Mula Sa Isang Kapwa-Vinzonian

ni Dennis Obusan

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa mga kababayan ko sa Indan (Vinzons)!

Kumusta sa kaibigan ko sa mga sumusunod na lugar: sa danawan mag-ingat kayo sa paglusong dahil matalhuda at malusak. Tingnan ang dinadaanan sa bas-ig baka mahindas ng matatalas na damo at maantak pag nasugatan. Ingat sa paghakbang dahil maraming atul at alulunti. Ayusing mabuti ang pagtatalok at nang gulpi ang magapas at ani. Ayusin ang tresir para marikit ang paggigiik. Halduking mabuti ang dinulo at tahipang maige para matanggal ang ipa at makuha ang binlid. Hwag gulpihin ang pas-an nang palay baka mabakli ang leeg. Hwag kumuripas ng takbo sa pagpas-an ng palay baka mapasunggab. Ayusin ng salansan at wag ihalibas. Kung ang palay ay ibibilad sapinan ito ng trapal. Hwag idiretso sa tinampo para hindi maligis. Sa pagbibilad gamitan ng kalkag para matuyo ng maganda ang palay. Maghanda ng tirador para hindi kainin ng mga ibong simbahan, pitsiw, kuling, balinsasayaw, kilyawan , malipago, tikling, bato, bato, talaod, papan, maya... Kung ibebenta na ang palay wag ng ilagay sa kangga, magtanong muna kay Ate Mameng at ibang Molino sa presyo. At pag nakuha na ang bayad, hwag idiretso ang kwarta sa tupadahan, sabungan, tong-itan, anasan, lakhaw, pusoy dos, pusoy, lucky 9, madjong, bilyaran, shooting(basketball), supo, lastikuhan dahil wala itong mapupuntahan. Ibili na lang ito ng pagkain sa mga maglalako ng galyang, malig-ang, kanggos, mura, lukarin, aklob na mura, laya (niyog), uraro, paho, sandiya, kinalingking, butsi, sinaludsod, turon, maruya, angko, pilipit, kinakaw, adong, tira-tira, boto ni matong, kutipyo, kwati, pinag-ong,hulog-hulog, sinukmani, pinakro, tinam-isan, tinumok, nilubak, binamban, suso, kempe, ngok-ngok, tabagwang at nang siguradong ikaw ay busog. Pero ingat baka mabud-alan ka.

Paalala po lamang kung ikaw ay galing sa trabaho. Ugaliing hilodan ang katawan gamit ang labakara para hindi agis-isin at anghitin. At pagkatapos, tingnan ang kasilyas kung merong naiwang bunot at baging na pinang-iwang. Tingnan ang likod ng kasilyas.. baka mapulasi na maging dahilan ng iyong paglampadog.

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa mga kababayan ko sa Indan (Vinzons)!!!

Kumusta sa kaibigan ko sa mga sumusunod na linang sa Aguit-it, Mangcayo, Napulo, Manlucogan, Mantigbi, Balombon, Banawang, Laon, del Carmen, Lagpan , looban sa Pansol at
lugar ko sa Bulwagan. Kumusta ang makakati sa anas, lakhaw, supo, tong-it at pusoy.

Those Childhood Pursuits

salagubang
Originally uploaded by chispunks

I've been warned many times by my mother since I was in primary school that she would stir-fry every sayabang she found in my pocket to which I always answered,

"Opo! Opo! Wala naman baga po."

avoiding any direct eye contact with her, rushing to our bedroom, while I prayed that she won't hear the noise of my sayabang army trying to scape from a can of Nido in my schoolbag. However, her stern warning and looks did not stop me from going out with my friends to hunt this winged creature. I was once a sayabang collector.

Let me tell you how me and my childhood friends went about our favorite creative engagement and how we avoided detection from grown-ups..

1. Assembly Time - Once the grown ups at home were busy doing their lesson plans, reading, sleeping or cleaning, I slowly went out of our house.. First checking our garden while carrying a bucket of water pretending to water plants a little.. then if no sign of movement from grown-ups, I zapped to our gate, carefully opening it.. avoiding the slightest squeak from the rusty hinge. Then another zoooom to Ate Rita's Sari-sari store, our favorite tambayan and assembly area. I usually arrived first, then came Amon, Pepito, Rosalie, Imelda, the Clacios, the dela Penas and dela Torres..

2. Route - Our most favorite was Ate Ester Culanay's backyard, the biggest yard with lots of sabahan. Next was that spot at the back of Petron where the Clacio clan lives. Last was a place at Tinago (Bautista Street) where the slaughterhouse once was.

3. Be Quiet. Don't move. Two basic rules of thumb when hearing some voices shouting curses why we are trespassing in their property.. Once the shouting subsided came the most tiring yet exciting part: "Tarakbuhan na!!!"

The best contraption we constructed was called molino. Using some thread, sticks and empty cans we salvaged from somewhere, we set-up a sayabang-powered mill that made some ticking sound while the poor winged-creature flew around tied by a thread to another thread then to a stick which knocks the can. I saw quite a number of kids doing this patiently then.

Three years ago, when I went home, I tried to look for kids doing the same sayabang-hunting ages ago. I was hoping that it has been passed on to some. Instead I saw kids with gadgets and blingblings... Indeed, time has changed and time can change people's ways of doing things.

Will I change mine?

"Boto ni Matong" and Other Legends

maruya
Originally uploaded by marmalade mel

Two messages I received from two fellow Vinzonians moved me to put my thoughts into writing:

Excerpt from the email goes;

"I miss those delicacies sa atin pati yong pinag-ong at boto ni Matong (LOL)... na sinasawsaw sa Coke solo."

Yay, that reminded me of my own pinagong and pan legazpi days. On the way to St. Peter's Parish Church, that familiar scent of freshly baked bread from either Kuya Ismar's or Ka Matong's Bakery was something I enjoyed. After the "Breaking of the Bread" in the Church came another most awaited moment, the "Buying of the Bread." To me, it didn't go well with Coke solo. I prefer the "tsokolateng iput-ipot" made somewhere in Doongan by Ate Letty.

Erm, wait.. "Boto ni Matong?" my apologies to the relatives of Ka Matong, but this kind of cookie.. erm.. bread is something really enjoyed by many Vinzonians then. It was a good-to-the-last-bite kind of snack... something which looked like a finger (to describe it in a GP -film-rating way.).. if you belong to my generation, then no need for any graphic description. "Boto ni Matong," enough said. Sad to say, Ka Matong's Bakery was not there when I went home last 2005 and no other bakery seemed to make it after his bakery closed.

The letter continues;

"Yong maruya at kinalingking ni Ka Ning malapit kala Roe Ferrer na labingtatloy piso, miss ko din. Nabansagan din akong mahilig sa katapusan dahil gusto ko yung baraha, kutipyo, hakubina o kaya pansit na nasa barani ng saging. Iyak ako ng iyak dahil di ko matanggap ang bansag...lagi naman akong sinususot."

When the jeepney paradahan used to be near the Rural Bank of Vinzons, Ka Ning Clacio's makeshift stall stood at that end of Vinzons Avenue. Her golden brown maruya was something I always looked forward to every afternoon snack time.. Well, this one really went well with Coca-cola. I remember Ka Ning as somebody who took the earliest trip to Daet to do her marketing of saba and kamote. That was years ago. The last time I went home, her store was gone.. no trace whatsoever of her nipa stall and no familiar scent of maruya and kinalingking. Instead, I saw her carrying her usual basket. This time, not filled with saba and kamote but with some vegetables and fish... with her peculiar smile and way of walking... I wanted to tell her, thanks for her legendary golden brown maruya and kinalingking which I both miss so much.

The second message was a comment posted by Trina Molina-Pongco to my entry on Angko. Her comment goes:

I lived in Japan for 5 years and they have a similar kakanin over there, also called angko (anko in the Japanese syllabary). Now consider these two observations--(1)angko seems to have originated from Vinzons, with no other cognate or other similar product in the rest of the province, and (2)Indan used to house a sizable Japanese garrison during WWII--and I am almost convinced that some Japanese soldier must have introduced anko, with someone from Vinzons using ground peanuts instead of boiled beans. At ayun na nga, angko. Well, that's my theory. As for the kutipyo, wala nang iba pa kundi si Ka Matong ang may pinakamasarap na kutipyo. ;)

Her very intellectual analysis made me nod my head and say,

"Yeah! That fits. Angko and Kutipyo forever!"

And that really made me proud of my favorite... as something which can only be found nowhere else in Bicol or maybe the Philippines for that matter.

Boto ni Matong, Ka Ning's golden brown maruya and kinalingking, angko... Goodies found nowhere else except that place which was once called Tacboan then Indan.. now known as Vinzons.. that rustic place I call home.

The Hut

Typhoons, though terrible, brought a different kind of happiness and thrill when I was in my primary school. To me, then, it was an opportunity for family-bonding. I can still see Apang balancing skillfully in the wooden beams of our ceiling.. then patching the nipa roof with some plastic mantle.. then trying to make the roof stronger by tying rattan while I guided him with the flashlight focused on the spot he was working on. After finishing this ritual, he would tell us to go and sleep on the bed under the kitchen table... Apang, Amang, Mommy, my Uncles and Aunts together in one bed under the table.. Lucky enough, Apang and Amang often put me in between them.. Though the space was cramped, I enjoyed it... Though there was only a single kerosene lamp flickering, it filled the small nook under the table.. Apang often asked me to guess what figures he made with the shadow of his hand.. Nights like these passed by so quickly.. The typhoon was out of my mind.. I didn't care how much havoc the strong rain and wind could possibly bring...

The next day, after the rain and the wind subsided, Apang together with my Uncles and I went around the neighborhood to find some interesting things to see.. Usually, bananas and coconuts were the most we found but sometimes birds with broken wings too. The clear sky was a total opposite of the things I saw around after a typhoon.. detached nipa roofs, damaged trees of sorts, flooded streets.. all in total disarray... With Apang and my Uncles in this strolling adventure, all went out alright.

Our ancestral house withstood a lot of typhoons and two major earthquakes.. Thanks to it`s mahogany posts.. The photo above reminded me of that place which had been a warm home to me when I was a young boy. I will never forget it's nipa roof, its wooden floor.. the huge mango tree where I used to retreat when I wanted to be alone.. the "balimbing" and guava trees i used to climb with my cousins.. the jackfruit which gave a pleasant smell while the fruitworms were having a feast.. the jasmine flowers (sampaguita) Amang used to put on her hair.. i just missed all these and all that happened that defined who I am now.

One afternoon I became excited when Apang showed me a blueprint. He said that the room in the middle of this house will be my mom's and mine.. Apparently, the old ancestral house will be replaced with one that is made of hollow blocks and galvanized roof... I was in grade 4 then.. After some months, construction supplies came.. I witnessed the old ancestral home being torn down piece by piece. Surprisingly, the mahogany posts were reused, thanks to Apang and Amang`s idea...

Now, in our place, you can see a house, withered slowly by time.. Apang and Amang have long been gone.. the mango tree was cut to give way to an extension.. the guava and "balimbing" tree died.. what's left is the mahogany post right in the middle of our house.. and some jasmine shrubs around the fence...

I can't turn back the hands of time.. I can't retrace the steps.. I can't just pick up portions and relive my childhood memories.. But when somethings go wrong, I usually remember and think of happy thoughts of childhood.. in that old ancestral home.. then, I can fly again..

Romancing the Angko

For a long time, I've been thinking about where ANGKO really comes from..

Once, when the Philtranco terminal was still at Daet's town center, I happened to meet a woman carrying a basketful of native-Bicol goodies for sale. It was just some minutes before our departure when I saw her getting on the bus, placing her basket on the aisle and asking passengers if they wanted to buy. I watched her move her basket pushing it with her foot from one row to the other. It took some time before she reached where I was.

"Pili tart! Puto! Pandesilyos! Bili na Totoy!," she said.

"Saan po galing mga tinda mo?," I asked her just wanting to know if by chance she had something from Vinzons.

"Daet Totoy ang pili tart. Yung pandesilyos at angko sa Vinzons.," she answered as she showed me two packs: pili tart and angko.

"Angko lang po! Pampasalubong.," I told her as I gave her the payment.

"Dagdagan mo na, Totoy. Wala akong pangsukli. Itong pandesilyos masarap din.," she insisted.. to which I obliged at once.

As the bus left the terminal, I had an epiphany.. Is angko really from Vinzons?.. Well, at least in my fairy tale story..

Kutipyo Monologues

I searched high and low for something that resembles kutipyo in taste and looks.. but this is the nearest I could get... at least in looks.. Gee, the taste of this one really pales compared to Ka Matong's and Kuya Ismar's kutipyo. Anyways, it is better than none at all.

Long before Oreo and Chips Ahoy became my favorite there was this snack which I can't live without.. something which I dipped in coffee until it softened.. something which I ate from the side to it's center..

I first tasted kutipyo during Nana Pili's Santacruzan in that house just behind ours in Sta. Cruz street. There was this big black wooden Cross which people prayed to singing "Santa Cruz de Mayo, bandera ka ni Kristo.." I religiously attended the Santacruzan not because I enjoyed the singing but more because of the kutipyo, jacobina, sputnik, baraha and other goodies which Nana Pili, wearing her baro't-saya, generously put on my folded shirt. She knew I was Poding's and Betty's grandson so she often led me to the kitchen where they prepared coffee, biscuits and all. I can't help but miss those days.. Since Nana Pili died, this thing had been transferred to Doongan.. The ritual continued but less that old woman wearing a traditional Filipino get-up and less that young boy who liked kutipyo.

I wonder if kutipyo is still known in Vinzons or if any bakery makes it just like Ka Matong and Kuya Ismar. I wonder if it is still the community's "official" snack in prayer vigils and funeral wakes... I wonder if people still eat it the way I used to.. dipped in coffee.. wait till it softens.. then from the side to the center..

Given the chance, I will put it back in the place where it used to be.. back to that role in the community... then from the side to the center...

Isang Paggunita sa mga Guro ng VPES

Ang buhay ng isang guro ay maihahalintulad sa isang kandila.. Sa bawa't patak ng pawis.. sa bawa't andap ng ningas.. Sa bawa't pagbibigay ng liwanag.. katumbas nito ay ang unti-unting pagkaupos ng sarili...

Noon pa ma'y puno na ng "GURO" ang buhay ko. Nanggaling ako sa pamilya ng mga guro.. Sila Apang at Amang (kilala bilang Tata Poding at Nana Betty sa Vinzons) pati si Mommy. (Hindi ko sasabihin sino dahil may pahula daw si Tita Senen. Premyo angko ni Balanlayos.) Si Apang, NFE Coordinator sa District Office. Si Amang, Head Teacher sa Basud. Si Mommy, unang nagturo sa Calaguas hanggang sa madestino sa Calangcawan, Sabang at Central..

Dahil sa walang maiwanan sa bahay, lagi akong isinasama ni Apang sa VPES o minsan naman sa Basud ako kinakarga habang binabaybay namin ang maputik na daan papunta sa Mampili Elementary School. Minsan naman dinadalaw namin si Mommy sa Calaguas kung saan ako unang nakakita ng mga alon na kasinglalaki ng katedral. Sa mga pagkakataong ito ko unang nakatagpo ang iba pang mga guro.. mga guro na tuluyang nagbibigay ng sarili.. isang sektor ng pamayanan na pinakamahalaga subalit madalas nakakalimutan.

Hayaan ninyong ipakilala ko ang ilan sa mga naging guro (adviser) ko sa VPES. Naging bahagi sila ng buhay ko at ng iba pang taga-Vinzons.

Ms. Benildez Rigodon: Kinder. Natutunan ko kay Madam Nilding ang makisama sa iba pang mga bata. Masaya ako sa t'wing nagbabasa sya ng kwento. Nakakataba ng puso ang mga puri nya dahil sa maganda kong drowing. Masaya din ako dahil ang ganda ng bag kong de gulong na s'yang naging dahilan ng pakikipag-away ko sa ilan kong kakaklase.. eh sakyan ba naman nila eh.. Ilang araw lang ako pumasok sa kinder. Hindi ko yata nakayanan ang malilikot na mga bata. Sabi din ni Mr. Juan nung nakita nya ako sa bangka papuntang Sabang,
"H'wag ka na magkinder, Totoy. Alam mo na naman mga leksyon."
Kahit maiksi ang panahon ko sa silid-aralan ni Madam Nilding, na-miss ko din sya, ang mga kwento nya at mga papuri. Madam Nilding, Salamat po!

Ms. Fe A. Dating: Grade 1-Rosal. Sabi ng ilan, istrikto daw si Madam Dating dahil dalaga. Sa karanasan ko, parang hindi totoo na yun ang dahilan. Nung unang Flag Ceremony namin sa Grade 1, istrikto sya.. medyo nakurot ako sa braso dahil wala ako sa linya. Sa tingin ko, lambing lang nya yun. Seryoso sya kung kinakailangan at tunay na ina kung yun ang tawag ng sitwasyon. Isa ako sa laging nasa hulihan ng Row 1. Noong taong iyon ko nalaman na ang Row 1 dapat pala ay tutulong sa mga nasa Row 4; na kapag sweeper ka pala, dapat h'wag mandiri sa floorwax.. dapat pala hindi lang lampaso kundi pati ang sako ng copra ay maari mong gamitin... dapat pala dahon na lang ng upli ang pang-as-is para hindi na gumastos pa. Disiplina sa sarili. Pagtulong sa kapwa. Kalinisan. Paggalang sa Guro. Tiwala sa Sarili. Kailanma'y di mawawala sa akin, Madam Dating. Salamat po.

Mrs. Estela Q. Balon: Grade 2-Molave. Una akong umiyak dahil sa munggo noong taong ito. Binigyan kami ng gawain ni Madam Balon: Kumuha ng ilang butil ng munggo. Itanim sa lata. At pagmasdang mabuti araw-araw habang tinutubigan. Isulat ang mga obserbasyon sa papel. Nakakatuwa dahil una ko talagang napagmasdan ang unti-unting pagsibol ng mga munggo. Sino ba naman ang magaakala na sa ganun katigas na butil ay meron palang nakatagong buhay.. Umiyak ako dahil sa munggo.. Bakit? Dahil matapos ang ilang araw, itinaktak ni Amang ang lata. Nadaganan ng lupa ang munggo.. Hindi daw dapat sa lata ng Bear Brand itinatanim ang munggo. Yun pala, ang lata ng Bear Brand na nakuha ko ay ang ginagamit naming tabo sa kubeta... Umiiyak ako habang dinadampot ang mga kawawang munggo. Sa awa ni Amang sa akin, kumuha sya ng munggo at sya mismo ang nagtanim sa mas magandang lata. Ito ang dinala ko at ipinakita sa mga kaklase at kay Madam Balon. Unang natuklasan ko ang hiwaga ng buhay sa taong ito, Salamat po Madam!

Mrs. Remedios B. Galleta: Grade 3-Gold. Dahilan sa ang section na ito ang SPED, kami ang naatasang magbigay ng class demo minsan. Ewan ko ba kung bakit ako ang pinili ni Madam Galleta bilang lider.
"Madam, ano po ang isusuot ko dapat?," tanong ko sa kanya.
"Ay, mag-uniform ka lang at tsinelas.," ang sagot nya.
Nung hapong iyon, maraming gurong dumating at iba pang matataas na lider ng Departamento ng Edukasyon. Si Madam Galleta, naka-make-up.. suot ang unipormeng pang-guro at naka-simpleng tsinelas din. Habang ako ay nagsasalita sa harap lagi akong tumitingin kay Madam lalo na kapag nakakalimutan ko ang susunod na linya.
Nung taon ding iyon, nagkaroon ng lindol na napakalakas. Sa loob ng silid-aralang ito sa gilid ng stage kami inabot kasama si Madam Galleta. Tulad ng isang ina nakaya nya kaming lahat akayin palabas habang sinasabi nya na magingat at magdasal.
Kay Madam Galleta ko lubos na-gustuhan ang pagsusuot ng tsinelas - isang napakadakilang simbolo ng pagkakapantay-pantay.. Sa kanya ko din nadama ang lubos na pagtitiwala ng isang guro sa kanyang mag-aaral... Madam, Salamat po!

Mrs. Grace O. Molina: Grade 4-Earth. Napakasaya ng taong ito para sa amin. Dito unang nagsama ang mga nag-kinder at ang mga hindi. Lalong naging masaya dahil si Madam Molina ay ang pinaka-kalog sa lahat ng mga nakilala kong guro. Lagi s'yang nakapayong at naka-full uniform habang naglalakad papuntang VPES subalit pag pasok nya mismo sa silid-aralan, tinatanggal nya ang panlabas na blouse ng uniform dahil sa loob pala ay naka-spaghetti sya.. Naintindihan naman namin dahil ang kapal nga ng tela ng uniporme ng mga guro. Lagi kaming may joke-time sa klase. Kahit ang Math ay dumadali dahil sa may halong katatawanan lagi si Madam Molina. Sinikap nyang maging isang nanay, ate, lola, sa kanyang mga magaaral. Sa loob ng silid-aralan, pinagawa nya kami ng sala sa isang sulok kung saan may mga babasahin at mga educational toys. Sa taong ito, natuto akong lalo ng mga kaalaman, mga kaalamang hindi lang galing sa aklat kundi galing mismo sa halimbawa ni Madam... Nung taon din ito, saglit na pinalitan ni Sir Beda Asis si Madam Molina dahilan sa kinakailangan nyang pumunta sa Maynila.. Madam Molina, Salamat sa magandang halimbawa.. Salamat sa pagpapakita sa amin kung paano dapat harapin ang mga problema sa buhay.

Mrs. Rosabel R. Lukban: Grade 5-Pearl. Hindi ko malilimutan ang silid-aralan namin sa Gabaldon Building nung taong ito. Tuwing umaga, alam namin na padating na si Madam Lukban dahil sa mabangong simoy ng hanging pumapasok sa pintuan. Kapag may sumigaw na "Nayan na si Madam!!", titigil na kami sa anumang gawain at uupo sa kanya-kanyang silya. Napakalinis at napakaayos ng silid-aralan namin dito. Unang pagkakataon na nagkaroon kami ng sariling mesang nasususian. Dahil sa mga paalaala ni Madam Lukban, naging masinop at responsable kami sa aming mga gamit.. Noon ding taong ito nagkaroon ng Quizz Bee sa radyo at nakasali ang ilang kaklase ko. Salamat Madam.. naamoy ko pa ang pabango.. sariwa pa ang alaala ng berdeng kurtina sa kahoy na bintana ng Gabaldon. Naririnig ko pa din ang paalaala mo na huwag kami mangu-nguykoy sa ilalim ng Gabaldon dahil baka may sumanib na dwende sa amin... Humahagikhik pa rin ako kapag naaalala ko ang sinabi mo dati sa mga kaklase kong naglalaro ng Chinese garter na dapat iipit ang palda pagbagsak sa lupa dahil baka may masilip. Masaya Madam.. mga unang pagkamulat sa mundo na hindi na pala kami Grade 1.. Grade 5 na pala.

Mrs. Clarina V. Rigodon: Grade 6-Sirius. Hindi ko malilimutan ang Pasko nung taong ito. Nanalo ang klase namin sa isang paligsahan sa buong VPES. Ang naging resulta, nagkaroon kami ng party na may guest singer galing pa sa Daet. Masaya.. Sa t'yaga ni Madam Rigodon, kami ang nanalo. Ang Christmas Party din ng taong iyon ay naging masaya't malungkot.. masaya dahil sa marami handa.. malungkot dahil huling taon na namin matapos maging magkaklase sa loob ng anim na taon. Kung ikukumpara nung Grade 1, iba ang tungkulin sa Grade 6 sa pagiging sweeper. Kasama na dito ang paglilinis ng kubeta sa kaliwa at kanang bahagi ng Gabaldon pati na ang pagdidilig ng mga halaman. Naging bahagi rin ng ritwal ang pagsusulat sa VPES Newletter, pagbisita sa Aklatan. Huling taon sa mababang paaralan, hindi lang Chinese garter ang naging libangan.. isama na rin ang paliligo sa ilog at pamamasyal sa danawan sa Calangcawan, pamamayabas sa likod ng VPES, pangunguykoy sa ilalim ng Gabaldon, pagsusulat ng love letters at marami pang iba. Salamat Madam, mga binata at dalaga na pala kami.. Nagmistulang tulay ang taong ito.. tulay patungo sa kakaibang mundo.. at ang kamay mo, Madam Rigodon ang syang gumabay sa amin. Salamat po!

Sa anim na taon ng pagaaral sa VPES, naging bahagi din ng buhay ko ang mga sumusunod na guro: Ms. Lina Pajares at Mrs. Aida Vivas-Pilipino, Ms. Corazon Balon-Mathematics, Mrs. Surara-Agriculture, Mrs. Iluminada Jimenez-English, Mrs. Araceli Balon-Scouting at PE, Mr. Cornelio Balon at Mr. Asis-Scouting, Mrs. Garcia at Mrs. Raro-Home Economics, Mr. Argamosa-Industrial Arts, Mrs. Merle Ferrer at Ms. Petra Guinto-Music; Tata Kadi, Kuya Bunggay, Tata Kune, Mr. Rizalino Juan, Mr. Felicisimo Pagao, Kuya Indo, Kuya Karding at sa ilang bagaman nalimutan ko ang pangalan ay malinaw sa akin ang alaala ng mukha.

Tunay ngang napakahirap ng buhay ng isang guro subalit bagaman mahirap, naging huwaran pa rin kayo sa amin... patuloy sa pagbibigay ng liwanag.. Isa na rin akong guro ngayon.. at tulad ninyo, nagiging susi sa kaligayahan ko ang makitang maayos ang pamumuhay ng isang dating magaaral... Mabuhay po kayo!! Kalakip nito ang tuluyang pag-asam na sana ay lagi kayong masaya at nasa mabuting kalagayan!