My 2015 Holiday in the Philippines

By Renato Perdon
Sydney, Australia
January 11, 2016



Now being the eldest in the Regino Perdon branch of the Perdon family of Nabua, Camarines Sur, I spent part of my 2015 holiday with the last line members of the Perdon family still living in Caramoan, Camarines Sur. It is this part of the Perdon family that my father, a pioneer educator trained under the tutelage of last batch of the American ‘Thomasites’ who started carrying the surname Perdon.

Regino Perdon, the American trained pioneer Filipino teacher under the so-called the ‘Thomasite’ project of the then American Civil government helped bring education to the remote areas and to teach in barrio classrooms.

By his fourth year as school teacher in 1923, only 22 years of age, he became part of the 98.5% Filipino educators who were taking over from the American teachers educating his compatriots.

As it turned out later,  the young public school teacher became a single father to my eldest brother Bonifacio Perdon, Sr. or Manoy Pacio. The Perdon family expanded from this branch of the Perdon family tree, extending as far as Italy, Australia, USA, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, andCanada.

I arrived in Manila on 14 December from Sydney and I was joined by my great grandnephew, a grandson of my eldest brother Manoy Pacio of Bikal, Caramoan, Camarines Sur, on their way back to Bicol. My great grandnephew, Rey Anthony Perdon and son Ryan Perdon, were in Manila to purchase a new machine/motor for their outrigger which is being used for island-hopping business for tourists visiting the different islands of Caramoan.

During that first day in Manila while Rey Anthony and his friend were in Quiapo looking for the type of machine/motor needed,  Ryan and his eleven year old cousin, actually his uncle Garbriel Qito Perdon, son of my nephew Edwin Perdon were enjoying the hotel facilities I stayed in. Both youngsters spent their time at the hotel swimming pool.

The Manila travel of the father and son was also timely to collect the rest of the copies of Caramoan, The Paradise of Bicol which came out a few months earlier but copies were still at the printer’s warehouse in Manila. Also other of my books that could be sold among tourists in Caramoan. The little book is intended for tourists visiting the remote town of Caramoan. Father and son are very much engaged in the island-hopping activities for the tourists, even the second son is now being trained for the family business.

After more than ten hours drive leaving Manila on 15 December at almost midnight due to coding system being implemented in Metro Manila, and with one tire replacement midway along the highway, part of the Quezen Province, we arrived in Durungan, the old place of my eldest brother by midday.

It is now where Rey Anthony’s family live. For the first time, I was introduced to the youngest member of the Perdon family who was given the name Renato Anthony Perdon, and called as Renato sadit (small Renato) in Bicol and was born early last year. The rest of the day were spent with my great grandnephews and a grandniece called Princess Bernadette Perdon, a precocious little girl who is known to everyone in the small sitio by the sea. The little girl runs around in all directions like a mechanised little doll, specially when mother and elder brothers were busy, but everyone is watching her like elder relatives protecting her and taking or snatching her back to where the remaining Perdon family live.

We had a fishing selfie shot taken at the little pier of Durungan. Looking at the shots, they look real to me, but where are the product of such fishing expedition?

On the second day Rey Anthony received a call from one of the hotels informing him of a couple of groups of tourists booked for island-hopping tours. Rey Anthony mobilised his crew, while Ryan, assisted by his eleven year old little brother, Junior, prepared another outrigger for their own trips, while their mother was busy preparing food needed by the two crews who would take their tourists to various Caramoan Islands.

The following day we had a children’s party attended by the youngest, from 7 months old to 16 years old, members of the Perdon family of Caramoan. We had a film showing of Lola Basyang for the children’s entertainment, while the rest were busy partaking with  simple food hurriedly prepared for the occasion. It was an opportune time to meet up with the younger members of the Perdon family, only disturb occasionally by the brown outs that cause stoppage of the film showing, but this disturbances only last a few minutes and the light back again.

On Monday, early in the morning, with Rey Anthony, we were brought to the Guijalo Port to take our boat ride to Sabang where Prosy, youngest daugther of Manoy Pacio, now married and live in the town of San Jose, was waiting with few other members of the Perdon clan anxious to see the eldest member of the Regino Perdon branch of the Perdon clan, that’s me.

I bade goodbye to Prosy and Rey Anthony when we reached the Pili Aiport for my flight back to Manila. It was worth the trip.