VIEWS FROM THE PAMPANG

*277. BRINGING UP BABIES

2012-01-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

WASH UP, BABE?. An amusing portrait of Kapampangan baby, Zenaida Gonzales "edad de 8 meses y 24 dias" (8 age 8 months and 24 days), in her wash basin. Babies were posed in the most unusual manner to accentuate their cuteness--some posed inside large shells and dressed in outlandish costumes. Dated 24 May 1924.

Babies have often been thought of as delicate creatures, dependent on adults for their welfare and protection. Which is why, many Kapampangan parents love coddling their newborn, and will not think twice in giving him his undivided attention—providing him with the best milk, the most advanced medicines and the most experienced pediatricians to make him go, grow and glow!

This was not so during the Spanish times. When the Americans arrived in our islands, they were appalled at the state of our public health. Apparently, the Spaniards did not pay much attention to children’s health in the early years that they were here. It was only in 1805 that a scientific expedition headed by Dr. Francisco Javier de Balmis, arrived in Manila for the purpose of implanting the newly-discovered method of vaccination against smallpox. One other step was the creation of the positions of “medico titulares”or district health officers.

What the Americans found however, was a weak and feeble race, prone to suffer from tropical diseases like cholera, typhoid, colic and other plagues. A sweeping sanitary reform was implemented, ranging from an educational campaign to change the personal habits of Filipinos, as well as national rehabilitation programs that included wholesale disinfection, fumigation, construction of waste disposal and sewage systems and the erection of hospitals and provincial health centers. Cholera epidemic deaths dramatically decreased by 1903, and clearly sanitary progress was on its way.

Two decades after, babies and toddlers were being brought up healthy with doses of nutritious milk and supplements. Enlightened parents supplied their kids with commercial powdered milk brands like Bear Brand. The Swiss-made milk was made available to Filipinos as early as the first decade of the 20th century, distributed by Sprungli & Company. Kapampangans called this nutritious milk “gatas oso”, in reference to the brand mascot showing a bear nursing its cub with a bottle. Although more expensive than the readily available ‘gatas damulag’ that was prone to spoilage, Bear Brand was the milk of choice for convalescing kids—“the best by test” as one of its ad says, touting it as the purest, safest and richest.

Menzi & Co. imported Lion Sterilized Milk, described as a pure, clean, wholesome natural milk made in Germany. It did not catch on, however, with parents settling on Milkmaid Evaporated Milk. Sweetened and sterilized, Milkmaid was cheap and versatile, that not only was great as a drink but also perfect for cooking, good enough to enrich puddings, pastries, soups and sauces.

Children’s vitamins and supplements were being sold over-the-counter as the number of farmacias and boticas grew all over Pampanga. One medicine I dreaded taking was the noxious-smelling Scott’s Emulsion that was imported and distributed by Muller and Phipps as early as the first decade of American rule. By the late 1920s, this “food tonic of special value to Mother and Child” was a staple in many Kapampangan households, a bone-building food for baby that was digested as easily as milk. I remember taking this supplement after having a serious bout with pneumonia, which was indicated for weak lungs, debility and lack of nutrition, coughs and chills. I had to take a spoonful of it every day, often retching at its fishy, greasy ‘malansa’ taste. Botica Boie had its own Boie’s Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil fortified by Hypophospites that claimed to have double the amount of vital vitamin element than the more poular brand that had only 25% cod liver vitamin content.

Other children’s conditions like common worm infestation was treated with Watsonal Vermicol, proven effective in eradicating worms from the intestinal tracts of children. For regulating the stomachs and bowels of infants and children, there are various Castoria products prepared by farmaceuticas from ‘opium-free’ vegetable compounds. For catarrhs, colds, and skin ailments, a jar of soothing Mentholatum was used, an indispensable sanative cream. Bayer and Cafiasfirina had children’s aspirin tablets to reduce fevers and pains. Asthma, bronchitis and respiratory problems were treated with Asmakol that was available from Botica Boie, supplemented with Asmol—an incense powder which, when burned, emitted fumes that give asthma relief.

For babies’ personal care needs, there was Mulsified Cocoanut Oil Shampoo specially made for children’s fine young hair and tender scalps that cannot stand the harsh effect of ordinary soap. Postwar, there was of course Johnson & Johnson and its array of talcum powder in tins that expanded to include oil and shampoo. Mennen, ‘baby specialists since 1880”, was the chief competitor of J&J, which soon branched into bandages and wound dressing to guard against cuts, scrapes and bruises sustained by hyperactive kids.

In the 1930s, Kapampangan doctors recognized the need for specialized medical skills as opposed to just being a general practitioner. By the 1930s, there were several pediatricians around like Dr. Victorino P. Calilung of Sta. Rita and Dr. Luciano C. Dizon who had a clinic and a pharmacy along Azcarraga (now Recto) in Manila. The latter doctor described himself as “manulu ya qñg mialiwang sakit lalu na qñg sakit ding anac”. One popular doctor I had the privilege of knowing in the 1960s was my very pediatrician, Dr. Rolando Songco, who went on to found the Hospital of Infant Jesus along Dimasalang St., now operated by his doctor-children.

One can’t really say that caring for babies and children today is easier. Sure there are advanced infant formulas, potent vaccines and various supplements to increase his height, improve his visual acuity, strengthen his resistance and sharpen his mind. But with more mothers having careers, the picture has changed. Many kids are left with their yayas and lolas, reared on TV and computer games. Even doctors seem too busy to personally care for their baby patients.

In the good old days, the aforementioned Dr. Dizon gave free consultations and did home visits—“babie yang consulta qñg cayang tucnanangan qñg nanu mang oras. Magvisita qñg pibale-bale ra ding masakit”. Now one has to run after a doctor to get an appointment, then wait for hours to be seen by him. One thing has not changed, however—where health, safety and welfare are concerned, Kapampangan parents will do anything for their babies and kids, always the apple of their eyes, the cynosure of their attention, the joy of their lives, around whom their world revolves.

*276. MARIA AGUSTINA HENSON: Grand Matriarch of the Nepomucenos of Culiat

2012-01-01T15:08:00.001-08:00

GRAND DAME OF ANGELES. 10th year memorial picture of Maria Agustina Henson, wife of Pio Rafaeel Nepomuceno, forebears of the Nepomucenos of Angeles. Dated 25 May 1915, Personal Collection.

One cannot talk about the city of Angeles without talking about the Nepomucenos, the large, super-extended family that is acknowledged today as having helped transformed a sleepy pueblo called Culiat to a teeming, progressive city of over 315,000 Angeleños who are certainly proud of what their home had become. Thanks to the enterprising Nepomucenos, their early businesses shaped the community’s landscape--providing education while generating employment, bringing new technology while infusing money into the local economy, developing commercial lands while expanding the town’s boundaries and spurring the growth of new business.

The Nepomucenos of Angeles are descended from the union of a Tagalog, Pio Rafael Nepomuceno (b. 11 July 1817), and a Kapampangan, Maria Agustina Henson. Maria Agustina was born on 26 August 1828, the feast day of San Agustin, in Culiat (then part of San Fernando), one of the 9 children of Mariano Henson and Juana Ildefonso de Miranda y de Jesus. Maria Agustina’s father, Mariano, earned a doctorate from the Univerity of Sto. Tomas, the first Filipino doctor of laws. His parents, Severino Henson and Placida Paras were among the original settlers of Culiat. Mariano’s wife, Juana Ildefonsa, was the only surviving daughter of the recognized founders of Angeles, Angel Pantaleon de Miranda and Rosalia de Jesus.

Maria Agustina was baptized by P. Macario Paras, who would be known as the 1st parish priest of Angeles town. When she came of school age, she was educated in missionary-ran parish schools, and then became a colegiala at Santa Catalina where she learned practical and domestic arts.

Meanwhile, the Lucban-born Pio Rafael Nepomuceno was enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas in 1839. Here, he met Agustina’s eldest brother Jose Simplicio where they easily became steadfast friends. Jose extended an invitation to Pio to visit Angeles, and it is in one of these visits that he met the very young Maria Agustina, whom he courted right after she finished school. The two were married at the Angeles Church on 26 November 1847 by P. Macario Paras; Pio was 31 and Agustina was just 19.

The newlyweds lived in the bale matua built by Agustina’s parents, and they would start a family that would include six children: Ysabelo, Juliana, Juan Gualberto, Ramona, Nemesia and Maria Graciana. Pio became quite settled in his new adopted town that he even served as a gobernadorcillo in 1952. He and Agustina grew their agricultural business and expanded their landholdings by acquiring more lands, some of which they generously gave back to the town (as in the case of their land donation in Talimundoc to serve as the new marketplace of Angeles which had burned down in 1855).

Pio would leave Agustina a widow at the age of 30. He passed away on 30 April 1856; he was not even 41. Agustina, pregnant at that time, delivered her last child, Maria Graciana. In widowhood, Agustina was well-provided for, moreso when she inherited more property from Dña. Carlota de Leon, her godmother who had named her as foster daughter. In her golden years, Agustina was noted for her philanthropic acts, and was known to have donated substantial amounts in the 1877 construction of the Santisimo Rosario Church. She died on 27 July 1905 and was interred at the Roman Catholic Cemetery, although it is believed her bones were transferred to the parish church much later.

The Nepomuceno children and their descendants would go on to leave their own marks in different fields of business. Ysabelo’s descendants would expand to include the Panlilios, Manankils and Dayrits who were well known land developers and medical professionals. Juliana gave us the prominent Tayags of Angeles while Juan Gualberto’s children, led by Juan de Dios, gave us Holy Angel the defunct Reyna Softdrinks, Angeles Electric, Nepo Mall, Nepo Mart and a host of other real estate ventures including Villa Teresa and Holy Angel Village. Ramona’s children include Ramon Nemesio, who became one of Angeles’s early photographers. Nemesia married a Henson and their children begat more Hensons, Valenzuelas and Singians while Maria Graciana became a Pineda. Maria Agustina, the grand dame who started it all with husband Pio Rafael would be proud to know that their legacy lives on in the prosperous Nepomuceno businesses and commercial ventures that continue to help propel the city to newer heights.

SOURCE: The Nepomucenos of Angeles City and Their Relatives, by Marco D. Nepomuceno. ©1987, privately printed.

*275. BUILDING GOOD CITIZENSHIP

2011-12-18T04:05:00.000-08:00

IN THOUGHTS, IN WORDS, AND IN DEEDS. Officials of the "Good Citizenship" for 1927-28. Guagua Elementary School, Guagua, Pampanga.

The earliest memory of my school days were the flag ceremonies that were held every morning without fail—exactly at 7 a.m. , at the courtyard of our elementary school. There we were herded every day, in two lines, and, with the motion of a teacher’s hand, we stood in attention to attempt to sing the “Pambansang Awit”, as the Philippine tri-color was solemnly raised. Afterwards, a senior elementary student led us in reciting the patriotic pledge that began with “Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas..”. There was absolutely no talking and no moving about the whole time the 15 minute ceremony was conducted, which behooved many of us 6 year old first graders—we didn’t even have the lyrics of the national anthem memorized---all we knew was that we had to keep still lest we get an icy stare from our teacher.

Only later did we learn that we had just taken part in the first step towards building good citizenship; by singing our national hymn and pledging our allegiance to the country, we affirmed our status as proud and free citizens of the Philippines. The next few years, more acts of good citizenship were to be demanded from us – at home, in school, and the community in which we lived.

A whole course was taught in Grade 5 and 6, to instill in us how a good Filipino citizen should act. It began with lectures on our rights and duties as citizens—including the four freedoms—freedom of speech, religion, fear and want. Similarly, we were told of our right to vote—and we put this to good use when we started voting for our class officers. With my excellent penmanship, I was a shoo-in for the position of Class Secretary, a post I held until graduation. I never did get the Presidential post, but at least the whole class got to see my handwriting on the bulletin board.

Many schools, in fact, went beyond including Good Citizenship subjects in its curriculum but also organized clubs that promoted the basic principle that the child is a citizen and that from his earliest years, he must be given training and should undergo experiences in citizenship living. Members of the club were encouraged to attend community activities and sit in local barrio meetings so they will be in the know insofar as community issues and interests are concerned.

Goodness how many civic activities we planned, organized and actively participated in! We made posters and slogans to support our community health drives. To demonstrate self-reliance, we had our own Green Revolution project right in our own high school, planting all sorts of vegetables in vacant lots that we quickly transformed into a green garden patch. I remember also a composting project—our early contribution to recycling. In college, we were required to have at least 24 hours of community work under the “CivAc” course, which was integrated in our R.O.T.C. military training. Most of these entailed cleaning the neighborhood—hauling and collecting trash, repainting graffiti-covered walls and planting of trees.

It is good to know that teaching good citizenship continues today, under “Sibika”. Developing a civic conscience is difficult in an age where self-centeredness seem to be the trait of this “I-me-mine generation”. Only when all of us consciously and actively seek to take part in the affairs of our country, work for the welfare of our community and practice in our individual lives the highest civic and moral standards can we finally say that we are indeed Filipinos, “sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.”

*274. OF DOGS AND UNDERDOGS

2011-12-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

I'LL BE DOGGONE! A little girl poses with her prized dog, a Japanese spaniel, an imported breed that must have cost her family a lot. The local aso had always played been a special part of the Kapampangan household--taking on many roles as a playful pet, a trusty guard and a loyal companion. Ca. mid 1920s.

He barks incessantly, he yelps non-stop. He can’t keep quiet, his howls can irritate a whole neighborhood for hours, making him a trusty guard. Impervious to fleas and scabies, he is a hardy breed, uncomplaining when hungry and as resilient as the Kapampangan master that owns him.

A typical Philippine dog is described as a short-haired, moderately long-nosed canine weighing anywhere from 25-35 pounds. It is either tan or black in color with a white streak on the chest and “white stockinged” feet. Ears are often erect pointing a bit forward but with a slight flop. Its face features a wrinkled forehead, black nose and black eyelids. Its tail curls up in “C”.

However, a more pleasant-looking dog breed called “Sampaguita” was known in the Islands in the 1930s. A certain Mrs. Norma Lim, then president of the Philippine Ladies Kennel Club, had such a long-haired white dog. This local dog is believed to be the forebear of the slightly smaller Maltese, a theory supported by the American Kennel Club whose book notes that “the foundation stock of the Maltese in England came from Manila, not Malta”.

No matter how he looks, the lowly ‘aso’ will always be a special part of our lives, as well as our popular culture. Our language, customs and traditions are full of references to our best friend. “Manğaso” is a term for hunting with dogs, a traditional practice in the old days. “Miaso” is to go hunting using the dog(s) of another person—as in “Yang miaso I Juan keng aso ng Pedro” ( Juan went hunting with Pedro’s dogs). The hunt or the hunted were called “asuan” and “inasuan”. It is interesting to note that a Bagobo pre-Spanish epic celebrated the excellence of trained hunting dogs in its verses.

Related terms that have come down to us include an “aso-aso”, a dog collar outfitted with bells. It also refers to a similar noisemaker tied to a dog’s tail, when one was in a playful mood. The resultant jingle-jangle was described as ‘calangcang’. A man who has gone off his rockers is often referred to as “mamulang asu”, a mad dog—complete with bloodshot eyes and frothing, snarling mouth. Among Aetas, having ‘ipan asu” (canine teeth) was considered a mark of beauty, so Aeta maidens filed their teeth to a point and blackened them to achieve that ideal.

Then there’s “dugong-aso”—a pejorative term used to describe Kapampangans as a dog-blooded—traitors of their own race. This is in reference to that time in our history when Kapampangans were aiding Spaniards and Americans in their campaigns against Filipinos, capped by the capture of Aguinaldo with the help of Macabebe soldiers.

The custom of dog-eating is often associated with Kapampangans, but people from the Mountain Province were enjoying dogs on their dining table even earlier. Victor Heiser, Commissioner of Health wrote in his journal that “in 1905, on Benguet Road, I often used to see Filipinos bound for the Saturday dog market in Baguio”. This has led at least one writer, Sonia Lampson, author of “The Observer’s Book of Dogs”, to describe our ‘aso’ as a “Philippine edible dog, a favorite tidbit at the feast”. Dog meat is believed to warm the body, but can also give one a doggy odor. Black dogs, many maintain, are supposed to taste better. They are often cooked calderata and adobo style; its liver is made into “kilo” (kinilaw) with garlic and onions, perfect with swigs of Ginebra 'marka demonyo'. A more unusual serving is dog tapa, prepared the same way as beef tapa.

Certain beliefs and notions about dogs persist in many Kapampangan towns as well as in other parts of the Philippines. For example, a dog is said to become fiercer if he is tied. Also, an open wound can be disinfected with a dog lick (which unfortunately was not the case with actor Fernando Poe Sr., who died of rabies after being infected in this manner by his pup). It is also believed that dogs can tell if a person has eaten ‘azucena’ (aso + cena = dog dinner) through a snarl or a growl.

Looking at dogs in our history, you could come to a conclusion that they are indeed, a breed apart. In all kinds of weather, “Tagpi” will stay by you and reward you with loyalty. Beaten, bruised or starved, he will continue to come home. More than just a pet, he will remain a faithful companion, quick to defend, easy to please. For that, they deserve a bit of kindness—and a bow-wow!

*273. THE WAY WE MEET 'N GREET

2011-11-27T04:08:00.000-08:00

FELICIDADES! A postcard illustrated by artist Jorge Pineda, greets the recipient with the standard greeting of warm felicitations for a happy holiday season. Ca. 1912.

A keen observer would find it amusing that the standard “Komusta ka?” (“How are you?”, derived from the Spanish ‘Como esta’?), has been supplemented today by a variety of Americanisms (“Wazzup?” “Hi, hello!”) as well as greetings that skip formality altogether, almost prying in tone as in “Nang balita?”—what’s new with you.

Time was when our everyday greetings were expressed with respect, always punctuated by “po or pu”, a polite word which we hear often, but now speak less. “Dispu”, derived from “Dios pu”, bestows upon the person being greeted, a kind of divine respect. Hence, when one says “Benging dispu’, it means more than just “Good evening’ (“Mayap a bengi”) , but with it comes a wish for an evening blessed with God’s grace.

Traditional Kapampangan greetings always elevate the stature of the person being addressed, as in the greeting "Siklaud ku pu" (Let me kneel before you), used for our elders. This practice of humbling one’s self in the presence of another is also observed in written sentiments. A person will give his photo to another accompanied by a dedication that almost smacks of self-deprecation: “Maluca queng yampang ing matsura kung letratu keka’ (“I humbly give my ugly picture to you).

When a friend on foot is spotted walking around a neighborhood, he is invited to leave the road and refresh himself with a drink inside the house--“salangi ka pa". “Salangi” also means “to light up with a match”-- which can very well describe an honored presence "lighting up" the house?. A person taking leave should bade his kind host goodbye with “Ume na kami/ Malaus na kami”. He can only go when permission is granted. In some towns like Arayat, folks use “Magsilbi ke pa pu”—literally, “we are ready to serve”.

The all-purpose greeting “Luid ka/ Maluid ka!” is our equivalent of “Mabuhay” and is used to wish someone welcome, congratulations, good health and a prosperous life. There are specific greetings for special occasions like birthdays, however: “Masayang aldo ning kekang kebaitan!” or a simple “Masayang kebaitan keka!” are our translations of “Happy Birthday!”, but the usage of that English greeting—with the localized pronunciation “Hapi Bertdey!”, is much more pervasive nowadays.

During the Spanish colonial times, the generic greeting “Felicidades!” (Felicitations!) was widely used for such occasions as Christmas, New Year and Graduation. The greeting appeared widely on business cards of Kapampangan professionals like doctors, dentists and lawyers. Tagalogs greeted their own with “Magandang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon” or the more current “Masayang Pasko at Masaganang Bagong Taon”. Our counterpart is “Masayang Pasku at Masaplalang Bayung Banwa”.

When a brief phrase or two was not enough to express his sentiments, a Kapampangan would often resort to poetry, florid and profound, gushing with praise and well-wishes, as in this dedication written by an admirer to a lady friend in Sta. Rita:

Caniting malucang postal
Queca cu ngeni papabal
Carin cu naman yayampang
Ini nang tula cung dacal

Queting fiesta mung dinatang
Pagnasan cu itinang
Fiesta mu ngening dinatang
Pasayan na ngan ding sablang
Magum qng quecang camalan.

Magluid sana ing bie mu
Queting mabilug a yatu
Layun sanang nabangnan mu
Yng tulang panenayan mu

In this humble letter
To you I make known
And also to you I offer
My overflowing joy

On this your feast day (birthday) that has come
It is my wish that your feast day

Will delight all those who will come

To praise your highness.

May you live long
In this whole world
And may you find the happiness
That you have been waiting for.

Kapampangans, they say, are brash, loud and ‘mayabang’—but our traditional forms of greetings and salutations disprove all that—they are polite, respectful, sincere. I don’t hear much of “dispu” nowadays, but “opu and pu” are still there—still used by kids when addressing their elders, although in “jejemonized” form when spelled in text messages. Which is a good thing, as our regard for other people seems to diminish with the advent of new media. We are quick to post insults on facebook, lambast someone on our blogs and make careless remarks in forums. Let’s bring back the era of a polite society, so we can bring humanity back to man. Ne po?

*272. FR. JUAN HERRERO OAR: In the Crossfire of a Revolution

2011-11-27T03:59:00.000-08:00

RECOLETO IN THE REVOLUTION. Fr. Juan Herrero OAR, a former assistant parish priest of Mabalacat, was a tragic figure in the Revolution, killed defending the Spanish flag along with 9 other fellow priests in Imus, Cavite. Picture from the Recoleto digital archives.

One tragic figure of the Revolution of 1896 was a distinguished priest of the Orden de Agustinos Recoletos, who once ministered in Mabalacat: Fr. Juan Herrero. The Recoletos were the last missionaries to arrive in the Islands, arriving only in 1606, years after the Augustinians, Dominicans, Jesuits and Franciscans have chose prime mission fields. The “Barefoot Augustinians” (to differentiate them from the shod Augustinians) created the Provincia de San Nicolas de Tolentino from what remained of the unclaimed territories which were often remote and populated with hostile tribes.

Mabalacat was one of the “final frontiers’ where the Recoletos labored to win souls for God, along with southern Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan and Cavite. Slowly, but surely, the hardy Recoletos not only succeeded in their missionary work but also managed to amass large tracts of land through generous donation which were transformed into prosperous haciendas. The Hacienda San Juan in Imus was by far, the most progressive, which included built infrastructures like bridges and canals, as parts of its assets.

The Recoletos were already firmly established in Pampanga and Tarlac when Fr. Juan Herrero OAR was called on to help the thriving mission center in Mabalacat from where Recoletos fanned out to neighboring places to evangelize. Fr. Herrero had been previously assigned in Dagami, Leyte where the conditions there had prepared him for the arduous task ahead in this northernmost Pampanga town. In 1885, he was named as a compañero or assistant priest to Fr. Gregorio Bueno de la Virgen del Rosario, who had been serving the town for quite awhile. Fr. Herrero stayed for just 5 months—from July 11 to December 10, but long enough to be facile with the Kapampangan language, a talent which earned him an amount of respect among the natives.

A major assignment awaited him on 30 April 1891 when he was named as the Prior-Administrator of the order’s hacienda in Imus, a job that he performed with exemplary zeal and efficiency. But the looming revolution would change the course of history and of the good father’s life, as Cavite started to feel more intensely the stirrings of unrest.

Anxious about their properties, the Recoletos decided to put their haciendas for sale in October 1893, an almost impossible venture in such unsettling times. The Comisario General of the Recollects in Madrid formed a dummy company called “El Fomento de la Agricultura en Filipinas”, instituted on 24 February 1894 with Fr. Juan Herrero as manager of the said company. To this fictitious company, the hacienda was ‘sold’ for 4 million pesetas.

When the flames of the Revolution reached Cavite in 1896, violent attacks against Spaniards were waged with varying degrees of success in many towns, Imus included. In the last days of September 1896, the Recoletos’ hacienda in Imus became the scene of a bloody siege, in which advancing Cavite revolucionarios managed to corner Spaniards— soldiers and Recoleto priests led by Fr. Juan Herrero who bravely rallied around their country’s flag.

Holed up in the hacienda without any hope of escape, Fr. Juan Herrero and 9 other Recoletos were killed in the crossfire by passionate revolutionary forces. In an eerie twist of fate, a similar drama would unfold two years later in the same Pampanga town that he once served and involving the parish priest that he once assisted. Fr. Gregorio Bueno would die in the hands of Mabalacat revolutionists upon the order of the municipal presidente, a murder that would spawn the tale of the town’s infamous curse.

*271. HELLO DOLLIES!

2011-11-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

SHE'S A DOLL! A little Kapampangan girl poses with her two dolls--a large American-made baby doll with composition head, hands and feet and a smaller doll also of composition. Dolls like these were rather expensive, so they were brought out only during special occasions--or when a child gets sick and needs comforting with toys. Mid 1920s.

Boys will be boys with their tirador (slingshots), pasi (tops) and teks cards—but girls will always be inseparable from their dolls—models of people made all sorts of materials like wood, clay, leather, cloth, modern plastic, vinyl and even ivory. In fact, old folks in Macabebe and Minalin still call dolls as “garing”, in reference to their similarity to ivory-headed saint figures lavishly dressed like dolls from the Spanish times. Today, of course, they are more commonly known as ‘munika’, derived from the Spanish term for doll-- ‘muñeca’.

Throughout history, dolls were traditionally used not just as playthings but also for folk rituals around the world —like the voodoo dolls of Haiti and the Daruma dolls of Japan that were kept as lucky charms. The era of mass production saw the importation of dolls to the Philippines in the late 19th century, but practical-minded Filipinos considered them more of a luxury. Girls only got to play with them when they got sick or when they sat for their studio portraits. After use, mothers put back the dolls in their boxes and stowed in the aparador.

The earliest commercially-made dolls that reached the Philippines came from large emporiums and Escolta bazaars like La Puerta del Sol, American Bazaar, Beck’s, Brias Roxas Inc., Osaka Bazaar and H. E. Heacock. They carried American and European made dolls of bisque, parian, composition, china, leather and cloth--plus doll accessories like miniature furniture. Well-known 19th century French and German dollmakers were Bru, Jumeau, Steiner, Simon & Halbig, Heubach and Steiff. Shops in Escolta also carried Japanese cloth dolls in their own glass cases, but these were more decorative rather than for playing. American made dolls from Horsman and Ideal Novelty (maker of Shirley Temple dolls) proved to be more popular because they were readily available and affordable by the time the 20th century rolled in.

As visitors flocked to discover our Islands, enterprising Filipinos put up curio shops that sold souvenirs—from shellcraft, abaca products, capiz lamps—and dolls. "Everything Philippines and nothing else but...!" was the come-on of Manila Trading Center and Exchange along Rizal Avenue, a popular shop that sold all sorts of handmade souvenirs for eager tourists--dolls included. The first commercially produced dolls were representations of Filipinos in native costumes, with heads, hands and feet of paper mache, clay or some form of terra cotta. Hand-painted with cloth bodies, they were dressed in native costumes faithfully executed in jusi, sinamay and cotton. Later, the heads and hands were replaced with cheaper composition material, made from wood and paper pulp.

Costumed Philippine dolls continued to fascinate tourists, spawning a cottage industry that prospered modestly in the mid 1920s-30s. Ethnic dolls also seemed to have an international appeal and Baguio-made Igorota cloth dolls with painted faces and dressed in traditional woven skirts were all the rage in those peacetime years. Nationalists in the late 1920s encouraged parents to give Philippine-made dolls as Christmas gifts for kids, this in the face of more expensive, imported dolls that could cry, talk, say “Mama”, sleep, walk and even wet themselves! Philippine dolls were not only cheap, but they also catered to both young girls and boys! Popular during this time were novelty paper mache dolls representing country boys and 'dalagang bukid' with their own paper mache horses, pigs and carabaos that they could actually sit on.

Alta Crafts was the biggest dollmaker in postwar Manila, creating cloth dolls that became the benchmark of other dollmakers in the 1950s. The standing cloth dolls personified the different ethnographic groups of the Philippines, dressed in indigenous costumes. It made Igorot dolls, Ilocana dolls, Visayan dolls in patadyong and even Central Luzon dolls in balintawak. Copied by other dollmakers all over the country, these cloth dolls have become our country’s signature dolls, even finding their way in San Fernando and Angeles gift shops, avidly sought by American servicemen and their families.

Closer to home, I remember a doll that was given by an aunt to my eldest sister in the mid 50s. It was a Saucy Walker plastic doll, which underwent countless horrible ordeals in our hands. In our boisterous games, this doll was kicked, tied and hung, tossed in the air, rolled down the stairs and, with hair pulled out, defaced with crayons until the garbage dump claimed the poor thing. As the years passed, the doll was quickly forgotten and my sister eventually married, settled in the States and we all grew up and led separate lives.

One day, however, while I was having a picture framed in an art gallery, I noticed a doll sitting on a shelf with the familiar auburn hair, close-open eyes and smiling mouth. It was an exact duplicate of the doll my sister once had. One look and I knew, I just had to have it.

Fortunately, the gallery owner didn’t care much about the doll, and it took just a little cajoling and a few hundred pesos for her to part with her doll. More than just a plaything, I have come to realize that this “munika” represented a piece of our family’s past, a most happy time in our youth now gone; when the joys of childhood could be had by simply spinning a top, rolling marbles, folding paper airplanes—and, in the case of little girls—creating worlds of make-believe with their dollies!

*270. Power Couple: Dr. WENCESLAO B. VITUG & JUANITA S. ARRASTIA of Lubao

2011-11-14T03:57:00.000-08:00

LIGHTS OF LUBAO. Dr. Wenceslao B. Vitug and Juanita S. Arrastia came from two different worlds--one, from a humble farming family, the other, from an affluent Basque Spaniards who settled in Pampanga. As a married couple, they were known for their compassionate spirit and generosity in running their vast haciendas, and in turn, were highly regarded by their loyal tenants. 16 May 19226. Photo courtesy of Cathy Engstrom).

From Lubao comes one of the town’s most celebrated couple, Dr. Wenceslao Vitug and wife Isabel Arrastia, who were best known for their extraordinary sense of community and magnanimous spirit, along with the wealth and power they wielded as successful landholders and professionals. Theirs is a story of selfless love and of enormous hearts which never cease to give and care, when others needed it most.

Wenceslaso “Beses” B. Vitug was born 28 September 1892, to Esteban and Juana Beltran. The future doctor had humble beginnings—his father was a farmer from Barrio Concepcion who went on to serve as a mayor of Lubao from 1910-13. It was his father who inculcated to the young Wenceslao the values of hard work, education and community service. After his early schooling at the Lubao Elementary School, Wenceslao graduated as Valedictorian of the Pampanga High School Class 1912. He then enrolled at the University of the Philippines as a medical student, and 6 years later, Wenceslao earned his degree in Medicine.

He trained at the Philippine General Hospital where he subsequently became a resident physician from 1918-23 and proceeded to make a name for himself as a professor of medicine at his alma mater, U.P.

In contrast, Juanita S. Arrastia was born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth on 8 March 1902, the middle child of Valentin Arrastia and Francisca Salgado. Valentin, originally from Allo, Navarra, a Basque region of Spain, owned a prosperous hacienda in Lubao that included fish ponds. The 10 Arrastia children all grew up in a splendid bahay na bato located right in front of the town hall.

But when it was time to seek an education, Juanita was sent off to the Colegio de Sta. Rosa where she aspired to be a nun. But fate intervened when, one day, Juanita and sister Carmen accompanied their diabetic mother to PGH for a check-up. Wenceslao’s reputation as an exceptional internist had reached Lubeños, impressing everyone—including the Francisca Arrastia. She did her best to push Juanita to ThE GoOd dOcToR—10 years her senior.

The search for the queenship for the 1926 Pampanga Carnival organized by Gov. Sotero Baluyut would provide another distraction for Juanita. Local organizers approached her mother, Francisca, to seek approval for her candidacy to the provincial fair. Her mother, in turn, referred them to Juanita’s father, Valentin Arrastia, who grumbled and showed no interest at the project. Unfazed, the organizers returned to plead with him. One day, tired of their implorings, he threw his arms in the air to dismiss them, and, walking away, exclaimed "Vanidades del mundo! (Vanities of the world!)" They took that as a yes. Juanita did not disappoint and was elected Miss Pampanga of 1926. Her King Consort was a relative—Gregorio “Yoyong” Fernandez (actor, director and future father of the late Rudy “Daboy” Fernandez).

To everyone’s surprise, the 24 year old beauty wed Wenceslao on 15 May 1926—just a few months after being named Miss Pampanga. The marriage of Juanita to a ‘commoner’ who made good was big news in Lubao, where they settled and became hacenderos themselves, noted for their compassion and kindness to tenants.

It was said that Dr. Vitug personally treated sick tenants while Juanita cared for the welfare of their families, even extending interest-free loans. To religious order, she donated acres of land on which to construct their churches and schools. She also gave away plots of lands to loyal farmhands and offerd their home in Manila to children of family and friends who wished to study in the big city.

The couple themselves were blessed with 5 children: Lourdes (Lulu), Amelia Juana (Melly) , Maria Magdalena (Nena), Antonio Jesus (Tony, a medical doctor), Luis Lamberto (died young, of bone cancer), Mario Venerando (died of aneurysm), and Roberto Nicolas (Bert).

The Vitugs would eventually settle in Manila , living long, full lives surrounded by the love of their children and grandkids. Wenceslao passed away in 7 January 1986 at age 94, while Juanita died in 8 September 1994. Their old Lubao house was acquired by an architect and had it transported to a seaside town in Battan where it is now part of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, in a seaside town of Bagac, in Bataan.

(Many thanks to Cathy Gamboa-Engstrom for the picture and for the biographical sketches of Dr. and Mrs. Wenceslao Vitug, her grandparents.)

*269. Macabebe's Man for All Seasons: LEONARDO V. LILLES

2011-10-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

LILLES OF THE FIELD. Leonardo Valdes Lilles with second wife Graciana Engracia del Rosario, was a successful agricultural engineer, landowner, businessman and town leader of Macabebe.

Engineer, politician, agriculturist, businessman, revolucionario--Leonardo Valdes Lilles is all that—a Kapampangan visionary who wore many hats and played many roles, all in the name of community service and for his beloved town, Macabebe.

He was born on 11 April 1877, the unico hijo of Remigio Lilles and Leodegaria Valdes, the second child in a brood of five that also included his sisters Felisa, Margarita, Florencia and Laurentina.

“Ando”, as he was called, went to Ateneo de Manila (1886-87) and then to San Juan de Letran for his high school. He then enrolled at the University of Sto. Tomas in 1894 to take up agriculture from 1894-96. The course was a natural choice for Ando as the Lilles family had vast farmlands from where they derived their livelihood. As the only son, Ando was expected to continue the family’s agricultural tradition that had given them wealth, comfort and status in Pampanga society.

The Revolution however, briefly intervened and Ando was quick to support the cause, one of the first Macabebes to do so. His first act was to resist Col. Blanco and to join the local revolutionary government. He was elected member of the Committee of Fund Drive (Comite Reandador de Fondos), together with Capt. Mariano Talag, Capt. Felipe Bustos, and town cabeza Cirilo Musni.

When conditions stabilized, Ando was sent off by his parents to England, where he enrolled at the University of London to finish his Agricultural Engineering (Ingeniero Agricola) course . While there, he also became an esteemed member of the “Agriculture Club” of England. Ando could have stayed in Europe but he decided to go home and pursue his career as an agriculturist. From 1905 to the late 30s, he worked an managed their landholdings in Lubao, Macabebe and Masantol. “Ing pamagtiaga yang dalarayan ning pamagwagi”(Patience is the way to success), was the motto he lived by, and slowly but surely, Ando steered his family enterprise to greater heights.

With a secure future, Ando decided to share his time and services with his fellow Macabebes. In 1911, he ran as an independent for the position of a councilor. He won a slot and became a consejal (councilor) for the next 12 years, despite not having a party affiliation. He had always ran as an independent because he could not bear to ‘play politics’.

Ando now had everything—except a family. He found true love in Olivia Limson, a kabalen, whom he married in December 1915. The couple, however, were childless. Adding to his sorrow was Olivia’s untimely death in 1919—they were just together for 4 short years. Undaunted, he devoted the next few years to public service. As a councilor of Guagua, he was one of those who donated Php100 for the salaries of teachers so that the Intermediaria Guagua (Guagua’s Intermediate School) could run and operate, under the tenure of Mayor Felipe Simpao. Ando also supported the construction of the public market and even participated in drawing up the plans.

On April 1922, Ando married for the second time to Graciana Engracia del Rosario (b. 18 December 1886) of Guagua. This time, the union produced three offsprings: Leodegaria, Remigio and Renato. (Note: Leodegaria married Rodolfo Tioseco. Their son, Leonardo, is the father of Alexis Tioseco, the noted film critic who was murdered together with his Slovenian girlfriend Nika Bohinc on 1 September 2009. Alexis is interred in Angeles City)

The best years of his followed after; he left politics to help raise his family and grow his business. He would divide his time between Manila and Macabebe, until his death on 27 February 1951. His wife, Engracia, outlived him for 12 years, passing away on 5 March 1963. Leonardo Lilles left behind a legacy of good governance and public service, guided by this precept that he subscribed in and which he evidently took to heart: “Ing catapatan o calinisan qng sablang tratus yang babie catimawan at catajimican qng tau”(Loyalty and fairness in all dealings is what gives prosperity and peace to people).

*268. My Teachers' Yearbook: TERRY SANGUYU & PAULA SUEMURA

2011-10-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Like most Mabalacat kids, my early learning years were spent in the town’s largest public school—the Mabalacat Elementary School. It was located right next to the municipio, at the side of the big church, a typical Gabaldon building of concrete, slightly elevated, with large swinging capiz windows and wooden flooring. Beginning at age 6, I went to my classes here along with 30 or so classmates, our education and character molded by a series of teachers who left varying degrees of impression on our young minds.

My first grade teacher was an oldish but kindly schoolma’arm named Madam Gomez, whose first name I have forgotten. My second grade teacher was even older, Mrs. Roberta de la Cruz by name. The next year, I made it to the elite special class supervised by the very animated Mrs. Salud Manarang; there was never an idle moment with her. About this time, I became more aware at how special our instructors were. My Grade 4 teacher was a young graduate of Normal School, Miss Angelita Dayrit, who was my every idea of how a smart, sophisticated and modern teacher should be.

When it came down to my last two years at M.E.S., I was determined to make it to the classes of the school’s most popular teachers who both had great reputations for being progressive and effective educators—Mrs. Paula (Suemura) Alfaro and Mrs. Eleuteria (Sanguyu) Paquia, class advisers of the top sections of Grade 5 and 6 respectively. Sure enough, I was privileged to be a student of these two teachers who proved to the most influential in my course and career direction.

I didn’t realize that my teachers were batchmates at then Holy Angel Academy (now University) in Angeles, Pampanga, from the Class of 1959 as their yearbook shows. Holy Angel, then as now, was a leading educational institution founded by Don Juan D. Nepomuceno and Fr. Pedro Santos—they were still personally involved in the affairs of the school in the 50s. Many high school graduates from Mabalacat pursued their college studies there, as the fees were affordable and the quality of education, very high.

Back in 1959, Mrs. Alfaro was still unmarried at 28, and was still known as Paula Suemura y Madlangbayan. Her yearbook described her thus: "Her friends call her Poling and her co-teachers call her 'Sayonara'. Her friendly attitude has made her win for herself many friends and her sweet smiles have magnetized many men".

She had Japanese ancestry, I think her father was a Japanese from Okinawa, and this was apparent in her flawless Oriental complexion--one classmate even likened her to a Japanese doll. She also walked with a bit more energy as she went from class to class. She was not as expressive as other teachers but one memory of her still remains vivid to me to this day. In 1967, she lost her young son to some disease and I recall the whole class going to the funeral wake and seeing her inconsolably crying with grief-- I have never seen such an outpouring of sorrow from her before.

We’ve always addressed Mrs. Eleuteria Paquia as “Madam”, so it was a surprise to know that in college, she had a thoroughly modern nickname—“Terry” and that her maiden name was "Sanguyu". A cum laude graduate, "Terry is patient and industrious. In addition to her particular stocks, she is gifted with natural curly air and academic talents".

I remember her as a big, dark woman with a trademark mole—a Mother Earth of some sorts, who had beautiful penmanship and who spoke English with a perfect diction, enunciating each word with clarity unlike any other. Naturally, English became my favorite subject, but she also taught Social Studies with much facility. When she became Mrs. Paquia, we often times chanted her name in secret games—“Misis Paquia, Misispak ya" (she is cracking).

I lost track of my two “Madams’ after our graduation, and I have not seen them since. I would, however, hear occasional news about them; I knew for instance, that Mrs. Alfaro became a school administrator of Mabalacat South District and then went to the U.S. Mrs. Paquia, I think, taught all her life, tutoring even my younger siblings in the years that followed. Sadly, I would hear of her passing in the 90s.

Looking back now, the best part of going to school in the 60s was not just exploring new worlds and meeting new friends, but also sitting in the classes of Mrs. Alfaro and Mrs. Paquia, and literally learning from their knees. But in 1959, in those simpler, gentler times, they were young and eager women freshly graduated from college, about to embark on a lifelong journey that would see them become our second parents, teaching with patience, mentoring with compassion while ennobling their chosen profession.

*267. LET'S EAT OUT!

2011-10-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

PARTY PEOPLE. A party reception held at the nationally popular Carbungco Restaurant which was ran and managed by a Kapampangan, Ambrosio Carbungco of Floridablanca. Dated 30 April 1947.

Kapampangans’ love for food is so much evident in the many creative dishes that have found national approval and acceptance. This has paved the way for the establishment of commercial eating places and restaurants all over the province and even in the city of Manila, founded by enterprising Kapampangans who have parlayed their love for cooking into profitable businesses, long before fastfoods became the standard of a typical Filipino dining out experience.

Pre-war restaurants ran by Kapampangans include the famous Carbungco Restaurant. It was put up by Ambrosio Carbungco of Floridablanca, a former chef of Casino Español. It had a branch in Manila as well as in Antipolo, where the restaurant became a favorite stop of local tourists. Carbungco Restaurant also took city and provincial orders for banquets, picnics and weddings, offering prompt and efficient service every time.

Opposite Cine Palace along Ronquillo St. in Manila, one could drop by for a quick chow at Panciteria Ramon Lee. Lee, who hails from Sta. Ana put up his noodle restaurant which he touted as “the place where all friends meet friends”. The Panciteria was well known for its best-tasting, economically-priced Chinese dishes, whipped up under the supervision of an expert Cantonese cook and most economical prices. Lee also handled the catering of banquets and lauriat parties, served either outside or within city limits.

At nearby Sta. Cruz, at 1726 Azcarraga St. (Recto) was another favorite haunt of foodies ran by a Kapampangan proprietor, Gregoria Villanueva of Sasmuan. Star Restaurant, so named because it was just across Cine Star, took pride of its all-Filipino origins, in the face of American-ran diners like Dixie’s and Plaza Lunch. Its advertisement proclaimed: “Bandi yang Filipino, pamañgan bale, Malinis, Maniaman at Mura. Subucan ye”.

San Fernando, being the province’s capital town, was the hub of the best eating places where whole families can go out and have their fill of their favorite dishes and snacks. There were excellent roadside restaurants that one could visit, like the Panaderia y Panciteria of Andrea David de Nuqui strategically located near the railroad station. Nuqui’s unique carinderia also housed a sari-sari store as well as a beauty parlor, which promised “courteous service, excellent cuisine at moderate charges”. In 1933, Nuqui bagged its biggest commission yet, by becoming the official caterer of the 1st Pampanga Carnival Fair and Exposition. Also around the town were smaller popular haunts like the Carinderia, Cafeteria y Panciteria of Emerenciana Dizon, located at Felix del Pulgar St. and Magnolia Rendezvous.

The war slowed down the country’s restaurant businesses, but in the years of rebuilding, many more restaurants started sprouting again all over Pampanga. Still existing today is Everybody’s Café, which started as a 2-table affair put up by couple Benito and Carmen Santos on Consunji. The cafeteria was a hit among Americans as well as the locals, and in 1965, it opened a more spacious branch at Del Pilar. It now also has a branch in Angeles City, serving the same sumptuous dishes like paku salad, betute, buru, kare-kare, bulalo and sisig it has become famous for.

In Angeles, the only pre-war bar that was still in existence in the 1950s was the Star Bar along Henson St., which featured orchestra music. But like Esquire Club (put up by Paz Pamintuan and husband Frank Von Heiland), Star Bar catered more to adults and American servicemen from Clark. Family-oriented restaurants included Dely’s Kiosk, Selecta Café (both on Rizal St.), San Miguel Canteen (beside Pat Theater), Esting's Cafe (at the side of Marte Theater), Angeles Jaycee Canteen (on Plaridel St.) and Hi-Way Kiosk, the last two, both managed by Mrs. Gloria Tinio. Another popular spot was Spic ‘n Span, “The Symbol of Satisfaction”, famous for its excellent food at reasonable prices. Spic ‘n Span, located in Balibago, accepted professional catering of banquets, club meetings and private dinners.

Today, Kapampangan eateries are finding stiff competition from quick-service restaurants and international fast food chains. But it is heartening to know that once hole-in-the-wall Kapampangan establishments like Razon’s, Kabigting’s and Nathaniel’s---are doing well despite the coming of these giant burger-and-fries joints. Bright lights, fun giveaways, adorable mascots may give these stores initial appeal, but in the end, there’s nothing like familiar, home-cooked meals prepared and served the Kapampangan way to comfort a hungry tummy. That certainly is the best part of eating out!

*266. EMILIANO J. VALDES, Kapampangan Philanthropist

2011-08-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

ONE IN A MILIONG . Mabalacat-born Emiliano "Miliong" J. Valdes, Kapampangan businessman, landowner and philanthropist. When he passed away, his descendants donated the land on where the Emiliano J. Valdes Memorial TB Pavilion was built.

The generous Kapampangan philanthropist who gave his name as well as financial donation to fund Pampanga’s leading TB hospital was born in Mabalacat, to parents Francisca Valdes and Cenon de Jesus on 5 January 1873. “Miliong” was baptized in the same town as “Emiliano de Jesus”, but for some reason, he took on his mother’s last name, a tradition that was followed by his female siblings (Agripina, Maria Salome and Agueda). His two older brothers, Sisenando and Pedro used De Jesus as their surnames.

Miliong married Macabebe-born Eusebia Garcia Hernandez (b. 29 October 1876) and the couple settled in Culiat (Angeles) along Plaridel St. where they built a grand mansion with a spacious front lawn in 1936. By then, Miliong’s business in real estate had grown and prospered, more than enough to live a life of comfort for themselves and their large family of 10 children: Luz, Jose, Salud, Socorro, Francisco, Emilio, Lorenzo, Augusto, Remedios and Africa. They Valdeses had barely enjoyed their new house when Eusebia died in Angeles on 20 September 1936.

To forget his loss, Miliong focused his energy on growing his business, and not even the war years could dampen his enterprising drive. His house, however, was commandeered by the Japanese and turned it into a military headquarter. Perhaps to forget the sad events that transpired in his Angeles residence, he sold the house and lot after the war, and the space has since become a commercial area.

Miliong died on 28 August 1953, but not before leaving behind funds and resources for his philanthropic pursuits. His heirs donated 5 hectares of land as well as Php 75,000.00 for the construction of a TB Pavilion in Angeles in 1972. Turberculosis had always been a prevalent disease that plague Filipinos for decades, and it was hoped that the Emiliano J. Valdes Memorial TB Pavilion would alleviate the conditions of Kapampangans as well as Filipinos afflicted with the dreaded disease. An Anti-TB postage stamp was even issued to commemorate the construction of the state-of-the-art hospital building.

Sadly, the TB Pavilion closed its doors in the 80s with the successful control of tuberculosis, but for a decade or so, the TB Pavilion stood as a tangible testament to the kind and generous spirit of one Kapampangan man who believed in sharing the fruits of his success: Emiliano J. Valdes.

*265. THE OLD PAMPANGA CAPITOL GROUNDS

2011-08-30T03:12:00.001-07:00

SOUVENIR SNAP WITH THE GENERAL. The stately grounds of the Pampanga Capitol in San Fernando is favorite stop of local tourists as seen from this picture. The tour group pose before the statue of Kapampangan revolucionario, Gen. Maximino Hizon. The statue still stands today at the Arnedo Park. Ca. 1938.

The original provincial Capitol grounds of Pampanga in San Fernando covered an area of about 12 hectares. The Capitol was erected in 1907-1908, during the administration of Governor Macario Arnedo and no expenses were spared from making the seat of the local government, truly an attractive tourist attraction in itself.

The expansive grounds are lush with landscaping, planted with mango and acacia trees, shrubs and flowering plants. The wooded area was named Silva Park, after the late provincial treasurer of Pampanga, Isabelo de Silva, who led in the drive to beautify the Capitol surroundings.

When the age of electricity reached the province, the major lanes and walkways were lined and lit with Doric-style electric lamps; a radio system was installed to entertain the visiting public.

One of the earliest structures stands in front of the Capitol Building—a stately statue of Gen. Maximino Hizon of Mexico , the highest ranking Kapampangan officer in the revolutionary army. He distinguished himself in many battles against the Spanish and American forces during the Philippine Revoution. Captured by Americans in June 1900, he was exiled to Guam together with other war leaders on 7 January 1901 and died there on 1 Sept. 1901. The patriot is depicted in full uniform, astride a handsome steed. The statue was installed in 1919, a donation of the Kapampangan people and the provincial government. As this picture shows, the monument was favorite ‘photo opportunity’ spot for many local visitors.

In 1929, an additional attraction—the Provincial Zoological Garden—was established, featuring a rare collection of caged exotic birds and rare animals for the public to enjoy. Tourists would even stop by Pampanga to view the mini-zoo en route to Baguio. The garden complemented the several tennis courts, the bandstand or glorietta, the clubhouse and the park benches.

When San Fernando played host to the biggest spectacle of the province in 1933, the Capitol Grounds became the venue for the Pampanga Carnival Fair and Exposition. The Carnival was meant to promote Pampanga as the richest market outside of Manila, with rich limitless agricultural, commercial and industrial possibilities. Pavilions of the 21 towns of Pampanga were put up, featuring the best and finest products of each community. The fair was capped with the election of Miss Pampanga.

Visitors from all over the country left the province very much impressed after having seen the events as well as the impressive venue. After the Carnival, a Rizal Memorial Forum was erected at the site of the provincial fair, at a cost of Php 18,000.

Most of these points of interest are long gone from the Provincial Capitol grounds—some destroyed by the War, others by overzealous reconstruction and expansion projects. Only the Hizon Monument at the Arnedo Park remains, now nearly a century-old, a mute witness to the scenic wonder of the place, that once marked the hallowed grounds of Pampanga’s Provincial Capitol.

*264. '60s Singing Star: HELEN ALVENT GAMBOA of Sta. Ana

2011-08-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

SHING-ALING SINGING STAR, Helen Gamboa of Sta. Ana jumpstarted her showbiz career by joining a beauty pageant where she placed 2nd. She went on to become one of the most popular stars of the Shindig Age, appearing in movies and recording her own cover versions of international hit songs. This autographed fan photo of Helen dates from 1967.

Helen Gamboa, one of the most popular, multi-facetted celebrities from the 60s, hails from the town of Sta. Ana. She first made a name for herself as a beauty queen, then became a singer of note, joined the movie bandwagon and became an icon of the ‘shing-aling’ decade.

Born on 7 May 1946, Helen came from a talented family that included big sister, Elaine, also a budding beauty who had been a finalist in the 1955 quest for Miss Philippines to the fledgling Miss Universe Contest. Inspired by her sister, the 5'6", 15 year old Liberal Arts student from Sta. Isabel college student enlisted for the 1961 Miss Press Photography of the Philippines (Miss PPP), then a prestigious beauty search conceived by an association of renown Philippine photographers. Previous winners like Mila Ocampo and Edita Vital had used the contest as a springboard to greater fame in Philippine movies. Helen surprised everyone by placing second to favorite Cynthia Ugalde.

Helen was swamped with movie offers after that, and she chose to do a movie with Larry Santiago Productions. She was introduced in “Gorio and his Jeepney “ with Chiquito in 1962, based on a hit comic strip drawn by Larry Alcala for Manila Times. Directed by Pablo Santiago, the movie was an instant hit and Helen was on her way. She followed this up with “Hugo, the Sidewalk Vendors” (with Bering Labra) and “Sakay and Moy” (with Oscar Obligacion and Cris de Vera), whose main characters were drawn from Philippine ‘komiks’. From her initial PhP 1,000 talent fee, she commanded Php 40,000 in her next films, a princely sum in the mid '60s.

She starred with almost all the leading men ‘hotties’ in those times—from Fernando Poe Jr. (Kumander Fidela, 1964), Joseph Estrada (Bantay Salakay, 1966) and Romeo Vasquez (Doble Trece, 1967). But Helen would find enduring success with her ‘now generation’ movie musicals that showcased her singing and dancing talents to the hilt—Let’s Go, DJ Dance Time, Top Tunes, The Nite Owl Dance Party (1964), Shing-aling-a-loo, Mash ‘K Pops, Operation: Discothèque (1967), Bang-shang-a-lang, Boogaloo, Let's Go Hippie (1968) and Grind, Grind (1969).

Her recordings also hit the local billboard charts, and her debut album with Jonal records produced the monster hit, “Together Again”. She did successful covers of the songs of Petula Clark (“Kiss Me Goodbye"), Lulu (“I’m A Tiger"), Mary Hopkins (“Those Were the Days”) and Jeannie C. Riley (“Harper Valley PTA”).

Her showbiz career was cut short when she eloped with Tito Sotto ( Vicente Castelo Sotto III), who was a band leader of the very popular combo, Tilt Down Men. Tito was the grandson and grandnephew of two senators, Vicente Y. Sotto and Filemon Sotto. He would go on to follow their footsteps and become a senator himself after a successful music career.

Nevertheless, Helen continued to appear in carefully selected projects on TV, hosting Eat Bulaga, and Lovingly Yours, Helen, after the demise of Helen Vela. She also pursued her recording career with RCA Victor International, where she did covers under the name Bunny Chanel. Helen has been a FAMAS Best Supporting Actress nominee for “Kailan Mahuhugasan ang Kasalanan” (1989) and has won an Urian Best Actress Award for “Unsung Heroine” (1996). Today, she plays a bigger role as the wife of a Philippine senator, mother of Romina Frances, Diorella Maria, Gian Carlo and Ciara Anna and grandmother to Romino and Victorio.

*263. Casualties of War: INGKONG PEDRO MORALES & HIS FAMILY

2011-08-08T17:05:00.001-07:00

A FAMILY TRAGEDY. Ingkung Pedro Morales as a young lawyer. He and most of his family members were killed during the liberation of Manila, saved for Esmeralda who left war-torn Ermita and fled to Dimasalang with her husband.

The Moraleses, from which my father descended, are not exactly a large family. The patriarch, Quentin Tuazon Morales (b. 1856/d.1928), had five children with Paula Cosme Guzman: Clotilde, Maria, Pedro, Patricia (my father’s mother) and Rafael. I barely knew this side of the family, as my Apung Tiri (Patricia) passed away long before I was born. Saved for Ingkung Paeng (Rafael) whose house we looked after in Mabalacat, I cannot recall ever meeting the rest of my granduncles and grand aunts. But every now and then, when my father and his siblings would reminisce about the years gone by, they would talk about the tragic death of their uncle, Pedro, whose family was nearly wiped out in the second World War.

Pedro Morales or Ingkung Pedro was born on 22 February 1886, a middle child, and the firstborn son of Quintin and Paula after two girls. He grew up in Poblacion, where his father was the teniente mayor, and attended local schools in Mabalacat. When he came of college age, he went to Manila and enrolled at the Escuela de Derecho, then a leading law school of the Philippines favored by many brilliant and patriotic Filipinos who wanted to become legal luminaries (his youngest brother Rafael, would follow in his footsteps and finished Ll.B in the same school too). After passing the bar, the young lawyer went back to his hometown to practice, and became a well-known notary public.

As his father had various business holdings, the dutiful Pedro took charge of the legal requirements of the family enterprises. Upon the death of his father in 1928, he also prepared all the legal documents pertaining to his father’s will that called for the equitable distribution of his parcels of land among his 5 surviving children. There was even a case that he took on for his elder sister Maria Morales-Concepcion, in which he went in pursuit of two people who had paid his sister with counterfeit money after buying some cigarettes and corned beef from her store. Determined to teach them a lesson, he hauled them to court where they were eventually prosecuted in the Court of the First Instance of Pampanga in December 1933.

Pedro wooed and won the hand of Magdalena “Elena” Hizon of Porac, also a middle child, daughter of Florentino Singian Hizon and Juana Henson. For her bride, he had a house designed and built by by the accomplished Kapampangan architect Fernando Ocampo y Hizon, now known as the “Father of Modern Philippine Architecture” who happened to be Elena’s first cousin. The art deco house was once an imposing presence in Mabiga, Mabalacat and merited a write-up in the Pampanga Social Register of 1936. Here, the couple raise their children: Esmeralda, Eliseo, Felicidad and the youngest, named after his father, Quintin Marcos.

As his legal career, so did his other business ventures. Pedro also became a successful sugar planter and businessman and became a stockholder of the National Life Insurance Company and Provident Insurance Company. All these would come to a tragic end in the dying days of the last world war. Ingkung Pedro and his family had evacuated his family in Manila, where they had a house along Indiana St. The rest of the Moraleses took refuge in Dimasalang.

During the infamous 1945 siege of Ermita, the Japanese went on a killing rampage in the area, while the pursuing Americans strafed the area with bombs. Ingkung Pedro perished along with his family--Elena, Eliseo, Felicidad, Quintin-- when a stray bomb directly hit his house, just another collateral damage of a cruel war. The only survivor was Esmeralda who was already married and living with her husband, Severino Madlangbayan at that time. She and Bebeng would go on to repopulate the decimated Morales family tree by producing 3 children--Teresita, Lourdes and Jose--who, happily, would have large families themselves.

*262. 1953 Mrs. Philippines: ESTRELLA OCAMPO LOPEZ of San Fernando

2011-08-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

COVER GIRL. Estrella Ocampo Lopez of San Fernando, winner of the 1953 Mrs. Philippines quest launched by Weekly Woman's Magazine. She was crowned at the auditorium of the 1st Philippine International Fair, country's biggest post-war event in 1953.

The year 1953 began on an exciting note for the Philippines. On 1 February, the 1953 Philippines International Fair reeled off at the Luneta, a three-month celebration of 500 years of Philippine progress. The fair, a huge and daring enterprise never before attempted since the first Manila Carnival of 1908, was laid out at the Luneta featuring not only national government and provincial exhibits but also foreign pavilions.

Countries like Thailand, China Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Spain, Sweden, U.S. Korea, Italy, China and Belgium lent their participation. One highlight of the fair was the selection of the Miss Philippines who will serve as the welcome official of the fair. The 1st Miss Universe, Armi Kuusela, was invited to crown the eventual winner, Maria Cristina Galang of Tarlac.

The first international fair that sought to depict the Philippines as the “Gateway to the East” generated much interest and was covered extensively by media. One women’s magazine even dared to ride on the popularity of the Miss Philippines pageant by conducting its own beauty search, this time, for the fairest married Filipina of the land. The Weekly Women’s Magazine, a widely circulated female-oriented magazine invited its readers to send nominees to the said “WWM Mrs. Philippines Contest”, even as it issued a disclaimer reminding its readers that their contest should not be confused with the Miss Philippines search that was also being conducted at the same time.

Ballots were printed on the magazine worth 10 votes, which a reader could fill up with the name of her favored nominee and mailed back to the publication. The candidate receiving the most number of votes at the end of the contest—18 April 1953 to be exact—will be proclaimed as “Mrs. Philippines”.

The response to the contest was tremendous—after all, the grand prize was a modern house designed by Arch. Angel E. Nakpil, which was put on display at the International Fair. Hundreds of nominees from different provinces of the Philippines were received—including Pampanga, which had about 11 candidates by the end of the contest: Estrella Lopez, Carmen Alfonso, Teodora de Mesa, Providencia Ramos, Lucia Lavares, Gloria Mejia, Rosario Songco, Adoracion Nicolas, Marcelina Valencia, Julia Escobar and Vicenta Nicdao. Married women of all sorts—movie celebrities, former beauty queens, lawyers, teachers, housekeepers—made the final list of nominees.

When the first batch of votes were tallied, a Kapampangan matron from San Fernando surprised contest organizers by copping the top slot early in the contest. Mrs. Estrella Ocampo Lopez amassed 23,370 votes after the February tally, way ahead of second placer Lucia Garcia of Bacolod who had 14,120. Estrella was quickly hustled off to Manila so she could have her picture taken for the February 27 cover of the prestigious magazine. She solidified her lead after the May 20 counting, getting 113, 910 to Manila’s Nena Aragon who had 85, 820. Her campaign slowed down a bit after March—119,690 to Lucia Garcia, who regained her 2nd place position with 104, 690 total. Mrs. Lopez never surrendered her lead at the contest’s end in April, winning handily over such heavyweight candidates as former Miss Philippines 1937 Mrs. Chita Zaldarriaga Arnaiz, actresses Mrs. Tessie Quintana-Reyes and Mrs. Lilia Dizon-de Leon, society ladies Mrs. Purita Kalaw-Ledesma and Nora V. Daza and lawyer Corazon J. Agrava.

She not only won a house but also stainless kitchen tool set, a pressure cooker from Philippine Manufacturing Company, supplies of Palmolive soaps, Colgate toothpaste, a General Electric combination refrigerator-freezer, a terno from Madonna Fashion hop and a free hairdo from Realistic Beauty Salon—prizes that every accomplished missus would certainly love to have.

Mrs. Estrella Ocampo Lopez was officially crowned as the first ever “Mrs. Philippines” together with her court of honor—Mrs. Luzon, Mrs. Visayas and Mrs. Mindanao—at the Philippine International Fair Auditorium, the pride of Pampanga, and of the millions of happy Filipina homemakers all over the country.

*261. Pampanga's Town: MAGALANG

2011-08-07T02:46:00.001-07:00

MAGALANG TOWN PLAZA, with a commanding view of Mount Arayat. Magalang is one of Pampanga's oldest towns, and owes much of its growth and expansion from pioneering families like the Lucianos, Aquinos, Yumuls and Cruzes. Ca. 1950s.

Magalang is just a stone’s throw away from Mabalacat, my home town, yet, growing up, I knew very little of our next-door neighbor. Of course, silly me, I had presumed that the people of Magalang were a respectful lot, based on the name of the town alone. Then again, there are the ‘galang-galang’ bracelet biscuits that kids could wear and eat—maybe they were popular enough to give the town its name. I also recall reading Katoks Tayag book which made mention of a place called Magelang in Indonesia. I really wonder if there is a connection there.

In any case, one thing is certain—Magalang is one of the most ancient towns of Pampanga, established by the Augustinians in 1605 at the western side of majestic Mount Arayat, under the governorship of Pedro Bravo de Acuña. Its original site was a place called Macapsa, which was later transferred to San Bartolome. As early as 1660, Magalang was only one of 15 towns in the province to have an Augustinian church and convent to administer to the spiritual needs of the residents. Its first prior was Fr. Gonzalo de Salazar.

Early in its history, Magalang figured in some of the most tumultuous moments in the Kapampangan region. The armed rebellions of Francisco Maniago and that of the Pangasinense rebel Andres Malong, wrought havoc on the town in 1660 and 1734 respectively, causing the dispersal of the townfolks to various locations. There was also the great flood caused by the Parua River in May 1863 which necessitated the relocation of the town center.

First to move was the gobernadorcillo Pablo Luciano, who, together with his followers like the Cortezes and Davids, moved from San Bartolome to Barrio San Pedro or Talimundoc which became the new ‘poblacion’. The group brought with them the image of their patron, San Bartolome. Fr. Ramon Sarrionandia helepd in the transfer and gave the town its name, San Pedro de Magalang. Meanwhile, another group of families led by the Aquinos, Yumuls and Pinedas transferred to Barrio Matandoc, which they put under the advocation of the Immaculate Conception. Magalang expanded with the generous land donation of Don Cristobal Lacson, which included that occupied by the church of Magalang and the now-abandoned old municipal cemetery.

During the Philippine Revolution, Magalang was the site of the battle of Camansi that led to the annihilation of General Monet’s army by local revolucionarios that included Carlos Guiao and Candido Niceta. Under the American Regime, Magalang became a prosperous sugar and rice town. The Pampanga Agricultural College, established during the Spanish times at the foothills of Arayat, was revitalized and continues to be a highly regarded institution of agricultural learning to this day. The town’s society life flourished with the influx of wealth and several social clubs like Mountainside, were organized in the 1930s.

Today, Magalang has kept its old world charm amidst 21st century progress. Heritage houses line many of its streets. It continues to be famous for its sweet confections; the favorite pastillas de leche from this town are renowned for their unsurpassed creaminess made more delectable by carabao’s milk. Many inland fishponds, piggeries and poultry farms were moved to Magalang by small entrepreneurs following the Pinatubo eruption, infusing the town with much needed income and reinvigorating these small industries. Magalang may be ancient in age, but it has a youthful, can-do attitude in its pursuit of its goals, a forward-looking vision that continues to yield gains for its 27 barangays and their residents. For that, Magalang has certainly earned our respect.

*260. OFELIA PAMINTUAN-QUIOGUE: Sacrifice and Salvation In Times of War

2011-07-24T02:46:00.001-07:00

OFELIA CENTENO PAMINTUAN, as one of the most eligible ladies of the Philippines in 1929 by Graphic Magazine. She would marry a Quiogue scion in a fairy tale wedding in 1934, but the War would abruptly end her young life. Her last act of courage was to save her son.

Out of the ashes of the last World War comes this story of loss, sacrifice and survival, involving a young Kapampangan wife and mother, who, in her dying moments in the hands of the enemy, made a final courageous act to save the life of her youngest son.

Ofelia Valentina Maria de Araceli Pamintuan was born on 10 July 1911, to Don Florentino Torres Pamintuan (b. 1868/d.1925) of Angeles with his second wife, Dña. Tomasa Centeno (b. 1897/d. 1937). Ofelia had a twin, Maria Victoria de Araceli, who died in infancy.

Ofelia’s parents were one of the richest hacenderos of the province, affording them to travel with the whole family and live in all parts of the world. Ofelia was the eldest daughter in a family of 11 that also included Luis, Mariano, Luz, Ramon, Javier, Manuel, Imelda, Virginia and Florentino Jr. She also had 5 half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Mancia Vergara Sandico: Jose Maria Nicolas (Padre Pepe), Mariano Rufino, Paz, Caridad and Natividad.

All children were lovingly cared for by Don Florentino and his wife, whose idea of education was to expose them to the different cultures of the world. Ofelia was just five years old when Don Florentino took his family to Barcelona, Spain. It was an exciting journey for the young Ofelia, a sea voyage that took 45 days. In Barcelona, the family resided in a posh apartment building attended by Spanish nurses and house maids. The family stayed here and waited out the end of World War I, after which the Don decided to pack up his family and leave for America.

The Pamintuans settled in Washington D.C. where their residence became a meeting place for Filipino pensionados and visiting government officials. Ofelia was sent off to school at the Immaculata Seminary on Wisconsin Ave., together with sisters Caridad, Nati and Lucy. These were the halcyon days for the family, and the Pamintuan children had the privilege of seeing the comings and goings of such distinguished house guests as Pres. Manuel Quezon, Isauro Gabaldon, Claro M. Recto, Manuel Roxas and Sergio Osmeña. All these came to an end with the death of Don Florentino in 1925, and the family decided to resettle back in the Philippines.

The fatherless brood resided in a lovely mansion along M.H. del Pilar St., then part of the exclusive Ermita enclave of Manila. Ofelia quickly adjusted to the Island life and was enrolled at the Assumption College along Herran St. (now Pedro Gil St.) where she soon became a very popular student. In 1929, the nationally circulated magazine Graphic, included her as among the most eligible bachelorettes of the country, alongside society girls Pacita de los Reyes, Nenita Araneta,Lulu Balmori and Pacita Goyena. She was described as "having a sweet voice...considered as the young girl with the most 'IT' by the younger smart set".

But it was to the handsome Antonio J. Quiogue, of Manila that Ofelia chose to spend her life with. The Quiogues were an affluent family who made their fortune in the funeral and mortuary service business; everyone was in agreement that the match was perfect and made in heaven. Ofelia and Antonio were married on 15 March 1933 at the Capuchin church in Intramuros, in a ceremony officiated by Ofelia’s brother, Padre Pepe. The primary sponsors were Dr. Felix Hocson and Dra. Paz Pamintuan Faustino, the bride’s eldest half-sister. After the ceremonies, the couple proceeded to the bride’s alma mater, Assumption, where Ofelia offered her bridal bouquet at the altar of the Blessed Virgin . The newlyweds hosted a fabulous reception at the Manila Hotel and spent their honeymoon in Baguio.

The Quiogues settled in Singalong and pretty soon, their children came one by one, starting with Jose Francisco (1934), Lourdette (1935), Maria Victoria (1936), Vicente Ramon (1937), Erlinda (1939), and Manuel Antonio (1941), born just a few days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Second World War had begun and the Philippines was soon invaded and occupied by Japanese forces.

The liberation of the Philippines after three long years, and it proved to be one of the most destructive and bloodiest periods of our history. In the ensuing melee, the Pamintuan children were dispersed—some evacuated north to Baguio, others fled to Naga and Angeles. As the Japanese were being repulsed from the north of Pasig, they turned on the helpless civilians as they fled to the south of Manila, going on an unstoppable killing rampage. Ofelia’s sister, Caridad, who had decided to return to Manila with her family, was killed along with her two children on 10 February 1945.

The massacre continued for the next days, and as the retreating Japanese reached Singalong on 13 February 1945, they discovered the cramped hiding place of the Quiogues and their neighbors. Amidst screams and pleas for mercy, the soldiers started bayoneting everyone in sight, and the first to fall were the Quiogue children, Jose and Lourdette. Ofelia, shielding her son with a mother’s embrace, absorbed the cruel thrusts of the soldier’s bayonet blades on her back, face and arms, in an instinctive act of selfless love. Mortally wounded and with life ebbing away, Ofelia mustered her last ounce of strength and managed to pass on her child to an equally heroic neighbor, Sincera Villanueva, who snatched Meckoy from her weakening grasp and ran to safety.

Ofelia’s ultimate sacrifice serve to remind us of the calumnies of men and their wars, but it is also a noble statement about motherhood, a role she played so virtuously, so valiantly, illuminating for us what love should always be—pure, selfless, unconditional. Certainly, her death was not in vain; her surviving children grew to adulthood and became successful in their chosen professions with one becoming a doctor and another, a priest. The youngest child she died protecting, Meckoy Quiogue, became one of the country’s most successful marketing man, holding top level positions at Philippine Refining Company, Coca Cola, J. Walter Thompson, ABS-CBN and GMA-7. He is currently the chief executive officer of a media conglomerate.

*259. Their College Yearbook: JOSE FELICIANO and ANATOLIA PANLILIO

2011-07-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

CLASSMATES FOR LIFE. Jose Feliciano and Anatolia Panlilio, as they appear in their UP 1916 Yearbook. They excelled academically at the College of Pharmacy and went on to greater things after they got married in 1924.

The University of the Philippines was just 3 years old when it established a Pharmacy course under the College of Liberal Arts. When a complete course leading to a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy was offered in 1913, early enrollees included two Kapampangans—Jose Maria Feliciano and Anatolia Panlilio of San Fernando, who would go on to be achievers, husband-and-wife, and parents to three accomplished children.

As members of the U.P. Class of 1916, Anatolia and Jose were two of the earliest Kapampangan graduates of Pharmacy, and their college yearbook, of which Jose was an Associate Editor, reveal a bit of their student days, including their scholastic and extracurricular interests. For instance, of the 19 graduating seniors, eight were Kapampangans. The new pharmacists came from Arayat (Jose K. Santos and Tarcila Villegas), Lubao (Victor Vitug, Hermogena Vitug) Macabebe (Enrique Mallari) and San Fernando (Ramon Feliciano). They received their diplomas from Prof. Andrew Grover du Mez, then Director of the School of Pharmacy.

Anatolia comes from the prominent San Fernando Panlilios, an old family with deep roots in Mexico and whose clans branched out to the capital town and neighboring Bacolor. After finishing her secondary course at the Centro Escolar de Senoritas, she enrolled at the state university to take up Pharmacy, a course considered perfect for young women interested in science, yet less hectic than Medicine. She proved to be an outstanding student and was elected Vice President of the Students' Pharmaceutical Association (Jose was President). Eight years after their graduation, Anatolia married her classmate and kabalen Jose, on 25 May 1924.

Jose Ma. Feliciano was the son of Mauricio Feliciano and Graciana Tiomico, born on 22 October 1887. He studied at the Pampanga High School and the Philippine Normal School. At the state university, he took up Pharmacy and became an active member of various student organizations like the Kappa Upsilons, Philippine Scientific Society and Sigma Pi Sigma.

After receiving his Pharmacy degree, he also earned his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree in 1917. He went on to finish his doctoral degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1921. Not content with Pharmacy, he pursued and finished his doctorate in Geology at the University of Chicago.

It was in the latter course that Dr. Feliciano would gain renown and recognition. As a learned and dedicated scientist, he became Head of the U.P. Department of Geology and Geography in 1936, and stayed on in the university despite attractive offers from private companies. He organized professional groups like the Geological Society of the Philippines, the Philippine Geographic Society and the Society of Mining, Metallurgical and Geological Engineers. Jose passed away on 22 February 1955. In 1965, a scholarship was put up by UP in his name, as a tribute to his accomplishments.

Jose and Anatolia had three children—Leticia, Florentino and Erlinda. Their middle child, Florentino, finished Law at his parent’s alma mater, earned his Doctorate in Juridicial Science from Yale University, and became a Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

*258. Pampanga Churches: STA. ANA CHURCH

2011-07-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

GRAND OLD STA. ANA CHURCH. One of Pampanga's best-looking churches, was constructed from different materials sourced from all over the region. Its present foundation was begun in 1853. From the Augustinian Archives. Late 19th c.

The Sta. Ana Church might as well be the equivalent of the Manila’s Binondo Church –which, at least externally look the same, if not for the placement of their belfries. Wide, massive and spacious, the church, with its fenced courtyard, sits right in the center of the town, which began as a flat land called Pinpin, named after a prominent Chinese mestizo resident of the area.

Nestled near Arayat, Candaba and Mexico, Pinpin became a visita of Arayat in 1598. It was renamed as Sta. Ana, and in 1756, became an independent parish. It was only 23 February 1760 that a prior, Fr. Lorenzo Guevarra OSA, was assigned to Sta. Ana. He was assisted by Fr. Alonso Forrero, who baptized Vicente de Guevarra, the first entry in the libros bautismos dated 1760.

In 1853, the foundation of the present church was begun by Fr. Ferrer. Of stone and bricks, the church was eventually finished by Fr. Lucas Gonzales, who also added, in 1857, the magnificent hexagonal 5-storey canopied belfry, topped by a dome with a cross. The funds for the materials were raised by the people of Sta. Ana which were sourced from different parts of Luzon. The stones came from Meycauayan, Bulacan while wood was sourced from the forests of Porac and Betis. In all, the cost of the building was an astounding 5,568 Pesos and 25 reales.

The church, in the succeeding years was expanded to include a stone convento, built by Fr. Antonio Redondo in 1866. For five years, beginning 1872, the church was refurbished by Fr. Francisco Diaz and Paulino Fernandez. Fr. Felixberto Lozano constructed the fence in the mid 1930s, while Fr. Osmundo Calilung elevated the flooring of the altar during his term (1946-49). From 1955-1956, Fr. Francisco Cancio had the ceiling repaired and the bell tower given a fresh palitada.

Historian Mariano V. Henson recorded five bells in the campanera: Ntra. Sra. Del la Paz, dated 1879 and cast by Hilarion Sunico, was donated by Don Jose Revelino during the term of Fr. Paulino Fernandez. The biggest bell is dated 1857. All other bells inscribed with the names of Ntra. Sra. De la Correa, San Agustin and Sta. Ana, were donated by the town principalia at various years during the 1870s.

The interior of the church of Sta. Ana has been updated many times. The image of the town’s titular patroness, Santa Ana, appears with the young Virgin Mary in the central niche of the retablo mayor. Smaller altars hold vintage images. A relic of Santa Ana is also housed in the church.

*257. FELIPE SALVADOR: A Rebel Messiah Comes to Pampanga

2011-07-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

SALVADOR DEL MUNDO. Felipe Salvador, "Apo Ipe", the Supremo of Santa Iglesia, a religious/revolutionary cult group which had its base at the foothills of Mt. Arayat and which wielded influence over the Central Luzon area. From El Renacimiento Filipino.

During the years of the Philippine Revolution, a man who spent much of his time communing with God in the slopes of mystical Mount Arayat, organized a controversial religious movement that led armed campaigns against Spaniards and the succeeding colonial masters, the Americans, but remained alienated from the Katipunan. Dismissed as a dangerous ‘bandolero’ by Americans, Felipe Salvador, founder of the cult group Sta. Iglesia, would eventually be executed for his perpetrations in Pampanga, Bulacan, Nujeva Ecija and Tarlac.

Felipe Salvador (“Apo Ipe”) was born on 26 May 1870 in Baliwag, Bulacan, the child of a well-off family. His father, Prudencio had been an official in the Spanish government. The Salvadors had many relatives in nearby Pampanga province and it is even possible that Felipe was born there as his name is not recorded in the canonical books of Baliwag.

Even as a profoundly religious young man, he had a rebellious streak, defying the parish priest by dissuading a group of vendors from paying dues to the Church. Felipe soon became the head of a cofradia (confraternity) called “Gabinistas”, originally founded by Gabino Cortes of Apalit. Cortes was said to possess supernatural powers, conjuring food, money and male guards to appear using a magic ball. Gabinista members were mostly Kapampangans from Apalit, San Luis, San Simon, Santa Ana, Candaba, Macabebe and Santo Tomas.

Upon reorganizing the cofradia and renaming it as Sta. Iglesia in 1894, the self-proclaimed Pope joined the armed struggle by raiding garrisons and joining skirmishes against Spain. In one battle in San Luis, Salvador was wounded and fled to Biak-na-Bato where he consolidated his forces with Aguinaldo’s.

Social squabbles between the two factions, however, caused Salvador’s fall from grace. Elitist Kapampangan officers, for instance, did not want an outsider like him to command Kapampangan forces. Gen. Maximino Hizon even ordered the execution of 5 Sta. Iglesia members without proper trial. Two of Salvador’s soldiers also suffered by being falsely accused of committing ‘abuses’; they were later found shot and floating in the river. Meanwhile, in Floridablanca, Sta. Iglesia members were harassed by being forcibly ejected from their lands.

Despite these setbacks, Salvador continued his warfare, this time, against the Americans from his command post at Barrio Kamias. Refusing calls to surrender, he was captured in 1900 and dumped in prison. But after swearing allegiance to the United States, Salvador rejoined the resistance and was branded as an outlaw. Captured in Nueva Ecija by the police in 1902, he was charged with sedition. But while being transferred to the Bilibid Prison in Manila, Salvador eluded his guards and escaped to Mount Arayat.

There, Salvador revitalized his ‘diocese’ and found wide sympathy from the central Luzon peasantry. He became a sort of a demigod, subsisting on his brotherly relationships with certain people he met on his journey, like Vicente Francia, Epifanio de la Cruz, a certain Juan and Damaso. They not only helped him find sustenance, but also provided security as he worked his way around the area. Ipe was warmly welcomed by people in the community who offered generous gifts, and he used these opportunities to recruit members and generate funds.

His modus operandi was simple: he would enter a town with some 20 chosen disciples, plant a cross and exhort people to donate money and join his brotherhood while projecting an image that is at once poor, pitiful and prayerful. As membership grew, so did the number of fanatical attacks launched against the American-run government—with the biggest ones waged in Malolos, San Rafael and Hagonoy in the summer of 1906, led by Capitan Tui.

On 17 April 1910, Salvador did the unthinkable—he and his group of about 20 “Salvadoristas” strode to the center of Arayat town to purchase supplies and provisions, knowing full well that they were under tight surveillance. Yet, the police officials and the rest of the populace were too stunned to do anything—with some even spontaneously giving their donations. To cap their visit, Salvador and his group knelt in prayer in front of the church, leaving the residents in complete awe.

Shortly after this remarkable event, he was captured just as he prophesied on 24 July 1910—a Sunday. An informer, Eusebio Clarin, motivated by the 5,000 peso reward on the Supremo’s head, led policemen to his lair in Barrio Kamias of San Luis, as he was in prayer with his family members. He was convicted and sentenced to die by hanging on 15 April 1912. Still, his faithful followers were confident that he would work a miracle and escape once more. But this was not to be. Salvador faced death calmly , “in high spirits , without a frown on his forehead”, as Taliba reported.

Even in death, his devotees believed he would rise again—after all, he seemed like “he was only asleep, happy, his complexion not darkening as is usually expected of him who has died of unnatural causes”. But his passion has clearly –and finally ended. Apo Ipe—sinner or saint, villain or hero, fanatic or patriot--was laid to rest the next day at the cemetery at Paang Bundok.

*256. Pampanga Towns: APALIT

2011-07-03T05:37:00.001-07:00

APLIT APALIT! An Apalit Garden Day booth for a local provincial fair, showcasing the town's famous products--including its well-known woven buri hats. Ca. 1926.

In the pre-Expressway days, Apalit seemed like a faraway place, especially to one who grew up in the northernmost town of Pampanga. Like Mabalacat, Apalit is a bordertown located south of the province, next to Calumpit, Bulacan. I remember stopovers at this rustic, old town en route to Manila in the late 60s, to buy pasalubongs like espasol and putu seco--native delicacies which Apalit was famous for—sold alongside blades, knives, bolos, metal garden and farm implements.

Nowadays, the native pasalubongs are harder to find, but the blacksmith industry is still very much around, evident in the foundry shops that sell all sorts of metalware, blades and knives being the most popular. It is a legacy left behind by an early metalsmith from Barrio Capalangan of this town—Pande Pira—the first known Filipino maker of cannons (lantakas) who, because of his talent, was employed by Gov. Gen. Miguel Lopez de Legaspi.

But before earning a reputation for its excellent smiths, the place was known for its lush forests of apalit trees—enormous Philippine hardwood trees of the narra family that became the landmark for traders and visitors who regularly visited the settlement along the banks of Rio Grande de la Pampanga.

The town counts many pre-colonial founders including the great Malangsic, who, together with his nephews Tawi and Pangpalong (or Macapagal) established Sulipan and Capalangan, as recorded in the Balagtas Will. Also recognized are Capitañgan, elder brother of Tawi and Pangpalung and husband of Lady Bayinda and a certain Agustin Mañgaya in the 16th century. So strategically located was Apalit that it was one of the 11 most important communities of Pampanga by the 16th century, its relative prosperity fueled by the riverine trade and commerce.

It was in 1582, however, that Apalit was formally established by the Spaniards as a Pampanga municipality during the term of Gov. Gen. Gonzalo Ronquillo de Penalosa. It was composed of just four encomiendas then: Apali (Pale), La Castilla (Poblacion), Cabambangan and Capalangan. The early settlers included the Samontes, Candas, Catus, Cortezes, Vergaras and the Yangas.

The Apalit Parish was created in 1597 with Fr. Perdo de Vergara as its first prior. But it was Fr. Juan Cabello who constructed the church in 1641. The annual fiesta days marked by a fluvial parade for patron "Apu Iru” was begun by Capitan Pedro Armayan Espiritu in 1844. The church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1863, but it was rebuilt by Fr. Antonio Redondo from 1876-83, with materials and services donated mostly by the generous Apaliteños.

Apalit’s history is replete with many memorable events and personalities that rivaled those of imperial Manila. Puerto Sulipan, for instance, was the place to be during the time of Capitan Joaquin Arnedo-Cruz and his cultured wife, Dona Maria de la Paz Sioco. Their magnificent home was the venue for high society parties, attended by the country’s who’s who. The Arnedos even hosted a banquet for Grand Duke Alexis of Russia. The opulence of the feast and the sophistication of his Kapampangan guests left the international royalty amazed. No wonder that Sulipan is known for having the best culinary connoisseurs of the province.

At the height of the Philippine Revolution, Apaliteños, led by the Arnedos, offered refuge and aid to passing Katipuneros in pursuit of the retreating Spanish forces. The town, however, fell to the Americans on 27 April 1898. During the American rule, the boundaries of Apalit were revised in 1920; some sections of land were given back to San Simon, thus decreasing its area.

Through the years, the achievements of the sons and daughters of Apalit have further enriched Pampanga’s hallowed history. The names include: Don Macario Arnedo, son of Capt. Joaquin and a four-time governor of Pampanga, business magnate Don Ernesto Escaler, industrialist and PASUDECO co-founder Atty. Augusto Sioco Gonzales, Malolos Congress representative Dr. Joaquin Gonzales, distinguished anthropologist Dr. Ricardo E. Galang, educators Bienvenido M. Gonzales, Bro. Andrew Gonzales and Bishop Federico Escaler SJ, Amb. Hermenigildo B. Garcia, WW II patriot Col. Ricardo Galang, former Q.C. mayor Adelina Galang Santos de Rodriguez, top bank executive Dominador Pangilinan, Central Bank governor Amando Tetangco, Jr. , outstanding physician, Dr. Antonio Quiroz, Movie-radio personalities Bert Leroy and Orly Punsalan, culinary master and SEA Games Gold Medalist Gene Gonzales, master carver Nick Lugue and Philippine Military Academy 2011 topnotcher Edward Angelo Buan Parras, among others.

Today, the town of Apalit is comprised of 12 barangays: Balucuc, Calantipe, Cansinala, Capalangan, Colgante, Paligui, Sampaloc, San Juan Nepmuceno (Poblacion), San Vicente, Sucad, Sulipan, Tabuyuc (Santo Rosario), Sampaga and Alauli, and is home to over 100,000 people. The community boasts of a dozen or so banking institutions, shopping malls, restaurants, modern residential villages, oil refineries and a large fuel depot, flourishing side by side with its traditional farming, fishing and local industries.

Not even the problems wrought by the Pinatubo eruption could slow down the pace of progress of this once ancient town—now seemingly quicker, livelier. “Aplit…Apalit!”, is the town’s battlecry—nothing could be more apt for a border town in a rush to take its place among Pampanga’s finest communities.

*255. MARINA LICUP CONCENGSO, Miss Angeles 1936

2011-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

MARINA IN MY MIND. Miss Angeles 1936, Marisa L. Concengso, chosen on the occasion of the Commonwealth Independence Day celebration.

The list of celebrated Angeleña beauties in modern pageant history is long and enviable: Melanie Marquez (Miss International 1978), Violeta Naluz, Marilen Espino, Abbygale Arenas (Bb. Pilipinas winners), Maricel Morales (Mutya ng Pilipinas 1995), Darlene Carbungco, Laura Dunlap and Genebelle Raagas (Miss Philippines-Earth winners). But even before the advent of modern pageants, early “ligligan leguan” (beauty contests) have consistently affirmed the allure of Angeleñas.

The popular beauty searches conducted by the Philippine Free Press to boost its circulation yielded a charmer from Culiat, Beatriz Gutierrez, who, in 1909 was one of those featured in a book commemorating the fairest of the land. Then in 1926, Socorro Henson, daughter of Jose Henson and Encarnacion Borcenas, captured the 1926 Manila Carnival crown—the first Kapampangan to win a national title.

It was only in 1933, however, that the first official Miss Angeles title was bestowed on Maria Augustina Pilar Nepomuceno (b. 1911/ d. 1995), daughter of Gonzalo Nepomuceno and Gertrudes Ayson. She was the town’s delegate to the Miss Pampanga search held during the much-publicized 1933 Pampanga Carnival and Exposition at the Capitol grounds in San Fernando.

Three years later, to drum up interest for the coming Commonwealth Independence Day, a local committee decided to conduct a search for Miss Angeles. They found her in Lourdes Sur—and so it was that Marina Concengso y Licup was crowned in June as Miss Angeles of 1936.

Marina was born on 18 July 1918, the daughter of Eduardo Congcengso of Malabon and Beatriz Licup of Angeles. The Chinese mestiza beauty practically grew up in the sitio near the Angeles train station, where her fair looks went unnoticed. As the criteria for the Miss Angeles search was based on beauty alone, Marina easily got the judges’ nod.

Based on hazy recollections, a poet laureate named Angel did the crowning honors, paying her tribute with a poem he composed and recited during her coronation night. There were no consorts or even a royal court of honor to speak of, but she was paraded around Culiat, riding a topdown car decorated with a festive arch. It was an exhilarating moment for an 18 year old, but after the hoopla died down, Marina went back to her normal life in Lourdes Sur.

At age 21, she married a prominent Fernandino, Ramon Herrera, in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, where her groom’s uncle was assigned as a health officer. They had two daughters, and one of them, Marietta Herrera Gaddi, is the current dean of the College of Nursing of Holy Angel University. Marina and Ramon’s marriage lasted for just 6 short years. Ramon died in 1945, while Marina—who never remarried—passed away in 1985.

*254. JAMMING ON AN OLD GUITAR

2011-06-20T04:22:00.001-07:00

STRUMMING MY PAIN WITH MY FINGERS. The ubiquitous musical instrument of Kapampangan festivities--the guitar--is toted and played by many Kapampangan music lovers--mamulosa, manarana, mang-gosu. Pampanga's guitar-making industry was started by the Bacanis and then the Lumanogs of Guagua, Pampanga. Ca. 1908.

I learned how to play the guitar when I was about 11 or 12. My elder brother taught me a few chords, using my sister’s beat-up guitar that has seen better days. With just 3 chords (A-E-D), I learned to play the Beatles’ “Hey Jude”. Over the next few years, I picked a few more complex chord patterns and learned plucking styles—thanks mainly to Jingle Magazine, the chordbook bible of our 70s teen years. In time, we became a guitar-strumming family—every one of us eight siblings learned to play the instrument in varying degrees of proficiency, making my piano-playing father the odd man out.

The guitar had always been a major part of our musical tradition, starting with the Spanish conquest. There were local stringed predecessors of the guitar: there is the ‘kudyapi’, a 4-stringed instrument used by southern ethnic tribes. In the 1900 Kapampangan zarzuela “Ing Managpe” (The Patcher), author Mariano Proceso Pabalan Byron described an early musical instrument similar to a guitar, called ‘kalaskas’.

The ‘gitara’ became the favored main instrument when one performed ‘harana’, a form of courtship through a musical serenade. Guitar-strumming swains sang to their objects of affection underneath their windows at night, aided by a coterie of instrumentalists. The ‘kundiman’ -- love ballads with musical structures formalized by Francisco Santiago and Nicanor Abelardo (both part-Kapampangans, by the way)-- were sang to the perfect accompaniment of guitars at the turn of the 20th century.

The organization of rondallas (musical bands) made the guitar even more popular with Filipinos. From 1905-13, native string bands like Comparsa Joaquin, Rondalla Apolo and Comparsa Cecilia worked the entertainment circuit, delighting audiences aboard posh American liners with their rousing marches, waltzes, opera pieces as well as kundimans. Even in Bacolor, Orquestra Palma and the David family of musicians--always in demand for social functions and community events--had skilled guitarists in their group.

It is no surprise then that a burgeoning guitar-making industry was started a century ago, in Guagua, along Tramo St. in barangay San Anton. A certain Matuang Bacani is credited for making the first commercially-sold guitars in the area. A local story goes that the old Bacani found an old Spanish guitar discarded in the river near Tramo. He dismantled the unit, studied the parts and reconstructed his own version using available wood and local milk-based glue. Pleased with the result, he replicated more acoustic guitar pieces and were then peddled successfully in Macabebe, Bacolor and San Fernando.

Angel Lumanog, a son-in-law of the old Bacani, took over the fledgling industry , growing the business through the coming decades. The six-string Lumanogs were all the rage in the 70s and 80s and today, the name “Lumanog” and “Bacani” are synonymous to quality Pampanga guitars, holding their own against Gibsons, Yamahas and Fenders. Lumanog Guitar Shops have branches in Pampanga and Manila, while most established music shops carry the Lumanog guitar brand in their inventory.

Proof that guitar-making was an established industry in the province since the early 20th century is the existence of Kapampangan terms for guitar parts. The head which contains the pegs (durutan) is called ‘cabesa’. The frets are called ‘tarasti’, the neck ‘manggu’, held in place by a heel-like wood support called ‘arung-arung’. The ‘caja’ (body) , attached to the ‘dalig’ (rib), is reinforced by ‘pileti’ (lining). On the soundboard, one can find the ‘puenti’ (bridge for the strings) as well as the ‘roseta’ (guitar hole).

Standard guitars are made from hardwoods like apitong and tanguili, but cheaper ones are also made from palo de tsina. The guitar has been modified, innovated on and deconstructed to suit the changing times. The bajo de uñas is a 4-stringed bass guitar of Filipino design spun-off from the basic guitar. The multi-stringed octavina has the distinct shape of the guitar, and so is the smaller ukulele. Bandurias, mandolinas, laud, mandolas—all these are stringed instruments that resonate with the same acoustic feel as the gitara. More contempary are acoustic guitars outfitted with ‘pick-ups’ that can be hooked to sound systems as well as electric guitars for rock ‘n rollers.

The comeback of Kapampangan folksingers and their acoustic music has assured the continuance of the guitar music tradition in the province. Not even high-tech videoke/karaoke can match the thrill of spontaneous sing-along with just “a gitara, a barkada and Ginebra”. Modern-day minstrels like Totoy Bato, Bong Manalo to folk legend Ysagani Ybarra and new campus discoveries Jesileo, are jamming and strumming their guitars to the beat of their song-stories, reminiscent of the pulosadors and manaranas of old, who could literally pull heartstrings with, what else-- guitar strings!

(Many thanks to Joel Pabustan Mallari for information on our local guitar industry. His feature about our Kapampangan guitar tradition appears on Singsing Magazine)

*253. Pampanga Towns: STA. RITA

2011-06-14T04:47:00.001-07:00

MUNICIPIO DE STA. RITA. Carved from Porac, this small Pampanga town is noted for its delectable sweets; now it's creating a reputation as the province's premier artistic center with its world-renown ArtiSta. Rita. Ca. mid 1920s.

Like all Kapampangan towns, Sta. Rita started as a small clearing in a place known as Gasak, now part of Barrio San Isidro. The erection of the church in 1726 formalized the founding of the settlement. Eighteenth century documents indicate that Sta. Rita was an adjunct of Porac as baptismal records were joinly registered in the libros canonicos under these two places. In 1770 or 1771, however, Sta. Rita became independent from Porac, taking its well-deserved place as one of Pampanga’s proud towns.

The town was named after Sta. Rita de Casia, a woman with two sons who had plotted revenge on the killers of their father. But before they could commit a grievous sin, Sta. Rita prayed that they be taken away from her. Her sons fell ill and died. Now alone, she applied to a monastery to be a nun, but her acceptance to the was fraught with much obstacles. Because of her life’s trials, she is invoked by women with troubled marriages and people with desperate problems.

Life in Sta. Rita, however, is anything but troubled or desperate. It is strategically close to Bacolor, the “Athens of Pampanga”, the province’s art and cultural center. In fact, Sta. Rita was long known as “Sta. Rita de Baculud” or “Sta. Rita de Lele” (neighboring Sta. Rita), as Bacolor was where Sta. Rita folks often went for their marketing, accessed via Sta. Barbara. To date, Sta. Rita consists of just ten barangays: Becuran, Dila-Dila, San Agustin, San Basilio, San Isidro, San Jose, San Juan, San Matias, Sta, Monica and San Vicente.

Early in it history, the town enjoyed a flourishing farming industry. Sta. Rita gained repute for pioneering the use of the native plow. The practice of deep furrowing—credited with producing more bountiful harvests-- was introduced by local farmer Simon Vergara, a technique that calls for planting sugar cane sticks to a depth of 12 inches or more. This practice, now known as “simberga” was named after him.

Out of the town’s abundant sugar produce were created delicious confections that has put Sta. Rita in the Philippine culinary map. The town is the undisputed source of the most delectable ‘sans rival’ in the province, a kind of butter torte, strewn with cashew bits in between creamy layers. Then there are the ‘turrones de casuy de Sta. Rita”, honeyed cashew brittle bits wrapped in melt-in-the mouth, paper-thin wafer, made in the same way as a Communion host. The homegrown industry—led by the Ocampo family—continues to thrive and enjoy a loyal following among sweet-toothed foodies who care very little about calories.

Then there is the much sought after green duman-- processed rice from from 'lacatan malutu' variety, planted extensively in the barrios of Sta. Monica and San Agustin. Harvested once a year every November, the red-husked rice is then pounded, roasted and cleaned, to become duman. Prized for its fragrant scent and taste, duman becomes a special treat especially when soaked in hot carabao milk or hot chocolate. Others prefer it toasted, sprinkled with sugar or baked into rice cakes. Pounding duman grains is always a community affair, but the long hours are made light by all the bonding and merrymaking that goes on. This has given rise to the annual Duman Festival, now a popular tourist event of the town.

Indeed, Riteños were among the first to embrace the renaissance of Kapampangan arts and culture that began in the new millenium. After all, the old town had always been famous for its rich, artistic traditions and love for celebrations through the years. In 1946, Sta. Rita held a post-war fiesta that was unsurpassed in grandness and talked about for years, highlighted by marching bands, firework displays, zarzuelas, sports fests, processions, parades and a beauty search for Miss Victory, Miss Peace and Miss Progress.

The town also popularized the “Serenata”, a musical joust of endurance, in which its very own Sta. Rita band reigned supreme. A variant of the pabasa, the Serenata is conducted with two sets of bands who try to outplay each other in a musical “sagutan” that lasts from 8 pm. to the wee hours of the morning of Holy Thursday or Good Friday. The lively tradition continues in Sta. Rita to this day.

The old-world Sta. Rita Church, with its current cura, Msgr. Gene Reyes, is also at the forefront of cultural and heritage preservation. Amung Gene has started a modest sacred arts museum with contributions from the town visitas, from antique santos to household heirlooms. The giant campana was recently automated while the smaller, cracked bells from the belfry were brought down purely for display.

Then there’s the Arti Sta. Rita, the world-class repertory founded by Alejandro “Andy” Alviz, a native of the town. Himself an accomplished artist (he was a choreographer for the Mcintosh musical “Miss Saigon” that catapulted Lea Salonga to stardom). The group of singers, actors and dancers has performed the world over, charming audiences with their repertoire of new and traditional Kapampangan melodies, also recorded in their bestselling CDs. Alviz also organized stagestruck mothers into the group “Ima”, which has staged musicals like “Beauty Parlor”.

Santa Rita may be small by physical standards—it has a population of just under 40,000 people-- but it is a big-hearted town that is proud of its glorious past, imbued with a vibrance of spirit as it takes a leap of faith into the future.

*252. All Good Gifts: KAPAMPANGAN CAPELLANIA FOUNDERS

2011-06-12T06:09:00.001-07:00

FONDNESS BEGETS FONDOS. A grand matriarch stands between two Kapampangan priests, possibly beneficiaries of her philanthropic deeds. This photo postcard was sent by Fr. Nicanor Banzali of Arayat, the priest on the right, sent on 20 October 1918. Author's Collection.

Capellanias or chaplaincies are testaments to the generous spirit of the Filipino faithful. Pioneering Kapampangan founders led the way in setting up perpetual pious trust funds (obras pias) –often generated by incomes from their farm and commercial lands—to support an ordained priest or chaplain (capellan) who said Masses for their intentions, in return. Capellanias can also be offered to a parish, a religious order , or more commonly, to a diocese.

The first capellania founders came from Bacolor. In 1592, Don Diego Guinto donated a capellania to the Augustinian Order, followed by Don Felipe Balagtas and Andres Sungcay. They were even ahead of the Spaniards, who founded theirs in 1601. Not far behind were the first Kapampangan church financiers-- Dñas. Maria Dugua (Guagua), Catalina Bara (Bacolor) and Martha Payoan (Guagua), who started their capellanias in 1605.

The practice of founding capellanias continued through the twentieth century in Pampanga. The documented case of one pious woman from Mabalacat illustrates the extent of her boundless generosity, detachment from material wealth and personal sacrifice to help the Church and its priests. Cecilia Samson came from the prominent Sanson family, early settlers of Dau who owned extensive agricultural lands in the town. A “soltera” (spinster), she was well-known for her ardent devotion to the titular patron of the town, Our Lady of Grace.

On 5 November 1930, Cecilia outlined a donation scheme to the Catholic Church in a written request that designated town cura Fr. Maximino Manuguid as her capellan. Her “Fondos Cecilia Sanson” was jumpstarted with an initial P150 donation, an amount to be given annually, for use in the celebration of the feast of Ntra. Sñra. de Gracia. It was stated that the amount be used to defray expenses for “misa cantada con sermon, triduo or novena, vispera cantada” and “procesionales del pueblo” (town processions).

Further details of her donation were included in a later document, “Escritura de Donacion Intervivos” (Deed of Donation). In this duly notarized writ, Cecilia expressed her wish to donate an image of “La Virgen Ntra. Sñra. de Gracia” and a matching “caro de metal blanco”, a processional carriage of white metal. The amount of Three Thousand Pesos was to be deposited at the Monte de Piedad in Manila under the name “Fondos Cecilia Samson”. In the event of her death, she named the parish priest as her administrator, who would have a say in the disposal of the funds.

In 1932, however, Cecilia found out that her donation of Php 3,000 had not yet been entered in the books of “Obras Pias”, so she decided to revoke her donation in apparent annoyance at the slow action of the Church. She wrote of her intention in a letter to the Archbishop of Manila, Michael O’Doherty, explaining that she needed the amount to help in the construction of a barrio church—most probably for Dau. She must have been placated as in 1934, the “Capellania Parroquial Ntra. Sñra. de Gracia, Fundado por Dña. Cecilia Samson” was doing very well, earning interest while being put to good use.

A 1934 accounting of the expenses incurred during the fiesta of the town patron reported a total spending of PhP 134.34. Twelve pesos went to the decoration of the carro, Php 4.50 to the sacristans, while Php 25.00 was paid to the predicador (paid preacher). Processional candles cost a whopping Php 20.54 while electrical cost was only Php 6.00.

For her magnanimous act, the generous Cecilia enjoyed well-deserved privileges. For instance, Masses were permitted to be officiated at her residence when she fell ill. All petitions for such special requests by the local cura were almost always approved by the Arzobispado. Eventually too, Cecilia would realize her dream to have a church built in Dau with the erection of “Our Lady of Victory” parish in 1953, on a piece of land she, herself, donated. Its first cura who also supervised the construction was Fr. Fernando Franco.

Institutionalized capellanias are rarely heard of these days; many farmlands from where income is derived to fund these chaplaincies have been converted into more lucrative subdivisions and commercial spaces. Old Kapampangan families, steeped in tradition, continue to lend support by way of philanthropic deeds, educational scholarships to seminarians and donations to church projects ( e.g. fiesta activities, renovations) in the hope that, somehow, their material gifts will translate into spiritual rewards.

*251. HANG ON TO THAT HAT!

2011-05-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

PASS THE HAT! Women working on buri hats, made for local use and for the international market. Pampanga hat makers flourished in the towns of Arayat, Apalit, San Simon and San Luis, where buri hats proved to be the most popular. Ca. 1915.

Whenever my late Ingkung Dandu would go someplace in town like hear Mass, he would wear his trademark white pair of pants, striped polo, two-toned shoes and then would saunter out with his walking cane in his hands and a straw boater hat with a ribbon on his head. Though small in stature, my Ingkung stood ten feet tall in that outfit, looking jaunty and smart, especially with that black-banded, flat-brimmed hat that came from a shop in Sta. Cruz, Manila. I remember that his younger brother, Ingkung Lolung, also sported a similar hat when he dropped by the house for his regular weekly visits, and many times, I was tempted to try his hat only to be prevented by my father’s stern stare.

It is almost mandatory to wear some form of head protection in this tropical weather—either under a scorching sun or rainy weather. Before commercial hat shops were established in Pampanga, everday functional hats—"kupya"-- were made all over the province. Apalit was once a hat center, and in Barrio Sucad, ‘kupyang ebus’ by the thousands were woven and commercially sold in town markets from as far as Tarlac, Baguio, Bataan, Zambales and Manila. But due to the scarcity of ‘ebus’ materials, production was not sustained and gradually slowed down in the 1920s.

In Bulacan, weavers put Baliwag on the national map with their export-quality “balibuntal’ hats and their characteristic fringed brim. Pangasinan has its 'Calasiao hats' while Laguna is famed for its ‘buri hat’. In Pampanga, Arayat gained recognition for its 'Arayat hats' that were made in commercial quantities for the international market). Other hat-making towns included San Luis and San Simon. Weavers not only made generic ‘kupyas’ but other hat forms, like the ‘turung’, cone-shaped men’s hats that were made in Minalin. The ‘turung’, made from ‘sasa’ leaves, came in different sizes—the biggest being the size of an ‘igu’ or a native circular sieve. Workers of the field often wore the ‘turung’ in tandem with a ‘takuku’, a cape woven from 'sasa' leaves that functioned as a raincoat during downpours.

The "sumbreru" (sambalilo, in Tagalog), is also a common worker’s hat that had a wide brim to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun . Very similar to the Mexican ‘sombrero’, the local sumbreru has a finer weave despite its being plain. Katipuneros, of course, pinned the brim to the front top of their hat for better visibility, and this has become part of their trademark ‘revolucionario’ look.

Hats made from natural sources include the ‘salakut’, fashioned from dried gourds and squashes. Other examples are made from tortoiseshell strips and finely-woven ebus or buri, which were more conical in shape. The top of the head rested on a trivet made from woven bamboo. ‘Salakuts’ were prized possessions of menfolks, whether plain or fancy. The rarer ones were embellished with silver appliqués made from melted Mexican coins, with matching silver neck clasps and topped by silver-tipped finials.

Americans introduced Kapampangans to whole new sense of style, and hats were staple fashion statements for many young men growing up in the 20s and 30s. There were tophats for formal functions, derby hats for casual strolls (Rizal wore one to his execution) and boat hats for outdoor recreation. Straw boater Italian hats were popularized by Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire who wore them in their movie musicals. Panama hats – actually, of Ecuadorian origin—were widely worn by Filipinos, emulating Hollywood stars who donned them in movies such as “Casablanca” and “Gone with the Wind”. American-invented sports like golf and baseball--so well-received in the Islands--gave rise to golfer's hats and baseball caps that are still cool and hip to wear to this day.

Pampanga shops that operated in the 1930s sold hats of all shapes, sizes and materials. In San Fernando, one could go to La Fernandina, Zapateria Moderna or to the Japanese bazaar of T. Tsuchibashi along Mercado St. and the Indian Bazaar of Battan Singh. "Sombreros del pais y del extranjero" (local and imported hats) could be bought in Macabebe at the Bazar L. Magat, while "El 96" in Angeles offered a few headwear selections.

Today, of course, the hat is staging a comeback; young people have taken to wearing hats again to complete their fashion statement. The most popular is the ‘fedora’, originally a woman's hat, made of fabric, felt or straw and embellished with colored bands, feathers or flowers, then worn smartly at an angle. The only difference is, kids never seem to take them off—be they inside classrooms, churches or malls. It’s all part of Kapampangan ‘porma’, of course, of which our youths are prime subscribers, and though one may agree that ‘clothes make the man’, hats certainly have a way of making him hold his head up high!

(Thanks to Joel P. Mallari of the Center for Kapampangan Studies for additional info on hat-making in Pampanga)

*250. DR. EMIGDIO C. CRUZ: A Doctor's Courage, A Hero's Valor

2011-05-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

PAMPANGA'S PRESIDENTIAL DOCTOR. Dr. Emigdio C. Cruz of Arayat, Quezon's personal physician and recipient of the Philippine Congressional Medal of Valor and Distinguished Service Cross for his valiant WWII undergound work.

In 1948, the Philippine Congressional Medal of Valor, the highest award that the Philippine government can give to its citizens, was conferred on a Kapampangan doctor for his “daring resourcefulness and long sustained courage” he displayed at the height of the second World War.

The recipient, only the third to merit the award, was Dr. Emigdio Castor Cruz, of Arayat, who, as a personal physician of Manuel L. Quezon, had accompanied the president-in-exile in the U.S. Already safe in Washington, the doctor volunteered to return to the Philippines to survey the prevailing conditions of war-torn Philippines and to coordinate with key Filipino contacts working against the Japanese. Despite the odds, Dr. Cruz succeeded in his perilous mission.

Emigdio or “Meding” was born from the union of Jacinto Cruz, a rice trader from Malabon, and Andrea Castor, a Portuguese-Filipina whom Jacinto had met in Candaba. The couple settled in Arayat where Emigdio first saw the light of day on 5 August 1898. The Cruz brood numbered 7 in all : (Luis, Cornelio, Emigdio, Vicente, Maria, Jacinta and Maning—the last two died as infants. Fate dealt the family a cruel blow when Andrea died, leaving 5-year old Meding and his siblings mother-less. His father would marry again; second wife Juana Goquingco would give him 2 more children—Cecilio and Rafael.

Meding’s father had a reputation for being an effective ‘herbolario’ in Arayat, and because of this, Jacinto encouraged his children to take up science courses upon finishing their schooling in Arayat. In time, 3 sons (Emigdio, Vicente and Cecilio) would become doctors while Cornelio would earn Ph.Ds in Chemistry and Physics in the U.S.

Meding, himself, went to U.P., finishing a Liberal Arts course in 1923 and Medicine in 1929, at a rather late age of 31. This was because Meding alternately pursued his studies and his love for zarzuela, a passion that led him to tour with a company all over the Philippines. He soon settled down, however, to complete his medical degree, and was one of the topnotchers of the Medical Board exams.

He immediately set up practice in Arayat and it was here that he met his wife, a Philippine Normal College Chinese mestiza beauty named Restituta “Titing” Roque. While Titing taught at the local school, Meding set up a hospital—Arayat General Hospital—which he would serve as its medical director from 1935-38.

Meding’s reputation as an excellent doctor reached Pres. Quezon, who had been looking for a physician for his respiratory illness. He would eventually become the Quezon family physician and was instrumental in convincing the president to invest in a tract of land in Arayat that would be developed into their sugar farm—“Kaledian”.

As Meding’s career prospered, so did his family. The Cruzes had 7 children—Emigdio Jr., Rene, Tristan, twins Norma and Myrna, Jesus and Rita, who sadly died in infancy. Their seemingly-perfect domestic life was shattered with the looming Pacific war that was ignited with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Meding joined the Army and became a Captain of the Medical Corps in 1939. He left Arayat to join Quezon’s medical staff in Corregidor and later, accompany him into exile in the United States, this, without his family’s knowledge.

In the U.S. he attended to the ailing president and took up advanced medical courses. All the while, he longed for field action. The chance came when rumors reached the government-in-exile that Commonwealth officials back in the Philippines had switched allegiance to Japan which had promised the country independence. Worried and embarrassed, Quezon had sent emissaries like Col. Jesus Villamor to return to Manila, only for the flying ace to fail. Meding volunteered to undertake the next mission which included not only validating the rumors but also delivering arms to guerrillas and gathering confidential military information.

He sneaked back to the Philippines from Australia on the submarine USS Thresher, landing in Negros on July 9. There, he met with Negros guerrillas and key officers in different provinces—Sorsogon, Bicol, Lucena, until he reached Manila, even as the Japanese Imperial Army had gotten hold of his presence and were now hot on his trail. His mission culminated with a meeting with Gen. Manuel Roxas, the highest Commonwealth official in the Philippines, who debunked the rumors and confirmed the Filipino’s undying loyalty to America, under Quezon’s leadership.

His underground work finished, he left for Negros on 8 November 1943 and realized his dream of fighting in the war alongside guerillas until February 1944. He left for Brisbane aboard the Australian submarine, Narwhal, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Back in the U.S. and now a major in the Army, he was assigned to the Walter Reed Hospital until Quezon’s condition worsened. He accompanied the president to Saranac Lake and was with him when news of MacArthur’s return to the Philippines was aired over the radio, to everybody’s joy. Quezon lived to hear the great news before passing away on 1 August 1944.

After Quezon’s death, Meding lingered in the U.S., doing stints at Walter Reed Hospital, Brunns General Hospital, Ann Arbor University Hospital and the Barnes General Hospital in Missouri. In February 1946, he returned to the Philippines together with the Quezon family. But by then, the peasant revolution and agrarian unrest had replaced the horrors of the past war, and Arayat, his old hometown, was not spared of the violence.

He had entertained the idea of starting anew in Arayat and resuming his practice, but he had no choice but to go to safer grounds. Meding—as well as his siblings--uprooted themselves from Arayat to settle in Manila, building safe havens for their families in Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon City. What was left of the Cruz land holdings were distributed to their tenants under Marcos’s land reform program.

Near the end of his life, the good doctor would wax nostalgic about his old hometown. He passed away in 1978. Today, a government hospital stands in Arayat—the Dr. Emigdio C. Cruz Medical Center--named after the decorated physician-patriot who played a pivotal part in the wartime history of the country with his gallantry in action and courage that knew no bounds.

*249. THE REDEMPTION OF FR. JOSE C. DAYRIT

2011-05-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

ONCE A PRIEST. Fr. Jose Dayrit left the priesthood to marry and raise a family, leaving his Kapampangan community in turmoil. He became a researcher and a college dean after turning his back on his profession. This picture is from his Sapangbato days where he served as a chaplain. Ca. 1936.

The post-religious life of Fr. Jose Cunanan Dayrit is no different to the experience of many former priests who left their holy vocations and struggled to get back into mainstream society. While there are many reasons for leaving priesthood—disillusionment, internal squabbles, inability to live by the rules, human frailty (especially when it comes to matters of the heart), such rude awakenings are often met with disapproval by a harsh and judgmental community, leaving former priests stigmatized as they try to fit back in.

Jose was born on 12 September 1908, the youngest son of Eligio Dayrit and Eduviges Cunanan. The Dayrits were an enterprising family—Eligio’s brother, Felipe, was the first pharmaceutical chemist of Mabalacat town. Jose shared this brilliance, and after finishing his early studies in the local schools, he heard his religious calling. A month before turning 15, Jose entered San Jose Seminary on 12 August 1923. As a seminarian, he excelled in his studies and became a full-fledged priest on 5 April 1935, earning the distinction as the first ordained priest from Mabalacat.

Fr. Dayrit was first assigned to Sapang Bato, which was close by the military camp and which already had a thriving populace. He served the Holy Cross Parish from 1936-41. For convenience, he was likewise assigned as a chaplain of Fort Stotsenburg. He next move to the Immaculate Conception Church in Guagua, where he finished a one year term (1938-39). Even if his stay in the parish was only for a short span of time he was also well loved because he was regarded as a kind and good priest.

In 1937, Fr. Dayrit’s shining moment happened in that 33rd International Eucharistic Congress held in Manila—a first for Asia. The more popular events were the Philippine sectional meetings officiated by regional leaders. The meetings for Pampanga delegates were conducted at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, and Fr. Jose C. Dayrit of Sapangbato was chosen as one of the speakers during the 2-day gathering together with Rev. Frs. Jose Pamintuan (Sampaloc) , Cosme Bituin (Guagua), Vicente de la Cruz (Mexico) and Esteban David (Minalin)

But alas, a bitter feud with his Bishop ensued—a disagreement that must have been so painful and profound so as to cause him to resign from priesthood. Fr. Dayrit found himself fallen from grace, so he retreated to Manila and never looked back, to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and start anew.

Calling on his entrepreneurial skills, he opened and operated Malayan Restaurant on busy Raon St. (now Gonzalo Puyat St.) near Avenida. It was while working here that he met Maria Paras, a kabalen from Angeles. After a short courtship, Fr. Jose Dayrit married Maria who gave him three children.

Fortune dealt him a cruel blow as the children came one by one. His food business was not enough to support his family though. He accepted a job at the Southern Luzon Colleges in Naga City and became the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. There, his new-found career blossomed, and he put to good use his gift of language (he knew Latin, Greek and Spanish) by translating Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere into Kapampangan (“E Mu Ku Tagkilan”). For the rest of his life, he would embark on exhaustive researches at the National Library and continued his passion for writing.

When Fr. Jose Dayrit finally died in the 60s, he was almost ignored by his town—only a handful attended his wake held at Our Lady of Grace, the main church of Mabalacat. But surely, that would not have mattered to him; it is the triumph of the human spirit despite adversities that will long be remembered and rewarded not by Man but by His Maker.

*248. SURVIVAL IN THE JUNGLE

2011-05-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

WHEN IN PAMPANGA, DO AS AETAS DO. Aetas at Stotsenburg show how to cook horse meat before an observant American soldier. The hardy natives were looked at by Americans as masters of jungle survival and in the 60s, many were employed to mentor the U.S. military on jungle survival technqiues. Ca. 1915.

To Spanish colonizers, the hardy Aetas (or Negritos) were objects of disdain for their stubborn resistance to the new religion. For their refusal to be Christianized, they were branded as “uncivilized savages”, without use or purpose, and no attempt was made to protect the tribes who were among the first to inhabit the Islands. Hence, the Aetas were pushed back to the wilds, living by hunting and foraging, never to be integrated with Christian lowlanders.

The coming of the Americans, somehow, changed that perception. After all, when the first contingent of U.S. military arrived in Pampanga to found Camp Stotsenburg, the semi-nomadic Aetas quickly made their presence felt in the area and were determined to make the visitors’ stay comfortable—while making a few quick bucks. While Americans went about their daily grind, these Aetas would quietly make the rounds of the houses, peddling exotic air plants (orchids), root crops, animals and souvenir native weapons to their families.

Many Americans, however, found the Aetas a fascinating people, equipped with unique skills and capable of embracing change. In the first ever census conducted in the Philippines in 1903, 35 Negritos living in Pampanga and Tarlac were described as ‘civilized’, from a total of 6,000 ‘wild’ ones. Then, at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, two Negritos, Basilio and Sayas, astounded a mixed international and American crowd by finishing 1-2 in the Pole Climbing competition during the “Anthropological Days Contest”—part of the Olympic Games of 1904.

Americans in Stotsenburg shared this positive interest for these generally good-natured tribes. At least one commanding general, Gen. Johnson Hagood, who served the camp in 1922, showed real concern for the Aetas’s welfare, for he was of the belief that the local Filipino government had nothing for them to uplift their lives. As such, all throughout the 1920s, the U.S. government granted them reservations where they could go about their lives peacefully, protected from abuses. (In the 1970s however, during the term of Col. William Truesdell, Aetas were threatening to overrun Clark Field, with their on-base ‘Negrito village’ and makeshift tiangge-style stalls. Macapagal and Marcos Village, two barangays of Mabalacat, started as ‘Negrito villages’ ).

Such good relationship fostered many benefits for both sides. Negritos found gainful employment, and later, were given access to food and free medical services. On the other hand, Americans hired the ever-willing Negritos as hunting assistants, errand and cargo boys and even posers for souvenir photographs. Early on, the Negritos’ mastery of the jungle was acknowledged by the Americans, and their skills for jungle survival were soon harnessed by the U. S. military, most specially during the Vietnam War.

It took the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), to tap the abilities of the Aetas in leading the secret training of military soldiers. In the early 1960s, as communist military strength grew in Vietnam, the PACAF began to beef up its forces not only with better munitions but also training and readiness. Hence, the PACAF Jungle School, under Maj. Ewing, was set up at Clark Air Base to prepare air crew members for their Vietnam assignment and to help banish the fear of jungle. This program would help save the lives of many American pilots shot down in the hinterlands of Southeast Asia.

Before their ‘students’, Aetas demonstrated such a wide variety of lessons as loading and shooting a primitive crossbow. They also showed the military how to identify species of poisonous snakes and crocodiles, often letting them pet slithering snakes like pythons to overcome their fear. They also gave instructions on how to make traps and tent-style animal snares.

For the Aetas, the bamboo can be a critical tool for survival. A piece of bamboo can help one start a fire and cook a decent meal. It also has a thousand and one uses—as a utensil, a carry-all, a rice cooker. This cooking technique, called “binulu” (from ‘bulu’, a bamboo specie), entails stuffing uncooked rice (abias) and adding a cup of water into a ‘bulu’. For the rice to cook, the bulu is placed over a bamboo-created fire. If desired, tomatoes, kamias, onions, garlic, fish or meat could be added to make for a more filling meal.

To build a fire, one needs a bamboo piece split in the middle. A small hole is cut on one side where a rounded stick can be driven. Friction is created by rubbing the stick between palms while blowing on it gently, until wood shavings or dry bamboo leaves spread around it, catches fire.

Drinking water can be collected using funnel-shaped leaves and certain stalks of plants, when cut, can yield potable drinking water. All these valuable jungle survival lessons—and more—were learned in the PACAF school, thanks largely to the Aetas who ably mentored the military from the 1960s through the 80s.

Today, the program has been adapted for contemporary use—mainly, to entertain adventure-loving and nature-tripping tourists and mountaineers. In Subic, the Ocean Adventure offer such a show, where native Aetas continue to demonstrate the aforementioned jungle-survival techniques. There are mountain treks, through forests and canyons, guided by Aetas who are always quick to point out the name of an insect, a tree, a forgotten trail, along the way. The Aetas may have learned to survive in the wilds, but in the face of modernity and relentless change, he still struggles to find his identity and his rightful place in Philippine society, that has for centuries, continue to neglect his race.

*247. BARS, BOOZE AND BABES: Off-Duty Pleasures of Stotsenburg

2011-04-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

"ONE WHO CAN ALWAYS TELL WHEN PAYDAY IS COMING..". A Filipina stands ready to sell her charms to American military servicemen near Stotsenburg. Angeles. Ca. 1915.

For decades, especially in the 60s and 70s, Angeles was Pampanga’s “sin city”, a reputation bolstered by its honky-tonk atmosphere, its avenues lined with girlie bars and booze houses that catered to American servicemen stationed at Clark. En route to school from Mabalacat to Angeles, I would often pass through Balibago, lit with bright neon signs that spell come-on names like Cock and Bull, Pussy Galore, Thigh Hi alongside Las Vegas-inspired establishments like Copa Cabana, Stardust and Nina’s Papagayo.

Fields Avenue reflected a brasher, Wild, Wild West mood with its dizzying array of swanky bars, ‘dens of iniquities’, go-go-girls and ladies offering pleasures of the flesh to lonely American soldiers. Drunken brawls, crimes both violent and petty, conflicts between the military and civilians--not to mention the spread of venereal disease--were the inevitable consequences that are bound to happen in such volatile settings.

But scenarios like these already existed in the early days of Clark Field. American soldiers’ abuse of alcohol was already a constant problem then, and liquor-related deaths were regularly reported as in the case of Pvt. Henry T. Horton, who, in drunken stupor, fell asleep on the railroad track between Dau and the camp and was promptly ran over by a train. Alcohol also led to the violent end of Pvt. Arthur Breault who was beaten to death by 4 co-soldiers in 1911. Perhaps the worse tragedy was the deaths of four officers who met a vehicular accident on 23 January 1938, after their off-base drunken revelry. Only the driver survived.

It did not help that Filipinos also engaged in illegal liquor trade, causing strain between the base and the local government. In 1920, Lt. W.B. Ganther stormed into the office of acting governor Jose Narciso to demand the suspension of the Angeles police chief, who, he believed was involved in the illegal sale of wine. Narciso refused, and the next day, armed soldiers from Stotsenburg confronted him again. Only then did Narciso issue a suspension order, but he had the sense to report the matter all the way to Gov. Gen. Francis B. Harrison.

Another major problem that Stotsenburg officials had to contend with was the rise of sexually-transmitted diseases at the camp which became the leading cause of military inefficiency. An 1898 medical report took note that as American soldiers became “ habituated to the repulsiveness of native women, sexual immorality (became) more common”. By 1901, the report was more serious, with venereal disease spreading in other provinces “where the native women have been hitherto free from disease”.

Red-light districts were to be seen in Sapang Bato, known as “Sloppy Bottom” to soldiers, a place “full of sin and iniquity". Here, Filipino ‘baylarinas’ plied their services, although some Japanese women also worked the area. Barrio Margot, a recently-established barrio in the mid 1920s, provided an alterNAtive, what with its 300 residents, “composed mostly of women with questionable character”. Eventually, other areas of pleasure would sprout outside of Margot and all over Angeles—and pick-up places like “Bull Pen” were patronized by soldiers before the War, with girls to be had for 2 pesos per hour and 10 pesos for an all-night stand.

Much like Sodom and Gomorrha, the heady, decadent days of Angeles as a sin city came to a sudden end with the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which caused the closure of Clark, and subsequently, the places of lusty pleasure along Jake Gonzales Blvd., Friendship Highway, Fields Avenue and Balibago. But such setback was only temporary. A quick survey of those places today reveal that only the habitués have changed—instead of Americans, a more international crowd animate the strip: German retirees, Aussies, Britons, Japanese and the ubiquitous Koreans.

Even business has expanded to include spas, massage parlors, gay bars, comedy and videoke clubs featuring strippers, masseuses, macho dancers, transvestite performers, hostos and GROs, sing-along masters and even oil wrestlers. Angeles may never be able to shake off its ‘sin city’ image, but for as long as cash registers are ringing, it does not really matter: happy days are here again.

*246. BANDA ANGELES: Marching to a Winning Tune

2011-04-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

BAND ON THE RUN. The award-winning Banda Angeles was first place winner in the marching band competition of the 1909 Manila Carnival. ca. 1912.

Music bands, consisting of a marching group playing brass and woodwind instruments, are a staple of practically every Philippine festivity—livening up fiestas, weddings, sports competitions and even political campaigns. On the other hand, bands also provide the appropriate mood to a religious procession and funeral marches with their dirgeful pieces and sacred hymns.

In fact, in a 1521 fiesta in Cebu, Antonio de Pigafetta wrote about a retinue of women who created music while singing together, using a drum beaten with palm fronds, cymbals and a bamboo instrument called ‘subing’. With the coming of the Spaniards came formal musical training, and many musicians were employed in Spanish-formed bands that played in church rites as well as in popular entertainment like the moro-moro and the comedia.

In 1820, the first Filipino band was organized in Guimba, Nueva Ecija by Fr. Eliodoro Bustamante Chico, a Tagalog priest. He named a relative, Lorenzo Zabat, as its musical director—hence the name of the band, Banda Zabat. Its modern instruments replaced the old ‘musicong bumbong’, or native bamboo bands.

But it took an American—Lt. Col. Walter H. Loving to develop a world-class military brass band organized from the men of the Philippine Constabulary in 1902. Performing at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri on May 1904, the 84-member Philippine Constabulary Band, under Loving’s baton, played the “William Tell Overture”, which they performed superbly without missing a note—this, despite a power failure in the middle of their performance. They won Second Prize and the adulation of the discriminating American audience.

The success of the Philippine Constabulary Band—they were invited to perform all over America after that—inspired musicians all over the islands to organize their own local bands. A scant five years after the PC Band’s American debut, Angeleños had their own band—Banda Angeles. The band was composed of 32 members and their first conductor was Prof. Higino Herrera of Angeles, followed by Jose del Prado (from Manila) and Lucino Buenaventura (of Baliwag).

Like all bands, Banda Angeles was maintained by a recamadero, a grand patron, who took it upon himself to supply the band with their instruments. Assuming this role was a wealthy music lover from Mexico, Don Mariano Cunanan, who helped provide the Angeles musicians with brass and woodwind instruments, most of which were made in Paris, France.

In January 1909, at their first national outing at the fabulous Manila Carnival, the Banda Angeles captivated the crowd with their rendition of Tobani’s “Crème de la Crème”. To their delightful surprise, Banda Angeles was awarded First Prize. Their victory was not lost among their kabalen and one cigarette manufacturer even proudly reproduced their image put on the package of its cigarette brand. The band, however, failed to keep their title in the next Carnival, but they continued playing locally.

Other towns with their own street bands included the Banda 31 of Sasmuan which was reputed to be the best band of Pampanga in the 1940s and the brass and reed band of Sta. Rita. The proliferation of bands in Pampanga saw the rise of inter-brass band competitions called ‘serenata’ that were usually held in the town plaza or the courtyard of the church. It was not just a test of musical skills but also of endurance, as the bands squared off by playing the most number of musical pieces—culled mostly from the operas of Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti—lasting till the early morning hours. When they ran out of classical pieces, the bands played folk songs. The last band standing was declared the winner.

From barangay bands, school bands to drum and bugle corps, Angeles City today has more top bands to be proud of, complete with baton-twirling majorettes, with smartly-dressed members all skilled at playing everything from the classics to the contemporary, playing the Philippine National Anthem as adeptly as Bruno Mars’ rearranged-for-a- brass-band,“Billionaire”. Let us just hope that they continue to bring musical cheer, and not go the way of “banda uno, banda dos”—an expression brought about by the proliferation of many contentious bands in every Philippine town, and which has come to mean disunity.

*245. FERNANDO POE JR.: Da King's Kapampangan Connection

2011-04-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

THE ONCE & FUTURE 'DA KING'. Fernando Poe Jr., (aka Ronnie Poe, Ronwaldo Reyes) at age 18. FPJ had Pangasinan and Kapampangan blood in his veins,--which, ironically, his presidential rival--GMA--also had. This rare autographed fan photo was issued just about the time "Lo' Waist Gang" was released, the movie that catapulted him to stardom. Ca. 1957.

Many of the most iconic roles in Philippine movie history—Flavio (Ang Panday), Aguila, Totoy Bato, Roman Rapido, Teodoro Asedillo, Pepeng Kaliwete -- were essayed by an actor who would build a reputation as legendary as the characters he portrayed: Fernando Poe Jr. His was a long and illustrious career, from the time he was introduced to the silver screen in the 50s, to the peak of his fame in the 60s and the 70s, and all the way to a major professional move with his bid for the 2004 presidency.

The King or FPJ, as he is known to his millions of fans, was born on 20 August 1939, the son of Spanish mestizo Fernando “Nanding” Poe Sr.—himself an esteemed actor and a director of San Carlos, Pangasinan and Fil-American Elizabeth “Bessie” Gatbonton Kelley. Bessie was the product of the union of Engr. Arthur Kelley of Iowa and Marta Reyes Gatbonton, a Kapampangan from Candaba, Pampanga

Ronald Allan Poe was the second of six children; his siblings included Elizabeth, Andy (who, in real life was named Fernando Jr.), Genevieve, Fredrick and Evangeline. A half-brother is Conrad Poe, son of Fernando Sr. with Patricia Mijares, an actress.

One of the perks of being the son of a celebrated actor-director and producer were small roles in his father’s movies in the 1940s. Tragically, Poe Sr. died in October 1951, of rabies, leaving behind a devastated Bessie to raise her family singlehandedly. Ronnie finished his elementary schooling in 1953. He spent his high school years in San Sebastian College, Mapua and University of the East, but dropped out to help his mother support the family. It was just a matter of time that he joined the movie industry, working odd jobs as messenger boy and as a stuntman before becoming an actor. At age 14, billed as Fernando Poe Jr., he was launched in the movie “Anak ni Palaris”, which was not exactly a hit for Everlasting Pictures. But FPJ as a full-fledged actor, was on his way.

The movie that would make him a star was the 1957 youth-oriented film, “Lo’ Waist Gang”, from Premiere Productions. Just 18, he was paired with Corazon Rivas, and the movie started a national fashion craze for low-waisted pants. In 1961, he founded FPJ productions; subsequently, he formed other film companies like D'Lanor, JAFERE, and Rosas Productions.

In 1965, he played lead in the WWII movie, “The Ravagers”, considered as one of the most influential Filipino films. He would win the FAMAS Best Actor Award in 1967 for “Mga Alabok ng Lupa”, and he would repeat this feat with Asedillo (1971), "Durugin si Totoy Bato", "Umpisahan Mo, Tatapusin Ko"(1983), and Muslim Magnum .357 (1987). The 1960s were indeed, FPJ’s heyday, earning the title of “King of Philippine Movies” for his widely-popular action films. But perhaps, his biggest catch was another superstar of that era, Susan Roces (born Jesusa Sonora) whom he married in 968, three years after their first movie team-up entitled, “ Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw”. They would star together in many movies that drew crowds and made money at the tills: “Bayan Ko, Lumaban Ka”, “Pilipinas Kong Mahal” (1965), “Zamboanga” (1966), “Langit at Lupa” (1967), “Sorrento” (1968), “Perlas ng Silangan” (1969), “Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin” (1970), “Salaginto’t Salagubang” (1972), “Mahal, Saan Ka Nanggaling Kagabi” (1979), “No Retreat, No Surrender—si Kumander” (1987).

FPJ would also become the most highly paid talent for commercials, reprising his Panday character in San Miguel Beer ads that won raves and awards from the local advertising industry in the 80s. His later movie hits were “Kahit Konting Pagtingin”, “Dito sa Pitong Gatang”, and his last outing was with the billiard champ, Efren “Bata” Reyes (also a Kapampangan) in “Pakners”.

In 2004, FPJ announced his candidacy for presidency under the “Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino" (KNP) party. It was said that he was prevailed upon to run by his bosom friend, ex-president Joseph Estrada, against re-electionist candidate Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was installed as president after he was deposed. He lost in the controversy-marred election. In a weird twist of fate, both FPJ and GMA had Kapampangan and Pangasinan blood running in their veins (GMA's parents were from Lubao and Binalonan, respectivey).

Later, on December 11, FPJ suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma while attending an after-work socials. He died three days later at age 65, leaving behind wife Susan, an adopted daughter, Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares, current MTRCB Chair, and two other children from other relationships, Lovi Poe (an actress) and Ronnian Poe. He rests in the family plot at the North Cemetery in Manila. On 24 May 2006, FPJ was posthumously proclaimed as a National Artist

FPJ’s death mask, cast by National Artist Napoleon Abueva, can be seen at the Center for Kapampangan Studies at the Holy Angel University, alongside the death mask of another great Kapampangan, Ninoy Aquino Jr.

*244. YESTERDAYS IN SAPANGBATO

2011-04-10T03:54:00.000-07:00

STONEY RIVER. Sapangbato, once a vast frontierland, is today, Angeles City's biggest barangay. Its progress is linked with nearby Camp Stotsenburg, America's largest military installation in the Philippines, which depended on the Sapangbato for supplies and labor force. Ca. 1912.

Angeles City’s biggest barangay (around 18.8 hectares) , Sapangbato, was once a rugged, unfriendly land, marked by thick forests and cliffs, bisected by a strong stream (sapa) that flowed and brought large stones (bato) down its route, as it made its way to lower Pampanga. Long before the American military came to claim large portions of Sapangbato, Negritos lived and hunted freely here, scrounging for root crops like yams and cassava, and roaming the wilds of nearby Mabalacat, Porac and the mountains of Zambales.

There are claims that Sapangbato was the property of Ludovico Narciso, a former town head of Mabalacat, who was said to have registered the place under his name during the Spanish times. In fact, old residents assert that marriages, births and deaths occurring in Sapangbato were registered in the town as well, up to 1892. Unfortunately, all municipal records were burned during the last war and no documents have yet been recovered to validate this claim.

One thing was certain though; the arrival of the US 7th Cavalry in 1901 was a turning point in Sapangbato’s history, and their settlement of the place would result in the establishment of Fort Stotsenburg. The population of Sapangbato started to swell beginning on 12 May 1903, when families of those who joined the Philippine Scouts migrated to the said district.

Thus, Sapangbato became a melting pot of sorts, a place of convergence for Kapampangans, Tagalogs, Negritos and Americans. Its progress was intertwined with the development of Fort Stotsenburg. Not only were residences built, but also markets, sari-sari stores, a church and schools. In 1918, a teacher, Glaciano Cruz, went to Sapangbato and set up a school in the shop of Mr. Geirge Seltzer.

Civilian American families settled in Train Barrio, Hill Barrio and Veterinary Barrio, but they would often venture into the commercial area of Sapangbato to do their marketing and shopping in open-air tiendas that sold fruits, vegetables, meats, dry goods, and domestic products. On the other hand, the locals who were employed in Stotsenburg lived at the perimeter of the barrio closest to the camp, called the “civilian line”. In 1931, however, they were required to move further, to the barrio proper. Sapangbato’s proximity to the military camp caused it to be placed under constant surveillance by the U.S. military police, who kept watch on gambling and drinking activities.

At the height of the second World War, most of the buildings in Sapangbato were torched by the American military, with the exception of the school, the church and the market. Today, a site called “Grotong Hapon” can be found in Purok 6, near the cemetery, where Japanese soldiers who lost their lives in the last war lie at rest.

Several natives of Sapangbato have played crucial parts in the barrio’s long history. Gen. Lucas was the first and only Baluga to be appointed as a military head officer of Negritos by the commanding officer of Stotsenburg, giving him the rank of a general. Don Lorenzo Sanchez, for instance, sheltered Manuel L. Quezon in his home as the American forces pursued Aguinaldo and his party who had earlier sneaked into Angeles.

Similarly, Don Segundo Tayag opened his house to battle-weary revolucionarios, supplying them with food and clothes. It was said that Don Segundo gave up his bedroom to sleep on a bench outside, which caused him to fall ill of a respiratory disease that claimed his life. Of course, a modern day celebrity from Sapangbato is currently making waves in the U.S.and around the world as a member of the Grammy award winning hip hop group Black Eyed Peas: Apl. De Ap (born Allan Pineda Lindo Jr.).

With the re-development of Clark Air Base as a commercial business district with an international airport to match, Sapangbato continues to bustle with activity, as it did when Americans were still around--only this time, the barangay is moving forward with a livelier beat, in keeping with the quicker tempo of progress that the whole of Angeles now enjoys.

*243. Rev. Msgr. GUIDO J. ALIWALAS, Missionary from the Mount

2011-04-07T15:54:00.001-07:00

GUIDED BY HIS LIGHT. The very accomplished man of the cloth from Arayat, Rev. Msgr. Guido J. Aliwalas, enjoyed a long career in his chosen vocation, and was very involved in the affairs of the province--including a recall move against Among Ed Panlilio. Ca. 1950s.

Before his death on 25 May 2009, Rev. Monsignor Guido Jurado Aliwalas was one of the oldest living priests of Pampanga. He was born in Arayat town on 12 September 1916. After studying in the local schools, the young Guido answered his calling to be a priest and enrolled at the San Carlos Seminary. He was ordained on 29 June 1940, at the age of 24.

Fr. Aliwalas held a number of assignments, including Arayat, his native town. He is credited with advancing the cause of Marian devotion with the organization of the Legion of Mary in 1941. In fact, in the propagation of the Cruzada de Caridad y Buena Voluntad of thee lo Virgen de los Remedios that was conceived in the early 50s, it was Fr. Aliwalas and Fr. Quirino Canilao who fixed the schedule of the pilgrim visits of Pampanga’s patroness to different towns and barangays.

He was assigned in Minalin parish from 1958 to 1974, serving the town for 16 long years. He also became a member of the Knights of Columbus. In his senior years, he was an active campaigner of Our Lady of the Assumption Campus Ministry. The only controversial stand he took was when he joined 17 priest members of the Pampanga Prayer Warriors to support the recall move against the priest-governor of Pampanga, Ed “Among” Panlilio, in September 2008.

He lived in retirement for the rest of his life in Domus Pastorum, a home for priest at SACOP, Maimpis Village in San Fernando. His 2009 memorial homecoming was held at St. Catherine Parish in Arayat, where he was laid to rest at the Aliwalas Family Museum.

*242. BENTOT: The Comedian Who Never Grew Up

2011-03-27T02:47:00.001-07:00

BENTOT PO ANG SIYANG PANGALAN KO. The comedy star from San Simon was born as Arturo Vergara Medina and started his showbiz career on the 'bodabil' stage in the 40s. He developed his trademark, annoying high-pitched kiddie voice by mimicking his 8 year old nephew.

Pugo: Ako ay si Don Mariano
Sylvia La Torre: Ibyang po naman, ako,
Rosa Aguirre: Aling Charing, pangalan ko
Leroy Salvador Jr.: Badong..
Bentot: Ang kuya koooooo..

In the 1960s, one of the most memorable TV theme songs that I learned to sing until I suffered from “last song syndrome” was from the comedy serial, “Tangtarang-tang”. Line by line, the catchy song was sung by the different characters from the long-running hit show, punctuated by a man-child named Bitoy, in short pants and trademark baseball cap.

The comedian who played the overgrown son of Don Mariano (Pugo) was no other than Bentot, whose character—Bitoy--- always got the adults in the sitcom in trouble due to his childish pranks. Bitoy was a Peter Pan of some sorts, an endearing child figure trapped in a grown-up man’s body, not unlike Fred Montilla's "Bondying". On and off the TV and movie screen, the comic would always be in character, leading thousands of enthralled TV viewers just like me to believe that Bentot never grew up.

Bentot was born in San Simon, Pampanga in 1928, with a regular name—Arturo Vergara Medina. He began his showbiz career by joining 'bodabil' shows where he put his voice-acting to good use in comic sketches. At age 19, he signed up for his first movie under Sampaguita Pictures, "Maria Kafra", filmed in 1947, billed as Ben Cosca. Ben was a natural for the radio medium; his trademark child's voice was learned from mimicking his 8 year-old nephew. When Pugo was looking for someone to replace his late partner Tugo, he found the funnybone Ben Cosca.

The leading comedians of his time had rib-tickling names like Chichay, Menggay, Tolindoy, Lopito, Casmot, Pugo and Tugo, so Ben decided he needed a single catchy name too, to make his mark in the light comedies he was already making. And thus, Bentot was born. Bentot was immediately cast in the radio program, “Sebya, Mahal Kita”, which also included Sylvia La Torre, Rosa Aguirre, Eddie San Jose and Pugo. For the next two decades beginning in the 1950s, Bentot kept us in stitches with his high-pitched baby voice, his tantrums, mischiefs and funny antics that always spelled trouble.

When Bentot left Sampaguita Pictures in 1951, he became a contract star of LVN Studios founded by Doña Narcisa “Sisang” de Leon, who cast him as a lackluster boxer in the 1957 “In This Corner”. The next years, Bentot appeared in “My Little Kuwan” (1958), “Puro Utos” and “ Sparring Partner” (1959) and “Triplets” (1960) where he played three roles. But it was the movie permutation of “Sebya, Mahal Kita” that would establish him as a comedian of note. His co-stars from “Sebya” joined him in the movie “Nukso ng Nukso” (1960) and it proved to be a blockbuster hit.

In 1961, "Tang-tarang-tang", a spin-off of "Sebya" and sponsored by San Miguel Brewery, was started on DZRH, with practically the same cast. Again, it was met with resounding success by radio listeners nationwide. At about the same time, Philippine television was starting to blossom with the surge in TV advertising spending by multinational companies like Procter and Gamble, Colgate, Pepsi and Coca Cola. Producers sought to duplicate the success of the “Tang-tarang-tang" by transposing the serial on television, while retaining the comedic formula and the same powerhouse cast. The gamble paid off with the airing of “Tang-tarang-tang” in 1962 on Channel 3.

The plot revolved around the family of Don Mariano (Pugo), his son Badong (Leroy Salvador Jr.), his love interest Ibyang (Sylvia La Torre), daughter of Aling Charing (Rosa Aguirre) who were of humble means. Providing the foil was Bitoy (Bentot, getting a second billing after Pugo), Don Mariano’s youngest, who became one of the most unforgettable characters from the series. The TV series was later made into a movie, where Bentot earned a CAT Award nomination, the Philippine counterpart of the TV Emmys.

Bentot would remain active for through the 70s, passing away in 1986 due to heart failure. His son, Bentot Jr., attempted to carry on his father’s legacy by joining the movies also as a comedian, and reprising the same role that his father had so successfully popularized, a character that has become one of the classic icons of Philippine film and television history.

*241.CREATURE COMFORT FOODS

2011-03-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

CUT AND BASTE. A woman prepares a bayawak for what would be another exotic Kapampangan adobo dish. This picture's provenance is attributed to Pampanga, ca. 1911.

Many years ago, a roadside restaurant was put up along the highway between the Bamban-Mabalacat boundary, that specializing in exotic delicacies: dishes made from deer venison, wild fowls and snakes. It created quite a stir when it opened, catering to a niche market with the taste for the strange, the bizarre and the unusual.

Indeed, Kapampangan cooking has often been described as a cuisine of extremes. In times of plenty, a cook will spare nothing to come up with the most lavish creations using the finest ingredients he can find—from lamb chops to imported turkey, quezo de bola, olives and expensive canned creams. But in times of profound want, he will eat anything that’s available out in the field, the forest or even his own backyard--be it something that crawls, croaks, slithers and flies.

True, Kapampangans have made dishes out of bugs, insects, mollusks, beetles, woodworms, amphibians, snakes and reptiles. But these creatures also appear in the food specialities of other countries, prized for their taste and valued for their nutritional benefits. Arabs, like Kapampangans, feasted on sun-dried locusts—but they served theirs with milk. Jamaicans and Native Americans ate roasted beetles. New Guinea natives supplemented their diet with lizards and mice. Vietnamese restaurants offered snake dishes in their menu, which were believed to enhance male virility. At the Chatuchak weekend market in Thailand, I have seen some large species of cockroaches sold by the glassful as some sort of a protein food.

Closer to home, Igorots, like Kapampangans, also ate dog meat---there was even a lively dog trade in Baguio in the early part of the 20th century. However, it is on the Kapampangans that the dogeater label got stuck, a reputation that has become permanent—and quite legendary. In Macabebe, a sweet and spicy dog stew known as “Kubang Asu” is a favorite pulutan of beer guzzlers, while in Mabalacat, it is cooked “lutong Bumbay” style, laced with red chili peppers and mashed potatoes. Similarly, the Stone Age Tasadays of Mindanao ate tadpoles and frogs, but I am pretty sure not in the same manner that the finicky Kapampangans prepared them—stuffed with ground meat and spices, then deep-fried.

My father used to recount how he relished “ebun pau” (turtle eggs) which were collected by the dozens under mounds of sand near rivers and streams. When boiled, he said, the eggs had a soft toothpaste-like consistency, almost runny and with a taste that's creamier, more 'malinamnam' than chicken eggs.

Rarer than these amphibious treats however, are the reptilian delicacies, which are challenging to prepare and perhaps, even more daunting to eat. Topping the list is the ‘barag’ (monitor lizard) which also goes by the name “banias” among Kapampangans.

“Ali ya manenaya ing barag keng burak nung ala yang panenayan tugak" (The barag will not lie in wait in the mud if no frog awaits him), so goes a Kapampangan saying. But the barag’s patience can also be his undoing, with the hunter unwittingly becoming the hunted. Barags were captured with live baits of chicks, frogs or birds. Thus trapped, they were slit by the neck, skinned, disemboweled, beheaded and chopped into small pieces for cooking.

Barags were often cooked like caldereta or adobu. The meat is first marinated with soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, salt and spices then boiled with water until the liquid dries up. It is then stir-fried with oil and is served as a main dish or as a pulutan. The taste is said to be akin to that of chicken, except more flavorful.

All these Kapampangan exotica have been met with a mix of delight and disgust, shocking the faint of heart and fascinating the adventurous few-- which just goes to show that, taste—like beauty—is relative, an acquired preference brought about by circumstances of culture, history and the whims of nature. Kapampangans, however, have brought their own special flair in cooking these creatures, turning them into unique, delectable treats. Today, a few of these dishes have gone mainstream, like the adobung kamaru and tugak betute.

Who knows, the pest that you see crawling under your house today may be the next big thing on your plate. One man’s vermin, may yet be another man’s viand. When that happens, you will most likely have a creative Kapampangan kusinero to thank for.

*240. GALO B. OCAMPO, Champion of Philippine Arts & Culture

2011-03-01T15:44:00.001-08:00

GALO B. OCAMPO, as Director of the National Museum. The multi-talented artist was a painter, sculptor, scenographer, writer, teacher, columnist, museum curator, cultural-activist and a proud son of Sta. Rita, Pampanga. ca. 1960s.

The title of “most multi-facetted artist of the Philippines” may very well belong to Kapampangan Galo B. Ocampo, who, in his lifetime, was a painter, muralist, art professor, heraldry expert, scenic designer, museum curator, writer, cultural activist and one of the Thirteen Moderns who revolutionized Philippine Art.

Ocampo first saw the light of day in Sta. Rita, on 16 October 1913, from a religious family that counts a number of priests and nuns as members. He studied in local schools before enrolling at the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines in 1929. After graduating in 1934, he began his long career as an artist of note, starting as a muralist with fellow artists Victorio Edades and Carlos “Botong” Francisco.

Joining forces, the trio painted the first Philippine mural at the Capitol Theater in 1935, and another one for State Theaters. On his own, Ocampo executed the mural “Hispanidad” for the University of Santo Tomas. His works with the Edades Studios during the Commonwealth years reflected his new aesthetic sense that ran counter to art conservatism taught in academes.

Ocampo went on to make another first—conceiving the first painted image of the “Brown Madonna” in 1938, a Filipinized version of the Blessed Virgin, which would become a popular theme for other painters to follow. That same year, he also held his first exhibit in tandem with Diosdado Lorenzo in Baguio. He would continue experimenting with colors, lines and decorative distortions, consistent with his modernist leanings. His ethnic painting “Moro Dance” reflected this then non-traditional approach, characterized with flattened objects and spaces that made the painting look more like a tapestry.

Ocampo turned to his other muse—writing-- even as he continued painting. In 1937, he published a book about church art in 1937, entitled “Philippine Churches and Other Scenes”. He became a prolific contributor of art articles for some of Manila’s leading dailies, including Sunday Tribune. Twenty years later, in 1957, he co-authored the pioneering book, “The Art of the Philippines”, the first coffee table book to trace the history of the country’s art from the pre-colonial to the contemporary times.

In 1940, he took on a teaching job at the UST College of Fine Arts. His career as an educator would continue through the 70s, even assuming the deanship of the Department of Fine Arts of the Far Eastern University in 1971.

The War years briefly put a halt to his rising career; he joined the guerrilla movement and attained the rank of a captain. He put his brush to good use by becoming a scenographer for the stage productions of Fernando Poe, Sr., a cover he used for his underground activities.

After the War, Ocampo went to the United States to take a special course in Heraldry in Washington D.C. (1947) and art studies at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1948). He put his learnings to good use in art competitions, winning a number of prizes for his works, including “United Nations” (2nd prize, UN Art Contest, 1949), “Pounding Rice”, “Igorot Dance” (2nd prize and Honorable mention, Art Association of the Philippines Contest 1951), "Bayanihan" (1st Rotary Golden Anniversary Award, 1955).

His art took on a different turn in the 50s, infusing the haunting images of doom that were part of his war experience. Flagellants became his signature subjects, starting with “Ecce Homo” (Behold the Man), that showed a hooded, bound Christ, crowned with thorns and surrounded by warplanes, smoke trails and parachutes.

In 1956, Ocampo was granted a scholarship to study Genealogy and Heraldry in Madrid, Spain, becoming the only Filipino member of the International Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry. The next year, he was sent to Rome under the sponsorship of Cardinal Rufino Santos, to study Liturgical Art at the Instituto Internasionale de Arte Liturgica (he would design the stained glass windows of Sto. Domingo Church) . Because of his expertise, Ocampo was commissioned to create the coat of arms of the Philippine Republic and the personal seals of the President, the Vice President, as well as those of the Archbishops of Manila.

In 1959, the professor undertook a major project for the Archdiocese of Manila, saving and collecting church antiques for an ecclesiastical art museum housed at the Manila Cathedral. When Macapagal was elected president in 1961, he named his kabalen as curator of the Presidential Museum in Malacañang and then as National Museum Director. In 1964, Ocampo was honored by the City of Manila with a Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award for his achievements in the field of art and culture.

At the advanced age of 59, Ocampo finally held his long overdue first Solo Exhibit at Galerie Bleue in 1973, entitled Anthropographic Designs, which paid tribute to the early Filipinos. A retrospective exhibit was held in 1982 at the Museum of Philippine Art. Three years later, on 12 September 1985, Galo B. Ocampo, the consummate Kapampangan artist who helped enrich and transform Philippine art, passed away in Arlington, Virginia.

*239. THE ART OF THE KURAN

2011-02-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

GONE TO POTS! Clay pots sold by street hawkers in a neighborhood market, a common sight in rural villages all over the Philippines, including Pampanga. Utilitarian earthenware vessels were indispensable staples of everyday life, used primarily in cooking and storing food and water. Ca. 1910.

A favorite plaything from our childhood was a set of little clay kitchenware consisting of a small kalang (clay stove), kuran (cooking pot), tapayan (water jar), banga (water pot) and matching clay plates and tumblers. “Kurang-kurangan”, we called these glazed, functional ware—we actually used them to cook rice and simple viands when we played house in my sister’s ‘bale-balayan’. These earthenware toys were found for sale everywhere—in front of the big church after Masses, in public markets. But to my mind, the best ‘kurang-kurangans’ were those sold during fiesta time, which came in all sorts of colored glazes and finished with painted designs. There were more pieces to choose from, and I remember building an extensive set which we kept in the ‘banggera’ of our play house.

Making pottery was an early art adeptly practiced in old Pampanga. Earthenware vessels were known in our pre-colonial history, and shards have been found in Porac, Lubao, Guagua and Candaba that date back to the 13th to 16th centuries, a period of active trade with our Asian neighbors. Some have been dated to the Metal Age of Philippine pre-history. Indeed, places like Balanga (Bataan) and Iba (Zambales) were derived from pottery terms—and at least one barrio in Mabalacat bore the old name of “Iba”—which, according to local history, was the home of many “maniba”, or clay pot makers.

The basic pot that Kapampangans know is called “kuran”, used for cooking rice. Variations of this vessel include the “balanga”, which has a wider mouth and is used for cooking dishes. For storing water or other liquids, the "banga” is used which has a higher rim. There were, of course, other creations of clay that were used for other purposes like the bibingkaan (round clay deep dishes for cooking rice cakes), pasu (flower pots), tuliasi (2-handled pot), tapayan (water dispenser), oya (rimless jars) and lariu (bricks). In all cases, the same ‘kuran’ technology is employed in their manufacture.

The process of making these earthenware vessels is long and tedious, with many steps involved. First, clay (pila) and sand material had to be sourced from swamps (pinac), open clay fields, riverbanks or even termite mounds. The materials are mixed by hand, foot or by machine. A lump of clay is then prepared for molding, which could be done in several ways—by tampi or pukpuk (by paddling, for ordinary kurans), gilingan ( by foot-powered turntable, ideal for tall vessels) and by moldi (by casting, as in the case of bricks).

Finishing involves incising designs, cleaning, smoothening the surface of the pot and slipping, in which a fine solution of clay and sand is applied to the pot to give it a distinct color (e.g. black sand or ‘kapalangan’ mixed with clay will give the inside of pots a desirable black color, while ‘balintawak’-red pottery is a result of using a red-slip solution of fine red earth and water. When the pots are dried, they are ready for final polishing (buli) using a whetstone or a shell. The last step is firing, through an open fire pit (dapugan) or a closed kiln (tamban). The pots are then dried on a bed of hay, away from direct sunlight.

Today, the art and technology of the kuran is slowly vanishing. Gone are the days when you could find pottery stalls practically everywhere in Pampanga—from Calibutbut-Telabastagan to the barrios of Floridablanca, Sasmuan, Lubao and Tabun in Pampanga. Even the ‘kurang-kurangans’ of my childhood past are getting harder to find—the last time I saw a set was in this year’s Mabalacat fiesta, offered by a vendor whose wares came from Pangasinan. The pieces were very crude and garishly painted with lacquer—which meant that you could not possibly cook in them lest your guests die of lead poisoning!

Happily, the town of Santo Tomas still maintains a flourishing pottery industry, unlike nearby Apalit which once had a dominant pottery business. True, there are more decorative pieces of pottery now than kitchen earthenware—made obsolete by metal pots and pans—but the creative mangkukuran of Sto. Tomas should still be given credit, for in their deft hands, the traditional art of the ‘kuran’ survives.

*238. THE GILS OF PORAC: Acting is All in the Family

2011-02-21T04:30:00.000-08:00

ROSEMARIE'S BABIES. The Gils, a family of actors led by mother Rosemarie and children Michael, Mark and Cherie Gil, hail from Barrio Pio, Porac. Their Spanish bloodline is courtesy of Don Felino Gil, founder of the first trade school of Asia and a Spanish military man who became a hacendero in Porac. ca. 1963.

Rosemarie Gil, Cherie Gil, Mark Gil, Michael de Mesa, Sid Lucero, Ryan and Geoff Eigenmann---who has not heard of this talented family of Kapampangan artists who left their marks in acclaimed movies and TV serials like “Oro, Plata, Mata", "Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan", "Bituing Walang Ningning", "Grazilda", “Batch ‘81”, "Miss X", "Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig", "Palabra de Honor", "Unfaithful Wife" and "Selda".

Two generations of Gils continue to liven Philippine cinema arts today and credit should be given to the one who started it all—Rosemarie Gil—who traces her Hispanic-Kapampangan roots from Porac. Though Manila-born (b. 9 March 1942), Rosemarie’s family comes from Barrio Pio. She is directly descended from Don Felino Gil (1804-83), a Spanish military man who was assigned to Porac to prepare the area for the coming friar missions as well as to secure the forests which were a chief source of lumber for the projects of the Spanish government. Gil impressed his Spanish superiors and was rewarded with large tracts of lands which he converted into a profitable sugar hacienda.

Don Felino Gil went on to found the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Bacolor, the oldest vocational school in Far East Asia, now known as Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University. He married Carlota Aguilar, and his great-great grandson would turn out to be Carlos Gil, Rosemarie Gil’s father.

Rosemarie Gil, like her daughter Cherie, was known for her rich socialite-villain roles, but surprisingly, she was introduced in a religious movie in 1958, in the title role of “Santa Rita de Casia (Patrona ng Imposible)”, opposite Lauro Delgado, who portrayed the saint’s wayward husband. This movie turned out to be a hit, but in the 60s, she married Eddie Mesa (Eddie Eigenmann, in real life), putting her stardom on hold, while her husband, known as the Philippines’ Elvis Presley, enjoyed a flourishing career as a singer and actor. The couple would eventually settle in the U.S., separate and then reconcile

Rosemarie went back to make movies for international release in the 1970s, starting with “Manda” (1970), “Night of the Cobra Woman” (1972), “Master Samurai” (1974), and the remake of “Siete Infantes de Lara” (1973). It was in 1977 that she made her presence felt in the 1977 critically-acclaimed “Burlesk Queen”, starring Vilma Santos. For her role as Virgie Nite, Rosemarie earned a Gawad Urian nomination the following year.

In the 80s thru the 90s, Rosemarie continued to appear in dramatic movies such as “Problem Child”, “Dear Heart” (1980), “Bata pa si Sabel” (1981), “Bagets” (1984) and in the HBO-produced mini-series inspired by the 1986 People Power Revolution, “A Dangerous Life” (as Tingting Cojuangco). In 1990s, she was in blockbuster hits like “Anak ni Baby Ama” (1990), “Maging Sino Ka Man” (1991), “Mulanay” (1996) and “Wansapanataym: The Movie” (1999). Rosemarie was also seen in telenovelas such as “Anna Karenina” (1996), “Sa Puso Ko, Iingatan Ka” (2001) and “Hiram” (2004).

Meanwhile, her children were also making their own mark as actors of note in dramatic movies. Cherie Gil (b. 12 May 1965) is undoubtedly one of the best contravidas of Philippine movies, best known for making life miserable for megastar Sharon Cuneta in the movie, “Bituing Walang Ningning” (1985). As the villainess Lavinia Arguelles, she spewed out the often-quoted put-down line, “You are nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!”, while dousing Sharon with a glass of water. Siblings Mark Gil (b. 25 Aug. 1961) and Michael de Mesa (24 May 1960) are also seasoned actors on TV, stage and the silver screen. The next-generation Gils, led by heartthrob Geoff Eigenmann, continue to thrill Filipino fans on TV and Film.

The Gils have since upped and left Porac—only the controversial Pio Chapel—part of the Gil hacienda constructed in 1861, remains of their once vast homestead. This property has since been sold. The Gils may have already uprooted themselves from Pampanga, but in movies, stage and films, they continue to shine and make their presence felt, in the same league as the Dela Rosas and Fernandezes—actors, thespians, singers, dramatists, zarzuela stars, Kapampangan performers all--who once ruled the golden age of Philippine cinema.

*237. ATBU, ATBP.

2011-02-14T03:58:00.000-08:00

SACCHARINE SMILE. A country girl shows of her healthy sugarcane crop that's ready for harvesting in this posed picture. Pampanga's sugar industry powered the provincial economy and made it a force to reckon with during the American regime. Ca.1912.

Give a child a fresh stick of atbu (sugarcane), and he will keep quiet for the rest of the day. For some reason, munching on a piece of sugarcane-- ‘mamangus atbu’—has a calming effect on us kids. Maybe because it took much skill, so we had to focus on the laborious task at hand, using just our teeth to strip off the bark, chewing on the tough cane fiber to extract the sweet juice, and spewing out the sapal (husk) later. Biting the hard, tasteless node off, we then move on to the next juicy part, until we finish the whole footlong sugar cane stick.

Mamangus atbu was a true test for teeth and gums, but the mouthsores I occasionally got were worth my sugarcane taste experience. I’ve always preferred the purple sugarcane variety, cooled in the icebox for an hour before munching. These, I would find readily available in the makeshift stalls lining the way to my elementary school. Another way to get ‘atbu’ free is to run after hauler trucks or bagun (cargo trains) en route to the mills and try to pull a stalk from its harvested sugar cane load.

As my lolo was a modest hacendero with some rice and sugarcane fields, we grew up with the sight and smell of sugarcane. It was a staple product around the house, and I remember using arnibal (thin muscovado syrup) to sweeten our coffee, prepared by my ever so frugal mother. But I guess this was the same familiar scene in many Kapampangan households where, for a time, sugar held such prominence in the province’s economy.

In its heyday, especially from 1925-1927, Pampanga led Luzon in sugar production, with the Del Carmen Sugar Mills leading the way with an output of 45,000 tons annually, followed by Calamba with 16,000 and San Fernando, just slightly behind. Pampanga Sugar Development Company (PASUDECO), controlled by the Philippine National Banks, would later be expanded, becoming the fastest growing Central among all bank Centrals and further improving its output.

Interestingly, of the four varieties of cane originally cultivated in the Philippines, once came from Pampanga—the Pampanga Red or Encarnada de la Pampanga, which produced canes smaller than the other varieties: Cebu Purple (Morada de Cebu), Luzon White (Blanca de Luzon) and Negros Purple (Morada de Negros). Nevertheless, this hardy cane plant had excellent purity and yield, topped only by Cebu Purple, and cementing the province’s reputation as a major sugar producer for the country and the world.

The pleasures of sugar from our “dulce caña”, of course, we enjoyed at every opportunity. Parents could easily fix a quick treat for their kids by boiling extracted sugarcane juice in a vat until it turned into molten molasses. A dollop is ladled into a basin of cold water, turning the molasses into a brown, gooey, malleable mixture called “inuyat” which we ate with our hands. With rice drowned in carabao’s milk, “inuyat” becomes an instant ulam (viand)!

A fancy Makati restaurant once offered sugarcane juice coolers in its menu, matched with a fancy price. But we’ve been drinking ice cold sugarcane juice ever since I can remember--and it certainly didn’t cost that much! Maybe bartenders can take a tip from Kapampangan farmers who squeezed cane juice into their alcoholic drinks for a perfect happy hour treat after a day’s hard work.

Goodies made with cane sugar can be had cheap at every corner sari-sari store. We developed cavities eating five centavo ‘balikutsa’, a kind of sugar taffy so sticky delicious. Another favorite is the panutsa, which technically speaking is solid brown sugar sold in ‘baos’, but it has come to mean a kind of peanut brittle mixed with coarse brown sugar and sold with brown paper linings. The same unrefined sugar also found its way into our fiesta desserts like “yemas”—milk pudding balls encased in caramelized brown sugar. In Arayat, a centerpiece in every feast or banquet is the ‘samani’—in which white peanuts dipped in caramelized brown sugar are used to construct an edible sweet basket, a virtual eye candy to foodies of yore.

Of course, it’s not just us that benefitted from the amazing ‘atbu’. Leftover ‘sapal’ was fed to pigs and hogs. To make an instant feeder and a perch for pet insects like ‘uwang’ (rhinoceros beetle), a length of fresh sugar cane was tied on both ends and hung on the porch.

It used to be so common to see cut sugarcane for sale-- piled high like pyramids on fruit stands and sidewalk stalls, especially during the summer months. Nowadays, apples and grapes, it would seem, are even easier to find. Maybe so, but those fruits—so way beyond our reach-- never impressed me the way a stalk of ‘atbu’ could—it’s always ready to eat and ready to please—the sweet stuff that many a childhood pleasures are made of.

*236. OF STREET FOOD AND PEDESTRIAN TREATS

2011-01-31T16:01:00.001-08:00

MEKENI'S MININDAL. Street vendors entice passersby with their native delicacies spread out on their bilaos: ebus-wrapped suman and bobotu (tamales). Today, one can still find these 'kakanins' in market stalls around Pampanga, ready to be enjoyed anytime, anywhere. Ca. 1912.

Along with the ongoing renaissance of Kapampangan culture and traditions is the notable resurgence in popularity of our favorite pedestrian ‘kakanins’. Once peddled by itinerant bilao-carrying vendors, our traditional kalame, tibuk-tibuk, suman, mochi, biku, cassava (kamuting dutung) cake—and many more--have become staples of local market stalls and mainstream food shops like Susie’s Cuisine, Delynn’s, Razon’s and Nathaniel’s, earning raves from foodies who even travel to the province to seek out these delectable native treats.

The character of our Kapampangan cuisine is defined by the products of our main industries-- rice, sugar, and to some extent, coconuts. It is no wonder then that most of our concoctions from the kitchen utilized these ingredients and their derivatives, resulting in filling rice-based treats with varying tones of sweetness that continue to delight us to this day.

Kalame (kalamay) is perhaps the most ubiquitous all-purpose food of Filipinos, made from malagkit (glutinous) rice, coconut and white sugar. The rice is first ground in a gilingan (stone grinder) to make galapung. This is a backbreaking chore, and I remember, it took two workers to operate our gilingan—one to “feed” the opening on top with malagkit rice, and the other to turn the grinder’s handle. I still have our stone gilingan, now family heirloom, incised with a date (1911) and the name of the original owner (Dr. Melecio Castro), my granduncle.

The basic kalame may seem easy to prepare, but it involves stirring the mixture constantly for up to four hours to achieve a smooth, sticky consistency. Kalame variations include ‘kalame ube’ wherein purple yam is added to give it a distict ube color and flavor. Rarely made these days is ‘kalame kulubasa’, in which mashed squash is used, giving the kalame a deep yellow color. The kalame is generously topped with ‘latik’, made from sugar and coconut milk extract.

Every town market it seems, has a stall hawking kalame slices served on banana leaf—it is that commonplace. It can be found in school canteens, on fiesta tables and birthday parties, and is freely given away by neighbors during. In Concepcion, Tarlac, a kalame variation made of galapung and gata is called ‘tocino’ by the locals.

Bibingka needs no introduction as it is equally popular as kalame, available all year-round, but more in demand during the Christmas season. Made from galapung, milk and gata, bibingka is cooked in clay dishes and browned with live coals placed on top and below the cooking dish. Special bibingka is made from pure galapung (no flour extenders please!) and enriched with ebun buru, keso de bola slices, dollops of butter and grated coconut.

I used to hear a folk song about the tasty brown kutsinta, which went “Puto kutsinta, malambot, masarap, malata!” (Puto kutsinta, soft, delicious and delicate). Pampanga’s kutsinta is created from the same ground malagkit rice, coconut, brown sugar and homemade lihiya (lye)--wood ash and water solution—and molded in tiny Chinese porcelain cups. Its white counterpart is the fluffy putu lasún, and I often wondered why it should be named like that, as, “lasún”, without the accent, means poison. These native delicacies are best eaten with fresh, grated coconut.

Tibuk-tibuk is another treat closely associated with Kapampangan specialty foods. I don’t think we ever called this delicate coconut milk-based dessert by its "ultra-sosy" name—“maja blanca”—we always called it tibuk-tibuk, in reference to the palpitating sound of the simmering gata (coconut milk) -sugar-carabao milk mixture as it cooked. We never added corn kernels or used cornstarch to hasten the cooking of tibuk-tibuk; instead, we allowed the mixture to thicken at its own pace, through even, constant stirring over low fire. Tibuk-tibuk is always served cold and garnished with latik—not toasted grated coconut which I often see in fancy hotels and restaurants.

Suman is cooked malagkit rice wrapped in ebus (a kind of palm leaf) strips. To give the plain, salty taste of suman more flavor, it is eaten with mangos or dipped in sugar. Suman bulagta, on the other hand, is cooked and wrapped in banana leaves, from which it acquires its greenish color. It is best eaten with latik and sprinkled with sugar. I recently visited a food shop in Tiendesitas which sold ‘haute’ sumans—laced with chocolate, macapuno, monggo and ube. The lowly, suman has finally come of age—but I still prefer mine plain and cheap, thank you.

Bobotu is another minindal favorite known to most Filipinos as “tamales”. But it does not taste anywhere near its Mexican counterpart. The mixture is prepared from giniling rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt, pepper and atsuete extract. The cooking bobotu involves many steps—after cooking the mixture in low fire with constant stirring, small portions are poured on a banana leaf, in which shredded chicken, shrimp or pork meat, egg slices, crushed peanuts and atsuete juice are added on top. The banana-wrapped bobotu is then steamed for about 20 minutes. Cabalantian in Bacolor is noted for making the tastiest bobotu in the province. Alas, some unscrupulous bobotu sellers add more banana wrappings to make the bobotu look more appetizingly plump.

Sampelut (or Ginataan to Tagalogs)—a thick sweet porridge made from gata, sugar and made chunky with slices of sagin saba, kamote, gandus, nangka and bilu-bilu (rice flour balls) can still be found offered by food stalls in rural markets, but is better made at home. I never liked sampelut because of its laxative effect, what with its high coconut content, but my sister swears by its rich, lip-smacking taste, a halo-halo of sorts but without the ice.

A visit to the local market yielded many more kakanins of my childhood, including the sticky ‘pepalto’ (palitaw), which is covered with fresh grated coconut, white sugar and anise. Less visible is the ‘mochi’-- fried dumplings filled with sweet yam or ube filling. ‘Sapin-sapin’—that multi-layered, multi-colored rice cake is, in itself, a feast for the eyes, a super sticky cake laced with ube and other flavorings. Espasol is another sweet delicacy which my Ingkung used to buy in San Fernando and Bulacan. The finger sized espasol pieces are dusted with roasted rice flour to prevent the pieces from sticking and wrapped in characteristic brown paper.

Before, I could easily find ‘maruya’ or banana fritters being sold by the side of the Sto. Rosario Church, so I think one could still find them in the city. I was less successful in my search for ‘putung babi’, pan de sal halves filled with potatos (or kamote) and minced meat, then fried in batter. They were my favorites in grade school, regularly offered by ambulant vendors.

A Kapampangan will never go hungry with the fantastic array of native delicacies available for his instant delectation. All he has to do is go out the street, locate a native peddler, and pick a kakanin from her bilao of banana-wrapped goodies. There’s always one treat there that is sure to please you—on and off the street!

*235. Father to the Lost and the Lonely: Rev. Msgr. BENEDICTO J.E. ARROYO

2011-01-30T23:21:00.000-08:00

HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. The young Candaba-born Benedicto Arroyo as a high school graduate, age 17 . Future chaplain of the National Bilibid Prison and National Mental Hospital. Ca. 1934.

I remember seeing Msgr. Benedicto Arroyo at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital sometime in 2004 when I visited a sick aunt. I was with my Del Rosario-Tinio relatives when we chanced upon him in the elevator. The Tinios were related to him by marriage and an uncle-priest, Msgr. Manuel del Rosario, who was a dear friend of his.

In his 80s, the portly father was still at it, in a hospital, no less, ministering to the infirmed and the sick, a calling that he embraced, and which would become the hallmark of his long career as a Filipino religious.

The good monsignor was born in Candaba on 16 August 1917, the fifth child of Dr. Esteban Sadie Arroyo and Adela G. Evangelista. His father was a University of Sto. Tomas medical graduate and he was, at one time, the presidente municipal of Candaba and a co-founder of the Arayat Sugar Central. The large Arroyo brood would grow to twelve children; aside from Benedicto, his siblings included Eduardo, Juan, William, Elena, Caridad, Socrates, Didimo, Sosimo, Aquiles, Africa and Pomposo.

Just like his brothers and sisters, Benedicto attended his primary grades at the local Candaba Elementary School. Bent on pursuing his religious vocation, he entered the San Carlos Seminary for his secondary education, and, upon completion, enrolled at the San Jose Seminary at age 17. He finsihed his priesthood at the height of the war on 20 March 1943, with the Most Rev. Michael Dougherty D.D. as his ordaining prelate.

His first assignment was as Assistant Parish Priest at Guiguinto, Bulacan (1943-46), and after which he was stationed at Tarlac, Tarlac for a year (1946-47). His next post was at the St. John the Baptist Parish in Pinaglabanan, San Juan (1947-55). The next two years of his religious life were spent ministering to the mentally sick, the physically infirmed and hardened criminals as Chaplain of the National Mental Hospital, National Orthopedic Hospital, and New Bilibid Prison, Muntinlupa.

Fr. Arroyo would prove his mettle during his term as an NBP chaplain. He celebrated Masses, heard inmates’ confessions and celebrated Christmas with his wards. He looked after the spiritual welfare of the inmates, firm in his belief that, like the parable of the prodigal son, they, too, are capable of finding their way back to God. So well-loved and effective was he, that he was promoted to Chief Chaplain and became a Penal Catholic Chaplain Coordinator in 1962. He likewise became a member of the Board of Pardon and Parole and headed the Classification Board of the National Bilibid Prison as its Chairman.

Fr. Arroyo would eventually be assigned to the Parish of San Rafael in Pasay City and become a Vicar Forane of the Vicariate of St. Raphael. Despite his many functions, he found time to become the Spiritual Director of the Maria Coronada movement as well as an esteemed member of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

The monsignor also loved travelling, and his sojourns have taken him all over Europe and the United States where he has many relatives. He observed his Diamond Sacerdotal Jubilee in 2003 and spent his retirement years at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. Msgr. Benedicto J.E. Arroyo passed away on 21 September 2010 at the grand age of 93. He is interred at the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque.

Benedictus Qui Venit In Nomine Domini
(Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord)

*234. Power Couple: AMB. EMILIO M. ABELLO & ELISA F. GUTIERREZ

2011-01-13T23:32:00.000-08:00

A UNION OF SPIRITS. Emilio Abello Sr. with his Kapampangan wife, Elisa F. Gutierrez of Bacolor, were classmates at the University of the Philippines College of Law. The Abellos built a distinguished career in foreign service beginning with the appointment of Emilio as Philippine envoy to Washington in 1962.

Even before Diosdado P. Macapagal assumed the presidency in 1961, he had already figured out his diplomatic team to Washington. His choice to the premier post was no other than Emilio M. Abello Sr., who, together with his equally accomplished Kapampangan wife Elisa F. Gutierrez, would serve the government for many years, ably representing the country as official spokespersons and interpreters to Americans of Filipino views and decisions on foreign policy. Emilio would serve in his capacity as Philippine ambassador from February to September of 1962, but would remain involved in foreign service for more years.

Emilio Abello was born on 14 January 1906, the third of five children of Dr, Manuel Abello of Iloilo and Rosario Montilla of Negros. After finishing his elementary and high school studies from Isabela public schools, he was accepted at the University of the Philippines as a law student.

At the state university, he met Elisa, already a popular campus beauty, whose lineage was no less formidable. The daughter of Eduardo Gutierrez-David and Florencia Fajardo, Elisa came from a family of lawyers and patriots. Her grandfather was Manila-born Mateo Gutierrez-Ubaldo, who had been a member of the Provincial Council of Pampanga and one of the signers of the Philippine Constitution approved in Malolos in 1898. He had moved to Pampanga to escape Spanish oppression during the time of the Revolution. An uncle, Jose, became a Supreme Court Justice while father Eduardo, was one of the province’s constitutional delegates.

It was during their second year in college that Emilio and Elisa became engaged. They graduated together in 1929, with Emilio as Class Salutatorian. Elisa finished third, the only female in her class of 35, a batch that included a future senator (valedictorian Lorenzo Sumulong), diplomats (Raul Leuterio, Jacinto Borja), congressmen (Justiniano Montano, Angel Fernandez, Fortunato de Leon, Juan Pajo, Pedro Syquia) and judges (Federico Alikpala, Mateo Canonong). The two passed the bar that same year, with Emilio placing fifth.

Their careers started soon after with Emilio joining the Paredes, Buencamino and Yulo Law Office as assistant attorney. Elisa joined the law firm of his uncle, Jose Gutierrez-David, where her work often brought her around Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac area. Within two years, Emilio and Elisa were married in Bacolor. They first kept house in Cabanatuan, where Elisa’s father served as a judge.

When Emilio joined the government service as assistant attorney in the Bureau of Justice, the Abellos moved to Manila in 1934. In 1937, he was promoted Assistant Solicitor General and in 1940, he became the youngest undersecretary of Justice at age 34. He later served as Executive Secretary to two presidents, Roxas and Quirino, and also taught law in several Manila universities.

Elisa, on the other hand, had to put her lawyering career aside to raise a family that would come to include five children, all boys: Manuel (a UP and Harvard law graduate), Emilio Jr. (a doctor), Jose Maria, Roberto and Eduardo. But she was kept busy with her involvement in many club endeavors, becoming a committee chairman of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Vice President of the Civic Assembly of Women in the Philippines, member of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs, President of ZONTA Club and Head of the Discipline of Spanish-European Language at the U.P. As an envoy’s wife, she had to organize social events and attend countless foreign service functions, meet her international counterparts while projecting the culture of the Philippines and that of her home province Pampanga, of which she was well-known for.

The Abellos enjoyed a long and remarkable career as top level diplomats (Amelito Mutuc replaced him as Ambassador in September 1962). After his ambassadorial stint, Emilio served as Chairman of Meralco in the early 70s and was elected assemblyman of the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978. The Don Emilio Abello Energy Efficiency Awards are given out yearly in his name. He passed away on 18 May 1982, while his widow carried on with her socio-civic interests and advocacies for the rest of her life.

*233. Boys Next-Door Stars '66: PEPITO & RAMIL RODRIGUEZ

2011-01-02T01:21:00.000-08:00

THE RODRIGUEZ BROTHERS. Pepito and Ramil Rodriguez, come from an old well-to-do Bacolor family with rich agricultural holdings. But the two followed a different path by entering shwobiz, finding fame in the 60s as part of the immensely popular young love team group, Stars '66.

One of the leading production outfits of the 1960s, Vera-Perez’s Sampaguita Pictures, conceived of a way to launch its stable of young stars and starlets. And so, in 1966, and with much hoopla, Sampaguita Pictures presented the group—comprising of 5 love teams, collectively known as Stars ’66. The group included such young actors and actresses as Gina Pareño, Bert Leroy Jr., Blanca Gomez, Dindo Fernando, Edgar Salcedo, Loretta Marquez, Rosemarie Sonora —and two Kapampangan brothers, Ramil and Pepito Rodriguez.

It was the tandem of Rosemarie (Susan Roces’s younger sis) and Pepito, however, that caught the fancy of young Philippine fans, catapulting the “Stars ‘66” to national popularity. The Rosemarie-Pepito tandem had started in 1964, with the “Mga Batang…” series of film hits that included “Mga Batang Artista”, “Mga Batang Bakasyonista”, “Mga Batang Turista”, “Mga Batang Milyonaryo”, and the frequently-replayed-on-TV “Mga Bata ng Lagim”.

Pepito Rodriguez was born Jose Rodriguez in 1944, one of the sons of Rene Hizon Rodriguez with Maria Rosa Moreno. The Rodriguezes are from a prominent family with roots in Bacolor. Eldest brother Rene Jr., born on 22 August 1941, also entered showbiz, taking on the screen name Ramil Rodriguez. Their other siblings were Ma. Melinda, Oscar, Celina and Antonio. Their paternal grandparents were the wealthy sugar planters and successful entrepreneurs, Don Godofredo Rodriguez and Dña Victoria Hizon-Rodriguez who eventually settled in the capital town of San Fernando.

The Rodriguezes were friends of the Vera-Perezes, which owned Sampaguita Pictures. Of the brothers, Ramil was the more reticent one when they were offered to make movies. In the end, family friendship prevailed and in 1963, Pepito joined the movie bandwagon as the boy-next-door type, in the film “Haliging Bato”. He started being noticed in light musical romances like “Dance o’ Rama”, “Jukebox Jamboree” and of course, in the aforementioned “Mga Bata..” series.

Pepito’s career continued to shine in the next few years, doing more teen-orienetd films like “Papa Um Mamaw”, “Jamboree ‘66”, “Petrang Paminta” and “Bahay Kubo, Kahit Munti”. He dabbled in drama like “Alaala ng Lumipas” (1965) , “Hinango Ka Sa Lusak” (1967), but fans seemed to like him better in lightweight romance films. When actor Ricky Belmonte entered the picture as Rosemarie’s other love interest, fans gravitated towards the more contemporary Ricky (he could sing and dance), and an alternative love team was formed, drawing a large following and leaving Pepito in an awkward situation.

After appearing in “Life Everlasting” in 1971, he dropped out of circulation, only to come back almost a decade later in the made-for-TV movie, “The Children of An Lac” as the Vietnamese Capt. Nam. He was lured to return in the 1985 drama, “Palimos na Pag-ibig”, and in the 1990 action film “Alias Baby Face”. He would permanently retire from showbiz after that, and settle in the U.S. as a successful busnessman.

On the other hand, Ramil's first film was in the 1960 movie, "Palanca". He was officially introduced in 1964's "Leron-Leron Sinta", a musical comedy starring Susan Roces and Eddie Gutierrez. As part of Stars '66, Ramil was initially paired with Loretta Marquez, but eventually acquired other leading ladies like Josephine Estrada and Liberty Ilagan.

He was a multi-facetted actor, taking on everything from comedies and musicals in the '60s ("Hi-Sosayti, Magnificent Bakya, Jamboree '66, Sitting in the Park") to light romance, action and drama flicks in the 70s ("Maraming Kulay ng Pag-ibig, Ako'y Tao, May Dugo at May Laman, Ang Daigdig ay Isang Patak na Luha"), evolving into a fine dramatic actor in the process.

In the '80s, he starred in classic like "Blusang Itim", "Magdusa Ka", (1986), "Asawa Ko, Huwag Mong Agawin", "Ibulong Mo sa Diyos" (1988). he remained active in the 1990s and found a new set of audience with his TV appearances in telenovelas like 1997's "Mula Sa Puso", "Love to Love" (2004) , "Magpakailanman" (2005) and the highly rated "Bakekang" (2006-07).

One need only to look at past movie magazines to see how popular the brothers Rodriguezes were in their time, led by the elder Ramil, who continue to light the TV screen with his occasional, but marked presence in heart-stirring dramas and Pepito who, together with Rosemarie, came to be one of the hottest, most unforgettable love teams of 60s Philippine cinema.

*232. Tastes Like Heaven: PAMPANGA'S SANICULAS

2010-12-31T17:28:00.000-08:00

SAINTLY SWEETS. Saniculas cookies made with the imprint of San Nicolas de Tolentino, the miracle healer. Legend has it that he revived the sick with blessed bread mixed with water, hence the "panecillos de San Nicolas", or simply 'saniculas' in Pampanga.

Every time my parents go to San Fernando to attend to business matters, they would go home with my favorite pasalubong: packs of saniculas—those crumbly, arrow-root based cookies imprinted with the image of a saint—or so we were told. So, when I ate one, I would carefully nip the edges of the cookie and save the center for last—the part with the stylized figure of a man in relief. This, they say, is San Nicolas, the Great Miracle Healer.

San Nicolas de Tolentino, the cookie’s inspiration, is an Augustinian Recoleto who was gifted with the power of healing—through his blessed bread soaked in water. He is depicted wearing a star-dotted habit, holding a cross or a palm in one hand, and a dish on the other, with a partridge bird perched on the rim. This is in reference to a legend in which a bird served for eating was restored to life after feeding on his dish.

The Macabebe priest, Fray Felipe Tallada, wrote about this wonder worker in the first Kapampangan book published by the Augustinians in 1614. The town, in fact, has San Nicolas de Tolentino as its patron, his fiesta marked on September 10.

The celebrated miraculous bread, known as “panecillos de San Nicolas”, is known simply in Pampanga as “saniculas’. There used to be a ritual blessing of the cookies before they are distributed, although this tradition is now rarely practiced, saved for some Recollect parishes like San Sebastian where saniculas are still blessed during Masses.

The cookie itself is made using age-old techniques and ingredients like arrowroot flour (uraro), eggs, lard, dalayap (lemon rind) and coconut milk. Mrs. Lillian Lising-Borromeo, Pampanga’s culinary historian who still makes “saniculas” from heirloom recipes, insist on using homemade pork lard, instead of ordinary margarine to give the cookies better aroma, taste and texture.

The “saniculas” wooden moulds which are used to impress the dough with the distinctive imprint are interesting kitchen artifacts themselves. They are often commissioned from Betis and Bacolor carvers, and although the designs vary, the moulds always have the abstracted figure of the saint in the center, surrounded by floral, vegetal and curlicue patterns.

Kapampangan cooks treasured these uniquely-designed wooden molds, which commonly came as single blocks. Some have back-to-back designs, but most are often carved with the owner’s initials. As fine examples of folk art, “saniculas” moulds have also found their way in antique shops.

The shapes of ‘saniculas’ may also vary, and Atching Lillian—with her expert eye--could even determine the Pampanga town where the cookies were made, from their shape alone. Masantol churned out round ‘saniculas’, while Sta. Ana favored harp-shaped cookies that echo the calado transoms of old houses. The “saniculas” of San Fernando and Mexico are leaf-shaped, with pointed ends.

The shaped dough, laid out on a tray, are then ready for baking in the oven. In the olden times, a cooking contraption fed with live coals and very similar to a bibingkahan was used. Dough scraps were used to make smaller cookies called “magapuc”.

Today, it is heartening to know that my favorite ‘pasalubongs’ are still being made year-round in the aforementioned towns. Recently, I drove all the way to Mexico to buy a box of “saniculas” specially made by Atching Lillian. Wrapped in paper, the delicate, crumbly cookies with the signature image of the saint are a delight to eat, especially with hot chocolate. And ‘saniculas’ continue to work wonders—healing hunger pangs, satisfying cravings and nourishing the body with their wholesome, heavenly, homemade taste. Praise the saint who started it all!

*231. The First Binibining Pilipinas : MYRNA S. PANLILIO

2010-12-29T02:42:00.000-08:00

MYRNA WITH THE MOST. The country's first Binibining Pilipinas, Ma. Myrna Sese Panlilio of San Fernando, crowned in 1964.

Before 1964, the Philippine delegate to the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant was chosen by various organizers and sponsors that included such institutions as Boys Town, Casino Español of the Philippines, Elks Cerebral Palsy, and, in the case of the first ever search for Miss Philippines of 1952, Khan Cigarettes, which received its franchise from the Miss Universe Committee.

In 1963, long-time impresario Alfredo Lozano acquired the pageant franchise through his promotions company, Japonica Consultants Inc., which staged the 1963 quest in cooperation with sponsors Gentex and the Philippine Couture Association. That year’s edition, which ended with the selection of Lalaine Bennett, was met with criticisms—from the quality of the contestants to the drab production and even lousier entertainment.

All that changed in 1964 when Stella Marquez-Araneta’s Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. got the exclusive rights from the Miss Universe Inc. to stage the local search to the popular beauty concourse . Colombian Stella Marquez herself was a beauty queen, the first title holder of Miss International. In her visit to the Philippines, she had met a wealthy business tycoon, Jorge Araneta, who pursued her around the globe and finally married her after her reign. Settled in Quezon City, Stella used her beauty queen experience to organize a foundation—the Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc., which, to this day runs the national tilt.

The search for the queen had to conform to the international standards imposed by the Miss Universe committee, which set age, height and physical criteria for contestants. The local winner also acquired a new title—Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) – and with it came the honor of representing the country in the world’s most prestigious beauty competition.

That honor---of being named the first ever Bibining Pilipinas--- turned out to be reserved for a beautiful Fernandina, then 21 year old Maria Myrna Sese Panlilio. Myrna Panlilio, born in 1943, was the eldest of 4 children of Enrique M. Panlilio and Jaina Sese. She went to local school and completed high school at St. Scholastica. Her college years were spent in Maryknoll and upon graduation, she was immediately taken in as a teller for Merchant’s Bank. Though already employed, the beautiful Myrna was egged on to join beauty pageants. In fact, two days before the Bb. Pilipinas, she was at the 1964 Maid of Cotton contest, won by Bettina Herrero.

Undeterred, she made it as one of the 15 official candidates to the 1964 Bb. Pilipinas Pageant, trimmed down from a total of 28 applicants. The finals were originally scheduled for July 3, but had to be postponed due to Typhoon Dading. Two days later, in a spectacular beauty show at the Araneta Coliseum, Myrna Panlilio was crowned as our country’s first Binibining Pilipinas, succeeding the outgoing queen, Lalaine Bennett, who had placed fourth at the 1963 Miss Universe.

Myrna’s runners-up included Bb. Waling-waling, Milagros Cataag and Bb. Ilang-ilang, Elvira Gonzales (mother of another future binibini, Charlene Gonzales). One other losing candidate was Milagros Sumayao, a former Miss Press Photography winner like Elvira, who would later be known in showbiz as Mila Ocampo (mother of Snooky Serna).

The new Binibining Pilipinas won a slew of prizes that included P2,000 in cash , gold trophy from the Lions Club, a complete wardrobe from the Philippine Couturiers’ Association, Helene Curtis beauty products and a Regal sewing machine. She also won the right to represent the country in the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant in Miami Beach, Florida with the title going to Miss Greece, Korinna Tsopei. Myrna enjoyed her stint in the U.S. though, and even attended a Democratic Convention at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, visited the World's Fair and met Shirley Temple! She also played host to Miss Universe 1964 when she came to visit the Philippines in 1965.

After her reign, Myrna went right back to her work at the bank. Two years after her reign, she married the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ramon N. Borromeo (+) in June 1966. Dr. Borromeo’s mother had been also been a beauty queen from Cebu--Amparo Noel, the 1912 Queen of Visayas. She settled down to a suburban life and became an active member in several socio-civic organizations. The Borromeos had three children: Ramon Jose (1967), Patricia Ann (1971) and Mitzi (1977). Patricia or Trisha was well known as a model and as a former girlfriend of actor Richard Gomez, but sadly passed away in 2003 from lymphoma. In her memory, Myrna put up the Trisha P. Borromeo Legacy Association, which aimed to support the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital Pediatric Cancer Ward.

Myrna’s name re-surfaced during the term of Pres. Joseph Estrada when she was named as Executive Director of the Nayong Pilipino. On 17 July 2009, Myrna unexpectedly passed away from a gall bladder disease at the Makati Medical Center. She was just 66, but Myrna’s place in Pampanga’s history had already been sealed on that one fateful night in June—with the proclamation of a Kapampangan as the country’s first Binibining Pilipinas—the most beautiful Filipina of 1964.

*230. HON. AMELITO MUTUC, Arayat's Ambassador to the World

2010-12-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

OUR MAN IN WASHINGTON. Ambassador Amelito Ramirez Mutuc, from Arayat, overcame his humble beginnings to become a successful lawyer and later as a top-ranked diplomat under the Macapagala Administration. ca. 70s.

One of the first high-profile politicians I remember seeing as a kid was the former diplomat Amelito R. Mutuc in 1970. Campaigning for a seat in the 1970 Constitutional Convention, he had passed through our street and had seen my parents who waved at him while his car sped by. The former envoy was a very close friend of Msgr. Manuel del Rosario, my mother’s brother, and so he stopped briefly to chat briefly with my parents. That was my first and only brush with this accomplished grey-haired, bespectacled diplomat, who rose to become one of the most powerful men under Macapagal’s Administration as his Executive Secretary and as our point man in Washington.

His rise to prominence in the diplomatic filed belie his very humble beginnings that began with his birth in 1922 in Barrio Candating, Arayat to parents Anselmo Mutuc and the former Ramona Ramirez. His father was the town’s municipal clerk for many years and then became a Chief of Police.

Amelito had four other siblings—Amor, Fe, Sol and Luz. An uncle, Fr. Nicanor Mutuc Banzali, who also happened to be the parish priest of Arayat, offered to send the Mutuc boys to school as his father’s meager salary as a government employee was not enough to fund their early education. Amelito attended Arayat Institute then finished his high school in Guagua as class valedictorian.

In 1936, he went to Manila for his law studies and he ended up enrolling in Ateneo by accident. The University of the Philippines in Padre Faura was the first choice of Amelito’s father for his son, but when they waited for hours without managing to enlist, the older Mutuc took him to Ateneo—which was just across U.P. As luck would have it, the Jesuits took Amelito in.

Amelito finished his Associate in Arts as class valedictorian and later completed his law degree in 1942 as salutatorian. In his class were other distinguished graduates like the future congressman Joaquin Roces, Ramon Felipe Jr. (the valedictorian who joined the Dept. of Labor), Raul Roque, Pablo Diaz and Alberto Avanceña.

The next years proved to be very trying for Amelito and his family. In 1943, his father Anselmo, an outspoken anti-Communist, was kidnapped and presumably killed by Red elements in his own hometown of Arayat, known as the hotbed of Communism. Left alone to fend for her children, Anselmo’s widow gave up her teaching job and set up a boarding house on Padre Faura St. in Manila, which Amelito helped run.

Amelito’s graduation also coincided with the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, so right after graduation, he deferred his practice of law and returned to Arayat, where he headed the town’s Catholic Action Unit. After the War, he set up a small law office at the Villongco Building in Quiapo after being invited by lawyer Claudio Teehankee to join the Araneta Law Office.

In 1948, he decided to strike it on his own , putting up an office in Dasmariñas, Manila and serving the legal needs of such clients as Roman Santos, an Apaliteño who operated various enterprises ranging from fishing, insurance to banking (Santos founded Prudential Bank). At the same time, he also joined the faculty of the Ateneo Law School, teaching legal history, brief making, legal research, torts and damages.

The legal luminary was also famous for his dashing good looks, and for awhile, the eligible bachelor was romantically linked with high society girls. But, in 1952, he chose instead to marry a kabalen, the beautiful Blanca Medina, daughter of Dr. Esteban Medina and an AB Assumption graduate. The Medinas were considered to be one of the richest families of Arayat then. On their honeymoon to the United States, Amelito visited Harvard. He decided to enroll there and in a year, he finished his Master of Laws. Their union would produce 7 children: Jose Maria, Corinna, Rosa Maria, Emmanuel, Victoria and twins Pietro and Paulo.

The young lawyer’s career was boosted when he was elected as the 7th President of the National Jaycees from 1954-55. In 1957, Amelito caught the eye of then congressman, Diosdado P. Macapagal, who consulted him about his plan to run for vice president of the Philippines. Amelito thus launched “Macapagal for Vice President Movement”, and from thereon, became the future president’s right hand man. When Macapagal was elected to the highest post in the land in November 1962, Mutuc was named as the Executive Secretary in his cabinet.

That same year, he was appointed as Ambassador to the United States. During his 1952 graduation in Harvard, his classmates had predicted that in ten years, he will return to the U.S. as an envoy. Their prophecy, said in a jest, was thus fulfilled when he assumed his post in Washington D.C. from 1962-1964.

In February 1965 however, Amelito defected from the Macapagal camp, dealing the Liberal Party a severe blow. He had earlier been linked to the shady dealings of American businessman Harry Stonehill who owned and operated several multi-million enterprises in the country including cigarettes and oil. Stonehill was found to have bribed high-level government officials, including members of Macapagal’s cabinet. He was subsequently deported.

When Ferdinand Marcos thwarted Macapagal’s re-election bid, Amelito joined the new president’s circle. He was said to have been one of Marcos’ henchmen who helped protect his so-called “Marcos Gold”. Amelito continued legal career, and, in 1977, he became the president of the World Association of Lawyers. In the next decades, he also gradually distanced himself from politics. His reputation still rests on his brilliance as a lawyer, a diplomat and a cabinet official who helped build the credentials of the Macapagal Administration. Amelito Mutuc, Arayat’s envoy to the world, passed away in 1994.

*229. CLARK AIR BASE HOSPITAL: "Medical Center of Southeast Asia"

2010-12-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

CALL THE DOCTOR VERY QUICK. USAF Clark Hospital, "Asia's Military Medical Center", figured prominently during the Vietnam War years. Wounded or injured military were flown from Vietnam for treatment in this full service hospital. Staffed with American and Filipino medical specialists, the base hospital served the medical needs of American civilians as well as Filipinos. Ca. 1966.

Whenever I pass by the duty free shops of the new Clark Field, I can’t help but notice the sorry remains of the USAF Hospital Clark, located at the back of McDonald’s. Once touted in the ‘60s as “Asia’s Military Medical Center”, only the ruins of the Clark Hospital now stands, itself a victim of the Pinatubo eruption, its contents long lost to thieves and looter, and then left to the elements to decay.

Though covered and overgrown with weeds and foliage, I could still make out the shell of the building with its signature façade lined with ceramics. In recent years , the hospital site has become the favorite haunt of ghost-hunters and thrill-seekers, who go there in search of a good scare, hoping to find spectral apparitions and other spirits.

In its time however, the Clark Hospital was the savior of thousands of American military men and their families, and is recognized for its exceptional medical services and treatment of soldiers during the Vietnam War. At the height of the War, 70% of patients were soldiers who sustained varying degrees of injuries in the battlefields.

Opening its doors in December 1964, the new Clark Air Base Hospital was built in the early ‘60s for $5 million, to answer the primary health care of U.S. military personnel and their dependents stationed not only in the Philippines, but all over Southeast Asia. It had the most modern facilities for almost all kinds of medical care , except heart surgery and neurosurgery. It had a Laboratory, X-ray facilities, a Pharmacy, and an efficient Emergency Room open 24/7.

In 1966, under the directorship of Col. William Hernquist, the out-patient service routinely treats 17,000 patients per month, while it dental services department takes on about 35,000 cases. The hospital personnel is mostly American, including its nursing staff. Essentially a military institution, rules are strict at the Clark Hospital, especially with regards to patient confidentiality and access to the wards where the patients are.

Interestingly, the hospital also offered specialized training services to local medical residents in the fields of veterinary medicine, sanitation, immunization and public health care. In 1966, the American hospital had 21 Filipino medics, --mostly graduates from Manila schools-- under its training program, detailed in the medical, pediatric and orthopedic wards. They were paid from only Php 200-300 monthly, but with free board and lodging.

The reputation of USAF Hospital Clark as the ‘Medical Center of Southeast Asia’ continued through the 70s and 80s, only to end with eruption of Mount Pinatubo that buried and severely damage the hospital in 1991. The biggest blow yet were the pillagers who looted and stripped the building of its world-class equipment like hospital beds, operating tables, incubators, oxygen tanks, medicine cabinets, wheelchairs and walkers. Even glass doors, lavatory parts and bedpans made their appearance for re-sale in the second-hand shops of Dau.

In a twist of irony, the death of the hospital gave post-Pinatubo Dau—which had depended on its PX goods shops-- a new lease on its life by jumpstarting a new enterprise. Today, Mabalacat’s most prosperous barangay has a growing medical supply business, thriving alongside stores that sell consumer durables, household tools and auto and agricultural machinery. Proving once and for all that in heath, there indeed,wealth.

*228.Teeth for Tat: KAPAMPANGAN CIRUJANO-DENTISTAS

2010-12-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

CLOSE-UP CONFIDENCE. Dr. & Mrs. Tomas Yuson (the former Librada Concepcion) on their wedding day in 1936. Dr. Tom Yuson was the leading Kapampangan dentist in his time, and a co-founder of the Pampanga Dental Association in 1930. Personal Collection.

Pampanga is renowned for its eminent medical doctors and surgeons of superb skills. The names of Drs. Gregorio Singian, Basilio Valdez, Mario Alimurung and Conrado Dayrit come to mind. The allied course of Dentistry has also given us notable Kapampangans professionals who have made a name for themselves in this less crowded field of dental science, and their achievements are no less significant.

In the first decades of the 20th century, when colleges and universities started offering medical courses, students were drawn more to Medicine and Pharmacy. Dentistry was not even considered a legal profession during the Spanish times--tooth pullers were employed to take care of problem molars, cuspids and bicuspids.

As public health was given emphasis during the American regime, the course of dentistry was given legitmacy with the opening of the Colegio Dental del Liceo de Manila. It would become the Philippine Dental College, the pioneer school of dentistry in the Philipines. Students started enrolling in the course as more schools like the University of the Philippines opened its doors to students. The state university established its own Department of Dentistry that was appended to its College of Medicine and Surgery. The initial offering attracted eight students. That time, with a population of eight million, there was only one dentist to every 57,971 Filipinos. More educational insititutions would follow suit: National University (1925), Manila College of Dentistry (1929) and University of the East(1948. In 3 to 4 years, these schools would be graduating doctors of dental medicine, many of whome were Kapampangans.

One of the more accomplished is Guagua-born Tomas L. Yuzon, born on 7 March 1906, the son of Juan Yuzon and Simona Layug. He attended local schools in Guagua until he was 16, then moved to Philippine Normal School in Manila. At age 20, he enrolled at the country’s foremost dental school, the Philippine Dental College, and finished his 4-year course in 1930. That same year, he passed the board and began a flourishing career as a Dental Surgeon in San Fernando.

In 1930, together with Dr. Claro Ayuyao of Magalang and Dr. H. Luciano David of Angeles, Yuzon founded the Pampanga Dental Association on 25 October 1930. The constitution, rules and by-laws were patterned after the National Dental Association. The initial members of 30 Pampanga dentists aimed to elevate the standard of their profession and foster mutual cooperation and understanding among themselves. Elected President was Dr. Ayuyao, while Dr. Yuzon was named as Secretary. The P.D.A. was the first provincial organization to hold demonstrations in modern dental practice and was an authorized chapter of the national organization.

As a proponent of modern dental medicine, Dr. Yuzon was one of the first to use X-Ray and Transillumination in diagnosing his patients. He was also an active member of the Philippine Society of Stomatologists of Manila. He received much acclaim for his work, and was a respected figure in both his hometown—where he remained a member of good standing of “Maligaya Club”, as well as in his adopted community of San Fernando. On 19 Sept. 1936, he married Librada M. Concepcion of Mabalacat, daughter of Clotilde Morales and Isabelo Concepcion. They settled in San Fernando and raised three children: Peter, Susing and Lourdes.

Guagua seemed to have produced more dentists than any other Pampanga town in the late 20s and 30s and some graduates from the Philippine Dental College include Drs. Marciano L. David (1925), Emilio Tiongco (1931, worked as assistant to dr. F. Mejia), Domingo B. Calma (who was a town teacher before becoming a dental surgeon), Eladio Simpao (1929), Alfredo Nacu (1929) and Hermenegildo L. Lagman (an early 1919 graduate and also a member of the Veterans of the Revolution!)

The list of of Angeleño dentists is headed by Dr. Lauro S. Gomez who graduated at the top of his class at National University in 1930, Mariano P. Pineda (PDC, 1930, a dry goods businessman and a Bureau of Education clerk before becoming a dentist), Pablo del Rosario and Vicente de Guzman.

In Apalit, Dr. Roman Balagtas placed ads that stated “babie yang consulta carin San Vicente Apalit, balang aldo Miercoles". He also had a clinic in Juan Luna, Tondo. Arayat gave us the well-educated and well-travelled Dr. Emeterio D. Peña, who was schooled at the Zaliti Barrio School, Arayat Institute (1916), Pampanga High School (1916-18), Batangas High School (1918-1919) and at the Philippine Dental College (1920-23). He squeezed in some time to study Spanish at Instituto Cervantino (1921-23). Then he went on to practice at San Fernando, La Union, Tayabas, Mindoro, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac. Also from Arayat were Drs. Agapito Abriol Santos and Alejandro Alcala (both PDC 1931 graduates). The latter was famed for his “painless extractions” at his 1702 Azcarraga clinic which ominously faced Funeraria Paz!

Betis and Bacolor are the hometowns of dentists Exequiel Garcia David (who worked in the Bureau of Lands and as a private secretary to Rep. M. Ocampo) and Santiago S. Angeles, respectively. Candaba prides itself in having Dr. Dominador A. Evangelista as one of its proud sons in the dental profession while Lubao has Gregorio M. Fernandez, a 1928 Philippine Dental College graduate, who went on to national fame as a leading film director.

Macabebe doctors of dental medicines include Policarpio Enriquez , a 1931 dentistry graduate of the Educational Institute of the Philippines, Francisco M. Silva PDC, 1923) who also became a top councilor of the town. Magalang gave us the esteemed Dr. Claro D. Ayuyao who became the 1st president of the Pampanga Dental Association and Dr. Alejandro T. David, a product of Philippine Dental College in 1928, who was also a businessman-mason.

Dentists Dominador L. Mallari (PDC, 1932) and Pedro Guevara (UST, Junior Red Cross Dentist 1923-29) came from Masantol. Guevara even went on to become a councilor-elect of his town. The leading dentist from Minalin, Sabas N Pingol (PDC, 1929) announced that: “manulu ya agpang qng bayung paralan caring saquit ding ipan at guilaguid’. He moved residence to Tondo and kept a clinic at 760 Reyna Regente, Binondo.

In Sta. Rita, Drs. Maximo de Castro (PDC, 1931) and Sergio Cruz (PDC, 1932) had private practices in their town. Finally, well-known Fernandino dentists of the peacetime years include Paulino Y. Gopez (UP, College of Dentistry, 1931) and the specialist Dr. Miguel G. Baluyut, (PDC, 1927) who took a course in Oral Surgery at the Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Trailblazers of some sorts were lady dentists Paz R. Naval, a dental surgeon, Consuelo L. Asung who held clinics in San Fernando and Mexico.

Next time you flash those pearly whites and gummy smiles, think of the early pioneering Kapampangan dentists who, with their knowledge, talents and skills, helped elevate the stature of their profession, putting it on equal footing with mainstream medicine.

*227. EDGARDO “ED” L. OCAMPO, Basketball Olympian

2010-12-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

MR. BASKETBALL. Edgardo "Ed" Ocampo, star athlete son of Arch. Fernando Hizon Ocampo (San Fernando) and Lourdes Magdangal Luciano (Magalang) was a member of the national basketball team that played in 4 Olympics.

The country’s no. 1 sports—basketball—has produced outstanding Kapampangan icons through the years—names like Hector Calma, Ato Agustin, Yeng Guiao, Jojo Duncil come to mind. But one young Kapampangan stands out for being a legend in his own time, winning honors for the Philippines and for himself in not one, but two sports—football and basketball. It is in the latter discipline that he came to international prominence, earning the title of “Mr. Basketball of 1960” at age 22. His name: Edgardo L. Ocampo.

Eddie or "Ed" Luciano Ocampo, born on 5 October 1938, was one of four children of the “father of modern Philippine Architecture”, the acclaimed Fernando Hizon Ocampo (San Fernando) and the renown Pampanga beauty, Lourdes Magdangal Luciano (Magalang). His siblings included Fernando Jr., also an architect, Oscar, his football team mate at Ateneo and sister Maria Pilar.

Basketball and football caught the young Ocampo’s fancy almost at the same time while enrolled at the Ateneo Grade School. He tried out for the school’s midget basketball team but did not pass the height requirement. Instead, he made it to the football squad where his brilliance in the field became much apparent. By age 17, Ed was acclaimed by sportswriters as “Mr. Football”. Ed qualified for the Philippine national football team that toured Korea and Spain in 1956.

But in that same year, Ed broke his clavicle during a rough game, promoting doctors to advise him to take off from the sports for half a year. But even before those six months were up, Ed was back in school, joining the basketball tryout for the school’s NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) team. This time, he made it after several Blue Eagles dropped out from the squad. Ed first played in the second round of the 1957 NCAA series.

At five feet seven inches and 157 pounds, Ed was certainly not considered tall enough in the sports where “height is might”. But his stamina,power, speed and quick reflexes made him the man to watch on the court. He managed to captain the Blue Eagles to two NCAA championships in 1957 and 1958.

One of his most memorable stints as a basketball collegian was when the Blue Eagles played against the tough Keh Nan team from China in the World Boy Scouts Jamboree benefit at the Rizal Coliseum. The Chinese dribblers were stunned when they saw Ocampo bounce his chest on the floot, intercept a pass and score on the same play. Six thousand roaring fans rose to their ferr to give him a standing ovation.

Ed was recruited by YCO where he played as a guard, becoming a key figure in the team’s 1960 victory in the MICAA (Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association), the top basketball league in the 60s. It was Ed who limited Narciso Bernardo of Ysmael Steel—then considered as the country’s best forward—to just 9 measly points in a critical game. For his performance, he was dubbed as “Mr. Basketball” in 1960.

At the peak of his career, young Ed was a member of the national basketball team 4 times, played in the world championship in Chile, competed in the Asian Basketball Conference and competed in 4 Olympics (1960-1972). At the 1960 Olympiad in Rome, the Philippines placed a creditable 11th place. Newspaper accounts glowed at how “Ocampo played magnificently, with brilliant reprising and rebounding”.

What has also earned his fans’ admiration is his sportsmanship on and off court. Not even once in any game did he figure in a brawl. That is a feat in itself considering the nature of the fast and furious game. When his playing years ended, he turned to coaching, guiding the San Miguel Beermen, the Toyota Tamaraws and the Pepsi Bottlers of the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association). As coach, he led his teams to 4 championships.

Ed Ocampo was married to the former Maria Lourdes Trinidad. Pampanga’s basketball legend and Hall of Famer passed away in 1999 at age 61.

*226. A POSTCARD FROM A LADY'S MAN

2010-12-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

LOVE, UNDER THE BIABAS TREE. Luis, his three "lady friends" and his boys. Ca. 1920s.

Once in a while, I get to find postcards not just with interesting subjects but also amusing stories written at the back of the photo—some chatty, some rambling—and in the case of this particular photo, very revealing of the character of the subject and sender, who goes by the name, Luis.

Luis wrote mostly in English—with a smattering of Kapampangan and Spanish words, suggesting that he had picked up a lot of the Americanisms. Perhaps, in his college days, he was one of the many ‘sajonistas’ who avidly took to the styles popularized by their new colonial master—wearing Western clothes, writing and speaking in English, slang and all.

This photo, sent from Manila on 13 June 1912, was taken from an unknown place in Pampanga. Luis, a good-looking Kapampangan himself, stands to the right, with a black mourning band on his left arm. For sure, there was a death in the family—but whose family? The older woman in the picture looks like she is in mourning too, as she is wearing a long black dress.

Luis, however, appeared to be in a happy mood when he jotted down a few lines to his Uncle, even becoming effusive about his special ‘ two ladies’, while soliciting comments about the photo.

The ladies have strong Spanish mestiza features—they could be even be sisters. The previously mentioned older woman on the left could very well be their mother. Two boys in straw hats stand before them, and Luis has one hand on one of their shoulder, suggesting close familiarity with the family. Did Luis have designs on one of the ladies? The lady nearest him seems to be lovestruck, her longing gaze fixed on his face. We will never know the exact relationship Luis had with this family but maybe one can discern some clues from his missive:

Dear Uncle:
I want to let you know my new Ladies, two Boys and, one Old—women friends. They have been here last Fiesta and perhaps, you have seen them. This photo has been taken in the same day of the Fiesta, outside of my house, under the Biabas tree, near the Camalig. What do you say about this picture, Uncle? It is fine? Perhaps, all right? This is all and this Postcard will be in remembrance de Nuestra Nueva Amistad. Your new friends Pacita Godinez, and Purita Casado and, Luis. Perhaps you know me, Uncle? Do you?

On that cryptic note, lucky Luis, our dashing Kapampangan palikero who had every thing a man could ask for-- a house, a camalig, a biabas tree, two boys and lovely lady friends--ended his letter.

*225. LUIS GONZALES: Marcos of the Movies

2010-12-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

LUIS FROM SAN LUIS. The handsome Sampaguita contract star was an all-around actor who did well in both dramas and comedy movies. His pairing with Gloria Romero is considered as one of the Philippines' most famous and successful love teams of the 50s. Ca. 1950s.

The handsome Kapampangan movie star who convincingly portrayed presidential candidate Ferdinand Edralin Marcos and helped ensured his victory was born Luis Mercado in the old town that gave him his name, San Luis. As a contract star of Sampaguita Pictures, he was introduced in the movie “Pilya” (1954) and was groomed as a romantic leading man for light drama and comedies. He was often seen playing the love interest of Rita Gomez and Lolita Rodriguez, both Sampaguita beauties.

But it was his pairing with screen star Gloria Romero that captivated legions of movie fans, even as Gloria had already been initially paired with Ric Rodrigo. The Gloria-Luis love tandem proved to be more successful and productive, a team-up that began in “Despatsadora” (1955) and which led to other blockbusters like “Artista” , “Hootsy Kootsy” (1955), Pagdating ng Takip Silim, Teresa, Vacationista (1956), Colegiala, Paru-Parong Itim (1957), Alaalang Banal, Palaboy, Ikaw ang Aking Buhay (1958), Sinisinta Kita (1963) and Show of Shows (1964). Together, they did about 30 movies.

The controversial movie “Iginuhit ang Tadhana” would catapult his name and Gloria’s in the forefront of Philippine moviedom—as well as national newspaper headlines. Produced in 1965 by 777 Films, the cine bio movie is credited with helping Ferdinand E. Marcos win the presidency. Luis ably portrayed the life of the Nacionalista Party candidate, culminating in his romance with Imelda Marcos, a role essayed by Gloria Romero.

Reviewed by the Board of Censors under Diosdado Macapagal’s administration on 24 August 1965, it was approved for showing, but its scheduled premiere at Rizal Theater was stopped by the Board. This sent a signal to the influential Manila press which suspected Malacañang meddling in this mess. As a result, the country supported the Nacionalista underdog and history was re-written with the defeat of Macapagal and the dramatic rise to power of Marcos.

Luis Gonzales would again reprise his Marcos role in the 1969 movie, “Pinagbuklod ng Langit” by United Brothers Production which won Famas Best Picture that year. The story revolves around the Palace life of the Marcoses. He was reunited with Gloria Romero in this propaganda movie.

Luis would continue to be active in the next decades and some of his memorable movies include “Tubog sa Ginto” and “Haydee” in 1970, where he helped launch the career of another Kapampangan, Hilda Koronel. (Much earlier, in 1956, he did a movie closer to home entitled “Pampanggenya”). He was in action movies ( Nardong Putik, Niño Valente, Kidlat ng Maynila: Joe Pring, Humanda Ka Mayor: Bahala na ang Diyos, Kamay ni Cain, Iukit mo sa Bala), comedies (Just Married, Do Not Disturb, Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday), drama (And God Smiled at Me, Pahiram na Ligaya, Nasaan ang Puso), fantasies (Madonna, Babaeng Ahas, Tiyay and His Magic Payong) and even teen-oriented flicks (Message Sent, I Think I’m In Love). In all, he was in over a hundred movies.

The versatile actor is married to an affluent socialite Vina Concepcion, whose family is engaged in electronics. They have a daughter, Melissa Mercado Martel, who made news herself when she accused her husband, Robert Puyat Martel, of physical abuse and attempted murder in 2004. The Mercados today are still visible in Manila’s social scene, although Luis Gonzales has not been seen on the silver screen since his last appearance in the multi-episode movie, “Xerex”, shown in 2003.

*224. The Reverend and His Flock: FR. OSMUNDO G. AGUILAR, World-Class Ornithologist

2010-11-09T16:14:00.001-08:00

THE PADRE & HIS FLOCK. Fr. Osmundo G. Aguilar of Guagua, as a new graduate of San Carlos Seminary. He combined his love of nature with his religious calling, studying Theology and Ornithology at the same time. He is the founder of St. Michael's College, a well-known institution of learning in Guagua. Dated May 1930.

Fr. Osmundo Aguilar is well-known in Guagua as a never-say die priest who established Saint Michael’s College at the church convent from the ashes of World War II. Serving the parish of the Immaculate Conception from 1939 to 1948, Fr. Aguilar is also remembered for having refurbished the church (the altars of St. Joseph and the Crucified Christ were erected during his term) and for propagating Marian devotion through his founding of Children of Mary. But he was also famous for his colorful menagerie of birds from all over the world—a fabulous collection that, at one time, was considered the largest and rarest in the country.

The bird-loving priest spent his childhood years in rural Guagua, and pursued his religious calling at San Carlos Seminary in San Pedro, Makati where he graduated in May 1930. He had always been interested in pets and animals—and when it was time to choose a special course alongside Theology, he chose Ornithology, the study of birds. This would lead him to a lifetime pursuit of bird collecting.

His initial collection of 200 local and foreign birds consisted of parrots, peacocks, doves and cranes, which he began in 1924 and which he further expanded with birds coming from the jungles of Southeast Asia from 1937-38. Unfortunately, this collection was seized by the Japanese during the war.

Unfazed, he started to reassemble his collection after the war, investing about P30,000 for the acquisition of new birds, mostly from the American tropics. His collection of macaws (six of 18 species) was considered the largest in the world. One Royal Scarlet Macaw from Brazil set him back by $400. His garden became a veritable nesting place for white peacocks, pheasants, flamingoes from Cuba and red-breasted egrets from Africa. Fr. Aguilar also managed to bring home the most expensive parrot in the world—the 14 inch Queen of Bavaria’s Conures, found only in Paraguay and Brazil.

The Reverend’s obvious favorites were his 41 parrots, which he trained to speak in Spanish, English and Portuguese. He avidly researched on these birds, studying their habits and behavior. The most intelligent are the two African greys which were a donation to him from the Zoological Garden of Brussels, the only pair of the kind in the Far East in 1951. He was offered P62,000 for the pair, a big fortune at that time, but he turned it down.

That is not to say that his collection remained purposeless. In order to raise funds for the schooling of underprivileged boys at St. Michael's, he put up a pioneering show at the Assumption College along Herran St. (now Pedro Gil) which featured 41 of his most attractive birds. For fifty centavos, one could marvel at noisy cockatoos, talking parrots and colorful macaws in their cages, and appreciate the beauty of God’s most beautiful feathered creations. The first ever bird show drew curious Manilans to the school, ensuring the success of the good father’s fund drive.

So precious were the birds to Fr. Aguilar, that he even made an arrangement with the U.S. Government to fly the bird out of the country for safekeeping in the event of another War. Eventually, his bird collection was sold to such sanctuaries as the Honolulu and San Diego Zoo. The beloved priest of Guagua passed away in 1992. Fr. Aguilar was no Saint Francis, but like the patron of animals, the Reverend genuinely cared for his fine, feathered friends and you could say that they loved him back--with squawks, screeches and cackles!

*223. PAMPANGA'S PARUL: Spectacular Stars of the Season

2010-10-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

TWINKLE, TWINKLE CHRISTMAS STAR. A Kapampangan lass from Barrio Talang in Candaba, Pampanga spruces up their family's humble home with a homemade star lantern crafted from papel de japon, cellophane and bamboo sticks, December 1961.

Pampanga’s star shines the brightest during the holiday season, in both literal and figurative sense, as it brings out its dazzling, colorful paruls (lanterns) to light up the nights leading to Christmas. While the lantern tradition is not unique to the Philippines—Oriental countries like Japan and China are likewise famous for their lighted paper lanterns with their characteristic tassels—it can rightfully claim to be the home of the most spectacular Christmas lanterns in the world, courtesy of Pampanga.

The parols in Pampanga, like all lanterns in the Islands, started with simple, boxy paper lanterns with wooden frameworks held on bamboo poles and borne to light early religious processions, as in the lubenas of the Virgen de La Naval in Bacolor. ‘Parol” was localized from the Spanish ‘farol’ (lantern), which, in turn was derived from “Pharos”, a Grecian island along the Nile renowned for its lighthouse that came to be part of the world’s seven wonders. The lanterns soon acquired the shape of a star and even a tail, to represent the Star of Bethlehem that shone over Christ’s birthplace in Bethlehem.

For many years, the basic construction of the parol remained unchanged—bamboo sticks form the framework for the three-dimensional five pointed star, which is then covered with papel de japon of suitable color. The bamboo frames are lined with strips of foil paper to define the star and one or two tails of are added, also made from paper strips. The star can also be accentuated with foil cut-outs and circumscribed with a papered bamboo hoop. Several variations were spun-off from this basic parul, including lanterns with multiple points and, of late, paruls fashioned from translucent capiz shells, fiberglass, colored vinyl and handmade paper.

SAN FERNANDO PARUL FROM 1964, shows a star-shaped center with santan flower designs in between, circumscribed by 5-petal flowers.

But it took the people of San Fernando to re-invent the ‘parul’ , transforming them into the giant, spectacularly-lit lanterns that we know today. The advent of electricity in the 1930s solved the lighting problems of lanterns, and so artisans focused their attention in enhancing the design and size of the common ‘parul’.

The Davids from barangay Sta. Lucia, are a family of lantern-makers who were crafting ‘paruls’ as early as the 1930s. The patriarch, the late Rodolfo David, is credited with inventing the rotor, which revolutionized the design and lighting mechanisms of paruls, allowing for countless lighting possibilities and color combinations.

To maximize such attractive kaleidoscopic effects, lanterns grew in size, with the first battery-powered giant lanterns devised by David’s son-in-law, Severino, in the early 1940s. By 1958, David had perfected a new lantern design, papered with papel de japon, and now distinctively known as ‘parul sampernandu’. The flat, circular lanterns are designed with individual compartments housing a lightbulbs that light and ‘dance’ using the ingenious rotor technology devised not ny engineers, but by local craftsmen. Rotors are fashioned from barrels, which are rotated manually by a person to light the lanterns—the same principle employed by small music boxes that has rotors with embossed parts that sound off when they come in contact with the steel tines.

CLASSIC PARUL DESIGN, shows a kaleidoscope of colored patterns--curlicues, spirals, arches and mosaic patterns. Ca. 1964.

In the case of sampernandu lanterns, the electricity is activated with hairpins when they come in contact with the metal rotor. Strategically-placed masking tape on the rotor, on the other hand, cuts off the flow of electricity. This stop-and-go flow of electricity dictates the lighting pattern of the thousands of lightbulbs (some as much as 4,000 bulbs) , achieving the dancing illusion that becomes more apparent when the lighting is synched with live band music.

Today, the paruls of Pampanga, led by the sampernandu of the capital city, continue to shine brightly with the annual Ligligan Parul (Giant Lantern Festival and Contest) that has helped popularized and revitalized interest in this once-vanishing art. Leading lantern makers like Erning David Quiwa, Eric Quiwa, Roland Quiambao and Arnel Flores are at the forefront of this mision to keep the parul tradition alive.

The Kapampangan paruls have also awed audience worldwide—from Hollywood U.S.A. (where a float decorated with sampernandu lanterns won first prize in a folk festival), Thailand, Taiwan, to Austria and Spain. Always a community affair, the making of Christmas lanterns also helps to keep the flame of bayanihan spirit burning, encouraging generosity, charity, goodwill and peaceful co-existence, which are, in fact, the same messages that Christmas brings.

MASAYANG PASKU AT MASAPLALANG BAYUNG BANWA KEKO NGAN!

*222. FOUR AND TWENTY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

2010-10-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

MISS DECEMBER. A Kapampangan child from the Lilles family dresses up for a Christmas school play, in a costume representing the holiday month, complete with a mask, moon, stars and a paper crown with the number 12 in Roman numerals. Ca. mid 1920s.

There’s a certain spirit in the air whenever December comes, instantly turning on the holiday mood as the sights and sounds of the season come alive everywhere: carols on the radio, lanterns on the streets, Yuletide décor in homes, and yes, the dip in the thermometer, a sure sign of the approaching Christmas season.

To a child growing up in the 60s, December will always be a month unlike any other—for it meant shortened school days, a long vacation and one or two weeks of exciting holiday activities before the actual Christmas Day. You know it's really that time of the year when our Teacher-in-Charge starts ordering us to bring out our shoeboxes of Xmas ornaments stowed in our classroom cabinet. In my elementary school days, I remember how we turned our classroom into a virtual Winter Wonderland. The centerpiece was a Christmas tree fashioned from a real tree with branches covered with lots of cotton balls.

We decorated our tree with chains made from colored paper, and cut-out figures from old Christmas cards. Glitter was made from old cigarette ‘palara’ and more generous classmates would donate five-centavo Chinese folding paper lanterns with tassels of string. Traditional star lanterns of bamboo and papel de japon were all hand-made—which, after being graded by our Industrial Arts teacher, were quickly hanged above our door.

There would also be hurriedly-practiced Christmas presentations, which consist mostly of singing carols learned from our Commonwealth era music books. We played "manitu-manitu", our version of Kris-Kringle, in which mystery benefactors gave small surprise gifts for you every day—bubble gum, a hand towel, a sachet of balitug (roasted corn kernels), a bar of Choc-nut. The identity of your donor is revealed on the day of the Christmas Party, where more gifts are given, with the best reserved for our Teacher-in-Charge.

At home, you can sense that the preparation for the big day is more frenetic, as househelps are mobilized to clean the backyard, wax the floors and scrub the wooden windows and the pasamanos (window ledge) with isis leaves. Two weeks before Christmas, my Ingkung (grandfather) would give an extra 100 pesos to my Ima for her Christmas marketing. I remember accompanying her to far away San Fernando so she could order special ‘saymadas’ (local pastry) slathered with butter and topped with grated ‘quezo de bola’. This must explain why ensaymadas are my favorite pastries to this day.

Ati Bo, my father’s former yaya and our resident cook would also be preparing the big ‘kawas’ (vats) and ‘kalderas’ (wide cooking pans) for our special noche buena (midnight meal) based on my Ima’s menu, scrubbing the copper ‘tachos’ to bring back their gleam, which she will use for cooking tibuk-tibuk. Banana leaves would be gathered from our backyard garden, cut in size and then smoked to make them supple for wrapping suman and bobotu.

Around this time too, while the adults are absorbed in their holiday chores, I would also be snooping around to see what I would be receiving for Christmas. There were years when we got ‘stateside’ gifts bought from Clark made possible by an American friend--my favorite were the stockings stuffed with mint candies, small toys, crayons and activity books. When that was not possible, my big sister would find something appropriate at Johnny’s Grocery in Balibago or in the school supply stores of Angeles like Josie’s Variety and Estrella’s. I always looked forward to receiving Classic Illustrated comic books (they cost 80 centavos back then) that featured both "stories from the world's greatest writers" and classic fairy tales. I still have a few issues saved from those past Christmases.

Children were also expected to attend religious festivities during the holidays and the ‘pastorellas’ of our church in Mabalacat were always a delight to hear. Latin hymns are sung during the 9-day Christmas masses , and the songs include “Kyrie” (in Greek, actually) , “Gloria”, “Credo”, “Sanctus” and “Agnus Dei”. Though I could not understand a word, the operatic hymns, sung by a full choir and accompanied by violins, accordion and flutes, completely enthralled me, leading me to believe that these musical pieces must have been composed in heaven. Today, the pastorella tradition lives on in Mabalacat and in a few towns like Betis and Sta. Rita.

The final prelude to Christmas happens on Christmas Eve with the holding of the kid-anticipated ‘Maytinis’—the spectacular procession of holy images—patrons of every barangay, accompanied by colorfully lit lanterns or parul. Village choirs singing “Dios te Salve” accompany the faithful as they wend their way through the main streets of the town and back to the church.

As a young boy, I could only see the procession from afar—on the other side of Sapang Balen—as our narrow street was not part of the designated ‘limbun’ route. How I often fretted those nights away! Which is why, when I was asked to judge the Maytinis competition in 2004 (yes, prizes are now being given away for the Best Lantern, Best Carroza, Best Barangay Participation, Best Choir, etc.), I did not think twice and said yes. Through the years, the level of artistry has grown by leaps and bounds, evident in the creatively-designed lanterns and imaginatively-decorated floats; I pray that the depth of devotion has grown too.

Call me killjoy, but the excitement over Christmas drops drastically for me the day after—December 26. Then I start counting 364 days all over again till the next Christmas. For another chance to bring back scenes from one’s childhood and relive honored traditions, the wait is worth it.

MASAYANG PASKU AT MASAPLALANG BAYUNG BANWA KEKO NGAN!

*221. WITNESS TO THE WEDDING: Castro-Del Rosario Nuptials

2010-10-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

WEDDING DAY BLUES. Two Kapampangan families--the Castros of Mabalacat and the Del Rosarios of Angeles--were united in the 1949 wedding of Ecteng del Rosario and Dong Castro--my lovestruck parents. 15 May 1949.

My parents used to keep an album of their 1949 wedding, and I remember poring over the pages many times, enthralled by the pictures, the newspaper write-up and even a feature of their wedding cake, which made it to the page of a magazine. Over the years, the album just crumbled, until all we had left was half of their wedding invitation, and a fragment of their wedding announcement published in the papers. Being the self-appointed ‘family historian’, I had the good sense to save the remaining pictures in a new album, which my Mother, the former Estrella Castro del Rosario, stowed away in my late father’s cabinet.

She had always told me about that special day in her life, albeit, in bits and pieces—and photos of her show her indeed, relishing the moment, her smile full, her face beaming. It was only recently that I had the heart to go through my Mother’s stuff again, over a year since her death, leading me to find more details about that magical 15th day of May, one morning in 1949.

My mother and father had a whirlwind courtship, getting hitched three months after their chance meeting in Angeles. My mother worked at the botica-cum-gift shop owned by her doctor-brother and it was here that my good-looking Dad introduced himself to her, on the pretext of buying a tin of Vicks. To make the long story short, my mother was swept off her feet by this short, Ateneo high school drop-out, and next thing she knew, he was asking her hand in marriage. I still keep their love letters and read them every now and then. I am both amazed and amused at my father’s sugar-sweet notes, parts of which I am sure were copied from a “how to write a love letter" book and which were certainly enough to convince my mother to give her ‘yes’.

The wedding was just a family affair, but it was complete with all the trimmings of a grand wedding. After all, my father was the eldest son, a junior, no less—and a wedding of this magnitude was a privilege of his rank. In reality, however, their wedding cost so little, thanks to wise budget-cutting and planning. The wedding itself was solemnized at the San Miguel Catholic Church (Pro-Cathedral), with Rev. Fr. Pedro N. Bantigue as the officiating priest.

My mother, just 21, was given away by his eldest brother, Dr. Pablo del Rosario, as her father had passed away two years before. She wore a printed ecru satin gown with beautiful butterfly sleeves. On her head, she wore a heart-shaped headdress, which accentuated her trademark widow’s peak. She lived long enough to see her wedding gown and headdress, framed for posterity, now hanging in my living room. My mother was every inch a picture of a radiant bride on her wedding day.

On the other hand, my 25 year-old father was in an all-white Americana sharkskin suit, the style of the day for young grooms. He wore a blue printed silk necktie and a matching hanky. Unlike mother’s gown, my father’s suit did not survive, but his necktie did. I wore his necktie for my high school graduation photo; so did my brothers, who borrowed it for their formal parties. My dashing father had his hair slicked with Brilliantine and I remember him using pomade on his hair right down till the 1990s.

Maid of Honor at their wedding was my mother’s sister, Jesusa or Imang Susing. Her counterpart was Tatang Maning, my father’s younger brother, who acted as the Best Man. Standing as principal sponsors were Pedro M. Lansangan and Paz Dizon de Gomez. Among the secondary sponsors were then my mother’s brother Renato, or Tatang Ato, (Veil), Orlando del Rosario and Nila Tayag (Cord). Sonia del Rosario (my mother’s niece) and Marcelo de la Cruz (my father’s nephew) were the well-behaved Flower Girl and Ring Bearer respectively.

The Breakfast Reception was held at the Riviera, a popular restaurant for social functions. At 4 pesos per plate, the newlyweds managed to save a lot on their reception. They even had a wonderful wedding cake that had a man-and-wife cake topper under a decorated canopy. The official photographer was X’OR Studios, which presented my parents lots of photo proofs of the event for their approval. But when they were shown the bill, my parents almost fainted. They chose not to order a final set of photos but kept the proofs instead. These pictures are what they kept in their album, complete with “Proof Only” marks, stamped on their pristine white dresses.

It is interesting to note that when my mother assumed my father's last name, she just switched her Del Rosario surname with her maiden name --which was also Castro (her mother was Felicisima Castro). Some say it's a coincidence, but to my parents, it's destiny, their meeting written in the stars.

My parents were together for 49 years, and while many felt a tinge of dismay for not reaching their golden wedding anniversary, I like to believe that it is not only in the number of years that one should count love’s ways. My father was no poet like Elizabeth Browning, but he sure meant it when, just 11 days before their wedding, he wrote my mother: “Remember, my darling, an hour or two with you is just like a minute and a minute without you is like a year. I shall always be loving you, my darling, whether in sickness or in health, till the end of our lives”.

Every time I read this part, I always get "kilig to the bones". Now that's true love!

*220. ACADEMY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS, Guagua

2010-10-10T01:51:00.000-07:00

"COLEGIO DE LAS MADRES DE GUAGUA". College of the Sisters of Guagua--was how Guagua folks referred to the Academy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its early years. It was run by the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM), a congregation founded by Mother Ignacia. Dated January 1929.

Guagua’s most regarded Catholic institution of learning is over 100 years old and is still a force to contend with in the academic community of Pampanga. Starting out as the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in honor of the Sacred Heart, it was founded in 1908, with the first two-storey building donated by a pious lady of means. It was put under the charge of the Sisters of the Beaterio, or known as the Religious of the Virgin Mary, the first Filipino congregation established by Ven. Mother Ignacio del Espiritu Santo.

The Sisters were supported by duly qualified teachers and emphasis was not just on academics but also in the teaching of Religion-- “to make its students devout both in faith and in practice”. By the early 1930s, the Academy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (A.S.H.J.) touted that it was “modern in its methods of instructions and in its complete equipment, library, laboratory and dormitory". It offered Elementary and Secondary courses recognized by the Government.

The War put a momentary end to the school and, over a decade after the war’s end, a petition was filed by Mother Maria Emilia Romero, RVM, together with some school alumnae to reopen the school. The request was favorably granted by the Superior General, Mother Catalina Dychitan, RVM. The old convent beside the church was used to house the Kindergarten and elementary classes. The school also assumed a new name-- Sacred Heart Academy—when it reopened on 10 June 1956.

The High School Department reopened in 1960, which led to an increase in student population and the subsequent expansion of the school, its buildings and its facilities. A 2-storey high school building was added in 1968 and the numerous school alumnae pitched in to have a Lourdes grotto as well as the campus gate made for their beloved school. The grade school building on the church grounds however, was razed to the ground a day after Christmas in 1969. A replacement wooden structure was hastily constructed on an unused lot donated by the Cancio family in 1970, until the grade school was moved ultimately to the San Roque campus a year later.

Further expansions were started in 1988 with the addition of 10 classrooms, a library, a high school faculty room and laboratories. The Pinatubo eruption did not deter the Sisters from stopping their operations, even opening their doors to hundred of victims seeking refuge from Pinatubo’s fury. When the volcano quieted down, the administrators replaced the termite-damaged grade school building with a new one.

By then, the funds of the school were drained due to the catastrophe, but money borrowed from the RVM congregation went into the construction of a 4-storey edifice which was named as Assumption Building that had over 20 classrooms.

For the first time too, starting school year 1996-97, male students were finally accepted by the school, freshmen and sophomores only. The first graduation of male students was realized in 1999. The next year, Sacred Heart Academy was re-named “St. Mary’s Academy”, and another 4-storey building was added with state-of-the art facilities including a Speech and Computer Labs, Auditorium and the Music Department. Inaugurated in 2003, it is now known as Beaterio Building.

The journey of this revered school--from Academy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Mary’s Academy—is a long one, but throughout its history, it has remained true to its Ignacian Marian spirituality, helping build Christ-centered communities and transforming societies by molding students into leaders, dedicated to serve others.

*219. KAPAMPANGANS AND THEIR ‘KARNABAL’ CAPERS

2010-10-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

ClOWNING AROUND. Two young Kapampangan lads dressed up as harlequins for the annual 'karnabal' revelry in Manila. Ca. mid-1920s.

The annual Manila Carnival, first held at the Luneta in 1908, was a big national event, unparalleled in spectacle and pageantry. It owes much of its attraction to the fabulous pavilions, exciting rides and shows, the presence of regal Carnival beauties, as well as the rambunctious atmosphere created by revelers that took to the streets in fantastic outfits and costumes.

Indeed, the very first Carnival of 1908, was in fact a one big costume and masquerade ball. The grotesque dances, pageants and processions had participants masked and dressed as harlequins, clowns and allegorical figures. The pageant that involved the Occidental and Oriental royalties featured characters dressed in formal raiments of the richest variety. Following the ceremonies, the evenings were lighted up “to show costumes, masks and masquerades”, leading to the Grand Masquerade Ball of Nations.

The Fancy Dress Balls and the Costume Contests proved to be one of the more awaited events, a showcase of Filipino creativity at it most imaginative. Prizes were given to costumed participants; loving cups were awarded to the most beautiful lady’s costume, the most beautiful gentleman’s costume and to the most attractive group. The succeeding balls were a combination of both a masquerade and costume party, with the traditional unmasking happening at midnight. No one was allowed entrance unless he was suitably garbed in a costume.

Drawn to the wild Carnival atmosphere, Kapampangans took to the big city to participate in the costumed events. One notable Kapampangan joined the costumed capers of the Carnival, and he recounted his Carnival experience in his unpublished 1975 memoirs, “The Story of My Life”. Jose Gutierrez David, the future Associate Justice of the Supreme Court was just 17 when he, together with his friends, attended the country’s much ballyhooed first Carnival. He recalls:

“In 1908, the Philippine Carnival in Manila offered free rides on the train for all persons coming from the provinces who wore costumes. For lack of sufficient money for the fare, I took advantage of this offer. I donned the costume which I had used in one Spanish drama presentation. It was the costume of a Prince together with the wig and crown. I used a mask—as all other costumed participants did—so that nobody would recognize me.

It so happened that Chong (Concepcion Roque, his future wife), her father and sister Amanda boarded the same train for Manila. I learned from Chong afterwards that she had recognized me although I did not greet her. The Carnival Queen then was Pura Villanueva from Iloilo who became Mrs. Teodoro Kalaw. I stayed in Manila three days attending the festival every night. I used to see Chong in the Pampanga Pavilion. I stayed in the house of my friend surnamed Dimacale on Raon Street. I just took my breakfast there and I ate luncheons and dinners in a Chinese Restaurant, the “Panciteria Antigua: at Plaza Sta. Cruz. I ate the same food at noon and at night. It consisted of one bowl of “pancit mike” (noodle) which cost me 10 centavos and two plates of rice worth two centavos each. Fourteen centavos per meal in all. This was what all my budget could afford.

The succeeding year (1909), my friends, Zoilo Hilario, Maximo Vergara, Joaquin Gozun and I went to Manila for two days during the Carnival season, Julia Agcaoili was the Queen. We all slept in the house in Bacolor on the eve of our trip on board of one of the steamships of Teodoro Yangco plying between Guagua and Manila. The fare by boat was much cheaper than by train. We had to be on board at 6 o’clock sharp in the morning, so we had to be awake at 3 o’clock to go to Guagua, negotiating a distance of about six kilometers from our house, to be on time to catch the boat.

In Manila, we stayed in the house of a brother of my friend, Joaquin Gozun, a shoemaker or a ‘zapatero’ who was also from Bacolor and who entertained us during our two-day sojourn in Manila. Once in a while, we took our luncheon or dinner in the panciteria, Dutch treat. The little money I had to spend in those trips to go and stay in Manila, to attend the joyous season, came from my meager (few pesos) royalty for my ‘zarzuela’, and from petty cash given by my brother Amado.”

The “Karnabal” in Manila was certainly the place to be for a ‘promdi’ teenager in search of new experiences, new thrills. Under a mask, concealed by a costume, he could be another person he wanted to be, free to give vent to his emotion and imagination, as he loses himself to the sights and sounds of an emerging nation on the road to progress—all in the ‘greatest annual event of the Orient”.

*218. CHIQUITO: The Man Who Laughs

2010-10-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

TO-CHIQUI 'TO!. Augusto Valdez Pangan, in real life, was not just a popular comedian who animated the silver screen with his well-known comic characters and spoofs of Hollywood movies, but also a dancer, politician, inventor, jockey and businessman. Ca. 1960s.

One movie character icon that certainly made an impression on me as a kid was this unforgettable Chinese with a long droopy moustache, called “Mr. Wong”. Before his appearance, the Chinese were portrayed unflatteringly on the silver screen, either as taho peddlers or as people with incomprehensible accents. But Mr. Wong was funny yet sagacious, distinguished but practical, a champion of the Chinese people and its traditions.

It was a role originated by a comedian with Kapampangan roots, who had always been seen as the chief rival of Dolphy for the title of comedy king. Here, finally was a performer with a fine mind and sensitivity, who did comedy for a purpose, not just for a few cheap laughs.

Augusto Valdez Pangan, or simply “Chiquito” was born on 12 March 1932 to Manuel Pangan, an executive of San Miguel Brewery and Remedios Valdez, the second of eleven children. The Pangans trace their family roots to Apalit, Pampanga, but moved to San Miguel, Bulacan and finally to Manila were “Tito” or “Gus” grew up.

He was 7 when he started performing in Manila theaters, and in one impersonation contest, impresario Lou Salvador Sr. spotted him. He gave him a role in a musical production at the Manila Grand Opera House during the Japanese regime. Only 13 at that time, Chiquito went on to delight crowds at bodabil shows at Cloverand Life Theaters, with his engaging boogie-woogie dancing. Soon, he was being called “Tito Boogista”.

Enrolled at Mapua, Gus dreamt of becoming a topnotch engineer but the lure of showbiz proved irresistible. A meeting with Fernando Poe Sr., jumpstarted his film career in the 50s, starting with Sanggano (1947), from Palaris Pictures. He was also one of the original “Lo’Waist Gang” (1956) that counted Zaldy Zshornack and Jess Lapid as members. For the next five decades, he would make movies, mostly comedies, like Atrebida, Fighting Tisoy, Mr. Basketball, Lo’Waist Gang and Og sa Mindoro (all shown in 1958). He would also star in “Sotang Bastos” (1959), a movie about professional jockeys, of which Chiquito was one. He developed a love for gambling, naming even his production outfit (Sotang Bastos Productions) after this hit movie of his.

One highlight of his long, stellar career is appearing wit Hollywood vixen Mamie Van Doren in the western comedy spoof, “Arizona Kid”, released in 1970. To make it official, Chiquito was also the first to don a Darna costume in the film “Teribol Trobol”, thus beating Dolphy for the title of the first male Darna.

In later years, the characters he portrayed would become major movie icons. Aside from “Mr. Wong” (1977) there were: the caveman “Barok” (1976), “Asiong Aksaya” (a Larry Alcala cartoon character, 1977), “Mang Kepweng” (1979), “Gorio” (1979), “Estong Tutong”, “Kenkoy at Rosing”, “ Tacio” (based on a popular comic strip, 1980), “Pete Matipid”, “Django” and “Atorni Agaton” (1990).

Chiquito married Vilma “Ely” Isidro, who was once Ramon Zamora’s dancing partner. They were just 19 and 17 respectively, and they raised seven children, Medy, Eliza, Buma (“Bukol”), Princess, Tiny, Gus and Archie. Chiquito is also credited with discovering Alma Morena (Vanessa Laxamana), a Kapampangan actress whom he introduced in “Kambal-Tuko”.

Entering politics, he was successfully elected three times as a councilor of Makati. He served briefly as the Vice Mayor of the city, and then in 1992, he ran for a seat in the Senate, but lost. He returned to the movies in 1994, teaming up with rapper Andrew E. in the blockbuster Viva movie, “Pinagbiyak ng Bunga (Lookalayk)". A spin-off TV series was rushed that same year entitled “Puno’t Bunga”. His last movie before he got sick was “Strict ang Parents Ko’, with Amanda Page.

3 July 1997 was the day the laughter died. Chiquito, the master of broad comedy and character spoofs passed away at age 65 after a courageous bout with liver cancer at the Makati Medical Center.