MEMORIES: EARLY LIFE, STUDIES, INVOLVEMENTS & PEOPLE/S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
Chapter 9 - My Mother, Estrella Carvajal Bernal, a Dressmaker Helps Earn Our   Living

My mother, Estrella  Carvajal  Bernal cared for me when I was born. She told me. my  father left her when she was  4 months pregnant. Father  was called by the army for military training. He went to the military camp in Dingle, Iloilo for several months of  training.

Then my father  was sent to Mindanao. He was given only four days to visit his wife, my mother, told me later. There were rumors of   war between the United States and Japan coming here in Asia  Since the Philippines is  under the United States, Japan will surely  attack the Philippines. This was part of the  2nd World War scenario. 

My mother, I called Inday, was an industrious and creative woman. She finished  Grade IV of formal schooling. But she learned lots of skills from her mother and other relatives who taught her various skill, including sewing dresses and trousers, gardening, selling.  Dressmaking became my mother’s first vocation

It was her major way to earn a living. Women and girls in the village of Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz and Cawayan, Carles, Iloilo and  nearby villages came to her,  have their new dresses made  or old dresses remodeled.

During special occasions -- school graduations, Christmas Seasons and fiestas - my mother was always busy. She sew dresses for women and girls from morning, often  until 10:30 PM.  She woke up again, in early  mornings – at 3:00 AM to sew dresses. This was most of her work, helping father earn,   until all of us 9 children have grown.

We helped in whatever tasks we can.   All of us 8 children call our mother “Inday”, just like an elder sister. Only our youngest brother, Rex, called our mother “Nanay” (mother).

Life was hard in our village.  All of us were trained by mother to work and helped the family. I and my younger brother, Restituto Jr., were trained to care -- feed, graze and water our 3 carabaos   daily.  We have few chickens at home. Also a few goats.  We were trained to get water every morning and afternoons  from the well for  cooking and washing dishes. We water our carabaos  at noon and in the afternoon, often at  5:00 PM. Then in the evening, we we have our carabaps bathe in the mud, so that mosquitos , which are always plenty would  not attack them. The carabaos were our helped in the farm.

Because I am the eldest, with 8 younger brothers and sisters,   I was trained by mother to cook, wash dishes and wash clothes of my younger brothers and sisters, when they were still very young. As they grew,  they were also trained by mother to do different works at home – cooking, washing dishes  and washing   clothes.

We were all trained to pound rice, with mortar and pestle daily.  There were no rice grinder in our younger days. My younger brothers and sisters were also trained to help  in gardening.

My mother was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, when I was  young. She brought me to Sabbath School, whole day every Saturday for study and worship.  My grandmother, who’s a Baptist, brought me to Sunday School every Sunday morning.

Our father was a Catholic, but later joined the Baptist faith. He was a faithful member, later was elected President of Cawayan Baptist Church for  many years.

My father do  not play gambling. He drink little tuba.  Just glass or two. He smoke before. But  later,  abandoned his smoking habit. He stopped his smoking when my sisters and brothers were in school. It was a decision he made to make life a bit better for us. The money for cigarettes could be used for our food and other needs.

I think, the major reasons for  very hard life of many people in our village  were gambling, smoking and drinking liquors. For these  vices indulged in  by elder boys and adults were expensive, considering that smoking, after  one cigarette was  finished, another was lighted up, to start smoking again.

And when people starts drinking liquor, their were no stopping until they're drunk.

These vices and the  feudal system of land ownership were major reasons for poverty of some  70 percent of our people in Iloilo.  Most  of the lands   were owned by few rich and landed people.

They were able to get this big lands from the iniquitous land ownership system, the Torrens Title Law, that was used by Spaniards, the educated and few rich Filipinos to   own this  lands.  Most farmers were just  tenants in the landowners big farms.   Most  lands in the towns were owned by few rich rich land owners.

It was believed, that only a people’s revolution, like those won by the people of Russia, China, Cuba and Vietnam could changed the pattern of land ownership in the Philippines and improve the lives of Filipinos..

Early in life, I learned the positive effect of the Convention  Baptists  and Seventh-Day Adventist teachings and faith. They have good values in life. The leaders of both the Baptist and Seventh Day Adventist churches were highly committed and spiritual people. Their spiritual and moral values were quite high. Vices were much limited among Baptist and Adventist members.

And,  except for  some foods – the Adventists were taught not to eat pork, fish without scales, crabs, shrimps and shells. Due to their foods,  their lack of vices, many Seventh Adventists members are   a bit better in their lives, both in their health and incomes.

The Baptists eat all kinds of  pork. fish  and shells,  but eating creatively and in moderation. The moral and spiritual values of Adventists and Baptists were quite high and clean.

The same,  seems true with  Jehovahs Witnesses, where everyone, who would like to join, were subjected to education process, some to study 20 church doctrines that they must received and follow, before they are baptized as members of the church. They were not very corrupt. They have little vices, if ever, in life.

Among  rich  Roman Catholics,  vices and corruptions were deep and heavy. Not so much with poor  Filipino Catholics. Among middle class, the rich and super rich were deep in corruptions-- specially government officials, businessmen  and  politicians. In my younger days, I have  no Aglipayan church friends. For their were no Aglipayan or Philippine Independent Church in our town.

When I was 5 years old, my father and mother were able to buy  3 hectares of farmland in Cawayan, Carles. They bought the land from my father’s cousin who decided to transfer to Capiz province and venture in fishpond as their livelihood. I heard he made good in his  ventures. My father bought the farm from his Back Pay as a soldier in the Philippine Army –the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

My father said: “We decided to buy this 3 hectares land from my cousin.  He offered his parcel of land, given by his father to me.  It cost Three Hundred Pesos, Philippine Money (P300), in 1948.” I learned later, the equivalent of P300, Philippine Peso was US Dollar $175.

The dollar exchange that time was USD 1.00 = PHP 2.00. It slowly increased. In 1961, US Dollar /Peso Exchange increased to $1.00 = P3.75. Later, it increased to $1.00 = 7.00 during President Macapagal’s presidency in 1965. Then, under President Marcos, it increased steadily thru the years – US$1.00 – PHP 17.00 then US$1.00 – PHP 25.00. And later US$ 1.00 = PHP 52.00 near the end of President Marcos martial rule.

What a difference. What really happened? Was this a part of what was called, the power of US imperialism? I don’t know. But as always, the poor were always at a dis-advantaged before the strong and powerful U.S.A., and U.S. Dollars  whether in war or in peace.

I cannot understand why US$ 1.00 costs Philippine Peso 54.00 in 2017. While, US$ 1.00 costs only Swedish Crown 6.00. Why the difference? Or why a US$1.00 gets Indian Rupee 60.00 .

Also, during months when there were no special occasion, and women and girls do not usually buy new dresses,  mother works mostly in her garden. All my younger sisters,  helped mother in the garden before class starts in the mornings. They return  after classes and water our different  vegetables.

Father worked in the rice farm during the day. And he went fishing during the nights. Years later, when he learned carpentry, he continued his farming and worked as  carpenter. He left fishing.

Years before one of problems at home is water. During rainy season, we have a water well, about a 100 meters from home. We got water from our well for washing clothes, cooking and watering the gardens. But during dry seasons, from January to May,  we have to get our water from well, 1 1/2 kilometers away. We carry the water in 2 kerozine cans, on our shoulders.

What did  we do  have abundant water for home use? When I was First Year High School, about 13 years old, my father decided to dig a deep well. With a young man as helper, they dug a deep well that reached 22 feet deep, working several weeks. But there was no water. A twenty- three feet , the well was deep but no water.

Father said: “We will continue digging until 30 feet. I think, there is water at that depth. We will not stop until water comes.” At 23 feet deep, father noticed the soil down was a bit wet. They continued digging. But the rocks  stones were  hard to crack. Father went on digging. He persisted.

At 24 feet deep, they succeeded to make a little crack on the hard rock. We called this rock in our dialect “dalipe nga bato”. A hard rock. A living rock. Father thought just a few feet more, there would be water.

But the rock was so hard.  They can only dig 1/4 foot deep in the rock for one day. He  continued digging. And, about half foot deep, the hard rock cracked, and to his great delights and thanksgiving, water came out.

At 25 feet deep, clear and cold water came out from the stone .  Father celebrated their victory. Water at 25 feet deep. Since then, we did not have difficulties with water for our home use, our gardens,  animals and some families who came during dry seasons.

God blessed us with water. And these made life more easier for us. Gone were the days, that we carry water about  1 1/2 kilometers to get  the waters we need during dry seasons.
Our well and water source now,  is  only 4 meters away from our kitchen.

We were fortunate. Some families in Cawayan, Carles were not able to get water at 30 feet deep. And in Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz, some families dug deep wells, 35 feet deep. But no water came out. They have water during rainy season. But on dry seasons, there well 35- feet deep were dry. 

We thanked God for the blessing of water.