The Pioneers

The roots of the Ordillas family can be traced to the Ilocos Provinces in Northern Luzon.

Even in the early days, Ilocanos ventured out of the limited resources of the region and sailed southward down the China Sea coast of Luzon. Landing on the Southern part of Zambales, they established trading and farming communities and founded what was later known as the New Ilocos Coast composed of San Marcelino, San Antonio, San Narciso and San Felipe.

With a total land area of 44,004 hectares, San Marcelino was one of the biggest. These towns became the centers of population, commerce and agriculture. The fast progress of these towns may be attributed to the industry, thrift and determination of these hard-working Ilocano forbears.

Among the pioneers of the town were Don Lorenzo Corpus and Don Juan Corpus who became the first leaders as teniente absolutes and later Capitan Municipal.

One of these adventurous traders was Pablo Corpus. It is possible that Pablo was a farmer in the old town and, seeing the wide fertile plains of San Marcelino, opted to settle these unlike his companions who chose to stay in the coast and live by the sea.

Pablo brought his family to the new land. Through the years, the family multiplied and branched out becoming the dominant clan for many years. When Subic was opened as a port merchants from Manila and other places came in. New families were absorbed through inter-marriage. However, until recent years being a Corpus meant belonging to a large close-knit family. This was a big asset to members with political ambitions. Noteworthy to present here was Mayor Faustino “Tinoy” Corpus who headed the town from 1923 to 1925 and from 1941 to 1945.

Among the children of Pablo Corpus was Juliana, our grandmother whom everyone called Apong Ulit. She was also lovingly called Apong Pansit for her particularly delicious “pansit” she sold every market day. She was strong, industrious and frugal. Before market day, she would go to the river about 5 kilometers away to catch shrimps called “kuros” with her “batbateng”. These shrimps made her pansit especial. She cooked her pancit of sotanghon colored with atchuete; placed in a large clay pot which she carried on her head to market. Her pancit was always sold out and when she went home she bought their viand and had some cash in her pouch hung from her waist.

When we, grandchildren were studying and had to go to Iba for High school and to Manila later, had to drop in at their house for blessings, Apong Ulit would invariably get some coins from her pouch and put them in our hands. Now that we have our own children and grandchildren, we try to carry out this tradition.

Apong Ulit and her second husband, Alejandro Pescador lived by themselves. She was tall and erect up to her last days. Apong Candro loved to drink and we never heard of them being sick. They lived through the Japanese-American war.

The first husband of the Apong Ulit was Juan Ordillas and they had four children: Pedro, Pablo, Leona and Meliton.

• Tata Pedro married Rosenda Ladringan and pioneered in the extensive virgin lands close to the Zambales mountain ranges where he raised his family of nine (9) children.
• Tata Pablo married Fausta Artates who had one child Honorato. They had an adopted son, Delfin.
• Nana Leona got married to Eugenio Corpuz and lived at the eastern end of Beltran street. They had six (6) children - 4 boys and 2 girls. Nana Leona was small and frail and when the children were old enough to be left she would go down to her mother with her sewing basket and repairable clothes.
• Meliton, the youngest, married Angela Umipig and raised his family on a lot just across the street from his parents. Their family of six (6) children is composed of 5 girls and a boy.

This narration attempts to present the life of Meliton and Angela, our parents, and their children:

• Genoveva
• Rosario
• Aurea
• Juliana
• Sylvia
• Meliton Jr.,

... and how through the years they went through joyous as well as trying events, and how, with strong faith in God, deep family love and respect for one another, lived peacefully, contentedly with dignity.

Father

We often wondered where Father's parents got the name “Meliton”; no one ever knew anybody else with the same name. And so his name would stand out in a list. When he was in a crowd, he was a head taller than the others, tall and straight like the bamboo among a clump of trees. In his later years, his crown of white, silvery hair made him more conspicuous.

Father's height was surely commanding, more than that his name stood for the dignity of a clean and honest life, upright and independent ideals, unwavering and steadfast to principles. He did not seriously aspire to be a leader but his views on vital community issues were highly respected. His sense of nationalism was shown in his being a pillar of the Philippine Independent Church (Iglesia Filipina Independiente).

This was our much loved and loving father, the guide and inspiration of his family of all generations. More admirable and deeper facets of his personality could be gleaned from this narration.

Mother

Mother was always “Angela” , Cang Angela, Nana Angela, Apong Angela – not Elang, Aning or Geling; however on the back of old postcards, Father dedicated them to “Dear Angeling” during courtship days.

Mother was the eldest of the three sisters born to Alejandro Umipig and Catalina Niedo. The younger daughters were Victoria (Torang) and Rufina (Pinang).

Apong Candro was widowed and then married to Juana Racosas. The second nuptial had Taurina and Lauro. Apong Candro was said to be big and strong. His family name was derived from the reputation that he would “ipig” or hold the neck of his opponent between his arm and forearm. He must have been one of the earliest inhabitants of Santa Fe for he owned several parcels of wide ricelands around the barrio of Santa Fe.

At an early age, Mother and her sisters chose to live by themselves, separately from their Father and were able to acquire lands on their own. We never thought of asking or trying to learn how they did it under the existing conditions.

Mother must have been the manager or planner of their “family”, Nana Torang, or Victoria was physically strong and was the “breadwinner”. She was the farm manager, went out to fish and had a sari-sari store.During the early 20th century, college education was found only in Manila. We often wondered how Mother and Nana Pinang went through college for four years. Mother was the one of the 1st graduates of the Philippine Normal School from Zambales and became the Domestic Science teacher in San Antonio then known as the Yangco Elementary School. Nana Pinang, or Rufina, the youngest, was frail. So although she was a nurse, she was not able to continue her career due to a debilitating illness.

Santa Fe

The barrio where Mother grew up is about six hours ride from the poblacion of San Marcelino. The only transportation then was the carabao-drawn cart. To go to town, two rivers have to be crossed-Carayan Dak-kel (Big River) now known as Santo Tomas River, and Carayan Bas-sit(Small River) nearer the barrio.

Santa Fe was a rich agricultural community on a high narrow-plain along the mountain side. To reach the community, the carabao has to pull the cart up a 45% incline to the top of the ridge with an elevation of about 20 meters. Drivers almost crouch on the carabao’s back, his left hand controlling the reins lead rope while his right hand holds the carabao’s tail. To lighten the load, some passengers or riders alight and walk up the inclined road. The exit ride down was very thrilling with the driver hardly in control of the carabao’s speed.

The Small River was the life of the barrio. Along its banks were shallow wells about two feet deep which provided drinking water - clear, fresh water from an ever flowing spring. Everyday the men-folk would fetch water from these springs in big earthen jars on a sled. On early mornings women and children go down for the daily bath and laundry. The river also provide fish, shrimps, shells (birabid, leddeg, bisocol). For groceries and other needs, inhabitants go to town on market days- Wednesdays and Saturdays.

This was Mother’s early environment which we children got to see on fiestas. We especially enjoyed the cart rides, the carts of town people racing on the way, riding in the cart with the water wetting our skirts as we crossed the deeper Carayan. At dusk, we were greeted by the tweetering of flocks of birds on the coconut tree tops.

The community progressed, roads were made, and cars could travel the distance in about 30 minutes. Deep wells and pump wells were built. Young people went out for education and livelihood and the barrio expanded and progressed. There was a move to have it classified into a town before the World War broke out in 1914.

(Tragedy put a stop to the development of the community. Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, floods from the mountains and lahar buried the barrio making it on the level of the buried rivers. Residents who survived and remained have built home higher up the mountain side and are trying to regain the peaceful, comfortable life they once had.)

The Family

About the start of American occupation, Father, in his youth, worked for an American as a houseboy in Manila. There he learned to do housework, to cook meals and to speak English. He went home and attended school. He once told us, when we, his children were already teachers, that when he was only Grade 3 he was made to teach English!

Angela became a Home Economics (then called Domestic Science) teacher in San Antonio while Meliton taught in San Marcelino. Somehow the two teachers met, fell in love and decided to start an life together in 1917.

GENOVEVA, EUSEBIO and ROSARIO
On January 3, 1919, Genoveva was born. The young couple lived in Subic - Mother as Home Economics teacher and Father as Principal at the Subic Elementary School. A boy, Eusebio was still-born in 1920. Then Rosario was born on November 30, 1922.

AUREA
The third daughter, Aurea, was born on Jan. 20 1926. She was sickly as a baby and mother was advised to change the child’s name. So it was that baby Aurea was lost one morning. She was “stolen“ by a woman in the southern part of the town and had baptized the child, Marcela, in appropriate ceremonies “under the plate”. She was retrieved and hence forth would be Marcela, Cela for short, or else she would be sick again and might even die. She grew up to become the most strong willed in the family. As a teacher, she became an administrator. First as a head teacher of Santa Fe Elementary School, then as principal of Castillejos Elementary School.

JULIANA
Juliana was born Jan. 27, 1928. Because she was a big baby at birth, she was named after Apong Ulit. From childhood, she was the tallest in here age goup, healthy and strong. We felt that father wished she had been a boy.

SYLVIA and MELITON
Another girl, Sylvia, was born on Nov. 3, 1933 making five daughters in a row. Meliton was born on July 24, 1936. The only son carried on Father’s name and became “junior” or Mely for Meliton. Of course, the birth of a son called for a big celebration. His baptism, with Father’s closest friend, Atty. Reynera, as godfather, was a fiesta.