In Northern Samar

by Nestor Cuartero Books are written and are born usually out of passion. Nowhere can this be truer than in the Philippines where books are seldom produced compared to babies. Not only are the authors of books not well compensated for their efforts, they also end up reading the books they wrote by their lonesome. Rarely seen barrio scene in this day and age: women washing clothes in clean river. Rarely seen barrio scene in this day and age: women washing clothes in clean river. During book launches, guests often expect authors to give them a signed copy or two of their creations, as if they were ordering a takeout of leftover kakanin from the party. That’s the sorry state of book publishing and the sorrier state of reading in this country. Nevertheless, it is no reason for someone like Mio Galit de la Cruz, formerly a journalist, operator of a printing press, businessman, and romantic, to work ferociously and painstakingly on a dream project of his. Mio has paid tribute to his home province by launching a 216-page, 10” by 13”, full-color coffee table book called Northern Samar: Our Home, which he himself produced in cooperation with a brother of his, Judge Eugenio G. de la Cruz. Faced with the tempting possibility of hooking up with local politicians, which is the common formula in such book formats, the de la Cruz brothers went ahead to bankroll the project themselves to make sure that there would be no strings attached to the writing of the book. The result is a wonderful, up close and personal view of Northern Samar as experienced by Mio and his wife, Jesselyn Garcia-de la Cruz, who is the book’s editor. The peripatetic couple travelled the width and breadth of Northern Samar, covering all of its 24 towns, including its remotest villages by car, bus, jeepney, boat, motorcycle (across shallow rivers), and at times, even on foot. Jesselyn recalls an episode when the two of them fell off a motorcycle while traversing a particularly challenging trail. Or when they had to take a seven-hour river boat ride to one of the province’s far-off towns. Lone tree stands witness to natural beauty of Northern Samar coastline. Lone tree stands witness to natural beauty of Northern Samar coastline. That journey ended with one of the most gratifying scenes they have ever witnessed, an awesome spread of pink and white beaches and rock formations, the most amazing waterfalls, and the cheapest seafood on earth. In his preface to the book, Mio writes that it was his wife’s companionship and endearing enthusiasm for everything and anything about Samar island that made the task of writing painless and easy. It helped that the both of them were blessed with a sense of adventurism that took them out of their comfort zones in Manila to rugged, out-of-the-way places. In the two years that they spent researching, interviewing, and taking pictures for the book, the couple mingled with local folk, fishermen, farmers, professionals, priests, old people who recounted to them oral histories of their origins. The de la Cruz brothers are two of seven children by Hermito C. de la Cruz and Gloria C. Galit, both originally from Laoang town. The brothers credit their parents for instilling in them love of the home province. Judge Eugenio writes in the book’s foreword: ‘’Through almost eight decades of their mortal years, they always talked about Samar in all its beauty and splendor…. My parents always spoke of Laoang as their home.’’ Mio adds that his mother always advised them even while they had moved to Manila in the 1960s, ‘Go home to Samar.’ They also always spoke to them in Waray dialect. In the old days, says Mio, the place located at the northeast side of Samar island was known as Ibabao, while the rest was called Samar. Ibabao was removed from the map in 1768 when Spanish authorities decreed to make Samar and Leyte two distinct provinces. Ibabao soon became Northern Samar, and its residents were called Nortehanon. Northern Samar is composed of 24 municipalities, 20 of which are located in the mainland while four are island municipalities. Sixteen of the 20 municipalities are coastal towns, with some of their barangays located in separate small islands. Even when they are on the mainland, the interior communities are tucked away in hilly and rugged terrain that can only be reached by habal-habal or motorcycle and a measure of baktas (trekking). Moss-covered Spanish stone church lends romance to unexplored village. Moss-covered Spanish stone church lends romance to unexplored village. Years, decades of neglect, marked by insurgency, have connived to create an image of Samar that is not only poor but also unsafe to outsiders such as tourists. Many of the province’s roads need repair, rehabilitation, if not outright paving or ground-breaking. Measured in terms of per capita income, Northern Samar is one of the most impoverished provinces in the country. As Mio notes in the book, however, people don’t go hungry in Northern Samar because there’s an abundance of food from fishing and farming. There is, however, an upside to underdevelopment. Northern Samar’s natural environment has been kept intact come hell or high water. Its lush forest covers, pristine water resources, untouched rock formations, preserved mangroves are a sight to behold. The absence of massive industries and infrastructure has sealed Northern Samar’s virgin island status. Nevertheless, through this elegant coffee table book that captures the life and times, history and culture of the province, outsiders are invited to discover and appreciate for themselves the natural beauty and wonder of Northern Samar, home to half a million friendly people known collectively as the Nortehanons with a passion.