by: Lumad Aloranon
THE MOTIVATION!
True, one can never have too-much fun flying kites, playing marbles, rubber band, singgam, pretending to be Filipino or Japanese soldier in guerra-guerra, and many more than I care to count.
But what about having fun and earn bucks doing it?
My father works as a security guard at a desiccated-coconut factory next town and every six months or so, truckloads of coconut shells, bagol, are dumped home.
My home-maker mother taught me how to make coal, uling from it. Though labor-intensive, the money was good.
At 10 centavos per ganta, 3 for 25 centavos, business was lucrative.
But where is the fun?
Two blocks before you get to the mercado on the main street, was a tailoring shop. The master-cutter-tailor was said to be the best in the province such that shop-owners from other towns have been trying to pirate him.
As a die-hard Aloranon, he decided to stay-put, and make his fellow Aloranons look good before anyone else.
Some folks told us kids that this guy was also a master shine-shoe boy in his teens. One day, we actually got the chance to have an audience with the master.
He spoke like a guest speaker in a high school graduation. He mentioned about going to places as far away as Davao City, Cotabato City and Pagadian.
Back in those days, going to those far-flanged places was like going overseas. This guy was already an OFW, before we even heard of places like the Middle East and the backdoor.
With the money he and his buddies raked, siopao and Royal True Orange, yeah, the same Royal True Orange your mother gets you only when you are sick, were no luxury.
He was quite an inspiration!
I wanted to travel and have siopao and Royal True Orange too, and so do the other boys.
The few, the proud, the Aloranon Shine-shoe boys!
We started with a few. But as soon as the rest came to grasp the idea that one can have fun and make bucks, many jumped into the bandwagon.
Walter Buendia, Noe Gonzaga, Zardo Roa, Cocoy Bongalo, Vic Cajita, Dodong Florito, Cocoy Gabriel, Abay Jerusalem and I were among the pioneers.
Then at a later stage, Uly Barquin, Gilbert Galon, Emy Yukoya and many others drafted themselves.
I know there were others who deserve to be in the A-List. Time has really taken toll in my CPU.
My apologies.
THE WIDGETS!
A box, Typically made of thin wood and plywood, but pine wood, palo-china is best. A foot long, four inches wide at the base, three inches wide on top and say nine inches high. Fully cover the back with plywood. Make the lid on the other side, to close/open the box. Create a shoe-shape handle that is where also the customer rests his shoe.
Inside the box:
Shoe polish, The only brand we knew then was Lion. Kiwi might have been available already, but we never heard of it. It comes in black, brown, red, tan and neutral, and contained in circular tin boxes.
Langking, It is a 2-inch long X ΒΌ-inch thick stick. It comes only in black. Wet the bottom part lightly then stick it inside the cover of your box.
Jubos, Color powder sold in sachet. It comes in black, red and white (white though is separately called kal). Place it in a bottle, pour water and shake before use.
Water, A bottle of clear water.
Toothbrush, You can use your sisters, but be sure to return it washed and dry after use.
Scuba, Shoe brush.
Woolen cloth, Eighteen inches long X four inches wide.
White cotton cloth, Eighteen inches long X four inches wide. Scotia is preferred brand but Violin is a good alternative.
Cardboard, Two pieces, each 3-inch X 3-inch.
and a Wooden seat, bangko.
PAGAKPAK
Preferred by customers on budget or in-a-hurry or both. A pair costs only 15 centavos.
The customer takes seat, rests one foot on the shoe-rest, the other on your partners if you are working with one.
Open your box, get the cardboards out and place them on both sides of the customers foot to protect his socks from the shoe polish (mandatory if socks are white).
Use your scuba to remove dust from the shoes.
Wash shoes with either langking or jubos( kal for white shoes only).
Langking, black only.
Pour clean water into a container (the lid of the shoe-polish box is commonly used).
Dip toothbrush in water and rub to langking.
Apply to all the shoe surfaces then wipe shoes dry.
Jubos/Kal, use water if right-color jubos is not available.
Pour jubos into a container (the lid of the shoe-polish box is commonly used).
Or dip toothbrush in bottle containing jubos.
Apply to all the shoe surfaces then wipe shoes dry.
Wrap your index and middle fingers together with cotton cloth, and evenly spread polish on its surface.
Apply shoe polish evenly. For white shoes, use neutral color, for purple, nilumboy, mix black and red.
Wait a few seconds until polish is dry.
Use scuba to brush shoes until a glow is visible.
Then apply the finishing-touch, the woolen blanket. Hold on both sides and rub to the shoe surfaces until brand-new gloss shows.
Hit the back of your shoe-box with scuba, producing the 15 centavos sound, tak tata ta tak, tak tak! Loud enough to wake customer up from his slumber.
Customer stands up, dips in his packet for 15 centavos and there goes a happy chap!
SAROL
Preferred by customers bag-o lang nahalinan ug lubi. A pair costs outrageous 30 centavos.
The customer takes seat, rests one foot on the shoe-rest, the other on your partners if you are working with one.
Open your box, get the cardboards out and place them on both sides of the customers foot to protect his socks from the shoe polish (mandatory if socks are white).
Use your scuba to remove dust from the shoes.
Wash shoes with either langking or jubos( kal for white shoes only).
Langking, black only.
Pour clean water into a container (the lid of the shoe-polish box is commonly used).
Dip toothbrush in water and rub to langking.
Apply to all the shoe surfaces then wipe shoes dry.
Jubos/Kal, use water if right-color jubos is not available.
Pour jubos into a container (the lid of the shoe-polish box is commonly used).
Or dip toothbrush in bottle containing jubos/
Apply to all the shoe surfaces then wipe shoes dry.
Wrap your index and middle fingers together with cotton cloth, and evenly spread polish on its surface.
Apply shoe polish evenly. For white shoes, use neutral color, for purple, nilumboy, mix black and red.
Wait a few seconds until polish is dry.
Use scuba to brush shoes until a glow is visible.
Apply another layer of polish evenly and wait a few seconds until polish is dry.
Then apply the finishing-touch.
Wrap your index and middle fingers with clean white cotton cloth and evenly spread polish on its surface.
Put a few drops of water on it then stroke a few times with scuba.
Stroke shoe with your wrapped fingers in a circular motion until glass-glossy.
Dili katugdunan ug langaw, ang langaw madakin-as or others would say kapanaminan gyud.
Hit the back of your shoe-box with scuba, producing the 30 centavos sound, tak tata ta tak, tak tak! Loud enough to wake customer up from his slumber.
Customer stands up, dips in his packet for 30 centavos and there goes another happy chap!
BLACK AND WHITE
Working on it is so laborious.
Pay is double. They were the classic, not many though.
Some were probably inherited and some perhaps were bought for their funeral, hopefully not in the foreseeable-future (para haya).
THE NO NO
Putting a few drops of gasoline in water and polish used to apply the finish touch would add luster to the shoes. But, in the long run it will ruin the leather.
That is cheating. It is a shine-shoe career-ender.
SUTA-AY
This applies only to sarol mode. You and your partner works on each foot. The side which has the more shine, gets to finish the other guys work to match his, but gets the whole booty.
I was lucky to have partnered with the Cum Laude(s).
They will make me work on my side fast to the best that I could then stop.
They will then work their side on matching my shine.
CUM LAUDE(s)
I wish there were independent judges those days.
It would have made this part easy for me.
It is difficult to say who is Summa, who is Magna.
But among us, I pick four who can easily wear the big shoes, they are
Walter Buendia
Cocoy Bongalo
Noe Gonzaga and
Florito Undag (may God grant you eternal peace, Dong!)
THE PERKS
There were two movie houses in Oroquieta those days.
Oro and Gem Theatres.
Some years later, New Oro was added.
A ticket for a double-program costs twenty-five centavos and the bus-fare was five.
Thirty-five centavos was all you need to enjoy a double-program.
Featured program was typically changed weekly. That gives us ample time to do our trade.
After the movie, we then get by Filipino Bakery or La Cavitenia Bakery for a Technicolor pie made of pan bahaw and of-course, Royal True Orange.
We were in heaven!
TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES
Our favourite hang-out is the Municipal Plaza. On a typical Monday, we have the municipal officials and employees in queue.
It is their look-good day. We wished, everyday was a look-good day!
On a quiet day, we go around offering home service.
Sunday was always a good day. There are five churches within walking-distance from our favourite hang-out.
Remember? When you have a new shirt, a new pants and even more so, a new pair of shoes, you have to wear it first time to church so it would last a life-time, a long time at least.
Well, your shoes might actually last a long time, but the Shine-shoe boys can help make your them last for your grandchildren to
.is that Lolos shoes?
.that is a silly-looking shoes!
.did he actually wear that?
Aloran then was not big enough for dayo to ply their trade.
During fiestas though, dayo from Oroquieta are seen around. I do not say they were openly welcome, but hey, there was buck for everyone!
Saturday is payday at Red V in Talairon, Oroquieta. It was always a frenzy for me and my partner, Abay Jerusalem.
Here, we are the dayo. Though I got the feeling that we were not welcome in their territory, the sheer size of the market might have made them think there is buck for everyone.
And since my father works there, we had the duopoly on my fathers friends shoes.
One day, Walter, Zardo, Noe & I decided to test the waters in Jimenez.
After doing a few pairs, we noticed un-friendly looks coming from our local brothers-in-profession.
We understood the way they held their bangko a signal to back-off.
We acknowledged their Exclusive Economic Zone in time.
That was the closest we came to a territorial dispute!
REMINISCENCES
Have you ever wondered why in every graduation exercises and programs of like, you always find the closing remarks boring?
The same reason I have this part at the bottom.
My work this past thirty-five years has brought me to four countries, and in the US alone, to twenty-four cities in fourteen states.
I get to fly every week from my home-base to the client site and back.
After a while, I raked tones of perks from flights, car rentals and hotel stay.
In one of these flights, I was sitting next to Isaiah Thomas, or he was sitting next to me.
Did we talk? No, I had one too many beer!
There was a time when I memorized the codes of all the major airports that I fly in and out of, and some regional ones.
One fine day, at IAH (George Bush Intercontinental Airport) in Houston, TX, while waiting for my flight home, I saw a familiar face across where I was having a beer.
Kenny Roger was reading the days papers while an older gentleman was shining his shoes.
I was curious as to how they do it. I went across, shook Kennys hand and told him, I am a big fan. I lied.
One of many things common in these airports is a tiny corner where you sit and have your shoes shined.
I do not know why, it never really crossed my mind to have my shoes done in any of these places.
That is a shame.
MEM (Memphis International Airport in Memphis, TN) is one airport many flyers do not mind being stranded-at.
The famous Memphis BBQ, believe-it-or-not is from Memphis.
Listen to blues, jazz and rock-and-roll while having barbeque with Jack Daniel sauce and beer.
And if you are not a beer-drinker, there is always Jack Daniels single barrel whisky.
Kampai!
Adjacent to the pub I was in, was a tiny corner with two seats.
I settled on one and asked the attendant to do my shoes.
As a sign of respect to my brother-in-profession, I took my shoes off.
Long live the Shoe-shiners!
Mabuhay ang mga Limpia-bota!
Walter Rick-hard Buendia, a cum laude, faded away December 23, 2021,
Pre, look Dodong Florito up.
The two of you will make an awesome pair of Shoe-shiners.
We are all proud of you.