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Post 12: Lolo Ramon's Story

"I built Meding a house in Ambassador (Boted) just in time for Edward's birth. Then Julia came next . I was already the leading boxer of Northern Luzon when my second child was born."

"1936, the fight I am to defend my title before Manila. It is not a difficult fight but on the third round, I hit my opponent's head so hard. The impact had fractured the joint between my shoulder and my arm. I could feel my my bone gritting when I try to move it. The bell rang and Bado told me to give up the fight. I hesitated. Round 4, I could no longer move my right arm and my opponent was taking advantage of my agony."

"My manager seeing my wife crying, threw a white towel into the ring. He stopped the fight and that was my second to the last. 4 months after, I thought my arm was ok, I was again defeated. 39 wins, 1 draw and 2 loses was the end of my record."

"We stayed in Ambassador for good. Planting rice in Babatan and Meding's 'Uma' (Kaingin) of kamote were able to sustain us. I raised chickens and Bado bought us a couple of goats, 2 pairs of sheeps and 2 pairs of cow. Meding was a very hard working woman and a perfect mother to Edward and Julia. She never gets tired. She made everything easy for me."

"Before my mother, Sagay, died, we divided our land between all my seven siblings. I kept Babatan because nobody wants it. I was also given our original home and 10 hectares of it's surroundings. One of my brother married and settled in Kapangan Benguet so he did not take part of the partition. Now each of us has his own mountain."

"One of my father's sister and her family were able to find us, they came all the way from Calasan Tinoc(I'm not sure of the spelling) . I let them build their house near us."

"1939, the war was starting and my third child, Mary, was only six months old."