This is also an expression of gratitude — the memory of the heart that heartens the mind — for our forebears and kin.  Our parents, particularly, were divine gifts to us.  Let us all revere their honored glory, and as Abraham Lincoln in his famous  Gettysburg Address said, it is for us the living to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they have so nobly advanced. <o:p></o:p>

 These pages might provide a hazy memento of events and experiences, evoking desolation and exultation, shades of shame and fame, longing and looking forward.  Escape into these gardens of memories, replenish your soul, strive towards a better tomorrow.<o:p></o:p>

Our Grandparents and Parents<o:p></o:p>

Lola Aca and Lolo Pitong were married on 25 April 1898, four days before the Spanish–American war began. [A week later, on 1 May, the US Navy Asian squadron fired the first shot in the Spanish-American War, destroying the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Manila Bay.  This event also marked the debut of USA as an imperial power.  Under the Treaty of Paris of 10 December 1898, Spain ceded the entire archipelago to the United States in consideration of $20 million, and on 21 December America proclaimed the establishment of U.S. military rule, although our patriots refused to acknowledge U.S. domination even as they had proclaimed Philippine independence on 12 June 1898.]

This generation spanned a nation emerging from its transition of Spanish to American colonialization, suffered from Japanese hands the miseries of World War II, then rebounded to reconstruct from the scars of war so that by the 1950s, the Philippines was second only to Japan in terms of capacity for economic growth in Asia.

Through these trying times, our grandparents and parents rose above adversity with dignity and quiet grace, exemplifying perseverance… hurdled the odds to become sublime rather than paralytic.<o:p></o:p>

Tingloy

Our forebears were born and raised in the beautiful and bountiful Batangas province, Philippines, which is, as the US anthem exclaims, the home of the free and the land of the brave. [In the Philippine flag, Batangas is enshrined as one of the sun’s eight rays for being among the first provinces to revolt against Spain in 1896.]  This streak in our genes could help explain why we dared venture to join a fishing expedition to Palawan or found a foster home in Papatoetoe or settle in Philadelphia.  <o:p></o:p>

Many cherished years ago (‘til early 60s), Recudo, now named Sto. Tomas, was a secluded lush orchard, an over-the-hill walk to the municipal capital Tingloy.  As a municipality though, Tingloy comprises Maricaban and Caban (Layag-layag) islands as well as Sumbrero, Culebra and Malajibomanoc islets.  <o:p></o:p>

Today, the summer place, as the song aptly puts it, that was Recudo and Tingloy has, partly and sighfully, vanished into memory.  Like a mirage, the vestiges of the loveliness of its pristine purity have been swept off by the hands of time; few are left to stimulate the delightful memories and feelings of the past.  Gone are the trimmed orchard where ripening fruits paint the season… the clear brook and pond from bukal… the motley shells on the shore especially in Laktawin… the relics of twin shipwrecks of Tio Putoy’s batéls aground in Tingloy’s shoreline… Tio Dioning’s huge old vase or tina at Tio Putoy’s portal… Tio Putoy’s bamboo net or bubo heavy with wriggling catch… the cornucopia of marine life from the shore to the deeper parts… fresh nipa wine or tuba wafting the morning air in Tia Rita’s store in Tingloy… the cozy huts of nipa shingle roofs and bamboo floors… the twinkling fireflies that add to or detract glitter from the night … the serenade or harana where the experience more than the damsel tickles fondness…<o:p></o:p>

Recudo still offers perennial back-to-nature respite and renewal for the mind, body and soul.  It’s still the easy-life land of sunrise whose splendor is magnified by the sea.  With time at your hands, you can experience a more intimate communion with life’s joys and mysteries.<o:p></o:p>

 Recudo will always fondly reside in the hearts and memories of its exiles.<o:p></o:p>