Farmers from the upland places of Callawa and Gatungan in Davao City, others from Katualan, Kiotoy and Polipog, all of Panabo, they were familiar with the diminutive lady they called Minak during those days. Minak’s store became the meeting place of those farmers coming from the highland northern parts of Davao City. They have their usual stop over back then at Minak’s store for a bottle of soft drinks which they mispronounced as "Koks".
They all started their trek from Katualan at 1:00 o’clock midnight, and burned some crisp-dried coconut leaves which they used as torches to light them along the way. They all moved downhill in groups, accosted by their sledge-pulling local bred buffaloes, and they brought down their farm products to be sold at the busy coastal marketplace in Panacan. From Katualan, down to Callawa and by 7:00 o’clock in the morning they reached and pulled over at Minak’s store in Lower Mahayag.
They were in high spirit as they pulled out their baons, which consisted of cooked and milled corn grains, fried dried fish and boiled sweet potatoes. They poured them over sanitized banana leaves which they placed in the middle of the ground; it was geared for that familiar camaraderie ceremony of military men’s boodle fight.
They all squatted under the shades of an old Mango tree just beside Minak’s store and enjoyed their sumptuous breakfast. After their rest and washing of their mud covered sledges, they moved again in groups together with their sledge- pulling animals.
From Minak’s store of Lower Mahayag, they moved fast towards Sitio Liloan of Tibungco, then again moved downward through Buhisan, part of Tibungco, Davao City and their plodding finally ended at the Philippine-Japan Friendship highway, later renamed by then President McCoy as the Maharlika Highway. Maximina Sevilla Masillones was fondly called by many of those farmers in the late 50’s until the early 60’s as Minak of Lower Mahayag, Davao City. Many of us wondered about the greatness of those past forgotten days, perhaps their classic songs coupled by our fond memories of those departed love ones. These are the surviving treasures that testify about their unsophisticated and nostalgic times.