A Tribute to My Mother, 1909-1988
There are some people whose lives deserve to be remembered not because they became famous, but because of the values they quietly passed on to their children.
My mother, Paz Barrido Balleza Katague, was one of those people.
I have written about my mother several times in my blogs over the years. I have written about her frugality, her remarkable ability to calculate numbers in her head, her family background, her generosity, and the many lessons she taught me during my childhood in Iloilo.
But as I approach my 92nd year, I find myself looking at her life differently.
The older I become, the more I appreciate the woman she was.
This is my attempt to bring together what I remember about my mother and what I have learned about her life and legacy over the years.
Her Early Life in Barotac Viejo
My mother was born on January 14, 1909, in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, Philippines.
She was the youngest and only daughter of Alfonso Vencer Balleza and Estefania Demit Barrido. She had two older brothers, Jose and Modesto.
The Balleza family was one of the prominent landowning families in Barotac Viejo and neighboring towns such as Banate and Ajuy. The family owned rice and corn lands, coconut plantations and fish ponds.
My maternal grandparents died while my mother was still in high school. Because of this, she was placed under the care of her older brother, Modesto.
For a period, she lived with the Modesto Balleza family in Iloilo City. Their large house was located across from St. Paul Hospital and near Assumption College.
My mother attended Assumption College but did not finish high school.
During her senior year, she met my father, Dr. David Jamili Katague, and fell in love.
She eventually married him in 1929. Years later, she told me that one of the reasons she decided to marry was because she wanted to escape the strict control of her older brother.
At the time, I did not fully appreciate what that decision meant.
Today, I understand it much better.
My Parents
My father had graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1929. He also passed the Philippine dental board examination that year, placing second nationwide.
My parents established their home in Jaro, Iloilo City, where my father operated a dental office on the first floor of their two-story residence on Arguelles Street.
After several years without children, they adopted a son, Rodolfo.
Then, in 1934, I was born. Eventually, my parents had seven children:
David, Erico, Myrla, Agnes, Efren, Ruben and Amor. I was the oldest.
Our family eventually moved to Barotac Viejo when World War II reached the Philippines. That small town became the place where I spent much of my childhood and where many of my most enduring memories of my mother were formed.
A Quiet Woman with a Remarkable Mind
My mother was a very reserved woman, the exact opposite of my Father.
She was not a person who liked to give speeches or tell people how important she was.
But she had something that impressed me even as a child, a remarkable mathematical mind.
Although she did not finish high school, she could add, subtract and multiply numbers in her head with extraordinary speed. I remember one incident particularly well.
A vendor came to our house selling farm products. The vendor quoted a price of three items for one peso.
My mother immediately calculated the amount and said something like:
"Here is eight pesos. Give me two dozen." I was amazed.
She had calculated the ratio in her head almost instantly.
Looking back, I realize that my mother possessed a practical intelligence that did not necessarily require a college education.
She understood numbers. She understood money. And, most importantly, she understood value.
The Lesson of Frugality
Perhaps the most important lesson my mother taught me was frugality.
She believed strongly in saving. She reportedly set aside about ten percent of the family's farm income.
She was not interested in unnecessary luxury. I remember that she would never leave food on her plate.
She would tell us: "If you don't finish your food, God will punish you."
That childhood lesson stayed with me. Even today, I have difficulty leaving food on my plate.
But her lesson went beyond food. She was teaching us not to waste. Don't waste food.
Don't waste money. Don't waste opportunities. And don't take what you have for granted.
Those lessons have remained with me for almost a century.
From Farm Income to the Katague Building
My mother and father worked together in managing their properties.
After my father received back pay for his service as a Dental Officer during World War II, my parents had an opportunity to invest.
My father apparently wanted to spend some of the money on a car. My mother persuaded him to save it.
That decision eventually helped them acquire commercial property in Iloilo City.
They built what became known as the KATAGUE BUILDING on Iznart Street, near the Iloilo Provincial Capitol and the YMCA.
For our family, that building represented something more than bricks and concrete.
It represented my mother's philosophy: Save first. Spend wisely. Invest for the future.
When my parents died, the building and other properties eventually became part of our family's inheritance.
The Katague Building itself eventually disappeared. The property was sold, the old building was demolished, and a newer structure took its place.
Buildings disappear. Properties change hands. But the values behind them can survive for generations.
A Mother Who Was More Generous Than I Realized
As a child, I mostly thought of my mother as a strict and frugal woman.
As I grew older, I began to understand another side of her.
She was also generous. One of the most important examples was her donation of approximately 15,000 square meters of land for Barotac Viejo National High School.
Today, when I think about that gift, I see it differently.
She could have kept that property for herself and for her children.
Instead, part of her land became an educational institution.
That may be one of her most enduring legacies.
A commercial building can be demolished. A piece of land can be sold.
But education can continue from one generation to another.
That is a legacy I am particularly proud of.
My Mother's Balleza Heritage
My mother's story is also an important part of my own family history.
Through her, I am connected to the Balleza and Barrido families of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo.
Over the years, I have researched my maternal ancestry and have written about the Balleza family in my genealogy articles.
I learned that the Balleza family had deep roots in the Barotac Viejo area and that there are now Balleza descendants scattered throughout the Philippines and around the world.
My mother therefore represents more than my immediate family.
She is one link in a much longer chain of ancestry.
And because I have become increasingly interested in genealogy in my later years, I now realize how important it is to preserve these stories.
If we don't write them down, they can disappear.
May 14, 1988
My mother died on May 14, 1988. That date is still easy for me to remember because it was Mother's Day season, and because losing a mother leaves a permanent empty space in one's life.
As of 2026, it has been 38 years since her death. Yet I still remember her.
I remember her sitting at home. I remember her calculating numbers in her head.
I remember her insisting that we finish the food on our plates. I remember her concern about saving money.
I remember her quiet personality. And I remember the lessons. That is one of the mysteries of memory.
A person may be gone for decades, but certain memories remain remarkably fresh.
What My Mother Taught Me
My mother taught me many things without giving formal lectures.
She taught me: Frugality. Saving for the future. Not wasting food. Responsibility.
The value of education. The importance of family.
And perhaps most importantly: Live within your means and appreciate what you have.
These lessons have followed me from the Philippines to America.
I brought them with me when I immigrated to the United States in 1960.
They stayed with me through graduate school. They stayed with me during my scientific career.
They stayed with me during my years at the FDA. And they are still with me today.
Looking Back at 91
When I was young, I did not fully understand my mother. That is probably true of most children.
We see our parents through the eyes of children.
Only later, after we have lived through our own struggles, responsibilities and disappointments, do we begin to understand them.
Now, at 91, I can look back at my mother's life with a much greater appreciation.
She did not have the educational opportunities that I had.
She did not travel the world. She did not have a professional career.
She never used a computer or smartphone. She certainly never imagined artificial intelligence.
Yet she possessed something that remains valuable in any generation: common sense, discipline, perseverance and wisdom.
Those qualities never become obsolete.
The Mother Behind the Man
Sometimes I think about the long journey my life has taken.
From a small town in Iloilo... To the University of the Philippines... To graduate school in America...
To a career in science and pharmaceutical chemistry...To the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
To retirement...To becoming a blogger...And now, at 91, to using artificial intelligence as a writing partner. It has been quite a journey.
But before all of that, there was a boy growing up in Barotac Viejo who had a mother named Paz.
She helped shape that boy. Her lessons became part of the man he eventually became.
And perhaps that is the greatest legacy a mother can leave.
A Final Tribute to Mama Pacing
We called my mother Mama Pacing. I have written many times about her, but I don't think I can ever write the final version.
Every time I remember something new, another story comes back.
That is why I continue to write about her. I am not writing only for myself.
I am writing for my children, my grandchildren, my two great-grandsons, my relatives, the Balleza family, and for future generations who may someday wonder about the woman who came before them.
My mother died 38 years ago. But through memories, photographs, family stories, genealogy and these blog posts, she is still part of my life.
And perhaps that is what writing can do for the people we love.
It gives memory a permanent home. Mama Pacing, thank you for teaching me that a simple life can still be a meaningful life.
Thank you for teaching me to save. Thank you for teaching me not to waste.
Thank you for teaching me the value of education.
And thank you for giving me the roots from which my own long journey began.
You are gone, but you are not forgotten. Your oldest son, David
Related Blog:
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-tribute-to-my-parents-prayer-of-st.html
Lastly, My Quotes of the Day:
“A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence.”
Anonymous
“Wake up with determination and go to bed with satisfaction.”
Anonymous
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