For my grandfather who was a priest in his church, I gathered that his early morning gurgle constituted not water but vinegar. Reputed as a man of extraordinary strength was in the way he toyed a heavy iron bar like a child toying a pencil, holding one of its tips between thumb and index finger and swaying it.

Aglipay’s trips to Bangued, Abra was characterised by lodging in my grandfather’s house. His siestas there were aided by one of grandfather’s sons, Agustin, whom he was particularly fond of. The Bishop’s back was a strange phenomenon, according to uncle Agustin. Scattered in different places on his back were five flesh corns and about the size of corn grains, too. Pressing one of these would send them all scrambling playfully, taking each other’s different places in the manner of children’s games.

One morning, according to my grandfather, he and the Bishop started in Narvacan on their way to Vigan. The latter, as usual, rode on his famed castano horse. After galloping ahead and disappearing at a bend, he was seen no more by my grandfather reached their destination. On the premise of the house they were going to, Grandfather saw the castano and found it completely relaxed, not a sign of fatigue in him, while Grandfather’s horse was practically bathed in sweat and dead-tired. Upstairs my grand old man saw his superior to be relaxed as his horse.

Another such incident was their excursion to a stream to bathe a cow. After the ritual, Aglipay told Grandfather to go over the other side of the small hill with the added instruction that he pull the rope so that the hesitant and stubborn animal would follow. Grandfather was in the process of pulling the animal with all his might when suddenly it fell near him, almost hitting him.