A HAUNTED TREE IN DUPAC

When I was in Gr. 5, I had a choice in our Industrial Arts subject: Join a gardening class where you make a plot at a far end of the Dupac back lot or raise chickens in your home. I opted for the 2nd one because we have already an existing poultry in our home, tended by my Mom, of course.

But most of our male classmates ( the female ones had their Home Economics with a place beside the classroom building )selected the gardening subject. Everyday they had to go and tend their plants ( weed and feed with water ) and at night, they have to sleep in a small hut in the garden area to guard their plots from poachers.

Some parents at that time did not like their kids to sleep in that forsaken area. Some of the kids do because they have some other kids to play with. But then, not far from the sleeping area was a big breadfruit tree. the local name is PAKAK.

It was said to be haunted. Why not? The garden area including the sleeping quarters was located just in front of the Asingan Municipal cemetery. Only the road going to Macalong is separating the these two spots.

Well, according to some of the kids who tried sleeping in the Dupac gardens, there was really an OGRE ( the name of its European fairy tale counter part ) or PUGOT if you select to use the Ilocano name. In Tagalog he is called a KAPRE.

Some eyewitnesses alleged the creature was tall ( around 12 feet high ), dark skinned, smelly ( some say the smell came from his underarms ) and he was also always smoking a big tobacoo. They said he was always seen sitting on one of the branches. Sometimes he would be swinging his legs to and fro.

Some would dismiss the story as a fib. BUT there are some ladies in Asingan who claim it is true because at one time, there was a PUGOT who "courted" them. These ladies lived in the distant barrios of Asingan during the early days.. Their stories run as follows: The presence of this dark suitor is felt around midnight. The woman in question would hear some noise in the kitchen, e.g. some clanging of kitchenware. She would go to check things out but nobody was there! Just a lingering odor or smell of a you-know-what. Maybe the pugot was hungry and he was looking for a snack..:)

Some ladies also said they saw two hands clinging at a window ledge. Many of the houses then were made of bamboo and thatched nipa. And the hands were hairy with long nails! One story said after the hands dissapeared there was a rushing of footsteps going away from the house. I heard one such story from a lady residing in San Vicente.

Well during these times, people always ask proof to believe in something. A photograph or maybe an affidavit. Heck must they always ask for a proof?

When I was a kid, I believed in everything. Now that I am already a grandpa I believe in anything. Anything that I can amuse my grandkids when I am baby sitting them!

THE DUPAC PLAYGROUND AS I REMEMBER IT

During the late 50's and early '60s, the Dupac back playground was nothing but Leaves of Grass, to use a title from one poem by Walt Whitman. On a late afternoon, especially during the summer vacation ( from April to June ) the playground was peaceful except maybe for the sounds from a few goats or a cow left there to eat their greens.


Sometimes, my pals and I would meet there and forming a circle we would tell many stories of different subjects, about school and then drifting from one topic to the other.

There was a big mango tree on your right when you face Macalong.The swimming pool was not still there. Under that tree were two outhouses ( toilets ) one for each sex. During those years, the third sex was not fully recognized yet.

During school days, the Janitor would clean the toilet bowls and would leave a big water tank ( an empty gasoline drum ) full of water. During the holidays, well it is a different story. The Janitor would also go on holiday. On one of those idyllic afternoons we were there again, and then I felt the call of nature, a major one. During those days, that was the euphumism to use when you want to piss or make shit. The former is a minor one, the latter is major one.

Well I had to go and it is good I found a clean page of BANNAWAG magazine near the place. So I went inside the cubicle, got adjusted with the smell, then I squatted ( there was no toilet seat ) on the john. So I let go and oh, what a relief! Naturally, I had to use the Bannawag.

NOW comes the funny part of my story. If you are sensitive to privy jokes, all you can do is to click exit and leave. Just a friendly warning message..


So I checked the water tank. Dry as a bone. Okay, I said. Not my fault for not flushing the damned toilet bowl. There was no water.

Then I heard a strange noise from inside the toilet bowl. I went to take a look..Jumpin' Jehosephat! I saw big and red cockroaches which appeared from nowhwere ( maybe inside the u-shaped cavity of the bowl? ) and they started cleaning up my mess!..Geezz, I tell you..I believe that cockroaches will inherit the earth someday after doomsday when all humanity will be wiped out. Because they survive in the worst conditions and they are not picky with the food they eat!

Anyway, I am ending this entry with this bright note on evolution. Next time you feel like squashing a cockroach with your foot, remember his forefathers lived during the beginning of time and his future relatives will survive to the end of time...:)

THAT GRADUATION PROGRAM IN DUPAC

Many times we can pick some nuggets of Asingan history from ( of all places ) Facebook which is meant to be just a social networking site..Here is an example: I wrote the following lines on a site hosted by Sonny Espejo: "Will be visiting this school ( I graduated from here too ) when I will be in Asingan ( Nov.2011-April 2012 )..Graduated here April 1954..Tempus fugit.."

The school referred to is the Dupac Intermediate School. This is how we called it at that time circa 1955. In return Sonny answered : " Time flies, indeed Mng Vic. I climb on that front stage to claim my diploma in April of 1973. We were the first batch to graduate under the shadow of Martial Law. For the first time, there was no Town Fiesta in April of that year in keeping with the austerity program of Marcos' Bagong Lipunan. Muslim Rebellion in Mindanao and War in Vietnam were raging, OPEC countries were just starting to flex their muscles which eventually led to an Oil Embargo raising the price of gas from an unbelievable P0.90 to the liter to what it is now! On the brighter side, the Philippines was still king of Asian Basketball winning the ABC championship in December of that year with the heroics of Jaworski, Reynoso, Mariano, Melencio, Adornado, Paner, Cleofas, Arnaiz, Martirez, Fernandez, Guidaben and coach Eduque. That started my lifelong love affair with the game."..

To which I could not help but to answer in this Board: " Sonny, while those years in North Central taught you the love for basketball, the same Alma Mater taught me the love for music and drama..During our Commencement exercises from Gr. 6 that closing ceremony included a song ON WINGS OF SONG ( originally written by Felix Mendelson a prolific classical music writer ) sang by our class tenor, Alex Romero. Years later he became my kumpare and good friend up to now. While he sang the classical song about India, he was garbed in a Hindu costume complete with a turban. Aurora Pascua did an Arabian like dance garbed also like an Arabian princess..Alex sang without accompaniment and without microphone but his voice stood out like a bell...With the emotional atmosphere of the evening thinking that we will never see each other regularly again in school, the tune etched permanently in my memory. I rediscovered the tune again later when I took music appreciation seriously. On the side while studying piano, I listened to classical music played over DZFE AM Radio. FM was not existing yet then. not in Asingan anyway. Those years ln Asingan North Central or Dupac Intermediate school taught its pupils outside the classroom different things especially in its convocation programs. Somehow seeds of learning are propagated in the child's mind during these formative years to bear fruit and blossom later in life as the child would grow into maturity...

Christmas in the Philippines, anybody?

Christmas Carolers at the Dusit Hotel, Manila..


Christmas Carolers in our old house in Asingan..



Miggie at the lobby of Manila Penn, while some New Year decors were being put up...


Xmas display in a Makati store...


An almost life size BELEN in a residence in Makati ( the house of the Mr. and Mrs. Bocaling )



One month from now, we will be back again in Asingan and will be there for 6 months!..It is actually an experiment in living..We want to find out for ourselves whether life in Asingan is more enjoyable than life in Toronto..

Moving back to the Motherland is just like starting again fresh..You are retired. You like to relax from the hustle and bustle and pollution of a big American city. So you opted for the nice and quiet life in the old hometown.Oh boy, it remains to be seen, and of course, I will surely keep you posted..Jeez, there are already some free WiFi areas in Urdaneta ( like Jolibees or McDonald )..And some Bus Lines going going to Ilocos have free Wi Fis too in order to keep the passengers amused...We might wait for a few more years before the Asingan bound Viron will have a free Wi fi service..:)For now, the best way to use your laptop in the Viron bus is to buy a SmartBro USB in Manila and subscribe to its Net service..That would cost you 1000 pesos a month for unlimited service..I need Net services to pay my bills online...Well after one has sorted out all of these technicalities, including acquisition of a dual citizenship from the Phil. Consulate here in Toronto, then

I guess we are ready to try out a holiday away from the snow in Toronto.And from the commercialism of the Holiday here in North America..!...Well, several Asinganians have staked out their retirement in our town and they seem to enjoy it...right guys?..:D

A sketch of the old Agno River, Asingan

-photo by VDCabanilla-This concrete bridge I believe took the place of the wooden one that marked the boundary between Poblacion and Aragaag..


A typical house in Aragaag before. The neighbour would be quite far away. But this house maybe would belong to a tenant looking after a nearby agricultural land...

Comparing Asingan to Toronto is like comparing apples to oranges, but for me each place is dear to my heart for each of them helped in my growing up..Asingan saw me grow as a child, Toronto saw me attain maturity as a man...So how can you forget the scenes you saw through the eyes of your child hood?..You can not..These are always be lingering in remembrance like an old song which you heard when you were still going about as a happy, carefree individual..I loved to be alone then..So sometimes I walked to the riverside and played amongst the thick underbrush ( talahib ) and sand dunes of the old river.But I do not wander too far from the houses beside the river.There was an old wooden bridge going to Aragaag before..There were many clothes washers at the river below looking up at whoever would pass over the bridge: carromatas, Pantranco busses, cyclists..no motorized tricyclists yet at that time...A few meters away from this bridge was a sort of trail going down to the river..It was quite an experience going down this elevated downward trail riding on a carromata just to see the splash of the river as the wheels hit the water..This place then was scenic. There were lots of CAMANTERES ( KAMACHILE ) trees all around, and a bit upriver were the remains of an old bridge..It looked like a pier or a dock at that time and some kids used it as a diving board because the river was deep ( lipos, they say in Ilocano ) and only the good swimmers dared jump into its waters...Alas, one rainy season came, the river overflowed its banks and it took away EVERYTHING changing the topography of the land forever..Afterwards, the river banks became flat and plain looking. That scenic spot where we used to visit every Saturday morning ( where Mom and the servants spent the whole day washing clothes ) disappeared forever..It taught me a lesson: the constant law of life is constant change. Nothing stands still. There is always motion even if you say you are sitting down on chair or lying down on a bed. The chair and the bed are moving with the earths rotation on its axis and rotation around the sun. Such is one of the miracles of daily life which we mortals sometimes take for granted. But then, we must not be afraid. Fear not, because as the hymn goes: HE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS..Amen!!!---#

CALLING RIZAL ACADEMY CLASS '58

hello class '58!

wE MIGHT HAVE OUR OWN CLASS REUNION ON APRIL 2012..NOT A VERY LONG TIME TO WAIT!

ANYWAY, HERE IS A LIST OF OUR CLASSMATES TAKEN FROM THE ORIGINAL GRADUATION DAY PROGRAM LAST 1958..CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT..IF YOUR NAME IS HERE AND YOU WANT TO "CONNECT" WITH US, DROP ME AN E MAIL ASSUMING YOU ARE FOND OF USING THE COMPUTER..MANY OF OUR CLASSMATES ARE NOT...ANYWAY, LET US HAVE OUR OWN REUNION, EVEN JUST TO SEE AND CHAT WITH EACH OTHER AGAIN..PLS. GET IN TOUCH!! THANK YOU!!!

In a winery at the Niagara Penninsula

a sign in an ice cream parlor



Shows how old some of the wineries are



Grape vines as far as the eyes can see. Original owners of the land were the victors of the British-French wars.In principle, Canada is still "under" the British Empire. Now the monarchy are just figureheads who receive some money from the Canadian government..



An old machinery used in the wine production trade. Now a days everything is modernized but some kinds of grapes for expensive wines are still hand picked..


Have you ever visited a winery in the Niagara penninsula which is about an hour drive from Toronto? I have been staying in Toronto for more than 30 years already and it was only last week that I entered a winery ( with other visitors of course, a whole busload of them )

Before we entered the wine distillery, the tour guide brought us first to a nearby row of grape vines. It is the kind which produces a semi-dry white wine called Reisling. After the half hour explaination, I found out that making wine is no easy task, it entails so much time, money, patience and knowledge of grape vines...

Then we entered the winery itself. We saw silos containing grape juice that someday will be bottled in the same area. There is already a bottling paraphernalia in the same building which could produce some thousands of bottles in 24 hours. That is lots of booze, I heard someone comment..

Then we had some wine tasting before we left the building to proceed with our bus excursion.

STRATFORD, ONTARIO

A few shots of Stratford's main street. Nothing much there except some restaurants, delicatessens and computer shops. The Computer seems to be the only sign of progress here in this place..




STRATFORD, Ontario is one of those very quiet towns in Ontario which do not believe in progress. So the population thru its Council of Elders ( or its equivalent ) resolved that there would be no huge Malls, factories, shopping centers in the town. They believe in living the kind of life enjoyed by their forefathers. So the bottom line is, if you stay in this kind of town in Canada, you won't find much jobs, unlike in the big cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal or Quebec. That is if you enter Canada with an Independent Immigrant visa.

Of course, if you are already fed up living in the cities, visiting these small towns ( or spending a week end in them ) is quite refreshing.

Stratford is one of them. We visited this community last week end just to watch a live performance of CAMELOT.

There are around 4 live theaters in this town. The theaters are really luxurious in their set up. These kinds of cultural centers do not exist in Toronto. The theaters in my city are small, plain and they pale compared with Stratford when it comes to live theater presentations.


CAMELOT was something to watch but one must have seen the movie at least once and one must also have a grasp of the Arthurian legends in order to appreciate. You see, the live theater can not tell much when showing these epics the way the movies would do it. Cast of thousands, the movie poster would announce. In the play its good if you have a cast of 20 actors and some of them would have 2 roles to play.

Anyway, I enjoyed watching the play because of the stage set up, the costumes, the musical talent of the actors. They really SING unlike in some Hollywood musicals which used dubbed voices in the musical numbers. Thus, when you watch a play, you will feel different compared to what you feel when watching a movie. The movie is fake but nice, the Play is more realistic. The actors are really acting and emoting. They do their lines and actions in just one TAKE, no room for errors..

The opening scene of this Camelot in Stratford is unique. Again you must know that in the legend, Merlin tutored King Arthur from the time he was a child until when he became a King..

So in the opening scenes, they showed Merlin and a LIVE HAWK which flew from nowhere and landed in Merlins arm. The hawk in the story is King Arthur for Merlin's magic transformed him into different animals. With his experience becoming a hawk, a deer, etc. Arthur acquired a kind of insight that made him the wisest and kindest King of England.

To continue my description of the opening scene: the hawk flew again from Merlins arm, and seconds later a young boy appeared. The young boy was Arthur changing back as himself. The hawk of course, is already in someone's arms back stage. The boy Arthur likewise disappeared, then a teen aged Arthur showed up in a fleeting non speaking part. He also vanished and at last came the actor who would play Arthur as a King. All three actors have the same outfit. The boy Arthur grew up to be the King in just less than 2 minutes!..
I found the sequence absolutely cool!


Movies are very good..Now I am convinced that live plays, when produced very well are better than film!!--#

A Google Map of Poblacion..

( click on the map to enlarge it )

Here is a Google Map of Poblacion..Some business establishments and landmarks were labeled ( I am surprised how Google got those info )..No street names. but I guess you would know if you have stayed in Asingan for a long time and you might be a traveling peddler. ..

Some streets have no names yet. I wonder who are the ones in Asingan in charge of naming streets?

Would be nice to have a street named after ya while you are still alive to be able to see and enjoy it, don't you think?...:D.

Just a whimsical thought..

two maps of Asingan showing the Barangays

HERE ARE TWO MAP DRAWINGS OF ASINGAN..Of course, it is not very accurate, but it could serve as an illustration for any kind of souvenir program in which a map of Asingan is needed..You can easily make a copy of the map by clicking your mouse on one of them ( I recommend the black and white illustration ) then select Copy from the menu. Afterwards, go to a blank WP template ( text, Microsoft Word or even Paint ) then click Paste as soon as you put your mouse over the blank template..

I believe Bobonan is now Palaris, and Ariston is now divided into two..

The center square is Poblacion, but I will still have to find a map of this "downtown" area of Asingan...Maybe I will lift one from Google Maps, but not all the names of the streets would be there...

SHOTS OF DUMAQUIT AND MACALONG

The above shot shows the Domanpot road ( marked with a red A ) and the irrigation road. I guess on the eastern side of the road would be Dumaquit and some where in that clump of houses would be the family home of Marcie and Juliet. I had the chance to visit it last 2009 when Juliet came home again.

C is a plantation of mango trees owned by Sen. Shahani. B is that road going to Cabincolan. D is the residence of the Deocares family..



This is an aerial shot of the Asingan cemetery. The Catholic cemetery is near the top of the photo. You can see the small road leading to this section of the cemetery. On this road you can see a small shanty belonging to some homeless people with nowhere to go. One of them hacked the way for us to the Northeastern corner of this area so I was able to see my parents tombs.

In a short time, I am afraid there will be another group of shelters in here. At least the old BANGAR TREE is already gone. That is the most haunted place in Asingan when we were still kids.. Lots of stories concerning rolling coals, puppies that morph into different animals ( a pig, then a horse ) or a big white bird that would appear and dissapear on a high branch( now you see it, now you don't ). And do not forget the story of the lady in white who hitched a ride on a tricycle one midnight in Poblacion asking the operator to bring her to Macalong. When they reached the cemetery, she asked the operator to stop. She got out and showed her bandaged and blood smeared face to the operator. The operator almost went bananas running and screaming and leaving his tricycle behind---#

more google shots of Cabincolan

This shot shows the intersection of the Irrigation road and the road going to my place and out into Cabincolan. The irrigation road goes out into Domanpot. Turn left and you will head towards Urdaneta. The huge house at the intersection I believe belongs to a member of the Deocares family. I never entered it yet but I heard it has a swimming pool. I think you can see the pool on this satellite shot.

The yellow arrow points to the road passing in front of my place, the red Arrow points at the Deocares residence and the orange arrow points at the irrigation road going out into Domanpot.

There is a waiting shed at the crossing too. That is the landmark for you to make a left turn if you want to go to Poblacion, going into the Sapigao Hardware store.

Between the Deocares residence and my place there is a beer garden. It is just a nipa hut with a couple of tables and a rented Karaoke jukebox. It caters to the residents of our area, I guess...

If at night you hear some Karaoke singers singing out of tune, I suspect it might be coming from this joint. Well the good thing about it is its privacy. You can bring a date here and nobody would recognize you because this is located in the sticks..:) No one whom you like to see would see you here..

CABINCOLAN/DUMAQUIT: PAST AND PRESENT

This is a Google earth shot of my place..X marks the spot where my house stands..Y is pointing to the triangular patch of land beside us which is for sale..It is 200 sq. meters at 2500 pesos per sq. meter..This is what our neighbour named Cherise (?) told us..It has a mango tree, just beside the right of way that goes beside our garage..Z with a thin line points to the bungalow of Fely Ungos..There are already a number of houses in the area and according to them, our place is very quiet, compared to some places in Poblacion..The rice fields in front of us gives a very nice view from our front porch..There are several stories re: it..one time, they said FVRamos whose house is also beside it wanted to buy a portion for a heliport..Up to now nothing yet..The white lines are small roads going in and out of the particular subdivision. If I heard right, one part of the rice field in front of us belongs to the DeVera family and some portions are for sale as residential areas...The irrigation road going to Domanpot I think is hidden by the trees and houses.That narrow concrete road that passes in front of our house is the "tambak" or shortcut mentioned by Marcie Wise in her historical account ( see the next article )..vdc

note: if you double click the image with your mouse, it might enlarge it...

STORY OF DUMAQUIT/CABINCOLAN by Marcie Wise

My maternal Grandmother's name is Rufina Esteban Padilla. Her two brothers are Panyong, the father of Amado Esteban who is one time owner of the Rizal Academy ) and Jovencio Esteban. Jovencio, on the other hand is a Math teacher who taught at the Pacifican Colleges and later, at the Rizal Academy.

Grandma Rufina have 2 children: Uncle Carlito, Marcelina, my mother, known as “Nena,” and Uncle Fred. *** When the winds of War started to blow over Europe in 1942, Laki Panyong advised us to evacute ( agbakwit ) to that area of Asingan known as Bangkag. The Esteban family has a large acreage of land in Bangkag where sugar cane (kaunasan) then was cultivated.*** As a result, the Esteban/Padilla family moved to Bangkag and built there a small nipa hut (bahay kubo). Subsequently, Grandpa Uming Casimero followed us too as they also had land there. Their land is situated just on the opposite side of ours. Consequently, the Uson and the Figuracion family from Domanpot also evacuated to that part called Bangkag-Laod (Bangkag North). *** In December, 1941, Japan invaded the Philippines and within a few months, defeated the American and Filipino forces. My Grandpa thought the occupation would not last long, but it lasted two years in Asingan.

Starting in early 1942, Japanese forces occupied Asingan. They set up a camp next to the Catholic church. According to my mom, people in Asingan saw the bombing of San Manuel by the Japanese . During the occupation, , my mother and other children would go to school in Poblacion(South Central School)during the day , making their way via the tambak (rice field paddies ). That tambak is presently the concrete road which passes through the front of Manong Vic's new house. It would pass thru Cabingcolan. At the time, there was no irrigation road yet. It was built after the war.** According to my mom and other witnesses, the occupation was very hard on Asingan. For example, if one Japanese soldier was killed, the Japanese forces would kill 10 Filipinos in retribution, burying them in South Central School. My mom and others witnessed these gory executions and will never ever forget them. In addition, the Japanese raped many women in Asingan.

To avoid conscription to the Japanese forces, men and women hid in the middle of sugar cane fields (kaunasan). Also, they would go to Banawang to hide. The Japs had also the vicious habit of abducting young women and making them "comfort women". You can just imagine what this word means.*** Laki Uming Casimero family has a helper. His name is Juan Paet. At that time, the Japs were hunting young men to conscript for the Japanese Army. But the young men were always on the lam hiding in the sugar cane fields. The Japanese saw Juan, took him and when he refused to join him, they tied him to an artesian well and whipped him mercilessly. But he survived the ordeal. He died only last year ( 2010 )

In September 1945, the Japanese commander in the Philippines surrendered to Gen. Wainwright in Baguio, thus ending the war.My Grandpa Panyong family then moved back to Baro with his only son, Uncle Amado Esteban. In addition, Laki Uming Casimero and Laki Jovencio Esteban families also moved back to Poblacion. My Inang Baket did not want to return so she stayed in Bangkag with her three children, one of whom was my Mom. My Mom built there our present house where we stayed until we immigrated to Hawaii.** The name Domaquit was formed in the following manner: Doma-for Domanpot; plus Quit for the ibakquit people. Accordingly, -DOMAQUIT is born. Before that people called us taga-bangbankag or abagatan.---#

Aerial views of my "territory" in Asingan

This view shows my neighbourhood, the environment where I grew up. My neighbour was Mr. Sergio de Mesa (RIP) who happened to be my godfather. He was also my Gr. 5 teacher at the Dupac Intermediate School ( old name of the NCS). I believe he is one of the first US Navy retirees in Asingan, together with Mr. Ambrosio Divina Sr. You can blow up the photo by pointing your cursor on it and clicking it once..


The crossroad on the top left side goes to Dupac, if you turn right and to Macalong, if you go straight..There was a candy store in this corner before ( Monyangs convenience store )which took all my pocket money because they were selling imported US chocolate bars: Milky Way, Three Muskeeters, etc. costing only 15 centavos each.. Right now I can only taste Milky Way if I go to the US because this candy is not available here in Canada..




This view shows the ricefield in Calaoagan behind the small street going to the Delmendo Cable Company..





At the bottom left shows the new Asingan Municipal building. The street behind it is named DCostes in honor of my grandpa who once served as mayor of the town. The long street on its left perpendicular to it going north to Dupac is called Soloria street, maybe named after Samuel Soloria, the one time Municipal Secretary of our town.The other street near the rice fields of Calaoagan which crosses DCostes street is where Mr. Melecio Villanueva lived. He was our Gr. 5 teacher during those days. His son Nestor is my best friend in high school, THE RIZAL JUNIOR COLLEGE. We used to sing in a combo together with Cesar Alejo ...






This shows the aerial view of the town plaza. The Auditorium I think is named after Mr. Dalmacio Guillermo one of the well known citizens during those early days of Asingan. My friends and I enjoyed countless hours hanging out in the plaza especially at the base of the water fountain without any water ( marked J on the picture ) particularly during Friday afternoons when there was no school the next day..

THREE RELIGIOUS STORIES FROM PANGASINAN

These three stories happened to three individuals: the incidents were featured in an early issue of THE ASINGANIAN which I published long time ago ( about 3 decades ). The Internet was then still in the drawing board.

During those days, I wanted to publish a newspaper ( or something similar ) which would feature news stories re: Asingan or Pangasinan for that matter ). When the Internet arrived and revolutionized our life and the way we exchange communication, then I found the best and the cheapest way to broadcast news and pictures to all our townmates around the world...


story 1- Rodolfo Necessito, an Asinganian now living in California wrote the following account about Rowel Darang of Rosales, Pangasinan.

On September 2, 1987, Rowel heard strange voices calling his name outside his home. But due to the presence of Drug dealers in his hometown, he was afraid to go out to check who was calling him.

The next morning Sept. 3, he went out and and found a 13-inch statuette of the Virgin Mary on his doorstep. He took possesion of this image when nobody else claimed ownership. From the time he took in the image, his life has completely changed.

You see, he started to see visions of the Virgen Mary and he went into trances almost everyday for the next 6 years. He became like the 3 famous children of Fatima or St. Bernadette of Lourdes, France. He received messages from Mary ( whom he called Mama Mary ) which are repetitions of her previous ones in Lourdes, Fatima and the other places where Mary's apparition had appeared. The message was to spread Universal Peace and Love.

He was ordered to construct a grotto in her honour where the faithful could go to worship. This shrine now stands in the middle of a ricefield donated by the Rapanot family of Rosales, Pangasinan. This family is non Catholic.

At first, people thought Rowel was crazy. Then many local residents started to see the apparition themselves in the rice field grotto. He came to the US in 1990 to spread Mary's message of Universal Love, the need for prayer and the return for family devotion to the Holy Rosary.

( the complete story of Rowel Darang, his travel to California and a mysterious photograph of him and the Virgin Mary could be read in the PANGASINAN NEWSLINE, December and January issue, written by Rodolfo Necessito, one of Asingan's long time writers now residing in San Francisco, California )

story no. 2-During the 70s, Block Rosary was a very popular devotion in Pangasinan. In Puzzorubio, a Block Rosary group came upon a home owned by a non Catholic who does not seem to believe in God.At first, the group was hesitant to bring the image of Our Lady of Fatima to her house.But the head of the Block Rosary group was strong willed and she asked the homeowner if the image could stay with her and her family just for one night.

"Okay", the woman said. "but I am telling you now that you are just wasting your time. We will not be doing anything about it."

When the group left, the woman brought the image to the ground floor of her housewhere the dirty and old stuff are usually kept.

After supper, the family just went to bed and forgot all about the image.

It was about midnight when the woman saw in a dream that a beautiful lady appeared standing beside her bed, smiling at her. At this point, she woke up abruptly but the memory of her dream persisted. THEN she smelled a strong fragrance of roses and she remembered the image left downstairs in the ground floor. She rushed down and she was struck with awe because she saw the image surrounded by a strange light. and that overwhelming fragrance of roses.

She fell on her knees. She wanted to scream but she was afraid her children might wake up and also her neighbours. Then the light dissapeared together with the fragrance of roses. She gently took the image in her arms, brought it up to her house and set it in a corner of her living room. Then she fell to her knees again and started reading the prayers in the book left by the Block Rosary devotees.

When the devotees came back the next day for the image, they found a different woman who said the farewell prayers with them together with her children. The following Sunday, she attended church for the first time with her children and eventually, she was converted into Catholicism.


story no. 3 - Medjugorhe is a small Craotian community in the Bosnia-Herzegovina area of the former Yugoslavian Republic. In here is a high mountain where Mary's apparition was seen and thus so many healings and conversions took place. At that time, there was a civil war going on and many people were killed. But this did not stop many pilgrims from going up the steep mountain via a dangerous trail. Many wanted to ask the Virgin Mary for personal favours or just hoping they could also see her apparition.

One of the pilgrims was an Asinganian lady. Sorry, I can not mention her name but she claims account is true. And I believe her. Anyways, she decided to go up the mountain and near the top, her foot slipped and she fell into a deep precipice. She was hospitalized because of some physical injuries but she survived the fall although the gorge was very deep and rocky.

During her accident, she claimed that SOMEONE caught her thus breaking her fall, thus saving her life. She felt the sensation of being caught but she saw NOBODY holding her.

oooOOOooo

These are precarious times, the age of miracles which happened in the past and still happening. There are signs all around us but we must not lose sight of the fact that everything, including natural disasters are in the Hands of God. Maybe, just maybe we should continue loving HARDER one another ( even that character in your life which you love to hate ) because after all, the Christian manifesto is TO LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.----#

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pangasinan has its own Marian shrine visited by countless Pilgrims EVERYDAY of the week. Somehow, many claim that their prayers are being answered after visiting this church. Thus the popularity of this town whose name I think means TO CALL...

the ASINGANIAN ( last installment of the 1994 article )

Political discussions

What is an account of Asingan without a little discussion of local Politics? 1995 is the election year for the next mayor of the town. According to some sources, there are three probable candidates: the incumbent Mayor Carlos Lopez, Mrs. Elvira Ramos Veniegas ( the daughter of one time Mayor of Asingan Jose Ramos ) and Col. Romeo Dranciang an Asinganian military man who struck heroic deeds in the strife torn Island of Mindanao. Who will win? Only time will tell.


The governor's position is also up for grabs. Current runners are: Mr. Orbos and Mr. Ranjit Shahani the nephew of President FVRamos.T his race presents something that would be a discussion fodder for local political analysts. The discussion would be worth a case of San Miguel beer or a few bottles of Cuatro Cantos. Do not to forget the pulutan or finger food.


Colonel Daranciang is a military man and he is good at his job. It was President Ramos who pinned his medals of valour. When he visited Asingan recently, Col. Daranciang was warmly given a hero's welcome.

The strongest asset of Elvie might be her blood relation to FVR. I heard that she might be the official party candidate. If she makes it, then she would be the first woman mayor of Asingan.

Now we come to Mayor Carlos Lopez. He appears to be a very humble and honest man. " I am a farmer by trade," he told me recently when I visited his office.

" I am trying to open the Mayor's Office to the common Asinganian. The poor vendor on the street, the common TAO who never had the chance to step into an air conditioned office of the Mayor." he said emphatically.

Then he proceeded to relate the story of Mimay the peanut vendor who was able to see her child go through College by just selling peanuts. Mayor Lopex said he personally escorted her to visit his office one afternoon.

The governor's race is a more difficult issue to write about since one has to go to the Capitol nosing about for some stories to print without you being sued for libel. But I talked with some Barangay leaders from Calepaan who have some axes to grind with the present Vice Governor, Ranjit Shahani.


"If he does not fulfill his promises of cementing the Calepaan road going to Urdaneta, we will vote for Orbos in the next election." One of leaders said.

An Asinganian military who is the CO of an AFP HQ in San Isidro, Binmaley asked me if I could write a press release about Ranjit. Particularly his promises of fixing the roof of the Camp sleeping quarters.

"When it rains, we seem to be sleeping under a mango tree. Water pours freely, " he said pointing to the sunlight streaming through holes in the roof of the sleeping quarters.

The CO added: " Ranjit and his Mom promised some pinaod to fix the roof. But up to now, no such materials arrived and it is almost the rainy season again..”

Only in Asingan can you have so much fun discussing this and that while waiting for some one to tell you it is already suppertime.---#

the ASINGANIAN #4

The Birth of Two Papers

During this year 1994, Asingan became the birthplace of two provincial newspapers, THE TRIBUNE and PANGASINAN NEWSLINE.

In the beginning, there was only THE TRIBUNE, published by a Mr. H------, a foreigner from California. For its staff, the paper had Nonong Necessito, Francisco Malala and Sammy Curameng . Then according to Nonong, the publisher started to get greedy and dishonest with the funds. A break up eventually came. Nonong, Francisco and Sammy put out their own paper THE PANGASINAN NEWSLINE ( or PN for short ). With guts, hard work and self reliance, the first issue of the PN came out.




FRANCISCO MALALA and NONONG NECESSITO in a 1994 photo..


Last April 20, 1994, the PN still going strong, celebrated its first anniversary. The TRIBUNE is still being published. And the publisher married a young Asingan girl. Inspite of his unpopularity with certain Asingan circles, he is still in town..


On November 1994, a big celebration will be held in Bantog. Why Bantog, not Poblacion? I asked. I was told Bantog has its own Parish Church now. Thus the people here do not have to go to town anymore for religious services. And besides, the St. Louis Bertrand church is under renovation. Thus, Bantog was at that time girding for the big, prestigious event which would be attended by pilgrims and devotees from all other towns of Pangasinan. A glossy Invitation Program would be printed for the event. The last Cristo Rey celebration as I remember was last held in Asingan last 1948, under the administration of Fr. Jose Macaraeg.

Asingan as I saw it, has never been so busy providing for the needs of its townspeople. Majority of the populace are farmers and the rest are providing the needs of the population especially the younger children. Thus various schools, (Montessoris) bakeries, restaurants, gift shops and mini grocery stores and other kinds of services have mushroomed all over town. And let us not forget the various OFWs who are sending their hard earned dollars for their loved ones left behind.

I came upon Fidel Agsalud ( his Mom is Flaviana Agsalud, a school nurse when I was still in my Elementary years). Fidel runs a bicycle repair shop in front of his house in Calaoagan.

“Hey, I thought you are in the USA!” I said.

“I am”, he said with the usual smile.. “United States of Asingan.

“I am running this repair shop because if you do not work here, you will starve to death.”

Well the situation is the same in many places all over the globe, especially the Philippines which have no Unemployment Insurance program. This government program provides some money to the insured worker in case he loses his job.

The street where Fidel lives is now a very busy area. Thus we have his bicycle shop, then a sari sari store in the ground floor of the stately house owned by Don Doroy. Then we have the Farmacia Antonio. My mother in law ( Miguela Hufana, the mother of Miguelita ) once boarded here when she studied at the Asingan Institute ( now the Rizal Academy ). During the ‘30s, there were only two high schools in Pangasinan. The Asingan Institute and the high school in Lingayen.

The late Titong Arzadon converted his agricultural land in Dumakit into a subdivision. He started selling the lots for very low prices, so some Asinganians, especially those in Aragaag or Sta. Ana, the constantly flooded areas in town started buying a place for their new houses. With the help of town mates abroad, big houses started to be built in this part of town. Other places in the barrios followed this “mansion” building spree. Now it is said that there are more beautiful houses in the barrios than in the Poblacion.

Some vendors have also started organizing themselves into one powerful union. I met Alex Casimiro and he told me one time all the vendors staged a strike against the raising of taxes imposed by the municipality. All vendors, he said did not come to the market so the place was as lifeless as a cemetery for a couple o days.

According to Alex, the strike was successful because they got what they wanted. Now the Association has some money deposited in a bank outside of Asingan where a member could obtain a loan which he/she needs to expand business..



Another photo circa 1994 showing Miggie Costes, Remy Manuel and Esther Lomboy taken in Crystal Glades Resort established in Ariston near Sta. Ana...

the ASINGANIAN, no. 3

__________________________________________________

OUR WATER SYSTEM..I could never understand why TOBOY AND Bantog have their own water system but Poblacion is still putting in a big, 25-foot pipe that would serve as the heart of their water system.The work is going on under the nose of Andres Bonifacio, right behind the Guillermo Auditorium.




The town plaza is also being beautified with funds ( so I heard ) from the Department of tourism. The gazebos and statues are newly painted, some park attendants ( euphemism for janitors?) are working on sprucing up the plaza and concrete benches are being built all around the area. Some townspeople using these benches however could not help scattering balut shells when eating this delicacy while sitting on these benches. Waste baskets were placed in the plaza too. One moment they are there, next time they are gone…

At the southwestern part of the plaza is a burger joint called BIG MACK. The spelling is correct and it does not exhibit the golden arch of its International namesake. It is manned by two lovely young ladies who sell just hot dogs, hamburgers and cold soft drinks. The burgers have only ketchup for condiments: no onions, no relish no mustard. However, business is quite brisk. Usual patrons are kids who are tired of Mom’s cooking or Moms who are too tired to do the night’s cooking.

Last May 1994, President FVRamos came to town during the Barangay Officers election. About 2:00 pm, the Presidential helicopter touched down on the school grounds of the Dupac Intermediate school aka Bnorth Central School. Then a motorcade with the Big Man himself wound towards the voting place. He casted his ballot for Rocky Diaz as Barangay Captain. As an aftermath, the next batch of voters heard about FVR’s choice and most of them voted for Rocky, so the story goes. Thus, lucky Rocky got the job.



THE CHURCH RENOVATION. The Asingan Roman Catholic church which was ravaged by a big earthquake in 1990 is now undergoing a massive facelift and construction. The sidewalls are almost finished. Every Sunday ( the regular Mass ) and Wednesday ( the Perpetual Help Novena ) is being celebrated here. But the valuables are being kept in the priest’s house ( the microphones, amps, speakers, sacred host , etc ) to be brought out before each celebration. The new Pastor for the Catholic church is Monsignor Peralta from San Carlos, Pangasinan.

Before each Mass, someone would announce a financial statement of the financial help which arrived during the week in connection with the construction. The Finance committee is headed by Judge Dario Navarro and the actual work is done by a crew led by Architect Pablo Canadido. I was informed millions of pesos more will be needed before the work will be finished. And so financial pledges are being sought from good-hearted Asinganians all over the world. President Fidel Ramos pledged 50, 000 pesos for the project.

( to be continued )

the Asinganian, no. 2

HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED...
Our best friends are those we met during our Elementary and High School years. Remembering our town is remembering our good friends with special fondness...













(Class '56, Rizal Junior College..Class Adviser: Mrs. M. Casaclang, nee Miss Fernandez)


....Anybody can print a newsletter, but it takes more than money and time to put out a GOOD newsletter. It demands dedication, love for the craft ( writing ) and love for what you are writing about. In this case, it is Asingan....Asingan signifies the happiest times of our lives, especially the years of our youth. Our best friends are those we met during our Elementary and High School years. Remembering our town is remembering our good friends with special fondness...To many of us, we started feeling our love for Asingan after leaving it. After getting married, Miggie and I stayed in Los Banios Laguna. It was then that I started writing about Asingan as a Correspondent for the Philippine News Service ( PNS ). My first article published was about the oldest living man in Asingan ( he is dead now, RIP ) an elder member of the Cardinez family. He claimed he saw Jose Rizal moments before he was executed in Bagumbayan ( now Luneta )...I wrote many stories about Asingan until PNS was padlocked after the declaration of Martial Law... In my opinion, if you love our town intense enough to do something for her, then you are a real Asinganian in the highest sense of the word. It is someone who feels proud and happy he/she came from that small town in the heart of Pangasinan. For smallness can become greatness and greatnes can also become smallness..It all depends on what you really are deep inside you...vdc

( a filler from the 1994 the ASINGANIAN )

the asinganian

The Asingan Municipal Hall, circa 1994



The Asingan Municipal Hall at present..



the following article came from an Asinganian newsletter printed here in Toronto in 1994. It has been decided during a recent meeting of Toronto Asinganians that a newsletter would be a welcome project that would bind townmates together. I am reproducing the article entitled ASINGAN '94: SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW..The New Asingan referred to in the article is Asingan way back 1994..


ASINGAN is no longer the sleepy town we once knew in the '50s. In the '90s, this languid, sluggish settlement woke up with a vengeance.

Nowadays, if you live in the Poblacion, you will hear nothing but noise, noise, noise. All day long, 7 days a week there is the constant roar of motorized tricycles carrying people from one point to another. Then there is also a new kid in the block called the KULIGLIG. Originally intended for the farm, some innovative farmers put on it a minivan body thus changing it into a passenger vehicle. It is complete with a steering wheel and four tires.Kuliglig, by the way is a Kubota motorused by farmers to perform menial tasks originally assigned to the carabao.

Now a days the KULIGLIG has found other uses: a parade float for beauty queens, a carrier for various farm products and many others. It adds to the noise pollution in Asingan. As if there is not enough of this din from cars, jeeps, vans and small trucks owned by some well-to-do Asinganians.

Recently, the telephone arrived in Asingan. In 1992, some townspeople were asked to subscribe to a private telephone business. Some signed up, the rest didn't. The second group later regretted not accepting the offer. Now anybody with that gizmo could call overseas by dialing first 108 which connects you to a switchboard operator who in turn will connect you to the country of your choice as soon as there is an available line. Sorry folks, now a days, there is still no direct dialing for overseas yet. It may take you about 15 minutes before you could talk with that party located halfway across the world.

But the really rich Asinganians have started acquiring another new kid on the block: the cellular phones...

( to be continued )

note: the black and white masthead at the top of the page is originally used in this ASINGANIAN newsletter that was published in 1994. This article SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW is quite long. Frankly speaking, I am not a fast typist and I do appreciate someone who might help me do some word processing which I could just insert in the template or pages. If you a fax machine and you have some time to spare, then please e-mail me at Mabait42@aol.com..I would surely appreciate your help. This is purely voluntary work for now, until maybe we can get some sponsors or advertisers. Well, maybe, just maybe.

Thanks!...