The Early Years Of Alimodian National Comprehensive High School

Alimodian High School 1949 Teachers

The Early Years

             In July 1947, the Alimodian High School was finally opened. Mr. Pedro Robles of Leon, Iloilo was appointed first principal of the high school. Teachers from this place who were teaching in the Iloilo Provincial High School, like Mr. Salvador Amaguin, Mrs. Roqueta T. Belandres and Mr. Felix Amparado were transferred to the new school.
             As expected, numerous problems were faced by the students and teachers at the school opening. The school had to be leveled and the campus had to be fenced. The houses along Alibango Street had to be dismantled and constructed again elsewhere. This seemingly impossible task was accomplished by the pioneer students, numbering 50 headed by the class president, Napoleon Calderon.
             Two years later, a two-room, semi-permanent building was constructed from the pork barrel of the late Cong. Tiburcio Lutero. The Lutero building was located where the concrete, two-storey administration building presently stands.
            On December 3, 1951, typhoon Amy destroyed the nipa building. As a result classes were congested under the Home Economics building. The school head, Mr. Felipe Toledanes and the Parents-Teachers Association, pooled their resources together and put a semi-permanent Related Subjects Building. In its place today stands an imposing 18 classroom two-storey building which houses the Science, English and Pilipino classrooms.

The Alimodian National Comprehensive High School

Alimodian High School Founders


Alimodian High School pioneer teachers


Introduction
               Immediately after the war, school houses were burned and it was a great undertaking of both the local and national government to rehabilitate them. The War Damage Claim of the Alimodian Central Elementary School helped a lot in reconstructing it. But it was a different case for the secondary education in the community because before the war only cities and capital towns had high schools.
               If the greatest accomplishment of Mayor Simeon Canonero would be singled out, it would be most probably the founding of the Alimodian High School, now, the Alimodian National Comprehensive High School in 1947.
               Right after the end of the Second World War, schools were opened so that students whose studies were interrupted by four years of fighting could finish their respective courses. Since there was no secondary school in town, high school students enrolled either in Oton High School or in the Iloilo Provincial High School. The sad thing about the situation was that transportation facilities were so limited, or at times completely lacking that young people who were earnest enough to obtain an education, had to contend with searing heat of the sun and the heavy rain as they went on foot to their school 25 kilometers away.

Establishment of the Alimodian High School
               Cognizant to the deplorable conditions of the students, municipal officials deemed it wise to put up a regional high school in this town. Mayor Canonero called a session of the Municipal Council and barrio tenientes to ready plans for the founding of an educational institution.
               The main problem by those who attended the meeting was the site of the proposed school. Since the center of the poblacion was already relatively populated and many families would be displaced should the school be built there, it was decided that the school be built in the town’s outskirts like Alibango Street. The main factor in choosing this site was that a wide portion of the school site was owned by the Alderete family. With a big heart, the mayor led the owners of the lots adjacent to the family lot to donate their land. Many donors gave their lots gratis, but some were given lots in Anino Street in exchange for those they donated.
              The major donors of the school site were Mr. Wenceslao Anino, Mrs. Patrocinio Canonero, Mrs. Matilde Alipala, Mrs. Paula Amonoy Calantas, Mrs. Teodosia Amarra, Mrs. Natalia Amparado, Mr. Gregorio Angelitud, Mr. Mauricio Canuto, Mr. Jose Andeo, Mr. Tiburcio Alfiscar, and Mr. Hugo Alfiscar.
              The founders of the school were Mayor Simeon Canonero, Vice Mayor Anacleto Amparo, councilors Wenceslao Anino, Ignacio Amparado, Pablo Albeza, Gabriel Alingasa and Teodosia Amarra.
             Nipa and bamboo were the chief materials used for the construction of the classrooms and the Home Economics building. Mr. Ignacio Amparado, a councilor at that time, lent his personal money for the procurement of the necessary materials. Labor was supplied free by the barrio tenientes and their men and other civic-spirited people in the community.

Mayor Simeon Cañonero Third Term

Canonero’s Third Term 1956-1959

           The people of Alimodian did not have enough of the good works of Mayor Simeon Canonero during the ten years of his incumbency, so they elected him again for the third term beginning in 1956. And he did not disappoint his people because during his last years in office he initiated several endeavors which made the people regard him as one of the best of all mayors ever to serve Alimodian.


Other Projects
            The Puericulture Center that stands to safeguard the health of the residents came into being from the pork barrel allotment of Sen. Quintin Paredes and most of all Cong. Ramon Tabiana, who gave a lot of improvements in the municipality. The prime mover for the project was the mayor’s lady, Mrs. Patrocinio Canonero, the president of the Puericulture Center during the long term of her husband. She was even given an award by the Bureau of Health in Manila as an outstanding puericulture center president.
            During the rainy season, the Aganan River overflowed its banks causing damage to life and property. The administration of Canonero made a plan to deviate its course. However, the people soon realized that redirecting the river bed was not enough as the pressure of the onrushing current often lapped on the bank and diverted the river back to its former course. Therefore, in 1959, a river control was constructed to buffer the impact of the river’s flow. P30,000 from the municipal fund was spent for this project.

Other Improvements
             Several other improvements of the Canonero administration deserve mention. Among these was the repair of the HE Building of the local high school.
            Mayor Canonero was able to improve the town plaza from the amount given by Sen. Mariano Cuenco and Sen. Soc Rodrigo. To complete the Alibango Elementary School, the local government acquired P10,000 funding from the Provincial Board.
            Other notable projects included the repair of roads and bridges, especially in San Sixto, San Modesto and Almacen Streets. Sadly though, these construction works yielded to the test of time and today had been rehabilitated, repaired for a long term use.
             If the most outstanding achievement of Mayor Simeon Canonero would be singled out, it would most probably be the Alimodian National Comprehensive High School which up to this time has sent out alumni who have shone brightly in practically all fields of endeavor. This will be discussed in detail in my next blog.

Mayor Simeon Cañonero Second Term

The Second Term of Mayor Canonero
            Because of exemplary leadership and capability he demonstrated, Canonero gained the people’s confidence. This was manifested when they voted him again mayor in 1951 for the second term of four years. This incumbency proved to be very fruitful just like his first.


The Construction of the Municipal Hall
             The hallmark of the second term of Mayor Canonero is the construction of a permanent municipal hall. Before the war, the municipal building was a modest structure of wood and galvanized iron and it presented vestiges of Spanish rule in the town.
             The total cost of construction reached P65,000, quite a sizeable amount, consider the buying power of the peso during that time. Of this amount P55,000 came from the War Damage Claims. The remaining P10,000 was contributed by Hon. Jose Zulueta from his pork barrel. Today, the Municipal Hall stands proudly by the town plaza.

Infrastructures
               It was also during the time of Canonero when a grandstand was constructed at the Alimodian Central Elementary School costing P15,000 which housed the spectators of the different delegations during the Southern Iloilo Public School Athletic League (SIPSAL). However, age took its toll on the grandstand and it was demolished to give way to the Home Economics building.

Street Lighting
               Alimodian had its first taste of electricity after the war when the street lighting system was put up in the poblacion. Providing the power was the Alimodian Electric Light Service of Mrs. Natalia Amparado, a prominent citizen of Alimodian.

Land Titles were Facilitated by Mayor Canonero
               Even before the outbreak of the war, the land in Alimodian did not have titles, unlike in other towns. To enable the people to contract loans from the bank, there was a felt need for land titles. Mayor Canonero authorized the Certeza Surveying Company to survey the lands in Alimodian. After the owners were given titles, the people could enter into loan agreement with any bank.

Other Improvements
                Another achievement during the second term of Mayor Canonero was the construction of the Home Economics Building at the Alimodian High School. Although, the building is now destroyed and has been replaced by a new one, it served its purpose during its time.

Service to the Barrio
                 While improvements were being undertaken in the poblacion, the barrios were not neglected by Mayor Canonero. One of the projects being undertaken by him was the irrigation canals from a stream to the ricefields in Barrio Coline. The irrigation was a great help to the people in that barrio because before they depended wholly on the blessings of the skies before they could plant their crops.
                 To transport the products from Sulong and Sinamay, the mayor had a feeder road constructed in the amount of P5,000 from the pork barrel of San Quintin Paredes.
                 Because of scarcity of water in the barrios, artesian wells were constructed in Barrio Bancal, Buhay and Alegria Street.

Mayor Simeon Cañonero First Term

1948 Municipal Officials

First Term

The tenure of the officials appointed by the military government was only temporary as the local officials were to be elected by the people in the election of November 1947. Mayor Simeon Canonero and Vice Mayor Anacleto Amparo won in that election.

The councilors who were elected were Ignacio Amparado, Pablo Albeza, Salvador Tolentino, Teodosia Amarra, Wenceslao Anino and Jose Aligaen. The mayor’s secretary was Federico Ambata.

Rehabilitation of Life in the Poblacion

Two years after the Japanese invaders have left, the life of the people was still fraught with vestiges of the war. The routinary life in the community was jolted into wild disarray by the rampaging Japs and the defending Filipino-American combined forces. Because the people had been physically and psychologically fatigued by the war, the government of Mayor Simeon Canonero thought it wise to bring back a semblance of normalcy in the aftermath of the war.

To realize this end, the local government tried its best to request the Treasurer of the Philippines to expedite the redemption of emergency notes so that it would help rehabilitate the people. The redemption of the emergency notes benefitted the populace who were little by little picking up the pieces of their shattered life.

Although, agriculture was the main source of livelihood of the people, production was very low in the late 1940’s. At the same time, capital for production was not available, thus lowering the net yield. There was an acute rice shortage throughout the country and Alimodian suffered the same fate. In this state of crisis Mayor Canonero requisitioned for rice from the NARIC.

To improve the economic life of the people, the Municipal Council passed a resolution requiring owners of vacant lots in the Poblacion to transform them into home gardens. Poultry and swine raising was also encouraged so as to mitigate the lack of livestock for the people’s consumption. The campaign for food production through self-help was successful that in no time Alimodian came to be regarded as the egg basket of Iloilo.

Infrastructure Project

Many of the public structures in the poblacion and barrios became helpless victims of Japanese artillery attacks and arson attempts of the Filipinos forces retaliating maneuvers and the looting sprees of the economically-deprived Alimodiananons and evacuees. During Mayor Canonero’s tenure of office, roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure destroyed during the war were rebuilt and made functional.

From the Philippine War Damage Claim, school buildings in the poblacion and barrios were reconstructed. The rehabilitation of school buildings was given priority because of the surge of enrolment figures after the war and the acceleration program in the elementary schools so that deserving students might be promoted to higher levels and make up for the years wasted during the war. Many of the rooms constructed through the war damage claims still house classes today.

Since roads became virtually impassable, Mayor Canonero requested P10,000 pesos each from the pork barrel of Hons. Camilo Osias, Jose Zulueta, Jose Laurel and Gil Puyat for the asphalting of the provincial road connecting Alimodian to San Miguel. The reconstruction made mobility of people and produce info and out of Alimodian more convenient.

Liberation and the Incumbency of Mayor Canonero

Mayor Simeon Canonero
Vice Mayor Anacleto Amparo

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Introduction

               The Second World War ended by the signing of the Japanese surrender document aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The whole country lay prostrate with practically all buildings down to the ground. Thousands of people were homeless and the Alimodiananons were no exception.

               There was destruction of farms, work animals, machinery, buildings, roads, bridges and more important is the loss of thousands of lives. There was no production during the first months of the liberation. The problems that confronted the government were a challenge to the statesmanship of President Sergio Osmena (pronounced as Osmenya) and to the courage and spirit of cooperation among the people. Alimodian was a no man’s land when the country was liberated. Houses were burned and demolished. When the people returned to town after peace was proclaimed, they have to live in makeshifts of bamboo and nipa just to have shelter over their heads.

                The American government had its share of the damages brought about by the war. The people were paid by the American government in the form of reparations. In addition to this payment, guerilla notes issued during the war were redeemed.

                 In order to make the government responsive to the needs of the people, the local government was reorganized in March 1945, Mayor Felix Altura, who was the mayor before the war and during the war years, came back to office until the military government appointed Simeon Cañonero ( pronounced as Canyonero) as mayor on May 15, 1946. His vice mayor was Anacleto Amparo and the councilors were Gelacio Allones, Wenceslao Anino, Teodosia Amarra, Pablo Albeza and Clara Alegrado.

                  Mayor Canonero is the municipal mayor who has served the town the longest, two years as appointed by the military authorities and three terms of four years each as elected by the people. His good deeds and accomplishments endeared him to the people who remember him as one of the best administrators the town ever had.

Death Casualties (Alimodiananons) During World War II

“They died so others may live”

Note:


Name of Officer
Rank
Date of Death
Place of Death

Philippine Army

Killed in Action (KIA):

Officers:
1. Alvior, Jose G. - Major, Inf. 3 March 1944, Sitio Balwa, Alimodian, Iloilo
2. Rosario, Marcelo del - 1st Lt. ,Inf. 17 April 1944, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
3. Amuan, Esperidion - 3rd Lt., Inf. 14 March 1945, Pipi Hill, Tigbauan, Iloilo


Enlisted Men:
1. Alcarioto, Clemente - Pvt. Inf. 29 June 1944, Dumo-ong Hill, Janiuay, Iloilo
2. Alcudia, Felix - Pvt. Inf. 17 August 1943, Alimodian, Iloilo
3. Alegrado, Baldomero - S/Sgt. Inf. 4 March 1943, Cabatuan, Iloilo
4. Alingalan, Manuel - Pvt. Inf. 27 June 1944, Cabatuan, Iloilo
5. Allonar, Emilio - Pfc. Inf. 23 March 1945, Alimodian, Iloilo
6. Amodia, Filemon - Pv. CWS, 3 June 1943, Passi, Iloilo
7. Andam, Pedro - Pvt. Inf., 28 June 1944, Janiuay, Iloilo
8. Anglacer, Miguel - Pvt. Inf., 20 April 1944, Alimodian, Iloilo
9. Cordero, Bernardino - Pvt. MC, 1943, Alimodian, Iloilo
10. Esconde, Leopoldo - Pfc. FA, 15 May 1945, Liwit, Tangkalan, Bukidnon


Captured by the Enemy and Killed:

Officer:
1. Salarda, Cornelio - 3rd Lt. Inf., 9 June 1944, Barbaza, Antique

Enlisted Men:
1. Alminaza, Vicente - Pfc. Inf., 21 October 1943, Cabatuan, Iloilo
2. Almira, Angel - Pfc. Inf., 1 March 1943, Alimodian, Iloilo
3. Alvior, Benjamin V. - M/Sgt., Inf., 17 February 1943, Bo. Natividad, Iloilo
4. Amoto, Federico - Pvt., Inf., 1942, Mindanao
5. Rodriguez, Antero - Pvt., Inf. 25 November 1942, Alimodian, Iloilo



U.S. Navy & Philippine Scouts, U.S. Army

1. Calderon, David, USN - POW, 21 September 1942, Camp Odonnel, Capas, Tarlac
2. Tolentino, Enrique, PS - KIA, 1942, Bataan
3. Tolentino, Filemon, PS - POW, 20 May 1942, Camp Odonnel, Capas, Tarlac



Legend:

KIA – Killed in Action

POW – Prisoner of War