My father was the 3rd in a brood of
nine. Their eldest died in infancy while his older brother never married and
never had kids of his own. Hence, I easily became my grandfather’s favorite and
I spent the early years of my childhood with him and my grandmother. I used to
stay with him in a small farm house in our village until such time that I had
to be enrolled in Kindergarten. I had to stay at my parents’ house because it
was closer to school but I would always go ‘home’ every weekend to stay with
the oldies. Most of the village folks used to tease me that I was in fact the
youngest child of my grandparents and I was the brother of my father (which I
often ignored). I stayed with them until the fifth grade after which school
activities got me more preoccupied so I had to stay in our own house for good except during summer vacations.
Summers were always the best parts of my boyhood. I bathed and swam in the river, frolicked with other boys in the vast rice fields and went bird- hunting with my tirador (slingshot). I made and flew my own kite and made my own toy guns out of banana trunks and other indigenous materials. I also made my own toy car, boat, plane and other toys for the boys. My grandparents’ house was quite far from the nearest neighbors so I played alone most of the time. I was virtually fearless when I was small. I could traverse the woods alone even at night, and cross the rivers without help. I always had my slingshot hung on my neck and I loved sporting knives and jungle bolos. I could hack any snake or beat any dog that cross my way but I was scared of geese. At first, I was scared of the deep waters but my grandfather and uncle helped me conquer my fear. My uncle- the youngest brother of my father always brought me to the woods and we slept in tree houses. The other uncle helped me understand guns at an early age. Sadly, both of them passed away before I became a soldier. I could’ve told them personally how much they have influenced the early years of my life.
My grandfather brought me with him and we lived deeper into the woods in a remote village when he was made a caretaker of a big hacienda. There, I learned jungle survival and land navigation at an early age. I could easily find my way in the midst of abaca and corn plantations day or night. I feared no ghosts or wild animals but I was afraid of kapre and dwende mainly because my uncle always told me horrible stories about them.
I remember striking a trunk of a banana with a sharp bolo that was too long for my age and ended up cutting myself. The scar is still very much visible today- a reminder of my carelessness and aggressiveness as a kid. I never told my grandfather or father about it until they noticed the bleeding a few days after it happened.
My recklessness always got me into trouble when I was small. I remembered cutting my finger while sawing a piece of wood for the wheels of my wooden truck. My finger was almost severed but I never cried. Once, I also cut my fingers again with a sharp sickle while harvesting rice. I winced in pain but I never cried or showed it to my parents for fear of being scolded by my feisty mother. I also jumped out from the back of a moving tricycle because I thought it was fun and other boys did it. I also jumped from the roof of our classroom just to know how it felt like. I have climbed trees-coconuts, guavas, kaimitos, star fruits, mangoes and other fruit trees and got stung by bees many times. I’ve outrun dogs and swam with tilapias, played with mud, fell from cliffs, and slept on the ground. Alas, my boyhood was so fun it makes me smile just remembering them.
I enjoyed being a child so much that I never felt
it flew so fast. It was gone in an instant.
My mother enrolled me in Goa Central School in 1987 as a kinder pupil. My first ever teacher was Mrs. Brenda R. San Roque who saw me through until Grade 1. Under her tutelage, I learned how to read and write, color and draw, and a lot more. I’d say early on, she was the one who opened my love for learning. I enjoyed all of her classes and I was never absent a single day during the entire year except when I got sick. My love for learning never stopped there. Without me knowing it, I became more diligent with my studies and at the end of the year I would always finish with honors and awards. My Grade 2 teacher was Mrs. Cyril R. Pacao followed by Mrs. Norma E. Salva and Mrs Fe Pelo. Another teacher named Fe followed- Mrs. Fe Baclig and then Mrs. Myrna P. Mababa who became my last teacher in elementary.
Our school was a powerhouse in inter-school competitions such as Math and Science Olympiads and other academic tilts. My and I sister were always members of the winning teams that brought home the medals. I was also a member of the Boy Scout of the Philippines that saw the First Asean Jamboree in Mt. Makiling, Laguna. I finished as the salutatorian of the Class of 1994- not bad for a country boy who knew nothing but slingshots, bolos, sickles, carabaos and rivers.
