Monday, March 21
I slept late and missed the morning bird hike. But I had a good conversation with Mr. Costillo who told me of the work he is doing with these villagers. Barangay San Pagla-um is an experimental village, a settlement of kaingineros turned lowland farmers. They were formerly located on the hillsides and practices slash and burn farming. One hundred and twenty families are scheduled for resettlement in the basin which has been made suitable for farming by draining and setting up communal irrigation.
. As I had some clothing I was discarding, I asked Mr. Costillo if the villagers could use it. He introduced me to Margarita Sales, the captain of the barangay and I gave the clothes to her. She found it hard to believe that I would be giving away a pair of tennis shoes as these people usually have only one pair of thongs during their lifetime and these are saved to wear on feast days.
Our visit stopped all activity in the Barangay. I gave the children pieces of candy. Soon children appeared from every hut, older ones carrying their younger brothers and sisters. In turn, I was offered cassava cake, wrapped in abaca leaves, and still warm from cooking. It was quite sweet and good. Remembering the singing of the children at Iwahig Penal Colony, I asked the children who had gathered close around me to sing. Even Mr. Costillo could not persuade them to sing, so I sang “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” No opera star ever had a more appreciative audience.
On the way back to Tacloban we stopped at the memorial on the site of McArthur’s landing during World War II where he fulfilled his promise, “I shall return.” The wide marble steps lead toward the sea where more the than life size sculptured figures of the McArthur party seem to stride toward you, their feet in water.
My thoughts were with friends who had participated in this landing, and also with those who gave their lives during the Bataan march and imprisonment on Palawan.