Prudencia

It was one of those few moments when electrical lighting resembled the fireplace fires. Of course here in the Philippines, it is under these dim lights that we carve out permanently exquisite and most cherished intimate memories. Here’s one of mine…
My father was sharing about the time he courted my mother about twenty-six years ago. It was a love story in a place called “Prudencia.” He described himself as an outsider watching over the fence. He shared he’d ask my mother’s cousins for her because my grandfather had banned him from coming to visit. He described having hid from Lolo while attempting to talk to my mother. It was that hard for him, but as he shared, he was happy about the result. He and my mother would be celebrating their Silver Wedding Anniversary next year. Basically, his thesis for his sharing was having been so happy to be part of the family and how Prudencia at one point in time had been a witness to his acceptance in this family.
But, what was so special about Prudencia? At first glance, there was nothing extraordinary about it. It was not a well developed resort just like the other converted hacienda houses of Negros. It was a simple nature sanctuary in Ma-ao, Bago City (Where was this?) recovering from twenty years of solace.
Little did I know that Prudencia was more than just its location or demographics. Tito Butch during his own sharing told us that “Prudencia was all about relationships.” At first I thought that it was about the fading pictures of long ago and the many stories I heard from their generation about playing hide and seek at night, Tito Jobert’s diving off the balcony to the pool at dawn, horseback riding, trips to the Ma-ao Market, the dreaded initiation of future in-laws into the family or my dad’s secret visits to the place. Later I realized it was more than just these.
Canopies of trees in Prudencia bears witness to nights of playing hide and seek. If they could also tell the stories of boys versus girls playing around, climbing trees and falling off fish ponds during the 60’s, these trees would have a lot to tell. As they grew with age, so did the children, my mother’s generation including her also grew bringing with them their boyfriends and girlfriends to be initiated. The dreaded initiation rights of in-laws and the falling in and out of love by the cousins were all discussed as bedtime stories during those bonding sessions in this important place.
The swimming pool with it clear water mirrors one of the most important joys in life. This pool during the summer get-together during holy week was always filled with children’s laughter. Even those children in heart came here and enjoyed. Flowing water from mountain spring detours to the pool before reaching the sugar irrigations giving life to this “Summer Holy Week Capital.” Relaxing together with family and enjoying each others company was the meaning and life of this place. I guess this is what Tito Butch meant when he talked about Prudencia being all about relationships. It was their relationships here that were molded and formed that stayed with the people and even the place itself.
Tita Ati spent an entire year dreaming about what to pack for the trip in Prudencia. She was that excited. Like me, it was also her first time to experience the Prudencia Fever during the Holy Week. I was also excited because I would finally be a part of this festival in our family that was postponed for 22 years.
When we got to Prudencia, the place was more vibrant. There were blooming flowers, there was a new house built from the structure of the old one. There were also some additional modern day luxuries like videoke, cable, an improvised badminton court and a sound system. Of course, it would not be complete without the cards, the beer, the wine, the whiskey and the eat all you can food. And, because it was Holy Week, the chapel too had been renovated for Holy Week rituals.
This summer, it was our generations turn to fill this place with the life and the laughter it missed for twenty-two long years. We, my cousins and I spent the next four days enjoying ourselves swimming by day, playing and bonding by night underneath the star-filled sky. This was our first bonding session in a cherished place. Cousins from Manila and those from Iloilo came and got to know each other better, we re-invented water polo and added bicycling to the activities. Finally, we had our chance at contributing to more chapters in photo albums.
I am proud and happy to have been part of this, and hopefully in the future I’d have a husband who could share something equally beautiful just as my dad and other uncles had left us that last night in Prudencia.