We christened Zanjoe Marudo as Calauag Boy because he has roots as well in the historic town of the Moratos.
Calauag has always been associated with Tomas Morato who was a former mayor of the town in the early American period. Tomas was a son of a sailor from Alicante, Spain and as such, he was brought to the coastal community of Calauag by his father who was a frequent visitor at the port. Tomas grew up in Calauag and got romantically involved with women from the town, one of them Consuelo Lim who was Manuel Morato’s mom.
Rosanna Acuesta Marudo—the late mother of Zanjoe—hailed from Calauag before she settled in Tanauan City in Batangas.
Osang, as Rosanna was fondly called, shared the same historical and generational experiences of Calauagueños and Calauagueñas in learning the life stories of the Moratos. Osang was also witness to the existence of the huge, white house of the Moratos in a hilltop overlooking Calauag Bay.
It’s quite interesting to note that Zanjoe has been frolicking of late in the pathways and wilds of Batangas and the misty roads of Baguio by marathon and biking with his buddies at the D Lady Road Trip, why can’t he explore the sunny side and virginal forests of Calauag where his roots are.
Anyway, Calauag misses him so much they only see him virtually.
Remember when his mom Osang who was still alive then and other kith and kin from the town—including journalist Sol F. Juvida—mounted a garage sale as a fundraiser for their org, all the personal items courtesy of Zanjoe (t-shirts, shoes, pants etc., however slightly used) were all sold out.