Two years ago, Cora invited me to Pila, the town of her birth and proudly showed me the notable spots, especially those in the town proper. The place had distinct features and one could imagine how beautiful it really was during its time. Recognizing what had gone wrong, Cora resolved to do something about it. She knew the things that needed changing and just what would make it better. "We had all the ingredients but what we needed was organization, determination and hard work to bring back at least one, if not all, of its former glory."
Indeed since that time, she has made things happen and she is grateful that the right people joined her in her endeavor to preserve and beautify her beloved Pila, totally wiping out what could have been described as "a beautiful town once upon a time." More than this, it has been declared a National Historical Landmark. "It was a dream come true," Cora said ecstatically. "My group and all the people involved are thrilled and all the more inspired to make our town a significant landmark in our country."
Pila is one of the many towns that form the cultural environment around the historical Laguna lake. Pila’s term of endearment is Bayang Pinagpala because of all the blessings the town has received through the years – mainly because it was not destroyed during World War II and its population did not suffer at the hands of the invaders. The rice harvest was steady and food was so abundant that in fact, 2,000 guerilla forces and their families were sheltered and fed by the Pilaenos during their stay in the town.
"Pila has not changed much but the population has definitely increased. It is still a relatively quiet town–thankfully bypassed by the national highway. Sadly, the kalesa has long been replaced by roaring tricycles. I like to think of that as minor. What I miss most are all the butterflies and tutubis (dragonflies) that I enjoyed watching and running after when I was a child. Due to the chemicals used in the fields they have become a rarity," Cora lamented.
It was 1993 when Cora came back from living abroad. Upon seeing the town plaza where her family home stands among other period houses, she immediately sought the help of cousins Monina Rivera and Vic del Mundo to organize the plaza beautification project. "My God, the plaza is the heart of our town. The century-old trees have to be nurtured. Our parish church stands in the middle of it – it is the core of Pila and it cannot look uncared for!" Cora wailed. Her committee started work immediately. Not without hitches and problems here and there, but the project worked. The committee is now a foundation, which spearheads different projects for Pila and its people.
"I am so attached to Pila because I spent my wonderful childhood years here," Cora delightful reminisced. "Like any other happy kid in Pila, I was active and the clean surroundings allowed us to play in the plaza and the streets – pito, taguan, patintero, tumbang preso, tinda-tindahan, habulan. I had pet dogs running around and I did a lot of tree climbing and cloud watching. Like many Filipino children, I extremely enjoyed having my bath in the rain. Apart from kalesa rides, I also excitedly looked forward to the Flores de Mayo, and the long Viernes Santo procession. My sister and I had fights over tagalog komiks but when it was time to clean up, we were always ready to make walis the grounds with my lola Ason. Afternoons were spent singing around the piano while my dad played his fabulous rendition of ’30s to ’50s music. At night, fireflies would enter our room as we cuddled inside a kulambo (mosquito net) falling asleep to the sound of crickets and frogs’ lullabies."
"I hardly see people praying the Angelus anymore," Cora complained. "In Pila, every day at 6 p.m., the church bells would ring and everyone would literally stop to pray the Angelus; it was also a signal for everyone to go home.
"Meals were a home affair and I treasure the fact that I did not grow up ever eating anything from a fast food chain. We always had good food prepared by my mother and dining with the family was always a happy event. My father always played his records of Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley at this time and we were all animated and happy with our own stories to tell.
"Sometimes I was overwhelmed by the number of relatives whose hands I had to mano po as a sign of respect," Cora recalls. Our town had only three policemen, the sight of Mang Juliong Pulis, Mr. Cabanero, and Pulis Dacio made us all feel secure. It was also a time when public office positions had dignity and proper decorum and honor was expected from public official. Those were the good old days – and I want to bring some of that back!" Cora declared.
"Everything is falling into place and I know God is with us in our mission," Cora says. "One day, John Silva, a National Museum consultant, visited out town. I showed him around and he simply fell in love with Pila. Because of this, he proceeded to write the National Historical Institute recommending declaring our town a National Historical landmark. After due process, Pila was declared such on May 17, 2001. Do you know that the whole town is suddenly alive and more involved with activities for Pila now?
At present, Cora’s group is more motivated in getting their projects done and the following are their present projects:
Enthusiasm was the operative word in this UNESCO project. The students divided into five groups: Teatro, which presented a performance on the history of Pila; and an Exhibit on all materials pertaining to the History of Pila’s church and old houses, the flores de mayo including Pila’s cottage industry of making coco jam. The youth of Pila have never been as animated and everyone was all the more excited upon hearing the news that Ambassador Carmen Lynam of Chile graciously accepted to cut the ribbon for the opening. Pila’s perceptive Mayor Wilfredo Quiat and adored Monsignor Renato Cosico, and one of our most caring citizens of Pila, Gemma San Jose, also participated to give their support. "Thanks to Ino Manalo whose untiring and infectious unforgettable and lasting experience," Cora exclaimed.
Is there any other town in the country where the people are so actively involved in the betterment of their community? I asked Cora. "I do not know of any!" Cora laughed. "But our mission is far from over. There is a continuing process of preserving and protecting Pila’s historical wealth. When I was a child, Pila was a serene and beautiful town – my paradise. My father was the town municipal judge, God was in Heaven and all was right with our world… I want other children to experience something like that so they will not lose their love for Pila."
You have come a long way, Cora.
Bravo to you and the people of Pila.