My Lola & the Fighting Cañetes

I rarely post pictures of myself and family here but this time I would like to make an exception. This is the most recent photo I have with Lola Nene. Taken last year December. (L to R) Lola, Me, Samboy (my brother) & Aunt Norma

Last year when I visited my last surviving lola we spoke a lot about her memories growing up. She’s the youngest of more than a dozen siblings. I was reminded of her and our conversation when a few weeks ago, an Australian man I’m training with told me about his experience and facsination with “arnis”. I didn’t brought up the stories my Lola had told me because I know little about the history of arnis. Which is a shame really considering I’m related to the originators of this popular style of Filipino martial arts.

Lola Nene being the youngest was taken by her older sister when the war broke out. While her brothers joined the military. Aside from the sister who took her in (my fathers mother), she never got reunited with her other siblings again after the war. What’s sad was that she kept hearing stories about them but never got the chance to see them. She said another reason was that she never had the time to look for them because she had to raise her son alone after the untimely death of her husband (a Cabahug). Today her unico hijo, Uncle Boy, is a speechwriter and a long time professor in PUP.

She told me that one of her brother, Silvestre, was hired to become a top bodyguard of President Osmena. She thought that she’ll meet him in Cebu only to find out that the man moved to the US. Silvestre, along with his brothers, founded the “Doce Pares” style of escrima. She’s unsure if Ciriaco, the lone surviving member of “Doce Pares” (must be in his 90′s) is a cousin or a brothers. Yoling, the eldest, had long passed. He was the leader of the group until his death.

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I guess with this post I’m just hoping that someone, a brother or the second generation of Cañetes here and abroad, would stumble across this and find that Lola remembers and thinks of them to this day and wonder, whatever happened to them fighting Cañetes.
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Hong Kong
November 2012

The Town Church (La Iglesia del Pueblo)

Those of us educated in the old manner keep a very pond memory of the town church. This church symbolized our home, our small country, and recalled our childhood. Members of all social classes founded these temples and mansions, “stone by stone and story by story”, to serve as the religious and social center of those early communities. Around it rose residences and expanded townships, connecting in this  manner the material structure of the old civilization.

Alas, this tradition is disappearing, modern urbanization has come to our towns, changing their exterior aspect and destroying their pristine character. Instead of churches, what now rise are markets, schools, railroads stations, and round these modern hubs develop the new cities, founded on divergent bases.

“It’s now very changed,” we hear them say today who visit the provinces. And the assurances is: “You wouldn’t recognize it any more.” The houses of masonry, Spanish colonial in style, still surround the churches, like lifeless shells, full of damage, dust and damp; but new commercial sections with their modern constructions have formed round the market built of cement or the railroad station; and there’s an enormous plaza fronting the new school where boys and girls play in the afternoon classes… the women have established in the most populous district a puericulture center with the little hospital and maternity beds, I repeat that there has been a change.

Oslob Church. Taken 2009 after it caught a tragic fire that destroyed it. The reselient Oslobanon's has been working to rebuild this majestic church by the sea.

The fact is: when we travel the provinces today and begin visiting in each town the places once so familiar to us, an oh! Of admiration escapes our lips at the sight of so much change introduced in one of two decades. We notice that the tower of the old church is leaning, If not utterly ravaged; ruinous and full of moss is the belfry; the convent uncheerful and unpainted; and crumbling or fallen the garden walls which On the other hand, no other parts of the town have risen, as if by art of enchantment, scattered little cities, with their laughter, their charms, and their manifestations of modernity…

Progress is man approaching his Creator – I remember reading that in Alberdi. The difference is that yesterday we used  the churches, now we avail ourselves of other agencies…

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From Teodoro M. Kalaw’s “Dietario Espiritual: 1926-1927”. Translated from the Spanish by Nick Joaquin.

Pardo – Cebu’s Fortress Iglesia

Pardo

My mother’s long time friend and trusted cabulig [she prefers this term over katulong] in her small food stall asked me how my Cebu experience was. I told her it was awesome. I haven’t visited the stall ever since I left for Cebu in ’09.

Nida’s from El Pardo, once a small coastal old Barrio of Ciudad de Cebu together with Talamban that are now residential districts of the progressive provincial capital. Its a 3 mile ride from the city. It has become crowded over the years as many people wanted to live near the city center.

My mother’s helper, like many others, decided to relocate here in Manila believing that luck awaits them. The move proves to be a wrong move. Her husband was jailed for estafa. I don’t know what happened to him. I’ll never  accept the excuse of “kahirapan” for involving oneself in criminal activities. But who am I to judge the hearts of man. This former security guy once save civilians from a “holdaper”. Sayang. How unfortunate that some souls are driven to commit crime because of utter poverty.

Our trusted cabulig is now raising her family alone, with four kids and just recently, a grandson, all living with her in a small house in the Makati slums. Believe it or not, they pay rent.

But its easy to criticize these provincianos for relocating here. We are not in their shoes. We’ll never understand the hopelessness that draws these souls here. Moving here in the capital is a move of desperation for many provincianos, they don’t have anything back home and what they’ll soon find out is that the standard of living here for them would be worst than where they came from.

Most of them that won’t make it – regrets once they realize there’s nothing behind the Manila glitter.

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I remember very well the day I walked around Pardo, it was the summer of 2009, it was a hot and humid day. I was sweating like crazy. I had visited three other churches along the south hi-way and the church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva was the last stop.

Pardo’s church is an eccentric looking building that resembles more a battle tower than a traditional old Filipino church. Painted white, the church has a bas relief in front that illustrates a known Agustino symbol. Our old churches, like this one established as a visita of Sn. Nicolas, are simply more artful, elegant, lofty and resilient. We don’t build them like we used to.

But what’s even sadder these days is that what ever is left of our heritage is discarded like some dead snake skin! I was reading a feature in the Philippine Daily Inquirer yesterday about a chef who constructed a pleasant residence that many mistake to be an ancestral house, somewhere in Pampanga. He’s proud that he “sourced” his construction materials from a centuries old church being torn down!

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Inside the Pardo Church

When I arrived there was an on going Primera Comunión. First communion back in the old days was an important milestone in the life of a Filipino Catholic family. Somehow it doesn’t feel like that anymore. Have we lost our religious traditions?

I stayed a little longer and took some pictures. The little girls were dressed in these pink dresses. They had these cute little wings attached at the the back of their bright outfits. The lil’ boys were more conventional, wearing collared shirts but I observed that some had hairs styled in very modern anime-sque fashion. Gone are the glossy brushed up hairs that was once the only fit hair-do for such occasions. But I thought the change, the strange hair styles and those angelique customers was fine. It was not like this when I had mine. Time has changed many of our old traditions.

One of its oldest resident priest is an uncle of a friend where I work. He said he’s admired, among family and wherever he’s assigned. This friend has got some interesting stories about this uncle priest but I would leave it at that. They say “humans will always fail; it is only God that never fails”J

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Cutest Rizal Monument everrrr…

Even Rizal would've like this one!

I’ve been around the country  and I’ve yet to see a municipio or a city hall without a Rizal monument. Is there a law instructing all local government to have one?

I’ve seen some odd ones, some really old ones (early 1900′s), some neglected and some that doesn’t even look like the hero – but of course you assume its him.

One of my favorite is this one that stands in front of a remote municipio of San Fernando in Camotes Island. Not only does their monument really looks like the hero the monument and its environ is very well kept. Who ever maintains the small park deserves a job in Malacanan Palace!

Another detail that caught my attention was the color of the pedestal where the lifelike statue of Rizal stand. Did they picked green because of the meaning of the hero’s last name?

San Francisco de Asís of Naga (Cebu)

Strange to many the design and symbols of this church continues to mystify first time visitors (a group of local tourist can be seen here also taking pictures of the unique facade of the church).

One of the image that stuck in my mind during my trip in the southern portion of Cebu was this small but unique church that stand out among its natural surrounding. The church of San Francisco de Asís  of Naga is a wonderful discovery in what seems to be an endless treat to the eyes and soul for someone whose  mission was to see these buildings he consider endangered and threatened.

From the looks of whats inside, series of renovations and changes has covered much of the original design and material used but according to B.L. Layug, author of Philippine Churches, “the interior remain unchanged since it was built over a century ago”. The good author must have been referring to the altar and the surrounding structures inside. The facade however has maintained its original form. For this, we have the heavens to thank for.

The importance of the facade is its art and architecture. For an observer like me the meaning behind the church’s symbols provides something to think about. So rare that I think this could be the only one in existence. Definitely Mexican inspired but it had no distinct architectural style. While most of the churches from south to north can be easily classified this one is an exception.

My amateur observation is that the Padre Maranon, credited for establishing some of the most important churches in the island, together with Padre Aguirre and all the other missionaries envisioned something different for the community. Where they combining Mexican art with Filipino to make an impression?

Whatever it was we can only be thankful for it and wish that this unique church stays with us forever.

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For a better look at the what the facade looks like up close [my handy digicam could not take a better shot] please visit a fellow blogger’s article about the church [here].

Bantayan Island

The Historic Bantayan Church

The best thing about Cebu is that you will never run out of places to go and things to experience. Its such a great place to live in . While I was there I worked during the weekdays and spent my weekends going around. If things work out for me I’ll probably retire there someday - there’s so much to discover in this southern island for a history buff like me.

One such place that I got to visit last year is the northern island of Bantayan. From Cebu City, its about 3-4 hours. The bus ride is long but its all worth it as it offers travelers a look at the scenic northern towns of Cebu that not too many people get to see – its vast sugarfields, its magnificent coast and its communities and the old churches along the coastlines. The cheap bus ride (50 pesos for a 150-200 km of traveling!) terminates in Hagnaya port. In Hagnaya you have to ride a ship, one of those roro types (fare is around 150 bucks), to Sta. Fe Bantayan.

I usually don’t plan where to stay, which sounds dumb but I prefer to always look and shop around first. This doesn’t work all the time but I’ve been very fortunate so far. I did found a place in Bantayan, a hut actually, that’s pretty cool – un-airconditioned but less that a 100 meters from the beach so I was sure I would get a lot of fresh sea breeze. There’s no sense in getting expensive lodging since I really don’t spend a lot of time staying inside – most of the time I’m out the whole day only coming back to rest.

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The island is a place of interest because it played a historical role in preventing the Moro’s to continue pillaging the Christian population in the northern portion of that province. It was Gobernador Corcuera who built most of the fortifications and watchtowers in the island. Known as “Bantayan sa Hari”, literally meaning watchtowers of the king, the island later became simply known as “Bantayan”. The significance of its development as a defense island  is that it gives us an idea of what people were like at that time. On  the one side, you have the invading Moros who rode the habagat to reach Cebu from the deep south – then you have natives who had converted to Catholicism, now fighting alongside the Spaniards. Its interesting that from these encounters the island had been given a unique role – the battles had left it with so many wonderful historical monuments and a strong Catholic tradition.

Receding tides forms an interesting landscape

I could just imagine what the Spaniards felt when they found out that they had to battle Muslims, their old adversaries, again in what they thought were fresh lands for their kingdom.  Most historical opinion are that the Moro’s visits were cases of piratical plunder, sacking coastal towns, capturing potential slaves as they leave. There are some scholars that suggest that the attacks were resistance against the Spanish presence, which in my view is highly unlikely. Whether the intention was to inflict injury or fight the invaders what is certain was that these were not the first battle between these nations as it seem more likely that the Moro’s had been slave raiding even before the Spaniards came. This is the reason why promised Spanish “protection” from these pirates appealed to the natives who were naturally awed by the Foreigners advanced weaponry and building techniques. Its fascinating that all the Spanish projects: like churches, bridges and administrative buildings were built to “impress and intimidate” the native people. That’s why we have to save what’s left because they don’t make them like they used to.

The Bantayan church is dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul. It was founded sometime in 1580′s at that time it was part of the Archdiocese of Mexico (the one in the Americas not Pampangas). The missions built several churches in the same site due because of natural disasters and battles. The current church is said to be the fifth to be erected in the same site.  The island being subjected to countless battles with invading groups should explain why the walls are  possibly the thickest ever built in the province, seriously someone should measure them! Just looking at them and imagining the labor that went to making them gave me goosebumps.

“The interior of Bantayan church is worth highlighting. It is decorated with stone statuary just like the facade. Stone carvings of saints from the colonial period are not as common as wood carving. These stone statues make Bantayan’s interior valuable”, said the Jesuit historian Fr. Javellana.The bas reliefs are very intricate, it can be found inside and outside of the church. I’ve never seen anything like it and I suggest to those who visit the church to take a close look.

An old fashioned Filipino home blending well with its fast modernizing town

The house on the right belongs to the old Bantayanon family, the Escario's. Around the plaza are some very good examples of Hispanic inspired Filipino houses

There are two significant fort ruins in the islands, one is in Sta. Fe the other is in Madridejos. Its amazing how this isolated island was made into a military installation. Its also interesting that there are still quite a few old houses around the church and plaza. The old building where they show films are still around. Some houses are in their final stages of being discarded while most, surprisingly, are well kept. There are at least 20 which is high considering that old houses has been harder to maintain due to its cost and the unavailability of materials. The families that decided to keep their houses must be commended – these people are rare nowadays. One thing that I love the most about bahay na bato in the provinces is that the original builders never resorted to what was cheap (hindi tinipid ang materyales) which is probably the reason why their still around after all these years. These romantic houses, if your a history person, are worth seeing when you’re around the poblacion.

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After a tiring day I then went on to forage for food – well, there’s no need really since at night time as there are lots of those buffet eat-all-you-can restos in Sta. Fe. I picked this one ran by a Portuguese fella who personally serves his customers with his son. His place is decorated by these shirts and jerseys (I assume donated by his customers). The food was great and price was cheap – not bad considering you can literally eat until you pass out (I think someone did or was he just drunk?). The grilled seafoods and all those Filipino dishes was overflowing. I think the Portuguese also serves some of his hometown cuisines but I was too busy eating to even notice. I also bought some dangit and pusit – its cheaper here compared to the popular dried fish market of Tabuan.

At night time the lights of the Negrense town of Escalante is visible from Santa Fe. The night time is good time to many people here especially the foreigners who go out and drink in the streets bars around the poblacion – some of these folks had decided to stay for good in Bantayan. I can’t blame them, its a great place. How I wish that I had more time when I visited. I retired for the night and woke up to a beautiful Bantayan sun rise – it was just an amazing feeling seeing it, a picture that would stay with you forever.

A scene that stays with you for a long time

A Picture of Mt. Kanlaon

 Mt. Kanlaon (Canlaon, Kan-laon) with a strange cloud  formation hanging on top of it. I took this photo at the port of Toledo just before the sun rose. It was a perfect day and we were headed back to Negros.

Tañon strait was so calm that one could mistake it as a lake at that time. The sea breeze was cold and fresh. The only sound I could hear was the crashing little waves and the motorized boats from the distance.

Kanlaon is one of the most active volcanoes in the country. It sits side by side with Mts. Silay and Mandalangan. It has a broad crater lake, I was told, I wonder what it looks like.

Canlaon the city is located at the foot of the volcano. It is considered the vegetable basket of the province. The high altitude and the rich earth produces the finest quality vegetables in Negros. My mother’s relatives in San Carlos made a living from buying vegetables here and selling them in their hometown back in the 40′s and 50′s.

It is also the home of a barrio named after Ninoy Aquino.