Antonia was referring to the Yamashita gold when she said Lola Cita, Masita, Mama Sita.
Treasure hunters from all over the world came to the Philippines in the 60s, 70s, 80s digging tunnels and caves hoping to find the famous gold allegedly hidden by the Japanese forces during World War II. It is known as the Yamashita gold or the Yamashita treasure named after the Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita. Even our town of Binangonan was not spared. The big cave facing the Laguna Lake was also frequented by foreigners with Filipino guides in the 70s. Nothing was heard if they found something. Of course they would keep it a secret if they found gold at the end of the rainbow.
Otherwise magkakagulo ang buong bayan, lahat maghuhukay dun sa kweba.
In 2005, when our current residence was under construction, there were treasure hunters who came and wanted to dig underground. They said they have a good lead that some of the treasures could be buried under our property. There’s an underground tunnel daw that runs somewhere here, around or in our property. Imagining the possibility that we could be standing in tons of sparkling gold was utter madness. The thought that we could be richer than Bill Gates plus Warren Buffet was mind boggling and preposterous so we went ahead and built our house instead. But who knows? The Yamashita treasure could be hidden under our septic tank.
