418. THE MISS UNIVERSE QUESTS OF THE BERENGUER-DELOS REYES SISTERS

TWO CROWNING GLORIES: Sisters Yvonne Berenguer-de los Reyes (Miss Philippines 1955) and  Simonette (Bb. Pilipinas 1970) both carried the country's flag at the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, fifteen years apart. Their mother, Marietta, comes from the prominent Reyes-Berenguer-Linares family of Arayat.

In the history of Philippine beauty pageantry,  no feat is as unprecedented as what two sisters of Kapampangan lineage accomplished in 1955 and 1970 respectively.  They were both crowned as Miss Philippines, chosen to represent the country in the premiere global contest of feminine pulchritude: the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. Thus, Yvonne and Simonette Berenguer-de los Reyes, achieved what many thought was impossible—of winning the same crown, the same title, and competing in the same international pageant—fifteen years apart!

The sisters were the daughters of Crisanto de los Reyes y Mendoza, and Marietta Berenguer y Linares of Arayat, Pampanga.  Their mother’s parents, Jose Flores Berenguer  and Simona Reyes Linares,  came from prominent families of the mountain town (Note: Renowned interior designer-decorator, Mercedes “Ched” Berenguer-Topacio  is a cousin). From their father’s side, Yvonne and Simonette count several beauties as relatives: 1929 Miss Philippine Carnival Pacita delos Reyes, 1954 Miss Philippines Blesilda Ocampo and Tingting de los Reyes.

The sisters’ impeccable  pedigree would serve them well in their quest for a beauty crown. 1955 was just the third year of the Philippine participation to the annual Miss Universe. The year before, Blesilda Mueller Ocampo,  did well in Long Beach, California, by placing in the semifinals. 

The pageant,  founded in 1952 by clothing company Pacific Mills, is considered to be the most prestigious, and most important of all beauty concourses, then, as now. Winners came home to their country to tumultuous welcome, honored as heroes, treated as royalties, and showered with privileges from their governments, like being given tax exemptions for life and immortalized in postage stamps. 

Gamin-faced Yvonne was one of the candidates who converged at the Miss Philippines finals on 12 March 1955 at the Cavalcade Hall Auditorium of United Nations Plaza. That year, Audrey Hepburn was the toast of showbiz, and Yvonne’s delicate elfin Hepburn look was not lost on the judges.  She was named Miss Philippines 1955, crowned  by her own own cousin, Bessie, with whom she shares the same paternal great-grandparents (Crisanto Mendoza de los Reyes and Dorotea Silverio).

 Yvonne’s court included Lucy del Prado (Miss Luzon),  Annie Gonzales (Miss Visayas) and Annie Corrales (Miss Mindanao). She flew to Long Beach to participate in the first-ever televised Miss Universe edition. Sweden’s  Hillevi Rombin won the title.

Right after her reign, Yvonne got married, raised a family (children Juancho, Marietta, Marco)  and established a successful ballet dancewear, shoes and accessories business --“Yvonne’s” in 1967. It grew to five specialty stores and currently, her “Yvonne’s” shops in Makati and Greenhills are still going strong.

Simonette’s own journey to the crown had a different route. She was discovered by designer Pitoy Moreno who egged her to join the 1970 Bb. Pilipinas pageant, televised for the first time that year. Frontliner candidate Aurora Pijuan could have taken it all,  but when Simonette delivered her speech in fluent Pilipino—the only candidate to do so—the tides were turned in her favor. 

In her speech (written for her by poetess Virgie Moreno, Pitoy’s sister)  she made an analogy about  the judges’ task and that of  St. Peter’s, in deciding the fates of the candidates, who were liken to seekers of a place in heaven.  With that, Simonette was crowned Binibining Pilipinas, while Aurora Pijuan won the other title of Miss Philippines (she would triumph as 1970 Miss International in Osaka).

Simonette went to Miami Beach under tremendous pressure as the reigning Miss Universe was Gloria Diaz. So, she just went ahead and enjoyed the experience.  Her roommate, Puerto Rico’s Marisol Malaret, became the eventual winner. After her reign, she continued her commerce studies at Assumption. In 1972, she became the first Baron Travel Girl , and traveled extensively around the world.

In 1977, she married football ace Butch Ferraren, had children, lived for years abroad and pursued a successful baked goods business when she returned to the Philippines. She honed her craft as a baker and sold lemon squares, ensaimadas, and cakes. Today she operates California Funnel Cakes Café in Pasay City. Monette still regularly visits Pampanga, her mother’s hometown Arayat and the Caryana Monastery in Magalang for her spiritual retreats.

Two siblings with national titles are a rarity. Almost an impossibility is having two of them win the most sought after Miss Philippines title, then vie for the same Miss Universe crown. But the delos Reyes sisters did just that in 1955 and 1970. 

It would take awhile to duplicate that feat, but in recent years, the lovely Manalo sisters of Bacolor scored a similarly impressive coup--Katherine Ann Manalo, Bianca Manalo and Nichole became the winningest family by bagging three different Binibining Pilipinas titles (World 2002, Universe 2009, Globe 2016). But that’s  another (beautiful) story!

*397. LYDIA MONTAÑEZ: A Russian-Kapampangan Actress from Arayat

CALL HER TATIANA. Tatiana Simbulan Korionoff (aka Lydia Montañez) of Arayat was one of the most exotic faces of Philippine cinema in the 1950s, owing to her Russian-Kapampangan lineage.

 The bloody Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 led many thousands of Russians to flee their beleaguered country and seek refuge in other lands. One who escaped just in time was Victor Pavlov Korionoff (b. 28 April 1902) of the city of Perm, Russia. To escape the cruelty of the Red Russians, the 17 year-old decided to flee to Shanghai, via Manchuria, along with 2,000 czarists.

Victor was supposed to proceed to Australia by sea, but some ships sunk, leaving him stranded in Palawan. He had no recourse but to go back to Shanghai, where he established a cigar business whose success was short-lived.

 Back to square one,Victor decided to apply as a policeman but failed meet the height requirement. His next stop was a factory where he saved enough travel funds to seek his fortune in the Philippines.

He finally found work in Negros, at the Kabangkalan Sugar Central, where he got along very well with Tabacalera officials because of his ability to speak Spanish. With him was fellow Russian, Simeon Kibanoff, whom he met on a ship in Hong Kong and who would become his lifelong friend.

 Victor was assigned as a plant engineer at the Arayat Sugar Central in Pampanga in 1926. Simeon, who had by this time gotten married to Negrense Angela Parcon, tagged along with him and relocated his family to this mountain town.

 The next year, Victor  married a local 18 year-old lass named Marcelina Lising Simbulan, who gave him a firstborn son, Victor Jr. The rest of the brood would come in quick succession—Tatiana, Dimitri (Jim), Lydia, Jacob, Mary and Joseph (twins). Victor, a licensed electrical and mechanical engineer, built a large 2-storey house on the Lising ancestral land for his growing family, complete with a porch, a swimming pool and a bathroom with a flush toilet—a first in Arayat . At home, the family spoke in Kapampangan, a language also quickly learned by the patriarch.

 Of the Korionoff children, the natural artistic bent of eldest daughter Tatiana (“Tanya or Tani”), born in 28 April 1933, was apparent at an early age. Like her homegrown siblings, she attended Arayat Elementary School and Anderson Intermediate School. There, she learned how to sing and play the guitar. It was off to Arayat Institute for her college years, and although she admitted that she was not exactly a diligent student, she finished her studies and bagged a teaching stint at her elementary alma mater.

 The exotic mixed-race Tatiana never considered herself beautiful; in fact, when she joined a local beauty search—the Cinderella Contest—she placed a dismal 26th. But this paved the way for her entry into showbiz, with Royal Pictures (owned by Fernando Poe Sr.) signing her up, renaming her Lydia Montemayor and giving her small roles in “Tatlong Limbas” (1950), “Lihim ni Bathala “,“Mag-Inang Ulila” and “Maria Bonita” (1951).

 Thereafter, Benito Brothers Productions offered her a contract and turn her into a full-fledged star. She was rechristened Lydia Montañez—Lydia, in honor of her foster aunt, and Montañez, from the mountain town of her birth. Her launch film--“Irog, Paalam” (1951) directed by Jose Villafranca and with no less than the established matinee idol Leopoldo Salcedo as her leading man—proved to be a success at the box office tills. Their team-up would be repeated in “La Roca Trinidad”, produced by Salcedo himself.

 Her follow-up movie,”Isinanlang Pag-ibig”, in which she portrayed a woman wrongly accused of killing her loved one, was an even bigger hit and it was not long before Lydia Montañez became a byword among Filipino movie fans.

 With her father growing old and needing hospital attention, the dutiful Lydia helped in financing the education of her siblings though her showbiz earnings, enabling them to earn college degrees. She also took under her wing, Dolores Kibanoff, a niece of her father’s bosom friend, Simeon Kibanoff, who had been like family to them.

 On 2 April 1952, Lydia married Medardo Aquino, and gave birth to her first child, Nanette Ma. Socorro. She was followed by Medardo Jr., Agapito, Anatole, Maria Yasmine, Remegio, Katrina Grace and Gerardo. Even as a young mother, she would continue to make more movies in the first half of the 1950s, until she decided to leave showbiz behind in favor of family. Her family now lives in different parts of the U.S., and Lydia, who has reverted back to her original name Tanya, is settled with her husband in California.

*394. Cuts Like A Knife: AVELINA TEODORO, PAMPANGA'S YOUNG MURDERESS, 16

A CASE OF BACK-STABBING.. The cold-blooded murder of Constancia Pineda was perpetrated by her neighbor and supposed-friend, Avelina Teodoro of San Fernando. Both were just 16 years old. Inspite of her youth, Avelina was meted out a life sentence. From Graphic Magazine, Dec. 1929.

Poring over the files of some of the most sensational crimes of the past decades, I could not help but notice the involvement of Kapampangans in several high-profile cases—both as victims and perpetrators. I was horrified at the 1964 kidnapping of Maryknoller Cosette Tanjuaquio of Guagua in the hands of Orador Pingol and Nomer Jingco, who hid her in a pit for 83 days, and appalled at the still- unsolved "chop-chop" murder of Lucial Lalu of Candaba. Then there’s Jaime Jose, son of a prominent Kapampangan doctor, who was electrocuted in 1972 along with 2 others, for the crime committed against actress Maggie dela Riva’s virtue.

 Going back even further, I dug up a 1929 news report of a gruesome murder committed by a Kapampangan. It was shocking enough that the offender was a woman, but worse still that she was but a girl of 16!

 The full account on a December issue of Graphic Magazine reads as follows:

Sixteen year old Avelina Teodoro, of San Fernando, self-confessed murderer of her classmate, Constancia Pineda, also 16 years old, broke down when the sentence sending her to prison for life was read to her. Last September, Constancia’s body was found on the grounds of the Arayat Elementary School, pierced with a score of knife wounds. 

After some difficulties in the tracing of the murderer, the fingerprints on the body and the blood stains on Avelina’s clothing and books point out to the author of the crime. At first, Avelina denied the crime, pointing to Hilario Lugtu as the murderer, but confronted with the clues discovered, she confessed to the crime.

 What drove Avelina to kill her classmate? What was the motive? Was she really capable of murder? 

There were so many information gaps in the news report that I did more sleuthing and searching for facts about the 86 year-old case. Surely, all the characters of the case have passed on, but my curiosity had to be satiated.

 An online search yielded a transcript of an appeal filed by the defendant-appellant Avelina Teodoro with the Supreme Court on 12 August 1930. The documentation carried details of the crime, as the court reviewed the sentence imposed by the Court of First Instance of Pampanga on Avelina-- life imprisonment, plus P1,000 indemnity to the deceased's heirs for the crime of murder.

 It appeared that Avelina had indeed held a grudge against Constancia—she had been spreading shameful rumors about her, and opening her letters without her permission. This, Avelina confided to Hilario Lugtu. Avelina alleged that Lugtu told her that “he will take care of Constancia”. Allegedly,  Lugtu also asked Avelina to take Constancia to the closed Anderson Intermediate School. It was inside the toilet of the school that Constancia’s body was found with 37 stab wounds on her body. 

Two witnesses however, provided unimpeachable eyewitness accounts to the events leading to the murder. The first, Cristino Reyes, testified that on 19 September 1929, appellant Avelina borrowed his single-edge penknife, which matched the size of the wounds on Constancia’s body. When he tried to retrieve the knife, Avelina told him it had been inadvertently lost.

 More damaging was the testimony of witness Maximo Bundoc, who saw Avelina and Constancia on the day of the murder. He heard “the smaller girl” Constancia saying “In this world there's no devil like one's neighbor." This, she repeated to Avelina, “the bigger girl”. Complaining of a stomach ache, Avelina convinced Constancia to go inside the water closet of the school. It was the last time Bundoc saw the “small girl” alive , for the next day, her body would be discovered.

 This testimony of Bundoc corroborated the defendant Avelina's admission that she, herself,  was with the victim on the day of the crime. It was likewise shown that a finger of the defendant's left hand had become stained with Constancia's blood, and that her notebook had also been stained. Avelina was also seen walking hurriedly away from the crime scene, and when she was arrested by the Chief of Police Mutuc, bloodstains were noted on her dress.

 The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower court without modifications for the crime of murder. It also upheld the imposed penalty of  medium degree as fixed by the law, because the culprit was a woman—life imprisonment. The judgment appealed from was affirmed, with the costs of both instances against poor Avelina.

 Thus ended the sad, sorry tale of the young Kapampangan murderess, Avelina Teodoro, who tried to get away with murder, but got life behind bars instead.

*363. PAMPANGUEÑAS AT LA CONCORDIA

CAPAMPANGAN CONCORDIANS. Kapampangan internas of La Concordia College, most from well-known families of the province, are shown in this 1928 photo at the school grounds.

 In the 20s and 30s, class pictures were taken and classified not just by grade levels or sections, but also by the provinces from where the students came from. This custom of regional classification arose at the same time as school clubs were being formed based on one’s provenance. In the early days of the U.P. , there were officially-recognized clubs such as the Pampanga High School Club, which counted as its exclusive members, only PHS alumni.

 I have seen many group pictures bearing captions as “Seminaristas de la Pampanga”, “Pampango-Speaking Students at Philippine Normal School”, and most recently, this snapshot of a bevy of young Kapampangan ladies, identified as “Pampangueñas at Concordia”. This picture, which dates from 1928, not only identified the La Concordia students by number, but also the towns from which they originated.

 Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion de la Concordia was a school founded by Dña. Margarita Roxas de Ayala in 1868, built on her estate located on Pedro Gil in Paco. She donated this land for the erection of a girl’s school which was run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The school, with its initial staff of “imported”teachers, attracted students like Rizal’s sisters—Olimpia, Saturnina and Soledad, and other children of prominent families, from nearby provinces, Pampanga included.

 This photo shows young Kapampangan “internas” (student boarders) whose surnames reveal their privileged background. Detached from the comforts of their homes and familiarity of families, these girls were sent to Manila, with their board and lodging paid for monthly by their parents, with the goal of giving them proper education, befitting young women of their generation.

 So, whatever happened to these La Concordia Girls of 1928. I tried my best to find out what happened after their school years in one of Manila’s elite girls’ schools, guided by the names written on the back of the photo.

Fil-Am Barbara Setzer (1) and her younger sister Estela (15) were both from Angeles. Their parents were George Seltzer, and American, and Maria Dolores Lumanlan, who were married sometime in 1912. All 6 children (including Mercedes, Frank, John and Clara) were born in Angeles. Barbara was their second eldest, born on 4 December 1912. She died in San Francisco, California. Benita Estela Seltzer or Estela (born 21 March 1918) was just 10 years old when this picture was taken; she too, moved to the U.S. when she came of age.

 Catalina Madrid (2) is listed as having Macabebe as her hometown while Girl #3 is unidentified. Another Macabebe lass is Gregoria Alfonso (10); Alfonso descendants continue to reside in the town to this day.

 Araceli Berenguer (4) comes from the prominent Berenguer family of Arayat; she has three other kabalens in this photo, Maria Tinio (16), Flora Kabigting (6) with a familiar surname now associated with the halo-halo that made the town famous, and Rosario Dizon (13), who grew up to be a national Philippine Free Press Beauty of 1929.

 Little is known of Salud Canivel (5) who is from Candaba as well as Girl No. 14, identified only as Natividad R. Margarita Coronel (7) comes from the well-known Coronel family of Betis, Guagua. After La Concordia, she went to the University of Santo Tomas, where she excelled in Botany. A rare angiosperm she collected in Betis in 1934 is included today at the UST Herbarium. 

Loreto Feliciano (8) and her younger sister, Luz (17) are natives of Bamban, Tarlac. Loreto is better known as the wife of the late Robert ”Uncle Bob” Stewart, the pioneer TV broadcaster who founded DZBB Channel 7, and host of the long-running TV show, “Uncle Bob Lucky 7 Club ”. 

The Nepomucenos of Angeles are represented by cousins Pilar (9) and Imelda (12). Feliza Adoracion Imelda Nepomuceno (b. 29 Nov. 1912) was the daughter of Jose Fermin Nepomuceno with Paula Villanueva. She married Dr. Jose Guzman Galura later in life. 

Her first cousin Pilar, (Maria Agustina Pilar Nepomuceno, b. 13 October 1911) was the daughter of Geronimo Mariano (Jose Fermin’s older brother) and Gertrudes Ayson. As Miss Angeles 1933, Pilar represented the town in the search for Miss Pampanga at the 1933 Pampanga Carnival and Exposition. She later married Dr. Conrado T. Manankil and a daughter, Marietta, also became Miss Angeles 1955.

 What we know of their later lives as adult women suggests that they did fairly well, making good accounts of themselves as mostly successful mothers and homemakers. But in 1928, they were just a bunch of young Kapampangan La Concordia interns, bound together by a common tongue and culture—sweet and giggly as all other typical girls of their age---with the prospects of the future still far, far away.

*353. Pampanga's Churches: STA. CATALINA CHURCH, Arayat

STA. CATALINA CHURCH, as it appears in 1911. The 3-level Renaissance-style facade gives it a signature look, that has earned a reputation as among Pampanga's most beautiful churches. Luther Parker Collection

The ancient town of Arayat rests on the foothills of Pampanga's mountain landmark, that has also come to be called by the same name. Its actual founding, however, is shrouded in mystery; with some sources naming either Prince Balagtas or his son, Araw--both Madjapahit Empire nobles, as the founder. But what we do know was Arayat was already a viable settlement as early as the 14th century, and 1571, it was one of the most important riverine towns of Pampanga, becoming a hub for trade and commerce.

The coming of Augustinians ushered in a brisk period of evangelization and, on 29 August 1590, Bishop Domingo Salazar approved a request to establish the first mission in the town, which was subsequently set up by Fray Juan de Valderrama. By 1600, the Arayat parish was already firmly established , under the ministry of Fray Contreras.

The early church was dedicated to Santa Catalina de Alejandria (St. Catherine of Alexandria), a 4th century virgin-martyr killed under the reign of Maxentius. Considered as one of the most important saints of the Medieval period, Sta. Catalina was also a popular Augustinian devotion.

The stone and brick structure was erected in 1753; cacnonical books indicate that the first baptism was conducted there in 1758, by a certain Fray Villalobos. The church was rebuilt by Fray Jose Torres starting in 1858. Fr. Juan Tarrero continued with the project only to become an unfortunate victim of the Philippine Revolution. It was finally finished in 1892, under the able supervision of Fr. Urbano Beduya, although several renovations continued through the first 2 decades of the 20th century.

The beautiful Sta. Catalina Church features a multi-levelled Renaissance style fachada. measures 70 meters long and 16 meters wide and stands12 meters high. It belongs to the parish of the Vicariate of Mary, Help of Christians in the Archdiocese of San Fernando. An image of its titular patron, Sta. Catalina, stands on the church portico. A separate antique image also resides in the main altar. Her  feast day is celebrated on November 25. 

*291.HEIRLOOM SANTOS OF OLD PAMPANGA FAMILIES

EL ANGEL CUSTODIO. The heirloom image of the Nepomucenos, descendants of the founders of Angeles. It was commissioned in 1830, and now reposes at the central niche of the main altar of the Holy Angel University. Picture courtesy of the Center for Kapampangan Studies..

Most families reserve a special place in their homes for their images of faith---from a simple bedside table, a mesa altar, or a carved glass-panelled urna for a “santa”, an “Apung Guinu” or a “Santo Niño”. This goes to show how treasured santos are, handmade expressions of our faith, and venerated since the time of the Spanish conquest.

Kapampangan families often had images carved in wood or precious ivories by accomplished artisans of the province, lavishing them with respect, material gifts and money for their care and upkeep. A “kamadero” (caretaker) was often assigned to look for the image’s needs and safekeeping. This is especially true during the seasons of Lent, Christmas and fiestas, when the rites of the church revolve around these faces of divinities—to be prayed to, to be dressed and carried out in processions.

A number of antique images from prominent Kapampangan families still exist today, exceptional not just for their ancient beauty, but also for their history. In Mexico, the center of veneration is an ivory image of Santa Monica, the town’s patrona. It belonged to Capitan Francisco Liwanag and Doña Anastacia David Hizon, one of the wealthiest families of Mexico. The couple, though, were childless, and so the image was entrusted to a niece, Maria Hizon de Leon. But Maria would die young, but before her demise, she managed to pass on the image to her sister, Trinidad. The income from a parcel of rice land located at San Pedro, Kamuning, Mexico was allocated for the santa’s use. The current caretaker of the image is Trinidad’s granddaughter, Luz Dayrit Rodriguez.

Apalit’s most well-known santo is that of San Pedro, called endearingly by the name “Apu Iru”. The lifesize image, dating from the 2nd quarter of the 19th century, is made of expensive ivory. The seated santo shows St. Peter as a Supreme Pontiff, in papal robes. In 2002, a fire razed its shrine, destroying the saint's original accessories —gold and silver keys, tiara, pectoral cross and emerald ring. But the image remained unscathed, and this fortuitous event was hailed as a miracle by residents. During its annual June fiesta, a fluvial procession is held on Pampanga River, where the image, borne on decorated pagoda, is escorted by a fleet of boats carrying rowdy revelers.

The Apu Iru image is associated with the old Arnedo family, having been passed on to Dña Maria Espiritu de Arnedo, wife of Macario Arnedo y Sioco, who brought Apung Iru to Capalangan. To ensure that the cult is perpetuated, a corporation known as St. Peter’s Mission was put up by the Espiritu-Arnedo-Gonzalez-Ballesteros-Sazon families, which designates an official caretaker of the image (Augusto “Toto” Gonzalez III is the current kamadero).

Angeleños take pride in their own “Apung Mamacalulu”, or the Lord of Mercy, depicting the image of the dead Christ. It was commissioned by Fr. Macario Paras between 1828-1838, carved by an artisan named Buenaventura. It figured in at least two important events in Angeles town—the first, in 1897, when a religious farmer named Roman Payumu was arrested by Spanish infantrymen for taking part in the Revolution. Ordered executed on the spot, Roman, a loyal cargador of the Apu during His processions—invoked the name of the Lord of Mercy for salvation. His ropes that bound him came loose, allowing him to run and escape his captors--a miracle, attributed to the good Apu.

On Good Friday in 1928, the image of Apu was snatched by its kamadero, Eriberto Navarro while it was being processed. Acting for his aunt, Alvara Fajardo, a Paras heiress, Navarro claimed ownership of the image. A court case between the Church and the heirs followed, a case resolved only by the Supreme Court which returned the image to the Church. The authenticity of the returned image was in question for years, as the heirs had a second duplicate Apu image made, and which generated more following in their private Chapel than the one in the main Church.

Also in Angeles is the image of the titular town patron--El Angel Custodio-- commissioned and finished in the year 1830 by the town founder, Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda. After the death of Don Angel, the image of the Holy Angel was taken by his son-in-law, Don Mariano Henson (ca. 1798-1848, Doctor of Laws, married to Juana Ildefonsa de Miranda), who passed it on to Maria Agustina Henson (1828-1905), who later married Pio Rafael Nepomuceno (1817-1858 ). The image was handed down to son Juan Gualberto Nepomuceno (1852-1923), who, in turn passed it on to son Juan D. Nepomuceno (1892-1973), founder of Holy Angel Academy. It was this image, it was said, that inspired Juan to name the school "Holy Angel", now the biggest university of Central Luzon. Don Juan’s daughter, Teresita N. Wilkerson took care of the image after his father’s death; it now rests in the central niche of the university's Gothic-style chapel, finished in 2010 by noted carver, Willy Layug.

The closely-knit Panlilios of San Fernando are the owners of a processional Mater Dolorosa, the ivory image of the sorrowful Virgin since the 1800s. Considered miraculous, the Dolorosa is credited for saving the life of Luis Dayrit Panlilio in 1954. He was preparing the carroza of the Dolorosa when he was asked by his father-in-law to go with him to check their sugar plantation. They were about to leave when the electrician came running to report that the batteries of the carroza were not working, which was a surprise as Luis had checked them before lunch. His father-in-law went without him and en route to the sugar fields, he was ambushed by the Huks. Luis lived to be 91 years old.

Mabalacat is the home to a smaller-than-lifesize Sto. Entierro, (or locally named Apung Mamacalulu), a depiction of the dead Christ lying in state. Believed to have come from overseas, Mexico, it was first owned by Don Juan Rivera, considered as the town’s most affluent resident at that time. A descendant, Leonila Rivera Serrano, is the current owner. When the Serranos moved residence, the image was shuttled back and forth between Manila and Mabalacat.

Caretaker Mrs. Baby Sacay, tells us that in the 1960s, three women came to the Poblacion chapel where the image was housed. One of the women had a recurring dream in which Christ begged her to remove 7 sheets of clothing covering His face as they were causing him to suffocate. In the same dream, the woman noted that the feet of Christ, unlike other representations, were not crossed. When the group examined the image, it was indeed shrouded with 7 layers of satin, and both feet were uncrossed—just like in the woman’s dream!. Mrs. Sacay also remembers the day several Blue Ladies of Imelda Marcos came to make an offer to replace the antique treasure with a new one. She politely refused, and then proceeded to put locks all over her house.

Santos stories abound too about the antique images of the Dolorosa of Guagua (owned by the heirs of Don Guillermo Limson), the Sto. Entierro of Sta. Rita (of (the Ynfante-Velez family), the Sto. Entierro of Bacolor (its calandra was exhumed from lahar in 1995 and restored to full glory by Tom Joven) and the Manalangin/ Agony in the Garden of Arayat, which features an angel dressed in short pants. The pampering and care lavished on images may appear excessive to some, but to Kapampangan Catholics, the kind God on whom their faith rests and who has given them so much –blessings, protection, salvation from sickness, tragedies and natural disasters--deserve nothing less.

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

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.

*251. HANG ON TO THAT HAT!

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

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.

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

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.

*237. ATBU, ATBP.

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.

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

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.

*181. PIANO LESSONS

SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE. A Kapampangan girl takes a break from her piano lessons to pose before her imported piano, a status symbol for many Pampanga homes. Ca. mid 1920s.

For many affluent Kapampangan homes at the turn of the 20th century, the piano was a must-have musical instrument cum furniture piece, and owning one became a status symbol—and more. A child’s mastery of the ivory keys reflected the level of culture a family has attained, his skills a statement of his refined upbringing.

Families went looking for the piano of their dreams at the Philippine Music Store along Carriedo, operated by the Kapampangan Quisons. There were German-made brands like “F. Weber” and “Hermann” as well as the English “Robinson” or American "Steinway” and "Baldwin" pianos, all available in convenient monthly installments.

Schools like the Assumption Academy in San Fernando took advantage of the growing demand for piano lessons by offering Musical Sciences, major in piano. But for those who wish to study at their own leisure, one could hire private tutors. In the 1930s, Angeles kids went to the home of Isabel Mesina, who advertised her services in local papers."Tuturung tigtig piano”, she described herself. “Matula nang paquilala ing pegaralan na quenumang bisang agad mabiasang tigtig piano. Abac at gatpanapun ing pamanuru” .

Through the years, a number of Kapampangan pianists have attained national and global fame with their musical wizardry. One artist who gained wide exposure on Philippine TV is Amado Pascual of Arayat, who, at the age of 9, was tutored by his father. By 16, Pascual was a professional pianist for a band which got assignments at Clark Field.

Moving to Manila in 1947 to expand his musical horizons, Pascual became an arranger and a musical director. Pascual became a freelance performer both here and abroad but he is best known as a resident pianist for ABS-CBN from 1957-1972.

Internationally-acclaimed classical pianist Cecile B. Licad (b. 11 May 1961) , whose family roots are in Lubao, started as a child prodigy, tutored at age 3 by her mother, Rosario Picazo. She made her debut as a soloist with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at age 7 and was taken in eventually as a student of Rudolf Serkin at the Curtis Institute of Music.

In 1981, Licad received the prestigious Leventritt Gold Medal, one of the youngest artists in the contest’s history to be recognized. She has performed with the most renowned orchestras of the world, from the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, Tokyo’s NHK Symphony and regularly records for Sony.

An accomplished chamber musician, Licad has also graced the major concert halls of the world—from Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the Kennedy Center. She has a son, Otavio Licad Meneses, who is also a musical artist. Cecile Licad is set to treat her kabalen in a special homecoming concert scheduled for 2011 at the Holy Angel University Auditorium in Angeles.

Making waves for many years now in Europe is Conrado del Rosario (b. 21 Aug. 1958), based in Germany. Angeles-born “Titus” spent much of his young student life in the city schools where he first gained attention by winning regional musical competitions in the 70s. As a University of the Philippines scholar, he moonlit as a professional pianist-arranger in the commercial music industry.

Eventually, he won a Young Artists of the Philippines Foundation Scholarship that took him to Berlin, where he studied composition and orchestral conducting while mastering the flute, alto saxophone and exotic Asian instruments like the kulintang and gamelan. Known in Europe as Titus Chen, he made his mark by winning international competitions (1st Prize at the Hambacher Competition in Germany for his piece “Darangan”, besting 300 contestants from 32 countries, 2nd Prize at the Hitzacker Composition Contest for his chamber ensemble work “Yugto”).

In 1991, he was picked by the Berlin Senate for Cultural Affairs as one of 5 young composers to write a piece for the Scharoun Ensemble, performed in Salzburg and Berlin. His music has been heard not only in Germany but also in Zurich, Paris, Katowice, Melbourne, Budapest, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Tel Aviv.

As a teacher, he has taught piano and piano improvisation. And, as founder-pianist of the Berlin Improvising Composers’ Ensemble, he has gone on international tours and done recordings on CD. Titus has also dabbled in films, appearing as an actor-pianist in a few movies like “Company Business” (1991) starring Gene Hackman. This Kapampangan virtuoso is into jazz music these days (as a jazz saxophonist, he is known as Titus Chen), playing regular gigs with his band, but he hopes to go back to composing.

The piano has lost much of its appeal to Kapampangan youths of today who are more into band music that calls for electric guitars, drums and synthesizers. But one need only to look at the stellar achievements of Pascual, Licad and del Rosario, to be convinced of the priceless rewards that the gruelling years of piano training have brought to their lives as creative artists. In an extraordinary way, the ivory keys that they passionately touched and played, became the very same keys that unlocked a world of untold opportunities, paving the way for their conquest and triumph of the global music stage.

*157. THE LEISURELY LIFE

POOL PARTY. A cool bath in a Magalang swimming resort was everyone's idea of a week-end leisure activity during the peacetime era. Dated 6 November 1938.

For hyperactive youngsters growing up in the 70s, our idea of weekend leisure was simple enough. All we needed was a swimming hole to do our water sports, and Saturdays often found the family driving to Abacan in nearby Balibago, with our picnic baskets and towels to the Del Rosario Swimming Pool for an hour or two of free swimming. Imang Perling and Tatang Dadong, my mother’s elder brother, happened to own and operate the pool located in their residential compound. Later, a more modern resort, Yap Park opened in Dau, but then we had to pay entrance fees, and so we got stuck swimming at good old Del Rosario for quite awhile.

In the 30s, before the rise of man-made resorts and water parks, Kapampangans spent their leisure hours in places with natural scenic sites and resources. Mount Arayat had always been a favorite haunt, a virtual paradise with rich greeneries natural springs with pristine waters channeled into pools for swimming. When it was transformed into a national park, more amenities were added, making it the province’s top tourist destination.

The areas behind Clark, especially the Pinatubo side, had been explored by American military officers early in their stay in Pampanga, so much so that by the mid-1920s, horse and foot trails, streams and swimming holes had already been identified for use by the adventurous Americans and their families. Magalang, by its sheer proximity to Arayat had its share of natural swimming pools and dipping holes.

In Porac, the Dara and Miyamit Falls were frequent destinations of local excursionists. The wide waterfalls had strong, powerful currents that flowed into a deep basin, perfect for swimming. The highlands had meandering trails and lush environs that offered quiet respite from the madding crowd. In Mabalacat, Mascup River, owned by the Tiglaos, was the choice of local bathers, what with its pristine waters, giant sized boulders and rock walls defining the area.

Mount Pinatubo’s eruption have completely altered these natural wonders, resulting in the obliteration of Mascup River. The falls in Porac are no longer what they used to be, and natives claim that the basin is much shallower even if the water still flows vigorously. But even then, the Dara and Miyamit Falls continue to inspire awe and wonder and are very much part pf Porac’s tourist attractions to this day.

If people had extra money for bus fare, then the Sibul Springs in San Miguel, Bulacan was another excellent excursion choice. The springs, which, like those of Arayat emanated from the mountain, were believed to have medicinal and revitalizing values, ideal for the weary weekday worker. There were other scenic spots conveniently located nearby, like the mysterious Madlum Caves and the Madlum River. Sibul Springs was also a top destination of newlyweds and sweethearts, as there was a chapel within the area, a perfect venue for weddings. Pres. Manuel L. Quezon and his family frequented Sibul Springs and so did other important personalities like the Roxases.

Post-war prosperity saw the beginnings of contemporary resorts, and in Angeles, the pebble-paved Paradise Swimming Pool became a favorite get-together place of young students and their friends. By the 1950s, to service the leisure needs of a growing American populace, new subdivisions always included a swimming pool and a clubhouse in their blueprint.

Then, as now, the Kapampangan leisure seeker is easy to please. One day, he is on a bird tour of the famous Candaba swamps, the next he is relaxing in a factory site-turned-leisure park in Calibutbut with a mini-zoo to match. Whether taking a dip at the Pinatubo crater lake or playing golf at Mimosa, the Kapampangan sure knows how to enjoy himself, taking delight and finding his own adventure, regardless if his playground is natural or man-made.

*109. MAESTRO AMERICANO

STUDENTS OF THOMASITE CARROLL PEABODY. The very first pupils of Maestro Americano Peabody in Mabalacat. Note the school shacks which served as classrooms at the back. Peabody also served in nearby Tarlac province. This photo postcard was personally sent by him from Cleveland, Ohio, his home state.

In my town, Mabalacat, few records exist about the existence of Spanish colonial schools. Formal education beyond the primary school level was, in the beginning, reservd for Spaniards only. Mostly, private tutoring was practiced in those times. In San Francisco, a certain Apung Beltung Pile (Old Lame Beltung) had a “bantayan” school, a kind of day-care center, where parents left their kids to study under his tutelage. Here, he mostly taught reading and writing.

With the coming of the Americans, a Department of Public Instruction was established in March 1900. Mr. Fred W. Atkinson was appointed as General Superintendent of Public Instruction and imposed two things: the use of English as a medium of instruction and the importation of American teachers to help run native schools and train local teachers. The largest and most well-known batch of teachers arrived in the Philippines on 21 August 1901 aboard the U.S.S. Thomas.

Of the 600 civilian educators that arrived, twenty five were deployed to nineteen towns of Pampanga where they labored under extreme conditions to establish a new public school system for $125 a month. Part of their job was training local teachers especially in the use of English as a medium of instruction. A teacher from Mexico, Constancia S. Bernardo, trained under the Thomasites and she may have very well been the first native teacher of English in Pampanga.

Cornell graduate William Carruth for instance, was assigned to Betis town, and later moved to Sta. Rita, San Simon and San Fernando, where he not only collected teaching materials for schools but also solved administrative problems. Luther Parker took so much interest in Pampanga history that he initiated the compilation of town histories, now known as the Luther Parker Collection. He also published an English-Kapampangan dictionary. John W. Osborne, on the other had, served as the first principal of the esteemed Pampanga High School in San Fernando.

Closer home, Thomasite Carroll Peabody, a fresh graduate of Western Reserve University in Ohio, was assigned to Mabalacat and became a school superintendent. His wife, Emma, was also a teacher. Schools had to be quickly set up to institutionalize the American educational system. The early buildings of the Mabalacat Elementary School were built on rented lands in different places: along Ligtasan Street (site of the present Venmari Resort near the Morales Bridge) and in Sta. Ines (property owned by Narcisa Lim), where a cockpit now stands.

The school as we know it today, was built on land donated by Mrs. Rufino Angeles de Ramos, through funds raised with the help of Hon. Ceferino Hilario. Like all public schools of the period, Mabalacat Elementary School adhered to the architectural lay-out specified by the Gabaldon Act, with the structure elevated on posts like a nipa hut.

The Thomasites may have come and gone, but as late as the 1960s, every Mabalacat elementary student could still feel the American influence on the educational process, thanks to nearby Clark Field. Our school used to get regular donations of used school books, and I remember reading “Dick and Jane” books profusedly illustrated in color, alongside my black and white “Pepe and Pilar” textbooks. Then there were the regular milk feeding programs sponsored by Clark, where we got to drink stateside milk for our nutrition—for free.

There was also this matronly American teacher from Clark Field, whom we knew only by the name of Mrs. Davies, who used to come and sit at the back of the classroom to observe teaching methods. In my fourth or fifth grade, it was she who administered an oral exam to determine the final placements of students in the honor roll. I remember how intimidated I was at her presence; she was big and spoke with an accent that was hard to comprehend. But I was more terrified when she quizzed me about the forms of matter, which I completely flubbed (Answer: liquid, solid and gas), so I ended up sorely as just an honorable mention.

With the current sorry state of Philippine education, the older generation formally schooled under the Americans are quick to recall and point out the quality and calibre of schooling in the 1920s and 1930s. There is truth to this observation: America indeed, placed emphasis on quality education to form good citizenzhip and to allow sharing of cultures. It is no wonder then today, the establishment of a new educational order in the Philippines, is considered as one of the most important legacies of the American colonial period.

(*NOTE: Feature titles with asterisks represent other writings of the author that appeared in other publications and are not included in the original book, "Views from the Pampang & Other Scenes")

*108. MOUNT ARAYAT NATIONAL PARK

AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH. Excursionists from Red Star Stores gather at the foot of the dormant volcano, Mt. Arayat, where the Mount Arayat National Park, established by Pres. Manuel L. Quezon in 1933, can be found. Dated 2 March 1941.

Long before the supermalls changed Pampanga’s landscape and became favorite family hang-outs, everyone’s choice destination for natural relaxation was Mount Arayat National Park. Scene of many excursions from many decades past, the park was actually conceived by Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, who, in the early 1930s, took a liking to the lush, soothing environs of the fabled mountain. After all, the accessibility of the 3,564 foot mountain and its unique geographical position offered limitless possibilities to restless urban dwellers. Spanish friars recognized the revitalizing qualities of Arayat, even setting up tiled baths in Baño to soothe their tired spirits in the medicinal spring waters.

Pres. Quezon himself led the way towards the establishment of the park by developing his own hacienda in Arayat. His Kaledian estate was where he sought refuge from the pressure of his work, often retreating there together with wife Aurora Aragon. He began transforming Arayat into a tourist area, what with places of natural interest like springs, slides, rock formations, dotting the place.

On 27 June 1933, the national park was thus established. Plans were set in motion for the park’s immediate development. Buracan Lake, for instance, a picturesque sanctuary of flora and fauna west of the mountain was looked at as a health resort. A certain section lying within the vicinity of the lake and the Quarry Reservation was to be turned into a landing field for airplanes. Also, as a wildlife reserve, all form of hunting were prohibited in the area.

The post-war years saw the park increasingly becoming popular tourist haven. Company tours and excursions from Manila and nearby provinces were regularly organized. Public utility buses included Arayat in their travel routes to take advantage of the growing number of mobile Filipino tourists.

Today, Mount Arayat National Park—even if it has degenerated into a local resort with little infrastructures— has a few attractions to offer. It boasts of a picnic site with lush greeneries, two swimming pools fed by natural spring waters, recreation halls and various plant and animal life like monkeys, civets and native birds. Run by the government, the park’s latest attraction is the Tree House, a cluster of huts and houses ideal for private gatherings. The park also is the perfect starting point to scale the mountain peak. The peak has a view deck from where one can take in the view of the plains and fields of Pampanga, including the famed Pampanga River and the Zambales mountain ranges.

In 1993, the national park was declared a tourist spot by the enactment of Republic Act 7690. Still, the park has been overshadowed by more high-profile destinations—including private resorts--considered safer and more modern. In an effort to revitalize tourism again in Arayat, Rep. Rey Aquino, in response to the has urged the House of Representatives to declare the mountain an eco-tourism haven. It is hoped that in the near future, fair Mount Arayat can reclaim once more its stature as a natural monument, whose beauty and grandeur radiates throughout the great Central Plain.

(*NOTE: Feature titles with asterisks represent other writings of the author that appeared in other publications and are not included in the original book, "Views from the Pampang & Other Scenes")

*101. Finding Faces from the Past: ENRIQUE CAGUIAT

MYSTERY MAN, REVEALED. Enrique Caguiat of Arayat, a man of many achievements, merited a feature in the book, Pampanga's Social Register 1936, by Kabigting, which listed the high and the mighty of Kapampangan society.

One of the most challenging part of research is finding the identity and background information of nameless people staring at you from a photograph. I have quite a number of Kapampangan subjects whose backgrounds and even identities, I am afraid, will remain forever unknown to me. I collect them not only because they are kabalens, but also these old photographs are antiques in themselves, freezing time for us to glimpse at our old ways, how we looked, dressed and how we socialized.

A picture that immediately attracted my attention is this 1915 photograph of a young man in his 20s who sent this picture to an acquaintance in Sta. Rita with an eloquent dedication: “Tula, bandi at sicanan ing pagnasan cung idala na keca Simang, niting banuang daratang. “ ( Happiness, wealth and health are what I hope this New Year will bring you, Simang”). It was signed with a flourish by a certain E. Caguiat, who added a date, Dec. 31, 1915 and address, P.O.Box 962, Manila.

I have often wondered who this gentleman was, handsome and smart-looking in his black Americana with a stiff collar. A folded hanky protrudes from his breast pocket. His well-pomaded hair, parted almost in the middle, reflected the grooming style for men in his time. His arm rests on a pedestal with a sinuous art nouveau 3-leaf clover design, on which one can also see his banded straw hat. Not lost on the viewer is a ring on his left finger, next to the pinkie, indicating his married state.

I thought—just like other hundreds of pictures in my albums-- I would consign this portrait to anonymity until I got myself a copy of the Pampanga Social Register, a book published in 1936 that featured who’s who in Pampanga—achievers, elites, businessmen, children from de buena familias, politicos and accomplished professionals. There, on page 31 was a small, familiar picture of one Enrique Caguiat—the same E. Caguiat in my mystery photo.

Enrique was born on 15 July 1893 in Arayat, Pampanga, (which meant that he was but 22 when he sent his picture above). He studied at the University of Washington in Seattle and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He became a First Lieutenant of the U.S. Army but soon held a civilian job. At the time the book was printed, Enrique was a treasurer of A.C. Gonzalez and Co. , which held office at 314 Philippine National Bank Bldg. in Escolta.

On the side, he was also in the construction business as a masonite dealer, and was also connected with firm of Clarke and Larkin, Certified Public Accountants. He was a member of the Wack-Wack Gold and Country Club, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and the Philippine Columbian Association—exclusive clubs reserved for the rich and the privileged. His wife was the former Lourdes Reyes, with whom he had 5 living children in 1936: Enrique Jr., Jose, Teodoro, Lourdes and Teresita. The Caguiats resided at 8 Hollywood Drive in San Juan.

I have also identified the recipient Simang as Maxima de Castro, who turned out to be a direct descendant of the founder of Angeles, Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda. Stumbling on pieces of information such as these make collecting generic photos worthwhile. Suddenly, the subject acquires a name, an identity and comes alive. It is hoped that the dear reader can contribute more information about the life and times of Enrique Caguiat, a proud Arayateno and a Kapampangan achiever

(*NOTE: Feature titles with asterisks represent other writings of the author that appeared in other publications and are not included in the original book, "Views from the Pampang & Other Scenes")