MARTYRS OF BULAN

THE HEROINE

Jose Rizal? Andres Bonifacio? Ninoy Aquino?

HEROES right? 

Well, here in Bulan.. we have our own hero, a mother, a wife and an admirable woman.

VYTIACO, Ma. Antonia Teresa "Nannette"

DEATH: November 10, 1972

PLACE OF BIRTH: Bulan, Sorsogon

"She loved our country very much! For a cause she believed was best for Moherland, she sacrificed all: comfort, wealth, home and finally – life itself!”

Nannette grow up in Bulan Sorsogon and in Metro Manila as the eldest in a brood of seven. Her siblings were Jose, Antonio jr., Socorro, Sandra , Arlene and Paulino III. Her mother Maria was a high school teacher and college instructor, and her father Antonio was a landowning family in Bulan.

            She loved animals and learned whenever she could about raising them from birth and rearing them. Her serious attitude about learning and tracing the source of sickness and poor health, made her interested in veterinary  science.  She started her elementary studies in Bulan but finished at Centro Escolar University when the family transferred to Manila in 1962. She went on the U.P. Preparatory School for her high school. She loved music and played the guitar. Like most high students, she enjoyed dancing and choreography . Later on college, she wrote her brother Jojo. “Isn't it wonderful to dance? I could not believe that you can dance now. I am glad about this! I guess you will now long for parties. Enjoy yourself.” For her, the physical expression in dance was closely connected to mind when in one of her letters she said. “It is, I think, a matter of precise carefulness.”

            In college, She took up veterinary medicine following the footsteps of her grandfather. The year she was given a government scholarship which entitled her monthly stipend, free tuition, and books. Her father said. “These she gave up later, plus a bright future for the ideal of serving and improving the lot of the poor, the deprived the downtrodden.

            Yet, it was in U.P. that she became gradually involved in student activism. During the July-August floods in 1970. Nannete wrote her father, “We were in the relocation center run by all student volunteers from the different colleges and universities in the relocation centers. We helped in surveying the flood areas; giving foods, clothes and medical assistance, relocating the flood victims…”She goes on”…this is a part of experience and a part of growing up and education.” By that September, she was joining the Free Nilo Tayag Rally, having before that day gone to congress on the issue of political prisoners. She was clearly beginning to plan pro-actively when she wrote. “ If I was not very busy today, I should have gone to the picket at Retelco(a co-workers’ action) in Pasig.”

            When she joined the SDK chapter in U.P., she became involved in the “Learning from the people” drive. Quickly, she crossed over academic theoretical commitment to practical action. Her desire to immerse in the “Learning” program placed her in a quandary, as one letter to her cousin Bing tellingly shows. She knew her father was somewhat against is. She wrote, “If he does not permit me, I will make takas. Surely I love him so much, and I know I will disappoint him. I, too, am aware that he has high expectations and dreams of me but what can I do, should I give in to Papa’s call or the Lord’s?” She tries to resolve her dilemma.” The matter with us is that we too selfish and this is what makes our country stagnant..” Yet she gathers feedback and squarely faces to all-too-human questions. She asks her cousin: “ Honestly, how do you judge me at present? Do you think I should return to the same old me or continue pursuing my new found life?”

            She spent some weeks in field experience in organizing in Central Luzon. Sometime after, she met her husband Nick Vergara who was of the old HMB ( Hukbong Mapagpalaya Ng Bayan). She returned to Bulan with her husband. In early 1971, she became a member of the KM Bicol Regional Executive Board and was give charge of education. Traveling around the Bicol Region, she helped organize chapters in Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines and other provinces.

            Many sectors where reached out to: students, government and transportation workers, laborers, fishermen and copra, abaca and rice farmers. A former companion, Salvacion Escubedo, remembered that Nannete in Gubat was a dedicated worker “ Mapag-alala sa mga kasama”, humble and patient despite her obvious background. Salvacion relates how she suffered the same poor living conditions and Renaldo Jamoralin (editor, Pulang Hamtik, acollection of Bicol activists stories) laughingly recounts that they were compelled to eat “cat-steak”—stray cats cooked with ten centavos worth of oil and soy sauce.

            Miel Laurinaria, a town mate was also a member of the KM Regional Executive board and became very close to Nannete. She shares some of her memories. “ We had many discussions. Frank and unrelenting ones, about teaching, about relationships, even about men. We hatched many plans, and the educational program that Nanette thought of was a focus on cultural shows that featured skits, songs, dance-and-mime and poetry reading. these performances served a double purpose: raising the people’s social and political consciousness while raising funds for the movement. Besides helping the director of the play. Nanette also acted the declamation skills which she developed in grade school (her mother did this , Miel added) helped. Her touching interpretation of  Kung Tuyo na ang Luha Mo, Aking Inang Bayan( Amado V. Hernandez) moved the audience to tears. Very convincing also was her role in the play about Land lords-tenants problems such as “Alipin bayad-utang” . Her lucidness ,earnestness and sincerity made her a very effective speaker in “sits-ins and forums”, Miel added.  

            On September 21,  1972 Marcos secretly declared Marshal Law. It was immediately enforced though it was only three days later that it was announced. Nanette was then visiting Her parents they tried to make her stay but she replied she had to be with her comrades. Some days later, there was  a fire-fight  between an NPA unit and a P. C unit in Gate, Bulan. The movement wanted to tell the people that truly happened, and how to keep up moral and discourage fear.

            They had no typewriter so Nanette thought of using half-sheet hand written letters. The problem was how to distribute these. So she decided to place them inside the church itself. The half-sheets, in order to be noticed by church-goers, were folded in “ I-love-you” form with a yellow star over red background pasted inside  it and placed in the pews. The creative method of going around the strictures had many people read these, and many talked about these.

            Her father learned on November 10, 1972 that Nanette was in San Ramon, a barrio 8km from the town proper of Bulan. Maria, her mother then came to Nanette to bring food and a message. She was then four months pregnant and was very happy to see her mama(“I miss her so much”, she told her father in one of her letters ). She ate heartily of the Adobo her favorite food. Her Mama now told her that her father wanted her to surrender as she was in constant danger, for “she stood out in the barrio, for she was attractive and well-known.”     

-Antonio "Tony Boy" Gilana

(Bulan Heritage Museum)

The clothes of Nanette Vytiaco when she died.

Taken from the Tombstone of Nanette Vytiaco











THE UNSUNG HERO

In connection with this, Mr. Digno Goyala, an unsung hero and a living martyr as we described him, we have cross path with him during our search for the family of Nanette Vytiaco.

Single Man Assault

Digno Goyala is one of the youth that took part in the rallies against the administration of former President Marcos. 

He told us his whole experience during that time. On how he suffered in the hands of the enemies, how he sacrifice his life, and on how he successfully penetrated the House of the President.

He gave us his interpretation about the implementation of Martial Law. According to him, Martial Law was declared not to preserve peace and order but to prolong Marcos' reign.

Mr. Goyala also tried to convinced the members of  the Cabinet to change alliance, and fortunately, Marcos that time is already in his downfall.