Introduction:
The
story which I wish to share is based on one area of historical studies that
need to be explored and this is folklore, excluding of course some known
events that history has documented. Folklore is a recollection of past events
preserved in oral traditions. Events are handed from one generation to the
other and at first it seems to be a jigsaw puzzle, and when assembled or formed
consistently emanating from a piece of tale or story to piece of story, it
could turn out to be an eventful history of the past. However, in the narration
of the events or tales, there is danger that some events would be distorted in its narration, and such maybe could be an overstatement of what actually had happened. Thus
making the story much of an exaggeration, reality, rather than reality.
To check the veracity of the narrations, I tried to cross refer those raw information I got from my resources with other people preferably the older ones in town, who maybe too are knowledgeable of the event or events on question. These people are either related by consanguinity, or through affinity or not related at all, but by long association and friendship or employment with the Chinese merchants may have known them well or maybe just a bit of it. Though how little would be the information, it could still be significant and important one on the point of views of folklore.
To check the veracity of the narrations, I tried to cross refer those raw information I got from my resources with other people preferably the older ones in town, who maybe too are knowledgeable of the event or events on question. These people are either related by consanguinity, or through affinity or not related at all, but by long association and friendship or employment with the Chinese merchants may have known them well or maybe just a bit of it. Though how little would be the information, it could still be significant and important one on the point of views of folklore.
This
story is not made to glorify neither done to build up personalities who out
of their hard works had reached the status of what they are now during their time,
or the status of their descendants now, nor does this paper have the theme to
discredit those who had not made the greatest break of their lives in
comparison with others. On the other
hand, this story is indeed made to retell the endeavors of the Early Chinese Merchants
in Balingasag. They belonged to a small segment of Balingasag society, whose endeavor need therefore to document their silent and blissful endeavors so at least others would know because evidently too they had contributed in one way or the other to the early development of our town.
hand, this story is indeed made to retell the endeavors of the Early Chinese Merchants
in Balingasag. They belonged to a small segment of Balingasag society, whose endeavor need therefore to document their silent and blissful endeavors so at least others would know because evidently too they had contributed in one way or the other to the early development of our town.
Despite,
this work is never a comprehensive one, it is however prayed that it may
enrich the readers even in a small significant view of the story of the Early Chinese
Merchants in Balingasag.
Terra Incognita in pre-Spanish Time:
Terra Incognita in pre-Spanish Time:
Before
the Spanish colonizers came to the Philippines, this country already had a
flourishing economic trade with our Asian neighbors; and China played time had its own literature and language or buyer of their goods. For the
Western countries like Spain and Portugal, which during those times were the
super powers, this country was a Terra
Incognita or really unknown to them.
Two
months after the discovery and arrival of Columbus from West Indies – the New World, kings of Catholic Kingdoms were granted
of Papal Bull by Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) on 4 May 1493. The bull stated
expressly that all lands west and south of a pole-to-pole line 100 leagues west
and south of the Azores or the Cape Verde Islands should belong to Spain and, further said that all lands and islands then belonging to India.[ii]
Portugal
was unfortunately not mentioned, so seemingly she was restricted to expand
beyond the line, or from going east from that line. The Portuguese King John II
was not pleased of the arrangement more so that Portugal aspired much to reach
as far as India, and such was seemingly curtailed by the Pope’s issuance.[iii]
The
Portuguese King negotiated with his neighbors King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel
of Spain to extend or move the line further west so he could explore or
discover the lands beyond it to the east and claimed it for Portugal. In 1494,
the Treaty of Tordesillas was concludedand it divided the world between Spain
and Portugal. Everything outside of Europe and East of a line that ran 370
leagues west of Cape Verde Islands shall be for Portugal, excluding those
discovered by Columbus like Cuba and Hispaniola (now Dominican Republic).
Portugal controlled over the eastern South America (Brazil), Africa and Asia,
while Spain had everything west of this line. Her territory was almost unknown
as the greater part of it, was the western part of the Americas and the various
islands in the Pacific Ocean.[iv]
The
Philippines is an archipelago of 7,100 islands and we belonged to Terra Incognita in the views of Spaniard
and Portuguese colonizers. It was only in 1513 some eight years before Spain
reached the Philippines that a Portuguese cartographer first made reference of
us to the old world because earlier before that time they reached or discovered
Moluccas or the Spice Islands through India. But insofar as the Chinese were
concerned, economic trade already existed between them and us since time
immemorial. In Chinese travelogue chronicles, they called the Philippines as Limang and such can be traced during the
Sung Dynasty or in years 1200 to 1300.[v]
It
is therefore likely, or even not likely but really certainly that when the
Spaniards landed in Cebu to have this courtesy or diplomatic gesture of respect
and goodwill to Humabon in 1521 after they anchored and stayed a week to
celebrate the Holy Week by coincidence in Limasawa Island located at the tip of
today’s Southern Leyte, Chinese may have already engaged in business trade in
Cebu. Magellan’s discovery in 1521 did not bear fruit not until Legaspi
colonized Cebu.
However,
after Legaspi moved the colonial capital from Cebu to Manila in May 17, 1571, it
is a fact that there were many Chinese merchants doing all sort of business and
tradein Manila from small sari-sari store owners, artisans, and they conglomerated
to a place so designated by them and called as “Parian”. The first Parian was at the present area of Arroceros
along the Pasig River and it was razed to the ground by fire. It was
re-established in 1583 and further established or transferred to Binondo and
Tondo as time went by.
Likewise,
it is further a fact that the Chinese revolted against the colonial government
in 1603 under Governor General Pedro B. Acuňa. The revolt was an impulsive
reaction on laws, which maybe considered by the Chinese as too hoarse for them
to follow and swallow. This revolt was known as the Sangley Rebellion and it was a bloody arm confrontation resulting
to the deaths of thousands; and good that the revolt was suppressed later on
with the intervention or assistance of native Indios either through mediation or maybe in the bitter way through arms as well.
Moreover,
it is a fact as recorded in history by Blair and Robertson that on April 28, 1628
Jolo was invaded by the Spaniards and Indio
militia under the command of Don Cristobal
de Lugo with a formidable force of 30 ships. They landed and established
the beachhead on Black Saturday (28 April) and stayed in Jolo until Easter
Sunday, thus destroying or burning houses and looting every homes; tombs even
were desecrated for precious jewelleries and other treasures. The Chinese alcaiceria was likewise burned; and they
suffered the collateral damage brought by war.
If
the Chinese had been doing business and trade in Jolo in 1628 or earlier before
that, it is likely too that they were in other parts of Mindanao where
Christianity thrived well, like those in
the Second District of Mindanao (Cagayan de Misamis, Bukidnon, Iligan, Misamis
(Ozamiz) and Dapitan).
Chinese in Balingasag:
We
could not clearly pinpoint the date when Chinese merchants started doing
business in Balingasag, because there are no local records telling or
accounting such events. So if we could make a story of the Chinese here in
Balingasag, we would rely on folklore or accounts of people who knew them maybe
through personal association with them, having worked with them, or through
knowing the information not as first-hand witnesses or keeper of information,
but only relied to them by their parents, who had known a particular Chinese,
as the case maybe.
For
Cagayan de Oro City alone, tradition says that the earliest Chinese
establishment was owned by the Sia’s, which now still engaged in business and doing
fine. The establishment known as Sentro
started business in 1850 yet as claimed, as a panciteria, cafeteria, or in today’s setting as a restaurant. If
Cagayan de Oro has that tradition, certainly Balingasag has its own tradition
as well; and let us join to unravel it.
Eh Wai Yee. In my interview with Ramon Yee[vi] or Yee Chik Po, a successful businessman in
town; he said that insofar as he remembers as handed down by his late parents.Eh Wai Yee his father married Maria Mok She Wong. His father arrived in
the Philippines in 1901 at age 14 years old. Eh Wai tried to learn the business trade or art from older Chinese
ahead of him. Lonely of his homeland, he used to visit China every now and
then; and in 1928 he met his wife while on vacation. They got married there and
brought her to Balingasag in 1928. Their eldest son named Ramon was born in 1929 because he told me that he is now going to
84 years old in 2014.
Despite,
Ramon Yee speaks the dialect fluently
and there is no trace of his accent as a Chinaman, he is however by birth a
natural-born Chinese (jus sanguines)
considering that his parents were all Chinese, but he is now a Filipino by
virtue of naturalization, as well as his younger brother Manuel Yee or Yee Wing Po.This
process afforded natural-born Chinese to become citizens while another process
of acquisition is true option to elect citizenship, and it only occurs when the
mother is a Filipino, who was only married to a natural-born Chinese or a
foreigner, for that matter.
In
Balingasag, Ramon Yee could be
considered as one knowledgeable person who could talk the early beginnings of Chinese
Merchants, because he permanently stayed in Balingasag and broken only for
three years when he was in China logically for his studies and bonding with his
relatives. His younger brother however Manuel
or Yee Wing Po supplemented what he
had or may have missed.
Eh Wai’s business was on general merchandising, or on
everything; and they had occupied different store places along the heart of the
commercial town center and moved again until they had acquired a much better
place. Eh Wai died on September 7,
1945 or just few months after World War II or during the liberation time, and
of course he was buried in Balingasag.[vii]
Eh Wai’s death brought misery to them because he did not
invest in real properties, since he had the idea of returning home to Great
China someday, but death had taken him to stay forevermore in this strange
place he once considered as home. He had
mistakenly studied that his income from business would not be more than
enough to support his growing family if he dies. For a time maybe his savings
could sustain, nevertheless; the earnings that he patiently saved could never
fix life’s pendulum into a stale mode because his children were too young yet;
and his eldest son Ramon was just 15 years old at that time of his death. He
could not reliably augment their family income; and had he been of age and
possessed the wisdom, which he has how at the time when his father’s business
was in boom, he could have advised his father to invest in real properties.
There would have been no problem with that because his father could sale it
later should he wish to go home to China. So, the demise of his father extremely
affected the family and they had no real properties to be parted with to
normalize their life’s agony of poverty. Owning real properties could have made
life easier for them as everything could be answered through its conversion to
fluid asset.
Looking
back to one important event of Ramon Yee’s life while his parents were spending
their vacation including him, Ramon Yee said his mother gave birth there. It
was a girl.
Sensing
the birth of the baby girl as an opportune time for bargaining or request, Ramon
Yee’s grandparents requested the boy’s parents that he would stay in China. But
Ramon Yee’s parents refused, so instead of him staying in China, it was the
newly-born child who was left. His younger sister whom he saw only during her
birth was raised in China. The second time he was able to see her was after the
war when his sister was now fully-grown lady and would migrate to the US.[viii]
She married a Chinese who was or still is a resident of the US. Ramon Yee would have been raised too in China
by his grandparents, but Eh Waihad
not consented it, because Ramon is the eldest child and rightly he should be
with his father. Eh Wai had an unquestionable
reason why his son would not be taken away from him, as he said that he would
teach him everything he knows about business. So, why would he be taken away
from him?
Despite
all the hardships in life, Mok She reared
the children well, however she died
in 1959 and this time Ramon Yee was in the ripe age of 30 years old. Through his
supervision, thrift and learned expertise, he and Manuel tried much to continue
the business their parents started. Indeed, they survived the rigors of time
and even expanded the business of their parents from general merchandising to
even in general distributorship of soft drinks of eight towns starting at
Balingasag, as to the case of Yee Chick
Po’s business today.
Go Boh Nga or Bonga.Tradition
says, Ramon Yee continued, the first Chinese to engage in commerce and trade in Balingasag was Boh Nga. He was in Balingasag before the Americans colonized the Philippines. So, he might have been here before the close of the 19th century, or when the Spaniards still ruled the Philippines and Balingasag being part of Misamis was ruled by an alcalde mayor, who at all times was accountable to the District Politico-Military General based in the District Ayuntamiento Building (where the City Hall is erected) in Cagayan de Misamis. Perhaps, too,he might have been here onlyduring the coming and occupation of the Americans in early 20th century after the Battle of Cagayan de Oro and Agusan fought on 14 May 1900.
says, Ramon Yee continued, the first Chinese to engage in commerce and trade in Balingasag was Boh Nga. He was in Balingasag before the Americans colonized the Philippines. So, he might have been here before the close of the 19th century, or when the Spaniards still ruled the Philippines and Balingasag being part of Misamis was ruled by an alcalde mayor, who at all times was accountable to the District Politico-Military General based in the District Ayuntamiento Building (where the City Hall is erected) in Cagayan de Misamis. Perhaps, too,he might have been here onlyduring the coming and occupation of the Americans in early 20th century after the Battle of Cagayan de Oro and Agusan fought on 14 May 1900.
Although
Boh Nga was a good businessman, he
however had no responsible heir who could manage his business and booming local
empire in general merchandising, which was a little bit of a hardware, or in a
sense, it was a general store. He had a son named Sonna, but we regret to know that Bo Nga never trusted him much since he was just a “happy go lucky
guy”, who used only to squander the money of his father. Ramon Yee’s brother Manuel had
given us who his name was, but further referred him as the son of Boh Nga in China.
Since
Boh Nga consistently took his
vacation in China every year, Sioga or Go
Bian Sung, his business trade partner managed the store at the ground floor
of Faustino Vega’s house and everything
including his real properties while he was on vacation.
including his real properties while he was on vacation.
It is
unclear how Boh Nga’s business came to termination. Our source told us that probably Boh Nga returned to China and sold his shares to his business partner Sioga. So, he became an influential man after Boh Nga departed to China.
Sioga or Go Bian Sung. Unlike GoBoh Nga
who was a loner and whose heart always throbbed and cried for his
loved-ones in China, and uncaring with the beautiful ladies around, Sioga was more energetic and decided to
marry a Filipina, despite he had already a wife in China named Dy Kimsince such did not went good. He
married a lovely lady from the prominent Valmorida family and they had
children. Indeed, they had many children much enough for an average Filipino
family today, but maybe was a fashion before having a dozen or more in a
household; and as it had been said the Adajar’s inJasaan are his descendants,
too.
Go Bian Sung or Sioga
successfully expanded the business which he acquired from Boh Nga. He owned vast track of agricultural land in Lingangao that
extended up to the areas of Tulay Grande, as well. In Manaol today a Barangay
of Lagonglong, about 30 hectares of this rich agricultural land was likewise
included in his estate; and not far from the poblacion in sitio Luguimit
the areas between the two national roads now also belonged to them.
A
productive ricefield which is naturally irrigated by the spring waters
originating from the Kabuahanan areas in Cogon is likewise owned by them.
Accordingly his daughter, Hou Say administers
the ricefield which is under leasehold contract with the Pabualan’s. Accordingly
as told by Ramon Yee, their properties covered by Tax Declarations or whatever
it is, accounted to more or less 130 parcels.
Sioga’s house is near to our house, and could be their
ancestral home along F. Vega and Juvenile Streets, despite he had houses too in
Luguimit fronting the areas now of the Zaballero’s and another unit fronted the
ancestral home of the Llagas likewise in Luguimit.[ix]
The two houses in Luguimit do not exist anymore except some traces of hard-wood
posts. His house near our home is a two-storey building made of semi-permanent
materials. However, ownership of this house is passed on to someone else who is
either his business associate or a friend.
His
daughter to us that Sioga or Go Bian Sung died during the liberation,
of course he had retired from business management due to old age. He was buried
at the old Roman Catholic Cemetery near Xavier University; however was
transferred to the Chinese Cemetery in Upper Carmen because the old cemetery at
the heart of the city was relocated to sitio Bolonsiri in Barangay Camaman-an.
Boh Nga was Go Bian
Sung’s uncle.
Kenga or King Nga, or Go King. Another successful businessman lived in Balingasag
before the War. Indeed Balingasag had many Chinese residents and as told by Nonong Varquez, a Chinese Consul
Official purposely visited Balingasag because there were many Chinese compared
with other towns in Misamis Oriental, which was called by then commonly as Misamis
only until its division in 1933. Thus, beginning 1933 Misamis was divided as
Occidental and Oriental, and each descriptive word tells alone what exactly
each province geographically lies.
The
Go King ancestral home is located at
F. Vega St. at the corner of the old National Highway which traverses the town.
They owned a rice and corn mill, which operated adjacent to their house. Most
of their elder children were born in Balingasag, so we believe Seseng Go their eldest son was born here
too, so with Alfonso and their
youngest brother Gonzalo Go or Go Chi Ping (his wife isMadam Trinidad Go) owners of a big
hardware along Corrales Extension, Cagayan de Oro City.
During
World War II, Go King together with
his wife who also was a Chinese and family evacuated to Lagonglong in Barangay
Umagos. They stayed there until the war ended, so that is why every time the Go King family of Cagayan de Oro City -
the legal heirs of King Nga always
make it a point in their philanthropic agenda to include Lagonglong as
recipients of financial assistance, or of infrastructure projects, because they
evacuated there.
The
Local Government of Lagonglong was a recipient of skills development building
under the Doňa Paula Goking Foundation, which was happily chaired by that time
by Seseng Go, King Nga and Paula Goking’s
eldest son.
For
Barangay Umagos, she has been a recipient of financial aids from them. In fact,
the Sta. Isabel Chapel was constructed by the foundation.
Khu King Hong. A resident of
Lagonglong claimed that before King Hong
was able to establish well in Balingasag after the war, he was engaged in
business in Lagonglong. In fact, he lived at their place in Daro, Lagonglong.
After
the World War II, he moved to Balingasag and successfully started a new business
there. He married Angeles Gervacio
before the war because in 1935 a daughter named Nelda was born to them along with Venancio Khu as the eldest son, who was a year or two older than
the girl. However, King Hong had a
son in China who followed him here since it was King Hong’s desires too that his son shall come. He was Ching Eng, who like his father was a
successful businessman. He managed his father’s rice and corn milling, which
later on he owned. Aside from that work, he supervised generally the sale of
copra and Manila hemp and its collection from the comprador at Cagayan de Oro City.
King Hong had a brother named Ton Sia in China who followed him here. Ton Sia owned a store called Ang
Siongand it was just adjacent to his elder brother’s establishment along F.
Vega St. fronting the old market. His business
was on merchandising – sale of grocery items and dry goods, the usual activity
common among Chinese if one would not be involved in copra, coffee, rice and
hemp trading that had been the major activity of King Hong.
Despite
Ton Sia’s business was not similar
with the business of his brother, his business was fine. However, what made his
business too unfortunate to take off further was his death sometime in 1966,
thus the management of the store was managed by King Hong. So in short, Ton
Sia’s business or the Ang Siong’s Store was carried onward or operated by King Hong’s eldest son Venancio. It was renamed as Venancio’s Enterprises.
Herbert Go and Tony Lao,
two active and trusted employees of the deceased left later on Ang Siong Store after serving it
efficiently for quite a time.
King Hong had a gasoline filing station just along the sidewalk of the store, which was a few meters away from the old public market. It was a Shell Gas Station where gasoline or diesel was dispensed mechanically by a crank. He had six-wheeler trucks mostly gasoline-fed engine, for diesel engines were not yet the fashion in those times yet; that really were the workhorses of his trading business.
In
the 1972 a big fire hit the public market and it razed down the commercial
establishments of the town. A rice mill, big stores, sari-sari stores, dry
goods section, vegetable, cafeterias, billiard halls, pharmacy, school a
college, residential houses, and a bakery were burned to ashes. One of the
biggest stores in town, which was also the residence of King Hong, was flattened to the ground in 1972. King Hong died on July 30, 1972 as a consequence of a vehicular
accident at Tin-ao, Cagayan de Oro City.A hauler truck collided with them and
King Hong who was seated at the front seat where the impact was most severe
sustained multiple fracture of his leg. Their truck was driven by another Tomas, not the one whose last name was Espinosa.
A
few months thereafter, a big fire hit the commercial district of Balingasag;
his house was razed to the ground.
Among
the trusted employees of King Hong had
were Alfonso Yu (who first worked at
the Nga’s Bakery), a Chinese from Calape, Bohol whose father was Yu Shen Se and his mother with the family
name of Tan; and Raul Lucero, (the
former has retired from business while Raul is still engaged in business at
Balingasag Public Market).
In
1995, King Hong’s widow Angeles Gervacio
Khu died.
Moreover,
in 2000’s Ching Eng died; he tried
much to be of service to Balingasag, he sought election to the Sangguniang
Bayan; however he did not make it. Obviously, Ching Eng had become a naturalized Fililpino, for he had qualified
to run for an elective position.
Goya or Chu Huan. His Christian name was Gregorio and he married Dolores
Moreno y Estrada.[x]
His granddaughter had not known when her grandfather reached Balingasag nor had
she been able to tell where in China he came from.
His
grandparents had six children and one of them (a daughter) had gone to Japan,
but that was the end of the tale because they could no longer trace her
whereabouts now. His son Ramon Chu or
Chun King married Remedios Dy, a mestiza Chinese and daughter of Insik Juan of Lagonglong. Chun
King stayed in Balingasag and continued the bakery business of their father.
Chun King and Mending Dy were the
parents of my buddy and classmate Ricking, and of course his brothers and
sisters, and I prefer not to mention them anymore as it may open a lengthy
litany of names.
Nonetheless,
their ancestral home is located near the Rural Bank of Balingasag, which
previously was an old public market and indeed it was much earlier than the one
that was burned in the 1972.
Goya’s bakery business was doing well and competition had made its services even
better. Aside from the bakery Goya
and Chun King owned, there was
another big bakery in town.
Balingasag Bakery of the Chinese Nga: Almost everyone in Balingasag calls the bakery of
Chinese surnamed as Nga as Ah Fat Bakery. Ramon Yee, who frequented the establishment because they were his
friends, could no longer recall the names of those three Chinese. Insofar as I
remember, the one that usually sat on the cash cabinet with an abacus beside
him was a robust one. The other two Chinese, one was tall with regularly built
body, who used to walk to and fro the store’s corridor – I was confused if he
was exercising or simply to keep himself always away from the sweet smell of
the cakes and bread. The third Chinese was of regular height, but seemingly
stoop in posture.
According
to Ramon Yee, these Chinese had the
surnames of Nga whom bakery patrons
mistakenly referred it as Ah Fat. Like
the three “Nga’s”, Ah Fat was also a Chinese, in fact, he
had a bakery also in Cagayan de Oro near the amphitheatre, which previously was
the public market before its transfer to Cogon area. The three Nga’s were just close friends of Ah Fat – the latter may have assisted
them in their business as it is a common laudable practice among Chinese
businessmen to help fellow Chinese to have a break.
In
his time, Ah Fat was the President of
the Chinese Business Community or today’s Chamber of Commerce. He must have
been a very generous and influential man in his time.
Nga’s or the local Ah Fat Bakery
supplied not only Balingasag of their delicious Marikina bread and other
pastries, but also the next town – Lagonglong as far as Umagos. Like Goya-Chung King, Nga’s Bakery had also a delivery truck driven by Meno Valmores.
But
the fire in 1972 wiped out the whole establishment and the three Chinese (Nga)
left Balingasag. They may have invested their gains and savings to another
business, but no longer here in Balingasag.
From
that day on, we no longer smell the nice and appetizing smell of pan Marikina every 3:00 o’clock in the
afternoon. Its good smell could reach as far as the wharf from their furnace.
The
Nga’s are no longer in Balingasag or
maybe had faded away long ago, yet there are people, who remember them, and they
recall the one who used to be on cashiering duty was Ah Hem, the robust Chinese; Eh
Wa, the tallest one among the three Nga’s
who always travels with the delivery truck; and Li the petite one who always stayed at the store.
Ngo Ho, or Tiongho Go. Unlike from the rest of the Chinese which I have
mentioned, Tiongho did not establish his business at the Poblacion proper of
Balingasag, but instead was in Baliwagan some three kilometres away from
Balingasag going to Cagayan de Oro.
He
was a successful businessman in Baliwagan and had took control on major trading
activities such as buying of copra, coffee, rice, abaca – manila hemp in the
southeast side of Balingasag i.e. from Baliwagan, Binitinan, Dumarait, Rosario,
Balagnan-Dansuli areas; and Blanco up to the mountains of Tugastugason, Linabo
to Samay and beyond it. He married Felicissima
Macarayo who was also from that place and the tandem was superb. His wife
knew business well because she had been employed by Eh Way Yee sometime before she married Tiongho.
I
have not asked anyone from his children whose last names now are no longer Go,when their father arrived in the
Philippines. However, it is a conservative guess that Tiong Ho may have arrived Balingasag sometime in the early 1930’s or
even during the mid-1920. Tiongho was the eldest brother of Tonian Go.
He
dominated or was able to control trade and commerce on south-southeast side of
Balingasag. He had trucks to ply the routes going east through the old logging
road at Barangay Blanco for Linabu-San Juan and Samay; and all the places
beyond leading to the barangays of Claveria in that side before crossing the
Cabulig River.
Tiongho
died on May 1, 1990 at age 85 years old, while his wife followed a year later.
Tonian, Jose Go, Sr. or Ngo Lian. Tonian followed his elder brother Tiong Ho and he was only 21 years old when he reached the
Philippines. Instead of teaching him the local language, his brother placed him
right away as a “tindero” or a Sales
Clerk. It was the best strategy to learn the language fast and it was not adopted
by Tiong Ho alone,but many Chinese
had used this method because in direct dealing with the customers, one could
learn the language fast and well.
Tonian must have been a fast learner because before the World War started in
1941, he had a business of his own already. At the early start itwas not so
big, but just a modest one at Lingangao; and with the aid of his able wife Ambrosia Cascon (Iya Inday to us), their
business thrived.
Right
after the war, they had moved to the poblacion and occupied at the ground floor
of the house of the Catalino and Rosario Vega at F. Vega St., where most of the
stores owned by Chinese were located inasmuch as it was the heart of the
commercial center and nearer to the public market during that time. Business at
that area may have been fine.
Later
on they moved from their rented place just adjacent from there and occupied a
residential lot nearly half the size of an average of a usual town’s block. Like
King Hong, Tonian was engaged on a big time business trading – buyer of copra,
rice, corn, coffee and manila hemp, a big comprador and distributor of general
merchandise and operated a gasoline filling station under Esso then with Mobil
and finally with Petron Philippines.
As
a senseless kid before in the elementary grades yet, I kept on wondering why “Iyo Tonian” was always drinking Tanduay rum.
Tanduay in the morning, in the afternoon and I do not know if he had been drinking
it too during night time. It looked like Tanduay because of its color, but it
was not, I soon knew it as tea, an invigorating and traditional medicinal drink to
most Chinese.
Tonian’s house is just adjacent to the Olano’s house (Mayor
Ale Olano) and our house too occupies the same block with the Olano’s. So, Tonian and Iya Inday had us as their next door neighbors. It is therefore a
reason why I personally know many things about them. However, I guess I have to
recallonly the important ones during my boyhood days. I remember they possessed
the biggest Westinghouse refrigerator in town where its engine was run or fed
by kerosene to keep the thermostat at cooling point always. Whenever I was on
an errand more so to buy for a bottle of
Coca Cola or Pepsi at their store at P0.10 a bottle, I always kept it a point
to be near at the door of the refrigerator because when opened, it was the only
coolest place in Balingasag; and a refrigerator in the 1960’s was a rarity.
Another
important thing I wish to notate is that after the first government owned local
electric company shut down in 1963, about two or three years later, Tonian had
his own electric system. It was not a public utility, but the electric lines
extended up to some of his neighbors; and such service continued until the
municipal electric system was rehabilitated before 1970.
Like
his brother and the rest of the big-time Chinese here, Tonian owned 6-wheeler trucks to carry on trading activities more
so in the delivery of Balingasag rice to the Butuan or Agusan areas aside from
the regular delivery of goods within the barangays of Balingasag.
When
I asked Robert or Lolong Goso with his father (elder son
of Lindricon Go[xi]
and Marijoe Arado who is the first
grandchild of Tonian) when his Lolo Tonian died, he said, “he died on
October 22, 1983 at age 72 years old”. So if he died at age 72, he must have
been born in 1911 and arrived here in 1932 at age 21.
Furthermore,
he said that In the Amoy language, the word “Ngo” is referred to as “Go”.
Tonian’s Chinese name was “Ngo Lian”.Likewise,
he said his Lola or Iya Inday died on December 7, 2011.
Go Bon Chat: He was Tonian’s business partner and when I came to the
age of reason during the time when it took only P0.10 for a bottle of soft
drink, San Miguel beer at 3 bottles for P1.00 and rice/corn were sold not by
kilo but by per ganta, Go Bon Chat was in partnership with Tonian, manning the store or business
with the latter.
Personally
I thought he could never be married anymore because when I was in college in
the early 1970’s, he was still an old bachelor and seriously had been courting
some of the ladies here. So, out of hard-work she married Evangeline Dragon
from Balingasag.
In
my interview with Bon Chat’s widow,
she said that she could not be able to tell when her husband arrived in the Philippines
because he had not told it so as she had not asked him too. However, she
believed that Bon Chat was still
young when he arrived here because he had once studied in Cebu in his younger
days,
Moreover,
she told me that his father was Go Tin
Zun and, henceforth; it may be a fair assumption that Go Bon Chat and Tonian
hailed from similar place in mainland China. Not because Bon Chat’s Last Name was Go
like that of Tonian, but for one simple
and valid reason Tonian could have
never chosen him as his business partner if he had not known him quite well
before in mainland China. Tonian and Go Bon Chat were business partners, so
they may have originated from one place only.
Indeed
Ngo Lian was the uncle of Go Bon Chat as declared by Tonian’s
youngest son, Jose C. Go, Jr.
However,
business partnership had inevitable endings, with the death of Tonian in 1983, Go Bon Chat established his own business and it was a result too of
his marriage with Evangeline Dragon. Near
to where the Balingasag Bakery once stood, he started his store – a grocery,
and merchandising in retail and wholesale particularly in soft drinks and beer.
His
wife took charge of their business beginning 2005 because of his demise. With Bon Chat’s business management and
industry, their business became bigger andmore properties were acquired, which
they family still manages today.
[When
I visited the tombstone of Go Bon Chat,
an epithet bore some Chinese characters or letters, which I did not understand.
The legible markings were the names, his name was there indicated “Go Bon Chat born 1924 died 2005”.
However, what arouse my curiosity were the names “Go Tian Zun” and “Go Bong Co”.
As I learned from Bon Chat’s wife, Go Tian Zun was his father and Go Bong Co was his father’s father or
grandfather.
So,
perhaps I may draw a conclusion in my mind’s eye that it could be not remote
that Bon Chat’s father and grandfather
were likewise buried in Balingasag, because in the first place why were their
names indicated in the granite wall. They should have been excluded; if they
were not buried here or perhaps the side markings in Chinese characters on the
granite may explain it certainly the tale about it, which I have no idea what it
is all about.
But,
there has been a declaration from my source that he personally knew that Bon Chat’s father was in a restaurant business
opposite to the house of the Vega’s (with Olympus statue). The cook was a
Chinese named Sun Yan and he added;
the food was certainly good.
This
narrative is included in Go Bon Chat’s
story, as it is remembered by someone who at this time is not senile yet and
for one or other reasons the epithet on the granite wall may have confirmed the
fact unless otherwise the Chinese markings or characters along the right
corner-side of the granite mean another thing.]
Chan Wing. As told reliably, Chan
Wing was engaged in restaurant, bakery and a little bit of retailing
business. His business occupied the ground floor of the house once owned by the
Veloso Family opposite to the house of former Mayor Alejo E. Olano.
He had a restaurant and bakery which operated before the war; it halted for a while
because of the war, but continued later during the liberation. Its operation ended
sometime in the 1950’s because he transferred to Bukidnon.
Tanga. Fronting the house of Tonian (present site) and opposite the store where Chang Wing occupied, Tanga occupied the ground floor of the
house of the late spouses Catalino Vega and Rosario
Buardlart.[xii]
His
business was typical, engaged in retail and wholesaling of various items. It
went well before the war, but because of the interruption of war, the business
momentum halted.
No
reliable account was given further with regards to what happen to Tanga or his business after the war,
except for an information that my grandmother Caridad “Cading” Hugo Valmores, (mother of Ignacio, Dr. Polygino, Etiong, etc.) was considered or treated by Tanga as an adopted daughter. Perhaps, Tanga
came to personally know the Hugo’s or
my Lola while maybe he was in Cebu since the Hugo’s hailed from that place.
Tian Se. Tian Se’s business in Balingasag was before the war.
It was in merchandising - retail or wholesale and it was as well on the trading
of Manila hemp, copra and rice.
The
store was located at the ground floor of the house of spouses Luis Valmores and Caridad Hugo. We could
not give full details about Tian Se’s
business as our resource could no longer exactly remember. But a story was told
that there was a Chinese too named Tian Se
who had a store at Luguimit within the property of Sioga. Whether he was the one denoted to have lived at the ground
floor of Luis Valmores house, we really are not sure, if occupying the store at
the poblacion was made later after he stayed in Luguimit or not.
Some
significant event happened wherein Tian Se
and Valentin Zaballero, two good
friends commonly shared. Valentin’s wife delivered a baby boy early dawn that
day, so Valentin on the first burst of light or when Tian Se’s store opened
went to buy something for his wife. Tian Se’s wife delivered also earlier that
night a baby girl.
Tian
Se envied much his friend because he was desirous to have a son, however what
he had was a girl; and it was pretty good that they never had thought of
swapping siblings, for it would have turned out that although Valentin was a
Filipino it would be a great astonishment that he would have a Chinese child,
and a similar situation would happen to Tian Se also.
However,
it is undisputable that he was in Balingasag doing business considering that
his name is remembered though not by everybody.The fact is he was here.
Tzu Wan. As said by our sources, Tzu Wan’s store was located at the ground floor of Quider’s house,
which fronted today’s covered court. His business was general merchandising and
trading; and he had trucks to carry on the trading activities on copra buying,
rice-corn and coffee.
It
is said that he married the then Josefina
Galdo and they begot two daughters. Their trading activity was assisted by
Josefina’s brother Norberto Galdo, who was the hepe de viaje. Aside from merchandising, Tzu Wan was involved in agriculture too. Their farms in Samay
produced the sweetest camote during
those times.
Despite,
the size of the camote was only as
big as the size of a child’s fist, yet it tasted favourablysweet; and people
called it as “camote sa Insik”.Similar
or likely of similar variety are cultivated by a Korean Mission called Elijah
in Mat-i, Claveria.
The
store or his business was closed probably a year or two after the liberation.
It gave another businessman to utilize the space Tzu Wan’s vacated. Ang Siong Store owned by Ton Sia occupied the area once Tzu
Wan used.
Eng Lee. His great grandson had not in details told me who his
grandpa was, except that he was from Amoy, China and married Josefina Villegas from Balingasag. He
could really not, because he belongs to the 4th generation of “Eng Lee”, his great grandson.
However, to give a visual background where his
business was, Eng Lee’s ancestral
house was located near the old public market where the present Rural Bank
occupied. Its location is strategic to business and commerce during those days
and even now, thus certainly he had exploited the suitability of the place to
engage in the business of merchandising as it was near the market.
He
was in Balingasag before the war, had started his business during those times
and had outlived the war. His descendants today used the last name of “Jo” instead of “Lee” or “Eng”; and they
said when Eng Lee died, he had
consistently adopted already the identity as “Jo”. So, it is now “Jo”
and so be it.
One
of the many descendants of Eng Lee was
the late Paciano Villegas Jo, former Senior Clerk or Deputy Treasurer at the
Office of the Municipal Treasurer of Balingasag. Surely, Paciano had brothers
and sisters in town.
Go Manuel or Manuel Go Vega. As everyone would always say, the first name of “Manuel” is not a Chinese name, but
indeed the person named “Manuel Go”
was a Chinese.
It
is most unfortunate that no one in the vicinity of Baliwagan has assuredly told
us the Chinese Name of “Manuel Go”.
Man’s memory is so limited and no one could be blamed for forgetfulness.
However, everyone in his place knew him as “Manuel
Vega” after he was naturalized as a Filipino. His wife was Flaviana Dagoc and they had no children.
So out of wisdom, they decided to adopt a boy and they legally adopted him as Alexander Vega. I came to know him
because I was in my Senior Year when he enrolled in the First Year at a locally
RVM school.
Manuel Go Vega was more or less competitive with the business activity
of Go Tiongho in the South-Southeast
areas of Balingasag particularly in Baliwagan. He was in general merchandising
and trading (copra, rice and corn) too, in fact he had a truck which in that
time was driven by the late Cris
Patungcal.
We
do not know when Manuel Go arrive in
the Philippines or what year did he start his business in Baliwagan. But
certainly, he was in Balingasag – in Baliwagan particularly before the war
because he was a friend of Pedro M. Vega (uncle of Dolores Guibone-Vega). Pedro
died in 1945
In
1956 when Puerto Musi-musi, part of Baliwagan proper was established as an
independent Roman Catholic chapel from Sta. Felomina Chapel, he was the founder
of their chapel under the patronage of the Virgin of Sta. Barbara.
Maya or Go Boe. He had his business establishment also in Baliwagan
and like most Chinese; he was on merchandising – on retail and wholesale. Go Boe married Lourdes Tee and they jointly
managed the business. Out of this union, they had one daughter, whom I wish to
meet however I never had the cause to see her in Baliwagan, as we were at times
busy. Whenever I was free, she was not and it went on that way.
Nevertheless,
Maya is remembered by some residents
of Baliwagan, in fact I knew even his Chinese name because I came to see the
right resource for this valuable information.
Well,
Maya’s house was near Manuel Macarayo’s store, the two were
neighbors. Go Tiongho’s store was on
the other side of the national highway. The three Chinese were all neigbhors
including even Go Coa.
Maya’s
wife Lourdes Tee Go died on July 1,
2013; she was 83 years old.
Go Coa. He was in Baliwagan-Balingasag after the war and married
a lovely lady from the great Mofar Clan of Barangay Talusan. Her name was Salem Mofar, sister of Alejandro Mofar.
Despite,
Tiongho, Manuel Go, and Maya were
indeed ahead of him in Baliwagan, because Coa
stayed in Binitinan first, he however had shown his proficiency in commerce.
He was engaged in general merchandising too. Aside from simple retailing, he
had learned to engage in buying of copra as well, but not much in a massive
scale compared with Tiong Ho.
With
his union with Salem, they had only two children, a girl and a boy. The girl
retained her Chinese last name; however the elder one had changed his last name
from “Go” to “Buadlart”.
For
this, his descendants now are no longer “Go”but
“Buadlart”, which somehow give
confusion to some people considering that the “Go’s” who are now “Buadlart”
are in physical appearance are unbelievable to be “Buadlarts” as their appearance and attributes really would tell
that they belong to the yellow race rather than with the brown race.
Well,
this is not unusual for Chinese to adopt other Filipino surnames. Accordingly, this
happened mostly during the baptism of a child, it was a practice though not by all
Chinese that the surname of a Filipino godparent would be used by the newly
christened child. Of what importance it may have, they alone knew why it had to
be that way.
Andoy or Alejandro Tan and Insik Ramon
or Ramon Tan Lee or Bon Lit Tan. The
caretaker of his house at Barangay Poblacion I, had nothing much to say about Andoy Tan because he was not truly
acquainted with him since by the time he took the job in late 199O’s, Andoy was already gone.He however told
me that his wife is Fidela Acierto.
I
was fortunate to contact my old classmate, an Acierto and it turned out that he is a nephew of Fidela. What he remembers significantly which
I affirmed too that during our elementary years, Andoy had a store near Balingasag Central School; and it was on
retail business, where we could buy anything from paper, candies, bagumbayan,
tostado, softdrink, lenata – tinapa, corn beef, vetsin, seasonings, purico or
lard, rice, corn and everything for the household. My classmate was not sure if
he was engaged in trading, but we both agreed that maybe he was because we saw
a weighing platform at the back of the store. So, he must have been buying rice
or corn, or copra maybe. Well, what if the platform was just only there?
However,
his nephew was certain that Andoy
used to work in Cagayan de Oro and the store was left to the care of his wife.
Somewhere along Corrales Avenue Extension and not far from where the Lim Ket Kai
Marca Leon Corn Oil Refinery has their plant today, a confectionery company
operated nearby it; and he worked there. Its name was SUNCOCO, but later on it
was closed perhaps business was not well and the assets of the company-stocks
of shareholders whether ordinary or preferred participating stocks were used to
liquidate all outstanding obligations.[xiii]
The
area occupied by SUNCOCO was acquired by LKKS including the rest of areas
nearby. Andoy was hired by CASCAN
(near Yacapin-Corrales St.) to take a managerial position. CASCAN or Cagayan
Sanitary Candy and Hopia Factory was Chinese Company operating under
Philippines laws, so with SUNCOCO. CASCAN like SUNCOCO manufactured all sort of candies-
hard candies, peanuts coated with sweetened syrup, gums, marshmallows, and so
on, including hopia, tikoy, sopas, especial enseymada, and bread.
Had
I been able to talk with his wife Fidela,
who now is in his prime years, I could have asked her who the parents of Andoy were. Nevertheless, our sources
said that they were Chinese and furthermore another said that indeed Andoy’s father was Luis; and he had forgotten the latter’s Chinese name. However, he
knew that Luis was in general
merchandising business as well, operating somewhere in the western side of the
province, probably in Initao.
It
has been said that Insik Ramon or Ramon Tan Lee or
Bon Lit Tan was the cousin of Luis, Andoy’s
father. Ramon Tan Lee’s or Insik Ramon’s wife was a Chinese named Laga.[xiv] Ramon
Tan Lee had his general merchandising business in Balingasag on similar
time when Go Bian Sung or Sioga was at the height of prominence in
his business of merchandising and money market.
Insik Ramon was a well-respected man in the local Chinese
community, not that he was really that rich, but probably because he had that
wisdom which other did not have in matters of mediation or settling of petty
disputes among the Chinese community, if there was any.
We
have nothing more to narrate about him or about his wife, because our sources
had no more information to provide. They said, they resided in the Poblacion,
in today’s Barangay I; likely at the residence where Andoy once occupied at the
corner of 15th September Street fronting the Balingasag Central
School, or at a house nearby that corner.
Finally,
we know from the tombstone that Ramon Tan
Lee died on December 8, 1943 in Balingasag. One of his descendants was
Melquiades Valmorida Tan who was born on May 10, 1918 and died on April 20,
2003.
We
would like to notate that Insik Ramon may have been in Balingasag before 1918
because he had a son on May 10, 1918 with Lucia “Doday” Valmorida. Not long thereafter,
he was remarried to Lourdes Valmores and had four more children (evenly in
gender). One of his daughters named Alicia Valmores Tan-Jacinto has successfully
ventured into the business world in Cebu. Her brother Conceso is the father of
my classmate Marilyn who married Jun Gonzaga and like their aunt are also
businessmen. They are residing in Marikina City and used to come to Balingasag
every now and then for pleasure and business trips.
Going
back to Insik Ramon, he was one of the
earliest Chinese who resided in Balingasag, so it may be a reason that those
who came after him respected him well; nevertheless, respect is always earned
and not just automatically be bestowed upon. He must have been a good guy. On
December 8, 1943 he died, his tombstone at Balingasag Cemetery has the
inscription.
Insik Asing and his wife Iya Tipong. Anyone in town whose age is similar to mine now, or
even older than me knew Iya Tipong
and of course his husband Insik Asing.
Iya Tipong was a Filipina who married
Insik Asing, a Macao.
At
the old public market, they had a stall. Their business was a sari-sari store,
and they sold different variety of candies, chewing gums, tira-tira-balicocha,
chewing gums, ripe bananas bonolan
and kantong, balingbing, macopa, sopas-galleta,
dug-mok, bagumbayan, tostado, biscuits, komiks and so on, which indeed for
children like us before, was the nicest place at the market because they sold
candies and we could buy it at one centavo per piece.
Aside
from the above merchandise, they were making popcorn and sold it in retail.
Surely, a child would be allured when passing-by their stall.
It
was just a small store, but it was capable of carrying all the coins of the
children had, because as I said the display table was too alluring.
They
were childless and since the market was reduced to rubble by fire, they retired
from selling because they were already old. Insik
Asing died ahead; Iya Tipong was
alone having only a meagre income from a parcel of land, which she had sold later.
One
thing more, Iya Tipong was good in
Palmistry or telling the future through looking and reading one’s palm. I had
talked with some of friends of mine and they said what Iya Toping told them had come true. I commented, really? They said,
yes it is true what she said happened to us.
Whether
it was merely by coincidence or not, I know these people really would always remember
Iya Tipong and Insik Asing.Go Bon Chat took charge financially of the acquisition
of the aged couples’ final resting places. It was indeed an admirable deed,
burying the dead.
Wong Kong or Ah Kong. In the late 1960’s Wong
Kong together with his family arrived Balingasag from Bukidnon. He first
stayed at the rented house of Insik Asing
and Iya Tipong and since the two
Chinese had special abilities, they poured in their skills and in partnership
made popcorn. Fresh pancit was the specialty
of Ah Kong and he had many patrons in
Balingasag public market as well as in Lagonglong. Insik Asing produced popcorn and their duo was blended rightly.
However,
it came to a point that they had to do their own business. So, their
partnership ended. They were indeed successful in their field of specialties;
the pancit of Ah Kong became the most sought fresh
pancit in Balingasag and so with the neighboring towns of Lagonglong, Salay
and Jasaan. However the popping corn or popcorn was really credited to the
wonders made by Insik Asing’s, a
Macao or from an island off-China.
Akong married Sylvia Alvarado and
unlike Tipong and Asing who had no children, the former
begot five children. One of his daughters is the mother of my nephews and
nieces, my younger brother Coyo
married Myrna in 1981. Myrna’s
parents are now dead. Ah Kong’s
Christian name was Lorenzo Francisco,
born on 1903 and faded away in 1987.
Co Kong or Hospecio S. Co. His father was Co
Ting, a Chinese, however his wife was a Filipino named Charing Sabit.
Co Kong was born in Balingasag in 1930 and when he was at about
nine or ten years old, Co Ting his
father died. Co Kong’s son Salvador
T. Co said that he had no idea why his father had gone to mainland China after his
father died and who his company was. Probably, a friend of Co Kong’s father had brought the boy to China and there he stayed,
learned the rich Chinese customs and traditions. When he reached the age of 20
years old, he returned to the Philippines in Balingasag particularly. The year could
be 1950 since he was born on May 21, 1930. Ching
Eng (King Hong’s son) and Co Kong
journeyed together from China, so that was why the two were good friends during
their lifetime because they shared common hardships and experiences during
their exodus to the Philippines.
Not
much longer, Co Kong married Maria Josefa Talili and in the early
1970’s when Vulcan Logging and Mining Exploration Company, a lessor of the Oca
Logging Concession operated the north-eastern mountains of Balingasag, Co Kong ventured to move his family to
where the logging company operated in the highlands of Lantad in the Balatukans.
Business
was good, the area was booming and there was money due to employment at the
logging company; and the newly opened agricultural land was really fertile. It
had enticed everyone from the lowlands to settle in the area.
Co Kong had a big store and a rice-corn mill in Lantad. A
caravan of horses usually carried his goods (coffee, rice-corn, root crops, sayote and other vegetables) from the
mountains to the lowlands via the old
logroads and halting the journey at Barangay Napaliran. Though they had a
vehicle, but the use of horses was a preference because of the rough and
unmaintained logroads, the main
arterial road which connected the northeast mountains to the lowlands.
In
September 1982 he left his family hectares of agricultural land in Kibanban, as
well as in the lowlands including every savings he had. Despite, he was gone
forever, his children followed the trainings and examples he had shown in hard
works. Today his widow manages a grocery store along F. Vega St. in Barangay
Poblacion and his children tried to live the example their father taught them. Co
Kong’s children emulated him, his sons have businesses of their own, and so
with the daughters. Others have bigger business while others are not, however
it is unimportant how big or small a business had been; what is significant
that his descendants indeed followed well what their father had set to them
through examples.
Furthermore,Co Conghad a brother, who is also a
businessman in Balingoan. His name is Co
Sing and unlike his older brother, he has notgone to China nor had he been
reared in the fullness of Chinese traditions as his brother had been.
In Lagonglong, once a barrio of
Balingasag. If Balingasag was a haven
of early Chinese merchants, Lagonglong, about seven kilometres away north of
Balingasag was a home of other industrious Chinese merchants.
Insik Joaquin.Tradition says that the early known Chinese who
resided in Lagonglong was Insik Joaquin.
Nothing much could be accounted about him because people forgot already; and
the least they said was that he had a store near the residence of the Abrogar
in the poblacion. His business activity was mainly on merchandising.
During
the war, his place was used by Eh Way
as the evacuation place of his family as told by Yee Wing Po. So, it is certain that during those times he was still
in Lagonglong.
Accordingly,
his last name was Go; and his life
was full of mystery as well as his departure in town was unnoticed when did it
take place. He was also unmarried and no trace of him could be done from his
descendants.
Go Tian Tay or Chua. He migrated from China to the Philippines in 1920 when
he was only 6 years old; and stayed with his uncle Sioga or Go Bian Sung who
took care of him in Balingasag. From his uncle, he knew business.
Before
the war, she met the then Rizalina Abrena
from Lagonglong and out from this whirlwind courtship, it ended into marriage.
From Balingasag Chuadecided to engage
in business in Lagonglong; he opened a general store where one could find
everything for the household such as Petromax, kerosene light repair kit, wick,
soldering rod, nails, fishing line – nylons, hooks, floaters, threads, needles
and other dry goods items. In short, it seemed to be hardware, but it was not
hardware in the strictest sense of the word because there are items that can be
bought there, which a sari-sari store usually sale too.
Their
ancestral home is near the municipal hall. Out from his labors, they acquired
properties which today are being taken cared by their children.
Just
like every other Chinese, Chua read
newspapers from China and sometimes he was on vacation to China. He died in
2008 at age 88 years old. His wife followed him some years later.
Kho Nay Chun. He arrived in Lagonglong before the Second World
War; and together withhim from Amoy, China was another Chinese named Go Kiong Ho.
His
elder daughter Dulzora Jabulan Kho-Jurado
said that his father marriedModesta
Jabulan and they begot four children, for which she is the eldest among the
other girls. She was kind enough to show to me the travel credentials of Kho Nay Chun that her eldest daughter
Josephine has unearthed from old boxes.
Kho Nay Chun worked in Salay with another Chinese in a big general
merchandising store. However they forgot to tell who his friends’s name was. During
the war, he evacuated his family and the highlands of today’s Gaston served as
a safe place for them considering that most of Modesta’s relatives evacuated
there too.
During
evacuation time, Kho Nay Chun was unfortunately
bitten by a dog. It turned out that the animal was rabid; and since there was
no available anti-rabies vaccine considering that it was war and how could they
get one, except to apply the best traditional remedies known to man “tawal” and
“lana”, the rabies developed faster. Before even the war ended, he died.
I
met Kho Nay Chun’s bosom friend Go
Kiong Hosometime in 2009. He told me that he has resided already in
Davao City, but personally he came to our office because he would request for
the birth certificate of his daughterJosie,
who was born here in 1952.
Recently
I know from the granddaughter of Goya or
Chu Huan, Mrs. Raphen Chu Lagarto
that Go Kiong Ho visited them in 2013
after his return from vacation in the U.S. It was a social call for his friend,
Chun King or Ramon Chu; and he was so
sad to know that his friend had long been gone in the 1970’s yet.
Though
he was already of age, Ma’am Lagarto
told me that Go Kiong Ho is still
energetic. Yes, I answered her, “I share similar viewswith you about him, I had
that impression too when we first met some four years ago at my office.”
Dy Hao Juan or Insik Juan. His arrival in Lagonglong more or less occurred on
similar time with the arrival of Kho Nay
Chun and Go Kiong Ho sometime
before World War II. While the latter were from Amoy, Dy Hao came from Shanghai.
After
establishing his business in Lagonglong and feeling that it indeed was doing well,
he entered married life and took Susana
Legaspi as wife. From this lineage, Remedios
Dy came who later on was married withGoya’s
son Chun King.
But
his wife died, so he married again and this time it was with Teresa dela Cruz, who likewise hailed
from Lagonglong. They were blessed with three or four children. One of his
daughter was married to a Chinese, Tan
Malack; and they started their business in general merchandising and
trading in Quezon, Bukidnon.
Dy Hao Juan or Insik Juan died of old age in Lagonglong, so with his wife.
The Merging of old Colonial Spanish
Pueblos during the American Regime:
It
is a part of Balingasag’s history that she became the administrative center a
result of the merging of three old colonial Spanish
pueblos in the opening years of the 20th century when the
Americans successfully occupied Cagayan de Misamis in May 1900.[xv]
Salay
and Jasaan were merged with Balingasag and the set of governance was in
Balingasag. So, I have extended this study to the Salay Chinese, where a number
of their descendants now live. Unfortunately, I failed to cover the study for
Jasaan for due to so many constraints. But, of course, every knows that there
are Chinese descendants there like the Po’s
and, the Adajar’s from the Sioga or Go Bian Sung lineage.
Henceforth,
even with the scarcity of obtained information, allow me to take this
opportunity to prolong the continuity of this research a bit.
The Capistrano’s. It is said that the prominent family of Capistrano ofSalay originated from
Chinese family (in fact some of them look like Chinese physically) with the
Last Name of Chua. For this, I have
talked with Mr. Benjie Capistrano,
now a resident of Lagonglong, a three-termer Municipal Councilor and son of the
late Angelo Capistrano.
He
said that it is true, the grandfather of his father whom he no longer could
remember who his namewas,(Cayetano Capistrano
or Tano Capistrano was the father of Angelo) was a Chinese. It was during
the time of Angelo’s father (Cayetano or Tano) when their Chinese Last Name was
changed to Capistrano through the
process of naturalization. Tano’s friend from Ozamiz whose last name is Capistrano facilitated the processing.
Probably, out of gratitude and friendship, Tano (Angelo’s father) adopted the
Last Name of Capistrano.
Thus,
their Last Name now sounds more Filipino in origin than Chinese.
Chinese in Poblacion Salay and at the
nearby Barangays. Siongco
Go was engaged in the bakery business. He was married to Remedios Gochoco. The bakery business was
closed sometime after 1989 when Siongco
died. His wife died two years earlier. Although, the bakery was closed it seems
that it was closed to pay the way of another business. The ancestral home of Siongco is now a store dealing on
retailing. It is a sort of a general store owned by his son, Manuel.
I
personally know one of Siongco’sdaughters
because we happened to be classmates in college. I remember her name as
Yolanda. She was our department treasurer having the skills of financial
management being the eldest daughter of the couple.
Siongco’s father was Go
Tohong;and thelatter from China followed his son in Salay where they first
resided in Barangay Looc. Thereafter, when Siongco
married Remedios sometime in the 1950’s, they moved to the poblacion, where
they established their own business.
Lucio Tan.He was a Chinese and NildoTan’s father, who married a Filipina Francisca Bacong of Barangay Dinagsaan.
Lucio’s
business started in Ampenican and was on general merchandising.
His son Nildo married
Francisca “Kiking” Kho from Mabini and these couples possessing that business
orientation they acquired from their parents, started their own at Poblacion,
Salay and it had gone bigger.[xvi]
During Nildo Tan’s time, he was not
only in general merchandising, but was in trading – copra, Manila hemp, rice.
As
said, alight cargo ship from Cebu used to anchor at Salay intermittently to
carry tons of copra for the oil mill of LUDO. Large part of that cargo came
from the warehouse of Nildo Tan,
although it is also a fact that most Chinese in Salay had considerable metric
tons of cargo, as well; and loaded to the ship for export.
One
prominent non-Chinese merchant and contemporary of Nildo Tan was Anastacio
Ranises. The latter was engaged in general merchandising and trading.
Nildo died in the 1990’s, and sometime in 2009 his wife Francisca Kho died. From then on the business has been carried on
totally by his children even until today.This is an expertise his children had
been trained for, so they kept the business running even after their parents’ demise.
Leo Tan’s family resides in Balingasag; but he frequently goesto Salay to
manage the business and estate, which their parents conjugally established.
Tua Kho and Chua Kho: Tua Kho had his store or business in general merchandising in
Mabini, Salay. His wife was Magdalena Yap and one of their daughters married Nildo Tan, the son of Lucio Tan.
Tua’s business was carried on by one of his son, Arsenio Kho who resided in
Mabini. Under Arsenio Kho’s his father’s business thrived well, nevertheless,he
died sometime in the late 1980’s the business and their estate was left to the
care of his heirs.
On
the other hand, Chua Kho had his
business in general merchandising in a place known now as Sta. Cruz,
Sugbongcogon; and the latter was under the territorial district of Binuangan
today, which previously was part of Salay.
As
everyone says Tua Kho and Chua Kho are relatives, in fact brothers
or first cousin says someone. Rightly there are reasons that they may be
correct, firstly their houses are just a “stone throw” from each other. Tua resided in Mabini and Chua in St. Cruz. These places are the
boundaries of Binuangan and Sugbongcogon. Had not only of the established
political territorial boundaries of the two towns, the boundaries of their
homes are only fences that separate their properties.
Tiana Po Chua. He married a Filipina
named Fiera Aquilam of Monsangot. In
his time, Tiana’s business was in
general merchandising (sale of fishing supplies – hooks, petromax, wick,
hurricane lamps, nets, buoys, kerosene in cans, nylon rope, thread, needles,
etc.) and in tradingtoo in Dampias, once a barangay of Salay. Today, the
business is undertaken by his son, Sammy.
They are engaged in trading and not much anymore in merchandising unlike what Tiana had started some years ago.There
was a time when they were the distributor of Coca Cola products when Coke was still
engaged in direct selling yet, and had warehouses strategically, where one of
which was in Balingasag.
Nowadays,
the presence of trucks at their yard, suggests that they are on trucking and
hauling services, too, aside from trading copra.
Tiana died more than 15 years ago and his wife had retired in business after
his death. Tianawas Honga King’s brother.
Honga King. He was the father of Romy Gue, who married
Perfecta Lloren. What we knew about him in Monsangot where he had his
business, he was on general merchandising and trading. The business was
practically similar with his brother Tiana; and of course, this does not imply
that they were competing with each other. Their businesses were focused
similarly on fishing gears and supplies because majority of the livelihood of
the residents was fishing, aside from farming.
Honga King’s business is already closed because the principals
were long dead. The brothers Honga King
and Tiana were indeed prominent
Chinese merchants in the northern part of Salay. In 1971 Monsangot and Dampias
became barangays of the newly created municipality of Binuangan.
Today,
Honga’s son – Romy Guecontrols the lanzones trading in this part of the province;
and we do not have any idea whether or not this trading activity was started by
his father or just had been initiated by Romy
Gue himself.[xvii]
Pedro Chieu :His residence where he had his store was near Salay
High School. He was married to one of the lovely ladies of the Acobo’s family.
From such union, they had seven children.
The
usual business most Chinese had, his business was on general merchandising as
well. It only included little activity in trading such as purchase of copra.
The place was strategic near the school and so it started to go bigger, however
its growth halted when Pedro Chieu
died. Operation of the business had been made by his wife whom she tried to
manage. However, it did not prosper well; and it turned out that his wife was
unable to learn completely the techniques and strategies her husband used.
Today,
his descendants could only point the location of their store. But there is no
trace of it now.
[Aside
from these mentioned Chinese Families in Salay, it is said that the Rafisura’s originated from the Chinese
too. Moreover, the Baylin’s from
Lucila’s lineage came similarly. Had she opted to allow her child to use the
surname of “Go” her descendants would
have carried that Chinese respectable surname these days.
In
recent times, one Chinese Family with the Last Name “Cue” lives in the poblacion. It is however a fact that his
residency to Salay was a consequence of his marriage to a lady of the Llagas Clan.The “Cue” hails from Mambajao, Camiguin, who likewise could trace their
roots in Cebu and ultimately in Great China, as well.]
Chinese Overseas:
Chinese
overseas who are residents in the Philippines, as well as those in Southeast
Asia could trace their ancestral routes from Xiamen or Amoy and the
surrounding South Fujian countryside.
Xiamen or Amoy is a major city located
southeast (Taiwan Strait) in the coast of the People’s Republic of China. There
are about 350,000 overseas Chinese who had traced their origins from Xiamen alone.[xviii]
European
traders mostly Portuguese first visited Amoy
in 1541 because it was China’s main port in exporting tea even up to the 19th
century – (Great Britain and China were in the First Opium War in 1841 and a
treaty of Nanking in 1842 made Xiamen as one of the five treaty ports). As a
result, there was an inculturation of some Hokkein
words (also known as the Amoy dialect) with the languages of their trading
partners. Not only their language had influenced the places where their teas
reached, but Chinese customs and traditions blended well with the locals as a
consequence of their migration particularly in 19th and 20th
century. The seal of inculturation was further significantly marked by
intermarriages with the locals.[xix]
Early
Chinese merchants started their business activity without much impact for they
did not start big, but just a small store where simple merchandising was the
lone activity. Out of hard-work their business became bigger and later on
people come to realize that Chinese stores are so essential in a community.
Most
Chinese who resided in Balingasag, and likely for Lagonglong and Salay as well,
had come from Amoy or from those
surrounding areas fronting the Strait of Taiwan, except for a few who came from
the island of Macau, which formerly
was a Portuguese colony sometime in the early 1550’s that culminated only in
1999. Except for the travel document which Kho
Nay Chun descendants had shown that indeed their grandfather hailed from Amoy, the rest of the information I
received came were from testimonies alone of their descendants or by the
narrators and informants; and I never have doubts about their veracity because
it is part of folklore being handed by their parent’s parents and passed on to
the children, and so on.
Nevertheless,
it is immaterial whether or not they came from Amoy or Xiamen, or to
whatever place in Great China;what is substantial is the fact that they were
here once in Balingasag; and had paved the way in setting forth the town to the
roads of economic business competitiveness and development.
Perhaps
every old people who hailed or was reared in Balingasag, those who are now in
their mid-seventies or even older may recall that before the war, or a little
off during the liberation time; despite there was no wharf in town, cargo
vessel or boat like the bunker fuelled “Pila
Rica”moored the coast or had Balingasag as a special port of call to haul
shipload of copra for (LUDO in Cebu), coffee, Manila hemp or lanot, corn and Balingasag rice, the “mimis”
and another old variety known as the “calamanian” to the ports of Cebu and
Visayas.
Along
with that there was a big warehouse constructed and owned by a certain Filipino
businessman whose last name was Carominas, a friend of the late Mayor Ramon
Ludeňa;that stored the products or merchandise to be shipped (not a bonded
warehouse but just to serve the purpose as storage and safekeeping, which later
was acquired by King Hong) for Cebu.
Earlier
in those years, too, because of the abundance of rice and corn in fact it is
still today, an endemic variety of “mimis” called Balingasag rice (not today
the Red-18) was produced through cross-pollination accidentally; and it had
prompted Kenga or King Nga, or Go King to operate the first commercial rice and corn mill.[xx]
Another
good thing that Balingasag experience was the mechanization of trading business
and later on the installation of gasoline refilling station, which the two big
Chinese businessmen King Hong and Tonian did. In fact, these big
businessmen had gasoline stations because they had some few units of six-wheeler
trucks, a Chevrolet, Ford or International; and allwere nicknamed as “big jobs”
because of the heavy tonnage they carried.
Indeed
the introduction of petrol or gasoline had moved some enterprising residents to
go into mechanization, or used of petrol in their undertakings.
The Effects or Influence of Chinese
Commerce Locally:
In
conjunction with it, the first commercial Electric System in Balingasag, the
VALBROS owned by Luis G. Valmores
that provided electricity and power to the poblacion
and reaching as far as Waterfall, after the war, relayed much on the gasoline
or diesel provided or sold by Chinese such as King Hong to keep their electric generating set moving. Nevertheless,
business was not finefor VALBROS, they discontinued their operation; despite
obtaining the franchise at Congress was really not easy.[xxi]
Moreover,
a big scale transport utility business followed then such as the ORMISA Trans
owned by Hojas Family operated from
Balingasag-Gingoog to Cagayan de Oro route. Another transport company
Balingasag had during that time was the Greenhorn Bus operated by the Mortola
family.[xxii] However, the two transports companies did not
survive the rigors of time and shut-down some years later. But, it did not
discourage other business-minded men to engage on similar business. Ramon Chu for one, had a mini-bus plying
the route from Balingasag to Cagayan de Oro, but the road from Butuan to Cagayan
in the early 1960’s was controlled by Mindanao Bus Company, Bukidnon Bus and
other bus lines such as the JV Casals Trans.
Locally,
three suburb transport vehicles (operating in different or likely similar time),
one was a Suzulight owned by Taurino
Moreno and the other two were jitneys owned by Gentallan and Torres family, respectively; operated to and fro the Poblacion
to Barangay Hermano, or Mambayaan, or to where most passengers had wished to
go.
In
the meanwhile, the motorcycle side-cars came into scene in the mid-part of the
1960’s, thereby replacing the traditional means of mobility - the horse-drawn tartanilla.These local transports had no
difficulty in operating here because gasoline filling stations were established
by King Hong and Tonian in town. There was no need for public transport owners or
private vehicles to travel to Cagayan de Oro and stock fuel in drums or
containers because filling stations operated the week-round, but only in the
daytime.
Another
effect or influence which has been a product of Chinese business activity is
the concept of entrepreneurship. Local residents venturedin business similar to
what the Chinese had engaged, thus sari-sari stores sprouted like mushrooms
anywhere. Today, other than the descendants of Chinese, Filipino businessmen
huddled together elbow to elbow in competition with their mentors and idols.
In
another sense, the concept of ownership of real property was strengthened
because previously real properties were just disposed in exchange of goods,
work animals or in gratuity to an outstanding personal service rendered by one
maybe for the betterment of his master or client.
Despite
cash was and still is the mode of transaction since then, in the olden times
however a parcel of agricultural land could sometimesjust be easily disposed by
its owner in consideration or exchange of a work animal, and so on. Although
foreigners are prohibited to own real properties as provided in the 1935
constitution (even under the present constitution and existing laws unless they
are naturalized or their sons/daughters opted to elect Filipino citizen at age
of majority), still acquisition of lands had been done. Laws maybe were just
circumvented, and that is an art perfected by man alone in his great pursuit to
unsatisfying quest for success in life.
Since
more lands could be acquired aggregately by wealthy people, not to exclude
spouses of foreigners, the value of land increases naturally. So the concept on
ownership or possession of parcels of land had been strengthened and its fair market
value or its assessment had increased dramaticallybecause possessing a parcel
of land indeed means wealth.
Concluding Part:
Since
death is a reality one would inevitably face after birth, our early Chinese
Merchants in Balingasag demise one after the other as a natural consequence to
that reality drama in life. Most of them had chosen Balingasag as their final
resting place and they had professed Catholicism through conversion from their former
religion either in Buddhism, Confucianism or Taoism. Some were brought to
Cagayan de Oro City considering that there is a Chinese Cemetery in Upper
Carmen going to the abandoned commercial airport. Some also died in the places
where they started their business after the World War like in Cagayan de Oro.
Almost
everyone was survived by a loving wife or mistress, and children whether
considered legitimate or natural, excluding Bo
Nga whom we do not know because Mr. Ramon Yee was not conclusive whether or
not he was married here or died here, or just left home to China in his
retiring years.
Except
for Go Boh Nga’s case, no one had
told me that their ancestors had returned to China and died there. If they used
to visit China, it was because of business and family affairs since they do
have relatives there, too. But they returned to their families here.
After
the World War, Chinese merchants once again returned to their usual trade -
merchandising and trading. Their business boomed and out of their earnings other
assets were acquired, be it on agricultural lands, houses, luxury cars, trucks,
marine aqua-culture or livestock industry, and so on. Almost every pioneering
Chinese merchant in Balingasag thrived well during their time, and seemingly they
had reached the pinnacle of business success. Nevertheless, death is the only
equalizer between the poor and the rich; everyone would leave his riches and
fame when his time comes.
All
the wealth-money, real properties, merchandise, trucks, other equipment and
everything including outstanding obligations, legal contracts, and so on had to
be assumed by someone either the spouse, the qualified first-born son or any of
the children in no priority order, provided one knows how to manage the
business well.
The
“estate” left by a Chinese merchant becomes as an “inheritance” of his legal
heirs – meaning denoting to the surviving spouse, legitimate children including
those natural but recognized and surviving spouse would have shares on it.
Usually, their father’s or mother’s business has to be continued, however it may
reach to a certain point in time that every son or daughter wishes to have a
business of his or her own. So division of properties, money or even
outstanding liabilities (liquidation of the absolute community assets and
liabilities), or whatever is deemed applicable in the provisions of the Family
Code shall be done. Extra-judicially partitions of properties shall always
come, which is more prudent than the judicial one.
Henceforth,
the fate of the deceased – their parents’ business, or the newly opened business
managed by the heir or descendant of the pioneering Chinese may either be
successful or just would dive into insolvency. Everything therefore lies on
one’s capability on how to manage the business applying all the trainings and
experiences their father or mother had passed to them.
There
are success stories about this, as well as unhappy tales. Others had not managed
their business well in line with the standards their parents had once set
before them. But others too have even amplified their parents’ former business.
Some descendants achieved prominence in the business they are now dealing with.
Some descendants are owners of big hard-wares, department or super stores,
groceries, exclusive distributorships of soft drinks or merchandise, hotels and
restaurants, farms, fish cages,and even modern hospitals. They indeed have
multiplied much the gains their parents had left to them.
For
whatever success or failures one may have in life, no one could be held
responsible except him alone. Whatever fate one may have, life is just what he
makes it.
After
all, poet William Ernest Henley says in Invictus, “I am the master of my fate …
I am the captain of my soul.”
ooo
Acknowledgment
I
would like to thank the following resource persons, whom I have talked lengthily
or shortly about this research topic, to wit:
On the literature of Bo Nga, Sioga, Nga’s
Bakery and almost every Chinese in town on focus of the study:
Mr. Ramon Yee, Eh Wai’s eldest son,
a businessman.
Mr. Miguel Yee, younger brother of
Ramon, and also a businessman.
Mrs.
Lourdes Go Sabuga, daughter of Sioga and a retired Postal Office employee.
Mr. Vevencio Macas, retired Public
School Teacher.
Messrs. Estercacio Domo; Ernesto Mundo; and Samuel
Zaballero, a rice
farmer and agri-land owner, on Sioga’s literature.
farmer and agri-land owner, on Sioga’s literature.
Mr.
Reno T. Valmores, son of Maximino Valmores driver of Nga’s or Balingasag Bakery.
On Kenga, King Nga or Go King:
Mr. Ernesto R. Mundo, businessman. He supplied
us Gonzalo’s Chinese name as Go Chi Ping, among others.
Mr.Manuel Varquez, Jr., businessman. His
permanent residence now is in the US.
Researcher’s personal knowledge
about the Goking Foundation in Lagonglong
thru Mr. Seseng Go,Kenga’s &Paula’s Goking first-born.
On Goya or Chu Huan:
Mrs.
Raphen Chu-Lagarto, daughter of Chun King.
Mr. Ramon Yee.
On King Hong and Ton Sia:
Mr. Virgilio G. Khu, son
Messrs. Alfonso Yu; Raul Lucero; CarlitoLucero;
and Cirilo Balana.
On
Tonian or Ngo Lian:
Messrs. Lindricon C. Go, eldest
son of Tonian;
Jose C. Go, Jr. youngest sibling
of Tonian;
Robert “Lolong” Arado Go, son of
Lindricon, &eldest grandson of Tonian; Mrs. Dolores Vega-Guibone.
On Ngo Ho or Tiongho Go, Maya or Go Boe,
and Manuel Go or Manuel Go
Vega:
Mr. Vevencio Macas.
Mr. Toto Patungcal, son of Crisanto
once a driver of Go Boi.
On
Go Coa:
Mr.
Adano (Go) Buadlart, son of Coa eldest child Nolasco (Go) Buadlart.
Mr. Vevencio Macas.
On Go Bon Chat:
Mrs. Evangeline Dragon Go, wife
of Bon Chat;
Mr. Jose C. Go, Jr.; and
Mr. Estercasio Domo, retired
COMELEC Election Assistant.
On Chan Wing:
Messrs. Jesus V. Galdo, a businessman; Manuel
V. Varquez, Jr.; and Mr. Tino Grote, a Chef.
Mrs. Dolores Vega-Guibone.
On
Tanga and Tian Se:
Dr. Polygino H. Valmores, eldest
son of Luis G. Valmores; and
Mr. Ignacio H. Valmores retired Govt. Hospital Worker.
On
Tzu Wan:
Mr.
Auxencio Miso, relative of Tzu Wan’s wife Josefina Galdo.
On Eng Lee:
Mr.
Gerry A. Jo, great grandson of Eng Lee, son of Antonio Jo& Estrella Abacajin;
On Andoy or Alejandro Tan&Insik
Ramon or Ramon Tan Lee or Bon Lit Tan:
Mr.
Cristino Acierto and his wife Mrs. Marina Pimentel-Acierto, (retired Public School Teacher) nephew/neiceof
Fidela Acierto.
Mr. Carlito Lucero, former
worker at SUNCOCO & 4th degree member K of C,
Lagonglong Council.
Mr. Manuel Yee.
Mr. Ramon Yee.
Ms. Marilyn Valmores
Tan-Gonzaga, grandson of Ramon Tan Lee.
On
Insik Asing and Iya Tipong:
Mr. Roberto Valmorida, a
businessman - sounds and disco light provider.
Mr. Pepito Bahia, Barangay
Councilor, Barangay Poblacion 2.
On
Wong Kong or Akong:
Personally known by the
researcher through his late brother, Socorro R. Valmores, husband of Ah Kong’s daughter
Myrna; and
Mr. Roberto Valmorida on Ah
Kong’s-Asing’s business partnership.
On Co Cong or Hospecio Co, Sr.:
Mr. Salvador T. Co, 4th son of
Co Cong, & Proprietor JAMSCO Hardware.
On
Insik Joaquin Go:
Mr.
Cirilo Balana, former Brgy. Captain Poblacion Lagonglongand Mr. Magno Tacastacas, veteran USAFFE.
On Go Tian Tay or Chua:
Ms. Ella A. Go, daughter of Go
Tian Tay, a retired Public School Teacher; and Mr. Noel Caneos, son-in-law of Go Tian
Tay.
On Kho Nay Chun:
Mrs. Dulzora Kho Jurado,
daughter of Kho Nay Chun and Modesta Jabulan and Mrs.
Josephine Jurado-Borres, granddaughter of Kho Nay Chun.
On Go Kiong Ho:
Mrs. Dulzora Kho Jurado and
Mrs. Josephine Jurado-Borres;
Mrs. Raphen Chu-Lagarto; and
Personally met by this researcher
in 2009 at LCRO-Lagonglong.
On
Dy Hao or Insik Juan:
Mr. Diokno Dy-Chu, grandson of
Dy Hao in his first marriage with Susana Legaspi; and Mr. Cirilo Balana, husband of
Nene Dy daughter of Dy
Hao in his second marriage with Teresa de la Cruz.
Hao in his second marriage with Teresa de la Cruz.
On the Capistrano’s:
Mr. Benjamin G. Capistrano
On Siongco Go:
Mrs. Fermina Go
Macarayo-Cagadas, granddaughter of Siongco &
Remedios; and Mr. Joven Baylin, a resident of Salay and employed at DILG.
Remedios; and Mr. Joven Baylin, a resident of Salay and employed at DILG.
On Lucio Tan-Nildo Tan:
Mr. Leo Tan, one of the sons of
Nildo who now manages their business.
Mr. Joven Baylin.
On Tua Kho and Chua Kho:
Ms. Divina Tan, wife of Leo
Tan.
On Tian Po Chua:
Mr. Jerome Aquilam, nephew of
Tiana’s wife Fiera Aquilam.
Mr. Joven Baylin.
Mr. Thomas Ignalig, farmer from
Dampiasaged 73 years old.
On Honga King:
Mr. Jerome Aquilam.
Mr. Thomas Ignalig.
On Pedro Chieu:
Mr. Cezar Chieu, grandson of
Pedro.
Mr. Aldren H. Zambrano
On
Rafisura, Go and Cue:
Mr. Joven Baylin
Ms. Marcel L. Cue
Researched & Written by: Rex R.
Valmores
February
2014, Barangay Poblacion 2, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, Philippines
Email: www.ressu54@yahoo.com
www.trexvalmores@gmail.com
A Note from the Researcher: Undeniably there are inadequacies in the
presentation of this study, I guess it is on the intrinsic value of the literature
as we could no longer and impossible to interview personally the principals for
simple reasons that they are no longer living. We derived our information from
their heirs, immediate descendants, from people who had worked with them, or
from those who were oncetheir business patrons or “suki”; and from third parties, who have no relation at all with
them either by affinity, or by religious intervention such as chosen being “Ninong” or “Ninang”, orwho may have known them or the circumstance through oral
tradition being handed to them by their parents, as the case maybe. Henceforth,
there are always inadequacies and I would not classify them either as biases.
The
inherent intention of this study is neither meant to glorify every success nor
to discredit families for failures they had,which are but natural in life, if
there had been any. The purpose of this study therefore is to document the tale
of Chinese Merchants’ early endeavours in the trade or business they loved so
much, where most people today especially the younger ones are not knowledgeable,
or maybe just forgotten by the older ones, or by their contemporaries, who,
these industrious and patient merchants, and workers were; and what they had
done or contributed to the development of the place they once resided.
It
is however inevitable that we could not refrain from mentioning some names, significant
events or facts relating to the achievement of a businessman. Please do not
consider this as merely a PR’s work onone’s personality, identity or
achievement. It is not. It is certainly just a statement of fact to give life
and concretized the story.
May
the reader particularly the descendants of the early merchants of Balingasag to absolve
my shortcomings and I beg sincerely their apology because this paper is not so comprehensive and inadequate.
ooo
NOTES
[i] It is an old Spanish colonial town originally known
as Gunpot in 1571 when Adelantado Legaspi declared it as an encomienda in
favour of Spain’s loyal subject Juan Griego. It lies in the northern part of
Mindanao in the Philippine Archipelago. Annotation mine.
[ii] Wikipedia, Treaty of Tordesillas, accessed 20
February 2014.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Dr. E.P. Palanche, an article “Old Tondo and the
Lakandula Revolt of 1574”, Historic Manila Commemorative Lectures 1993-1996,
pp, 6-7.
[vi]Ramon Yee was elected Municipal Councilor of
Balingasag for many terms until his retirement in mid-2000. His wife Ludivina
V. Yee was likewise elected to similar honourable position (Councilor) in town,
on separate time of his husband’s terms.
[vii] One was rented by Eh Wai before the warat Eng Lee’s
place near the old market where the Rural Bank of Balingasag now has been
erected; and not far from it Mok Se gave birth to her first child at a
wooden-house located within the lot of Pedro Moreno, the father of Petronilo
Valledor Moreno. Ramon Yee was born there. Not much longer, the old market was
transferred to a much wider place (in the area when it was razed to the ground
in 1972), Eh Way and Mok Se moved again; and this time they occupied the ground
floor of the Roa’s house fronting the municipal building market, near King
Hong’s house. __ An interview with Mr. Ramon Yee.
[viii] Her name is Mei Kim; Ramon Yee told us that in
Chinese it means “golden rose”.
[ix]Lourdes Go Sabuga one of the daughters of Sioga,
married Abundio Sabuga; and she begot her eldest son in 1955 at their ancestral
house. She said that she had her debut at the said house as well.
[x]Despite Dolores was a Filipino, she happily and voluntarily observed the traditional
Chinese dress code. Probably because Goya brought her oftentimes to China,
so she learned to appreciate the customs and traditions. Indeed, she fluently
spoke Chinese and had travelled to China alone as Goya’s emissary. __ An
interview with Ramon Yee.
[xi]Lindricon Cascon Go was elected Councilor of
Balingasag in the 1970’s. He held the position lengthily because of the
hold-over capacity since it was martial law time. The Municipal Mayor that time
was Atty. Alejo E. Olano.
[xii]This place was occupied later on by Tonian after Tanga
left.
[xiii]One of the stockholders was Ramon Yee who had one
decent share valued during that time at P40,000.00. On proxy capacity Herbert
Go, the husband of Rosario Yee stood on behalf of Ramon Yee. Since SUNCOCO had
declared insolvency, its assets and capital stocks (common, preferred or
participating) were used to liquidate outstanding liabilities that included
among others payment of confectionery ingredients acquired on credit terms by
the company. _ An interview with Mr. Ramon Yee or Yee Chik Po.
[xiv] From another marriage or whatever circumstance it may
have been; Bon Lit Tan or Insik Ramon had two more sons whom I personally know
namely Melquiades Valmorida Tan and Conceso Valmores Tan.
[xv] Salay was detached from the political jurisdiction of
Balingasag in 1929; Jasaan in 1948; and Lagonglong on 1 July 1949.
[xvi]The father of Francisca “Kiking” Kho was Tua Kho who
married a Filipina Magdalena Yap. From their union came Arsenio Kho, one
prominent businessman during his time. He was Francisca’s brother.
[xvii] Romy Gue is the younger brother of Jovencia
Gue-Capistrano, who likewise had served as Mayor of Salay after the term of his
husband Angelo expired. Romy Gue, the uncle of Benjie Capistrano is the
incumbent Local Chief Executive of Salay.
[xviii] Wikipedia, Xiamen, accessed March 16, 2014.
[xix] Ibid.
[xx]After Goking rice and corn mill in the poblacion closed shop, another milling
business operated the Yap Milling then followed by King Hong and Varquez
Milling. There are however many rice/corn mills or “kiskisan” in the barangays today; unlike before that people had to
pound their rice to have a brown rice. Tradition however says that there was an
old mechanical rice mill which operated in town much earlier than Kenga; it used coconut oil to generate
power.
[xxi]For further readings of the early beginnings of
electric system in Balingasag, please visit
www.blogger.com.profile/06086889682678411004 for the article “Let There Be
Light” by Rex R. Valmores.
[xxii] The Ormisa Trans had its garage at the area where
today’s St. Peter’ College occupies fronting the Hall of Justice in Balingasag.
Greenhorn’s garage was in Luguimit, adjacent to the properties of the Llagas.
__Information supplied by Mr. Carlos Hojas for ORMISA and Estercacio Domo for
Greenhorn Bus.
