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THE ANCIENT HOUSE OF URSOS IN TAGLIKID
MY PERSONAL ACCOUNT ABOUT THE URSOS FAMILY
WHEN I WAS A NEW KID IN TOWN…. LONG TIME AGO
Cold and very wet…that’s the right description of what is taglikid. My childhood memoirs with the life in that far away place where the Ursos family had its new beginning . This experience has emotional touch within my personality “deep down in my heart”…I don’t know why….why i love to belong to the ursos family
The life within the circle of ursos cousins, aunties and uncles had made my childhood installed deep within me the love of family… I don’t know what is there of this ursos family ? I want to rediscover… Long time ago…I don’t give any importance about it ..when I was a kind..my only interest is to play basketball nothing more nothing less..
I was about 5 years old until I got 10 years old… every morning I was used to wake up at 4:30 am before the dawn is breaking…. Lola J will sprinkle some few drops of water enough for me to open my eyes… the reason : A morning prayer… reading the bible and a blessing to begin the day with the words of God..
I ask lola J why ? its too early…. She said… Itay iyong and Inay juana of tagaluahan somewhere in Bohol taught them to live by the code.. Seek ye first the kingdom of God… and his righteousness and all those things shall be added unto you…
So ? I asked my lola J…
You may not get the meaning of what I say… but while you are still young.. I want you to know that God loves you… Install it in your hearts and in your mind… the time comes that you will know why you are in love with your God… the God of Abraham the God of Moises.. the Lord our God that we are praying now… a long reply by Lola J
Where’s Tagaluahan ? I always ask that…. What kind of place is that ?
Tagaluahan of Bohol is where the ursos had its beginning… said Lola J
Hnnnnnnnn ..in my mind.. what I know is only taglikid
.I was wondering why in everywhere I go… people smiled at me. Why those People were so good to me ?
There was a time when I was still a new kid in town…Down the hill was the downtown of bayugan 2… People in the different walks of life came because it was where the market, the schools and business establishment can be found .
Some naughty kids of my contemporary were jealous of me I don’t know why maybe because my mother bought me a nice shoes… they tried to stomp my shoes… out of nowhere a group of kids came around and the riot had begun… Are you hurt? No..i said… We care for you because you are our cousin…. In times of trouble we are here for you… said Marciano Jr. , Rudy Ursos and a battalion of ursos kids around… those naughty kids went running for their lives… they were very afraid of the ursos.. they said sorry … they thought I was not an ursos because my family name is Ladera . sorry sorry from now on we will not touch you…..said those kanto boys.
Ohh ohhh are we so powerful in this place? I asked
Hmnnnn Taglikid is the place of ursos… Nobody can touch you here if you are an ursos… because only an ursos can touch you ..said some of my cousins that I don’t know
I went home and asked my mother about it….
My Mother.. concesa Ursos , the daughter of amando U … Amando was the 11th child of Itay iyong and inay Juana.
My mother told me…. Don’t go into trouble.. be a good boy. Ursos are not naughty but we don’t want anybody to be hurt… so we care for each other…
So..the morning prayer was completed and Lola J proceed to the kitchen to prepare our breakfast… My mother said… “today is our harvest of the coconut to be sold as copra” … go with your yoyo. Yes mother.. I replied. My Yoyo as I used to call him - Mr Eddie “ Boy “ Ursos , my uncle whom I treat like my friend because he is almost the same of my age.
After breakfast…at around 6:30 am we went to the farm…. And when we arrive there… so many people there awaiting for us.. I was wondering again… why all those people are smiling to me ?
“Why don’t you smile back ?” said yoyo Boy
I don’t say anything..i just stare and wondering
“ hmnnnnn they are all your cousins…. “ said yoyo boy
Uhhhh…. The whole world cared for me..the whole world smiled at me.. Life is so good I belong to the people who loved me so well … that was my childhood experience….
Mother have only four siblings who were staying at the house of Lolo amando U… Tiya Jingjing, Yaya Inday, Tiyong dodong and yoyo Boy.. they don’t have any kids yet because they were not married yet during those times… Uncle Alex was in manila and Auntie “baby” Lilia ursos was in Tagbilaran city.
I wonder why I have so many cousins when I fact all my uncles and aunties here don’t have kids yet?
Later in life I discovered that…
Ursos family was a very intimate family…. Regardless if you are first cousins or second cousins… all ursos cousins are one… they are our family… that’s an ursos family value…that was when I was a kid
I heared the story about itay and inay that they have 13 children… one died when he was three years old
Bino was a busy person….. he was the eldest so he had the responsibility to help the family find an income so he always travel to cebu through the boat from ubay until he established himself at the market of ubay as a businessman
Dikoy…was the right hand of itay iyong. He was daring and have a strong personality. The skills and intelligence of Manang Amada Sente influenced the establishment of the family to settle for good. He was incharge in the farms around tagaluahan…camotes, banig, banig making, etc…are the fruits of the land
Inko dorot…assisted dikoy in the farm until he established himself in fishing… some of his children became fishermen… and fishers of men….
Inay Minay and Manding Tua…. Assisted Itay Iyong and Oyang ( ehe!!! este Inay Juana ) . Itay iyong was a preacher of the word of God…. Inay Minay and Manding Tua were busy in the preparation of the house for worship services…
Later… Inay MInay married early and went to a far away place where most ursos don’t have the access to visit them…
Manding Tua was considered one of the most beautiful woman of Ubay AND SHE HAD A GOLDEN VOICE… THE URSOS VOICE
My mother recalled that they were trained to sing and taught how to play guitars and ukulele. There was an Ursos rondalla so that all the children and grandchildren of Itay and Inay will serve as members of the Choir….
A night after dinner at taglikid ..i could hear Auntie Baby sung her good song… Strumming my pain with her fingers
Singing my life with her words,
Killing me softly with her song,
Killing me softly with her song,
Telling my whole life with her words,
Killing me softly with her song
Mmnnnn I don’t have a good voice like my aunties and my uncles.. I know I cannot sing a golden voice like they have… BUT I TOLD YOU IM A MEMBER OF THE CHOIR HE HE HE
I did my practice on a choir every Saturday afternoon at Cagayan de oro UCCP church whom I shared my time with Walden , the son of Tiyo Tinoy..
Singing in the church is a responsibility of being an ursos….. if you don’t sing … who will ? sometimes I ask…
Once upon a time..i made my escape from the choir practice.. I went to Opol, Misamis Oriental and enjoy swimming with Walden Ursos. After almost 2 hours..we swim back to the seashore only to find that my legs was aching tilll I cant swim anymore..
Walden came to me for a rescue… He shouted help..but the fishermen around did not mind him because he was shouting it in English…
Walden was unable to help me from being drowned…the fishermen came later and found me at the bottom… at 10 pm, I was awakened by the light of the hospital….i was still alive…
Today…. I never thought that those houses nearby where I was drowned are the houses of my cousins… the children of soledad Ursos Sente… particularly Nong Roberto de Guzman, son of Teofilo Guzman and soledad ursos..
Its not really good to play like Jonas who escape from responsibility… If you are an ursos… sing !!!! its your responsibility… if it is not your responsibility.. it is your inner happiness
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Sergio, Benjamen, Ricardo & Amando are contemporary brothers while Persida, Peran and Rosita are the sisters…
This time….. some of their nephews and nieces became their junior contemporaries such as Tatong, Onor, & Kiko, children of Bino Also some of the young nephews and nieces who were on their younger ages were Marciano, Joel, Tinoy, Feleciano….
Then suddenly… the world got upside down…
The war came….
Sergio was enlisted in the US navy while amando was enlisted in the US army USAFFEE. Ricardo was sent to the Silliman University to be a pastor…
Benjamen was left alone… so he went to calatraba , negros occidental to find his own destiny.
Persida, Peran and Rosita were left assisting itay and inay at the tagaluahan.
As a new kid in town in taglikid… I notice that much of the ursos I know have different origin that I cannot explain….
It is only this time where I could understand whats happening…..
Before the war….
Amando was sent by inay Juana to Butuan city to seek the possibility of redeeming her properties . It was there when the war broke out… He joined the USAFFEE against invading Japanese army. His task was to secure the perimeter of the Barobo airfield in preparation of the return of Gen Douglas Mc Arthur … It was on these times where he meet Juliana. They found their love and got children…
But the plan was changed…. Douglas mc Arthur decided to make his landing at Leyte. So he brought his wife and his children back to Tagaluahan and he proceed to Leyte.. his new assignment.
After the war….
Amando went back to Davao . Marciano, eager to find his destiny… went to Amando… until they found the place of taglikid….they bought it and they make it their second home .
Amando became the first chief of Police of the town. Nong Marciano held the position as the ABC president for a long time until Uncle Loloy ursos became the vice mayor of the town for nine consecutive years….
During those early years… amando opened a carenderia at the heart of the town…. The news of the new ursos home initiated an exodus of the ursos family from ubay to agusan and davao provinces…
The children of Bino came to agusan.. Nang Fe amoren and Nang ursing timaan and Nang Becky Dabalos helped amando ursos establish the carenderia… that’s the reason why Concesa, alex, nang Fe, ursing and nang becky are very close cousins…
Sergio ursos came back from the US…. His first mission is to find the lost brother..it was Benjamen Ursos. Until he finally found him at calatraba, negros Occidental…
Benjamen was later invited by Amando to come to agusan.. amando offered to share part of his land to him…
This explains why Ursos families in the first and second generations were so close during those times…
The three families of Amando ursos, Marciano ursos , and Benjamen Ursos is sharing the same land located in one area and residing in a houses as a neighborhood.
Western side of Taglikid is where the children of dikoy lives… particularly Marciano, Joel, Margarito,
NorthEastern side of Taglikid is where the Amando ursos and his children lives while the Far eastern side of Taglikid is where the benjamen Ursos clan are residing…
During Sundays…the children of Dikoy, Banjamen and amando…have their worship at the chuch not far from the place of Benjamen.
My personal experience with the children of Dikoy…
My first impression… they are very intelligent
Since My first day at the school I was pressured to maintain as honor roll of the class because my mother told me to study well… so I gave her what she want
The only one person can beat me in mathematics is my own cousin..- rudy ursos
THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN BEAT AN URSOS IS ANOTHER URSOS
During the early 1970s…. the best school in agusan sur was urios High…
It was known to me… LORNA GUZMAN URSOS
Valedictorian from elementary to high school
She was my idol… I didn’t achieve such scholastic records..only her can do that
She is one of those I know that can make a perfect score in most exams…I know it..because I was there…She was the top notcher of every academic excellence during her time…
My experiences with ursos came to my mind that these family are gifted, beautiful people and so very good to me…. So many years years had passed yet that relationship is still the same…. Everyone of them are smiling to me… very true and very honest with their eyes…. Much of them can tell how they love me… I love these people
So very happy..almost willing to die again just to see them happy…
Then I went to the ends of the earth where I could go and I could fly…
So many things I have done…so many people I knew but I found them nothing at all
So many friends I have…. But those friends are the same..
I did my best sometimes I did it sometimes I fall
I went to the top… talking with the executives and I feel like im an executive too because I was designated for that job to be one of them… but im not happy
I took my times and efforts to be rich and famous… I was almost there but I was not happy so I went back to my family and start a new beginning… because I feel that happiness can only be found in simplicity honesty , truth and reality…
I lost a family because of money and ambition
The pain of losing what seems to be your personal happiness took me in silence for many years… I was down and out
After years in pain… slowly I found and rediscovered the truth of happiness… the family
So where should I start ?
You can only start with people whom you can trust…
The only person whom I can trust is my mother…
Hmmnnnnn my mother is an ursos….
I want to rediscover how trustworthy are these people ?
Then….. I make a study and I did…
Ursos family started it right…. The ursos family started with itay iyong
He started it with the word of God… preaching the truth
So the beginning of the ursos family is the truth
I smiled again and im happy… I belong to the people of truth…
Where are they now ?
Are they still living in truth ?
in the picture:
from left: my mother concesa ursos, danilo ursos ladera, leni ursos ladera, rex ursos ladera, inday luzminda ursos.. them at the back is me ( REY URSOS LADERA) our background is the old house of taglikid... the second home of the ursos family away from tagaluahan... circa.. 1974
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