Entertainment and Communication in the 60's and Prior Years

What is life for a provincial boy when color television was yet to come and landline telephone had not yet penetrated the rural areas?  It was simple and quiet especially when the weather was not cooperative as rains made the streets wet and slippery. After doing some homework, either following radio dramas or playing "sungka" were our family entertainment before going to bed. But, when the weather was fine and the moon shone brightly, we, kids in the neighborhood, were out on the streets to play "patintero" o "taguang pung".  As I grew older and learned to play "dama", the neighborhood barbershop became my favorite hang-out as I managed to defeat older players in that game.  I was the town's enfant terrible in "dama" among players in my age bracket.

For reading materials, Tagalog "komiks" and magazines were my favorite when I acquired the reading habit. It was only after I became our parish priest's factotum that I added English newspapers and magazines to my reading list.  Every morning I would pick up the priest's subscription of the Manila Times which I read avidly as well as his weekly subscription the Graphic Weekly Magazine. Thus, I started to be a wide reader to augment my knowledge.

At about the year 1963, the priest bought a black and white television set.  The convent's living room was transformed virtually into a small moviehouse as the town's people congregated nightly to watch the scheduled tv fare.  The next day, the living room was dirty needing cleaning like a theater after the show.  Later on, as other households bought their own tv sets, the people watching tv programs decreased in number.