Obituary of Filemon T. Magracia

On June 4, 2020, the Almighty called Filemon Talag Magracia to His home. He was born on November 15, 1925 and raised in Rosario, Batangas, Philippines, as the youngest child, among eight siblings, by his parents Ireneo Magracia and Petra Talag. Filemon graduated from the Batangas High School - one of the first pre-war schools established by the American Occupying Forces in the Philippines and managed by the Thomasites - the American teachers who volunteered to teach Filipinos - for World War 2 began in the Philippines on the same day that Pearl Harbor was destroyed by Japanese dive bombers. As a young man of seventeen, Filemon saw the atrocities of war and decided that he must fight for his country, and fight he did. He became a guerilla - farmer by day, armed fighter at night - who used his local knowledge to harass, attack, frustrate, and defeat the operations of the Japanese Imperial Army in whatever way. More importantly, his guerilla group also carried out orders and missions, as ordered by the US Army Forces in the Far East. For these actions, Filemon's battlefield service was recognized by the Office of the Adjutant General, Department of the Army. His service was further recognized when Filemon was awarded, with all other Filipino war veterans, the Congressional Gold Medal under the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015,on September 8, 2018 at the Office of the Philippine Consulate General. Evading capture by the Japanese, Filemon - reserved, soft-spoken, a man who never spoke harshly nor was he ever the center of attention - however, was unable to dismiss and deny his ardent feelings for his first love, Luisa Buela Dinglasan, whose graceful beauty, homely skills, and calm courage, made her the center of his life. Her parents, Vicente Coloma Dinglasan and Veronica Jarque Buela, knew of the relationship and impliedly approved it. They grew up in the same village, and their families know each other, as in the case of many other love affairs in the barrios. Only 18 at that time, Luisa decided to join Filemon in his 2-year guerilla war, and they eventually got married on December 23, 1944 - a courageous, albeit a foolish move at that time when literally, love and war are fighting for supremacy. After the war, Filemon became a Philippine Army soldier and later on worked with the Department of Public Works of the Batangas Provincial Government. In the early 60s, Filemon was elected Barrio Captain of San Carlos, the village where he and Luisa grew up, and where they had established their young family. As a Barrio Captain, Filemon was recognized and respected more after he survived a grim event in the same barrio, where his courage, disposition and cool demeanor saved him, and the lives of several others. In 1971, he ran and won as Vice-Mayor of Rosario, one of the biggest towns of Batangas. He became Mayor of Rosario, Batangas in 1981 after the death of the then incumbent mayor. In 1987, Filemon and Luisa migrated to New York, hoping to get a new but late restart in life. He did so, by working as a security officer and Luisa starting out as a nanny for two kids. After more than 3-decades in America, they celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary on December 23, 2019. The couple had 10 children - all of whom know the joys and struggles of a big family in a rural area amid the economic challenges and social changes in a poor country. Alicia, Luz, Ophelia, Loida, Ferdinand (+), Feddie, Florendo, Lanibelle, Lorelyn, Federico (+) and Frederic, have supported each other throughout, and are all college graduates from Philippine universities. Through their consolidated efforts and the unlimited love for each other, Filemon and his family thrived, and his children and grandchildren are now responsible professionals and citizens living the simple life in the United States.