tagabungtod

Last year, Compostela Valley had the very good fortune of electing a new governor, Arturo "Chiongkee" Uy, whose priorities are very people-oriented and geared towards a wholistic development of the province. One of the first thing he did after he took office was to do some housekeeping by sprucing up the capitol building and its grounds in Cabidianan. Even if the building was relatively new, many complained that it was garish, buki and an eyesore. It was that way for many years under the previous administration. It now looks very elegant and one which we can all be proud of.

And this is how it looks at night.
The extensive capitol grounds transform into a well-lighted park at night.

Are you aware that Nabunturan is one town --- if not the only town --- in the province which does not have any park?

NOTE: The government center where the provincial capitol stands is located on an 11-hectare lot half of which was donated by the Melendres family of Cabidianan and the Dizon family (yes, of the Dizon Farms).

Mao ni akong ginapasabot nga kung dili ka gusto mosakay, molakaw ka lang, ang mahitabo subay ka sa daplin sa dalan, bulad ka sa init ug delikado ka nga mabanggaan kay ang sidewalk gigamit na sa mga negosyante. Growing pains?

There is still enough green in the background (San Isidro) but it is slowly being obstructed by karatulas and buildings.

This big appliance store building is where once stood Nab's only entertainment center, the Victoria's Theater. In the foreground is a fancy-roofed passenger's waiting shed. Partly hidden on the left side is one of two Petron Stations ("Esso" kaniadto when it was operated by Cading Bracil) in town. The street in the middle leads to the provincial office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Ang Crossing. I cannot take this picture from the middle of the street kay basig maligsan ko. Daghaaaaaaan na kaayong sakyanan ug mga tricycle sa Nab. Since it has become a capital town, business stores have brazenly occupied sidewalks to merchandise their wares so that kung gusto ka nga molakaw lang, subay ka na sa karsada ug sa init. Wala na'y sidewalk. Lagmit mabanggaan ka. Pasagdan ra pud sa gobyerno.

The left-most building is once where Ping's and later Pua's restaurants were. The JM Shopper's Plaza was where small establishments in the '50s were before: ang pandayan ni Lumantas, tindahan sa mga Pajo, tubaan ni Nang Enrica. This later became the Sanitary Restaurant when Ah Hong transferred here from Pahate's corner. Red-roofed building is where Aleria's Studio once was. Exequiel Labrador put up the building and established his own business after he got married to one of the Aleria daughters. Adjacent to the Alerias are the Santiagos. They still reside here and they run an al fresco beer and barbecue on evenings --- a favorite hangout of many tagabungtod. Next to them is Jess and Esther Blanza's residence.

During the '50s and '60s, this particular side of LCArabejo Avenue used to be where the Visayan Carenderia and Furniture Shop (what a mix!), owned by the Cuisons, was located. This is just a few meters from the corner of the national highway. The main occupant now is the government-owned LandBank, the only commercial bank operating in the town so far.

What used to be the Lentija building, where most pioneer chinese merchants were located, is now a supermart called Central Warehouse. It is owned by a big chinoy investor from Davao. Right beside it is another rural bank called TRuBank (Tagum Rural Bank) the lot of which is used to be owned and occupied by the Adana family. Flor Canon (to whom we would run to to have our swiss watches repaired) also had his store and watch repair here. When Canon moved to Tagum, Nancy Torralba, half-sister of the Adana siblings, would later open a store of her own together with husband Ben, who was also into watch repair.

The green building across the street, owned by Atty. Edna Arabejo, was where Larie's Tailoring and the original site of Pua's Restaurant (later Tolindoy Briones Shoe Repair) were. The late Primo and Ester Juntilla's lot at the corner is still vacant.


New Look, Mayfair, Excellency, all chinese tailorshops, were located here in a building then owned by the family of Candido Gloria. It is now the property of the Nabunturan Integrated Cooperative (NICO) where its main office and training center are located. Right next to it is the One Network Bank where the house of Luis Flores used to be.

The main street going east from the highway is now Lauro C. Arabejo Avenue, named after one of the pioneer-leaders and one of the longest serving mayors of Nabunturan. For many years some funny guy in the council had it named Hot River Avenue (murag OK Corral). Another councilor who probably did not have fondness for western movies had it renamed JP Rizal Avenue. Finally, municipal councilor Lumen Calamba-Cabuga, with her strong sense of local history, sponsored an ordinance which names most streets in Nabunturan after pioneers who have dedicated their lives to the town.

In one of the corners (shown here) stands a private rural bank. It has replaced the big Flores house whose patriarch, the late Luis Flores, served Nabunturan for the longest time as municipal treasurer. After his retirement, he would serve the town as a municipal councilor. Less than a hundred meters away from the same corner was also the residence of the late Arsenio Flores, younger brother of Luis, who served as Division Superintendent of Schools in the Caraga Region. Soon after his retirement he was appointed as OIC-Mayor of Nabunturan in 1986. Arsenio's son, Ruben, a medical doctor, and in the practice of his profession, later established a small hospital in their residence. Ruben joined politics and he served Nabunturan as councilor, as a municipal mayor and presently, as a member of the provincial board. Hence, this street perpendicular to LCArabejo Avenue is now aptly named Flores Street.

This was the wooden bridge spanning the Cabalinan River along the national highway. Notice the forest in the background? It was a paradise of a playground for young children then. This picture was taken in 1949. When I was still in my mother’s womb. Later I would grow up making this forest my playground, too.
Today, or sixty years later, this is how the bridge looks like and the once narrow rough gravel road is now a smooth four-lane highway. Sadly, the forest is gone.