Words of Remembrance

Mr brother Oscar is the 2nd child of the 5 children of Usualdo Sr. and
Remedios Laguitan. His siblings ;Usualdo Jr, Arturo Boy, Woodrow and
me. The youngest and the only girl. Manong was 13 years older than
me.
I consider him the “ family entertainer” made my mother laughed
loudly with his jokes and anecdotes with action… He used to play the
piano during those times when we were a family .. He loved music, just
like my mother and father and me. My mother would sing Visayan
songs with his oido piano accompaniment. My late father bought
violins for my brothers to study and play.. No one was interested. When
the old piano was bought in 1948, before I was born the boys were
encourage to take piano lessons. Nobody wanted to. Only manong
Oscar was interested to play but oido. I lived with my parents and
brothers 3 brothers Manong Boy had his own family first, Manong
Woodrow died a bachelor in 1964 and I left the house in 1973 when I
got married.

Daghan gi eskuylahan sa College.. nag shopping si Manong.. Silliman

University sa panahon nga daghan pa kuwarta among amahan.
FEU Engineering… Finally Graduated with a BSC degree in WLC in 1970
when he was 34 yo and still a Bachelor..

He was a good employee. ASPRAC owned by the late Agapito S. Pongos

Agricultural Corporation. Then worked under Guito Tan’s business. Tan
was the husband of Celing Pongos.. daughter of Agapito Pongos. He
was a trusted friend and employee of Guito Tan.. makahinumdom ko ni
Goito nga moadto permi sa ila house ni Elsa sa Mabini in front of our
ancestral house. Married na siya that time kang Elsa.

He had many friends. His contemporary friends una mibiya sa kalibutan

kay niya.. Iyang mga amigo nga nag migrate sa American kung mouli sa
Ormoc adtoon gyud siya bisitahon. He was the type of person who
welcomed people in his home.. Open bisan kinsa.. saka kanaug..
moingon ko sa ako kaugalingon “ di ko maka sundog sa kinaiya ni
manong” kay tanan basta kaila niya open siya sa pagdawat pag abiabi

Loved by his wife, his children, grandchildren, grandnieces, nephews,

nieces including their children. Di magbaton ug pagdumot bisan dunay
mopasuko kaniya. Kung modasdas niya.. dili pud niya isalikway. Mao
kana ang iya kinaiya.
Si Manong Oscar usa ka maayong igsoon. Very generous.. He helped my
late brother Manong Boy and his family during their times of need. Labi
na diha sa nagkasakit na si Manong Boy. He helped me too sa mag
panahon nga nag kinahanglan ug tabang kaniya.. Sa gagmay pa ang
akong mga anak ug nagdungan pag eskuly, In times of my need, I go to
him In his workplace and he never refused me.. He was a good son too.
When my late father came home from Manila and stayed in the old
house. He was the one taking care of our father kay siya man ang labing
dool. Ako mo tabang pud sap ag atiman ni daddy pero di kanunay kay
duna man pud ko mga anak nga giatiman that time. My youngest was
only a year old. But I had my time in taking him too when he was in the
hospital until his death.
Pinangga ko ni Manong Oscar and he was very proud of me. He was my
no. 1 fan sa piano after my parents. He loved music like me and our
parents.. He had a collection of old standard songs by Jack Jones, Louis
Armstrong Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole..of which many of you young
people are not familiar with.. Malipay siya nga Makita nako mo tukar
sa piano.. Mokanta siya.. ug ma entertain gyud. One of the things that I
will be missing..

Lipay kayo siya kung mo bisita mi ni Aloy.. Bisan nagpahuway modali ug

bangon aron makig estorya cause he loved to have a conversation
about many things.. politics, news about our relatives.. unya
mangutana siya bahin sa akong mga anak.. si Etat kumusta. Si Jonas..
and youngest.. usahay malimot sa name tungod sa kadaghan sa iyang
umangkon…. Mag estorya mi tan aw siya nako pero di kakita kay hap na
man pero makabati.. Makita ko niya nag tan aw nako pero di ko kabati
unsa iya sulti.. si Aloy maoy mo relay unsa iya sulti.. mao na giingong
the blind and the deaf…

Usa sa labing maanindot nga kinaiya ni Manong nga ako na kita niya
mao ang iyang strong foundation sa iya pagtoo. He never changed
religion. He never stopped coming to this church. Nga maoy namat an
namo ug kahayag.. Ang gibilin sa among mga ginikanan.. labi na ang
among amahan.. nga never give up in praying.. to have a strong faith in
the Lord. Nakita nako sa life ni Manong ang iyang gugma sa iyang
kadugo.. Ug sa dihang kami na lang 2 ang nahabilin.. dili gyud siya
mohimo ug mga desisyon nga siya lang bisan pa siya ang labing
tiguwang namo tanan. Mag agad siya nako.. ug ako dili pud mohimo ug
butang sa ako kabubut on kon wa pud siyay pagtugot..
My manong Oscar will be remembered through the people he left
behind whose lives he touched positively. He left an amazing legacy
behind. His children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren even me
and my family including the children and family of our deceased
brothers. Goodbye Manong Oscar. Soar high. We will meet again
someday in that beautiful land… Akon a lang ang survivor sa mga anak
ni Usualdo ug Remedios Laguitan.