Chapter 10 -- My Primary School & the First Philippine Local & National Elections in Carles, Iloilo

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. I was in Grade 11 at Cawayan Primary School. The previous year, in Grade 1, I studied at Abong Elementary School, about two kilometres north of our home in Cawayan.

In Grade 11, I still do not know how to read and write. But I can memorized the whole book of “Pepe & Pilar” the book for Grade 1.  “Pepe and Pilar” I think, has some 30 pages. I can read the whole book if I could see the pictures on its  pages. I can also count from 1 to 100. I cannot recognized the letters and numbers when I am  asked.

Our teacher in Grade 1 was Mrs Candilaria Ocena, a loveoy  and very 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 school and back. But we were happy with Mrs. Occena teaching us.

In Grade 11, I was enrolled at Cawayan Primary School which was started only that year. Miss Carmelina Comodero was our teacher. She’s a very lovely teacher. We like our classes under her. Because she’s beautiful, white skin and has sweet smiling face. I love to set in front. For, I like to look always at her lovely face.

Miss Comodero also boarded at our home. She wants to stay alone in her room and occupied  my mother’s boarding room. The other room was occupied by Mrs. Confesor and her son, Rodolfo Confesor. That time, he was Grade 1.

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, Pepe and Pilar. 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 book.  I read it loud. I read it will. Then, he covered the pictures on the pages of the book.

Without the pictures, 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. It left a kind of painful stirring in my throat. My father asked me to read the book again with the pictures open. 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 spoonful 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 a good 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. Challenges and motivations played a big role in teaching children.

Mr. Crisanto Bartolome got a consonant from among the alphabets and put a vowel.

When he taught me to write my name, he got consonant “r” then put a vowel “o”. He said that is "Ro" .Then he got another consonant “d” and put another vowel “o”. He read to me  "Rodo". 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. I followed his way of making words by putting consonants and vowels together. 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 were turned into words. And words became powerful force in life, in business, in education, teaching, in politics, in religion, business and the works for peace, development, freedom, justice, liberation and revolutions.

I learned  too, the power of words in loving. And in looking for a girl to love. One who learned the power of words could find it easier to find  a girl to  loved.

Sometimes in 1964. when I was  24 years old, I learned a beautiful song, it's title is intriguing "Words". It says...."Talk in everlasting words  and dedicate them all to me
And I will give you all my life, I'm here if you should call to me
You think that I don't even mean, a single word I say
It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away".

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, with brown skin, straight hairs and a sweet smiles. Like me, she also watched her father’s carabao when we have no classes. Sometimes, we ride together on the carabao’s back, me on the front and she on the back of the carabao while grazing them.

I am already in Grade 111. And I  want to tell the  girl   I love her . By then, I do not know yet much about loving girls. But  when I looked at a girl, I feel something scratching in my breast. I wrote my first love letter to my classmate, when we were Grade 111. We often played games with other classmates.

I sat and wrote her my first " love letter". I got a consonant. Then add a vowel. And so on. I wrote my first love letter to her. It was good feelings, writing my first love letter. I told her, “I lab yo”. Soon I leaned to write with correct spellings. From that first love letter, I wrote lots of letters. And writing became part of my life, my work and ministry as a Baptist pastor. I reached out to villages, towns,  provinces in our country. Then, visiting or invited to other cities and countries of the world.

Writing was my future. Today, I still write. I wrote love letters to my wife after our marriage. And short love letters were part of our lives. After she died, I wrote her some love letters. And on special occasion, I have words of love for her. Today, I wrote her love letters, hoping she will read it on-line. And tomorrow, I will start writing stories, beautiful love stories, for the older generations to read.

I learned, the presidential and local elections in 1949 will be held on November. Less than a year ago, in 1948, President Manuel Roxas who was 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 breast. And he died. The Philippines lost the first elected President after the US-Japanese war.

Elpidio Querino, the Vice President took over the presidency. Then, 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 elected. Three political parties contested the  second national elections that year.

I have not seen any candidate for President, Vice President and Senators visiting our village. I have not seen any candidate for congressman and governor. These people, I was told were very, very rich. They were handsome and they  beautiful sons and daughters mostly Spanish descendants.

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 have seen 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 that election campaigns in 1949.

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 candidates 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 165 kms. And turn around, passing under route, perhaps to Roxas City to Aklan and Antique and back 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 also  need candidates'  leaflets also to light firewoods in our stoves. These were how the campaigns for President, 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 councilors 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 all homes.

And they attached some posters in homes. During those times, there were few radio receivers. No cars in our village. Very few bicycles. There was only one bus that carries passenger from Carles to Balasan, about 8 kilometers away. Often, we just walked. The candidates running for office just walked from village to village and from house to house. They walked to reached houses before the sun goes down.

Campaign rallies were held in our villages by the 3 political parties, a months before the 1949 election. The people gathered late in the evenings, 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. There were about 300 people around, except the children.

Each candidate for councilors spoke about 10 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. The have issues against each other. They asked the people to vote for them.
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The candidates for country’s 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 from people was Jose Avelino. He seemed to be popular and controversial candidate. I heard there were issues of his corruption in office, as senator. Jose Avelino was asked about some corruption issue against him.

That he was a “corrupt politician”. His answers were quoted and reached our village and I think the four corners of the country. His answer was clear and strong. “What are we in power for?!”.

These words: “ What are we in power for?!” made Avelino popular nationwide. 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 yet practiced. The biggest issue on corruption against President Elpidio Querino was buying and using a  “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  expensive.

During election day, the three candidates for mayors slaughtered each, a carabao for the lunch of the voters. The food preparations by the candidates where in 3 homes. The voters go to precincts and 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 on election day. For our uncles and unties served meals in the three houses. And children were 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.

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 Treasurer to the Provincial Comelec and to the National Comelec office in Manila. The election results for national offices were released to the people of our village more than 2 months after the canvassing.

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 Cawayan, Carles were not feudal lords.

That time, vote buying was not yet practiced in our village. We need only 3 carabaos to slay and three sacks of rice for the food of voters in three feeding areas. But as the years go by, election has become a bigger business enterprise, where candidates gave money to voters in exchange for their votes. That was the game plan of the elites and the oligarchs to control political and business power of all the municipalities, districts and provinces in the country.

I cannot remember all the Municipal officials elected during that time in 1949. But, I think the elected mayor was Mayor Pacifico Cabuyok. Helping him for Peace and order, was the Chief of Police Felipe Bernal. And for many years, he was chosen Chief of Police of Carles, whoever the elected mayor was, starting with Mayor Pacifico Cabuyoc.

That's  my remembrance of my primary education and the first local and national elections in our municipality, in Carles, Iloilo, the northernmost town of Iloilo Province.