The country's foremost institution of higher learning, the UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS - is this year celebrating its 400th founding anniversary.
It is thus by opportune circumstance that I chanced upon a rare family document when I came home this past Holy Week, a document which shall turn 122 years old on the 30th of this month, and which originated from the desk of then Secretary-General of UST, no less!
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| Lolo Lupo's almost-122-year-old certificate of enrollment |
I'm referring to this image to the left of course - my Lolo Lupo's certificate of enrollment for his 2nd year taking up segunda enseñanza at the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Santo Tomas de Manila, then located at its original Intramuros site. It was for the school year 1889-1890.
The original is currently under the care of a second cousin, who was kind enough to share with me this find. I was told there was more where it came from.
Segunda enseñanza (literally, "second learning") was the equivalent of present-day secondary school, and was said to be the equivalent of a bachelor of arts degree.
3. Nociones de Geografica en general y de España y Filipinas en particular
For the above school year, Lolo Lupo's subjects were:
1. Gramatica castellana
2. Gramatica latina3. Nociones de Geografica en general y de España y Filipinas en particular
Our great patriot Dr. Jose P. Rizal (whose 150th birth anniversary we are celebrating on the 19th of this month) also took up this same course, but at the more liberal Jesuit-run Ateneo Municipal.
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| Detail - Certificate of Enrollment |
Timeline: Año de 1889
The San Ignacio Church by the Jesuits was consecrated in this same year, 27-31 July. The interior and furnishings were the product of the creativity of Filipino artisans, led by the famous Isabelo Tampingco, Jr.
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| San Ignacio Church, now in ruins (picture taken November 29, 2010) |
In this same year, the Benavides monument which used to adorn Plaza Santo Tomas and which now stands in front of the Main Building in UST’s Sampaloc campus – was made in Paris. It was to be inaugurated two years later, in 1891. Dr. Jose Rizal himself, was in Paris from 1889 to 1890.
Also in 1889, former presidents Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmena both attended Colegio de San Juan de Letran, also for segunda enseñanza, together with revolutionary leader Col. Elias Angeles. Jose Torres Bugallon, another revolutionary leader, finished his AB from Letran also in 1889.
The Beaterio-Colegio de Sta. Catalina started in 1889 conferring the academic degree of Maestra Normal.
The La Solidaridad, of the Propaganda Movement was launched as its official organ.
Adolf Hitler was barely two months old at the time that this certificate of enrollment was executed.
Present-day Sorsogon Province, was at this time, still under Albay. It would gain independence not until after five years, on October 17, 1894. This would explain why in the document, Lolo Lupo was described as a natural de Bulusan provincia de Albay instead of de Sorsogon.
Don Enrique Mendiola - Maestro Lupo's Maestro
His certificate of enrollment for the school year 1889-1890 listed a D. Enrique Mendiola as his professor in segunda enseñanza. Apparently, this is the same Mendiola after whom the famous street in San Miguel, Manila was named. Mendiola finished his first and second years in segunda enseñanza at the Ateneo Municipal with Rizal.
Mendiola (1859-1914) must have been 30 years old by that time, three years after being conferred the degree of licenciado en jurisprudencia with a grade of sobresaliente from UST.
Apparently an authority in Castillian and Latin languages, he wrote the book Programa Gramatica Castilliana y Latina for second year students in 1893. Among his other achievements, he was a member of the first Board of Regents of UP.
Young boys usually reach the second year of segunda enseñanza by age 12. Thus, Lolo Lupo’s birth year may be calculated to around 1877, or 16 years Rizal's junior.
Who was Lolo Lupo, anyway?
He was my paternal grandmother's father, my father's grandfather - and is thus my great grandfather.
He was the one who named my father Levi, either in reference to the New Testament's Matthew, the tax collector - or to the head of the priestly tribe of Israel. I would like to believe it's the latter, since Lolo Lupo is said to have been an almost-priest.
This gesture might have been in memory of what-might-have-been, or a hope for what-could-be. Did Lolo Lupo secretly wished for my father to enter the seminary? One will never know.
This gesture might have been in memory of what-might-have-been, or a hope for what-could-be. Did Lolo Lupo secretly wished for my father to enter the seminary? One will never know.
It has been a known fact within the family that Lolo Lupo was a well-educated man, and that him being called Maestro Lupo during his time was not in any way because of any builder's or artist's prowess (although a good number of his descendants quite have the artistic streak in them, including the author, mind you!) but because of this basic fact, him being a teacher. This could very well be because of his education early in his life. By all probabilities, he might have been a pioneer teacher at the Bulusan Central School, founded in 1903, but I am yet to uncover documents to support this theory.
[Note from post-Holy Week 2012: Information reached this blogger that Lolo Lupo was in fact a cartilla teacher.]
[Note from post-Holy Week 2012: Information reached this blogger that Lolo Lupo was in fact a cartilla teacher.]
He was a mestizo de sangley - being of mixed Chinese-Malayan ancestry - his father was a Chinese trader by the name of Lim Chao Co, from the Amoy Province (now Xiamen, Fujian) of China - while his mother was a pure-blooded Buluseña by the name of Marina, apparently from a family of means, Frando, as evidenced by prime and large properties in the poblacion and in the family's once vast copra and hemp plantation south of town, in Barangay San Bernardo.
Perhaps for reasons of trade more than of faith, his Chinese father embraced the Catholic faith and adapted his godfather's surname [became Pedro Garcia] - thus the birth of Bulusan's Garcias of Lim ancestry.
Other Buluseño Catholicized Lims are the Reyeses and the Bailons. From the Reyeses sprung the likes of the late Dr. Jose S. Reyes, executive secretary to Pres. Sergio Osmeña and secretary of Education of both the Osmeña and Quirino administrations - and his brother, the late Sorsogon Gov. Juan S. Reyes.
[Note from post-Holy Week 2012: Information reached this blogger that Lolo Lupo served as padrino/baptismal godfather to another Lim migrant who eventually settled in Brgy. San Roque, Bulusan. That man and his descendants thus also bore (and to this day continues to bear) the Garcia name.]
Lolo Lupo was apparently an only child, and to be uprooted from his hometown at such a young age to study in the Walled City - I couldn't help but wonder how he managed. In what part of Intramuros did he stay? Or did he stay in the Chinese districts of Sta. Cruz and Binondo? Was somebody from Bulusan, a relative perhaps, sent with him to attend to his needs? Did his own mother stay with him? Or was he an independent spirit like Rizal?
I now understand why I have such great sense of affinity with Intramuros. Every now and then I would feel the urge to retrace my steps and I always find my way around the old streets of Aduana, of Cabildo, to Plaza Santo Tomas, then on to Arzobispo, to Sta. Lucia, up the walls to my favorite spot of all - the Baluarte de San Diego (provided that it is open to the public), which to me is like a giant pugon, while being reminiscent of Rome's Colosseum.
Back to Lolo Lupo - indeed, great was his value for education that he made sure all his children by his lovely wife, the former Juana Hubilla - should benefit from secondary education at least, at a time when it was more of a privilege than a right.
All ten of them matriculated in pre-war Sorsogon Provincial High School.
At the advent of public elementary education, he donated a parcel of his land to be the site for the present-day San Bernardo Elementary School, Bulusan.
He was described in January 2000 by his daughter, the late Ms. Paz H. Lim Garcia as a "very honest man". Lola Paz, incidentally, was a former division H.E. supervisor, was Sorsogon's assistant schools division superintendent when she retired, and was awarded in 1990 as the Most Outstanding Alumnus for Education of the Bulusan Central School.
In one of her visits to the author's home, the late Lola Glory (Lolo Lupo's youngest child) claimed that her father used to keep his paper money bills within the pages of his dictionary/bible (again, I think the latter is most likely).
Perhaps Lolo Lupo's lasting legacy to his descendants and to his beloved people of Bulusan - would be the family's Lenten image of St. Mary Magdalene - whose comeback in next year's Holy Week activities, is now much anticipated.
Like my kins, I have always known that Lolo Lupo was a man of intellect who had gained higher education somewhere. It's just that never in my wildest dreams did I consider him to have had attended UST, Spanish-time Intramuros-UST at that!
I couldn't help but think of him riding a calesa all the way from his beloved town of Bulusan, through the practically still rural landscape of what is now a metropolis, and finally over moats and through the gates of Intramuros, attending mass at the Yglesia de Sto. Domingo, perhaps even taking part in the La Naval festivities!
Being a Chinese mestizo, he must have looked quite the young gentleman in the required Spanish suit (per Articulos del Reglamento at the back of the certificate of enrollment).
Never did I think that all the time I was admiring the Arch of the Centuries (rear half portion of which actually came from the war-torn Intramuros building) in UST's España campus - I might just as well be looking at the same portal through which this dear ancestor of mine passed many times, in and out, in his search for knowledge.
To Lolo Lupo - you certainly made us all proud. May we always value not just scholarly education but more importantly, the education that our individual lifetimes unravel. May we be worthy to be called your grandchildren, great grandchildren even - indeed, no matter how many repetitions of great we're talking here.
Here's to you, Lolo Lupo - our family's foremost Thomasian!
Viva Sto. Tomas!
Perhaps for reasons of trade more than of faith, his Chinese father embraced the Catholic faith and adapted his godfather's surname [became Pedro Garcia] - thus the birth of Bulusan's Garcias of Lim ancestry.
Other Buluseño Catholicized Lims are the Reyeses and the Bailons. From the Reyeses sprung the likes of the late Dr. Jose S. Reyes, executive secretary to Pres. Sergio Osmeña and secretary of Education of both the Osmeña and Quirino administrations - and his brother, the late Sorsogon Gov. Juan S. Reyes.
[Note from post-Holy Week 2012: Information reached this blogger that Lolo Lupo served as padrino/baptismal godfather to another Lim migrant who eventually settled in Brgy. San Roque, Bulusan. That man and his descendants thus also bore (and to this day continues to bear) the Garcia name.]
Lolo Lupo was apparently an only child, and to be uprooted from his hometown at such a young age to study in the Walled City - I couldn't help but wonder how he managed. In what part of Intramuros did he stay? Or did he stay in the Chinese districts of Sta. Cruz and Binondo? Was somebody from Bulusan, a relative perhaps, sent with him to attend to his needs? Did his own mother stay with him? Or was he an independent spirit like Rizal?
I now understand why I have such great sense of affinity with Intramuros. Every now and then I would feel the urge to retrace my steps and I always find my way around the old streets of Aduana, of Cabildo, to Plaza Santo Tomas, then on to Arzobispo, to Sta. Lucia, up the walls to my favorite spot of all - the Baluarte de San Diego (provided that it is open to the public), which to me is like a giant pugon, while being reminiscent of Rome's Colosseum.
Back to Lolo Lupo - indeed, great was his value for education that he made sure all his children by his lovely wife, the former Juana Hubilla - should benefit from secondary education at least, at a time when it was more of a privilege than a right.
All ten of them matriculated in pre-war Sorsogon Provincial High School.
At the advent of public elementary education, he donated a parcel of his land to be the site for the present-day San Bernardo Elementary School, Bulusan.
He was described in January 2000 by his daughter, the late Ms. Paz H. Lim Garcia as a "very honest man". Lola Paz, incidentally, was a former division H.E. supervisor, was Sorsogon's assistant schools division superintendent when she retired, and was awarded in 1990 as the Most Outstanding Alumnus for Education of the Bulusan Central School.
In one of her visits to the author's home, the late Lola Glory (Lolo Lupo's youngest child) claimed that her father used to keep his paper money bills within the pages of his dictionary/bible (again, I think the latter is most likely).
Perhaps Lolo Lupo's lasting legacy to his descendants and to his beloved people of Bulusan - would be the family's Lenten image of St. Mary Magdalene - whose comeback in next year's Holy Week activities, is now much anticipated.
Post Script:
Like my kins, I have always known that Lolo Lupo was a man of intellect who had gained higher education somewhere. It's just that never in my wildest dreams did I consider him to have had attended UST, Spanish-time Intramuros-UST at that!
I couldn't help but think of him riding a calesa all the way from his beloved town of Bulusan, through the practically still rural landscape of what is now a metropolis, and finally over moats and through the gates of Intramuros, attending mass at the Yglesia de Sto. Domingo, perhaps even taking part in the La Naval festivities!
Being a Chinese mestizo, he must have looked quite the young gentleman in the required Spanish suit (per Articulos del Reglamento at the back of the certificate of enrollment).
Never did I think that all the time I was admiring the Arch of the Centuries (rear half portion of which actually came from the war-torn Intramuros building) in UST's España campus - I might just as well be looking at the same portal through which this dear ancestor of mine passed many times, in and out, in his search for knowledge.
To Lolo Lupo - you certainly made us all proud. May we always value not just scholarly education but more importantly, the education that our individual lifetimes unravel. May we be worthy to be called your grandchildren, great grandchildren even - indeed, no matter how many repetitions of great we're talking here.
Here's to you, Lolo Lupo - our family's foremost Thomasian!
Viva Sto. Tomas!
"There was no notable person in the Philippines, no one in a government or magisterial position, nor civil, nor ecclesiastical nor of social class nor of good family who had not achieved a beneficial influence...[who was not] taught with excellence from this institution."- Padre Jose Noval, UST Rector, on the occasion of UST's Tricentennary, December 1911(Source: "Looking back at the tricentennary" by Alphonsus Luigi E. Alfonso, The Varsitarian, October 6, 2009)
Coming Not-Too-Soon:
Cabeza Marcelo Gallardo: Politics Runs In The Blood After All!
(pending availability of resources)
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