59. 14 NOTABLE HUK KUMANDERS

The HUKBALAHAP (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon) was born during the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) as a Japanese resistance group. After becoming alienated from the U.S.-Philippine government, the army became HMB (Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan), with ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines. Taruc claims that the alliance’s purpose was more organizational, rather than ideological. In any case, HMB became the military arm of this merger. At its peak in the 1950s, HMB had over 11,000 members. Pres. Ramon Magsaysay put the Huk rebellion in control, but their campaigns would surge again in the 1960s, gaining more ground in the ‘70s with the formation of Buscayno’s New People’s Army.  Here is a comprehensive list of “Huk kumanders” from this turbulent era in our history.

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HUK SUPREMO TARUC

Luis Mangalus Taruc (b. 21 June 1913/d. 4 May 2005) was the primary leader of the HUKBALAHAP between 1942 and 1950. His involvement  came after his initiation to the agrarian problems of the peasantry as a student in the early 1930s, joining the "Aguman ding Maldang Tala-pagobra" (AMT) and in 1938, the "Partido Socialista, ". During the war, Taruc led the Hukbalahap in guerrilla operations against the Japanese. Demands for agrarian reforms continued after the Japanese regime. In 1946, Taruc was elected to the Congress, but Roxas prevented him from taking his seat . He was against the parity rights that the U.S. required from the country as its condition for rehabilitation funding. Thus,  Taruc gave up his parliamentary efforts, and took to armed struggle. Negotiations with Pres. Elpidio Quirino in 1948 failed. By the 1950, Huks—now reorganized as HMB, controlled most of central Luzon. When Pres. Magsaysay began a relentless campaign against the Huks, Taruc hid in Arayat. Manuel Manahan and Benigno Aquino  Jr., negotiated for his surrender, which happened on 17 May 1954. Put on trial, he pleaded guilty to rebellion,  and sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment. He was also found guilty  for the execution of Tarlac governor Feliciano Gardiner and received four life sentences. Pres. Macapagal disapproved his call for clemency; he was pardoned by Pres. Marcos in 1968. After his release, he continued to work for reforms—from equitable distribution of land to strengthening the legal rights of farm workers. In 2017, on his 104^th birthday, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NCHP) affirmed his role in the pursuit of freedom and in the agrarian reform struggle and declared him as a hero.

VICE COMMANDER CASTO ALEJANDRINO
Coming from a non-peasant background, Casto Alejandrino  (b. 18 Nov. 1911/d.12 Jul. 2005) of Arayat supported the Aguman ding Maldang Talapagobra (AMT) and the Socialist Party because he was fed up with the elite Nacionalistas who were not receptive to instituting reforms. With the 1938 merger of the Communist and Socialist parties, Alejandrino became a key member of the Central Committee of the Partido ng Komunista ng Pilipinas. He was elected Socialist mayor of Arayat in 1940. When the Hukbalahap movement was organized to fight the Japanese, Alejandrino was elected as vice commander to Luis Taruc, Reco 3 leader, and named “Huk governor” of Pampanga.  Alejandrino was arrested and jailed in 1945, but was later released following protests from 40,000 peasants. He carried on the fight when the Communists were outlawed, assuming the leadership left by Taruc when the latter surrendered and sentenced to jail. Alejandrino tried to conduct peace talks with Pres. Magsayasay, but the movement had waned in the late 50s. He was captured in 1960, served 15 years in prison and released in 1975. Alejandrino died 2 months just after Taruc’s passing.

KUMANDER ALIBASBAS (Cesario Manarang)

Concepcion-born Cesario Manarang was already a Huk when Casto Alejandrino changed the name of Hukbalahap into HMB. He was a sort of a folk hero to the farming community; peasants regarded him as a sort of a local Robin Hood, giving food and dole-outs, and protecting peasants from oppression.  In 1965, a schism in HMB resulted in the formation of two groups, one loyal to Kumander Alibasbas, the other to Sumulong. Alibasbas, who was head of the HMB military committee, had thrown his support to the candidacy of Diosdado Macapagal for president, whom the Army also favored. Alibasbas, on the other hand, was pro-Marcos, who also enjoyed the confidence of the Philippine Constabulary.  In the end, Kumander Alibasbas, along with three of his children, were massacred in Almendras, a sitio of San Bartolome,  Concepcion, Tarlac on 2 Feb. 1965, paving for Kumander Sumulong’s ascent to power.

KUMANDER BILOG (Rodolfo Salas)

Rodolfo Salas graduated from Holy Angel University in 1964 as the Class Salutatorian. He joined the militant Kabataang Makabayan and later, the Communist Party of the Philippines where his superiors took note of his intellect and intense patriotism. Salas wa named as a regional secretary, in charge of recruitment. He assumed the chairmanship of both the CPP and the NPA following the arrests of Joma Sison and Kumander Dante. Arrested after the EDSA Revolution, he was jailed in Camp Crame for 6 years and released in 1992.

KUMANDER BIO (Eusebio Aquino)

In his mid-50s, Kumander Bio was one of the oldest field commanders of Hukbalahap, an “erect, soft-spoken, ramrod-like old man” as described by Luis Taruc. Eusebio “Bio” Aquino was a nephew of Gen. Servillano Aquino, and a cousin of Benigno Aquino Sr., Ninoy’s father. He was a carpenter-blacksmith by trade, so when he joined the Huks, he took the name,”Panday Pira”. As a Huk leader, he was known to champion the causes of peasants by forcing landlords to share their hoard of rice in their warehouses so that the poor, hungry farmers and their families could eat. Kumander Bio  hid in Arayat when the Philippine puppet government under Japan was established. He renounced his relationship with cousin Benigno Aquino Sr. when the latter became a director-general of KALIBAPI (Kapisanan ng Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas). The wise and brave commander is credited with saving American pilot. Col. Gwen G. Atkinson. The colonel defended Kumander Bio before Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who told him, “I don’t care even if they are Communists. I saw how they treated American flyers and I saw how the people followed them”.  

KUMANDER DANTE (Bernabe Buscayno)

Bernabe Buscayno was one of 8 children of poor tenant farmers fom Capas, Tarlac. His father was forced to give up his children for adoption with the death of Bernabe’s mother and sister. Bernabe, a Holy Angel College drop-out, enlisted with the Huks at age 21. By 23, he had risen as Kumander Sumulong’s district commander. A rift with his leader resulted in the foundation of New People’s Army (NPA), which, after joining forces with new Communist Party leader Joma Sison, became its military arm. Dante’s group fought against the Marcos Regime which tagged him as ”the most aggressive Huk commander” in the country. Operation: Scorpio was launched to catch him, so  he moved his NPA base to Isabela.  Captured in January 1977, Dante, age 32, was tried and sentenced to death. He was released after the EDSA revolution, and a year later, ran unsuccessfully for a senatorial slot under Partido ng Bayan. In 1987, Dante escaped an ambush, that left him wounded and two companions dead. Returning to Capas to be a farmer, he founded a cooperative to help peasants, but which floundered due to Pinatubo. Undeterred, Dante set up another cooperative that sought to mechanize farming operations in 2000.

KUMANDER ELY (Dominador Garcia)

Dominador Garcia was the no. 3 man in the HMB during the resurgence of the Communist menace that plagued the Marcos regime. As such, a good price was put on his head and the Philippine Constabulary kept a close watch on him. In March 1967, troops ringed a small house in Mabalacat town for 11 hours, until they cornered Kumander Ely, who surrendered without a fight. The Huks retaliated by deploying an 18-man assassination squad that killed 5 men and kidnapped two others in Pampanga. Over 3,000 government troops were sent to track them down

KUMANDER HIZON (Benjamin Cunanan)

Teen-ager Ben Cunanan joined the Hukbalahap during the Japanese Occupation, and showed such courage in combats that he became a unit commander. He took the nom de guerre “Kumander Hizon” in honor of the brave Kapampangan revolucionario, Gen. Maximino Hizon. At the peak of the movement, he headed Field Command 78, the largest unit of HMB. One of his biggest recuits was Bernabe Buscayno. Kumader Hizon headed the last remaining HMB unit, fighting in the Pampanga-Tarlac area, until his capture by the dreaded Tabak division in 1961—right in his own home. He was known to be the last real Huk commander to fall, as all other Huk captives of the Philippine armed forces were often dubbed as “kumander”. Tried for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, Kumander Hizon stayed in jail for 16 years, longer than any Huk. Luis Taruc offered to arrange a presidential pardon, but Hizon refused to meet Marcos. Upon his release, he attempted to reorganize his comrades into a new rebel army, but  by then, they were too old to fight and carry on the struggle. H died died on 2 Nov. 2010, age 82 in Pasig.

KUMANDER KISLAP (Eugenio Santos)

The commander from Macabebe, Eugenio Santos, served under Fernando Poblete’s Banal Regiment. Kumander Kislap was put in a group that included Lino Dizon and Domindaro Yabut and Mariano de Joya,  charged with recruiting new Huk members, going as far as the southern provinces, like Batangas to look for prospective recruits.

KUMANDER LIGAYA (Manuel Dimatulac)

A native of Concepcion, Tarlac, curly-haired Manuel “Maning” Dimatulac, was a 1^st year Far Eastern University student when he joined the Huk cause. He was already 34, married, with children. He joined, he said, because the government had failed to implement the Land Reform Code.  He earned his sobriquet “Ligaya” for the many favors and help done to farmers, which brought them happiness. For example, he passed the hat for them whene they could not pay their financial obligations. He also sought out materials for school buildings and volunteered his services free. However, Dimatulac resisted being called a “kumander” as he had been with the movement for just 6 months when he was captured and arrested for murder in 1970. Placed on Death Row, Dimatulac led a team of political prisoners in digging a tunnel at the Youth Rehabilitation Center (YRC) tunnel as a means of escape. After EDSA, he was released in 1986 after having spent 17 years in prison.

KUMANDER LINDA BIE (Silvestre Liwanag)

Silvestre Liwanag (b.1919) of Concepcion, Lubao trained under the Socialist Party of Jose Abad Santos in 1937 before joining the movement  in 1942, along with wife, Rosita Manuel. The bemoustached young Huk moved up in ranks quickly, and became a commander of squadron 18-B under Abelardo Dabu. Liwanag took the Huk name, “Linda Bie”, meaning ‘beautiful life’. Arrested by the Americans with whom he had fought side by side in fighting the Japanese, he unabashedly wept as he was disarmed and told that he was “an enemy of the U.S. and Philippine governments”. After the war, he succeeded Dabu and reorganized remaining troops nearly decimated in military encounters and merged them with his own squadrons, thus expanding his jurisdiction from Bataan-Zambales to southern Pampanga. Kumander Linda Bie was captured in Orion, Bataan, 3 years after the Communist Party and the HMB were outlawed in 1957.

KUMANDER PUSA (Ben Sanguyu)

The Huk kumander that Anthony Alonzo portrayed in the 1981 movie “Dakpin si…Pusa” was born Ben Sanguyu in real life. Known for his cat-like agility in combat and in elduing the military, Kumander Pusa headed one of the most-feared squadrons in Central Luzon. Government forces under Capt. Almazan caught up with him in Bamban, Tarlac where he was finally killed, along with 4 of his men.

KUMANDER SOL (Tomas F. Calma)

Kumander Sol was one of the highest-ranking officers of the Communist Party of the Philippines-Huk hierarchy, who held the position of a Squadron Commander. During the all-out offensive against the Huks initiated by Pres. Ramon Magsaysay, many of the Huk leaders were caught or killed, including Kumander Sol who perished in a skirmish in Candaba. This led to the arrest of CPP head Jesus Lava in Sampaloc in 1964, which dealt a big blow to the communist cause.

KUMANDER SUMULONG (Faustino del Mundo)
The Huk leader who exploited his power position to make lucrative financial gains--Faustino del Mundo --was the Head of the HMB financial committee, while his arch rival, Kumander Alibasbas, headed the military side. Sumulong had wanted to support Marcos’s presidential bid, while Alibasbas was pro-Macapagal. This difference led to the division of HMB into two factions in 1965. The situation was violently resolved with the killing  of Alibasbas. Kumander Sumulong stepped into power, and ran it Mafia-style, using Angeles as his headquarters. By 1967, Sumulong was the most influential Huk leader in central Luzon; mayors, governors and even Marcos sought him out for political support. Major businesses, had to shell out “protection money” which filled the coffers of the Huk movement. Politicians turned against each other, giving rise to liquidation squads,  ‘Beatles’  and ‘Monkees’. Sumulong’s business activities—which strayed from the original cause of the Huk movement, caused disillusionment to Bernabe Buscayno, which spurred him to form the New People’s Army. Sumulong was captured in Brgy, Amsic in September 1970. In 1982, Sumulong was meted a death penalty for the murder and kidnapping committed on barangay captain Marcial Miranda, but due to his age (he was 78), the sentence was commuted to reclusion perpetua.

BONUS! A list of Kumanders from the DANTE/ TARUC Camps.

SOURCES:

SINGSING MAGAZINE, 'BRAVEHEARTS: Kapampangan Rebels, Radicals and Renegades Who Changed Philippine History". Center for Kapampangan Studies. Vol. 6, No. 1.

Various SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE issues, 1961-1970

58. 9 TYPES OF TRIBAL ARROWS USED BY PRIMITIVE KAPAMPANGANS

Traditional weapons of primitive Kapampangans, most notably, the Aetas of Pampanga and Tarlac have been produced  through the centuries to meet their survival and personal needs. Weapons and implements like the sulbatana (blowgun),  pandacdac (dagger) , bay at paslo (bow and arrow) are but a few  familiar creations that are slowly coming into disuse with the advent of new technology.  Tribal arrows are often tipped with metal points styled differently for the Negritos’ intended use. Here are few examples of these vanishing primitive gadgetry.

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SOURCE:

SINGSING MAGAZINE, Folk Arts Issue. vol. 5, no. 1

Dr. Rodrigo Sicat, Disappearing Gadgetry, pp. 77-78

57. 10 KAPAMPANGAN WOMEN OF THE REVOLUTION

During the Philippine Revolution, several patriotic kapampangan women helped in different capacities—assisting and nursing wounded revolucionarios, gave contributions and financed the cause. The brave exploits of these women were lauded in the revolutionary newspaper, El Heraldo de la Revolucion.

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FELISA DAYRIT.

Felisa Pamintuan Dayrit of San Fernando saw action as a nurse during the bloody years of the Philippine Revolution, caring for the sick and tending men wounded in the battlefield. She married Francisco Torres Singian,

NICOLASA DAYRIT

Nicolasa Dayrit y Pamintuan (b. 10 Sep. 1874) of San Fernando played an active role in preventing a schism between Gen. Antonio Luna and Gen. Tomas Mascardo from turning into an all-out war. She and other Bacolor women met Gen. Luna, on his way to attack Gen. Mascardo’s forces in Guagua. Luna was appeased and the Revolution did not break apart.

PRAXEDES FAJARDO

Praxedes Fajardo y Puno (b. 21 Jul. 1874/d.10 Aug. 1928)  from Bacolor, was one of the few women who risked their lives in actively supporting the cause of the Philippine evolution against Spain. She headed the Pampanga chapter of the Philippine Red Cross.

ADRIANA HILARIO

Adriana Hilario y Sangalang had no formal education; she learned by eavesdropping on her brother’s tutorial lessons. She became the second wife of Gov. Tiburcio Hilario. She helped  the cause by distributing propaganda materials during the Revolution and was said to have contributed much of her money to the movement, that led to her penury.

FELISA HIZON

Felisa Hizon of San Fernando was a member of an active group of concerned and patriotic Kapampangan women who supported the Revolution through their philanthropic works.  She married Luis Dison. 

MARCELINA NEPOMUCENO

Marcelina Nepomuceno y Paras (b. 9 Aug. 1881/d.16 Apr. 1959)  of Angeles, pursued a nursing course first offered at the Escuela de Enfermeras of the Philippine General Hospital.  She was part of the earliest batches of nursing graduates. At the time of the Revolution, the Kapampangan Florence Nightingale joined the Asosiacion de Damas de la Cruz Roja de Angeles (Red Cross), and became its auditor.

TEODORA SALGADO

Teodora Salgado (b. 7 May 1866) of San Fernando was the eldest of 5 children of Joaquin Salgado and Filomena Basilio. She developed her business acumen early, earning her fortune from vast agricultural lands,  jewelry and department stores. As she amassed more wealth, she also felt the stirrings of nationalism as the Revolution raged on. She became a silent financier of the Philippine cause, a role that she would embrace for years only to end with the coming of the Americans.

CONSOLACION SINGIAN

Consolacion  Singian y Torres of San Fernando,  was the daughter of Cristino and Angela Torres. The Kapampangan Betsy Ross sewed the flag of the Pampango Batallion of the Philippine revolutionary forces in December 1898, together with her sister Encarnacion.

ENCARNACION SINGIAN

Encarnacion Singian y Torres of San Fernando, along with sister Consolacion,  sewed and embroidered the flag of the Pampango Batallion of the Philippine revolutionary forces in December 1898. She is the sister of the Dr. Gregorio Singian, a renowned surgeon.

MATEA SIOCO

Mateo Sioco y Rodriguez of Apalit  was the greatest financier of the Hilario patriotic efforts during the Philippine Revolution. She married the wealthy Jose Sioco, a widower who was actually after her sister Maria, who had been betrothed to another man. She was said to be so rich that she buried her gold and money in the ground. After her husband died, she married Jose Arnedo Cruz.

SOURCES:

SINGSING Magazine, "A Tale of Two Cities: San Fernando & Angeles", "99 Memorable Kapampangans".  Center for Kapampangan Studies, Holy Angel University.

Soriano, Rafaelita Hilario. A Shaft of Light. 1991.

56. 15 OLD-TIME CIGARETTE WRAPPERS FROM PAMPANGA

LA PAMPANGUENA. CALIXTO SURLA y COMPANIA. Angeles, Pampanga

Cigar and cigarette manufacturing in our islands officially began in 1782, under the tobacco monopoly introduced by Gov. Jose Basco y Vargas. Under the system, the government had complete control of tobacco cultivation  and only only select provinces like Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga and Ilocos provinces were authorized to grow the plant. Turn-of-the-century cigarrillos were often packaged in batches of 24s-30s, in wrappers with detailed graphics such as these examples from Pampanga. Local backyard entrepreneurs bought processed cigar leaves from growers in the North and engaged  workers to roll and wrap cigarettes in attractive packages in color, carrying assorted visual themes, often irrelevant to the product, ranging from the patriotic to the mythical and romantic.

 LA ASAMBLEA FILIPINA. (The Philippine Assembly), Betis, Pampanga

 LA FUERZA (The Force), Sto. Nino, Guagua, Pampanga

 DOS AMIGOS, FABRICA DE CIGARILLOS FELICIANO DAVID. Betis, Pampanga

 LA REINA FILIPINA, (Philippine Queen, Purita Villanueva), Betis, Pampanga

 BANDA NANG ANGELES/BETIS. The band from Angeles won first place in the

1909 Manila Carnival Band Contest. Angeles, Pampanga

 DING MUNAG NING ASLAGAN. JOAQUINA, INES, Y ROSARIO BASA.

Angeles, Pampanga

 PLAZA DE BETIS. FABRICA DE TABACOS Y CIGARILLOS, P. CAREON

 EL COSECHERO DE SINUCUAN. (The Harvester of Sinukuan)

PASCUALA FLORES. Arayat, Pampanga

 LA NEGRITA, EUSEBIA BASCO, Angeles, Pampanga

 ATES, FABRICA DE TABACOS, NEMECIO LEONARDO. Betis, Pampanga

 LAS DOS HERMANAS. Bacolor, Pampanga

 VIVA SAN MIGUEL. Sto. Cristo, Guagua, Pampanga

SOCIEDAD BETISENA, SIMON ROQUE. Betis, Pampanga

SINUKUAN. Plaza Sto. Tomas, Pampanga

 KALAYAAN. Plaza Sto. Tomas, Pampanga

PUSA. FABRICA DE CIGARILLOS DE MARIA MARIANO. Betis, Pampanga

SOURCES:

ALL CIGARETTE WRAPPERS, Alex R. Castro Collection

"patriotism in a Puff", www.viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com

55. 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LEGENDARY SINUKUAN

The legend of Sinukuan or Suku has pre-historic origins—and his story has been told and retold by Kapampangans across the centuries,  such that many versions—embellished and romanticized-- exist about his identity and nature. Was he a god?  An enchantress? A demigod?  Or, as scholars contend, a real historical figure from the past? One thing for sure, Sinukuan was endowed with supernatural, mystical powers, making him more than a mere mortal and elevating him to the pantheon of Kapampangan mythical icons.

1. ORIGINS: SINUKUAN was said to be the first-born of couple, Calupit and Cargon Cargon (also known as Matungcu). The pair were descendants of Adam and Eve who came to Asia and settled in the mystical Alaya mountain of Pampanga. Cargon Cargon took care of the mountain and after his death in the hands of a Zambal god, SINUKUAN took over and inherited the mountain.

2. GENDER AND IDENTITY: In early accounts, SINUKUAN was a male human being, albeit with extraordinary qualities—“a very fine fellow with arms and sinews as iron..a quick thinker..unexcelled by anybody in the island of Luzon. In some, he was “a god who can create earthquakes” and a “king who lived inside the mountain of Arayat”. Another early 20th c. account described the denizen as a sorcerer of the mountain. While Macario Naval identified SINUKUAN as the wife of Minga in his 1916 account, the earlier 1899 story of Don Isabelo delos Reyes from his opus, “Folklore Filipino”, had it the other way around---SINUKUAN was the husband of Minga, thus making him a male.

3. APPEARANCE: SINUKUAN was said to resemble Cupid (Eros) because of his handsome visage. One account however, narrates that he “was formerly a handsome youth who, upon marrying a mortal, was transformed into his present ugly, hideous form”.

4. FAMILY: SINUKUAN was said to have a wife named ‘Marianusep de Sinucuan’, with whom he had 2 daughters named Calibangut and Calikangutabak, who had opposing personalities. The older Calibangut was tall, dark and deceitful, while the younger one was serene and very beautiful. It is also said that one of the daughters died, leaving the other daughter so lonely that a local town girl was specially handpicked to be her companion. “El Folklore Filipino” had SINUKUAN fathering 3 girls—Rosalina, Rosa-Minda and Maria.

5. RESIDENCE: Inside Bundok Alaya is a deep, expansive cave---and it is here in the mountain's belly that the grand palace of SINUKUAN was built when his daughters came of age, with the help of witches. The seven bronze gates  of the palace were guarded by a lion, a tiger, a viper, a serpent, an Aeta with bow and arrows and a fierce bird with a curved beak known as “Sagasa”. The palace was decorated with gems and jewels, and SINUKUAN himself reclined on a bench  adorned with gold and precious stones.

6. HOUSEHOLD STAFF: Five fantastic servants ably served the great SINUKUAN, namely: Kargon Kargon, a strong man who could carry the world on his shoulders a la Atlas; Supla Supling, who could generate typhoons; Miran Miron, with a vision so acute, he could see great distances; Punta Punting, the world’s most accurate archer; and Kuran Kurin, the world’s fleetest runner. SINUKUAN was also attended by a retinue of Negritos whom he sent outside his realm to deal with townsfolk.

7. MENAGERIE: SINUKUAN had a special affinity with animals--he kept swines in their mountain dwelling. In fact, his daughters made regular trips to the town to barter their gold for “darak”--animal feed for their pigs. But he also had magical animals like a pair of goats that passed out gold droppings. In a similar way, he owned large cows that excreted pieces of rich sinamay fabrics.

8. SUPER POWERS. SINUKUAN was a shape-shifter, who once morphed into a mosquito so he could spy on people. It was in this manner that he learned that his daughter was consorting with a man, whom he then transformed into a pig. SINUKUAN also had power over nature—he could control winds and raise deadly storms. Most of all, SINUKUAN had immense strengths, available to lift mountains and hurl objects at great distances.

9. INCREDIBLE FEATS: SINUKUAN is credited with performing incredible feats of strength that included moving a forested mountain from Candaba to its present site, transferring Mount Arayat from its original location in Tapang, Nueva Ecija to San Miguel, Bulacan, then moving it yet again to Arayat town, then a swampy place. The displacement of water during the move resulted in the flooding of Candaba. SINUKUAN also built a rock bridge between Candaba and his mountain, through which he regularly supplied the townspeople with gold and silver. However, he left the bridge unfinished as a punishment for the dishonesty and ingratitude of the people.

10. ARCH ENEMIES AND HOW HE VANQUISHED THEM: There were at least two nemeses of SINUKUAN—the first was a supernatural being from Zambales, then the greatest mountain the archipelago,  and Makiling, king of a southern mountain. SINUKUAN was actually a friend of the Zambal deity but he became his foe when Namalyari asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. They engaged in a 2-day battle hurling stones at each other until Mt. Zambales was shattered into fragments, becoming a range of smaller mountains. In the other, SINUKUAN’s earned the wrath of Makiling when his 3 sons kidnapped his daughters.  He killed all three of them. Makiling retaliated by hurling a pestle at SINUKUAN, lopping off the top of Arayat.  SINUKUAN then took a heavy mortar and threw it with all his might towards Makiling, reducing the great mountain into a hill, and forcing the king to commit suicide.

BONUS:

SINUKUAN IN POP CULTURE. Through the years, SINUKUAN has lent its name to a variety of products, services and institutions, becoming a pop culture icon along the way. At least 3 drinks were named after him---SINUKUAN Water (bottled in Manila by Francisco Santos ca. 1930s), SINUKUAN Flavored Soda Water (made by Sinukuan Aerated Water Factory. in Tondo, ca. 1930s, reformulated as  SINUKUAN Beverages when the company moved to Grace Park in the 1950s). There was also a Binondo-based newspaper called “SINUKUAN”, and a masonic lodge named after him. Books, comics and at least one 1955 movie, bore the name of Mariang SINUKUAN. Today, there is an annual SINUKWAN Festival organized  by the Save Pampanga Movement, and held in San Fernando, a weeklong celebration that memorializes Aring Sinukwan, god of the ancient Kapampangans.

PHOTOS:

Sinukuan bottles: courtesy of Carlos Felix

Sinukuan cigarette wrapper: courtesy of The Pinoy Kollektor

Seated giant:http://hermitjim.blogspot.com/2017/04/native-american-legends-of-giants.html

Giant holding boulder overhead: http://www.bohemianwanderer.com/en/2014/08/lough-neagh-il-lago-che-un-gigante-creo-al-centro-dellirlanda-del-nord/

Tikbalang: http://suwarnabumi.wikidot.com/tikbalang

Ogre: https://www.pinterest.com/mrdungeonmaster/ogres-for-dd/?lp=true

Flying fairy: http://www.pngall.com/fairy-png

Swallow: http://thegraphicsfairy.com/vintage-french-bird-image-flying-swallow/

THANKS to Jonel Sicat Diaz, for the artwork

 REFERENCES:

David, Dominador. Pampanga Folklore Stories, 1917.

Franco, Teodulo D., The Story of Sinukan in Pampanga, 1916.

Naval, Macario G. A Collection of Legends from Pampanga, 1916.

Arrastia, Justo. The Legend of Mt. Arayat, 1915.

Carreon, Manuel L. Pampanga Legends, 1917

Gonzales, Leon Ma., Sinukuan, A Folklore Story, 1915, translated by Alfredo Nicdao in 1918.

De los Reyes, Isabelo. El Folklore Filipino, “El Fabuloso Suku” by Pedro Serrao, 1889

Beyer, H. Otley, The Ethnography of the Negrito-Aeta Peoples: A Collection of Original Sources, 1915

Singsing Magazines, Folk Art Issue, The Kapampangans faithful, Folksy and True

54. 15 OLD-TIME CONFECTIONS, BAKED GOODIES & OTHER KAPAMPANGAN TREATS

Pampanga has long enjoyed a reputation as “the culinary capital of the Philippines”.  Its chief agricultural products—sugar and rice—have enabled its excellent cooks to create exquisite delicacies in their kusinas—from simple kakanins to mouth-watering pastries and confections bearing elegant French or Spanish names. Here is a list of such goodies—often available at the local panaderia and pasalubong centers, or exclusively made only for the most special occasions.

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BUÑUELOS

Buñuelos—crisp, fried bread--are favorite snack treats often dunked in hot Spanish chocolate.  They are the local equivalent of the French beignet. In old Sulipan, in Apalit, it is  said that making and preparing buñuelos is  a test of skill for wives-to-be, as it involves molding, slapping, beating and folding  the flour dough to achieve the characteristic crispy layers of the bread.

GALANG-GALANG

These are slim, doughnut shaped cookies that look like bracelets, strung together when sold. In the days of yore, they were favorite giveaways during confirmation of Kapampangan kids, who often wore them, before enjoying them.

MASA PODRIDA

Filipino version of shortbread biscuits – excellent with coffee or tea. The circular cookie literally means “rotten dough”, but the taste is anything but that. The cookie is a rich-tasting with a crisp, crumbly texture made from butter, flour and sugar. The old bakery of Aurelio Diyco or “Apung Diung” in Plaza Burgos, Guagua, Pampanga (founded in 1880) popularized the masa podrida in Pampanga; they are perfect for eating with a steaming cup of robust kape barako.

PANARA.

Similar to an empanada, this half moon shaped pastry is filled with mung bean sprouts and shrimp, or sometimes grated green papaya.  The pastry is made with rice flour instead of regular wheat flour.  Pabalat lumpia (lumpia wrapper) makes a good substitute. The crunchy panara is dipped in vinegar then enjoyed bite by bite.

PATCU

You will never eat another puto bumbong again after you try patcu, an original Kapampangan delicacy that comes out only during the Christmas season (the word patcu is a corruption of 'pascu,' Christmas). Only two towns in Pampanga still make them: Sta. Rita and Guagua. The Guagua variety is a roll made of ground malagkit (glutinous) rice wrapped around a hefty filling of ngungut (grated coconut), plus a secret ingredient. A solitary store in Guagua still sells it, located along the Guagua-Sta. Rita road in Brgy. San Roque

PILIPIT

Pilipit—“ing biskwit a mamagasakit”—is so named because it is twisted like a rope. It is a hard, crunchy pastry, deep-fried until brown, then sugar-coated. Pilipit are still found being sold by smalltown bakeries all over Pampanga.

PULBORON.

Molded milk powder sweets, made from toasted unrefined corn flour, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt. Sometimes, other ingredients like pinipig, coffee, casuy nuts are thrown in.  They are traditionally wrapped in Japanese paper with fringed ends, but today, they are wrapped in cellophane. The most popular commercial brand today are the pulboron made by Sasmuan Delicacies.

PUSIT

Made with regular bread dough, this panaderia favorite is made interesting because of its twisty-curly shape that resembles the body of squid, hence the name. It's roughly the local equivalent of the bowtie donut.  It is slathered with Star margarine and sprinkled with sugar. The old Bondoc Bakery in Mabalacat still makes them.

PUTUNG BABI

Pan de sal  (local bread) halves are spread with mashed potato laced with sauteed ground pork meat (like pork torta), then swabbed with egg batter and fried—hence,  putung babi (pork bread).  A poor man’s version make use of mashed kamote flavored with bagoong (baguk) as filling. It is said that “putung babi” was a creative way to recycle old bread and is still a common merienda fare in many towns like Guagua, Sta. Rita, Mabalacat and Angeles.

SAMANI.

The samani used to be a favorite table centerpiece during fiestas and banquets. This attractive and amazing confection is made from roasted peanuts, that are coated with caramelized sugar made from muscovado. The coated peanuts are then arranged to form a flower basket, using the sticky syrup as to hold and bind the nuts together, until dry. The vanishing art of making samani is practiced only in Arayat town.

SANICULAS

Named after San Nicolas de Tolentino, saniculas cookies were introduced by Augustinian friars to Pampanga during the colonial times. The biscuit is made from arrowroot flour, and is imprinted with the image of the saint using specially-made wooden molds. Legend has it that San Nicolas, known as the healing saint,  revived the sick with blessed bread mixed with water, hence the "panecillos de San Nicolas", or simply 'saniculas' in Pampanga. Mexico. The saniculas made by culinary historian, Lillian Borromeo of Mexico, are consistent bestsellers with her patrons.

SANS RIVAL

Sans Rival – this is a very popular dessert found all across the country but is said to have its roots in Pampanga, particularly San Fernando. This is a Filipino take on the French daquiose, with generous layers of buttercream icing sprinkled with chopped cashew nuts interspersing with sheets of meringue. The entire concoction is smothered with the same buttercream and sprinkled generously with more nuts.

TOCINO DEL CIELO.

Mini-leche flan cups or tocino del cielo are typical desserts adapted from southern Spain.  Like leche flan, it is made from egg yolks and caramel, and cooked by steaming. In Barrio San Jose, Concepcion, Tarlac,  “tocino” is a kind of kalame (rice cake), made of galapong (ground rice), gata (coconut milk), similar to the tocino del cielo of Minalin.

TURRONES DE CASUY

“Turrones de casoy” are an age-old delicacy in Pampanga—crisp, crunchy nougats made from cashew, real butter, honey and egg whites wrapped in edible paper-thin “oblea” or wafer wafer. A Catholic nun from the Dominican order taught Felisa Lansang of Sta. Rita the original recipe for making this Spain-inspired delicacy in 1920. Her expertise in making this sweet treat resulted in a homegrown “turrones de casoy” (plus sans rival) business, the Ocampo-Lansang Delicacies, that has become famous in the Kapampangan region.

URARO COOKIES.

Small, flower shaped cookies, a specialty of Guagua. They are made from arrowroot starch extracted from several thick stems and roots  (rhizomes) of the arrowroot (Marantaceae) family of flowering plants. The result is a sweet, powdery-textured hard cookie that crumbles and melts in the mouth. Because of their small shapes and generally white color,  they are also called sampagita cookies. The uraros of La Moderna Bakery in Guagua are among Pampanga's bestselling take-home goodies.

PHOTO SOURCES:

Galang-galang, Masa Podrida: Mrs. Galang’s Kitchen, yutube series

Masa Podrida:

Panara: Fernando Santos FB page

Patcu: Robby Tantingco’s FB page

Pilipit:  pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/33847434669808371/

Polvoron: Emma Mary Tiglao FB page

Putung Babi; Cecile Yumul FB page

Samani: Singsing Magazine

Saniculas: Alex Castro photo

Sans Rival: my Lola Nor’s Meryendahan FB page

Tocino del Cielo; Ivan Henares FB page

Buñuelos: http://www.turnips2tangerines.com/2016/05/bunuelos.html