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I was born on June 17, 1910 in the town of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. My Father, Juan Aliac, an ex-teacher expected to have boy as his first born; so since a girl was born instead of a boy, I was named “Juan” to assuage the disappointment of my father. My mother, Margarita Manat, the first daughter of Florencio Manat and Catalina Aggabão was happy. I know, because as years went by, she gave birth to three boys, namely Luis, Leopoldo, and Domingo, making me the only girl in the family. My grandparents on my father's side are Nicolas Aliac and Angela Manat.
Papa (referring to her husband and not her father) was born on December 20, 1902 in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija of Lisbon Brawner from Indiana, USA, an ex-soldier and Leonora Unaguing of San Nicolas, Pangasinan. Of his grandparents, he knew only his grandfather, Don Julian Umaguing and his grandmother.
Being the eldest in the family, he used to be the caretaker of his two brothers, Herminigildo and Timoteo and his two sisters Juana and Carmen.
His father died when he was a second year high school student at the Nueva Vizcaya High school and his mother died in Pangasinan, away from her other children, when Papa was in the fourth year. His mother died in Papa's arms. He said he shed no tears. He was strong and brave; but when Zinnia almost died in June 1941 at the Lubuagan Hospital, he cried. The thought of losing his child was too much for him to bear. Luckily Zinnia survived her first and most serious sickness.
I knew Papa as a bright student when he was in the 4th year. I was a first year student in the same high school, taking 1st year normal courses because my father wanted me to become a teacher. He wanted me to go to PNS to study to become a teacher.
Pa was a janitor and I used to see him clean the rooms, put the volleyball net, etc. of the Nueva Vizcaya High School. In May 1924, my father and I left for the U.S.A. While in mid-Pacific, May 11, 1924 to be exact, I had my first mense. I cried because I was away from my mother and I did not know what to do. I told my father about it, but all he told me was "Just take care of yourself."
In the summer of 1924 - June - my uncle sent me to study at the Hyde Park High School - a beautiful school at the time, in front of the beautiful park Garfield Park. I took Algebra that summer and to my surprise. I took the subject easily, defeated every classmate and got a grade of “S” (Superior). Being alone I welcomed the friendship of two black girls who lived in the same district where Father, Uncle and I lived. I was surprised when Pedro Alayu and Tobias Guinsatao despised me for entertaining black girls. My uncle, who was a wise, unprejudiced man told me, “Don't mind them, Jane. We are all people and we should not hate others regardless of color or race."
I studied at the Hyde Park and graduated on January 27, 1927 as the 33rd among all the 1st semester graduates. I got “S” (superior) in all my Math subjects, Advanced Algebra, namely, Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry. I was qualified to be a member of the Math Honor Society-Sigma Spailon and the Pythagorean Club.
Uncle and I returned to the Philippines in September, 1927. As I turned back to remember one afternoon when Mr. Milaor, the academic supervisor and Mr. Inaldo, the district supervisor, they asked me what I wanted to study in college. I proudly told them. "I am going to study medicine." They left without continuing the conversation. As I look back, I believe that since they were scouting for Vizcayana Pensionados to the P.N.C.. they were thinking that could have been one if I only told them that I was interested in becoming a teacher. The other pensionado to the P.N.C. at that time was Pa. The second pensionado was Teofilo Fernandez, who did not succeed.
In June, 1929 Pa became the principal of the Solano Elementary School. He and his sister Aneng rented a room in our house, and so it came about that when I went home on Uctober 10, 1929 for our semestral break, I met Pa for the first time. I was studying Pre-Med at the U.. then.
Early in the morning of October 10, I stepped at the porch of our old house to talk with Apu Simeona, my grandmother's sister. Then a man in khaki suit came out tiptoeing towards the porch. I thought he was the principal teacher and so I was thinking to myself, "Is that the principal? He doesn't even greet people.
Pretty soon I heard footsteps coming towards the porch. I saw a tall man clad in white suit. He walked spritely and greeted me, “Good morning, Miss Aliac." ”So this is the principal, I thought to my-self." We had a short conversation about our trip I and the subjects I was studying. When I said I was studying German, he asked me, "Sprehen zie Deutch?” And I answered. "Ya, Herr Brawner, ein wenig." From then on we grew to be friends.
In December, 1929, during the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Santos at the Solano Elementary School, he told me in German, "Ich liebe dich ‘I love you’ !” Both of us fell in love but Ma did not tell him so.
He told me in German, "Ich liebe dich ‘I love you’ !” Both of us fell in love but Ma did not tell him so.
From January to March, 1930 Pa was sending me a weekly love letter, but I never received any of them because my uncle intercepted all his letters. Then one March morning while I was reviewing for my chemistry exam at the porch of the house which Uncle & Auntie Icay were renting, the mailman came. I ran down to see the letters. To my surprise, I had a thin letter from Pa. He addressed me, "Dear Madam Curie", At first I thought he was calling me Madam Circle and I was very angry with him for calling me so. But upon scrutinizing the letter, I realized that he called me "Madam Curie". I learned from his letter that he was wondering why I never answered any of his weekly long letters.
During the dance when Pa proposed, he promised to write me every week. Since I did not receive any of those promised letters, I told myself that as any men usually are, he was just fooling me. With the letter that I had just received, it made me wonder what had happened to all his letters. He was as truthful as he promised.
That March, to both our surprise, my uncle handed all Pa's letters to my father. Because of that my father and all my relatives including my uncle wanted us to get married. Pa and Ma were not ready and Ma vehemently refused my parents for wanting us to get married at once. Besides, I haven't told Pa that I loved him and so we had at that moment no relationship. But in secret letters which we wrote to each other thru Marcos our messenger, we vowed to love each other.
But because we weren't ready and we were taken aback, and besides we have not done anything wrong. Pa had to resign as principal and had to go back to school at U.P. to get his Ph.B. So we were engaged for at least one year. During his school days, he was a classmate of present-day great men like Judge Fred Ruiz Castro, U.P. Pres. Salvador Lopez, Writer H. Vibal, Arguilla, etc.
Pa and Ma were finally married on June 1, 1931, at the Roman Catholic Church in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. It was election day. Pa was sick of malaria. During the ceremony he had to sit because he was shivering from fever. Our sponsors were Gov. Manzano who supplied our automobile ride, Mrs. Directo, and Mr. and Mrs. Talungan.
Five days after our marriage, Pa left me for U.P. to continue his studies. He was able to finish his Ph.B at the end of the first semester in October, 1931.