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Photos top to bottom:1. Angeles church c. 18992. Calle Real, San Fernando c. 18983. Governor Howard Taft’s visit to San Fernando on August 12, 19054. Execution of a Kapampangan soldier by Americans in San Fernando c. 18995. Certificate of membership to the Veteranos de la Revolucion (Juan Tuazon of Angeles)

Fray

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ncis

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LETTERS

COVERThroughout history, San Fernando andAngeles have run along parallel lines,crossing paths and parting ways andoverlapping and colliding--which isinevitable not only because they are next-door neighbors, but also because theirorigins are linked more intimately thanthose of any other towns in Pampanga.Lower photo shows Gen. Aguinaldo’striumphant arrival in San Fernando conventoon October 9, 1898 after the last of theSpanish forces had fled Pampanga via thetown of Macabebe; upper photo shows Gen.Aguinaldo the following year, on June 12,1999, celebrating the first anniversary of thePhilippine Independence in Angeles, shortlybefore the town fell in the hands of the newcolonizers, the Americans.

Cover Design: Alex R. Castro

Congratulations on your issue volume 3 number 2 featuring “Rivers, The Lost Highways ofPampanga.”

The way the articles were written, presented and well edited must have been the result ofscholarly research. In a former talk with the deceased head volcanologist Punongbayan, we talkedof reviving the rivers from Manila Bay to Pampanga.

Probably at my age, there are very few still alive, who navigated Manila Bay then landing inGuagua. During the Japanese Occupation in 1942, I remember taking this river route on moonlessnights in big bancas going thru tributaries up to Guagua then snaking thru small rivers up to Tinajeroand Talba of Bacolor, Pampanga. The passengers with me then must have died by now.

So it is with interest that I read your presentations of the river highways to Pampanga.Congratulations to the writers, researchers, compilers and those whose ideas were collated in

this beautiful presentation.I certainly will cast any help I can muster in a campaign towards regionalizing the Kapampangans,

the Cabalens and the Capatads.

CARLOS J. VALDES

I have been meaning to send you a note to tell you that your last issue of Singsing, which Ireceived before I left Manila last January (I am now in Washington, D.C.) was excellent, so pleaseaccept my congratulations for a very good issue. I understand that the second issue of your ResearchJournal is also out, but I was unable to place an order before I left Manila. I hope that you willcontinue to send me the Singsing issues as they come out because I want to make sure I have all theissues in my files....

Again, my congratulations and more power.

BERNARDITA R. CHURCHILL

Ivan

Hen

ares

I felt I should inform you of an error in your article “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”You stated that “... the earth’s sea level was much higher” a million years ago. That should be lower.The sea level was never more than about 5 meters higher than it is today and that was back fromabout 5000 to 3000 BC. The Philippines being in anactive tectonic area has been rising from belowsea level rather than the sea level being higher.

That Special Issue has much of interest and is a good issue.

Sincerely,

WILHELM G. SOLHEIM II

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NOVEMBER-DECEMBERSec. Edgardo Pamintuan, Gov. Mark Lapid, ReghisRomero, William Summers (Eastmouth College, N.H.),Sandra Nepomuceno, Dr. Ding RoqueJANUARYPamintuan Family, S. Pauline Valdes (St. Joseph’sCollege), Mila Lane, PAASCU Accrediting Team, DomMartin Gomez, OSBFEBRUARYErnie and Angela Turla, Dr. Albina Peczon Fernandez,Gen. Rowland Albano, Tribe Ko ‘To Participants, ClaudeTayag, Marian RocesMARCHNational Artist Napoleon Abueva, Caesar “Cid” Reyes,Lanelle Abueva Fernando, Bishop Florentino Lavarias(Zambales), Pamela and Vic Zapanta, Ken Collins, KimHong Sik, Naresuan University (Thailand) officials, LettyCustodio, National Bookstore, Inc, Ting de los Reyes,Dept. of TourismAPRILSolita Monsod, Ramon Villegas (Katutubo), Ino Manalo(Metropolitan Museum), Javier & Asuncion Nepomuceno,Maita Quesada (Fully Booked Bookstore), Joel Villanueva(Nova Foundation), Alex Patio (SF City Councilor), Fr.Larry Tan, SDB, Nini Rojas (Valle Verde 5), Teena delRosario, Rory Eizmendi, Del & Alice Hipolito, Cecille C.Soy, Tiks Gellego, Dr. Emmanuel Calairo (Cavite StudiesCenter), Dr. Efren Abueg, Faculty, UST College of Science,Faculty, St.Peter’s College (Ormoc City)MAYProf. Ambeth Ocampo, Bencab (Ben Cabrera), CelesteLegaspi, Gallardo, Museum Volunteers of the Philippines,Mayor Marides Fernando (Marikina City), Tess Laus, ChrisChilip (Tyremart Inc.), Patty Echauz, David Chua (CathayPacific Steel Corp.), Edwin Coseteng (Mariwasa Ceram-ics), Eduard Delgado (Deltros, Inc.), Haresh Hiranand(Glorious Exports), Jeffrey Ng (Cathay Metals), RiccoOcampo (Anonymous Inc.), Tina Maristela OcampoTito Ortiz (Unionbank of the Phil.), Larry Siy (MacrogenRealtors), Tina Tan (SuySing Corp.), Robert Yupangco(Yamaha), Jimmy Lazatin (SF Councilor), Juan Mesquida(University of Asia and the Pacific).

RECENT

Abueva Monsod

Romero

Albano Pamintuan

Legaspi

Thirteen (13) original paintings of National Artist Vicente Manansala are onexhibit at the Center for Kapampangan Studies. It is the first exhibit of its kind inthe province.

The paintings came from the private collection of Manansala’s late widow,Herminigilda Diaz Manansala, a native of Saguin, San Fernando. The NationalArtist himself was also a Kapampangan, a native of Macabebe.

Center Director Robby Tantingco said that Engr. Roland Buan, the paintings’custodian, allowed the paintings to be exhibited because “Kapampangans de-serve to see these works of art more than any other people. In a way it is ahomecoming for Manansala.”

The paintings, which bear Manansala’s personal dedications to his wife, are:Mary and Jesus (1981), Manansala’s last work before he died; Crucifixion (1978);Maria Laach – Brussels (1974); Streets of London (1976); Still Life Collage (1976)and Parisian Suite series nos. 1-8.

Tantingco said that after the Manansala exhibit, other Kapampangan visualartists will be invited to showcase their works at the Center for free. “There willbe a corner in the library reserved for Kapampangan artists,” Tantingco said. “It’sthe least we can do for our local artists.”

Manansala at Center

Original works of a National Artist,clockwise from top: Streets ofLondon, Crucifixion, and Mary andJesus, all dedicated to his wife andfellow Kapampangan HerminigildaDiaz Manansala.

Visitors’ photos by Jimmy Hipolito

VISITORS

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On the occasion of its third anniversary last March 8, 2005,the Center for Kapampangan Studies sponsored a concert whichput together for the first time popular jazz singer Mon David andequally popular folk singer Totoy Bato, as well as ArtiSta. Ritaand the Holy Angel University Chorale. The concert was attendedby National Artist Napoleon Abueva, art critic/publisher Caesar“Cid” Reyes, artist/columnist Claude Tayag, members of theNepomuceno Family, administrators, faculty and students of HAUand other schools.

The University Band, the University String Ensemble (vio-linists) and the University Rondalla also performed, together withBanda 48 of Betis and folk singer Ruth Lobo. A separate danceconcert featuring the University Dance Theatre followed themusical presentation.

The concert was part of the University’s foundation anniver-sary celebration. Earlier, the College of Arts & Sciences unveileda mural mosaic entitled Kamulatan, executed by Kapampanganartist Norman Tiotuico.

The most applauded numbers were the bawdy songs (basulto)

C o n c e r t c e l e b r a t e straditional

Kapampangan music

of Totoy Bato, a popular name on pirated CDs peddled in Angelessidewalks; Mon David’s Aro Katimyas Na, ArtiSta. Rita’sKapampangan Ku (performed with Mon David) and Himno ningKapampangan simultaneously performed and conducted by EdwinLumanug (band), Reygie Honrada (chorale), Ernie Tulabut(rondalla) and Stan Palma (string ensemble).

The Center for Kapampangan Studies recently co-sponsoredthe CDs of ArtiSta. Rita and Mon David. It will again co-sponsorthe second Kapampangan CD of ArtiSta. Rita, due next month.

The combined HAU performing groups (top), Arti.Sta Rita(above), Mon David (right), Totoy Bato (far right)

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The Center forKapampangan Studies is insearch of Kapampangans,past and present, who havemade significant contribu-tions to their community,for better or for worse, forinclusion in its next bookproject, Biographical Ency-clopedia of Kapampangans, duein December to coincide with theannual Pampanga Day celebra-tion.

Written by Ivan Anthony S.Henares, the book will includenot only well known heroes, art-ists, achievers, politicians, businessmen,etc. but more importantly, those who havebeen ignored, forgotten, or waylaid in thepassage of time, or overshadowed by bigevents or other big names.

Henares qualified that a Kapampangan“is one who was born in Pampanga or in

any of the Kapampangan-speaking areasin Central Luzon, or one whose parent(s)is(are) Kapampangan. The board of con-sultants will evaluate those who do notfall under any of these criteria.”

In a previous issue, Singsing Magazinenamed 99 MemorableKapampangans—”rebels, visionaries,trailblazers, mavericks, heroes,saints… men and women (who) al-tered the landscape ofKapampangan culture and changedthe course of Philippine history.Some well known, others not at all,(they) expressed the great themesof their times and

who made an impact onthe world around them,and on the generationsbeyond theirs, repre-senting the best, some-times the worst, quali-ties in us all.”

The biographical encyclope-dia, on the other hand, will gobeyond the short list and includepossibly thousands ofKapampangans who have madea difference in their immediateenvironment, their town, andnot necessarily the entireKapampangan region or thenation or the world.

Those who wish to contrib-ute names, photos and otherinformation may call (045) 8888691 local 1311, or fax at (045)888 2514, or email torptmt@yahoo.com.

Center to publish

biographical encyclopedia

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OOOOOTHER BOOKS IN DEVELTHER BOOKS IN DEVELTHER BOOKS IN DEVELTHER BOOKS IN DEVELTHER BOOKS IN DEVELOPMENTOPMENTOPMENTOPMENTOPMENT

Kapampangan cuisine

Co-authored by culinary expert Lilian Mercado LisingBorromeo of Mexico town, this bookwill feature recipes of famous as wellas little-known Kapampangan dishesand delicacies, researched and docu-mented from all over the province.The book will also differentiate pangfiesta from pang aldo-aldo dishes; ex-plain ingredients, implements, pro-cesses, practices, beliefs, terms, influ-ences and histories; inject colorful anecdotes; classify folk andcolonial cuisines; and identify soups, salads, and other vanish-ing Kapampangan culinary traditions, including obscure varia-tions in fermenting food, cooking insects, amphibians, rep-tiles, and preparing the celebrated Kapampangan delicacies.

Grammar and vocabulary

Having completed the translation ofFray Francisco Coronel’s Arte y Reglas dela Lengua Pampanga (1621), Fr. EdilbertoSantos is presently working on the Englishtranslation of Fray Alvaro de Benavente’sArte y Diccionario Pampango (1700), dueAugust. Meanwhile, Fr. Venancio Samsonhas also completed the English translationof Fray Diego Bergaño’s Vocabulario en laLengua Pampanga en Romance (1732), theoldest Kapampangan dictionary. It is part

of a larger project, a Kapampangan-English dictionary, for whichthe Center is presently collecting Kapampangan terms throughits research teams and in cooperation with DepEd officials,school principals, parish priests, municipal arts and culture coun-cils, private individuals and groups.

Old San Fernando families

Ivan Anthony Henares, who is Consult-ant for Tourism and Heritage Conservationin San Fernando, is doing a second book,on the old families of San Fernando whoseroots and influence extend to Bacolor,Mexico and the entire province: the Hizons,Singians, Santoses, Dayrits, Lazatins,Ocampos, Salgados, Hensons and others.“The rise of a family is directly proportion-ate to the rise of the community,” said Cen-ter Director Tantingco. “Families pull the

community up with them. Thus, when one studies the historyand culture of Kapampangans, he must first get himself ac-quainted with the Kapampangan families that played a majorrole in the development of their towns. Of all the old familiesin Pampanga, it is those in San Fernando that must be studiedfirst not only because of their antiquity and their prominence,but also because they currently have a strong and extensivenetwork of intermarriages, even with other families in othertowns in Pampanga.”

Kapampangan folk music

Kapampangan meditation book

Fr. Venancio Samson has finishedupdating the Kapampangan transla-tion of Ing Cacanan Cu Aldo Aldo (An-thony Paone’s My Daily Bread), doneby Don Juan D. Nepomuceno andoriginally published by St. Paul’s Pub-lications. In reissuing the book, theCenter has also sought (and just re-cently acquired) a nihil obstat fromthe Archdiocesan censor, Msgr. Josede la Cruz. When the book was firstreleased in the 1970s, it immediatelybecame a much sought-after prayercompanion. Tantingco said, “Peoplehave been telling us to please revive

it as a way of teaching the present generation to pray.” Headded, “And pray in the language God gave them,Kapampangan.”

The Center has completed the En-glish- and Kapampangan-language ver-sions of an illustrated comics magazineon the country’s first martyr for freedom,“the brave youth from Macabebe”whom some historians have named TarikSoliman. (While the Tagalog chieftainsof Manila welcomed the Spanish conquis-tadores in 1571, this Kapampangan war-rior led his soldiers to the Battle ofBangkusay where he met his death.)Resident artist-archaeologist Joel P.Mallari did the comics’ illustrations. A second comics is alsobeing prepared, on the life and martyrdom of PhelippeSonsong, a former Macabebe soldier and veteran of theKapampangan Revolt of 1660-61 who became a missionary inGuam.

The Center will publish an anthology of the more than onehundred little-known traditional Kapampangan songs collectedfrom all over Pampanga throughrecordings and interviews withthe common folk. At present,University bandmaster EdwinLumanug is notating the songsand digitally orchestrating them.The book will contain a CD of thesongs to facilitate learning. Asimilar book-cum-CD is also be-ing planned for Kapampangan li-turgical and para-liturgical songs,including those composed by contemporary musicians. “We havea rich tradition of post-Vatican II and even pre-Vatican II churchhymns written in Kapampangan, both original and translations,”Center Director Tantingco said. “The Holy Mass is the only re-maining occasion where the whole community speaks inKapampangan, and yet the songs we use are in Filipino or En-glish. Our project will hopefully encourage parishes in the Arch-diocese to relearn these Kapampangan songs.”

Illustrated comics

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Indung Ibatan no. 2 out

The second issue of the Kapampangan-language magazineIndung Ibatan is off the press. Edited by Erlinda Cruz and co-published by the Center and the Sapni nang Crissot (Heirs ofCrisostomo Soto), the publication features literary works likeshort stories, poems, children’s stories, essays and news ar-ticles. Featured on the cover is the mural mosaic entitled“Kamulatan” at the HAU College of Arts & Sciences, sculptedby Norman Tiotuico and recently unveiled by National ArtistNapoleon Abueva. Copies of Indung Ibatan are available atthe Center bookstore.

2nd ArtiSta.Rita CD released

The second album of Kapampangansongs by the popular cultural group ArtiSta.Rita will be launched in July, this was an-nounced by the group’s director, AndyAlviz. The CD is co-produced by Holy An-gel University and the Provincial Govern-ment of Pampanga.

Titled Pamanuli (Homecoming), theCD features both traditional songs and newcompositions, including the carrier single,Pamanuli composed by Alviz. Among thesongs are: Kauran, O Caca O Caca, Pataga Bunduk, Berya, Sintang Matua, Dalagang Kapampangan, Kokak(composed by Marcos Nulud), Duman (by Recy Pineda), PinatuboE Ka Mámako and Mekeni King Siping Ku (all by Alviz).

Center Director named

an Outstanding Kapampangan

Intercultural activities

Alviz

Stills from a movie entitled “Capture of Trenches at Candaba”dated June 5, 1899, produced by American inventor ThomasA. Edison. Black Americans played the role of insurrectos.

The Center has inked two separate projects with the toplocal cable networks to further promote Kapampangan language,

history and culture.The first is with the Metro Clark Net-

work (MCN-ACCTN) which is the produc-tion of cultural vignettes airing threetimes a day, to be hosted by EmmanuelNepomuceno, while the second is withthe INFOMAX which involves the produc-tion of short clips intended to teach view-ers how to speak and write in theKapampangan language.

MCN-ACCTN operates in the northernKapampangan towns of Mabalacat, Porac,Magalang, Angeles City and the Clark Spe-

cial Economic Zone, while INFOMAX covers the southern townsof Pampanga, including the capital city of San Fernando.

Center, cable networks

co-produce cultural shows

Nepomuceno

Robby Tantingco, Director of the Center for KapampanganStudies and concurrently the University’s AVP for Student Ser-vices and Affairs, was recently awarded Most OutstandingKapampangan for Culture in ceremonies held at the Bren Z. GuiaoConvention Center.

Pampanga Gov. Mark Lapid and guest speaker Rep. ImeeMarcos handed the medals and trophies to the winners in variouscategories, including Mon David who was named Most Outstand-ing Kapampangan for Music.

Tantingco’s award came on the heels of the OutstandingKapampangan Award (Culture and the Arts Category) from thePampanga Press Club.

To promote intercultural understanding, the Center recentlyhosted two activities: a buyo and kabuki (Japanese classicaldances) co-sponsored with the Pampanga Arts Guild, featuringartist Einojo Senju and company; and the screening of Europeanfeature films in cooperation with the HAU Cinema Critics Circle,headed by Center staffer Anton Prima. A Kapampangan-dubbedmovie on the Life of Jesus, courtesy of Edwin Camaya, was shownduring the film festival, as well as actual turn-of-the-century foot-age of a Thomas Edison-produced reenactment of a battle in Candaba, and of Filipino insurrectos marching in Mexico,Pampanga.

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1763 NEWSPAPER. Art critic Caesar“Cid” Reyes, a native of Apalit,recently donated to the Center a rarecopy of The London General EveningPost dated April 23, 1763, whichheadlined the British invasion ofManila on September 23, 1762. Thearticle was excerpted from thepersonal journals of Gen. WilliamDraper, the commanding officer ofthe invading British naval fleet. Itdescribed Kapampangans as “a fierceand barbarous people” who helpedthe Spaniards defend the colony.The British Occupation led to thetransfer of the capital from Manilato Bacolor, Pampanga.

Kapampangan

Culture/Literature in

curriculum, syllabusSeveral schools have started integrating Kapampangan

in their academic programs, following the lead of HolyAngel University, which has Kapampangan History and Cul-ture as required subject in three Colleges and incorpo-rated in some subjects in high school and elementary, andAngeles University Foundation, which offersKapampangan Literature classes

The University of the Philippines-Pampanga is con-ducting workshops on teaching Kapampangan literature,while the San Fernando City Council recently passed anordinance requiring the integration of Kapampangan his-tory and culture in the high school and grade school cur-ricula in all public and private schools in the city.

Councilor Jaime T. Lazatin, chair of the Sanggunian’s educa-tion committee, sponsored the resolution.

The local government of the City of San Fernando and theCenter for Kapampangan Studies recently co-sponsored a syllabus

development workshop for Department of Education officials,school officials and teachers. The Center presented syllabus out-lines and promised to assist in the provision of teaching materialsand teacher training.

Superintendents, supervisors and school principals from SanFernando attend workshop at the Center

NHI, NCCA Chairman Ambeth Ocampo speaksbefore business executives during a recent visitat the Center.

Members of the Museum Volunteers of the Philippines (MVP) admire theCenter’s mural timeline.

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San Fernando and AngelesBRAIDED DESTINIES

When Angeles, then called Culiat, was born out of SanFernando, the mother town itself had barely been born out ofBacolor and Mexico. Thus, mother and daughter were almost ofthe same age; they grew up alongside each other, one sometimesoutpacing the other, their destinies intersecting and their inhab-itants crossing borders as if the two villages had never split.

The land that Culiat occupied was San Fernando land; thecouple who founded Culiat was a San Fernando couple; the pio-neer settlers in Culiat were San Fernando families; and the addi-tional barrios given to Culiat were carved out of San Fernando.

Their histories alternately tangling and untangling,these two cities of Pampanga will somedayreverse the cycle and osmosize once again

into one metropolis

By Robby Tantingco

Culiat founder Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda had justserved his term as capitan (town mayor) of San Fernando at thetime. He cleared the wooded areas and drove the Aetas out, hismotive still the subject of speculation: to acquire more lands topay debts? to push the northern frontiers of his town? to createlands for his casamac? to build a parish church so that they didn’thave to go all the way to the San Fernando church? The mostintriguing explanation offered is that Don Angelo, inspired by hisbrief stint as town mayor or probably disillusioned by it, wantedto clone his old town, recreate a new San Fernando according to

The San Fernando town hall during the American colonial period. The new edifice was completed in 1917 under the administrationof municipal president (mayor) Antonio Abad Santos. (American Historical Collection)

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his personal vision and thereafter reign there beyond the one-year term that the colonial government set at that time. Thus henamed Culiat’s poblacion as Sto. Rosario, which was also the nameof San Fernando’s poblacion. It was surrounded by barrios namedSan Jose, San Nicolas, Lourdes and Sta. Teresita—repeating thenames of the barrios surrounding the Sto. Rosario of San Fernando.

Culiat became a parish in 1813 and a town in 1829; the tran-sition had many outspoken critics in San Fernando, among themlocal government officials and the parish priest himself, who evenwent to the extent of badmouthing massgoers from Culiat duringhis homily. But Don Angel persisted, going straight to Manila toplead his case and negotiating for priests to be sent to say Mass intheir makeshift chapel, which had been built by one Alberto Batacand which had a painted retablo that featured the Virgen delRosario flanked by San Isidro (patron of farmers) and San Agustin,later replaced by San Pedro and the Sagradung Pusu (SacredHeart). Initially the parish priests of Porac and Floridablancawere sent to Culiat to say Mass; later Don Angelo finally got hiswish and Culiat was given a parish priest of its own.

Don Angel’s intense desire to get his workers nearer to a churchwas yet another repeat of the very same motive for the creationof his old hometown.

Less than 50 years earlier, in 1754, the town of San Fernando

had been carved out of two of the largest, oldest and most pros-perous towns at the time, Mexico and Bacolor. The wide ex-panse of land between the poblacions of Mexico and Bacolor hada linear community on either side of the river connecting the twotowns; apparently, the residents needed a church of their ownbecause the nearest church in either direction was miles away.

But Angeles had a visionary founder; San Fernando had nosingle person to midwife its birth, just a group of Spanish admin-istrators. Angeles was created by the force of that single person’scharacter and vision; San Fernando was the result of bureaucraticinevitability, a political idea whose time had simply come.

Such convergences and divergences would regularly punctu-ate the histories of the next-door towns. In their early years,they were both bedeviled by destructive fires, floods, locusts,disease outbreaks and earthquakes, but they continued to buildtheir roads and bridges and most especially their churches—a tes-tament to their respective residents’ quest for material prosper-ity as well as their enduring Catholic faith. In the violent years ofrevolution and war, San Fernando and Angeles played crucial rolesand paid dearly for it.

But from then on, things looked increasingly brighter for thetwo towns. The good fortune of San Fernando is that before theyleft, the old colonizers, the Spaniards, made the all-important

The Angeles town hall during the American colonial period. It replaced the old Tribunal in 1922 under the administration ofmunicipal president (mayor) Juan D. Nepomuceno. (American Historical Collection)

San Fernando was the effect of a bureaucratic inevitability,while Angeles was the result of the force

of one founder’s vision

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Manila-Dagupan Railroad pass through it instead of Bacolor, thusfacilitating the transfer of the capital during the US occupation.On the other hand, the good fortune of Angeles is that the newcolonizers, as soon as they arrived, built their military camp (FortStotsenburg, later Clark Air Base) in the vicinity of Angeles. Hadthese two events not occurred, neither San Fernando nor Angelescould have become the bustling cities that they are today. It canbe said that San Fernando is the capital that the Americans built,just as Bacolor was the capital that the Spaniards built. It canalso be said that Angeles is the city that the Americans uncon-sciously built.

But of course, Angeles progressed ahead of San Fernando; itbecame a chartered city as early as 1964 (San Fernando becamea component city only in 2001, or 37 years later). When the USmilitary base left after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Angelessuffered an economic setback that allowed San Fernando to catchup.

Today, both are doing fine, San Fernando as the regional huband Angeles as a charming city at the foothills of the volcano.

Between the two, SanFernando is better situ-ated, right at the cross-roads of the Olongapo-Gapan business corridor;however, the perennialfloods in the city’s histori-cal district have shiftedthe focus of economic ac-tivity southeast to Mexicoand ironically, south to-wards Angeles.

Angeles, on the otherhand, is creating its ownbusiness corridor betweenSubic and Clark; since the1990s, while the former USmilitary base was rein-venting itself into a shop-ping and recreational cen-ter, Angeles has been try-ing to wobble up on its owntwo feet.

As the two cities of theKapampangan Region (athird city in theKapampangan Region isTarlac City) grow and tryto outpace each other,they will eventuallyosmosize and become onemetropolis. One day amega city will encompassSan Fernando, Angeles andthe surrounding urbanizedareas like Dau, Mabalacat,Clark Field, maybe evenMexico, Sto. Tomas,Bacolor and Guagua. Itmay even merge withMetro Manila. That’s goodnews to many people, butit can be the worst pos-sible scenario forKapampangan culture,which has been strugglingfor many years now to

move out of Manila’s sphere of influence.The destiny of the two Kapampangan cities of San Fernando

and Angeles has reached the fork down the road: they will eitherlead the rest of the towns towards a cultural and economic re-naissance, or—because of sheer proximity—become the invita-tion to Manila’s deadly tentacles, which are already knocking atPampanga’s door via NLEX. Today, San Fernando has the mostactive local arts and culture council in the region; for its part,Angeles is home to a number of research centers, museums, or-ganizations and universities which are the leading proponents ofKapampangan studies and culture. Still, these initiatives and goodintentions may not be enough to stop the tsunami of Manilazationthat will hit the province, sooner rather than later.

References: Ing Pangatatag ning Balen Angeles by Nicolas VicenteNavarro (1840); A Brief History of the Town of Angeles by Mariano A.Henson; Fast Urbanization in the Philippine Context: A Multi-ScalarAnalysis of the Province of Pampanga by Jean-Christophe Gaillard; LutherParker Collections (University of the Philippines-Diliman)

TURNING POINTS. During the Spanish Period, San Fernando and Angeles were obscure townscompared to the more progressive towns like Bacolor, Macabebe and Mexico, until the Manila-Dagupan Railroad, built in 1892, passed through San Fernando (top photo), and Fort Stotsenburg/Clark Air Base (above) was put up near Angeles in 1903, and things were never the same again forthe two Kapampangan towns.

Hal

Kat

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Amer

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There is no city in the world that is notlocated beside a river, and San Fernandoand Angeles are no exception. SanFernando has San Fernando River, whichoriginates from Pampanga River and cutsthrough Mexico town as Sapang Matulid(the oldest standing church in Pampanga isin San Jose Matulid, a village that used tobe the town proper of Mexico until flood-ing from the Sapang Matulid forced thetown to relocate to its present site). SapangMatulid probably got its name from the factthat it flows in a straight line all the way toSan Fernando, where it assumes the nameSan Fernando River. From San Fernando itcrosses Bacolor and Betis (where it is called

the Betis River) and merges with DalanBapor River in Guagua which flows into thelarger Guagua-Pasak River which in turnjoins the Pampanga River as it heads to-wards Manila Bay.

Today the city government haslaunched a dredging project to bring theriver back to life. Over the years, the riverdied a slow death due to the encroachmentof houses and factories which slowed downthe flow and turned the water into a brack-ish, filthy soup; the stagnation allowed thewater lilies to blanket the river, choke itswaters and alter the ecological balance.

In Angeles, when founder Don AngelPantaleon de Miranda cleared the wooded

area to make way for a new settlement,he chose the spot near the Sapang Balen—a mere creek that turns into a rampagingriver during the rainy season. Old folks saySapang Balen used to be an idyllic placewhere people went to swim and picnic; to-day, it is the convenient receptacle of hu-man excrement, garbage, factory wastesand blood-stained water from the city ab-attoir.

Sapang Balen is the almost-genericname given to Taug River as it passesthrough the town proper of Angeles. TaugRiver originates in barrio Cuayan and is anoffshoot of Ebus River which originatesfrom the foothills of Mount Pinatubo and

Like all cities and civilizations,San Fernando and Angelesgrew around rivers

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In this 19th century map, Abacan Riverseparates Angeles from Balibago andMalabanias, which used to be part ofMabalacat; the Sapang Balen Creek whichflows through the town proper is muchsmaller but has more impact on Angelesthan Abacan. Left, Abacan river aftercollapse of bridge in 1991

joins Abacan River near barrio Anunas. Ac-cording to historian Mariano A. Henson,Taug River/Sapang Balen regularly inun-dated the town of Angeles, until its head-waters gradually dried up and Taug Riverdisappeared, leaving behind only the down-stream Sapang Balen, which begins as aspring in the grassy area betweenCarmenville Subdivision and Cuayan. Inthe cataclysmic rearrangement of the land-scape following the 1991 eruption of MountPinatubo, Taug River reappeared, wreak-ing havoc on the town proper of Angeles,like it had done so many times in the past.

Today it has disappeared once again, andhouses and subdivisions have sprouted inits wake.

The other major river in Angeles is theAbacan, which is probably more ancientthan what most people think. This wasthe river that separated Mabalacat fromthe area that would later on become An-geles (Balibago, Malabanias, andSapangbato were formerly part ofMabalacat). When Mount Pinatubo eruptedon June 15, 1991, pyroclastic materialsflowed with the floodwaters (a typhoonhad coincided with the exact moment of

eruption) which caused the collapse of allthe bridges on Abacan River, the most tragicof which was the Abacan Bridge where doz-ens of motorists stranded during the traf-fic jam went down with the bridge.

As lahar flowed through Abacan Riverin the months following the eruption, thehot, gravelly waters scoured the riverbedand the banks, exposing prehistoric layers,including huge tree stumps that residentsthought were fossils of giant prehistorictrees or posts of ancient bridges thatspanned a once deep and wide river.

Today Abacan is back to its tranquil,shallow condition (further disaster wasaverted when lahar shifted towards SacobiaRiver after explosions on the slopes ofMount Pinatubo in 1993-94 had redirectedthe channels). There is no clue to its glori-ous past when its deep waters once enabledmerchants from towns downstream(Mexico in particular) to travel by boat toAngeles which they reached about noon-time, which was time for abacan (oldKapampangan term for lunch or brunch, be-cause our ancestors ate no breakfast, onlybrunch). ( R. Tantingo)

Serv

icio

His

tori

co M

ilita

r

15

In the early days when San Fernando was a small thinly popu-lated town, the present ilug of San Fernando was only then a smallintermittent stream. It is said that it was the youngest daughterof the goddess of the Pampanga River. In this river, the river de-mon made his abode. As the goddess and the river demon werethe only powerful sovereigns of the Pampanga River they agreedto form an alliance against any possible invasion by some othersovereign. The agreement continued for several years. It wasdissolved when the river demon asked for the hand of her young-est daughter located in San Fernando. From that time on, she

TWO ANCIENT LEGENDSOF THE SAN FERNANDO RIVER

1. DAUGHTER OF THE PAMPANGA RIVER GODDESS

By Eugenio B. Sicat (From the H. Otley Beyer Collections, 1917)

The River was formed by a wrathful river demon

San Fernando River before the advent of urbanization(George Walden)

took a decided dislike for the river demon. So the river demoncaused the banks of this once intermittent stream to fall in. Soonits banks widened and it ceased being an intermittent stream.The people afterward named it Ilug. This ilug, one of the branchesof the Pampanga River, facilitates the communication of SanFernando with other towns. The people of San Fernando do say,“Because of the constant trouble between the goddess and theriver demon, the latter causes the drowning every year of at leastone of the townspeople.”

In olden times there lived a super-human being in Mount Arayatwho was very rich. He was called Suku (another name of Sinukuan)and his golden palace was situated in the heart of the mountain.He was lonesome in spite of his vast wealth. He wished to havean heir to his immense wealth. To satisfy his longing, he sent oneday a portion of his numerous slaves to different directions tolook for a fair damsel.

In ten days all the slaves returned with unfavorable news.Again he sent another group of slaves. After twenty days, a slaveprostrated himself before Suku and related to him of a beautifulwoman who lived in Sexmoan.

Suku ordered his golden chariots readied in an hour’s time. Fur-niture of gold and jewels were packed up and placed in the chariotsto be given to the unknown beauty as a dowry.

The party headed by Suku pursued their way through the grassycountry to Sexmoan. The people of Sexmoan were dazzled at theshining gold. They proceeded to the house of the lady, located among

2. SINUKUAN’S PASSAGE TO SEXMOAN

By Alfredo Nicdao (From the H. Otley Beyer Collections, 1917)

The god came down from Mt. Arayat and converted the road into a canal

the nipa groves. This unknown beauty was the queen of the swamps.The offer was gladly accepted and marriage was to take place

at the end of the fourth year dating from that day. Suku wenthome with gladness in his heart.

Suku visited his fiancée once or twice a week and the roadhe followed became dusty due to the continuous passing of hun-dreds of chariots. When it became so dusty that Suku could notpass through it without closing his nostrils he ordered all his sub-jects to dig it up and make a canal. The canal was joined to themain body of the Pampanga River so as to supply it with water.Instead of riding a chariot to Sexmoan, Suku used a banca. To-day the people of Sexmoan use the same type of banca that Sukuused many years ago.

The canal widened little by little due to the frequent floodsand finally it took the form of a river.

The appointed time came and Suku took his bride to Arayatin a casco and sailed through the canal which was finally con-verted into a river.

Ivan

Hen

ares

15

16

San Fernando has always been considered among the latertowns of Pampanga (having been created only in 1754, comparedto Macabebe, Lubao, Sasmuan, Betis, Bacolor, Mexico, Arayat,Candaba, etc. which already existed even before the Spaniardscame in 1571).

But San Fernando could not have been formed out of nothing.There must have been an older but smaller community in the arealong before the Spaniards arrived, especially considering that itwas in the vicinity of two ancient towns, Bacolor and Mexico. Thename of that older community is the subject of c u r i o s i t y.Maybe the Will of Fernando Malang Balagtas can provide a clue.

We know that the San Fernando River used to be called theBetis River. In his Will, as translated in E. Arsenio Manuel’s Dictio-nary of Philippine Biography, Balagtas names the various townslocated on both sides of the Betis River:

“He declares and orders that all the high and low irrigatedlands with bamboo trees, nipa plantations and mangrove trees,located in the towns of Macaveve, Carapdapan, Betis, Uaua,Malataip, Bacolod, Becutan and Bulusan, on both sides of the BetisRiver with those of Mejico, be not claimed by his children and an-cestors….”

Familiar are the towns of Macabebe, Betis, Guagua, Bacolorand Mexico which indeed are all located along the Betis (SanFernando) River. Which modern-day towns was Fernando MalangBalagtas referring to when he wrote Carapdapan, Malataip,Becutan and Bulusan? Could they be in the vast area betweenBacolor and Mexico—the modern-day San Fernando? (IvanHenares)

This pre-1754 map shows no sign of San Fernando This post-1754 map shows San Fernando has taken its placeamong other towns of Pampanga

SANFERNANDOBEFORESPAINCREATEDIT

THE OLD NAME

COULD HAVE BEEN

KARAPDAPAN,

MALATAIP,

BEKUTAN OR

BULUSAN

Krag

i G

arci

a

17

New town named after King Ferdinand III but actuallyin honor of King Ferdinand VI

CARVED OUT OF BACOLOR AND MEXICO

NAMED AFTERTWO KING FERDINANDSIT WAS COMMON PRACTICE AT THE TIME

TO NAME A TOWN AFTER A SAINT BUT IN REALITY

TO HONOR A PERSON BEARING THE SAINT’S NAME

On 17 July 1754, Don Josef Bersosa,on behalf of the Augustinian cura parrocosof Bacolor and Mexico, namely FrayLorenzo Barrela and Fray AlexandroDominguez, presented a petition to Gov-ernor General Pedro Manuel de Arandiafor the creation of a new pueblo from thesaid towns.

In his petition, Bersosa said the townshad grown so much in size that Bacolorhad 1,300 taxpayers while Mexico had1,600. As a result of this, the said priestscould barely attend to their spiritual well-being. Another reason was the great dis-tance between the churches of Bacolorand Mexico, approximately three leaguesaway from each other, with a continuousrow of houses between them.

Crimes also occurred more frequentlyand became increasingly difficult to ad-dress. Thus, Bersosa argued, it was nec-essary for a new town to be created en-compassing the middle road and all theroads on the extreme ends of the saidtowns. The residents in the new townwould elect their own gobernadorcillo and

The town was named after KingFerdinand III (top), who was alsoa saint, but the Spanish officialswere actually honoring the kingat the time of the town’screation, King Ferdinand VI(bottom)

other officials who would take charge ofpolice matters and the administration ofjustice.

Acting on the petition, Governor Gen-eral Arandia promulgated an orden del su-perior gobierno on 16 August 1754, in linewith plans already drawn up by the curaparrocos of the two towns. He orderedthe establishment of a new town to becalled San Fernando, probably in honor ofFerdinand VI who was King of Spain at thetime and who himself had approved thetown’s creation. Thus, the titular patronof the town was Saint Ferdinand, coinci-dentally also a Spanish king, Ferdinand III.

Arandia also delineated the boundariesof the new town, identifying areas thathad water sources, mountains, points ofentry and exit, farmlands and other sig-nificant features. Some 200 taxpayersfrom Bacolor and 400 from Mexico wereassigned to San Fernando to ensure thenecessary income for the new curaparroco. The first gobernadorcillo of SanFernando was Don Vidal de Arrozal.

By IvBy IvBy IvBy IvBy Ivan Anthonan Anthonan Anthonan Anthonan Anthony Henaresy Henaresy Henaresy Henaresy Henares

Signature of Don Vidal de Arrozal, former gobernadorcillo of Bacolor who became SanFernando’s first gobernadorcillo

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Mariano Henson wrote that the originof Angeles’ former name is the plant Culiát,Gnetum indicum Lour. Merr. a woody vinethat abound in the place then. Today, thisvine is said to be an endangered specie.The few surviving kuliat can be found inPalawan and in the botanical garden of U.P.Los Baños in Laguna. Recentbotanical researches doneby the Kapampangan Ar-chaeological Volunteers(KAMARU) of Holy Angel Uni-versity show, however, thatsome of the Gnetum speciesstill thrive in the thin for-ests of Sapang Bato, Ange-les. In fact, the peoplethere, as well as residentsin upland Porac, still sellkuliat seedlings occasion-ally. Collection of botani-cal lexicons shows thatthere are at least two plantspecies named kuliat (var.culiat, kuliyat). The firstone is the known woodyvine mentioned by MarianoHenson (and a shrub of thesame Gentum family),while the other is aDiospyros specie, of theblack wood family.

Gnetum belongs to theclass of Gnetophyta of theGymnosperms classificationthat grow in the tropics, 30species, growing usually astrees or as vines with largeleathery leaves. The nameGnetum indicum (Loureiro)Merrill IInterpr. Herb.Amboin. 77. 1917), based onAbutua indica Loureiro (Fl.Cochinch. 630. 1790), has

It was named after a vine… or was it a tree?

By Joel Pabustan Mallari and Arnel D. Garcia

been applied in the sense of G. Montanum,but may in fact be the correct name for G.parvifolium. The taxonomic identity of G.indicum has often been questioned, andmany herbaria followed F. Markgraf (Bull.Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 10: 406. 1930),who dismissed it as being of uncertain appli-

cation and placed most material so namedin his new species, G. montanum.

Many species are used in a variety ofways: the bark provides a strong fiber usedfor making ropes and nets; the sap flowsvery freely from cut stems and can be drunkto quench thirst; the young leaves of some

species are used as a greenvegetable; and the seedsare roasted and eaten (theouter, fleshy layer containsirritant, needlelike crys-tals, and is not generallyeaten).

The second kuliat plantbelongs to a family of treeswhich includes the famousPhilippine ebony wood, andtalang (Diospyros discolorWilld. [D. philippensisDesr.]). Types of talang in-clude the known kamagongand/or mabolo in manyPhilippine languages. It iscalled as Maitem in Malay;Camagón, Ébeno agrio,Guayabota, Matasano demico, Sapote negro, Zapotede mico, Zapote negro,Zapote prieto… in Spanish.The Diospyros blancoi A.DC. is known as Tai wan shi(as D. discolor ) in Chinese,and in English as Mabola-tree, Mabolo, Velvet per-simmon, Velvet-apple;Pommier velours in Frenchand Ke gaki (as D. discolor)in Japanese. Historically,this family of black woodsbecame the importantsource of timber (ebony)and fruits (talang, mabolo,and persimmon). It is oneof the favorite raw mate-

Ing Makuliat nang Ibatan ning Angeles

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rials for the old muebles made by local Kapampanganwoodcarvers.

Relevant to this is the discovery of old black tree stumpsexposed by the early activities of lahar in the 1990s, and evenby pre-1991 erosion of the Abacan River banks. Folks of AngelesCity like Erning Calara (80 years old and a resident of Amsic)say that long before 1991, they found 7 to 8 pieces with anaverage of 3 to 4 ft in diameter and were in situ on the exposederoded riverbank of the Abacan River (very near the areas ofAnunas and Amsic). Calara says that these hardwoods, whicheven loggers and firewood collectors were not able to move orcut with their chainsaws and axes, were prehistoric kuliat trees,according to those who were present, including Apung Quitong(ex-Mayor Francisco Nepomuceno). When the river currentcarried some of them they struck the steel posts of some bridges,bending them without acquiring even a dent. Continuous lahardeposition reburied the trunks. During the lahar years in the1990s, huge trunks and parts of root system of trees were re-covered. Among wood fragments recovered were a pterocarpusspecie (Apalit or Narra?) and bulaon (Vitex parviflora Juss.),one of which is on display at the Museo ning Angeles. Thesetrunks are believed to be 800 years old, probably part of theforests which blanketed the province of Pampanga at that time.A local engineer found a similar trunk in August of 1991 whichhas a radiocarbon date of 2,970 years old. This particular treedebris was rooted at 20 ft. below the present ground level ofthe city. Historian Ed Sibug still recalls the oral reports of earlydredging (or deepwell?) activities sometime in 1991 in barrioPulungbulu, in which workers discovered botanical debris (wa-terlogged pieces of wood and bamboos) slot in the sandy soilunearthed from about 30 ft deep. According to taxonomist ElmerD. Merrill (1876-1956), this type of trees (like bulaon and apalit)grows best in dry thickets and is common throughout the Philip-pines. If the old folks like Calara of Amsik together with theearly oral reports and radiocarbon dates, are reliable, the pre-historic landscape of Culiat and of the neighboring municipali-ties was definitely much lower than the present ground surfaceof this modern city, and that it had suffered several series ofmudslides and lahars that continually altered it. In fact someold barrios of this city were once called Talimundok (elevatedgrounds) even if they are no longer elevated, which means thelandscape was padded over time.

Comparative etymological patterns suggest antiquatedKapampangan words for kuliat, such as kulat, kulul, kalat, uakat,pakat etc. Kulat and kulul are indicative of old color behaviorwhile uakat and pakat indicates the plant’s strangling charac-ter similar to the widely known baliti trees and cognates suchas auili, alasas, pakiling, isis, etc. Prehistoric pigments weremostly red and black in various forms while the tropical set-tings like the Philippines host a vast biodiversity of climbingplants. Thus the kuliat tree can be associated to kulat as red todark stain of plant liquids or the old red color from soil or plantsaps; and kalat, uakat and pakat are associated with the gen-eral behavior of plant creepers. Related to this, the early com-mon practice done by foresters and carpenters recognized thespecial function of waterlogged trees, such as the strength andresistance to bukbuk and ané (all wood pests) and also the darkfinishing character of these woods as they mature, which pro-vides a beautiful sheen of wood fibers (aspe) when used as fur-nishings.

Consequently it can be assumed that the placename kuliatmight have been derived from the black hardwood tree and notfrom the plant vine specie as generally accepted by Angeleños,including historians. The information from Mariano Henson’snotes identified the only botanical source of his study of thevine as the book “Useful Plants of the Philippines Vol. I” by Dr.Wm. H. Brown.

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“Ing Pangatatag ning Balayan Angeles,” anaccount of the town’s founding, writtenin verse form by Nicolas Vicente Navarro,a contemporary of the founder, in 1840.This is the cover of a 1923 reprint.(Courtesy of Edgardo Sibug)

NNNNNAMED AMED AMED AMED AMED AFTERAFTERAFTERAFTERAFTERTWTWTWTWTWO O O O O ANGELSANGELSANGELSANGELSANGELS

By Lupo RamosFrom the Luther Parker Collections

University of the Philippines (Diliman) Main Library

a Santuario made of wood and nipa, andprovided the necessary furnishings for thecelebration of the Holy Mass. Consequently,Culiat obtained from church authorities theappointment of a chaplain to recompensethe couple for being conscientious of thespiritual needs of the community. The ser-vices were extended to the neighboring lo-calities around Culiat, which were still un-der San Fernando. There were times whenreligious services were already adminis-tered by their own chaplain, being an au-tonomous cleric but sometimes still depen-dent on San Fernando.

Considering the significant populationincrease of those places, the said husband-and-wife, referred now as the Founders,obtained the favor from both civil andecclesiastic authorities to establish a towndetached from San Fernando. After eightyears of relentless effort, and remainingfirm against opposition from successivepriests of San Fernando, the authorities fi-nally granted on December 8, 1829 the of-ficial recognition of the new town. The

A 1 9 1 1 A 1 9 1 1 A 1 9 1 1 A 1 9 1 1 A 1 9 1 1 AAAAA C C O U N T O F C C O U N T O F C C O U N T O F C C O U N T O F C C O U N T O F T H E E A R LT H E E A R LT H E E A R LT H E E A R LT H E E A R LY Y Y Y Y Y E A R SY E A R SY E A R SY E A R SY E A R S

THE NEW TOWN WAS NAMED AFTERTHE LOS ANGELES CUSTODIOS BUT ACTUALLY INHONOR OF DON ANGEL PANTALEON DE MIRANDA

In 1796, Don Angel Pantaleon deMiranda and his wife, Doña Rosalia deJesus, both from illustrious families of SanFernando, a town of Pampanga, initiatedan agreement with some partners andfarmers to cultivate an expanse of wild anduncultivated land called Culiat in the sametown of San Fernando. A sculpted woodenstatuette of the Virgin of the Rosary, towhich they prayed for protection againstthe ambushes of the Aetas who weresettled in the surroundings, was carriedalong in processions; they recited the Ro-sary every time they went down the clear-ing to prepare the land for planting.

Some years later (1810), the coupleprospered and funded the construction of

Signature of Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda, former gobernadorcillo of San Fernando who became the founder and firstgobernadorcillo of Angeles (Philippine National Archives)

21

favored name of the newtown was “Angeles” inhonor of the “HolyGuardian Angels,” theirpatroness’ protectors. Itis also in consideration ofthe Founder’s name DonAngel who put forwardthe new town under thelove and care of Our Ladyof the Holy Rosary whosefeast day (La Naval) com-memorates the beginningof its foundation.

In the year 1833, theFounders built a newchurch replacing the oldSantuario that was al-ready inadequate in ac-commodating the inhab-itants, who had multipliedprogressively.

In the same year, theCasa Tribunal was built,although since 1829(foundation date) therehad already been a provi-sional one, having Don Ciriaco de Miranda,the Founder’s son, the first gobernadorcillofor the whole year of 1830. (The Casa Tri-bunal is the present municipal building.)

From then on, the town of Angeles hadbeen governed by gobernadorcillos for anannual term each until 1868 and laterchanged to two-year terms until 1893. Dueto reforms in the Spanish administration,the title was changed to Capitan Munici-pal until 1898, towards the end of the Span-ish regime in the Islands.

At the time of Angeles foundation,there were only six barrios: Sto. Rosario(the center), San Jose, Cutcut, Pampang,Amsic and Santol which were successivelypopulated from 1796, when the founderssettled down in Culiat. The founders do-nated to the Church two parts of the land,one dedicated to the parish priest’s main-

tenance, and the other tofinance the annual fiestacelebration.

In 1846, Capitan Gen-eral Claveria was ap-pointed to Pampanga; heordered that SanFernando’s seven barriosbecome part of Angeles.They are Pulungbulo,Mining, Tabun, Capaya,Sapa Libutad, PulungCacutud, and Pandan.Likewise, the three bar-rios of Mabalacat:Malabañas, Balibago andPulung Maragul, and abarrio of Mexico: Cutud.That shaped the expanseof Angeles town with theboundaries of the threetowns. Aside from the 17barrios mentioned, Ange-les stretched out to otherareas mainly due to thepopulation increase thatextended to other five

villages, which were not yet populated.They are the following: Sto. Domingo in1830, Anunas in 1840, Sto. Cristo in 1852and San Nicolas in 1852. Areas whichstarted to be populated when the marketwas relocated to the site at that time wereTacondo that comprised the barrio ofAnunas, and began to be inhabited in 1890;Sapangbato of barrio Pasbul Bulo in 1898,and Talimunduc of barrio San Nicolas in1901. In summary, Angeles had 22 barriosat that time, and three places identifiedalso to become barrios….

Even before being constituted as atown, a Santuario had been built in Culiatin 1810 but it was only two years later(1812) that it had its first chaplain, PadreJuan Zablan, a native of Minalin,Pampanga, and later followed by Padre DeConcepcion, Pedro David, Vicente Navarro,

Cristobal Concepcion, Flaviano Ladia,Agapito Medina, Claudio de Castro, LeandroCortes, Jose de la Incarnacion and MacarioParas, who were all Pampangos.

Culiat was the name of the barrio ofSan Fernando that became the town of An-geles. It is the name of a bush that thengrew there in abundance. But the otherbarrios like Santol and Anunas are namestaken from fruit-bearing trees; Pandan,name of a very well known plant; Tabun,which means dam or dike; Pampang, highborders of a river or tideland;Pulongmaragul, large forest; PulungCacutud, small forest; Pulungbulu andPasbulbulo, places where there are anabundance of bamboos and canes;Sapalibutad, means to be in between or inan estuary or creek; Capaya, name of aplant called papaya; Balibago, shrub/treeof fibrous bark; and Sapangbatu, a brookthat runs among rocks.

Angeles, when constituted as a town(1829), stopped being administered by reli-gious chaplains. The last one noted was DonMacario Paras. Parish priests succeededthem and the first Augustinian friars wereas follows: Vicente Cordones, Manuel Diaz,Pedro Medina, Jose M. Torres, Tomas Oresa,Guillermo Masnou, Ramon Sarronandia, JuanMarino, Pedro Ibeas, Vicente Ruiz, RufinoSantos, and Baltazar Camarra, the last Span-ish priest; and later, the Filipino seculars,Don Vicente Lapus and Don Pablo Gamboa,the current parish priest.

This results in a summary of all datathat I acquired at the time. And as seen,Angeles being a newly founded town, lackslegends and old manuscripts except thoseprovided to me by Don Mariano V. Henson,one of the surviving grandsons of thefounders.(Translated from the Spanishoriginal by Anton Prima)

The original processionalimage of the town’s patronsaint enshrined at the HolyAngel University chapel(Courtesy of Mrs. Teresita N.Wilkerson)

Descendants of Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda (Sally Naguiat)

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These days, the cities of SanFernando and Angeles are the citadelsof economic progress in the provinceof Pampanga and even in the wholeregion. Being next-door neighbors,they resemble twin towers jutting outof a vast plain in the heartland ofLuzon Island. Their proximity to eachother, however, belies the differ-ences: San Fernando as the provin-cial and regional capital is the politi-cal hub sitting right at the busy cross-roads between the Central Luzonprovinces, while Angeles, nestled qui-etly out of the way, is more condu-cive to education and business. Nottoo many people still remember thefilial bond that once existed betweenthe two cities.

Two-and-a-half centuries ago, in1754, a new town called San Fernando,named after a canonized Spanish king,was carved out of two towns, Macasicu(the modern-day Mexico) and Bakulud(Bacolor today). In 1796, the newtown pushed its northern frontier far-ther by clearing a forest teeming withculiat, a woody vine (Gnetum indicum,Lour) after which the barrio had beennamed. The event set into motion thelong-running relationship between SanFernando and Angeles, which began asa mother-daughter or pueblo-visitaset-up that eventually evolved into anaggressive rivalry.

An 1818 account, prepared by theAyuntamiento of Manila, presents arare geographical description of theSan Fernando-Culiat sphere. Done byYldefonzo de Aragon, the ElComandante de Ingenieros (chief en-gineer) of the Ayuntamiento, the re-port mapped the roads and othermeans of transportation linking vari-ous settlements in the region, at thattime largely hinterlands. Indeed, thecolonial government then was seri-ously preparing an economic blueprint forthe area, probably as an alternative tothe Galleon Trade and the Tobacco Mo-nopoly which the Spain was contemplat-ing to abolish. In his Ytinerario forPampanga, the chief engineer wrote:

(The pueblo of San Fernando) is lo-cated in a vast plain and in the directionof a river by the same name, comprisingin its jurisdiction the grand barrio namedCuliat, situated 34º northwest and dis-tanced by at least two leagues.

He estimated that the town wasaround four miles away from the capitalof Bacolor, while the two other bound-aries, Sto. Tomas and Mexico, were aleague and half-league away respectively.

Even in those days, the chief engi-

neer already observed that “the said ter-rain between San Fernando and Culiat isquite elevated with some small hillocks,but the land is very fertile and of excel-lent quality,” which is why today it is con-sidered the safest, most strategic and fast-est developing area in the province.

He attributed this to the preponder-ance of water sources and systems in thearea. “A tributary of the Bacolor River,”he wrote, “stretches among those terrenesas it bifurcates north and south, collect-ing the waters of Arayat; and there aresome rivulets found in the vicinity that pro-ceed in the north by northwest directionfrom the mountains.”

Jean Mallat, the French traveler whovisited Pampanga in the 1840s and who used

the Ayuntamineto report exten-sively in preparing his monumentalbook on the Philippines, mentionedthat “courses of water descendingfrom Mount Arayat are only streamsduring the dry season, but becomeimpetuous torrents during the rainyperiod. It is also during this periodthat through the meeting of rainswith the rivers, is formed the pinacof Candava, a great lake situatedeast of the pueblo of Bacolor and tothe left of the great river (RioGrande)….”

It was common at that time tomeasure distances between settle-ments by the time spent in walk-ing, but the engineer made an ex-ception for the area because “evenduring the dry season, water com-munication between the towns ofSan Fernando and Bacolor remains,which is very deep, even today.”He probably knew of other water-ways that had been silted or theircourses altered, a phenomenonthat would recur over and over,most spectacularly after the erup-tion of Mount Pinatubo.

Mallat was also fascinated with theGogo (Gugu) River, “which draws itssources from the mountains by thenortheast.” Gogo (Entadaphaseoloides), Aragon (the chief engi-neer) wrote in his report’s glossary, is aclimbing shrub found in many parts ofthe Philippines whose bark is cut andcrushed by the natives to make jabon(soap). Mallat, however, believed thatthe river had been named after a dif-ferent kind of gogo, the kind “whose usefacilitates the washing of gold sand (are-nas del oro);” this plant, Mallat added,thrived in the area, but he stopped shortof saying that the Kapampangans livingaround the river practiced gold panning.He did observe that the town benefited

from the river through a small tributary thatflowed far into the town’s territorial limits; thistributary had an uncharacteristically lengthy ap-proach or embankment “where the natives fetchtheir drinking water.”

Mallat had a high regard for the in-habitants who “have dedicated them-selves to agriculture, raising large quan-tities of palay, sugar cane and also indigo(Indigofera tinctoria or añil) and corn.”He made special mention of the soil inPampanga as very favorable in the culti-vation of indigo.

Yldefonzo de Aragon noted that therewas already a liquor factory operating inCuliat at the time (1818). Even that earlyin history, the small barrio of San Fernandowas well on its way to economic prosperity.

TTTTThe he he he he PuePuePuePuePuebbbbblololololo and its and its and its and its and its VVVVVisitaisitaisitaisitaisita,,,,, cir cir cir cir circa 1818ca 1818ca 1818ca 1818ca 1818

By Lino L. Dizon

A Spanish engineer consideredthe land between San Fernandoand Culiat as “of excellentquality”

The old road between San Fernando and AngelesAmerican Historical Collection

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Two generations ago, Angeles was but a mere handful of rudehuts, a wild solitary spot, inhabited only by poor casamac. Wherethe church stands now there were then the haunts of the nonoand the patianac.

The place was at that time only a distant barrio of SanFernando. Most of the inhabitants were only tenants of well-to-do landowners, who had their homes in the poblacion of SanFernando. These landowners rarely visited the locality, stayingthere only temporarily during the planting and harvest seasons.

Among these opulent landlords was Don Angelo; notwithstand-ing his riches, he was a very pious man. He was known for manymiles around as Apung Angel, the pious giver.

One Sunday evening, as he was meditating on how he couldbest serve God, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, his thoughtswondered back to his tenants. They lived far from town, far fromthe church. It was a difficult matter for them to attend holy massevery Sunday. He thought long and hard about it until at last, hehit upon a satisfactory plan. He would go to the curate the fol-lowing morning and enjoin him to send to Manila for a priest. Onhis farm he would erect a chapel for the holding of mass and aresidence for the priest.

Two years later, a well constructed chapel stood at the middleof a large, elevatedsquare plot of ground,fenced all around. It wasSunday morning; there is-sued out of the chapel agreat throng of persons.From their quaint, old-fashioned costumes, onemight have known at oncethat they were the rusticinhabitants of the place,and of the neighboringbarrios. Behind themcame Don Angelo, and thepriest. The people weredispersing in all direc-tions, but a great numberof them were directingtheir steps to Don Angelo’shouse to share in the feastthat he celebrated for thepeople every Sunday.

Such was the piety andbenevolence of DonAngelo, that far and nearhe was well known and be-loved by the people. Hewas welcomed in everyhousehold. In his morningwalks, it was deemed agreat honor for any one toreceive the friendly saluteand his kind smile. Hischarity was so inexhaust-ible that his mere namebecame a blessing to thedistressed people.

One morning, he wasfound, for some reason oranother, lying in his bedpale and lifeless. Whatwas the sorrow of his fam-ily! What bewailing wasthat of the people heloved and who loved him!

By Macario G. Naval(From the H. Otley Beyer Collections)

WWWWWas as as as as AngAngAngAngAngeles onceeles onceeles onceeles onceeles oncea pilga pilga pilga pilga pilgrimarimarimarimarimagggggeeeeedestinadestinadestinadestinadestination?tion?tion?tion?tion?A 1916 document attributes the town’sgrowth to pilgrimages to the Founder’sincorrupt body and miracles

But all was of no avail. He was dead—a sad realization indeed—and the anguish of a thousand hearts could not restore him tolife. As was his request, he was buried near the chapel and, need-less to say, with great pomp and loud weeping.

Many years passed. One evening, the priest, the same onewho walked by the side of Don Angelo five or seven years ago, wasreturning home from his vigils in the chapel when, to his greatsurprise, he saw issuing from Don Angelo’s tomb luminous rays oflight like that of the stars. He crossed himself and approached;as he came nearer, the air was full of unspeakably sweet odor. Hewent home much perplexed and pondering along the way aboutthe mystery he had just seen. The next day he visited thetomb and brought with him three workmen for the purpose ofopening the vault. Besides the three there were other peoplepresent, for the news spread like lightning that Don Angelo’s tombshowed signs of a miracle. What was the amazement of thosepresent when the coffin was taken out of the vault and opened!They found not the expected bones of the dead, but the samebody that they had buried five years earlier, unaltered in anyrespect. It was a miracle from heaven.

The priest led the people in prayer; and as they prayed, lo! Astrange odor filled the air. At the suggestion of the priest, the

corpse was deposited in thechapel, to be taken in the morn-ing to San Fernando. But be-hold, another miracle! Thecorpse of the pious Giver couldnot be moved the next day fromthe chapel. The people who as-sembled at the place to taketheir last look at the remains oftheir beloved were frightened.The priest made the peopleleave and let the corpse alone.

Soon news of this extraordi-nary event spread abroad, overtowns and provinces alike, sothat people from distant locali-ties found their way to the littlebarrio. It soon became widelyknown that the diseased personswho visited Don Angelo’s corpsewere cured. Dead were knownto have been brought back tolife by virtue of the sacred relic.

With such a treasure, nowonder the little barrio grewrapidly in popularity. Many ofthose who made pilgrimages tothe place stayed there and es-tablished their abodes. In a fewyears the barrio had grown intoa town. To accommodate thelarge number of pilgrims, achurch was built where the holycorpse was placed and kept. Astime went on, the population ofthe town continued to grow, sothat today we have the largeand fine town of Angeles, nameddoubtless, in honor of the be-nevolent Don Angelo. And eventoday people make pilgrimagesto the place, and Apung Angel isstill there to give help to thosethat need it.

x

FOUNDER’S TOMB. X marks the present gravesite of Don AngelPantaleon de Miranda, on the left side of the altar of the parishchurch of Angeles.

Rick

y Jo

se

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OF SAN FERNANDO HISTORY

1754The town of San Fernando is founded withDon Vidal de Arrozal serving as the firstgobernadorcillo the following year1755The first church is built with wooden wallsand nipa roofing. Later in the year, themunicipal tribunal is erected in front ofthe plaza using durable materials andthatched nipa roofing.

1785Governor General Jose Bascoy Vargas visits the town. Heis impressed with the enthusi-astic welcome he receivesfrom residents. In his speech,he admonishes them to con-centrate on commerce and ag-riculture, which he considersthe key to national develop-ment.

1786The town is ravaged by an epi-demic called sarampion; the

price of palay reaches one real or 12.5cents per cavan, despite the good harvestthis year.1788The new parish priest, Fr. Manuel Canlas,starts construction of the current churchbuilding; he requests the gobernadorcilloat the time, Don Bernabe Pamintuan, to

Taal eruption

BACOLOR AND MEXICO SACRIFICED THEIR BARRIOS TO CREATESAN FERNANDO; THEN IT WAS SAN FERNANDO’S TURNTO SACRIFICE CULIATBy Ivan Anthony S. Henares

TIMELINE

1757Ash fall from Taal Volcanoreaches San Fernando1770Filipino clergy finally obtain con-trol of the Rectory of the parishchurch; Sultan Ali Mudin, de-posed Sultan of Sulu who gra-ciously embraced Christianity,comes ashore in San Fernando.He stays in Acocolao, the oldtownsite of Paniqui where he as-sumes the name Don FernandoAli Mudin I.1777A law is passed requiring all shops in thetown to pay taxes to the Public Treasury, asa means of identifying illegal shops knownas bularit.1781Spain limits selling of tobacco to estanco,or special outlets.

Fray Francis Musni/Convento de San Agustin

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call a general assembly to discuss the con-struction.1796After serving as gobernadorcillo the previ-ous year, Don Angel Pantaleon de Mirandaretires to Barrio Saguin, from where hestarts setting up his hacienda in BarrioCuliat1805The government sets up an agency to over-see taxation in the sale ofliquor.1808After 20 years of con-struction, the currentSan Fernando townchurch is completedowing to donations ofprosperous parishio-ners and parish priest,Don Manuel Canlas whoallocated modest fundsfor its construction. It isrededicated to the Asuncion delNuestra Señora. As a sign of gratitude toFr. Canlas, the pioneering families and therest of the inhabitants commission his por-trait which is displayed in the church sac-risty.1813The Archbishop of Manila, Most Rev. JuanAntonio de Zulaibar, visits San Fernandoto administer the sacrament of Confirma-tion. As instructed, the parishioners kneelalong the street when the Archbishop passesby.1814The major roads to Mexico and Bacolor areopened during the administration ofCapitan Francisco Pamintuan. Ash fall froman erupting volcano in Camarines reachesthe town.1820A cholera out-break ravagesthe town.1821The town expe-riences a totaleclipse of thesun.1829Culiat is separated from San Fernando on8 December as the new town of Angeles.1850A big fire hits the town, burning the Tribu-nal which was then made of nipa. Majorfires hit the town in 1888, 1899, 1907, 1910and 1939.1852On August 6, an expediente requesting thetransfer of the provincial capital from

Bacolor to San Fernando is signed. A strongearthquake causes the church bells to ringwildly.1857In July, while farmers are negotiating toincrease price of sugar from the currentmarket rate of 10 – 15 pesos to una onza(16 pesos) per load, strong rain falls, last-ing 10 days which brings down the price ofsugar to 3 pesos per load. The casa mu-nicipal is reconstructed during the term ofthe town’s gobernadorcillo Don CandidoFroilan Dizon, with full support from theprovincial alcalde, Don Francisco Hidalgo.1860Malapad Roadin barrio SanNicolas opens.1863On July 3, astrong earth-quake hits thetown, causingmassive de-struction.1867The EscuelaPublica is con-structed duringthe administra-tion of DonJulian Buyson, on the site where the cen-tral school (presently the San Fernando El-ementary School) now stands.1869The first telegraph lines are installed in thetown during the administration of DonIsidro Teopaco.1872A gremio of printersfrom a governmentpress in the townstage the first orga-nized strike in Phil-ippine history; thestrikers are protest-ing against theabuses of the plantforeman1878Following the example of Culiat, residentsmake an attempt to create a town out ofbarrio Calulut, to be composed of Calulutand the neighboring barrios of Bulaon,Malpitic, Sindalan, La Paz, Lara, Saguin,Telabastagan, Balete, Malinao, Pulung Bulu,Panipuan, Macabacle and the caserio of Pauin San Fernando, and Panipuan, Acle,Suclaban and the sitio of Gandus in Mexico.The plan does not materialize.1880On July 18, the Treasury Office summonsthe town’s senior residents to a public

meeting to discuss classification ofcedulas (personal identity cards) for prop-erty owners (first and second class de-pending on economic status) and for theworking class (fifth and sixth class). At12:20 PM on the same day, an earthquakestronger than the 1863 tremor causeswidespread destruction in San Fernando.1881On September 11, the Real Cedula 745 issigned; it approves the transfer of the pro-vincial capital from Bacolor to SanFernando; once more, the move fails.

Early parishseal of SanFernando

Sugar land owners’ country mansion in San Fernando

1882On 14 August, a day before the town fiestaAlcalde Mayor Graciano announces a de-cree coming from the Governor Generalcanceling the fiesta celebration in honorof the town patron, the Asuncion deNuestra Señora, due to a cholera outbreakin Manila. The epidemic reaches San

Fernando on 12 September and claimsmany victims. On

October20, aterrible

typhoonw r e a k s

havoc on thet o w n for six hours. In

November, a dis- ease called beriberisweeps the country for the first time,catching everyone by surprise. About thesame time, a comet appears in the eveningsky.1883In August, a royal decree signed on July 13and issued by the Governor General, abol-ishes the government’s tobacco monopoly,thus allowing anybody to sell it providedhe pays the provincial tax of 12 reales (onepeso and 50 centavos).1884During the term of Domiciano Tison, a cir-cular is issued identifying the specific cat-

26

egories of personal cedulas andtheir amounts:1st class P25.002nd class 20.003rd class 15.004th class 8.005th class 5.006th class 3.507th class 2.258th class 2.009th class 1.5010th class FREE1886On July 1, Pedro Teopaco is des-ignated the first juez de paz ofthe newly established municipalcourt of justice.1888On April 17, at 2:25 PM, a big fire starting in barrio Sta.Lucia sweeps across the town, resulting in the loss of aboutone million pesos in property. In May, an epizootic epidemicoutbreak wipes out livestock, which doubles the price ofcattle and carabao. In September, there is another outbreakof cholera; Governor General Luis de la Torre y Villanuevacalls for a meeting of local sanitary officials to discuss solu-tions to the epidemic.I889Construction starts for two important bridges: the PalawiBridge leading to Bacolor and the Paralaya Bridge leadingto Mexico.1892On February 23, Governor General Eulogio Despujol andthe Archbishop of Manila, Most Rev. Bernardino Nozaleda,inaugurate the San Fernando railroad station and theCalumpit-Mabalacat section of the railway. The station im-mediately becomes the most important provincial stationof the Manila-Dagupan railway after its revenues rank sec-ond only to those of Manila. On June 27, Jose Rizal makes astopover in San Fernando (on his way from Tarlac to Manila)to visit old friends and recruit members to the La LigaFilipina.1893On January 28, the municipal council assigns names to streetsand numbers to houses.Spain’s Queen Maria Cristina repeals taxes imposed to steam-engine ships as favorable response to petition of local farm-ers.1894On January 1, by virtue of a royal decree, the name municipiois changed to tribunal.1896In August, construction of the roofed hanging bridge in frontof the church, the Puente Colgante, is completed. It willlater be renamed San Fernando River Bridge and much later,the Baluyut Bridge. On September 1, a state of war is de-clared in San Fernando despite the peaceful situation. OnDecember 2, Brig. Gen. Diego de los Rios, commanding of-ficer of northern Central Luzon, is sent by the Spanish gov-ernment to quell the rebellion in San Fernando.1897General Ruiz Serralde takes over the post of General Rios on26 June to maintain the peace in San Fernando. The revolu-tion is not yet at its height with occasional exchanges of fire

Rizal visited San Fernando when the Manila-Dagupan railroad opened (American Historical Collection)

Gen. Aguinaldo’s arrival at the San Fernando convento on October9, 1898 shown in this series of rare photographs (Our Islands andtheir Possessions)

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in some places in Pampanga.On 18 September, Serralde is re-

placed by General de Divi-sion Don Francisco Castillawho is immediately re-

called on 29 Septemberto serve as SegundoCabo of the SpanishArmy. He is replacedby General Jaudenneswho does not spendmuch time in the po-sition either, since heis replaced by Gen-eral de Brigada DonRicardo Monet.(Peace will come onlythe following yearwhen the Pact of Biak-na-Bato is signed.)Governor General DonPrimo de Rivera vis-its San Fernando fromTarlac on 17 Novem-

ber to gather information about the revo-lution in the province. He was welcomedat the railway station by Governor Don JoseCanovas y Vallejos and San Fernando par-ish priest Fr. Antonio Redondo, togetherwith prominent residents of the town; hestays in the capital town of Bacolor untilDecember 7. On December 26, after atruce is signed at Biak-na-Bato between therevolutionaries and the Spaniards, Primo deRivera escorts Emilio Aguinaldo and therevolutionary leaders as they leave by trainfor Dagupan en route to Hong Kong.1898On June 3, the revolutionaries, who haveresumed hostilities with the Spanish Armydespite the pact at Biak-na-Bato, burn thePalawi Bridge in San Fernando; later thatday, provincial governor Mota, togetherwith Spanish civilians and a few friars, areevacuated from Bacolor to San Fernando,after an uprising in the capital town. Theyare escorted by local volunteers led by aSpanish physician, Sebastian Sanchez

Palomares. Volunteers also guard thegovernor’s house in Bacolor; however, whenthey are attacked by the revolutionaries,Gen. Ricardo Monet fails to send reinforce-ment because of a military recognitionevent going on in Angeles the same morn-ing. He is able to send four companies ofhis regiment only the following day at 1PM; they are, however, attacked by revo-lutionaries in Palawi Bridge in SanFernando; surviving the ambush, Gen.Monet’s troops advance to the Banlic Bridgeas the battle continues; the town is evacu-ated. At 4 PM, Gen. Monet orders his mento dig defensive trenches in anticipationof a prolonged battle. The revolutionar-ies, concentrated in the adjacent town ofMexico, score victory after victory. OnJune 9, a desperate Gen. Monet writes Gen.Maximino Hizon an emotional letter beg-ging him to respect Spain as the Mother-land and offering a truce. Gen. Hizon re-plies he has a duty to advance the sacredcause of independence and will shed everyGen. Hizon

The battle-weary Filipino revolutionaries had barely recovered from the revolution against the Spaniards when they facedanother enemy, the Americans (above), after the United States purchased the colony from Spain (War with Spain and the Phils.)

Albi

na F

erna

ndez

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drop of his bloodto achieve it.Gen. Monet de-cides to flee toManila. On theirway toMacabebe enroute to ManilaBay, the retreat-ing Spanish

troops are attacked in sitio Moras inSan Matias; the ensuing battle reducesto ashes the village of San Franciscoin nearby Minalin. Finally reachingthe Spanish-friendly town ofMacabebe, Gen. Monet joins forceswith Col. Eugenio Blanco and hisMacabebe volunteer soldiers. Shortlythereafter, the pursuing revolutionar-ies led by Gen. Torres attackMacabebe; meanwhile, Gen.Maximino Hizon and Col. Intong po-sition their troops in sitio Frances.The Spaniards escape to Manila Bayin chaos; some, however, are capturedin Paombong, Hagonoy and in Cavite.Gen. Monet and the wives of his mili-tary officers, including the family ofthe Capitan General himself, BasilioAugusti, reach Manila; those on theship Leite fall into the hands of the

Gen. Luna

San Fernando church in ruins after Gen. Antonio Luna’s troops burned it on May 4, 1899to render it useless to the invading Americans. Top, an eyewitness’ sketch of the burning.Wrote an American officer, “When our artist reached San Fernando, which had just beenabandoned by the insurgents, they found the Church in the Plaza badly damaged by fire. Thisbuilding was still smoking in places among the ruins of roofing which lay confusedly withinthe grimly charred walls, but the walls, the tower, and the facade of handsome proportions,and though smoke-blackened and cracked in places, stood secure on their solid massivestructures. The houses, of the same type as those in Manila, on two sides of the square, hadalso been gutted by fire; flame-scorched fragments of the buildings littered their base,where now and again a soldier might be seen andering about with a stick, and turning overthe rubbish. The main body of troops was beginning to arrive in detachments across a goodwooden bridge over the river on to the Plaza, the men looking languid and dragging slowlyalong, although the march had only been for two or three miles. Then Chinese cooliesjogged up with loads on poles or on stretchers, and buffalo carts dragged slowly into thetown in an irregular fashion at every opportunity.” ( The Graphic/ Albert Paloma)

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Americans (who have arrived in Manila Bay)and are sent to Cavite as prisoners of war.On June 26, delegates from all Pampangatowns except Macabebe gather in SanFernando to swear allegiance to Gen.Maximino Hizon, then the provincial mili-tary governor and representative of Gen.Aguinaldo. On October 9, Gen. Aguinaldoand his Cabinet visit San Fernando, stayingat the convento, which has been convertedinto the revolutionaries’ military headquar-ters.Antonio E. Consunji serves as presidentemunicipal of the town.1899On February 4, the Philippine-AmericanWar begins, with the first battle occurringin La Loma, Manila; running out of ammu-nition, the Filipino soldiers led by Gen.Maximino Hizon withdraw to Caloocan andlater to the hills of Mount Pinatubo. A mu-nicipal hospital run by the Red Cross is es-

tablished in SanFernando to providecharity medical careto wounded Filipinosoldiers. On April 1,Malolos falls in thehands of the Ameri-cans. As a result, thecapital is transferredto Tarlac. On May 4,the Americans ad-vance towards SanFernando, shellingthe town of Sto.Tomas; at 3 PM, the retreating revolution-ary army led by Gen. Antonio Luna torchthe casa municipal, the parish church andseveral houses to render them useless tothe approaching Americans. The Americanslater establish a military government in SanFernando with Enrique Kerr as alcalde. On16 June, due to the strategic location of

the town, President Aguinaldo himself leadsFilipino forces in the Battle for SanFernando. The plan to retake the town isunsuccessful. Calulut falls to Americanforces on 9 August.1900On September 7, a public municipal elec-tion is held in San Fernando presided by

the Provost Marshal, Capt. WilliamArthur, assisted by election officersPedro Paras, Anacleto Hizon andCatalino Henson. Francisco Hizon iselected alcalde, serving until the clo-sure of the military government the fol-lowing year. Others elected are CelsoDayrit (teniente alcalde), GervacioSingian (sindico), Saturnino Henson(treasurer), Felix Dizon (secretary),Pedro Teopaco (justice of the peace)and 10 councilors.1901The Americans establish a civil govern-ment; the outgoing alcalde under themilitary government, Francisco Hizon,is appointed municipal president. InDecember, the construction of the pub-lic school is completed. It is made ofstones and other durable materials witha galvanized iron roof. It is the firstbuilding to be built by the American

TWO FOR THE TRANSFER. Gov. Arnedo (left) and MayorSengson (middle) facilitated the capital’s transfer fromBacolor to San Fernando in 1904, despite opposition fromex-Gov. Joven (right)

Revolutionary soldiers board a train in San Fernando en route to Angeles (Our Islands and their Possessions)

Residents display US flag after fall of San Fernando in the hands of the Americans

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government and was followed by moreschools in the barrios.1902Dismal harvests of both rice and sugar caneas a result of a livestock disease (epizootia)and locust infestation. Mariano LeonSantos is elected municipal president.Since the town has stabilized, the Ameri-can cavalry detachment relocates to thenext town of Angeles on December 2.1904On August 15, by virtue of Act No. 1204signed earlier on July 22, the Pampangaprovincial government is finally transferredfrom Bacolor to San Fernando, during theterm of Governor Macario Arnedoand Municipal President JuanSengson. The town of Minalin be-comes part of San Fernando; itwill regain its political indepen-dence again only in 1909.1905Eulalio Castro becomes munici-pal president. On January 2, af-ter the municipal officials taketheir oath, Act 1208 of the civilgovernment declares the town ofSto. Tomas part of San Fernando.US Secretary of War William H.Taft visits the town on 12 Augustto get first-hand information andgather ideas for the governanceof Pampanga. Due to the short no-tice, a bamboo pavilion is hastily

constructed for his visitwhere he is welcomedwith a banquet for 200people. Taft will later beelected President of theUnited States.1907Vicente Tiomico becomesmunicipal president. An-other fire ravages thetown in February whilethe reception for Gover-nor General Smith is be-ing held. Construction ofthe buildings of the pro-vincial government be-gins later this year.1908The government startsconstruction of 27 arte-sian wells all over SanFernando.1909The a new public marketbuilding is constructedand divided into four ar-eas. The roofing is of gal-vanized iron and the floor-ing is cemented. This isduring the administration

of municipal president PedroTeopaco.1910On March 17, another fire breaks outin the town center, stretching all theway to Aviles Street in barrio Sto.Niño. Total cost of damage:P100,000.00. The first telephone inthe town is installed during the termof Clemente Ocampo.1914A new spur of the Manila RailroadCompany, from San Fernando toArayat, is completed. Calulut be-

comes a parish; it thus becomes the firstbarrio in Pampanga to have its own parish.1916The San Fernando Central School buildingis completed, so is the San Fernando-An-geles stretch of the Manila-Tarlac Road.1917The municipal government building is com-pleted under the term of Antonio AbadSantos.1921The Pampanga Sugar Development Corpo-ration (PASUDECO) begins operations. Theidea of a locally financed sugar central ishatched in 1918 in the San Fernando resi-dence of Governor Honorio Ventura ofBacolor, by big-time Kapampangan sugarplanters Jose de Leon, Augusto Gonzales,Francisco Liongson, Serafin Lazatin,Tomas Consunji, Francisco Hizon, JoseHenson and Manuel Urquico.1927The San Fernando Light and Power Com-pany (SFELAPCO) is established.1928The Pampanga Bus Company (PAMBUSCO)begins operations.1930Construction of the concrete San Fernando

PASUDECO, the second provincial sugar mill afterPASUMIL (John Larkin)

San Fernando Bridge, formerly Puente Colgante; laterrenamed Baluyut Bridge (American Historical Collection)

Pedro Abad Santos and his younger brother,Jose Abad Santos (John Larkin)

President Quezon speaks before peasants in front of the San Fernando town hall

Man

uel Q

uezo

n III

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River Bridge (formerly Puente Colgante)is completed.1931The Pampanga Provincial Hospital build-ing opens; it will later be renamed Jose B.lingad Memorial Regional Hospital.1932Pedro Abad Santos founds the SocialistParty of the Philippines. Two years later,he creates and heads the Aguman dingMadlang Talapagobra (AMT). The AbadSantos compound in barrio San Jose becomesthe focal point of the peasant movement.1937The First Constabulary Zone, the first mili-tary training camp outside Manila, is inau-

gurated in San Fernando. It will berenamed Camp Olivas two yearslater.1938Vivencio Cuyugan is elected firstmunicipal mayor of the Common-wealth Period. The first ligliganparul (lantern festival) is held inhonor of President Manuel L.Quezon, who was earlier made anhonorary Kapampangan. Guest ofhonor Doña Aurora Aragon Quezonawards the prizes in the ligligan.1939On Valentine’s Day, President ManuelL.Quezon announces his social justice pro-gram before a gathering of farmers in frontof the town’s municipal hall.1941Forces of the Japanese Imperial Army oc-cupy the town and place the municipal gov-ernment under its supervision. Rodolfo P.Hizon serves as municipal mayor.1942Thousands of Filipino and American prison-ers of war walk from Bataan to the SanFernando train station in what will beknown as the Death March.1945The liberationforces underGen. DouglasMacArthur en-ter the town;the Common-wealth is re-stored withV i v e n c i o

Cuyugan as mayor.1952The town of Sto. Tomas isseparated from SanFernando.1963Bishop Emilio Cinense es-tablishes the AssumptionCollege, the diocesan col-lege.1969

Mayor Levi Panlilio is assassinated; vicemayor Virgilio Sanchez takes over1980On December 16, Governor Jose B. Lingadof Lubao is assassinated in barrio SanAgustin—the first of President Marcos’ po-litical opponents to die fighting the dicta-torship.1986After the People Power Revolution, PaternoGuevarra is appointed officer-in-charge ofSan Fernando; he is later elected mayor.1989The Pampanga Convention Center andSports Complex opens; it will later be re-

Americans and Filipinos celebrate liberation from the Japanese in the streets of San Fernando and provincial capitol

The Bataan Death March ended at theSan Fernando train station where theprisoners were transported to Capas

Mayor Panlilio,slain in 1969

Gov. Lingad (JBL) assassinated in San Fernando in 1980

Lingad Family

American Historical Collection Kasaysayan

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Mayor Rey Aquino and Rep. (now Mayor) OscarRodriguez; the city’s Monumento (above, right) andligligan parul (below) (Ivan Henares)

named in honor of former Pampanga Gov-ernor Bren Z. Guiao.1990President Cory Aquino inaugurates thePaskuhan Village, the first Christmas villagein Asia and the third of its kind in the world.1991On June 15, San Fernando, like most townsin the Kapampangan Region, is coveredwith a thick layer of ash, pumice and sandfrom the erupting Mount Pinatubo. Butthe worst is yet to come.1995Shortly after midnight on October 2, heavyrains caused by Typhoon Mameng mobilizepyroclastic deposits on the slopes of MountPinatubo, inundating barrios Sto. Niño, SanJuan, San Pedro Cutud and Magliman; thetown, led by Mayor Rey B. Aquino, ralliesthe people to build a dam to protect therest of the town from succeeding lahar flows.1998The Sinukwan Festival is held for the firsttime in San Fernando.1999San Fernando receives the Galing Pook

Award for its project“Breaking Financial Barri-ers.”2000House Speaker ArnulfoFuentebella and SenatePresident AquilinoPimentel sign the approvedcity charter of SanFernando on December 4and 13, respectively.2001On February 4, the townbecomes a component cityfollowing the ratification ofRepublic Act 8990authored by Rep. OscarRodriguez during a plebi-scite held the previous day.Dr. Rey Aquino becomesthe first city mayor.

Reference: “Brief History ofthe Town of San Fernando” byMariano G. Custodio, LutherParker Collections, Universityof the Philippines Main Library

San Fernando suffered a near-fatal blow when typhoon Mameng mobilized lahar from the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo in 1995, whichflooded the town’s commercial and historical district with pyroclastic material (City of San Fernando)

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VALENTINE’S DAY SPEECH BEFORE LABORERS AND FARM TENANTS IN SAN FERNANDO

Pedro Abad Santos was 10 yearsolder than his brother Jose but it wasJose who would achieve greater promi-nence because he became thecountry’s Justice Secretary and ChiefJustice of the Supreme Court, and suf-fer a high-profile martyrdom duringWorld War II. Pedro was marginalizedfrom civil society as he pushed fartherand father left in his political ideology.While both of them had the same mis-sion in life, which was to improve thecondition of the masses, they held op-posite views on how to attain this.Thus, Pedro and Jose Abad Santos en-

deavored to impose on history their separate ideologies, repre-senting revolution and evolution, respectively, as means of se-curing change in the existing order.

Pedro founded the Socialist Party of the Philippines in 1932;two years later, together with his assistants Agapito del Rosario,Luis Taruc, Lino Dizon and others, he reorganized the Agumanding Talapagobra ning Pilipinas (ATP) into the Aguman dingMaldang Talapagobra (AMT), similar to the general workers’ unionsin Spain, Mexico and France, which advocated the expropriationof landed estates and friar lands, farmers’ cooperative storesand the upliftment of peasants’ living conditions. On November7, 1938, during the anniversary of the Russian Bolshevik Revolu-tion, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) and Pedro AbadSantos’ Partido Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PSP) held a convention atthe Manila Grand Opera House where they declared their mergeras the Communist Party of the Philippines. CrisantoEvangelista was elected president, with Pedro Abad Santos asvice president and Guillermo Capadocia as secretary general.

In those few remaining years before World War II, organizedpeasant uprising was sweeping the Kapampangan Region. To quoteJustice Leopoldo Roviera, Pampanga had become “a Little Russiawhere it is not the voice of justice but jurists that prevail but thevoice of Lenin and Stalin.” Luis Taruc wrote that Don Perico(Pedro Abad Santos) was a Marxist who instructed peasants to defylandowners by keeping all the harvest, and promised legal assis-tance if sued.

Meanwhile, his younger brother Jose Abad Santos was a rising

FLANKED BY SOCIALIST LEADER PEDRO ABAD SANTOS ANDJUSTICE SECRETARY JOSE ABAD SANTOS, PRESIDENT QUEZON ALTERNATELYPRAISED AND SCOLDED THE PEASANTS, CAJOLED AND PLEADED WITH THEM,

PROMISED PROSPERITY AND MADE THEM VOW TO RENOUNCE VIOLENCE

Pampanga was on the verge of a peasant revolt when PhilippinePresident Manuel L. Quezon (top, left) came to San Fernandoand spoke before a crowd of farmers and farm tenants, withSocialist leader Pedro Abad Santos (top, right) sharing the stagewith him

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STRIKES--DON’T YOU KNOW?--ARE NOT THE BEST METHODS FOR BOTH LABORERS AND CAPITALISTS, BECAUSE THEY HARM BOTHPARTIES. REMEMBER THAT CAPITALISTS AREFINANCIALLY BETTER EQUIPPED THAN YOU ARE; ONTHE OTHER HAND, YOUR ASSOCIATIONS DON’T KEEPSUFFICIENT FUNDS WITH WHICH TO SUBSIDIZE YOURSTRIKES. AND GOVERNMENT OFTEN SIDES WITHCAPITALISTS TO MAINTAIN PEACE AND ORDER.

star in mainstream society and was obviously enjoying the trustand confidence of the President of the Republic, Manuel L.Quezon. It was probably through Jose’s influence that PresidentQuezon accepted Pedro’s invitation to address a huge gatheringof laborers and casamac (farm tenants) in San Fernando on Feb-ruary 14, 1939. The President was probably assured by Jose thathis feisty brother would do or say nothing that would cause em-barrassment. On that fateful day, the Abad Santos brothers sharedthe stage with the President; it was the first time their pathscrossed in what would become a dramatic public confrontation.Pedro introduced the President as “a friend of the masses and thepoor” and instructed the crowd “to plant in your hearts what hewill say.” Just as Quezon was rising from his seat, Pedro enumer-ated the peasants’ grievances, citing a very recent infamous courtcase, and accused judges and fiscals of being pawns of capital-ists. He then turned to his blushing brother Jose, who was seatedbeside the President, and challenged him as Justice Secretary toclean up the courts. Unable to hide his contempt for Jose’s peace-ful temper and methods, Pedro added, “The Secretary cannothelp us if he just sitsin his office.”

That tensemoment was com-pletely forgottenwhen PresidentQuezon went to thepodium and beganspeaking about so-cial justice. In hisspeech, he warnedlandowners againstexploiting their la-borers, but he alsowarned laborersagainst strikes and other divisive and unlawful acts; he promisedto make the rich give laborers their due share, but he also madethe poor promise not to ask for more than what they deserve. Itwas a magnificent speech; President Quezon made the tricky, com-plicated social issues crystal clear to his listeners; in the end, thepeasants were lustily cheering him and Pedro Abad Santos stoodwith the look of someone from under whose feet the rug had justbeen pulled. Quezon had risked his office and probably his life incoming to the heartland of the socialist movement, and emergedtriumphant.

Only a few months later, Japan invaded the Philippines; Presi-dent Quezon would go in exile, leaving behind Jose Abad Santosas head of the caretaker government; he was executed by theJapanese on May 2, 1942. Meanwhile, Pedro Abad Santos wasimprisoned at Fort Bonifacio, but was soon released due to failinghealth; he stayed in San Isidro, Minalin where he died on January15, 1945. (R. Tantingco)

Following is the full transcript of President Quezon’s speechin front of the San Fernando municipal hall on February 14, 1939:

Countrymen:I heard very well what Mr. Pedro Abad Santos said in his name

and in your behalf. I am going to tell you now what I think of thethings he stated.

I have long wished for an opportunity like this wherein I couldtalk to you, so I willingly accepted the invitation of your leadersfor me to come here. The Secretary of Justice was present whenI spoke with your leaders who went to Manila. The Secretary isyour town mate and a brother of Mr. Pedro Abad Santos. He isempowered, through the Department of Justice, to have the citi-zens abide by the law of the government; furthermore, it is alsohis duty to see it that the government authorities as well as the

townspeople perform their duties, and to punish those who vio-late the law— be they rich and poor, vested with authority ornot, party leaders or not.

It is true, as Pedro Abad Santos said, that I told those peoplewho came to my office to present the complaints of the laborersand tenants in Pampanga, that the present Secretary of Justice,the Honorable Jose Abad Santos, has the welfare of the poor atheart. However, I want that we understand each other well re-garding the real meaning of what I have just said. What I saiddoes not mean that he will side with you even if you are wrong; itmeans that I shall not allow you to be overbearing unless youhave a right to do so. [Applause]

All the high ranking officials of the government, who are con-cerned with what I may tell you now, are with me: the Secretaryof the Interior, the Secretary of Justice, the Secretary of Labor,the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army, and the Chief of Con-stabulary. These officials are responsible for the maintenance ofpeace and order in the country. It is the duty of the Secretary ofLabor to heed the clamor of the laborers and to determine if

their complaintsare well-founded,so that he couldask the capitalistsor landowners togrant them theirjust demands.Should they refuseto do so, he couldendorse the mat-ter to the Court ofIndustrial Rela-tions.

From what Mr.Pedro Abad Santos

said, it appears as if I were alone in promoting the welfare of thepoor or the laborers in our country, and the only one upon whomyou can chiefly depend. He made mention of the Barredo-Cuevocase; of my order withdrawing the Constabulary from the sugarmills of the PASUDECO; of my social justice policy. All that he saidconcerning me is true, but I do not what you to believe that I amthe only one who promotes the welfare of the laborers in thePhilippines. The members of my Cabinet and all other associatesin the government are cooperating with me in carrying out thesocial justice policy of my administration.

While I have no authority to speak for the judiciary, inas-much as the Constitutions provides for the separation of powersamong the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of ourgovernment, yet it may be right if I say that at this time ourcourts, in making their decisions, follow the principles of socialjustice, not because they simply wish to please me—as they arenot duty-bound to follow my desires, and I have no authority tocompel them to do so—but because it conforms with our Consti-tution. It is the duty of our courts to enforce or give effect to ourlaws, pursuant to the spirit of our Constitution. Hence, you shouldhave hope and confidence not only in me, but also in the entiregovernment—in the executive, legislative, and judicial powers.

It is true I am the President of our country, but I am only asingle individual, and however the powers vested in me by ourConstitution and our laws are, yet I will not be able to able toaccomplish anything if I be the only one to work hard or exertefforts in promoting the welfare of our country. The help of twoother departments of the government—the judicial and the leg-islative—are also necessary in carrying out the social justice policywhich is a mandate of our Constitution.

It may be true that there are still officials of the ExecutiveDepartment and judges who are not yet familiar with the objec-

35

YOU MUST NOT MAINTAIN ANOTHER FORM OF GOVERNMENT.... YOU CANNOT SIMPLY ORGANIZE ASSOCIATIONS AND RECOGNIZE ONLY THEIRAUTHORITY.... IT IS NOT PROPER FOR YOU TO DECIDEMATTERS AMONG YOURSELVES ALONE AND STARTDISTURBANCES BY BLOWING THE TAMBULI.

tives of our Consti-tution and of a fewof the existing laws.But you should notconcern yourselveswith them becauseinasmuch as theyare under the Ex-ecutive Depart-ment, you can ap-prise the respective Department Secretaries of their wrong actsor policies which are not in conformity with my Administration. Ipromise you that I shall reprove any Department Secretary whomyou should approach; if you could show proofs that he had vio-lated my policy. Although judges who violate the law , or acceptbribe, or commit any act of injustice, my not be removed fromtheir position, still their decisions may be appealed to the Su-preme Court; and we can rest assured that the decisions of thistribunal would be honest, just and equitable. While it is true thatI appoint the judges, yet I cannot remove them or do anythingagainst them as long as they do not commit any wrong.

My countrymen, for your right to be respected, for you toattain what is your due, and for you to improve your livelihood, itis not necessary for me to supply you with guns. I am confidentthat, through my Administration, your rights will be upheld in thecourts. [Applause] I shall always adopt measures designed tomaintain peace and order. If I were to give you guns, it wouldseem as if we were having a civil war here. What will other na-tions say about us if they learn that social justice has triumphedin our country only because all the people have been armed withguns?

You must recognize not only my authority but also the powersof the municipal authorities. Your municipal mayors are the headsof your towns; your governor is the executive of your province. Itis necessary that you respect them. If they commit any wrong,file charges against the erring officials, I will take care of them.[Applause] But as long as they hold their positions, it is necessarythat you recognize their authority.

You must not maintain another from of government. In everycountry there must be only one government, and all must recog-nize that government. You cannot simply organize associationsand afterward recognize only their authority; such associationsare not vested with authority like the government. If the headsof your associations have any complaints to make, they should goto the corresponding authorities of the government, as, for in-stance, the Secretary of the Interior. It is not proper for you todecide matters among yourselves alone and start disturbances byblowing the tambuli, and, finally, shouting “Go ahead!” I amspeaking to you as a friend to a friend, and as an associate whounderstands you. I know that you have faith in me, and I believethat you can perceive that it is my heart that speaks today andnot simply my lips. [Applause]

I will now answer the complaints voiced by Mr. Pedro AbadSantos. He said that there are judges who utilize their position inorder to abuse you and cause you misery. If you can show evi-dence against any judge who has been abusive, he can be dis-missed. But if the judges have not committed any wrong, I do notthink it is justified to remove them from office; I cannot do any-thing against them. In the Cuevo-Barredo case, while I consid-ered the verdict of the judge as unjust, yet I could not do any-thing against him; it was enough for me to say that his decisionwas wrong. Because of this, many became my enemies, and al-most all the lawyers in the Philippines were opposed to my inter-vention. Nevertheless, mad as they were at me, because it wasjustice which I was seeking, I ignored them all in order only toprotect your rights. [Applause]

It seems to methat Mr. AbadSantos was right inwhat he said aboutthe bail, and therich are not de-tained becausethey can furnish it.[Applause] al-though I had not

thought of that matter before; nevertheless, I learned about itwhen I was informed of your trouble here. When I heard that thepoor could not furnish bail for their temporary release, I toldSecretary of Justice to find some remedy in order that the per-sons accused of minor offenses could be released while their caseswere pending. [Applause] But those who are accused of crimescannot simply be permitted to leave jail immediately on bail. Inthe meantime I may think of some good measures to remedy andthe matter and, afterwards, if what Mr. Abad Santos said seembest to adopt, we shall do so; otherwise, better means can possi-bly be thought of so that an accused person could be afforded anopportunity to be out of jail while his case is pending in court. Itis necessary, however, that your leaders should promise me that,once the matter is remedied, you would not create any troublenor violate the laws anymore. Should you still commit abuses,then I would no longer help you seek amendments to the TenancyLaw.

My countrymen, I will tell you now what I think of the troublehere. But before I proceed, I wish to repeat what I have oftentimessaid in other places: I believe that our laborers do not receivethe share which corresponds to the work they perform [Applause],especially in the sugar industry where the laborers deserve toreceive good pay because, of all Philippines industries, the sugarindustry is the only one that makes the greatest profits. The profitsfrom the sugar industry in our country come not only from thecapital invested by our capitalists in their plantations, but alsofrom help and protection extended to them by the PhilippinesGovernment which allows them to export duty-free sugar to theUnited States. This industry has a commissioner in the UnitedStates who concludes agreements with the American Governmentin order that our sugar men would be given certain preferences.Up to now it is recognized that the entry of Philippines sugar intothe United States should not be stopped abruptly. Hence, thePhilippine Government has the right to ask sugar central ownersand landlords to give a decent share of their profits to the labor-ers, inasmuch as they obtain such profits through the help of theGovernment. [Applause] I did not say that only today. Oncewhen I spoke before landowners and sugar-central owners in Iloilo,I likewise reminded them of their duty to look after the well-being of the laborers, inasmuch as their industry makes profitsthrough the help of the government. The landowners here havetold me that I am to blame for your disorders. I told them: “Thatis not true!” because I had previously told the labor leaders thatI would help them as long as they recognize and respect the law;but that the moment they violated the law, I would no longerside with them.

The share which sugar central owners give to the landownersin Pampanga is smaller than that given in Negros. Up to thepresent, the PASUDECO has been giving only 50%, although I heardlong ago that it would be increased eventually. In Negros, thelandowners and the tenants together used to get 55%, while 45%was retained by the sugar central owners; at present it is 60% forthe sugar-cane planters, and 40% for the centrals. But inPampanga, as I have just said, the sharing proportion is still 50-50. It is, therefore, necessary that centrals here should draw upnew contracts. However, it is not yet possible to re-up new their

36

I BESEECH YOU NOT TO RESORT TO BURNING OF SUGARCANE FIELDS OR TO HARVESTING THECROP AS YOU WISH, INCLUDING THE PORTION THAT DOESNOT BELONG TO YOU.... I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOUASSEMBLED HERE TO NURTURE HATRED WITHIN YOURHEARTS AGAINST LANDLORDS IN PAMPANGA AS THOUGHTHEY ARE YOUR ENEMIES. I REPEAT, I DO NOT WANT TOSEE THIS AGAIN!

IF WE WANT THE HEART OF A LABORER TO THROB WITH LOVE FOR COUNTRY, WE MUST GIVE HIM A MODERATELY PROSPEROUS EXISTENCE.

contracts, not even by order of the court or by using the powersof the government. While it is, of course, the duty of the govern-ment to respect the contracts of the central owners, yet theyshould take the initiative—they should, of their own accord, in-crease the share if the planters and the landowners, and after-wards, the latter should increase what they give the laborers.There are also other provinces where, as in Pampanga, sugar cen-trals gain much and landowners make also wholesome profits, yetthose who work the land hardly get a share sufficient for theirsubsistence. [Applause] I cannot force the centrals to renew theircontracts; nor can I compel the landowners to improve outrighttheir treatment ofyou. But if they donot take the initia-tive, I am ready toask the National As-sembly to pass a lawincreasing theirtaxes, from whichwill be taken what Iwould give you. [Ap-plause]

I hope, however,that the governmentwill not be requiredanymore to exert efforts to improve the relations between thetenants and landowners on the one hand and the sugar centralowners on the other. I do not wish the people to think that theyowe the amelioration of their living condition to me or to myadministration, because I am not seeking my own popularity. WhatI desire is the peace of the country. If I were the only one withwhom our country would be pleased, while you, on the other hand,would be at loggerheads, what benefit would such a state of thingsgive to the Philippines? Perhaps this would benefit me while I amstill living; but when I am already dead, what gain would I still getfrom it? That is why every day I am exerting efforts in requestingthe capitalists here to improve the living condition of their ten-ants, because I wish to see the rich, who are living in abundance,and the “have nots” get along well; for it is only by this arrange-ment that we can have peace and order in our country. I do notwish to see occasion like this again, where you, who are assembledhere, nurture hatred within your hearts against the property own-ers in Pampanga, as though they are your enemies. I repeat, I donot want to see this again [Applause]; it makes me feel sad towitness that you yourselves hate each other, as if you do not loveone another. What front can your province present if you fightamong yourselves?At this very mo-ment, I wish againto remind the capi-talists that theyshould, of their ownvolition, improveyour lot and protect

The Philippines is facing a dangerous future. We will be alonehere. We shall be the only ones to defend our own country, in theevent that any nation molests us. Upon such eventuality, in orderthat every Filipino could be expected to feel in the very core ofhis life in protecting this nation, it is necessary that every Filipinoshould have a descent living which, though not wholly substan-tial, would be a sufficient source of subsistence as long as he iswilling to work. It should not only be a livelihood that would suf-fice for himself and his family, but also one that would affordhim, his wife, and his children decent clothing even if for Sundaywear alone – clothes that are neat and not the ragged and dirty

ones worn by themthroughout theyear.

If we believethat the heart of alaborer can throbwith love for ourcountry, we mustexert efforts tomake every personin the Philippineslive in prosperity. Irepeat, in orderthat we can expect

every laborer to love and defend his country, it is necessary thatwe make him feel and realize that he enjoys, at least, a moder-ately prosperous existence. It is not that I am siding with thelaborers because I am an enemy of the capitalists or landowners.No! I have no enemies. My responsibility to my position is my re-sponsibility to all. I have a duty to protect the rights of the prop-erty owners, as well as those of the “have nots”. I am not favoringthe workingman because I wish to grab the property of the rich; Iside with him because I believe that, for the well-to-do to live inpeace and enjoy what rightfully belongs to them, they shouldgive the laborers their due share. [Applause]

I beseech you to have a little patience. Do not resort to theburning of sugar-cane fields or to the harvesting of the crop andgetting it as you wish, including the portion that does not belongto you. Do not do that; instead give another his rightful share.

I know that in an accident which happened here, the man whotook away the palay was right, for the landlord was indebted him.He wished that he be paid first before giving up a portion of thepalay. That was not a criminal offense but a civil case, and itshould have been brought to court. You should not do anythingagainst the law, nor give the landowners motive to seek the help of

the government.The Government hasa duty to give the re-quired assistanceand it can post Con-stabulary soldiers toguard the crop.

I wish to remindyou that the amelioration of your condition needs time. Do not beimpatient; persevere a little more. If to construct a mere nipahut requires several days or weeks, how much more time wouldbe needed to erect a big and magnificent mansion or palacewherein we are to live in eternal happiness and tranquility?

Coming now to strikes. Strikes do not usually benefit you. Al-though a strike is a weapon which you can use in seeking yourrights, it should not be employed often. If you have any com-plaints, present them to the Department of Labor or the Court ofIndustrial Relations. You can, of course, say that it takes timebefore cases brought to these branches of the Government aredecided, as my friend, Mr. Pedro Abad Santos, said. However, wecannot do anything in this respect; their procedure is not like

you. But if they will not grant my request, I shall compel them todo so through legislation.

My countrymen, I know the situation of a laborer. I know thata person who encounters difficulties in life thinks of nothing, andhe cannot think of anything else other than to be able to findsome relief; and if, his suffering, nothing is done for his welfare—and he dies of hunger or perishes suffering—he cannot, for sure,think of the condition of his country; he cannot love his country-men anymore because only his hurt feelings and his penury willreign in his heart and mind. Hence, our principal concern in thePhilippines today is to discover means to remedy our social ills,so as not to have persons suffering, can no longer think of theirduty to their native land.

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SOCIAL JUSTICE DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL BE GIVEN A PIECE OF LAND EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOPROPERTY, OR THAT THE LAND OF A LANDLORD BESEIZED FROM HIM AND GIVEN TO YOU. SOCIAL JUSTICEMEANS THAT YOU SHOULD RECEIVE ONLY WHAT YOURIGHTLY DESERVE.

mine in my capacity as head of the Constabulary; for anytimethat I need it, I can have it execute my orders at once. On theother hand, Government departments or offices which have nopowers similar to mine cannot exercise their authority at will. Itis necessary that they follow the usual procedure in deciding cases;it is but incumbent upon them to act that way. Now then, whatshould we do? Necessarily, we should wait. Friends, you can relyupon my help as long as you do not violate the law. Since you canbring your complaints to the courts or express your feelings to theranking officials of the Government, I do not see why you shouldneed any weapon or gun. No officer of the law or Governmentofficial can maltreat you, because justice is intended for all.

Strikes—don’t you know?—are not the best method for boththe laborers and the capitalists to resort to, because they harmboth parties. You should keep in mind that associations of capital-ists are financially better equipped than you are. Although youhave your associations, yet you cannot entirely depend on them,because they do not keep sufficient funds with which to subsidizeyour strikes. It is necessary first for you associations to have fundsto spend during the strikes, so that not only you, the members,but also your wives and children—who are all dependent upon youlabor—would be given sustenance.

Whenever capitalists find themselves hard pressed by yourstrikes, and if at the same time you resort to force in assertingyour rights, those very capitalists, in order not to suffer any lossin their industry, business or property, would surely employ strike-breakers for whom they would be forced to solicit governmentprotection should youassault them, andthereby maintainpeace and order in thecommunity.

Friends: I will sendrepresentatives of thegovernment here—offi-cials from the Depart-ment of the Interior,the Department of La-bor, and the Department of Justice—to investigate or see for them-selves the things happening here. You must know that we havemany laws which can be used as powerful weapons against theabuses of the rich and the landowners, but you just do not knowwhat to do with them. Recount to the authorities the offenses com-mitted against you, and they will do what should be done for you.

In order that you can avoid strikes, I ask you to allow me sometime—at least six months—to study all the means which could solveyour problem and remedy your situation. In that way you will beable to receive your rightful share; and I promise you that I shallemploy the powers of the government to induce the sugar-cen-tral owners to give better shares to the landowners or hacenderos,so that they, in turn, could also give reasonable shares to you.Before the close of the present session of our National Assembly,we shall enact a law increasing taxes, and collections therefromwill be used by the Government to help ameliorate the conditionof the laborers. You should not, therefore, create any trouble norviolate the law, or kill one another, for you who live in this prov-ince would be simply injuring one another. Do not resort to suchmeans, in as much as your complaints can now reach the govern-ment immediately. Your representatives or a delegate of Mr. PedroAbad Santos may at anytime go to the house of his brother, who isever ready to hear your complaints.

You can criticize anyone in the government; that would notmatter with me. What is important to me is that you should notviolate the law. If you wish to hold meetings, do so. You may saythat you would let blood flow, yet you should not state that youwould cut someone’s neck. You can also say that you would kill:but kill only by means of speech. As I have said, you can criticize

any government employee or even my Administration and thatwould not bother me. But I wish you to maintain constant peacehere and to allow the government sufficient time to intervene onyour behalf and to study well your situation.

Before coming here, I learned that Secretary Jose Abad Santoshad requested his brother, my friend Mr. Pedro Abad Santos, notto display red flags in welcoming us. That is of no moment withme. You can use red, blue, or any other color. You can form anyparty or association here—socialistic or any other kind. You canspeak rashly in your meeting; that would not give me apprehen-sions, as long as you do not create trouble and violate the law.But I do not want to hear from anyone that our government isweak; the government will not allow the citizens to be oppressed.I wish to see you here in the best of terms and associating peace-fully.

The main purpose of my trip here is to have an understandingwith you. Now that we are face to face, I wish to remind youagain that social justice does not give preferences to anyone, behe rich, poor, wise, or in authority. It grants to everyone his due.More so, it does not mean that all that you may desire will begiven to you. You should realize that you are not the only onesprofiting by social justice, because you are not the only ones whoreceive benefits. Social justice means that you should receiveonly what you rightly deserve; social justice does not mean thatif you have no property you will be given a piece of land, or thatthe land of a landlord be seized from him and given to you.

Countrymen, in concluding, I wish to thank you all for afford-ing me an oppor-tunity to hearyour complaintsthrough the ef-forts of myfriend, Mr. PedroAbad Santos. Ipromise you thatI am not the onlyone ready, butalso all the

members of my Cabinet are, to hear and grant your rightful de-mands. I also promise you that I will not allow anyone to use hisinfluence, wealth, or authority to abuse you! [Applause] Undermy Administration, all persons are equal before the law. I willfavor no one, be he my party man, companion, or friend, or evenmy relative. I will side only with the man who is in the right. Haveme informed at once should anyone oppress you and I promisethat, if you could present evidence against the person who haddone you wrong, I would punish him without fail. However, inreturn for my promises, I request you to demonstrate in deedsyour desire to cooperate with the government – by complying withour laws and by avoiding trouble which would undoubtedly upsetthe nation or disrupt the orderly relations among the citizens.Your initiative in forming societies or associations in accordancewith law is not bad, and no one can prevent you from organizingthem. But you should not utilize your associations to violate lawsor orders, so as not cause disorders in the country. I wish to stateonce more what I said a while ago; may all the sugar centrals inPampanga, at their own initiative, increase the share of the plant-ers or landowners, so that the latter, in turn, may voluntarilyincrease the wages they pay the laborers. Enough of this practiceof charging usurious interest on loans to laborers! What interestcan a person pay when he is hungry and he has nothing to eat?[Applause] May the landowners in Pampanga, as well as through-out the Philippines, grant you what you rightfully deserve in yourlivelihood without waiting for the law compelling them to do; andmay this be their constant thought, so it could be shown in deedsthat they also have hearts which are charitable to the sufferingof the laborers in our country. [Applause]

38

1796Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda,Capitan (town mayor) of San Fernandoin the previous year, leads the clearingof Culiat, a barrio of San Fernando, topave the way for his hacienda. The fol-lowing year, however, he is appointed toa high-ranking position in the military,leaving his wife, Doña Rosalia de Jesus,who is staying alone in their farmhousein barrio Saguin, near Culiat, to continueleading the clearing.1811Now retired, Don Angel ends clearing ac-tivities in Culiat and puts up his firsthouse “on the northwest corner of theintersection of Sapang Balen creek andthe road to Porac” (present Robin The-atre). He will later donate this area tothe Church for the town’s camposantongmatua (old cemetery).

1812Don Angel builds the first chapel of Culiat(where the present Chowking Restaurantis located), despite opposition from theparish priest of San Fernando, Fray JosePometa, OSA. Culiat is now composed offour barrios: Santo Rosario (in honor ofOur Lady of the Holy Rosary whose imagewas carried in procession during the clear-ing activities), Cutcut, Pampang andPulung Anunas.1813The Archbishop of Manila, Juan Antonio deZulaibar, arrives to personally inauguratethe new parish of Culiat. It will be servedby secular priests until the first Augustin-ian parish priest, Fray Vicente Andres,OSA, is appointed 40 years later.Thus, Culiat parish is established ahead ofCuliat town:

However, the Culiat parishioners complainto Don Angel that the San Fernando-bornpriest assigned to Culiat publicly humili-ates them during his homilies; after theFounder talks to him, the priest leaves ina huff. Don Angel requests the Archbishopof Manila for an immediate replacement;the Archbishop instructs vicar forane Pa-dre Pedro David, also parish priest ofPorac, to say Mass in Culiat on Sundays

THE PARISH PRIEST OF SAN FERNANDO ONCE SWORE THATBARRIO CULIAT WOULD NEVER BECOME A TOWN UNTIL“TULING LA DING TAGAC, MUTI LA DING SABLANG AUAC!”

O F A N G E L E S H I S T O R YTIMELINE

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39

Early parishseal ofAngeles

and fiesta (alternating with parish priestof the nearby town of Calumpaui (oldname of Floridablanca), until PadreVicente Navarro Bondoc of Apalit is even-tually assigned (although Padre David re-mains the nominal parish priest):When a Tagalog priest is assigned to San

Fernando, he convinces Don Angel to re-turn to the old arrangement of having apriest from San Fernando say Mass inCuliat; the new priest however proves de-linquent, and Don Angel again pleads tothe Archbishop of Manila for a replace-ment; Padre Agapito Medina of Sta. Anatown is assigned.Don Angel pays the priest his daily wageswhich is why the Founder has a say in theparish goings-on, and even in the fate ofthe parish priest. He forces Fr. Medina’sresignation after the priest proves abu-sive to his sacristans (altar boys), e.g.,blaming them for every misstep (in oneincident, the priest walked out of the Masswhen the wine came late; in another, heberated them for bungling the blessing ofa boy’s corpse).1822Don Angel builds first primary school, firstsugar mill (located in Cutcut) and analacan or alambique (alcohol distillery).

1824Don Angel abandons first house and buildsnew residence near the chapel. It still ex-ists today.1825Padre Macario Paras, a native of Culiat butfirst assigned in Ilocos, becomes parishpriest of Culiat.1829After Don Angel pays (from his own pocket)the municipality of San Fernando theequivalent amount oftaxes collectible fromthe 160 pioneer settlersof Culiat, the newtown is formally sepa-rated from its matrix,San Fernando, on De-cember 8. Culiat isrenamed Angeles,dedicated to the LosSantos AngelesCustodios (Holy Guard-ian Angels) but actuallyin honor of the founder,Don Angel. The town ac-quires three additional barrios: San Nicolas,San Jose and Amsic. Total population ofthe new town: 500.1830In an effort to further promote devotion tothe Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, patronsaint of the founder’s wife, the new towncelebrates for the first time on October 10its own version of La Naval (already popu-lar in Manila as a thanksgiving ritual to OurLady of the Holy Rosary who was widelycredited for saving Manila from a series ofProtestant Dutch invasions in 1646). In De-cember, the townspeople of Angeles alsohold for the first time a lantern processioncalled lubenas, a custom that survives tothis day. In the same year, the Augustiniansapprove in a meeting to accept Angeles al-though the first Augustinian parish priest is

assigned only 13 years later.1834The original chapel is replaced with alarger church at the same site.1835The town’s founder, Don Angel Pantaleonde Miranda, 70, is found dead in his bedin the morning of June 21. He is buried inthe old cemetery; years later, his remainsare transferred to the new church.1840The Tribunal (municipal hall) is transferredfrom its first site beside the founder’s resi-dence, to where the Museo ning Angeles isnow. On December 9, the founder’s widow,Doña Rosalia, dies at age 75.1846Spanish Governor-General Don NarcisoClaveria, today known for his 1849 decreehispanizing native surnames, visits Ange-les and approves expansion of the town’sland area to 8.120 hectares.1847Pio Rafael Nepomuceno of Lukban,Quezon marries Maria Agustina Henson,granddaughter of Don Angel Pantaleon deMiranda, thus starting a great family dy-nasty in the town.1850Town population: 4,452. Number ofhouses: 742. Nipa palms (sasa) are stillabundant in Angeles, especially alongSapang Balen in Mangga and Pulung Bulu.1851Townspeople build Santo Rosario Bridge,made of stone, near where the presentSaver’s Mart on Plaridel Street is. Threeyears later, the Santo Angel Bridge isopened (in front of the present church).The third bridge over Sapang Balen, theSan Jose Bridge downstream, is built fiveyears later.1855The public market goes up in smoke, is

Founder’s second house, which still stands today alongSto. Rosario St.

The Tribunal (Angeles town hall) before renovation

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transferred to its present location in SanNicolas, on land donated by Don Pio RafaelNepomuceno and his wife, the founder’sgranddaughter Doña Agustina Henson. Newparish priest Fray Guillermo Masnou, OSA,replaces makeshift nipa church with onemade of wood.1857The old cemetery is transferred to itspresent site in Cutcut.1863On June 3, on the eve of the feast of Cor-pus Christi, an earthquake causes consid-erable damage to the town. The onlymedico (unlicensed doctor) is Don SilvestreFlores, who is on call from his residencein Calulut, San Fernando.1865The town’s parish priest, Fray Masnou, fur-ther renovates church with the installationof galvanized iron roofing imported fromEngland.

1868The market is againrazed down.1871On the eve of La Na-val, a strong ty-phoon blows awaythe church’s newgalvanized-iron roofand destroys lavishdecorations of thou-sands of lanternsthat the towns-people, under

Mayor Mariano Vicente Henson, have beenpreparing since July. The clamor to push

through with the celebrations gives rise tothis ditty:1872

The first telegraph posts are put up in An-geles.1873Fray Masnou installs silver fittings on thechurch’s main altar, including the now-fa-mous sunburst. The convento (now resi-dence of the Holy Family Academy’sBenedictine nuns) is also constructed.1875Drought and locust infestation in the townforces the importation of rice from China.1876On the town’s founding anniversary (Dec.8), the Archbishop of Manila, Pedro Payo,celebrates first-ever pontifical mass in An-geles, in the old chapel since the newchurch, destroyed five years earlier, hasnot been repaired.1877Fray Masnou is succeeded by Fray RamonSarrionandia, OSA. Construction of a large

church, which can accommodate up to3,700 churchgoers, begins on October 18.The Byzantine-style edifice, designed byDon Antonio de la Camara from Manila,will be completed 19 years later, on Feb-ruary 12, 1896.1880A series of earthquakes on July 18 rockthe town. In November, the colony’s Gov-ernor-General, Don Fernando Primo deRivera, visits Angeles—sign of the town’sgrowing prosperity and importance.1881Taug River overflows and floods the town,sweeping away the three bridges onSapang Balen and several houses in bar-rio San Jose. The notorious Taug Riverperennially inundates the town’s westernsection, its floodwaters sometimes reach-ing as far as the present Villa Teresa Sub-division.

View of the church from the southern end of Sto. Rosario Street c. 1890s (War with Spain and the Philippines)

Spanish Augustinian Fray G. Masnoustarted renovation of the church in 1865,had the silver sunburst (right) installedat the main altar

Don Mariano V.Henson

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June 12, 1899, first anniversary of Philippine Independencecelebrated at the Pamintuan residence in Angeles, with PresidentAguinaldo in attendance

1882On October 20, the most destructive ty-phoon ever caps a year of unusually nu-merous storms. Afterwards, a choleraoutbreak kills many townspeople.1885Taug River again overflows into theSapang Balen, destroying the town’s threebridges once more. Starting this year,the provincial governor, formerly knownas alcalde mayor, is called gobernadorprovincial. The town mayor, on the otherhand, is known as gobernadorcillo untilthe Maura Law changes it to capitan mu-nicipal in 1894.1888The first resident medico (unlicensed doc-tor) of Angeles, Eulalio Castro ofSindalan, San Fernando, moves in. Thefirst drug store, owned by pharmacistIgnacio Quero of Ilocos, opens alongMiranda Street.1892The Angeles section of the Manila-Dagupan Railroad is inaugurated on Feb-ruary 22.Doña Agustina Henson Nepomuceno do-nates land for the construction of the fu-ture Rizal Street connecting the railroadstation and the public market.1895Fire once again destroys the public mar-ket, including the row of houses alongMiranda Street (across the present Equi-

table-PCIBank).1896Shortly af-ter thec o m p l e -tion of theb i gc h u r c h ,t h eKatipunan-led revo-l u t i o na g a i n s tS p a i nb r e a k sout. OnAugust 30,a thou-s a n d

Guardia Civil members arrive in Angelesen route to Factoria (San Isidro) in NuevaEcija, to fight the forces of revolutionaryleader Gen. Mariano Llanera.1897Pro-Spain Cazadores arrive and fortify theTribunal (municipal hall in front of thechurch) with bamboo stakes and earth re-vetments. Their presence in the town

heightens tension among the people, es-pecially after arresting those they suspectof coddling or joining revolutionaries.When two successive fires break out in thepublic market, they mistakenly shoot todeath a local peace officer and kill an in-nocent cart driver with a three-edged bayo-net. As a result, local principales petitionparish priestFray RufinoSantos, OSAto start aquinario, afive-day no-vena after theLa Naval fi-esta in Octo-ber, in honorof the FiveWounds of theI n t e r r e dChrist (SantoEntierro, orA p u n gMamacalulu).Thus, the tra-dition of cel-e b r a t i n gFiestang Apu

on the last Friday of October begins. De-votion to Apung Mamacalulu reaches cultproportions after a man named RomanPayumu, arrested on suspicion of being aKatipunero, miraculously escapes deathduring the quinario: While being led to hisexecution at the back of the church, heturns to the image of the Apung Mamacalulu

An old KapampanganKatipunero

Most residents of Angeles chose to fight the American occupiers (above) eitherby initialy siding with the Spaniards and later supporting the revolution led byPresident Aguinaldo (War with Spain and the Philippines)

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the townspeople of Angeles leavetheir houses en masse. Filipinoparish priest Padre VicenteLapus evacuates to Sapangbato,staying in the house of DonSegundo Tayag, who builds amakeshift chapel where evacu-ees can hear Mass and celebrateLa Naval and Fiestang Apu. DonSegundo offers his house also totransient soldiers of the revolu-tionary army, himself oftensleeping on a bench on the dampfloor, thus contracting lung infec-tion which will later take his life.On May 7, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldoarrives from Factoria, NuevaEcija and makes Angeles thecapital of his revolutionary gov-ernment until July when hetransfers the capital again toTarlac. On June 12, the first an-niversary of Philippine Indepen-dence is held in Angeles with a

field Mass officiated by Fr. Vicente Lapusfor the assembled revolutionary forces un-der Gen. Aguinaldo, Gen. Marcelo H. DelPilar, Laguna Morales and a battalion fromZambales.On August 16, after fierce battle, theAmericans enter thetown, occupying thechurch until De-cember 1900and the ad-j o i n i n gcon-

vent until October 1, 1902, as military hos-pital and later, as troop barracks. Theyare led by their officers Maj. Gen. ArthurMacArthur, Col. Richmond and ProvostMarshal G. A Densmore. The revolution-aries, numbering 15,000, retreat to theBalibago side of the Abacan River; theyare led by Gen. Maximino Hizon, Gen.Servillano Akino (Aquino), Gen. Pio delPilar, Gen. Venancio Concepcion, Gen.Tomas Mascardo and Col. Alberto SanMiguel, with subsequent reinforcementsfrom Gen. Francisco Makabulos.On November 5, after three months ofheavy fighting, American cavalrymen be-gin their offensive against Filipinos in vari-ous battles around the vicinity, from 9 P.M.until dawn. The most significant battlesare those in Señora and Mitla in Porac town(where the young Manuel L. Quezonfought), and in Sapang Biabas in Mabalacatand Magalang. Two days later, the Ameri-cans put up a machine gun atop one of thechurch towers.1900On New Year’s Day, the first US-sponsoredcivil government is established in Angeles,with Don Mariano Vicente Henson as firsttown mayor. Later, he is placed underhouse arrest by US Commander General

in one of the side altars ofthe church; it is said that af-ter praying, the ropesloosen and he manages toflee to the nearby sugar-cane field.1898As the revolution againstSpain escalates, more than300 Cazadores, members ofthe Guardia Civil, andVoluntarios de Macabebe,rescue the last Spanish par-ish priest of Angeles, FrayBaltazar Gamarra, OSA andbring him to safety in SanFernando. The town’s firsttheatre opens on the prop-erty of Don ModestoQuiason along MirandaStreet. Among the firststage productions arecomedia (Guagua’s Don Mar-tin Gonzalez Bravo in therole of Gonzalo de Cordoba), zarzuela (fea-turing 10-voice ventriloquist Pregolini andlocal thespians Petra Pili and MonicoResurreccion) and circo (operated by theAntonieta Circus Co.).1899News of the occupation of Manila by an-

other country called America throws thetown in panic; some families in An-

geles, in fact, prefer to remainunder the Spaniards rather

than the new occupi-ers. From February

5 until August 9,

Gen. Makabulos

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When the Americans occupied Angeles, they used the parish church as military hospital and headquarters.Photo shows horse-driven ambulances for wounded US soldiers

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Frederick Dean Grant on suspicion of aid-ing the revolutionary forces of GeneralsAntonio Luna in Calumpit and ServillanoAquino in Pulungbulu and Sapangbato. Theactual end of military government and for-mal inauguration of the civil government,however, occurs only in the following year,on the Fourth of July. Houses are assignednumbers for the first time.1901Townspeople who evacuated when the Phil-ippine-American War broke out, start re-turning home. They gather in a square inTalimunduc (Lourdes Norte) to witness thepublic hanging of US soldier GeorgeRaymond, who murdered a fellow Ameri-can soldier over a Filipino woman. The firstmovie theatre, actually a warehouseowned by the Quiason-Baluyut familyalong Miranda Street, opens. The firstmovie shown is nothing more than a seriesof lantern slides.1902Land taxes are collected for the first time.On October 3, the local units of the US

Army vacate the church pre-mises and move to barrioTalimunduc (now LourdesSur, near the train station).The first Rizal Day is com-memorated on December30, six years after the hero’sexecution.1903Town population: 10,646.Number of barrios: 22,namely, Amsic, Anunas,Balibago, Capaya, Cutcut,Cutud, Malabañas, Mining,Pampang, Pandan, PasbulBulu, Pulung Bulu, PulungCacutud, Pulung Maragul,Sapa Libutad, Sapangbato,San Nicolas, Santo Cristo,Santo Rosario, Santol, Tabunand Tacondo.1904The first municipal cem-etery is put up along SantoEntierro Street (later calledPatirik-tirik). Governmentbans narrow gauge wheel oncarabao carts because theyscour surface roads. The lo-cal US Army is moved fromTalimunduc to Mangga, andthen to Sapangbato, whereit is later named FortStotsenburg. US PresidentWilliam McKinley orders theannexation of private landsinto the military camp, in-cluding a 628-hectare lot inbarrio Palusapis owned byDon Jose P. Henson. A number of Angelesresidents take part (and win prizes) in theExposition of St. Louis in Missouri.1909The Angeles Band, playing Tobani’s Crèmede la Crème, wins first prize at the presti-gious Manila Carnival. The conductor ofthe band from Sta. Rita, Pampanga, Prof.Lucino Buenaventura, is accused by

Angeleños of stealing musi-cal pieces from the AngelesBand. Governor-GeneralWilliam Cameron Forbesvisits Angeles. Telephonesappear in the town for thefirst time.1910Dr. Jose Tayag, with post-graduate studies at the Uni-versity of Paris, togetherwith Dr. Clemente Dayritand Dr. Pacifico Panlilio, putup their respective clinics.Halley’s Comet appear overAngeles at dawn from May 1to May 18. The intermedi-ate school in Santo Rosarioopens. On October 8, theColegio de la Sagrada Fa-milia, run by Augustinian Sis-ters, opens.1911On July 20, Taug River over-flows into the Abacan Riverand wreaks havoc down-stream. Later in the year,however, drought damagescrops in Angeles.1912Using personal money, DonJose P. Henson builds a con-crete levee, 300 m long and3 m high, between Bitlungriver and Ebus river (lead-ing to Taug river), which areonly 40 m apart, to avoidmerging.1913

Three bars operate in Angeles for the ben-efit of US soldiers; they are “Edgar,”“Johnson” (for blacks) and “Farrell.”Town population: 26, 027.1914Don Celso Dayrit of San Fernando buildsfirst ice plant in barrio Lourdes Sur; it foldsup three years later. In December, the

Kapampangan bands like this won awardsin various band competitions

A railroad bridge over Abacan River damaged during the Philippine-American War (American Historical Collection)

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road between Angeles and San Fernandois macadamized (concretized).1918The Colegio de la Sagrada Familia is trans-ferred to the convento (present Holy Fam-ily Academy). The Colegio’s former build-ing will be occupied by the new Holy An-gel Academy in 1933.1919Angeles sugar planters begin sending theirproduce to the Pampanga Sugar Mills(PASUMIL) in Masulput (Del Carmen) onbagun (railroad wagons); it is the firstmodern sugar central in Central Luzon.Two years later, they will transfer to thenew Pampanga Sugar Development Co.(PASUDECO) in San Fernando, whose ma-chinery can extract more sugar from burntcanes.1920Airport at Fort Stotsenburg opens.1922The Benedictine Sisters take over the

Colegio de la Sagrada Familia. On Octo-ber 16, the old Tribunal (municipal build-ing) is replaced with the present edifice.Don Juan D. Nepomuceno opens a mod-ern ice plant.1923Don Juan Nepomuceno inaugurates the An-geles Electric Light and Power Plant onJuly 10.1933Parish priest Fr. Pedro Santos inauguratesSapangbato as a separate parish. TheTioseco-Pamintuan family donates thewrought-iron fence around the Angeles par-ish church. Holy Angel Academy, thecountry’s first Catholic school run by laypaersons, opens.1934La Naval celebrations are ruined by a strongtyphoon which strikes the town on the eveof the fiesta. The following month, a strongearthquake rocks the town.

Fort Stotsenburg, the precursor of Clark Air Base

1936The town’sf o u r t hb r i d g e ,connectingbarrio SanN i c o l a swith theroad toPorac (nearthe presentfire depart-m e n t ) ,opens. An-

other typhoon spoils this year’s La Navalfestivities.1937The most modern hospital in CentralLuzon, the Angeles Hospital owned by Dr.Placido de Guzman, is inaugurated onOctober 5.1938On August 15, the town’s parish priest,Msgr. Pedro Santos, is consecrated Bishopof Nueva Caceres (Naga) at the ManilaCathedral. On October 2, more than 2000Socialist peasants, dressed in red, paradein the streets of Angeles.1940Local peasants paralyze the sugarcane in-dustry with a general walkout on Janu-ary 22-23.1941On December 8, at 12:10 P.M., Japaneseplanes bomb Clark Field, signaling thestart of World War II in the Philippines.The invading Japanese forces find the USmilitary camp empty of arms and ammu-nition; earlier, the Americans allowed ci-vilians to squirrel away military equip-ment, thus inadvertently flooding theprovince with US guns and helping theresistance movement. No processions(lubenas) and dawn Masses (simbangbengi) are held in the Christmas season.1942Mass evacuation of Angeles begins in the

The old parish rectory which housed the Colegio de la Sagrada Familia before ittransferred to the Convento, as well as the Holy Angel Academy before it transferredto its present campus (Fray Francis Musni/ Convento de San Agustin)

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morning of New Year’s Day, on ordersfrom the United States Army Forces inthe Far Fast (USAFFE). At nightfall, theAmericans switch off water and elec-tric supply in the town. Later in theevening, they bomb thetown’s four bridges; theexplosions damagehouses, including thechurch. The next day,most of the town goesup in smoke; shortlythereafter, the Japa-nese forces arrive inthe town en route toPorac, in pursuit of fleeing USAFFE sol-diers.1943The Kempei tai (Japanese Military Po-lice) starts zoning the town’s male popu-lation to prevent them from joining theguerilla movement. The Angeles Hos-pital is converted into a garrison by the

J a p a n e s e -sponsored Con-stabulary. Thes u e k u s(wooden shoe)industry in thetown flour-ishes.1944The Japaneseconvert a por-tion of barrioPandan into anairfield, toaugment simi-lar landingfields in Cutcutand ClarkField. Ameri-

can planes intermittently make surprise at-tacks on the Japanese-occupied ClarkField; the air raids continue for months.

1945A US B-25 bomber plane

strikes the nave of thechurch on January 7before crashing on thegrounds of the Holy An-

gel Academy. Retreat-ing Japanese soldiers killinnocent civilians in bar-rios Santo Rosario andCutcut. On January 27,American troops liber-

ate Angeles from the Japanese; the nextday, they reclaim Clark Field. Bars andrestaurants mushroom throughout thetown’s poblacion.1946Cine Paraiso located along Miranda Exten-sion is inaugurated on November 16. Resi-dents start selling American goods in ear-

nest.1947Marte, another moviehouse (after Edenand Paraiso), opens. An intense storm onNovember 7 destroys more than a hundredhouses in barrios Margot, Baliti andSapangbato and causes damage at ClarkField estimated at P1 million. On Decem-ber 26, another strong typhoon causeswidespread destruction in the town. Townpopulation: 34,328.1964Angeles becomes a chartered city, follow-ing approval by Congress of a bill sponsoredby Congresswoman Juanita Nepomuceno.Mayor Rafael del Rosario and Atty. EnriqueTayag wrote the city charter.

A US B-25 bomber like this struckthe Angeles church and crashedinto Holy Angel Academy in 1945

US and Japanese soldiers turned Angeles and Clark Air Base intobattlefields during World War II

Framers of the Angeles City charter:Mayor Rafael del Rosario (left) and Atty.Enrique Tayag

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1965As the Vietnam War escalates, subdivisionsmushroom throughout the new city to ac-commodate the influx of American service-men. Examples of these made-for-GIs sub-divisions are Carmenville, Josefaville,Villasol, Villa Angela, Villa Gloria, VillaAngelina, L&S, Essel Park, Hensonville,Timog Park, Plaridel, and many more.1966The 1947 Military Bases Agreement is re-vised, setting its expiration date on Sep-tember 16, 1991. The Nepomucenos inau-gurate the new power plant in PulungMaragul to expand the service area of theAngeles Electric Plant, which has becomethe most efficient power plant outside Ma-nila.1968The Nepo Mart Commercial Complexopens, legitimizing the PX trade in the cityand redefining Kapampangan tastes.1972Sapang Balen and Abacan rivers wreakhavoc in Angeles during the monsoon sea-son; dozens of houses in Pulung Bulu andSan Jose are washed away.1978Entire neighborhoods apply for jobs in theMiddle East; many employees in Clark AirBase do the same.1986Cory Aquino and Doy Laurel hold a massivepolitical rally at the Nepo Square; withinweeks, the People Power Revolution topplethe Marcos dictatorship.1990A Magnitude 7.6 earthquake rocks AngelesCity and its environs, but it is CabanatuanCity and Baguio City that takes the bruntof the temblor. Tension mounts as the ex-piration of the Military Bases Agreementnears; senators led by Joseph Estrada pushfor non-extension.1991On June 15, Typhoon Yunya crosses Ange-les at the same time that Mount Pinatuboerupts. As a result, a mixture of water, ash

king Dalan to cheer its citizens up. Localbusinessmen and entrepreneurs, led by theAngeles City Chamber of Commerce, de-cide to stay and rehabilitate the devas-tated city.2003The first Giant Sisig Festival is held inBalibago.

Sources: Mariano A. Henson, A Brief History ofthe Town of Angeles; Nicolas Vicente Navarro,Ing Pangatatag ning Balen Angeles (1840); GregL. Sangil, Historical Events in Angeles City(152nd Foundation Day Souvenir Program); JosieD. Henson, Relevance of the Role of Angeles inPhilippine History (1993 Fiestang Kuliat Souve-nir Program).

and mud from the slopes of the volcanoflows in quantities more than the Abacanriver channel can take, destroying all thebridges in its path. In downtown Angeles,the Sapang Balen also overflows its banks.Residents evacuate en masse. US service-men and their families have also evacu-ated earlier.On September 16, or 91 days afterPinatubo’s main blast, Clark Air Base offi-cially shuts down in accordance with the1947 military bases agreement. Both theUnited States and Philippine Governments,which have been batting for its extension,rest their case.1992The city holds the first Tigtigan Terakan

Doña Teresa Nepomuceno inauguratesPulung Maragul power plant

People brave the Abacan River after collapse of bridge in 1991

The first Giant Sisig Festival held in Balibago, Angeles City

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Fifty seven years separate the deathof Angeles founder Don Angelo Pantaleonde Miranda (1835), and the birth of Ange-les philanthropist Don Juan De DiosNepomuceno (1892), but uncanny parallel-isms in their life and mission unite them.

Both men descended from the ChineseHenson (Hengson) clan, a pioneering fam-ily that owned vast lands in Pampanga.Both were opulent landlords who wereuntypically generous to their tenants; bothwere pious Catholics.

Don Angel was a visionary who was au-dacious enough to risk his standing in thecommunity in order to pursue his vision ofa new town. Don Juan also had ideas thatwere much ahead of his time; he pioneereda co-ed school that broke rules (schoolswere previously either for boys or for girls).

Don Angel had a new parish created outof his concern for his casamac in Culiat whohad to travel all the way to San Fernandoto hear Mass; Don Juan had an electric plantbuilt so that the parish church would beilluminated for the daily Masses which wereheld before sunrise.

Both men married colorful, headstrongKapampangan women, who were aswealthy as their husbands: Don Angel’s wifeDoña Rosalia de Jesus carried out theclearing of the wooded areas of Culiat whileher husband served in the royal army; shehad to brave wild Aetas, mosquitoes and

humid conditions to help her husband laythe groundwork for the new town. DonJuan’s wife, Doña Teresa PamintuanGomez not only managed the couple’smany businesses while Don Juan mostlyran his law office and helped the parish,she also bravely sheltered her ten chil-dren from the horrors of World War II andthe traumas of growing up. Both womenwere devout Catholics; Doña Rosalia’s de-votion to Virgen del Rosario led to thetown’s adoption of La Naval as the newfeast day; on the other hand, Doña Teresawas a healer of physical and spiritual ail-ments, whose intense relationship withGod enabled her to talk to Him in an eerilypersonal way. (The amazonianKapampangan wife seems to be stereo-typical—another prominent example isJustice Jose Gutierrez David’s mother—because wives of wealthy, career-ori-ented men were left to manage vast ha-ciendas and hundreds of casamacs andtheir families).

Don Angel and Don Juan cultivatedpersonal relationships with their respec-tive parish priests, closely working to-gether on various projects, from chari-ties to cultural productions to newschools. Don Angel built the first primaryschool in Culiat in 1822 as well as the firstsugar mill and an alcohol distillery. DonJuan built the country’s first Catholic

school run by lay persons in 1933, thetown’s first electric plant, first crystal-iceplant and first subdivision.

Both gave generously to the poor; af-ter the Mass, they would distribute alms tosmall children and invite an unlimited num-ber of parishioners to their home for break-fast. They both walked with a cane, en-joying the salutations of townspeople whoconsidered it an honor to be greeted oreven smiled at by Don Angel and Don Juan.Both shunned publicity and shied away fromawards and honors:

Pablasang e na uculan ing bungang caparangalannune lugud bininiagan iting queang capagnasan.

That was a description of Don AngelPantaleon de Miranda, in a poem writtenin 1840 by poet Nicolas Vicente Navarro,barely five years after the founder’s death.It may well apply to Don Juan D.Nepomuceno, who named the school hefounded Holy Angel, after the titular pa-tron saint of the town but who knows,maybe in honor of his ascendant whom heconsciously or unconsciously emulated, inthe same way that the town itself in 1829had been named after the patron saint SanAngelo de la Guardia but in reality in honorof its revered founder. (R. Tantingco)

One built a town out of a barrio, the other made it into a city

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Kapampangans played crucial roles inthe life of national hero Jose Rizal. Hiscousin and former classmate MonicoMercado of Sasmuan (whose father RomuloMercado was a first cousin of Rizal’s fa-ther Francisco Mercado) wrote the firstever translation of Mi Ultimo Adios, inKapampangan, barely a week after he wit-nessed Rizal’s execution in Bagumbayan.(The second translation was in Tagalog,done by Andres Bonifacio). Mercado alsowrote a passionate eulogy in the Diario deManila which riled the Spanish authorities.

Rizal’s famous visit (perhaps one ofmany) to San Fernando and Bacolor in1892, shortly after the Manila-DagupanRailway opened, was shadowed by Span-ish authorities who afterward harassed,persecuted and exiled those whom he hadvisited. (For example, Gobernadorcillos An-tonio Consunji of San Fernando andRuperto Lacsamana of Mexico were kickedout of office after being visited by Rizal.)This somehow diluted the participation ofKapampangans in the first phase of the1896 Revolution.

Felix B. Punzalan, a historian from SanSimon, Pampanga, wrote in 1969 thatBacolor was special to Jose Rizal becausehe had a girlfriend there, a Rosario Joven,

Kapampangans, including one from Angeles,played key roles in the national hero’s life

Kapampangans and

JOSE RIZAL

Rizal’s Kapampangan cousin Monico Mercado of Sasmuan (left) wrote a passionate elegy and translated Mi Ultimo Adios afterwitnessing the hero’s execution. Jose Alejandrino of Arayat (top) brought the manuscript of El Filibusterismo to the printingpress, while Valentin Ventura of Bacolor (bottom) financed its publication.

whom he regularly visited while he was stilla student at the Ateneo de Manila. MissJoven was Rizal’s first real love, to whomthe national hero wrote poems and songsin flawless Kapampangan. Two persons thatPunzalan interviewed attested to this little-known fact: Geronimo Joven of the Inter-national Harvester in Manila, a relative ofRosario, and Judge Eduardo GutierrezDavid, brother of Supreme Court JusticeJose Gutierrez David. The latter was ayoungster who directed Rizal to the Jovenresidence when he came to Bacolor for thefirst time; later, Eduardo accompanied Rizalto the residence of brothers Cecilio andTiburcio Hilario in San Fernando, where hespent the night before returning to Calamba(the Hilarios had a relative in Bulacan whowould also figure prominently in the Revo-lution: Marcelo Hilario del Pilar). AfterRizal’s visit, Tiburcio was exiled to Jolo andCecilio to Balabac Island (betweenMindanao and Palawan).

It is said that many of his friends androommates in Europe were Kapampangans.One was Gen. Jose Alejandrino of Arayat,and another was Don Mariano Cunanan ofMexico town, who told Punzalan in an in-terview before he died that Rizal spokeexcellent Kapampangan. Rizal turned over

to him (Cunanan) numerous love letters andconfidential papers which Cunanan in turndonated to the National Library.

Valentin Ventura, an uncle of philan-thropist Don Honorio Ventura, is creditedfor lending Rizal money for the publicationof his second novel El Filibusterismo at thetime when all the rest could not, or wouldnot, help him financially. A grateful Rizalgave the original manuscript and the firstprinted copy to Valentin. The Spanish andGerman governments allegedly offeredValentin $30,000.00 for the manuscripts, butthrough the urgings of anotherKapampangan, Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Taveraof Porac, Valentin chose to donate the manu-script to the Philippine government.

When Rizal was practicing in HongKong, his reputation spread far and widethat people from all over came for eyetreatment. One of them was Taufer, whowas accompanied by Josephine Brackenwhen he came to Hong Kong. However,Rizal had already been exiled to Dapitan.It was Rizal’s friend, Col. Julio Llorente ofAngeles and Tarlac who directed them toRizal with a recommendation letter. Thatwas how Rizal and Bracken met and even-tually married and the rest, as they say, ishistory.

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Nicolasa Dayrit Encarnacion Singian

Felisa Hizon

Felisa Dayrit Teodora Salgado

Consolacion Singian

Directora Srta.. Zoila NepomucenoSub-Directora Srta. Carmen Dizon (?)Secretaria Srta. Januaria LacsonTesorera Srta. Maria Carlota YensonContadora Srta. Marcelina Nepomuceno

Hermanas Mayora Srta. Ana de la Cruz “ Anicia Paras “ Beatriz Torres “ Cristina Guico “ Emilia del Rosario “ Estanislaua Lacson “ Elena Socmea “ Florentina Guico “ Filomena Dizon “ Irene Canlas “ Isabel Mercado “ Jacinta Pamintuan “ Juana Pineda “ Maxima Henson “ Maria Dizon

(Lorelei De Viana, National Historical Institute)

La Junta Patriotica

de San Fernando

During the Philip-pine Revolution, sev-eral patriotic womenof Pampanga as-sisted and nursedthe wounded andsick Filipinorevolucionarios.This group, who in-cluded NicolsaDayrit, Felisa Dayrit,Felisa Hizon,Consolacion andEncarnacion Singian, em-broidered and sewed the flagof the Pampango Batallion of the Phil-ippine revolutionary forces in December 1898. Teodora Salgadowas a financier to the revolutionary cause.

Several of the revolutionary nurses were members of theJunta Patriotica or Junta Filantropica de San Fernando, a groupof concerned patriotic Filipino women who gave contributions,and assisted and nursed the revolutionaries who were woundedin the battlefield. Marcelina Limjuco was one of the betterknown members.The philanthropic exploits of these women fortheir Filipino comrades were published and lauded in the revo-lutionary newspaper, El Heraldo de la Revolution. (I. Henares)

Asociacion de Damas

de la Cruz Roja

de Angeles

KAPKAPKAPKAPKAPAMPAMPAMPAMPAMPANGAN ANGAN ANGAN ANGAN ANGAN WOMEN OF WOMEN OF WOMEN OF WOMEN OF WOMEN OF THE REVTHE REVTHE REVTHE REVTHE REVOLOLOLOLOLUTIONUTIONUTIONUTIONUTION

Lino Dizon

Lino Dizon

50

TWO FUNERALS AND A WEDDING

Funeral procession for Dr. Gregorio Singian in San Fernando,1937. (Lazatin Family)

Funeral procession for Dña. Concepcion Luciano de Henson in Angeles, 1935. (Jojo Valencia)

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A grandioseevent neverwitnessed inthis part ofPampanga wasthe wedding ofthe SeñoresTorres ySingián. It wascelebrated withextraordinarypomp and so-lemnity on theevening of the27th of April,1912, a Satur-

day, in San Fernando, capital of Pampanga.The guests in attendance were numerousand exclusive, the majority coming fromprominent and influential families, thoseof the elite, the distinguished and the af-fluent. They are united as in the prover-bial confraternity and amiability of fami-lies of engaged couples. The intimate feel-ings of jubilee become sharper with theemotions felt before such splendor, mag-nificence, solemnity and greatness of theceremony.

The afternoon of the same day wasblissful with unrestrained sunlight, an af-ternoon full of happiness and harmony. Theimmense crowd came and went with agilegaits to see the exquisite pagoda built onthe Singián grounds in Paroba, Barrio Sto.Niño. Here, one could see the whimsicallyadorned pagoda. This was to serve as anextension of the dining room to sit the nu-merous guests, who would come to offerworthy tribute of affection, prosperity andhappiness to the betrothed couple, whowould be forever united before God andman. For this purpose, the distinguishedmasters in the art of decorating and em-

bellishing, Señores Don Antonio Torres andDon Mariano Cunanan displayed their ac-credited ability by capriciously and artisti-cally decorating the locale. They used Chi-nese lanterns, banners and a variety offerns. The light of the numerous gas lampsand the embroidery of natural flowersenameled on the extremely white coloredroof, the columns and the tables of morethan ninety table settings in an oval lookedlike a dwelling of illusory glory. Anahaofronds carpeted the floor from the foot ofthe stairs to the grand dining room, trans-forming the scene to a diaphanous ambi-ence. The multitude, who witnessed sucha solemn ceremony, acknowledged thepleasant and unrestrained gaiety of theatmosphere so much so that long and en-thusiastic pleasantries and animated con-versations ensued.

From three in the afternoon, the nu-merous invited guests started arriving cor-dially received by the Señoritas Torres, sis-ters of the groom and the Señores Singián,brothers of the bride. After sharing impres-sions, they stood up to look at the magnifi-cent pagoda facing the window, which wasin front of the stairs. At around six in theafternoon, in the distance, the locomotivewhistle blows announcing the arrival of aSpecial train with two First Class coachesfrom Manila totally brimming with distin-guished and illustrious guests from thatCity. Their beautiful ladies and enchantingdaughters joined the gathering of lovelyPampangueñas, who had earlier lingeredto witness and to take part in the memo-rable ceremony. At the sound of the wed-ding march played by the Henson Orches-tra before the multitude enters the ma-jestic figure of the bride, SeñoritaConsolación Singián, who appears from thedoor behind the stairs luxuriously dressed

in her precious wedding gown, all in whitewith the symbolic flowers of orange blos-soms. She is in the arms of her godfather,the Honorable Señor Don FlorentinoTorres, Justice of the Supreme Court of thePhilippines. They walk in between the si-lent gathering and he brings her before amagnificent altar standing on one cornerof the house. Here, three priests garbed intheir Sacred Ornaments carrying a cross andcandles were waiting. Behind the bride withher godfather followed the groom with hisgodmother, the Señorita Doña MáximaSingián. In the midst of a sepulchral silence,the Parish Priest, Don Juan Almario, readsthe epistle of Saint Paul while the deaconsand the sub deacons answer. And the bliss-ful couple is eternally united in the sacredbond of marriage before God and man tobe forever blessed and to enjoy happinessin this life and in the next. After the be-trothal, in an instant the altar was removedfor the reception of the numerous invitedwho first queued before the newlyweds whowere standing at the foot of the altar, thematrons first followed by the young singleladies and then the gentlemen. After this,the bride was brought to her room and hereher friends and the sisters of the groomhelped her change from the wedding gownto a dress of very fine gaza of pink artisti-cally and capriciously executed by the well-known couturier, Pacita Longos, who alsomade her trousseau.

Now dressed and bejeweled, therigodón de honor, with thirty-five pairs ledby the newlyweds, followed by DoctorSingián, brother of the bride with SeñoritaPilar Torres, sister of the groom, began.Then came uninterrupted the waltz and thetwo-steps up to nine thirty in the evening.At this time, the guests went down to thevery well decorated extensive dining room,

Doña Consolacion Singian

and Don Jose M.Torres

Original Spanish text translated by Prof. Renán Singian Prado, Chairperson of the Department of Modern Languages,

Ateneo de Manila University

Nuptials on April 28,1912

Excerpts from the bride’s personal journal,including the catalog of wedding presents,

reveal the genteel lifestyle of small-town nobility

GIFTSofLOVE

Fr. Juan Almarioofficiated wedding

Fray

Fra

ncis

Mus

ni

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which could seat more than ninety people.At the end of the dinner, they all went backup to dance and those who had not had din-ner went down for the second shift. Timepassed like a flash of lightning. The fami-lies from Manila had to return that sameevening on the train that awaited them onthe tracks in Paroba, which was locatedvery near the house. No, it did not stop inthe San Fernando Station since this wouldbe far from the house. Well, halting alonga street in Paroba meant that the manyguests could go on foot without need of avehicle since it was very near our house.

In effect, after eleven in the evening,on a Special train, all those from Manilaare escorted by the Henson Orchestra un-til the station and those from Pampangastayed on until after midnight. At this time,everyone had gone, leaving the Torres andSingián families to wake up early the nextday for the wedding ceremony, which wouldtake place at eight in the morning.

On Sunday, the 28th of April, 1912, ateight in the morning with the splendid sun,the resplendent, happy and smilingspouses, Don José M. Torres and DoñaConsolación Singián in their car, followedby their respective families, relatives andfriends leave from the house in Paroba. Twoangels who were to carry the long train onthe gown of Doña Consolación Singián werewith them. They are the children Pepitaand Lourdes Singián, daughters of DonAnselmo and Doña Paz Soler. Many cars,automobiles, quiles, calesas followed to theChurch of the town amidst an immensecrowd of people along the streets who in-sistently ran to see the event which sel-dom takes place in the provinces. Well, thestreets and the patio were bursting withpeople and with the pealing of the bells,the multitude accumulated eager to seeand hear the novelty. Inching their waythrough the crowd, the newlyweds alightedfrom the automobile with the two angelsbehind them. Then the godparents with theguests entered the Church. Already, theParish Priest Don Juan Almario was waitingby the main door of the Church to receiveand to bring the betrothed to the main al-tar. The Church was filled to the rafters. Amultitude of curious people flocked to havea better view of the betrothed and the en-tourage. During the Mass, the veil sponsorswere Señorita Rosita Torres and Señor Vic-

tor Buencamino. At the end of the cer-emony, they returned to their residenceafter taking a long ride around the town.They passed through the government sec-tion and the main streets of the town ac-companied by the angels who carried thelong train and by Don Anselmo Sinjián, whosat beside the driver directing the routesharing the smile, the joy and the happi-ness of the newlyweds.

The whole Sunday, the 28th of April1912 passed with fun and animated spirits.There was a warm reunion of relatives andintimate friends, the food abundantlysumptuous. In the morning after the ridewe took, I took off my wedding gown andput on my bottle green dress. My Pepe andI again left in a car to visit the two onlysisters of my late father.

In the afternoon, on the last train tripof 5 p.m., we all departed for Manila. Mybrothers, cousins, sisters-in-law and manyfamily friends among them the Justice ofFirst Instance, Sr. D. Julio Llorente, hiswife, Sra. Da. Jesusa Cortabitarte, theirdaughter, Jesusa Llorente, their nieces,Flora and Remedios Orbeta, María López,Dr. Liongson and his wife, Sra. NunilonVentura, Dr. Eliseo Santos and his wife,Sra. Belén Ventura, África Ventura, D.Anselmo Singián and his wife, Sra. PazSoler, María Hizón, Trinidad Limson deHizón, Dr. Honorio Ventura, AureaOcampo, Marcelina Limson and many oth-ers brought us to the train station.

Those among us who left for Manilawere my Pepe and I, my parents-in-law,Don Florentino and Doña Sabina, my sis-ters-in-law, Alejandra, Pilar, Rosita, mybrother, Francisco, Gliceria AvelinoRosario, Doña Josefa vda. de Genato.Moreover, I brought with me two womenamong my tenants to serve as maids andSabas de los Santos to be our cook. Whenwe arrived at Tutuban Station, my broth-ers-in-law Manuel, Luís and Antonio werethere to meet us. From there, we went tothe house of my parents-in-law where theyhad prepared a grand dinner. Rested fromthe fatigue of the trip and after dinner, myPepe and I took an automobile with thethree household help, to our home onGastambide Street Number 92, Sampaloc.

On the next pages are the gifts that wereceived on our wedding day. There are stillmany lacking inasmuch as I have been un-

able to note down exactly all the gifts sincethey are piled up in the mezzanine of myPepe. I will only put those that I have beenable to list and these are the following:

From the groom D. José Torres Vergara,a set of diamonds, the entire trousseau inwhite, a pink gown for after the wedding, abeautiful closet with beveled mirror, a grandmatrimonial bed and a pair of big white pil-lows.Hon. D. Florentino Torres, Justice of the Su-preme Court of the Philippines, a completeset of black Vienna chairs with a marble table,a sofa and four chairs.Da. Sabina Vergara de Torres, an elegant sil-ver coin purse for ladies.Srtas. Alejandra, Pilar and Rosita de Torres,two beautiful images, one of the Sacred Heartof Jesus and the other of the Sacred Heart ofMary in an exquisitely and elegantly decoratedglass case.D. Manuel Torres, a dozen black Vienna chairs.D. Luís Torres, a dining table of narra and arefrigerator.Da. Soledad Gómez de Torres, a dozen em-broidered linen handkerchiefs and a pair ofwaste baskets.Dr. Gregorio Singián, a complete set of beau-tiful fine European crystal glasses.D. Joaquín Singián, a magnificently elegantsilver pitcher with a silver glass.D. Francisco Singián, a set of a beautiful wash-stand in green crystal.Da. Encarnación Singián de Lazatín, a dozenelegant and capricious oxidized tableware ina beautiful case.Srta. Gliceria Avelino Rosario, a lovely dishof fine plaster of Paris, an embroidered silkbedcover and a pair of pillows all in pink.Hon. Victorino Mapa, Justice of the SupremeCourt of the Philippines, a big and beautifulsilver set of cruets, very capricious.Hon. Manuel Araullo, Judge of Manila, a setof elegant lacquered platters.Hon. Simplicio del Rosario, Judge of Manila,a silk cloth from China.Hon. Julio Llorente, Judge of the Fourth Dis-trict of Pampanga, a pair of elegant flower-pots on pedestals.Hon. M. Abreu, Judge of Manila, a big candytray of silver and crystal.Hon. Dr. Francisco Liongson, Governor ofPampanga, a pair of beautiful flowerpots onpedestals.Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, a big silver cof-fee service.Dr. Alemani and family, a silver sugar tray withits case.Dr. Aristón Bautista, a beautiful tray of very

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fine plaster of Paris.Dr. Miciano, two pairs of silver napkin hold-ers.D. Mariano Limjap, Sr., a set of very fine Eu-ropean crystals.Da.Carmen Ayala de Rojas, a dozen beautifuland elegant silver tableware.Sra. Vda. de Nacpil and children, an eleganttie clip of pearls and diamonds.Da. Ramona Valenzuela de Goyena, six Euro-pean chairs for dining.Ana Longos vda. de Zamora, a beautiful com-plete writing set in metal.Da. Pacita Longos, a beautiful and elegantivory fan with sequins.D. Carlos Cuyugan, a beautiful and elegantsilver coffee service.D. Manuel Cuyugan, a pair of paintings of Eu-ropean scenes.D. Máximo Paterno, a capricious table cen-terpiece in silver and crystal.D. Alfonso Tiaoqui, a modern American nickel-plated coffee service with a spout.D. Victorino Torres, a beautiful table clock.D. Tristo Goyena, an elegant silver tea ser-vice.D. Andrés Avelino Rosario, a complete set oftoilet case in ivory.D. Antonio Rojas, a beautiful pair of modernAmerican flowerpots.D. Antonio Brías, an elegant silver set of cru-ets.D. Antonio Constantino, a dozen elegant sil-ver tableware.D. Antonio Mapa, a precious silver butter dishtray.D. Joaquín Longos, a very fine Japanese teaservice.D. Faustino Lichauco, a capricious silver cardholder case.D. Crisanto Lichauco, an elegant silver teaservice.D. Gregorio Valenzuela, a beautiful silver but-ter dish tray.D. Generoso Roño, a precious crystal decanter.D. Benito Legarda, Jr., a precious set of crys-tal tobacco container engraved with silver bor-ders.D. Leopoldo Brías y Rosas, a beautiful greenfan-shaped decanter.D. Melecio Aguirre, a pair of artistic crystalapple green flowerpots.D. Manuel Gómez, a beautiful Japanese cof-fee service.D. Pablo Tuason, denim cloth.D. Mariano Monroy, a toilet case for men.D. Felipe Buencamino, a nickel-plated coffeeservice in modern American style.Da. Josefa vda. de Genato, a silver sugar tray

and a set of cruets in metal.Da. Juana vda. de Chuidian, a pair of elegantand beautiful Japanese earthen jars.Da. Genoveva Ángeles, an expensive linentablecloth with twelve linen napkins.Da. Sotera Vergara, a precious inkwell in crys-tal and metal.Da. Concepción Vergara, a precious suitingmaterial.Da. Sofía Reyes de Veyra, a capricious set ofdesert tray in silver.Da. Trinidad Paterno de Gabriel, twelveglasses and twelve cups in fine crystal.Da. Carmen Zaragoza de Araneta, a toilet trayin painted wood.Da. Fermina Gómez, a big pitcher with twopink crystal glasses for the evening.Da. Tula Pardo de Tavera, a set of salt shak-ers with teaspoons.Da. Leonarda vda. de Lontoc, a pair of oilpaintings with European scenes.Srta. Belen Gómez, a dozen elegant and fineJapanese cups for coffee and a dozen cups forchocolate with saucers.D. José B. Henson, a beautiful lacquered writ-ing desk for ladies.D. Perfecto Gabriel, an elegant pocket watchand an Ilocos blanket.D. Catalino Concepción, a complete set of sil-ver tableware with a case.D. José Reyes, a capricious dresser set of metaland silver with a mirror.D. Joaquín Zamora, a pair of capricious lac-quered Japanese paintings.D. Valeriano Valdezco, a capricious pink cardholder case of metal and crystal.D. Manuel Ramírez, a set of fine desert knives.D. Vicente Gana, a complete set of very fineJapanese tea service.D. Salvador Zaragoza, a capricious silver cardholder.D. Joaquín Herrera, a pair of elegant Japa-nese pillows.D. Pío Trinidad, a pair of beautiful Japaneseflowerpots.D. Castor Castilla, an inkwell of metal and crystal.D. Eulogio Revilla, an artistic table clock.D. Manuel Revilla, half a dozen metal table-ware.D. Francisco Revilla, an elegant Russian cof-fee service.D. Mariano Limjap, Jr., an elegant wash basinset of fine plaster of Paris in green.D. Enrique Brías Coya, a wide and elegantfruit tray with encrusted glass.D. Pedro Sequía, an expensive Panama hat withlinen, one piece.D. Vicente Reyes, a magnificent silver tea ser-vice, in relief.

D. Vicente López, a beautiful centerpiece ofsilver and crystal.D. Luís Castro, a capricious metal inkwell, witha very artistic shape.D. Francisco Natividad, a magnificent silverice bucket.D. Ramón Gómez, a dozen very beautiful tow-els and two turkeys.D. Darío Eleesegui, various boxes of expen-sive brand named perfumes.D. Severino Alverto, a pair of busts made fromplaster of Paris.D. Vicente L. Tormento, a beautiful silver de-canter.D. Gaudencio Eleesegui, an elegant crystal teaservice.D. Manuel Iriarte, a set of silver dishes forsugar and milk.D. Manuel Zamora, an artistic silver flower-pot.D. Honorio Ventura, an elegant case contain-ing silver sets for ladies.D. Basilio Ocampo, a decanter set of whitecrystal.D. Ricardo Véles, a dresser set.D. Godofredo Rodríguez, a silver toothpickholder.D. Manuel Rodríguez, a capricious card holderin pink crystal.Hon. Ignacio Villamor, Fiscal General, a pocketwatch and a table clock.Da. Amelia de Revilla, a dozen very fine glassesand a dozen cups.D. Vicente Alberto, an elegant case for men.D. José Paterno and brothers, a big silver fruittray.D. José Monroy, a pair of elegant apple greenpedestals with flowerpots.D. Tomás Argüelles, a pair of elegant applegreen pedestals with flowerpots.D. Oscar Soriano, Fiscal of Pampanga, a com-plete Japanese tea service very fine.D. Felino Hizon, an artistic gilt-bronze tableclock.D. Anselmo Singián, a set of beer service ofthick engraved gilt crystal.D. José Leoncio de León, a crystal card holderin pink.D. Teófilo Carpio, some Japanese slabs.Da. Belén Ventura, a beer service of crystalwith a pitcher, six glasses and a tray.Da. Victoria vda. de Hizon, a silver butter dishdish, with dedication.Da. Librada Rodríguez, a small metal case withpink satin lining.Srta. Isabel Liongson, an elegant parasol withsilk embroidery in milky brown.Srta. Elisa Tamayo, a capricious metal jew-elry box with pink satin lining.Srta. Arsenia Alfaro, an elegant Japanese teaservice, very fine.Srta. Carmen Pecson, an artistically elegantembroidered handkerchief of English lace.From the organization, La Gente Alegre deSan Fernando, Pampanga, a huge case linedwith blue satin containing a complete tableservice in silver and white crystal, with a heart-felt dedication and a silver plaque on whichare engraved the names of the donors, mem-bers of the Society.

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The Early PrincipaliaSince San Fernando was carved out of Mexico and Bacolor, it is

no surprise that the old families of San Fernando find their rootsin either town. According to some sources, the first families ofSan Fernando included the surnames Arrozal, Catacutan and David.In fact, from 1755 to 1799, these three families produced themost number of gobernadorcillos, with Don Vidal de Arrozal serv-ing as the first town chief executive in 1755. The surname Davidappears six times in the list of gobernadorcillos, a sign of the im-portance of the clan in the early stages of the development of SanFernando, while the Arrozal and Catacutan, as well as the Dizon,families have three each. Also appearing early in the list are theCunanan, Yutuc, de los Angeles, Singian and Singian de Miranda,

The Grand Old Families

of San FernandoBy Ivan Anthony Henares

Concepcion, Lacson, Tuason, Miranda and de Miranda, and Dayritclans with two each. Many of San Fernando’s first gobernadorcilloshad actually served in the same capacity in Bacolor before SanFernando was separated from it.

From 1800 to 1897 when the Philippine Revolutionary Gov-ernment seized control from Spain, the Henson surname was mostprolific, appearing 13 times in the list. This was followed by Dizonwith nine, Singian and Singian de Miranda with six, and Dayrit andDavid with five each.Rise to Prominence

Many of the current old families saw their influence strengthenduring the latter part of the 1800s and the early 1900s. Althoughmany old names remained, new families saw a rise to prominence,

many with surnames from other towns of Pampangaas a result of intermarriages. Other old families ofSan Fernando moved to other towns as well, such asthe de Miranda and Henson families as a result of thecreation of Angeles. Many Angeles families actuallytrace their roots to San Fernando such as the AbadSantos, Dayrit, Tayag, and Pamintuan clans. OtherAngeles families such as the Lazatins, trace their rootsto Mexico similar to their counterparts in SanFernando.

Here are a few of the old surnames which aredistinctively from or have made an indelible mark inthe history of San Fernando:

The family of Don Serafin Lazatin and Doña Encarnacion Singian with children Cristino Ester L. Rivera, Corazon, Remedios L.Panlilio, Anita, Consuelo L. Madrigal, Jesus and Carmen. (Lazatin Family)

SoteroBaluyut

AntonioConsunji

Quirino Abad Santos

SalvadorAbad Santos

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Abad Santos – Their forebearsare Vicente Abad Santos andToribia Basco; their children are[1] Pedro Abad Santos, assembly-man and socialist founder andleader; [2] Emilia Abad Santoswhose husband Major Isabelo delRosario was executed by theAmericans; [3] Ireneo AbadSantos; [4] Escolastica AbadSantos; [5] San Fernando Munici-pal President Antonio Abad Santos who married Ramona Teopaco;[6] Josefa Abad Santos; [7] Jose Abad Santos, Secretary of Jus-tice, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and World War II martyr,who married Amanda Teopaco; [9] Judge Quirino Abad Santos;and [10] Court of Appeals Justice Salvador Abad Santos. Theirgrandchildren include Agapito del Rosario, mayor of Angeles andWorld War II martyr; Vicente Abad Santos, Secretary of Justice;and Court of Appeals Justice Quirino Abad Santos, Jr.. One oftheir great-grandchildren, Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madri-gal, is an incumbent member of the Philippine Senate.

Baluyut – A Chinese mestizo clan descended from LeoncioBaluyut and Casimira Julao; their claim to fame is civil engineerSotero J. Baluyut, who was Pampanga governor, Secretary of theInterior and also Public works, and the only Philippine senatorborn in San Fernando.

Consunji – Another Chinese mestizo clan; they are descendedfrom Ignacio Consunji and Feliciana Espino. Two of their chil-dren were active in the Philippine Revolution with Don AntonioConsunji serving as presidente municipal of San Fernando duringthe Philippine Revolution and his brother Fr. Jose Consunji rec-ognized as one of the revolutionary clergy. Don Antonio was amongthose persecuted as a result of the 1892 visit of Dr. Jose Rizal toSan Fernando. As incumbent gobernadorcillo of San Fernando,he was removed from his post together with Mexico

gobernadorcillo Ruperto Lacsamana for their involvement in theRizal visit.

The children of Don Antonio with Natalia Soriano are [1] TomasConsunji who married Florencia Lerma Jose; [2] Rosario Consunjiwho married Simeon Ocampo; [3] Manuel Consunji who marriedValentina del Rosario and later Elena Palacios; [4] SocorroConsunji who married Gregorio Singian Dayrit; and [5] JoseConsunji who married Maria Feliciano. Sister M. DorothyConsunji, OSB is a daughter of Jose Consunji.

Cuyugan – The surname is the abstract form of the noun cuyug(friend). According to an account written by Judge AntonioCuyugan, Don Agustin Cuyugan was the chieftain of San Felipewhen the community was “discovered” by a Spanish friar whousually stopped over in his house on the way to Mexico. When thefriar organized the town of San Fernando, he baptized the chief-tain Agustin in honor of Saint Augustine, and named his barrio SanFelipe in honor of King Philip II of Spain. His two sons were giventhe names Agustin and Teobaldo. The friar became the first par-ish priest of San Fernando. When he was called back to Manila, hetook Teobaldo with him where he became proficient in theologyand canon law. When his protector became Archbishop of Manila,Teobaldo was made the first secular secretary of the archbishopric.This office would be inherited by his son Don Vicente Cuyugan.Teobaldo is the ancestor of the Cuyugans in Ermita and other parts

Prominent sugar planter Don Joaquin Dayrit and family (Dayrit Family)

Vivencio Cuyugan Cecilio HilarioFelisa Dayrit Zoilo HilarioAmando Dayrit

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of Manila.The elder son, Agustin, remained in San Felipe and would be

the ancestor of the Cuyugans in Pampanga. He would becomegobernadorcillo of San Fernando in 1838, and again in 1847. DonAgustin married Juana Lazatin of Mexico. Among their children isEduardo Cuyugan who married Crispina Pamintuan. Their chil-dren are [1] Juana Cuyugan who married Florencio de los Santos,whose children would form the Santos Cuyugan clan of San Juan;[2] Saturnino P. Cuyugan who married Antonia Y. Baron, whoseson, Vivencio B. Cuyugan, became the first Socialist mayor of thePhilippines; [3] Buenaventura Cuyugan who married TrinidadHizon de Leon, who had two children [a] Judge Antonio Cuyuganwho married Macaria Roque; and [b] Ma. Paz Cuyugan who mar-ried Joaquin Singian Dayrit; and [4] Agustin Cuyugan who mar-ried Nicolasa de Castro, and later Honorata Landingin.

David – One of the biggest clans of Pampanga. Since the namehas been in use for centuries, it is difficult to document the inter-relationships between the different David clans.

Dayrit – This is one of the bigger San Fernando clans, whichhad several instances of intermarriage with the Singian clan. Thusit can be said that most of the Dayrits of San Fernando are Singiansas well. There are three main Dayrit branches in San Fernando,

namely the Santo Rosario branch, descendants of Don FlorentinoDayrit and Doña Antonina Pamintuan; the San Jose branch, de-scendants of Don Fabian Dayrit and Doña Fulgencia Juan, andthe Calulut branch, descendants of Don Marcelo Dayrit and DoñaAngelina del Rosario.

Among the members of the Santo Rosario Branch are theirchildren [1] Eulogia Dayrit who married Gregorio Dayrit Dizon;[2] Basilia Dayrit who married Ramon Perez Herrera; [3] CelsoDayrit who married Marcelina Limjuco; [4] Jose Dayrit; [5]Florentino Dayrit who married Juana del Val; [6] Nicetas Dayritwho married Felisa Ocampo; [7] Nicolasa Dayrit who married Dr.Vicente Hizon Panlilio; and [8] Felisa Dayrit who married Fran-cisco Singian. Nicolasa and Felisa Dayrit, as well as MarcelinaLimjuco were active in the Philippine Revolution.

Among the major sub-branches is the Panlilio clan, heirs ofDoña Nicolasa and Don Vicente Panlilio, who include Archt. PabloD. Panlilio and Ambassador Luis D. Panlilio. Also in this branchare goiter surgeon Dr. Aurelio L. Dayrit, and daughter Amelita K.Dayrit-Guevara. (Please see also Singian below)

The San Jose Branch includes the heirs of revolutionaryMariano Dayrit and Maria Singian, who include children [1]Constancia Dayrit de Yuzon; [2] Gregorio Dayrit who married

Socorro Consunji; [3] Florentino Dayrit whomarried Juana Galang; [4] local culinary ex-pert Salud Dayrit who married DemetrioSantos; [5] Soledad Dayrit; [6] prominent sugarplanter Joaquin Dayrit who married PazCuyugan and later Trinidad Canlas; [7] anotherculinary expert Francisco Dayrit who marriedSerapia Bondoc and later Rosalia Dizon; and[8] Jose Dayrit who married Honorata David.Also in the branch are renowned pre-war col-

Hizon women in a 1976 pictorial organized by famous couturier Gang Gomez y Hizon (a.k.a. Dom Martin de Jesus, OSB): (leftto right) Sally V. Hizon, Dominadora S. Hizon, Eloisa H. Gomez, Lourdes P. Hizon, Aurora H. Lagman, Corazon H. Dizon andCleofe C. Hizon (Du Hizon)

Anacleto Hizon Fernando Ocampo Gregorio SingianCristino Singian

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umnist Amando G. Dayrit, conchologist Fernando Dayrit, libraryscience authority Marina G. Dayrit, Archt. Tirso D. Dayrit, televi-sion director Trina N. Dayrit and actress Judy Ann Santos. DonMariano’s older brother Pablo married Juliana Nepomucemo fromAngeles. Their children include Doña Carmen Dayrit-Tayag andMayor Clemente N. Dayrit. Thus, the Tayag and Dayrit clans ofAngeles find their roots in the San Jose branch of the Dayrits ofSan Fernando.

The Calulut Branch includes [1] revolutionary Juan Dayrit whoactually has a “lost” street in the poblacion named after him(Dayrit Street is currently part of the old public market. Mostpeople do not know it is a street since it is covered by a roof andconnects Consunji Street with Tiomico Street. In old maps, it isknown as Del Pulgar Street), and [2] Maria Restituta Dayrit whomarried Gil Angeles. Among the descendants of Don Juan are car-diologist and virgin coconut oil scientist Dr. Conrado Dayrit, HealthSecretary Manuel M. Dayrit, and chemist Dean Fabian “Toby”Dayrit of the School of Science and Engineering, Ateneo de ManilaUniversity.

Dizon – One of the known roots of the large Dizon clan is theunion of Don Doreteo Dizon, gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in1831 and 1836, with Doña Josefa Paras Henson. Their childreninclude [1] Meliton Dizon; [2]Candido Froilan Dizon,gobernadorcillo from 1857-1858, who married JuanaDayrit; [3] Fr. Victor Dizon(del Moral); [4] ManuelaDizon who married LicerioPanlilio; [5] Ignacia Dizon;[6] Tomas Dizon who marriedFlorencia Singian deMiranda; and [7] Juana Dizonwho married SimplicioMendiola.

The children of DonCandido are [1] FelicianaDizon who married JoseRosendo Henson; [2] PedroDizon who married RamonaNepomuceno; [3] GeronimoDizon who married Serapia del Rosario; [4] Gregorio Dizon whomarried Eulogia Pamintuan Dayrit; [5] Urbando Dizon; and [6]Segundo Dizon who married Agueda Dizon. San Fernando mayorand Pampanga governor Urbano D. Dizon is a son of Segundo.

Don Vicente Dizon, gobernadorcillo in 1800, 1821, 1825 and1829 may have been the father of Don Doroteo. Other Dizongobernadorcillos were Don Maximo Dizon in 1823 and Don CiriacoDizon in 1824.

The children of Don Tomas are [1] Mariano Dizon; [2] ManuelDizon who married Isabel Gomez; [3] Maria Carmen Dizon; [4]Macario Dizon; [5] Anacleta Dizon who married Juan del RosarioDayrit; [6] Felix Dizon who married Felisa Ayson; [7] CayetanoDizon who married Agripina de Jesus; [8] Filomena Dizon whomarried Placido David; [9] and Jose Maria Dizon who marriedElena Samea.

Eusebio – The clan descended from Don Andres Eusebio andAsuncion L. Santos. (Please see Santos) Their children include [1]Dr. Jesus Eusebio who married Josefina Buyson; [2] EugenioEusebio who married Paquita Villareal; [3] Tobbie Eusebio whomarried Alice Normandy; and [4] Posiong Eusebio. Asuncion L.Santos is the daughter of Teodoro Santos Sr. and Inocencia HizonLorenzo, a grandchild of Don Vicente Hizon.

Henson – Another of the larger families, the known roots ofthe clan are brothers Don Francisco Henson whose descendantsmostly settled in San Fernando; and Don Severino Henson,gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in 1806 and 1815, whose descen-

dants are the early citizens of Angeles. Another possible sibling isDon Domingo Henson, gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in 1808.The children of Don Francisco with Ana David are [1] Don ManuelPasion Henson, gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in 1826, 1833and 1859, who married Macaria Arceo; and [2] Don Fermin Hensonwho married Teodora Pamintuan. The children of Severino withPlacida Paras are [1] Doña Josefa Henson who married DoroteoDison; [2] Don Mariano Henson who married Doña Juna Ildefonsade Miranda, daughter of Angeles founder Don Angel Pantaleon deMiranda; and [3] Doña Maria Arcadia Henson who married MaximoFeliciano and later Anacleto del Rosario.

Hilario – This clan descended from Anastacio Hilario and MariaTuason of Palawi, San Juan. Children include revolutionary gov-ernor of Pampanga Tiburcio Hilario and Masonic leader and revo-lutionary Cecilio Hilario. Don Tiburico’s children include CeferinoHilario and Zoilo Hilario, who both served as judges and mem-bers of the House of Representatives. Don Zoilo was also an ac-complished and recognized poet laureate. His children includeAmbassador Rafaelita Hilario-Soriano and academician Dr.Evangelina Hilario-Lacson.

Hizon – The San Fernando branch of this Chinese mestizo clanare descendants of Don Tomas Hizon and Doña Marcelina Santiago,

a wealthy couple fromMalabon. Don VicenteHizon, the eldest of the sixchildren of the couple, to-gether with his brother DonFelipe Hizon, became trad-ers and businessmen inPampanga, traveling fromMalabon on a casco thatreached Mexico, Pampanga.Don Vicente married DoñaPaula David, the daughter ofDon Juan Custodio Davidand Doña Rosa Liwanag. Afew years later, Don Felipemarried the younger sister ofDoña Paula, Doña Ana David.

Another of the biggerclans of San Fernando, the

nucleus of the San Fernando branch was formed by the union ofDon Anacleto Hizon, the third child of Don Vicente, and DoñaVictoria Singian de Miranda. Their children are [1] FranciscoHizon, municipal president of San Fernando from 1900 to 1901,who married Trinidad Limson but were childless; [2] FlorentinoS. Hizon, who married Juana Henson (their ancestral house wasdeclared a heritage house by the National Historical Institute andis currently owned by the heirs of Don Vicente Panlilio and DoñaNicolasa Dayrit); Luisa Hizon who married Joaquin Singian;Leoncia Hizon who married Basilio Ocampo (please see Ocampo);Maria Hizon, a volunteer of the Philippine Red Cross during therevolution; Ramon Hizon who married Maria Paras; Felisa Hizon,another member of the Junta Patriotica de San Fernando whomarried Luis Wenceslao Dison; and Victoria Hizon who marriedGodofredo Rodriguez. The ancestral house of Don Anacleto Hizonand Doña Victoria Singian was declared a heritage house by theNational Historical Institute. Among the many notable Hizon de-scendants are modernist architect Fernando H. Ocampo, MayorRodolfo P. Hizon, Bishop Federico O. Escaler, S.J., Vice MayorEligio H. Lagman and businessman Gerry H. Rodriguez.

The Mexico branch of the Hizon clan intermarried with SanFernando families as well. (Please see Teopaco, Eusebio and Santos)

Lazatin – A major branch of the Singian clan, descendants ofDon Bernandino Singian de Miranda (please see below), the mem-bers of the Lazatin clan are the heirs of Don Serafin Lazatin ofMexico and Doña Encarnacion Singian, one of the members of

Don Florentino Dayrit and Doña Antonina Pamintuan, ancestors ofthe Sto Rosario branch of the Dayrit clan

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the Junta Patriotica de San Fernando. Their children are [1] Dr.Cristino Lazatin who was the first surgeon to perform open-heartsurgery in the country, [2] Ester Lazatin-Rivera; [3] CorazonLazatin-Pecson; [4] Remedios Lazatin-Panlilio; [5] Anita Lazatin;[6] Consuelo Lazatin-Madrigal; [7] civic leader and businessmanJesus Lazatin; and [8] Carmen Lazatin. The Lazatin House wasrecently declared a heritage house by the National Historical In-stitute.

Another Lazatin branch in San Fernando are descendants ofJose Lazatin, younger brother of Don Serafin, and DeseadaTeopaco. (Please see Teopaco)

LimjucoOcampo – One sub-branch of this clan are descendants of

Basilio Ocampo and Leoncia Hizon. Their children are [1] AureaOcampo who married Jose Escaler; [2] renowned architectFernando H. Ocampo who married Lourdes Luciano; [3] RicardoOcampo who married Elvira Vernia; [4] Rosario Ocampo; [5] Pi-lar Ocampo who married Claro Feliciano; [6] Victoria Ocampo;[7] Sister Avelina Ocampo; [8] Purita Ocampo who married Fran-cisco Gamboa Sr.; and [9] Ma. Nieves Ocampo. Grandchildren ofthe couple include businessmen Ernesto Escaler and ManuelEscaler, and Bishop Federico O. Escaler, S.J.

Another is the family of Angel Ocampo and Juana Hizon. Theirchildren are [1] San Fernando municipal president ClementeOcampo, who married Marta Santos but were childless; [2] SimeonOcampo who married Rosario Consunji; [3] Felisa Ocampo whomarried Nicetas Dayrit; and [4] Lucila Ocampo who marriedPonciano Henson.

Santos – The clan descended from Don Teodoro Santos, Sr.and Doña Inocencia Hizon Lorenzo. Their children include [1]Teodoro Santos, Jr. who married Africa Ventura; [2] Amado Santoswho married Beatriz Ocampo; [3] Mercedes Santos who marriedTomas Paras; [4] Bartola Santos who married Arsenio Dizon; and[5] Asuncion Santos who married Andres Eusebio (Please seeEusebio and Hizon). The children of Teodoro, Jr. are [1] AfriquitaSantos who married Dr. Alfredo Angeles; [2] Teodoro V. SantosIII; and [3] Ernesto Santos who married Teresita Revilla.

Santos (Ferre Santos) – The patriarch of this clan, Don EstebanFerre Santos, was a brother of Don Vicente Abad Santos, thepatriarch of the Abad Santos clan. They both annexed prefixes to

their surnames to distinguish one clanfrom the other given that the Santos sur-name was very common. However, Ferrewas dropped in later generations. Thechildren of Esteban Ferre Santos withAnastacia David are [1] Victor Santoswho married Andrea Gopez; [2]Fernando Santos who married ApoloniaLising; [3] Jose Santos who marriedJuliana Makabale; and [4] Juana Santoswho married Mariano David.

Santos (Leon Santos) – Another ofthe many Santos surnames in SanFernando, they are descendants of DonFrancisco Paula de los Santos and DoñaLuisa Gonzaga de Leon of Bacolor (whowas the country’s first woman author).The San Fernando branch are descen-dants of their grandson Don MarianoLeon Santos y Joven, municipal presi-dent of San Fernando from 1902-1903,and Doña Higina Pecson of Mexico. Forthe longest time, the family had usedthe surname Leon y Santos/Leon Santoswhich is actually a combination of thesurnames de los Santos and de Leon. This

later evolved into Santos Joven. Current generations use simplySantos.

Singian – If in Bacolor, many prominent families have Jovenblood, the Singian family would be their closest counterpart inSan Fernando having intermarried with the equally large Dayritand Hizon clans. Among its more prominent branches is the Lazatinfamily. In fact, most Dayrits and Hizons from San Fernando haveSingian blood. (Please see also Dayrit, Hizon, Lazatin andOcampo).

One branch of Singians are descendants of Don BernardinoSingian de Miranda, gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in 1844,1849, 1861-1862 and 1874-1875.. Children from his first wife Fa-biana de Ocampo are [1] Don Cristino Singian de Miranda whomarried Doña Angela Torres of Sto. Tomas; [2] Doña DoloresSingian de Miranda; and [3] Doña Victoria Singian de Mirandawho married Don Anacleto Hizon. The children of Don Cristinoare [1] Maxima Singian; [2] Benito Singian; [3] Severino Singian;[4] Joaquin Singian who married Luisa Hizon; [5] Ma. Pilar Singian;[6] Rufina Singian; [7] Fernando Singian; [8] Vicente Singian;[9] world-renowned pre-war sugeon Dr. Gregorio Singian; [10]Filomena Singian; [11] Ma. Consolacion Singian; [12] FranciscoSingian who married Felisa Pamintuan Dayrit; [13] Ma. PazSingian; and [14] Ma. Encarnacion Singian who married DonSerafin Lazatin.

Another branch of Singians may have descended from DonSerapio Singian de Miranda, gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in1845.

Salgado – Descendants of Don Joaquin Salgado and DoñaFilomena Basilio, whose children include [1] Teodora Salgado-Ulmann, an active participant of the Philippine Revolution; [2]Juana Salgado-Angeles; [3] Joaquin Salgado; [4] HonorioSalgado; and [5] Francisco Salgado.

Teopaco – This clan had two instances of intermarriage withthe Abad Santos family. They were descendants of revolutionaryDon Pedro Teopaco and Doña Miguela Hizon, a sister of Gen.Maximino Hizon. Their children include [1] Quirino Teopaco whomarried Pepita Dayrit but were childless; [2] Amanda Teopacowho married Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos; [3] Ramona Teopacowho married Antonio Abad Santos, the older brother of Jose andformer municipal president of San Fernando; and [4] DeseadaTeopaco who married Jose Lazatin. (Please see Abad Santos)

Children of Don Cristino Singian de Miranda and Doña Angela Torres (Singian Family)

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The family of Pio Rafael Nepomuceno and Maria Agustina Henson (seated,second row, fourth from right). Capitan Juan G.Nepomuceno is in the fourth row, sixth from left. Juan D. Nepomuceno is seated in the front row, second from left. Phototaken in 1903.

THE GREAT CLANS OF ANGELES

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Most of the great clans in Angeles de-scended from the pioneer settlers of barrioCuliat starting late 1700s or around the timeDon Angel Pantaleon de Miranda began orga-nizing his new pueblo. Many of them wereoriginally from San Fernando, like the Dayritsand the Hensons, and a few from elsewhere,like the Nepomucenos. It is interesting to notethat almost all the subdivisions in the city havebeen named after the scions of these old fami-lies, examples of which are L&S (Lazatin-Singian), Essel or SL Park (Singian-Lazatin),Villas Gloria, Angela and Angelina (Lazatin),Villa Teresa (Nepomuceno), Carmenville(Carmen Dayrit Tayag), etc. Here are a fewof these celebrated clans of Angeles:

Henson - The “mother of all clans,” probablythe most extensive family network in Ange-les. Historian Mariano A. Henson wrote that“All Hensons are Pampangos and they areclosely related to each other” and that themale Hensons all have the typical “mediumstature, lightly stooping shoulders, recedinghairline after middle age, taciturn disposi-tion.” The earliest recorded Henson was LuisMariano Henson who acquired a doctorate intheology from the University of Santo Tomasin 1778 and became parish priest of Ermita.Probably of Chinese lineage, the Hensons livedin Betis (already existing at the time the Span-iards came in 1571); there was a CalixtoHenson recorded in that ancient town.

The lanzones of Angeles were brought in from the Southern Tagalog Region inthe 19th century by Pio Rafael Nepomuceno. It is not clear if he brought theseedlings during courtship or when he was already married to Agustina Henson,but romantics insist he started bringing the fruits as gifts to his girlfriend and herfamily; thus, the lanzones played a role in convincing Agustina to eventually acceptPio’s marriage proposal.

The first seedlings were planted in the front lawn of the Nepomuceno mansionalong Sto.Rosario Street; today, lanzon trees from those original seedlings can beseen in backyards of old houses and inside Villa Teresa, which used to be the or-chard of Don Juan Nepomuceno’s wife, Teresa. A few lanzones are found in Ange-les’ immediate neighbors Mabalacat, Manibaug and Telabastagan, but not beyond.

There’s something about theseslow-growing trees with gnarled branchesand drooping leaves

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Don Andres Ganzon and Doña Brigida Aquino Ganzon(Servillano’s sister), and their brood (Fiestang Kuliat ’93 SouvenirProgram)

Calixto’s uncles Severino and Francisco Henson lived in SanFernando; the historian explained that since San Fernando wasestablished only in 1754, the younger Calixto may have had amore ancient lineage than his uncles. Meanwhile, Calixto’s con-temporary, Fermin Henson, started the Henson clan in Baliti, SanFernando. The Hensons of Angeles are migrants from both SanFernando and Baliti. Francisco Henson’s descendants include theLazatins, while Severino Henson’s include the martyrs Isabeloand Agapito del Rosario, and Mariano Henson who, by marryingthe daughter of Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda, spun off a wholegalaxy of illustrious families such as the Nepomucenos, the Aquinos,the Quiasons, the Suarezes, the Dizons, etc. (R. Tantingco)Source: The Hensons of Pampanga by Mariano A. Henson, 1948

Nepomuceno - The Nepomucenos originated in the Southern Ta-galog Region; they branched out in Angeles in 1847 when a Taga-log ex-seminarian from Lucban, Quezon, Pio Rafael Nepomucenoy Villaseñor, a lawyer’s son, married his best friend’s sister, MariaAgustina Henson y Miranda, daughter of Don Mariano Henson,the first Filipino doctor of laws and granddaughter of Don Pantaleonde Miranda, the town’s founder. Pio Rafael left his family in Lucbanand chose to settle in Angeles, at one time serving as itsgobernadorcillo. He died at age 40 (his wife was only 30 at thetime). One of his children, Juan Gualberto Nepomuceno, alsobecame a capitan municipal (hence he came to be known asCapitan Juan) and delegate to the first Malolos Congress (1898)which framed the Constitution of the first Philippine Republic.Capitan Juan’s son (by second wife Aurea Paras) and namesake,Don Juan De Dios Nepomuceno, also became town mayor anddelegate to the 1934-35 Constitutional Convention in Malolos; itwas this branch of the family tree that gave Angeles its electricplant, ice plant, the country’s first Catholic school run by layper-sons, premier subdivision and commercial complex, including thepopular mall. Don Juan’s children are: Javier Jesus, Aureo Jose,Geromin Pedro, Juan Mamerto, Carmelo Patricio, TeresitaMarcela, Aurora Hilda, Flora Gracia, Josefina Marcela, and PedroPablo. Another son of Capitan Juan, Ricardo Nepomuceno, also be-came a town mayor; a grandson (by first wife), FranciscoNepomuceno, also served as mayor and provincial governor, whoseson Francis (“Blueboy”) is currently a member of the House ofRepresentatives. (R. Tantingco)

Aquino - Many people think that the great Aquino family Servillano Aquino Benigno Aquino, Sr. Benigno Aquino, Jr.

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originated in Tarlac province. An important branchof the Aquino (Akino) genealogy that is not so wellrecognized is the one that had its roots in Culiat, orAngeles.

The Aquinos are related to the Nepomucenos,Hensons, Aguilars, Hipolitos and Mirandas of Culiat.The only daughter of fundador Don Angel Pantaleonde Miranda, Doña Juana Ildefonsa, married DonMariano Henson (the country’s first lay Doctor ofLaws, 1824, UST), about the second decade of the1800s. One of their daughters was Juana PetronaHenson (b. April 27, 1834), who married DionisioAguilar y Hipolito. It was the daughter of the lattercouple, Maria Antonina Petrona Aguilar, who got mar-ried to a caballero from Concepcion (then still a puebloof Pampanga), Don Braulio Aquino y Lacsamana, onFebruary 24, 1873, barely two months before the prov-ince of Tarlac was created.

Their son, Serviliano (or Servillano), was born inAngeles on April 20, 1874. In his school records, es-pecially his secondary education (segunda enseñanza)at the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Santo Tomas

de Manila and the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, he identifiedhimself as a native of Angeles, Pampanga. In 1890, at 16 years ofage, he acquired his Titulo de Agrimensor y Perito Tasador deTierras (Land Surveyor and Expert Appraiser) and Titulo de PeritoMecanico (Expert Mechanic).

In mid-1899, when the Philippine Republic was experienc-ing its worst case of factionalism, President Emilio Aguinaldo foundhis strength in the town of Angeles, most especially with the sup-port of Gen. Serviliano Aquino and his relatives, who includedCapitan Juan Gualberto Nepomuceno, then the capitan-munici-pal pasado of Culiat. Gen. Serviliano’s sister Brigida was marriedto Don Andres Ganzon, son of Don Teofisto Ganzon, in whosehouse along Miranda Street Gen. Serviliano Aquino stayed during

Juan D. Nepomuceno with wife Teresa, children and children-in-laws

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Florentino Pamintuan (Val Sibal)

Florentino’s second wife Tomasa Centeno with Pamintuan children (left to right) Virginia, Imelda, Manuel, Ramon, Lucy, Mariano,Ofelia, Natividad, Paz, Jose. (Directory Descendants of Florentino Pamintuan)

President Aguinaldo’s so-journ in Angeles.

After the Revolutionand the Philippine-AmericanWar, Don Serviliano chosethe life of a farmer in Murciaand Concepcion (Tarlacprovince) where he raisedhis family that included hisson, Benigno Aquino Sr.,later a senator during theAmerican colonial period.Don Benigno became the fa-ther of Benigno “Ninoy”Aquino, whose assassinationin 1983 led to the PeoplePower Revolution that in-stalled his wife Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, as the President ofthe Philippines. (Lino Dizon)

Pamintuan - Their first traceable direct ancestor was AlejandroPamintuan, third gobernadorcillo of Angeles (after AngelPantaleon de Miranda and his son Ciriaco). He married TeodoricaDizon, had a son, Vicente, whose first wife was RaymundaCaligagan (their son Mariano became the father of Florentino,the patriarch of the Pamintuan Family) and second wife wasSeverina Pamintuan (their daughter Josefa married EstebanGomez, became mother to Teresa, the matriarch of the Juan D.Nepomuceno Family).

The Pamintuans are actually an ancient Kapampangan fam-ily whose ancestors include Augustin Pamintuan, one of the lead-ers of the Kapampangan revolt of 1660; Phelippe Sonsong, whowas martyred in Guam along with Pedro Calungsod, and is a po-tential candidate for beatification; Dionisia and CeciliaTalangpaz, founders of the Congregatin of the Augustinian Rec-

ollect Sisters and are in the process of beatification; and JeronimoSonsong, the longest-serving gobernadorcillo of Macabebe (re-elected for 10 terms, from 1671 to 1695).

Obviously the Pamintuans have branched out so widely it hasbecome somewhat difficult to trace the interconnections. Onefamily migrated to Davao decades ago and they have contributedimmensely to the city’s progress; other notable members of theclan are: fashion guru Patis Tesoro, Cabinet member EdgardoPamintuan, Mila Lane, Fr. Monching Quiogue, Ambassador Narcisa“Ching” Escaler, filmmaker Mike De Leon, filmmaker MarisaLloreda Catlin. (R. Tantingco)

De Jesus - The present generation of the De Jesus clan in Angeles,owners of several processional santos and carrozas, are not de-scendants of the Founder’s wife, Doña Rosalia de Jesus of BarrioSaguin, San Fernando. They descended from a Spanish (or Spanishmestizo) couple, Jose Sixto de Jesus and Apolonia Tablante, whosettled in Culiat and maintained vast farmlands in Manibaug, Porac.The couple had a dozen children: Jose Candido, Vicente,Mercedes, Felisa, Magdalena, Cecilio, Godofredo, Vicente,Eduarda, Trinidad, Isidora and the youngest, Maria Luz who, at101 years old, is the only surviving sibling. Most of the childrenplayed the piano, the most skilled of whom was Eduarda, whomarried a violinist doctor, Bernardo Samson.

Maria Luz (Lucing) married Meliton Ocampo, Sr., and togetherthey raised six children: Antonio, Soledad, Meliton , Jr., Fran-cisco, Apolonia and Ma. Luz (Lucy). All of them remained singleexcept Apolonia, who married Jesus Rojas of Tarlac, and Soledad,who married Eduardo Flores of Minalin. (R. Tantingco, based oninterview with Soledad Ocampo Flores)

Tayag - The prominent Tayag family descended from a humblecochero in Angeles, Segundo Tayag, and his wife Catalina TablanteRivera, a native of Malabon. The couple raised children who wenton to become doctors and judges: Jose Tayag (who married Carmen

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Dr. Jose Tayag and second wife Mercedes Narciso (seated, center) with children (front to back row, left to right) Filonina, Mayo,Guillermina, Victoria, Nolasco, Ludovico (twin), Luis, Renato (Katoks), Benjamin, Ricardo, Jose Jr., Enrique, Armentario, Clinioand Segundo (twin). (Dr. Nolasco Tayag)

Dr. Jose Tayag’s first wife, Carmen Nepomuceno Dayrit, withbrothers (left to right) Mariano, Clemente and Justino, circa1903. (Dr. Nolasco Tayag)

Dayrit, sister of his friend Clemente Dayrit and daughter of PabloDayrit and Juliana Nepomuceno, a daughter of Pio RafaelNepomuceno); Cornelio Tayag, who settled in Concepcion, Tarlac(a daughter, Alice Saldaña, owns the famous resort inGuimaras,Iloilo, Isla Naburot); Isidro Tayag, who served as a judgein Mabalacat and Magalang; Antonia Tayag, who taught inPampanga High School and later Holy Angel Academy; Anicia Tayag,who married Manuel Lazatin; and Loreto Tayag, who married Jose“Pitong” Panlilio, son of Don Alejandro Panlilio.

Jose Tayag became a doctor, and after he was widowed heflew to Paris to take up postgraduate studies in pediatrics (hewas among the first three licensed doctors to put up their re-spective clinics in Angeles, along with Dr. Clemente Dayrit andDr. Pacifico Panlilio, in 1910). He raised nine children by his firstwife (one girl followed by eight boys) who all went to PampangaHigh School and eventually established illustrious careers:Herminigildo Tayag (who was in the same class as DiosdadoMacapagal in 1929; Herminigildo graduated valedictorian whileDiosdado was only 4th); Benjamin Tayag, Renato “Katoks” Tayag(also class valedictorian in 1933; he became Ferdinando Marcos’roommate and partner in their law office, and later a noted jour-nalist, book author and Director of the Philippine National Bankfor 19 years); Dr. Ricardo Tayag, Luis Tayag, Dr. Nolasco Tayag(the only one still alive); Armentario Tayag and Atty. EnriqueTayag, who co-authored the Angeles City Charter. The only girlwas Mayo Tayag Zablan.

Jose Tayag had other children by second wife MercedesNarciso: Filonila T. Lansang (who owns Batis Azul), GuillerminaT. Rigor, Victoria T. Dychoco, the twins Ludovico and Segundo,and Jose Jr., as well as out of wedlock: Josefina Tayag Gonzales(by Roberta Tablante Paras), who originated the R.T. Paras Dress-

making School which eventually grew into a fashion empire; andClinio Tayag, a dentist.

The succeeding generations of Tayag include entrepreneursAbong Tayag and Carmen McTavish, visual artist/culinary ex-pert Claude Tayag, visual artist Ronnie Tayag, stand-up comicartist Tim Tayag, Anne Saldaña, manager of Isla Naburot resortsince 1988. (R. Tantingco, based on interview with Dr. NolascoTayag)

Paras - Like the Pamintuans, the Paras clan dates back to the

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Some of Modesto Paras’ children: (top photo, left to right, seated,Isabelo, Isabela, Julia, Jose; standing, Augusto, Catalina, Felicitas,and Modesto, Jr., taken on July 5, 1975. Lower photos, Roberta(of the R.T. Paras fame) and Francisco Paras (taken in 1942 afterhe completed the PC training course in Manila)

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Mrs. Avelina Evangelista

earliest days of the colonial period, probably even earlier. Thename means “spice” which is an apt description of the tempera-ment of the clan’s members, even to this day. Like most if not allthe pioneer families in Angeles, the Parases came from SanFernando, or from an area near the old barrio of Culiat, or fromCuliat itself when it was still a part of San Fernando. The wife ofSeverino Hengson (Henson), gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in1815, was Placida Paras; one of the first Filipino priests, BachillerDon Paulino Paras, and the first pastor of Angeles, Padre MacarioParas, were her ancestor and relative, respectively. One of theirdaughters, Maria Paras, married Anacleto del Rosario who wasthe forebear of Kapampangan hero Isabelo del Rosario (he playedthe violin moments before being executed by the Americans in1901) and Agapito del Rosario, Socialist mayor of San Fernandowho was executed by the Japanese in World War II. Another childof Placida Paras, Mariano Henson, was the first Filipino laymanto become a Doctor of Laws (and second Filipino lay doctor in anyfield). When he married Juana Ildefonsa de Miranda, daughter of

Angeles founder Don Angel Pantaleon deMiranda, he settled in Culiat (before itbecame Angeles town); his children in-cluded Petrona Henson (ancestor ofSevillano Aquino and the two BenignoAquinos), Mariano V. Henson (father ofJose “Don Pepe” Henson and ancestorof historian Mariano A. Henson and mostof the modern-day Hensons of Angeles)and Agustina Henson, who married PioRafael Nepomuceno and started the greatNepomuceno clan of Angeles.

From another branch of the Parasfamily, Agustina Henson’s contemporaries,Francisco Paras and Joaquina Gomez, hadthree children: Modesto Paras, and thesisters Juana Paras and Aurea Paras, whomarried the brothers Ysabelo Nepomucenoand Juan G. Nepomuceno, respectively(Ysabelo and Juana’s children wereMarcelina, Maxima and Susana, who mar-ried first cousin Clemente Dayrit).

Modesto Paras, who became a juezde paz of Angeles, married JulianaTablante; they had four children, namely,Roberta (who started the famous R. T.Paras couture house), Francisca, Isabela

(who became a Miss Angeles) and Jose (father of Amando andJiji Paras and grandfather of HAU College of Engineering DeanAbigail Paras Arcilla). When Juliana died, Modesto married hissecond wife, Maria Santos of Patling, Capas (she was a cousinof actress Vilma Santos’ paternal grandfather). Their childrenwere Julia P. Espiritu (mother of HAU faculty member Avelina“Belen” Evangelista), Francisco (Angeles chief of police inWorld War II), Isabelo, Eduardo, Modesto, Felicitas, Vicente,Catalina (pioneer student of HAU in 1933) and Augusto.

It is the story of Roberta Tablante Paras that must be re-told. She was, by all accounts, a woman of extraordinary tal-ent and character, very much ahead of hertimes. Even in her youth, her dressmak-ing skills had already made her asmall-town celebrity. She fell inlove with—and had a child by—thetown’s famous doctor, Jose Tayag,who was very much married toa scion of a prominent family,Carmen Nepomuceno Dayrit,sister of Dr. Clemente Dayrit

and granddaughter of PioRafael Nepomuceno andAgustina Henson. Disownedand driven out of the house byher father, Modesto Paras, shefled to Manila. Despite her preg-nancy and later, single parenthood,she managed to pull herself to-gether, open a small dressmakingshop in Quiapo in 1912 and inBinondo in 1918, and, because hertalent was truly extraordinary, shebecame popular in no time at all.Later she opened a dressmakingschool in Avenida.

Roberta Paras welcomed Dr.Tayag’s children to her house inManila during their schooling in the

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Rich landowner Sixto Timbol of Mexico; upper right, Gregorio Timbol, Sr.; lower right, weddingpicture of Gregorio Timbol, Sr. and Petronila Rivera (Archt. Greg Timbol)

University of the Philippines; she treated them like her own evenafter Dr. Tayag had been widowed and eventually taken a secondwife (Roberta’s stoic selflessness earned the affection of the Tayagchildren, which explains the warm ties that have endured evenbetween Roberta’s and Dr. Tayag’s descendants). Roberta’s daugh-ter by Jose, Josefina (who later married a Gonzales from Camiling,Tarlac), acquired her mother’s talent; it was she who brought thebig fame that Roberta’s couture house now enjoys (clients includeAurora Quezon, Cory Aquino, Imelda Cojuangco and GloriaMacapagal Arroyo). Josefina had two children, one of whom isRoy Gonzales, the Paris-based designer who became head de-signer for Jean Patou and Lecoanet-Hemant (the Versace and CalvinKlein of that period). (R. Tantingco, based on interview with Mrs.Avelina Evangelista)

Timbol – The starting point of the landed Timbol family of Angeleswas the wedding of Sixto Timbol (son of landowner RosendoTimbol of Mexico, Pampanga and Rosella Manalo of Concepcion,Tarlac) and Sixta Paras (daughter of landowner Pedro Paras andFlorentina Panlilio, both of Angeles and first cousin of ModestoParas). Sixto was born in 1855 and died in 1926; Sixta, on theother hand, was born in 1870 and died much later than his hus-band, in 1953. Their marriage produced 24 children, only 12 ofwhom survived beyond infancy. Those who grew up into adult-hood are: Dalmacio Timbol (married Rosa Pamintuan), AgripinoTimbol, Enrica Timbol (married Carlos Sandico, Sr.), Maria Timbol(married Ramon Diaz), physician Bernardo Timbol, Sr. (marriedMary Knapp), Mariano Timbol, Sr. (married Leoncia Manaloto),Atty. Dalmacio Timbol II (married Maria Guinio), accountant

Teofisto Timbol (married Hilariade Guzman), Gregorio Timbol Sr.(married Petronila Rivera of An-geles), Arcadia Timbol (marriedGeminio Dizon), Dr. AngeloTimbol (married Dr. ConsolacionCuyugan of Mabalacat) andCarmelino Timbol (marriedMercedes Cano, owner of the M.Cano Subdivision).

Teofisto Timbol’s childrenare Erlinda (married ManolingYap) and Lorenzo (marriedAsuncion Tablante). CarmelinoTimbol had only one child,Florante (owner of La Pieta Me-morial Park). Gregorio Timbol’schildren are: Yolanda (marriedJose Sandico of Mexico), Elisea(married Agusto Torres of Ange-les), architect/interior designerGregorio, Jr. (married PearlGallardo Singh of Zambales),Rodolfo (married Norma Basilio ofAngeles), Reynaldo (marriedFlorfina Capistrano of Cagayan deOro) and Benjamin (married CeliaFlores of Angeles).

Gregorio Timbol, Sr. (born1904) was a well known land-owner, sugar planter, PASUDECOstockholder and head of theConfederacin de los Hacienderosy Obreros, which advocated bet-ter terms for land tenants andgood relations with land owners.His campaign for 60%-40% sharing

for milled sugar in favor of landowners/sugar planters (insteadof the prevailing 50%-50% in which the milled sugar was equallydivided between the sugar central owners at PASUDECO and thelandowners/sugar planters who brought their harvests to thesugar central for milling) made him some kind of a folk hero notonly in Pampanga but in other provinces in Luzon (a 60% sharefor landowners meant more bonuses for their land tenants andworkers). When President Quezon came to San Fernando onFebruary 14, 1939 and spoke before a gathering of land tenants,he endorsed the proposal. However, five months later, on July12, 1939, during a protracted negotiation between Timbol’s groupand the sugar central officials in the administrative office atPASUDECO, guns were fired, leaving PASUDECO president Josede Leon and treasurer Augusto Gonzalez dead (as well as Capt.Julian Olivas, provincial commander of the Philippine Constabu-lary—the camp in San Fernando was eventually named after him—who was also at the meeting). Gregorio Timbol’s brotherCarmelino, who had accompanied him, was wounded. The courtcase that followed coincided with World War II; Gregorio andCarmelino (and their bodyguard, Angeles policeman GeronimoBuan) were convicted in 1944 and imprisoned in Muntinlupa in1945; when the war ended shortly thereafter, they were amongthe prisoners released by the ROTC Hunter Guerillas. They werenever sought for re-confinement. When President Macapagalsigned the Agricultural Land Reform Code in 1963, and the adop-tion shortly thereafter of the 60%-40% sharing of milled sugar infavor of sugar planters, many thought that Gregorio Timbol’sdream had finally if belatedly come true. He died in 1987 at age84. (R. Tantingco, based on interview with Archt. Greg Timbol)

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The Holy Family Academy was built by Fray Guillermo Masnou (Angeles parish priest in 1855-1877) on the firstfloor of the old convento; it was then called the Colegio de la Sagrada Familia and managed by the Tertiary Orderof the Augustinian Sisters. The school was then turned over to the Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing in 1922 (the sameyear the St. Mary’s Academy of Bacolor was taken over by the Benedictines when Fr. Pedro P. Santos was the town’sparish priest).

Formerly known as the Assumption Academy, it was established as a parochial high school in June 1925 in thehouse of the Singian family in San Fernando, under the auspices of Msgr. Prudencio David; it produced its firstgraduates in March, 1930.

Due to big enrollment, the school was relocated to its second site in Brgy. Sta. Teresita (at the back of the church)in 1931; the ownership of the school was transferred to the Benedictine Sisters in 1938. It is the third Benedictineschool in the province, after Holy Family Academy of Angeles and St. Mary’s Academy of Bacolor. The school wasused as a military hospital during World War II. In 1966, it was renamed St. Scholastica’s Academy. After the 1972Great Flood wreaked havoc on its buildings, St. Scholastica’s Academy transferred to higher ground, along McArthurHighway.

TTTTT wwwww o B e n e d i c t i n e s co B e n e d i c t i n e s co B e n e d i c t i n e s co B e n e d i c t i n e s co B e n e d i c t i n e s c h o o l sh o o l sh o o l sh o o l sh o o l s

ST. SCHOLASTICA’S ACADEMYOF SAN FERNANDO

HOLY FAMILY ACADEMY OF ANGELES

Assumption Academy transferred to this site in Brgy. Sta. Teresita in 1931, and renamed St. Scholastica’s Academyin 1966 (American Historical Collection)

Inside the Colegio de la Sagrada Familia in the early 1900s, later renamed Holy Family Academy

Pacto de Sangre

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Baltangan is the name of an old vil-lage near the northwest boundary of SanFernando. Its old dictionary definition in-cludes (a) crossing (crossroads); and/or(b) along or across the border, edge, mar-gin, bank, shore or in some extent againstthe breeze or movingwind.

The old site of thisvillage actually coverspart of Sto. Domingo (ofAngeles City) down toEssel Park Subdivisionand Telabastagan (of SanFernando) andCalibutbut (of Bacolor).At the heart of this oldsite now runs the pol-luted old river known asthe Sapang Aslam among the people ofSto. Domingo. This river once suppliedresidents with freshwater bios such asparusparus (Telescopium sp.), susungbalibid (Telescopium sp.), bia (goby), etc.This old crossroads once had a rugged ter-rain which can hardly be seen now due tothe breadth of residential and commer-cial structures. Folks still recall the oldgasgas (dirt road) located across the riverconnecting the villages of Salapungan,

Highway nearSan Fernando in the early 1900s

BaltangBaltangBaltangBaltangBaltangan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenning Puening Puening Puening Puening Puebbbbblo San Flo San Flo San Flo San Flo San FererererernandonandonandonandonandoKebiauan, Telabastagan, Sindalan, Kalulut, Bulaun, Maimpisand other villages that the colonizers failed to hispanizeBy Joel Pabustan Mallari

ETYMOLOGY OF PLACENAMES IN SAN FERNANDO

cus indica L. etc..Bulaon was named af-ter the bulaon tree (molave or smallflowerchastetree Vitex parviflora Juss.). Thistype of tree is known as lagundi in Guamand the famous molauin in Tagalog. It isone of the preferred wood materials formaking balutu (canoe type boat), lunasof sarul (plowshares’ base), furnitures etc.Calúlut, one of the oldest barrios in SanFernando, was named after an erect treeabout 8 m high with oblong leaves, axil-lary inflorescence, and many seeded fruitsknown locally as kalulút. This tree is a de-coction for its bark; fresh leaves are ad-ministered in fevers. It is also known asanabiong and anubing by the people in theKapampangan-Tagalog boundaries andanardong among the Ifugaos. It is a fa-vorite material for wood carving for itssoftwood character just like the sacredbulul figures of the Ifugaos. Old folks sayone would spend about 6 days just to fellone matured tree of this kind. Anotherbarrio with lesser population is Lára lo-cated near the boundary between Porac,Bacolor and Angeles City. The name of thisbarrio was derived from the plant namelára. This plantname is a generic term forall types of local chilis (in English) or siliin many languages of the Philippines.

Mangga and Pulungbulu (all of Angeles City)towards the southern part of Telabastagan(of San Fernando), going to the western sec-tion of San Fernando (Calibutbut ofBacolor), and northwest to Porac. Today thissite still serves a similar purpose of its set-

ting; it is near theentry point of thecircumferentialroad going to theClark EconomicZone and also nearwhere the bound-aries of the citiesof Angeles and SanFernando meet inreference to theMac Arthur Hi-way.Plant names

A barrio at the mid-southwest bound-ary of San Fernando was named Alásas, ap-parently derived from the tree alásas (Fi-cus ulmifolia Lam.) of the balíti family.Balíti is a basic term for all the “stran-gling” figs, of Ficus family. Some of theknown species include not only alásas butalso buku-bukuan (Ficus pseudopalmaBlco.) pakiling (Ficus odorata [Blco] Merr.),auili ( Ficus hauli Blco.), and the commonbaliti varieties (Ficus benjamina L. and Fi-

Just because SanFernando was createdonly in recent times doesnot mean the villagesthat comprise itare just as young: theparts are much olderthan the whole

American Historical Collection

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The Philippines was once recognizedas the number 1 exporter of bananas inthe world. It is no wonder why BarrioSáguin was named after this fruit. In factvarieties of ságin are known to localKapampangans such as paltikus, saba,latondan, matabia, seniorita etc.; the fruithas also a special place on theKapampangan table as pesa, sisig pusu,sigang, putchero, barbekiung ságing… Thisherbaceous plantain was called plantanoby the Spaniards, who saw a similarity tothe plane tree that grows in Spain; theylater adopted the Kapampangan term.Baritan is an old barrio whose name wasderived from a kind of grass, green for-age, or horse-fodder known as barit, sakateor kumpay, which proliferated in the areadue to the pipita (waterlogged areas)which extended up to the old place ofPonduan.River culture

The San Fernando River collects itswaters from the network of small riversflowing from the barrios of San JoseMatulid, Sabanilla, San Miguel and Balas

VIEW FROM THE BELFRY. The covered wooden bridge overthe San Fernando River in 1899 (above); concretized in 1930(right).

of Mexico and riverssuch as Sapáng Calulut(of San Fernando andMexico) and Sapa Creekof Mexico’s southwestsection. This riversnakes down towardsthe various rivers andcreeks of Bacolor town.An outline map of soilsurvey which shows thenatural drainage andgeneral relief ofPampanga Province in1956, shows the con-nection between thePasig River (in Porac andAngeles City) and SanFernando River. Thismight support the earlysignificant role of theold Ponduan as one ofthe busy trading ports ofthe province at leastduring the late SpanishPeriod onwards.

War with Spain and the PhilippinesRomeo Cabusao

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Kabalasan (or Mabalas) River which isa major tributary of Sapang Balen fromAngeles City runs its waters on the south-eastern part of the city joining the SapaCalulut River and Sindalan River before itloses much of its water towards Maimpisas the smaller Maimpis River. It was calledKabalasan River because this part of theriver was sandy, ormabalas inKapampangan. Thecurrent of these vari-ous rivers and creeks“bends and slowsdown” halfwaythrough BarrioSindalan, thus gain-ing a meanderingshape— marked by old townfolks assinandal. The water of these rivers andcreeks continues to decelerate, thus be-coming meímpis, i.e., thinning of riverflow or shallowing of water. This spot iswhat known today as Barrio Maimpis.

Northwest, one of the many smallcreeks is known as Malino River. Its nameis appararently derived from the wordmalíno, meaning “clear” as the locationis close to the headwaters of almost allthe rivers mentioned above. Thus the bar-rios of Sindalan, Maimpis, and Malino areapparently named after the association ofeach barrio to the various behaviors andcharacters of their respective rivers.

Barrio Pandaras and Pandaras Riverwere named after the adze or adze-like tool,daras, used for making the old-fashioned,canoe-type boat known to oldKapampangans as balutu. Sapa Palaui Creekwas named after the small village of Palaui(Palawi), which probably derived its namefrom the word pálaui which means “goingor close to contamination,” a term ordinarilyused to refer to various stocks of grains such

as pále (rice, Oryza sativa L.) and balatong(mjcklxc), or even pulbura (for gunpowderor fireworks), ápi (shell lime) etc.

Just because the pueblo San Fernandowas created in relatively recent times doesnot mean the villages that comprise it arejust as young. In fact, the parts are mucholder than the whole. The linear pattern

of settlements wasalready seen alongevery important riv-ers of the pueblo. Ex-amples of this settle-ment pattern are theold sitios of barrioDel Carmen. By fol-lowing the down-stream direction of

the Maimpis River, one can observe river-related toponyms of sitios, from Dungan,Pangulu, Centro I & II, Pigulut to Mauli I &II. Dungan means port, the place whereboats and ships dock, load and unload pas-sengers and goods;pangulu is the headwa-ter; centro is a hispanizedterm pertaining to themiddle part of the river(or riverbank); pigulut lit-erally means as back end(of the bending river) andmauli the downstreamsection of river flow. Thesitios’ names describe thesignificant influence of the river on the livesof early settlers (or passersby) in the oldarea of Del Carmen.

Another old barrio is Ponduan which isnear the present location of the public mar-ket, the cityhall and the pisamban. Ponduanliterally means “stock areas,” usually lo-cated along port areas just like the dungan.Historically, it was in Ponduan where thecascos and small Chinese junks docked and

Hispanization ofplacenames makes itdifficult for historiansand ethnographers totrace provenance andstudy early culture

did their trading activities before going toor after coming from the ancient town ofMexico, stocks of maiumung muscovado(sugar) and other trade goods on board.Barrrio Patrons

It was a common folk practice to nameplaces after the patron saints, due eitherto the religiosity of Kapampangans, or toSpanish authorities’ deliberate conversionof native placenames for political expedi-ency. Unfortunately, hispanized namesmake it difficult for historians and ethnog-raphers to trace provenances and studyearly culture.

The barrios De La Paz Norte, De La PazSur, Del Carmen, Santo Rosario, Doloresand Lourdes have all been named after theBlessed Mother’s various titles (Del Rosario,on the other hand, was named after a his-torical figure). The rest follow: San Agustin(St. Augustine), San Felipe (St. Philip Nerior the Apostle?), San Isidro (St. Isidore), SanJose (St. Joseph), San Juan (St. John theEvangelist), San Nicolas (St. Nicholas ofTolentine), San Pedro (St. Peter theApostle), Santa Lucia (St. Lucy), SantaTeresita (St. Therese of Lisieux) and SantoNiño (Holy Child). Barrio Juliana may havederived its name from Santa Juliana or froma local resident now forgotten.More home-grown placenames

Butarul is another old village namewhich means “waterway.” The area prob-ably had this type of water channels whichfed on the waters of either or both SapangAslam River from Angeles City and the PalauiCreek of San Fernando. Contemporary de-scriptions of this word include the undulat-ing slopes associated with talimundok.

Landing is the name of at least twoplaces in San Fernando, one near or part ofbarrio Maimpis while another one is in prox-imity of Barrio Lara. Old folks claim thateither or both sites once served as secretbattle airfields during World War II. Accord-

ing to Fr. VenancioSamson, who ist r a n s l a t i n gBergaño’s dictio-nary, the term“landing” mayhave an earlierprovenance notnecessarily associ-ated with air-planes’ landing

fields. He cites a 1913 sketch (map) whichalready has “landing” as a placename (inSan Fernando). In 1913, aircrafts were notyet a common sight in the country, at leastnot as common as to make people name aplace after them. The term “landing” canbe compared to words like lande (bamboosplits used as floors and walls), landi (im-modesty), etc. Another barrio with an un-explained etymology is Pasbul (door or

Levi Panlilio Street in Sta. Lucia, at the foot of Baluyut Bridge

Clues to the town’sorigins: There is aPanipuan both in Mexicoand San Fernando, anda Magliman in Bacolorand San Fernando

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gate); nothing in the village at presentmight explain the name.

Lunac is the old name of De la Paz; inKapampangan (as well as Bahasa Melayuand Bahasa Indonesian) it means “soilwhere water passes or stagnates.”

Panipuan is a placename of at least twobarrios, one in San Fernando and the otherin the town of Mexico. These barrios wereonce both a part of Mexico; the split cameprobably when San Fernando was carvedout of Mexico and Bacolor in 1754. Its top-onym may have been derived from severalterms such as (a) pipaniplan or pipalutan(the place for harvested ricefield); (b)

Piles of raw sugar in a drying-yard, probably in San Fernando (American Historical Collection)

Sugar-cane crushing mill along San Fernando River

pipanipunan which means “a collectingarea” or “a place of gathering”; (c) theroot word puapu, a kind or type of apaduas (fishing implement with hook,string and rod) used for fishing or for frogcatching since the place conveniently hasseveral headwaters of small rivers andcreeks; and (d) the plant ipo (Antiaristoxicaria [Pers.] lesch.), a term commonto Kapampangans, Tagalogs and Bisayas..

Barrio Magliman is another barriowhich probably had a connection to barrioMagliman of next-door Bacolor, as in thecase of the two Panipuans of San Fernandoand Mexico. Its name is derived from a con-

jugation of the rootword liman. Magliman(or mangaliman) is the verb used by aninfanticipating woman when she asks a fa-vor, usually for something to eat. But it canalso be associated to maglimas, that is, “toget rid of the water” (from waterlogged ar-eas like bana, pinak, etc.) either by con-structing a tabun (irrigation dam) or manu-ally, using a container; the objective is usu-ally to facilitate the catching of fish. Thistheory is bolstered by the presence of riv-ers and creeks in the vicinity of bothMagliman barrios, which have a long historyof rice farming and fishing.

Makabakle whose root word is bakle(Sp. atravesado, obliqued orcrosswise) means “lying across”(Sp. atravesado algo, i.e.,balangtai, which may be theroot word of the name of thenext barrio in Bacolor,Cabalantian, although it iswidely accepted as having beennamed after the tree balanti).

The name of Barrio Malpitic(also called as Palpitik) is probablyan abbreviation or corruption of theword malapitik: mala means “like”and the rootword pitik means anyof the following: (a) flick (with afinger); (b) carpenter’s or boatcarver’s line marker; (c) spark andits sound (as in ignition), like pisik;(d) the sound of sudden tension orwaving (of cord, rope, bridle, whipetc.); (e) smarting pain on the skin,or muscular numbness due to ex-haustion. Another possible etymol-ogy is salpitik, which is theKapampangan for “graded paper”or “brave person.”

Quebiawan (Kebiauan) is an-other barrio near Malpitik andMaimpis. Its name obviously camefrom the noun kebiauan meaning“a place where sugar cane juice isextracted.” The process uses ro-tating cylinders locally known asatlu bola, which were made of ei-ther wood or stone. There was atime when Pampanga was thecountry’s number-one supplier ofsugar.

Surplus is another barrio namewith a World War II provenance. Dis-carded military vehicles, uniformsand paraphernalia probably litteredthe place after the war, or weretraded there.

Telabastágan literally means“frame-like;” it can be thebastidor-like frame used in weav-ing fishing nets or dase ebus (na-tive mat made of palm leaves ofCorypha utan Lam.). Some old folksassociate its origin to the earlygame venue of jueteng.s

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Agapito Del Rosario, a presentbaranggay named after Agapito Jose DelRosario y Abad Santos.. San Fernando-bornDel Rosario (he was the son of Isabelo delRosario, the Kapampangan martyr who

played his vio-lin momentsbefore theAmericans ex-ecuted him)was the famousSocialist mayorof Angeles( 1 940 - 1942 )and one of thefounders of theUpsilon SigmaPhi, the oldestGreek-letterfraternity in

Asia. Together with his uncle Pedro AbadSantos, leader of the biggest peasant or-ganization in Central Luzon, and otherpeasant leaders, Del Rosario rallied thepeasants to become a potent force in Phil-ippine politics.  They fielded candidatesrepresenting the peasantry in the 1940 lo-cal elections, including those in the keytowns of Angeles and San Fernando. Shortly after Japan invaded the Philippinesin December, 1941, Mayor Del Rosario was

Pampang, Balibago, Anunas, Pulungbulu, Malabanias, Talimundukand other ancient placenames that hint at the town’s pre-Culiat existence

SalaSalaSalaSalaSalapungpungpungpungpungan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenan da ring Memalenning Maning Maning Maning Maning Matuang Culiatuang Culiatuang Culiatuang Culiatuang Culiattttt

ORIGIN OF PLACENAMES IN ANGELES

By Joel Pabustan Mallari and Roel Manaloto

Angeles plaza in 1945 (Walter Huecker)

put on the list of officials to be arrestedimmediately.  After securing the safety ofhis family, he met with other anti-Japa-nese leaders in Manila, where he was even-tually caught and imprisoned at FortBonifacio. When he refused to swear alle-giance to the Japanese flag, he was ex-ecuted, just like his father before him. Hewas only 41 years old.

Amsíc a barrio named after an erect,branched, glabrous or nearly glabrousherb, 1m high or less; also spelled amsík,amisík or amsí (Solanum nigrum L.). It isknown in English as the many varieties ofnightshade, hierba mora in Spanish andkunti in Tagalog. This herb belongs to thesame family of balasenas (eggplants) whichdiffered (slightly) from what MarianoHenson noted as a kind of timber-tree. Thisarea once belonged to sitios Anunas andold Pampang. The old location was on themerging point of the Pasig (Potrero down-stream) River and the upstream of AbacanRiver. It was one of Culiat’s three new ad-ditional barrios in 1829 with San Nicolas ofthe Poblacion and San Jose.

Anunas is a baranggay that took itsname from the native fruit-bearing cus-tard apple (Anona reticulata Linn.). It is anative of tropical America and introduced

only in the Philippines sometime ago. Thistree belongs to the family of Anona said tobe derived from the Malay name menona(minuna in Kapampangan?) having 3 vari-eties in the Philippines to which atis andbena-bana (guyabano) belong. The villageused to be known as Pulung Anunas and wasone of the 4 new barrios of Culiat in 1812,together with Sto. Rosario, Cutcut andPampang.

Balibágo is one of the busiest entertain-ment districts in Central Luzon. Its namecame from the much-branched tree of 4 to12 m height, Hibiscus tiliaceus Linn. Dur-ing the early days it was valued in makingropes for its flexible bark. This is actuallycommon in the tropics and throughout thePhilippines, especially in places near thesea. This plant that belongs to the hibiscusfamily includes the favorite variegated spe-cies common in gardens which also includesvarieties of gumamela and malutú (ormalibago). Thus the placename balibagoshould not be mistaken as having been de-rived from the synthesis of the two wordsbale + bago (“new house”). In fact bago isnot a Kapampangan term for new; other-wise it should have been called as balebaiu.In Cuta, an old sitio of barrio Anilao in thetown of Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, the

Agapito del Rosario

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light but sturdybalibago tree hasbeen a favoritetimber source inthe constructionof old-fashionedbangka since theearly days. An oldvillage inMarinduque, aswell as a sitio inMagalang, hasalso been namedafter this tree.

Balíti is thename of an old vil-lage now underthe politicalboundary ofSapang Bato, aswell as of a barrioin San Fernando.It belongs to themany “strangling”figs, of Ficus fam-ily, 800 or morespecies in alltropical coun-tries, a few inwarm temperate regions, and about 100 inthe Philippines, most of which can be foundin Pampanga alone. Fr. Pedro Chirino, S.J.(1604), described how early Chinese immi-grants were growing balíti trees onto cor-als.  These early immigrants would insertthe roots into the coral’s crevices and placethem onto water basins until the rootsclasped the host corals. This practice ledto what is popularly known today as bon-sai, a common sight along the stretch ofthe Mc Arthur Hi-way in Mabalacat andBamban.

Bángcal was an old sitio now reducedinto a mere street of Balibago, very nearthe Abacan River. Its name came from themangrove tree plant known locally asbangkal (Leichhardt tree, Naucleaorientalis of Rubiaceae family) which origi-nates possibly from Indo-China and Malesia;occasional in thickets and widely distrib-uted in the Philippines, India, Southeast

Asia and Australia. An old barrio of Guaguais also named after this tree.

Benigno Aquino one of the newly re-named barrios of the city in honor to thelate Kapampangan martyr Benigno “Ninoy”Aquino Jr. Most parts of the baranggay com-prise the area of the old Marisol Subdivision.

Capáya obviously from kapáia tree,Carica papaya Linn. It is in common culti-vation throughout the Philippines and fre-quently spontaneous, all the year. Thisperdigones tree was introduced fromMexico by the Spaniards at an early dateand now found in all tropical countries.

Claro M. Recto a barrio next toSalapungan going to the north along the oldrailroad; named after the famous legisla-tor and patriot.

Cuayán is adjacent to baranggay Anunasin the west end. It was once a sitio ofAnunas. Its name is a generic term for al-most all types of bamboos and some grass

species like kuaiantutu (Bambus-blumeana, J.A. &J.H. Schult BambusaSchreber). Thiswidely known grassfamily is known for itsvarious economic val-ues such as lande (ofbamboo splits) andsauali-making. Theresidents divide theirbarrio into: (a) babá,the center of socialactivities where thevisita is located and(b) bábo or sepungcuaian, the outer-most and leastpeopled area of thebarrio. This ordinarybamboo name is acommon placenamethroughout CentralLuzon.

Culiat, the oldname of Angelestown; derived from atleast two possible

plant names. One is from the plant kuliát,Gnetum indicum Lour. Merr. a woody vinethat abound in the place or a shrub of thethe same Gnetum family. While the otherone is a Diospyros specie, of the black woodfamily. This family of trees includes the fa-mous Philipine ebony wood, and talang(Diospyros discolor Willd. [D. philippensisDesr.]). Types of talang includes the knownkamagong and/or mabolo in many Philip-pine languages. Culiat Street is said to bethe area where the old San Fernando bar-rio of Culiat was located, near the chapelof Apu Mamacalulu. An old barrio ofTandang Sora in Quezon City is also namedCuliat (or Coliat).

Cutcut is the barrio on the boundarywith Porac town. It means “to sink thefeet,” a reference to the abundance of finesand in the area. Meanwhile, Angeles his-torian and visual artist Daniel Dizon pointsto the present public cemetery located in

Angeles villages named after plants and trees, left to right, top: pandan, luyus, capaya;above: anunas, balibago, amsic.

1. Nepomucenos’ Bale Malati2. Bale Matua/Don Ricardo Nepomuceno House3. Founders’ House/ Don Pepe Henson Residence4. Holy Family Building5. Holy Rosary Parish Church6. Holy Angel Academy Main Building7. Old Convento, First Site of Colegio de la Sagrada Familia and Holy Angel Academy

8. Parish Convent built by Msgr. Pedro P. Santos9. Sto. Rosario Street10. Patricia Mercado’s House (now Bale Herencia)11. Lacandola Street12. Cine Eden13. Deposito14. Bale Cuayan, Henson Residence15. Alfredo De Leon Mansion16. Miranda Street17. Old Angeles Ice Plant/Angeles

Electric Plant18. Angeles Municipal Building19. Sto. Entierro Street20. Pamintuan Mansion21. Nepomuceno Street22. Sapang Balen23. Nepomuceno Lands (site of future Villa Teresa and Nepo Mart Commercial Complex)

From the book A Cofradia of Two by ErlitaMendoza (Holy Angel University Press)Photo: Angeles Electric Corporation

TTTTThe tohe tohe tohe tohe town thawn thawn thawn thawn that gt gt gt gt grrrrreeeeew arw arw arw arw around Saound Saound Saound Saound Sapang Balen cirpang Balen cirpang Balen cirpang Balen cirpang Balen circa 1940sca 1940sca 1940sca 1940sca 1940s

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Cutcut as kutkutan or CamposantungMatua. Incidentally the private Holy MaryMemorial Park, also located in Cutcut, isjust a stone’s throw away from the old cem-etery. Cutcut is where the town’s first pri-mary school, first muscovado sugarmill andalacan or alambique (alcohol distillery)were built by the founders of Culiat. Thereare barrios in Capas, Tarlac that have alsobeen named cutcut.

Cutud is the southeastern barrio on theboundary with Mexico town. Cutud is theKapampangan word for the verb “to cut”or the noun “a cut piece.” Thus the placecould have been a cleared forest or, as his-torian Mariano Henson pointed out, an areawhere the road has been cut.

Lourdes Northwest, Lourdes Sur andLoudes Sur-East apparently named aftertheir common patron saint Nuestra Señorade Lourdes with respect to their respec-tive geographical locations.

Lúyus (or Lúius) is another old villagenear the old location of Pandan. Its namecomes from the native palm “bunga” Arecacatechu Linn.. It is certainly of prehistoricintroduction, most probably from Indiathrough Malaya. This is the palm that pro-duces betel nuts, much used by“Kapampangang mámama” orKapampangans (as well as other natives inthe Austronesian world) who chew betel asa mild stimulant.

Malabáñas (or Malabánias), formerlypart of Mabalacat town, has at least twopossible name provenances. One is from

the prefix mala- (a word base for “resem-bling”) and bañás, a kind of timber-tree(Dacrycarpus cumingii [Parl.] de Laubenf.)as Henson noted. But the root word wasrecorded to have come from the Mangyansof Mindoro. In fact it is not entered in anyKapampangan, Tagalog (including Mindoro’sSouthern Tagalog), Ilocano, Pangasinensevocabularies. Another possible etymologyis the word bañás or banias (water lizardspecie, Hydrosaurus pustulosus). Accordingto Fray Diego Bergaño’s 1860 dictionary,bañás is an old Kapampangan term for abarag (monitor lizard, Varanus salvator),which is also a close relative of dapu (ofcrocodile family). Since Malabanias is situ-ated near the Abacan River, passing boatsprobably looked to people on the riverbanksas having the appearance of floating bañás,(Old Kapampangan folks still say “Balamugalakgak ka!” to a person who is skinny andgawky enough to look like an iguana.

Malupá is another village now part ofPorac town, located near Manuali (Porac)and Cuayan (Angeles City). Its name wasderived from the prefix ma – (“abundant”)and the root word lupa, an herb with sting-ing hairs, Fleurya interrupta, Linn. In Fijiisland, this plant occurs in areas “from nearsea level to about 525 m as a weed in vil-lages, roadsides, waste places, pastures,and cultivated areas, sometimes beingfound along forest trails or on hillsides.”In Hawai’i, it is known as an uncommongarden weed.  Its native area is question-able; probably southeastern Asia as it was

almost certainly an inadvertent aboriginalintroduction throughout the Pacific portionof its range. Northern Tagalog speakersknew this herb as lipa, and among South-erners, as nipai.. The stinging hair of thisplant is related to the famous poison ivyand bule (bean family); and capable of in-flicting severe skin allergies and serious ir-ritation for days.

Mánga is another barrio next toPulungbulo going to Mexico town. It wasnamed after the mangga tree (Mangiferaindica L.) of Anacardiaceae (balubad fam-ily). This tree originated in South and South-east Asia. Wild mango trees are known tohave come only from North-East India andBurma, and so it appears plausible that thespecies evolved from there. The namemango, almost identical in countless lan-guages, is derived from Tamil, the most im-portant language of Southern India, and wastransferred to the West by the Portuguese.The general term for “mango” in Tamil ismamaran, but the fruit is usually referredto either as manpalam (also transcribedmambazham which means “ripe mangofruit,” or mangai which means “unripemango fruit”. It appears that the latterterm was picked up by Portuguese sailors;since sea trade required unripe fruits atthat time. The North Indian names formango derive from Sanskrit amra, itselfprobably a Dravidian loan and thus relatedto the Tamil words and even to Englishmango. The genus name Mangifera(“bringer of mango”) contains Latin ferre

A wall of rampaging lahar in the Abacan River, a recurring sight in the years immediately following the 1991 Pinatubo eruption

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“carry, bring”, cf. Lucifer “bringer of light”or Christopher “he who carries Christ”.Thus the word mangga was definitely in-fluenced by early conquistadores in Philip-pines. The closest indigenous term for thisfamily of mangoes is a specie known as“Pahu” or “Pau” (Mangifera altissimaBlanco) in Kapampangan, ‘Paho’ among theTagalogs, ‘Pahutan’ among the Visayans,and ‘Pangamangaen’ among the Ilocanos.

Márgot comprises most parts of the oldTacondo area going to Sapang Bato. It issaid that the name came from a certainlady named Margot, Margaret, Marga etc,or most probably from an old “borrowed”Kapampangan term marga’ha. This termwas one of the peculiar entries in theKapampangan-English Dictionary byMichael Forman which means as “volcanicash” or “lava [rare]”. Its proximity to theslope of Mt. Pinatubo and its location acrossseveral headwaters of the Abacan Rivermight provide clues to the prehistoric erup-tion of the said active volcano.

Mining is another barrio of Angeles City.The origin of its toponym is unknown evenduring the time of historian MarianoHenson.

Palengking Hapon is the old train sta-tion near the railroad crossing of Sta.Teresita now part of Baranggay Agapito DelRosario. It was starting in 1942 when theJapanese controlled all networks of trans-portation which included this old railroadin Angeles.

Palusapis derived its name from a tim-

ber-tree, Anisoptera thurifera Bl. a goodsource of sturdy timber used in makingfurnitures, house posts and early types ofboats. It is now part of Porac, next toSapang Ebus and Manuali (both remote bar-rios of Porac).

Pampang is actually divided into thenew and the old Pampang. MatuangPampang used to be the entire old Pampangvillage which got its name from its loca-tion along the brink of cliffs which line theAbacan River (later relocated to its presentsite where the Pampang Public Market nowstands). This word was generally appliedto all riverbank communities in all parts ofthe Kapampangan Region.

Pandan derived its name from specieof Pandan tree, Pandanus luzonensis Merr.Its present location is along the Angeles-Magalang road. The placenames of Pandanand Pampang have a good trace of Indone-sian connection. As quoted from Fr.Edilberto Santos’ notes:

“a geographical and statistical dictio-nary of the Dutch Indies, published inAmsterdam as late as 1896, contains namesof places in these Indonesian islands whichright away bring to mind those found in theabovementioned Philippine province. Ac-cording to it, there are (in Java) two vil-lages, one river, and one bay bearing thename Pampang: and (in Sumatra) three vil-lages and one river bearing the namePampangan.14 There are (in Java) seven vil-lages, a mountain and an island, a cape andan inlet bearing the name Pandan.”

Pasbulbulu, now a barrio of Porac. De-rived its name from “Pasbul” for “gate”or “door” and “bulu”, the sauali bambooSchizostachyum lumampao (Blanco) Merr.

Patirik-tírik is currently a part of Bar-rio Sto. Cristo. Its name’s provenance maymean many things to lexicographers. Tírikcould be taken as setting up somethingstraight or erect (as candles, post, build-ing), like the most recognized origin of theplacename, the Spanish-Period cemetery;or in Old Kapampangan, it refers to fishcorral, or a pool of water where an enclo-sure was installed for confining or captur-ing fishes. This last theory is credible sincethe place is the most depressed area inthe city. Lastly, a far-out opinion on theplace’s etymology is that the area was oncea lair for prostitutes, before they movedto “Area,” the now notorious red districtbetween Sta. Teresita and Pampang.

Pulúngbulu located on the northeast-ern section of Sapang Balen Creek. Itsname came from the compounded wordspulúng (“forest of”) and bulu(Schizostachyum lumampao [Blanco]Merr.).

Pulúng Cacutud is the last barrio go-ing to Magalang town. Its name also camefrom the compounded words Pulúng (“for-est of”) and cacutud (“slice” or “cut oftrees”). It is known by old folks in the areaas Pulung Kaputut (“a piece of forest” or“a tiny forest”). A barrio in Mabalacat isnamed Cacutud probably of the same ori-gin as Pulung Cacutud.

Sapang Balen overflows, flooding downtown Angeles

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VIEW FROM THE LEFT BELFRY. Sto. Rosario and Pulung Bulu in the 1890s. The Angeles municipal hall is in the left foreground.

Pulúng Maragul is the place where thenew City Hall is located. It is literally trans-lated as “big forest,” probably to differen-tiate it from Pulung Maragul a.k.a. PulungKaputut (“small forest”), which is also inthe same vicinity. It seems that the placeswith pulu (literally, an island) as part oftheir toponym were once forested with ei-ther ilib (cogon grass, Imperata cylindrica[L.] P.Beauv.), kuaian tutu (Bambus-blumeana, J.A. & J.H. Schult BambusaSchreber) and other indigenous trees, thusforming island-like sanctuary in the middleof sandy lands.

Salapúngan is taken rom the root wordsalapang, this means “a splitter”. Fray Di-ego Bergaño likened the idea to the splittongue of a barag. Presently, the place wellrepresents its meaning; it is a place of in-tersection going to at least two road ways,one to the city proper (Sto. Entierro St.)and the other going any of the roadsnorthwestwards (like the Magnolia St.) . Itbest represents rotonda of the modern traf-fic scheme.

Sampaloc is a sitio found on the front-age of barrio Cuayan after Pampang. It wasnamed after the tamarind tree Tamarindusindica Linn. of the Caesalpiniaceae (a tropicfamily closely related to the bean familylike bule and kamangiang). This tree origi-nated in Eastern Africa, but is now growingall over the tropics. Its etymology camefrom the Arabic tamr hindi which simplymeans “date of India” (“date” being a gen-eral name for the fruits of various palmtrees); needless to say, tamarind neitherstems from India nor is it related to palmtrees. In spite of this deficiency, loan trans-lations of this name have made their way

into English, German (Indische Dattel) andRussian (Indiyskiy finik. It is no wonder thatcontemporary Kapampangans includetaramindu or tamarindu to their collectionof glossaries which pertains to the driedripe fruits of this tree.

San Jose was one of the early barrio ofthe then Culiat town, named by the peopleafter their patron saint San Jose Labradoror Apung Jose Talapagobra.

San Nicolás formerly known (partly) asTalimundoc for “rocky, dry upland or hillyarea.” Part of the barrio intersects withLourdes Sur East. It was named after theirpatron saint San Nicolas Tolentino.

Santo Domingo formerly known asTibág (either “steep gorge” or “crumbledearth, rocks etc” or “landslided area on themountain side or riverside,” or colloquially,“demolition.”) At present a sitio namedtibag is located in the boundary of San Joseand Sto. Domingo near the Sapang BalenCreek, also running parallel along the oldrailroad. It is a popular squatting area fornewcomers in the city.

Santa Teresita known before as part ofthe malángo village. Large droves of lango(housefly Musca domestica) infested thearea due to garbage dumps in thepalengking laun (old marketplace of SanNicolas) and old Pampang.

Santo Cristo obviously named aftertheir patron saint Santo Cristo del Perdon,the image of the Crucified Christ.

Santol came from the popular fruittree, Sandoricum koetjape (Burm.f.) Merr.This fruit and sampalok, when unripe, areused as panaslam for the daily sigang (soursoup) of Kapampangans. This old village isnow part of Barrio Anunas. The santol tree

is believed native to former Indochina (es-pecially Cambodia and southern Laos) andMalaya, and to have been long ago intro-duced into India, the Andaman Islands,Malaysia, Indonesia, the Moluccas,Mauritius, and the Philippines where it hasbecome naturalized. The southern town ofMasantol, formerly a barrio of Macabebe,was also named after the tree.

Santo Rosario, the poblacion or townproper of old Culiat, apparently derivingits name from its patron saint NuestraSeñora De Santissimo Rosario de la Naval.The same thing is true with one of the old-est streets of the city, the Santo RosarioStreet.

Sapalibutad from sápa (“creek”) andlibutad (“middle”). This placename doesnot say if the river is between two villagesor between two land formations. It is a bar-rio south of Pulung Cacutud touching theboundary of Mexico in the east.

Sapangbato is the westernmost villageof the city. Its name came from Sápang(“creek of” or “river of”) and bato (“stone”).Apparently, huge boulders of volcanic originlittered (and still litter) this hillside-riversidebarrio. The site may have contained a quarryof calcareous rocks (such as adobe andplanas), dacite and pumiceous rocks used inthe early times in the construction ofpisamban (Catholic churches such as the HolyRosary Parish Church), bale batu (colonialhouses like the Bale Herencia), large kamalig(rice granaries) etc. This old barrio comprisessome of the upland sitios like Sitio Babo popu-lated mostly by the Baluga (Kapampanganspeaking Aita) and Sitio Baliti. Sapangbato isone of the old sites of the frequently movingFort Stotsenberg, which was integrated later

Our Islands and their Possessions

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VIEW FROM THE RIGHT BELFRY. Sto. Rosario and Pulung Bulu in the 1970s. The Angeles municipal hall is in the right side of photo.

into Clark Air Base.Suklaban is an old sitio of Mining. Its

name means “to bend down” since travelerson their way to Mexico town had to bend theirway through a thick forest of bamboos.

Tabun a baranggay on the northeastend of the city, beside Capaya; its namemeans “irrigation dam” which is explainedby its proximity to the Abacan River. Manyother places in Pampanga are named afterthe tabun.

Talimunduc, now called Lourdes Sur-East; according to Mariano Henson, it means“hilly landscape.” It seems that thetalimundok area wasn’t confined to thepresent barrio but extended up to SanNicolas which was also once calledTalimundok (as Henson also noted), and allthe way to the northwestern side of thecity beside the Abacan River (MatuangPampang). Thus, Talimundok may have hadthe general meaning of being elevated.

Tacóndo, an old village, once a part ofMargot and Sapang Bato. Mariano Hensonnotes that the word came from a corrup-tion of the Negrito phrase tacur dú (“longhill”). The place had long been inhabitedby the Islands aborigines.

Taratpipit is a purok of Sto. Domingonamed after the high-pitched common fan-tail warbler (Cisticola juncidis). This birdis extremely widespread (except North andSouth America and Antarctica). Outside thebreeding season these birds are very diffi-cult to spot. The high scratchy notes of theircall coincide with the low points in theircourtship flight.

Tibágin is a sitio of Sta. Trinidad near thebarrio of San Nicolas; tibagin refers to an eas-ily eroded area, which makes sense since the

location is very near the Sapang Balen Creek.Virgen delos Remedios, one of the

newly created barrio located between thebarrios of Sta. Teresita, Ninoy Aquino andClaro M. Recto; named after Virgen DelosRemedios (Indu ning Kapaldanan), which isalso the patroness of the whole PampangaProvince.

Some of the famous old streets of An-geles City indicate the prevailing influenceduring the time they were named, e.g.,Rizal Street named after the national hero,Burgos Street after Fr. Jose Apolonio Burgosof Gomburza, Jake Gonzales Boulevard inhonor of “Jake” Gonzales who was killed inan aircraft accident while on a Jaycees mis-sion. Prominent mayors (and PresidentesMunicipales or Alcaldes) and pioneeringfamilies and other personalities who madean impact on the city’s history have streetsnamed after them, such as Lazatin St., Dr.Clemente N. Dayrit St. (Clemendez),Nepomuceno St., Henson St. Miranda St.Navarro St., E.Mallari St., F. Jacinto St.,T. Bugallon St., P. Deang St. Justino SurlaStreet. Quite notable are streets namedafter prehistoric personages such asLacandula Street after the famous ruler ofTondo during the time of Spanish contactin Manila,; Panday Pira Street after the fa-mous metalsmith worker of Apalit,Pampanga; streets of barrio Sta Teresita likePrince Balagtas, Noble Araw, Lady Maylag,Malangsik, Anca Widjaya, Madjapahit etc.are all derived from the genealogical treeof the so-called Kapampangan Empire, es-tablished and consolidated from A.D. 1335to A.D. 1400.

Abácan River (Sapang Abakan) derivedits name from the word abákan meaning

“lunch time”. This is one of the major riv-ers emanating from the foothills of Mt.Pinatubo. Its name might have been as-sociated with early river people or boat-men who took their lunch meals along thisriver. The length of the river snakes downto the towns of Magalang and Mexico be-fore merging to the rest of the rivers col-lectively known as Guagua-Pasak Riverand empties far down south in thePampanga Bay. But the big question is,who named this famous river? Were theythe early people of Culiat, or the peoplesomewhere in Magalang or Mexico towns?The term for a river is sapa, regardless itssize or length. Sapang Balen was so namedfor its role and location in the pioneeringdays of the balen (poblacion); it straddlesat least two old streets of Culiat (Sto.Rosario and Miranda). The Arrayo Rivermight have derived its name from theword márayo or máraio meaning “far” or“remote”. Its location is on the upstreamsection of the Abacan River. Pasig River(or Pasig-malangi River) is located on thenorthwest section of the city after barrioCuayan. Pasig is another term for ariverbank in Kapampangan while malangimeant as “dry”. It was called as Pasig-malangi for the river is always seen nearlyempty of flowing water; it contains de-posits of Angeles Fine Sand, while SapangBayo River is located part of Pasig-malangiRiver. Its name came from the word “baiu”for “new”. This might explain the river’snew course at the time it was discoveredby the people who knew the old topogra-phy, the team from the National Mappingand Resource Information Authority(NAMRIA) who recorded it in 1951.

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Credit for making SanFernando the capital ofPampanga belongs to GovernorMacario Arnedo who, on 15 Au-gust 1904, implemented Act No.1204, which had been signedone month earlier on 22 July1904 to authorize the transferof the seat of provincial powerfrom Bacolor to San Fernando.

Former Governor CeferinoJoven and other prominentcitizens of Bacolor had stronglyopposed the transfer, citing thefact that Bacolor had been pro-vincial capital since the mid-18th century, and even once thecapital of the Philippines, dur-ing the British Occupation in1762-1764. It was in Bacolorwhere Acting Governor GeneralSimon de Anda y Salazar trans-ferred the seat of the Spanishcolonial government when theBritish invaded Manila andCavite.

Unfortunately, there wasnothing much ex-Governor

By Ivan Anthony S. Henares

1881-1904:

HOW SAN FERNANDO BECAME

CAPITAL OF PAMPANGASan Fernando in 1904 was scarcely bigger than Bacolor, but

the new railroad connected it to Manila and the vast sugar regionsin the north; also, the Americans had to move the seat of power away from the symbol of the old Spanish colonial government

Construction of the provincial capitol building being rushed in 1910 after the capital of Pampanga was transfered from Bacolor toSan Fernando six years earlier. (American Historical Collection)

Heavily damaged rear of Bacolor church after the Revolution and the Philippine- American War

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economic consider-ations behind thetransfer: “SanFernando came intoexistence only in themiddle of the 18th cen-tury as a result of aSpanish administrativedecision. The townhad a few distinguish-ing events in the pastand in 1904 wasscarcely larger inpopulation thanBacolor. But the Ma-nila-Dagupan Railroadpassed through SanFernando connecting itto both the capital cityand the vast sugar re-gions in the northernpart of the provinceand in Tarlac. Hencethe town became animportant transporta-tion center for a popu-lation increasinglycommitted to commer-cial sugar culture and more de-sirous of contact with an urbanmarketplace and cosmopolitansetting.”

Narratives of the transfercan be seen in annual reportsof Gov. Arnedo to the PhilippineCommission. On 15 July 1904he wrote: “The ProvincialBoard, supporting the recom-

mendation ofthe municipalp res ident s ,reiterated atleast six oftheir conven-tions, ear-nestly desiresto use its goodoffices withthe honorableP h i l i p p i n eCommission inorder that thecapital ofP a m p a n g amay be trans-ferred fromBacolor to SanFernando assoon as pos-sible. Therebeing manyand weightyreasons forthis change,the ProvincialBoard trusts

Joven and the Bacolor townsfolkcould do as the transfer alreadyhad the approval of the Philip-pine Commission.

Moves to transfer the pro-vincial capital to San Fernandoactually began as early as 1852.On 6 August of that year, thealcalde mayor (as provincialgovernors were then called)proposed in an expediente totransfer the capital fromBacolor to San Fernando. TheKing of Spain granted the re-quest in a real cedula dated 11September 1881. Despite royalapproval, the transfer was notexecuted.

Shortly after his election asprovincial governor in 1904,Arnedo, a native of Apalit (hispredecessor, Ceferino Joven,was a native of Bacolor), revivedthe proposal. Gov. Arnedopointed out that San Fernandowas the biggest and most stra-tegic town of Pampanga, not tomention the fact that the Ma-nila-Dagupan Railroad, whichlinked the province with Manilaand the rest of Luzon, passedthrough San Fernando. Bacolor,on the other hand, was bypassedby the railroad and thus was nolonger a convenient location forthe provincial capital.

John A.Larkin, author ofThe Pampangans, sums up the

that this matter be carefullyand favorably received by thesaid honorable body.”

Just seven days after Gov-ernor Arnedo sent this report,the Philippine Commission ap-proved the transfer by signingAct No. 1204. In his annual re-port the following year, the Gov-ernor narrated: “Thus on 15 Au-gust 1904, the capital ofPampanga was officially trans-ferred from Bacolor to SanFernando. In compliance withAct No. 1204, entitled ‘An Actamending Act No. 85, extend-ing the provisions of the provin-cial government act of the prov-ince of Pampanga by changingthe capital of that provincefrom Bacolor to San Fernando.’This change was received andconsidered in the province ingeneral as a sign of a new eraof greatness and prosperity.”

Also transferred to SanFernando were the Court ofFirst Instance, the ProvincialJail, the Provincial Board ofHealth and the headquarters ofthe Philippine Constabulary.These provincial offices joinedthe Provincial Normal Schooland the Central Post and Tele-graph Office, which had beenestablished in San Fernandolong before the transfer of thecapital took place.

Gov. Arnedo also reportedthat the physical transfer of thecapital—all its dependenciesand offices—to another townthree miles away did not causegreat difficulty and expense tothe province. According to him,several municipalities had vol-unteered to transport articlesand furniture as well as providemen, carabaos and carts free ofcharge.

Because there was no largebuilding in San Fernando thatcould house all the offices, theprovincial government decidedto rent three buildings situatedin the same block. Anotherbuilding was also rented out tothe Provincial Board of Health,which eventually had to be re-located to make way for thenewly created Internal Rev-enue Office under the Office ofthe Provincial Treasurer.

In the same year, US Secre-tary of War William HowardTaft and Alice Roosevelt,daughter of President TheodoreRoosevelt, visited SanFernando. A charming banquethall made of bamboo and nipawas built in front of the churchto welcome the guests. Taftlater became President of theUnited States.

Ex-Pampanga governor Ceferino Joven ofBacolor (left) pushed for retention of capital inBacolor; incumbent governor Macario Arnedoof Apalit (right) facilitated the transfer of capitalto San Fernando

Pampanga High SchoolPresidio (Pampanga provincial jail)

Pampanga Provincial Hospital

Several towns volunteeredmen, carabaos and carts totransport furniture andother articles during thethree-kilometer physicaltransfer of the capital

(American Historical Collection)

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Bacolor became the capital of Pampanga in 1755, or184 years after Spain created the Province of Pampangaand seven (7) years before it became the interim capitalof the Philippines during the British Occupation.

Before 1755, Mexico town “es la corte de Pampanga,”according to Spanish chronicler Fray Gaspar de SanAgustin, while Bacolor “es la capital” and Guagua “esigualmente.” Historian Dr. Luciano Santiago theorizes thatbefore Bacolor was formally recognized as provincial capi-tal, it was already informally functioning as capital al-though other provincial administrative offices were else-where in Mexico and Guagua; it was probably shortly be-fore 1755 that the provincial government organized itselfin one town.

When Bacolor became the capital of the entire Philip-pines in 1762-1765, the capital of Pampanga was relocatedto Factoria (San Isidro) in Nueva Ecija, farther upstreamin the Rio Grande, according to documents in the LutherParker Collections. At that time, the territory of Pampangacovered practically the whole of Central Luzon and NuevaEcija as a province was still non-existent. The provincialofficials thought it wise to move the capital as far awayfrom Bacolor as possible in anticipation of British attacks—which in fact happened. One account says that the alcaldemayor (term for provincial governors at the time), a SeñorBiron, was already in Factoria when the British invadedSasmuan from Manila Bay through the Rio Grande; he or-dered all residents of Sasmuan to get into their boats andevacuate to Cabiao, near Factoria, for the duration of theBritish Occupation.

After the British left the country in 1765 (the SevenYears’ War between Spain and England had ended in Eu-rope), Gov. Gen. Simon de Anda left Bacolor and returnedthe capital to Manila, and the capital of Pampanga wasreturned from Factoria to Bacolor. Bacolor functioned asprovincial capital until 1904, when San Fernando becamethe new capital of Pampanga.

At the height of lahar devastation in 1995, there weretalks of relocating the capital, albeit temporarily, to higherground. In fact, several regional and provincial govern-ment offices were moved to Angeles City, Maimpis andother spots between Angeles and San Fernando.

THE MOVABLE

CAPITAL OF

PAMPANGA

By Robby Tantingco

San Fernando is not the onlytown to which the provincialcapital had been relocated

The functions of provincial government were oncelocated in Mexico, Guagua and Bacolor before they wereorganized in one capital, Bacolor. When Bacolor becamecapital of the Philippines in 1762-65, the provincialcapital was moved to San Isidro in an area in Pampangathat would eventually become the Nueva Ecija province.

Mexico convento (Fray Francis Musni/Convento de San Agustin)

Guagua church (Fray Francis Musni/Convento de San Agustin)

Bacolor Casa Real (above), San Fernando town square (below)

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The visionary families in Angeles like the Nepomucenos, who built the town’s electric plant, iceplant, soft drinks factory, co-educational school, upscale subdivision, and commercial center, laid thefirst stones for the foundation of a city. But it was only after the disruptive World War II that the pacetowards cityhood really quickened. This is due to two factors:

Expansion of Clark Air Base As the Cold War escalated, followed by the start of the VietnamWar, the US military installation began playing a crucial role in American foreign and military affairs.Thousands more US servicemen were assigned to Clark Air Base, and Angeles grew side by side withthe military base. People from other towns came seeking employment at Clark; eventually they andtheir families established residence in the town.

Huk problem in the countryside At the height of the Huk-government clashes, barrio peopleabandoned their houses and lived in the safer town of Angeles. Rural folks had been caught in thecrossfire, perceived Huk sympathizers were liquidated by government forces, while those who wereperceived to work for the government were “salvaged” by the insurgents.

Mayor Rafael S. del Rosario, who took office in 1960, convinced the municipal council to pass aresolution for the conversion of Angeles into a city, then, assisted by Atty. Enrique Tayag, the Mayorprepared the city charter and later, with the help of Rep. Juanita L. Nepomuceno, got the bill ap-proved in Congress. The bill carried with it a referendum clause calling for a plebiscite to coincidewith the next local elections. Thus, Del Rosario ran for re-election and campaigned for the ratificationat the same time in 1963.

Angeles was formally inaugurated as a city on January 1, 1964. Mayor Del Rosario gained thedistinction of being the last town mayor and first city mayor of Angeles, aside from earning the titleFather of the City Charter of Angeles.Reference: “Progress Review” (1972) Ed. By Ram Mercado (1988 Foundation Anniversary Souvenir Program)

Rafael Del Rosario: last town mayor,first city mayor

Kuli

at F

ound

atio

n

82

Residents of Angeles feel defensive, even hurt, when outsid-ers make fun of it as “the city of angels,” which is a euphemismfor place of ill repute. The notoriety, Angeleños argue, is exag-gerated because the so-called red district is but a small streetcalled Fields Avenue that’s located far from city proper, nearthe gate of the former US military base. In fact, they add, nei-ther customers nor hostesses are from Angeles; the former areeither transient servicemen or retired veterans, while the latterare immigrants from other provinces.

Actually, taverns started appearing in the town as early asthe American colonial period, when Fort Stotsenberg was firstput up near the town proper before being relocated to what willeventually become Clark Air Base. The notorious area called,well, “Area” was a row of brothels during pistaym (peace time,

C I T Y O F C I T Y O F C I T Y O F C I T Y O F C I T Y O F A N G E L SA N G E L SA N G E L SA N G E L SA N G E L SANGELES 1913-1991: BASTION OF CATHOLICISM BY DAY, SIN CITY BY NIGHT

or the period before World War II), located near what is now thePampang Market. “Area” was (and some say, is) the place forlocal men and boys to be devirginized; in those days, all it tookwas P2.50 (P5.00 if you wanted the more private cubicle.

It was also around this time that nightclubs (called“kabarets”), kiosks and hotels sprouted along Sto. Entierro Streetand Sto. Rosario Street, scandalously close to the parish church,because that was the town’s main business district. From theDeposito all the way to the San Nicolas public market area, andeven beyond, from the Family Theatre/Rabbit Station area to

A heritage house in Angeles, circa 1960s, converted into a business establishment catering to US servicemen (Larry Galinato)

One of the girls in Balibago, near Fields Avenue (Tom Utts)

“More than 300 bars packed a strip ofhighway connecting old Angeles with ClarkAir Base. They range from plush palaceswith chanteuses from Manila, to holes-in-the-wall with brutal strip-teases and dancerswhose faces couldn’t stand more light than25-watt frosted bulbs.”

Renato “Katoks” Tayag

Bars for the benefit of American soldiersstarted operating in Angeles as early as 1913

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the railroad crossing (the demarcation line between bars cater-ing to blacks and bars catering to whites only) and all the way tothe Abacan Bridge—nightclubs sprouted. Across the Abacan Bridge,starting with where Robinson’s Mall is today, extending as far asthe boundary between Mabalacat and Angeles, nightclubs mush-roomed like there was no tomorrow. It looked like the residentsof the town cashed in on the demand occasioned by the influx ofUS servicemen as the Vietnam War escalated, and rented outtheir houses, garages and front lawns for conversion into bars.

According to Angeles oldtimers, the Pamintuan House, whereGen. Aguinaldo stayed during the Revolution, was once leased asa hotel, the Lazatin (now Angeles) House (beside Toll House)was once “Esquire Club,” and Funeraria Angelina and BaleHerencia in front of Holy Angel University were also entertain-ment joints.

During World War II, Japanese soldiers had a regular hangout, abrothel near what is now the rotunda, run by a Japanese mer-chant. This did not prevent them from getting “comfort women”—a tragic episode in Angeles history revealed by the late Rosa Henson.

Angeles historian Ed Sibug says that all the villages on theperiphery of Clark Air Base also used to be studded with clubsservicing American soldiers in search of R & R, from Sapangbatodown to Margot, Anunas and Balibago.

The decline started after the US base authorities declaredAngeles off-limits to US soldiers because of the sharp rise in pettycrimes (robbery, mugging, etc.). What the American servicemendid was drive all the way to San Fernando where, as expected,many nightclubs had relocated, especially in the vicinity of therailroad crossing near the provincial Capitol, and around CampOlivas on the road to San Matias.

Patronage further declined when in the 1960s, the head ofthe association of nightclub owners and operators, movie actorRey Paulino, was killed allegedly by communist hitmen for fail-ure to pay revolutionary tax (at the time of his death, he wassupervising construction of his multi-storey building namedPauline’s—today occupied by NCR Construction Supply). Fellow

Lonely tables just for two, on New Year’s Eve inside a bar in Balibago (Larry Galinato)

White and black Americans mixed in their barracks, but not inAngeles bars where there was a “Blacks District” and clubsexclusively for whites. (Larry Galinato)

actor (later Senator) Ramon Revilla put up a club in the areaaround this time; his daughter Evelyn Bautista, who studied atHoly Angel College, would later marry basketball star (later Sena-tor) Robert Jaworski.

Angeles has returned to its old reputation as a bastion ofCatholicism, one of very few places where Sunday Mass is saidmore than 10 times, all well attended—and that is not yet count-ing the other parish churches elsewhere in the city.

Today, only Balibago is known for its casinos, bars and hotels,but the strip called Fields Avenue, now safely hidden behind awall in Astro Park, continues to be the hub of those who seek allkinds of entertainment and those who are only too willing toprovide them—a vestige of that chapter in history that Angeles istrying to forget. (R. Tantingco)

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San Fernando was foundedas a parish in 1754; it wasplaced under the advocation ofOur Lady of the Assumption al-though the town was namedafter Fernando III, King ofCastille and Leon, who was can-onized in 1671. Fray SebastianMoreno was named prior-vicarin 1756. The town would growinto a trading hub that it wascalled the “second Parian oreven the second Escolta due tothe many Chinese establishedthere.” San Fernando became

The Church of

San Fernando

The white and gold interior of the Our Lady of Assumption church of San Fernando before Gen. Antonio Luna and his revolucionariosburned it in 1899 to prevent the invading Americans from using it as headquarters. Its ceiling was covered with exquisite muralpainting. (Convento de San Agustin)

the seat of the diocese bearingits name in 1948.

The first church was builtprobably by Fray SebastianMoreno, its parish priest in1756. The work was finished bythe next parish priest, FrayMariano Alafont, in 1781. Itmay have been damaged be-cause in 1828, the parish priestsought permission to have it re-built.

In 1757 the townsfolk peti-tioned the Governor General forexemptions from tribute to en-

able them to build a largerchurch and convent. In 1788the parish was transferred tothe care of native secularpriests. The construction of thepresent church started duringthe same year under the super-vision of Padre Manuel Canlas,the first secular cura parroco ofSan Fernando, and a committeecomposed of the town’sprincipales led bygobernadorcillo Don BernabePamintuan. Construction wascompleted in 1808 (this was af-

ter the parish was returned tothe Augustinians); its ceilingwas painted with trompe l’oeilmurals (similar to the ceilingmurals of San Agustin Churchin Intramuros and the ApalitChurch) apparently by Italianpainters Giovanni Divella andCesare Alberoni or their stu-dents.

Fray Pedro Medina (1853)and Fray Antonio Redondo(1886) restored the church;Fray Redondo finished paintingthe Tuscan interior and added

85

Renovated after the Revolution, this is how the San Fernando church looked before it was destroyed again in 1939, this time byfire. (City of San Fernando) Below, the church today. (Jojo Valencia)

the majestic dome.Both church and the

convento were burned byGen.Antonio Luna’s sol-diers on May 4 or 5, 1899.Reconstructed, bothbuildings were againburned by a big fire in1939. The church was re-constructed after WorldWar II by notedKapampangan architectFernando Ocampo. Arather oversized porticowas added in 1950.

Reference: Angels inStone: AugustinianChurches in the Philippinesby Fr. Pedro G. Galende, OSA(Manila: San Agustin Mu-seum, 1996)

86

The Church of

Angeles

The interior of the Los Angeles de la Guardia church of Angeles in the 1890s (above and below). The church suffered relativelyslight damages during the revolution and World War II. (Fray Francis Musni/Convento de San Agustin)

The town was accepted by a meeting among Augustinians in 1830, un-der the advocation of Los Angeles de la Guardia, or Angeles Custodios. Itwas served by a secular priest until Fray Vicente Andres was appointed itsprior in 1843.

The original church was made of nipa and bamboo. Fray GuillermoMasnou replaced it with one of wood in 1855. Fray Ramon Sarrionandiastarted building the present edifice of stone and bricks in 1860; it wasdesigned by an architect from Manila, Antonio de la Camara. Fray JuanMerino continued its construction in 1881. It was opened to the public in1890 although still unfinished. It was Fray Pedro Ibeas who completed thechurch in 1892: “a magnificent church, a perennial monument to the reli-gious dedication of the townspeople of Angeles.” Fray Rufino Santos (notto be confused with the Kapampangan cardinal) added a few renovations in1893. The church was completely finished in 1897—a legacy of the SpanishAugustinians on the eve of their departure.

Source: Angels in Stone: Augustinian Churches in the Philippines by Fr. PedroG. Galende, OSA (Manila: San Agustin Museum, 1996)

87

We received from the Philippines a letter stating that on April14 [1886], the Very Rev. Fr. Juan Merino, OSA solemnly blessedand opened for public worship, a portion of the newly constructedchurch at Angeles., Pampanga, which will soon be one of the roomi-est churches in the country.

Those who assisted in the ceremony were Fathers AntonioRedondo [then San Fernando curate], Urbano Bedoya, and Galode la Calle [the cholera martyr of Lubao in 1902]– all Augustinians.Fathers Gregorio Bueno [Mabalacat] and Mariano Morales –bothAugustinian Recollects –were also at hand. The event was at-tended by all the residents of the town, who were filled withjoyful satisfaction to see a solemn celebration in this new churchfor the first time. The construction of the new edifice was madepossible through the patronage of eight prominent families ofthis town, together with the zealous efforts and sacrifices of Fa-ther Merino. Not to be forgotten also is the generosity of thefaithful who did everything possible to contribute with dona-tions, labor and anything to help their beloved parish priest. For

UNUNUNUNUNA A A A A NUEVNUEVNUEVNUEVNUEVA A A A A IGLESIAIGLESIAIGLESIAIGLESIAIGLESIAExcerpts from an Augustinian document describing the inaugurationof the Angeles parish church

now, only the portion of the principal nave with its choir is openedto public worship, in which they have placed the altar, confes-sionals, and other church utensils, thus giving it an impression ofa real church. The rest of the structure is at the finishing stagewith all its necessary materials at hand.

The dedicated structure successfully attained the union of allelements of beauty and safety which is necessary in these islandsexposed to danger of earthquakes, thus affording it strength bythe solid construction of its walls, the proportion of all its parts,its well chosen materials, and the framework and roofing, allmade from the more reputable factories of Europe.

Father Merino must have been gratified by the fruits of hislabors; the satisfied inhabitants of Angeles can now have their di-vine worship with splendor and pomp inside the church. All areequally satisfied for having prepared a dwelling for the Lord, sothat He may live among mortals, putting in mind that the Lord ofLords never fails to repay not even a glass of water given in Hisname.-From REVISTA AGUSTINIANA Vol. XII (1886) (Fray Francis Musni)

88

In 2003, the SanFernando, Pampanga HeritageFoundation, Inc. (SFPHFI),chaired by Levy Laus, learnedfrom Cathedral Rector Msgr.Cenovio M. Lumanog that thethree remaining centuries-oldchurch bells were in a stateof disrepair. Prof. RegaladoTrota Jose of the NationalComission for Culture andthe Arts (NCCA) advised theFoundation not to restore orrepair the bells, but replacethem with new ones and pre-serve and display the originalbells as historical artifacts..

The new bells made in theNetherlands (by a foundrynamed Petit b.v. Holland, es-tablished in 1660), with aprice tag of over 2 million pe-sos, were installed at the bel-fry of the Metropolitan Cathe-dral of San Fernando last De-cember 16, 2004, during thefirst of the nine simbangbengi. President GloriaMacapagal Arroyo electroni-cally pealed the bells shortlybefore the start of the dawnMass, symbolizing the tradi-tional role of church bells insummoning the faithful to

The seven remaining cen-tury-old church bells of Ange-les were restored in ceremo-nies dubbed as Pasibayu,Tigtig la ding Campana heldOctober 6, 2000.

The restoration was spon-sored by the Kuliat Founda-tion, Inc. (KFI) and timed withthat year’s Fiestang Kuliat cel-ebration.

The last time the bells hadrung was during the eruptionof Mount Pinatubo on June 15,1991.

Old townsfolk recall thatit was the church bells of An-

Mass. Archbishop Paciano B.Aniceto, DD and Msgr.Lumanug concelebrated theMass.

The four major donorswere the Laus Family (for thelargest bell, which weighedhalf a ton), the descendants ofDon Serafin Lazatin and DoñaEncarnacion Singian (for thesecond bell) and the familiesof Antonio O. Koh and SenenP.Quiambao (for the thirdbell).

Each bell contained 20percent tin, half a percent oflead, 1.5 percent zinc, anti-mony with iron and the bal-ance of some 78 to 80 percentin copper. The clapper is madeof construction steel and theclapper balls of manganesebronze, a metal softer thanthe bells themselves. (Colonialbells in the Philippines easilycracked because their clap-pers were made of the sameor even harder metal).

Meanwhile, the old bellsare now on display at the sideof the Cathedral in a bell housedonated by the San FernandoJaycees Senate.

(Ivan Henares)

A N G E L E SA N G E L E SA N G E L E SA N G E L E SA N G E L E SCHURCHURCHURCHURCHURCH BELLSCH BELLSCH BELLSCH BELLSCH BELLSRESTRESTRESTRESTRESTOREDOREDOREDOREDORED

geles that alerted the peopleof Angeles of the many fires,floods and other emergenciesthroughout the town’s history.The bells also rang during theJune 12, 1899 first anniver-sary of Philippine Indepen-dence, which was held in An-geles with President EmilioAguinaldo witnessing themarching troops led by theboyish General Gregorio delPilar, from the windows of thePamintuan Mansion along Sto.Entierro Street.

SAN FERNSAN FERNSAN FERNSAN FERNSAN FERNANDOANDOANDOANDOANDOCHURCHURCHURCHURCHURCH BELLSCH BELLSCH BELLSCH BELLSCH BELLSREPLAREPLAREPLAREPLAREPLACEDCEDCEDCEDCED

The church and parish house in this town suffered great de-struction as a result of the war. The following were the damagesincurred:• its iron roof and dome perforated by bullets of differentcaliber;• two (2) moldings of the wall broken: a) one of the bell tow-ers and b) the other front of the “crucero” cross on the rightside; c) gilt moldings in the gilt frontal of the “sagrario”• the image of the Holy Angel disrobed of its vestments andjewels• the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary defrocked of its mantle,and her jewels taken; gilded carriage destroyed;• a small image of the baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John theBaptist, and the sacrarium of the baptistery - lost;• four (4) arm chairs used for high mass – unserviceable;• a set of crucifix and wooden “ciriales” - lost;• fifteen (15) little angels with their silver “alas doradas” –lost;• two (2) wardrobes “aparadores” in the sacristy –lost;• twenty (20) metal candleholders, a crucifix ¾ meters (?) inheight – lost;• A processional canopy “palio” of white fabrix - lost;• A “guion” of gilded terciopelo - lost;• Two (2) baptismal fonts of cast cement- destroyed;• a small organ (organillo) – destroyed;• two (2) wooden book rests (atril) - lost;• eight (80) chant book porters of Santiesteban - lost;• six (6) catafalques (feretros) for adults and children - lost.

From the Catalogo de Daños (1901)

1901 ca1901 ca1901 ca1901 ca1901 catalotalotalotalotalog ofg ofg ofg ofg ofdamadamadamadamadamaggggges to thees to thees to thees to thees to theparish cparish cparish cparish cparish churhurhurhurhurccccch ofh ofh ofh ofh ofAngelesAngelesAngelesAngelesAngelesBy Fray Francis Musni, OSA

The US government used the Angeles church as a militaryhospital during the Philippine- American War (Jojo Valencia)

89

The diocese ofSan Fernando,Pampanga was cre-ated on December11, 1948, throughthe Apostolic Consti-tution Probe Nosci-tur; it comprised theprovinces ofPampanga, Bataan,Zambales, a part ofTarlac, and Nueva

Ecija. It was initially a suffragan of theArchdiocese of Manila. The first bishop wasthe Most Rev. Cesar Ma. Guerrero, DD, anative of Intramuros, as first bishop; he re-ceived his appointment from the Vaticanon May 29, 1949 and was installed on Sep-tember 8 of the same year. The parish ofOur Lady of the Assumption, in the pro-vincial capital town of San Fernando, wasselected as the seat of the new diocese;the parish church was thus elevated into acathedral and was renamed Cathedral ofOur Lady of the Assumption.

Bishop Guerrero established the MaterBoni Consilii (now Mother of Good Counsel)Seminary in 1950 (it was originally in Guagua,then Apalit, before being relocated to itspresent site in San Fernando); the Cruzadade Caridad y Penitencia (or devotion to theVirgen de los Remedios) in 1952, which con-tinues to this day; and the Carmelite Monas-tery in Angeles in 1956, where he retired fol-lowing his resignation on March 14, 1957 dueto poor health. He died March 27, 1961 andwas buried beside the monastery chapel, ac-cording to his wishes.

Eventually the diocese was dismem-bered when provincial boundaries becamemore pronounced. Zambales was estab-lished as a prelature on October 18, 1955,Nueva Ecija as a diocese on February 16,1963, Tarlac as a diocese on May 10,1963,and Bataan as a diocese on March 17, 1975.

The Most Rev. Emilio A. Cinense, DD,a native of Guimba, Nueva Ecija, becamethe second bishop of San Fernando on March15, 1957. It was during his term that theDiocese of San Fernando was elevated intoa Metropolitan See and Archdiocese; the ca-nonical erection was held on June 15, 1975.The new archdiocese comprised the wholeprovince of Pampanga with three suffragandioceses, namely, the Diocese of Tarlac, theDiocese of Iba (Zambales) and the Dioceseof Balanga (Bataan).

After the death of Archbishop Cinense,the Most Rev. Oscar V. Cruz, DD, a nativeof Balanga, Bataan and at the time rectorof San Carlos Seminary, was appointed sec-ond Archbishop of San Fernando on May 22,1978; he resigned on October 24, 1988. OnJanuary 31, 1989, the Most Rev. PacianoB. Aniceto of Sta.Ana, Pampanga, formerrector of the Mother of Good Counsel Semi-

By Arwin Paul Lingat

1948-1975:

From Diocese to

Archdiocese of

San Fernando

Bishop Cesar Ma. Guerrero, D.D., first bishop of San Fernando (Romeo Cabusao)

nary and Bishop of Iba, was appointed third(and first Pampanga-born) Archbishop ofSan Fernando; he was formally installedon March 14, 1989.

On the occasion of the Golden Jubileeanniversary of its creation as diocese on De-

cember 11, 1998, the Archdiocese of SanFernando’s Cathedral of the Assumption wasconsecrated and rededicated as The Metro-politan Cathedral of San Fernando, duringceremonies presided over by the papal nun-cio, the Most Rev. Antonio Franco, DD.

90

On April 15, 1952,Kapampangans startedthe Cruzada y BuenaVoluntad (Crusade ofCharity and Goodwill)through the initiative ofBishop Cesar Ma.Guerrero. The Cruzadawas carried out underthe patronage and guid-ance of Our Lady of Rem-edies (Indu ningCapaldanan), who hadproven to be a true rem-edy for the ills thatthreatened religion andpeace in the province.Through the crusade,which called for uninter-rupted pilgrimage of OurLady’s image to the dif-ferent towns (siba-balen)and parishes (parokya) ofthe diocese, immensespiritual and temporalblessings had been be-stowed on the people ofPampanga, includingconversions, increasedreligious fervor, peaceand order in the country-side, and salvation fromcommunism. As a fittingexpression of theKapampangans’ grati-tude to the Virgen de losRemedios, the diocesedeclared her the Patron-ess of Pampanga. OnSeptember 8, 1956 (fouryears after the first cru-sade was inaugurated inMasantol, the first ca-nonical coronation of theimage of Virgen de losRemedios was solem-nized at the Capitolgrounds in SanFernando.

Themed Qng Tula DaDing Capampangan, thecoronation activities in-cluded a Eucharistic cel-ebration and a misasolemne at 4 AM and 8AM, respectively, bothcelebrated by Msgr.Andres Bituin, vicar gen-eral of the diocese.

At 2 PM, a huge pro-cession started at the Ca-thedral of the Assump-tion (Asuncion) all the way to the Capitolgrounds; it was participated in by Mariandevotees from various towns, cofradias andescuelas catolicas of the province.

VIRGEN DE LOS REMEDIOS

Our Lady of

PampangaCalled “Little Russia,” Pampanga wasbeing torn apart by a communist-inspiredpeasant uprising when the Diocese turnedto the Mother of God for help

By Dr. Rodrigo M. Sicat

At 4 PM, simultaneous ringing of churchbells (dupical) throughout the province sig-naled the start of coronation rites of Virgende los Remedios as the Patroness of

Kapampangans.The affair was at-

tended by church and civicleaders of Pampanga as theprogramme shows:1. Mabásá ya ing Decretoning Coronacion qngsalitang Latin atCapampangan2. Ing Nuncio Apostolicobendicionan ne ing Coronaning Virgen3. Iputung ya ing Corona…………… Arzobispo Pedro P.Santos (Nueva Caceres),Gov. Rafael Lazatin4. Santa Misa………………………… ObispoAlejandro Olalia (Lipa)5 .Pamungcasi…………………………Msgr. Santiago Guanlao6. Te Deum…………………………... Msgr.Cosme Bituin, Msgr. JesusTizon, Msgr. Felix Sicat7. Pawaga…………………………….. Hon.Diosdado P. Macapagal,Hon. Gil J. Puyat8. Pamagtagulaling qngVirgen……….Gov. RafaelLazatin9. Limbun papunta qngCatedral………Msgr. PacificoAraullo, Msgr. EmilianoSantos, Msgr. Pascual Cruz10. Salve Regina… … … … … … … … … O b i s p oCesar Ma. Guerrero

Tasked to oversee thecanonical coronation wereBishop Guerrero and Gov.Lazatin as honorary chair-men; Msgr. Cosme Bituin,Don Juan Nepomuceno andGK Cesar Genuino as chair-men; Fr. Diosdado Victorioand GK Galicano Coronel assecretaries; S. AuroraRodriguez and GK JoseValdez as treasurers.

In his message, writtenin Kapampangan, PresidentRamon Magsaysay said,“Tapat kungsasalpantayanan qng ingpangadi ya ing masicanandiling calasag at sandatangpanlaban qng quilusan asawil at alang Dios.” Healso added that “metung

qng pagmaragul cung dangalan ingtutungguen cung capampangan ing malaticung sarili. Itang malugud cung impu baitya at dagul Betis. Inia pin ata, tanggapanyu o ali, mayubu ing panlalaue cu quecayu.”

Virgen de los Remedios officially became Patroness of Pampanga duringthe canonical coronation of her image on September 8, 1956. (Alex Castro)

91

The Cruzada, in which the image of OurLady of Remedies (Virgen de losRemedios) is taken in daily processions allover Pampanga 365 days a year, is a tradi-tion that can be found only in this prov-ince. Today, the original purpose of thecrusade has been diluted and theLady’s image disputed. On one hand,the original image stays in its origi-nal chapel in Baliti, San Fernando;on the other hand, three replicashave been made to serve as symbolsof the crusade. In Baliti, the parishhas begun actively promoting itsshrine as a pilgrimage site, a la OurLady of Manaoag in Pangasinan.However, for the rest of Pampanga,devotion is mostly directed to themost visible and accessible two pil-grim images which are replicas of thereplica; these two images areprocessioned non-stop even to thefarthest fishing villages and mountainhamlets. However, the biggestcrowds gather (albeit once a yearonly) around the first replica of theoriginal image, the one that is takenout once a year (from theArchdiocesan Chancery) for the an-nual coronation rites (alternately inSan Fernando and Angeles). Thus,there are four identical images ofsame Virgen de los Remedios: onestationary image in Baliti, anotherthat is kept in the Chancery, takenout only every September 8; and thetwo pilgrim images constantly goingaround the province for the Cruzada.In these processions, the image of theSanto Cristo del Perdon accompaniesthe Virgen--underscoring the beliefof Catholics that the Blessed Virgin helpsbring Christ even to the most unreachablepeople.

But first, a little flashback:The Diocese of San Fernando was sepa-

rated from the Archdiocese of Manila onDecember 11, 1948. Its first bishop wasThe Most Rev. Cesar Ma. Guerrero, DD,whoimmediately identified the most press-ing problem of Pampanga as the peasantuprising against the feudal system, fueled

VIRVIRVIRVIRVIRGEN GEN GEN GEN GEN AND APU:APU:APU:APU:APU: TWO CONTROVERSIAL SANT SANT SANT SANT SANTOSOSOSOSOS

By Robby Tantingco and Arwin Paul Lingat

1.1.1.1.1. TTTTThe original he original he original he original he original VVVVViririririrgggggen de los Ren de los Ren de los Ren de los Ren de los Remediosemediosemediosemediosemedios of of of of of Baliti and her thr Baliti and her thr Baliti and her thr Baliti and her thr Baliti and her three ree ree ree ree reeeeeplicasplicasplicasplicasplicasTrue to form, Kapampangans make a big fuss over appearances; they don’t quiteknow how to solve the problem of two images of the same Virgin-- the officiallycrowned replica and the sidelined antique original

by a communist ideology. Socialist mayorswere being elected, including those in An-geles and San Fernando; the sonorous scundof the tambuli was a nightly occurrence,and so were parades of peasants waving redflags. The people did go to Mass, pray the

Angelus and the rosary, but as BishopGuerrero said, “Aqui en Pampanga haymucha piedad, pero poca caridad!” (“Herein Pampanga there is much piety, but littlecharity!”) In the vernacular: “DengKapampangan, mapangadi la, pero ali lamapamie!”

Which was why, after much prayer andreflection, Bishop Guerrero established theCruzada ning Pamanisi at Lugud (Crusadeof Penance and Charity), during a meeting

held on the third Sunday of February, 1952at the San Guillermo Parish in Bacolor,Pampanga. He appointed the parish’s co-adjutor Fr. Diosdado Victorio as directorof the Cruzada. The bishop chose the im-age of Virgen de los Remedios, then en-

shrined in the Virgen de losRemedios Parish (not San RoqueParish as previously thought) inBrgy. Baliti, San Fernando,Pampanga, as the image that wouldaccompany the Cruzada across theprovince. It may be deduced thatBishop Guerrero’s choice of patronsaint may have been influenced byhis personal devotion to Virgen delos Remedios, patron saint ofMalate, his former parish. Thebeautiful andas (shoulder-bornecarriage) on which the image wasmounted was commissioned byDoña Jacinta vda. de Tayag ofBacolor.

The Cruzada officially startedon May 1, 1952, or four years afterthe birth of the diocese, in the SanMiguel Arcangel Parish in Masantol,the southernmost town ofPampanga. Throughout the year,well-attended processions markedthe transfer of the image from par-ish to parish.

Part of the tradition of theCruzada was the donation of all almsand goods collected from the pre-viously visited parish to the nextparish. Soon, the processions of theVirgen de los Remedios featuredtruckloads of material goods beingdistributed to the indigent resi-dents; thus, Kapampangans learned

to share their possessions and the visits ofthe Virgen became joyous occasions of re-plenishing both the soul and the body.

And when all the parishes had beenvisited by the image of the Virgen, it wasthe turn of Baliti, its home parish. Obvi-ously the people of Baliti had sorely missedtheir beloved Virgen; they had also cel-ebrated their fiesta earlier without theimage. When the time came for theCruzada’s second round of provincial vis-

The original Virgen de los Remedios image in Baliti,San Fernando (Arwin Paul Lingat)

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its, Bishop Guerrero, who had arrived inBaliti to pick up the image, was politelytold by Baliti’s parish priest, Fr. GenerosoPallasigui, that his parishioners would notallow the image to leave the parish again.Msgr. Jose de la Cruz, now 92, who waspresent in the meeting, said in a recentinterview that Fr. Pallasigui was quite wor-ried that “blood would flow” if BishopGuerrero insisted on taking the imageaway. (Apparently the people and theirofficials had made their feelings clear tothe priest earlier.)

Msgr. De la Cruz recalls that the bishopdecided right then and there to have a rep-lica made. “Considering that Baliti wasHuk-infested at that time,” Msgr. De laCruz said, “the bishop thought it wise tolet the matter rest. Besides, the Cruzada

was intended to bring the people closer toGod, not away from Him.”

Msgr. De la Cruz was the director of theradio program Ing Siuala nang Maria (TheVoice of Mary) at the time. He said thepeople may have reacted to an earlier com-ment he had made on the program that “nosingle parish owns the Virgen de losRemedios. Every parish that the image vis-its owns it in the duration of the visit. Shebelongs to the entire diocese.” The com-ment is canonically sound because all churchedifices and all artifacts found inside aretechnically the property of the diocese.

The first replica was thus hastily made;it was carved by the Siocos of SanFernando. It was so well made that whenthe processions began for the Cruzada’sYear 2 in late 1953, the people did not re-

alize it was a different image. BishopGuerrero next decided to apply to theVatican for permission to have the imagecanonically crowned.

The criteria for a canonical coronationof a religious image are: (a) there must bewidespread devotion around the image; and(b) the image must have proven antiquity.It was the second criterion that made Msgr.De la Cruz pause. Which of the two imagesshould be canonically crowned, the antiqueBaliti image or the new replica to whichpopular devotion had now been trans-ferred? Bishop Guerrero told the priest,“Just pray, Pepe.”

On September 8, 1956, more than70,000 Kapampangans witnessed the ca-nonical coronation of the replica, per-formed by the Pope’s emissary to thePhilippines,Msgr. Egidio Vagnozzi, held oncapitol grounds in San Fernando.

After that, the popular devotion aroundthe crowned image of the Virgen de losRemedios grew even more. Towns thatwere visited often kept the image way be-yond the allotted period, which sloweddown the intinerary. It took 10 years ormore before the image returned to thesame town, which was why people pulled

Kapampangans crowd around the replica image after its canonical crowning in 1956 in San Fernando. (Jojo Valencia)

The people of Baliti graciously lent the image oftheir parish patroness for the first year of provincialprocessions. However, when it wasn’t returned intime for their barrio fiesta, and when talk circulatedthat the image did not belong to them anymore butto the entire province, their mood turned fromgracious to sour to indignation

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Virgen de los Remedios in Masantol in the early days of the Cruzada. (Romeo Cabusao)

all stops whenever the image finally didcome back to their town.

It was also around this time that theimage of Santo Cristo del Perdon (Cruci-fied Christ, Lord of Pardon) was added toaccompany the Virgen. There was discus-sion on which image should come first dur-ing the procession, until it was decided toput the Santo Cristo del Perdon first, notonly to emphasize that Christ should be first(despite the popular belief that the moreimportant image should be last) but alsosince the Cruzada is based on penance, thefirst image that the people should see mustbe that of suffering.

In 1978 or 1979, San Fernando Arch-bishop Oscar V. Cruz wanted to solve theproblem of the extremely slow pace of theVirgen’s provincial rounds. There was a pro-posal to have nine (9) new images made so

that each of the diocese’s nine vicariates(cluster of parishes based on geography)would have its own Virgen. Msgr. De la Cruzinformed Archbishop Cruz that “it was notthe intention of Bishop Guerrero to havemultiple images going around.” So thecompromise was reached that only two im-ages should go around, one for the north-ern towns of Pampanga, and one for thesouthern towns. But then again, the Bishopanticipated debate on which group of townswould get the canonically crowned imageand which would get the new one. So hesolomonically decided to have two new rep-licas made for the Cruzada in the north andthe south, while the canonically crownedimage would stay in the Chancery (Bishop’sresidence) and would come out only everySeptember 8 for the reenactment of thecanonical coronation. (Many Kapampangans

today erroneously call the annual event“canonical coronation;” the Virgen was ca-nonically crowned only once, on Septem-ber 8, 1956; the succeeding September 8events are all merely anniversaries or re-enactments of that first and only canoni-cal coronation.)

The two new images were introducedduring the 1981 reenactment, held inMinalin. (Reenactments were held inwhichever town the Virgen was visitingaround the time of the anniversary; how-ever, when flooding worsened afterPinatubo, especially in the southern towns,the archdiocese decided to hold the reen-actment alternately between SanFernando and Angeles, simply becausethey are the only towns with enough facili-ties to accommodate the big crowds andbecause they are relatively dry during themonsoon season.)

There are thus four identical images ofthe Virgen de los Remedios in Pampanga: theoriginal in Baliti; the canonically crownedreplica which is kept in the Chancery andtaken out every September 8 for the annualreenactment; a third for the southern towns,and a fourth for the northern towns.

Next year is the golden anniversary ofthe canonical coronation of the Virgen, tobe held in San Fernando (instead of Ange-les in accordance with the alternating ar-rangement; the explanation is that eventsof such significance should be held in theseat of the archdiocese). Meanwhile, thepeople of Barrio Baliti conduct their ownnon-canonical coronation of the Virgen, notonce but twice a year.

Reference: Msgr. Jose de la Cruz,” Souve-nir Program of the 45th Anniversary of the Ca-nonical Coronation of Virgen de los Remedios”.

Kapampangans troop to a distant shrine in Manaoagwhen they have a similarly miraculous Virgen de losRemedios right in their midst. Problem is, all fourimages are said to be miraculous, as well as equallypopular, so which one will the Church position asthe official image?

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OriginsThe tradition of venerating the image

of the dead Christ traces its origin to theearly Church. The earliest article of ven-eration being the sindon, or the very shroudbelieved to have been used in burying thebody of the dead Christ. Several represen-tations of the dead Christ became commonin the fifteenth century. When Spain in-troduced Christianity to these islands, theybrought several representative images ofthe dead Christ. Known by such names asSanto Sepulcro, Santo Cristo Yacente, SantoRetiro, Santo Entierro, the most commonportrayal is that of the dead Christ lying in

2.2.2.2.2. TTTTThe Strhe Strhe Strhe Strhe Strangangangangange Case ofe Case ofe Case ofe Case ofe Case of the the the the the TTTTTwwwwwo Imao Imao Imao Imao Imagggggeseseseses of of of of of AAAAApung Mamacalulupung Mamacalulupung Mamacalulupung Mamacalulupung MamacaluluAfter the abducted original image was returned to the parish,the unexpected happened: the unofficial replica becamemore popular than the official imageBy Fray Francis Musni, OSA

state on a stately bier.The image of the dead Christ is a very

popular icon in the Philippines. Fr. Bulatao,SJ, a noted author on Philippine religiouspsychology, writes that the Filipinos iden-tify with the suffering of the dead Christbecause of poverty and other socio-eco-nomic difficulties they experience. Ange-les has its own widely revered patron un-der the advocation of Apung Mamacalulu[The Lord of Mercy] It appears that 150 -180 years ago [1828-1838] Father MacarioParas, parish priest of Angeles, caused thisvenerated image to be sculpted by a wellknown sculptor of that day, named

Buenaventura. It was at first installed in alittle sanctuary built by Padre Paras on hisown premises [which may have also beenlocated within the vast Paras and Dayritestates, somewhere off Talimundoc, nowbarrio Lourdes Sur ], and there became anobject of veneration among the pious in-habitants of the place. An entry in the bookof records of the Roman Catholic Churchof Angeles [marked as exhibit B in G.R. No.30242] shows that the image, its carriage,and other appendages, appear to have beengiven as a gift to the church by Padre Paras.There is also a similar entry found in thechurch records under the date February 20,

Original image of Apung Mamacalulu inside the Angeles parish church before it was spirited away in 1928 (Fray Francis Musni)

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1865, where it appears that the Apu im-age, with its adornments and carriage, wasa gift from Padre Paras and was then in hiscare. Another document shows that theimage together with its carriage was trans-ferred to the church in 1872. It remainedthere until about 1896 or 1897 when, ow-ing to the disturbed conditions of the coun-try, the image and the carriage were re-moved and transported to another munici-pality for safekeeping. [Mabalacat or SanFernando?] Henson writes that during thetumultuous years of the revolution, theimage was kept in barrio Sapangbato. It wastaken back to the church, sometime in1904, where it remained, except whentaken out on two occasions each year forthe purpose of being carried in solemn pro-cession. The image was put out in proces-sion on Good Friday and upon the occasionof its proper fiesta held in October.The 1928 Fiasco

When the image was carried out in pro-cession on Good Friday of 1928, its camarero[caretaker] Eriberto Navarro, acting for hisaunt Alvara Fajardo [an heiress to the Parasestate], and with the assistance of numer-ous other persons [among them several po-licemen and then town Mayor Juan D.Nepomuceno], caused the image to betaken forcibly from the precincts of thechurch when the procession was over, andfrom there it was carried to a place thathad been constructed for its deposit.Renato ‘Katoks’ Tayag, author of The Sin-ners of Angeles, adds a colorful note to the1928 incident, as recounted to him by acertain Atty. Ricardo Canlas of SanFernando: it is said that the snatching fi-asco resulted not only from an ownershipdispute but also from a long- standing po-litical quarrel between the thenNacionalistas and Democratas. This incidentgave rise to the 1929 replevin suit [a civilaction to recover personality] G.R. No.30242 filed on March 25, 1929 with theSupreme Court, entitled The Roman Catho-lic Archbishop of Manila vs. Alvara Fajardoand Eriberto Navarro.The ponente Associate Justice Street wrote:

The claim put forth by Alvara Fajardohas its origin in the following facts: PadreParas died about the year 1876, leaving awill in which he instituted his nephew,Mariano V. Henson, as his universal heir,and he is supposed to have inherited theimage from Padre Paras. From Henson theimage passed by transfer, so it is claimed,to Fernanda Sanchez, and from her to herson, Crispulo Bundoc, and his wife, thedefendant Alvara Fajardo. Crispulo Bundocis now dead, leaving Alvara Fajardo as theonly claimant to the image by virtue of al-leged title derived along the line indicated.But the entries in the inventory of proper-ties of the church to which we have referred

above show that before his death PadreParas had given the image to the church orat least that the church was holding it un-der claim of such gift. It therefore did notpass with other property of Paras to Hensonas a result of the will made by Paras inwhich Henson was instituted as universalheir. More than this, the transfer of theproperty from Henson to Fernanda Sanchezis not proved by satisfactory testimony.What is proved is that after the death ofPadre Paras, Fernanda Sanchez exercisedthe office of recamadera (caretaker) of theimage, and this office finally passed toAlvara Fajardo, one of the defendants inthis case. The church authorities seemnever to have questioned, prior to the in-stitution of this action, the right of AlvaraFajardo to this office. It appears to be theduty of the recamadera to keep the image

and its carriage in proper condition and tosupply proper apparel for it, — all of whichis done with money supplied by contribu-tions of the pious. In addition to this, it isthe duty of the person filling said office tocollect alms with which to pay for the reli-gious services incident to the celebrationsdevoted to the saint. As a result of theseduties, the person filling such office ap-parently has a right of free access to theimage.

We conclude from the evidence thatthe right pertaining to Alvara Fajardoas recamadera does not carry with it theownership of the image or the carriage;and the church, having had possession ofthe image, under claim of ownership bygift, for a long period of time, the titleof the Archbishop thereto is perfect.

Judgment will therefore be entered for

1970s estampita showing the Apung Mamacalulu image in the Dayrits’ chapel(Fray Francis Musni)

Don Clemente Dayrit and wife Doña Susana Nepomuceno (Dayrit Family)

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the plaintiff to recover of the defendantsthe image and carriage which are the sub-ject of this action; and a writ for the de-livery of the same to the plaintiff will ac-cordingly issue from this court in duecourse. So ordered, without costs.Two Apu Images

As a result of the 1929 decision, the de-fendants Navarro et al, delivered the im-age to the parish priest of Angeles, the lat-ter acting for the interest of the RomanCatholic Archbishop of Manila [ Pampangabecame a diocese only in 1948.]

For many years after the 1928 incident,the issue of the image became the sourceof friction between the Dayrits and the An-geles parish priests. While the original im-age was apparently returned to the parishchurch, an identical image surfaced at thechapel in the Dayrits’ estate about the sametime. Devotees remained with the Dayrits’image, in fact increasing in number until theshrine’s popularity reached cult proportions.The two images were taken out in separateprocessions, and on two occasions evensimulatenously. But the Dayrits’ processionsenjoyed more following.

Several prewar correspondences be-tween the Archbishop of Manila and DonClemente Dayrit show that requests forMasses in the Apu chapel owned by theDayrits were all denied. Later, it was thematter of accounting the donations to Aputhat became a major issue. The persistenttalk in town then was that the Church wasinterested in Apu because it was drawing a

the original Apu.So if indeed the original

image, subject of the 1929suit, was not the one surren-dered by the Dayrits to thethen Angeles parish priest,and the one in the Dayrits’chapel is also a replica, thenwhere is the real imagesnatched by Navarro andcompany way back in 1928?This remains a mystery. Theonly picture which could leadus back to the original imageis a pre-1928 crude print ofthe Apu lying in the altar onits side chapel at thepisambang maragul. Nodoubt this is a picture of theoriginal for this was takenfrom the old house ofrecamadero EribertoNavarro. Eriberto Navarromarried Paula Tuazon, andlived along Alvara FajardoStreet in barrio Salapungan.Eriberto died in the late1950s, without siring any son.His descendants relate sev-eral stories about the Apu and

its miraculous powers. There were times,they say, that it refused to be carried, thateven six men could not move it. But whenApung Mentu (as Eriberto was popularlycalled) came, he could carry the image byhimself. The office of recamadero waseventually turned over to his nephewSantiago Julian, who performed the officeuntil his death in the late 1970s. The of-fice was later delegated to the househelpsof the Dayrits and some of the children.

Several persons privy to the Dayrits’ se-crets claim that the original image is placedin this underground room of the old Dayritmansion. One of them even remembers hav-ing seen the image in an underground roomin the late 1960’s. The image was muchdarker than the one found in the sanctuario;it was encased in a plain urn. There wassome talk later that the image had alreadybeen spirited away to the United States byone of the Dayrit daughters.

Apu is nowadays known by youngerAngeleños as more of a place to shop forgreat bargains than as a miraculous, if con-troversial, image. Apu has somewhatmorphed from a little makeshift sanctuarioto a local Quiapo. Old folks note that nowa-days many people go to Apu not so much topray as to buy a variety of goods at dirtcheáp prices. Over the years, Apu has ac-quired the hustle and bustle of Quiapo withits own share of snatchers and pickpocketsand a motley Baclaran crowd of hawkersand bargain hunters. It has evolved from ashrine for the pious and desperate, into ashopping mecca of sorts.

big crowd of devotees on Fridays and thatthe chapel was receiving huge amounts ofalms. The money issue became moreheated when the Dayrits began leasingtheir lands and nearby alleys to transientvendors who started making good businesson the Apu premises in the 1970s. Throughthe years, the Dayrits managed to haveMasses said in the sanctuario sans permit,by priests from faraway stations, and evenby non-Catholic priests. To avoid furtherproblems, Fr. Aquilino Ordonez, then An-geles parish priest, brokered negotiationswith the Dayrit family and then SanFernando Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz. Hethought that the best solution was for thefamily to sell the chapel to the Church sothat it may attain full canonical recogni-tion and thereby become a seemly venuefor Apu devotees. Talks failed and no agree-ment was reached.

Even long after the sensational Su-preme Court case, the story about the sec-ond image just refuses to die. The authen-ticity of the image surrendered to the An-geles Parish Church following the courtorder began to be doubted when rumorsspread that right after the court handedthe 1929 decision, the disputed image wassent to Paete, Laguna, a town renownedfor its carvers, presumably to have a copyof it made. Many also believe that neitherthe image in the left niche of thepisambang maragul (parish church) nor theimage enthroned on the altar of the Dayritowned sanctuario at barrio Lourdes Sur is

While the common folk flock to the Apu chapel in the Dayrit estate every Friday, the city’s highand mighty attend the annual Apu Fiesta procession sponored by the parish every last week ofOctober. This 1958 photo shows former mayors (left to right) Rafael Lazatin, FranciscoNepomuceno, Juan D. Nepomuceno and Eugenio Suarez with parish priest Fr. Vicente Coronel,right behind the carroza bearing the “official” Apung Mamacalulu image.

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Angeles celebrates not one, nottwo, but four fiestas every year:

October 2 - calendaredfeast day of the Holy Guard-ian Angels, titular patronsaints of Angeles; this was ini-tially the official town fiesta,until La Naval gained popular-ity

2nd Sunday of October –La Naval fiesta, to commemo-rate the naval victories of theSpanish colonial governmentagainst the invading Protes-tant Dutch; the victories areattributed to the intercessionof Our Lady of the Most HolyRosary, who is the patron saintof the town Founder’s wife,

caped execution after prayingto the image of ApungMamacalulu; this incident fur-ther popularized the devotionto the image; in 1928, anotherincident (the “kidnapping” ofthe original image and subse-quent lawsuit) transferred thesite of popular devotion fromthe parish church to theDayrits’ chapel in Brgy.Lourdes.

December 8 - foundationday of Angeles; it was on thisday in 1829 when Culiat wasseparated from its matrix, SanFernando

T H E F O U RT H E F O U RT H E F O U RT H E F O U RT H E F O U RFFFFF IIIII EEEEE SSSSS TTTTT AAAAA SSSSSOFOFOFOFOF ANGELESANGELESANGELESANGELESANGELES

Doña Rosalia de Jesus deMiranda; the first La Naval fi-esta in Angeles was celebratedon October 10, 1830; thereaf-ter, the town celebrated thefeast of its titular patron saints,the Holy Guardian Angels, nolonger on October 2 but on theMonday after the La Naval fi-esta, to take advantage of thefact that the processionalcarrozas are still in the churchand residents still have enoughleftovers for another banquet

Last Friday of October –Fiestang Apu, in celebration ofApung Mamacalulu, the In-terred Christ (Our Lord of theHoly Sepulcher); the image was

supposedly used only in GoodFriday processions, but some-thing happened in 1897 that es-tablished the Fiestang Apu inOctober, right after the La Na-val fiesta: the town was caughtin the crossfire betweenCazadores and insurrectos, andthe town officials asked theparish priest to hold a quinario(five-day continuous praying,to differentiate it from the no-vena, which is nine days) tohonor the Five Wounds of Christand ask Him to save the townfrom further disaster; on thesecond day of said quinario, aprisoner of war named RomanPayumu from barrio Capaya es-

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The Ligligan Parul (lantern showdown)and its featured giant lanterns are not theonly reason that the city has been calledthe Lantern Capital of the Philippines.There is a thriving lantern industry thathas produced the distinctive parulsampernandu—not the giant variety, butthe smaller version with the same danc-ing rainbow colors.

According to lantern-maker RolandQuiambao, the lantern tradition probablybegan in the La Naval festivities in Bacolorand was acquired by next-door SanFernando either by osmosis or when theprovincial capital was transferred from Bacolor to San Fernandoin 1904. At the time, lanterns were lit from inside by candlelight,and later by kalburu (sulfur compound), car battery and genera-tor. The ligligan or contest most likely started around that time,among barangays, during their respective lubenas (lantern pro-cession held December 16-24). The large lantern behind thelubenas’ carroza was the one in competition, not the 12 pairs ofsmaller lanterns than make up the main body of the procession.From December 16 to 22, residents scrimped by using only candlesto light the lanterns; on the lubenas’ last two days, they went fullblast by using electricity; on the 24th (Christmas eve), lanternprocessions from competing barangays converged in the townsquare (not in the patio but in the basketball court between theAssumpta Building and Liberty Building) for the ligligan, which,at the time, was a contest of endurance: all the competing lan-

THE LANTERNSTHE LANTERNSTHE LANTERNSTHE LANTERNSTHE LANTERNSOF SAN FERNOF SAN FERNOF SAN FERNOF SAN FERNOF SAN FERNANDOANDOANDOANDOANDOAND ANGELESAND ANGELESAND ANGELESAND ANGELESAND ANGELESSmall and white, the dainty Angeles lanternstwinkle beside the supernovas which arethe giant lanterns of San Fernando

By Robby Tantingco and Arwin Paul Lingat

Giant Lantern Festival (above); lubenas processions featuringthe white tailed lanterns of Angeles (left) and the multi-coloredlanterns of San Fernando (left, bottom)

Lantern masterRoland Quiambao

Ivan Henares

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terns were simultaneously lit and played until theirbulbs exploded or went dead; the lantern with themost number of remaining lit bulbs won. The com-petition lasted well until daybreak of Christmasday.

The lanterns started assuming their giganticproportions only in 1965, probably due to the com-peting barangays’ increasing prosperity, and ofcourse, the Kapampangans’ natural tendency tooverspend just to produce a thing of beauty.

Acknowledged as the pioneer in modern lan-tern-making was Mario Datu of barrio Del Pilar; heis credited as the first to use iron framing for lan-terns (previously they used bamboo frames) andfor a more scientific mechanism to make the lightsdance (previously they used only a kalakati, whereone would run an iron rod against a row of nails).The rivals in the competition in those early dayswere Datu and Susing Maglalang of barrio San Jose.Later other names became by-words: Erning Diwaof Sta. Lucia; Emilio Dizon, Gregorio Miranda anda Mr. Santos of Del Pilar. A Mr. Linson was knownfor his dinukit a parul, or lanterns using paper card-boards and layers to give the impression of havingbeen “carved.”

It was Crising Valencia who invented the now-famous rotorsystem, in which a rotating cylinder (originally made of wood,then of copperplate, today of tin sheet covered with masking tape)is manually driven to make the lantern’s lights dance. A few yearsago, a group was commissioned by the city government to com-puterize a giant lantern; the lantern-makers, however, have sincereturned to the more traditional method.

The parts of a traditional San Fernando lantern are as fol-lows: tambor (the lantern’s round middle part), siku-siku (theright-angled designs emanating from the center which give thelantern its distinctive star shape), palimbun (circular shapes onthe outer rim) and puntetas (the rays of the lantern).

If the San Fernando lantern dances and has psychedelic col-ors, the Angeles lantern is a dainty all-white star with a pair ordangling tails representing the rays of the Star of Bethlehem. The

tradition of lubenas in Angeles is stronger today than in SanFernando (but not quite as strong as in Mabalacat); Mariano Hensonwrote that in 1830, when the first La Naval was held in Angeles,residents were already processing their lit lanterns around town.But while the lanterns of San Fernando grew in size by leaps andbounds, those in Angeles basically remained the same: small andwhite, with lacey cut-outs pasted on the star; they even retainedthe quaint fish lanterns with movable fin and tail—a vestige ofthe folksy past of lubenas when organizers had to use gimmicks toattract participants and impress observers. Only one person,Eulogio Catahan (a.k.a. Apung Eloy) of Brgy. Cutcut still makesfish lanterns (he also makes burarul and gurion, or kites), andonly one family, in Brgy. San Nicolas, still makes the white lan-terns which are unique to Angeles.

Top, the rotor system responsible for the giant lantern’s dancing lights,invented by a Kapampangan; above, the parts of a lantern

Ivan

Hen

ares

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The kalesa (calesa or carromata) orhorse-drawn carriage is an anachronism inAngeles and San Fernando. It competeswith tricycles for passengers and races withjeepneys in the busy thoroughfares. In SanFernando’s busiest streets, the kalesa isallowed while the noisy tricycles arebanned; in Angeles, especially in the olddistrict (Sto. Rosario, Cutcut and SanNicolas), the kalesa is the preferred andsometimes the only mode of transportationlate at night, for teenagers coming homefrom the disco and for others who are noc-turnally disposed.

Because the kalesa is still a viable ve-hicle in these two cities, kalesa makers(called karosaria) have also survived. Oneof them is Virgilio P. Calilung, Sr. of Bacolor(now residing in Angeles), who providedmuch data for this article. The cost of con-

The horse-drawn carriage from colonial days plods onin the hustle and bustle of the two cities of Pampanga

Kalesang

Kapampangan

By Joel Pabustan Mallari with Janice Musngi, Krystle Ryan,Stelyn Simbahan and Kimberly Anne Tañedo of the YKAMP class

structing the kalesa carriage is in the vi-cinity of P49,000.00 mainly because it re-quires hardwoods like apalit, guijo, iakal,tangili, etc. and also because of the num-ber of skilled workers that must be as-sembled, from carpenters to woodcarversto saw cutters and metal molders. Theyuse a wide variety of equipment includingindigenous tools like ritcho (lagari nangcristo), iabe (monkey wrench), katam, etc.which are no longer available in most hard-ware stores.

According to kutseros Bert Ferrer ofTelabastagan (SF), Gonzalo Mariano ofPorac and Gerardo de Jesus also ofTelabastagan, the kutsero must alwaysbring 2 – 3 gallons of water (sweetened withpulot or native honey; some horses are evengiven Pepsi) for the horse, bundles of grass,or darak (rice bran) already mixed with the

drinking water. Horses prefer the speciesof grass called barit, muta and grama. FortStotsenburg was first set up in Talimundocin Angeles because of the proliferation ofsaid grass for the cavalry horses; a part ofBrgy. Sta. Teresita in San Fernando was oncecalled Baritan for the same reason.

Deng kalakalakuti ning kalesa(Parts of the kalesa)Source: Virgilio P. Calilung Sr.

1. trapalina – pangambilia kng uran ampong pali2. karang – pekabubung ning kalesa3. pilar – magdala kng kalesa4. sandalan – pisasandalan ning makalukluk a pasarus ning kalesa5. pasamanu – pekabakud kng gulut, pasabat6. sintas – pangambilia kng pisuglung, panakap

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7. tambul – tatakap kng kalesa8. uelia (muella) – ispring ning kalesa9. rabu – depensa nung mituag, bakal iang aduang pirasu10. hge-hge – magdala kng parulang11. tiupan – bakal a makadapuk kng masa (ban iang dumulag ing parulang)12. tapis – uakas ning dutung lalam tambul13. buklud – magmantini o gagapus kng masa

14. masa – saksakan o pibubusalnan da ring raius o iatang15. vokay masa – depensa na ning masa; pekalual16. goma – makalpa kng gabun, magdala kng parulang17. antas – bakal makaduglung at magdala kng goma18. kamang (camang) – malating busbus, pisaksakang iatang19. raius (rayus o iatang) – babie bilug kng parulang20. largeru – babie tabas kng kalesa21. sulu – babie sala kng dakilub ampong daralanan ning kalesa22. abrasader – talnanan ning paserus potang tipa-manik ia23. latiku – pamarug kng kabaiu potang papulai ia24. latikera – dapukanan ning latiku25. timbri – peka busina26. pondu – dalpakan da ring paserus27. sunde – babie ubug/korba kng kalesa

28. torda – kasuglung ning karang babiebubung kng kutseru29. tapalodu – depensa ning kutserukng uran30. barasu – peka gamat ning kalesangsasampa kng kabaiu31. patukud – magdala kng torda32. piskante – luklukan ning kutseru33. lanza – luganan ning kabaiu34. dalpakan – dalpakan ning kutseru35. palad istribu – dalpakan ningpaserus potang tipa-manik ia, makataidking istribu36. tarubu – tasada; pekasabalan ningkabaiu37. puntera – punta/dulu ning lansa;saksakan ning pasabat38. pasabat – kaingatan ning biendaning kabaiu39. kujing – luklukan da ring paserus40. kutseru – magmaneu

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What is now the Clark Spe-cial Economic Zone (CLEZ) inPampanga emerged from thedebris of a former American airbase bearing the same name,in memory of Maj. HaroldClark, a pioneer aviator whodied in a plane crash in 1919.Vacated in 1991, it had beenthe largest US military installa-tion outside mainland USA dur-ing its heyday.

The military camp startedout actually as a grazing area forhorses of the US 5th Cavalry dur-ing the Philippine-AmericanWar—these were the Yankees as-signed to pursue the fleeingPresident Emilio Aguinaldo, whowas then holed up in his capitalin Tarlac. With the cessation ofhostilities, the area was declareda military reservation by virtueof an executive order dated Sep-tember 1, 1903 and General Or-der No. 4 of the US War Depart-ment dated October 13, 1903.The reservation was named FortStotsenburg, after Col. JohnStotsenburg who died nearQuingua (Plaridel), Bulacan dur-ing a skirmish with Filipino sol-diers on September 23, 1899.

From an original 7,600acres, Fort Stotsenburg was ex-panded to 158,277 acres, largerthan—as Prof. Roland Simbulanlikes to compare—the District ofColumbia, or about the size ofSingapore. The expansion wasby virtue of an executive orderdated April 30, 1908 signed byPresident Theodore

FFFFFororororort Stotsenbt Stotsenbt Stotsenbt Stotsenbt Stotsenburururururg/Clarg/Clarg/Clarg/Clarg/Clark k k k k Air FAir FAir FAir FAir Forororororce Basece Basece Basece Basece Base

FFFFFrrrrrom equestrian parom equestrian parom equestrian parom equestrian parom equestrian paradiseadiseadiseadiseadiseto giant ato giant ato giant ato giant ato giant aviaviaviaviaviation completion completion completion completion complexxxxxThe largest American military base outside mainlandUnited States was located in the heartland of insurgencyBy Lino L. Dizon

mit of the south scarp of the gapin the ridge east of MountPinatubo, then 6,149.93 metersNE of the existing reservation.”

Indeed, it was a vastpastureland for American thor-oughbreds and stallions that en-compassed mountains and rivers

Roosevelt. Three months ear-lier, in January 1908, 1st Lieut.J. Lauber of the 2nd Infantry,and 2nd Lieut. Kenyon A. Joycemade a survey and eventuallyrecommended the expansion:from a starting point of 1,773.46meters of the original camp,then 1,585.16 metersNW to a cement monu-ment near the west endof barrio Dolores, then1,736.81 meters NE to acement monument onthe south bank of theBamban River, then“following themeanderings of theBamban River on itssouth bank, to a cementmonument at the pointof confluence with theMabanglo River,” with adistance in direct line of4,739 meters, then892.47 meters NW to awooden stake on thesummit of Panaysan Hill,then 14,135 meters NWto a cement monumentnear barrio Telatau,then 9,203.42 metersNW on a triangulationstation on Mount Biclat,then 17,139.29 metersSW to the southernmostpeak of Mount Bocuel,then 9,817 SW meters toa flag pole on the sum-mit of a hill on the mainridge of the ZambalesMountains, then 15,650meters SW to the sum-

and other hydro-geographicforms. This is not to include yetthe separate O’Donnell militaryreservation in Capas, Tarlac,which was around 58,006.5hectares “more or less,” andthat included rivers (Capatian,Bangut and Caliuagin) and a

Top, goats loiter around the bomb arsenal at Clark (Dave Redman); above,a herd of carabaos cross the military base’s main gate (Jeff Meier)

Mike McFerrin

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Excerpted from a Memorandum submitted by one Capt. H.A.Myers of the 26th Cavalry at Fort Stotsenburg dated January 17,1925, proposing trails for equestrians.

Artillery Trail to China Sea “The beauty and wonders ofthis forest cannot be appreciated unless seen. There is practi-cally no animal life but abundant flora: ferns, air plants, or-chids, giant fern trees and other trees 250 feet tall and 25 to 30feet in diameter. Other beautiful flora peculiar to this forestonly and never named…. The cool climate and invigorating at-mosphere rivals Baguio…. The view… is incomparable with any-thing in the Philippine Islands. Looking back to the east, theplains of Pampanga are visible for scores of miles and to thewest, the mountains of the coast and over them the China Seaand the Capones Islands. From Camp 6 you should ride about amile farther to the north and view Pinatubo crater. It is beyonddescription.”

Fern Canyon “Wild fowl abound, especially the smallerbirds many of which are bedecked with the brightest of plum-age…. The canyon narrows down into a gorge only a few feetwide with walls of solid rock on either side varying from 75 to150 feet in height. Only at midday does the sun ever reach thedepths of the canyon and the air is always cool and laden withthe fragrance of wild flowers.”

Lost Canyon “Here one can find everything in its naturalstate, there being few evidences of changes made by man. Vari-colored birds flit among trees and greenery, unconscious of in-truders. Air plants… such as many varieties of epiphytic orchidscan be seen as they grow in their natural state.”

Spanish Cut Trail (There is) a large pool of cool clear spar-kling water. This is an excellent place for swimming and in yearsgone by it was quite the thing to arrange swimming parties here,tents being taken out on pack mules for dressing rooms. Thereare any number of excellent sites along the route for staging pic-nics.”

Banyan Trail “(The trail) joins the Dolores road… (and) taken

WWWWWhahahahahatetetetetevvvvver haer haer haer haer happenedppenedppenedppenedppenedto these idyllicto these idyllicto these idyllicto these idyllicto these idyllichideahideahideahideahideawwwwwaaaaays?ys?ys?ys?ys?

creek (Calanat) in determiningits demarcation. In such a shorttime, the two Yankee foot sol-diers were able to mark thespots on the gargantuan land-scape with wooden or cementstakes—something that theSpaniards had failed to do inmore than 300 years, except forsporadic Recollect missions inthe hinterlands of UpperPampanga at the adjunct ofPampanga, Tarlac andZambales.

It cannot be denied, asKatoks Tayag pointed out in the1950s, that “the town of Ange-les progressed as FortStotsenburg expanded.” Itseconomy greatly depended onthe fort, just as it depended onClark Air Force Base well until1991.

In 1917, aviation was intro-duced to Fort Stotsenburg, aswas the trend at the time. Ayear later, an airfield was built,which eventually dominatedthe fort and replaced its name.

Yet for some time, theidentity of Fort Stotsenburg asan equestrian paradise lin-gered. In 1925, for example,one Capt. H.A. Myers preparedan itinerary for persons inter-ested in riding, especially new-comers, since “the StotsenburgReservation and nearby coun-try in general, offers much thatis worthwhile for persons inter-ested in mounted activities.Not only is there much pleasureto be derived from riding overthe country but there is muchbeautiful scenery and many in-teresting landmarks to be

seen.”And the toponyms have

changed; e.g., Fern Canyon,which “offers the finest scen-ery of its kind… a beautiful ar-ray of typical shrubbery par-ticularly ferns;” Three CraterTrail, which “follows along acanyon which opens out fre-quently into a circular clearingsimilar to… very old craters;”Lost Canyon, “with its mislead-ing offshoots and dense growthoffers a heaven for seekers ofthe unusual and uncertain;”South Boundary Trail, followingthe reservation from CampStotsenburg to Dau, which inreality is a second-class roadthat offers an excellent routefor persons desiring to take aride of several miles over levelcountry;” and many more:

Spanish Cut—Second and ThirdRiver—Trail, Dry River BedTrail, Banyan Trail, The Artil-lery Trail to the China Sea,Griffiths Peak, Top o’ theWorld Hill, and Heaven.

Progress demands dynamicchanges on the landscape, asidefrom policies of politicians andwhims of nature, as the MountPinatubo eruption of 1991which, many people say, is whatreally convinced the UnitedStates to drop the military baselike a hot potato. The Ameri-cans eventually left, but onlyafter they have permanently al-tered the landscape (includingthe pristine horse trails) anderased forever the indigenousplace-names.

near the AirService andthen runsthrough theB a n a n aG r o v ewhere thefamous Ban-yan tree isp a s s e d .There is avery densegrowth inthe BananaGrove andas the sunseldom fil-ters throughthe thickfoliage,it isalways coolthere.”

Trail toDry Pasig“ S e v e r a lpretty can-yons arecrossed andthe country in general offers much in scenic beauty. The trailterminates in what is known as the Dry Pasig, a stream bed usuallyhaving little if any water but deriving its name from the fact thatthe headwaters of the Pasig (Potrero) River originate in this area.”

Griffiths Peak “The climb up the peak is steep but notdifficult and once at top one can get a very excellent view ofthe country for miles around. On clear days the Central LuzonValley stretches out to the east and is plainly visible as far asthe mountain ranges that run north and south along the Pacificcoast of Luzon.”

An American tourist in a canyon near Clark,1925 (Alex Castro)

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In the years leading to 1991, Angeles withits galloping economy was the premier cityof Central Luzon. It was second only to Ma-nila in terms of family income, and secondonly to Cebu as the most progressive city inthe provinces. It had the highest populationdensity in Region III (4000 residents per squarekilometer), almost like Singapore’s and justslightly lower than Hong Kong’s. Angeles Cityhelped Central Luzon become the third most

1991: ANGELES’1991: ANGELES’1991: ANGELES’1991: ANGELES’1991: ANGELES’APPOINTMENT WITH DESTINYAPPOINTMENT WITH DESTINYAPPOINTMENT WITH DESTINYAPPOINTMENT WITH DESTINYAPPOINTMENT WITH DESTINY

The city was readying itself for the expiration ofthe US military bases agreement, scheduled that year—

and then, the explosion that was heard around the worldBy Robby Tantingco

At midday on June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo blew its top and in just a matter of minutes; its 5725 ft peak was reduced by almosta thousand feet to 4855 ft. Top photos show the volcano before the eruption (left) and after (right). Above photo superimposespre-eruptive and post-eruptive Mount Pinatubo. (Bear Sobkoviak)

productive region, after Metro Manila andSouthern Tagalog.

1991 was the year the US military basesagreement was set to expire. The city,which had been economically dependenton Clark Air Base (CAB) for almost a cen-tury, was in a panic mode, supporting callsfor an extension of the agreement on onehand and preparing for a takeover of CABlands on the other hand. The Angeles City

Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.(ACCCII) made studies on alternative usesof the military base: agro-industries, manu-facturing, an international airport, eco-nomic zones similar to Hong Kong’s, andmilitary camps. Local businessmen andinvestors knew, however, that the bonanzaof opportunities was nothing compared tothe $560 million yearly rent by the UnitedStates government. That’s P30 billion up

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front just by allowing the Americans to stay.Of all the towns surrounding Clark Air

Base, it was Angeles City that was in thebest position to reap the most benefitswhether the Americans stayed or their basereverted to the Philippine government. Thecity had an efficient electric power distri-bution system, plush hotels and restaurants(as well as clubs), good housing facilities andmodern subdivisions, access to Manila, high-standard schools, brisk trading with othertowns in the region, and steady supply ofskilled manpower. There was a livelihoodvillage between Angeles and Magalang, anda thriving rattan and furniture industry.

It was really the best of times forAngeleños. Non-Kapampangans from otherregions, and even fellow Kapampangansfrom other towns in Pampanga and Tarlac,envied them for their access to Clark’s FEN-TV; by simply installing a special antennaon their roofs, Angeleños were able towatch US shows which other Filipinos wouldbe able to see only weeks later. It was alsothe heyday of PX goods, which enabledAngeleños to strut their wares like pea-cocks, everything from imported Adidasand Lacoste to Spam and chocolates andmultivitamins. Angeleños were even ableto watch stars like Bob Hope and MichaelJackson fly in for shows for US servicemen(they skipped Manila).

While Sen. Joseph Estrada and so-called nationalists cried “Americans out!”in the years leading to 1991, Angeleños atfirst secretly but later publicly cried back“Americans stay!”

And then 1991 came, and the debatereached violent proportions, and just whenthings were coming to an ugly climax, amountain just six kilometers from Clark AirBase awakened into the century’s most ex-plosive eruption, and sent the Americansback home. It was sweet irony to see theAmericans, who many thought would neverleave, not in a million years, running away

A parked car before (left) and during (right) the eruption. (Tom Aber)

without missing a beat. But it was bittervictory for Filipinos to be able to reclaimat last an ash-covered military base thatwas next to useless.

It is to the credit of Angeleños that

Clark Air Base has not only been salvagedbut is also on its way to becoming an evenbetter place than it ever was.

Reference: “Angeles City, Spread yourWings” by Ramon M. Quesada

US servicemen with a prophetic movie billboard. (Bear Sobkoviak)

Headline from Stars & Stripes

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San Fernando and Angeles as

Urban Centers: A Comparison

Both have historical centers and outlying business districts,but San Fernando is better located and better planned,

while Angeles has reinvented Clark to maintain its usefulness

By Robby Tantingco

G A L L O P I N G E C O N O M I E S

San Fernando is more strategically located than Angeles be-cause it is in the heart of Pampanga right where the wet southerntowns intersect with the dry northern towns; it is thus accessiblefrom all directions and by all towns, unlike Angeles which is nearthe northern tip of Pampanga and thus closer to Tarlac’s southerntowns than to the delta communities like Apalit, Macabebe,Sasmuan and Lubao.

Aside from being host to various government offices both inthe provincial and regional levels, SanFernando has of late also developedinto a commercial center with the

Hinterlands (suburbs) connected to San Fernando and to Angeles by public utility vehicles(jeepneys, mini-buses, etc.), as of year 2000. (Dr. Jean-Christophe Gaillard)

opening of SM City Pampanga and Robinson’s Starmills. Shop-pers from as far as Bataan, Bulacan and Nueva Ecija show up inthe San Fernando malls, while in the Angeles malls, only thosefrom the city itself and the neighboring towns of Mabalacat,Magalang and Porac are able to come. When the projected SMcomplex in Clark Field opens, it will most likely draw shoppersfrom Tarlac and Pangasinan, but still not from the southern halfof Pampanga.

Angeles has a bigger population than San Fernando(263,971 as against 221,857 in year 2000). But while

San Fernando is a geographic, politi-cal, commercial, ad-ministrative and eco-nomic center, Angelesgrew solely on thestrength of its service-oriented businesses vis-à-vis Clark Air Base:subdivisions, restau-rants, nightclubs, man-power complement,cottage industries, con-struction. When theAmericans left in 1991,Angeles managed tosurvive the abandon-ment mainly due toClark’s quick conversioninto a special economiczone.

“Angeles appears asan incomplete urbancenter,” says Jean-Christophe Gaillard, aFrench geographer whopresented a paper onthe subject at the Cen-ter for KapampanganStudies in 2003. “Theconnection of Angeles tothe surrounding towns isalso weaker than that ofSan Fernando.” Onlynine towns, including re-settlement areas, aredirectly connected toAngeles by jeepneys,compared to over 20towns in the case of SanFernando (including

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Malolos, Balanga and Cabiao).Gaillard proposes a SanFernando-Angeles “agglom-eration” which can become areal metropolis with supra-municipal authority like othermetropolises in the country(Davao, Iloilo, Cebu andMetro-Manila); he says thecorridor between the towncenters of San Fernando andAngeles, with Sindalan at thecenter, can be the future hub.

In terms of planning, theCity of San Fernando is theclassic urban circle, with ev-erything rotating around thearea where the Olongapo-Gapan Road crosses with theMcArthur Highway. SanFernando’s historical district,where the church, city hall,plaza, public market and heri-tage houses are located,forms another equally dy-namic ring.

Angeles City is similarly designed: its historical district formsa circle of radiating economic and social activity. And then there’sanother area akin to San Fernando’s other hub at the Olongapo-Gapan intersection: Balibago. Its dynamism emanates not froma busy highway but from its proximity to the main gate of ClarkField. Because of its distance from the historical center of Ange-les (it used to be a barrio of Mabalacat) and the great divide thatis Abacan River, Balibago evolved quite independently from An-geles, sometimes even rivaling it in terms of development. Be-cause of its heavily non-Kapampangan migrant population,Balibago has developed quite a separate and different social char-acter from that of Angeles; it will not be surprising if in the not-so-distant future Balibago will seek independence from its ma-trix, in the same way that Culiat separated from San Fernandocenturies ago.

Gaillard describes the structure of Angeles as “anarchic.” “Onewho enters Angeles from the south will first find a high-incomedistrict (Sto. Domingo) before quickly reaching the historical cen-ter and Central Business District of the town (Sto. Rosario andSan Nicolas),” Gaillard says. “He will then pass through verydensely populated and low-income areas (Lourdes, Sta. Teresita,Marisol, Pampang), whose densities range from 15,000 to 30,000inhabitants per square kilometer. After crossing the Abacan River,the visitor finds barangays Balibago and Malabanias which grew

near Clark Air Base.Balibago can also beviewed as an outlyingCentral Business Dis-trict.”

He attributes thisconfusing urban planningto the growth of Clark AirBase which has resultedin a huge number of in-formal settlers or squat-ters, who are scatteredall over the city, nearsources of incomes(Pampang public market,Clark main gate, subdi-visions) and without re-gard for sanitation andcare of environment.

Another disadvan-tage of Angeles’ locationis its proximity to MountPinatubo. In 1991, resi-dents were shockedwhen told that their city

was a mere 16 kilometers away from the crater of the eruptingvolcano. In the few years after the eruption, no one would liketo invest in Angeles. However, after lahar had flowed down fromthe slopes and choked river channels in the southern towns, in-cluding San Fernando, the tables were turned around and Ange-les became a desirable destination. The constant floods in thehistorical district is probably another reason economic activityshifted northward to the Olongapo-Gapan intersection. Mean-while, because of the establishment of resettlement communi-ties in the vicinity, Sindalan has also boomed.

Today both cities are making the most out of their respectivesituations, with San Fernando building around the flood-prone ar-eas and Angeles learning to use its native resources after beingorphaned by Clark Air Base. Their economic recovery is sustainedand directed by a few aggressive businessmen and entrepreneurs:Levy Laus and Rene Romero of the City of San Fernando; EreditoFeliciano, Angelito Baltazar, Eloisa Narciso, Abong Tayag, CarmenMcTavish, Ruperto Cruz and the Nepomucenos of Angeles City.Both cities are also lucky to have had two visionary leaders electedat the most critical period in their respective histories: Dr. ReynaldoAquino of San Fernando and Atty. Edgardo Pamintuan of Angeles.Source: Urban Dimension of Development: A Multi-Scalar Analysis ofPampanga, by Dr. Jean-Christophe Gaillard. A paper presented at theCenter for Kapampangan Studies, Holy Angel University, Angeles City inJuly 2003.

SM Pampanga in San Fernando Nepo Mall in Angeles

A comparison of facilities and resources in Angeles and San Fernandoin year 2000. (Dr. Jean- Christophe Gaillard)

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The Old Fashion Schoolsof Angeles and San Fernando

Kapampangan Tradition of beauty and fashion sense

Graduates of the Salgado School of Fashion and their teachers whose credentials areannounced in streamers (“graduate in France,” “graduated from Hollywood and NewYork”). Opposite page, the collections of Salgado fashion school owner, Florencia SalgadoPaloma, modelled by Salgado herself (Florencia Salgado Paloma)

The economic prosperity broughtabout by the boom in sugar productionbefore World War II gave Kapampagansenough time and resources for trivialpursuits, like fashion and grooming.The proliferation of fashion schools,most notably the Salgado School ofFashion in San Fernando and the An-geles Fashion School either enhancedthe reputation of Kapampangans asmaporma, or merely reflected the traitthat they have always possessed. FromR.T Paras of Angeles and her descen-dants Josefina Gonzales and RoyGonzales, to Florencia SalgadoPaloma and Gang Hizon Gomez (a.k.a.Dom Martin de Jesus, OSB) of SanFernando, Kapampangan couture lead-ers have innovated and influenced Fili-pino fashion. Today, the most re-spected fashion expert and advocateof indigenous materials and designs inthe Philippines is Patis PamintuanTesoro, a native of Angeles.

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Graduation ball for the graduating class of the Angeles Fashion School, held at the then Holy Angel Academy in the 1940s

Panuelos, serpentinas and baro’t saya with rich embroidery and handwovenfloral designs mark the style of Patis Tesoro’s collections.

Liturgical vestments woven out of indigenous materials and fabrics designed by Dom Martin de Jesus, OSB (formerly known asGang Gomez).

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nd this year’s Miss Philippines is…” For decades now, these words from a pageant host

have introduced a life-defining moment for one lucky young womanon the threshold of national and even international fame. And,year after year, we are caught up in the electrifying drama whenour Kapampangan beauty delegates take their place in competi-tion on stage, ever hopeful for another one of our pekamalagungdalagas to bag a royal crown. Consistently, since the turn of thecentury, lovely Fernandinas and Angeleñas have lived up to theseexpectations as beauty contest records show, earning personalglory for themselves and acclaim for the province as the country’sno. 1 source of beauty queens.

Here is a comprehensive list of celebrated San Fernando andAngeles beauties, winners all in ligligan leguan from 1909 to thepresent.

TITLED BEAUTIES OF SAN FERNANDO AND ANGELES

Is it the X-factor or the K-factor, i.e., the unique Kapampangan culturaltraits like humor, deep faith and determination to succeed?

By Alex R. Castro

FAIREST FERNANDINASAMANDA TEOPACO (1909). In 1909, a beauty contest was

launched by the Philippine Free Press, as a tribute to the Filipina.The leading magazine of the era declared: “In no other countryin the entire Orient does woman play such an important part inthe Philippines…the comely daughters are worthy of the loftyesteem in which they are held and deserving of the glowing trib-utes so often paid them in painting, song and verse..”. One ofPampanga’s bets included Amanda Teopaco, daughter of the revo-lutionist Pedro Teopaco. Amanda later married the famed juristand Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Jose Abad Santos (1886-1942). Their children included Jose Jr., Luz, Amanda, Osmundoand Victoria.

LOUISA BUENAVENTURA (1909). Louisa’s mestiza beauty wasalso immortalized in the commemorative album published by Free

Amanda Teopaco of San Fernando (1909), future wifeof Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos (Alex Castro)

Beatriz Gutierrez (1909), first known beauty queenof Angeles (Alex Castro)

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Press in honor of the country’s fairest. The Buenaventuras have since relo-cated outside San Fernando.

LOURDES SINGIAN ( Manila Carnival Princess 1924). One of thefrontrunners in the fabled 1924 Manila Carnival was a statuesque Fernandinawith a distinct Kapampangan surname: Lourdes Singian, daughter of PazSoler and Anselmo Singian (son of former gobernadorcillo Bernardino Singiande Miranda and Clemencia Gotiangco). Although the crown went to TrinidadFernandez of Palawan, the charming Lourdes Singian made it to her royalcourt, where she was escorted by Ito Kahn. Lourdes remained unmarriedfor the rest of her life.

CORAZON HIZON (Miss Pampanga Carnival 1933). The selection of MissPampanga was the fitting highlight of the 1933 Pampanga Carnival and Ex-position held at the Capitol grounds. Twenty one towns sent their beautydelegates but all eyes were on this slim and raven-haired girl who carriedthe Miss San Fernando sash with fashionable aplomb—Corazon Hizon. Thedaughter of Ramon Hizon and Maria Paras, Corazon came from a largefamily of 11 children. At the provincial pageant, she competed against suchsocially prominent beauties as Luzvismin Gwekoh (Magalang), LuzSarmiento (Bacolor), Lina Espiritu (Apalit), Maria Guintu (Masantol) andPacita Sese (Mabalacat). But hardly anyone was surprised when she wasnamed Miss Pampanga. Shortly after her reign, she married Marcelino Dizon,also of San Fernando with whom she had 9 children.

LETICIA RODRIGUEZ (Pampanga Carnival Beauty 1933). Letty, a St.Scholastica student and daughter of San Fernando sugar planter GodofredoRodriguez and Victoria Hizon, graced the Pampanga Carnival as one of itsmuses. Her eldest brother, Virgilio, married Miss Mindanao 1935, Carmelingdel Rosario.

CARMELING DEL ROSARIO (Miss Mindanao 1935). In 1935, anotherFernandina beauty —Carmeling del Rosario, sponsored by the newspaper LaVanguardia vied for honors at the Miss Philippines contest. She was also the

Louisa Buenaventura (1909) Lourdes Singian (1924) Corazon Hizon (1933)

MORE SAN FERNANDOBEAUTIES. Clockwisefrom top: LeticiaRodriguez with escort(1933); Malou Enriquez(1987), MarinaBenipayo (1992), MyrnaPanlilio (1964)

reigning Miss Centro Escolar de Señoritas.Carmeling garnered the Miss Mindanao crown,just 3 steps away from the eventual winner, so-cialite Conchita Sunico. Her victory had alreadybeen reported in national papers together withCatalina Zabala (Miss Luzon) and Julieta Abad(Miss Visayas) when she decided to give up herprecious title. Thus, 4th placer Celia Araullo waselevated to the court as Miss Mindanao. The truth

Carmeling del Rosario(1935)

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was, she was already preparing for her wedding to VirgilioRodriguez, son of sugar baron Godofredo Rodriguez and VictoriaHizon also of San Fernando, so she could not possibly fulfill theobligations expected of a dama de honor. On 26 June 1935, theywere married in spectacular rites at the Sto. Domingo Church, on26 June 1935, a talk-of-the-town wedding that merited a cover-age from the Pampanga Social Register 1936, which chronicledPampanga’s alta sociedad events.

MARIA MYRNA SESE PANLILIO (Bb. Pilipinas 1964). It was in1964 that the country’s most prestigious beauty congress,Binibining Pilipinas, was institutionalized. The honor of becom-ing the first Binibini went to a St. Scholastica charmer from SanFernando, 21-year-old Maria Myrna Sese Panlilio, who beat 27other beauties —including Mila Ocampo (mother of child actressSnooky) and Elvira Gonzales (mother of future Binibini CharleneGonzales). At the time of the pag-eant, Myrna, a Maryknoll ForeignService graduate, was working as ateller at Merchants Bank. She wenton to compete in the Miss UniversePageant in Miami, Florida (won byMiss Greece, Corinna Tsopei) andafter her reign, wed orthopedic sur-geon Dr. Ramon Borromeo withwhom she had 3 children, RamonJose, Patricia, Mitzi. Her last as-signment was as Nayong Pilipino Ex-ecutive Director from 2000 to 2001.

MARIA LOURDES MANALILIAPOSTOL (Mutya ng PilipinasWorld 1987) This statuesqueFernandina won the judges’ nodwhen she was proclaimed Mutyang Pilipinas-World 1987 and wassent to London for the pageant (wonby Austria’s Ulla Weigerstorfer).One of the judges, AntonioGonzales, then Secretary of Tour-ism, was definitely smitten by thislovely Pampangueña, as they soonwere an inseparable pair. Sepa-rated since, Malou now resides inItaly. Her last homecoming was in2004, when she sat as a judge inthe Bb. San Fernando Contest.

MARIA LOURDES ENRIQUEZ(Bb. Pilipinas-International 1987).In the multi-titled Bb. Pilipinas Con-test of 1987, candidate no. 31—Maria Lourdes Enriquez—won one ofthe major crowns, earning the Bb.Pilipinas International sash. Shewent to Japan for the international pageant, won by Puerto Rico’sLaurie Tamara Simpson.

MARIA RITA MANALILI APOSTOL (Bb. Pilipinas-Flower Queen1989) Malou Apostol’s younger sister proved that beauty, indeed,runs in the family when she joined a rival beauty pageant—andwon one of the major crowns (now discontinued), Bb. Pilipinas-Flower Queen 1989.

MARINA PURA BENIPAYO (Bb. Pilipinas-World 1992). Alreadya Bodyshots model contest winner, Marina joined Bb. Pilipinas in1992 and emerged as Bb.Maja Pilipinas. Although a Marikina resi-dent, Marina had clear Kapampangan roots; her mother was anAbad Santos from San Fernando. When the candidate for theMiss World crown (fellow kabalen Marilen Espino) failed to go toLondon due to an illness she contracted a week before the pag-

eant, Marina went in her stead. The crown though, went toRussia’s Julia Kourotchkina. After her reign, Marina worked forthe local tourism office in Angeles and is a familiar figure in thesocio-cultural scene.

GEMMA GATDULA (Miss Philippines 2001-Earth 4th RunnerUp). Gemma, a travel management student, joined the localMiss San Fernando tilt and came home empty-handed. But herpersistence paid off when she entered the maiden search forMiss Earth-Philippines 2001, a contest put up by the former fran-chise holders of Mutya ng Pilipinas. She was an instant crowdfavorite in the national finals and did us proud by barging intothe winning circle, placing 5th and copping the Best in Swimsuitaward.

HONEYLET GASCON (Miss Philippines Earth-Eco Tourism2002, Bb. Pilipinas semifinalist 2004)

ALLURING ANGELEÑASBEATRIZ GUTIERREZ (1909).

Beatriz Gutierrez shared honorswith Amanda Teopaco and LouisaBuenaventura as theKapampangan representatives tothe early Philippine Free PressBeauty Contest. She marriedSoloreo Garcia; their daughterCelia is the mother of Dean MenelaSeng of Holy Angel University.

ROSARIO PANGANIBAN (MissAngeles 1924, Miss Pampanga1925). Rosario was originally fromMacabebe, but in the Angeles Car-nival 1924-1925, she was named asMiss Angeles and feted with a mo-torcade. Charing, as she wascalled, was a multi-titled beautyhaving also won Miss Centro Esco-lar of 1924. In 1926, she was cho-sen as Miss Pampanga and com-peted in the 1st National BeautyContest where she was one of thetop vote-getters. The crownthough was won by Anita Noble ofBatangas. The year after her reign,she married the famed director,Vicente Salumbides, who set up amovie outfit with JoseNepomuceno and produced filmsstarring Rosario herself as his loveinterest. Dña. Aurora Quezonstood as one of their wedding spon-sors. It was Rosario who persuaded

Vicente to quit the movies after watching him kiss Miss Cotabatoin one of passionate love scene. Rosario’s beauty was featured inthe Miss Philippines Free Press, chosen from more than 2,000photographs of the most beautiful Filipinas of that time.

SOCORRO HENSON (Queen of the Manila Carnival 1926).Socorro Henson (29 Aug. 1907-26 Feb. 1976) of Angeles holds thehonor of being the 1st Kapampangan beauty to win a nationaltitle. She was the eldest of 10 children of Jose Bartolome Hensonand Encarnacion Martinez Borcena. Her father, who had a thriv-ing pharmacy business, relocated the family to Intramuros. Inthe 1926 Manila Carnival, the crown was hotly contested by Socorroand another notable Kapampangan beauty from Magalang,Lourdes Luciano. In the end, Socorro’s regal bearing and trans-lucent skin captivated the panel of judges and awarded her thetitle. Proud neighbors decorated the Solana St. neighborhood with

Rosario Panganiban of Angeles (1924), originally fromMacabebe (Alex Castro)

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buntings to celebrate her win. VicenteRufino was her King Consort at her Hindu-Arabic themed coronation, which requiredher to ride the back of a real elephant.Socorro ended up marrying one of the es-corts of her court—Francisco Limjap y Es-colar, from an affluent and influential Ma-nila family. After her marriage, she com-pleted her Home Economics degree at theHoly Ghost College and bore 4 children:Francisco Jr., Baby, Josefina and Ginny.

MARIA AUGUSTINA PILARNEPOMUCENO (Miss Angeles 1933). (b. 13October 1911-d. 5 June 1995) Daughter ofGonzalo Mariano Nepomuceno andGertrudes Ayson y Cunanan. Not much isremembered about her reign or the circum-stances of her victory. Later married noteddoctor, Conrado Manankil y Tison. Theyhave 4 children, one of whom—MarietaManankil—continued the tradition of beautyin her family by becoming Miss Angeles 1955.

MARINA LICUP CONCENGSO (Miss An-geles 1936) In June of 1936, as part of theU.S. Independence Day festivities, a com-mittee chose an 18-year-old Chinese mes-tiza to wear the Miss Angeles crown. Thewinner, Marina Licup Concengso, born 18July 1918, was the daughter of EduardoConcengso of Malabon and Beatriz Licup ofAngeles. She practically grew up in theLourdes Sur area near the Angeles Train Sta-tion where her beauty obviously went unno-ticed. She emerged as the winner in the con-test that put emphasis on beauty alone.Based on hazy recollections, a poet laure-ate named Angel did the coronation honors.There were no escorts or court of honor tospeak of, but she participated in a motor-cade in her honor, riding a topdown car in-stalled with a decorative arch. Three yearslater, she married a prominent Fernandino,Ramon Hererra Jr. in Bayombong, NuevaVizcaya, where the groom’s uncle was ahealth officer. They had two daughters,Marietta (now Gaddi, present Dean of theHoly Angel University College of Nursing) andCecilia. The marriage lasted for just 6 shortyears, with the death of Ramon in 1945. Ma-rina, who never remarried, died in 1985.

VICTORIA MARIETA MANANKIL (MissAngeles 1955). (b. 23 April 1936). Marietis the eldest and only daughter of ConradoManankil M.D. and Pilar Nepomuceno, her-self a Pampanga beauty titlist. Noted forher proper grooming sense, she carried thisfastidious trait to her golden years. She mar-ried Renato Mercado y Magpayo with whomshe had 3 children: Ma. Gliceria Regina,Renato and Rufino.

MA. VICTORIA CRISTINA PAMINTUAN (Miss Caltex 1965 Fi-nalist) (b. 1 June 1943). One of the most prestigious corporatecontests of the 1960s was the Miss Caltex search, began in 1962.The nationally televised Miss Caltex was more than just a beautycontest, however; it placed a premium on the personality andintelligence of contestants. As such, it attracted scores of high-profile beauties like past winners Elsa Payumo, Aurora Patricio and

Naida Benedicto. The contest was on its3rd year when Maria Victoria CristinaPamintuan, daughter of RamonPamintuan and Esperanza Fabella,joined the pageant. Many were quick topoint out her prominent Kapampanganlineage—Backie, as she was called, hadillustrious Angeleños as forebears: DonFlorentino Pamintuan y Torres and sec-ond wife Tomasa Centeno of Pulung Bulu.Sure enough, Backie was chosen asamong the 5 finalists, that also includedElnora Cunanan, Wilhelmina Dulla,Gladys Baban and eventual winner, Su-san Suarez. Backie later married Dr.Miguel Fortich Celdran with whom shehad 4 children: Anna Patricia, Denise,Miguel Jr. and Carlos. Backie has anotherwell-known younger sister, fashion iconand cultural advocate Patis PamintuanTesoro.

MIMILANIE LAUREL MARQUEZ (MissInternational 1979). Though her rootsare in Mabalacat (her father is noteddirector Artemio Marquez), MelanieMarquez, the future 1979 Miss Interna-tional, practically grew up in Angeles.After high school at the Holy Angel Uni-versity, she won as Bb. Pilipinas Inter-national at age 17. She had previouslyjoined Maid of Cotton at age 13 andplaced 3rd. In Japan, she not only baggedspecial awards (Kumamoto FestivalAward, Best in National Costume) butalso the plum title of Miss International1979. Years after, she moved to the U.S.and romped off with Face of New Yorktitle in 1986. She, however, opted towear the Philippine sash in the FordSupermodel of the World ’86 competi-tion, and emerged 1st runner up and win-ner of the Clairol Award. Recently, shewas chosen as the Most Beautiful MissInternational by Global Beauties, aninternet group composed of beauty afi-cionados from around the world. In2005, she represented the country inthe Mrs. World Contest in India andemerged as a semi-finalist. She is mar-ried to Adam Lawyer.

VIOLETA ASELA ENRIQUEZ NALUZ(Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1986). Thiscomely Angeleña triumphed as Bb.Pilipinas-Universe, giving her the rightto represent the Philippines’ “peoplepower” in the Miss Universe pageantheld in Panama. The winner that yearwas Venezuela’s Barbara Palacios-Teyde.

MARILEN ESPINO (Bb. Pilipinas-World 1992, Supermodel 1988). This 6-footer Angeleña first gainedprominence by becoming Supermodel of the World-Philippines in1988. In 1992, however, she won the more prestigious Bb. Pilipinas-World, but she was sidelined by a sickness that caused her to skipthe international pageant in London (fellow Kapampangan MarinaBenipayo went in her place). After her reign, Marilen became amuch-sought after fashion model, with stints in Europe, U.S. and

Socorro Henson of Angeles (1926), firstKapampangan to win a national beautytitle (Alex Castro)

Maria Augustina Pilar Nepomuceno, MissAngeles 1933 (Alex Castro)

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all parts of the world. She is now married to marketing executiveJoey Mendoza.

LORENA PANGAN (Supermodel 1993, Bb. Pilipinas Semifinal-ist 1995).1993 was the year when another striking Angeleña , LorenaPangan, made waves in the modelling world. She won theSupermodel of the Philippines title, givng her the right to fly toOrlando, Florida to compete in Ford’sSupermodel of the World where she landedin the Top 15. Trying her luck in the 1995edition of Bb. Pilipinas, she only reached asfar as the Semi-Finals, to the surprise ofmany.

JOJIT PUNZALAN (Mutya ng Pilipinas4th Runner Up 1994)

MARICEL GOMEZ MORALES (Mutya ngPilipinas 1995). This nursing student fromAngeles University Foundation edged out fa-vorite Faith Amigo in the finals to win theMutya ng Pilipinas 1995. She was a semi-finalist at the Miss Asia-Pacific that year.After dabbling with showbiz, Maricel mar-ried action star Ace Espinosa with whomshe has a child. Chosen as Mrs. World-Phil-ippines 2000, she went to Las Vegas to viefor honors in the international pageant andcame in 2nd, behind India’s SarahLakdawala. She has since separated fromher husband.

ABBYGALE WILLIAMSON ARENAS (Bb.Pilipinas-Universe 1997). The sensationalperformance of Angeles belles continuedin 1997 as an Angeles City model, AbbygaleWilliamson Arenas, copped the Bb.Pilipinas-Universe title. She had been acontestant in the same pageant in 1994,where she finished 1st runner up. With herrigorous training and new-found confi-dence, Abbygale took the crown and wentto the Miss Universe pageant, and lost asemi-final slot by a whisker to the Indiandelegate, scoring 8.950 in the preliminar-ies to Nafisa Joseph’s 8.966. Nevertheless,she won the Miss Photogenic Award. Af-ter her return, Abbygale became a beautyconsultant for Avon, married top-notchphotographer Jun de Leon and set up abeauty cum personality developmentschool. It is also noteworthy to mentionthat her 1st runner up in the Bb. Pilipinaswas her very own kabalen, Abiele Ariannedel Moral, also of Angeles, thus complet-ing a rare 1-2 finish for Pampanga.

HEIDI PUNZALAN (Mutya ng Pilipinas1998, 1st Runner-Up). Competing along-side the statuesque Heidi Punzalan was akabalen from Mabalacat, Rochelle Ong.When all the votes have been tallied, onlyRochelle and Heidi were left onstage to dis-pute the crown, which eventually went toRochelle. As runner-up, Heidi won MutyaIntercontinental and the Best in Long Gownaward. Later, Heidi competed in the Bb. Pilipinas and managed asemi-final finish. After finishing her studies, she worked as anexecutive at Clark Field.

ELSIE SICAT (Bb. Pilipinas 1998, 2nd Runner-Up)VANESSA BERECERO MINILLO (Miss Teen U.S.A. 1998).

Balibago-born Vanessa Minillo, the daughter of an Irish-Americanair force father and a Leyteña (Helen Berecero) was an Angelesresident in her early years. Upon settling back in the U.S., shejoined and won Miss Teen South Carolina. At the national pageant,she won Miss Teen U.S.A., the first Fil-Am to accomplish that feat.She later became an MTV spokesperson and a celebrity host.

CHRISTINE ANNE DE JESUS (Mutyang Pilipinas 2000, 2nd Runner-Up). Fairand doe-eyed Christine Anne de Jesusvied for the Mutya 2000 crown and placeda respectable 3rd. Later in the year, sheimproved her ranking to 2nd when shecompeted in Malaysia for the Queen ofthe Year, just a few points behindGuatemala’s Evelyn Lopez.

DARLENE ZIMMER CARBUNGCO(Mutya ng Pilipinas 201, Miss Asia-Pacific4th Runner Up). For the third time, anAngeles University nursing graduate,Darlene Z. Carbungco, swept competitionaway to win the Mutya ng Pilipinas 2001.Her beauty, brains and form enabled herto win 5 special awards and before thenight’s end, everyone knew that she wouldbe the runaway winner. Competition wasmuch tougher at the Miss Asia-Pacific Con-test that year, but Darlene still made it tothe royal court of the Peruvian winner,Luciana Farfan.

LAURA DUNLAP (Miss PhilippinesEarth 2003). This Amerasian beauty, astudent of Angeles University, alreadyhad the Miss Clark Centennial 2003tucked under her belt. Laura set hersights higher by joining the Miss Philip-pines 2003 contest—and surprised her-self by winning that crown too. Later inthe year, Laura earned a Top Ten berthin the Miss Earth finals.

GENEBELLE RAAFAS (Miss Philip-pines Earth 2005), a statuesque 5’10"beauty from Angeles and a student ofSystems Plus Computer College, won theMiss Philippines-Earth 2005 title last May29. Also adjudged as the Best in Swim-suit and Miss Avon, Genebelle is the 2ndAngelena to win the title. She will rep-resent the country in the annual MissEarth quest, the only major internationalbeauty contest hosted by the Philippines.

With crowning achievements such asthese, one is wont to ask: what makesthe Fernandina and Angeleña beautiesstand out? Beyond the physical, it can-not be denied that they were born andbred to live the Kapampangan way. Ulti-mately, it is not the X-factor, but herunique K-factor that makes the winningdifference. On stage, we are not justtreated to the usual glitter and glamor,but we see in her a good dose of humor,

compassion and love for competition. Most importantly, we findunwavering faith and determination so deeply rooted in her cul-ture. Determination to conquer odds, pursue one’s dreams andfulfill ambitions, whatever that may be—whether simply to be agood student, a happy homemaker, a successful professional….orto become the most beautiful woman in the world.

MORE BEAUTIES FROM ANGELES. Clockwisefrom top: Marina Concengso (1936), VioletaNaluz (1986), Abbygale Arenas (1997),Marilen Espino (1992), Melanie Marquez(1979)

Marietta Gaddi

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El Circulo Fernandino

of San Fernando,

Kundiman of AngelesThese small-town social clubs kept the native upper classwithin their own exclusive circle

PLAPLAPLAPLAPLAYYYYYGRGRGRGRGROUNDS OF OUNDS OF OUNDS OF OUNDS OF OUNDS OF THE KAPTHE KAPTHE KAPTHE KAPTHE KAPAMPAMPAMPAMPAMPANGAN ELITEANGAN ELITEANGAN ELITEANGAN ELITEANGAN ELITE

It is indeed the most prestigious socialevent in Pampanga where, as in the oldendays, women would flaunt their best jew-elry, gowns and ternos, and men would el-egantly dress in their formal attire, anddance the night away. El CirculoFernandino is the oldest surviving socialclub in Pampanga. Formed sometime 1920,it was an organization for the social eliteof San Fernando. Its precursor was the LaGente Alegre de San Fernando (The MerryFolks).

According to John Larkin in his bookThe Pampangans, “a new phenomenon,town and provincial social clubs, whichsprang up in the early American years, dem-onstrated how the native upper class flour-ished under the new regime. These organi-zations, exclusively for the elite, providedamong other things an opportunity for youngsingle adults to socialize with and meet oth-ers of the same age and class.”

Larkin later continues, “thePampangan elite, a greater number ofthem emulating late nineteenth centurypatterns of behavior, turned their atten-tion to peer group organizations, politics,and extra provincial activities. They re-solved many if their economic and politi-cal problems by banding together into vari-ous agricultural organizations and politi-

cal parties. The trend toward forming up-per-class social clubs for amusement alsocontinued. Such groups as the Young Gen-eration in Macabebe, the Kundiman in An-geles, and the Circulo Fernandino in SanFernando were all patterned after orga-nizations formed in the early Americanyears.” Also worth mentioning is the factthat when the town of Santo Tomas wasstill part of San Fernando, the residentsthere formed the Thomasian, an organi-zation which sponsored the annual Sabadode Gloria Ball. The ball is the oldest unin-terrupted social event in Pampanga.

El Circulo Fernandino organized annu-als balls and receptions to achieve this end.All of it however stopped as a result of thehostilities during the Second World War. Af-ter the war, the organization again resumedits social activities. But due again to theuncertain political situation during the1960s, the annual receptions were halted.

It was only in 1997 that the organiza-tion decided to revive its annual receptionsduring the presidency of Engr. Angelo Davidand Dr. Leticia Cordero-Yap. The El CirculoFernandino Foundation, Inc. was born as aresult of this revival, transforming the or-ganization from a strictly social-status clubto a socially involved organization.

On its 85th year, El Circulo Fernandino

is the most-awaited annual social event inPampanga, where the crème de la crèmemeet. As part of keeping up with Filipinotraditions, the immortal dance classic, therigodon de honor, is performed by theprominent citizens of the City, men in theirbest piña barongs and women in dazzlingand colorful ternos. (Ivan Henares)

El Circulo Fernandino, April 15, 1956

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The City of San Fernando Heritage Dis-trict covers the historic core of SanFernando, mainly barangay Sto. Rosarioand partly barangays San Jose(Panlumacan), Santa Teresita (Baritan),Lourdes (Teopaco), Del Pilar, Santa Luciaand Santo Niño. Among the important sitesfound in this area are:CHURCHES AND OTHER RELIGIOUSSTRUCTURES

Metropolitan Cathedral of SanFernando (A. Consunji Street, SantoRosario)

The first structure of wood and thatchwas built on the current site by the Augus-tinian friars in 1755 under the patronage ofSan Fernando III, King of Castille. Construc-tion of the present church building was com-pleted in 1808; it was rededicated to theAssumption of Our Lady. President Emilio F.Aguinaldo and his Cabinet viewed the Phil-ippine Revolutionary Army from the win-dows of the convento on October 9, 1898.The church and convento were burned bythe Philippine Revolutionary Army on ordersof Gen. Antonio Luna, on May 4, 1899. Itwas again destroyed by fire in 1939, andlater restored by architect Fernando H.Ocampo.

Church of San Vicente (BarangayCalulut) – heavily damaged by renovations

Virgen de los Remedios Church(Barangay Baliti) – damaged by recent reno-vations

Jeosay Shinghongkong Temple (Brgy.San Jose)HERITAGE HOUSES

Hizon-Singian House (A. ConsunjiStreet, Santo Rosario)

Built in 1870 by the couple Don AnacletoHizon, gobernadorcillo of San Fernandofrom 1877-1879 and 1886-1887, and VictoriaSingian de Miranda y de Ocampo. Inher-ited by their daughter Victoria Hizon ySingian who was married to GodofredoRodriguez y Yabut from Bacolor. It was oc-cupied during the 1896 revolution by Span-ish General Antonio Ruiz Serralde, appro-priated by the Japanese Imperial Army toserve as a military hospital and barracksfrom 1943 to 1944, and served as headquar-ters of American General Walter Kruegerof the 6th American Army during the lib-eration period until the end of 1945. Inher-ited by their son, the late Gerry CatalinoRodriguez Y Hizon, former president of thePampanga Sugar Development Company(PASUDECO), who was married to AuroraAngeles. This bahay na bato of the Spanishcolonial period was declared a HeritageHouse by the National Historical Instituteon 27 January 2003 by virtue of ResolutionNo. 4, S. 2003.

1. Sto. Rosario:The heritage district

of San Fernando

Amidst the floods and frenzy of urbanization,residents strive mightily to preserve as manyheritage sites in the city as possible

HISTHISTHISTHISTHISTORICAL CENTERS BOORICAL CENTERS BOORICAL CENTERS BOORICAL CENTERS BOORICAL CENTERS BOTH NTH NTH NTH NTH NAMED STAMED STAMED STAMED STAMED STOOOOO..... R R R R ROSARIOOSARIOOSARIOOSARIOOSARIO

By Ivan Anthony Henares

Henson-Hizon House (V. TiomicoStreet, Santo Rosario)

Built by the couple Saturnino Henson yDavid, gobernadorcillo of San Fernandofrom 1882-1883 and 1896, and the firsttesorero municipal from 1900-1902, andMaria Lacson. Inherited by their eldestdaughter Juana Henson y Lacson who wasmarried to Florentino Hizon. Inherited bytheir son Vicente Hizon y Henson who wasmarried to Concepcion Dizon y Dayrit. In-herited by their son Vicente Hizon y Dizonwho was married to Anastacia de los Reyes.Purchased by the couple Pablo Panlilio yDayrit and Dolores Arguelles. This bahay na

bato of the Spanish colonial period wasdeclared a Heritage House by the NationalHistorical Institute on 27 January 2003 byvirtue of Resolution No. 3, S. 2003.

Lazatin House (A. Consunji Street,Santo Rosario)

Built in 1925 by the couple SerafinLazatin y Ocampo, sugar farmer and formerpresident of SFELAPCO, and EncarnacionSingian y Torres. It was appropriated bythe Japanese Imperial Army during the Sec-ond World War to serve as a residence ofthe 14th Army Commander of the JapaneseImperial Army, General Masaharu Homma,in San Fernando, Pampanga. This ancestral

The Hizon-Singian House

Ivan

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house, which exemplifies the architectureprevalent during the American colonial pe-riod was declared a Heritage House by theNational Historical Institute on 27 January2003 by virtue of Resolution No. 6, S. 2003.

Dayrit-Cuyugan House (MacArthurHighway, Dolores)

Built in 1920 by the couple JoaquinDayrit y Singian, sugar farmer, and MariaPaz Cuyugan y de Leon. Inherited by theireldest daughter Luz Dayrit y Cuyugan whowas married to Ulderico Rodriguez fromBacolor. This ancestral house, which ex-emplifies the architecture prevalent dur-ing the American colonial period was de-clared a Heritage House by the NationalHistorical Institute on 27 January 2003 byvirtue of Resolution No. 5, S. 2003.

Consunji House (A. Consunji Street,Santo Rosario)

Residence of the presidente municipalof San Fernando during the Philippine Revo-lution, Don Antonio Consunji y Espina.

Tabacalera House (A. Consunji Street,Santo Rosario)

Built by Tabacalera owned by Don RamonLopez. The first floor of the house served asthe office of Tabacalera. The property wasowned by Simeon Ocampo. During World WarII, it was sequestered by the Japanese Im-perial Army together with other residencesin San Fernando, and served as the head-quarters of the Kempeitai. Its current owneris Marco Lazatin.

Hizon-Ocampo House (A. ConsunjiStreet, Santo Rosario)

The first residence of Anacleto Hizonand Victoria Singian de Miranda, it was in-herited by their daughter Leoncia Hizonwho was married to Basilio Ocampo,

gobernadorcillo of San Fernando. Amongtheir children was renowned architectFernando H. Ocampo.

Santos-Hizon House (A. ConsunjiStreet, Santo Rosario)

A turn-of-the-century Victorian-stylehouse built by the couple Teodoro Santos,Jr. and Africa Ventura, it was later pur-chased by Maria Salome Hizon, a volun-teer of the Red Cross during the Philip-pine Revolution. The property was ac-quired by her brother Ramon Hizon andis currently owned by the heirs of his sonAugusto Hizon.

Pampanga Hotel (A. Consunji Street,Santo Rosario)

Residence of Asuncion Santos, adaughter of Don Teodoro Santos, Sr.(Dorong Tola), who married AndresEusebio. It was the first site of thePampanga High School when it opened in1908. Later became the site of theHarvardian College and the PampangaHotel and Panciteria, now PampangaLodge and Restaurant.

The Santos-Hizon House (Ivan Henares)

Complete list ofGobernadorcillos(Mayors) ofSan FernandoVidal de Arrozal 1755Tiburcio Cunanan 1756Vidal de Arrozal 1757Luis Catacutan 1758Juan David 1759Juan Yutuc 1760Domingo de Vera 1761Nicolas Capati 1762Tomas Aquino 1763Miguel de los Angeles 1764Agustin Dison 1765Manuel Manaloto 1766Francisco Bautista 1767Miguel David 1768Nicolas Dison 1769Mariano Singian de Miranda 1770Mateo David 1771Bernardo de Anunciacion 1772Francisco David 1773Agapito Singian 1774Vicente Concepcion 1775Eugenio Yutuc 1776Juan Lingat 1777Juan Lacson 1778Vicente Concepcion 1779Jose de Arrozal 1780Nicolas Tuason 1781Carlos Catacutan 1782Vicente David 1783Lucas David 1784Antonio Alonso del Rosario 1785Regino de Castro 1786Sebastian Manarang 1787Bernabe Pamintuan 1788Juan Dison 1789Manuel Miranda 1790Vicente Dayrit 1791Nicolas Tuason 1792Jose de los Angeles 1793Vicente Quison 1794Angel Pantaleon de Miranda 1795Vicente Dayrit 1796Jose Cunanan 1797Juan Lacson 1798Carlos Catacutan 1799Vicente Dison 1800Jose Ocson 1801Agustin David Lising 1802Jose Concepcion 1803Raymundo David 1804Ignacico David de Miranda 1805Severino Henson 1806Juan Crisostomo Paras 1807Domingo Henson 1808Leon de Vera 1809Vicente de Castro 1810Gregorio Singian 1811Ignacio de Miranda 1812Miguel Catacutan 1813

The chalet-type Datu House (Ivan Henares)

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Singian House (A. Consunji Streetformerly Sto. Niño Viejo, Paroba, SanJuan)

Santos-Cuyugan House (A.Consunji Street formerly Sto. NiñoViejo, Paroba, San Juan)

Ocampo House (A. ConsunjiStreet formerly Sto. Niño Viejo,Paroba, San Juan)

Archdiocesan Chancery (A.Consunji Street, San Jose)

Former residence of LuisWenceslao Dison and Felisa Hizon, itwas purchased by the Archdiocese ofSan Fernando, Pampanga and nowbeing used as the Archdiocesan Chan-cery.

Cuyugan-Baron House (VivencioCuyugan Road, Del Pilar)

Residence of Vivencio Cuyugan yBaron, it was sequestered during thewar and served as the Municipal Hallof San Fernando during the JapaneseOccupation.

Dayrit-Galang House (A. ConsunjiStreet, San Jose)

Built by the couple FlorentinoSingian Dayrit and Juana GatchalianGalang; among their children wasAmando G. Dayrit, a popular pre-warcolumnist known for his Tribune column“Good Morning Judge.”

Santos-Miranda House (A. ConsunjiStreet, San Jose)

Built by the couple Teodosio PeksonSantos and Josefa Panlilio, it was pur-chased by the Miranda family.

Bamba House (Levi Panlilio Road, Sta.Lucia)

Sengson House (Levi Panlilio Road,Sta. Lucia)

The Chalets of Teopaco Subdivision(Barangay Lourdes)

During the American colonial period,Teopaco Subdivision became the new resi-dential area of San Fernando. The area wasbadly damaged as a result of the 1995floods. Several chalets still stand in thearea despite the fact that street level hasrisen by at least one meter.

Aquino House (Barangay del Rosario)GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS,AND HOSPITALS

Municipio of San Fernando (A. ConsunjiStreet, Santo Rosario)

The first casa municipal made of stoneand thatch was built in the present site in1755. Burned by the Philippine Revolution-ary Army on orders of Gen. Antonio Luna,on May 4, 1899. The building was againreconstructed in 1917 during the term ofmunicipal president Antonio Abad Santos.Again burned during the Japanese invasionof the town, the municipal government wastemporarily transferred to the residenceof Vivencio Cuyugan in Barrio Del Pilar.

After the war, the present City Hall of SanFernando was reconstructed using the origi-nal adobe stonework.

Pampanga Provincial Capitol (CapitolBoulevard, Santo Niño)

Seat of government of the Province ofPampanga, the original building was con-structed shortly after the provincial capi-tal of Pampanga was transferred fromBacolor to San Fernando in 1904. Annexeswere added before the war. It was the siteof a major battle between guerilla forcesand the Japanese Imperial Army during

Francisco Pamintuan 1814Severino Henson 1815Agustin David Lising 1816Bernardo David 1817Bernardo Tinio 1818Eriberto Yutuc 1819Vicente de Castro 1820Vicente Dison 1821Pablo de Ocampo 1822Maximo David 1823Ciriaco Dison 1824Vicente Dison 1825Manuel Pasion Henson 1826Anacleto del Rosario 1827Vicente David Lising 1828Vicente Dison 1829Pablo Ocampo 1830Doroteo Dison 1831Mariano Yutuc 1832Manuel Pasion Henson 1833Gregorio Tuason 1834Blas Borja 1835Doroteo Dison 1836Agustin Pamintuan 1837Agustin Cuyugan 1838Juan Dayrit 1839Raymundo David 1840Macario Yutuc 1841Matias Quiason 1842Pedro Lacsamana 1843Bernardino Singian de Miranda 1844Serapio Singian de Miranda 1845Mariano Arceo 1846Agustin Cuyugan 1847Guillermo Henson 1848Bernardino Singian de Miranda 1849Agustin Pamintuan 1850Gregorio David 1851Maximo Feliciano 1852Paulino Paras 1853-1854Agustin Lacson‘ 1854-1855Simon Henson 1855-1856Cosme Lacson 1856-1857Candido Frilan Dison 1857-1858Florentino Dayrit 1858-1859Manuel Pasion Henson 1859Jose Navaro (Accidental) 1859Victor David 1860Manuel de Ocampo 1860-1861Bernardino Singian de Miranda 1861-1862Guillermo Henson 1862-1863Aniceto Yusi 1863-1864Simon Henson 1864-1865Juan Quiason 1865-1866Julian Buison 1867-1868Benigno de Ocampo 1868-1869Isidoro Teopaco 1869-1870Domiciano Tison 1870-1871Florentino Dayrit 1871-1872Eustaquio Ricafort 1872-1873Pedro Paras y Castro 1873-1874Bernardino Singian de Miranda 1874-1875Julian Buison 1875-1876Anacleto Hizon 1877-1879

The Ocampo House (Ivan Henares)

The Dayrit House (Ivan Henares)

The Lazatin House (Ivan Henares)

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Catalino Henson 1879-1880Mariano Costodio 1880-1881Saturnino Henson 1881-1882Florentino Dayrit 1882-1883Pedro Paras 1883Domiciano Tison 1884-1885Francisco X. Panlilio 1885Anacleto Hizon 1886-1887Teodoro Limjuco 1887-1889Gregorio Tioleco 1889-1890Antonio Consunji 1891-1892Juan Sengson 1893-1894Teodoro Limjuco 1895Saturnino Henson 1896Celso Dayrit (Accidental) 1897Gobierno Revolucionario(Presidentes Municipal)Antonio E. Consuji 1898Regimen Militar de America (Alcaldes)Enrique Kerr 1899Carlos Kerr 1900Teodoro Limjuco 1900Francisco S. Hizon 1900-1901Civil Government-US ColonialPeriod (Municipal Presidents)Francisco Hizon 1901Mariano J. Leon Santos 1902-1903Juan Sengson 1904Eulalio Castro 1905-1906Vicente Tiomico 1906-1907Pedro Teopaco 1908-1909Clemente Ocampo 1910-1912unknown 1913-1915Antonio B. Abad Santos 1916-1921Jose M. Valencia 1922-1927Antonio B. Abad Santos 1928-1931Jose M. Valencia 1932-1934Urbano D. Dizon 1934-1937Philippine Commonwealth (Municipal Mayors)Vivencio B. Cuyugan 1938-1942Japanese OccupationRodolfo P. Hizon 1942-1945LiberationVivencio B. Cuyugan 1945Republic of the Philippines(Municipal Mayors)Rodolfo P. Hizon 1946-1955Mariano P. Castro, Sr. 1955Miguel G. Baluyut 1956-1959Jose C. Quiwa 1960-1967Levi Panlilio 1967-1969Virgilio L. Sanchez 1969-1971Luis Gopiao 1971Armando P. Biliwang 1972-1980Amante S. Bueno (OIC) 1980-1982Vicente A. Macalino (OIC) 1982-1983Virgilio L. Sanchez 1983-1986Paterno S. Guevarra (appointed) 1986-1987Rodolfo P. Canlas (appointed) 1987-1988Paterno S. Guevarra 1988-1995Jesus Reynaldo B. Aquino 1995-2004Oscar S. Rodriguez 2004-

World War II.Presidio (Artemio Macalino Street, Sto.

Niño)Among the buildings built in 1907 when

the property of the current Provincial Capi-tol was acquired. It used to house the courtsof Pampanga before serving as thePampanga Provincial Jail.

Provincial High School Building (Capi-tol Boulevard, Santo Niño)

Completed shortly after 1910, it servedas the main building of the Pampanga HighSchool until 1935 when it was transferredto its present site. The building was thenused as an annex of the school. It alsoserved as the site of the University of thePhilippines Extension Program in SanFernando, Pampanga until floods hit SanFernando in 1995.

Pampanga High School Building (HighSchool Boulevard, Lourdes)

The current main building of PampangaHigh School was completed in 1935. It fol-lows Standard Plan No. 20 of Gabaldonschoolhouses and is currently being restoredas part of the Heritage Schoolhouse Resto-ration Program of the Department of Edu-cation and Heritage Conservation Society.

San Fernando Elementary School (B.Mendoza Street, Santo Rosario)

Built in 1907, the main building of theSan Fernando Elementary School follows Stan-dard Plan No. 20 of Gabaldon schoolhouses.

Old St. Scholastica’s Academy (PedroAbad Santos Road, Sta. Teresita)

The former building of the St.Scholastica’s Academy of Pampanga, thethird Benedictine school in the Philippines.Formerly known as the Assumption Acad-emy, it was established in June of 1925 inthe house of the Singian family. The firsthigh school was eventually added. In Marchof 1930, the first secondary graduates ofthe Assumption Academy were presented.Due to the large number of enrollees, andthe zeal of its biggest benefactor, Monsi-gnor Prudencio David, the school was relo-cated to its second site in 1931, and own-ership of the school was passed on to theBenedictine Sisters in 1938. With the out-break of World War II, the building was usedas a military hospital. In 1966, the schoolwas renamed St. Scholastica’s Academy ofPampanga. The school was transferred toa bigger site in 1972, leaving the old build-ing without occupants.

Pampanga Provincial Hospital(Barangay Dolores)

Built during the American colonial pe-riod, it is currently part of the Jose B.Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital.

Virgen de los Remedios Hospital (A.Consunji Street, San Jose)COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES

The Arcaded Shop Buildings ofConsunji Street - 1950s (Barangay Santo

Rosario)INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURES AND SITES

San Fernando Train Station (BarangaySanto Niño)

Inaugurated by Governor-GeneralEulogio Despujol and Bernardino Nozaleda,Archbishop of Manila, on February 23,1892. Jose P. Rizal debarked from the sta-tion on June 27, 1892 and again the nextday en route to Bacolor. During the DeathMarch in April 1942, it was the ending pointof the 102-km Bataan Death March, fromwhich Filipino and American prisoners-of-war were carted to Capas, Tarlac en routeto their final destination, Camp O’Donnell.

PASUDECO Sugar Central (Capitol Bou-levard, Santo Niño)

In January 1918, a group of prominentKapampangans gathered at the home ofGov. Honorio Ventura in San Fernando toform an organization that would constructa native-financed central. These includedJose de Leon, Augusto Gonzales, FranciscoLiongson, Serafin Lazatin, Tomas Consunji,Francisco Hizon, Jose P. Henson andManuel Urquico. The organization was for-mally incorporated in April 1918 as thePampanga Sugar Development Company.Finished in March 1921, the PASUDECOSugar Central was the first Filipino-fi-nanced sugar central in Pampanga. Builtthrough the initiative of the PampangaSugar Development Company, it was con-structed by the Honolulu Iron Works. Itsexistence became a catalyst for the expo-nential growth of San Fernando, the capi-tal of the rich sugar-producing provinceof Pampanga.

PASUDECO Staff Houses and Commis-sary (Capitol Boulevard, Santo Niño)

Several wooden staff houses and com-missaries of PASUDECO still stand in thelot adjacent to the sugar central.

The San Fernando Water Reservoir(Barangay Lourdes)

Referred to as the “Leaning Tower ofSan Fernando” the San Fernando WaterReservoir was built during the term of mu-nicipal president Jose M. Valencia some-time in the 1920s.

The Sugar Pugons (Greenville Subdi-vision and Barangay Quebiawan)

Calulut Train Station (BarangayCalulut) – heavily damaged by illegal set-tlers. This wooden station was built dur-ing the American colonial period as an ad-ditional station along the Manila-DagupanRailway.

Baluyut Bridge (Gen. Hizon Avenue,Barangay Santo Rosario) Formerly know asPuente Colgante. Reconstructed in 1896 us-ing iron and stone. Destroyed during thePhilippine-American War in 1899. Rein-forced concrete arch bridge later designedby Sotero Baluyut for his Bachelor’s thesisin the University of Iowa in 1909.

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CHURCHES AND OTHER RELIGIOUSSTRUCTURES

The Holy Rosary Parish Church (Brgy.Sto. Rosario) Built in 1877 on a land do-nated by Don Mariano Vicente Henson yMiranda and wife Doña Asuncion LeonSantos; the adobe blocks were quarried inMancatian, Porac; the galvanized iron roof-ing was imported from England. Its designwas Central European Romanesque. Revo-lutionaries used the belfries as watch tow-ers; Gen. Arthur MacArthur converted thechurch into a military hospital and the bel-fries into watch towers in 1899-1904; inWorld War II, the Japanese used the church

2. Sto. Rosario:The heritage district of Angeles

This relatively younger town has also preserved its own heritage sites

as garage and horse stable; its dome washeavily damaged when an US B-25 bomberhit it before crashing into the Holy AngelAcademy campus on January 7, 1945

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery(Brgy. San Jose)

HERITAGE HOUSESHouse of Angel Pantaleon de Miranda

(Founder’s House) (Brgy.Sto.Rosario) Builtin 1824 by Don Angel Pantaleon de Mirandaand Doña Rosalia de Jesus; most of thematerials came from their original 1811house in barrio Cutcut; after the couple’sdeath, the house was inherited by theirdaughter Juana de Miranda, wife of Dr.

Mariano Henson, and later by Don MarianoVicente Henson. When Don Mariano diedin 1917, the house was passed on to a son,Jose Pedro Henson; after his death in 1949,it went to his son, Vicente N. Henson wholater bequeathed it to his daughter, RosalieHenson, wife of Sergio Naguiat

Pamintuan Mansion (Brgy. Sto. Rosario)Built by Don Mariano Pamintuan and DoñaValentina Torres in 1890 as a wedding giftto their only son, Don FlorentinoPamintuan. On June 12, 1899, first anni-versary of the Philippine Independence,Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo watched from themansion a parade of revolutionary troopsled by Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and Gen.

The Pamintuan Mansion during historical marker unveiling ceremonies on November 10, 2002

By Erlinda Cruz

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Complete list ofGobernadorcillos(Mayors) of Angeles1829-1830 Ciriaco de Miranda1831 Alejandro Pamintuan1832 Nicolas de Guzman1833 Felipe Mendiola1834 Nicolas Navarro1835 Pantaleon Paras1836 Victoriano Morales1837 Mariano Tolentino1838 Tiburcio Paras1839 Vicente Feliciano1840 Pedro Arceo1841 Alejandro Pamintuan1842 Eulogio Tadeo1843 Cristobal Lacson1844 Nicolas de Guzman1845 Doroteo Dizon1846 Esteban Datu1847 Jose Maria Henson1848 Nicolas Navarro1849 Mauricio de Jesus1850 Eulogio Tadeo1851 Casimiro Sanchez1852 Pio Rafael Nepomuceno1853-1854 Pablo del Rosario1855 Victor Lacson1856 Jose Narciso1857 Valentin Tuazon1858 Pedro Tanjueco1859 Carlos Cayanan1860 Cesareo Dizon1861 Perfecto Paras1862 Tomas Dizon1863 Pedro sanchez1864 Victor Lacson1865 Agustin Dizon1866 Jose Narciso1867 Macario Dizon1868 Mariano Suarez1869 Filomeno Pamintuan1869-1871 Laureano Lacson1871-1873 Mariano V. Henson1873-1875 Francisco Paras1875-1877 Mariano Pamintuan1877-1879 Eduardo Tison1879-1881 Juan G. Nepomuceno1881-1882 Simplicio Mendiola1882-1883 Vicente Paras1883-1885 Maximo Tablante1885-1887 Jose R. Henson1887-1889 Aniceto Gueco1889-1891 Laureano Suarez1891-1894 Catalino de los Santos1895 Mariano Paras1896 Clemente GuecoRevolutionary CommitteeJune, 1898 Filomeno Pamintuan

Teofisto GansonGalicano Valdes

Republika Filipina (Presidente Municipal)Sept. 1898 Juan G. Nepomuceno

Luciano San Miguel. In 1901, Gen. ArthurMacArthur also stayed in the house afterthe Americans defeated the revolutionaryarmy. In 1942, a contingent of the Japa-nese Army Cavalry as well as a group of ka-mikaze pilots occupied the house. In 1959,the Tablante family bought the house fromthe Pamintuans, briefly leased it as an an-nex to the city hall and in 1981 donated it tothe Central Bank, which restored it. (Ex-cerpted from an article by Milagros F. Lane)

Historical marker in front of the Founder’s House

The Yap House

Nepomuceno House(Brgy. Sto Rosario)

The Deposito (Brgy.Sto. Rosario) TheDeposito, built in 1899 byDon Jose Pedro Henson,was used as a garage forthe family’s carrozas andsantos; it served as a mili-tary jail for errant US sol-diers during the Philippine-American War; after WorldWar II, the US Army 11th

Film Exchange rented thebuilding; it served as jailfor the US Army1129thMilitary Police Co. (1947-1953) and for the 13th USAir Force (1954-1965);from 1967 to 1978 it servedas the city’s post office;today it functions as aphysical therapy clinic.

Dizon House (BaléCuayan) (Brgy.Sto.Rosario) Built in 1892,mostly of bamboo, sawaliand nipa, by Don MarianoVicente Henson as a resthouse for a sick son,Manuel. In the late 1890s,Julio Valenzuela, a Manilacommercial photographer,rented the groundfloor;the house served as theprovincial art studio ofProf. Vicente AlvarezDizon, the Kapampanganpainter who bested Salva-dor Dali and 78 otherpainters at the 1939Golden Gate InternationalCompetition. .

The Camalig (Brgy.Sto.Rosario) The granarywas built in 1840 by DonCiriaco de Miranda, son ofthe town’s Founder andfirst gobernadorcillo of An-geles; it functioned as agranary for over 120 years,until 1960; converted intoa pizzeria in 1973.

Gomez House (Brgy.Sto. Rosario) Built by Fray

Guillermo Masnou, OSA now owned by GigiParas who named the place Bale Herencia.

Mendiola House (Brgy. Sto. Rosario)Actually the property of the Paras familywho built it in late 1800s; a daughter ofModesto Paras, Isabel, married JoseMendiola who came to owned the house;presently owned by Catalina Paras Bulaon,sister of Isabel.

Lacson House (Brgy. Sto. Cristo) Built it1918-20 by the family of Manuela Lazatin

The Dayrit House

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US Military Government (Alcaldes)1899 Laureano Lacson1900 Galicano Valdes

Pablo TorresUS Civil Government (Municipal Presidents)1900 Florentino Pamintuan1901 Laureano Suarez1902 Esteban Gomez1904 Marcelo Mesina1904 Lauro Dizon1906 Leandro Panlilio1908 Jose P. Henson1910-1913 Galicano Valdes1913-1916 Demetrio Gomez1916-1919 Emiliano Valdes1919-1922 Clemente N. Dayrit1922-1925 Juan D. Nepomuceno1925-1928 Juan D. Nepomuceno1928-1931 Ricardo Nepomuceno1931-1936 Francisco LazatinPhilippine Commonwealth (Municipal Mayors)1937-1941 Clemente N. Dayrit1941 Agapito del RosarioJapanese Occupation1942 Clemente N. Dayrit1944 Miguel Malig

Ponciano Dayrit1945 Alberto Sicangco

Ricardo CanlasRepublic of the Philippines (MunicipalMayors)1946 Rafael Lazatin1947 Vicente N. Henson

Jose Pangilinan1948-1951 Jose Pangilinan1952-1955 Manuel Abad Santos1956-1959 Manuel Abad Santos1960-1963 Rafael del Rosario1964-1967 Rafael del Rosario1968-1971 Eugenio Suarez1972-1975 Rafael Lazatin1976-1979 Rafael Lazatin (hold-over)1980-1983 Francisco Nepomuceno1984-1987 Francisco Nepomuceno1988-1994 Antonio Abad Santos1994-1995 Edgardo Pamintuan1996-1999 Edgardo Pamintuan1999- Carmelo Lazatin

Lacson presently occupied by the childrenof Onofre Lacson, a descendant of the build-ers.

Lacson Mansion (Brgy. Sto. Cristo) Theowners are related to the family of theother Lacson house; occupied by the USO(an agency of the American military) in the1950s; once used as the first MontessoriSchool in Angeles.

Lazatin House (Brgy. San Jose) Nowowned by the Angeles family.

Dayrit House (Brgy. Lourdes) Locatedbeside the Apung Mamacalulu chapel; ex-ecution site for American cavalry desert-ers in the early 1900s.

Yap House (Brgy. San Nicolas) Resi-dence of the first Chinese immigrants inAngeles; owned by Lydia Yap

Ocampo-De Jesus House (Brgy. Sto.

Rosario) Originally owned by Jose Sixto deJesus and Apolonia Tablante both Spaniardswho had migrated to Angeles from Malabon;bequeathed to youngest daughter Maria Luzde Jesus, who married Meliton Ocampo.

Narciso House (Brgy. Pulung Bulu)Owned by Ludovico Narciso.

GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS ANDHOSPITALS

Old Municipal Hall (Brgy. Sto.Rosario)Constructed in 1922 as the municipio (townhall) during the incumbency of the thentown mayor, Don Juan D. Nepomuceno. Theoriginal building, known as La Casa Tribu-nal, was built in 1840; it was located 20yards to the south of the present edificewhich, on the other hand, was the town’spublic market. The market was relocated

after a fire in 1855 de-stroyed it and the nearbychurch as well. In 1897, theTribunal was comman-deered by the Casadores (adetachment of the SpanishArmy); in 1898, after theSpaniards fled, the Philip-pine Revolutionary Govern-ment Committee took overthe Tribunal. In 1900, theAmericans appointed DonFlorentino Pamintuanalcalde in the same build-ing. In 1942, the Japaneseimprisoned an American es-capee from the Death Marchinside the municipio prior tohis execution. In 1999, thebuilding was turned over tothe Kuliat Foundation toserve as the city museum.

Holy Angel UniversityMain Building (Brgy. Sto.Rosario) Used by the Japa-nese as headquarters andexecution site during WorldWar II.

Holy Family AcademyConvent Building (Brgy. Sto.Rosario)

Angeles ElementarySchool (Brgy. Pulung Bulu)

Sto. Rosario Elemen-tary School (Brgy. Sto.Rosario)

INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURESAngeles Train StationLazatin Vinegar Plant

The first muscovado factoryestablished in Pampanga; itis still fully functional.

Some write-ups by DanielH.Dizon (Excerpted from ar-ticles courtesy of Kuliat Foun-dation, Inc.)

Clockwise from top: the Deposito, the Mariano LacsonMansion (former Montessori School), the De JesusHouse, and the Onofre Lacson House

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Editor: Robby Tantingco Layout: Ana Marie VergaraSingsing is published quarterly byThe Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studiesof Holy Angel University, Angeles City, Philippines.For inquiries, suggestions and comments, call (045) 888-8691 loc. 1311, or fax at (045)888-2514,or email at rptmt@yahoo.com.Visit website at www.hau.edu.ph/kcenter.

CENTER STAFF: Robby Tantingco (Director), Erlinda Cruz (Cultural Activities Coordinator), Joel Mallari (Archaeologist/Researcher), Anton Prima (Translator/Researcher), Sheila Laxamana (Events Organizer/Administrative Staff), Ana MarieVergara (Computer Graphics Artist/Researcher), Arwin Paul Lingat (Church Heritage Researcher),

Museum Curator/Consultant: Alex Castro, Historians/Consultants: Prof. Lino Dizon and Fray Francis Musni, OSA,Language Consultants: Francisco Guinto and Felix Garcia

All too often we discard themwhen they have outlived theirusefulness.

That useless old mansitting by the windowor watching TV all dayis actually a National Treasurebecause he holds in his mindall the experiences you will never findin historical documents.

Don’t let your old folks fadewithout recording their memories.

And don’t forget to thank them for it.

LUIS TARUCHuk Supremo, labor leader,champion of the masses

Biasa.Matapang.Marangal.Kapampangan.Pilipinu.

Read about the great Kapampangans atThe Center for Kapampangan Studies

Holy Angel University

A Message fromThe Center forKapampangan Studies

In Memoriam

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