Timeline: Bulusan, Año de 1738

There are several references to my hometown, Bulusan, Sorsogon in Chronicas de la Apostolica de S. Gregorio de Religiosos Descalzos de N.S.P. S. Francisco.

Published in 1738 and authored by one Fr. Juan Francisco de S. Antonio, this book of three parts has a chapter (XVI) dedicated mainly to the Embocadero (San Bernardino Strait) where Bulusan was mentioned.

Chapter XVII De la Isla de Luzon, also bears Bulusan's name.

For both chapters, it appears that Bulusan was a usual geographical point of reference being the southernmost point of Luzon during that period.  Matnog, which now holds the title, was to separate from Bulusan only in 1785.

The chapter on Zamboanga also mentions its distance from Bulusan.

Chapter XXVIII mentions watchtowers and fortresses in detail.  No entries for Bulusan nor for the entire Bicolandia.  We must remember that this was 1738.  They would be built in the second half of the 1700s.


"Punta de Bulusan" was the common reference to the town, literally meaning, "point of Bulusan." This should not to be confused with the way the word "Punta" was attached to the town's fortress.

"Punta de Santiago" makes an appearance as well, but it is again highly doubtful that this would be in reference to the town's fortress.  It could most probably be in reference to Santiago de Libon, the first-ever parish in the region, farther north of Bulusan.



[Note: A former college professor recently pointed out that the use of "Punta" in Bulusan's fortress, "Punta Diamante," is erroneous and misleading, as the term should only be used to refer to a natural geographical point.  He however concurred with my suggestion that the correct-albeit-forgotten name might have indeed been, "Fuerza y Iglesia de Santiago," as it had been the convention to name fortresses and churches after the locality's patron saint.  Archival documents are yet to be unearthed in support of this theory, or that of my other theory, i.e., that the term might have been in fact intentional, perhaps in an attempt not to have another "Fuerza de Santiago," which was actually the name by which Fort Santiago in Intramuros was known during those times.]

Heavily-Damaged Philippine Churches During the Philippine-American War (1899-1902)

In the advent of the American occupation of the Philippines and the ensuing insurrection, many church buildings around the country were either overtaken by the American army for use as camps, or were destroyed/vandalized/burned by the insurgents, the Americans, or the natives themselves.

TOP 3 IN KABIKOLAN

In Kabikolan, Bulusan in Sorsogon topped the list (4th, national) with a claim of P144,745, an amount which the U.S. Congress declined in a series of hearings in January 1908.  It was for the "destruction by burning of the church, convent, and missions of the town and its suburbs."

Daraga, Albay (13th, national) made a claim for "rent and damages, church and convent, amounting to P86,858" and was granted P980.

Labo in Ambos Camarines (14th, national) also made a claim for P53,974.25.  This was for "damages to church, convent,  and effects  therein by fire."  Nothing was paid.

Then Apostolic Administrator Msgr. Jorge Barlin of then Diocese (now Archdiocese) of Nueva Caceres, was the lone Filipino bishop who represented the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines in these proceedings.  He was with three American bishops: Bishop Rooker, Bishop Daugherty, and Bishop Hendrick.  They all provided their respective sworn testimonies as to the claims of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.

In his letter to Lt. Col. John A. Hull of the Board on Church Claims in Manila dated 15 December 1906, Bishop Barlin, writing from Nueva Caceres, implored the Board to reconsider granting "at the least, two-thirds of the amount represented" of the claims under his bishopric, to allow the rebuilding and repair of the ruined churches.

He particularly stated that "wherever a claim is made for building burned, belonging to the Roman Catholic Church and situated in the above-mentioned pueblos, it is exclusively due to acts of the American troops and never to the insurgents, who, true enough, burned some of the churches and parish houses during the past insurrection against the Government of the United States, such as the churches at Canaman and Magarao, in the province of [C]ambos Camarines, and that of  Guinobatan in the province of Albay."

He further cited the fact of price increases in labor and materials and the prevailing "poverty and want" of many of the churches in his jurisdiction, a far cry from more prosperous times before calamities such as "rinderpest, invasion by locusts, and drought."

TOP 10 NATIONWIDE

1. Paco, Manila (P300,000)
2. Hilongos, Leyte (P205,050)
3. San Simon, Pampanga (P150,300)
4. Bulusan, Sorsogon (P144,745)
5. Mexico, Pampanga (P124,700.24)
6. Marilao, Bulacan (P123,296)
7. Bocaue, Bulacan (P121,996)
8. Jaro, Iloilo (P117,899)
9. Wright, Samar (P108,000)
10. Caloocan, Rizal (P102,120)


We could but imagine the extent of damage that these churches might have endured.

A total of 407 claims were filed nationwide for a total of P4,885,926.26, of which only P726,060.37 (14.86 percent) was recommended for payment by the U.S. Congress.

A Philippine Peso was then equivalent to 50 U.S. Cents.

Source: Catholic Church Claims in the Philippine Islands Published by the U.S. Congress, House Committee on Insular Affairs, Washington, 1908

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)

Discovery: Shrine of St. Lazarus & Hospital Ruins, Sta. Cruz, Manila

Side Portal to the Shrine

August 29, 2011

I have lived in the Metro for more than 16 years now - ever since that day that I started matriculating in that veritable island of a university in Sampaloc, Manila (when it floods, at least!). I hopped from one boarding house to the next - the first one along Trabajo (M. de la Fuente Street), next was along P. Noval Street. Then we moved to an apartment along Masangkay and another one in Mayhaligue.

Currently, we're somewhere near Bambang - that street in Sta. Cruz where medical supplies stores abound - and where the first-ever Mercury Drug store started shop.

Tayuman, Blumentritt, San Lazaro Hospital, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Sta. Cruz Church, Avenida, Recto, Divisoria, Quiapo - are all within walking distance, or just a short ride away.

For quite a few months now, I've been meaning to visit the recently-declared Shrine of St. Lazarus - presumably within the compound of the San Lazaro Hospital - which traces its roots down to the year 1577.

I decided it was high time that I make this brief stop on my life's itinerary - a real shame should I not do it since, as expected, it only took me less than 15 minutes by foot to reach the site.

According to the Department of Health's official page on San Lazaro Hospital - the compound was previously known (or perhaps must have been a huge part) of what was then Hacienda Mayhaligue. It was said to have been once a property of a Chinese mestizo, "a devout and humble man who served God in humility and fasting, extending to the poor and needy in times of drought, fire, pestilence and other calamities, a large part of his wealth, yet notwithstanding all this he continuously increased his holdings."

Just please click on the link above for the detailed historical account. I am not, at the moment, in the mood for some rephrasing work. Hehehe....

However, I have noted important dates here for you:

1576/1577 - The Spanish Government entrusted the care of the site to the Order of St. Francis.

1636 - Governor of the Islands, Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera "unjustly" took away the administration from the Franciscans, to the Jesuits. A few years later though, with the latter's expulsion from the islands, the site was returned to the Franciscans.

June 24, 1784 - Spanish King's Royal Order: “The House and Hacienda of Mayhaligue shall at once be converted into a Leper Hospital, and the old one destroyed as proposed, and as the sanitary requirements of the neighborhood and the defense of the post required.”

1863 - A great earthquake almost finished what was left of the hospital buildings.

There was no mention of the chapel/shrine itself - but it would be safe to surmise that it was built right after the 1784 declaration.

I am yet to see the NHI marker which is said to have mentioned that a great fire gutted the buildings, including the chapel, in 1963. A modern chapel facade was built afterwards.

Today, ruins of probably the original hospital building - and the practically still intact side walls of the Chapel of St. Lazarus (declared Shrine on March 29, 2011) - can be reached via the hospital compound's Quiricada Street entrance, a mere 4 minutes of leisurely walk for me.

Apparently, visitors may also try the DOH gate since there is an inner road that eventually leads to the San Lazaro Hospital compound -  but guards securing the area could be quite intimidating, as with the one I encountered by the original hospital portal. It is with less fuss if one just take the Quiricada gate instead.

To DOH and SLH administrators: since the chapel itself is now officially a shrine - a place of convergence for devotees and for lovers of heritage architecture (like myself) - please do ensure that all personnel, especially, those of the security force, are well-oriented on how to politely question visitors, and on how to clearly and accurately provide directions (the Quiricada gate guard was quite vauge in his instructions). Nevertheless, I do appreciate the warmth of the various health personnel with whom I came in contact with, particularly while in the garden. They didn't seem to mind by being there, clicking away with my camera.

Portion of the ruins have been rebuilt as office spaces.

Take for example the left side of the picture above. Walls apparently have been washed over and the moss cleared out. This is now called Building 16 - ground floor houses the Health Service Delivery Office of USec. Teodoro Herbosa. The 2nd floor houses the offices for the Dangerous Drugs Abuse Prevention & Treatment Program, and the Phil. Medical Tourism Program. Currently closed for the holidays.

The ruins apparently stretch out farther more to the left - up to the incinerator site. I dared not take pictures of the imposing ruins therein, since per my personal assessment, what I'm doing may be misconstrued as a security risk - although the structure is fairly visible by the roadside.

 

The inner courtyard flanked by the ruins of the old hospital, and the chapel's left wall with it's Mayan-inspired paint hue - has been developed as a garden, with concrete benches, appropriately-designed lamp posts, a grotto with a koi pond and rock samples from the Holy Land, a few old trees, and some good shrubs. Hmmm... they could start up a herb garden here as well...

 

With the sturdy branches and all their leaves swaying to the cool winds that seem to circle 'round the inner courtyard - it was altogether a very relaxing and meditative experience.

Apart of course from being momentarily disturbed by nurses and hospital workers coming in and out of the garden to their dormitory just beyond the ruins.

Who would have known that such a thing of beauty exists just across the busy lines of the light rail transit and of dear old Avenida Rizal? That there's more to San Lazaro beyond the hospital that we know of today?  

The mysteries of the Holy Rosary could also be found all throughout the square, grouped in fives.

And a statue of the Sacred Heart, and of course - of San Lazaro himself.

Apparently, there is a Museo de San Lazaro - but was also closed for the day.

So was the religious Store.

Too bad it was a holiday, as (per the guard-on-duty) the holder of the key to the chapel itself went home earlier than usual and locked the building off to unlikely visitors, like me. I was told the shrine is usually open to the public every day of the week, from morning til early evening.

A, well. There's always next time.

 

The good thing is - I was able to make the visit, finally.

And that I'll be back for sure.


P. S.
I did come back this afternoon, around 3 - but the chapel was still closed. It must be because of another holiday, this time - Eid ul-Fitr.

Not My Will - But Yours

Staircase View - MMC

Independence Day - How The Patriotic Me Spent It The Not-So-Patriotic Way

My Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens is currently with my youngest sister who had to endure from me a 15-minute crash course Friday night on how to properly handle and use it (basically, how to return it to me in one piece!).

Thus, I had to scrap my original plan of going to the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite. To me, it would be a waste going there without taking any real good pictures. Without my Nikon, it's like losing an important component of my sightseeing sight (redundancy intended!), and no travel would be complete unless I have it slung across my neck.

A, just as well. We received a request - actually - lambing, if you will - from our Mamay (who prefers to remain in our quaint house in the province). She has to regularly monitor her blood pressure and requested thus that we procure for her a digital blood pressure monitor.

We ended up buying for her an Omron SEM-1 Automated Blood Pressure Monitor. It is much like the  Omron HEM-712CLC Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor with Large Cuff but just a little bit pricier.

 

  

I spent the morning doing my laundry and giving Mamay several phone calls (thanks to Globe's Super Unli 25 promo!) while I let the fabric softener do its job.

I was instructed to send the package via the provincial bus that goes all the way to our town. I was advised that a bus usually arrives at 4 in the morning. Thus, with the 14-hour travel time across the 643 kilometers from Manila to Bulusan in Sorsogon, I calculated the departure time to be at around 2 in the afternoon from the integrated bus terminal in Cubao.

Around 1 in the afternoon, I was already at the vicinity of - apparently - what now used to be the Araneta Center Bus Station.

A blue plastic sack cloth cordons off the original site of the Araneta Center Bus Station

By the way, all pictures for today were taken using my camera phone. Arrrggghhhh...! 'Miss my Nikon!

advisory to passengers

It is thoughtful of the terminal's management to put up the advisory above for the benefit of affected passengers. Roaming Araneta Center security personnel are also on hand to provide information and give directions.


Apparently, Araneta Center Bus Station has transferred to ACS building - practically just a stone's throw from its previous location. It could still be accessed through the same street, but its main entrance is now along Times Avenue in front of Shopwise.


Decided to have late lunch first at KFC, just across the street from the old site.

KFC's Pasta Bowl: Kung Pao Chicken

'Love this: cellphone charging station within KFC!

Proceeded afterwards to the new terminal.

rear entrance to the new Araneta Center Bus Station

stairs down to the waiting/ticketing area

air-conditioned waiting/ticketing area

reminds me of former Pres. Estrada's "Huwag ninyo akong subukan!"

reminders!

along Times Avenue - to the left from the main entrance

along Times Avenue - to the right from the main entrance

the new Araneta Center Bus Station as viewed from Shopwise-Cubao

Had a chat with one of the security personnel who confirmed with me that the transfer was made just last Sunday, June 5, 2011.


Per my initial observation, advantages of the transfer are:
1. Cleaner rest rooms
2. Air conditioned waiting area
3. Organized ticketing area (at the moment: 16 booths plus 8 desks - each representing a bus company)
4. Strategically-located souvenir and pasalubong shops
5. Organized loading area (numbered from 1-23) - at point of ticket purchase, passenger will know which loading area is assigned for his/her particular trip



The glaring disadvantage is:
1. Lack of parking space for buses on stand-by. Perhaps the management is already doing something about this. A vast parking lot nearby would solve the problem.



What I am unsure of is:
1. The arrival area - Do the arriving buses take up the same spot as when they departed? This could pose a problem particularly during peak seasons when bus companies add more trips to their regular ones.



Recommendation:
1. Relocating the food booths - they are currently directly next to the restrooms, although the latter are admittedly well-maintained


Back to the task at hand, I learned that the homeward-bound bus, Elavil - leaves at 4 in the afternoon. This leaves me with less than 3 hours to kill.

Crossed the street to the Alimall / SM side. Was actually thinking of watching a movie but decided to have my hair cut instead.

just a simple barber's cut - will do Korean next time, ha!

Had a nice, relaxing massage as well!

Went for a stroll in Alimall - then back to the bus station.

Before long, it's 3:30 P.M. and loading begins for the bus I'm after.

Sorsogon-Gubat-Barcelona-Bulusan trip

Have a safe trip everyone! This bus would still be in transit as I publish this post!

As soon as the driver came up to his seat, I handed him the package for Mamay and stayed just for a bit more, happy to see familiar faces of townmates, hear greetings in my very vernacular.


Eventually I had to get back to LRT Line-2. Passed by Araneta Coliseum and got right inside Gateway Mall where a new dining place, The Oasis lies near the entrance.

Koi pond at The Oasis

Refreshing waterworks in the warm summer heat! - still at The Oasis

Back to the tracks! LRT Line 2! Apparently there is free ride from 5-7 P.M. today - however, since it was just 4:30 P.M., we still had to pay. Ha!

Recto-bound

'Been a long day. I actually do not know how to end this post.  I'm dog-tired now, even hours after I got home.  Don't know why, but perhaps it's my body's way of reminding me that it's my rest day after all. Hahaha...!


As to patriotism and Independence Day - a, well. I know our heroes would understand.


I can have as many Independence Days in my lifetime - but I can only have one Mamay.



And right now, that's all that counts.