The town of Taal can be found on the eastern shore of Balayan Bay. Taal was the home of Simplicio and Juliana until the turn of the 19th century, after which they moved to Aplaya, a barangay of Bauan and southeast of Taal (Aplaya itself is not shown on the maps below.) Aplaya is right on Batangas Bay. Their youngest son Rafael or "Paito" was the only one of the eight children to remain and make his home in Aplaya and Lola Kanang lived there most of the time. On her frequent trips to Manila, she took turns staying with her other children. The lot in Aplaya was purchased by Simplicio in October 1909 for the princely sum of 500 pesos. The house sits less than 100 meters from the bay but today it sits empty, forlorn and boarded up. But within its walls are imbedded the peals of laughter of the children and grandchildren, the strong guiding words of Lola, the heartbreak from World War II and finally the family's pride as all of Lola's children, and many grandchildren, went on to fruitful and distinguished careers. The maps below progressively show the relative location of Taal within the province of Batangas and in the archipelago. The town of Bauan is only about 100 kilometers south of Manila. The northernmost shore of Lake Taal is about halfway between Bauan and Manila.
Across from Batangas Bay is the island of Mindoro. Basilio's youngest daughter Isabel settled and prospered in Mindoro after marrying Pedro Aceron. The Acerons lived in Pola, about 60 kilometers or so southeast of Puerto Galera..
By the way, the music you should be hearing on your computer is the "subli" which is the traditional folk dance of Batangas.
