Businesses come and go. But not for these Kapampangan enterprises founded by visionaries who poured in blood, sweat and tears to build these commercial establishments that have--with a dash of luck--become icons of economic success in the province's business landscape. Let's see some of these businesses that are still in existence and continue to endure to this very day.
APUNG DIUNG BAKERY (1880)
The oldest-known bakery in Pampanga-- “Apung Diung”-- is
still in existence in Plaza Burgos, Guagua, after over 120 years of operation. Founded
by Aurelio Diyco , the panaderia still uses oldtime recipes and traditional
baking methods to come up with special pastries and treats. Apung Diung is
credited with popularizing ‘masa podrida” (Nancy Balls brand), the local version of shortbread biscuits , perfect with
coffee or tea. The circular cookie literally means “rotten dough”, but the
taste is anything but that. Rich-tasting with a crisp, crumbly texture, masa
podrida cookies are made from butter, flour and sugar. Known today as “Apung
Diung Pan Plaza Bakery”, the business is now owned and operated by Diyco
descendants, and continues to bring to treats like cheese rolls, sampaguitas,
egg pies, pan de salitos and other breads to sweet-toothed Kapampangans.
LA MODERNA BAKERY
(late 1800s)
La Moderna had its roots
in the late 1800’s when couple Ignacio and Maria Lansang Narciso opend a
sweets shop in Sta. Rita. In 1947, son Pablo Narciso and his wife Narcisa
Carlos relocated the candy company to
Guagua, which soon evolved into a bakery, La Moderna. Its wood-fired ovens or pugon churned out baked treats that were sold as far north as Dagupan, and in Divisoria,
Manila. All 10 Narciso kids all helped in managing La Moderna, which employed
over 150 employees working in shifts daily, to meet the growing demands. The
second and third children, Toto Narciso and Butchie N. Lagman took over La
Moderna in the early 80’s, and the
bakery came to be known for both its traditional and new product innovations: gorgoryas,
mamon tostado, sampaguitas, masa podrida and turrones. Not even the eruption of
Pinatubo could bring the business down as La Moderna found a loyal Manila
market via the Salcedo weekend market. After over 70 years, La Moderna Bakery continues to operate in
Guagua today, right in Plaza Burgos, proof that once a favorite, always a
favorite!
R.T. PARAS HAUTE
COUTURE (1902)
R. T. Paras Haute Couture is perhaps the most notable
fashion house established by a Kapampangan--Roberta Tablante Paras, a woman of
extraordinary talent and character. Roberta was one of the daughters of Modesto
Paras, a former juez de paz (justice of the peace) of Angeles. Her dressmaking
skills were recognized early. But a liaison with a married doctor caused her to
be disowned; she fled to Manila and open a small dressmaking shop in Binondo in
1902 and in Quiapo in 1912. She single-handedly operated her business, building a client list that would
include the First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon. Roberta’s daughter, Josefina,
acquired her mother’s skills and business acumen, and turned R. T. Paras as one
of the country’s most popular couture shops in the 40s and 50s. Her son, former
design head of Jean Patou, Froilan “Roy”
Gonzales would eventually return home to head R.T.Paras Haute Couture which has
become a name synonymous with excellence in the domain of high quality wedding
gowns, corporate attire, suits and formal wear.
PAMPANGA HOTEL
& PANCITERIA (after 1912)
Along A. Consunji Street, on the side of the San Fernando
Cathedral still stands the Pampanga Hotel and Panciteria, now
operating under the name Pampanga Lodge and Restaurant. The famed hotel cum
restaurant was put up in the spacious Buison
Building, which in 1908, started housing Pampanga High School. The building
then came into the possession of the Eusebio family, and became the residence
of Andres Eusebio, who married Asuncion Santos, daughter of Don Teodoro Santos,
Sr. (Dorong Tola). The school vacated the premises when the new Pampanga High
School was erected in 1912. Harvardian Colleges, founded in 1955, also used the
building for its classes. Pampanga Hotel and Panciteria took over its use,
providing affordable lodgings and meals to San Fernando visitors through the 50s- 60s. The establishment still
operates in the same town plaza location.
ANGELES ELECTRIC
CORPORATION, (1923)
Angeles City’s main power provider, the Angeles Electric
Corp., began as Angeles Electric Light and Power Plant on July 10, 1923, a
project of Don Juan Nepomuceno and wife, Nena Gomez. The couple—who already had
an ice plant, and would go on to found other ventures like Holy Angel Academy,
a softdrinks factory, a subdivicion and a commercial shopping complex---thought
that bringing power to a community,
including light to the church—was a great idea. With a 2,000 pesos down payment
on a Php 72,000 power plant machines—the Nepomucenos set forth to establish the
electric company that would serve Angeles continuously, except during the dark
days of the war. It was incorporated in 1959 as Angeles Electric Corp. and the
institution continues to provide power service, efficiently and competently--
not only to the city but also to nearby areas, today.
FUNERARIA
PUNZALAN, (1930)
One of Pampanga’s leading funeral services was founded
way back in 1930 by Pedro Manalili Punzalan who first started Funeraria
Punzalan in Arayat town. In the eary 1950s, he bought an old house in San
Fernando along Tiomico St., and converted it into another funeral parlor that soon gained
patronage in the capital and in nearby towns. In 1959, Funeraria Punzalan opened
its Guagua branch, and soon, Punzalan descendants rode on the popularity of the
successful memorial and mortuary business by putting up their own branches
bearing the same name. At its peak,
Funeraria Punzalan had branches in Candaba, Calumpit and in Nueva Ecija (Jaen
and Cabiao). Another Punzalan relative put up parlors in Bataan (Orani,
Hermosa, Dinalupihan, Balanga, Limay, Samal, Abucay) which are still currently
in operation, along with the San Fernando, Arayat and Porac branches.
ONG SIN SIU
GROCERY (1939)
Ong Sin Siu or simply “Sencio” is the name of the oldest
supermarket in Mabalacat. It was founded in 1939 by Chinese couple Ong Sin Siu
and wife Apung Achi Ong. The small grocery store was put up along MacArthur Highway,
Calumpang, and sold everything from canned goods, softdrinks, cosmetics, toys, school
supplies, hardware and other day-to-day essentials. Apung Sencio, who was known
for being generous to his patrons (he lent money freely), ran the grocery along
with his children. Through the years,
the grocery expanded and continues to enjoy a loyal following from the city,
this, despite the rise of hypermarts and similar superstores in the area.
Hizon’s Cakes & Pastries on Bocobo St. in Ermita,
Manila was founded by Inocencia Hizon, a widowed single mother working as a
department store clerk at Aguinaldo’s, Escolta. The Hizon roots are in Mexico.
Family lore has it that the now-famous ensaymada recipe was given to her by an
anonymous woman. Inocencia baked dozens of ensaymadas using the recipe, and
engaged the help of her sister to peddle the pastries in offices, which, to her
surprise, were all sold-out. This encouraged her to put up a bakeshop in 1946 on
Raon St, which she named simply as “Hizon’s”. It transferred to its present
location in Bocobo in 1963. Today, Hizon’s has branches in Pasay, Greenhills
and Makati, run by daughter Milagros Ramos Roasa. The shop, regarded as an
institution, (it was the late Dolphy's favorite hang-out place), is also famous for its taisans, apple pies
and ube cakes, but the ensaymada remains a sentimental favorite.
APUNG GARI BAKERY
& KIOSK, (1955)
San Fernando’s favorite bakeshop at the Assumpta
Building, along the busy Abad Santos St., barrio St. Rosario, was put up by an
enterprising couple, Jesusa “Susing” Quiambao and husband Jose “Pitong”
Valencia, in 1955. It was named after Susing’s mother, Margarita Quiambao. As a manager of the post-war “La Satisfacion
Bakery, “Apung Gari” earned a reputation as a good cook. Her daughter and
son-in-law soon took over the business, renaming it as “Apung Gari Bakery and
Kiosk”. For fifty centavos, one can enjoy Pancit Luglug (a best-seller), Arroz Caldo, Chicken Mami, Magnolia Ice Cream and Ice Cream Sundae. Halo-halo, Lumpiang
Prito, Magnolia Milk. Assorted cakes and pies could be had for forty centavos.
Students from Assumption and other schools, government employees frequented
“Apung Gari” for over six decades. Descendants continued the business long
after the death of the Valencias, until it was sold to the Santiago family
around 2007. The new owners retained the
name owing to its pulling power which evokes simple, but tasty food and good
times. Recently, the name was changed to LBS (for Leonila B. Santiago) Bakeshop and Kiosk, and time will
tell if the same affinity for the one and only “Apung Gari” will rub off on the
newly-rechristened bakeshop.
JOHNNY’S GROCERY
STORE, (early 1950s)
The founder of Angeles’ early grocery/supermarket was Amoy-born Johnny Uy whose family migrated
to the Philippines and settled in Pampanga. He married Lilia So, who belongs to
the well-known clan of Angeles. After their marriage, they put up a mall shop,
Johnny’s Grocery Store along Miranda St, which would become the go-to place of
Angeles families for their daily, domestic needs, including liquors. The Uys
would put up a multi-storey building in Balibago in the early 1970s, which also
proved to be very successful, carrying imported goods from American comic
books, cigarettes, premiere liquor brands to the latest music records. The
Miranda branch was lost in a blaze, but Johnny’s Supermarket in Balibago and at
Sto. Rosario Street—housed in a newly-refurbished building, are still going
strong. In 2014, “Papa Johnny”as known
by locals, was recognized by the province for his significant
contributions to the community and its economy.
The modern V.L. Makabali Memorial Hospital, Inc along
Mendoza St., in San Fernando, began as a modest 6-bedroom maternity clinic that
Dr. Venancia L. Makabali opened in a house, on Aug. 11, 1957. Dra. Makabali was
a 1946 graduate of medicine at the University of Santo Tomas, where she
specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She later went to the U.S. to undergo
advanced OB-GYNE training. Her reputation as a women’s health doctor soon
spread and the single doctor’s career took off. Just a few months after the
clinic opened, she added 4 more beds, one operating room, one delivery room,
ten nursery bassinets, a laboratory, and an X-ray room. For years, Dra.
Makabali ran her famed clinic, which continued to operate long after her death
in 1972. The clinic was then made into a family corporation with all the
surviving brothers and sisters as incorporators. This led to the construction
of a modern hospital complex now known as V.L. Makabali Memorial Hospital, Inc.
RURAL BANK OF
MABALACAT (1964)
The little bank that could—that’s the Rural Bank of
Mabalacat Inc, which after half a century, still operates in the city, an
important partner in community progress. The rural bank, established by
founding members Concepcion de Leon, Jaime Gomez, Lourdes Dycaico, Benedicto
Tiglao and Angelo Hizon opened its doors in the Poblacion office on November
4, 1964 . An extension office was put up in Dau on December 8, 1972. However,
lahar threats in 1991-1992 from Mount Pinatubo’s eruption prompted the bank to transfer
its main office from Mabalacat to Dau, but this did not hamper the bank from
expanding its network, opening branches in Magalang (1993), Sindalan, San
Fernando (November 1997), Bamban,Tarlac
(November 2002) and another full service branch in Angeles City in 2009. The
Rural Bank of Mabalacat Inc, has withstood many challenges like the Asian Economic
Crisis, the political upheavals that affected our econmy and financial system
in the 1980s, and enjoys continued grwth and stability today.
SOURCES:
ANGELES ELECTRIC CORP.:
Center for Kapampangan Studies, Holy Angel University
PAMPANGA HOTEL: 1960 yearbook, Pampanga High School
FUNERARIA PUZALAN, all photos by Jerry Punzalan Sagmit
ONG SIN SIU: Photo from “Ing Mabalaqueño 2017 Year End
issue.
HIZON’S BAKESHOP: Photo of Hizon’s Raon branch, Philippine
History & Architecture FB page,
APUNG GARI: Alex Castro Collection
JOHNNY’S GROCERY STORE: Vintage Photo by J. Scott,
MAKABALI CLINIC: 1959 Pampanga Medical Society Souvenir
Program
V. L. Makabali Memorial Hospital FB page
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