In Sto Cristo Elementary School, my six-grade teacher, Mrs. Genoveva Reyes has always emphasized the capital letter in the beginning of a sentence. That a sentence should be understood in life as “ in every endeavor, always make the biggest stride you can possibly make a mark”.
In Tarlac High School, I had the opportunity to share the stage with students known for their campus activities and academic standings and together served the needs of the school population. That was in 1972. It was a very memorable time in my educational learning.
That fateful year also sent me to my pernicious encounters in life. I got stuck in a bus, along with 11 students, in a flashflood that lasted for days which also sank several towns and remained underwater for days without food supply and water. The roads ( Bulacan , Pampanga, Tarlac , Nueva Ecija and Bataan) were impassable. Communications were cut off. Life became still. But we survived. Makeshift boats tried to send some meals while trying to secure elderly residents to safety.
It as also the same year that the Philippines was declared under Martial Law.