Manuel Tinio - Early Years

Early Years

The young Manuel Tinio learned his caton, the phonetic ABCs, under an unknown tutor in Licab. Later, he went to the provincial capital where he attended a school in Calaba, San Isidro headed by Don Rufino Villaruz. He continued his studies in Manila in the school run by Don V. Crisologo. In 1893 he entered San Juan de Letran, where he pursued his segunda ensenianza or high school studies until 1896.

Manuel Tinio was said to have been a mischievous student, but a born leader. As was the custom of the time, the students tended to gravitate into regional groups. Naturally, Manuel became the leader of the Novo-Ecijanos. He and his friends pulled a prank, which cost him his graduation. The teenaged Manuel Tinio and his "barkada" had just come from an arnis de mano match in the Jardin Botanico (behind the present-day Metropolitan Theater) and were on their way back to Intramuros when they saw a Spaniard bicycling towards them. Dared by his friends, Manuel pushed the cyclist and everyone ran away in glee as soon as the man fell. The furious Spaniard, who turned out to be an officer of the Guardia Civil, recognized Manuel. That night, several civil guards came knocking at the boarding house where Manuel was staying. Tinio and his fellow boarders, wondering at the commotion, peeped through a hole on the floor and saw the soldiers. Realizing that he was going to be arrested Manuel jumped out of a window for his dear life and fled to Licab, his hometown. This was the first of many such narrow escapes in his remarkable life.