Embedded Files
"Rollie"/ "Cada"
PSHS Batch '72
Birth: June 9, 1954
Place of Birth: Vinzons, Camarines Norte
Short biography
Based on a timeline constructed by his wife and sisters
Education:
Vinzons Elementary School
Philippine Science High School (Batch 1972)
was part of the first batch of scholars from Vinzons Elementary School together with Hermes Ferrer and Salvador Obusan
during summer breaks in high school, he would go home to Vinzons and would sometimes be a referee in local basketball games
1972-75
Rollie Cada conducted "teach ins" in school campuses in Camarines Norte, together with fellow activists RG and JM.
They were imprisoned in a military camp in Bgy. Dogongan, Daet during the first quarter of 1973. They were required to report to the camp every other week
February 1973 was the last time his family saw him in Vinzons. Apparently he never reported back to the military camp. Since then, his family was kept under surveillance and was constantly intimidated by the military. There was even a time that the military took in his father Catalino for questioning.
1974-77
Was known as Conrado Bautista in Nasugbu, Batangas, who organized farmers and sugarcane workers as the leader of an activist unit.
There he met his future wife, "Ka Liza", who he married in 1978. They have two children.
Details are limited since this was before he met Ka Liza, the main narrator of this timeline.
1978-79
Was also known as Ka Claro in Quezon and Camarines Norte.
In Quezon and Bicol, he and his wife would eat simple food and would constantly trek through the mountains for weeks.
Their activities were supported by the farmers and communities in the area, who gave them food and shelter.
Cada stayed in Labo, Camarines Norte, while his wife, then pregnant and about to give birth, was first brought to his family in Vinzons but later was brought to Nasugbu. Cada arrived one week before his wife gave birth to their first child.
Cada and his wife stayed in Bgy. Calabasa, Labo with "Ka Pater" and "Ka Marina"
Sometimes their unit consisted of 20-40 armed cadres in the mountains of Camarines Norte.
1980-82
Ka Liza, pregnant with their second child, once again stayed with Cada's family in Vinzons, and transferred to Nasugbu to give birth. Cada stayed with her until it was time to go back to Labo.
One of his siblings saw him last in 1981 at the Quiapo underpass. This was also the last time Ka Liza saw him.
A certain "Ka Greg" gave a letter to Ka Liza that informed her of her husband's death. The letter stated that he was killed in Labo, with gunshot wounds to his stomach since he fought standing. He and a companion let others escape first and thus two of them did not survive. Ka Greg expressed his admiration of Rollie Cada's bravery.
The encounter happened around the first week of August, 1982. It was said that the unit was hiding in the house of one of the kagawad in Barangay Maligaya, Labo.
Ka Liza brought the letter to his family, who were beside themselves with grief over the news of his death. They decided however not to look for his body, due to their fear of the military and the government.
Photos
Death: (estimated)
first week of August 1982
Place of Death: (estimated)
Bgy. Maligaya, Labo, Camarines Norte
remains not yet recovered
Note from the organizers:
In the 2012 tribute, we were able to contact almost all of the families to come to the ceremony in Bantayog ng mga Bayani. However, we did not know how to contact the family of Rolando Cada - we asked the Bantayog staff, his batch mates and friends but no one had any idea how to contact them.
In January 20, 2016, we received this email from his friends who came across the "Pagpugay at Pahingalay" website:
HELLO!
We are elementary school classmates of Rolando Cada in Vinzons, Camarines Norte. The four of us went on to pursue our collegiate studies at the Mapua Institute of Technology in the seventies.
We came upon the pahingalay website during the Christmas Break and noticed the absence of information on Rolando Cada’s page.
We sought the assistance of Rolando’s living close relatives and were able to get his Birthday which you can now add to his page: June 9. 1954. We will continue to look for additional information and pictures of Rolando which you can add to his page later. This is the least we can do to honor his memory and recognize his unquestionable love of his country and people.
On the flipside, maybe you can help Rolando’s family have closure on all of these. His younger sister Emma who provided Virgie the info on his Birthday indicated that “they don't know if Rolly is really dead because they didn't see the body.” So she just gave date of Birth : June 9, 1954 and Place of Birth is Vinzons, Camarines Norte.
If you have information on the date and circumstances surrounding his death and the probable location of his remains, we would appreciate if you can share those with us so we can in turn inform Rolando’s family about it. We are sure they would really appreciate that.
We commend and thank you for putting up this website!
VIRGINIA P. BASACA ROMEO V. LIZARDO
ROSAURO A. JUAN SALVADOR A. OBUSAN
from Erlinda Cada Ilustre (sister)
Through the kindness and thoughtfulness of his friends, we were able to contact and meet with his sisters, Erly and Emma, in April 2016.
Others who joined the meeting included Roberto "Jun" Verzola, his batch mate in PSHS, who did some researching and provided additional information to corroborate or confirm whatever information the family has also gathered.
His sisters informed the group that Rollie Cada is survived by a wife and two children. They also provided a timeline of events which could help in documentation of his life.
Testimonials from friends
From Ramon Casiple, PSHS Batch 72:
"Rolando Cada was the head of the Propaganda and Organizing Team (POT) of the PSHS KM chapter in charge of the North Triangle community before martial law declaration and was instrumental in the establishment of the Samahan ng Magkakanayon (SM), a thousand-strong organization of the urban poor in North Triangle. With support from Pisay student activist movement, SM successfully prevented several attempts to demolish their community. It took martial rule to demolish it. Later, SM activists would form part of the core of the Constitution Hills (Batasan Hills) urban poor struggle during martial law."
From Dante Simbulan Jr., PSHS Batch 75:
"I remember 'Cada' well during those several months I came in contact with him , as he lived next to the hut of Tata Aryong (head of the Samahan ng Magkakanayon), when 'Cada' decided to become a full-time community organizer before the declaration of martial law. During my community immersions, as a Pisay SDK activist/ council member of the Supreme Student Council, at North Triangle , I knew pretty well that I was there to learn from the masses, having come from a comfortable middle class family, though my father too chose to become a social activist, going underground during the suspension of the writ of Habeas corpus, and finally martial law, as there was an arrest warrant for him , because of his activism from his PMA faculty days and being founding chair of the Katipunan ng Gurong Makabayan then ( precursor of ACT) and involvement in education work for trade unions.
One of these days, I will draw the hut of Cada and Tata Aryong. This was where Arturo Boquiren and I were arrested by a raiding team of the 5th Constabulary Security Unit, during martial law, as we were bringing medicine for diarrhea for the baby of Tata Aryong. We were brought to Camp Crame, for overnight detention at the 5th CSU office. The funds for the medicine we solicited from Pisay schoolmates, and by then we already organized the Student Committee for Social Action, with Sr. Digna Dacanay as adviser and guidance counselor. SCSA was the first open student group under martial law. Miriam Ferrer, Amihan Abueva and Rosel Doval Santos were among the founding members then."
Other links
A General Calm by Rodel Rodis (Inquirer.net)
UP Pays Tribute to 72 Martyrs and Heroes, by GMA News
By the time of his death, Rollie Cada was a widely-known activist in Nasugbu and Camarines Norte who fought the dictatorship during Martial Law.
Documents
Full document: Timeline of Rolando Cada.
Note: real names have been redacted for security purposes
Note
This page welcomes contributions for write-ups, photos and documents on the honoree. For inclusion of additional material, kindly contact the volunteer organizers via pagpugay.pahingalay@gmail.com.
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