My Life by Salvador "Doring" Labis Caragos

I came to life with Gods blessings from parents Eleuterio Janson Caragos and Carmen Yatan Labis. Papa was born in Barili, Cebu while mama was born in Pardo, Cebu City. I learned that my father is the only son of Cenon and Dora Janson Caragos. Known relatives from my fathers’ side are the Godinez and Kimseng families at D.Jakosalem st., Cebu City, and the family of the late Dr. Jesus Paras, a dentist from Barili.

I got married to Rosalinda Marfori Picardal, daughter of Miguel Burgos Picardal of Iligan City and Adelina Neri Marfori of Cagayan de Oro City. We met in Cebu while she was a student of St. Theresa’s College and was the cashier of their family business, the Tropical Feed Mill. I was then the Cashier of the First Insular bank of Cebu. We got married in 1965 at Sacred Heart Church, Jakosalem St., Cebu City. We only have Ninong Jesus Martinez, President of First Insular Bank of Cebu, and Madame Elsa P. Pelaez, owner of Liceou University of Cagayan de Oro City.

Melanie Rosalind, our first child, studied at the XU. She wanted to be a doctor and she went to UP as she passed the entrance examination, but before she could enroll, my wife Linda and I decided to bring her back to CDO for financial reasons. She obediently agreed although we knew that deep in her heart she wanted to become a doctor and she could be a good doctor someday. She enrolled at XU and finished college of commerce major in accounting, She took the board and passed the CPA examinations. She worked with SGV and met her future husband, Raymund Talimio, Jr. They married in 1991. Both of them are Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and have their own accounting firm. Their Children are Roselynne Ray, a 3rd year college Bsbio, Rosamund Ray, 4th year high school, Melrose Ray, 2nd year high school and Carmel Ray Marie, three years old.

Kerwin Salvador, the only boy graduated from XU college of commerce, business management and is taking charge of our jewelry business, took up law for two years and is graduating from his masteral studies. He is married to Odette Leh Valduhueza, MA and a Dr. of Management. She is on her third year college of Law. They have three children, Katrina Dominique, 1st grade, Kristina Danika, Kinder 2, Kara Daniela, kinder 1.

Stephanie Rosalind, is still single and is an IT graduate from XU. She now owns Syntactics, a website and software development firm along Velez St.,Cagayan de Oro City with 65 employees and also president of Asia Pacific Telecenter, call center with 28 personnel at the Trafalgar Square Bldg., Salcedo ST., Makati, Metro Manila. She is an awardee of a prestigious award for information technology and she received it in Malaysia. She is featured in an American book “YOUNG WORLD RISING” the only Filipina mentioned in two pages. about information technology due to her project-LET IT HELP, catering to poor but deserving students.

Leilani Rosalind, graduated from the Dr. Jose Rizal College of Medicine, Xavier University. She is still single, Dr. Of Medicine, now a resident physician at the Mambajao General Hospital but will take up her residency for specialization in Cebu or Manila in July. She will be getting married to a doctor, Dr. Deaver Merin of Tacloban Leyte in May, 2010.

I know more members of the family from my mothers’ side because I grew up with them. My grandpa Tatay Angie (Angel) is a native of Pardo, from the Abellanosa Clan and also from Carcar, Cebu of the Labis clan. He is the grandson of Kabesa Juan Labis who donated the land for the cemetery and church of El Pardo. His parents are Dionisio and Martina Abellanosa Labis. Grandma Ulak (Eulalia) Yatan from Liloan, Cebu. Grandma was of a Chinese descent, hence some of us have Chinese features.

I have three sisters, Felicitas, Concepcion, and Nenita. Concepcion died while still a baby. Felicitas (Etas) got married to Jose Castanares of Pardo. They have the following children: Nilda, a public school teacher, Judith, BSC graduate married to Boy Barte, with 6 children; Oliver married to Vicky, they have 4 children; Cesar married to Mildred Pimentel with two children.; Susan got married to Edward, no children; Marivic and Christie, both are still single.

Nenita got married to Percival Canizares of Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte. Their children are Milagros, married to Chito Reyes with two children; Allan married Shalimar Bolon, with one child; Garry, married Josephine with two children and Noel who got married to Annie with two children are now residing in Singapore.

My mother, Carmen, eldest of their family, have the following sisters and brother. 1-Hilaria married to Juan Ginoo and upon his death, she married again to Filomeno Balaba. 2. Candido, married Meling and after her death, he married again to Flora. 3. Vicenta married to Tima Chua. 4. Elena married Lorenzo Ruiz. 5. Dulce married Costantino Normandia. 6. Luisa married Salvador Salazar, a military officer. They have two children in the Military, Salvador (Dodong) Salazar Jr, a Major in the PNP (deceased) and Marlon (Boboy), a Brig. General of the Phil. Army.

I started my elementary school years at the Pardo Elementary School, some two kilometers from our residence. It was a long walk for me as I reached the school after stopping for several times as I was gasping for breath, being asthmatic. Besides, I have to piggy back my own school chair as the school did not have school chairs as it was just after the liberation from the Japanese occupation.

Although asthmatic, I enjoyed gardening, track and field with 100 meter dash as my favorite, and during Saturdays I joined my cousins in bouts of boxing, and on Sundays went out with friends climbing mountains in Badiang, a mountainous area of Pardo. I learned how to weave baskets made out of rattan and coconut midribs, laddle, picture frames, and other industrial arts under the supervision of Mr. Canares. What I am now, I owe so much from my elementary school teachers the likes of Mr. Daria, principal, Miss Pilare, Mrs. Gabiana, Mr. Gabiana, Miss Navarro, Miss Abadia,

As a young boy, I was always in the church, serving the mass with my barkadas, helping the cathechist in teaching the small kids about religion especially during the months of May and June. Ringing the bells at the belfry is our past time, during the KBLs. On weekdays, I have to rise early in the morning to prepare drinking water fetched from covered water well some one half kilometer away from our house.

Gathering gabi tubers and oziman along creeks and rice paddies is one activity that keeps me busy every day for the feeds of my hogs and chicken. Goats I tied in shaded areas and keep them at night. This helps me in my tuition fees until I graduated from college. (note: my great great grand father, Cabesa Juan Labis was so rich that he donated the lot where the church of el Pardo stood and part of the cemetery was also donated.)

Biking is challenging as our barkada of six found thrill passing through wooded areas until we reach a place where there is no other way except to return to where we started. We went to the beach and tied our bikes together under a coconut tree as there were no padlocks at that time. We felt we owned the whole world, without much money but a lot of friends. Now, I only start hearing news of hospitalizations, burial of friends and, oh, I missed a lot of them.


Salvador L. Caragos
April 2009