Tana and Tabios Family Collection

Clemente Vargas Tana was born on November 27, 1902, in the barangay of Calimbajan, in the municipality of Makato, in the province of Aklan, in the Philippines. Eventually, Clemente immigrated to the United States where he engaged in seasonal migrant labor working in the Alaskan fisheries and agricultural fields throughout the West Coast. The exact date and other details of Clemente’s initial migration to the United States are unknown. Before World War II, Clemente enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked as a cook. He was discharged from the Navy before the start of the war, however, the exact dates of his service are unknown. Due to his service, Clemente was able to gain U.S. citizenship. After leaving the Navy, Clemente returned to migrant agricultural work in California. During this time, he began living and working in Watsonville, California.

In 1952, Clemente visited his family in the Philippines. During his trip, he met Estelita “Lita” Taytayon (now Tabios). Lita was born on December 30, 1931 in Makato, Aklan, Philippines. The two met through their relatives. After their initial meeting, Clemente returned to the United States and continued to correspond with Lita via mail. In 1956, Clemente traveled back to the Philippines along with his townmate and friend, Florencio Cawaling. In January 1956, Clemente and Lita got married. In April 1956, they embarked on a month-long steamship journey to the United States. They arrived in May 1956 and settled in Watsonville.

In Watsonville, Clemente and Lita sharecropped strawberries with Florencio and Aladina Cawaling and Eliseo and Rosalinda Taytayon. They had four children Elizabeth Taytayon Tana (b.1957), Clemente Taytayon Tana (b. 1958), Alberto Tana (b. 1959, d.1964), and Alvin Jon Tabios (b.1967). The family moved to several different homes throughout Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley area. Clemente continued to work in agriculture until retiring due to health concerns during the 1960s. Lita also worked in the agricultural fields alongside Clemente and other family members. Additionally, she worked in the Green Giant cannery from 1962 to 1966.
In 1969, Lita remarried Dioscoro Tabios. Dioscoro was born in 1908 and belonged to the extended kinship network made up of Filipinos from Makato, Aklan, Philippines that included the Tana, Cawaling, and Taytayon families. The details of Dioscoro’s immigration to the United States is unidentified, however, he began working in Watsonville in 1929. Although Lita remarried, she, Clemente, Dioscoro, and the Tana children remained a close-knit family. Eventually, Dioscoro officially adopted Alvin Jon.

The Tana and Tabios family, most notably Lita, were active members of several Filipino community organizations including the Filipino Women’s Club of Watsonville, Caballeros de Dimas-Alang, and the Filipino Catholic Association. Lita eventually pursued a career in healthcare. She worked in the laundry department at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California, and then as an in-home caregiver for elderly patients. Lita still lives in Santa Cruz.

Clemente passed away in 1982 and Dioscoro passed away in 1989.

The Tana and Tabios Family Collection was contributed to Watsonville is in the Heart in 2021 and 2022 by Estelita Tabios and Liz Tana. It contains ten items in total. This includes one oral history interview with Estelita in which she shares her experience migrating to Watsonville during the 1950s and discusses her careers in Green Giant Cannery and the healthcare industry. The collection also includes six photographs that document women's participation in community organizations; a scrapbook created by Liz Tana; and two material culture objects.

Estelita Tabios

Elizabeth "Liz" Tana