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Published: October 10th 2006
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My Dad's Ancestral House
A view of the second floor... beautifully withstanding the decades Cagayan De Oro, the City of Golden Friendship
Thank God for
Cebu Pacific’s 10 peso promo fare!!! We are now here at Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental (North Central Mindanao). Luckily, they have just switched to using VERY new planes. Thus, the travel experience onboard was superb.
It has been six years since I’ve been here at my dad’s province. My mom and I headed straight to my Tito’s house in PNRoa. We took a cab, which was WAY better and newer than those that we have in Manila. What a shame, hehe! Anyhow, I was amused by the many structural changes we saw along the way. There were high end subdivisions located near the airport. There were new school buildings and ofcourse, an SM Mall by the entrance of PNRoa. I was enjoying the view as my mom chatted away with the cab driver in Visayan dialect. (I have long missed that feeling of being around Visayan-speaking people. It was nostalgic to me.) He asked if I understood any of what they have been talking about and I replied "Gamay ra"(Just a little).
At my Tito’s house I finally met Ate Sherlyn and her two bouncy kids,
Djako and Daron. Together we took her car and drove to my dad’s hometown which is an hour away from the city.
Driving to Initao
From the city, we drove past Opol, which they say is a town that has a lot of ostrich farms. We drove past Tubigan, which is named so due to its close vicinity to the sea. Then we finally passed by a long stretch of dense, green trees. It was like a nature park or sanctuary. I wanted to explore it but I had to defer such desire. We do not have enough time for now. To my delight, we have already entered the town of Initao. It was a simple and quaint place. We stopped by the national road and immediately saw the house where my dad spent his childhood.
Seeing Initao for the First Time
I needed a few moments by myself. I tried to open the door of this old and eerie house. The door was locked. (Secretly, I was afraid the whole house might crash into me if I forced it open.) I snooped around the walkable corner where the house was built on. I was
somehow missing my dad. I can imagine the happy, playful moments my dad and his siblings spent in this big wooden house. They say my dad’s family used to run a school in here. So I peeked thru the dusty window to check out any trace of furniture inside but I only saw chickens and rattan wood scattered about.
We also saw my dad’s school, Xavier High School. It’s drastically smaller compared to the Xavier schools I have seen in Manila and in CDO (Cagayan De Oro City). It was a two-storey building with a small stage in front. That was it; plus a big tree by the entrance and a vast uncemented campus. I was fortunate to have met my dad’s teachers while we were there. We spent some time chatting with them and yes, they still remember my dad and his 4 other siblings who once marched to their classrooms.
Stride Over a Flame
We again hopped into the car and drove to the nearby town cemetery. Just like any public cemetery, it was a maze of weathered tombs, crawling vines, and thick tree leaves. It took us a while to look for my grandparents’
tombs. To our dismay, the epitaphs on their tombs were gone -- probably stolen. We said our prayers then walked and crawled our way out of the cemetery. By the exit, there was a small burning bunch of dry leaves (“siga”, in Tagalog). My mom told me to stride over it. I know it’s some superstitious belief but I did stride over the flame anyway.
I wanted to familiarize myself more about this town but we had to go back to the city before darkness sets in. I can’t help but feel satisfied that my mom and Ate Sherlyn brought me here.
So long Initao! I shall return.
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Jingguy
non-member comment
hi, just want to know if you're related to the the late atty. jose amarga... my mother is from initao, ( i love your blog) tnx