College of Teacher Education

Second Semester, A.Y. 2023-2024

MODULE 3

ALLOS AND HIS SIBLINGS’ EDUCATION

Introduction

This module will deal with the education and career of the Bulosans. It will preview the educational
attainment of Carlos Bulosan and his dedication to fill his mind with knowledge.

Date and Time Allotment

(1 hour)

I. Objectives

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

1. Familiarize Carlos Bulosan education timeline

2. Discuss the importance of education
3. Compare and contrast Philippine Educational System across time

II. Lecture

The Bulosan brothers were able to go to elementary school because public schools offered free
education. They went to Binalonan Central School which is now Binalonan North Central School
(Daranciang 2006, p. 61)

Only Macario completed high school. Amado had reached only as far as fifth grade and Carlos had
only reached third grade. Macario became a teacher and had an opportunity to teach in Mindanao. He took
her sister Francisca (Escolastica) to Mindanao to do the chores for him that is why Escolastica never had
an opportunity of stepping into the portals of any school, (Daranciang 2006).

Macario’s schooling caused the family to sell some hectares of land. One hectare after another
until the whole farm was lost and Simeon became a sharecropper and later hired labor after the church
eased him out. It was unfortunate that neither Macario nor his brothers were able to redeem their lost farm.
This was because there were so many unfortunate incidents that blocked their financial path to a better life.
(Ibid, p. 61)

“All this time my brother Amado was working industriously with us on the farm. He worked seriously
because he, too, wanted Macario to go through High school. Amado had gone as far as fifth grade, but
although he was eager to go farther, my father stopped him. We could afford only my brother Macario’s
education,” Bulosan, p. 15).

Her sister Irene died from a mysterious illness which she contracted at a young age. This, Allos
states, prompted him to go to school and become a doctor, (Piring 2016, p. 27).

Carlos Bulosan presents his childhood this way: He and his brothers strove to escape a life of
wage labor. Carlos worked on the family farm, Macario eventually became a teacher, Leon served in the
army, and Luciano worked in local politics, (Ibid).

Luciano, as mentioned by Carlos, worked in local politics. “He who became a vice mayor was not a
professional. But he was an avid reader of good books that made him a man of great convictions and
potentialities. He was also a Philippine scout who completed three years of service before he was
honorably discharged because of failing health. He received some amount from the United States as his
monthly pension” mentioned Bulosan (1946) as cited by Daranciang (2006).

Before joining the army, he had been an agent for one of the largest companies in Manila who
recruited workers from Northern Luzon. He was then a man of wide experience whose wisdom was
broadened as a result. He was one of the two men in town who could operate typewriters, and so, was
needed in the presidencia. He was also the first to know about machines like automobiles and motorcycles
when they first came to Binalonan. There were many important things he could do that few of the
townspeople knew, (Ibid).

When Luciano ran for election, he did not need much money to win. Following the rule of
succession, Elizabeth and Milagros said that he was elected vice mayor and became a mayor only after the
mayor left his position. Allos made no mention of the year when Lucinao got elected. (Daranciang 2006).

As to Aurelio, he never had a stint in college. Immediately after graduation from high school, he
was employed at the Binalonan Elementary School. In those days, a college degree was not required for
teaching. High school graduates were hired to teach.

Carlos reached only as far as the third grade but he was a diligent student going to school every
day (except when he was sick) and listening intently to his teacher. When his brothers were working in the
municipality, they often took Carlos to school to practice reading books and magazines. They too, brought
home reading materials for Carlos to read. For those he could not read, the brothers read aloud for Carlos
to hear, (Ibid).

At the age of thirteen, he went to Baguio to try his luck in looking for a job. After so much hardship,
he finally found a job offered by Miss Mary Strandon. During his stay in Baguio, he met Dalmacio, a Filipino
houseboy who later became his friend. From time to time, Dalmacio taught Carlos how to read. After doing
their day’s work, Both Dalmacio went under trees to read books borrowed from the library. When Miss
Standon found out that Carlos was eager to read and to learn, she recommended him to work in the library.
Carlos took this opportunity to fill his mind by reading all the books that he could when there were no
borrowers of books, although he was not exposed to formal schooling in Baguio, his library readings
surpassed formal schooling, (Ibid).

Carlos also went to Lingayen with his cousin who was studying in Lingayen High School (It was
then the only high school in Pangasinan). His cousin tagged him along to attend his classes. In early years,
students who were not enrolled formally in a school, were allowed to sit-in as visitors or “Saling Pusa''.
Carlos was smart, his cousin’s English teacher took interest in him and he went a mile to write a
certification that Carlos attended his class for two years. He described this situation in a paragraph quoted
below:

“My cousin’s English teacher was a man who had been in America. He wore American shoes and
clothes and came to class smoking a large pipe. He sat in a small chair which he tilted backward, purring
his feet on the table so that we could see his silk socks. The timid girls in the front seats were embarrassed.
But he took interest in me, and even invited me to his house. There he wrote out a credit card which made
it appear that I had been going to school regularly for two years, graduating from one grade to another with
excellent marks”.

It is here that Bulosan first developed his talents as a writer, for he apparently contributed to and edited the
school’s newspaper.

Allos never had an opportunity to pursue college.

III. Application/Activity

A. Establishing bridges. Using the Venn diagram compare and contrast the educational system during the time
of the Bulosans to the educational system now.

THEN NOW

1. What are changes in the educational system and how these changes benefit you as a student?
2. What are the challenges/problems you encountered or you still encounter? How these challenges/problems
affect your performance as a student?

B. On point. What is your stand in the saying “Poverty is not a hindrance to education”? Do you agree or not?
Explain your answer by citing examples or pieces of evidence.

IV. Assessment

Multiple choices. Read and analyze each item carefully. Copy the questions and write your answers before each
item.

1. He helped Simeon on the farm and worked industrious because he also wanted to continue his studies.
a. Amado b. Luciano c. Carlos d. Aurelio

2. Simeon gradually sold their lands to:

a. finance Macario in his schooling c. invest in the business of Autelia
b. finance the trip of Carlos to America d. build a house

3. What grade did Carlos finish?

a. Grade 3 b. Grade 5 c. Grade 7 d. Grade 1

4. Who took over the business of Autelia after she died?

a. Elizabeth b. Escolastica c. Milgaros d. Mildred

5. She is the sister of Carlos who passed-away in her early age due to mysterious illness.
a. Escolastica b. Elizabeth c. Milagros d. Irene

6. After day’s work, Dalmacio and Carlos went under the trees near the library to:
a. read books b. play cards c. eat strawberries d. play guitar

7. What grade did Amado finish?

a. Grade 3 b. Grade 5 c. Grade 7 d. Grade 1

8. For how many regular years did Carlos’ cousin’s English teacher give as a merit for his excellent
performance as student visitor or “saling-pusa” to the teacher’s class?
a. 3 years b. 2 years c. 1 year d. 4 years
 9. The Bulosan boys were able to go to elementary because;
a. They had financial resources to study elementary
b. Their house is near the school
c. Public Schools offered free education
d. The school principal is their close relative

10. To be able to lift the family’s economic condition, Macario hoped to become:
a. Engineer b. Doctor c. Teacher d. Architect

B. Enumerate at least three qualifications of Luciano in winning the Vice-mayoral candidacy.

C. Enumerate at least 2 descriptions of the English Teacher as described by Allos.

V. Other References

Daranciang, C.B. (2006). Defending Carlos Bulosan and Providing Cultural Context. Seattle: SLA Publishing House

Piring, D.E. (2016). Kain na!Life and Times of Carlos Bulosan. Sacramento: California State University

WRITTEN ACTIVITY RUBRIC

Name: ________________________ Teacher:

Date Submitted: ____________ Title of Work: ___________________
Criteria Points
1 2 3 4
Reader has difficulty Student presents Information in
Sequence of information following work information in logical logical, interesting
Organization ____
is difficult to follow.because student sequence which sequence which
jumps around. reader can follow. reader can follow.
Student is
Student does not have Student
uncomfortable with Student is at ease
grasp of information; demonstrates full
Content Knowledge content and is able to with content, but fails ____
student cannot answer knowledge (more
demonstrate basic to elaborate.
questions about subject. than required).
concepts.
Presentation has Presentation has no
Work has four or more Presentation has no
Grammar and three misspellings more than two
spelling errors and/or misspellings or ____
Spelling and/or grammatical misspellings and/or
grammatical errors. grammatical errors.
errors. grammatical errors.
Work has one or two
Work has three or four
Neatness Work is Illegible. areas that are Work is neatly done. ____
areas that are sloppy.
sloppy.
Work does not have Work displays the
Reference section
Work displays no the appropriate correct number of
References was completed ____
references. number of required references, written
incorrectly
references. correctly.
Total----> ____

Teacher’s Comments: