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On The Road / Neriza Saito
Neriza Sarmiento - Saito's On the Road to
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with LARRY and NINA
Ang kabilugan ng buwan sa Septyembre ang tinatawag na “Harvest Moon” dahilan sa kakaibang liwanag nito na sanhi ng pagkakahanay ng araw, buwan at mundo. Malayang nakakapagtrabaho sa bukid ang mga magsasaka sa liwanag ng buwan. Kaugalian rin sa Japan ang “O-Tsukimi” o pagtingin sa magandang hugis at liwanag nito habang humihigop ng tsaa at kumakain ng “manju” o kahit anong bilog na kakanin. Ang ipakikilala ko sa isyung ito ay isang kababayan na umani rin ng tagumpay sa Japan, si Larry Murata Macalalad, the Vice Chairperson of the Philippine Community Coordinating Council (PCCC) and Adviser of the Hikone Filipino Community.
At the 2nd PCCC “TAGPUAN at KUMUSTAHAN” at the Maryknoll Retreat House in Karasaki on Sept. 19, the new Consul General of the Philcongen in Osaka, the indefatigable Consul General Voltaire D. Mauricio, began his speech with the “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makakarating sa paroroonan,” a parallel to the Filipino value of “Utang na Loob” or simply indebtedness to people who have made us what we are today. Like the others who attended that meeting, I was touched with those words and made it the title of my article in this issue. On that day, newsletters from the Shiga International Association “Mimitaro” were distributed and in the Tagalog edition with an interview featuring Larry and his wife on its front page. Larry coordinated the event in Shiga with Ms. Delia Nakashima with representatives from Hikone, Adogawa, Higashiomi, Sece and Kusatsu headed by Sr. Nida.
I met Larry more than ten years ago on several occasions at consulate events and community meetings. Whenever there were Presidential visits in Tokyo, he would bring along his wife, Nina. Every time we had big events at community halls or at the International House Foundation, Larry would always be among the last to leave the venue to make sure that the place was clean, a trait he probably got from his late Japanese grandfather, Nijiro Murata.
The young Nijiro, from Kagoshima, was like the character played by Leonardo Di Caprio in “Titanic” and the one portrayed by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. He was a stowaway on a ship bound for the Philippines. He befriended an American businessman on board who then asked him to be his business partner in a lumber company in La Trinidad, Benguet. There, he met a Filipina named Maria, got married and had 5 sons and 2 daughters. Larry’s mother, Haruko, was third from the youngest.
When the war broke out, the American owner of the lumber company left the entire business to Nijiro. Nijiro read extensively, so even if he didn’t go to University, he knew the ins and outs of business. As the war intensified, they evacuated to Zambales. Time had wings, the war ended, the children grew up. One day, Haruko visited her sister in Mandaluyong. She met, Emil, who lived next door and eventually, they got married. Larry was born.
Larry and Nina with their children
“Sayang nga at di nakita ni Lolo Nijiro ang naging kapalaran namin dahil maaga silang pumanaw,” ayon kay Larry. As a working student in Marine Engineering, Larry worked at San Miguel Corp. He also took advanced courses in ROTC in Fort Bonifacio. It was in San Miguel Corp. where he was destined to meet Nina from Cabuyao, Laguna. “Lagi ko siyang binibiro dahil type ko siya. Wika nga, “Daig ng maagap ang masipag,” kaya ng makatiyempo, kahit sa harap ng mga kasama namin, bigla kong hinawakan ang kamay niya. Ayun, napasagot ko rin ng “Sige na nga!” And soon, 5 children were born one after the other.
Mr. Larry Macalalad, vice chairperson of PCCC
In the early 90’s, being the descendants of Japanese, Larry and his other brothers embarked on a trip to Japan and worked in Tottori for 2 years and a half as a crane operator. They met their grandfather’s surviving brother in Kagoshima.
He went back home for a while in 1993 to process the papers of Nina and their children. So nally, they came to Japan in 1998 and chose Hikone as their place of residence. Their youngest child studied at an elementary school there. Then he became the leader of the Hikone Filipino Community, where he helped organize basketball tournaments for Community members. At present, he serves as adviser.
In 2019, after prodding from us, he was elected Vice-Chairperson of PCCC and he helped us organize a basketball tournament and “undokai” at the Moriguchi Citizens’ Gymnasium in 2019. When Larry takes a responsibility, he works like a Japanese, taking into minute details into consideration. But his Filipino side is evident in the way he treats people around him, never bossy, and always joking to keep the mood lighter. “Kahit sa trabaho ko ngayon sa ospital bilang care worker lagi akong nagbibiro. Kaya laging masaya ang mga matatandang inaasikaso ko.”
Larry and Nina are now enjoying their roles as the matriarch and patriarch of the Murata-Macalalad family of 5 children and 7 grandchildren, and the bonding they share on family outings and interaction with other Filipinos in Shiga can be considered an ideal one, a true Filipino family value! “Without my grandfather, we wouldn’t be in Japan now!” says Larry.
Every time the moon shines from above, Lolo Nijiro and Lola Maria are probably watching over them, grateful that they have made Japan their home!
The Macalalad family with the children and grandchildren
When you first arrived in Japan, did you notice something different in behavior, attire, way of talking or relationships with other people?
The Japanese are very polite. They all look elegant in kimono and the food presentation is nice.
When you were homesick, being away from your family, what in the Philippines did you remember most and what did you do to relax?
I missed my wife and everything we did together as a family, our outings together, even doing household tasks with them. I used up about 5 overseas phone cards that time just to talk with my wife.
Ano ang isang magandang kaugaliang Pilipino na itinuro sa iyo ng mga magulang mo?
Paggalang sa matatanda, pagmamano at palaging nakatuntong sa lupa ang mga paa kahit gaano pa ang tagumpay mo sa buhay!
Sa panahon ng COVID, paano naapektuhan ang iyong trabaho?
Wala namang naging masamang epekto, pero nabago lang ang “visiting hours.”
In your present job, are there some experiences that you cannot forget?
When I was new in the job, I didn’t notice the intravenous drip on the patient’s thigh and changed his diaper. The nurse kept on saying “Muri! Muri!” but it was too late. A doctor was called to put it back and I was so embarrassed for that terrible mistake.
Do you have any plans for the future- at work and in your personal life?
I’ll work until I’m 65 and probably do some extra jobs like being the Marketing Representative of a shipping company.
Neriza Sarmiento-Saito
Jeepney Press
