Tausi-on is a small barangay,  or village...

The road to Tausi-on 

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We cross two streams, walk thru the rice fields, and go thru Tausi-on gamay. (little) It is a arduous trek, uphill most of the way. For an extra 20 peso (50c) the driver will go around the back way to Tausi-on, Daku, (big). But who has 50c for just one more mile?

Years ago, the original road that went all the way into the barrio was lost in a series of storms and earthquakes and the government doesn't seem to want to repair it.  The barangay is now divided into three parts. It's a difficult hike up and down hill, and when it rains the mud is unbelievable. What remains of the road runs past the Community Center and the Chapel, and near brother-in-law Flor's Home. Flor and Ernie (Florencio & Ernesta) have six kids, and he takes care of two more. A few years ago Ernie worked for Dinosio Balite and attended U.B. at night. While attending U.B. she met Flor, got married, had six kids, raised a family, and then decided to go back to the University and get her degree. Brother Roberto has generously afforded Ernie the opportunity to go back to college and become a schoolteacher, and she will make all of us proud! Schoolteachers are highly respected and very well paid. President Ramos, in his "Philippines 2000" program had placed great importance in education and no one takes it lightly.  A Housekeeper earns about $25 a month a Registered Nurse, $35, a skilled carpenter, mason, or craftsman makes $5-6 a day, but a schoolteacher earns over $250. a month. Teachers are continually evaluated, trained and the national and provincial qualifications are very difficult. Ernie stays at a rooming house in Tagbilaran and comes home only on weekends.

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THE FAMILY HOME

This house is built on family land and Narcing's younger brother Roberto had Flor & Ernie’s house built. Ernie's father is a carpenter and did most of the work. "Nong Pastor" was amazing, he used handmade bucksaws and block planes, - power tools were nonexistent. The Job has been spread out over four years. After our second trip we decided the house should be finished. Tatay gave Pastor an electric planer, and Flor got a Gas Chain Saw. Last January, Narcing, and I with some of Tatays money began to finish the house. We built a new "dirty Kitchen" and tiled the bathroom and inside kitchen. When we left we arranged to plaster the inside and outside walls and put a terrace/verandah on the front of the house. Brother Roberto, sister Bebie, Tatay and us financed the remaining construction. All we have left to do is glass jalousie windows and a tile floor. In January 99 we hired a mason, and two helpers, a carpenter, and two helpers to do the construction. The labor charge was about $24 per day for everyone. It is customary to include lunch and snacks for the workmen. We hired another man and his sons to carry the materials in from the road, 70 sacks of sand, 15 sacks of cement, re-bar and 500 hollow block.- plywood, lumber, plumbing pipe, electrical wire, steel roofing, nails, paint, you name it. The man and his boys lugged that stuff, one sack at a time. It took four days to bring in everything. We paid the man and his sons about $50. To haul in the materials. In the rain and mud, climbing up hill, and walking about a mile.

The outside in Jan. '99 (before)

 When we went back four months later in May, I helped finish by painting and wallpapering. I started painting the outside and drew a crowd of kids. So just like Tom Sawyer's fence, they all volunteered to help. Narcing started to paint the new kitchen cabinet doors, and John and Jo-Jo finished it. Many hands make light work and the entire job was finished in three days. Nong Pastor made the cabinets. The old counter was plain concrete, and had plastic curtains covering the front. We tiled the counter and went up three feet for a back splash. The new kitchen was added on the back with a concrete counter, wood fire cooking stove, and Bebie donated a propane gas burner. We put in a stainless steel sink, a skylight and lights. Narcing spent her vacation painting and "westernizing" the bathroom. going so far as to install a toilet tissue holder (Wow, real 5-star!)

Narcing on the Verandah, the night before we painted.

Notice the detail work Nong Pastor did.  All the corners are beveled and mitered

Using only hand-made manual tools, Pastor made two benches out of molave.

The legs are mortise and tenon, no nails, screws or glue.

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THE "DIRTY" KITCHEN

Filipino households have what they call a dirty kitchen, It's not really dirty but since they cook with wood fire you don't want all that smoke in your house, so you cook outside. Not a lot of priority is given to the kitchen or the bathroom, they are considered functional and necessary. and they don't waste a lot of time and money on esthetics.

Above left, is a picture of the house before. The kitchen is the small addition to the left rear, with the rusty steel roof. We built the new kitchen out of hollow block and put on a new roof and used two fiberglass panels to serve as a skylight.  Tatay and Nong Pastor are standing in front of the new wood stove.  

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THE "INSIDE" KITCHEN

This serves as the regular kitchen and the dining room. Nong Pastor made the cabinets out of molave, a local tropical hardwood; He hand carved the frames and set mahogany plywood panels inside. We varnished the frames and Ernie wanted the doors painted white. Narcing started to paint the door panels but our nephews John and Jo-Jo decided to finish. We were surprised at how well they did, being very careful not to paint the frames.

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KASILYAS - (The Toilet)

The Bathroom is a functional room in the Filipino house. They keep the door closed at all times. It's usually not some place you would like to spend a lot of time in. Narcing decided she wanted to "westernize" the bathroom. We finished the walls, painted, tiled the whole room about four feet up. Narcing brought towel bars, clothes hooks, new shower curtains, and even a toilet tissue holder. They have a shower, but there is no water pressure. Until we can put up a tank on the roof and a pump to fill it, the shower is the traditional tabo and pail. (Dipper and Bucket)

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THE COMMUNITY: -

Tausi-on is a close community, if you go back far enough you will find that everyone is related somehow. I tease Narcing when she spoke of a cousin's wedding. "Which one is your cousin, the Bride or the Groom?" I asked "Both" was the reply. Years ago, in a small secluded village, on a small Island, most people didn't travel too far.

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CHAPEL SANTA CRUZ

The Community puts a lot of importance on the church. The Chapel plays a very big role in everyone's life. Families take turns, maintaining and cleaning the chapel and providing flowers for the services. There is no priest to say mass except at Fiesta. A lay person conducts the services. Tatay has always been active in the Community and Chapel Band. Every year when he goes home he brings instruments, Last year a saxophone and this year two trumpets.

THE COMMUNITY CENTER

The Community Center was built with donations from each family. Each family donated a tree for lumber and contributed labor. The old road passes in front of the Community Center and goes down hill to the Chapel. In the photo the man is walking on what was the road.

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OLIVE’S SARI-SARI

During Fiesta, sister-in-law Olive, who has a little Sari-Sari store at home in Tagbilaran, decided to open up a branch in Tausi-on. She sold coke, Beer, Tanduay Rum, cigarettes and candy for the kids. Olive did real well; she almost sold out the whole store. Narcing helped out and took turns watching the stock. --- Hey! Got a slurpee machine in there?

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TUBA

Have you heard about tuba? - Well first it's pronounced "too-BAHH". Tuba is the local homemade wine. It's made from the nectar of the coconut flower. You climb a coconut tree, (I don't, but some else will.) and tie the flower closed. The tip of the flower is cut off and a container is placed underneath the flower. Each morning you climb up the tree and drain the little cup. The juice is sweet and very flavorful, it would remind you of grapefruit or sour orange juice. It has a little natural alcohol in it. As the tuba ferments, it gets stronger in alcohol each day until it turns into vinegar. As vinegar it is great for cooking. Ernie made a fantastic salad or pickle with green papaya and tuba vinegar. I enjoyed sipping tuba up until the third day, but by then it was getting really strong. Making Tuba is very common, and during fiesta you see a lot of people selling gallon bottles. The coconut tree will not produce a fruit after you tie off the flower.

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The drink of choice among the men is Tanduay 65 rum. It's only 65 proof, but a pint size bottle cost about 50 cents. The sari-sari store will sell you a bottle of Tanduay, a one liter of coke and loan you a plastic pitcher, and one glass. Together with a package of cigarettes, it will cost less than two dollars and make three or four guys very happy. The other popular drink, if you can't afford Tanduay, is a very nasty, horrible tasting, fortified wine called "KULAFU". Kulafu is about 15% alcohol and comes in a small 8-oz bottle. It’s only ten peso or so and worth every penny. It reminded me of a mixture of Nyquil and Diesel fuel.

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