Friday, March 24, 2017

40. 12 YEARBOOK PHOTOS OF SELECT KAPAMPANGAN PERSONALITIES

Ever seen graduation photos of well-known Kapampangan personalities? Here are a few of them as they appeared in their yearbooks.  You might say there’s not much difference from your own school portraits, but--who would think that in a few years’ time, these young, eager-beaver faces would go on to become the region’s pride—trailblazers, pioneers,  leaders, champions, movers and shakers all.
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DR. MARIANO M. ALIMURUNG, Top Cardiologist, One of the Founders of Makati Medical Center
The future cardiologist (b. 4 Aug. 1916) went to St. Mary’s Academy in Bacolor for his elementary schooling. He moved to Manila to attend high school in  Letran, graduating as Valedictorian in 1936. He enrolled at the U.S.T for his medical course as scholar. While there, he also was the ROTC Corps Commander. Alimurung specialized in Cardiology and became renown in his field. He became one of the founders of Makati’s premiere hospital in 1969—Makati Medical Center—together with Dr. Constantino Manahan and Dr. Jose Fores. Dr. Alimurung sat as the chairman of the Dept. of Medicine, director of the Coronary Care Unit, and Head of the Cardiology Section. He was also the first and only director of the Office of Medical Education.
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SEN. BENIGNO AQUINO JR, Leading Marcos Oppositionist, Philippine Senator, Governor of Tarlac, Hero
The peripatetic Ninoy ((b. 27 Nov. 1932/ d. 21 Aug. 1983) was first enrolled at Saint Joseph’s School at age 6. He then transferred to American-run Ateneo on his third grade, then located in Intramuros. With the war closed down Ateneo, Ninoy moved to La Salle, but his studies were cut short with the Liberation. Once school reopened in 1946, Ninoy returned to Manila in 1946 to become a Bedan. He finished high school in just two and a half years by cross-enrolling during summer at Far Eastern University and National University. In his own assessment, he was “in the middle bracket, never brilliant, never among the 95s, but never in the 75s either.” 
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PRES. BENIGNO SIMEON C. AQUINO III, 15th President of the Philippines
Noynoy (b. 8 February 1960), is remembered for being a quiet, introverted gradeschooler who rarely joined extracurricular activities. His batchmates included future senators Teofisto Guingona III, and movie star Alfie Anido.  Aquino graduated from Ateneo with an Economics degree.  Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his Malacañang predecessor, was his former teacher.  He was first was elected as a congressman of Tarlac, then as a Senator in 2007. After Cory Aquino’s death in 2009, Noynoy heeded the people’s call and joined the presidential race under the Liberal Party and won over bets like the popular Manny Villar and Gilbert Teodoro, an Aquino relative.
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BISHOP TEODORO BACANI, Bishop of Novaliches
The popular figure of the Philippine Catholic Church (b. 16 Jan. 1940) was born in Bataan where her grew up. At the San Jose Seminary, his batchmates included Angel Lagdameo (of Lucban, future Bishop), while graduating from high school that same year was writer-critic Nicanor Tiongson.  Bacani was assigned in Guagua, under the San Fernando dicoese.  Installed as a Bishop of Novaliches, he became a visible figure during the People Power years, remaining in that position until his resignation.
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CONG. EMIGDIO A. BONDOC. Pampanga’s Popular Solon.
Emigdio Aliwalas Bondoc  (b. 22 Nov. 1928/d. 25 Nov. 1999 ) of Macabebe entered Ateneo de Manila in 1946 for his pre-law course. An active member of the Aquila Legis Fraterrnity, Social Order Club, Sodality to the Sanctuary Society, he was also the class Vice President.  In 1952, he finished his Law degree alongside classmates like Ernesto Maceda and Cesar Bengzon.  Bondoc joined government service as the legal adviser of the Senate financial committee in 1957. When Pampanga was re-districted into 4 congressional areas under the new Constitution, Bondoc became the solon of the 4th district that included Apalit, Candaba, Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, San Luis, San Simon and Santo Tomas. As a congressman, Bondoc was named chairman of the powerful House committee on ethics.
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MSGR. JOSE R. DE LA CRUZ. The Brilliant Cleric-Academic
"Pepe" (b. 8 May 1913/ 10 Apr.2010), was 15 when he entered San Jose Seminary and finished  as valedictorian. He earned a Philosophy degree, Summa Cum Laude. Too sickly to attend the International Gregorian University in Rome, he enrolled instead at the Central Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas and was ordained in 1941. At the same school, he completed his doctorate in Sacred Theology, Magna Cum Laude and  Bachelor of Laws.  His  assignments included Licab (Nueva Ecija), San Marcelino (Zambales), Guagua and Bacolor. A seasoned  traveler, fr. De la Cruz has gone around the world 10 times. He is known for  helping  launch the crusade of Charity revolving around Virgen de los Remedios, the patroness of Pampanga. The monsignor dabbled in radio, music, composing prayers, writing poetry, literary pieces and newspaper columns.
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CONG. FABIAN DE LA PAZ. Two-Time Pampanga Congressman, Lawyer, Teacher, Pensionado
Fabian de la Paz y Yabut  of Macabebe (b. 1889/d. 1946) was a bright boy who swore never to be like his father, who squandered the family fortune with his cockfighting vice. In 1904,  he was granted a pensionado scholarship  to the U.S. along with Jose Abad Santos (jurist) and  Sotero Baluyut (Pampanga governor). He earned an education degree from Macomb College in Illinois. Back home, Fabian was appointed principal of Tondo High School. He took night classes at the University of the Philippines in Manila where he finished law in 1916, which he practiced when he moved to Jolo. In 1928, Fabian successfully ran as an independent and won a seat in the Philippine Legislature for 2 terms (1928-31/ 1931-34). After Liberation, Pres. Sergio Osmeña  was said to have offered him a job as governor of Pampanga, but declined.
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VICENTE ALVAREZ DIZON, The Painter Who Beat Salvador Dali
Dizon (b. 5 April 1905/d. 1945), the artist was 19 when he finished high school at National University, where he illustrated his class yearbook. A Fine Arts graduate from the U.P. , he  took further studies at Yale. Dizon’s biggest triumph was winning First Prize at a contest held during the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco, California. His entry, “After A Day’s Toil”—showing a Filipino farming family on their way home from their farm labors, won over 79 artworks--- including that of surrealist Salvador Dali who could only place second. Dizon married Ines Sadie Henson, and died in Intramuros at the end of the war. Two of his children, Daniel and Josie, are both accomplished artists.
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DR. RAFAELITA V. HILARIO, Philippine Ambassador, Educator, Scholar, Writer.
Dr. Rafaelita Hilario-Soriano (b. 2 Jul. 1915/d. 1 Jan. 2007) was born  in San Fernando of illustrious parentage, daughter of Judge Zoilo J. Hilario of Bacolor and Trinidad Vasquez. After Pampanga High School, she went to the  Philippine Women’s University for her Political Science degree in 1936. While a dean at the Laguna Academy, she won a Levi Barbour Scholarship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Returning to the Philippines in 1948, Rafaelita became a sought after university lecturer . Her work at the Department of Foreign Affairs put her already multi-facetted career on yet another path—Foreign Service.  In 1970, she was named as an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Israel, thus joining an elite group of ambassadreses like Trinidad Fernandez and Pura Santillan-Castrence, who blazed the trails towards the feminization of diplomacy.
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ATTY. JULIAN MANANSALA, “The Father of Philippine Nationalistic Films”
Manansala (b. 28 Jan. 1899) opted not to take the bar to work as a Solicitor for Pensioners for Filipino veterans in Washington, D.C. before shifting to films, starting with his controversial “Patria Amore”(1929), which created a stir with its direct references to Spanish abuses. He directed a series of patriotic movies like “Dimasalang”, Kilabot ng Tulisan”, “Pagibig ng Bayan” before continuing his deferred law career. He was admitted to the bar in 1945.
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EFREN OCAMPO, Topnotch RTW Fashion Designer
The designer whose name is synonymous with RTW (Ready-To-Wear) fashions went to local schools in Angeles City, and was known as a Class-A tennis player. He next hied off to Manila, and  started out as assistant of couturier Dante Ramirez in the 70s. After that stint, Ocampo went to New York to study fashion design, draping, cutting at the Traphagen Institute of Fashion and worked on Seventh Avenue as an assistant designer for a few companies. He came back in 1980 and in 1983, decided to give RTW a try. His simple, wearable and affordable designs caught on with department stores and found himself supplying SM, where his creations are consistent bestsellers to this day.
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CLAUDE TAYAG,  Award-winning Chef, Artist, Designer, Writer
Angeles-born Claude Tayag (b.1956) is a self-taught artist, with backgrounds in architecture and economics from the University of the Philippines. He counts the late writer/painter Emilio Aguilar Cruz as his greatest influence. He first entered the Manila art scene in 1978, with his watercolor exhibits of fiestas and religious santos.  In 1990, he ventured into functional and sculptural wood pieces  via an “Art Furniture” exhibit at the Ayala Museum. As the Philippine representative to the 8th annual Embassy Chef Challenge 2016  in Washington, DC, Tayag won the People’s Choice Award. Together with wife Mary Ann Quioc, Tayag runs his Bale Dutung and Café Downtown 1956 food businesses in Angeles.

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SOURCES:
Castro, Alex R., http://www.filipiknow.net/famous-personalities-in-the-philippines/20 Yearbook Photos of Influential Filipino Personalities 

Photos of Dr. Mariano Alimurung, , Dr. Rafaelita Hilario, from Graphic Magazine, 1930s.
All others, from the original school yearbook collection of Alex R.Castro

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

39. 12 ANCIENT KAPAMPANGAN RIDDLES

Kapampangans, like all Filipinos, love exchanging bugtung or riddles at social events, funeral wakes and weddings. A favorite past time during the war, playing ‘bugtungan’ was widely practiced in rural areas to while away time during long walks home. See if you can answer these ancient riddles that our folks enjoyed in the good old days.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

ANSWERS:
1. Sulput or amorseco; 2. Sungka; 3, Piña (pineapple); 4. Campana (bell) 5. Mangga (mango); 6. Yamuc (mosquito); 7. Camiseta (shirt); 8. Pluma (fountain pen); 9. Balubad (cashew); 10. Buac (hair); 11. Sampagang saguin (banana blossoms); 12. Angca (jackfruit).

PHOTO SOURCES: online free clip art
SOURCES: 
Historical Data Papers of Candaba, Magalang, Mabalacat.
Icban-Castro, Rosalinda, Literature of the Pampangos, University of the East Press, Manila, Philippines,1981.

Saturday, March 4, 2017

38. 10 KAPAMPANGAN WUNDERKIDS

Once in a great while, gifted kids are born to astound the world with barrier-breaking feats and achievements. Mozart was a composer at age 5, Shakuntala Devi was an Indian mental calculator prodigy and 11 year old Mikaela Fudolig entered the University of the Philippines, and graduated in Physics, summa cum laude in 2007. Pampanga, too,  has its own share of amazing wonder kids who made news for their talents, genius and good looks.

MARTIN SANCHO was a frail 10 year-old boy, who, in 1587, was sent all the way to Spain to have an audience with Philip II, then the world’s most powerful monarch. He had earlier created a sensation among Spaniards in Manila for his fluency in Spanish and knowledge in Catholic education.  It was the intent of Spanish officials to present him to the royal court as proof that the new colony—which the king wanted to quit-- were worth keeping and that the natives could be educated like Europeans. Martin Sancho did not disappoint. He, not only conversed with the King in Spanish, but breathlessly recited prayers, articles of faith, and  the entire Catholic catechism in Latin! His performance was met with thundering applause. After his successful  appearance, the boy stayed on in Spain as a ward of his companion priest, Fr. Alonso Sanchez. When he reached  17, he was taken to Rome to join the Jesuit novitiate. He went back to Spain, lived in Toledo, and finished college in Murcia. In 1601, Sancho, his body racked with tuberculosis, finally returned to the Philippines to reunite with his Kapampangan parents whom he had left when he was only 10. Martin Sancho tragically died one month later at age 25.

Nestlé dairy products were known to Filipinos as early as 1895, imported by Sprungli and Co. Milkmaid Sweetened Condensed Milk was an early brand from the company that was heavily promoted.  In 1929.  Milkmaid conducted its search for the country’s most “Beautiful Babies”. Readers were encouraged to send pictures of cute babies and the chosen few appeared on the pages of The Philippine Free Press, the leading newspaper of the day. One winner was a bouncing Kapampangan baby boy, CARLOS SALVADOR GOMEZ JR, of Mabalacat, Pampanga. Born on 7 February 1929, Baby “Bolet” is the firstborn of Carlos Ramiro Gomez Sr. and Ma. Paz Dionisia Dizon. The senior Carlos was descended from the Spanish Masnous of Valladolilid. In his adult years, Bolet  married Zenaida Novak Feliciano of Magalang on 14 March 1950, with whom he had 10 children. He died of brain aneurysm at age 68 on 31 October 1997.

By the 1950s, Sampaguita Pictures was already an established Philippine movie company—producing blockbuster films like Paru-Parong Bukid, Takipsilim, Apoy sa Langit , Anghel ng Pagibig, and many more. Its contract stars included Rogelio de la Rosa, Carmen Rosales, Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran. But in 1951, a disastrous fire razed the studios to the ground, leaving the founders—the Vera-Perezes—on the brink of bankruptcy. Enter TESSIE AGANA (b. 16 May 1942), daughter of actress Linda Estrella and Adriano Agana of Tarlac—and recently cast in the tearjerker budget film, “Roberta”, written by Mars Ravelo. During the shooting, Tessie was bribed with Max’s Fried Chicken to put her in an acting mood. It worked; she memorized all her lines, cried at the drop of a hat, and stole every scene she was in. When “Roberta” was shown at the Life Theater, it became a monster hit—and the one week run was overextended, until it broke all existing box-office records. Her convincing performance as a poor, pitiful child endeared her to an audience who took her into their hearts, and catapulted her to instant stardom—the first child superstar of Philippine movies. Sampaguita Pictures managed to get back on its feet and would eventually come out even bigger and better than it was before. In gratitude for helping save the studio, Tessie was cast in picture after picture, and was hailed as the Philippines’ Shirley Temple. After her stint with showbiz, Tessie Agana married Dr. Rodolfo L. Jao in the U.S. in 1962, and would raise a big family of 9 children. She is settled currently in Valparaiso, Indiana.

CECILE LICAD (b. 11 May 1961), daughter of Rosario Buencamino and Dr Jesus Vitug Licad from Lubao, began her piano studies at age 3. At 7, she made her debut as soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Philippines. At  11 years old, the prodigy won the Manila Young Artists’ competition with her incredible rendering of Chopin’s F Minor concerto, a piece that one judge assumed was not for her age. At 12, she was accepted at the Curtis Institute of Music under the mentorship of Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski. At 19, she won the prestigious Leventritt Gold Medal, one of the youngest winners ever and attained international acclaim.  Signed up by CBS records, her Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 made it to the Billboard classical charts. Licad, a favorite of First Lady Imelda Marcos, has played with the world’s most notable orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, London Philharmonic and Tokyo’s NHK Symphony,  among others. She has also appeared in top music festivals such as Tanglewood, Santa Fe and Marlboro Music Festival. In March 2007, she performed with her then 19-year-old son Ottavio L. Meneses, also a pianist, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Licad, called “a pianist’s pianist” by The New Yorker, held her historic homecoming Pampanga recital at Holy Angel University in March 1912.

The Filipina musical theater star who took West End and Broadway by storm was born as Maria Lea Carmen Salonga (born 22 February 1971) to Ligaya Imutan and Feliciano Salonga, a Kapampangan naval admiral. LEA SALONGA spent the first six years of her life in Angeles City where she attended the local O.B.Montessori school.  At age 7, she made her theatre debut in the musical, King and I. She also starred in Annie, Paper Moon, The Fantasticks, The Sound of Music, among others. At 10, she recorded  “Small Voice” which turned her into a certified child star. She had her own TV show ”Love, Lea”, earned a FAMAS nomination, and made popular movies in the 1980s. But it was her casting as Kim after a worldwide search  for “Miss Saigon” that made her  an international star in 1989. The Cameron Macintosh-produced musical gave her a coveted Laurence Olivier Award. She reprised that role for Broadway, and won a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards. In 1992 Lea lent her voice to the Oscar-winning song from the Disney film, Aladdin—“A Whole New World”. She was in the “Les Miserables” anniversary concerts (1993,1996), headlined ”Flower Drum Song” (2002), starred in “Cinderella” and returned to Broadway with “Allegiance”. In her 37-year career, Lea has performed for six Philippine presidents , three American Presidents, for Diana, Princess of Wales and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

KIMBERLY JANE CUNANAN (b.1991) made waves at the Batang Pinoy Games held in Bacolod City in December 2001 when she won in the Under 10 Age Group category.  The young princess of the gameboard, daughter of Herome Cunanan of Apalit and Annabel de Guzman of Dau, proved that her victory was no fluke as she collected 4 more national titles. Cunanan would have played in international chess championships in Kuala Lumpur and Spain had it not been for lack of funds. In 2004, she was named as a member of the Philippine Team to the World Youth Chess Championship in Crete, Greece (bannered by then 11-year old Wesley So), but could not compete due to financial constraints. In 2006, she was named as Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awardee in the field of Sports. In June 2007, Cunanan, then 15, clinched the gold medal in the Under-16 division at the Eight Asean Age Group Chess Championships in Thailand  and led two other Filipinos to the team bronze.

At the 2003 Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awards, ANGELI MARK DAVID BARRO  (b. 1 October 1992) became the youngest winner to be recognized for his achievement in sports—earning the coveted recognition at age 11 years, 2 months. Born in Lakandula, Dau to parents Angelito Barro and Leni David, this taekwondo champion blackbelter is the recipient of over 21 awards and citations in sports. He has also won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at various editions of Batang Pinoy, a national age-group sportsfest. As the youngest among 50 delegations to the 12th U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, Barro came away with a Bronze Medal. In his older years, he was named as one of the Ten Outstanding Youths of Angeles City for 2010. Barro graduated in 2013 from the Angeles University Foundation College of Criminal Justice Education , and was named Most Outstanding Senior of the Year Award and Student of the Year .

ANNIKA CHANEL PINEDA-CAYABYAB (b. 2001) comes from a family of sports enthusiasts: her mother, Mylin Pineda is an avid golfer, while her father, Archen Cayabayab was a former basketball player from National University and the Philippine Basketball League (PBL).  Coached by Jack Nicklaus-trained Norman Sto. Domingo, Annyka began her career at the Mimosa golf course in Clark and started competing age 7, and bagged her first title a year later.  She has not stopped there since and continued collecting titles—from the Future Champions of Golf International junior championships in San Diego, California to the Veritas World Junior international golf tournament, a crown which she has won thrice beginning in 2012. In 2014, the young OB Montessori grade schooler was recognized with a Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awards in the field of sports. Her grandmother, Lilia Pineda, is the incumbent governor of Pampanga and hails from Lubao.

The showbiz career of ETHAN DIZON (b. 2002, West Hills, California) began very early at age 2, when he bagged his first commercial roles for the national ads of Target, the American Egg Board, Taco Bell, and Mercedes Benz. His father , actor Eric Dizon is the son of Chris Dizon who is from Mabalacat, Pampanga.  Ethan’s mother, Corinne Chooey is of Chinese ancestry, a relative of Hong Kong actress Kwun Ling Chow. Ethan made his acting debut in the CBS hit series, “How I Met Your Mother” and had guest roles in  “Grey's Anatomy”, and “'Til Death”. He can be seen most recently on Awkward and Sullivan & Son. His film credits include: “Get A Job”, “Bad Words” ( with Jason Bateman), and the “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete”, where he is best-known for playing Pete.  In 2017, he will be seen in “Spiderman: Homecoming”. Ethan is a member of Screen Actors Guild since 2006.  A gifted artist, he was nominated for Best Actor at the NBCU Short Film Festival 2014 in "Paulie", where he played the title role.

“Little Miss Philippines” is a special segment conducted by “Eat Bulaga” , the longest-running noontime show on Channel 7. It is a nationwide pageant search for little girls and is credited with launching the careers of former winners and candidates as Aiza Seguerra (1987), Gladys Reyes, Donna Cruz, Dessa, Lady Lee, Jessa Zaragoza, Pauleen Luna (1995) and Julie Anne San Jose. In 2012, 6 year old RYZZA MAE DIZON (b. 12 June 2005) of Brgy. Pampang, Angeles entered the contest. She was short, chubby, dark and toothless---but she was bubbling with charm and precocity. Even so, the audition jury  ought to eliminate her—but show hosts Ruby Rodriguez recognized her specialness and pleaded that they give her a chance. The smart dark-horse not only advanced to the finals but  won the coveted 2012 Little Miss Philippines crown, over finalists Maria Francesca Rojas, Jenna Marie Niedens , Jhie Ann Marie Crisostomo and Precious Angel Aceah Delda. Ryzza also was awarded Miss Talent and “Cutest Little Miss” for getting the most “likes” on Facebook. She went on to become a co-host of Eat Bulaga , starred in a talk show (The Ryzza Mae Show), had her own teleserye, and appeared in blockbuster movies like My Little Bossing and  Si Agimat, si Enteng Kabisote at si Ako.


 PHOTO SOURCES
CECILE LICAD:
 ETHAN DIZON:
 ANGELI MARK BARRO: Leni Barro FB page
ANNIKA PINEDA CAYABYAB
 RYZZA MAE DIZON
 LEA SALONGA
ALL OTHERS: Alex R. Castro Collection