My LIFE

It never really occurred to me that growing up in the city is different than growing up in the province. Growing up with 5 brothers and no sister is different. I don’t compete for attention but I am competitive when it comes to games and making sure I win.

I come from a large family. My Dad has 11 siblings and my Mom has 6. My Dad grew up in the city. In contrast, my Mom was raised in the province. My Dad was born in Minglanilla and my Mom was born in the province of Alcoy. My Dad is a son of a farmer and my Mom is a daughter of a fisherman. I guess that’s where my knack for fishing comes from and my love of plants. My mom moved out of the province to work in the city where she met my dad. My Mom was 17 and my Dad was 27 yrs old when they got married. After getting married they moved to the city.

I was born at the Chung Hua Hospital in Cebu City. I grew up in Don Mariano Cui Street where my grandparents live. We lived in a big house that supported 5 families. The house was situated at the center of a 2.4 acre lot. My grandparents were the original caretakers of the land that was owned by a wealthy family in Cebu. The house is divided into 5 sections; the top half was one section and the bottom half made up the remaining 4 sections. On the top section there were 3 large bedrooms, there was also a dining room, a kitchen and a living room. My family lived in 1 room; my 3 single uncles bunked in one room; and my grandparents took the other room. Four families from my dad’s side occupied the bottom half.

What made the house special was the fact that it was built by my grandfather. He planted several fruits such as: Mango‘s; Jackfruit; Sambag (Sampalok); Coconut; Papaya; Chico Carabao; Bugnay (mini grapes); Kaymito (Star apple); Chicos; Atis; Bananas, and Iba (Kamias). There were also rows and rows of vegetables such as: Camote (sweet potato); Gabi; and Yuca root. In addition to the fruits and vegetables we also had several farm animals. The land was constantly filled with chickens, roosters, ducks, and goats. I remember my grandfather instructing us to take the goats from their pen and move them to the open fields to graze. I can still remember holding a kidd (baby goat) to help it eat. At the back of the house there was a large bamboo chicken coop. Next to the coop was the pig pen. At the far side of the lot, there was a drainage pond where turtles swam. There was a dirt path from the main road that lead to house. The path was lined with coconut trees. Life there felt like you were in a province.

The estate was ideal because of its location. It was situated between two major hospitals; there were two department stores nearby, Rositas and the Thrifty Mart; a few steps from the Thrifty Mart was Robinsons. A little further down the road was Belvic and Century 21 cinemas. In the same area you could also visit the National Bookstore. Everything was walking distance. During this time SM and Ayala did not exist in Cebu. There was no need to go far in order to have fun, everything was close to where we lived.

Counting my brothers, my cousins, and my self, there were 16 kids in our house. We would often play Shatong; Batolata (tumbang preso); Tago tago (hide and seek); Japanese game; Chinese garter; Buwan buwan; Tubig tubig. Growing up my cousins were my best friends.

My childhood was fun and memorable. I remember climbing the mango trees to get the fruit. Throwing my sleepers in the hope of hitting a Sambag (Sampalok). One of my favorite events was harvesting coconuts and jackfruits. I’ve seen goats and pigs give birth. I’ve seen chickens and ducks hatch. I developed a lot of fond memories of my childhood in Cebu. I wouldn’t trade for anything.

 

Cebu City - now