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The Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception in Balayan, Batangas, was built in the early 19th century by the secular clergy, with later touches by the Augustinian Recollects. This period in the area also saw the increase in the turnout of local priests, hence Balayan (along with Tabaco, Tayum, and to a small degree, even Maragondon) is one of a few examples of churches built under the direction of the “indio” clergy. The interior has not changed much since the 1870s based on an existing print.
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This month of May in the Philippines
is a month of fiestas and festivals. It is also National Heritage Month (NHM).
Since August 11, 2003, when Proclamation No. 439 was signed, declaring the
month of May as National Heritage Month “in recognition of the need to create
among the people a consciousness, respect, and pride for the legacies of
Filipino cultural history, and love of country,” we celebrate our treasures and
legacies. More than being priceless, these treasures tell us who we are,
contain interesting stories of our places and peoples, stand as our
achievements, and give us character. In this fast-changing world, the need to
be aware and conserve our heritage is more pressing and vital.
Many agencies are involved in the
celebration of National Heritage Month to drum up interest and foster
appreciation for our heritage as well as the works that go with taking care of
them. Leading the effort is the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA), the government arm for arts and culture.
Heritage
clinics
In the NCCA, the Subcommission
on Cultural Heritage (SCH), one of its three subcommissions, is tasked in
making the celebration of the NHM significant. This year, the SCH is
refurbishing its past theme “Taoid: Weaving Our Stories, Threading Our Paths,”
and aims to give “a glimpse of the legacies of the past and how it remains to
shape the present and the future.” It is also “a recognition and celebration of
the different aspects of our national cultural heritage—our traditional art
forms and practices, important cultural structures both movable and immovable,
and other objects of national importance whether tangible or intangible.”
According to Regalado Trota Jose, head of the SCH and the National Committee on
Archives, taoid is an Iluko term for “heritage.”
He and members of the steering
committee—composed of Imelda Loste, head of the National Committee on Art
Galleries; Dr. Maria Nela Florendo, head of the National Committee on
Historical Research; Antonio M. Santos, head of the National Committee on
Libraries and Information Service; Dr. Jaime C. Laya, head of the National
Committee on Monuments and Sites; and Dr. Antonio Julian Montalvan, head of the
National Committee on Museums; with supports from NCCA chairman Felipe de Leon,
Jr. and executive director Emelita V. Almosara—has prepared a series of
“heritage clinics.”
In these clinics, expert
services in different aspects of heritage conservation and management as well
as in maintaining libraries, archives, museums and galleries are made available
to cultural workers in different areas of the Philippines.
Along with heritage clinics, the SCH will conduct workshops on cultural mapping
to identify the heritage sites and items of the area and technical assessment
of heritage sites in some areas. Usually, the holding of these heritage clinics
are in conjunction with the hosts’ festivals. They are not concentrated in May.
The heritage clinics started in March, and some will be implemented until
October. It seems that these are regular efforts of the SCH appropriated as
celebration of NHM. There seems to be a lack of general campaign and awareness
efforts for the general public, which the NHM is created for.
From March 11 to 13, the National
Museum and the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines
conducted assessment of sites in Capul, Northern Samar,
for possible declaration as National Cultural Treasures, and there was a talk
on the Tam-awan experience by Chit Asignacion. From April 3 to 7, a heritage
clinic was conducted by the National Committee on Historical Research in
Mahatao, Batanes. There were also heritage clinics conducted by the National
Committee on Art Galleries
and National Committee on Libraries and Information Services, National Committee
on Museums, National Committee on Archives and National Committee on Monuments
and Sites, as well as technical assessment of sites for possible declaration as
National Cultural Treasures from April 9 to 14, coinciding with the Rakanen
Festival.
From April 15 to 18, workshops
on art, festival management and theater will be held in Glan, Sarangani, as
well as technical assessment of sites for possible declaration as National
Historical Landmarks by the NHCP. From May 24 to 25, technical assessments for
possible interventions and declarations will be conducted in Lake
Sebu and Lamlifew in Malungon,
Sarangani, coinciding with the Sarangani Bay Festival
In June, workshops on cultural
mapping, art, festival management, theater, music and dance will be conducted
in Capul, Northern Samar. Activities are planned for
July 26 to 28 in Capul, Northern Samar, in conjunction
with the Saluka Festival.
In September, there will be workshops on cultural
mapping, capability building, art, festival management, theater, music and
dance in Pudtol, Apayao, as well as technical assessment of sites for possible
declaration as National Cultural Treasures and or National Historical
Landmarks. Activities are being planned for October 8 to 9 for the Say-Am
Festival of Pudtol, Apayao.
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The Mahatao Church of Batanes is a National Cultural Treasure
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True Santacruzans
and pilgrimages
In the early years of the NHM,
the Filpino Heritage Festival Inc. (FHFI), a private organization headed by
former SCH members Armita Rufino and Araceli Salas, led the national
celebration of NHM with substantial funding from the NCCA. While the funding has
been cut down in recent years, the FHFI still continues to come up with events
in celebration of the National Heritage Month. The FHFI events involve more the
public and are geared towards them.
A regular project is the
“heritage pilgrimages” to churches declared as National Cultural Treasures
(NCT) to raise awareness on and foster appreciation for these priceless
legacies. Presidential Decree No. 374 describes a National Cultural Treasure as
“a unique object found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural,
artistic and/or scientific value which is significant and important to this
country and nation.”
According to FHFI, “heritage
churches have been at the forefront of Philippine history as a tool in
furthering Christianity in the archipelago. The Philippines
is home to hundreds of centuries-old Spanish colonial churches, 36 of which
have been declared as National Cultural Treasures. Most of these churches were
built during the Spanish colonial rule and are mostly a fusion of European and
Asian architectural motifs.”
FHFI further stated that the
heritage pilgrimage “aims to promote awareness for the sites for their
historical, artistic and architectural interests,” and “it also strongly
recognizes and acknowledges that these 36 heritage churches have a strong
tradition of religious meaning—for devotion, healing and spiritual significance
for the majority of the Filipino people.”
FHFI kicked off its National
Heritage Month celebration with a heritage pilgrimage to Cavite and Batangas
last May 9, visiting two NCTs—the Our Lady of Assumption Church of Maragondon,
Cavite; and the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church of Balayan, Batangas.
The tour also included the charming heritage town of Taal,
particularly the Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay in Labac and the Basilica of
St. Martin of Tours, said to be the largest church in Asia.
The bulk of FHFI events is made
of Santacruzans, a May tradition all over the Philippines.
FHFI started the advocacy of bringing back the true meaning of the traditional Santacruzan
last year and is doing it again this year.
“May is the month of the Flores
de Mayo and the Santa Cruz de Mayo. While both are popular
devotions, they have separate historical narratives and practices. However, in
the course of the centuries, both devotions merge on the 31st of May into one
grand pageant called Santacruzan. So while the Santa Cruz de Mayo is
losing its lessons and meaning, the Flores de Mayo is fast losing its
name and essence,” said the FHFI.
“The Santacruzan itself,
before it degenerated into a pageant of beauty queens and starlets, used to be
a novena procession commemorating the finding (not the search, because Reyna
Elena is already holding it!) of the Cross of Empress Helena and her son,
Emperor Constantine, in Jerusalem,”
the FHFI informed.
Like last year, traditional Santacruzans
will be held in different parts of the country. This year, two different
versions of the Santacruzan will be featured—the ones in Pampanga and
Batangas—which are unique to these provinces.
In Pampanga, its traditional Santacruzan
unique is called Sabat or Goydo-goydo (after Goy do Borgonia,
successor of Constantine).
According to FHFI, “Sabat is a version of the Santacruzan in
which costumed performers interrupt the procession to challenge the sagalas and
their consortes to a duel, either through verbal joust or in a swordfight. It
is a re-enactment of the ambuscades that infidels (Moros) launched on the
Crusaders as they returned to Europe after finding the
Holy Cross.”
According to the journal Singsing
of the Holy Angel
University, Pampangans have three
great festival seasons: Christmas, Holy Week and May. Of all the celebrations
occurring in May, the most spectacular in terms of costumes and community
participation is the Sabat Santacruzan. The romantic elements in the
story, which repudiates the notion of Christians subjugating Muslims and
implies the equality and ultimate union of all religions, resonate among
Pampangans who in 1571 gave up Islam to embrace Christianity.
FHFI partners with Kuliat Foundation,
Inc. to revive the Sabat Santacruzan on May 22 (4 p.m.) at the Museo ning Angeles in Angeles
City, Pampanga. Different
stakeholders of Angeles City
will be tapped to participate in the tradition with Romeo S. Rodriguez
providing a guided script for the Sabat Santacruzan detailing the
characters.
Aside from the Pampangan Sabat,
the Batangas version will also be featured as well as the Flores the Mayo.
FHFI partnered with Kalinangang Batangan “to
take the event a step farther by reviving the devotion of the Flores de Mayo
that traditionally precedes the Santacruzan.”
A script in the traditional
Batangas Tagalog poetry form introduces each participant in the procession
citing her role in the history of salvation. Likewise tarpaulins or streamers
with the name of the character and a short description of her will take the
place of arches usually carried overhead. Thus, the procession will be a short
colorful lesson on Biblical personages that played a role in the story of Jesus
and the cross.
The Flores de Mayo will
be held from May 21 to 29 at 4 p.m.
at the Plaza Mabini Amphitheatre in Batangas
City, while the Santacruzan will be
held on May 29 at 6 p.m. starting at
the Plaza Mabini. The procession will turn left to P. Burgos Street, left to M.
H. Del Pilar Street, enter the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, exit left
to M. H. Del Pilar Street, right to D. Silang Street, right to P. Herrera
Street, right to C. Tirona Street and ends at the Pastor Ancestral House
grounds.
FHFI-supervised traditional Santacruzans
will be held in Silay City, Negros Occidental, on May 25; Intramuros in
Manila (4 p.m., from Fort Santiago grounds to San Agustin Church), Enchanted
Kingdom in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and Majayjay in Laguna (2 p.m. with Flores de
Mayo, and 3 p.m. mass at San Gregorio Magno Church, and 4 p.m., start of
procession), on May 26; Batangas City, Batangas (6 p.m., Plaza Mabini
Amphitheater), on May 29; and Carigara, Leyte, on May 30.
Numerous exhibits in malls and
other public areas will be held to further promote Filipino heritage. The
exhibits will feature fiestas (April 29 to May 4, SM Molino; May 14 to 21,
Robinsons Mall, Manila; May 27 to June 15, Cagayan de Oro City), old
lighthouses (May 13 to 19, SM Masinag; May 14 to 21, Robinsons Mall Manila), old
buildings (May 13 to 20, SM Baliwag; May 15 to 19, SM Bacolod; June 10 to 16,
SM Lucena), traditional mats (June 10 to 14, SM Dasmariñas), Bangsamoro (May 27
to June 15, Cagayan de Oro City) and designer Ben Farrales (May 20 to 26,
Robinsons Mall Magnolia). Additionally, there will be exhibits featuring the
works of the Camera Club of the Philippines (April 28 to May 3, SM Taytay; and
May 18 to 24, SM Southmall); Leyte-Samar birds (May 30 to June 1, Carigara,
Leyte); National Artists’ palettes (June 13, the National Museum of the
Philippines); the hibiscus with plants sale (May 28 to June 2, Kanlungan ng
Sining, Rizal Park, Manila, 10 a.m); and Filipiniana gowns by Patis Tesoro (May
31 to June 4, SM Podium; and June 7 to 14, SM North Edsa’s The Block).
FHFI will also mount “Eskultor
ng Bagong Lahi: A Retrospective on the Life and Works of National Artist
Guillermo Tolentino” at the Old Senate Session Hall of the National
Art Gallery,
which will open May 30.
Also, FHFI will mount the
Pahampang Pinoy, a demo and exhibition of traditional games, on May 20 in
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental (3 p.m.) with a heritage tour for the youth.
For more information, contact
the FHFI at 523-9692, e-mail heritagemonth@yahoo.com, or visit www.heritagefestival.ph.
Cordilleran
body ornamentation in Baguio City
Annually, the Chanum
Foundation, which manages the Tam-awan Village, a tourist attraction with
galleries, souvenir shops, a café, traditional Cordilleran huts and lodgings in
Pinsao, Baguio City,
holds its arts festival in May, independent of the National Heritage Month. As
it falls on National Heritage Month, the event is frequently included in the
National Heritage Month calendar.
Now on its fourth year, the
Tam-awan International Arts Festival (TIAF) will be held from May 15 to 19,
with the theme “Jewels of the Cordillera,” featuring performances, exhibits,
lectures and cultural shows. The festival will highlight the tattoo and
tattooing, and other forms of body ornamentation.
“The Cordilleras
is comprised of provinces and two cities. All these areas have distinct jewels
and accessories,” said the Chanum Foundation. “The art of tattooing is a part
of the Cordilleran brand of accessories and is still being used to date.”
The fourth TIAF will be
focusing in these intricate beadwork made from indigenous materials, precious
stones and other materials as well as tattoo art.
The opening on May 17 will have
South African ambassador Agnes Nyamande-Pitso talk on South African jewelry and
University of the Philippines Baguio professor Ikin Salvador on reinventing the
traditional tattoos of the Cordilleras. A tattoo
exhibition will be mounted by the participants of a tattoo workshop held from
May 15 to 16.
Lectures will continue the following
day with Natty Sugguiyao and Mary Grace Pocais (“Reinterpreting Beauty: The
Kalinga Tattooed Women and the Aliwadog, Kalinga Heirloom Beads”); Delia
Albert (“Mountains of Gold: Mining in Baguio-Benguet, A Historical
Perspective”); Beatrix Angeles (“Arts and the Copyright Law”) and Sonia Daoas
(“Traditional Cordilleran Accessories and Designs”) with a show of Cordilleran
accessories and native wear. The night’s cultural show will be provided by
University of the Cordilleras’s Maria Aplaten and Saint
Louis University’s
Tanghalang SLU and Center for Culture and the Arts. On Sunday, Kenneth Esguerra
of the Ayala Museum
will talk about the excavated gold jewelry of the Philippines.
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The Tam-awan Village in Pinsao, Baguio City, will hold its Fourth Tam-awan International Arts Festival from May 15 to 19, with the theme “Jewels of the Cordillera”
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Culminating the National
Heritage Month celebration is the Gabii sa Kabilin on May 31 in Cebu.
This is a night-long tour of the museums, galleries and heritage sites in the
cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Lapu-Lapu, with
each site featuring fairs, exhibits, dining, performances and many others.
The Gabii sa Kabilin,
literally “night of heritage,” is a project of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation’s (RAF)
Culture and Heritage Unit for seven years now, taking inspiration from Lange
Nacht der Museen or Long Night of Museums of Germany and other European
countries, which is replicated throughout the world. According to RAF, the Gabii
sa Kabilin is the only event of its kind in Asia to
encourage “the public to visit museums and understand their position as a venue
for cultural understanding and fun and dynamic learning.” During the event,
museums and cultural institutions will remain open until late night for public
viewing and visits. Cultural presentations and other activities are also
offered.
Held every last Friday of May,
the Gabii sa Kabilin, which is also in celebration of the International
Museum Day on May 18, started in May 25, 2007, with three Cebu City museums and
a heritage site. Over the years, the event has grown bigger and better. This
year, 33 museums, galleries and cultural institutions and sites will be participating in four cities.
With a ticket worth P150,
visitors can have access to as many museums and sites as they want included in
the Gabii sa Kabilin circuit as well as unlimited rides in designated
buses and tartanillas (horse-drawn carriages) in Cebu
City’s old district.
In Cebu City, participating
institutions and sites are Casa Gorordo Musuem, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Cebu
City Museum, Cebu Cultural Center, Colegio del Santo Nino, Don Sergio Ormena
and CAP Art Gallery, Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple, Fort San Pedro, Iglesia
Filipina Independiente Cathedral of the Holy Child, Jose R. Gullas Halad
Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo, Museo Sugbu, Plaza Independencia, Plaza
Parian-AboitizLand Heirtage Pocket, Sacred Heart Parish Church-Alternative
Contemporary Art Studio, San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church, San Perdo
Calungsod Chapel, Sugbo Chinese Heirtage Museum, United Church of Christ in the
Philippines Bradford Memorial Chapel, University of the Philippines Rizaliana
Museum, University of the Philippines Cebu College and Yap-Sandiego Ancestral
House.
In Lapu-Lapu
City, participating institutions
and sites are the Mactan Shrine, Muelle Osmena, Nuestra Senora Virgen dela Regla
Parish Church
and Plaza Poblacion. In Mandaue City,
participating institutions and sites are Mandaue City Presidencia, Bantayan sa
Hari, the plaza complex and National Shrine of St. Joseph. In Talisay
City, participating institutions
and sites are the Liberation Monument National Historical Shrine, Museo de
Talisay and Santa Teresa de Avila Parish Church.
For more information, call (32) 418-7234 local 703 and look
for Karl Damayo or Florencio Moreno II; visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph;
or follow @rafiorgph on
Twitter.
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The Casa Gorordo Museum in Cebu City
is an interesting stop of the Gabii sa Kabilin
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The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
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| This Augustinian Recollect church Maragondon, Cavite, features intricate galleon and floral motifs in its pulpit and church doors, which speaks of its Jesuits origins. Much of the church, bell tower and lower portion of the convent are made of river stones. The church also features a distinctive horseshoe-shaped communion rail. |
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The FHFI will hold Santacruzans the traditional way to bring back its true meanings
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The St. Gregory the Great Church in Majayjay, Laguna, a National Cultural Treasure where a traditional Santacruzan will be held
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