beneficial at the regional and the local level because each family will be proud of their forebears,” he noted.
Personal memoirs like those authored by former guerrilla Jesus Ilogon (left) and civlian Solomon B. Pimentel are invaluable resources in the local history of the global conflictin Northern Mindanao.
“There were still a lot to learn from WW2 as the records have just been retrieved from the US National Archives that were taken from the guerrillas in the course of making their benefit claims and were kept by the Americans for 70 years.”
In WW2, there were 18 million Filipinos. 1 million died and about 500,000 veterans were recognized by the US and Philippine governments. There were about 100,000 more unrecognized because of lack of documentation. Japanese occupation was all over the country and guerrilla operations were present in practically all provinces of the country from Batanes to Tawi- Tawi.
“I believe the study of World War II is a gateway to naming a lot of anonymous heroes that the country has not appropriately honored when they were still alive.”
“That was the background of all of these. It was a long process. It was not because Cong. Romulo is a descendant of a hero, but we have undergone the process of going through the study of its need through seminars aside from the comments during awarding ceremonies for the period from 2014 to 2019 when we can still freely roam around.”
Ways forward
Although they have their differences on how this initiative would be finally implemented, all agree that further spadework and research is needed before it could be brought to the classrooms.
“The intent was first to have a law because it is the most difficult part to do. The law is always said in broad terms. The details can be done in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) where those who are knowledgeable can share their inputs to improve whatever flaws that might be addressed,” Benipayo suggested.
“Remember, in the textbooks, WW2 is only discussed in a very short part. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, invaded the Philippines, Bataan and Corregidor fell, the Japanese occupied the country and then MacArthur returned and liberated the Philippines. That was what the teachers were commenting on in our awarding ceremonies before. They have local heroes that they did not know contributed to their freedom.”
“Definitely our WW2 heroes have to be better known and appreciated. It might be noted that not all of them might be categorized as veterans, as there were many who gave up their lives who were never in uniform or never a part of the military,” Jose noted. “One only has to look at the one-thousand-peso bill. Only one of the three was a soldier; the others gave up their lives outside the military service.”
Memoirs of foreign national like American Jesuit Fr Edward Haggerty (left) and Philippine-born Japanese Hiroyuki Mizuguchi are primary sources of the main WW2 adversaries in Mindanao.
“From that initial exposure, a separate subject on WWII is offered with emphasis on local heroes, guerrillas and civilians. Integrate and emphasize each islands’ heroes to the eventual liberation plans so they are not isolated cases,” Vallejo added.
Aguilar agrees this would be the best way to move forward in advocating for the bill’s original intent.
“No matter how imperfect it may be now, let us just support it and make the necessary adjustments in the IRR,” he replied when queried on how the perceived shortcomings in the bill should be addressed.
“The IRR would include lots of explanatory notes which would answer most of the contentious aspects of the bill. Let us help each other because there are lawmakers who were co-authors of the bill that would push the so-called nationalistic version,” he noted. “In our initial discussions, they indicated the need to explain the role of the Hukbalahap all over the country. We have nothing against this, but we are pushing more for the regionalized or localized history of the war as indicated by the people where we went to.”
“Agree, I think we should help in the crafting of the IRR. The most difficult part is the first step which is legislation. Imagine since the end of the war nothing came even close to teaching this part greater than the 1 or 1 1/2 pages in the textbook about WW2 was done. Let us take advantage of it instead,” Villa-Real opined.
Cagayan de Oro students and their teachers gained valuable insights from the late Virginia Hansen Holmes who related her war-time experience in Northern Mindanao in two lectures during the week-long General Douglas MacArthur Week celebrating the 75th anniversary of the general’s Breakout from Corregidor in March 13-17, 2017. (RMB)
“WW2 history has always to be a part of a broader discourse or context of Philippine history. It can’t be studied in a vacuum. My take is that a portion of WW2 history lesson or course should be the LOCAL WW2 history,”. “That’s the only way to get students interested – if it’s closer to home, literally. In other words, the local WW2 stories should be part of the curriculum. That’s the only way it will connect and have an impact on young minds. Otherwise, memorization of dates, names and places na naman yan.”
