Today I look with tenderness at my mother Candelaria A. Ona, today 92 years old and afflicted by Alzheimer's disease, incapable of fending for herself, no longer remembering her husband, more often than not, failing to recognize her own children. Here is the woman who gave birth to me, nursed, fed and educated me, helped me through many crises in life. This woman commanded a hundred teachers at one time, influencing the lives of thousands of school children, many of whom remember "Maestrang Canding" with fondness as one who disciplined them, not with punishment and recriminations but with patience and kindness.

In 1982, shortly after my return from a five year tour of duty in Moscow in the former Soviet Union, she gave me the original of the attached document. She told me that my interest in history and genealogy would guarantee due care and attention thereto.

It shows a hitherto unknown aspect of my mother's life: the privations she and my father must have undergone in order to buy the house and lots on which we grew up. They began their married life on 24 May 1929 as a young doctor who charged P2.00 per consultation but whose patients often paid in terms of chickens and eggs, and an intermediate school teacher whose P70.00 a month salary still had to subsidize a couple of her siblings in college.

Although Nanay, my paternal grandmother, and her fields (now converted from sugar to rice cultivation, the Canlubang and Nasugbu sugar centrals having made her sugar mill obsolete) and orchards helped in their food needs, they still had to fend for themselves in matters of cash expenditures for themselves and their increasing brood.

At the time of the purchase agreement, they were renting a house near the elementary school from their uncle Ruperto Aguila. Our eldest sister Lydia was born in the Batangas Provincial Hospital, but I and my brother Leonardo were born there.

My other siblings were born in the "new" house. All of us grew up there and entertain fond memories of it. Unfortunately it was burned down by retreating Japanese troops in 1945.

This undated purchase agreement was entered into in early 1933 by Filomena Ona and Carmen Ona as vendors and Dr. Leonardo H. Ona and Candelaria Aguila Ona as vendees. The Pedro Ona who witnessed the instrument is a brother of Carmen Ona from whom Leonardo & Candelaria later bought the lot between the house and the property of Leodegario Hocbo. The other witness, Rufino Hocbo, is Leonardo's first cousin. The price was P2,600.00, payable in defined installments over a 4 1/2 year period ending 30 June 1937. Apparently, the payments were further deferred since the Deed of Sale was executed only on 19 March 1940.

THIS AGREEMENT made and entered into by Filomena Ona, single, and Carmen Ona, widow, of 54 and 40 years of age, respectively, party of the First Part, and the spouses Dr. Leonardo H. Ona and Candelaria Aguila Ona, of 35 and 29 years of age, respectively, Party of the Second Part, both parties being all Filipinos and residents of the municipality of San Jose, province of Batangas, Philippine Islands:

WITNESSETH:

THAT WHEREAS, the Party of the First Part is the owner in fee simple of one parcel of land and one house of mixed materials thereon situated within the jurisdiction of the municipality of San Jose, province of Batangas, P.I., the general description, of which, are as follows:

One house of mixed materials covering a space of Seventy Two (72) square meters, more or less, the lower part being of adobe stone on its four sides, the upper part of first class timber and of galvanized iron roofing;

One parcel of residential property, over which the above house is situated, containing an area of SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX (756) square meters, more or less, bounded on the North, by the property of Segunda Hocbo, with adobe stone fence along the boundary line; on the East, by a Provincial Road, without any distinguishing boundary monument; on the South, by Rizal St., without any distinguishing boundary monument; and on the West, by the property of Pedro Ona (formerly Justo Ona) with madrecacao stakes in rows along the boundary line.

It is assessed under Tax No. 19896 in the name of Justo Ona with assessed valuation of P1220.00, of which P1000.00 corresponds to the house and P220.00 to the lot.

And it is not yet registered under Act 496, entitled Land Registration Act and its amendments, nor in accordance with the Spanish Mortgage Law.

WHEREAS, the parties hereto have agreed upon the sale by the Party of the First Part to the Party of the Second Part the said land and the house therein situated;

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties have agreed as follows:

I
The Party of the First Part hereby sells and the Party of the Second Part hereby buys the above described land and house therein situated, upon the following terms and conditions;

II
The price to be paid for the said land and house above described is the sum of TWO THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED PESOS (P2,600.00), Philippine Currency, payable THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE (335.00) to the Party of the First Part by the Party of the Second Part at the time of the execution of these presents, and the balance, or the sum of TWO THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE (P2,265.00), in installments in the following periods:

AMOUNT PAYABLE	PERIOD OF PAYMENT
Two Hundred Pesos (P200.00)	May 31, 1933
Two Hundred Pesos (P200.00)	Dec 31, 1933
Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00)	June 30, 1934
Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00)	June 30, 1935
Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00)	June 30, 1936
Three Hundred Sixty Five Pesos (P365.00)	June 30, 1937

III
Upon the execution of these presents the Party of the First Part shall hereby surrender and the Party of the Second Part take possession of the premises above described, the latter to assume and exercise claims of ownership over the same, free from any interference whatsoever by the Party of the First Part;

IV
And upon the completion of the deferred payments of the purchase price, the Party of the First Part, in consideration, thereof, will execute and deliver to the Party of the Second Part a good and sufficient warranty deed, free from all liens and encumbrances, whatsoever;

All taxes accruing upon the real property above stated, other than those corresponding to the current year, shall be paid by or for the account of the Party of the Second Part.

V
The parties, herein agree to register this instrument in the office of the Register of Deeds for this Province of Batangas in accordance with Act 3344 of the Philippine Legislature.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this agreement, the parties have hereunto signed their names at this municipality of San Jose, province of Batangas, this:

[Signed] Filomena Ona Party of the First Part	[Sgd] Carmen J. Ona
[Sgd] Leonardo H. Ona Party of the Second Part.	[Sgd] Candelaria A. Ona
Signed in the Presence of:
[Sgd] Pedro Ona	[Sgd] Rufino Hocbo

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