103. 10 ARTS AND CRAFTS OF PAMPANGA

In the late 19^th and early 20^th century, a design trend swept Europe and America called “Arts and Crafts”, a movement that promoted handcraftsmanship over industrial mass production. But long before that, Kapampangans have been creating all kinds of objects with their hands, with utilitarian and decorative functions, for their homes, work, leisure and religion.

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1. KURAN AT PASU (Sto. Tomas)

Utilitarian and decorative clay vessels and containers were among the earliest crafted objects made by man. All sorts of earthenware—including the ubiquitous  ‘kuran’ (round-bottom cooking pot)—have been produced in parts of Pampanga, as recorded by American Thomasite Luther Parker in the 1900s.  Sto. Tomas is the acknowledge pottery center of the province, with many major potters clustered along Quirino street. According to oldtimers, one pioneer potter was Apung Sindung Mercado who made “pilones”, clay jars used in the manufacture of molasses. From making traditional oya, tapayan, kuran, gusi, balanga and pilun , the potters also added ornamental pasu or masetas for growing garden plants and flowers,

2. PUKPUK (Betis, Apalit)

The fine art of metalsmithing was known to pre-Hispanic people in our archipelago, blossoming in the the late 16th to the 19th century, when the Spanish missionaries arrived to introduce the idea of sacred art in which the Chinese excelled. To decorate the altar, Mexican silver coin were melted and fashioned into tabernacles, altar frontals and vessels, ramilletes (silver floral standees), carrozas, and more. Betis artisans mastered the art, locally termed as ‘pukpuk’ (to hammer) as designs were created by chasing and using the repoussé method,  in which designs are raised on a metal sheet by pounding a pattern from the back using a sinsil (blunt chisel). This is achieved by working on the metal against a wooden block, on which designs have been incised. Artisans spread the art to Apalit which once had the largest number of ‘pukpuk’ shops. Names like the Ramirez Family, Edgardo Yutuc and Jeric Canlas continue this tradition to this day.   

3. DUKIT (Betis)

Betis is the town synonymous with quality carved woodcrafts (“dukit” -to carve) —from church and home furniture, decorative architectural pieces,  to religious statuaries and  relief sculptures.  One of its ancient barrios—Sta. Ursula—was known as the premiere source of such carved masterpieces.  A famous resident is Maestro Apung Juan Flores, who started as  a santo carver an expanded into “muebles” and carved wooden furnishings. He made the decorative wooden carvings of Malacanang Palace during the term of Marcos. Angeles, with its many Clark residents, was a major market of woodcarved products during the 50s thru the 80s. Modern-day mandudukit include the descendants of the Flores family, Willy Layug, Peter Garcia, Salvador Gatus, and the artisans of Betis Crafts of Myrna Bituin, who exports their prized furniture worldwide.

4. PARUL (San Fernando)

The lantern industry owes its popularity to San Fernando lantern maker pioneers who evolved the parul from the simple wooden and paper star lanterns for the “lubenas” (procession)  to the giant kaleidoscopic lanterns that the world marvels at, every December’s Giant Lantern Festival. The advent of electricity gave rise to the invention of the rotor by Rodolfo David; which is used to give the lanterns their amazing play of colors. Well-known parol makers include the Quiwas (led by Ernesto David Quiwa), Rolando Quiambao, Arnel Flores, and Jesus Maglalang. The Christmas capital of the Philippines  has parul stores all over the city still selling traditional lanterns. The Dau Expressway exit is line with lantern stores, hawking paruls of all sorts—capiz, LED-lit,  wire and plastic, and even “rope” lanterns.

5. BURARUL (Angeles)

Kite-making,  though not exactly an industry,  requires a certain degree of artistic and technical skill. Believe to have originated in China, these paper and wood air craft are flown mainly for leisure and play—but they were said to be used also for measuring distances and for military communications. In Pampanga, they are called “burarul”, from the Spanish “volador”,  one that flies. The basic “karang-karang” is nothing more than a folded paper with thread. But the more elaborate kites come in box (“tukong”) or diamond shapes (“sapin-sapin”). There are high-flyers (“gurion”) and competition fighter kites (“panyaklit”). The most complicated ones are figural kites mastered by the professional kite-maker Eulogio Catalan of Angeles City. A former sepulturero, Mang Eloy won renown for his imaginative, award-winning kite creations. He made kites in the forms of birds, fishes, angels, saints and figures  of our  national heroes—all using wooden framework,  paper and paint. His most elaborate was a ferris wheel kite with seated human figures, that actually turned when flown on a string. He also introduced the concept of folding kites. The art of kite making died with him, and today, just a handful in Pampanga know how to fashion homemade kites from “tingting” and papel de hapon.

6. DASE (Candaba, San Luis, San Simon)

As early as the 18^th century, dictioanarist Fray Diego Bergaño made mentioned of towns lining the Candaba Swamp that were known for weaving house mats or “dase”. Made from “ebus” (buri palm leaves) . These included weaving families from San Luis and San Simon who are skilled in the art of “pamaglala”, or weaving, usually done communally, after the day’s work. Mat weavers or”magdadase” wove fine mats of large, medium and small sizes—made for sleeping or for covering the bamboo floor. For variety, the leaves are dyed in different colors to produce mats with appealing patterns.

7. KUPIA (Apalit)

An allied product from the province’s weaving tradition are hats or “kupia”, an essential accessory for our tropical climate, where  wearing a head protection from the  scorching sun or sudden rains is mandatory.Before commercial hat shops were established in Pampanga, everday functional hats—"kupia"-- 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  gradually slowed down in the 1920s. 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.

8. SANTOS (Betis, Macabebe, Bacolor, Apalit)

Although Betis is the center of woodcarving  in Pampanga, it is Macabebe town which is known as the home of santeros. A santero is a craftsman who uses wood, ivory, cement or fiber glass to produce an ecclesiastical art piece known as santo, in the image of Christ, Mary or a Saint. Before the war, fishing and farming were the only means of livelihood of the people of Macabebe. Santo making was then merely an expression of their ingenuity, and the products were mostly for personal use. Pablo “Ambo” Bautista, a local businessman, is credited with promoting santo-making in the town by gathering local artists and putting them to work in a talyer he opened just for them. Sons Antonio (a painter) and Gener (a carver) further grew the business and improved the craft of santo making. This inspired other carvers to put up shops that soon proliferated along the whole stretch of the town’s main road. Others found their way in the other towns of Pampanga. U.P. Fine Arts graduate Maximiano Jingco also set up a pre-war religious statuary shop in Guagua. Second and third generation carvers continued the santo tradition like Rolando and Boyet Flores (from the Flores family of Sta.Ursula), while a new breed of highly trained carvers came to fore—Nick Lugue (Apalit).Wilfredo Layug  (Betis),  Joseph Magcalas (Apalit) ,  Joed Miclat (San Luis) and the Viray brothers (Bacolor).

9. GITARA (Guagua)

Cebu may have a reputation as the Philippines’ guitar industry leader, but the more well-known guitar brands are made in Guagua, Pampanga. The “gitara” has its origins in Spain, and there’s a mention of  a guitar-prototype in Byron Pabalan’s zarzuela “Ing Managpe”—a stringed instrument called “kalaskas”. Another is the pre-Hispanic “kudyapi”, which, like the guitar, has a box and a fretboard. The pioneer guitar maker in Pampanga is a Matuang Bacani who managed to copy an old Spanish guitar. He passed on his techniques to his son-in-law, Angel Lumanog who mastered the craft of guitar-making, opened a shop and started supplying Macabebe, Bacolor, and San Fernando stores. Son, his guitars were being sought after in Manila. Today, the Lumanog brand is a name synonymous to fine guitars. Apart from the Lumanogs, families like the Garcias, Dizons, Mallaris, Jucos and Manansalas engaged in the production guitars.

10. GAWANG PANDE (Apalit)

The first cannon maker of the country was a Kapampangan named Pande Pira, a smith who put up a foundery in Manila to make “lantakas” or cannons, and other artillery to protect the Intramuros and for use in Spanish galleons. Apalit takes pride in continuing this smithing tradition, and is the leading source of world-class steel crafts in the province,  such as bolo, machete, all types of knives and daggers, plus home and garden implements like rakes, hoes, spades, and other tools. The steel products are made the old fashioned way by hammering sheets of metal ,  made malleable by superheating them, then shaped into blades for bolos, palang, knives, scythes, spears or any bladed implement. The industry gave Apalit town its nickname, “The Blacksmith Capital of Pampanga”. In Floridablanca, smiths produced aluminum crafts, using “aluminyu” that are heated and pounded into shape, using molds.

SOURCE:

SINGSING MAGAZINE, "Pampanga's Folk Arts & Crafts: Going, Going, Gone?", Vol. 5, No. 1.Published by the Center for Kapampangan Studies,Holy Angel University. Excerpted and edited from the articles of JoelPabustan Mallari (Dase, Gitara, Kuran, Burarul, Kupia), Arwin Lingat (Santo), Alex R. Castro (Pukpuk), 

www.viewsfromthepamang.blogspot.com (Hold on to that Hat, Hamming on an Old Guitar, The Art of  the Kuran)
PHOTOS:
Alex R.Castro (Pande, Kupia, Gitara, Santos, Parul, Pande, Pukpok, )
Best, Jonathan. A Philippine Album: American Era Photographs 1900-1930, The Bookmark Inc.(Dase)
Miss Millenial Pampanga 2017 FB Page: (Betis Carving-Dukit)
Singsing Magazine: (Burarul)

80. 15 KAPAMPANGAN PLACES, THEIR MONICKERS AND MOTTOS

The use of short descriptive phrases--sobriquets, nicknames, monickers-- to describe places goes a long way back in history. "Pearl of the Orient" (Perla del Oriente) was first used in 1571 for Manila, now used as a sobriquet for the whole country. Central Luzon, which includes Pampanga, was dubbed as the "Rice Granary of the Philippines". Pampanga, of course, lays claim to the title of "Culinary Capital of the Philippines". Not all place nicknames, however, are positive in nature-- some are insulting, some amusing, many hilarious --but this naming tradition lives on today. Recently, town mottos, too, are being appended to rally people to support their municipality's vision/mission. 

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ANGELES CITY

Angeles earned its reputation as a center of entertainment with the rise of its barangay, Balibago as a recreation and leisure hub for serving both American and local patrons. The city’s proximity to Clark Air Base jumpstarted the establishments of night clubs, pubs, bars and gambling dens which lined the main avenue of Balibago, as well as the nearby perimeter roads known as Fields and Friendship Avenue. The entertainment strip was lit with neon marquees with Las Vegas inspired names such as Copa Cabana, Nina’s Papagayo, Little brown Jug, and Tropicana. Like Los Angeles, it was dubbed as the “City of Angels”, as it was named for both the founder (Angel Pantaleon de Miranda) and titular patrons  (Los Angeles Custodios).  The Casino Filipino, run by PAGCOR, is also located in Balibago.

“Abe-abe…Saup-saup…Agyu Tamu!” (Together...Helping Each Other...We Can!)

APALIT 

Apalit is the last town of Pampanga as one goes south to Manila, hence its nickname. The town is also famous for its long tradition in blacksmithing, and  the best bolos are said to come from Apalit. Today, th town doe not only produce bladed weapons like machetes and knives, but also domestic steel tools like rakes, hoes, anvils, picks, shovels and garden implements.

“Aplit…Apalit!” (Quicken the Pace...Apalit!)

BACOLOR

Like the ancient capital of Greece—Athens—Bacolor was the undisputed seat of arts and culture of the province, with the highest concentration of poets, artists, zarzuela performers, musicians, singers and writers. Bacolor is the proud home of such literary greats  as Juan Crisostomo Soto, Felix Galura, Luisa Gonzaga de Leon, Jose Gutierrez David, Mariano Proceso Pabalan Byron, Anselmo Fajardo, Zoilo Hilario, among others. Bacolor was also the country’s capital for two years during the Spanish colonial times when Manila was invaded by the British.

“Pluribus Unum, Non Plus Ultra" (Out of Many, No Further and Beyond)”

CAPAS

Capas is one of the richest, most historic towns of Tarlac,  the final site of the infamous Bataan Death March. It is a trekkers’ and mountaineers’ paradise as the challenging Mount Pinatubo treks were first offered by this town, which today continues to  attract thousands of tourists every year, unprecedented in number. This accounts for its latest nicknames as Tarlac’s tourism capital.

"Paspas..Capas!" (Make Haste, Capas!)

DAU

Camp Stotsenburg established its  Post Exchange in Dau, which presaged its rise from a barrio of Mabalacat to  the country's PX capital in the 70s. With the relaxation of Clark rules, PX goods flowed out of the base in abundance, to be resold later in stores  that quickly sprouted like mushrooms along MacArthur Highway of Dau. The completion of the North Expressway that linked Dau to Manila facilitated the great American experience as visitors trooped to Dau to buy Pringles, Oreos, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Hershey’s Chocolates, Almond Rocha, Hanes and Fruit of the Loom shirts, imported rubber shoes, branded cosmetics, apples and grapes, among others. The reversal of fortune began with the departure of American servicemen facilitated by the Pinatubo eruption of 1991. Business took a turn for the worse when PX Clubs opened at Clark-which extended PX shopping privileges to Filipinos.  Today, Dau shops continue to flourish, with toilet fixtures, military uniforms, various tools, and used surplus items replacing the once in-demand PX goods.

FLORIDABLANCA

The third largest municipality in the province has so much potential waiting to be untapped that the municipal government came up with a kilometric monicker for the province that reads more like a vision.

“Abe-abe king Panyulung!” (Together in Advancement)

LUBAO

The ancient town of Lubao (old name: Baba) has the sole distinction of producing two presidents: Diosdado Pangan Macapagal (b. Sep. 28, 1910/d. Apr. 21, 1997), who served from 1961-1965 as our ninth President, and daughter Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ( b.Apr. 5, 1947 ), who was our 14th President,  from 2001 until 2010.

MABALACAT

Over 97% of Clark Economic Zone is on Mabalacat land, hence the claim as Clarks economic breadbasket. ‘Makati of the North’ is a monicker coined by the long-running Morales Administration, which came across as too pretentious. The only similarity is, like the Binays of Makati, Morales’ term was a long one, stepping down only 2017, after 22 years in power. The Kamikaze monicker is in reference to the Divine Wind suicide attacks of Japan that was planned in the home of local Mabalacat resident,  Marcos Santos, during the last years of World War II.

“Misanmetung, Mabalacat! (United for once, Mabalacat!)

MACABEBE

In the art of peddling, perhaps no one can compare to the selling skills of the Macabebe cloth vendors. In fact, Macabebe takes pride in being called “Home of the Peddlers”, a reputation built by these native vendors who roamed across the Archipelago, travelling on foot and in groups of two or more, selling the famous ‘Macabebe cloth’—actually, Manila-bought fabrics. These humble, hardworking cloth vendors infused a lot of money into their town and in the 1930s, were largely responsible for pumping up Macabebe’s economy.

"Memalen Macabebe, tapat makiabe!" (Macabebe townfolks are loyal friends)

MAGALANG

Magalang aspires to become the sweet tamarind capital of the Philippines through a locally-propagated tamarind variety known as Aglibut. The late Professor Andres Aglibut, a consultant of Pampanga Agricultural College, successfully developed a  sampaluk type noted for it sour-sweet taste and juicy dark brown flesh. This is in consonance with the town’s “farm tourism” program which aims to revitalize the farm industry of this scenic, agricultural town.

“One Magalang! Metung King Panyulung!” (One Magalang, One in our Stride to Progress)

MINALIN

The town is known as the "Egg Basket of Central Luzon" because of its large scale production of eggs and chickens. According to the municipal government, Minalin earns P30 million per month or P1 million per day from the sales of eggs. There are 22 poultry raisers who own around 280,000 chickens. These chickens produce 479,100 eggs per day. So important is this egg industry that a laying chicken is even included in its town seal.

SAN FERNANDO

The capital city of San Fernando is popularly known as the "Christmas Capital of the Philippines" because of its traditional giant Christmas lantern industry. The establishment of the Paskuhan Village in 1990 served to reinforce its image, but the lantern-shaped complex folded up after the Pinatubo eruption and fell into disarray. Its Giant Lantern Festival held every December remains the city’s biggest attraction, in which the city’s barangays field their biggest and brightest lantern in a friendly competition attended by thousands of local and international tourists.

SAN LUIS

San Luis’ most famous son is the Huk Supremo, Luis Mangalus Taruc, who was born in the barrio of sta. Monica, of peasant parents on June 21, 1913. Following the Japanese invasion, Taruc formed the Hukbalahap (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon), along with Casto Alejandrino and other guerillas, in central Luzon in 1942.  San Luis became one of the hotbeds of Huk activities in the 50s and 60s. in 2017, Taruc was recognizedas a hero by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NCHP) for his role the struggle for  agrarian reforms.

SANTA RITA

Sugarcane was the cash crop that made Pampanga so rich, Sta. Rita included. The town is famous for its sweet delicacies-- turrones de casuy (wafer paper-wrapped cashew nougats) and sans rival (rich pastry made with layers of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashew nuts). Ocampo-Lansang made these treats famous, and which in turn, gave the town’s nickname.

 “Sesen taya ing Santa Rita” (Let's care for Sta. Rita)

SANTO TOMAS

Santo Tomas is the smallest town of Pampanga but it has many unique homegrown industries like red clay pottery and funeral casket-making. The latter products are known for their beauty and fine quality,  made by craftsmen from about 100 registered enterprises, not to mention 200 backyard producers.  Its nickname as the casket capital of the country was given by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the 1980s, and its reputation shows no sign of waning. It is estimated currently, that 40% of the town depends on the coffin-making industry. It has been the tradition of Sto. Tomas town to donate coffins to affected provinces during times of calamities.

SOURCES:

List of city and municipality nicknames in the Philippines, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_city_and_municipality_nicknames_in_the_Philippines#Central_Luzon

Angeles: https://www.zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=File:Welcome_to_Angeles_City,_Pampanga.jpg

Apalit: https://www.zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=File:Goodbye_Arc_of_San_Juan,_Apalit,_Pampanga.jpg

Bacolor: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jf7717San_Fernando,_Pampanga_Welcome_Arch_Bacolorfvf_26.JPG

Capas: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CapasNationalShrinejf4224_13.JPG

Dau: Photo by Jun Malig, Inquirer Central Luzon

Floridablanca: www.pampangatalents.com

Lubao: http://www.wikiwand.com/tl/Lubao,_Pampanga

Mabalacat: https://pam.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabalacat_Lakanbalen#/media/File:Mabalacat_1.JPG

Macabebe: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FvfMacabebe9799_08.JPG

Magalang: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:7217jfSan_Jose_Welcome_Arch_Magalang_Pampangafvf_14.JPG

Minalin: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:09844jfRiverside_Districts_Santa_Rita_Santo_Tomas_Minalin_Welcome_Pampanga_villagesfvf_05.JPG

San Fernando: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jf7717San_Fernando,_Pampanga_Welcome_Arch_Bacolorfvf_12.JPG

Photo: by Chris Navarro,

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/images/2016/11/03/christmas-capital-507377

Sta.Rita: https://www.facebook.com/malauscasantaritapampanga/photos/a.807974675886366.1073741829.749594908391010/2051567958193692/?type=3&theater

 Sto. Tomas: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:09929jfExterior_Diosdado_Macapagal_Santo_Tomas_Pampanga_Municipal_Hallfvf_14.jpg

67. 12 RIVER MYTHS AND MYSTERIES OF PAMPANGA

1. THE ONCE-MIGHTY PORAC RIVER

Ancient Porac was in the vicinity of a seashore.

Three pre-historic settlements in Porac, one unearthed by anthropologist H. Otley Beyer’s team in 1939 (Hacienda Ramona site), another by archaeologist Robert Fox in 1959 (Balukbuk site), and the third by the National Museum in 1999 (Upper Balukbuk site) raise the question of why the settlers built relatively large communities high up on the foothills of the Zambales Mountain Range. A  theory says that the ancient Porac River, which today is nothing but a shallow brook, was navigable enough for large water vessels from Manila Bay, and that the subsequent eruptions of Mount Pinatubo, years (not centuries) before the Spaniards arrived in 1571, silted the river and either destroyed the communities or forced the inhabitants to abandon them. Old folks in Lubao town, claim that in the 1960s, they saw what looked like large wooden boards floating in the Porac-Gumain river. The boards, between 12 and 16 feet long, were roughly cut and had holes in them, which made the folks speculate that they must have been parts of a large ancient boat washed down from upstream Porac River, which they believe to be navigable in the distant past. (Joel Pabustan Mallari)

2. WERE BETIS AND LUBAO AS BIG AS CEBU?

The conquistadores found thriving Muslim communities here.

The earliest  Spanish chronicles show that the first settlements in Pampanga were situated along the major waterways. Miguel Loarca listed these ancient settlements with their corresponding population figures, thus revealing a comparison between Pampanga settlements and those in other parts of the archipelago. In the list, Betis (Vitis) and Lubao had a population of 3,500 people, the same number as that of Cebu. Calumpit (Calonpite) outnumbered Macabebe by 400 people, but the latter Pampanga town had a bigger population than Vigan (1,600 people), Malolos (800), Negros (700) and Ylocos (500). Most if not all of these Pampanga communities thrived along or close to riverine areas for two basic reasons: abundant resources and accessibility of transportation. This is true for all the great cities and civilizations of the world (J. Mallari)

3. LUBAO’S ANCIENT BURIAL BOATS

Skeletons turn up during a flood.

Old civilizations all over the world—like Vikings, Austronesians, and Ebypt--observed a variety of elaborate burial rituals, one of which involved boats. Researchers of the Center for Kapampangan Studies, together with Dr. Rodrigo Sicat, author of The Kapampangans, recently interviewed old folks in Dr. Sicat’s hometown, Lubao, living near the now-heavily silted Gumain River. According to them, during the great flood of 1972, an eroded section of the protective dike near the property of a Pablo de la Peña in Brgy. Gumi turned up several boat-shaped coffins. They described the finds as canoe-shaped kabaung, inside of which were the skeletal remains of what appeared to be at least six-footers. Beside the skeletons, the interviewees claimed, were indigenous and tradeware ceramics: blue-and-whites and local earthen pots like kuran and banga. Each coffin measured between 12 and 18 feet long, carved out of the trunk of a bulaon tree (Vitex parviflora Juss.).  (J. Mallari)

4. FACTORIA AND THE SHIP THAT SANK IN NUEVA ECIJA

Did Spanish galleons sail as far as the headwaters of the Pampanga River?

Pedro Arcilla wrote that as recently as the early 1900s, large boats could still navigate the Pampanga River from Manila Bay all the way to Cabanatuan City and other Nueva Ecija towns. In fact, a parish document in a Nueva Ecija town mentions a casco (old folks there say it was a Chinese junk, others say it was a Spanish galleon) that sank during a storm in the early 1800s in that upstream section of the Pampanga River that flowed through the town of Factoria. An old resident of San Isidro town (present name of Factoria) allegedly recovered a part of this sunken ship’s rudder which is now displayed in his private museum, awaiting scientific verification. In times past, Factoria once controlled the tobacco industry in the North and was once the capital of Nueva Ecija. Indeed, this once-thriving town, formerly within the boundaries of the Kapampangan Region, owed all of this to its proximity to the Pampanga River. (J. P. Mallari)

5. THE SASMUAN-CABIAO CONNECTION

This upstream town served as haven to Kapampangan refugees.

In the Sasmuan Papers of the Luther Parker Collections (c.1900), there is a claim that Factoria became the capital of Pampanga in 1762, when the British invaded Manila and the country’s capital was moved to Bacolor. The territory of Pampanga extended all the way to Nueva Vizcaya, and Nueva Ecija as a province, was still non-existent. The provincial governor of Pampanga, a Señor Biron, was residing in Factoria, when British soldiers invaded Sasmuan through the town’s Manglares River.  Biron ordered all the residents in eastern Sasmuan  to evacuate to Cabiao (then still part of Pampanga). A group of women, led by Doña Magdalena Pineda protested against the order, citing the inconvenience of moving to Cabiao. After the British left the country in 1765, the Philippine capital was returned to Manila and apparently, Pampanga’s capital was returned to Bacolor and thus ended Factoria’s brief shining moment in history.

6. MEXICO: PAMPANGA’S CAPITAL BEFORE BACOLOR?

Bacolor was the provincial capital only from 1755 to 1903

Bacolor  started functioning as capital of Pampanga in 1746 and officially became capital only in 1755.  The town served as the provincial seat of government until 1903, when the capital was moved to San Fernando. In Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas, Gaspar de San Agustin, OSA wrote that the provincial capital  prior to Bacolor was Mexico town, one of the oldest and most prosperous communities in Pampanga. The province’s oldest surviving church structure is found in San Jose Matulid; the town has a barangay named Parian which indicates the presence of a community of Chinese merchants before; and a tributary to the Pampanga River links Mexico directly to Manila Bay passing through the important towns of San Fernando, Bacolor, Guagua, Sasmuan and Macabebe.

7. SAPANG BALEN AND ITS VIOLENT PAST

Angeles City lies in the path of an old, forgotten river

When the city’s founder Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda  and wife Doña Rosalia de Jesus, came to Kuliat  to establish a new town, they chose the area around the Sapang Balen creek. The creek may seem harmless but its present tranquility belies a violent past. Historian Mariano Henson notes that on July 20, 1881, “A typhoon and a heavy downpour of rain caused the treacherous Taug salient, which used to originate at the southwesternmost tip of barrio Pampang, to swell up to a murky, clay-ey tone into the Sapang Balen Creek, causing the destruction of the three bridges of 1850 and carrying away three houses from barrio San Jose. It is said that before 1796, the Taug sometimes went a few hundred yards behind the present church during protracted heavy rainfall.” A similar devastation occurred in 1972 when Sapang Balen washed away dozens of houses in San Jose, and again when Mount Pinatubo erupted on June 15, 1991, when the creek overflowed into downtown Angeles. Sapang Balen is actually the ancient path of Taug River; at some point in the distant past.

(C. Manese)

8. THE MYSTERY OF THE SACOBIA RIVER

The mighty river probably did not exist before the 1850s

Sacobia River, which became a byword during the lahar season in the 1990s, is one of four major rivers emanating from the eastern slope of Mount Pinatubo itself.  Strangely, however, Sacobia River does not appear in maps made during the entire colonial period until mid-1800s. Cartographers could not have missed such a major river, considering that even creeks in the vicinity of the Sacobia River are depicted. Is it possible that Sacobia River did not exist before mid-1800s? There is a theory that it may have been formed, probably due to a lake breakout on the slopes of Mount Pinatubo, in the 1850s. Sometime in 1856, the town of San Bartolome in southern Tarlac was completely swamped with floodwaters from Parua, the river’s old name. Parua may have been the downstream name of Bamban River (Sapang Mabanglu). 1856 may have been the year Sacobia River was formed; it elbowed away from Mabalacat (in a spot called Maskup in sitio Bana) to merge with the Bamban River before proceeding to Concepcion and draining into Rio Chico. Another puzzle is the name “Sacobia.” Nobody knows what it means or to whom it refers. It is not a Kapampangan term and there was no Spaniard or Filipino who went by that name. (J.P.Mallari)

9. RUSSIA’S GRAND DUKE CAME BY BOAT

The world’s rich and famous traveled all the way to Apalit

DURING colonial times, elegant mansions of rich Kapampangan families lined the Rio Grande, the most famous of which was that of Don Joaquin Arnedo Cruz and Doña Maria Sioco Arnedo, in Sulipan, Apalit. “(Their) combined fortunes…created a lifestyle of leisure and luxury unmatched elsewhere in the archipelago,” writes Gene Gonzales in his book Cocina Sulipeña. The couple frequently threw lavish parties for their guests who came from Manila via the bay and Pampanga River .Among the guests  Jose Rizal, Gen. Arthur McArthur, Gen. William Howard Taft, and Prince Norodom I of Cambodia, who reportedly fell in love with a local maiden, Pepita Roxas of the next town Calumpit, Bulacan. But the best-cherished visit to Sulipan was that of Alexis Alexandrovich, Grand Duke of Russia and son of the Czar himself. While in Pampanga, the Russian Duke hunted birds in the surrounding marshes, and boar and deer in the mountains. In gratitude, he gifted his gracious hosts with a whole set of monogrammed porcelain dinner set.

10. THE LOST CANNERY OF GUAGUA

Why a small tributary in an interior town is called Dalan Bapor

Guagua has always been a commercial hub, even as early as pre-Hispanic times when it was a thriving community of Moros who traded with Chinese merchants. The Pasak-Guagua River which connected with the Rio Grande, served as the highway of cargo ships doing business in the town; a tributary to this river is known as Dalan Bapor (literally, ship’s way), which today has been reduced to just a shallow canal. Until World War II, however, it bustled with economic activity because it led to the Guagua  Cannery located in what is now a Brgy. Sta. Filomena  subdivision beside the Guagua National College. Old folks living in the area recall that the cannery occupied the entire land area of the subdivision; that “huge ships” transported tons of canned goods like sardines and even local specialties like tabang talangka and burung asan; that it offered retail canning services for affluent families who wanted to send canned products abroad; that it was bombed by Japanese planes in World War II; and that it finally closed in the 1960s following a series of labor disputes. (J. Mallari)

11. THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1972

Pampanga’s worst calamity before Pinatubo

Next to the eruption of Pinatubo, the worst calamity to ever hit the Kapampangan Region in recent memory was the flood of 1972, when the entire Central Plain of Luzon was submerged under water. Heavy monsoon rains lasting 40 days nonstop had been triggered by four tropical cyclones that made a direct hit in the area during that year’s rainy season: Asiang, Konsing, Toyang and Undang.The flood, which claimed 298 lives, was worst in the Central Plain because this area is the natural catch basin of two major waterways, the Pampanga River and the Agno River; moreover, the presence of the Candaba Swamp (pinac), alugin (waterlogged) areas and baná (marshes), as well as the phenomenon of subsidence, further makes the area susceptible to flooding. (C. Manese)

SOURCES:

Singsing Magazine, Center for Kapampangan Studies, "River Myths and Mysteries". by Joel Pabustan-Mallari, Robby Tantingco, C. Manese.

32.10 KAPAMPANGAN BEAUTIES WHO COMPETED AT THE MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT

Beauty pageants, like basketball, are a national obsession. Our hosting of the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant for the third time this January 2017, brings to mind the achievements of ten Kapampangan ladies, who, with their beauty, character and intelligence, were once crowned queens and selected to represent the country in the premiere beauty quest of the world. 

1955. YVONNE BERENGUER DE LOS REYES,  Arayat

The first known beauty with Kapampangan blood to represent the country at the Miss Universe 1955 was the gamin-faced Yvonne de los Reyes. She was crowned on March 12, 1955 at the Cavalcade Hall Auditorium of United Nations Plaza, by outgoing queen Blesilda Ocampo—who happened to be her cousin (their common great-grandparents were Crisanto de los Reyes y Mendoza, married to Dorotea Silverio). Yvonne parents were Crisanto de los Reyes and Marietta Linares Berenguer.  Marietta was one of the daughters of Jose Flores Berenguer  and Simona Reyes Linares, who are both from Arayat. After her beauty pageant years were over, Yvonne got married and established a successful ballet outfit and accessories business “Yvonne’s” . In 1970, fifteen years after her coronation, younger sister Simonette won Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, succeeding Gloria Diaz.

1964. MARIA MYRNA SESE PANLILIO, San Fernando

The honor of becoming the first ever Binibining Pilipinas belongs to then-21 year old Ma. Myrna Panlilio of San Fernando, eldest of 4 children of Enrique M. Panlilio and Jaina Sese. She was crowned on 5 July 1964 at the Araneta Coliseum. Myrna, a St. Scholastica  and Maryknoll graduate, was already working as a teller for Merchants Bank when she joined and won the crown over 15 candidates. Two nights before the binibini finals, she had also participated in the 1964 Maid of Cotton search but lost. Myrna had better luck in the pioneer pageant, succeeding Lalaine Bennett, 4th placer to Miss Universe 1963. One of Myrna’s runner-up was Elvira Gonzales (mother of another future binibini, Charlene Gonzales). Myrna won a cash prize of P2,000, gold trophy from the Lions Club, wardrobe from the Philippine Couturiers’ Association, Helene Curtis products and a Regal sewing machine. She went to Miami, Florida to compete at the 1964  Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, with the title going to Miss Greece, Korinna Tsopei. Married to Dr. Ramon Borromeo (+), whose mother is Amparo Noel, herself a Carnival beauty winner (Visayan Queen 1912) from Cebu. Children: Ramon Jose, Patricia (+) , Mitzi. Former Executive Director, Nayong Pilipino. Sadly, Myrna passed away at the age of 65 on 16 July 2009, from a gall bladder disease.

1968. ROSARIO CHARINA ROSELLO ZARAGOZA, Guagua

Charina, a 19 year old Interior Design graduate from Madrid, won one of the two Bb. Pilipinas crowns at stake on July 1968 at the Araneta Coliseum (her co-winner was Nini Ramos, who went to the Miss International Contest). Her father was the renown architect and National Artist Jose Ma. V. Zaragoza (married to Pilar Rosello), who had designed buildings like Meralco, Don Bosco, and Sto. Domingo Church in 1954. Her paternal grandmother was Rosario Infante Velez of Guagua,  making Charina a quarter Kapampangan. Rosario married Elias Zaragoza, son of Jose Aranquizna Zaragoza, publisher of “La Ilustracion Filipina’. The Velez Family were of Spanish descent, and had vast landholdings in Guagua, Lubao and Floridablanca. Proof of their standing in Kapampangan society is their ownership of the magnificent Sto. Entierro and its calandra, which is processioned during Lent in Guagua to this day. A trained flamenco dancer and guitarist, Charina went to Miami Beach, Florida to compete in the Miss Universe contest, won by Brazil’s Martha Vasconcellos. She married civil engineer Lucas Sainz in 1978, had a son Mark Lucas,  and settled in Madrid. She pursued her music career and recorded a number of successful compositions in Spanish.

1970. SIMONETTE BERENGUER DE LOS REYES, Arayat

Simonette de los Reyes accomplished a historic feat when she was crowned Binibining Pilipinas for the Miss Universe Pageant of 1970. Fifteen years earlier, big sister Yvonne had won the same title. Monette is half-Kapampangan; her mother, Marietta comes from the prominent Reyes-Linares-Berenguer family of Arayat. She counts a number of beauties in the family:  Tingting delos Reyes, 1954 Miss Philippines Bessie Ocampo and 1929 Carnival Queen Pacita de los Reyes.  She reigned alongside Aurora Pijuan (who would become the 1970 Miss International) in the first ever-televised Bb. Pilipinas Beauty Pageant. She went to Miami where her roommate, Puerto Rico’s Marisol Malaret, became the eventual winner. After her reign, she continued her commerce studies at Assumption. In 1972, she became the first Baron Travel Girl . In 1977, she married football ace Butch Ferraren, had children and pursued a successful baked goods business. Monette regularly visits Pampanga, her mother’s hometown Arayat and the Caryana Monastery in Magalang for her spiritual retreats.

1986. VIOLETA ASELA ENRIQUEZ NALUZ, Apalit

Violeta Naluz,  a University of Santo Tomas campus stunner, surprised the audience at the 1986 Bb. Pilipinas when she copped the top title of Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, over favorites Alice Dixson (International) and Maria Cristina Ramos Recto (Maja). She represented the Philippines’ “people power” in Panama, in the contest that was won by Barbara Palacios Teyde of Venezuela. Naluz was reported to be Hongkong-based, working  for Cathay Pacific as part of the cabin crew.

1994. CHARLENE MAE BONNIN GONZALES, Angeles City

Daughter of half-Kapampangan Elvira Pamintuan Gonzales and movie actor Bernard Bonnin, Charlene was elected Philippine delegate to to the 1994 Miss Universe Contest. Co-winners were Caroline Subijano (World), Alma Concepcion (International), Sheila Marie Dizon (Tourism). At the pageant held for the second time in Manila, she won the Best National Costume Award, and advanced to become one of the Top 6 Finalists. She produced one of the most famous answers in an international beauty competition. When asked by the host about the number of islands in the Philippines, she asked back, "High tide or low tide?" . That year, however, the title went to India’s Sushmita Sen. Married to actor Aga Muhlach, she is the mother of  twins,  Atasha and Andres. She continues to appear on  TV and Movies as performer or host and is also a  sought after commercial model.

1995. JOANNE ZAPANTA SANTOS, San Fernando

Joanne, a  willowy University of Santo Tomas coed was already doing films (screen name: Joanne Quintas) when the pageants beckoned, Among her early film credits are: “Marikina Files”, “Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig”, “Best Friends”, etc.). In 1995, she signed up for the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant in 1995, and wenthome with the top plum.  Co-winners were Gladys Dueñas and Snow Reham Tago for Miss International and Miss World, respectively. Joanne flew to  Namibia as the Philippine delegate to the Miss Universe pageant where she placed 16th out of 82 contestants. The crown went to USA’s Chelsi Smith.  Two years after, she was sent to Macau for the 1997 Miss Tourism International and this time, captured the title. She later married former model and businessman Domini Primero and again, was sent to the Mrs. World 2003 pageant. She is semi-retired from the entertainment scene. The Santoses trace their roots to San Fernando.

1997. ABBYGALE WILLIAMSON ARENAS, Angeles City

Abbygale Arenas was a physical therapy student and a campus beauty of Angeles University Foundation. She first gained notice when, in 1992, she won Supermodel of the World-Philippines. In 1994, she participated in the Bb. Pilipinas and placed 2^nd. Three years after, she  joined again, and this time, garnered the top title. Her co-winners included Kristine Florendo (World)  and Susan James Ritter (International). Her runners-up were also Kapampangans: Abiele Arianne del Moral and Marivic Galang. Abbygale placed 11th overall at the Miss Universe contest held in Miami Beach , missing the Top 10 semifinals slot by a mere .016 of a point. The title was won by USA's Brooke Lee. But she did go home with a special award—Miss Photogenic. Upon her return, she became an image consultant and ran a finishing school. Married to ace photographer Jun de Leon.

2003. CARLA GAY SUNGA BALINGIT, Mexico

Born in San Fernando on 25 Sep. 1983, Carla went to Holy Angel University where she was an active member of the school dance troupe. She competed and won 8 local and regional contests before winning a national title, including Mutya ning Mexico, Mutya ning Kapampangan 2002, Miss Holy Angel University, Mutya ning Sinukuan. She was a surprise winner in the 2003 Bb. Pilipinas edging front-runners in the final round.  She clinched the title when she punctuated her answer with  a few lines from Mother Teresa’s prayer: “The fruit of prayer is silence, the fruit of silence is faith, the fruit of faith is hope, and the fruit of hope is love..”. The homegrown beauty flew to Panama for the Miss Universe Pageant won by Amelia Vega of Dominican Republic. Once back in the Philippines, she became  a signature model for the North Luzon Expressway billboard project.

2009. PAMELA BIANCA RAMOS MANALO, Bacolor

When Pamela won the 2009 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe crown, she continued a beauty tradition  for the family—her elder sister, Katherine had been Bb. Pilipinas-World seven years before, and an aunt, Nini Ramos was Bb. Pilipinas-International in 1968. The statuesque 5’10”, 22 year old beauty was a flight stewardess at the time of the pageant.  She is an Advertising graduate from the Assumption. Pamela  competed  in Miss Universe pageant at The Fantasy Islands in The Bahamas won by Venezuela’s Stefania Fernandez.. After her reign, she joined showbiz, did a few movies and starred in the TV sitcom Juanita Banana (2010), and most recently, My Super D (2016). Pamela’s father, Rodrigo Manalo (+), married to Norma, is from Bacolor. Pamela’s younger sister, Nichole Manalo won 2016 Bb. Pilipinas Globe and placed 4^th in the international competition,. Thus the Manalos hold the unique record for having the most number of Miss Philippines in the family—three winners, all sisters!

PHOTO CREDITS:
Yvonne delos Reyes, Violeta Naluz: veerstarz, c/o Mr. Tony Paat
Joanne Santos: Bb. Pilipinas website, www.bbpilipinas.com
Abbygale Arenas: normannorman.com
Carla Balingit: Miss Universe website, 2003
Bianca Manalo: ecurb, opmb worldwide
youtube screengrabs, various Miss Universe editions: Yvonne delos Reyes, Simonette delos Reyes, Violeta Naluz, Charlene Gonzales, Joanne Santos, Abbygale Arenas, Carla Balingit, Pamela Manalo,
Charinza Zaragoza, Myrna Panlilio, Simonette delos Reyes: Alex R. Castro Collection

23. 10 KAPAMPANGAN PLACENAMES AND THEIR ORIGIN STORIES, part 1

ARANGUREN (Capas)

Aranguren, a barangay of Capas, Tarlac, is pronounced by the locals as ‘Aringoring’, leading to the myth that the barrio was named to honor a local vendor by the name of Aling Goring! In truth, it was named after Fray Jose Aranguren, the only Recoleto to become an archbishop of Manila from 1847-1861. Prior to this, he was stationed in Capas, and later in Masinloc, to help revive the Recollect missions in Zambales.

ATLU BOLA (Mabalacat)

This barrio, established in 1852,  was once a wide expanse of sugarcane fields formerly under the jurisdiction of Mamatitang. The founders were the Gomezes : Dña. Virginia, Don Salvador and son Jaime Gomez and Turing Mercado.  It is so named after the circular stone grinders or rollers in the shape of a ball. Hired laborers used these to extract sugarcane juice from sugarcanes for use in making “muscovado” sugar. Ordinary rollers would have two “bolas”, but the ones that Mercados built had three, hence, “Atlu Bola”.

BABO SACAN (Porac)

Babo Sacan, a sitio of barrio Cangatba, was already known by that name in 1939. It became an independent barangay around 1960. “Babo”means atop, while “sacan” is cultivated land, so it could simply describe that the particular area was an arable upland, located in an ascending elevation from  nearby Poblacion.

BAHAY PARE (Candaba)

A barangay in Candaba with a name that makes a reference to a religious person is known as ‘Bahay Pare’. It is named as such—instead of the Kapampangan “Bale Pare”, because of its proximity to Bulacan. The priest alluded to is Fray Aniceto de la Merced, born in nearby Baliwag, and known for being the author of  Pasyong Candaba written in 1858, one of the four versions of the Pasyon found in the Philippines. He built a house and a small chapel in the area, and his place of residence was called--“Bahay Pare”—which has since become the name of the barrio.

CANSINALA (Apalit)

Cansinala’s old names included Caingin or Taram (blade, or sharpness, the last, referring to clandestine blacksmith shops which operated deep in the forest, making bladed weapons for use in fighting the Spaniards, and offered ‘sharpening’ services of old dull, blades  (“taram”). The once densely wooded place was so dark that when Spaniards cleared the area—the place became bright and clear (“sinala”)—and so it was quickly settled.

CUAYAN BUGTUNG (Candaba)

During the colonial times, when Spaniards began exploring the central plains for expansion, they ventured into this area where nothing grew except for a lone bamboo tree. Thus the name “Cuayan Bugtung”—solitary bamboo. A barangay in Mindoro Occidental shares the same unusual name as this old Candaba place.

LANDING (San Fernando)

Two places in San Fernando—near barrio Maimpis and Lara respectively, and one in Porac (in barrio Babo Sacan)  are known by the name, “Landing”. They have a common origin story—that the sites were once secret airfields used by Americans during World War II. However, Fr. Venancio Samson, a Kapampangan scholar and translator, cites a 1913 map that shows the same area in San Fernando indicated with the name “Landing”. As aircrafts were rarely seen in 1913, it could be that the placename could mean something other than the more obvious airplane “landing field”.

MATALUSAD (Concepcion)

Barangay Santo Cruz in Concepcion has a sitio goes by a vividly descriptive name--Matalusad (‘slippery”). It is so called by travellers and passengers , because during the rainy season, the gravelly road becomes very slippery, causing spills,  accidents, and slowing travel. The road has since been cemented, but as recent as 2 July 2016, a motorcycle rider slipped and fell into a canal, causing his death.

PANGCLARA (Candaba)

Pangclara, often pronounced as “Pangcalara” by town oldies, started out with the name “Calauitan”, from “lauit”, meaning extreme. The barrio is at the extreme end of Pampanga, near the Bulacan boundary. When the Hispanization of barrio names began, the barrio was placed under the patronage of Sta. Clara—hence,”pang-Clara” (for St. Claire).

TELABASTAGAN (San Fernando)

The border barrio of Telabastágan literally means “frame-like”. A “bastagan” is a frame  or a wooden mount to stretch a fabric for sewing, embroidering or weaving of fishnets or mats, which, most likely, was similar to the shape of the barangay when mapped.

Sources:

Historical Data Papers (HDP) of Candaba, Apalit, Mabalacat

Sibug, Edgardo: Porac" A Rancheria at Batiauan 1594-2004. Municipal Government od Porac. 2006.

"Etymology of Place Names in San Fernando", Tarebalak Discovery, tarebalakadiscovery.blogspot.com, blogger Joel P. Mallari

Dizon, Lino L. , AMLAT, Kapampangan Local History Contours in Tarlac and Pampanga, Center for Tarlaqueño Studies, Tarlac State University, 2000.

Dizon, Lino L. East of Pinatubo: Former recollect Missions in Tarlac and Pampanga (1712-1898), Museo Archivo Recoletos,  Center for Tarlaqueño Studies, Tarlac State University, 1998.

Photo Sources:

Aranguren:.Jose Aranguren: Retrato Photo Archive of the Filipinas Heritage Library

www.retrato.com.ph

Atlu Bola: Sugarmills: www.123rf.com

Babo Sacan: Babo Sacan Elem. School

Bahay Pare: Nipahut,  created by De Montaland. www.bigstockphoto.com

Cansinala: wallpaperweb.com

Cuayan Bugtong: bamboo,  www.rgbstock.com

Landing: P-47 Thunderbolts: www.pinterest.com

Matalusad: Slippery when wet sign: www.creativesafetysupply.com

Pangclara: Catholic saints from a-z: spreadjesus.org

Telabastagan: free clip art