The Battle of Dona Maria

We just celebrated Independence Day two weeks ago. We had a barbecue in our backyard. When it got dark it was time to watch the fireworks, and we could see some from our backyard coming from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. It wasn't much of a fireworks display due to the distance but it was good enough for me.

Fireworks bring back memories of my pre-teen days in Santol. My family lived on Dona Maria Street. We didn't have fireworks but we had 'paputok' (firecrackers) to welcome the New Year. We also made cannons out of bamboo, and kerosene as the explosive charge. We placed the kerosene inside the bamboo at the base and heated it through a small hole, using lit candles. When the gas from the kerosene mixed with oxygen in the air, putting a flame near the hole would ignite the oxygen-kerosene gas mixture and would cause an explosion and a loud 'bang'. To make more fun we would use empty Carnation milk cans as projectiles.

One afternoon just before New Year's Day, the boys were playing with two bamboo cannons. We divided into two groups and we pretended we were in battle shooting our cannons at each other. I was the cannoneer in our group. I was straddling the bamboo cannon, loading it with milk can projectile and pointing the cannon to the 'enemy' located about 50 yards from us.

We were firing volleys at each other about every 30 seconds. I heard a loud bang coming from the 'enemy' cannon, I looked up and I felt something hit me between the eyes. It was a Carnation milk can. They scored a direct hit! The blood was streaming down my face. Luckily I had a neighbor who was a nurse. She treated my battle wound right away. I had a 1/2 inch cut at the bridge of my nose -- nothing serious. Some Mercurechrome and band-aid took care of it. The Battle of Dona Maria had ended.

Related Post: Happy New Year: Philippine Style

LUCENA CITY--A retired band member in this city has fashioned a cannon out of a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe, turning it into a hot-selling noisemaker to welcome the New Year.

John Almario, 37, got the idea from the "boga" cannon invented by the Caviteños.

He bought a red PVC "bazooka" in Cavite last year, tinkered with its parts and mechanisms, added some innovations and came up with his own design.