ALL the COVID-19 quarantines since a year ago, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, discriminated against seniors. The older the senior, the worse was the discrimination!
More seniors will die due to the effects of the Unjust Quarantines than from COVID 19!
The Government, DU30 Administration and its IATF, do things for their convenience rather than for the welfare of the people!
Seniors and specially those over sixty – five, have a shorter lifetime left to do and finish the things that they have to do and finish before they die and leave their families behind.
In my case, I am seventy – two years old. I was born on October 12, 1948.
I initially, went to school from June 1955 to December 1969. I dropped out of college in the second semester of my senior year.
Out of my past fifty – one years, I only worked for a salary for twenty – one years.
For thirty years, I drew down from our family assets. I have much to make up for before I die. Therefore, I cannot retire as of yet!
My biggest single, family asset is tied up by the failed Manosa Properties, Inc. (MPI) Campanilla Lane Condominium (18) and Villa (4) Project, since December 2011.
The promised delivery and turn over date for most of the units was December 2016.
As of today, we have not yet been paid for the bigger part of our property.
Meanwhile, the smaller part has been foreclosed by Luzon Development Bank.
We are now embroiled in five cases in five courts: Quezon City and Paranaque Regional Trial Courts, Human Settlements Adjudication Commission, Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court and the Court of Appeals.
We cannot afford for our ‘padre de familia’ – me to retire and stay at home.
Last week, Monday, March 22, the ‘Mega Manila Bubble’ came down on us.
The term ‘Mega Manila’ started to be used towards the end of the two - decade Marcos Administration and Regime.
It included parts of the neighboring provinces to Metro Manila or the NCR. I do not remember exactly what Provinces or Municipalities were included then.
Today, the bubble includes the National Capitol Region, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite. Thank God! The IATF and its advisers finally found their brains.
There is more people, cargo and vehicle traffic between and among the NCR and these four provinces than between and among these provinces and their neighboring provinces in Regions 3 and 4.
My extended Alcuaz family as well as my wife and in – laws were very much affected by ECQ and Modified ECQ, because we own a farm in Rizal and my wife’s family, Ahorro y Ramos are from Meycauauyan, Bulacan.
Our 59-hectare farm is in the last sitio – Bugarin, of the last barangay – Halayhayin, of the last town – Pililla, of the province of Rizal, between kilometer posts 67 to 68 on the left side (south bound) of the Rizal – Laguna National Highway or Manila East Road.
Along the Laguna the Bay Lake Shore road, the last town is Jala - Jala at the tip of the Jala - Jala peninsula.
Both Jala - Jala and Pililla border on Laguna, the first town of which is Mabitac, followed by Siniloan and Santa Maria and Famy (towards northern Quezon), then by the ‘P’ towns – Paete, Pakil and Pagsanjan.
My parents (Manuel Alcuaz y Tuazon, then sixty and Rosa Araneta y Zaragoza, then fifty - two years old) bought our originally, 152 hectares farm in 1958.
140 hectares came from PAF Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Jonas Victoria and 12 hectares from the Claudio family of Sitio Bugarin. Ninety – two hectares were on the right side and sixty hectares were on the left side.
The larger right side had more trees. My father chose a central position that was covered on two sides by high hills. There he built a round ‘pergola’ type rest house.
Near the then gravel highway, he built a caretaker’s house and a tractor’s garage.
In the summer of 1956, our future caretaker, William Catanes, had volunteered to work for my mother at her portion of Villa Carmelita (her parents pre - World War II summer house), on Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City.
He became the caretaker of our forty hectares farm inside Carmel Farms/Asia Land in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. In 1958, he was transferred to our then new farm in Pililla.
They planted (and lost money) a hundred thousand pineapples in majestic rows that followed the contours of the hills.
The only profit they made was from selling Gladioli Flowers to the two leading flower shops – both owned by Bechaves siblings.
My parents used to go to our farm two to three times a week. I would join them every Saturday while I was in grade and high school. My father died on Sunday, November 29, 1970, a week after Typhoon Yoling’s eye struck the Greater Manila area.
In March 1973, we sold 92 hectares to Federico Campos y Ocampo (FOC) under two corporations.
Sixty - two hectares went to El Rosario Agro – Industrial Corporation (ERAIC), a 100 % Campos family corporation.
Thirty hectares went to Townsite Development Corporation (TDC), which was owned by five persons. We retained sixty hectares. My cousin, Miguel ‘Mike’ Garcia y Alcuaz, bought a hectare from us. (To be continued )