Chapter 5 – My Elementary Studies & Experiences on the First Philippine National Elections
In 1949, when I was 8 years old, I got my first experiences in national and local elections. It was in Cawayan, Carles, the northernmost town of Iloilo province in Panay Island, Central Philippines. I was in Grade 11 at Cawayan Elementary School. The previous year, in Grade 1, I studied at Abong Elementary School, about two kilometres north from our home in Cawayan.
In Grade 11, I still do not know how to read and write. But I can memorize the whole book of “Pepe & Pilar” the book for Grade 1 and Grade 11. “Pepe and Pilar” I think, has some 30 pages. I can read the whole book if I could see the pictures on the other side of page of the book. I can also count from 1 to 100. I do not know the letters and the numbers when asked. Our teacher in Grade 1 was Mrs Candilaria Ocena, a beautiful and quite fat lady. She tried to teach me to read and write but I failed to learn. She succeeded teaching me to speak and to memorize numbers. She also taught us to dance, a lovely dance “Itik-itik”. She walked every day, about two kilometers morning and afternoon from her home to and back. But we were happy with Mrs. Occena teaching us.
My father, I think saw that I do not know how to read, though I could memorized. He asked me to read the story on the book. My father want me to learn to read. But his methods made me more hard headed and miserable. One day, he asked me to read the bookl I read it loud. I read it will. Then, he covered the pictures on the page of the book. Without the picture, I do not know how to read it anymore. My father got a spoonful of salt and made me eat it. He said swallowing salt will make me learn fast. I swallowed the spoonful of salt. I left a kind of stirring in my throat. My father asked me to read the book again with the pictures open. And I read it fast. He asked me to read again with the pictures covered. I still cannot read. And I was made to eat another spoon of salt.
It was when in Grade 111, that I started to learn to read. My teacher, Mr. Crisanto Bartolome was a graduate of Iloilo School of Arts and Trade (ISAT), in Iloilo City. He was also well known carpenter. His way of teaching enabled me to open my mind and learned to read. Soon, I began to learn to read and write. Now, I know that teaching was an art. The way of teaching, helped much young children to learn. Challenging and motivation play a big role in teaching children.
Mr. Crisanto Bartolome got a consonant from among the alphabets and a vowel. When he taught me to write my name, he got consonant “r” then put a vowel “o”, got another consonant “d” and put another vowel “o” then another consonant “l”, another consonant “f” and another vowel “o”. Then he read slowly my name. “Rodolfo”. I tried to remember it. I spelled it. And read again and again. That was how I learned to read and wrote my name. It was simple. Just get a consonant. Add a vowel. Another consonant and add another vowel. Soon, I learned the magic and power of words. Some consonants plus one of the 5 vowels, when combined and turned into words, become powerful force in life, in war, in politics, in business and the works for peace, development, freedom, justice and liberation.
A few months after I learned a little of consonants and vowels, I wrote my first love letter to my classmate. My classmate was lovely. She was petite, brown skin with straight hairs. Like me, she also watch her father’s carabao when we have no classes. Sometimes, we ride together on the carabao while we graze them. I want to tell her I love her. By then, I do not know yet much about love for girls. But at times, when I looked at a girl, I feel something scratching in my breast. I wrote my first love letter to my classmate. We often played games with other classmates.
I sat and wrote her my love letter. I got a consonant. Then add a vowel. And so on. I wrote my first love letter to her. It was a good feeling, writing my first love letter at Grade 111. My letter reads “I lab yo”. Soon I leaned to write with correct spelling. From that first love letter, I wrote lots of things. And writing became part of my life, my ministry as a Baptist pastor and my future. Today, I still write. But not love letters anymore. I wrote love letters to my wife. But I stopped writing her a love letter when I became a widow. I would like, in the future to write stories, beautiful love stories for friends to read.
I learned, the presidential and local elections in 1949 will be held on November. Less than a yrar ago, sometimes in 1948, I learned that President Manuel Roxas who comes from Capiz province, died of heart attack. I heard he was preparing to speak in a big meeting. But he felt the pain in his heart. And he died. The Philippines lost the first elected President after the US-Japanese war. Elpidio Querino, the Vice President took over the presidency. President Quirino ran for President in the election of November 1949. The country will elect the President, Vice President and Congressmen. I cannot remember if Senators were elected also that time. But the Mayors, Vice Mayors and Councilors were also elected.
Three political parties contested the elections that year. I have not seen any candidate for President, Vice President and Senators visited our village. I have not seen any candidate for Congressman and governor. But I saw some of their posters and sample ballots. I have also seen some of their pictures. I saw many of there leaflets. I learned of the presidential and vice presidential candidates campaign thru small planes, Piper Cabs, with a banner of the candidates’ name tied on the tails of the plane that flew 100 meters up on the air during the election campaigns.
On big red or black letters, the name of the candidates flew, attached to the tail of the planes. It clearly. tells the name of the candidate and the office he was running. Like this one, attached on the tail of the plane, 100 meters above us. It said “AVELINO FOR PRESIDENT” In another airplane it said “Querino for President.”
The small planes flew from Iloilo City to Carles about 168 kms. And turn around, passing under route, perhaps to Roxas City to Aklan and Antique to Iloilo City. Posters and Sample Ballots were dropped from the planes. We ran to retrieve some of them and gave to our parents. We bring some leaflets home. We need candidates leaflet also to light firewoods in our stoves. This was how the campaigns for President, and Vice President and Senators reached our village.
About 3 months before election, the candidates for mayor, vice mayor and the 8 councilors running for office organized themselves for visiting homes. There were three political parties in Carles. The candidate for mayor and 4 candidates for councillor were in one team. The Vice Mayor and 4 candidates for councilors go in another team. They divide the village for the two teams They start early, at 8:00 AM. They went visitations house to house, until late in the evenings.
At one time, at 10:00 A.M. the candidates arrived. father and mother were at home. They talked to my parents. I listened as the candidates talks. The candidates for councilors smiles to my parents and whispered. During the campaign period, they visited house to house campaigning with different families. The 3 mayoral and vice mayoral candidates and their councilors visited the houses.
And they attached some posters in homes. During those times, there were no radio. And no cars in our village. Very few bicycles. There was only one bus that carries passenger from Carles to Balasan. Often, we just walked. The candidates running for office just walked. They walked to reached homes before the sun goes down.
As I reflect today, I think, it was hard job to visit families the whole day, asking each to vote for you. For it needs strength to ask people to vote for you, as you are better man than the other for the position. Campaigns today, in the electronic age, is much, much easier. You do not need to be really honest, for a candidaates face is away, a thousands miles away. It hard to be elected mayor, vice mayor or councilors in our town. They walked whole day telling people to vote for them.
Campaign rallies were held in our villages by the 3 political parties two months before the 1949 election. The people gathered late in the evening, after the sun has gone down. A kerosene lamp, called “hazag” which was pumped with air gave a powerful light. About 4 of this “hazag” were used that evening. And each candidates spoke about 15 minutes each. The mayor and vice mayor candidates, spoke longer, about 30 minutes each. There were no loud speakers. But the voices of the candidates were strong. They asked the people to vote for them.
There were some 40 villages in the Carles municipality. About 24 of the villages were in the islands. 16 villages in mainland of Carles. It was harder campaigning in the islands. But the candidates rode sail boats to each of the islands during the campaigns. And they went house to house visiting families in the island villages trying to win their votes. I cannot remember anymore the names of the candidates for Mayor, Vice Mayor and the Municipal Councilors.
The candidates for Presidents were Elpidio Querino, (Querino Wing) of the Liberal Party, Jose P. Laurel, Nationalist Party and Jose Avelino (Avelino Wing) of the Liberal Party. Running for vice Presidents were Fernando Lopez, Liberal Party (Querino Wing), Manuel Briones, (Nacionalista Party) and Vicente Francisco, Liberal Party (Avelino Wing). Do you know why there was a Querino Wing of the Liberal Party? And Avelino Wing of the Liberal Party?
I cannot remember anymore what were the platforms and the issues. One candidate for president I heard more was Jose Avelino. He seemed to be popular and controversial candidate. I heard that Jose Avelino was asked about some corruption issue against him. That he was a “corrupt politician”. His answers were quoted and reached far flung in the four corners of the country. His answer was clear and strong. “What are we in power for?!”. During that time, I did not know the meaning of those words from one of the Presidential candidates.
But this words made Avelino popular nationwide. “What are we in power for.” But it made him lost greatly in the election. I do not know how far was vote buying was practiced during that time. In our village, I think vote buying was not rampant yet. The biggest issue on corruption against President Elpidio Querino was “Golden Orinola” that he used in Malacanang Palace. But I heard it was not really “golden orinola.” It was just an “orinola” made of bronze. It was not very expensive.
During election day, the three candidates for mayors slaughtered each a carabao for lunch of the voters. The food preparations by the candiates where in 3 homes. There the voters go to have lunch after they have voted. The voting was started at 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. The Voting Precincts were 3 rooms of Cawayan Elementary School. After voting, the voters went to the 3 houses where candidate’s foods were served. Yes, many voters go to the 3 houses were food were served.
Most voters were able to eat three lunches during that election day. Many of us children also got good meals that election day. For our uncles and unties served meals during the election. And we children were also given food, also three lunches during the day.
At about 7:00 PM the vote counting was started. That was called “Escoteno” or Election canvasing. The preparation for the canvassing was made. There were “watchers” from the three political parties. There were the counters. The watchers will make sure that the reader, reads the names correctly while counting was going on. There were the counter who wrote the number of votes on the blackboard. There were watchers of the 3 political parties. Children were allowed to watch the canvassing from the window outside the classrooms
It was about 1:00 AM when the canvassing was finished. The result were recorded in the blackboard for everybody to see. The result of village election, was put in box and brought to Municipal Treasurer’s Office with the signatures of the Precinct Comelec Officer and other officers served as witnesses. This were later sent, I was told by the Municipal Office to the Provincial Office and to the National Office in Manila. The election results for national offices were released to the people nearly a month later.
In our precinct, Elpedio Querino won for president. Fernando Lopez, won as Vice President. I do not remember those elected senators. It was really fun, and healthful to attend elections, with abundant food from slaugthered carabaos from the mayoral and vice mayoral candidates.
The national and local elections in our village was peaceful. There were no story of vote buying. No story of killings on election day. In our village there were no very rich and elites running to get more power. There were no landed people who run to get elected. Most of our people in the villages of Carles were not feudal lords
We have learned how election happened and practiced. And when we grow older, we can also participate in the electoral processes. During that time, the mayoral and vice mayoral candidates were not graduates in college. Some were only elementary school graduates. Some are primary grades. But they have developed the political, business and entreprenuerial skills and ability to make money and organised their group to participate in electoral process.
For in those times, in our municipality vote buying, I heard were practice but not yet rampant. We need only 3 carabaos to slay and two cavans of rice for the food of voters in the villages. Three feeding voters area for voters each village. I heard carabaos were slaughtered in all villages, where elections were held. And I heard, some money were given by the candidates to some voters secretly. And as the years went by, election has become more expensive and rampant voting were accepted. Elections has become a business enterprise, part of the game plans of the elites and the oligarchs to control political and business power of all the municipalities in the country.
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