Name: El Camino Memorial - Sorrento Valley & Memorial Park
Address: San Diego, CA

I'm so grateful to be blessed with so many fond memories of Grandpa- listening to his stories at Soup Plantation, him trying to teach me how to do calligraphy (only to discover I'm left-handed, thus unable to follow along), and watching him hit a tennis ball back and forth with my husband Brian.

One of the sweetest memories happened while Grandma and Grandpa were visiting us in Delaware. I remember Grandpa mentioning how he and Grandma loved to ballroom dance together. I asked Grandpa to show me some moves, knowing that I had no clue what I was doing. Grandpa patiently walked me through some classic waltz steps while Grandma modeled how to point your toes and move with grace. 

After my mini-lesson, we pushed aside the coffee table in our living room, turned on some music, and began our waltz. I tried my best to keep up with Grandpa. As clumsy as I felt, Grandpa was a master lead. He guided me so expertly around our living room. Before I could make a wrong move, he would nudge my back with his hand gently but confidently. That's how Grandpa was. Gentle but confident. Talented but humble. Strong but sweet.

We spent the next couple hours dancing the waltz, rumba, even tango all around the living room. Grandpa was an amazing lead and I had so much fun dancing with him. But no one would ever be as good of a partner for him as Grandma. Watching them dance together was like watching a love story. They moved so effortlessly together, perfectly in sync, like they could read each other's hearts. 

I miss my Grandpa so much it hurts and I know Grandma misses her dancing partner. He's left an imprint on the hearts of so many people that were lucky enough to know him and experience what an incredible person he was. Grandpa, we all love you so much and I hope we can carry on your memory and everything you've taught all of us. We'll hold you in our hearts always as we keep on dancing.

Good bye dad ... we all love you.  
No worry, we will take care of mom. 
Thank you for everything.

Your loving children:
 Jayde whom you're with now, Joey,  Lei, Dennis, Bing, Miriam, Nenette and Arthur... and of course Leng-leng who we all consider a sister to us.

Maraming-maraming salamat sa inyo.

Part 4

His work was appreciated and admired by no less than the commanding general of the 13th Air Force, and from then Vice President of the United States, Spiro Agnew. 
But what is most admirable was his simple acts of kindness and service. His devotion to his wife, and his love for his family. When Mom was not feeling so well, Dad was always near her bed. Tending to her needs. Making sure she was comfortable. In earlier years in the Philippines, Dad would visit his siblings quite often. Perhaps just to see how they were doing. Checking their welfare. He would tirelessly help in church activities especially during Lenten Season. He employs his talent in the Arts when they were needed in the communities and schools together with Mom. He does all these, because he needed to. It is the way it should be, and that was how he gives back to the community. He was a sociable person, but comfortable sitting on the sidelines, careful not being the center of attention. It that way, he gets the human perspective, and enjoys the moment.
For a while, Mom and Dad have been very much active in the seniors’ community of Mira Mesa. Their community awareness they brought with them here in sunny San Diego. As they both have always done, they flexed the comforts of their wings to their ever-expanding families of children, grandchildren, friends, and community.
A few months ago, as Dad started to lose strength, and became frailer and bed bound, it was harder for us to see our once strong Dad, provider, and source of our family’s rigidity, pwas slowly being taken away from us. He fought his last fight. But he had given so much. God gave him a good life. A colorful life. 
In his last few months, Dad was saying his last goodbyes. His last fight was tough and painful. He thanked us all for being with him to his last days. My sisters Marian and Nenette have dedicated much of their time caring for him. All my siblings Arthur, Bingle, Lei, and Joey did the same. Cong Boy too. 





Part 5

He loves us all. He worried for Mom. But he knows we are around. Dad, so many people you know, are here today to say goodbye to you.
We will miss you Dad. You never stopped to put a smile on our faces. Thank you, Dad, for everything. We love you.


-------------    End   ---------



Part 3


For 3 and ½ months, the fighting continued. Dad recalled that even at night, bombs from the enemy kept on falling in Bataan to wear them down. Then on April 9, 1942, General Edward King surrendered the forces in Bataan. It was an eerie quiet morning that day when all guns became silent. Dad said that was the darkest day in his life. He removed the firing pin of his long Springfield rifle and threw his hand gun into the jungle so no enemy will have use for it. That sunny April day was the start of Dad’s long and brutal journey together with thousands of Filipino and American Prisoners of War, in what history will record as the “Infamous Bataan Death March”.
Stricken with malaria, dysentery, hunger, and no hope of relief, Dad continued with the march. He saw his friends, comrades, fall and die during the march. He saw his captors’ brutality and at 18 years old, witnessed the inhumanity of war. 
On the 3rd day of the march, when enemy guards were sparse and not watching, and all marchers were well dispersed, he saw a huge tree on the side of the road embankment. With what energy he had left, he dashed and crept behind that tree and stayed still until sundown. Later, early that evening, after Dad buried himself with dried leaves in a bomb crater nearby, he slowly saw the leaves being removed from above him.  He thought he will see an enemy bayonet and that would be it. But an old farmer appeared, who picked him up and nurtured him with his wife in the nearby hills. Another month later, after Dad regained his strength, he rejoined the fight against the enemy in guerilla tactics.
After the War, Dad went back to school to study Fine Arts and worked for the US Air Force at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines for 32 years. He had many happy memories within those years. Dad loved his work because he has passion for it. And because he has passion for what he does, he excelled on it. He earned the confidence and trust of his coworkers. 

Part 2

Far Eastern University in Manila. A few days after Christmas, on the night of December 28, Dad, together with countless fresh Army recruits, were shipped to Corregidor Island and into Bataan Peninsula.
When my siblings and I were young and living in Anupul, Bamban in the Philippines, in a prominent wall of our home, hangs several diplomas and certificates of achievements of Mom and Dad. One of those says, “Defender of Bataan and Corregidor”. I was about 10 years old at the time when I asked Dad what did he do in the War? He looked at me with stern eyes and said, “What do you want to know about the war? War is a terrible thing! Don’t ask me about the war”. Many years later, when he was visiting my family in Delaware, when he was about 75 years old, I asked him again what did he do in the war? I remember Dad’s face turned still, his eyes seemed to focus 10 miles away. The lines that marked his ageing face were too obvious to be unnoticed, his eyebrows seem to grimace in pain. Then he said that he could still hear exploding bombs in his sleep.
Dad recalls that the fighting in Bataan was fierce. The beaches on the south and west side of the Peninsula was red, as the enemy forces kept on landing while Bataan defenders kept their ground. 
On one of those days, he visited an old friend in the field hospital who sustained a mortal wound on his torso. Dad just stared at his unconscious friend helpless. He just stood in front of his dying friend. There was nothing he can do. The men in Bataan fought the enemy the way they were trained to do, until supplies had gone low to no more. No food, no medicine. The Japanese blockade around the peninsula was effective. No military supplies can get through. There were about 65,000 Filipino and about 20,000 American defenders at the start of the war. Filipino and American casualties was about 35% and the enemy, 38% (Baldwin, Battles Lost and Won, pp 114-155, 1966, Konecky & Konecky).


Part 1

Eulogy for Dad (Cesar A. Arcilla)
9 November 2019

Good evening. Thank you for being here.
I am Dennis, the 5th of eight children of Cesar and Fidela Arcilla. Mom and all my siblings are here today and to thank you all, for your presence.
The world has turned so many times since Dad played with his childhood friends in Bamban, the Philippines. Dad’s outstanding photographic memory gives life to the stories he shared with his children. I like his stories, we love his stories. Listening to him was much like watching a movie in black and white of all the happy memories from when he was 5 years old running on the streets of Bamban, barefoot, wearing only a one-piece clothing made by his older sister “Indang Nene”. He loves watching movies even at an early age, pictures and movies amazes him. In those years of the late 1920s, as a small kid, he will tell the outdoor theatre caretaker that he can help advertise what’s on show tonight by parading the movie banner around town. And in return, he will have the best seat in the house, which is right beside the movie reel operator. Dad was a bubbly little kid who was full of life. To him life is a gift that one must spent to the fullest.
Dad was an ROTC cadet at an early age in Tarlac Trade School when he was around 15-16 years old. He loved wearing his full colorful cadet uniform with his long shiny metal sword and all. He said it attract girls. He will escort girls from the bus stop and along the ride home to Bamban. Dad was a true “gentleman”.
That hat that you see him wear all the time has a lot of meaning to it. In that hat is a summar of his long colorful history serving two countries, and two countrymen. It is also a quiet reminder of the friends and family he lost in the Second World War. In 1941, Dad was an 18-year-old freshman at the Philippine Military Academy. And on December of that year, as the Japanese forces invaded the Philippines, he signed-up in the Army at the grounds of ...

Part 1

Eulogy for Dad (Cesar A. Arcilla)
9 November 2019

Good evening. Thank you for being here.
I am Dennis, the 5th of eight children of Cesar and Fidela Arcilla. Mom and all my siblings are here today and to thank you all, for your presence.
The world has turned so many times since Dad played with his childhood friends in Bamban, the Philippines. Dad’s outstanding photographic memory gives life to the stories he shared with his children. I like his stories, we love his stories. Listening to him was much like watching a movie in black and white of all the happy memories from when he was 5 years old running on the streets of Bamban, barefoot, wearing only a one-piece clothing made by his older sister “Indang Nene”. He loves watching movies even at an early age, pictures and movies amazes him. In those years of the late 1920s, as a small kid, he will tell the outdoor theatre caretaker that he can help advertise what’s on show tonight by parading the movie banner around town. And in return, he will have the best seat in the house, which is right beside the movie reel operator. Dad was a bubbly little kid who was full of life. To him life is a gift that one must spent to the fullest.
Dad was an ROTC cadet at an early age in Tarlac Trade School when he was around 15-16 years old. He loved wearing his full colorful cadet uniform with his long shiny metal sword and all. He said it attract girls. He will escort girls from the bus stop and along the ride home to Bamban. Dad was a true “gentleman”.
That hat that you see him wear all the time has a lot of meaning to it. In that hat is a summar of his long colorful history serving two countries, and two countrymen. It is also a quiet reminder of the friends and family he lost in the Second World War. In 1941, Dad was an 18-year-old freshman at the Philippine Military Academy. And on December of that year, as the Japanese forces invaded the Philippines, he signed-up in the Army at the grounds of....


I was an avid admirer of Bapang Ising, a great Uncle, Father and Grandfather. We played tennis together in San Diego and was a great honor to play with him.   Everytime  we spoke together, I could feel love, respect and  admiration. He is always there for you.  We will miss you Bapang Ising for the LOVE you shared. We Love You so much and goodbye for now...

All of my memories of my Uncle Cesar have been sweet and memorable.  This past May, my brothers and I made a one day trip to San Diego to visit Uncle and Auntie before their trip to the Philippines.  He insisted that I sit next to him and held my hand tight the entire time.  Our time with them was short but filled with laughter, happy memories and tears when we said our farewells and “I love you”s.

I will always remember his calm and sweet demeanor which reminds me of my dad, his brother and best friend.  He will always have a place in my heart.

Uncle, rest in peace and know that I love you...always.❤️



Dacal a dacal a salamat Tatang Ising.  Our family has been truly blessed for having known you.   

My children and I will always treasure all the special memories we shared with Ingkong (Grandpa) Cesar. He will be in our hearts and memories forever.

Still remember Tang Ising will go home in Philippines during Christmas season and will join us singing  in the Aginaldo masses, to top it all you are lucky if your birthday is in December as he will give you 500 pesos. Lucky me I was born in December.
Small gesture and little good things done will never be forgotten.
You are all lucky you have him as a father, a Lolo, a husband to Mang Fiding, a friend. A hero. He will always be remembered. Rest in peace Tang Ising. Continue to watch all of us from above.

Our family wishes to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Arcilla Family.  Bamban and the San Diego Bambanense Community are greatly diminished with the passing of Tatang Ising. He was a great family man and one who is well respected by those who had come to known him.  In WWII as a young man who was still in college then, joined the U.S. Military willingly until the duration of the war with distinguished military service.  His service together with others in that war in order to preserve freedom and democracy would earn them later the respect and accolade as the Greatest Generations of Men in time of war.  His love and dedication in ensuring excellence for his children guided them in the development of their righteous moral compass is without questions a great accomplishment of him. As a testament to this, all his children became successful with their respective careers and in life in which any family can be proud of to emulate and aspire. Without doubts, he will be profoundly missed by all.

I know and am very sure that all members of the Bambanense Association around the world, not only of San Diego & LA, California, are all grieving like me and my family with the death of our ”kabalen”, Cesar A. Arcilla, because he is not only dear to us but in many ways he is a role model to his mentors, peers and many younger people who know him like myself. I first met Apung Cesar more then 20 years ago when we moved to San Diego, California in 1997 from Maryland, USA. And as gentle and decent man as he is aside from being soft spoken and kind whom I noticed right away, I already said to myself that I will be respectful and I will admire this person because I was impressed especially when I talked to him and have known his pasts experiences, being a war veteran and his talent as tennis player even in his age of 70+ years old beating much younger tennis players according to him then and I know I can never beat him in tennis making me admire him more with his physicality even if I was only 43 years old then. Every time we have gatherings like Bambanense or whatever gatherings like simple visits to Bingle in their house etc. where he was always present with our aging parents/relatives/kabalen, I always see to it that I should have a good conversation with him for any topics that may arise and we always had most often about his tennis and the mastery of carpentry among his children like Bingle who had different projects in his house, and later with Kong Art postings on Facebook, where he always told me that his children, Bingle and Kong Art, inherited that expertise from him. Apung Cesar may not  be with us on our gatherings and next time we meet each other in San Diego, California as we are now temporarily residing in Dubai but he will always be remembered in our conversations whenever we gather for any event. In closing, I would like to say condolence to all members of the Arcilla family especially to his wife and very kind Ima who like him is also an idol to me. 

OBITUARIO

Cesar A. Arcilla

7 septiembre, 1923 – 29 octubre, 2019

El Camino Memorial - Sorrento Valley & Memorial Park

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