HIGH SCHOOL
Though Religion is NOT the only thing that influenced our choice of secondary school in the 1960s and 1970s, looking back now, it is clear that it was the main factor.
Two High Schools:
Aloran High School (AHS), a public one, renamed Aloran National High School (ANHS) and eventually its status upped and became Aloran Trade High School (ATHS) and St Matthew's High School (SMHS), run by the Catholic Church.
Back then we simply refer to AHS, public or simply high school and SMHS, private.
Going to which was almost pre-destined.
Catholics go to SMHS, non-Catholics to AHS.
There were few exceptions.
One of the brightest in my class comes from a devout RC family, but both parents were public school teachers and presumably, the AHS Principal must have twisted some arms.
There were a few others in similar circumstance.
Conversely, some non-Catholics went to SMHS.
One I know was staying with his aunt, a Catholic and the others live few steps from the school.
I am a classic example of this.
I live one-hundred meters from SMHS, yet chose to walk five-hundred to AHS, because I am not Catholic.
Then, the name-calling.
SMHSians mock AHSians 'latak' and AHSians mock them back 'bulgor'.
Latak is the process of preparing a field for rice planting and AHS had a good-size field fronting it.
Though 'latak' was no longer required when I started high school, the name-name stuck.
'Bulgor' on the other hand is grain (similar to rice), that with yellow corn, flour, lard and some dairy products the church receives from the US-CARE (Committee on American Relief Everywhere) periodically.
But why 'bulgor' when there were other too? Your guess is as good as mine.
This naming name thing must have hardened some wills that for a long time no one did anything about it, until,
AHS and SMHS Class (NOT Batch) 1972 reckoned it's about time for 'Bulgor' and 'Latak' to sign a peace treaty, bringing the two in one time and space happy circumstance.
A Joint AHS-SMHS Class1972 Golden Anniversary Reunion was concocted.
And on September 18th, 2022, at Suico Beach in Tawi-tawi, Aloran, attended by around one-hundred Golden Anniversarians, mentors and guests, a dream to many, now a reality!
To paraphrase Al Paderanga (though he wasn't at the Event), finally, Latak and Bulgor are united, happily celebrating their Golden Anniversary.
The first of its kind and hopefully won't be the last.
And indeed, it wasn't the last of AHS-SMHS CLASS1972.