A Speech Before High School Students

I came across from my records, this supposedly inspirational speech that I delivered some years back before the entire High School students of the Alabat Island High School in Alabat, Quezon. It carries historical account of our family and herewith being put in my blog for posterity and sharing with those who would care to read for whatever value student reader can derive from it. It was delivered in Tagalog and English or Taglish.

 

The speech:

 

Thank you very much Ginang Leah Castro for that very kind at medyo me papoging introduction.  My mother could not have done better with those praises.

 

Father Boboy, mayor artem, mga kagalang galang na opisyales nang paaralan at nang Recoginition Day celebration, mga coordinators, awardees, mga kaibigan, mga makikisig at magagandang  estudyante ng Alabat High School at kanilang mga magulan, ………………MAGANDANG UMAGA SA INYONG LAHAT!

 

Ako ay natutuwa sa pagkakataong ito, at hindi ko mapigil ang alaala noong ako ay nasa elementarya at high school pa. Ang totoo po, ako ay nagdalawang isip nang sabihin ni Professor Louie Fulledo at matanggap ko na nga ang imbitasyon galing sa inyong Head Teacher at Recognition Day Coordinator Professora Mabel Oliveros, na maging guest speaker nyo ngayon.  Napakarami ko po kasing tinutututukang gawaing maiiwan sa Maynila at dalawang araw akong mawawala doon.  Ganun pa man, napag-isip isip ko…  pagkakataon ko na rin sigurong mag-break muna upang madalaw ko naman ang aking mga kaibigan dito at matikman ko muli ang napakatamis na lambanog kasama ang inyong kagalang galang at alkaldeng si Ginoong Artem. Noong huli kong dalaw dito noong isang buwan ay me pinakilala sa akin si Mayor Artem habang kami ay nasa silong nang bahay nya….sya ay bata pa, mahaba ang buhok na medyo balbasin AT DINUDUMOG NANG TAO….. at sabi ko sa sarili ko, sino kaya etong bisita ni Mayor na eto na parang member nang rock band? SIKAT YATA TONG ARTISTA O SINGER NA TAGA MANILA PERO HINDI KO NAMUMUKHAAN.  Nang aking mapagalaman LATER, yon pala eh walang iba kundi ang pinakamamahal na Parish Priest nang Alabat na si Father Boboy.. 

 

May mas malalim na dahilan  po ako sa pagtanggap ng imbitasyon ninyo sa akin…hindi dahil sa pansariling kapakanan o karangalan…..at ito po ay ang “pagbabalik” ko sa isang lugar na napakamahal sa akin at sa aking mga magulang.  Magbibigay ito ng pagkakataon sa akin na ibahagi sa inyo ang isang napakahalagang aral o pamana sa amin ng aming mahal na Lola Victorina.  Hindi nyo siguro kilala ang mahal naming LOLA INA.  Siya ay tubong Malaybalay, Mauban, Quezon  na napadpad, kasama ang aking Lolo Petronilo sa Barrio Balungay sa Isla ng  Alabat bago pa nagkagiyera.   Dito nila pinalaki ang kanilang mga anak.

 

Standing before you today brings back memories of my younger days. In high school we also had a guest speaker and i was in the same position where you are now. At that time ni wala sa imagination ko na balang araw i will be elevated to the stature of a recognition day guest speaker.   Frankly speaking, nakalimutan ko na kung ano ang mga sinabi nuon ng guest speaker namin. Ni hindi ko na rin matandaan kung sino sya .  TAong 1967 pa kasi ako nag graduate sa high school. Matagal tagal na rin…Mga 40 years ago na. SAbi ko tuloy sa sarili ko,  there is a chance that most of you will also forget what i will say today at kung sino ako. Ang matatandaan nyo ay kung sinu ang katabi nyo today, mainit ba ang panahun at kung saan kayo pupunta o anu ang gagawin nyo pagkagaling dito. Kaya napaisip ako talaga kung anu ang pwd ko sbhn sa inyo ngayung araw na eto na sa palagay ko eh kaht katiting  man lang ay matatandaan nyo at magagamit sa inyong buhay.

So today, I will share with you a valuable legacy handed down to us by our grandmother, Lola Victorina.  You surely do not know our dear LOLA INA.  She passed away before she was 93 yrs of age due to complications brought about by infections from a broken hip bone.  Kung hindi sya nabalian, siguro po ay inabot sya nang mahigit 100 ba edad sapagkat ang kanyang ina, ay namatay sa edad na mahigit 110….naglaglagan na ang ngipin na luma at tinubuan nang bagong maliliit na ngipin, nalugas ang buhok subalit tinubuan ulit nang itim na buhok…luminaw ang mga mata na dati ay Malabo na…..yan ang aking mga ninuno…mahahaba ang buhay…kaya lang parang masisira sa akin….Napakarami ko na pong gamut na iniinom at napakarami ko nang operasyon sa katawan.  

Anyway, now that I caught your attention, ituloy ko po ang kwento sa Lola ina ko. She was originally from Mauban, Quezon  but for some reasons together with her husband, Petronilo, they found their way at Barrio Balungay in the island of Alabat before the war.  It was here  where our Lola and Lolo raised their children.  

Ang aking salaysay nang buhay nang aming pinagmulan ay ibabahagi ko sa inyo sa paniniwalang katulad naming mga apo, me aral rin kayong maaaring pulutin sa kanilang talambuhay . Ang karamihan po nang informasyon dito ay bunga nang aking pakikipagtawgan at palitan nang email sa aking pinakamatandang surviving nA pinsan, si Dr. Frank Tejada na ngayon eh nasa America na. Kung hindi rin sa pagkakataon na ibinigay sa akin na maging inyong guest speakers ay hindi ako mapipilitang magsaliksik nang karagdagang detalya kung bakit ang bayan nang Alabat ay mahal na mahal nang pamilya namin. Para po etong telenovela.   

SI Lola Ina and Lolo Petronilo originated from the hills of Malaybalay, Mauban,Quezon.  They migrated to Balungay with two small children in tow.  Lolo Petronilo found a farm land to work with as a tenant or share farmer.  They fell in love with Alabat and saw their family grow. When the children were  of school age, they decided to bring them to Lucena.  Lola Ina started with pakasera ng mga estudyante…Ang lolo naman eh nagbuy and sell ng baboy which brought him to the adjoining towns on business. Ang mga anak naman eh tumutulong sa pagprepare ng meals nang mga kasera.  Nagrarasyon din sila ng pagkain sa Lucena Jail.  During one of Lolo's out of town business, he developed  abdominal pains.  being a robust and strong man, he was still able to walk several kilometers before he succumbed to a ruptured appendix.  The  youngest of their 5 children at that time, was only one year old.  So Lola became a widow at age 30 with 5 mouths to feed and send to school.  Times were hard at that time.  The children contented themselves with toys they invented and made by themselves:  sumpak, horse-stick or kabayo-kabayuhan playing cowboys and Indians, saranggola at iba pa.  Through all those hardships, ang biyuda kong Lola persevered and  with her pakasera business, she was able to send all her kids through  school.  She went to market in a calesa everyday with her bakya and saya, to buy stuffa for her pakasera.  There were no refrigerator, telephone, dish washers or television then.  All the children did well in school.  The eldest, a girl, got married early and started a store business in Iyam in Lucena.  At an early age, the children showed extraordinary abilities.  While the others did well in school, Tio Cesar, the youngest, became a high school valedictorian  

Then WWII came. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it was just a matter of time before the Japanese  came to Manila.   There were chaos all over. The family decided to assemble themselves in Lucena and relocate. Gathering all their possessions which they hang and carried on  bamboo poles they walked all the way to Atimonan where  they got a banca and traveled to Alabat, finally anchoring at Balungay River. They were about 15 or 20 people and they holed out at the Enriquez house in Balungay.  They continued to worked on the field , went fishing and gathered around in the evenings to converse or tell stories , drink tuba and sing to each other.  Their only night light was either candles or home-made oil lamps or digasa.  My mother’s favorite song at that time was Lawiswis Kawayan.  All those times,  they heared and saw flashes of light in the distance accompanied by loud explosions from the west, Bataan or Corregidor.  Then, on about Dec. 21, 1941, in the early morning, some people came running and yelling, Hapon!  Dumating na ang mga hapon!  There was frenzy and almost chaos.  Everybody ran for the hills.  They settled in a small nipa hut with several families, maybe 20-30..  From the mountain  they  saw the Japanese invasion fleet in Lamon Bay, which stretched from Siain to Mauban. They slept anywhere, some in the coconut kiln (Coprahan), others in a chicken house with mites, hanip and tungaw.  They ate whatever they could get from nature, ubod, berries, wild animals, even bayawak.   

When things became calmer, everybody went back to town.  The family engaged in buy and sell of fish, copra, dried fish and lambanog which were ferried by sailboat to Mauban..  Later the Caliwara family  had a lantsa named Del Carmen; It was  used for cargo and people transportation to the various towns reaching as far as Camarines Sur.  On one of their boat travels, the  boat capsized near Mauban. The eldest child, Tia Peciang, almost drowned had it not been for my father.  Being a fisherman, he had a good physique and was a good swimmer.  He dove to save her with his coat, shoes and pipe still in his mouth..  At that time, my father had a baklad which very often caught  lots of fishes which gave him good profit that he eventually used for his law education.  

It was a difficult life but through sheer hard work and determination, my Lola was able to send all her children to school and made successful achievers of them: a successful and accomplished businesswoman, 2 lawyers, a famous structural engineer and a public servant.  My Tia Peciang together with her husband Tio Isko Tejada, owned a string of stores located in Alabat, Atimonan and Lucena.  One of them Benjamin Caliwara, became a mayor of Alabat.  His term was cut short due to a vehicular accident while following up some projects for Alabat in Manila.  The Structural Engineer, Cesar Caliwara, was well known and respected in his field, having designed the foundation and structures of the Central Bank of the Philippines, the Philippine International Convention Center, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a lot of other major projects both local and overseas. He also became a Constitutional Convention delegate.  One of the two lawyers in the family, Tio Alfredo, became a judge.  The other lawyer, my father was  Eladio Caliwara, better known as Ka Adyong to many of you here. He spent most of his life in public service having been a secretary to the then Quezon Governor Constantino.  He was drafted to run for Board Member and won.  He was well loved by the people which catapulted him progressively to various positions, becoming Vice Governor, Congressman and then Governor of the Province. All of them a sister and 4 brothers were products of Alabat Island and inherited our Lola Ina’s patience, perseverance, love for work and service to others. She was a very admirable and responsible woman.  

Whatever I and my siblings and cousins have achieved, so far in our lifetime, we owe so much to our lola and our our parents,  for teaching and imbibing in us the very virtues they possessed: value of  hard work, determination, perseverance, constancy of purpose, consistency in action, among others, to reach a dream…a goal; and that is, education. The center of all those qualities revolved around a very important factor which is a strong belief and devotion to God.  Natatandaan ko pa kung paano kami nagsasama-samang magkakapatid sa gabi habang nagle-lead ng rosario ang aming nanay. Bukod pa eto sa dasal nang aming Lola pagka Angelus or 6pm. 

Contrary to what others believe, we were not moneyed.  Again, possessing values handed down to us by our parents, we struggled hard to finish our studies. My Sister pursued studies in Medicine and became a doctor. She was born in Alabat during the feast of Nuestra Senora del Carmen.  That is why her name is Carmencita.  She has been living in the United States for some 40 years now but made it a point to come home to visit Alabat.  For the past 3 years, since the death of our father, she has been coming home to lead a medical mission in Alabat, the latest of which was barely a month ago.  She vowed to continue doing this personal mission as long as her finances and health will allow it. My brother Carlos, became a lawyer and is in active practice in Manila. During his college days, he became the National President of the International Fraternity , Alpha Phi Omega or APO for 2 straight yrs. Being a good bowler, he also represented the Philippines in several Asian Bowling Tournaments making friends with some of the PHlippine Team players in the process like Paeng Nepomuceno.  Last but not the least, yours truly became what i am today, pogi. Di ko na uulitin ang aking accomplishments sapagkat narinig na nyo kanina nong ipakilala ako.  The good foundation laid down by our parents for all of  us by our parents actually opened up a lot of opportunities for us.  Hindi naman sa pagbubuhat ng sariling bangko, we became matiagaing achievers just like our parents.  Along the way, I realized on my own early in life that I have the capacity for achieving a lot of things which helped me hurdle the challenges thrown before me.  In all the things that I have achieved, I never failed to remember the humble beginnings of my parents and my grandparents and their love of the town of Alabat. I will never get tired of saying that they were very influential to what I have become as a person.  In some instances, I have gone out of my way to extend help to Alabatenos and Quezonians every which I can.  

Naibahagi ko na po sa inyo ang buhay ng aming pamilya. Kung pano na ang kapalaran ng buong angkan namin ay nagkaron nang kinabukasan sa ipinamalas na kasipagan , tyaga at pagmamahal sa pamilya nang isang dakilang ina. Kung pano binigyan nang nang halaga ang edukasyon.  Sa nakararami sa atin, Education is a very important gift that our parents can give us; a “pamana” which can never be taken from us. It is a goal you have to set for yourselves… NOW… not later, not tomorrow.  Look around you, my dear students.  Be aware of our many “kababayans”, who,  like my Lola Ina, my Tio, Tia and parents, have put their best effort and persevered to uplift their state of life through education.  Many Alabatenos ventured into different fields and have gone abroad and are now supporting their families here.  Others have likewise been successful in their own rights  here and in other parts of the country.  Yan ang pangarap ng mga magulang nyo para sa inyo. Yan ang dapat nyong maging personal na pangarap para sa inyong sarili at sa magiging  pamilya ninyo.

 Wag kayong matakot sa hinaharap.  malaki ang aking paniniwala sa kakayanan ng mga taga Alabat.  I believe it is innate in all Alabatenos to have a strong sense of  perseverance and determination.  I then challenge you, my dear students.  Help fulfill your parents’ dreams for you to finish your studies.  The road ahead will be full of obstacles.  As I speak now, the world is faced with global economic crisis, which will require that  you become brave. My advise is that you do not give up easily when faced with problems and obstacles.  Expect to encounter failures along the way.  Failure will be part of your quest for success. 

 

Alam nyo ba na noong 1954, sa America, si Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, eto ang tanyag  na radio program sa Nashville Tennessee ang home of country music na naga audition at dinadaanan nang mga halos lahat na sumikat na singer sa america,  sinisante ang isang singer pagkatapos nang isang performance. Sabi nya sa singer, "You ain't goin' nowhere son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck". Alam nyo ba kung sino yong singer na yon? Kahit sya ay nakaranas nang rejection , siya ay hindi nawalan nang pagasa hanggang sya ay nagging kilala to become ELVIS PRESLEY. 

 

Noon naming 1940, me isang batang inventor na ang pangalan ay CHESTER CARLSON.  DINALA NYA AND IDEA NYA SA IBAT IBANG CORPORATION. MARAHIL AY 20 ANG NAPUNTAHAN NYANG COMPANYA, KASALI NA ANG ILAN SA MGA PINAKAMALAKI SA AMERIKA. LAHAT NANG KOMPANYANG NILAPITAN NYA EH PURO THUMBS DOWN..ILING ILING ANG NIRANAS NYA. MAKARAAN ANG 7 TAON, NAKOMBINSI RIN NYA ANG ISANG MALIIT NA KUMPANYA SA ROCHESTER NEW YORK NA NAGNGANGALANG HALOID COMPANY TO PURCHASE THE RIGHTS SA INVENTION NYA NA ELETROSTATIC PAPER COPYING PROCESS. ANG HALOID COMPANY SOON BEAME THE XEROX CORPORATION

 

ME ISA PANG EXAMPLE. BAKA SAKALING NANGYARI NA RIN DITO SA ALABAT ETO. MERONG ISANG SCHOOL TEACHER.  LAGING PINAGAGALITAN ANG ISANG ESTUDYANTE KASI HINDI NAKIKINIG AT NAGBIBIGAY PANSIN SA KANYANG MATHEMATICS AT SA HINDI NYA PAGSOLVE SA SIMPLENG MATHEMATIC PROBLEMS. SABI NANG TEACHER SA ESTUDYANTENG ETO:  YOU WOLD NOT BECOME ANYBODY IN LIFE. A schoolteacher scolded a boy for not paying attention to his mathematics and for not being able to solve simple problems. She told him that you would not become anybody in life. The boy was Albert Einstein.

 Hindi natin masabi kung ano ang kapalarang naghihintay sa atin. I have no doubt in my mind though that someday, from amongst you, there will be those who will follow the footsteps of the great men and women of Alabat who have made a name for themselves. Alam ko na inyong pinapangarap na pagdating ng araw, kayo ay magiging isang pinagmamalaki ng inyong magulang at ng bayan ng Alabat.   When you have reached that point, Return the favors extended to you by Alabat by helping out YOUR fellow Alabatenos. Eto ang huwag na huwag ninyong kalilimutan. In all your successes, stay humble, live simply, be generous in helping others, learn, and never forget,  to look back and be grateful… for Gratitude is the memory of the Heart.  Those are assignments I am requesting thay you will be report to me someday.

I would like to believe that my coming here today has not been in vain. Nababakas sa inyong mga mukha na hindi na kayo makapaghintay na sumabak sa mundo at gaumawa ng sarili ninyong pangalan.

In closing, I would like to say that my visit would not be complete, without my expressing my heartfelt thanks and gratitude, in behalf of the Caliwara clan, for the school officials’ invitation for me to be here with you today; the pleasure is mine, actually; and especially,  to the Southern California Association of Alabatenos or SCALA for honoring the memory of our dear father by naming your Computer Center after him.  Nakakapagpataba po ng puso ang inyong pagalala sa aming ama.  

 

 Sa mga awardees at sa kanilang mga nagmamahal na mga magulangat guro, Congratulationsat Mabuhay kayong lahat! Sanay magpatuloy kayong umani nang karangalan.  

Maraming salamat sa inyong matyagang pakikinig . Katulad nang nasabi ko kanina sa umpisa, hindi nyo matatandaan lahat ng sinabi ko subalit me aral sana kayong napulot sa aking mga isinalaysay.

 

MAGANDANG UMAGA PO SA INYONG LAHAT.