Kids of this day and age regular past time are going to concerts, uploading Instagram stories, and spending a lot of time on their phone like their life depends on it.
And as normal parents, we let our kids do some of those. We have to let them lose and allow them to join this so-called group that they adequately call the “Z Generation” or the “iGen”. But us Dinosaurs want to present our kids of things that are a little bit extinct to their “Millennial Mind”.
Things like playing the musical instrument, the outdoor Patintero, and spending time with nature. We the Prehistoric ones grew up playing in the sand & the mud while the iGen kids now play Candy Crush, Temple Run and other phone games.

So we implanted some of what we have to our children’s everyday routine. We have to bring in more History, Moral Fiber, Integrity, and getting to know the Origin of where did they belong.
That is why I decided to bring my kids back to the Source. The place of my Grandfather and his ancestors before him…. a place called Kalibo.

The idea was to tell my kids that we are going to the white sand beach of Boracay for a week. Little did they know that it was just the “Icing on the Cake”.
The real deal is to bring them to our roots. Before the trip, I called my Tita Christine & Tito Allen (direct niece & nephew of my Grandfather). I told them that I want our kids to see them and get to know them. I mentioned that it was just a stopping point and I don’t want to bother them.
Spend the night, then head to Boracay the next day. Go back after 5 days before our next flight back to Manila.

We are prepared to take the local public transport (Jeepneys or Tricycle) and stay in a 3-star hotel or inn. But when we landed in Kalibo Airport, Tito Allen was there together with his classy ride (The Volkswagen Beetle) eagerly waiting for us. Then we had a sumptuous lunch in Tita Christine home.
We rested a little, then our hosts took us for a tour of Kalibo. The St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, where the property that is sitting on was donated by our family. We saw my grandfather’s name (Col. Leandro R. Isberto) enshrined in the town’s Plaza as a tribute to the Freedom Fighters who fought in the War.
Accommodation and Food were all arranged and being taken care of during our stay in my Lolo’s ancestral home. I’ve never seen such hospitality in a blooming place like Kalibo.

Security, Peace & Order was prodigious and shocking. You can basically stay out on the street at night without getting mugged. Any lady will be safe walking alone in the dark in this place.
One proof is that we had a few beers as a nightcap with Tito Allen and his brother-in-law Tito Ariel (who happens to be the Mayor of Malinao) on the street. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. No wonder, Kalibo is known as one of the safest place in our country today.

My eldest son won’t forget Tito Allen’s burger joint (Taft St.) When Tito Allen told us that they are selling burgers to the locals, we assumed that it was just a small grill on the street with an outdoor umbrella.
We didn’t know that it was a “Phenomenon”. The place is jampacked with hungry people patiently waiting for their orders. Cars, Tricycle, Scooters were parked beside the joint basically for one purpose… those juicy Burgers.
Heck, even the manager of Jollibee was there ordering the patties that are better than their Burger Yum and Champ.

But the main thing is not the food, the booze, nor the places that we’ve been. It’s getting to know our blood. My kids got to know first hand that their relatives in Kalibo have (in some way) the same characteristics as them. The Isberto’s are very simple, humble, and down to earth kind of people.
We came from a line of Educators, Teachers, Principals, and Writers. Most of our relatives have a strong inclination for learning. They don’t want to be stagnant and desired to be mentored by skilled individuals and share those skills mentoring others.

When we got back to Manila. My children have a deeper perception about who they are. And as they grow older, they will be carrying the torch handed over by one Isberto generation to another.
They found out that their genes are so much greater than “Concerts & Instagram Stories”!

30 years from now, my children and the surplus iGen of Isberto will be staying from different places both here and abroad.
Those who come to know Kalibo will surely go back to that small town and they will be next in line to educate and enlighten their kids.

There is no better gift than getting back to the Source. Me and my kids have been blessed with it.
I do hope that you do too. And I promise you, you will definitely treasure it from your generation to the next.