*441. Kapampangan-Canadian KAYLA SANCHEZ: World Class Swimmer

MAKING A SPLASH. Kayla Noelle Sanchez, 5'7" seventeener, sank 2 junior world swimming records in 2 years. She is a member of Team Canada for the2018 Commonwealth Games. Her father, Noel Sanchez, comes from Mabalacat but worked in Singapore where Kayla was born.

Promising Olympic hopeful, Kayla Noelle Sanchez is a young, versatile star swimmer currently making waves in the world of competitive swimming. Just seventeen, she has re-written 3 World Junior Swimming Records (2 in 50m. and 1 in 25m. pool)  in just two years, named to Canada’s 2018 Commonwealth Games where she collected a medal,  and garnered 2 more at the Pan Pacific Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Just as exciting to know is that Sanchez, is part-Kapampangan, one of two daughters of Noel Sison Sanchez of Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga and Ma. Susana Pramoso, a nurse from Baguio. The couple used to be overseas workers based in Singapore, and it was there that Kayla was born on 7 April 2001.

In 2002, when Kayla was just a year old, the Sanchezes migrated to Canada. Few years later, she joined the community learn- to-swim programs and became so proficient that she reached a level where she could no longer advance at her age. Her coach advised her to join competitive swim club.

Prior to that, as a Grade 3 student, she tried out and made the school swim team and competed for the first time at the Annual Catholic District Board Swimming Championship. Shortly after, she joined a competitive swim club, and immediately, she made waves at the pool. At the short course Ontario Provincial Championships in 2014, she reset four Canadian age-group records. The most impressive was her victory in 50m freestyle which broke the Canadian age-group record of 26.34 that has been standing since 1985. Kayla went below that at 26.29 secs.

Sanchez continued to swim for the High Performance Centre–Ontario under the tutelage of Ben Titley, Canada’s Olympic swim coach. She was swimming superbly, in disciplines that included freestyle, backstroke, individual medley and the relays. In July 2017, she was part of the Canadian swim that went to World Aquatics Championship in Budapest, where they placed 4^th. She had just turned 16.

A month later, the 6th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships unfolded in Indianapolis, and once again, Canada was ably represented in the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay by its women’s team led by Rio Olympic gold medalist Penny Oleksiak, Rebecca Smith, Taylor Ruck and Kayla Sanchez. The team not only scooped up the Gold Medal, but established a new World Junior Record  of 7:51.47, almost six seconds ahead of Russia and faster than any team of teenagers in history.

Just as 2018 was about to end, at the North York Aquatic Cup held in Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre , the teenage sensation broke the short course 50 meter freestyle World Junior Record with a blistering time of 23. 94 seconds. The previous record of 24.00 secs. was achieved by Menghui Zhu of China (Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee finished 23.95 seconds in 2017, but this has not been ratified, and even if it were, Kayla's time is still one one hundredth of a second faster).

With her clocking, Kayla swam the 5^th fastest 50 freestyle in the world this 2018,  behind the fastest women sprinters in the pool, topped by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom’s 23.21 seconds. This, she accomplished while still a junior age swimmer. As if this was not incredible enough, Kayla  returned later and swam the preliminary 100m backstroke in 58.2 secs., the only one to swim the distance under 1 minute.

As she is poised to enter her college years, where she is ranked #1 in college recruiting class 2019, Kayla has been receiving overtures from the best colleges and universities in the USA,  dangling scholarship offers for her to be on on their NCAA team. Her parents have taught her the permanent value of education and so, even while she was swimming, she continues to do well  in school. She graduated elementary as a class valedictorian.

Her parents are hoping in the future that Kayla will be able to swim for the Philippines. But at the moment,  an official in the Philippines National Team put it this way, “whatever flag she represent, for me she’s always be a Filipino by heart.”

SOURCES

KAYLA SANCHEZ BREAKS FOUR AGE-GROUP RECORDS AT ONTARIO PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ACjm1zrtjGUJ:https://swimswam.com/kayla-sanchez-breaks-four-age-group-records-ontario-provincial-championships/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ph

Kayla Sanchez’Athlete’s Profile:

https://results.gc2018.com/en/swimming/athlete-profile-n6022733-kayla-sanchez.htm

CANADA’S KAYLA SANCHEZ BREAKS WORLD JUNIOR RECORD IN 50 FREE.

https://swimswam.com/canadas-kayla-sanchez-breaks-world-junior-record-in-50-free/

https://www.swimming.ca/en/swimmer/kayla-sanchez/

https://www.collegeswimming.com/swimmer/488811/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayla_Sanchez

MANY THANKS TO Messrs. CLARO SANCHEZ JR. & NOEL SANCHEZ

*307. OF TREES, TOWNS AND TOPONYMS

BUT ONLY GOD CAN MAKE A TREE. A whole forest of balakat trees shade a camping site at sitio Mascup, a favorite resort of domestic tourists in Mabalacat, Pampanga. The tall, hardwood tree gave the town its name. Ca. 1920s.

The names of Pampanga towns are among the most unique in the Philippines—and leading in intrigue and mystery would be, to my mind, Mexico and Sexmoan. Mexico’s name, for instance, has always been a source of puzzlement for toponymists—researchers who study of place-names. One fanciful version has it that Mexicans (Guachinangos of Northern America) actually lived in the town and gave it its name. More controversial is the name of Sexmoan, which has, though the years elicited gasps of disbelief from visitors, due to its seeming sexual overtones.

No wonder, the town has reverted back to the local version of its name—“Sasmuan”—a meeting place—as it was known to be an assembly point for people around the area whenever Chinese insurgents threaten to overrun the region. Of course, there were other ways of naming towns, and the more common would be to name them based on their distinct geographical and natural features, including flora and fauna typical of the place. It was in this manner that many towns in Pampanga got their names.

 Apalit, for instance, got its name from the first class timber called ”apalit” or narra (Pterocarpus indicus Willd.) that grew profusely along the banks of Pampanga River. Betis was named similarly—after a vary large timber tree called “betis”(Bassia betis Merr.) that grew on the very site where the church was constructed. It was said that this particular tree was so tall that it cast its shadow upon Guagua town every morning. Another border town, Mabalacat, derived its name from the abundance of “balakat” trees (Zizyphus talanai Blanco) that grew around the area. The balakat tree is known for its straight and sturdy hardwood trunk that were used as masts for boats and ships of old.

The riverine town of Masantol owes its name to the santol tree (Sandoricum koetjape Merr.) , a third class timber tree. It may be that the place had an abundance of these popular fruit-bearing trees but another story had it that local fishermen bartered part of their catch with the tangy santol fruits carried by Guagua merchants that plied the waters of the town. Santol was the favourite souring ingredient of the locals in the cooking of “sinigang”, and soon, the town was overrun by santol fruits.

A tall rattan plant gave Porac its name, as we know it today. The red Calamus Curag can grow up to 8 feet and is known locally as “Kurag” or “Purag”, later corrupted to Porac. Nearby Angeles City was once known as Culiat (Gnetum indicum Lour. Merr.) , a woody vine with leathery leaves that once grew wild in the vicinity. Not only while towns, but countless barrios and barangays were named after trees, shrubs, hardwoods, plants and vines—Madapdap, Balibago, Cuayan, Pulungbulu, Mabiga, Sampaloc, Baliti, Bulaon, Dau, Lara, Biabas, Alasas, Saguin, Camatchiles, to name just a few.

Some of the trees that grew so thickly in different parts of our province are now a rare sight, with some considered as bound for extinction. For many years, the only balakat tree that could be seen in Mabalacat, were two or three trees planted in the perimeter of the Mabalacat church. Culiat is listed as an endangered plant and a few examples could be found in Palawan and in U.P. Los Baños, Laguna. Sometime in 2003, Holy Angel University in Angeles City made an effort to collect plants and trees that gave their names to Pampanga towns and barrios. Today, these can be seen growing in lush profusion around the school atrium. By saving these trees, we also save histories of towns for the next generation to learn, to value and to appreciate.

*113. AN ARMY WOMAN IN DAU

DAMULAG POWER. Perhaps, the cheapest- but not necessarily the fastest--way to go around Fort Stotsenburg in the 1st decade of the 20th century was to take a carabao cart ride, like these what these two adventurous Americans did in 1915.

Caroline S. Shunk was the wife of army officer Col. Shunk stationed at Camp Stosenburg from 1909-1910. In 1914, she published her memoirs (“An Army Woman in the Philippines”) based on letters that described her personal experiences in the country, with some interesting references to Dau, her life in the camp and its environs. Excerpts from her book are as follows:

On the train ride from Manila to Dau:
“The small porters gathered up our packages (for in this hot country, we do not carry anything) and we entered the train, which looked exactly like a child’s toy—an absurd little affair….After dark, we had to change cars at a small town. The low, one-story station was covered with vines and flowers, and small Filipino boys, clothed only in thin shirts, climbed nimbly to the car windows, offering tan-san water for sale….The road is rough, ad we were knocked about, my precious Paris hat getting a new shape with every bump. After two hours, Lieutenant R_____ pointed to a dim light near the sky-line, which marked the station where we would take a wagon for Camp Stotsenburg”.

On Negritos:
“The Negritos are said to be the first inhabitants of the islands, and a great number of them live right at our back doors, in the grim-looking mountains behind the post…These savages bring the beautiful air-plants into camp, tied with bamboo and slung from their shoulders to sell to the Army people. These plants, of the orchid variety, are found in tall trees, and one sees them hanging from the roofs of almost all the porches—a graceful fringe of green”.

On her household helps:
“House-boy No. 1 is a treasure. At 7 o’clock, our dinner hour, he comes softly to the porch corner from which we watch the sunset and announces something which menas, “Señora, dinner is served”. He looks like a hired mourner at a funeral, dressed in crisp, white clothing…He serves quietly and well. The light from a Chinese lantern swaying from an arch of woven bamboo makes fitful shadows on the bare rafters. Lizards run down the wall to catch the insects attracted by the lights, great June-bugs buzz noisily about, and, coming too near the table, are deftly caught by the “boy” who takes them out to carry home later for “chow”…

Rickety train rides? Balugas peddling plants and other stuff? Efficient base workers? Bug-eating Kapampangans? Somehow, these things Mrs. Shunk wrote about still sound oh-so very current and familiar.After nearly a century, nothing has changed, indeed!

*82. THE DAU PX EXPERIENCE

DAU"S DAYS. Post-war fiesta celebration of Dau presaged a future of business booms and commercial success, thanks to nearby Clark Field and the enterprising spirit of its people.

There was a time in the '70s when barangay Dau was even more recognizable than its mother town, Mabalacat. Who would think that this town's biggest and most populous barangay, bustling with commercial possibilities, was once just a forest thicket, where hardwood Dau trees (Sc. Name: Dracontomelon dao) grew in profusion and provided the barrio’s landmark?

Teodoro Lising is listed as the fundador of Dau in the year 1843. Dau became a barrio in 1936 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation no. 1. That same year, President Manuel L. Quezon issued a decree establishing the first training cadre in Dau Checkpoint at Fort Stotsenburg 1. Camp DAU, as became the venue for training hundreds and thousands of 20-year old Filipinos who were required to render military service starting in 1936. Training began the next year under the command of Philippine Scout and Army Officer General Fidel Segundo, from the U.S. West Point Class 1917. Segundo had been the 1st Filipino officer assigned to Stotsenburg’s Scout artillery regiment twenty years earlier.

Based on stories of retired superiors, DAU was an acronym for Division Artillery Unit, since it was the first artillery training unit of the Philippine Army. It has been suggested that barangay Dau got its name from this unit, but this cannot be possible, as the name “Dau” has been appearing on maps earlier than 1936. The camp's Post Exchange was also set up in Dau, which presaged the rise in stature of the barrio as the country's PX capital in the 70s.

With the relaxation of Clark rules, PX goods flowed out of the base in abundance, to be resold later in stores and shops that quickly sprouted like mushrooms along MacArthur Highway. Farmlands were flattened and idle lots were cleared to give way to hole-in-the-wall stalls that sold never-before-tasted goodies and luxuries seen only on American glossies.

All of a sudden, Pringles in canisters, Hanes T-Shirts, PACEX Milk and ice cream, Dove soaps and PikNik shoestring potatoes were all the rage. Everybody joined the PX bandwagon and soon, a commercial area of sorts rose in Dau, the biggest of which is the Marina Arcade owned by the Moraleses. Even houses nearby turned their garages into stalls, selling not just brand new items but also second-hand, American leaving goods---from lamps, toys, plumbing fixtures to whole dining room showcases.

With the construction of the North Expressway that linked Dau to Manila, the great American experience became just a short ride away. Week-ends found hordes of Manilenos shopping for imported shampoos, Playboy magazines, rubber shoes, cookies, bedsheets, army fatigues and lawn mowers in Dau, rummaging through second-hand shops for bargains and finds retrieved, rescued and sometimes stolen from the base.

For a lot of Dau folks, the 70s were the heydey of PX business, a get rich-quick period that enabled a lot of them to earn sizeable fortunes in just a few years, never mind if the practice was not exactly legal. Dau thrived and throbbed with heady excitement as symbols of American pop culture--McDonald's, Donut King, Shakey's, Kentucky Fried Chicken-- made their appearance at the mouth of the Dau exit.

No martial law, no anti-American demos, and not even fire, which razed the commercial strip a couple of times, could dampen the tempo of business. Dau was so popular and prosperous in those days, it overshadowed the slow progress of Mabalacat town proper.

The reversal of fortune began with the departure of American servicemen facilitated by the Pinatubo eruption of 1991. Business took a turn for the worse when PX Clubs opened at Clark--the first being the Royal PX Club--which extended PX shopping privileges to every Mabalacat resident.

From Dau, the shopping traffic shifted to Clark where big PX outlets offered fresher, cheaper, more varied merchandise set in American-size warehouses.There simply was no match to the competition, forcing PX proprietors in Dau to cry foul. An enterprising few expanded their merchandise to include both Bangkok and local goods, while still others simply gave up and closed shop.

Since then, the face of Dau's PX business has changed a whole lot. At the height of the Pinatubo eruption, even whole doors, hospital beds, architectural pieces and medical apparatus found their way in Dau shops. Now, more shops are carrying more traditional boutique items, but in the process, they are also losing their unique points of attraction which once lured thousands to their doors.

Dau's golden PX age may have gone, but with the unwavering spirit of enterprise demonstrated by its hard-working people, the barangay continues to forge to the future, firmly entrenched as Mabalacat's premier and undisputed commercial center.

(*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")

47. CAMP DAU

WELCOME, SOLDIER. The Golden Gate of Camp Dau, at barangay Dau. Mabalacat, flanked by two upright shells of bombs, leading to the military barracks. Circa 1ate 1938-1940.

There was a time in the 1970s when barangay Dau was even more recognizable than its mother town, eclipsing Mabalacat with its nationally famous PX business. Who would think that this town’s biggest and most populous barangay was once just a forest thicket where hardwood Dau trees (Dracontomelon Dao) grew in profusion and provided the barrio’s landmark?

Since its foundation in 1843 (Teodoro Lising is listed as its fundador), Dau’s strategic location has always been well noted by our colonizers. When Fort Stotsenburg was laid out by the Americans in 1902, a Dau access was added to the fort. Meanwhile, the Manila-Dagupan Railroad provided a rail extension from Dau into Stotsenburg, used primarily as a military railroad. A Post Exchange was also located in Dau, presaging the rise of the barangay as the country’s future PX capital.

In 1936, the same year that Dau was proclaimed a barrio of Mabalacat, then Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon issued a decree establishing Camp DAU as the 1st training artillery camp in Dau Checkpoint at Stotsenburg. The camp offered basic infantry and vocational training for five and a half months to young 20 year old Filipino males who were required to register every April starting 1936, for military service. Based on stories of retired superiors, DAU was an acronym for Division Artillery Unit, since it was the first training unit of the Philippine Army. It has been suggested that the Dau got its name from this unit, but this cannot be possible as the barrio name was already in existence on maps much earlier than 1936.

The camp played a significant part in the new army’s development as the better-educated trainees were sent to study artillery fundamentals under the expert guidance of the 24th Field Artillery officers. In 1938, Camp DAU was expanded to include the officers’ quarters . The camp was renamed “Camp Del Pilar” by the Philippine Army, after revolutionary hero Gen. Gregorio del Pilar.

In January 1937, training began with the arrival of 1,500 new conscripts who were put under the command of Philippine Scout and Army Officer, Gen. Fidel Segundo, a 1917 graduate of the U.S. West Point. Two decades earlier, Segundo had been the first Filipino officer assigned to Stotsenburg’s Scout artillery regiment. He had also been one of 6 elite officers picked for the pioneer school for aerial observers led by the 3rd Aero Squadron in 1920.

With the development of the Philippine Army Air Corps in full swing, the facilities of Stotsenburg took on a more prominent role. In 2000, the local government of Mabalacat proposed to develop a tourist spot inside the old site of Camp Dau at the Clark Air Base Command (CABCOM) area. A mini-park was planned as well as the restoration of a symbolic marker with the approval of the Military Shrine Commission, to honor the patriotism of thousands of young Filipino trainees who heeded the call of duty at a most auspicious time in our history.
(10 May 2003)