Commodore & Mrs. Geronimo Cabal Celebrates 51st Wedding Anniversary

Commodore & Mrs. Geronimo Morales & Antonia Magsarili-Cabal

May 3, 2004 is Commodore & Mrs. Geronimo Morales & Antonia Magsarili-Cabal's 51st Wedding Anniversary. At present, they are staying in Southern California.

May 4, 2004 is Commodore Geronimo M. Cabal's 86th birthday. He was born and raised in Ivana, Batanes. He graduated with honors from Batanes High School, moved to Manila soon after graduation, and enrolled in the University of the Philippines. Because of financial difficulties combined with patriotic fervor, he joined the Philippine Military Academy in 1940.

During World War II, together with the late Col. Teofilo Valones, he organized a guerilla group named BISUMI Fighters, a chapter of the Hunters ROTC guerillas. (Note: Every letter of the acronym BISUMI stands for each municipality of Batanes). During his service as Captain in the Philippine Navy he would often request for a Navy ship to travel from Manila to Basco for the benefit of the Ivatans who were in need of a vehicle to transport vital necessities from Manila to the province including medicine and rice.

Geronimo became the first Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard in 1967 and promoted to the rank of Commodore in 1968. After he retired from the Navy in 1969, he became a Delegate to the Constitutional Convention representing the lone district of Batanes.

You may send your anniversary and birthday well wishes to bisumigmc@aol.com.

(posted on May 1, 2004)