A Closer Look at Bulusan's "Campana Mayor" (A.D. 1810)

Parish of St. James the Greater
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines
November 3, 2012

Commissioned under one Padre Cura Eusebio Vizente de la Cruz


Distinct elements of this bell suggest that this one must have come from the foundry of one "Benito de los Reyes," a bell caster from around Manila who was active in the industry from 1808 to 1841.

Around 30 bells were attributed to him (by researcher cited at the bottom of this narrative) and this number includes at least one bell for San Agustin Church (1829).  His bells have been found "as far north as Cagayan and as far south as Iloilo."

Back to those distinct elements.  Here they are:
1. "Benito" bells were known for crosses with emanating rays.  This one at Bulusan has one such cross.
2. The pedestal at the foot of the cross is very "Benito."  To quote the researcher:  "The bells of Benito de los Reyes are marked by a cross standing on a triangular pedestal, the slopes of which are composed of opposing C-scrolls (on a slope, one "C" facing outwards rests on another "C" facing inwards, and so on.)
3. The inscribed year has the first and third digits for "1" in the shape of a fish hook, again, very "Benito."

Although these elements were somewhat copied by Macario de los Angeles (active 1834 to 1847) and Saturnino Limcaco (1849-1864), the fact that Bulusan's "Campana Mayor" is inscribed with the earlier year of 1810 (precedes these two bell casters' active years) must mean that the bell in discussion most probably came from Benito de los Reyes' foundry.


With information lifted from: "In Search of Bell-Casters and Foundries in Spanish Colonial Philippines" by Regalado Trota Jose,  Archivist at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, a Heritage Advocate connected with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA),  of the Society of Ecclesiastical Archivists of the Philippines (SEAP), and author of the book, "Simbahan: Church Art in Colonial Philippines 1565-1898". 

Update: January 21, 2013

 Received previous advice from the elders that Bulusan had at at least two other bigger bells:

1. A legendary one, with one account stating that during one of those Moro raids of old, there was this one bigger bell which was captured and was forcefully loaded to one of the raiders' boats. However, because of its great weight, the pirates had to eventually throw the bell overboard. It is now believed to reside in the depths of San Bernardino Strait. Another account states that it was a golden bell and this singular quality must have been what drove the raiders to loot the tower of this alleged precious relic.

2. An actual bigger bell which several witnesses claim they previously saw on display at the parish rectory's ground floor. This was before the building went through a major renovation in the early 1980s. It was said to have a crack (such as this one in the picture) and as to its size, it was supposed to tower over an average intermediate grader. The bell has since ceased to be on display and still other witnesses claim to have seen it being loaded to a truck of sorts in a rather sneaky way. One could but guess who masterminded such an operation.

Update: June 26, 2015
As confirmed from studies made by Prof. Regalado Trota Jose, what is currently Bulusan's largest bell was not cast in 1816 but in 1810.  The last digit was apparently really a "0" and not the tail end of a "6."

Home of Raging Waters - More Fun in the Philippines!

My paternal grandmother's simple ancestral home (the Lim Garcias') used to stand in a bank upstream from where this picture was taken.

Of my fondest childhood memories, among the dearest would be those Saturdays when my siblings and I, with our mother - would make the short walk to the site of that ancestral home early in the morning, to do laundry in the river, and to practice our swimming skills on what I consider until now, as our backyard "pool". We could hear the energizing gurgling sounds of the waters, even from the road. I don't know but to me, the sight, smell, and sound of the river is one of the few that soothes my spirit.

To the left of this picture, is the northernmost side of yet another tract of land (now subdivided into four parcels) still owned by Lim Garcia relatives.

The same land is considered to be the gateway to the ancient domain of the legendary Buringsingsingay (sometimes called Ribonsina - meaning of both names eludes modern natives), whose beauty and wit are said to have captured the hearts of not a few pre-Hispanic visitors and traders to this part of the country. With her ladies in waiting, it is said that she would bathe most probably on the same spot that these children are, and that birds would follow her radiant beauty wherever she walked in the day, and at night, as if she were escorted by stars.

Her equally-legendary huge collection of jewellery and bed of fine gold have never been located (although an expedition from the National Museum in the '60s did find numerous ancient artifacts on a hill directly above this property), but the continued telling of her story still manages to tantalize the visual imagination of children, both of the past and the present. Some say she is but a mythical character, yet others attest that her bloodline actually survived down the centuries.


The river itself is said to be enchanted. Upstream, stories about hearing a ship blasting its horns in the wee hours of the night, abound. I have also heard of a first-hand testimony as to how, in a vision, the bridges crossing the river vanished, how the river stretched itself to such a width as to be able to accommodate a ship similar to the Spanish galleons, with European-looking passengers waving from its railings. This would be the second of the two accounts that I know, which involves Spanish galleons. The other involves a pristine spring in an undergrowth north of the poblacion.

A pillar of stone along the road, similar in construction and design to at least one more pillar on the opposite bank (both at least a meter thick and deep) - seem to be the only remaining traces of the Spanish-time port of armadillas (equivalent to present-day coast guards), which, together with the stone fortress, and several other baluartes de piedra in the coastal farmlands - largely contributed to the town's blooming economy in those early days.

This river meets the open seas around a hundred meters from here, outwards, to the direction of the photographer (me!).

I could easily picture myself as one of those boys up there. The huge rock with carved steps still serves as a diving board to the clear waters below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I believe pictures are meant to tell stories way beyond what the camera captures.

 

This is our town. If you think we are worth a visit, wait 'til you see the rest of the islands.

Definitely, it's MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES!!!

(Article written in support of the Department of Tourism's "It's More Fun In The Philippines" Campaign)