EDITED...

MEMORIES:  Early Life, Studies, Involvements & the People's
                        Struggle  For Freedom
                                   (PART 1)

Chapter 1

I was about 3 years old in 1944. I was born in November 23, 1940. We lived in Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz, in Panay Island. Dayhagan is the last village of the Municipality of Pilar, the northernmost town of Capiz . It is  at the tip a of Panay Island in the north.

Nearby is the village of Cawayan, Carles, Iloilo, the northernmost town of Iloilo province. My grandmother, Aurea Bartoleme Carvajal, together with my mother Estrella lived in Dayhagan. She has two younger brothers, Ernesto and Ricardo and a sister, Aurea. We lived in a quite comfortable bamboo and nipa house built by my grandmother and her two young boys.

It was during the 2nd World War, with the Japanese -American  war in the Philippines that I begun to tell the  story of my life.

About 300 hundred meters from our home, my grandmother has  banana plantations, nearly two hectares wide. There,  my  2 uncles Ernesto and Ricardo, built  a  family “Air Raid Shelter”. The "Air Raid Shelter is   1  & ½ meter wide, four (4) meters long. It was about 2  meters deep.  Here In our “Air Raid Shelter” we ran and hide for cover every time we heard low flying Japanese airplanes coming. There were many Japanese fighter planes flying near our place during the war in northern Panay. These were Japanese surveillance planes  that were maintained in the Japanese Military Airport  in  Balasan, Iloilo, about 6  kms., from our home.

My  father later told me that in 1942,  Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the US-Philippine Forces, left the country to  led the Americans and  Allied forces,  fought  the NAZI forces to  save Europe from German control and domination.  General MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia. Soon, the the country suffered starvation and death under the mercies of the strong Japanese invasion forces that  over ran our  country, the Philippines.

The American-Filipino forces in Luzon,  surrendered to the Japanese. The American and Filipino forces were  forced to march from Bataan to Capaz, Tarlac, in what was termed the  “Death March”. Thousands of Filipino soldiers died during the  deadly march. Many died  along the way, in the long death march – tired,  hungry, thirsty  for many days.

After a few months, the  American-Filipino forces in Visayas and Mindanao, were surrendered by their US Commanders to  Japanese Imperial forces in Lanao and   Bukidnon.  My father told me, that he and some of his soldier friends, planned to escape and  organized  guerrillas forces, but he and his friends were  prevailed by their   American officers to surrender to the Japanese. They  followed the order, and a few months later, he and most   Filipino-American  who surrendered in  Mindanao  were sent to Capaz, Tarlac to join those who surrendered   from  Luzon

By that time, I was  nearly 4  years old.  Then, the Americans  from Europe and Australia came back. There forces landed in the Visayas and moved to Iloilo, landing in town of Tigbauan, Iloilo.

Then followed the  fighting by the Japanese and American planes in northern Panay. Several time, I witnessed the “dog fights” between the Japanese and American fighter planes just a hundred meters above our heads. We heard the bursting of gun fires from machine guns of the  fighter planes. It was a frightening experiences  for old men and women in our village.

For us children, it was enjoyable to see Japanese and American fighter planes in “dog fights”. On several occasions, we saw Japanese and American  war planes fighting  on the air, just a hundred meters above us. In one of this air duels, the Japanese Zero plane was hit by the American Lockhead, a fighter plane. It caught fire and we saw  the Japanese plane,  flying in flames. It drove so fast above our heads roaring  towards the sea. Then it burst in flames,  about two kilometers  away from us, in  the seashore.

Another time, one  late afternoon, we heard heavy gunshots from the Japanese navy boat on the sea waters. The Filipino guerrilla fighters engaged the Japanese sailboat with heavy firings in the shallow waters in Dayhagan, Carles, Iloilo. Filipino guerrillas, were on the  hills near the seashore, while the Japanese fighters were in boat, about 200  meters from the shore.  The gun firings were intense   the last 5 hours, until late in the evening.

In the darkness, we could see   about 2 kilometers away, a very beautiful sites.  We saw, what they called  flaming “Tracer Bullets” swipe the darkness, bringing beautiful red  lights,  during the fights that night.

Often, after heavy fightings ,  a downed airplane or a submerge vessel, the residents  of our village, have lots of beautiful  new  utensil  made  and sold by entrepreneurs – aluminum plates, forks and spoons, silver wares,  knives, garden tools, pitchers, aluminum glasses and all that can be made and produced from downed planes and destroyed ships. This was how enterprising  Filipino small businessmen were,  during the Japanese -American war.

It was also during this time, that I learned something of my Christian faith. For my mother was a  member of the Seventh Da Adventist church. She brought me to church every Saturday, the whole day. My grandmother, a Baptist, brought me to the Baptist fellowship on Sunday mornings. We go to study and worship in the home of our  neighbors.

My grandmother and my uncle, Ernesto  were converted to the Baptist faith, through the ministry of a lay woman. Her name, I remember  was Inday Tasing Gollingan. who owned a 5 hectares land with her husband and children.  It was in this situation, that I learned a little, of the Christian faith, a combination of the Adventist and Baptist faith.

The members of the Catholic Church in Dayhagan,  go to   Casanayan village, Pilar, Capiz, where they  worship in a big church on  Sundays. They walked about 8 kilometers to attend mass. I cannot remember  a Catholic  priest saying mass or   teaching the catholic faith to the people in our village those times.

Rather, a group of old women and an old Transgender, a term I learned today, joined in prayer when there were dead in our  village. They   held rosaries during wakes for the dead. They do these the whole week until the dead was buried

MEMORIES:  Early Life, Studies, Struggle for Justice, Land Reforms & Freedom 

Chapter 2-The Baptist   and Seventh Day  Adventist Faith Taught in Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz

In my childhood, when I was about 4 years old, there  were only two (2) house churches in Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz.  These two house churches were the Baptist Church and the Seventh Day Adventist Church

The Baptist Church, with about 15 members have Sunday Schools and Worship Service in a  home every Sunday. The Seventh Day Adventist Church have  there Sabbath  schools and worship on Saturdays  in a  home. They have about 4  families with  about 15 members. 

There were no Iglesia Filipina Independiente. There were no Iglesia Ni Kristo & no Jehovah’s Witnesses in this villages during those times. The Catholics has a big church in the village of Casanayan, Pilar, Capiz about 8 kms away.. Young people and women came and worship there  on Sundays.

It was in these  settings that my uncle, Ernesto Carvajal, about 16 years old, learned and developed his Baptist faith. In his youth, he joined the Baptist group in singing gospel hymns, attended prayer meetings, joined study groups and  worship in a house church.

All these teachings, I heard, he learned from Inday Tacing Golinggan, who taught him the basics of the Baptist faith. I heard, Inday Tacing Golinggan was nurtured in her Baptist faith by some church leaders that were disciple of  Rev. Harry Munger, an American missionary, assigned  in Iloilo City, who often visited Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz and Cawayan, Carles, Iloilo.

My uncle, Ernesto Carvajal did more to developed himself while in that small villages in the last town of Capiz.

I  saw Erning Carvajal, started preaching in the village among young people and adults. He preached whenever there were persons who would listen to him. He preached even when only 2 persons were around listening. Later, I heard a well- known Evangelist came, Rev. Genaro Diesto, Promotional Secretary of the Iloilo Kasapulanan of Baptist Churches

 He came and preached in Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz  and in nearby village of Cawayan, Carles. Iloilo for nearly a month. Ernesto Carvajal was one of those who came to the altar, when Rev. Genaro Diesto preached. I learned, he gave and  dedicated his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

That week,  he joined Rev. Diesto visiting the members of the church in Dayhagan, Pilar and in the  village of Cawayan, Carles. Dayhagan, Pilar and Cawayan, Carles were neighboring villages. The boundary of the two villages, the two towns and the two provinces – Capiz and Iloilo were just a few meters from our home.  Rev. Diesto   preached during the nights for the whole two weeks. They visited homes during the days.

On the nights he preached to about 200 people, including older children, who  were present. Rev. Genaro Diesto was a great preacher. I heard him preached that several nights. He preached long but interesting message. The people do not go sleeping when he preached. Although, often, I slept on the lap of my grandmother.

One night, he gave Ernesto Carvajal a time to preach. About 200 people were around. That was the first time Erning Carvajal preached to a big audience. He was greatly inspired. He preached a powerful message. He has a strong voice. And he has the ability to make people laughed. God also gave him the ability to touch people’s heart.  That night, when he gave the invitation, while a quartet was singing “ Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Savior”, about 20 people, men, women and young people came to the altar. They were sobbing.  God has touched the people’s heart,I was told. 

Before leaving for Iloilo City, Rev. Genaro Diesto asked Erning Carvajal to join him in Iloilo City and to pursue his studies in high school, and  in the College of Theology. He challenged Erning Carvajal to become a pastor and make the ministry his life’s calling. .

Rev. Diesto provided a room in their home for him to stay. He assigned him to work in Barasan Baptist Church in Dumangas as a week—end pastor. His love- gift of small amount with  rice, vegetables and dried fish, provided by the church enabled  him to continue his studies in  CPU high school and   in the College of Theology.

That was how a Baptist youth was plucked- out   from  a small village of Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz,  one of two  northern most towns of Panay Island, got trained as Pastor & Evangelist . He  served first two small village churches – Barasan Baptist Church and Patlad Baptist Church in Dumangas.t Churches. 

Ernesto Carvajal’s ministry in Barasan Baptist Church continued for 4 years. He was later called by Patlad Baptist Church when he was in college. This was in the midst of a political upheavals of the late 1950’s, with the fighting  between the government forces and the rebel forces under the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP), from 1946 down to late 1960’s were going strong.

My father told me that on Ernesto Carvajal’s wedding with Irene Duco, my father and 2 of his friends, went to Patlad, Dumangas to help prepare food for the wedding. They brought with them a sack of rice, about 70 kilos of pig meats, some dried fish and their knives to use in the wedding preparation.

They were stopped in Barotac Nuevo by the Police and the Philippine Constabulary (PC) and brought to the headquarters for investigations. The military would like to know why they have a sack of rice, pig meats, dried fish and bladed weapons.

They were suspected as rebels and  supporters of communist rebels. That the rice, meat and dried fish were supplies intended as support for the  rebels around the villages of Barotac Nuevo and Dumangas. They were held for investigation. They stayed there for nearly three hours. They were released only after their story of attending the wedding in Patlad was verified and corroborated by people in the villages near Patlad.

These were the political situations in the coastal towns of Iloilo during that time. The revolutionary movements was going strong, Dumangas is a town where strong revolutionary forces were present.

The wedding celebration was made. Irene Duco  who was 3^rd  year high school during her wedding, pursued her studies at Dumangas High School. Ernesto Carvajal continued his studies, later became Pastor of Dumangas Baptist Church, one of the big churches of Iloilo. He worked there as Pastor for 14 years. In Dumangas, their 3 children were born –a daughter, Erne and two son, Ernest and Rene Billy. They grew and became leaders of the Baptist churches in Iloilo City.

When the world evangelist Billy Graham came to Manila for a one day crusade in the ‘50’s, Pastor Ernesto Carvaual, who was still a student at CPU was invited to come in Manila and attended the Billy Graham Manila Crusade. It was his first exposure to Manila  and got  the  big opportunity of his life – attending the Billy Graham's one day Manila Crusade. He said: “It was one of the great experience of his life, seeing and hearing the world known evangelists, just a few meters away from him.”

According to Ernesto Carvajal, “Billy Graham’s words were simple. But it pierced the hearts and souls of people who listened. His eyes were so powerful and penetrating. There was something great when you looked at his face. And when he asked the people to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they came to the  the altar, a thousand of them, many silently weeping.

He said, “The power of Billy Graham’s preaching came thru a thousand people, behind the altar, that joined hands in solemn prayers for Billy Graham and the thousands who came to listen.”

Rev. Ernesto Carvajal was called as Iloilo Promotional Secretary and do Evangelists ministry in most churches  of Iloilo province. He was later called to pastor Jaro Evangelical Church, first Baptist Church in the Philippines and the 3^rd biggest Baptist Church  in Iloilo. He was considered for General Secretary of the Baptist Convention, but his church request to give him another term to Pastor Jaro Evangelical Church.

During that time, the revolutionary movements headed by Guillermo Capadocia and other rebels in Panay, including Commander Waling-Waling in the hinterlands of Panay Island, the labor movements in the city of Iloilo and the peasants movement in countrysides of Iloilo was moving with strength and vigor. It was a growing revolutionary movement, that reached different towns in Panay.

In Carles, the northernmost town of Iloilo, my father during that time, put a “trencera” inside our homes. He placed sacks of rice, around one of the rooms, which he surround with sacks of palay. We were instructed to get inside the “trenchera”, if we hear gun fires or when he gave his signals.

Our “trenchera” would be a safe place for us to stay, if ever an occasion where father will be forced to fight and shoot it out with possible enemies….which, during that time I am not sure, who? The soldiers of the government or the Communist  rebels fighting their cause.

In several villages during that time, the military and rebel forces always figured in
fights. It was a fight to death. And I heard people saying: “The the Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (HUKS) or People’s Liberation Army were the defenders of the people. They were the soldiers of the people”.

And the Philippine Army, who  some said were organized and trained by government and the United States Army and powerful  Filipino generals, were the protectors of the landlords, owners of big sugar haciendas, big businesses, fishponds owners which they own and controlled. This little information I learned, I kept stored in my mind in childhood.

Another young man in Dayhagan, who made good in the service of God, was Paterno Diaz, who was nurtured in the Seventh Day Adventist faith during the Japanese occupation in our village. He grew in the village with other youth. Every Saturday they have worship in the homes. After Elementary grades, he went and pursued his high school education at the Seventh Day High School, in Zarraga, Iloilo.

Then, he pursued his college education at Mountain View College in Bukidnon. He became a minister. And a top leader in the Seventh Day Adventist Church mission in the Mindanao, his ministry reaching out to different areas in the Philippines and some parts of the world.

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