Nicanor Castillo Marasigan
5/8/1890 - 1/10/1970
Biography
Written by his wife, Petra Evangelista Marasigan
September 19, 1982
Father and Sons in War and in Peace
When the American 11th airborne division landed in Tagaytay, Cavite, Nemesio and another guerilla named Ananias made contact with their headquarters in Nasugbu, Batangas to hook up with the American forces. And when the U.S. Army 158th combat team landed in Lemery, Batangas on March 8, 1945, Nemesio, Ananias and the rest of the guerillas from Inicbulan and Rizal joined the Americans and led them to Inicbulan via Cupang and dealt the Japanese a dose of their own medicine. The Japanese were totally wiped out.
After the American forces secured Inicbulan and Rizal, Eliodoro and Nemesio led the liberators to Bauan where they discovered the grisly sight of thousands of decaying corpses that littered the patio, plaza and everywhere. The whole town of Bauan was burnt to the ground including the town hall and the church. By some miracle, only one house remained standing - the one owned by Eladio Hernandez. The mopping operation continued for weeks and months in the mountains of Lipa and Tiaong with Eliodoro helping the Americans with the dangerous job. He stayed with the Americans until all resistance was crushed.
On March 10, 1945, Nemesio Marasigan, who was the leader of the guerilla movement in Inicbulan and Rizal, was named the military mayor of Bauan by U.S. Major Jacobo Zobel. Nemesio in turn named Ananias as his chief of police and all the guerillas from Inicbulan and Rizal became members of the police force. Nemesio also named Esteban Buhat, then the treasurer of San Jose, to become the treasurer of Bauan. Since the municipal hall was destroyed by the Japanese, the Marasigan house in Inicbulan, which was also the headquarters of the guerilla movement, became the temporary town hall. Eventually, Nemesio moved the town hall back to Bauan at a storage building (bahay-almacen) close to the Bauan market while the new town hall was being constructed.
One of Mayor Marasigan’s first acts was to bury all the corpses that littered the town. He authorized to bulldoze a deep trench in front of the church and used it as the mass grave of all the victims of the massacre. Nemesio turned over the mayorship to the civilian government of Bauan when peace and order was finally in place.
Soon the Americans established the Boat Building Command (BBC) in Sabang to build P.T. boats. Other army facilities were constructed along the coast line to Mabini including the Engineers depot. Multitudes of U.S. Army equipment and supplies were consolidated there so it became apparent that, to protect them, tight security was necessary. Col. Bender of the U.S. Army asked Nemesio to head the task of maintaining security of the base. Nemesio, however, recommended his brother Eliodoro, who, being a lawyer, was perfect to be the chief of Investigation and Security. It was approved. Eliodoro hired 700 guards right away.
Meanwhile, Capt. Temper entrusted Nicanor to hire thousands of laborers to work in the construction and maintenance of the projects. The father and son hired the 1,700 people from Taal, San Luis and Lipa but the majority were the guerillas from the barrios of Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao (they all stayed employed until the American closed the base and left years later.) During that period, Nicanor and the brothers approached Col. Wilson, who was the engineer and commander of the base, to authorize the supply of materials and labor to rebuild the bridges in the barrios that were destroyed by the Japanese. It was approved. They also got permission to repair the Yangco school building and the chapel (Tuklong) in Inicbulan. The chapel became the temporary office of the barrio captain until a permanent one was built in front of the chapel across the road on a lot that Petra Marasigan inherited from her parents.
The Politicians
The post-war period was an economic boom for Bauan and the barrios. Most of the men from the barrios were employed with the help of Nicanor and his sons. Their popularity and clout became obvious to the politicians. There were several instances when opportunistic businessmen and politicians would approach them with very lucrative propositions only to leave embarrassed and rejected. Their strong moral values protected them from temptation. They religiously followed the principles they learned while young. Their mission and obligation were always for the welfare of the people of the barrios and never for their own personal benefits. It was instilled in their minds to never blemish their clean name and reputation. They were taught to have courage to stand up and fight for truth and justice and to protect the poor and the oppressed. Although there were many opportunities to enrich themselves during the years they were entrusted with the millions of dollars of American supplies, they never succumbed to that temptation. That was why they remained financially poor but remained well-respected and supported by the people. They had become a strong political force in the province.
During the post-war presidential election of Roxas versus Osmenia, Nicanor’s friend Pedro Munoz ran for congress against Maynardo Farol who was also a friend and old classmate. The Marasigan family decided to support Munoz because he was a good honest man and belonged to the same political party. When the ballots were counted, Munoz lost in the many municipalities of Batangas but he won by a landslide in Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao – the barrios that Nicanor and sons carried. Their votes overtook the losses from other municipalities that in the end Munoz won by just enough votes. In gratitude, congressman Pedro Munoz offered Eliodoro the position of Fiscal of Batangas - a very prestigious government position but on one condition; that to accept this position he had to sacrifice the P10,000 pork barrel appropriation for the Inicbulan school which will then be given to another barrio. Without hesitation, Eliodoro declined the position and opted for the P10,000 for the school. The money was used to build two new classrooms.
In 1947, Feliciano Leviste, a friend of the family, ran for governor of Batangas and was challenged by an influential person named Modesto Castillo, who was close to the Mayor of Bauan and to Manuel Roxas, the President of the country at the time. It was no secret that the Marasigans were supporting Leviste but the mayor of Bauan, Gregorio Arreglado, who was a close friend of Eliodoro, was supporting Castillo. Somehow, Eliodoro was lured by mayor Arreglado to come to Manila to meet with the secretary of Justice Ramon Ozaeta. In his office, Ozaeta told Eliodoro that President Roxas would name him an Assistant Fiscal of Manila if he would support Castillo instead of Leviste. Mayor Arreglado surmised that Eliodoro would not turn down a request from a high-ranking judicial official who happened to be a 'Batangueno' as well - especially with an attractive personal incentive. He was wrong. With due respect, Eliodoro declined the offer because he already promised Leviste his support and to break his word and change allegiance was never an option to him. With the support of the three barrios of Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao, Leviste won the election.
Once, in 1965, when Eliodoro was already an assistant fiscal of Manila (by his own merit), he showed that he had never forgotten the teachings of his father. He showed courage in face of threats of his life by refusing security from the Manila Police department and continued his pursuit of justice against the most feared people in the government. And when he was a CFI judge, appointed by his friend and classmate Marcos, he did not hesitate to resign from office when, under Marcos’ martial law, the people were oppressed and were suppressed of their constitutional rights. That was against his principles and against the teachings of his father.
In spite of their financial shortcomings, Nicanor and Eliodoro were both charitable and compassionate. In 1922, when Nicanor moved his family to Manila, he just gave his horse and carriage to his brother-in-law, Basilio, for him to make a living. And Eliodoro, when he was a columnist in American newspaper, he donated all of his earnings to the teachers of Inicbulan high school who, at the time, were not being fairly paid by the government.
Love for the School
To teach and show good examples and inspiration to the youth, and to help the needy and the poor, has always been one of Nicanor’s missions in life. Many compatriots, whose names were too many to recall, have donated books and other necessities to the school. Various organizations such as the 'Samahang Inicbulan Rizal' (SIR) had been helping the school in many ways. When the original SIR was established in 1960 by the prominent people from Inicbulan and Rizal, it was voted without any objection that Nicanor and his brother-in-law, Melecio Ilagan, would be made advisors for life.
His son, Nemesio, and the grandchildren in America: Ludivine, Napoleon, Doradaisy and others, donated a permanent basketball goal, a water tank, a bell, playground apparatus and many more. His grandson, Eliodoro Jr. (Boy), who just finished mechanical engineering, brought to the school his work crew and a truck loaded with materials and equipment from the company he was working with and build the railings of the school stage and repaired the basketball goal without asking for payment. The other grandchild, Alexander and his co-members in Kulyawan Club who were all sons and daughters of the members of SIR, raised funds by caroling and selling old newspapers, to buy the material and build with their own hands the water fountain and benches by the basketball court and are still in use today. More benches were added later, donated by Col. Eustaquio Ilagan.
Many more improvements were made in the school under the regime of the father and son. Eliodoro was the first president of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and when he brought his family back to Manila, Nicanor took over as president. Nicanor remained the PTA president for the rest of his life.
Even after his death, Nicanor’s love for the school inspired his wife and her siblings to donate a piece of land adjacent to the school where the New Baranggay High School now stands. And, because of the same love, his sister, Maria Marasigan Ilagan, also donated to the school her land across the gorge (agbang) but near the school.
Family Tragedy
In their 56 years of marriage, from the day they got married in 1914 until Nicanor’s death in 1970, the most tragic event was when their youngest son Ismael passed away. Ismael was riding on his scooter on Arlegue road in Manila when a woman suddenly crossed the street. Mily (Ismael’s nickname) swerved to avoid hitting the woman but hit her anyway - although slightly. The scooter crashed and Mily hit his unprotected head on the pavement. He hastily got up and hailed a taxi and brought the woman to the hospital for treatment. Mily felt a throbbing headache but paid no attention to it since he had no sign of head wound or a bruise. On days that followed, he would take aspirin pills for his headache but totally underestimated the gravity of his condition.
A week after the accident, while washing his face over the sink he fell to the floor unconscious. He was rushed to Manila Sanitarium Hospital but it was too late. He succumbed to severe hemorrhage. It was so painful for the entire family especially to the parents Nicanor and Petra. They tried to console themselves by going to Baguio for a vacation but to no avail. They finally found consolation and peace through their faith in God and in their belief that there would be a final reunion with Ismael in heaven with the other loved ones who had gone before him.
Nicanor passed away on January 10, 1970, four months short of 80 years of age. His body lied for viewing in their home in Inicbulan for four days while waiting for the grand-daughter, Ludivine, to arrive from America to attend the funeral. A service was held at their church before bringing his body to Bauan town hall.
The town council eulogized him and showered him with honor and praises for his many years of service to the municipality of Bauan. Many people came from all over to pay their respect. His coffin was draped with the Philippine flag and his hearse was slowly driven to the municipal cemetery accompanied by thousands of relatives, friends, and sympathizers. The funeral stretched so long that one could not see from one end to the other. His body was finally laid to rest amidst honors and tears.
It was Mayor Ciriaco Ingco, who was his close friend, who enticed Nicanor to run for council during the election of November 1949. He did run and won by the largest margin over the second place councilor. He was always number one in the ballot since and remained number one in the hearts of many. In the council, he became a strong fiscalizer and exponent of balancing the municipal budget. He paid attention to bring progress to remote barrios long neglected by the past administration. One of his pet projects was to provide electricity to the barrios including Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao.
When the electric lights finally illuminated those barrios, those lights became symbolic of Nicanor’s dream coming true - to have improved the barrios and have a school that will continue to brighten the minds of the people he loved to serve.
Postscripts:
1. Petra Marasigan passed away on September 24, 1984 - two years after she finished writing Nicanor Marasigan’s biography.
2. Eliodoro E. Marasigan, Sr. passed away on August 2, 1998 - almost a year after the death of his wife, Rosario Marquez Marasigan, who passed away on August 21, 1997.
3. In 1995, Ludivine Marasigan Gamo, eldest daughter of Eliodoro, donated to the school the piece of land she inherited from her grand-uncle Jose Marasigan on which the present high school basketball court exists.
4. In 2003, the children of Eliodoro established the EEMF, Inc. (Eliodoro E. Marasigan Foundation, Inc.) for the following purposes:
- To perpetuate the legacy of Nicanor C. Marasigan, and son, Eliodoro E. Marasigan, who in their lifetime served the people of Inicbulan with unsurpassed dedication to help those in need
- To remind the people of Inicbulan who Nicanor C. Marasigan and son Eliodoro E. Marasigan were; how they lived their lives; and how this foundation will perpetuate that
legacy starting with humanitarian programs to the extent of broader public services to the people of Inicbulan.
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