My Father's History

My father was born at Silay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He grew up in Silay City with his parents and siblings, consisting of 4 boys and 2 girls. 2 of his brothers died while they were young. Their names were Ciriaco Jr. and Jose. He had an older brother named Ernesto or Erning (deceased), a younger brother named Rolando or Lando (deceased) and 2 younger sisters. He also had an older half-brother called Bernardo Alegre (deceased) whom we called Tiyoy Narding.

My father used to help his mother in a lot of household chores. One chore he disliked doing was pounding unhusked rice using a large mortar and pestle. The pestle was quite high and my father was very short when he was a child so it was a hard chore for him to do. My auntie used to tell us that oftentimes my dad was in tears when he was given the pounding chore. But he obeyed nonetheless because he was just that, obedient and industrious.

My dad was quite good looking as a young man. He was a bit short though which is quite typical for Filipinos. He was very friendly. He was also very athletic. He joined lots of basketball tournaments during his time. He played basketball until he was in his 70's. My dad was a hardworking man.

After finishing high school in Silay Institute, he went to Bacolod to find a job. Later, he worked during the day and went to school at night. He studied Banking and Finance at the University of Negros Occidental Recoletos. He was a part time student but after about a decade, he finally finished his course and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from the university.

He started as a janitor, then a clerk and later on became a salesman of fertilizers catering to the needs of sugar farmers in the region. A lot of the sugar farmers were fairly rich and were called Don or Doña. Don means some kind of Lord. It is an honorific title used in the Philippines. It is often used as a mark of esteem for a person of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long standing, a person of significant wealth, or a noble. I used to wonder how my father knew Dons since he came from a poor family. He told me that it was because he dealt business with them in his job when I was very young.

My dad used to work at the SPCMA, Sugar Producers Cooperative Marketing Association. He was working here as a clerk when he met my mother who was new in the firm. They dated and later on got married at the Lupit Church in Bacolod City.

My dad loved all his children. He always found ways to shower us with his love and affection. He wasn't good with words but his actions always say it all. For instance, he knew I love basketball very much. So, one day, in my teens, even with a tight budget, he had a mini basketball court constructed in front of our house. Then, when I used to travel for work, he would have my favourite food prepared whenever I came back. Whether I would be gone for a week or a month or several months, whenever I come back, there was always crabs or prawns or broiled fish waiting for me.

He was always proud of our achievements. He had my name published on the local paper when I passed the Civil Engineer's and Geodetic Engineer's Board Exams. He also had a box of business cards made for me with my name and titles as Civil Engineer and Geodetic Engineer.

He always wanted people to unite, whether it was our home or in the community. There are a lot of experiences that I had with my dad. One of the earliest experiences I had with my dad was that he always took our family to the beach, especially in summertime. He also took us with him when he goes jogging or take us on strolls. I really enjoyed those times. When he worked close to my school, I remember he used to meet me or my siblings at the corner cafe at Awing and treated us with the Lapaz Batchoy noodle soup and Hot Pandesal or some Hot Chocolate and Hot Pandesal. I always looked forward to those times.