Chapter 13–My First Year High School at Salaman Institute, Libak, Cotabato

My father brought me to Libak, Cotabato in May 1964. I was to enroll in first year high school. It was the first long journey in my life from Carles, Iloilo to Libak, Cotabato. During that time Cotabato was not yet devided to South Cotabato, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.

My journey to get a high school education was hard. When I was in Grade VI in Carles Elementary School in Iloilo, my father and mother thought it would be good if the family moved to Mindanao where opportunities may be better than in Carles

There was virgin land given by the government for homesteaders who would like to venture in Mindanao. My father responded. With my two uncles, Eldefonso Alvaro and Estelito Bernal they decided to go to Mindanao in early 1964.

My father, a veteran of the 2nd World War saw the challenge. He said: “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 a new life in the “Land of Promise”.

Many veterans of the US-Japanese war together with members of Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (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 and went to Libak, Cotabato. They travelled by sea in 7 days. They ventured to Mindanao with big hopes and dreams.

Since there was no port in Libak, the passengers have to dis-embarked from the ship and rode small bancas to the shore, a distance of about 1 kilometer. Uncle Eldefonso, an experienced fisherman, swam with the carabao to the shore. He wrapped his feet with black socks so that his feet would not attract attention of sharks.

He swam the sea of Mindanao for the first time. He did not know the situation about sharks infesting the sea. With black socks that covered his feet, he rode the carabao and swam to the Libak shore.

Months later, when I was already enrolled in Salaman Institute, my classmate and me visited the shore where father landed when they came. The place was beautiful. The seashore had wide coconut plantations. The homes were small but well built. The shore was very clean and fishermen arrived from the sea in the morning with the fishes they caught the night before.

Eighty percent of the people of the community were Muslims. There were flower gardens that were developed well. One of the big orchids plantations was owned and managed by the De Pedro family’ They were political leaders in Cotabato. The Waling-Waling orchids and some flowers were exported to the United States and other countries in Europe.

My father had a relative in Libak, Mr. Pedro Olarte. His family came from Capiz. He was a good tailor in the town. He has a tailoring shop in Libak town. His younger brother, Ernesto was also a tailor. He owned a tailoring shop in Kalamansig, a coastal village of Libak, about 12 kilometers away from the town.

Tay Endo Olarte lived in a house with his wife and 8 children. Two of his children have finished college. Two were in high school and the others in elementary and grade schools. His eldest son was working in Guam. His daughter, the 2nd child, helped their tailoring business. His third son, Nelson was 4th- year high school and was planning to take medicine in college.

My father, two uncles and me, stayed in the house of Tay Endo Olarte for several months. My father planned what to do and how to do it. My father and uncle Estelito worked in the farm– plowing, harrowing and plant rice. Uncle Eldefonso worked so they would have money for food and other needs before harvest. Uncle Eldefonso was assigned to work in the construction. He worked daily. His salary provided us our foods and other needs. When harvest time came, he left his construction work.

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 to Libak. Before going back to Mindanao, my father fixed lots of things at home to make life for mother a little better. He went to Libak with me.

My younger brother and 3 small sisters were cared for 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 had a very good harvest in Mindanao. With the harvest, father paid the share of the landowner, Mayor Freries. He gave the share of my two uncles. Eldefonso, sent his money to his wife and 2 children in Dayahgan. Estelito, who was single, went to another town, Glan to visit some friends. 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. There, we lived 6 months after we arrived in Libak. It had bamboo floors about 1 meter above the ground.

Why did they desire to go to Mindanao? According to my father our farms in Cawayan, Carles was small, only 2 ½ hectares. Most of it was upland and stony. We would live a hand-to-mouth existence if we remained in our town. He was thinking that with 4 children they now have and more coming, soon they will have a family of 9 -12 children. In Carles during that time, the family have an averaged of 13 kids. There were families with 15 to 18 chldren. Family planning was not yet taught and practiced.

When my father went to Mindanao with me, I learned lots of things on the way. We rode the boat from Iloilo City to Zamboanga City. From Zamboanga City, we proceeded to Cotabato City. In Zamboanga, I first saw scores of bancas beside the ship with women and children shouting to ship passengers. They were asking for money. Passengers threw coins on the waters. The children, some about 4 years old, immediately jumped into the water and swam deep and retrieved the coins thrown by the passengers. The mothers remained on the small boats, watching until the children returned and deposit the coins on the banca. The children were very young, very good swimmers and helped earn income for the family.

On the way to Cotabato City, we entered the very wide and long river. It was called the Rio Grande. We disembarked from the ship and rode a steam boat. We would proceed to Libak. In Cotabato City I saw a different culture. Some men were dressed not in trousers but with “patadyong”, the skirts that were worn by women,

In the steam boat, I saw men washing their penis after urinating. When we reached Libak, I saw some women washing their vagina after urinating. I learned this was part of the cleanliness practiced by Muslim men and women. It has religious significance of spiritual purification. I have not learned the religious and spiritual significance of Muslim men washing their penis after urinating. And why women washed their vaginas after they urinated.

When we reached Libak, passing a long river, I could remember the vast spans of forest land all around. Wherever, I looked in the north, south, east and west, I saw thousand hectares of farm lands. At the background, thousands and thousands hectares of forest lands. The forest lands could be opened for farming by homesteaders.

Meantime, it had to be conquered and cleared. Most farmers who came earlier had to fight malaria, a disease suffered by many people from Luzon and Visayas who came to Mindanao. Malaria was caused by bites from Anopheles mosquitos.