EBOY'S TOWN

My friend Eboy hails from the coastal town of Orion along Manila Bay. Together with Dante, we are known as PRRM's "Packard Boys" because of a common Packard-funded project, and our preference of staying at the "Packard Office" near the V. Luna Hospital whenever we are in Manila. Our triumvirate eventually outgrew our professional ties and became good friends. Both Eboy and Dante stood as ninongs to my youngest son Balong.

Orion was estblished as a visita of Abucay until it became an independent mission center in 1667. It was reported to have a large convent and a massive beautiful church, dedicate to San Miguel Arkanghel, by the end of the 17th century. The church was repaired when the town was again taken over by the Dominicans in 1832. The parochial buildings sustained heavy damage during the 1852 earthquake and were repaired in 1854. Fr. Miguel Fuster (OP), Fr. Miguel Auli (OP), and Fr. Ulpiano Herrero later initiated repairs and further improvements. Orion's most prominent sons are Cayetano Arellano, the first Filipino Chief Justive of the Philippine Supreme Court, who was born there in 1847; and Francisco Baltazar, author of the epic Florante at Laura, who reside in Orion from 1842 until 1862.

Aside from Orion's church, the province of Bataan boasts of other significant colonial churches that survived the ravages of World War II. I recommend a visita iglesia from Orion going south towards the Olongapo-Gapan Road. On this route, the first church after Orion will be that of Pilar which interestingly is the only church in Bataan built facing the mountains.



Next will be Balanga City that was originally established as a visita of Abucay. Fr. Agustin Esquivel (OP) supervised the building of its first stone church and convent in 1714. Fr. Benito Rivas (OP), Fr. Juan Antonio Vicente (OP), Fr. Vicente Fenandez (OP), and Fr. Fernando Ma. Minano (OP) added improvements probably until 1845. In 1898, Fr. Marinao Sarili became its first Filipino priest. The church today serves as the Cathedral of San Jose.



After Balanga is the town of Abucay that was established as a mission by the Dominicans in 1588. Its present church, dedicated to Santo Domingo de Guzman, was the site of a battle in 1647 where almost 200 Filipino defenders were killed while resisting Dutch invaders. It was damaged during an earthquake in 1852. Fr. Francisco Blancas de San Jose (OP) and Tomas Pinpin operated a printing press in Abucay in 1610 --- one of the earliest in the Philippines.

The next visita will be Samal --- Sir Gani’s hometown that was established by the Dominicans as a mission in 1596. The parochial buildings, built under the supervision of Fr. Jeronimo Belen (OP), were destroyed during the Dutch invasion of 1647 that the Filipino defenders under Alejo Aguas repelled. Fr. Juan Zubelso (OP) had the church (dedicated to Santa Catalina de Sienna) rebuilt at around 1650 but this was razed by fire in 1836. There are no records on who rebuilt the church except for Fr. Miguel Protell (OP) who supervised some improvement and the building of the convent. The church was burned in 1898 by Filipino revolutionaries to flush out a Spanish garrison entrenched in the convent. Fr. Justo Quesada (OP) had both buildings rebuilt in 1905.

The church of Orani --- dedicated to the Nuestra Senora del Rosario --- will be the last stop. It is considered to be the best church and convent in the whole province of Bataan. The Dominicans established Orani as an independent mission center in 1714. There are no records on who built the parochial buildings that were repaired in 1792 and 1836. These were heavily damaged during the 1852 earthquake. From 1868 until 1891, the church as rebuilt and improved by Fr. Bartolome Alvarez del Manzano (OP) and Fr. Fermin Perez San Juan (OP). It was razed by fire in 1938 that also destroyed ¾ of the town of Orani, and was subsequently rebuilt.

THREE MEN, TWO CHURCHES, ONE TOWN

Batac prides itself as a “Home of Great Leaders” and rightly so. In my opinion, the greatest and most famous of these leaders will be: Ferdinand E. Marcos, the 8^th president of the Philippine Republic; Fr. Gregorio Aglipay, Vicar General of the Filipino Revolutionary Army during the revolution against Spain and co-founder (with fellow Ilocano and labor leader Isabelo Reyes) of the Iglesia Filipinana Independiente or the Aglipayan Church; and Gen. Artemio “Vibora” Ricarte, the revolutionary who never surrendered to the Americans and later exiled for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the United States.

Bataque was a former encomienda of Don Gaspar Perez. It was also called as Bacal meaning “battle” in memory of an encounter between its native residents and the forces of Juan de Salcedo. Its first parochial buildings were destroyed or damaged several times either by fire or natural calamities before Fr. Pedro Careaga (OSA) initiated rebuilding the church (dedicated to San Agustin) in 1691. The church again suffered damages several times most notably in 1900 when American forces burned the town of Batac in retaliation for the frequent attacks of Father Aglipay’s guerillas, during the 1931 earthquake when the bell tower totally collapsed, and during World War II when it was razed by Filipino guerillas to flush out the Japanese soldiers holed inside. The church, especially the façade, had been renovated several times since then.

Batac’s catholic church symbolizes the matrix where Father Aglipay carved a new Indio church. Most Indio priests in the Ilocos region defected to Aglipayanism and the religion quickly spread among the Ilocanos. It is just a stone throw away where Father Aglipay’s new church was built right in front of the Marcos house. It was said that Father Aglipay planted an anting-anting in the back of the young Marcos who was his godchild. The bones of Father Aglipay was once displayed in a metal casket at a basement near the altar. When I went back with a group of friends from Nueva Ecija, his remains have been moved in a more solemn place at the altar. I think heroes like him should be treated more than a curio and rejoiced when a mausoleum cum museum was finally built near the Aglipayan church for Father Aglipay’s remains and relics as a fitting tribute to his legacy. I also applauded when a museum and a park was finally built for Vibora who died in the mountains of Kiangan, Ifugao during the Japanese retreat and buried in an unmarked grave that was never found. He was accused as a collaborator but his only intent is to finally drive away the American colonizers. In my last trip to Batac, I brought Bulan to Vibora’s museum to show him the statue of the general who never surrendered.

Aglipayan is said to be the Ilocano’s religion and Amang Lakay and Inang Baket are no exceptions. They know the pasyon by heart and can sing it even when sleeping, which is usually the case when the pasyon reaches late night and early morning. If it won’t rain for a month, they will join the lualos in the fields of Almaguer, all of them laying prostate face to the ground with their arms spread in the shape of the cross while the balmy smoke of arutang filled the air. The lualo will continue until the rain comes. They also join the annual processions of Almaguer’s patron saint --- the Nuestra de Senora de Lourdes. The procession will start in the middle part of Almaguer (what is now Manong Flor Arellano’s house) then towards abagatan where the patron would be brought to bless the dacquel nga carayan then back to amianan where it will bless the bassit nga carayan before being brought back to the church. Today, this ritual has been forgotten and the great and deadly flood of 2005 is perhaps the Babaylan’s (i.e. the patron saint) way of reminding our generation.

BABAYLANS IN MARYS SHRINES

“Ako ang hari sa bahay pero ang asawa ko ang alas.”

This everyday statement was meant to be a joke but it might as well reflect the matriarchal instincts of Filipinos in our sub-conscious minds. For really, Filipinos have been ruled by Rajas and Datus but it was the Babaylans or native priestesses whom they seek for decision making. The Babaylans were eventually demonized when the Spanish introduced their male god. But the Babaylans did not disappear, periodically resurrecting themselves into mangkukulams (the demonized version) and beatas (“blessed” women who dominated 17th-18th century religion) that later inspired other “cult” movements like the confradia, the masonic movement, the Katipunan, Guardia de Honor, and the like.

Today, the Babaylan’s presence is stronger than ever and is manifested in the Filipino Catholic’s devotion to the Virgin Mary. It makes me wonder why Filipinos would venerate a mortal (the Virgin Mary) more than God and the Son of God itself (Jesus Christ). Of the 19 major Catholic pilgrimage churches in the Philippines, only 5 are dedicated to Jesus Christ (i.e. Badoc, Quiapo, Cebu, Kalibo, and Tacloban). The following 14 other pilgrimage churches are dedicated to the Virgin Mary: Badoc In Ilocos Norte, Bantay in Ilocos Sur, Luna in La Union, Manaoag in Pangasinan, Piat in Cagayan, Gamu in Isabela, Ermita in Malate (Manila), Antipolo in Rizal, Pakil in Laguna, Caysasay in Batangas, Capalonga in Camarines Norte, Penafrancia in Camarines Sur, Joroan (Tiwi) in Albay, and Opon in Mactan Island. I have the opportunity of seeking the Babaylan’s blessings in these shrines of the Virgin Mary with the exception of that in Capalonga and Opon.

SHRINE OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Piat, Cagayan). Piat was accepted as an evangelical mission of the Dominicans in 1610. During the evangelization of the Itawis region, miracles were attributed to an image of the Virgin Mary that was carved in Macau and subsequently brought to Nueva Segovia from Manila. In 1623, Fr. Diego Pinero (OP) initiated the building of an ermita for the miraculous image in an area between the pueblos of Piat and Tuao. It was later transferred to the church of Piat that Fr. Francisco Jimenez (OP) initiated to build in 1740. Fr. Ysodoro Rodriguez (OP) later made improvements to the church. In 1897, Fr. Santiago Capdevila (OP) added a silver altar and in 1898 started dressing the image of the Virgin Mary in gold and silver. The Diocese of Tuguegarao later abandoned the church after building a bigger shrine in the same place where the old ermita stood.



NUESTRA SENORA DEL ROSARIO (Manaoag, Pangasinan). Manaoag has been under the Dominican’s administration since 1605. Fr. Juan de Jacinto (OP) probably supervised the building of the first church that was made of light materials. Fr. Diego de Ballesteros (OP) initiated building a church at the close of the 17th century at a new site west of Baloquin but later abandoned this. Capitan Gaspar de Gamboa later had a brick church constructed that he donated to the Dominicans in 1722. In 1882, the renovation and enlargement of the church was started but was later demolished halfway into the construction after it suffered major damages during the 1892 earthquake. Fr. Hilario del Campo (OP) then later Fr. Jose Ma. Puente (OP) had a provisional church built while a new one is being constructed. This was, however, burned during the Philippine Revolution of 1898 before it was finished. From 1901 until 1906, Father Pacis, Fr. Cipriano Pampliega, Fr. Mariano Revilla, and Fr. Jose Bartolo supervised the rebuilding of the church. In 1912, further improvements were made and in 1926, the image of the famous Nuestra Senora de Manaoag was enshrined in the church. The church was gain improved from 1931 until 1932 under the supervision of Fr. Andres Duque before being damaged again during World War II.

National Heritage: The Lady of Namacpacan and a Capilla Passa


The town of Luna in La Union was founded by the Augustinians as a visita of Balaoan and was formerly known as Namacpacan. Fr. Mateo Bustillos (OSA) initiated building the first church from 1695 to 1697. This was probably destroyed and construction on what might be the present church started sometime in the 18th century. It was reinforced and improved in 1829 only to be severely damage in an 1854 earthquake. The church was again rebuilt in 1863. Fr. Marcelino Ceballos had the church restored and the convent enlarged in 1876. The Lady of Namacpacan, said to be miraculous, is enshrined in the church and crowned in 1959. The church --- dedicated to Sta. Catalina --- has been renovated several times since then. The entrance to the church features a capilla passa that looks like a fortress and a ceremonial archway. The National Commission on Culture and Arts had declared the church as a national heritage site.

NUESTRA SENORA DELOS REMEDIOS (Malate, Manila). Maalat --- the old Malate --- was once called Laguio/Lagunoy. The Augustinians accepted it as a mission in 1581. A makeshift church was built in 1588 and, by 1591, a church and convent of stone was already constructed. The image of Nuestra Senora de Gracia --- brought from Andalucia, Spain ---- was enshrined in the church in 1624. Both church and convent were pulled down after sustaining damages during the 1645 and 1667 earthquakes. Fr. Dionisio Suarez (OSA) initiated rebuilding it from 1677 until 1679. It was completed under the supervision of Fr. Pedro de Mesa (OSA) in 1680. The church was damaged after being occupied by the invading British in 1762 who used it as a rear guard headquarters. It was rebuilt but again sustained damages during the 1863 earthquake. Fr. Francisco Cuadrado (OSA) had the church rebuilt in 1864 that was again damaged during a typhoon in 1868. Fr. Nicolas Dulanto (OSA) supervised its restoration and improvement from 1894 until 1898. The convent was demolished and replaced in 1930. Both church and convent were razed by fire during the liberation of Manila on 3-17 February 1945 where 5 Columban priests and thousands of Filipinos were massacred by the retreating Japanese invaders. The Columbans rebuilt the church from 1950 until 1978.



NUESTRA SENORA DE LA PAZ Y BUENAVIAJE (Antipolo, Rizal). The Franciscans were the founders of Antipolo. It was handed to the Jesuits in 1591. Fr. Juan de Salazar (SJ) had a stone church built from 1630 to 1633 for the image of Nuestra Senora dela Paz y Buenviaje that was brought from Mexico in 1626 by Governor Juan Nino de Tavera. The image became known as patroness of the galleons and had crossed the Pacific Ocean 8 times between 1641 and 1748. It was canonically crowned in 1926. The church was heavily damaged during the Chinese uprising of 1639 to 1640. Another one was built and destroyed during the earthquakes of 1645, 1824 and 1863. Msgr. Francisco Avendano later had the present church reconstructed that was declared as a national shrine in 1954. Fr. Pedro Chirino (SJ) and Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde (SJ), famed Jesuit historians, served in the church that is today venerated by pilgrims throughout the country.

THE VIRGIN OF CAYSASAY (Caysasay, Taal, Batangas). In 1603, a fisherman named Juan de Maningkad found what is now known as the image of the Caysasay Virgin while fishing in the river. The image was said to frequently appear in the place where it was found and, in 1611, a church of light materials was built in the area. This was replaced in 1639 by a stone church that was damaged during the 1754 and 1852 eruptions of the Taal Volcano. The church was rebuilt in 1856 only to be damaged again during the 1867 earthquake. It was later repaired and improved under the supervisions of Fr. Marcos Anton, the Italian painter Cesar Alberoni, and Fr. Agapito Aparicio. It has undergone renovations since then. The image of the Caysasay Virgin is enshrined in the church except on Fridays when it is brought to the Basilica of St. Martin de Tours.



NUESTRA SENORA DE PENA DE FRANCIA (Naga City, Camarines Sur). An early church, dedicated to the image of the Nuestra Senora Pena de Francia, was built around 1711 under the supervision of Fr. Miguel Covarrubias (OFM). This was replaced by the present church that was built around 1760 during the term of Bishop Isidoro de Arevalo. Repairs and improvements were done between 1877 and 1878 by Bishop Francisco Gainza.



LA VIRGEN MILAGROSA (Badoc, Ilocos Norte). Sometime ago, a group of lost fishermen found the images of what is now the La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc and the Sto. Cristo floating in the sea. It was said that the images decided where to stay by not allowing themselves to be moved. As it is, the Sto. Cristo stayed in Sinait and the La Virgen Milagrosa in Badoc where they remained enshrined since 1620.

The other pilgrimage churches which has been featured in earlier postings are the NUESTRA SENORA DE LA SALVACION in Joroan, Tiwi, Albay; OUR LADY OF CHARITY in Bantay, Ilocos Sur; OUR LADY OF GUIBANG in Gamu, Isabela; and the VIRGIN OF TURUMBA in Pakil, Laguna.

The Babaylan's Healer

Amang Lakay became a mangngagas during the early years of his marriage to Inang Baket. It happened when an old lady (the Babaylan?) befriended Amang Lakay and gave him a white bottle for healing spiritual and physical illnesses. Every late afternoon when day slowly fades into the night, Amang Lakay will wait in the window for the old lady’s visit. Amang Lakay’s white bottle healed many people in Almaguer but Inang Baket dreaded every moment of her husband’s daily rituals with the old lady that only he can see. Amang Lakay stopped being a mangangagas when he learned that all his children will die in exchange for his healing powers. Six of his ten children did die --- Soledad, Alicia, Febia, Antonio, Melencia and Leoncia. One of them is a child who looks like a monkey that was considered as their lucky charm. The first child to survive, Rosita, was born on April 7, 1932 in Almaguer.

One time, Inang Baket became pregnant again and gave birth at the same time with that of a neighbor. The neighbor died and during her funeral, Inang Baket asked the procession to stop so she could at least look at her neighbor, a request that the naseknans did not allow because it is dakes. When night came, Inang Baket heard a moaning sound approaching their house. It is the ghost of the neighbor. When the moans came nearer, Inang Baket got very scared. Amang Lakay, fearing for the health of his wife, took hold of a burarawit and chased the ghost away.

CREDIT: The Antipolo shrine illustration is borrowed from Norma Alarcon's "Philippine Architecture During the Pre-Spanish and Spanish Periods."