Peñaranda is a fourth class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija. It is a laidback, sleepy town where every element of countryside living is present. For one, it has an old church with a sickeningly familiar plaza in front, post-war schools that have withstood the test of times, old houses lining the narrow streets, farms that grow vegetables, root crops and fruit trees, and a green-ish river (that turns chocolate brown after the rain!) with a decent irrigation system that benefits land tillers and their rice fields. Its old world charm, the touch of modernity that goes with age and the increasing diversity of people who live here are what breathe life to the town each passing day.
irrigation system in Peñaranda, built in the 1920's
Peñaranda is where my father was born. My grandfather (who's in heaven for years now) was a native of this town. When I was a kid, I had this notion that he knew all the stories and secrets of the town because he would always tell me countless stories about his Spanish ancestors, his early life and Peñaranda during World War II. He really knew a lot. I guess half of my knowledge about our town came from him.
My siblings and I spent our childhood years playing on the streets of Peñaranda. This was where I gained a lot of kalaro or playmate. This was also where we started attending school. We left the town when my family moved to Rizal in 1997 and later on in Cavite in 1999.
These days, I only get to visit my native town during special occasions and whenever I have to secure copies of my civil documents for varied purposes. The last time I went there was November of last year, and I brought my Superfriend along with me. It was one pleasurable trip that we both enjoyed. We visited the area where the irrigation system is located and took photos as souvenirs:
prior to our Peñaranda visit, we met up with my bestfriend Leah in Cabanatuan City that's just a 45-min. jeepney ride from Peñaranda
our afternoon snack in one the little eateries in town
NE stands for Nueva Ecija, they make good brownies
Personally for me, the trip was more of a reunion with the place that bore witness to my transformation from an innocent, cheerful kid to an ambitious teenager with insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Over the years, there have been quite a few developments in Peñaranda. During our day trip, I saw a couple of new houses, several establishments and some enterprise, all of them markers of progress. It's a sad fact though that after almost a decade since the day I left for college, its socio-economic status has barely changed. It's evident in the familiar faces of its inhabitants.
Hopefully, in the years ahead, I'd see more improvements in my native town...and I have in some way contributed to it. :)
Peñaranda is where my father was born. My grandfather (who's in heaven for years now) was a native of this town. When I was a kid, I had this notion that he knew all the stories and secrets of the town because he would always tell me countless stories about his Spanish ancestors, his early life and Peñaranda during World War II. He really knew a lot. I guess half of my knowledge about our town came from him.
My siblings and I spent our childhood years playing on the streets of Peñaranda. This was where I gained a lot of kalaro or playmate. This was also where we started attending school. We left the town when my family moved to Rizal in 1997 and later on in Cavite in 1999.
These days, I only get to visit my native town during special occasions and whenever I have to secure copies of my civil documents for varied purposes. The last time I went there was November of last year, and I brought my Superfriend along with me. It was one pleasurable trip that we both enjoyed. We visited the area where the irrigation system is located and took photos as souvenirs:
Personally for me, the trip was more of a reunion with the place that bore witness to my transformation from an innocent, cheerful kid to an ambitious teenager with insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Over the years, there have been quite a few developments in Peñaranda. During our day trip, I saw a couple of new houses, several establishments and some enterprise, all of them markers of progress. It's a sad fact though that after almost a decade since the day I left for college, its socio-economic status has barely changed. It's evident in the familiar faces of its inhabitants.
Hopefully, in the years ahead, I'd see more improvements in my native town...and I have in some way contributed to it. :)
Get the latest updates on the Life of a Breadwinner by subscribing to my RSS feeds. This entry was posted
on 14 January 2009
at Wednesday, January 14, 2009
and is filed under
Day Trips,
Life,
Nueva Ecija,
Personal Reflections,
Peñaranda,
Towns
.
