BARANGA MADNESS

Nothing to be found.

Church and Bell Tower in the town of Sarrat

Each of the barangays would have these signs that would tell the names of the people that were serving political offices. Gloria couldn't help us.

1. Baranga Madness is the best way to describe what occurred once we started our hunt for any information in regard to my father's family. Did I mention that we also have picked up two extra people for our road rally??? They are Rufus, a driver, and Jesse, an investigator, who is really an employee for the Philippine Republic Bank. The best way for me to describe the chaos is
2. An address in Laoag City where my dad use to visit. No luck.
3. Asking at the house next door and there is an old man on attached to an oxygen tank that knows my dad but he is so feeble that they is all we can get out of him.
4. More info in hand we maneuver a couple of streets to another house who then directs us back to the orignal area, only a couple of doors down.
5. Arriving there we are greeted with a mattress falling out of a window as this Aguilar is in the process of moving back to Manila. We go into his moving mess and he is makes calls all over town to gain info.
6. Off he goes on his motor bike to see if this person is related to dad - no luck.
7. We have exhausted everything here so we are heading to Sarrat - the town where we think my dad was born to visit City Hall and meet with the Mayor. Moving Aguilar will call us if any of his family is related to my dad. Sarrat is composed of 16 barangays.
8. The Mayor is out, but we are helped by several clerks who pull out the registry. This is exciting as it goes back to 1902. It is painful to watch the young lady go slow on each page - even when I can see there are no Aguilar's born to Ventura or Eugenia. Lots of Aguilar's but not with the right names. We get to 1905, 1906, the years when we think my father was born and they are TORN OUT OF THE BOOK AND MISSING. It picks up again in 1908. What the heck is that? Disappointed, but you know, just seeing that book and the love that went into taking care of it was so neat. Before we start the Barangay Madness tour we visit the town and the churches. This is where I part company with my band of merry men and stroll around, always with the thought that perhaps my dad attended church here and this is where he was taught by the missionaries. It is so beautiful, located on a river with tall trees. I cannot say enough about the beauty of Sarrat. I got a little teary, not from the thought that I couldn't find the records of my dad, but just at the thought that I was here in the place of his birth. Even as I write right now my eyes are watering.
9. Barangay #8 - just finding these things is a chore. It is across the river on the other side of where we just were. Now you got to understand that at each of these stops we are asking people in the fields or homes if they can direct us to any Aguilar's. We are directed to
10. Barangay #15 who directs us to
11. Barangay #13 - where we sit on the porch and share the pictures and meet the entire family. It starts raining torrentially in the middle of all of this.
12. Phone calls ensue.
13. More phone calls.
14. Barangay #11 then, more looking at the photos, more pointing to
15. Barangay #2 then more pointing to
16. Barangay #14 - this one was my last hope as the woman was really old and I figured she would know something.
17. 4:30pm - 8 1/2 hours after I started I am done. We have exhausted all the Aguilar's in the Sarrat barangays.

I'm ready for a shower and the thought of a new approach to all of this. I get the feeling that Aguilar is like Smith in this area - makes me laugh a bit. Here ends the Barangay Madness Tour 2009.

OK - so here is my advice to any and all - ask all the questions now while your grandparents and parents are around. I am kicking myself for not doing that - and just saying that my dad was a soft spoken man that didn't want to share. Now I am sad that I didn't take the time to do that though I do have the knowledge of the area now. If it took me 10 hours in a car, on pseudo paved roads, it must have taken my father days to reach Manila. Just the thought of that is mind boggling.