*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.

*256. Pampanga Towns: APALIT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*255. MARINA LICUP CONCENGSO, Miss Angeles 1936

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*254. JAMMING ON AN OLD GUITAR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*253. Pampanga Towns: STA. RITA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*252. All Good Gifts: KAPAMPANGAN CAPELLANIA FOUNDERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*251. HANG ON TO THAT HAT!

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)