Lesson 6: Region 4

INTRODUCTION

CALABARZON is one of the Regions of the Philippines. It is also designated as

Region IV-A and its regional capital is Calamba in Laguna. The region is
composed of five Provinces namely: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon
City. The region’s name is a portmanteau of the names of these provinces. The
region is located n the southwestern Luzon, just south and east of Metro Manila
and is the second most densely populated region.

Region IV-A had a very important role in the history of the Philippines, Philippines
independence was held by the first Philippines President, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898. People from Batangas, Cavite and Laguna
were part of those who first revolted against the Spaniards for freedom. While the
Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal was born in Calamba Laguna. Apolinario
Mabini, was born in Tanauan City Batangas. The eight primary rays of the sun
founded in the Philippines flags represented the first eight provinces (Batangas,
Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Bataan) that
sought independence from Spain and were placed under martial law by the
Spaniards at the start of Philippine Revolution in 1896.

Learning Objectives
• Students can discuss the literature of Region 4
• Students can classify the various Literary Genres
• Students can justify dilemmas in the stories;
• Students can assess characters in the story; and compose insights
formed on their readings.
 DISCUSSION

Happiest Boy in the World by NVM Gonzalez

Julio , who had come from Tablas to settle in Barok, was writing a letter, of all
people, Ka Ponso, his landlord, one warm June night. It was about hiks son, Jose,
who wanted to go to school in Mansalay that year. Jose was in fifth grade when
Julio and his family had left Tablas the year before and migrated to Mindoro;
because the father had some difficulty in getting some land of his own to farm,
the boy had to stop schooling for a year. As it was, Julio thought himself lucky
enough to have Ka Ponso take him on as tetant. Later, when Julio's wife Fidela
gave birth to a baby, Ka Ponso, whi happened to be visiting his property then,
offered to become its godfather. Afetr that they began to call each other
compadre.
"Dear Compadre," Julio started to write in Tagalog, bending earnestly over a
piece of paper which he had torn out of Jose's school notebook. It was many
months ago, when, just as now, he had sat down with a writing implement in his
hand. That was when he had gone to the municipio in Mansalay to file a
homestead application, and he had used a pen, and to his great surprise, filled
in the blank forms neatly. Nothing came of the application, although Ka Ponso
had assured him he had looked into the matter and talked with the officials
concerned. Now, with a pencil instead of a pen to write with, Julio was sure that
he could make his letter legible enough for Ka Ponso.

"It's about my boy, Jose." he wrote on. "I want him to study this June in Mansalay.
He's in the sixth grade now, and since he's quite a poor hand at looking after your
carabaos, I thought it would be best that he go to school in the town."

...The kerosene lamp's yellow flame flickered ceaselessly. The drank smell of food
, fish broth, particularly, that had been spilled from many a bowl and had dried
on the form, now seemed to rise from the very texture of the wood itself. The stark
truth about their poverty...
""This boy, Jose, compadre," he went on, "is quite an industrious lad. If you can
only let him stay in your big house, compadre, you can make him do anything
you wish--any work. He can cook rice, and I'm sure he'll wash the dishes."
..."I hope you will not think of this as a great bother," Julio continued, trying his best
to phrase his thoughts. he had a vague fear that Ka Ponso might not favorably
regard his letter. But he wrote on, slowly and steadily, stopping only to read what
he had put down. "We shall repay you for whatever you can do for us, compadre.
It's true we a;ready owe you for many things, but your comadre and I will do all
we can indeed to repay you."
...Suddenly he began wondering hoe Jose would move about in Ka Ponso's
household, being unaccustomed to so many things there. The boy might even
stumble over a chair and break some dishes...He feared for the boy.
...Julio felt he had nothing more to say, and that he had written the longest letter
in his life... He sat back again and smiled to himself. About six o'clock the following
morning, a boy of twelve was riding a carabao along the river-bed road to town.
He was very puny load on carabao's broad back.
Walking close behind the carabao, the father did not cross the stream but only
stood there by the bank. "Mind to look after the letter," he called out from where
he was. "Do you have it there, in your shirt pocket?"
The boy fumbled for it. When he had found it, he said, "No, Tatay, I won't lose it."

...Then Julio started to walk back to his house, thinking of the worl that awaited
him in his clearing that day...
...Jose grew suddenly curious about the letter he carried in his shirt pocket. He
stopped his carabao under a shady tree by the roadside.
A bird sang in a bush nearby. Jose could hear it even as he read the letter,
jumping from word to word, for him the dialect was quite difficult. But as the
meaning of each sentence became clear to him, he experienced a curious
exultation. It was as though he were the happiest boy in the world and that the
bird was singing for him. He heard the rumbling of the stream faraway. There he
and his father had parted. The world seemed full of bird song and music from the
stream.
 Enrichment Activity
1. Characterize the father in the story.
2. How important is education as reflected in the story?
3. Relate this story to your own story.

REFERENCES

Enriquez, Delia C. (2006). Philippine Literature: A Regional Approach. National

Bookstore: Mandaluyong City, Philippines.

Patron, Ida Yap (2002). Interactive Reading-Responding to and Writing About the
Philippine Literature. Great Books Trading: Quezon City.

https://stories-in-the-sand.blogspot.com/2007/06/happiest-boy-in-world-by-nvm-
gonzalez.html