Sunday, May 26, 2013

23. CENTER FOR KAPAMPANGAN STUDIES: Why It's OK to be K!

Welcome to THE JUAN D. NEPOMUCENO CENTER FOR KAPAMPANGAN STUDIES (JDN-CKS) of Holy Angel University, Angeles City! Today, CKS is perhaps the most high-profile, most progressive and most complete regional study center ever to be organized in the Philippines. This is where I also moonlight as a week-end Consultant and Museum Curator, a perfect job, if you ask me. On Saturdays, I get to report for work in shorts and t-shirt, receive a salute from the school guard and even get free parking! Three hours a week, and I am done. While my advertising work in Makati pays the bill, my part-time job with the university feeds the soul..


So here we are at JDN-CKS. For a trip, a tour, a treat. Its founding began right after the university hosted the 1st International Conference on Kapampangan Studies in 2001. I remember taking a leave of absence from work and attending this conference that attracted speakers from Germany, Mexico and the U.S. For 3 days, Kapampangan scholars like Ambeth Ocampo, Prof. John Larkin (author of 'The Pampangans') and even former Huk Supremo Luis Taruc opened and engaged my mind with talks on various aspects of Kapampangan culture, history and traditions. I never realized the depth and richness of our province's heritage until that said event, and I was determined to not become "a stranger in my own paradise".

It did help that the indefatigable Director of the Center, Robby Tantingco, was a kabalen and a Baguio schoolmate--although our paths never crossed at Saint Louis, as I was ahead by a good 3 years. In no time at all, I was part of the staff of the Center, which at the very start, also included Marc Nepomuceno who provided the impetus with his pioneering work on Kapampangan genealogy and archival research, Prof. Lino Dizon (another schoolmate!), Ivan Anthony Henares, a young heritage activist from San Fernando. Lending his expertise on Kapampangan language was Michael Pangilinan (aka Siuala ning Meangubie) and the Kapampangan-speaking French geologist, Jean Christophe-Gaillard (my ina-anak sa kasal, now married to Cyril and back in Grenoble, France).

Here, in this 3 -storey building at the heart of the university campus, the Center does its business, encouraging everyone who enters to "Be a good Kapampangan to be a better Filipino".


The Center has a museum, a gallery, a library, a research center, and archive section and a theater. If a visitor is lucky, he may even be welcomed by the school rondalla!


At the Ground Floor Level, we see a special display honoring the grand old man who started it all: Juan De Dios Nepomuceno (1892-1973). Don Juan was the prime mover in helping Angeles grow into a progressive city. He established the 1st ice plant, the 1st electric plant and the 1st Catholic co-ed school. He also served as a town mayor and was a delegate to the 1935 Philippine Constitutional Assembly. As a writer, he translated English works into Kapampangan--some examples of which you will see here: "Ing Cacanan Cu Qng Aldo-Aldo" (My Daily Bread), "Ing Manual nang Oficial ning Legion of Mary" (Official Manual of the Legion of Mary), and many more.


The Ground Floor houses many interesting displays, but the focal point is definitely the Kapampangan Retablo.


The silver-panelled and gilded centerpiece was carved by local craftsmen and completed in 2002. It features carved minitaure santos representing the patrons of the province's 21 towns, as well as the images of Santo Cristo del Perdon and Virgen de los Remedios, the patroness of Pampanga.


All around, one can see informative picture panels like this one, which shows vintage photo reproductions of old Pampanga Churches from the Augustinian archives.


Thematic posters carry write-ups about local culture and traditions--from Pampanga's culinary arts to interesting footnotes to history.


Also here, one can find a glass-encased diorama that replicates a typical Kapampangan nipa house made by a local artisan.


By the entrance door, we also see brass laurel leaves used to crown poeta laureados of the province, an august group that includes J. Crisostomo Soto, Vedasto Ocampo, Amado Yuzon and Jose Gallardo.


For those wanting to buy souvenir, the modest Reception cum Gift Shop sells the Center's publications--books (Abe, Views from the Pampang, Gloria, various Kapampangan grammar books, etc), research journals (Ayala) and the popular Singsing, the center's newsletter-magazine. Those interested to hear Kapampangan songs and music can either choose Mon David's jazz albums, ArtiSta. Rita's traditional and acoustic compilations, Cris Cadiang's Kapampangan hymns or go with the more current RocKapampangan. Shirts, postcards, bone santos, key holders are also on sale here.


A door to the right leads the visitor to the Center Museum, which has, on display, archaelogical finds and artifacts from Porac, giving us a glimpse of Pampanga's pre-colonial past.


In here, one also can read up on the story of the enigmatic Macabebes and their true roles in the Philippine Revolution.


Part of the museum's permanent exhibit is the Kapampangan Timeline, a photographic mural of landmarks and landscapes in the Kapampangan Region.


Upstairs, the walls feature the 100 Faces of Kapampangans born each year of the 20th century, as well as photo collage of famous Kapampangan personalities.


Greeting you upstairs is a die-cut standee of 1926 Carnival Queen Socorro Henson of Angeles. This corner pays tribute to legendary Kapampangan beauty titlists. Note the shadow box that displays an assortment of vintage Manila Carnival medals and a real rhinestone crown from the 1920s.


Back at the Ground Floor level, we move to the left wing that houses the Library and Research Room. But first, more displays to see. Old Kapampangan ephemera can be found here--from music sheets, theater handbills, awit and corrido books.


Against the wall, one can see the death masks of Benigno Aquino Jr. and Fernando Poe Jr. as cast by National Artist Napoleon Abueva. Fernando Poe's Kapampangan roots can be traced from the Kelleys of Lubao.

 
On a more festive note, an authentic San Fernando Lantern hangs year-round at the Center.


The entrance to the Library is prefaced by a miniature working "parol", that is connected to an electric armature, which, when wound, gives the lantern its characteristic brilliant play of lights.


Upstairs, books galore--anything and everything Kapampangan is housed here. Rare books include the Philippine Encyclopedia (written by Kapampangan Zoilo Galang), the complete Blair and Robertson volumes, out-of-print reference books, books by local authors, souvenir programs and commemoratives.

Aside from books about Pampanga, the Center Library has also purchased and collected every known Kapampangan material from the National Library---including Erecciones (history of the town foundations), the Luther Parker Collection and Historical Data Papers. The jewel of the collection are the microfilm copies of Pampanga's canonical books from the Family History of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. These include available Baptismal, Marriage and Death Records from every Pampanga town--some as early as the 18th century. Those interested in constructing their family tree and genealogy will find these microfilms helpful, indeed.


To the Second Level we go. Take a few moments to appreciate the works of Kapampangan craftsmen: the old-fashioned etched glass and metal frames, boxes and ramilletes made in the traditional "pukpok" (repousse) style were created by artisans from Apalit.


Oops! What's all this mess? We used to hold office here, but as part of the expansion program, this space has been vacated to give way to our Archival Museum, which will feature the Center's most valuable and important books, documents and paper materials. This is my assignment for the year, so wish me luck! Watch this space soon...


One level up, on the Third Floor, we take a sneak peek at the Archive Section (aka Stockroom). Collections and artifacts not meant/not ready for display are stored here. This is where we also keep the donated Dr. Raymund Feliciano Albums. the peripatetic doctor-photographer who has been visually documenting the country's Semana Santa processions for nearly 20 years. The result of that undertaking are over 80 albums featuring images of santos, carrozas, churches, sacred art and related subjects from all parts of the country. The microfilms are also stored here in a temperature-control room.


Leading to the Theater, we see more "pukpok" frames containing pictures of important Kapampangan personages hanging on the wall..


The best part of the house! The uber cool and comfy Center Theater with its own state-of-the art equipment. We use this for showing films, documentaries and for various presentations and lectures.


So now what happened to our Staff House and Office? It has now been recently relocated outside of the building, a few steps away from the Center, right of the Main Entrance. You can't miss it because you'll see this hanging sign:


Dig our cubicles in vibrant shades of blue and green?


Our always-crowded work station, pardon the messy files:


Office of the JDN-CKS Director (don't mind the wallpaper and the carpet that is the color of a golf turf..;-)


There you have it--the Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies. My office away from the office. We hope that by preserving and promoting the Kapampangan cultural and historical heritage, we can do our share and contribute to the total development of the Kapampangan people, the Filipino nation, and eventually, the global community. Do come for a visit and get treated to a generous dose of Kapampangan hospitality you'll never get anywhere else. And that includes a salute and free parking.

 Luid ya ing Kapampangan!

(12 June 2008)

Monday, May 20, 2013

22. FELIX GONZALES GOT EBAYED

I am an armchair art lover, driven primarily, I confess, by laziness. The past year, I haven’t done much gallery-hopping, especially those located in malls; noisy mall crowds turn me off. I prefer the solitude of browsing through the net at your own time and pace, checking what’s out on my favorite online auctions like ebay.

 Ebay.com to me is one big, happy international flea market—you’ll never know what will turn up once you do a quick search. I just type in “Philippine painting” and a listing will instantly be generated of all the Philippine-made paintings available for sale, new and old, made by all sorts of painters—some crappy, a few named artists, and on very rare occasions, by well-known Filipino masters.

 The works of Isidro Ancheta, C.V. Lopez, Ben Alano, Oscar Navarro, Jose B. David, Gabriel Custodio, Edouard Perrenoud, Romeo Tabuena, Cesar Buenaventura, I have seen on ebay. An Ang Kiukok was offered once, and even an Amorsolo work—unsigned but with what seemed like an authentic provenance--was put up on ebay. I remember bidding on that oleo with my friends: the subject was a woman carrying a pot and it was being sold by an Austrian dealer whose grandfather had worked at the University of Sto. Tomas where, the dealer claimed, the painting was given to him by THE Fernando Amorsolo.

 I lost, of course, and the winner, a Pinoy doctor from the U.S. won the masterpiece for a little more than $8,000—dirt-cheap, by any standard. A few days after, the bidding story was reported by Butch Dalisay in his column which was entitled “An Amorsolo on ebay”, detailing the fever-pitch war between the last two men standing--‘arcastro57’ and ‘drpineda’, with the latter finally winning and “laughing all the way to the bank”. In my collecting life, that probably ranks as “the biggest one that got away”.


 A week ago, on the same online auction site, I chanced upon a dealer’s items for sale that included three Philippine paintings. The first two were 1940s mixed media paintings signed by a certain Lingat, typical of cheap artworks sold in Manila shops. The third though was signed “F. Gonzales” from the 50s and I knew at once that this was Felix Pinto Gonzales (b. 2 May 1902, Navotas), a U.P. trained artist who worked in the realist tradition and whose works had appeared in Graphic Magazine before the War. The dealer had apparently misread the artist's signature.

 At one point in the 1950s, he served as President of the Academy of Filipino Artists. He set up a gallery at the Manila Hotel and also forayed in nearby Angeles City where his Pacific landscapes, ethnic types, portraits and velvet paintings found a willing American market. Felix Gonzales,who married Concepcion Sanchez,  is largely unknown till now, thanks in part to renewed and growing interest in the so-called “Mabini Art”. Felix’s own son, Federico and grandsons, Ferdel, Froilan and Dennis, are today, talented painters themselves and their works resonate with their late father’s exuberant spirit. The artist died with a smile on his lips,on 11 Dec. 1976--after completing his last painting of a blooming flower.


 This particular ebay painting I was eyeing had quite a commonplace, but appealing subject—a boy riding a carabao out on a frolic—a favorite visual theme of Filipiniana artists that celebrates the lost, innocent joys of rural childhood. This was no Amorsolo, but this work is becoming more collectible. Besides, it was painted very well, the colors subdued, the size perfect. Most of all, there was a strong Kapampangan connection which I favor. The only drawback was that it had a reserved price, meaning, and, until that price-- unknown to the buyer-- is reached, the Seller will not sell.

 In a few days, there was already one enthusiastic bidder. I kept telling myself that I would bid close to the ending time, but I never got around to doing that—I am lazy, remember? The bidding came to an end, the reserved price was not met, and the painting didn’t sell. Worse, the painting was not relisted, another case of another one that got away.


 But just two days after, another painting surfaced from a dealer in Florida—he had a smaller painting of yet again, a typical, overdone Filipino subject: a bahay kubo under a palm tree with the usual rural landscape in the background. But it was beautifully painted with characteristic short strokes, serene colors and a certain moodiness that’s so Filipino. The 1955 painting, in its original scruffy frame, was signed, according to the dealer, by a certain “R. Gonzales.”


Of course, by this time, I have become so familiar with the way Gonzales signed his work—he signed using the initials of his first and middle name, followed by his last name. His F(elix) merged with his P(into) so much so that to an untrained eye, the linked letters would look like R.


 Two Gonzales paintings in two days, offered by two different sellers. This must be more than just coincidence, I told myself. And I promised that this time around, I will own a Felix Gonzales vintage painting. In the dying hours of the auction, I checked the item and it had already 2 bids, the top bid being $63. I put in my maximum bid, turned off my computer and went to sleep.

 The next day, it was my turn to laugh all the way to the (rural) bank. Felix Gonzales was mine!

(28 May 2009)
  
(POSTSCRIPT: When I contacted the Florida dealer to inform him I bidded all the way from the Philippines, he responded by writing “Maraming salamat po!”. It turned out that the seller was a kabayan, which makes the painting truly and proudly Philippine made!)

Monday, May 13, 2013

21. WHERE HAVE ALL MY PHOTOS GONE?

Ever since I started posting my photos on my websites, I have seen some heightened interest for them especially in heritage and culture groups and forums. I usually make my old photos available to anybody and for any purpose—be it for a book, magazine, TV, or a museum display, as long as there is a proper request and a corresponding citation. That’s just fair—old photos don’t appear on demand, one has to search for them—and then pay good money to have them. Too bad many people don’t understand that—when I chided someone in a heritage forum about the inordinate use of my old Davao pictures without any request/credit, he became agitated, reasoning that since it was not I who took the pictures used in the postcards, I had no right to claim those postcards as mine. He—and a few others—are more of an exception, as generally, people are courteous enough to ask permission first. Here is a list of publications that have made use of my old photo collection:

 THE SAGA OF LA NAVAL, TRIUMPH OF A PEOPLE'S FAITH
 Published by the Dominican Province of the Philippines, various contributors, R. Jose, F. Hornedo, Fr. R. Mactal, J. Victor Torres, R. Villegas, et. al. © 2007 - Picture of Sta. Catalina Church interior



PALASPAS: An Appreciation of Palm Leaf Art in the Philippines.
 By Elmer I. Nocheseda, ADMU Press © 2009. - p. 11, Picture of a decorated Holy Week booth



THE AMERICANIZATION OF MANILA
 By Cristina Evangelista-Torres UP Press © 2010 Back Cover: Clarke Ice Cream Parlor



LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS: KAPAMPANGAN PIONEERS IN THE PHILIPPINE CHURCH
By Dr. Luciano P.R. Santiago Holy Angel University Press, ©2002 p. 80, photo of Bishop Pedro Santos p. 81, photo of Cardinal Rufino Santos



DESTINY & DESTINATION: THE STORY OF HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY
 By Robert P. Tantingco Holy Angel University Press © 2009 - pix of old Holy Angel Ad, dated 1933



A COFRADIA OF TWO: Oral History on the Family Life & Lay Religiosity of JUAN NEPOMUCENO & TERESA G. NEPOMUCENO
By Erlita Mendoza, Holy Angel University Press, (c) 2006 - Pix of various Nepomuceno family members


PINOY UMAMI: THE HEART OF PHILIPPINE CUISINE
 By Eugene Imm, Cid Reyes (editors) Ajinomoto (Phils) © 2009 (I also wrote the Pampanga section of this book which tackled the different regional cooking of the Philippines) p. 14: Pounding Rice p. 69: Kusina book p. 70: Selling grasshoppers.


O INDU: The Complete Story Of The Virgen De Los Remedios By Edna L. Gueco Publihshed by the author, © 2005 p. 14, picture of the Virgen de los Remedios of Malate



GENIUS IN A BOTTLE: The Art And Magic Of Bottle Whimseys
 By Susan D. Jones White Holmes Press, New Hartford Connecticut © 2003 p. 125, pix of a Philippine crucifixion bottle.


HISTORY OF SAILOR SUITS
 By Ignaz Matthey, Published on the occasion of the launch of the Maritime Museum of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Pix: Lubeno Boy in a Sailor Suit



KAWATASAN: OBRANG POETA LAUREADO
Various poets of Pampanga, Holy Angel University Press (c) 2010 -Back Cover Photo of a woman holding roses


DEBOSYUN KING VIRGEN DE LOS REMEDIOS
 By Romeo Cabusao © 2005 p. 8: Picture of the VDLRM in San Fernando



PINATUBO: A VOLCANO IN OUR BACKYARD
By Robert Tantingco. Holy Angel University Press. (c) 2012.

(13 November 2010)