IN 1914, World War I caused the closure of the Panama Canal. The Americans realized that the Philippines was their safe and stable source of sugar. In 1916, the price of sugar leaped three times compared to 1912 ushering a golden era to sugar producing provinces.
Silay had the biggest share of fortune alongside with the other towns in Negros. Hawaiian-Philippine Company (a sugar mill) was established in Silay in 1920. The good life continued but temporarily interrupted by World War II. After the war, sugar industry was back on its feet until late President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972. Again, sugar industry went down and has not recovered.
Hacienda workers now are not certain of their future. Their children do not work in the hacienda anymore. They prefer to work in the call centers, malls or construction firms where salary is better. Large haciendas are starting to disintegrate. The third generations of “hacenderos” do not have the skills of managing the farm. Some opt to lease the farm and some are selling their hacienda lands to manila-based developers.
What is Christmas 2019 for hacienda workers? The workers are expecting that their Christmas bonus (small amount) could be given before December 25. They had that bad experience last year when the “hacendero” family went abroad for Christmas vacation in the first week of December and went back in January. The family of workers just stared at each other on Christmas eve.
Hacienda workers would always remember their best Christmas years under the first and second generations of “hacenderos”. Christmas bonuses were released on time. The good “hacenderos” would spare an extra day for all the workers with a salary even without work. Gantas of rice would be given to each family depending on the number of children.
December 16 is Christmas Fiesta. The “hacendero” would butcher one cow and three pigs to be divided among the permanent workers and sacadas. The “hacendero” family would join the workers in a morning mass and that would be followed by the distribution of Christmas packages: clothes, canned goods, toys and candies. There would be parlor games for adults and children with prizes from the “hacendero”.
In the afternoon, there would be ball games... basketball, softball and volleyball. A free sound system would be sponsored by the “hacendero” for the evening jam session at the plaza. Dancing ended by sunrise of the next day. That could be a simple celebration but for the workers it was something great.
At Christmas and New Year’s Eve, workers and their families would be provided one cargo truck so that they could attend masses in the town proper. They would take pride in wearing the clothes given to them by the “hacendero”. The children would even bring their toys when they went back to classes in January to show them to their classmates.
Probably some “hacenderos” could still do the same to their workers now ... to a certain extent. Many “hacenderos” accepted that they are “land rich but money poor”. Hacienda workers fear what will happen to them after retirement ... no house, no separation pay, not sure of their SSS pension. They can only hope that there are still Samaritan “hacenderos” who can play the role of Santa Claus this Christmas.