The Sibal Family History

Highlights of the Second Generation

The Marriages of Pedro II
Pedro was named after one of the ten brothers of his father. In 1878, he married Maxima Sison. Not long afterwards, there was an epidemic in the whole of Luzon. People were dying of vomiting and loose bowel movement. Flies served to facilitate the spread of germs. So many people died in a day (according to Roberta Macale Sibal, the writer’s maternal grandmother) that the Spanish friar of the town forbade the ringing of death tolls of the church bells. People were buried in common graves. Death was so swift that if one talked to a person in the morning, one heard that this very person was already dead by evening. So many were the victims of this dreadful epidemic that Maxima Sison was one of them. Another victim was the yaya of Jose Rizal, the national hero.
In 1884, Pedro courted Roberta Macale, the 22-year old daughter of Santiago Macale and Catalina Mayuyu of Capas, Tarlac. According to Roberta, this was a sample of one of Pedro’s letters to her:

“ O plumang pakpak, ding ayup king gutad,
O tintang linaso, king luang papatak,
Ica naman papel, king tindahan manibat,
Icong atlu ngeni, tuburan dacong limpad.”

This was part of a poem Pedro sent her which she memorized by heart, when she told her granddaughter, Luz, as the old woman already lay in her sickbed in wartime (WWII) 1944, sixty years later. Roberta died and was buried in O’Donnell, Capas, where the family evacuated to avoid the retreating Japanese soldiers.Going back to Pedro’s courtship, this was how it happened: Roberta was washing clothes at the brook called “Bangkal.” She was given this chore by her elder sister, Pascuala. Pedro was passing by on his horse. He would get down and talk to Roberta.Time came when they were sweethearts. One morning, Roberta’s brother-in-law passed by and saw them, and he told his wife, Pascuala. When the family found out about Roberta’s romance, Pedro and his mother went to Roberta’s house to ask for her hand in marriage. Pedro and Roberta got married in 1884. According to Roberta (as told to her granddaughter, Luz, in 1939) she had a beautiful wedding. She wore an elegant wedding dress. Her blouse was of finest embroidered sinamay with Maria Clara sleeves and panuelo. Her skirt was heavy silken brocade shot with shining bands of silver threads.

Their first child, Zoilo, was born in 1885. During those first few years of her marriage, she stayed in the home of Bruna as Pedro was now in full command of Bruna’s vast holdings and Bruna was getting old. Ever the able rich matriarch, Bruna still supervised the goings-on of her children and their properties. Bruna did the advising, while Pedro did the field-and leg-work.

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