Chapter 8 –My First Year High School at Salaman Institute, Libak, Cotabato in 1954
My journey to get a high school education was long and hard. After my graduation from Grade VI in Carles Elementary School, in Iloilo, my father and mother, thought it would be good If they go to Mindanao where opportunities may be better than in Carles. There were virgin lands offered by the government for homesteaders who will venture in Mindanao. My father responded. With my two uncles, Eldefonso Alvaro and Estelito Bernal, they went to Mindanao in 1953.
My father, a veteran of the 2nd World War saw the challenge. He told me, “Mindanao Is called the ‘Land of Promise’. We will go there to seek a better future.” During the Presidency of Ramon Magsaysay, he opened Mindanao to adventurous farmers from Luzon and Visayas to explore new life in that “Land of Promise”. Many veterans of the US-Japanese war together with some HUKS in Central Luzon went to Mindanao. My father and my two uncles, brought our big male carabao, took a passenger ship from Estancia, Iloilo to Libak, Cotabato. They told me, they were on the sea for 6 days. They ventured to Mindanao with very high hopes and some big dreams.
Since there was no port in Libak, the passengers has to dis-embarked from the ship and rode small bancas to the shore, a distance of about 1 kilometer. My uncle, Eldefonso, an experienced fisherman, swam with our carabao to the shore. He wrapped his feet with black socks so that his foot will not attract sharks. He told me. that was the first time he swam the sea in Mindanao. He don’t know the situations and sharks may be infesting the sea. With black socks on his feet, he rode the carabao and led it swimming to the seashore.
Months later, when I came and enrolled in Libak school, I joined my classmate and visited the shore where father landed when they came. I saw the very beautiful place. The seashore has coconut plantations. And the homes were small but well built. The shores were very clean and fishermen arrived every morning with their catch fishes. I think, 75% of the people of the community were Muslims. There were some flower gardens that were will developed. One of the big orchids plantations, was managed and owned by a De Pedro family, who were political leaders in the Cotabato. I heard, their Waling-waling orchids and some flowers were exported to other countries.
My father has a relative in Libak, Mr. Pedro Olarte. His family came from Capiz. He was a tailor. A very good tailor in the town. His younger brother, Ernesto Olarte was also a tailor, who has a tailoring shop in Kalamansig, a coastal village of Libak, about 10 kilometers away. Tay Endo Olarte lived in a house with his wife and 8 children, two have finished college, 2 were in high school and the others in elementary and grade schools.
His eldest son was working in Guam. And his daughter, the 2nd child, help him manage their tailoring business. His third son, Nelson was 4th year high school and was planning to take medicine.
My father, two uncles and me, stayed in the house of Tay Endo Olarte for several months. My father planned what they will do. My father and uncle, Estelito help in farming – plowing, harrowing and planting rice. My uncle, Eldefonso, has to work so that we will have something to eat before harvest. My uncle Eldefonso was assigned to work in the construction. He works daily. His salary sustained our foods and other needs before harvest. When harvest time came, he left his construction works.
After 2 months in Libak, and seeing that the problem of malaria was minimal, my father went back to Carles to visit my mother and his other children. After seeing that all was well with the family, he went back and brought me to Libak and enrolled me first year in high school. But before going back to Mindanao, my father fixed lot of things at home to make life for mother and my brothers and sisters a little better. My younger brother and 3 small sisters were cared by my mother. This was my mother’s brave response to the plans they made together to venture and build our future in Mindanao.
We have a very good harvest. With the harvest, father paid the share of the land owner. He gave the share of my two uncles. Eldefonso, sent some of his money to his wife and 2 children in Dayahgan, Pilar. Estelito, who was single, went to another town to visit a friend. Then, father started to build our house. He was assisted by my uncles. It was made of woods, bamboo and nipa. But it was quite a comfortable house, where we lived about 4 months after we arrived in Libak. It has bamboo floors, about 1 meter from the ground.
Why did they desired to go to Mindanao? According to my father, our farms in Cawayan, Carles was small. Only a total of 4 hectares. And most of it was upland and stony. We will live a hand-to-mouth existence if we remain in our town. He was thinking, that with 4 children they now have, and more coming, soon we will have a family of 10 -13 children. In Carles during that time average children 9. There were families with 15 to 18 chldren. During that time, family planning was not yet practiced. No one heard of it yet. In Mindanao, my father may be able to get 24 hectares of virgin and forest land, with the privilege he will get as a Filipino war veteran.
When my father returned with me to Mindanao, I learned lots of things on the way. We rode the boat from Iloilo City to Zamboanga City. And from Zamboanga City we proceeded to Cotabato City. In Zamboanga, I got lots of learning. There I first saw scores of bancas with women and children who were shouting to the ship passengers up. They were asking for money. And passengers throw coins on the waters. The children, some about 4 years old, immediately jumped into the water and swam deep, retreaving the coins thrown by the passengers. The mothers remain on the boats, watching until the children returned and deposit the coins on the banca. The children at very young age, very good swimmers, helping earn income for the family.
On the way to Cotabato City, we have to enter the very wide and long river. It was called the Cotabato River. Then we disembarked the ship and rode a steam boat. We will proceed to Libak. In Cotabato City I saw a different culture. Some men, were dressed not with trousers but with “patadyong”, the likes that old women wore. And in the steam boat, I saw men, washing their “birds” after urinating. And when we reached Libak, I saw women washing their vagina after urinating. I learned this was part of the cleanliness practiced by Muslim men and women. It has also a religious significance.
When we reached Libak, passing a long river, I could remember the vast spans of forest lands, that could be seen all around. Wherever I looked – in the north, south, east and west, I saw hundred hectares of farm lands and at the background thousands hectares of forest lands. The forest lands could be opened for farming by homesteaders. Meantime, it has to be conquered and cleared. Most farmers who came earlier, has to fight malaria, a disease and sickness suffered by many people in Mindanao.
I saw how malaria attacked people. In the home we stay, a neighbour from Carles who also immigrated to Glan, Cotabago was suffering from malaria. Every day for more than a month, at about 2:30 PM, he was attacked by malaria. He felt diizy and lie on a mat on the floor. And then, he began to shiver. His whole body was shivering. He dizzy while shevering. And after about an hour, he slept. He slept soundly. When we woke, he said, he felt so tired, after an hour, his body was shivering from malaria attack. He got medical treatment and after more than a month, he recovered. Malaria, I learned was caused by mosquito bites.
On market days in Libak, I go with a friend to the market. There I saw big fishes that were slaughtered and sold in the market. Some weighing 150 to 200 kilos. I have not seen this big fishes in Carles. Fishes in Carles were different from the fishes I saw here in Libak, Cotabato. Fresh fish meat were sold at P0.50 per kilo in the market during that time.
On market days, I saw mountain residents come to Libak market. They came in groups to the market place. They brought some of their products from the mountains – roles of spliced rattans, dried native pig meats, embroidered hand made cloths and some special rice for sale. They bought things they needed home ---fresh fish, salt, sugar and piece of clothing. The women wore colourful and long dresses. They have big bronze earings on their ears. Some women wore 12 bronze earrings on their right and left ears. They were native people called Teruray. They lived in the mountains many kilometres up, on the mountain ranges.
The Teruray women were mostly lovely. They have fine and light brown skins. They were slim and tall. They spoke a different dialects. I heard they were of Indonesian origin who came to Cotabato mountains thousands of years ago.
I saw Teruray men go down from the market in groups together with the women. They were peaceful people. Often, the men walks ahead and the women follow. The men do not carry heavy loads. They were trained fighters and they walked always ahead to protect the women. They must always be ready to fight enemies they will met in the mountain trails. They carry short weapons. The women carry the heavy loads.
One day, my father brought me to the mountain about 2 kilometers from the market. The place was a forest that were cleared by his friend. The big timbers were cut down. The small trees around the big timbers were also cut. These were dried under the sun. And then burned. After burning, the farmer planted corn. And we came to buy some young corn that will be harvested by the farmer. When we entered the corn field, I saw many logs that were cut down. The logs were lying, some higher than me. This logs were just allowed rot. During that time, Libak municipal hall was headed by Mayor Freres. One of his sons was my classmate and friend. But we never met again.
My father enrolled me at Salaman Institute. It was a private high school in the poblacion. I do not remember how many students were enrolled there. But we are many, from 1st Year to 4th year high school. I have some memorable recollections of my life during my First Year high at Salaman Institute. Our class was an interesting class of young girls and boys, seeking education with plans to build better lives and good future.
I am the smallest and shortest in our class. And I think, also the youngest. I am also quite bright. I often stood to share my thoughts. I have many friends among my classmates. I cannot remember their names anymore. But I think some of them are still living also today. Their ages may be from 77 to 99 years now. Our school principal, Mr. McKay was a big man. I thought he was an American. But some said, he was an Irishman. He was a friendly and dynamic school principal.
One of the subjects we have was literature. We were taught and encouraged to read short stories and novels. It was one way to develop our written and spoken English. We were told by our teacher to read Noli Mi Tangere and El Felibusterismo, te two novels written by Dr. Jose Rizal. We were told to read English novels – the novels of Charles Dickens and other English novelists.
Nelson Olarte, who was 4th Year High School that time, showed me some summary of novels, written by his elder brother who was already working in Guam. He left his package of novel summaries and love letters. Nelson Olarte, gave me the package and told me to read the novel summaries and love letters. He said this novel summaries and love letters will taught me how write. He told me to take care of this package and their contents.
So every day, I read the novel summaries I begun also to read the love letters of his brother. The love letters were addressed to several of his girlfriends in high school. They were beautifully written love letters. I tried to memorize some of it, trying to get the depth of its meanings and messages. For this were really beautifully written love letters.
I chosed one of the Love letters. I copied it and signed. I gave it to my classmate, who was closed to me. We sat often beside each other in our classes. She read my love letter. She smiled. Then she laugh a little. She told me she had read the same love letter before. Her elder sister got a similar letter from the boy that courted her. The original love letter was written by the brother of Nelson Olarte to his girl friend four years earlier. She laughed again. And we laughed together. That day, I learned one lesson. I must not copy love letters, from anyone, anymore.
While in Salaman Institute, I often visited a small restaurant that rent newspaper, Komiks, magazines like Hiligaynon, Banawag and Liwayway for 1 centavo per reading. I rent books for 2 centavos per week. I think, only Salaman Rendevous has a business like that – restaurant, book rentals, newspapers and magazines. It helped me much in my studies. During that time, the restaurant offers us free drinking water. It was great being a First Year high in Salaman Institute.
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