Memories of a Hometown – Catbalogan

Memories of a Hometown – Catbalogan

Book cover

BOOK REVIEW

By Ricky Muñoz

Catbalogan City is a narrow strip of land nestled between a mountain  and a bay; it is the capital town of Samar province, the third largest island in the Philippines. It is a historic place since the Jesuit missionaries made it their Mission Center in 1616 in spreading Christianity throughout the Island; became the cabecera of Spanish, American and Filipino governments when it was an island province until 1966; even the capital of the Islands of Samar and Leyte when they were merged as one province in the 1770s; the site of the surrender of one the last Philippine forces led by General Vicente Lukban to the American forces in the Philippines in 1902.

Editor Charo Nabong Cabardo, with Samar State University President Marilyn Cardoso and Mrs. Chit Nachura of the Katbaloganon Foundation, during the book launching.

Its history and culture was captured in 2006, in a book entitled, “O Catbalogan,” which was published by the Katbaloganon Foundation Inc. led by its President, Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, Antonio B. Nachura. Justice Nachura, a Catbaloganon, has said that the book was “meant to mirror our own identity and rekindle genuine interest in the place of birth” for Catbaloganons. This was followed by another book in 2013, entitled “Karasa” celebrating Catbalogan’s culinary traditions, also published by the Katbaloganon Association.

In 2022, a new book was launched by the Katbaloganon Foundation entitled, “Memories of Catbalogan,” which was edited by Charo Nabong Cabardo with illustrations by famed cartoonist Dengcoy Miel, a syndicated cartoonist of the Singapore Strait Times. New York-based artist Anna Cabardo Lozano did the layout of the book.

According to Justice Nachura, in his preface, “this time, it is a book of “memories” – of stories, personal and intimate, that recall key events in the life of Catbalogan from the perspective of people’s own experiences. These stories are culled from their “lived memories” – remembered episodes that happened to them, their families and the people they know.”

Book launch on July 22, 2022 at the Samar State University of Catbalogan.

In his preface to the book, which Justice Nachura wrote several months before his untimely death in 2022, “In our world today, memories fade fast, and memory-making through stories told and retold has become a lost art. The outcome, especially for our young people, is a dangerously weakened sense of communal identity and continuity with the past. This is the situation that the book wishes to address. The personal stories will hopefully allow younger Catbaloganons to “re-live” and in some way to “re-experience,” albeit vicariously, the events that their elders went through.

“The contributors are a combination of writers who still reside in Catbalogan and those who are in different parts of the globe. Acknowledged local historian and champion environmentalist, Charo Nabong-Cabardo, is the head writer and editor of our two books mentioned earlier. She once again wove the articles into a seamless masterpiece. To them, we owe our thanks for generously sharing with us these memories. I would like to make special mention of Dengcoy Miel, a Catbaloganon and multi-awarded cartoonist and illustrator whose artwork and illustrations grace this book. Dengcoy is the Senior Executive Artist of Singapore’s The Straits Times who has carved a place for himself in the international art scene.”

Editor Charo Nabong-Cabardo, recalls how the book was made despite the lockdown: “When the world stood still and we were in lockdown, we began a journey of sorts – a journey of remembering what has happened to us. Despite our lockdowns in our respective homes, somehow, we were able to connect with each other through modern day technology. Some posted their experiences, some shared their vintage photos, some, like Dengcoy Miel, illustrated what he remembered. Day in and day out, we had these exchanges.”

With 11 main stories of significant events in the life of Catbalogan from the time of the Second World War to the present, the book is a veritable social history of Catbalogan and most of the stories are very personal to the writers – their own and their families’ memories of events in Catbalogan. Poignant, memorable, moving, inspiring.

The stories which include moving and inspiring stories by accomplished Catbaloganons: by renowned actress Tessie Tomas, Fr. Jett Villarin, past president of Ateneo de Manila University and a Nobel Prize Awardee as one of the climate scientists that received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with US Vice-President Al Gore; a moving story by international fashion designer Michael Cinco whose dreams started here in Catbalogan and another poignant story by renowned Dubai based educator, Prof. Rex Bacarra.

The other captivating feature of the book are the illustrations and cartoons of Dengcoy Miel, another Catbaloganon, and these illustrations have stories of their own – Dengcoy’s own memories of Catbalogan. They are funny, serious, biting and very sharp observations and memory of Catbalogan. The stories and illustrations and cartoons are presented in a playful but meaningful layout by Anna Cabardo Lozano, a visual artist, also a Catbaloganon based in New York.

The writers and artists, while all are Catbaloganons, are based in different parts of the world  –in Catbalogan, Calbayog, Tacloban, Metro Manila in the Philippines; in Singapore; in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C, in the US; in Canada;  Jedah, Saudi Arabia, Dubai in the Middle East; Shiefield and the Isle of Man in UK.

The book is indeed a labor of love by Catbaloganons who really love Catbalogan-  a legacy to young Catbaloganons and for others who love their hometowns. The book is one of a kind – the narratives are both personal and communal, written and visual, ethnographic and a social history.

Justice Nachura’s last lines for his fellow Catbaloganons, “This book completes what we call our Catbalogan Trilogy. Let this publication stand as our generation’s humble but lasting legacy to our fellow Catbaloganons now and those who will come after us.”

(Ricky Muñoz is a Catbaloganon based in Calgary, Alberta. He is the moderator of Catbalogan Historical Society on Facebook. He is a contributing writer in the book. Catbalogan is his hometown –Ed.)