October 30, 2005 Quezon City.  The year was 1930 or early thirties. My father just coming out of his teens traveled from Barili, Cebu to Bacolod City to visit his uncle Jose Lozada -- one of the sons of Valeriano Lozada and first cousin of his mother Lola Conching. My father's aim was job opportunities because Jose Lozada was a Regional Director for Department of Public Works then. He met his uncle, who my father mentioned had recently married a young wife. I could not accurately remember the name of the young wife, but sounds like "epay". Anyway, I'd like to mention this as additional information to Michael's family tree website because about 4 years later when my father had his own family living in one of the cottages inside the American Camp Keithly in Dansalan, Lanao Del Norte, his uncle Jose Lozada visited him in the course of his duty as Regional Director of Public Works. With him was his wife and a young son about 4 years old. That son later grew up to become the welknown TV personality and comedian, Ike Lozada, whom many of you must have heard and seen on the screen during his life time.

     During the same trip to Bacolod that year, my father also recounted he saw his uncle Santiago Gonzales, his mother's brother, sitting in a medical clinic in Bacolod as health officer while the bus he rode on pass by. Of course his uncle did not see him but my father mentioned he was a medical student but did not finish (because of the Philippine revolution?).When my father saw him he was in his early fifties.

     That trip to Bacolod in the thirties, my father reminisced when we traveled the same route in 1990. But this time we started from Iloilo City by boat, from my sister Gloria's family, and docked at Bacolod City's port. We beheld breath-taking and scenic Tablas Island as we passed by. My father seemed silent, but barring the haze of time, I must have wondered, during the batil exodus, our forbears (Felipa, Graciano, and Valeriano's families) must have gazed the emerald island. Unless some of our much older relatives foreknew, I don't think Pedro Lozada lived still at this time. If he did he could have been 90 years old!

     From Bacolod City we traveled by bus to San Carlos City, slept there in a hotel, and proceeded to Dumaguete City where we booked in Oriental Hotel near Silliman University. The next day we went back to Guinhulgan looking for relatives there. We found one by asking arround. He was Jose Lozada Jr., the son of Jose Barot Lozada, the son of Graciano Bauzon Lozada. I remembered his big house and his jeep in front. The visit was impromptu; Jun and his wife offered us lunch. Jun reminisced the time when his father and uncles attended classes at Silliman University, on bicycles, at a time only the rich can afford. With glimmer he recounted coin monies spilling out their containers -- from wine sales! Graciano Bauzon Lozada was a rich man.

     Then we proceeded to Tanjay. After asking arround and coming out from a tricycle, two middle age ladies busy conversing and wondering at us stood by. Profesor Nita Barot Flores finally recognized my father with great surprise, then followed her sister, Josefina. They brought us to Lucila their elder sister who had at that time, having a feast in her house. We partook in the blessing. Meanwhile words were sent to the rest of the kins of my father's presence. Then we all flocked together in Tio Jaime's (Lozada Barot) house with Tio David (Lozada Barot), Tio Nene (Lozada Sibala), Tio Berto (son of Goyong Lozada), and Tio Peling (Felicisimo Barot Lozada). I also met Jonathan Sibala, son of Tio Nene Sibala, and my recollection was his father cared for him much. I also lost communication with him through the years and failed to communicate with him about a farming implement. (Sorry about that, pinsan). Tio Jaime introduced to us one of his daughters, a medical student, and she could either be Zenaida or Rosemay. I already met Sherley with his father last October 2004 with Auntie Inday in Dinah Hermosisima Loomis residence in Pasig, Rizal.

     Riding in Tio Jaime's car, my father and I motored with the rest to Tio David's big residence in his hacienda farm in Bais. I remembered the big table, sumptous food, delicious meal, and lively conversations. I think it was dusk when Tio Peling and pick-up driver drove us to a point in Polo to board a minibus back to Dumaguete City. But before that he showed us the ancestral house of the Lozada in Polo. My father and Lola Pepay lived in that house. I could imagine Lola Pepay chewing beetle nuts and apog as Tio Peling recounts. There is one thing I regret in this life: the fact that beauty fades with time. Was it Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "Why wert there oh rival of the rose...if eyes are made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being...". I may be polarized, but I really believe in her younger days Lola Pepay must have been a beauty herself, maybe as beautiful as Fructosa Meren, wife of Nicanor Gonzales described in chapter 9 of HISTORY OF PANAY. Felix B. Regalado and Quintin B. Franco, authors of the book, described the wife of the spared leader in relation to the Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan. 

     (By the way, Michael, I think I should not change yet my earlier account of 12 commanders in Iloilo or Capiz because I have not found yet the book I read long time ago. Also I had a close friend named Nicanor with whom my friends had a funny story about a boy called Nicanor. So when I wrote my earlier account from memory I should have easily remembered Nicanor not Manuel Gonzales as the spared leader, assuming I had haze of memory which is also possible. Another reason, some books state Aklan was formerly a part of Capiz. Another account says there were 12 illustrados, meaning wealthy and influential leaders, in Capiz implicated at the same time with the Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan. So until I finish my research about this epoch of our Philippine history, I shall be on a state of standby. Oftentimes political parties, different ethnic or regional groups could alter a bit of history. I perceived this reading Dr. Rafael Palma and Dr. Gregorio F. Zaide. It depends for example whether our hero is Andres Bonifacio or Emilio Aguinaldo. Francisco Del Castillo led the first uprising in Panay and he was avid follower of Andres Bonifacio. We knew what happened in Manila regions between Andres Bonifacio and General Aguinaldo. What was the version in Panay region? By the way your recent family picture clicking over your wife's name is dignified and good looking. Also thank you for the DNA stories. I affix "smiley" here if I know how.)  

     Anway, next day Auntie Nita invited us to lunch in their luxury home near the back of Oriental Hotel. We met her grand daughter, the daughter of my first cousin Corito Torres Aguasin.

     The next day we rode to San Jose where we embarked a motorized boat to Santander, Cebu, coasting along the eastern coast on an aircon bus to Cebu City. Before flying back to Iloilo City where I left my father in Gloria's care, we also visited Cebunga and Barili where I think my father pointed to me the ancestral home of the Lozada. This is all for now. I'll pick up from here next time I have new updates.

 

                                                                       Your Cousin,

                                                                       FRANKLIN