Can you imagine growing up at a time when technology wasn’t yet a mainstream part of life? When nights are lit not by fluorescent bulbs but by flickers of light coming from kerosene lamps? It’s a life of simplicity, community, and one much closer to the earth—a life when people grow most of their food, when going to work doesn’t mean going to an office but to the farm to till the soil, when fiestas mean open houses, and when the daily din of life is composed of squealing pigs and clacking chickens in the morning, of quiet afternoons disturbed only by the passionate and dramatic voices emanating from my grandmother’s battery-operated radio, and when evenings are spent listening to songs and stories.

Find your way inside the house of duwendes (dwarves), catch a glimpse of the ermitanyo (hermit), or meet a host of characters in a bathroom wall. This book is a collection of anecdotes and stories set in the province, featuring the local culture and traditions of a small community and its people, of old practices and ways of life that are fast disappearing as we move forward into the future.

Despite traditions getting lost and culture fast evolving, the stories and reflections in this book are universal. It is my hope that within these pages, you find inspiration and lessons that hold true despite the changing times. May it bless you, inspire you, and bring you hope and joy.
 
 
"Remembering Pandan is filled with poignant life lessons weaved gracefully into beautifully written stories from memory. Sometimes you'll find tears, at other places goosebumps, and in other pages, a breath of fresh air." - Marjorie Duterte, Author, Editor, Founder of MRD Publishing