OTON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL: A Concise History

March 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The marble marker underneath the bust statue of the lot donor, Don Francisco T. Planta

Oton National High School’s history began after the Second World War. It used to be that Iloilo High School (Iloilo Provincial High School) was the sole high school that catered to students of Iloilo Province who wished to pursue secondary education but as history would have it, it was abruptly interrupted by war. After the liberation of Panay from Japanese forces on March 18, 1945, the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PACAU) headed by Tomas Confesor, declared that all classes be resumed effective June. To make way for this, a refresher course was conducted at Oton Public Market under the supervision of Mr. Pedro Robles from March 22 to June 1945. Students from the southern part of Iloilo ranging from San Joaquin town up to Arevalo as well as from the Aleosan (Alimodian, Leon, San Miguel) areas were given the option to study in Oton. Thus, in June of 1945, the regular school year resumed with Mr. Elpidio L. Cabus as principal. It was also during this school year that the school held its first athletic meet, the SWIPSAL (Southern Iloilo Public Schools Athletic League). This was the birth of Oton Regional High School which was later changed to Oton High School.

During the term of Zacarias Montealto at PACAU, the people of the southern part of Iloilo with the support of Mr. Felimon Balbastro, Oton Ex-Mayor Simplicio C. Carreon, Judge Manuel C. Roa, and Mr. Melecio Balbastro were determined to establish a permanent secondary school for their children, and so with this same belief, the philanthropist Don Francisco Planta donated 4.6 hectares of his land to make a home for Oton High School. Upon its establishment, the school drew students from the neighboring towns.

A gradual development of the school came on the second school year, 1946-1947. The first twenty-four-room building, which was quadrangular, was constructed with funds collected through the very first OHS PTA as well as from money raised from benefit shows and other fund-raising activities. Native lightweight materials like bamboo, nipa, sawali and rattan were used to build the school. The first PTA president was Oton former mayor Simplicio C. Carreon Sr., who initiated the program of development of the school. The main building, known as the Gabaldon-type building, was the very first permanent structure of the school, and was constructed during the school year 1948-1949 through the pork barrel of Senator Jose C. Zulueta.

Other succeeding school principals continued the development program for Oton High School, namely Mr. Lazaro Fernandez (1949), with Mr. Felimon Balbastro as PTA President; Mr. Alberto Lorenzo (1958), with Mr. Eliodoro C. Cofreros as PTA President. 1958 marked another milestone in the development of the school with the construction of pre-fabricated school buildings through government funds during the term of then Congressman Pedro G. Trono. It was during PTA President Cofreros’ time that prolific changes were realized and materialized in Oton High School. Mr. Cofreros was adamant in soliciting financial assistance from the municipal and provincial officials for the repair and maintenance of the school, as well as for funding scholarship grants to deserving students. He also instigated the practice of selecting commencement speakers for the annual commencement exercises from among the outstanding alumni of the school.

Oton High School Senior Class (1952)

Other principals that followed were Mr. Francisco Flores and Mr. Vivencio Andres and it was in their terms that started the tradition of the graduating class to donate whatever amount they can produce for the development of the infrastructures of the school. In 1968, Miss Jesusa B. Sanceda became principal, and after her retirement in service, she was succeeded by Mrs. Corazon Alculbilla.

The ONHS Gabaldon Building as it looks now

Mrs. Alcubilla’s term marked the initial stage of the nationalization process of the school. Former Assemblyman Salvador B. Britanico, himself an alumnus of the school, was the DECS Deputy Minister at that time who worked for the nationalization of all secondary schools nationwide. By virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. 250, dated November 12, 1982, and implemented in July 1983, Oton High School became Oton National High School. By this time, Miss Josefina D. Deocampo was already the school principal. As a national school, the high school had the advantage of receiving an annual subsidy allocated by the national government as capital outlay for the school development program which heightened the improvement and upgrading of the school facilities. In the years to follow, other sources of funds were also tapped and this includes the Country-wide Development Fund (CDF).

The first alumnus to serve as principal of ONHS was Mr. Efrain C. Salcedo in 1991. He initiated numerous projects for student development and character-building. A disciplinarian in his own right, he was strict in implementing the wearing of proper school uniforms, school ID, and even in proper grooming, for that matter. To combat tardiness and malingering among students he implemented the rule of keeping the school gate closed at strategic schedules. He also facilitated in the establishment of a Special Science Class Program. At this point of time, the PTA President, Mr. Ramon Tabornal and his fellow officers initiated the concrete fencing at the back of the school. The finalization of the donation of a portion of the Yusay property to become part of the school ground was also realized.

Upon Mr. Salcedo’s retirement in 2001, Dr. Lourdes Custodio Morones took over as school principal of Oton National High School, whereupon she has initiated numerous developmental projects. She was able to facilitate the construction of 30 classrooms and several hundreds of chairs. In less than three years, the entire school achieved complete concrete fencing, built a huge conference room and erected and finished the ONHS gym. Dr. Morones also facilitated the transformation of  the academic instruction by acting in response to the demands of time. For all its worth, ONHS started to offer new curriculum programs like the Special program for the Arts in 2005, the Special program in Sports in 2007, the Night Class Program in 2003 and most recently, the Special program for Journalism in 2009. Before her retirement, she was able to establish the ONHS Cambitu Extension with the support of the local government. The three PTA Presidents who helped usher all these changes were Mr. Ramon Tabornal, Mr. Luis Carreon and Mr. Paul Buenafe.

The present school principal of Oton National High School is Dr. Nelida Baitan who was installed in July 19, 2010.

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KASANAG SANG BANWA SA PASKWA: Capturing the Essense of the Nativity

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Anyone passing along the town plaza would probably notice that the local government is exercising austerity in its celebration of the Christmas Season. Instead of “magarbo” decorations and festivity of lights like that of the previous years, the local government unit enjoined its barangays to a Christmas decorating contest where each cluster barangays could use their creativity in conceptualizing and installing an environment-friendly depiction of what Christmas is.

It is a nice change, considering that having too much sparkling lights may cause sensory overload, and along with it people are blinded by the material and they tend to forget what the real essence of Christmas is.

The theme for this year’s contest is “Kasanag sang Banwa sa Paskwa”. Indeed the simplicity of the decorations brings close to our hearts what the true meaning of Christmas should be. The plaza may not be shining brightly but the real essence of Christmas is not lost in the Ogtonganons’ creative efforts to depict the birth of the son of God. After all, Jesus Christ was born in a manger.

The following pictures are the results of each cluster barangays’ concerted efforts.

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OTON: Home of the Sandiya Festival

October 25, 2011 By 2 Comments

Ever since I can remember, watermelon or locally known as “sandiya” (from the Spanish sandeja) is a very popular crop in Oton. Growing up in a family of farmers who planted “sandiya” every year after the rice season, the memories of my childhood were made even sweeter by the “sandiya” season. My young life then seemed not complete without tasting the sweet, crunchy and juicy redness of the watermelon during its season. Watermelon plants were everywhere and as far as my young eyes could see, and that made life felt good. During my college years though, I noticed a decline in the popularity of “sandiya” in Oton. Perhaps because some of the agricultural lands have been converted into subdivisions or maybe more farmers proceed to do a second and third cropping of rice due to the ease provided by the new rice varieties. But five years ago though, the watermelon suddenly bounced back to its former glory. Thanks to the Sandiya Festival.

Oton and “sandiya” go well together, now why is that? Well, for one thing, Oton has an ideal landscape for growing watermelons because it has a vast lowland area. Another reason is, though the planting season is usually from October to January, the local government’s putting up of the Sandiya Festival encouraged more farmers to plant as early as August to generate an off-season produce which in turn commands a better market price.

SWEET 16 F1 - The new generation all-season striped watermelon that gives high yield and better fruits.

The town’s first celebration of the Sandiya Festival was held on December 7, 2006. The affair was a joint venture of the local government of Oton and the provincial agricultural office with the East-West Seed Company. The Seed Company provided the farmers with the similar seed variety named Sweet 16, which has a growing period of just about two months from planting. This variety can produce more than 30 tons per hectare, given that the planting conditions are ideal. At the time of the festival, the local farmers attested its better-quality yield, high tolerance to pests and disease and even a longer shelf-life. So for five years running, the festival has continued to heighten the awareness of the government authorities and the general public to the significance of the watermelon industry in Iloilo and how it takes part in in the uplifting of the lives of the Ilonggo farmers.

Consistently now, Iloilo has become the primary producer of watermelon in the country. Just in Oton town alone, according to the municipal agricultural office, at least 700 hectares are dedicated to the production of this crop annually. Other towns that produce watermelons are Pavia, San Miguel, Sta. Barbara,Leganes, Zarraga, Pototan, Dumangas, Barotac Nuevo and Viejo, Passi, the Jaro district and Tigbauan. The province’s big, striped watermelons with its red, sweet and crunchy flesh have become very popular throughout the country and are the most sought after watermelon by dealers and consumers alike. A greater part of the watermelons produced here are being sold to markets in Cebu,Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Metro Manila. This lively trade makes our local farmers more inspired to plant watermelons earnestly during its season.

photo courtesy of The News Today

So, through the years, the festival serves as an acknowledgment of Iloilo as the watermelon capital of the country. Moreover, it pays homage to the hard work of Iloilo watermelon farmers and, at the same time, promotes the watermelon industry as a profitable source of livelihood for Ilonggo farmers. And Oton, being the home of the Sandiya Festival, is proud of its “sandiya” farmers who strive each year to produce the best yield ever.

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Heavy rains due to Typhoon Mina Floods Oton

August 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Oton used to be flood-free. Sad to say, not anymore. As Typhoon Mina pounds Northern Luzon, heavy rains were experienced in Iloilo even though there was no storm signal raised in the province. PAGASA Automated Weather Station (AWS)located at Port Area in Guimbal recorded 126.03mm of rain on August 26, 2011. Most Ogtonganons stayed up late keeping watch of the heavy rains and if that was not enough, ILECO I had a blackout.

Those of us Ogtonganons away from home woke up to pictures of flooded streets at Rada, Urdaneta and Rizal uploaded by group members of our Facebook group page. Could Oton be another Jaro in the making? Let’s hope not but it’s not impossible unless our local officials would do something about it.

Here are photos shared by Grace Torre-Degoma.

Here are more photos shared by Joseph Sabio.

The plaza and other main roads also got flooded. But the ever resilient Ogtonganon still knows how to smile despite the trouble of moving their belongings to higher places.

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Hello world! Finally, we’re online!

August 24, 2011 By 2 Comments

Welcome to Ogtonganon.com! The place to be for all Ogtonganons in cyberspace. It all started with a question on Facebook, Taga Oton ikaw kung… and the group page was flooded with stories and memories of our beloved town. There were trivia from those who seem to know a lot. Some shared anecdotes of their adventures and misadventures. People from long ago were remembered. There were pictures of familiar places and faces. But most of all, there was pride and longing from those away from home. Well, we will try to fill the gap and fill your thirst for news, events and developments in Oton. We will also give you a walk down memory lane with pictures and stories on the places, people and events we grew up with in our beloved town. We also encourage you to share your stories. Afterall, this website is by Ogtonganons, for Ogtonganons.

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