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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*244. YESTERDAYS IN SAPANGBATO

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

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

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

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

 Thus, Sapangbato became a melting pot of sorts, a place of convergence for Kapampangans, Tagalogs, Negritos and Americans. Its progress was intertwined with the development of Fort Stotsenburg. Not only were residences built, but also markets, sari-sari stores, a church and schools. In 1918, a teacher, Glaciano Cruz, went to Sapangbato and set up a school in the shop of Mr. Geirge Seltzer. Civilian American families settled in Train Barrio, Hill Barrio and Veterinary Barrio, but they would often venture into the commercial area of Sapangbato to do their marketing and shopping in open-air tiendas that sold fruits, vegetables, meats, dry goods, and domestic products. 

On the other hand, the locals who were employed in Stotsenburg lived at the perimeter of the barrio closest to the camp, called the “civilian line”. In 1931, however, they were required to move further, to the barrio proper. Sapangbato’s proximity to the military camp caused it to be placed under constant surveillance by the U.S. military police, who kept watch on gambling and drinking activities. 

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

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

 Similarly, Don Segundo Tayag opened his house to battle-weary revolucionarios, supplying them with food and clothes. It was said that Don Segundo gave up his bedroom to sleep on a bench outside, which caused him to fall ill of a respiratory disease that claimed his life. 

Of course, a modern day celebrity from Sapangbato is currently making waves in the U.S.and around the world as a member of the Grammy award winning hip hop group Black Eyed Peas: Apl. De Ap (born Allan Pineda Lindo Jr.). 

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

*193. SABAT SANTACRUZAN

HALT! WHO GOES THERE. A typical Maytime Santacruzan from Central Luzon. The procession topbilled Reina Elena, the Empress who found the True Cross, escorted by her son, Constantine. ca. mid 1920s.

There is no Santacruzan like the Sabat Santacruzan of Pampanga—a religious procession based on an age-old tradition woven around the finding of the True Cross. But this Kapampangan version has a unique, surprising twist, integrating theatrical features, poetical jousts and moro-moro elements for an even more entertaining drama on the streets.

The original Santacruzan as we know it, re-enacts the return journey of St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great from Jerusalem back to Rome, after discovering the cross on which Christ was crucified in 326 AD. She had stumbled upon three crosses at the crucifixion site, and the real cross was determined by having sick person lie on the crosses; he was instantly cured upon lying on the Santa Cruz (Holy Cross).

Celebrated every 3rd of May with a long procession featuring various incarnations of Elenas, biblical royalties and characters representing Virgin Mary, the festival was introduced by Spain and there was no stopping its widespread popularity ever since.

The Kapampangan version is different in that the procession is halted several times by costumed actors who challenge the Reina Elena in a poetic joust and engage her troop in a swordfight derived from yesteryear’s moro-moros, hence the name “Sabat Santacruzan” (Halt the Santacruzan).

The basic plot dramatizes the perilous journey of Elena and her son Constantino to the Holy Land. Her royal retinue is ambushed by heathen ‘moros’ led by Reina Florifis. Elena sends Goy de Borgonia (Guy of Bourgogne, an 11th c. French crusader, hence the ‘sabat’ is also known as “goydo-goydo” in Sapangbato, the only town in Pampanga that continues to stage this folk event) to launch a counter-attack but instead, is smitten by Florifis. Elena asks Carlo Magno of France to help and responds by sending eight of his Doce Pares, namely, Prince Roldan, Oliveros, Reynaldos, Conderlos, Goyperos, Montesino, Galalon and Ricarte.

On her return trip to Rome, Elena gets ambushed yet again, this time by Principe Turquiano, Florifis’ brother. But before he could spirit away the precious relics of the True Cross, Elena pleads eloquently about the significance of the cross to the whole Christian world. The deeply affected Turquiano and his men lay down their arms and are converted to the new religion.

The chief dramatis personae of Sabat Santacruzan are an anachronistic mix of characters, real and made-up, from different periods of history: biblical characters (Methuselah, Queen of Sheba, Judith, the Three Marys), Marian personifications (Rosa Mistica, de las Flores), allegorical figures (Faith, Hope & Charity), plus a band of heavenly angels. Extant scripts of the Sabat Santacruzan written like old Pasyon books are very rare, and one, a prized heirloom of the David Family, is the basis for the May pageant staged in Sapangbato. The roles are filled up after rigid auditions, which puts oratorical talents first above looks.

In recent times, there has only been two stagings of the Sabat Santacruzan, both sponsored by Holy Angel University’s Center for Kapampangan Studies. The last outing in Sapangbato, which was held last 22 May 2010, featured seasoned performers dressed in colorful costumes, faithfully recreated using old Santacruzan and moro-moro photos as references. There is no stopping the Sabat Santacruzan tradition, a pageant of faith rooted in the strong religious convictions of Kapampangan people, at once folksy, festive and true.