THE GUIANG GENERATION

Ilocano people are by nature industrious and adventurous.  These traits are  possessed by the Guiangs.  In the 1800s and 1900s, several Guiang adventurers from Paoay, Ilocos Norte sought fortune in many provinces of the Philippines such as Isabela, Cagayan, Tarlac, Zambales, Pangasinan, Cebu and Mindanao.  It is known that a Guiang by the name of Matias sailed south along the northwestern coast until he reached Zambales Province.  Another Guiang is known in Mindanao Island of the Philippines and a Chief Guiang was known to have led one of the tribes of Mindanao.  Some Guiangs immigrated to the United States mainland. In these far away places the Guiang men folk got married to the natives and spread the Guiang surname. These proved that all the Guiangs, who live here in the Philippines and abroad, are related to each other by either near or distant affinity.  

In the very early 1900s, three Paoay-born cousins, Hilario Pobre Guiang,  Mauro Guiang Fuertes and Fernando Pobre Reyno,  daringly migrated to the United States of America by boarding  a US Cargo Ship that docked off the coastal town of Currimao, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.  Being young, bold, and adventurous, the trio traveled in many parts of the United States (like Cincinnati and Minnesota States) and Canada (like Manitoba and Quebec Provinces). Armed with the mission and vision of rising above their compatriots back home in the Philippines, the inseparable cousins worked through thick and thin in the wilderness of America. It is worth remembering that during their time, equal opportunity was not practiced.  We can imagine their courage they took to rise above others.  In the 1930s, Hilario (first picture) and Mauro (second picture) studied at University of Cincinnati in Ohio.   Hilario also entered St. Cloud State University in Minnesota on September 8, 1931 and graduated with a 2-year course upper level degree on March 8, 1934.  Hilario and Mauro obtained Bachelors Degree in Education in 1939. While in college, the five" four' tall Hilario, who was fondly called “Larry” by his American classmates, was an excellent musician. As clarinet and violin player, he joined the University of Cincinnati Orchestra Band. He was the lone Filipino in the all-American musical group.  Hilario loved music so much that during his retirement years in Paoay, he listened everyday and every minute to classical music from his phonograph - a version of manual record player invented by American Inventor Thomas A. Edison in 1877 - he brought with him from the United States.  Mauro, on the other hand, kept a low profile being a work-and-study type of guy. Their cousin Fernando Reyno did not stay long in the US.  Due to extreme homesickness, he returned to the Philippines in 1930s. 

After more than 30 years of living in the United States, the two Ohio/Minnesota-trained educator-cousins Hilario and Mauro sailed back home to the Philippines and reunited with their relatives in Paoay. As the two settled for good in their hometown, both proved their mettle as educators. Hilario, Mauro, and other professionals in Paoay town aided Attorney Jose Evangelista in upgrading the Paoay North Institute (PNI), a private high school founded in 1932 that still exists today. Attorney Evangelista, who was said to be kin of the Guiangs, later became an elected provincial governor of Ilocos Norte in the 1960s.  

Hilario also taught as pioneer mentor at public schools in Paoay and in Roxas, Isabela. Mauro was a mainstay at the PNI as the school librarian for many years until he retired from the service.  Hilario and Mauro remained single.  During their twilight years, the duo committed themselves to researching and documenting the genealogy of the Guiangs starting from Don Martin Guiang, the founder of Paoay Town.  Both completed the main draft of the Guiang Family Tree before they passed away to meet our Almighty Creator. 

Today, the Guiangs live in various parts of the Philippines, the United States, and Canada. The younger Guiang generations now reside in California, USA and Canada  while the older Guiangs stay in Paoay, an ideal place for those who want to enjoy peace and tranquility in their twilight years.