Trees of my childhood

Childhood in Guihulngan (circa 1960s, forgive the age, could be too young or too old, it depends), also meant fascination with trees. In my grandmother's frontyard, in front of the municipal hall, was an old tambis tree which we used to climb. My other grandmother planted a lot of fruit trees in our house in Bateria, including santol trees. we were told it was bangkok variety, with big and sweet fruits. Our own version was sweet, I don't know what happened with the size, but long after my dear grandmother Lola Paro was gone, the santol tree was still there, giving sweet fruits even to my sons who brought in his classmates for a picnic of climbing up the trees.

yes, trees were part of our childhood. i remember there were some mansinitas trees which grew from my aunties side of the fence, which overlooked the backyard of the old parish convent. the american franciscan priest fr. melvin stanley (may god bless his soul), often shouted at us to get down from the trees, how we loved to slide down from the branches. my cousins were also my playmates then, we had big families and there were so many of us, just for an idea, my father had 9 other brothers and a sister, so i have around 70 cousins!

there was a tambis tree in front of my Lola Naning's house, in front of the municipio. it was a survivor of the second world war when Guihulngan was razed by invading enemy troops, a witness to history. and because we lived next to the old catholic church, i also got to know the old mahogany trees which grew big as we grew, it was so sad when these were cut down. there were also old teak trees planted by the american franciscan fathers, now gone, gone like the priests themselves.

when i see old trees, i remember childhood in guihulngan....and when i go around town and up the mountains were nowadays we have very few trees left, my heart yearns for for the old trees...trees which may save us from global warming....so soon i will go and plant a tree with my children....