The Guinayangan Republic

Gaserang Ilawan

My father said it was since circa 1960 that the nearby Poblacion of Guinayangan has already been electric powered. But our humble Barangay –Manlayo, it was 1979. Almost two decade of groping while the nearby town were already out from the shadow of limelight. I was born during the early 70s and when the decade was nearing its end, we were almost forsaken to experience such glorified days with the early use of Edison’s inventions. It was in 1979, the earliest I knew of when I experienced the glow of incandescent and fluorescent lamps.

My fellow kids were rushing and they were whooping! –“Magkakaroon na ng kuryente sa atin!”. Yoohoo! . I was just inattentively watching the commotions while gnawing the hardened candy cane (Tootsie Roll) much like our local candy that we call ‘Tira-tira” and all the melted pieces were sticking to my messy face. While I was nibbling the remaining pieces, I jumped and descent from our bench and rushed to go with them to the main street. The street of Manlayo is stretched from the Main road through and end with the Don Diego’s residence, almost a quarter of a mile. I saw towering crane trucks that were entering the mid length of the road while another truck loaded with wooden post followed it .For every 25 meters, electrical post was erected. I can still recall the smell of asphalt like chemical that treated the wood. Elder said it’s “Tigsakot/Tigsa Coat” or alkitran in Tagalog. These would prevent termite build up and prolong its life. It is the reason why it has withstand the harsh years that gone by.

Though I still wasn’t attending grade school that year for I was just six years old, a sloppy shy boy without a care in the world. Every weeknight, I always saw my elder sisters were reading their lessons and were making their assignments under the glow of “Pirok Pirok” or “Gasera” .It’s simply a Kerosene Lamp we just uniquely called it that way. I believe it is an adjective word in Visayan Language meaning blinking light, because I often heard it from Visayan Fisherman. Other country called it wick lamp, probably because it uses wick or a cord twisted that draws up fuel to the flame by capillary action. I was leaning elbow clasped to a table and my chin touching my wrist while I was looking at the kerosene gently wicking through the cord. All my sisters were muttering phrases from lessons and occasionally were looking at the ceiling as if they were memorizing something. Under that glimmering light my other sister were coloring a book, a project in art perhaps. No wonder in the morning my sisters had to correct the overlapped edges of the coloring book before submitting it to class, because their crayons overlaid the line of the art drawings.


Kuliman or Petromaks (Mantle Lamp)

Our small living room has more illuminations because of “Petrol Lantern” a mantle lamp that my father usually utilized during fishing; colloquially it was called “Kuliman”or “Petromaks”. I recently knew its etymology and I have drilled down the name to “Coleman” and “Petromax” two of the most reliable brands of Petrol Lamp during those days. Most locals in Quezon usually associate brand with its actual name. Just like brand “Colgate” to a toothpaste. In Quezon we commonly heard buyers in a sari-sari store” Pabili nga po ng Colgate na Pepsodent!” . The store would always grasp the order and handed the Pepsodent toothpaste without any doubt nor corrections of its use. I would always like the Petrol lamp, the lights were as bright as today’s lumen of incandescent lamps, I was amazed how that small braided cloth called “ gas mantle” or “welsbach mantle” made up of oxides like “thorium” that incandesced and never burned out or charred to pieces when heated. I would errand for some spare when it worn out to a nearest store where they knew it by Tagalog name as “gasa”.Amazing physics inventions that had been very useful in common fishing activity called “Largarete”, which was my father’s source of living before the “Basnigan” during the 60s.

For my bedroom I preferred the “pirok pirok” to light up my room. I don’t know, but the gentle gleam of shimmering lights waving through the dark adds a more snooze feeling to my mind. I was mesmerized by its light as it tremulously cast the shadows of our curtain, then I was always in deep slumber. “Tak Talaok!(Cock-a-doodle-doo)… Ahh! What a fine morning ( I missed that sleeping habit).I squinted my eyes a bit, rose up and begun to perk up my day. But wait I have to check my nose for the kerosene residue deposits that sticks to my nostrils. I always use a clothes edge wrapped around my little finger and gently nose picked and turned to scrape all the “agiw”. My sisters would always pinch me for making a habit of using white clothes for that. I don’t know (My Bad!)I like looking at the “agiw” scraped over white clothes (Mga poor Ate).
poste-sa-amin



Electric Post

Months after and the last transformer post with bright street lamp were erected. When they lit up it was like a giant lantern to our eyes. 1979 became one of the most memorable years of my life I was spell bounded by warmth of my own curiosity. That was the very first time I witnessed such a bright electrical lighting. My young eyes were captivated by sheer emotions of joy and frenzied heart from experience I will never trade for anything else. Weeks after that, feeder circuits to our street were laid down to power our neighbourhood. Finally, we jumped and overjoyed seeing the fluorescent lamp lights up like crystal balls. What a glorious day! I couldn’t describe the happiness it brought to us. We cheered and eventually astonished by the light that reflects down on our varnished shelved living room. Our dinners couldn’t be more appetizing, for we clearly see all the ingredients that savoured our sumptuous dishes we had every day.

It’s a start of a new age for us, a dawn of advancement. More months after that, neighbours had been starting to invest electronics appliances, Radio Cassettes, Radio Phonograph and of course the idiot box “TV” or Television that marked the beginning of electronics craze. The only problem we had was we couldn’t keep up with the race of investing appliances, my humble dressmaker mother was only proud to invest a Radio Cassette. A Sanyo made cassette playback-recorder because we couldn’t afford to buy a TV set. Nevertheless it’s an amazing piece of equipment, for you could hear back your recorded voice audibly clear (Wow!). We were just contented to watch over to the nearest neighbours like “Bardaluza”, Pura and Manalo family that time were situated in front of our elementary school. Right after my classes, I crowded with the older kids to have the best angle to peek and watched the “Kaluskos Musmos” and Sesame Street. Even though it was just black and white TV, its indescribable feeling that bewildered our young minds. Then a colored TV came, it was blissful joy to our already astounded eyes. Our “larong taguan” couldn’t been more livelier . That lamp post became our base for every game we had every night “agawan base”, “patintero”, “piko” you name it we played it all.

I am proud that I was raised during the 80s though we never grew up with the internet. I was lucky to have a career in data communication and I.T field (So you cannot tease me of being old timer). I was more like a living witness of the technology evolution in the process. (LOL) .We all must realize how lucky we are today for we have everything at our reach. Though I haphazardly ventured to advanced technology career , my age (no doubt) we’re the first to use Mobile Telecommunication, we’re the first to use Digital video and TV, and we’re the first to use the Internet. One must treasure every childhood memories for there is nothing more memorable than the years that was. There is no sure way of measuring happiness to define and gauges one’s enthusiasm. In my humble opinion we are exceedingly blessed and proud with all being the first.

:by Cornelio Cenizal