Bernie Provido Schumann, who invited me to share my story.
My father, Fermin Vergie Zapanta, was the labor superintendent of Camp Roxas. He was the pioneer who established Camp Roxas. He formed the initial labor group that worked on Manus Island and later came to Guam. It is my sincere wish that my father’s memory as a labor leader and founder of Camp Roxas and his work in rehabilitating Guam, particularly Agat and Santa Rita, be perpetuated in the hearts of these communities.
I am presently a retired dentist, and former dean of the College of Dentistry in Iloilo City, Philippines, for the last 27 years. I am the one who pioneered the establishment of the College of Dentistry in Iloilo City, Philippines, and was one of the founders of the Iloilo Doctors Hospital, Incorporated, in Iloilo City.
Before World War II, my father was the president of the labor group, the Children of Laborers, which became dormant during the Japanese occupation. After the war ended, my father established the Consolidated Labor Union of the Philippines (CLUP). As much as he doesn’t want to, he gave the position of president to Philippine Congressman Pascual Espinoza of Iloilo. My father Fermin then became vice president.
My father was approached by three Americans, the proprietors of Luzon Stevedoring Company, Inc., LUSTEVECO, namely Chick Parsons, Peter Grimm, and Mr. Taylor, whether he can get the labor group to go to Manus Island, somewhere in New Guinea, in the Admiralty Group. The work was possibly regarding surplus war materials. The labor group, made up of 36 workers headed by my father Fermin, completed the Manus Island project and then went to Guam. My father Fermin was assigned as labor superintendent of Guam and my brother, Victor Zapanta, was vice superintendent of Camp Roxas.
The laborers started in Agat by clearing all the boondocks and then set up a camp made up of tents. When the boondocks were all cleared, my father told the owner of LUSTEVECO to send more laborers to Guam. Because my father is Ilonggo, he told the Americans: "I am going to do this but they have to recruit people from Iloilo, especially Dingle and Guimaras."
Jovito Malilay, is from Aklan. My brother is married to your relative of Bito, so they also recruited from Aklan. People from Luzon came in too but the priority to go to Guam were people from Iloilo. During those years, 1945 up to so on, they sent 12,000 workers. Sometimes, 10,000 and over, but the camp is populated with 12,000 workers.
In1948, I graduated from high school and I was telling my father that I wanted to see Guam. I rode a LST, a small boat, taking about two weeks or so to reach Guam. No matter how shallow the river or the shore is, LSTs, which usually carry tanks, can go to shore and discharge the tank.
We passed Saipan first and from Saipan we went to Guam. When I arrived at Station 18, I noticed all the very big tents with so many people living there. I want to the BOQ, bachelors quarters, for our meal. I said it’s all good food, all fried chicken. My brother laughed at me when I said it’s delicious. The next day, everything, every day, every day, it’s all fried chicken, fried chicken, fried chicken. So we also went to the beach to fish.
The Iloilo men were all eager to come to Guam because lots of them were jobless. They were the first overseas workers in the Philippines and the first also out of in Iloilo after the war. The first ones were in Manus Island, then Guam and Saipan from the labor union there. Even today, remittances from OCW around the world, from domestic helpers, skilled and unskilled labor, keep the Philippine economy floating.
I went back to Iloilo to take up dentistry and came back to Guam as camp dentist from 1953 to 1955. When we came here, we did not have any passport. You just show your name in the manifest. We are all laborers. Myself, I am hospital worker although I am licensed dentist in the Philippines. The U.S. Navy and the Philippine government had an understanding.
I was single and earn so much. During that time, if you have a gold teeth in your front teeth, you look beautiful, you look handsome. Because I am a dentist, I have this gold teeth. I was only 21, 22 years old. There was a beauty contest where the highest bidder would be able to dance with the beauty queen, Miss Liberation Guam. My brother Vic said: "We let Snooks win this bidding." Which we did.
We had a fun time. It’s good I went home. Otherwise, If I possibly stay there I won’t be around anymore. I have two flashy cars. Buick, top down. You have all the money to spend. I have lot of dollars in my pocket. My glove compartment is all stashed with cash. Dollars. We used to pick it up in there. But I spent it all. I spend left and right and met a lot of girls that are special. But don’t tell my wife. She might shoot you.
Those days, you cannot visit the villages unless there will be an invitation coming from the family. That is all restricted area. That is the rule of the U.S. Navy authority, that they cannot go to the village.In fact, my brother shack up with a Chamoru woman and we have a Chamoru nephew.
Every day, there would be movies. You can see in the picture that my father was having a talk with the Camp Roxas workers. My father was a nice man, very easy to approach. The people in the camp, to respect him, they call him “the old man,” tigulang.
In 1955, LUSTEVECO lost the bidding against VINNELL Corporation. I was very loyal to LUSTEVECO, and my father also retired. He went home and I followed him and I started my dentistry practice in Iloilo.
Don Marshall, Camp Roxas general manager, was just a supervisor. He rose from the ranks and became the general manager of LUSTEVECO, and then he became the Camp Roxas overall chairman. Marshall went back and made a bidding on Guam and won. It’s not LUSTEVECO anymore. It’s MASDELCO.
Some Camp Roxas workers became entrepreneurs with a good business. They knew how to spend wisely. But the rest just spend and spend. They are away from the family and there are so many taxi dancers coming from Hawaii. If you dance with them, you have to buy a ticket. Less than one minute and you pay 50 cents. So most of the workers, they are bankrupt when they went back to the Philippines. Most of them did not make it. There are only a very few Ilonggos that really become successful. One of them is Honorato Galila. He was cashier. A friend of your dad, very astute businessman, one of the most successful. But the rest, no.
I spent the best years of my life here in Guam. That’s why I've been here already seven times. If I feel like it, I go to Guam, stay three days and two nights in a hotel. I have many lifetime memories here on Guam.
--- Excerpted from May 9, 2011 video interview with Ramulfo “Snook” Zapanta,
son of Fermin V. Zapanta, original Camp Roxas recruiter,
Lujan House / Guam Historic Preservation Office and Plaza de Espana, Hagatna, Guam, May 9, 2011
by Burt Sardoma Jr. and Bernie Provido Schumann.
Transcribed May 20 to June 10, 2011 by Josephine M. Garrido
Monday, Sept . 6, 2010
Dear Bernie Provido Schumman,
I have read through website regarding the history of Camp Roxas, Agat, Guam.
For your information, it was my late father, Fermin V. Zapanta who was the pioneer regarding the establishment of Camp Roxas. It was 1945 when my father brought 36 laborers to Guam, as per instruction of the American company, Luzon Stevedoring.
At present, Mr. Donald Marshall can attest the veracity of this information, for he was our general manager of Camp Roxas. As far as I know, he has a property in Top of the Mar.
I am the company dentist of Camp Roxas from 1953 to 1955. In 1948, I visited Guam with my father after my high school graduation, he being the labor superintendent of Camp Roxas from 1945-1956.
My son, Dr. Ramulfo Zapanta Jr., sent you several pictures and I hope and pray that the picture of my father will be included in history of Camp Roxas. I have seen the picture of Mrs. Pilar Malilay, our camp nurse, and Fred Constantino, who is my dental assistant and dental technician. If you would like I will be willing to send you more pictures about Camp Roxas.
We pray and hope that you can give credit to my father, my brother Victor Zapanta being the assistant labor superintendent of 12,000 workers in Camp Roxas.
Thank you very much. Take care and God bless.
Dr. Ramulfo L. Zapanta Sr.
Founder, Iloilo Doctors Hospital Inc.
Founder, Iloilo Doctors' College
Iloilo City, Philippines
