CHIEFMAU, THE GREAT FISHERMAN, THE GREAT FATHER
                            BY:  TSURTIDOGNI


            MAURO TIMTIM ABENIDO,  The man with the most beautiful smile.
A leader and a great fisherman. MAURO was born in August 04, 1929, in a
warm sunny day. He has four older brothers and four older sisters.  Mauro is
the youngest child of Margarita Timtim, a slender, tall, and a pretty woman and
Pedro Abenido, a fisherman and a strict disciplinarian.

            The family lives in a small village called Basdiot, meaning "little sand",
in the town of Moalboal, province of Cebu, in our beautiful country, the Philippines, also known as "The Pearl of the Orient Seas."
             
              It was known to the village that as a child, MAURO was known as the
tuba (coconut wine) baby.  When Margarita gives birth to her youngest child MAURO, she was sickly and can no longer breastfeed him,and commercial milk
was unknown to the poor village at that time. Pedro, MAURO's father, was also
a tuba gatherer who owns coconut trees nearby their house. Pedro decided to feed his youngest son a freshly gathered tuba, a very sweet taste as a substitute
for milk.  Baby MAURO sips the tuba which was slowly placed in a banana leaf
formed like a flannel to the hungry mouth and it worked for him.

              He was growing so fast and so quick in responses. The tuba baby was
loved by everyone.  As a boy of three, he accompanied his older brothers and father fishing. He easily learned fishing that at the age of five, he went fishing with
his older brother Bandoy, who was seven years old, and both went home with two pails of small tuna.  As he grew, he went fishing alone in the day and night and always came home bringing pails of fishes that filled his small boat and it
was his mother Margarita as well as his older sisters that did the marketing or the selling of his harvest. If it happened that all would not be sold, the women of
the house salted or smoked the fishes that they have more than enough supply during stormy days.

EDUCATION
==========

          MAURO tops in his class, ALWAYS !  He finished his elementary studies and considered the best especially in Arithmetic and English subjects.
The tuba baby turned to be a brilliant student. He also loves basketball, volleyball, and softball. He was the best volleyball single player in the whole town.  MAURO, as a teen-ager was a total description of a tall, dark and handsome with expressive eyes and a winning smile.  He can play the guitar and
the ukelele very well as is very popular with his well-modulated singing voice.
         

LOVE AFFAIR
===========

            MAURO feel in love with Constancia Vergara who lives in the across
island of Toboso, Negros Occidental.
Constancia, a fair-skinned lady, a dressmaker and a hair-dresser was visiting
her aunt in one of the fiesta celebration of the village. There was a barrio dance and all of the ladies were sitting inthe dancing area, and Constancia was the
fairest of them all which caught the attention of MAURO's heart.

            MAURO traveled by his small boat to visit her in Negros Island regardless of what the weather was. He won all the storms as he crossed the angry sea several times and his persistence worked as he also won the heart of Constancia.

              A simple and meaningful wedding occured on October 03, 1951. The
village people who was used to a very simple lifestyle were all fascinated by
Constancia's fashion-consciousness that she was the only woman who wears
shoes everyday and wears beautiful dresses she sewed by herself. Constancia
did some hair-cutting and hair-perming to the village ladies and the nearby villages that made her very popular.

              MAURO possesses a charismatic personality while Constancia has
her own strength.  Every word that comesout from MAURO's mouth was considered a wisdom.  To the village people as well as to the whole town of
Moalboal, MAURO and CONSTANCIA made a blissful union.

         
WISDOM
--------------
              MAURO used to sing to his young children "Sa Taknang Magsudya Ang Palad, Matam-is Kanunay Ang Magpaubos "  which means "When Life Is
Rough It Is Always Sweet To Be Humble."  Every lyrics of that song was deeply
imparted in the hearts and minds of MAURO's children.

                MAURO used to say to his young children "Wherever you go always
remember the lesson from the Talisay seed/nut. There is no reason that anything
can not be divided equally." It is because the Talisay Nut is very small, but all
his children divided it equally, and the taste of equality gives full satisfaction and harmony.

                YES ! MAURO ! HOW BLESSED YOU ARE !

                MAURO and Constancia are blessed with seven children, four girls and two boys. All of his children are GOD-fearing and are all achievers in their own lives.

                  From the fisherman and a beautician are successful and talented children who are all married with their own respective families that gives honor
and respect to  MAURO  and CONSTANCIA ,  as they grew older and wiser. MAURO always remind his grandchildren," Always be useful and you can never
fail."


MAURO, THE VILLAGE CHIEF FOR YEARS, ONE OF HIS SON'S  JEREY,
(JEREY, DIED OF A HEART  ATTACK LAST OCTOBER 10, 2003, BLESS
HIS SOUL, OH, LORD) OPENED A DISCO BAR THAT SERVES DRINKS
ALONG WITH THE STARS IN AN OPEN SKY. JEREY CALLED HIS BAR
CHIEFMAU STATION IN HONOR OF MAURO, THE VILLAGE CHIEF.
CHIEFMAU STATION CONTINUES ITS SERVICES BEING RUN BY JEREY'S
WIFE AND CHILDREN.CHIEFMAU STATION IS IN THE BUSINESS FOR
27 YEARS NOW.

THE FISHERMAN
=============
ONCE A FISHERMAN, ALWAYS A FISHERMAN.MAURO STILL GOES
FISHING EARLY MORNING WITH HIS BROTHER BANDOY. SOMETIMES
MAURO MAKES SALTED FISH AND DISTRIBUTE THEM TO HIS CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.

MAURO- THE CHESS PLAYER
=======================
IN HIS AFTERNOON DAYS, MAURO SITS AT EVE'S KIOSK RESTAURANT, A RESORT OWNED BY HIS OLDEST DAUGHTER, EVE.HE PLAYS HIS FAVORITE GAME, CHESS ! HE WINS WITH A WHISTLE TO EVERY OPPONENT WHO WISHES TO CHALLENGE HIM.HE MASTERS EACH MOVE WITH A HUM OR TUNE OF HIS FAVORITE SONG, AND FINISHED EACH GAME WITH A SMILE, A WHISTLE AND A CHUCKLE.

MAURO, THE VILLAGE PEOPLE LOVES HIM, THE TOURISTS FROM
DIFFERENT NATIONS LOVE TO TALK TO HIM, THE PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, LOVE LISTENING TO HIM.

THERE IS ONLY ONE MAURO TIMTIM ABENIDO IN THE WHOLE WORLD.
YES, MAURO, YOU ARE GREAT BECAUSE YOU LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST
AND YOU ARE EASY TO LOVE. AS MY FATHER, I LOVE YOU MOST.