45. LIMBUN: The Pageantry of Processions

WALK OF FAITH. In this 1938 “limbun” of Barrio Sta. Ines in Mabalacat, the cura parocco is shown leading the procession of santos while devotees carry a palio, to serve as cover for the Blessed Sacrament. Alex R. Castro photo collection.

Religious processions, introduced over four hundred years ago by our Spanish conquistadors, were held to mark the important feast days of our Christian religious calendar. The Lenten season, Christmas and town fiestas were major causes for ceremonials, and a holy procession, with all its pomp and pageantry, was essential to these celebrations.

The first documented procession was held to commemorate the recovery of the Santo Nino at Cebu, from a fire set by local villagers as they retreated from Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s advancing forces. It was, in fact, a very simple affair: the santo was transported on foot from the San Agustin church to the site where it was found, followed by a throng of citizens assembled by the town councilor or regidor. This was followed by a host of festivities like bullfights, dance balls and fireworks display.

Accounts abound of early processions that were characterized by opulence that matched a people’s religious fervor. A Lumban, Laguna procession in the 1600, for instance, was described by Franciscan Felix de la Huerta as featuring decorations of pure gold and diamonds from affluent residents of nearby Nagcarlan, Majayjay and Liliw. Carrozas of rattan were encrusted with more gold and precious stones while lamps that lit the parade weighed 75 pounds. The Dominican celebration of La Naval, which commemorates the 17th century Spanish-Filipino victory against the Dutch, was held with Our Lady of the Rosary as the focal point of the procession. Borne on a flower-bedecked silver carroza, the image was processioned around Intramuros and back, with barefoot penitents in attendance. The 17th century Mexican-made image of Nuestro Padre Jesus de Nazareno, the Black Nazarene of Quiapo, has His own processions conducted every January 9, with Manila’s menfolk coming in droves to bear the santo on their shoulders. Semana Santa processions of old are often the most dramatic, with a long parade of life-size santos and complex tableaus, visualizing the events of the Passion.

Pampanga has its share of processions, both simple and grand--“limbun” or “lubenas” ( a corruption of the word “novena”) as they are locally called. An early barrio of Mabalacat town was even known as “Paglimbunan”, a place for processions. Riverine towns like Apalit have their fluvial processions, and during its June town fiesta, the image of their patron, “Apo Iro”, is borne on multi-storied pagoda mounted on rafts that then traverses the river to the accompaniment of hundreds of devotees on boats. Simliar fluvial celebrations were once held on Pasig River to honor San Nicolas de Tolentino during his feast day.

The feast of La Naval is also celebrated in Angeles City , a major Pampanga religious event held every 2nd Sunday of October and half of the city’s “twin fiesta” celebrations. The image of Nuestra Sra. Del Rosario and the Christ Child is taken from the Holy Rosary Parish for the traditional annual procession. Days later, on the last Friday of October, comes “Fiesta ng Apu”, an event to honor “Apung Mamacalulu”, the Lord of the Holy Sepulchre, whose story is linked with that of Angeles’s.

In 1928, the revered icon figured in an unforgettable Holy Week procession which resulted in the santo being stolen. The root cause was the controversy between then parish priest, P. Juan Almario and the recamaderos or caretakers of the image with regards to the disbursement of alms generated by the “Apu” processions. On Good Friday, as the procession wended its way to the church, a band of men snatched the image, in connivance, they say, with the local police. A case was filed by the Catholic Church; the image was recovered, although rumors persist that this was just a replica, and that the original “Apu” is somewhere in the town of Calamba, Laguna.
The Catholic Church has simplified most of its rituals today . Masses are shorter and the shrouding of images with purple cloth on Holy Thursday is rarely done by parishes. Intonations in Latin have all but disappeared from our missals. Even church vestments are devoid of heavy gold and silver embroidery, for practical reasons. Happily, one need only to look at our “limbun” on our street, to see that there are still those who carry on the old ways, maintaining our rich religious tradition, by walking literally with God.
(12 October 2002)

44. CHARIOTS OF THE GODS

WHEELS BENEATH MY WINGS. An elaborate carroza shaped like a chariot bears the image of Ntra. Sra. De la Milagrosa (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal) during a Marian procession in Magalang. The carroza came equipped with expensive glass globes borne by angels, floral arrangements and a profusion of decorative carvings—scrolls, clouds, cherubs. Early 1920s. Alex R. Castro Photo Collection

Maleldo is that time of the year when families bring out their heirloom santos (processional saints) associated with the Passion and parade them off in ritual processions, arrayed in sumptuous gold-embroidered raiments and expensive devotional adornments. In the old days, these priceless santos—some larger than life—were lavished with gifts, with some receiving part of the year’s revenue from rice or sugar harvests for their upkeep and maintenance.

Not only did families dote on their treasured images, they also spent thousands on the wheeled platforms that bear them—carrozas or caros. The most prized carrozas are those made with panels of solid silver melted from old Mexican coins. The silver panels, often detachable, were made by craftsmen in “pinukpok” style, the same process in making metal décor for calesas, also known as repoussé, where designs are created by hammering the reverse side of the silver sheet. Other metalwork methods include chasing (indenting with a hammer or a dull-pointed object), embossing (raising in relief by pushing in the background) and engraving.

Long before the advent of wheeled carrozas were the andas (walkers), the platform mounts of santos, borne on the shoulders of able-bodied men. In Sevilla, Spain, these processional platforms were called pasos, which functioned as elaborate stage sets for the images. Andas referred to the structural supports for the paso. Heavy, decorated fabrics or faldas hung from the paso’s stretcher, thus hiding the paid carriers or costaleros. Eventually, as the size of platforms grew and the representations became more complex (the Ultima Cena tableaux has at least 13 santos!), the anda was mounted on a wheeled chassis for better maneuverability. Early carrozas had narrow calesa/cartela wheels, but these have now been replaced with modern, automotive tires for a smoother, jolt-less ride.

If one could not afford silver, wood (batikuling was a favorite) was utilized to make the carroza body. This was then carved, varnished, polychromed or gilded with gold. Historian Mariano A. Henson writes of an 1860 Holy Week procession in Kuliat (Angeles) in which images were carried on gilded floats, replacing the modest biers used in 1830. The gilding was done manually by women “who are not gluttonous and not given to smoke, chewing tobacco or buyo”. Woman’s saliva was used to moisten the gesso on the carroza so that the gold foil, when applied with a brush, stayed fast on the surface. This process assured the survival of the gilt even after years of handling and exposure to the elements.

Carrozas came in many forms: multi-storied, columned, canopied or made to look like boats. The carroza of Nstra. Sra. De las Estrellas, an ivory image owned by the late Carlos Mercado of Sasmuan for instance, is shaped like a chariot. Platforms can be designed with 8 sides or ochovado style. Carrozas carrying the sorrowful Virgin (Dolorosa) were equipped with a palio or a baldachin supported by carved poles or varas. The Mercado clan has a Sto. Entierro inside a calandra or a funeral coach, topped by angels bearing the symbols of the Passion. Silver chandeliers held glass virinas decorated with sampaguita flowers. In Mabalacat, the 28 emblems of the Passion (ladder, hammer, nails, crown of thorns, dice, etc.) are incorporated as silver milagros on the black sayal (skirting) of the carroza bearing Apung Mamacalulu.

During the Spanish times, the commodious ground floors (zaguans) of convents and large colonial mansions were perfect parking spaces for carrozas. Before storing, the metal parts were treated with shoe polish or zinc oxide dissolved in alcohol to prevent tarnish.

It would seem however, that carrozas not only served to carry santos, they were also used as funeral biers for children. I have seen at least one memento mori picture of an infant laid atop a carroza surrounded with flowers and lights, a beguilingly chilling sight. Perhaps, it was decided that this child, with a life still untainted, deserved to journey into the next life in the same spectacular way as our holy santos.

In the 1920s, families ordered their carrozas from ateliers in Quiapo, like the popular Maximo Vicente. The art of carroza making is still practiced in Pampanga although exceptional carvers are getting harder to find. One has to scour out-of-the-way religious shops in Betis and Guagua for these artisans. The Nicdaos of Bacolor and Gener Bautista of San Gabriel, Macabebe still accept commissions for old-style caros while Boyet Flores, a descendant of the famed Flores carving family from Betis, continues the tedious carroza-building tradition.

Whether burnished, silvered, chased or plated, each carroza is reflective of the highest degree of skill attained by our local craftsmen. That is why, this maleldo, when the santos come once more a-rolling, pay close attention to the carrozas—the spectacular splendor-on-wheels, bearers of divinities who have come down to earth to remind us of our Lord’s Passion, as well as the greatness of Kapampangan talent.

43. PASIUN: Sing a Song of Passion

PABASA IN PAMPANGA. Women were often asked to sing the narrative verses of the Passion of the Lord, performed in visitas or before makeshift altars such as this. Taken in Magalang, circa 1924.

The liturgical season of Lent gives one a close look at the Kapampangan’s unique and divergent interpretations of Christian religiosity. Forty days—hence the term, kuaresma, representing the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert—are committed to prayer, abstinence, penitence and acts of charities. Most of the practices are part of the Church’s paraliturgy, but some rituals are of popular origins, developed by the laity and sanctioned by local priests. One example is the public chanting of the Passion of Christ—Pasiun—which was often performed in the days of old by women and a scattering of men in a visita, a barrio chapel or in a dressed-up room of a sponsor’s house.

A makeshift altar forms the backdrop of the Pasiun pabasa. A crucifix or a santo associated with the Passion (Examples: Kristung Makagapus, Desmayadu or Dolorosa) is often installed on top of a linen-covered table adorned with flowers and lit with candles. The reading was once done on the Sundays of Lent: Domingo de Ceniza, Primera Estacion, Domingo Panis, Domingo Lazaro and Domingo de Ramos; nowadays the Pasiun is sung daily.

The Pasiun book is an art form in itself; handscripted on vellum, decorated with calligraphic flourishes and sometimes illustrated with key biblical scenes. Regional versions have been documented from 9 linguistic groups in Luzon and the Visayas. The earliest version is in Tagalog, Gaspar Aquino de Belen’s Mahal na Pasion ni Jesu Christong P.(oon) Natin na Tola; while the most popular is the Pasyong Genesis by Mariano Pilapil (1814) . Being the work of laymen, it was but expected that Spanish friars went up in arms against these books, decrying them for their heretical and profane content.

It took a learned member of the ilustrado clergy to rid the Pasiun of doctrinal errors and stylistic defects. D. Aniceto de la Merced, then parish priest of Candaba and Vicario Foraneo of the secular clergy in Pampanga, wrote the monumental “El Libro de la Vida Historia Sagrada con Santas Reflexiones y Doctrinas Morales para la Vida Cristiana”, now known to us as Pasyong Candaba. Written in Tagalog, de la Merced’s version is more erudite, more coherent, with emphasis on Christian doctrine rather than on characters. He liberally quoted the Scriptures to validate his points, at the same time, condemning folk practices derived from paganism, like the concept of kulam or witchcraft.

The ritual a capella singing of the Pasiun appears to mimic the pattern of church singing, with deep influences from local folk melodies. The style is called melismatic, characterized by highly florid passages in which the original tune is spun out into embellishments. The Pasiun singing may vary from the very plaintive (“managulele”), mournful (“dalit”) to dirge-like (“punebri”). It was not uncommon for pabasa sponsors to seek out veteran singers to lend their voices to the marathon singing which can go on late into the night.

The Pasiun also inspired theatrical plays called “sinakulu”, in which important episodes from the life of Christ are enacted on stage. Biblical characters spewed out lines lifted from Pasiun books, with each presentation taking place from Palm Sunday to Easter.

During the post-war years, simple accompaniment was added to the singing especially where the younger set joined in. Guitars, harmonicas and bandurias lent variation to the plain chant. Of late, the Pasiun has been infused with a more contemporary sound, sung with borrowed melodies as varied as “Voltes 5 Theme” to folksinger Coritha’s nationalistic “Bayan Ko”.

Pacing is critical in singing the Pasiun as the entire book should be completely read out by Biernes Santu (Good Friday). After that, the churches take over with eloquent and reflective dissertations of the Siete Palabras (7 Last Words). The grand finale of the Pasiun reading is marked with a generous feast served by the host of the pabasa, a welcome reward for the sore-throated, who, for the whole season of Lent, sang the passion of the Lord non-stop, to high heavens.
(12 April 2003)

42. MAGDARAME: Imitations of Christ

THE WAY OF THE CROSS. A flagellant or magdarame makes his way through the streets while enacting the Lord’s passion, often with blood and gore, as an act of penance or panata. Flagellant processions began in Europe, spread to Spain and reached our shores in the 17th century. Circa 1915-1920.

“Nung ing Ginu lalasa ya’t mamagdusa,
karampatang mung damayan de’t abaran ding sasakupan na..”

The earliest documented flagellant processions in Europe occurred in Italy around 1260-1261. These were believed to be associated with the intensely dramatic sermons of the Franciscan preacher from Perugia, Fra Rainerio Frasani. Flagellant movements spread throughout Europe in the 14th century, and processions were observed in France, Germany, Austria and the Low Countries. During the medieval period, these processions were timed directly with periods of social stress, such as plagues, drought and war.

Flagellant practices appeared rather late in Spain, but acts of mortification and self-flogging were known even before the extensive European flagellant movements. As early as the 4th century, the Bishop of Barcelona, San Paciano (d.392), advocated public self-mortification as a form of penance. Flagellations, more often than not, were meted out by the Church as punishments, preferably during Semana Santa, as specified in the Liber Ordinum.

Spontaneous flagellant processions first were practiced in Catalonia, fired by the sermons of San Vicente Ferrer (1350-1419), a Dominican priest that had an early following in the Philippines. Barefoot penitents wore masks (antifaz), hoods and sack cloth tunicas which were open in the back to permit whipping. The “mano de rodezuela”, a spiked short wooden or hemp-handled whip was capable of drawing copious quantities of blood from the body, thus providing quite a visceral spectacle for onlookers.

Organized flagellant brotherhoods regularized the practice in Europe and when Spain expanded its frontiers to include Latin America and the Pacific, its missionaries introduced the practice to Filipinos, who readily embraced the bloody ritual as part of the new religion and as a way of purification as early as the 17th century.

The ways of the “magdarame” have always inspired awe and curiosity amongst the faithful during the days of Lent. Bloodied, scourged and caked with dust, magdarames live and act out the passion of the Lord—and the term “dame”, to sympathize and share one’s grief-- captures this spirit of Oneness, in pain and sorrow.

The practice of “darame” in Pampanga was popularized by casamacs or peasants, who regard sacrifices such as fasting, prayer or abstinence as too mild. Among these materially deprived workers, only the extreme imitation of the Passion under the searing heat of the sun can cleanse them of their evil. It was further institutionalized during the American era prompted by our colonizer’s curiosity for exotic folk practices. The practice of actual crucifixion was introduced in San Fernando only in the 1950s.

Over the course of the centuries, the rituals of the magdarame’s penitencia has not changed. To prepare himself, the magdarame whips his back until it swells. Then, it is incised with a panabad, a paddle with shards of broken glass or directly with a razor. To draw blood, he flogs himself with burilyos, short bamboo strips tied to a cloth. This type of magdarame—mamalaspas—then makes the rounds of visitas, with face covered with a black hood (capariza) and crowned with twisted branches or leaves.

Another kind is the sasalibatbat, who fling their bodies to the ground, rolling over sharp rocks and stones in the process. Their torsos, legs and arms are tied with abaca rope to impair circulation, hence making the experience more torturous. Mamusan krus, on the other hand, carry crosses on their shoulders or are strapped to the cross itself with arms roped at both ends. The walk around town begins in the morning, ends by early afternoon and is followed by a dash to the nearest river for a quick, recuperative bath.

Behind all these rituals is a personal vow or panata. The magdarame often endures the painful sacrifice in exchange for help for a pressing problem like finding a cure for an ailing relative or even as mundane as passing the board exams. Bloody, gory and morbid as it may seem, the practice of darame continue to persist in Pampanga, a penitent’s direct response to Jesus’ challenge to come and take His Cross, lending support to the claim—no pain, no gain.
(8 April 2003)

41. RUFINO CARDINAL J. SANTOS: 1st Filipino Prince of the Church

TO WIN MEN’S SOULS, TO PERSUADE TIMID HEARTS. The future cardinal , Msgr. Rufino J. Santos, aged 39 years old, as he appears in his official picture as Auxiliary Bishop of Manila and Titular Bishop of Barca . This signed picture was dedicated to his close friend, Rev. Fr. Manuel del Rosario of Angeles City, uncle of the columnist, who also accompanied him to Rome at his elevation to cardinal. Dated 24 October 1947.

By the end of this month, on 31 March, we shall be commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the elevation of the first Filipino to cardinalship, a rank second only to the Pope: His Eminence Rufino Cardinal Santos y Jiao . His ascension to the Catholic hierarchy was keenly followed by his kabalens, who saw his accomplishments as testaments to the depth of Kapampangan spirituality. For him though, there had been no shortcuts to achievement; much hard work and sacrifice had gone into the fulfillment of his vision for the Philippine church, from the time he struggled to fulfill his boyhood dream to be a priest to his installation as head of the premier archdiocese of Manila.

Rufino was born in barrio Sto. Niño, Guagua on 26 August 1908, the youngest male of 7 children of Gaudencio Santos and Rosalia Jiao. His siblings included Manuel, Emiliano, Quirino, Clara, Jovita and Exequiela. Gaudencio, who was working as an overseer for a farm near Arayat, moved his family to Intramuros, Manila after the death of his wife where he hoped to find better livelihood prospects. There, at the Manila Cathedral Parochial School, the 8-year old Rufino was enrolled in first Grade. He was one of the star students of the school, often rendering his services as altar boy or choir boy during the Holy Mass at the Cathedral. His formative years at the parochial school obviously instilled his early ambition to serve God.

Finishing 4th grade with honors, he was accepted at the San Carlos Seminary on 15 June 1921. His road to priesthood took a major turn when, in 1927, he was accepted as a scholar of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Just 19, he left for Italy together with another scholar, 24-year old Leopoldo A. Arcaira. He obtained his Baccalaureate in Canon Law after 2 years, and then further pursued his Doctorate in Sacred Theology for another 2 years. At age 23, he was one year short of the required age for ordination to priesthood, so a special dispensation had to be secured from the Pope. Finally, on 25 October 1931, Rufino Santos was ordained at the magnificent Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.

Following his return to the Philippines, Fr. Rufino Santos, or simply Fr. Pinong to those close to him, was named as assistant priest of Imus, Cavite and then parish priest of Marilao, Bulacan. Later, he was transferred to the see of Manila where he became Vice Chancellor (1932) , Superintendent of Instruction and Financial Secretary-Treasurer (1939) all at the same time.

The Philippine Catholic Church was not spared from the onslaught of World War II in 1942. On 4 February 1944, Fr. Santos was arrested and jailed at the Fort Santiago where he was beaten and tortured by Japanese soldiers; he was eventually moved to Bilibid where he was rescued by Americans a year later—on the eve of his execution. Barely had he recuperated when he was named by Archbishop Michael O’Doherty as Vicar General of Manila. Two years later, he was elected as the Titular Bishop of Barca and Auxiliary Bishop to the archbishop. Upon O’Doherty’s death, Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes of Cebu assumed the archbishopric of Manila by papal appointment, the first Filipino to do so.

Fr. Santos took on the position of Military Vicar of the Philippines in 1951. Upon Archbishop Reyes’ death in 1953, Pope Pius XII named Fr. Rufino Santos as the new Archbishop of Manila. In his new role, he quietly worked towards building a local church sensitive to the needs of the masses, organizing welfare projects such as the Catholic Charities. He launched religious crusades (Purity Crusade for Mary Immaculate), built seminaries (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and restored Manila Cathedral to its old grandeur.

The highlight of his religious life was his elevation to the rank of the cardinal at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome at 9:30 a.m. on 31 March 1960. In the company of his brother and sisters, and amongst kabalens like Vice President and Mrs. Diosdado Macapagal, Msgr. Rufino Santos was conferred the galero or Red Hat, the symbol of cardinalate, by Pope John XXIII in solemn but glorious ceremonies attended by an international crowd numbering in thousands. Finally, after 400 years of Christianity, the Philippines had a cardinal! It was a thrilling piece of news that was flashed around the globe, reverberating throughout the country and echoing louder in his native Pampanga. Cardinal Santos then issued his first message to a proud Filipino nation that included a prayer and a wish : “Honor and glory to the Lord…Blessed be the great Lady of the Philippines, the Immaculate Virgin…May God bless my Country!”

Cardinal Rufino J. Santos’ 20 years of ministry as pastor of the See of Manila will be remembered as the years of major reforms in the Church as adjured by the 2nd Vatican Council. Liturgical changes, attitudes on family planning, Filipinization of the clergy—all these transpired during his term, not to mention controversies like married priests, an issue that is very much now (Of this, the cardinal says: “A priest is not supposed to get married. When he made the vows, he knew what he was doing. Priesthood is a sacrament that eliminates another sacrament—marriage.”). It was also during his cardinalship that Pope Paul VI made his historic visit to the Philippines in 1970.

On 29 June 1973, Cardinal Santos suffered his first stroke while praying the rosary at Villa San Miguel; he would never recover from his condition. At age 65, the good Cardinal died peacefully at San Juan de Dios Hospital on 3 September 1973 and was interred 7 days later in a crypt at the Manila Cathedral. A whole nation mourned the passing of the first Filipino cardinal, a Kapampangan who made good his promise “to win men’s souls for Christ..” Indeed, Pampanga’s loss was heaven’s gain.
(29 March 2003)

40. Pampanga’s Churches: SAN AGUSTIN, Lubao

UPON THIS ROCK. The baroque-style retablo mayor of San Agustin Church all lit up and bedecked with flowers for the town fiesta. Dated 5 May 1963.

Last 24 June 2002, the neo-classic San Agustin Church of Lubao came to national attention when it was used as a venue for the fairytale wedding of First Son, Mikey Macapagal-Arroyo and Angela Montenegro. It was a fitting choice as the historic church was also where Mikey’s grandfather and most well-known Lubeño, the late President Diosdado Macapagal was baptized. The church was spruced up with a new coat of cream colored paint, temporary airconditioning, extended altar flooring and even restrooms.

Lubao is one of Pampanga’s most ancient towns; located at the left bank of the Lubao (or Pasac) River, it was accepted as a visita of Tondo by the Augustinians on 3 May 1572. Three years later, Fr. Provincial Alfonso Alvarado was delegated to take care of the convento of San Agustin. Fr. Juan Gallegos was assigned as a resident priest. He must have constructed a church of light materials in sitio Sapang Pari, the landing place of Augustinian missionaries who sailed to Pampanga via Manila Bay.

Another source points to Fr. Francisco Coronel as the founder of the town in its present site, but he worked in the area for just a year and never returned to Lubao after being assigned to Bacolor. Subsequent construction were undertaken by Fr. Jeronimo de Venaque (1335) and Fr. Francisco Figueroa (1638). Damaged by an earthquake in 1645, the church continued its operations rent-free. The Augustinian Chapter of 1729 appropriated 500 pesos for the erection of a convent, with Fr. Vicente Ibarra as the prior. The convent was used by transfer students of arts and theology from the Estudio de Manila due to the British Invasion of 1762.

Lubao was to become a strategic missionary center. At one point, Betis and Sasmuan were annexed as visitas of the town. With the establishment of a grammar school and a printing press there, the town culture likewise flourished.

Early descriptions of the San Agustin Church, made of fine bricks and with large proportions, showed it to be “one of the most sumptuous in the islands”. An 1829 document reveals that the church “is constructed with masonry stone and bricks, very massive and big in size”. Some repair work were done under Fr. Antonio Bravo in 1893 and the interior murals depicting the life of San Agustin were most likely commissioned by Fr. Antonio Moradillo in 1893. The nave was originally painted by Italian artists, Dibella and Alberoni. Filipino revolutionaries occupied the buildings in 1898, which suffered more damages at the height of World War 2.

San Agustin Church is a remarkable example of 17th century Philippine architecture, characterized by classic lines and a solid stance. A triangular pediment and Ionic columns dominate the façade of the church. Inside, the retablo mayor, carved with florid baroque design, is flanked by doubled pilasters on the 1st level and single columns on the 2nd level. Carved ornamentation is kept at a minimum, creating a sense of quiet and simplicity, typical of Neo-classic renderings. The main niche features a wooden likeness of San Agustin, with a staff and a small church in hand, symbolic of his being a doctor of the Church. The only thing that mars the beauty of the altar is the modern blue neon lighting that has been installed to frame the central niche, an anachronistic feature for the centuries-old building. Nevertheless, the San Agustin Church is a rare monument to God around which the deep devotion of many generations of Kapampangans continue to revolve.
(22 March 2003)

39. HON. JOSE GUTIERREZ DAVID: Supreme Court Justice

HIS HONOR. Supreme Court Justice Jose Gutierrez David, was not just a distinguished name in the country’s judicial system, but also an ardent Kapampangan language and literature advocate. Like his father Mateo, an original signatory of the 1896 Malolos Constitution, he was one of the signers of the 1935 Philippine Constitution. He is shown with daughter, Perla, upon her graduation from medical school. Circa early 1940s.

During summers, when I wanted a free swim, all I had to do was to look for my aunt, Imang Perling, at her popular Del Rosario Compound Swimming Pool at the foot of the Abacan Bridge in Balibago. Usually I would find her in her well-tended garden, and upon being acknowledged, I would just come in ahead of the paying customers. Imang Perling was married to Tatang Dadong del Rosario, the lawyer-brother of my mother. I was often told that Mang Perling had an impeccable lineage, born to a distinguished family of means, and a daughter of a justice of the Supreme Court, but of course, in my youth, that didn’t register much; I was too preoccupied with enjoying the summer perks given by my generous aunt. Not until I read her father’s name in books did I realize her family’s important place in Kapampangan political, literary and cultural history.

Jose Gutierrez David was born in Bacolor on 19 January 1891, from the union of Mateo Gutierrez Ubaldo and Gabriela David, youngest in a brood of 9 (4 brothers, 4 sisters). His father was one of the signatories of the historic Malolos Constitution, signed on 29 November 1896. Raised in San Fernando, the young Jose studied his caton and cartilla at home, then entered the school of Don Modesto Joaquin, the most prestigious in the province. He grew up amidst a very cultured milieu: his father had an ardent interest in zarzuelas while brother Amado composed music for these plays. Often, their spacious house served as rehearsal halls for zarzuela productions. It was no wonder then that Jose showed his literary flair at an early age, writing poems often dedicated to his sweetheart, Concepcion Roque. His first ever published poem, written at 17, was dedicated to her --“Tuqui Ka Baculud” (Come to Bacolor) , appearing in the March 1908 issue of Ing Bandila (The Flag). After his graduation from Pampanga High School in 1912, he married Concepcion with whom he had 7 children, all college graduates: Perla (my Imang Perling) Jose Jr., Leonardo, Felicitas, Amaury, Alice and Irma.

In 1914, as a journalist, he teamed up with playwright Juan Crisostomo Soto to edit “Ing Balen” (The Town) and “E Mangabiran” (The Impartial), both noted Kapampangan papers. He also wrote plays like “Migdusang e Micasala” (The Guiltless Sufferer) and “Ing Independencia” (The Independence).

Jose completed his law degree at the Escuela de Derecho in Manila, emerging first in his class in 1915. After passing the bar the next year, he began his law practice and proved to be an outstanding trial lawyer, but opted to join the judicial court system of San Fernando as Auxiliary Justice of the Peace from 1918-20. He then entered the political arena by becoming a councilor for 10 years.

In 1933, he was named Director of the Pampanga Carnival. The next year, he ran and won in an election to determine Pampanga’s delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Just like his father before him, he was one of the original signers of the 1935 Philippine Constitution. He then accepted the offer of Secretary of Justice Jose Yulo to become a Judge of the Court of the First Instance. Appointed by Manuel L. Quezon, he was assigned to different districts such as Baguio, Cavite and Manila. His next stints were as Judge of the Court of First Instance in Manila (appointed by Sergio Osmeña), Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals (1946, by Manuel Roxas), Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals (1956, by Ramon Magsaysay) and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (1959, by Carlos P. Garcia), a position he held until his 1961 retirement.

He also served as Chairman of the Philippine Bar Examination in 1960 , a member of Pampanga Masonic Lodge 48 and Board of Censors for Philippine Motion Pictures from 1962 to 1964. The pioneering graduate of Pampanga High headed the 1962 Golden Jubilee Homecoming as Chairman of the Executive Committee, which gave the Most Outstanding Alumni Award to then Pres. Diosdado Macapagal. Jose Gutierrez David passed away on 27 March 1977 in Quezon City. It is but fitting that his last poem, “Misan Pa” (Once More) was dedicated to his beloved Concepcion.
(15 March 2003)