Before our trips to Vigan by raft, Mother would prepare food for the day-long trip, consisting of rice, tapa (dried meat), eggs, tomatoes and salt, wrapped in banana leaves. At sun break we rode a cart pulled by a cow from Bangued to Nagtalabongan, where we boarded a raft propelled by four oarsmen using bamboo […]
1994 Memoir – 4. A Better Home
Our second house was made of wood, with G.I. roofing instead of nipa roof, and bamboo walls, wooden floor instead of bamboo, and it had a place for bathing called BANGSAL. Later on it had a separate toilet, too, far from our house proper, inside our yard. In this new house we had a real […]
1994 Memoir – 3. Our Sleeping Time
We used petroleum lamps or candles at night to eat our supper, then went to sleep early under one large mosquito net or a wide buri (blanket-covered) mat. Father and my brother used one blanket while Mother and I used one blanket together. We slept on the bamboo floor. Before sleeping we prayed Our Father, […]
History of My Life (1990) Part 10 – Life In Bayombong, N.V.
As a third year student in the New Nueva Vizcaya Vocational H.S., with a new name and new classmates, I felt embarrassed when, during the first day roll call, I failed to respond when my new name was called until our teacher included my second name, Sibayan. I blushed as everyone turned towards me not […]
History of My Life (1990) Part 3 – Sanitation
Health conditions during the early Twenties were very poor and unhealthy. Toilet was not a usual part of a house, much less bathrooms. A house was usually elevated several feet above the ground to accommodate the pigs, dogs and chickens to scratch and pick up the scrap food dropped down between the bamboo-slat floors. We […]
1994 Memoir – 2. Story of My Life
I was born in Bangued, Abra, Philippines, on May 8, 1918. My parents were FLORENCIO SIBAYAN (nicknamed INSIONG) and VICTORIANA BRAVO SIBAYAN (TOYANG OR IDOT). Father is from Vigan, Ilocos Sur (Barrio Kapangpañgan). Mother is from Bangued, Abra, Philippines. My grandfather on father’s side was a tanner. His wife was a laundrywoman. They were “Lolo […]