Juan and Maria Cachola

Juan and Maria Cachola were married in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, and built a house in Dasay. Juan was among the Filipino soldiers who fought the Japanese during WWII. He survived the Bataan Death March. After the war, he found that there were no jobs to take care of his family. In 1946, he signed up and went to work in the plantations of Maui, with Hawaii Cane and Sugar (HC&S).


Juan went back and forth to the Philippines, with the money he earned as a sugar cane worker. Every time he went back, he got Maria pregnant. It was through letters and photos that he was able to see his sons grow. Maria used the money that Juan sent home to buy land in Dasay, so that their family would not need to migrate into the cities. At the time, more people were losing their land. However, Maria bought land for them to grow tobacco and corn. Seeds were distributed to them by Virginia Tobacco, company.

One night, two men with guns entered Maria's home through the glass-less windows, demanding food and money. Lucklily, there was nothing to give, and they left the young mother and sons alone.

Rogelio grew up as Juan and Maria's second son. He saw how his favorite fishes he loved to catch when he was younger, began to disappear from the river. He saw how his older brother Ernesto got to go to college with the remittances of his father. Maria said there was no money for him. Determined, Rogelio worked the tobacco fields, selling his harvests at the market. Eventually, he made enough money to join his brother in Manila, and enrolled in college.

Maria went to follow them to Manila. Narvacan was becoming more dangerous for a single woman to live alone.

Although Ernesto and Rogelio were college educated, they could not find jobs. President Marcos also was calling for Martial Law, in response to the mass demonstrations of Filipinos who were angry at his policies. He was making the cost of living too expensive, yet the people did not have jobs or good paying jobs at that!

It was 1965, Juan took advantage of the new American laws that allowed him to bring over his family to Hawaii. Two sons were college educated. He also had a third younger son. He built a home in Kahului, Maui, in a new subdivision called "Dream City." He was determined that his family would have a chance to opportunities, in Hawaii.