Ilaya - Illahee (Il-ah-ha-he-ye)

Titi Bebeng gave me this photo the last time I was in Catmon. I am sure that almost all of the young ones have grown up. Hope some members of the family have a chance to read my posts and send me family updates with updated photos.



Lola Sayong was always in charge of dishing out the rice at "family gatherings" in Catmon; Tata Batyong was the "Cucinero" or "Chief Cook!" Pity, I can not find my pictures of Tata.

Ilaya is one of my favorite hang outs when I was growing up. The English translation of illahee (Il-ah-ha-he-ye) is "land that gives comfort." It is a word used by one of the indigenous First Nations tribe in the Pacific northwest, around Vancouver, British Columbia. The word struck a chord because of the close pronunciation to ilaya as well as the approximate meaning of the word.

When I think of ilaya - I think of cool comforting afternoon breeze, the soothing sound of the river and lots of "fun stuff" to do! An added attraction for me was playing with Lucia and the other Molde girls at the house of Tata Batyong and Lola Sayong.

Going to Ilaya was very comforting for Lola and me. Comforting to her because of her promise to Lolo Milong to take care of the "Kalubihan" and his children. I was very disappointed on my last trip that the property have lost it's soul - very derelict and empty. It broke my heart! I spent a lot of time in the summer planting bananas, coconuts and smoking the tambis trees, clearing around the "sabana" trees and just clearing, clearing, clearing!

The first house was close to the river, not far from the Talisay tree at "labangon" in Lolo Teyoy's property. The house use to have this lime tree (suwa) that we used to pick when we washed our hair in the river. That house was destroyed by a typhoon; so Tata Batyong and Lola Sayong moved to Lola Elyang's house at the other end of the property.

The hair washing routine included grating the coconut (Kudkud) to get the milk out. The coconut milk is then used to wash our hair with the lime juice. Sometimes Lola Sayong would pound some kind of root from a tall grass (tangad???) and mix it in. I had very long hair. Talking about fragrant, well conditioned hair - all organic, too!

Finding this picture of Lola Sayong made me think of the house and the "snug fit" it had against the hill side. We used to go out in the back and try to find guavas or just to climb up the hill. At night some of our covers were made of "saguran."

Comforting because the food was always great - fresh utan, fresh fish when Tata was able to catch them - especially the red ones. Lola Sayong always had a variety of foods that I would otherwise not have tasted or have known the origin - like "landang", a salad made of banana hearts with coconut milk dressing and "atsal."

Uy, I was in San Francisco a couple of years ago and Nanay served "atsal" - I said this is Lola Sayong's recipe - where did you get it? Sure enough, the "atsal" was made by Juliana Molde. I think I can identify Lola Sayong's "templa" of that "atsal" anywhere.

The Young Ones

Gervacio (Tata Batoy or Tata Batyong)

Tata Batyong was the greatest - he used pull my chains a lot - Lola Sayong would reprimand him and tell him not to joke with me so much. He taught me how to plant sugar cane, coconuts and bananas. He said - "if you don't work, you don't eat."

Before the pipes were extended to reach them, we use to carry water from a well by the river - all they way to their house by the hillside. We used bamboo tubes (sag-ub)to carry water. I always forgot to lower the tubes gently, when we rested - bump and the tube is broken, precious water gushing all over the place.

Well, I broke a lot of "sag-ub" - to a point that I became exempt from fetching water. The water was stored in great big clay crock jars. The water stored in those jars always tasted much sweeter to me. He loved to fish and he loved to cook.

Protacio (Uncle Tacio)

My sister Donna and I are the only ones who really got to know Uncle Tasio. He lived in a farm house camp in Knightsen, California. He also liked to cook and fish like Tata Batyong.

He worked very hard - part of the huge "stoop labor" force in the farms that provide the food served in most American tables and restaurants to this day. He remained a bachelor until he died. He never made it back to Catmon.

Both Tata Batyong and Uncle Tacio are listed in the United States census of 1930 as residents of Wayne County - Detroit is in Wayne County, Michigan. I am not sure when Uncle Tacio decided to settle in California for good.

Emilio (Lolo Milong - my grandfather)

Don't know much about him, either - Tata Batyong brought him to Michigan. Lolo Milong was sickly, asthmatic with lots of allergies. This is according to the stories I have pieced together from people who knew him, like Jewel Nuneza and some other folks I have met through the years.

He was apparently sick most of the time - I can not even imagine what he went through - considering the health problems I have experienced, in this modern age with allergy medications and nebulizers to help me along.

The United States is not always kind to those who have chronic health issues - even with the advent of employer paid private health insurance - the situation continue to be tough financially for those with chronic health problems, like myself.

Employer paid health insurance did not come about until the unions demanded it after Worls War ll. My conclusion is that it was a struggle for Lolo Milong to be in the US. It would have been worse if he had his family here to provide for especially during the Depression Era. Lola Bette worried about some of his health problems but I did not grasp the magnitude until I had the experience myself.

The safety nets that are in place now, were put in place by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration after the Depression Era in the 1930's. Some social programs were added during Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty Era in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Lolo Milong died in 1953. My feeling is that inadequate health care and hard factory labor, with health hazards and no safety standards, contributed to his untimely death. He was only in his early fifties!!!

Cecilia (Lola Ilyang)

She was my favorite. I felt loved by her. Lola Ilyang took me in and raised me as one of her own - when I was with them. One memory is of her coming over to our house when I was sick - she became very upset to find me home by myself. Lola Bette came home before Lola Ilyang could take me home with her. They had a huge argument!

I used to cry myself to sleep a lot. Sometimes, when I was staying with her and her family, she would hear me crying at night - she always spoke kind words to me and tried to comfort me. She was ill, so she could not cuddle but her words of comfort and hope often helped me through.

Boy, when she got angry with me, she would really let me have it, too! She had a very sharp tongue at times that could cut to the core.

Lola Ilyang was sickly like Lolo Milong. They were the youngest in the family. Both of them lost Nanay Teresa when they were still very young. I think that led to a closer bond between them.

She was always trying to teach me various things - life lessons with religious twists - and I am very grateful for those lessons. I will always be grateful to Manoy Aliado, Ingko Tony and Inday Tanciang for their generosity in sharing their mother with me.