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Tracing the roots of rural reconstruction…

by Nappy R. Manegdeg

GALVAN, NUEVA ECIJA – The sky was overcast when the vehicle we were riding passed the main arterial road from Gerona, Tarlac towards Nueva Ecija. The trip from Quezon City took three hours due to the incessant rain along the North Luzon Expressway. Tarlac City was still plagued with heavy traffic. But hey, any discomfort, I believed, will be compensated upon arrival at our destination.

A short farm-to-market road leads to the village center. There was a bustle of activities in the area. Farmers, riding on tractor-trailers, come and go on the narrow road. There was an air of genteel tranquility in the homes that we passed by. This is the village of Galvan of the municipality of Guimba, Nueva Ecija, just a stone’s throw away from the boundary with Tarlac province.

The lack of sunshine was adequately compensated by the warm welcome extended to PRRM President Ding Navarro (or CSN) by Galvan residents, represented by the Hon. Estabillo, a member of Sangguniang Bayan of Guimba. Also on hand were PRRM Nueva Ecija Chapter chairperson Marlon P. Palomo, himself a resident of Guimba, and PRRM local manager Shubert L. Ciencia. Joining the local welcoming group was Federico Rosario, a former local president of the pre-1980s Philippine Rural Reconstruction Youth Association (PRRYA).

Unable to contain his excitement, CSN asked for the site of the 1954 graduation of the first batch of rural reconstruction workers (RRWs) where President Ramon Magsaysay was the speaker. A painting of that occasion, showing Ramon Magsaysay a hearty laugh with Dr. James C. Yen, proudly hangs in CSN’s office.

Federico Rosario vividly recalls the site, sounds and colors of that historic day in April 1954. He said that the President came by helicopter and landed near the highway. Unfortunately, the house that was used for the graduation ceremony is no longer standing. The actual site is now under the management of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

CSN asked the community residents if they would support a move to make Galvan a historical site. He opined that Galvan can pass muster the requirements to become a historical site. Galvan was visited by a Philippine president – “Ramon Magsaysay, the Man of the Masses”. The National Historical Institute can be asked to validate our claim. PRRM can collaborate with the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation in working with the Galvan community and the municipal government of Guimba towards this goal. The community agreed that April next year will be an auspicious time to unveil the Galvan Historical Marker.

Galvan has another historical significance to PRRM. With the state of technology in the 50s, Galvan was one of the first rural villages in the country to receive a Liberty-type water pump system. According to old residents, the water-pump had provided potable and irrigation water to farming households. Access to safe potable water prevented diarrhea, cholera, and other water-borne diseases. The pump ceased operations two years after it was installed due to the high cost of gasoline as the pump ran on petroleum. Now the water pump stands idle, its house in ruins.

CSN suggested to Marlon and Shubert to assess if the water pump can still be rehabilitated. If so, how much will it entail? Guimba SB member Estabillo also offered the technical expertise of the engineering division of the municipal government in assessing the water pump. Community leaders said that the water table, not that deep under the ground, probably still exists since many households have artesian pumps. I, together with Elgie Guiuo, visited two artesian pumps to validate the residents’ claim. True, just one push of the lever and water came gushing out.

Before leaving Galvan, CSN asked Federico Rosario to look for former rural reconstruction men, women, and youth associations members still living in Galvan and neighboring barangays. He suggested that a sort of re-union can be held next year in time for the commemoration of the first RRW graduation.

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