Proudly tracing my tracks back

Losing a vital document like one’s passport is indeed one of the most frustrating experiences one can endure. The hassles of applying for a new one include a new NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) clearance and NSO (National Statistics Office) certification of your birth. This is where all my woes started when my bag was stolen during a family holiday in Spain last July.

Although I was able to come up with provisional documents like a set of affidavits for DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) purposes for the release of a replacement passport, my wife Baby suggested that we get an honest-to-goodness certification of birth from my birth place, as required by the NSO. This means I have to travel to Guiuan, Eastern Samar, a place I’ve never been back to since after my birth. My Dad, a civil engineer, was assigned there briefly to build roads, which coincided with my being brought forth to the world by my Mom. But, there was no family, no friends, and worse, no records to speak of. We planned to leave Manila early, at first flight, to give us the whole of Monday and Tuesday morning to work on my documents.

Our PAL flight landed in Tacloban, as there was no direct flight to Guiuan. My early morning flight at 5:40 was moved to 2:50 p.m. without due notice (probably a consequence of PAL’s current labor dispute), and this was moved a bit more by another hour before we actually flew, completely shooting down my carefully planned itinerary.

From Tacloban, it would be a three-hour drive (154 km) to Guiuan over generally good roads, passing through the beautiful San Juanico Bridge that connects Leyte to Samar. The head office of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines graciously arranged a ride for me, thanks to Arlan Reyes who contacted their Mitsubishi Tacloban dealer, Romy Go, who kindly and amiably met us at the airport with an efficient and fast Mitsubishi Adventure for the long comfortable ride. Thanks guys. I cannot imagine making that fast, convenient and hassle-free land trip to Guiuan without your assistance.

By the time we got to Tacloban, it was getting dark and rained had poured, so we gingerly made our way to Guiuan. There was a rather long stretch of pock-marked road nearing our destination which Romy had warned us about earlier. Yes, this stretch in Salcedo, Samar was bad, a good 30 minutes of it, until we got out of this low portion of the terrain where water flows from the mountains, eroding parts of the road and leaving large pock marks. We were told that such was the consequence of years of neglect by past political leaders. This was the only sad part after miles and miles of good roads from Tacloban.

Our destination: Tanghay Lodge in Lupok, Guiuan, a fairly quaint resort by the sea, strategically located because it faces the Gulf of Leyte on the West which makes it less vulnerable to nature’s wrath during bad typhoons. Those located near the Pacific Ocean on the East faces more risks, I was told. But the big challenging waves this side has proudly made Guiuan the “Surfing Capital” of Eastern Visayas because of Calicoan Island, now the site of foreign surfing competitions. Not familiar with this municipality’s hotels and resorts, relying only on the internet for sketchy information, I was lucky to have picked TanghayLodge over another unknown that had a better spread in the internet which, it turned out, had common bathrooms for every floor. Horrors, even for just an overnight stay.

Tanghay Lodge had modern amenities, set in a picture-pretty location immediately facing the gulf, with al fresco dining and gazebos. Their air conditioned rooms, complete with T&B, Wi-fi connection and TV, was comfortably sized, not luxurious but pleasant with its charming little terraces, priced unbelievably at P850/night. We arrived at 11 p.m., about an hour late, but Tanghay Lodge owner and general manager, Susan Uy Tan, waited patiently for us and kept her kitchen open for our famished group.

While waiting for dinner, the affable Susan chatted with us, regaling us with Guiuan’s colorful but little known history. I didn’t know that Homonhon Island where our country’s discoverer, Ferdinand Magellan first landed in 1521 is a part of Guiuan, and this tiny municipality was where the famous “White Russians” settled for a good two years before they dissipated into other islands. This was the time when Russia was turning Communist, and this big community of Russians migrated to China, only to move out when China itself turned to Communism, to eventually settle in Guiuan where the Philippine government then lead by President Elpidio Quirino virtually gave them Tubabao Island to settle in. We relished the colorful historical tidbits over a simple but satisfying fare of delectable home cooking: crispy chicken, flavorful ampalaya sauteed with beef and black beans, lumpiang shanghai and steamed shrimps. The comfort food that night vaguely reminded me of lunches in Session Road in Baguio and those Sunday forays into Chinatown with the family. John F. Kennedy was a young PT boat commander when he was stationed in Guiuan, one of the biggest naval bases in the Far East back then. And, oh yes, one of the leaders of the “White Russian” community, Nikolai Massenkoff, came back for a sentimental journey and stayed at Tanghay Lodge, thankful for the refuge and hoping to give back. And Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, took off from Guiuan.

We set off early Tuesday morning, not sure of where to start and what to expect. But first, a hearty breakfast by the sea of native puto, bacon and eggs and pork and beans, the love of my boyhood years! Thankfullly, Susan contacted a friend in the municipal government to assist us, Janet C. Israel who was connected to the Tourism Office, a unit of the Mayor’s Office. She was there at the Municipal’s Office bright and early that morning. With virtually nothing to go on except for an NSO certification of no records and some affidavits from long-standing friends, the staff of Municipal Civil Registrar Lilia Machica headed by Ms. Saturnina T. Servano, Gina O. Abaloyan, Mary Ann Macale and Elvie Chua, gave me their precious time and professional courtesy in solving my dilemma. Before noon, I left armed with a promise that they would send the necessary documents by LBC courier for the NSO to finally release my birth certificate. My heartfelt thanks to these hardworking and highly professional ladies. This would not have been as expeditious and pleasant in an urban setting, which makes this hospitable team a gem to deal with.

Lunch was early, a treat from Susan, and we looked forward to the kilawing parrot fish cooked Visayan style in vinegar and “gata” with ginger bits and onions, “lato” (native seaweeds resembling miniature grapes that pop in your mouth with a taste of the sea), home-made soup of crab and corn made from scratch, fried vegetable lumpia and calamares. Partaking of the special kilawin was a special ritual: you pile on to a thick slice of boiled camote a generous heaping of kilawin topped with the seaweeds, much like eating a pizza, and enjoy every mouthful! The slight sweetness of the camote was in contrast to the spicy creamy sourness of the kilawin, and the “lato” added texture to the whole “native pizza”. Amazing. Dessert was a whole bunch of reddish native bananas that were sweeter than the bananas we have here, and suman sa latik, Guiuan’s pride. Baby made sure we came home with a whole bag of it, at only P10 each, together with the big bunch of red bananas.

Our heartfelt and sincere gratitude to the hospitable folks of Guiuan. To my new friends in Guiuan: Romy, thank you so much for the reliable and ever-efficient Mitsubishi Adventure; to Susan, may more of our countrymen experience your type of hospitality (and cuisine!). To Mayor Annaliza P. Gonzales Kwan whom we missed on that trip, congratulations for a small and mean staff of dedicated public servants. And to Janet, Saturnina, Gina, Lilia, Mary Anne and Elvie, may your tribe increase.

This proud son of Guiuan is looking forward to his next trip, hopefully to stay once again at the Tanghay Lodge.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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