Kabilin: Inheritance

After the book launching, I gave my copy of “The Cebu We Know” (edited by Erma Cuizon) to the English teacher. She shared the collection of essays with her class. Later, she discussed with another teacher how much the students enjoyed the material. They liked reading about the things close and familiar to them. I have been telling the English teachers, our students in the Master of Education program: It does not mean that because we are teaching a foreign language, we cannot bring our students close to our country and our locality. Each semester the teachers from different specializations are required to prepare culturally appropriate learning materials. One math teacher made a lesson plan in mathematics involving the preparation of bibingka sa Mandaue. For the English teachers there are many materials relevant to Cebuano culture that can be used for reading comprehension, outlining, vocabulary expansion and the other communication skills.

“Cebu: More Than an Island” (edited by Resil Mojares and Susan F. Quimpo with Reina Marie C. Bernaldez and Erma Cuizon) could be very useful for teaching not only Philippine history but also literature, economics, music, art education, sociology and home economics. The essays can be used for pre-collegiate, college and graduate students. We are fortunate in Cebu, because we have many materials to bring our young close to their roots as they learn many other skills. Because of this I decided to work on a source book for integrating local history and culture in the teaching of Philippine history.

In the beginning, I was already aware of certain useful materials; but as I went over the books, I realized what a wealth of materials actually exists. There were several materials for the various periods. For the Early Asian Period I found not only the work of Bruce Fenner but also several articles of Philippine Quarterly of the Culture and Society of San Carlos Pubications like Astrid Sala-Boza’s “Long Distance Trade as Reflected in the Language of Sugbu.”

For the Spanish Colonial Period there are “Casa Gorordo in Cebu: Urban Residence in a Philippine Province” and “Theatre in Society, Society in Theatre.” For the revolution as experienced by the Cebuanos we have Dioniso Sy’s “A Short History of Cebu 1500-1890s” and the “Anti Spanish Revolution in Cebu.” Then we have “The War Against the Americans Resistance and Collaboration in Cebu 1899-1906” of  Resil Mojares. Here we already have a picture of American rule. Other features of American Colonial rule are seen in “A Blast from the Past,” the story of UP Cebu written by Madrileña de la Cerna, “Life in Old Parian of Concepcion Gantuangco-Briones,” and “The History of Women’s Education in Cebu 1860-1940: Its Impact on the Status of Women in Sugbuanon Society.” For the transition towards independence, we have “Philippine Epic of Democracy” by Ines S. Villa and “The Vicente Rama Reader.”

Among the narratives on the Second World War, we have “Tabunan and Koga Papers” of Col. Manuel Segura. For post war politics we have another Mojares book, “The Man Who Would Be President.” The Martial Law Period in Cebu was also documented. The changes that occurred in Cebu after Edsa are described by Felisa U. Etemadi in “The Politics of Engagement: Gains and Challenges of the NGO Coalition in Cebu City” and Resil Mojares in “From Marcos to Aquino: Local Perspectives on Political Transition in the Philippines in ‘Political Change in a Rural District in Cebu Province.’”

Clearly, there are many women’s voices in these materials. Women’s lives are also pictured: the activities of upper-class women in Spanish colonial period in Casa Gorordo, their education, their struggle for suffrage and their interaction with government in non-government organizations. We do have a rich heritage in print materials to answer questions regarding history, culture and identity.

To add to all these there are the histories of the cities and municipalities, project of Cebu province. Then there are the materials that will emerge from the presentations of the various clans of Cebu.

It is not only for academic purposes that I acquire books on Cebu mainly by Cebuanos. I want to be ready when friends come home to Cebu. I like giving balikbayans books to make them have a feel of home, so they won’t feel too homesick.  Friends have been gifted with “House of Memory” by Resil Mojares; others will be given “The Cebu We Know.” Now, I can also provide “Babayeng Sugid Cebu Stories.” This has just been released by Anvil Publishing. The stories were written by Women in the Literary Art members and edited by Erlinda Alburo and Erma Cuizon.