The Divino ancestal house in Pola, Oriental Mindoro (photo by BIBSY M. CARBALLO)

When we went over to Pola, Oriental Mindoro, for a visit with our friend Alita Divino, we didn’t figure on having a two-day adventure that would have us exploring some of the most scenic landscapes we’ve ever encountered. But that wasn’t all. We beheld many ancestral houses and met a lot of interesting people. One of them is the town’s very own version of Lola Basyang, whom everyone fondly calls “Auntie-Ito.” Her real name is Charito Divino, the sister of Alita’s father, Dr. Galicano Divino. Auntie-Ito is famous for being a grand storyteller, whose tales of her exploits during World War II are always exciting.

She lives in the Divino ancestral home, at the corner of Reyes and Francisco Streets. Built in 1935, it is one of the oldest homes in this town. It is here where Auntie-Ito regaled us with anecdotes of her 10 person-strong barkada – old timers who were schoolmates in elementary school. They’re now in their 80s, happily single and always vibrant, especially when they’re together. They go on excursions and they see each other on Sundays, after mass for any reason.  It could be the maid’s birthday, or even the dog’s! “We eat and laugh at each other. We don’t engage in gossip. We talk about each other.”

The ancestral house has two sections, the original structure and an annex built in 1953. “Tatay had wanted to gift me with a world tour when I graduated from college. But I wasn’t interested,” Auntie-Ito tells us. “So Tatay instead spent the money on building an annex to the main house.”

Auntie went to elementary at St. Paul’s Manila, and high school in Calapan, Mindoro. She majored in Pharmacy at UST and when she graduated in 1949, she returned home to Pola, never to leave again.    

Nowadays, Auntie-Ito’s house is often the venue for parties and celebrations. A voracious reader, she would devour such disparate material from tabloids to Reader’s Digest, and Time magazine. She used to do a lot of cross-stitching and crocheting until her eyesight started failing. She is the spirit behind many a family activity.

Looking out from her terrace, she points out the lovely ancestral homes left by their heirs to caretakers. She amusingly calls them the “Homes for the Aged.” Her niece Alita broaches a plan to convert the 20-some abandoned homes into bed and breakfast hostels to draw tourists. We think the plan is feasible as the island is easily accessible. We remember when Bantayan Island was once Cebu’s remotest destination yet it’s now teeming with tourists, mostly from Europe.

Email the author at bibsycarballo@yahoo.com.