Here is a provinciano, a barrio boy from Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, who came to the big city to carve out his own niche in education. He was a GI, a genuine Ilocano, but he successfully taught himself to speak Spanish just because Mama’s family spoke the language. His Spanish and his gentlemanly and thoughtful ways endeared him to Lola Ninay, Mama’s mother. He could also speak the Gaddang dialect of Novo Vizcayanos. He could teach himself to learn anything he set his heart to.
Papa did not leave behind a body of
Papa loomed large, casting a long shadow. His strength of character was unsettling and unnerving. You either liked him or you did not. If you did not like him, you came away with your own not-too-pleasant portrait of the man. If you liked him, you came away with positive impressions and lessons that lasted for life. Papa was a classic “character.” He insisted on using his slide rule even when scientific calculators were already around. He preferred to mentally calculate answers in his mind, even big numbers, oftentimes beating me and my calculator. He taught Angelo, my son, that the way to master addition was to do this mentally, sometimes using plate numbers of cars roaring past the streets. philosophical work or a compendium of literary and scientific knowledge which is the usual hallmark of a learned man. Rather, he was the sidewalk version of an educator.
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