Biography of Nicanor Castillo Marasigan Biography of Nicanor

Biography of Nicanor Castillo Marasigan
Written by his wife Petra Evangelista Marasigan
September 19, 1982
Young Nicanor
Normally an eight year old boy would be in second
grade and when stranded in Quiapo, Manila during
the procession of the black Nazarene, he would be
able to talk to a policeman, state his name, his
parent’s name, his address in Manila and his home
province. Not so with young Nicanor C.
Marasigan. Having little education like most of the
young boys his age from the province, he was
practically dumb.
It was early dawn in May 3, 1898 when the eight
year old Nicanor put on his one and only pair of
pants and a shirt made of abaca fabric. Barefooted,
he and his father walked for five kilometers to Bauan to attend the town fiesta. First
they attended the mass; then they wandered around watching various shows and
games. In the commotion, little Nicanor got separated form his dad and when he
realized that he was lost he started crying. A sympathetic man approached him to
offer help. When asked what his name was, he answered “Canor”. But other than his
first name, he knew nothing else. He did not know his last name. He did not even
know his father’s name because during those times it was disrespectful to mention the
elder’s names. He could not even tell where he lived and in what barrio. All he could
say was that “our neighbor’s name was Oreste and there’s a “sampaloc”(tamarind) tree
in front of their house with bamboos leaning on it. Just lead me to “munting agbang”
(little gorge) and I could find my way home”, he pleaded. Not knowing how to process
the information given to him by the boy, the man hoisted him up the stage of a
performing magician where everyone was watching. Nicanor felt like a fool who got
lost in the forest and the multitudes of people there were the trees. He was lucky that
his father, who was as worried as he was, spotted him.
That episode became a good lesson for him and it instilled in his mind the value of
being knowledgeable because if he were not dumb he could have answered everything
asked to easily find his father and his home. He realized and visualized that education
would be the key to the door to progress for the two barrios of Inicbulan and Rizal
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(then called Calaca). He resolved to learn and teach the people to rid themselves of
old beliefs and superstitions which hampered the progress of the two barrios.
It was not until he was 11 years old when he finally got his chance to learn.
In 1901, the Americans opened a public school in the town of Bauan. It was the
chance Nicanor was waiting for - to learn and eventually teach the people of the two
barrios the value of education.
Nicanor Castillo Marasigan was born in May 8, 1890 in Inicbulan, Bauan, Batangas.
His father was Gregorio Marasigan from Rizal and his mother’s name was Telesfora
Castillo from Inicbulan. Nicanor was the fifth of seven children. The oldest was
Teodora who became the wife of Ruperto Gonda; Severa married Bernabe Mendoza;
Julian who married Antonia Gamo; Canuto who married Filomena Ilagan; Nicanor
married Petra Evangelista (daughter of Kabesang Segundo Evangelista and mid-wife
Romana Gonda); Maria who married Melecio Maniebo Ilagan, and the youngest was
Jose who never got married and in 1927 became the first among the Marasigan family
to come to America.
Teens on work clothes 1900
Ladies wearing 1900
Maria Clara Dress
Typical house and a farmer with
carabaos going to work
It was during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines when Nicanor was born. He
was six years old when the Filipinos under the command of Emilio Aguinaldo
revolted against the Spaniards. In 1898, the Americans came to help the army of
General Aguinaldo to defeat the Spaniards. They were victorious but the Americans
who once were the allies became the enemies. They decided to keep the Philippines
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for themselves. Understandably, the Filipinos revolted once more but the American
proved to be very strong. General Aguinaldo
and most of his armies were forced to surrender all except one general and his army from Batangas –
General Miguel Malvar (His daughter eventually
became the wife of Feliciano Leviste , who became
the governor of Batangas in 1947. Leviste fondly
called his wife “Barracuda”).
Gen. Miguel Malvar and his army
General Malvar and his men took positions on the mountains of Batangas and gave
the Americans a tough fight. In 1901, the Americans put everyone in Batangas under
strict curfew after many failed attempts to defeat General Malvar. No one could leave
town and those caught doing so were shot on the spot. Finally, General Malvar
surrendered on April 16, 1902 to save the natives of Batangas from further harm from
the Americans.
After the war, the Americans established a military camp in Bauan on the spot where
the town hall is now located. Young Nicanor would go there and observed how the
Americans went about their businesses. He loved horses and was fascinated by the
beauty of the American horses. He observed the cleanliness and prosperity in the
camp. He noted that the American toilets (called Latrine toilets) were made from deep
holes on the ground as opposed to the system practiced by the Spaniards – where
waste matters were scattered on the backyards for the animals to consume. What
surprised him most was the gentleness of the Americans towards the Filipino children
unlike their cruelty during the war and unlike the cruelty of the Spaniards towards the
Filipinos.
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The Boy Teacher
After the surrender of General Malvar, the
Americans built a national school in Bauan.
The first teachers were American soldiers.
Soon, professional teachers arrived from the
states on board the SS Thomas thus they
were called The Thomasites. Nicanor was
one of the first pupils in that school
American soldiers firing at
together with Petra Evangelista, his future
the Filipino insurgents
wife. They were the first two from the
barrios while most of the students were
from the main town of Bauan including Maynardo Farol and Simeon Ilagan. In 1907,
after only six years of schooling, and because of his high grades, Nicanor was offered
to teach in the barrios of Rizal and Inicbulan.
At age 17, Nicanor became a teacher. Since they had no school buildings in the
barrios, he built the first school building with the help of a few men on his father’s
property somewhere between Inicbulan and Rizal. The building looked like a Nipa
hut and the floor was the bare ground, but all in all it was not bad.
He campaigned for the parents to send their children to the school. He was courteous
and respectful and the people respected him in return. Soon the enrolment grew. His
students hailed not only from Inicbulan and Rizal but also from the adjacent barrios
of Durungao, Putol and Calumpang. Most of the students were older than him since
he was only 17 years old.
Inicbulan School 1918
For several years, he taught
from first to fourth grades.
He taught writing, reading,
arithmetic, good manners
and right conduct, spelling,
music, industrial works and
gardening. To teach well, he
had to expand his
knowledge. He would ride
his beautiful moro horse to
town every Saturday. There
he attended the Normal
School in Bauan and read many books on various subjects. During summer vacations,
he would enroll in Philippine Normal School in Manila to complete his teaching
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credentials. To teach music, he studied how to play the guitar and other musical
instruments from others who knew how. In a few years his music students formed a
string band that would be invited to play in other barrios during special occasions.
Nicanor took every opportunity to improve the lives of the people of Inicbulan and
Rizal. In 1913 when Hegino Marasigan was elected municipal president (mayor) of
Bauan, his uncle Casimiro Generoso was also elected as councilor. Nicanor was still a
teacher but accepted to work as a part-time secretary to his uncle. As a team, they
were able to appropriate funds to widen the road to Inicbulan and to build the Tabok
bridge on the way to the barrio.
“Karetela” circa 1900
The Family Man
The road and the bridge were still
freshly built when Nicanor married
Petra Evangelista, his classmate in
school. It was January, 1914. Their
wedding sponsor was his uncle and
councilor Casimiro. It was the first
time a horse-driven carriage “Karetela”
was used from Inicbulan to Bauan for
the church wedding. After the wedding, the bride and groom settled in Inicbulan.
Nicanor promised his wife that their first son would be raised to be a lawyer. Their
wish came true. Their first born was a boy and was named Eliodoro, who became a
lawyer, a fiscal in Manila and eventually a judge of the Court of First Instance. He
would have risen higher in his career if he did not resign to settle in America
following the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. The other children are
Nemesio, Pilar, Esteban and Ismael.
Nemesio, Esteban and Pilar 2005 picture
Nemesio became a mechanical engineer and the manager of a pump manufacturing
company. (He eventually became the president and part owner of another pump
company before he retired from work). Pilar became a school teacher and retired as
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principal of Inicbulan elementary and high
schools. Esteban became a medical doctor and
director of Brent Hospital in Zamboanga. (He
later became the president of the Zamboanga
Medical Society, then councilor for western
Mindanao district, then vice-president of the
PMA.) The youngest son Ismael became a
mechanical engineer and was quickly climbing
the ladder of the corporate world when he had
an accident and died at the young age of 30.
Eliodoro was born on November 21, 1915
during a stormy day. The typhoon was so
strong that the school building was completely
destroyed. Nicanor considered this
catastrophe not as a setback but as an
Petra, Nemesio, Nicanor and Eliodoro opportunity to build a better school building.
1922
There was a law at the time that any school
built on a lot one hectare or bigger will be furnished by the government with a
“Gabaldon-type” structure. So Nicanor approached the people of the three barrios of
Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao for contributions to buy a hectare piece of land
between Inicbulan and Rizal (where the present school now stands. Nicanor added
Durungao to his domain because many children there were enrolled in the school).
The people responded well and the land was bought. The sad part was the
government reneged on the promise to build the school.
That did not dampen Nicanor’s spirit. He again rallied the people to help him build
the school from their own pockets and with their own hands. They did so and the
school building with three classrooms was finished in no time.
More students started enrolling and some were coming from other distant barrios. It
was too overwhelming for Nicanor so he asked for teaching help. He was given
Melecio M. Ilagan who became the second teacher of the school. (Melecio eventually
married Nicanor’s younger sister Maria.) Melecio did not teach very long. He went to
Manila to pursue his education and he stayed with Don. Teodoro R. Yangco. He was
also working at the U.P. College of Medicine while getting his education.
Venancio Ilagan replaced Melecio as teacher to help Nicanor but a few years later he
died. Two more teachers from Bauan were sent to help Nicanor - Isabel Macarandang
and Anatolia Castillo. (Anatolia became the wife of Demetrio Ilagan, younger brother
of Melecio. Their children were: Teodoro who became the barrio captain, Teodorica
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I. Evangelista was a high school teacher and wife of another teacher and sport’s coach
Paterio Evangelista, Teodora an engineer, and Eustaquio the architect and a colonel in
the army who married Erlinda Magalong-Ilagan also an architect. These two architects
would later design the school building which was built in 1957.)
The Reformer
The progress of the barrios and the school was slow and it had always been in
Nicanor’s mind to hasten the pace. Aside from teaching the people how to make
toilets by digging deep holes like the way the Americans did it, he also taught them
good manners by examples. People at the time still ate with their bare hands, so
Nicanor asked Esteban Ilagan (father of Melecio and a silversmith) to make spoons
and forks out of silver. He then showed the people the proper way to eat. He
demonstrated how to wear descent clothes and the way to groom themselves. He also
taught the people how to dispose of and convert garbage into fertilizers and how to
use them in planting mango, avocado and chico trees. (The tall mango trees along the
school property are the remnants of the many trees he planted around the school.)
He changed some of the most ludicrous practices in the barrios, one of which was
how the barrio fiesta was celebrated. People would pool their resources, turned it over
to barrio leader, who would ask the “liputados” (leaders of the church in Bauan) to
bring the “poon” (statue of Jesus on the cross) to the barrio. On Sunday after the
town mass, the “poon” would be brought to the barrio where it would stay inside the
chapel. In front of the chapel, people would celebrate by dancing a folk dance called
the “subli”. That dancing was the climax of the celebration. The “poon” would stay in
the barrio for a week moving from house to house whose owners were willing to shell
out extra contribution to the church. Part of the custom was paying a man from
Bauan to play a trumpet as the “poon” was moved from house to house. There were
hardly any guests, nor banquets nor festivities in any houses except in the house of the
leader of the barrio whose obligation was to feed and pay the “liputados” from Bauan
including the man with the trumpet; all paid for by the contributions of the barrio
people.
Nicanor proposed to the elders that fiestas should be celebrated for the people of
Inicbulan and not for the “Liputados” of Bauan; and the festival should only be for a
day and a half. It would be short but joyful. Everyone agreed.
The following May, during fiesta, the mood had changed. There was a musical band,
various games (“anilio”) for adult horse riders and for children too. Young women
were dressed in colorful costumes. Almost all houses had guests enjoying roasted pigs
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and local delicacies. It was a joyful fiesta for everyone and a huge success. Since then,
the barrio fiestas were celebrated this way.
Aside from the moro horse which he regularly rode, Nicanor bought another horse
(kastanyo) which was the fastest at the time. He also bought a carriage to fit the new
horse and asked his brother in law Basilio to be the “chauffer” of the family.
During the 12 years of teaching he encouraged the game of baseball for girls and
boys. He also sponsored other athletic and academic activities. In so doing, the school
won many prizes and awards in those respective fields. He trained the students to sing
and recite poems. They learned so well that finally they often performed in public to
the delight of the people of the barrios. He taught people to unlearn the bad habits
acquired from the Spaniards. Slowly, the people learned.
The Ex-Teacher
Nemesio was born on December 19, 1919. With Nicanor’s growing family his income
as a school teacher became inadequate so he decided to resign after 12 years of
teaching to become the manager of the Singer Sewing Machine, Co. branch that just
opened in Bauan. To augment their income, his wife Petra started a home industry for
the women of Inicbulan by doing embroideries. With their increased income they
were able to afford to build their own house with a small variety store downstairs.
In 1922, he decided to work in Manila at Yangco Steamship Lines. He went to school
at night and completed his studies in book-keeping and stenography. In 1924, he
asked the owner of the company and philanthropist Don Teodoro R. Yangco for help
to rebuild the school in Inicbulan. To convince the Don of his honest intentions, he
invited the philanthropist to come with him and see for himself the deplorable
condition of the school – the one he and the people of the barrios built many years
ago. To welcome the millionaire, the school teachers presented a special program for
him. Upon observing the unsafe conditions of the school building, Don Yangco
decided to help. He authorized the release of funds and asked Nicanor to supervise
the rebuilding of the school. During construction, only first class materials were used
and when the school was finished, it was fittingly renamed the Yangco School.
Because of his diligent work, Nicanor earned the trust of Don Yangco. And whenever
there were any disasters in Batangas, Nicanor would be entrusted to bring relief funds
to the victims, courtesy of Don Yangco.
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The War, the Leader and the Sons
After 10 years working with the steamship lines, he resigned and accepted the job as a
traveling salesman for the Bazar Siglo XX, a hardware company also owned by Don
Yangco; He stayed there until the Second World War broke out on December 8,
1941. When Bazar Siglo XX closed down, he brought his family back to Inicbulan. At
that time, his oldest son Eliodoro was a practicing lawyer and was sharing offices in
Heacock building in Escolta, Manila with two of his friends and old classmates:
Renato Tayag and Ferdinand E. Marcos. The law offices closed down too because the
three lawyers were all called for active duty.
Eliodoro brought his family to Inicbulan as well. Then he went back to Manila to
report for active duty. The road proved perilous. He reached Calumpang on
horseback then took horse driven carts because there were no more public
transportation. Most of the bridges had already been blown so when he had to cross
rivers, people would carry him across. When he reached “Paliko” river, he met the
family of Miss Concepcion Tolentino (his teacher in Batangas High School) and
Engineer and Mrs. Magbuhat. They were on their way to Batangas but their car
couldn’t make it across the blown bridge. So they decided to turn back to Manila and
invited Eliodoro to join them in spite of being overloaded.
Eliodoro reached Manila and went directly to the tailor shop in Intramuros where his
uniform was being made. To his dismay his uniform was not finished because the
shop was damaged when the Japanese bombed the adjacent Santo Domingo church.
When he finally got his uniform, he quickly reported to the mobilization center at
FEU. He noticed at FEU that there was only one bus left and it had just been filled
with soldiers ready for Bataan. Among those aboard was Fernando Poe, Sr., a famous
Filipino actor. Those who were left behind were told to wait for the next bus. They
waited and waited for almost a day but none came. Finally, they were told that all the
bridges to Bataan had already been blown by the Filipino and American forces so that
the Japanese won’t be able to follow them. Those who were stranded were told to
disband and go home. It took him several days to reach home.
Meanwhile, the younger brother Nemesio made it to Bataan. He was enrolled in the
College of Engineering in U.P. when he was ordered to report to the Philippine Army
training camp in Lipa, Batangas. He belonged to the 41st infantry regiment of the 41st
division under General Lim. They were deployed along the coast of Balayan, Batangas
when General McArthur ordered them to convene in Bataan.
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American and Filipino soldiers
marching from Bataan to Capas
where thousands of them died.
Nemesio fought in Bataan, survived the death march and the concentration camp in
Capas, Tarlac. He suffered hunger, dysentery and malaria. When the sickly prisoners
were released in August, 1942, he was one of them. He recuperated at the Red Cross
hospital in Bauan. When he recovered, he formed a guerilla movement in Inicbulan
and Rizal to continue fighting the Japanese.
In more than three years under the Japanese occupation, Nicanor remained the
elected leader of Inicbulan and Rizal because of his wise and diplomatic handling of
the enemies. He was able to protect the people from the marauding Japanese soldiers
who would come from the camps in Calumpang and Guintuan to demand foods and
supplies from the public to feed their soldiers. Nicanor had to be very clever and
tactful in dealing with the Japanese because while he danced with the enemies, his
four sons were secretly active in guerilla activities.
After New Year in 1945 most of the inhabitants of Bauan had evacuated to the island
of Mindoro to escape the Japanese. On February 28, 1945 those who remained in
town were rounded up by the Japanese and were confined inside the church. Most of
the men were incarcerated in the house of one Severino Bautista (Nieves). The
soldiers then blew up the house and the church and those who tried to escape were
machine-gunned. It was a complete massacre. Everyone feared that Inicbulan and
Rizal would be next.
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Father and Sons in War and in Peace
When the American 11th airborne division landed in Tagaytay, Cavite, Nemesio and
another guerilla named Ananias made contact with their headquarters in Nasugbu,
Batangas to hook up with the American forces. And when the U.S. Army 158th
combat team landed in Lemery, Batangas on March 8, 1945, Nemesio, Ananias and
the rest of the guerillas from Inicbulan and Rizal joined the Americans and led them
to Inicbulan via Cupang and dealt the Japanese a dose of their own medicine.
McArthur landed in Leyte
Final Mopping Operation
The Japanese were totally wiped out.
After the American forces secured Inicbulan and Rizal, Eliodoro and Nemesio led the
liberators to Bauan where they discovered the grisly sight of thousands of decaying
corpses that littered the patio, plaza and everywhere. The whole town of Bauan was
burnt to the ground including the town hall and the church. By some miracle, only
one house remained standing - the one owned by Eladio Hernandez. The mopping
operation continued for weeks and months in the mountains of Lipa and Tiaong with
Eliodoro helping the Americans with the dangerous job. He stayed with the
Americans until all resistance was crushed.
On March 10, 1945, Nemesio Marasigan, who was the leader of the guerilla
movement in Inicbulan and Rizal, was named the military mayor of Bauan by US
Major Jacobo Zobel. Nemesio in turn named Ananias as his chief of police and all the
guerillas from Inicbulan and Rizal became members of the police force. Nemesio also
named Esteban Buhat, then the treasurer of San Jose to become the treasurer of
Bauan. Since the municipal hall was destroyed by the Japanese, the Marasigan house
in Inicbulan, which was also the headquarters of the guerilla movement, became the
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temporary town hall. Eventually, Nemesio moved back the town hall to Bauan at a
storage building (bahay-almacen) close to the Bauan market while the new town hall
was being constructed.
One of Mayor Marasigan’s first acts was to bury all the corpses that littered the town.
He authorized to bulldoze a deep trench in front of the church and used it as the mass
grave of all the victims of the massacre. Nemesio turned over the mayor ship to the
civilian government of Bauan when peace and order was finally in place.
Soon the Americans established the Boat Building Command (BBC) in Sabang to
build P.T. boats. Other army facilities were constructed along the coast line to Mabini
including the Engineers depot. Multitudes of US Army equipment and supplies were
consolidated there; so it became apparent that to protect them, tight security was
necessary. Col. Bender of the US Army asked Nemesio to head the task of
maintaining security of the base. Nemesio, however, recommended his brother
Eliodoro, who being a lawyer, was perfect to be the chief of Investigation and
Security. It was approved. Eliodoro hired 700 guards right away. Meanwhile, Capt.
Temper entrusted Nicanor to hire thousands of laborer to work in the construction
and maintenance of the projects. The father and son hired the 1, 700 people from
Taal, San Luis and Lipa but the majority were the guerillas from the barrios of
Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao. (They all stayed employed until the American closed
the base and left years later.)
During that period, Nicanor and the brothers approached Col. Wilson, who was the
engineer and commander of the base, to authorize the supply of materials and labor
to rebuild the bridges in the barrios that were destroyed by the Japanese. It was
approved. They also got permission to repair the Yangco school building and the
chapel (Tuklong) in Inicbulan. The chapel became the temporary office of the barrio
captain until a permanent one was built in front of the chapel across the road on a lot
that Petra Marasigan inherited from her parents.
The Politicians
The post war period was an economic boom for Bauan and the barrios. Most of the
men from the barrios were employed with the help of Nicanor and his sons. Their
popularity and clout became obvious to the politicians. There were several instances
when opportunistic businessmen and politicians would approach them with very
lucrative propositions only to leave embarrassed and rejected. The father ‘s and sons’
strong moral values protected them from temptation. They religiously followed the
principles they learned while young. Their mission and obligation were always for the
welfare of the people of the barrios and never for their own personal benefits. It was
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instilled in their minds to never blemish their clean name and reputation. They were
taught to have courage to stand up and fight for truth and justice and to protect the
poor and the oppressed. Although there were many opportunities to enrich
themselves during the years they were entrusted with the millions of dollars of
American supplies, they never succumbed to that temptation. That was why they
remained financially poor but remained well respected and supported by the people.
They had become a strong political force in Batangas.
After the war, during the presidential election of Roxas versus Osmenia, Nicanor’s
friend Pedro Munoz ran for congress against Maynardo Farol who was also a friend
and old classmate of Nicanor. The Marasigan family decided to support Munoz
because he was a good honest man and belonged to the same political party. When
the ballots were counted, Munoz lost in the many municipalities of Batangas but he
won by a landslide in Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao – the barrios that Nicanor and
sons carried. Their votes overtook the losses from other municipalities that in the end
Munoz won by just enough votes. In gratitude, congressman Pedro Munoz offered
Eliodoro the position of Fiscal of Batangas – a very prestigious government position
but on one condition; that to accept this position he had to sacrifice the P10, 000
pork barrel appropriation for the Inicbulan school which will then be given to another
barrio. Without hesitation, Eliodoro declined the position and opted for the P10, 000
for the school. The money was used to build two new classrooms.
In 1947, Feliciano Leviste, a friend of the family, ran for governor of Batangas and
was challenged by an influential person Modesto Castillo, who was close to the Mayor
of Bauan and to Manuel Roxas, the President of the country at the time. It was no
secret that the Marasigans were supporting Leviste but the mayor of Bauan Gregorio
Arreglado, who was a close friend of Eliodoro, was supporting Castillo. Somehow,
Eliodoro was lured by mayor Arreglado to come to Manila to meet with the secretary
of Justice Ramon Ozaeta. In his office, Ozaeta told Eliodoro that President Roxas
would name him an Assistant Fiscal of Manila if he would support Castillo instead of
Leviste.
Mayor Arreglado surmised that Eliodoro would not turn down a request from a high
ranking judicial official who happened to be a “Batangueno” as well – especially with
an attractive personal incentive. He was wrong. With due respect, Eliodoro declined
the offer because he already promised Leviste his support and to break his word and
change allegiance was never an option to him. With the support of the three barrios
of Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao, Leviste won the election.
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.
One of the recognitions Eliodoro received while serving as Assistant Fiscal of Manila.
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Once in 1965, when Eliodoro was already an assistant fiscal of Manila (by his own
merit), he showed that he had never forgotten the teachings of his father. He showed
courage in face of threats of his life by refusing security from the Manila Police
department and continued his pursuit of justice against the most feared people in the
government. And when he was a CFI judge, appointed by his friend and classmate
Marcos, he did not hesitate to resign from office when under Marcos’ martial law, the
people were oppressed and were suppressed of their constitutional rights.
That was against his principles and against the teachings of his father.
In spite of their financial shortcomings, Nicanor and Eliodoro were both charitable
and compassionate. In 1922, when Nicanor moved his family to Manila, he just gave
his horse and carriage to his brother in law Basilio for him to make a living. And
Eliodoro, when he was a columnist in American newspaper, he donated all of his
earnings to the teachers of Inicbulan high school who at the time were not being fairly
paid by the government.
Love for the School
To teach and show good examples and inspiration to the youth and to help the needy
and the poor has always been one of Nicanor’s missions in life. Many compatriots,
whose names were too many to recall, have donated books and other necessities to
the school. Various organizations such as the “Samahang Inicbulan Rizal” (SIR) had
been helping the school in many ways. When the original SIR was established in 1960
by the prominent people from Inicbulan and Rizal, it was voted without any objection
that Nicanor and his brother in law Melecio Ilagan would be made advisors for life.
His son Nemesio and the grandchildren in America Ludivine, Napoleon, Doradaisy
and others donated a permanent basket ball goal, a water tank. a bell, playground
apparatus and many more. His grandson Eliodoro Jr. (Boy) who just finished
mechanical engineering brought to the school his work crew and a truck loaded with
materials and equipment from the company he was working with and build the
railings of the school stage and repaired the basketball goal without asking for
payment. The other grandchild Alexander and his co-members in Kulyawan Club who
were all sons and daughters of the members of SIR, raised funds by caroling and
selling old newspapers, to buy the material and build with their own hands the water
fountain and benches by the basketball court and are still in use today. More benches
were added later donated by Col. Eustaquio Ilagan.
Many more improvements were made in the school under the regime of the father
and son. Eliodoro was the first president of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA)
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and when he brought his family back to Manila, Nicanor took over as president.
Nicanor remained the PTA president for the rest of his life.
Even after his death, Nicanor’s love for the school inspired his wife and her siblings
to donate a piece of land adjacent to the school, where the New Baranggay High
School now stands. And because of the same love, his sister Maria Marasigan Ilagan
also donated to the school her land across the gorge (agbang) but near the school.
Family Tragedy
In their 56 years of marriage, from the day they got married in 1914 until Nicanor’s
death in 1970, the most tragic event was when their youngest son Ismael passed away.
Ismael was riding on his scooter on Arlegue road in Manila when a woman suddenly
crossed the street. Mily (Ismael’s nickname) swerved to avoid hitting the woman but
hit her anyway - although slightly. The scooter crashed and Mily hit his unprotected
head on the pavement. He hastily got up and hailed a taxi and brought the woman to
the hospital for treatment. Mily felt a throbbing headache but paid no attention to it
since he had no sign of head wound or a bruise. On days that followed, he would take
aspirin pills for his headache but totally underestimated the gravity of his condition.
A week after the accident, while washing his face over the sink he fell to the floor
unconscious. He was rushed to Manila Sanitarium Hospital but it was too late. He
succumbed to severe hemorrhage. It was so painful for the entire family especially to
the parents Nicanor and Petra. They tried to console themselves by going to Baguio
for a vacation but to no avail. They finally found consolation and peace through their
faith in God and in their belief that there would be a final reunion with Ismael in
heaven with the other loved ones who had gone before him.
Nicanor passed away on January 10, 1970, four months short of 80 years of age. His
body lied for viewing in their home in Inicbulan for four days while waiting for the
grand daughter Ludivine to arrive from America to attend the funeral. A service was
held at their church before bringing his body to Bauan town hall.
The town council eulogized him and showered him with honor and praises for his
many years of service to the municipality of Bauan. Many people came from all over
to pay their respect. His coffin was draped with the Philippine flag and his hearse was
slowly driven to the municipal cemetery accompanied by thousands of relatives,
friends, and sympathizers. The funeral stretched so long that one could not see from
one end to the other. His body was finally laid to rest amidst honors and tears.
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It was Mayor Ciriaco Ingco, who was his close friend, who enticed Nicanor to run for
council during the election of November 1949. He did run and won by the largest
margin over the second place councilor. He was always number one in the ballot since
and remained number one in the hearts of many. In the council, he became a strong
fiscalizer and exponent of balancing the municipal budget. He paid attention to bring
progress to remote barrios long neglected by the past administration. One of his pet
projects was to provide electricity to the barrios including Inicbulan, Rizal and
Durungao.
When the electric lights finally illuminated those barrios, those lights became symbolic
of Nicanor’s dream coming true – to have improved the barrios and have a school
that will continue to brighten the minds of the people he loved to serve.
By: Petra E. Marasigan
Sept. 19, 1982
San Leandro, California, USA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Postscripts:
1. Petra Marasigan passed away on September 24, 1984 – two years after she
finished writing the Nicanor Marasigan’s biography.
2. Eliodoro E. Marasigan, Sr. passed away on August 2, 1998 – almost a year
after the death of his wife Rosario Marquez Marasigan who passed away
on August 21, 1997.
3. In 1995, Ludivine Marasigan Gamo, eldest daughter of Eliodoro, donated
to the school the piece of land she inherited from her grand uncle Jose
Marasigan on which the present high school basketball court exists.
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4. In 2003 the children of Eliodoro established the EEMF, Inc. (Eliodoro E.
Marasigan Foundation, Inc.) for the following purposes:
a. To perpetuate the legacy of Nicanor C. Marasigan and son
Eliodoro E. Marasigan, who in their lifetime served the people of
Inicbulan with unsurpassed dedication to help those in need.
b. To remind the people of Inicbulan who Nicanor C. Marasigan and
son Eliodoro E. Marasigan were; how they lived their lives; and
how this foundation will perpetuate that legacy starting with
humanitarian programs to the extent of broader public services to
the people of Inicbulan.
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