It is Father’s Day this Sunday, June 18. This affords families another chance to bond.
As the occasion approaches, I am reminded of my own father, Emiliano Cortes Jurado Sr. He was my idol. My superhero.
He was not a celebrity or a politician. He was a simple public servant—a district supervisor of public schools, a job where he earned P250 a month. That was quite a small fortune in the 30s and 40s.
At that time, Abra, was a sub-province of Ilocos Sur. It was later made an independent provincial unit during the reign of the late strongman Quintin Paredes.
My father used to tell me that he had difficulty courting my mother, Margarita Pacis, because he grew up a mere farmer. The Pacis family discriminated against him because he was a humble farmer. In those days, if your house was just beside the town hall, you belonged.
But my father was persistent. He eloped with my mother.
Family legend has it that my father was a descendant of the first Jurado, whose first name was Abdon. He came from Malaga, Spain, and was brought by Governor General Juan Salcedo, making Vigan, Ilocos Sur the capital of the Philippines.
Abdon Jurado was reportedly assigned to the sub-port of Magsingal whose fortress, although in utter ruins, still stands. Abdon soon had his brother join him in Magsingal.
My father did not have a Bachelor of Education degree at that time. He was a mere high school graduate. But he had the patience to go to Baguio every summer to attend seminars in education to earn credit equivalent to a degree.
This is why I grew up in mountain towns. He was assigned to different school districts every two years.
It was actually my mother, a strong-willed woman, who took care of the family when my father was not around.
My father was respected and admired by his colleagues. In those days, priests, judges and teachers were the most respected members of the community.
He was a superhero in my eyes because I once saw him wrestling with a horse. He was an expert at making his horses pace, which made horse riding more comfortable. Horse lovers from all over Abra and beyond used to visit him because of his expertise.
He was also a great swimmer. I recall those days when the Abra river welled from continuous rain. Quite a storyteller, too. He regaled me with tales of his travels. One story I cannot forget was the Igorot custom of having the remains of the chieftain sit on his throne even after he had died. All the members of the tribe would fall in line, holding a cup of Ilocano wine and dipping the finger of the remains in it. Yuck, I said.
He also talked about Igorot headhunters coming down every summer to chop off the head of Christians, a sign of adulthood and courage.
My father was a great cook, an expert in making kilawin.
And he was not bad-looking. He had mestizo features he got from his forebears. I remember my mother always got jealous when he showed us his photos with female teachers.
My father was indeed the pillar of our family, just as my mother was its anchor. He was strict—he was a disciplinarian. He hit my bottom when I misbehaved.
But there is another thing I remember him for/ I never learned to swim because my mother was overprotective. But he threw me into the water—much to my mother’s scolding.
It was only in 1947 when my father got his diploma.
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Those who are against President Duterte’s Proclamation 216 imposing martial law throughout Mindanao claim that rebellion does not exist in Marawi City. But hundreds are now dead, including civilians.
They also say that the proclamation was too expansive because there are still peaceful areas in Mindanao.
If it is not rebellion that the IS-inspired Maute Group is doing in Marawi, I don’t know what is.
This is exactly why I support the proclamation of martial law in Mindanao. The military and police need to stop terrorism. This is also why I cannot understand why all these organizations are criticizing the participation of US forces in Mindanao. It is the Americans who are providing AFP the satellite feeds it needs.
Of course there is rebellion going on in Mindanao.
Besides, martial law under the present Constitution is toothless.
If we lift martial law in Mindanao, terrorists will have a field day.
