91. The Power and the Glory: IN THE REALM OF MUSLIM MAJESTIES

MAJESTIC MINDANAO: The Exotic. The Mysterious. The Unconquered.

Old Mindanao, that large land mass fringed with little islands south of the Philippines, has always evoked a world that is at once, exotic and mysterious. After all, Mindanao, far removed from Luzon and the Visayas,  was unconquered by Spain. The natives not only remained steadfast to their Islam faith--introduced by adventurers from Borneo and Malacca during the late Majapahit empire period-- but also retained their local identity, culture and traditions. Even the Americans failed to integrate the people with the rest of the country, notwithstanding the so-called “Moro Wars”  launched from 1899-1913 (The Spaniards called the Islamized natives “Moros”, a pejorative term, likening them to the barbaric Moors of North Africa).

WILLIAM DAMPIER, Mindanao Visitor

WILLIAM DAMPIER, English explorer, the first Englishman to explore parts of Australia, and the first person to circumnavigate the world three times. His visit to Mindanao drew suspicions from the Spaniards who regarded his British crew as pirates and cannibals. Photo; wikimedia commons

Curiosity was further piqued when world travellers like the British William Dampier, wrote glowing accounts of their visits to the region. In 1648, Dampier, after his Mindanao sojourn, observed that the natives there  “inspired mixed feelings of wonder, fear, pity, contempt and sometimes envy….they were proud and stately..”

Not surprisingly,  to this day, Mindanao conjures images of quiet wonderment:  where exalted blue-bloods –--brave sultans, rajahs, datus,  with their regal putris and dayang-dayangs (princesses)--- ruled kingdoms on virgin lands, which, as Dampier enthused were “fat and fruitful…with pleasant brooks and river…with  mountains that yield good gold”.  

LAND OF BLUE WATERS AND BLUEBLOODS.

That may be partly true, but the world of Muslim monarchy was also contentious, full of centuries of strifes against colonial forces, with the usual power struggles, court intrigues and royal family squabbles.  

Order in the Court: The Hierarchy of Royals

SHADING A SULTAN. Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Kiram II, and his attendants with a parasol. Source: ebay postcard.

While pre-colonial nobilities like datus and rajahs existed in Luzon and the Visayas , the Muslim royal houses  in Mindanao, Sulu Archipelago, Cagayan Sulu and parts of Southern Palawan were set apart by their honorifics. These areas in Mindanao had for their first rulers, Arab-Malay nobles from Malacca and Borneo who married into native royalties.

Where Royals Rule: DATUS, RAJAHS, SULTANS

To emphasize their distinctive faith, they assigned the more superior title of “Sultan”, as opposed to “Rajah/Maharajah” or “Datu”, which were already used as native titles. The Sultan symbolized the unity and integrity of the state. Over his domains, the Sultan was the absolute ruler, the highest political and legal authority, and the esteemed champion of Islam faith.

W. C. COWIE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BNBC WITH THE SULTAN OF SULU. Photo: Wikimedia commons, Public Domain.

Ancient Mindanao society were stratified using elaborate ranking procedures, unlike those of highland tribes. Below the Sultan are the nobilities led by “Datu”, and the two constitute the traditional elite, as well as the council of elders. Datus ruled over territories of varying sizes,  followed by the commoner, and the serfs and slaves. Male children of a “datu”, are also addressed as “datu”, but only one can take over his father’s role as the ruling datu ( an arrangement similar to the British royalty, where male siblings are all addressed as “prince”, but just one could ascend the throne). An heir apparent was known as “rajah muda”.

SULTAN MUHAMMAD JAMALUL AZAM (1862-1881) receives a delegation of a French explorers. Source: Voyage aux Philippines et Malasie. J. Montano, 1866. Filipino Heritage.

However, with the new religious and political structure,  the line of succession was decided on by the Sultan, who had to enforce the rule that the throne was only available to the direct descendants of the first Sultan. In 1840, French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville confirmed this during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Kiram I:  “His power is hereditary in the male line, to the exclusion of the female. All decisions are arrived at by the Sultan in a high council (“Ruma Bichara”). The council of 15 datus act as counterpoise to the Sultan’s authority..”.

OF DAYANG-DAYANGS AND PUTRIS. A retinue of royal princesses. Source: Presidential Museum and Library PH , 2010, via flickr. (Photo from The Scrapbook of Clyde Tavenner)

On the distaff side, the title of “Dayang” is equivalent to the rank of a princess, but it could also apply to a lady of the court. A synonym is the now-seldom used “Putri”. “Dayang-Dayang” refers to the “princess of the first degree”, a title given only to the Sultan’s daughters. This female noble title holds importance in the rule of succession as the son of a sultan whose mother is a royal princess (dayang) takes higher priority to the throne than those born of the Sultan’s concubine”.

 Without exception, Sultans maintained an elaborate court retinue that included a master of ceremonies, scribes skilled in calligraphy, translators, a weapon-bearer, a flag or standard carrier. The Sultan, his ministers and his judge (Qadi) are always in attendance when foreign dignitaries came to visit.

A Sultan’s coronation was marked with pomp and splendor.  Strict protocols were imposed, including the presentation of the royal kris by a datu to the Sultan, who had to pause and bow at every step of his right foot. Then the royal headdress and regalia were brought to the Sultan, followed by prayers recited by the Qadi or imam (worship leader) for a successful reign. 

After his royal proclamation, an entourage of panglimas (territorial governors), orang kaya (people of wealth),  and minor officials would then approach the Sultan to pledge their loyalty. The emphasis on the rituals of the Sultan’s crowning added an aura of mystery and awe to the mystique of the Muslim monarchy.

Sultanates Rising

The Sultanate system was the first centralized political bureaucracy in the Philippines. It provides an organized way of state governance,  combining civil and religious authority. Most Muslim sultanates (states) are small, representing tribe subdivisions headed either by a Sultan or a datu. But sultanates could grow by mergers, driven by tribal relations or commonality of language. It was in this manner that the Sultanate of Maguindanao expanded from a small, Cotabato sultanate into a realm of far-reaching power and impact in the region.

SHARIFF KABUNGSUAN, the founder of the Sultanate of Maguindanao in the 16^th c,. The Arab-Malay married many royal daughters of ruling families. Creative representation.

An origin story of the sultanate begins with the arrival of missionary Shariff Kabungsuwan of Johor ca. 1490, who introduced Islam to two brothers living in the Cotabato valley--Mamalu and Tabunaway. Only Tabunaway chose to convert, so Mamalu parted ways amicably with his brother and moved to the highlands, with their kinship intact.  This, then, became the basis of peace pacts between Muslims and indigenous mountain people.

Sharif Kabungsuwan installed himself as the Sultan of the Cotabato Sultanate and married many daughters of the ruling families of Maguindanao.  He would grow his grand Sultanate of Maguindanao to cover the whole of Mindanao and its small islands. Its sphere of influence stretched from the Zamboanga peninsula to the Saranggani Bay.

Another leading light of the Sultanate of Maguindanao was Sultan Kudarat (Corralat to Spaniards) who ruled from 1619 to 1671.  His father was Buisan who was instrumental in maintaining friendly relations with the Dutch and the British. He was known for his prolonged resistance against the invasions of Spaniards beginning with the 1637 attack of Gen. Sebastian de Corcuera.

SULTAN KUDARAT

The Unconquered, known for resisting Spanish conquest of Mimdanao. Creative representation.

 Sultan Kudarat  formed an alliance with the Dutch, under Gov. of Ternate, Jan van Broeckom to help ward off the Spaniards, and even went to the extent of rallying other sultans to mount a jihad (holy war) against them. As if these problems were not enough, he also had to contend with the Sultanate of Buayan which resulted in a dynastic war. At the zenith of his rule, his powers extended up to the regions of Maranao regions, Cagayan de Oro and Saranggani.  Sultan Kudarat  never surrendered to the Spaniards, and remained unconquered till his death in 1671.

After his death, the Maguindanao Sultanate began to decline,  while the Sultanate of Sulu, which goes back to the middle of the 15^th century, gained more prominence.  Sharif Abu Bakr was an Arab who married the daughter of Rajah Baguinda, a Sumatran royal who had a principality in Sulu. Abu Bakr managed to convert Sulu to Islam, framing rules based on the Koran. Succeeding his father-in-law and assuming full political and religious control, Abu Bakr proclaimed himself Sultan Sharif ul-Hasim of the great Sultanate of Sulu.

This sultanate would spawn a succession of mighty monarchs that included the likes of Sultan Muhammad Shahab ud-Din, who under his term (1685–1710), expanded the Sulu territory to its widest, with the acquisition of South Palawan, Basilan and other islands and  Sabah or North Borneo, part of the great Muslim world known as Dar-ul-islam. This period was marked with relative peace with Spaniards and the Dutch, and productive economic ties with China.

BADAR UD-DIN, Father of the great and much admired rulers, Azim ud-Din I, or Alimuddin. Source: Filipino Heritage.

His nephew would prove to be one of Sulu’ s most admired and beloved ruler: Sultan Azim ud-Din I (also known as Muhammad Alimuddin), son of Badar ud-Din who reigned twice (1735–1748 and1764–1773). Educated as a boy in Batavia, East Indies (now Jakarta), he mastered the Koran and earned a reputation as “an authority almost supreme”. 

AZIM UD-DIN’S BAPTISM. Mindanao’s chief monarch converted to Christianity and assumed the name Don Fernando de Alimuddin I. Illustration from Filipino Heritage, Felta Press.

His chief accomplishments were the minting of money, establishment of a Muslim navy and army, revision  of the sultanate’s justice system,  and the translation of the Koran into the local language. Azim ud-Din also converted to Christianity and took the name “Fernando de Alimuddin I”.

The Sultanate of Lanao, came into existence through the influence of the aforementioned  Sharif Kabungsuan, the first Sultan of Maguindanao in 1520. The first Maranao chieftain to be given the title of sultan was Balindong Besar (official name Sultan Diagaborolah) of the House of Masiu, in 1640.

Tasked to spread the teachings of Islam and to put a sense of order in Lanao, the Sultan, along with 7 Maranao datu advisers,  decided  to create 4 Lanao states: Bayabao, Masiu, Unayan and Baloi. The four constituted an informal confederation without a centralized rule (unlike Maguindanao and Sulu), and within these states were a cluster of some 15 higher sultanates and 48 minor ones.

SULTAN OMAR KIRAM II was adopted by Christian family who named him Vicente Austria. He became an engineer, and educator, and a military man like his adoptive father.

One Lanao royal from contemporary times  with a story worth retelling is  Sultan Omar Kiram Jr. (b.1914-d.1986), Uyaan Sultan of the Onayan Sultanate of Lanao. The boy was orphaned when his parents, former Sultan Omar Kiram I and Bai Ampaso Saomay Mindalanao, perished in World War II.

At this point, stories surfaced as to how Omar survived—the more plausible version had his nanny Ishraida, spiriting him away to Dansalan for safety. Along the way, the two got separated after their capture by collaborators. A U.S. scout, Sergeant Gil Austria, bought his freedom for 22 pesos, adopted him with his wife and raised him as a Christian. Renamed as Vicente Austria, he became a chemical engineer, taught in Silliman and then pursued a checkered military career after his marriage to Nellie Lee Kelly, a Spanish-American mestiza.

EMRAIDA KIRAM, daughter of Sultan Omar Kiram II, and the first Miss Phililppines-World 1967.

 Omar discovered his noble ancestry after he joined the post-war government. During a Lanao disaster mission  in 1955, he found himself back in Uyaan where he serendipitously got reunited with Ishraida. His nanny positively identified him through his hidden birthmarks. He would learn that both Princess Tarhata Kiram and Sultan Esmail Kiram, successor to the Sultanate Throne of Sulu, were both his cousins. Among Omar’s children was Princess Emraida Kiram, or Vivienne Lee Austria, Miss Philippines-World of 1967. Upon his death in 1986, Sultan Omar was buried in Muslim rites.

Intrigues in the Game of Thrones

As one can expect, the many sultanates in Mindanao was the perfect breeding ground for internal intrigues,  rivalry for power and secret collusions. To establish political coalitions and dynasties,  royals resorted to marriage alliances--some even considered incestuous--  contracted between the families of husbands and wives. This way, powers were consolidated and networks of influence expanded.

A ROYAL COURT, Alliances were contracted between families of husbands and wives to preserve power and build dynasties.

For instance, Shariff Kabungsuwan, who had succeeded in converting Tabunaway, married his sister, Putri Tunina. Two of their daughters were wed to two brothers who were ruling datus of Buayan. Kabungsuan also took on another wife, Agintabu, a member of the Iranuns, a very important political group. Their son, Sharif Maka-alang went on to marry Bulim, a Bi-laan woman. This strategic alliance would start the lineage of the mighty Sultan Kudarat.

SHARIF UL-HASHIM aka “Abu Bakar”/ “Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim.” Is the first ruler of the Sulatanate of Sulu.

The principles that guided the high council in electing a new Sultan, as in the case of the Sulu sultanate, was also subjected to varying interpretations. It was stipulated that no datu could become one unless he was a royal datu, descended  from the first Sultan of Sulu, Abu Bakar Paduka Mahasari Maulana. This was taken to mean that the legitimate children of the Sultan were not necessarily the first priority for the title. In fact, it was argued by datus  that any descendant of the first Sultan could be, in principle,  a candidate, and thus, a qualified contender for the throne. To thwart possible usurpers, royal datus kept their genealogy records or “tarsila”, as proof of their noble lineage.

ALIMUD-DIN WITH BRITISH TROOPS. The sultan was suspected of treachery by Spain, so he turned to the British for protection in exchange for political favors.

The reign of the celebrated Sultan Alimud-din I was not without issues. His own datus thought that he became over-dependent on the Spaniards in his quest to quell the Tirun rebellion in Borneo. His welcoming attitude towards Jesuits and his plan to shift to a centralized form of government used by other Arab countries, alarmed traditional datus, such that that they rallied around Alimud-din’s power-tripping brother, Datu Bantilan, an opposition figure.

As Alimud-din was preparing to sail to Manila, a mercenary hired by his brother wounded him. Datu Bantilan took advantage of his absence and grabbed his throne. In Manila, Alimud-din fell victim to suspicions—Spaniards accused him of treachery and of being a false Christian, and for this, he was jailed, then exonerated.

A plan by Gov. Manuel Rojo to ship him back to Sulu was aborted with the British invasion of Manila. Injured in a skirmish,, he asked to be returned to Sulu, a request that was denied. So, Alimud-Din turned to the British, who put him under the protection of the British flag in exchange for political favors, that disturbed the flip-flopping Spaniards. Alimud-Din  regained his throne in 1764, a tired old man,  for his second term.

HARUN AR RASHID, was a descendant of Alim ud-Din I, through Datu Putong. Governor Arolas recommended his appointment as sultan. Governor-General Terrero after obtaining approval on September 11, 1886, announced him as Sultan of Sulu, until 1894. Source: Filipino Heritage, Felta Press.

The history of Muslim sultanates is replete with similar tales—of sultans being proclaimed due to Spanish intrigues (like in the case of Sultan Harun Ar-rashid in 1894), bastard children rising to power (Badar ud-Din ca. 1718–32 who became the 17th Sultan of Sulu despite being the illegitimate son of Sultan Salah ud-Din Bakhtiar),   banished  nobles (like Datu Salikula deemed  as restless and rebellious) ,  heir-less sultans (Jamalul-Kiram II, died in 1936,  he had 7 daughters, but no male heir which Islamic law requires), forced abdications, and appearances of pretenders to the throne.

 JAMALUL KIRAM II. Sultan of Sulu from 1894 to 1915. During his long reign, he signed treaties with several nations. He served under both Spain and America. He had 7 daughters but no male heirs,

Princesses Charming and other  Female Royals

Clearly, the male nobilities were at the top tier of royal Muslim hierarchy and society because of their primal roles as rulers of states and communities. Their female counterparts, on the other hand, had limited freedom and little involvement in state affairs, their activities confined to their domestic and ceremonial duties as wives and princesses.  

TUAMBALOCA, regarded as queen of Jolo, helped repel Gov. Gen. Sebastian Corcuera’s invading forces in 1638.

There are a few accounts of Muslim royal women who stepped out of their comfort zone like the legendary Sima (ca. 637) who ruled a kingdom in Cotabato. Famed for her firm application of the law, she had her son’s foot cut off because he came across a sack of gold that was not his, and felt it with his foot. Another was Tuambaloca of Jolo, who helped her husband Rajah Bongso  repel the invading forces of Gov. Gen. Sebastian de Corcuera in 1638. In like manner, Purmassuri, a princess, connived with native leaders by distracting the Spanish forces in their cuartel, so that the Muslim army could attack in stealth.

Surprisingly, there is a provision in the guidelines that allow the daughter of a Sultan to become a Sultana  as a “Pangyan” , so long as  her husband was a royal datu. If she married a royal datu within 7 days after the Sultan’s demise, the husband could be a Sultan. Such was the case with  Nur ul-Azam (known as Pangyan Ampay) , daughter of Sultan Nasirud-Din II,  who ruled from 1680-85. The Tausugs, however, rejected her reign as the idea of a female leader was unacceptable.

Hadji Dayang Dayang Piandao (b.1884/d.?)  was the highest-ranked female royal in Sulu from the late 1890s-early 1900s. Her parents were Sultan Baharud Din and Hadji Amina. An uncle took care of rearing her after her father’s death. An exceptional child, she mastered the Koran at age 8; at 12, she was an experienced traveler, going on pilgrimages to Mecca, Sandakan, and Singapore. Sulans sought her services as an an astute adviser. Dayang Dayang married Datu Ombra Amilbangsa, who, in 1937, became the Sultan of Sulu. With that, she was elevated as a Pangyan, a Sultana of Jolo.

P. TARHATA KIRAM

TARHATA KIRAM. The American-educated princess was a niece and adopted daughter of Jaramul Kiram II, Sultan of Sulu. Photo: Graphic Magazine, 1929.

Another Muslim princess who made history for Muslim women in her time was  Princess Tarhata Kiram (b.1906/d. 1979). In 1924, she became a U.S. government scholar (pensionado) at the University of Illinois. There, she became a campus figure, and took to Western ways—including wearing Flapper dresses which made news back home.

She returned without a degree only to marry Datu Tahil, a Jolo prince who led a Moro revolt in 1927, much to the chagrin of American officials. The princess kicked out three other rivals from her husband’s home, in defiance of Muslim laws that permitted polygamy. She denounced the Bacon Bill which called for the separation of Sulu from Mindanao. To preserve regional peace in the region, Princess Tarhata gave up her claim on Sabah which her ancestors had leased to the British.  

NORA MAULANA, Miss Mindanao 1927

NORA MAULANA. Chosen as Miss Mindanao 1927. She became an educator and wrote scholarly books about Mindanao.

By 1926,  Muslim women with noble blood were being sent to compete for the Miss Philippines title at the Manila Carnival. The representation of minorities in a national contest was obviously a token gesture of inclusion and unity with the deep South. Sulu was represented by Scott Rasul, and Lanao by Bala Amai Miring who won Miss Mindanao. The next  year, it was Sulu’s turn to win with Silliman-educated Nora Maulana, who is of royal descent. She is the niece of the Sultan of Jolo and a descendant of the founder of the Sultanate of Sulu, Paduka Mahsari Maulana al-Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim. It was also the last time that Muslim women participated in the national fair.

Crafting a New State: The Bangsamoro

No other place in the Philippines has done more statecrafting—the effective management of state affairs-- than Mindanao. Throughout its history, the vast southern land has undergone long periods and processes of building political communities out of  its many ethnic tribes.

The founding of confederate districts, like the Sultanate of Mindanao, with its hierarchy of monarchs and nobilities was the first such try at state-building. Spain tried to take control through sword and the cross, but to no avail.  So did the U.S., which could not make an American territory out of the “Moro province” it formed in 1903. The secession and separatist movements  could also be considered experimental attempts in statecrafting.

SULTAN TAMBILALWAN II OF BUAYAN. His Majesty Mohamad Kuso Kanebpal Mangudadatu. Source: Bombo Radyo Koronadal FB Page, 13 July 2017.

In 1915, the political sovereignty of the Sultanate was scrapped. However, non-sovereign powers like the right to confer titles remained, along with religious and cultural rights. Which is why, to this day, royal titles are still being accorded, and descendants of royal families recognized,  as a way of sustaining, preserving snd respecting Islamic traditions and principles. As recent as July 2017, Mohamad Kuso Kanebpal Mangudadatu,  a descendant of Shariff Kabungsuan. was installed as Sultan Tambilawan II of Buayan.

Three major royal families are recognized in Maguindanao as of May 2018, each headed by a Sultan under the Sultanate of Maguindanao, Kingdom of Rajah Buayan, and Domain of Allah Valley.

SULTAN OF MAGUINDANAO. His Majesty Sultan Macapado M. Benito, Sr., Al-Haj., Photo Source: Mindanao.Politiko.PH

Time will tell if the newly-passed Bangsamoro Organic Law, which provides for the establishment of an autonomous political entity known as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) with  its own defined identity, territory, government, justice system, economic and financial framework-- will have an impact on the royal traditions of Mindanao, that has remained virtually intact for centuries.

SOURCES:

BOOKS:

Canoy, Reuben R., Mindanao, The Quest for Indpendence. Mindanao Post Publishing Co.  3^rd printing, 1991.

Casiño, Eric S., Mindanao, Statecraft and Ecology. Moros, Lumads and Settlers Across the Lowland-Highland Continuum. De La Salle University Press. Notre Dame University, Cotabato City. 2009.

Filipino Heritage, The Making of a Nation. Vol. 4, The Moro Wars, (p. 1080-86) Felta Book Sales, Inc.

Filipino Heritage, The Making of a Nation. Vol. 5, Statecraft (p. 1261-64), Summitry in the South (p.1293-97), Sulu Power Game (p.1332-36), Felta Book Sales, Inc.

Forbes, W. Cameron. The Philippines Islands. Harvard University Press, 1945. P. 273-277.

Ibrahim, Omar S., Diary of a Colonized Native: (Years of Hidden Colonial Slavery), Partridge Publishing, Singapore.

Sultan Kudarat: Ang Bayaning Hindi Sumuko sa mga Espanyol. Aklat Adarna. Children’s Communication Center, Quezon City. 1983.

ONLINE SOURCES:

http://maguindanaosultans.blogspot.com/

Castro, Alex R. “8 Filipina Queens and Princesses Too Awesome for Disney Movies https://filipiknow.net/filipina-muslims-philippine-history/

List of Sultans of Sulu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sultans_of_Sulu

Sultanate of Maguindanao: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Maguindanao

Sultanate of Sulu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Sulu

Sultan Omar Kiram : A Profile, http://archive.su.edu.ph/page/47-sultan-omar-kiram: Bangsamoro Organic Law.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangsamoro_Organic_Law

90. THE 1ST PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL FAIR, REVISITED

THE FIRST WORLD FAIR IN ASIA AND THE FAR EAST. The 1953 Philippine International Fair opened to much fanfare on Feb.1, with Pres. Elpidio Quirino welcoming the world to Manila and daughter Vicky Quirino-Gonzales cutting the ribbon.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, the world was caught up in the excitement of international fairs and expositions.  The successful hosting of New York’s World Fair 1939-1940 inspired other countries to put up their own, as showcases of progress, goodwill and international friendship. The memory of the successful Manila Carnivals that ended  before the war have not completely dimmed; oldtimers still reminisce fondly about how the Carnivals brought people together, to bask in the peacetime merriment of an emerging nation.

SOUVENIR PROGRAM OF THE PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL FAIR. Several versions of this program were printed.

So, sometime in 1952, unfazed even by the brewing war in Korea, the Philippines decided to join the bandwagon and planned on staging an ambitious international exposition that would come to be recognized as the first ever world fair in the Orient.

Setting the stage for a world fair in the Orient

The organizing committee led by then Secretary of Commerce and Industry Cornelio Balmaceda, believed that Manila’s strategic location  as the “Gateway to Asia” puts the country in an enviable position to show the rest of the world its vast economic potentials which are just beginning to be realized. After all, it had only been 7 years since the Philippines was granted its independence—the first Republic in Asia--and now is the opportune time to reveal what its people have achieved in the last 500 years.

THE FAIRGROUND ON THE DRAWING BOARD. As designed by Arch. Otilio Arellano, the exposition grounds were symmetrical in lay-out and grand in scale.

It was also the perfect platform to present the nation’s rich natural resources for economic and commercial possibilities, and to announce the advent of the new era of industrialization. The international fair hoped to foster closer ties between the Philippines and other nations, promote cultural understanding and strengthen its position in the global arena. Finally, the inaugural fair was seen as a prelude to the establishment of a permanent Philippine World Fair, similar to the famous fairs of Leipzig, Milan and Barcelona, possibly in a new site in Quezon City.

LAGOON OF NATIONS. The long reflecting pool was lined with magnificent pavilions of participating foreign countries and local exhibitsfrom provinces, government bureaus and private enterprises.

As in the Manila Carnivals of old, Wallace Field in Luneta was chosen as the venue of the Fair. Overgrown with grass, the United Nations Plaza as it was now called,  was cleared and landscaped, then turned over to the able hands of Architect Otilio Arellano, nephew of the venerable architect Juan Arellano who also did design work for Manila’s past carnivals. Arch. Arellano decided on a symmetrical lay-out for the fair, dominated by a central “Lagoon of Nations”, a long, reflecting pool that was hemmed with international and local pavilions on both sides.

 The Fair To Watch: 500 Years of Progress

READ THE FAIR PRINT: The announcement of the official opening of the Fair was launched in full page print ads in leading publications of the day.

On 1 February 1953,at 4:30 in the afternoon in front of the Rizal Monument,  the 1^st  Philippine International Fair opened with much fanfare with Pres. Elpidio Quirino  giving his welcome address before a large crowd of Filipinos and foreign guests. His daughter, Mrs. Vicky Quirino-Gonzales cut the ceremonial ribbon which marked the official opening of the momentous, historic event.

GATEWAY TO THE EAST. The towering archway entrance was the identifying landmark of the Fair, designed by Arch, Arellano.

Visitors poured into the main entrance, past the hero’s monument and through the most imposing and tallest structure in the fairgrounds—a magnificent salakot-topped archway called “Gateway to the East”, designed by the Arch. Arellano. Four allegorical figures  representing the 4 Freedoms (Freedom from Fear, Want, Religion and Expression) stood on pedestals at the four corners of the archway, sculpted by Italian Francisco Monti. The dramatic figure of a standing Filipina, arms opened in welcome greeted the visitors as they streamed in.

MURAL LESSONS. Noted muralist, Botong Francisco, was commissioned to render mural panels depicting important events in Philippine history.

Flanking the entrance are cut-out murals executed by famed painted Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco that visualized the country’s eventS of the past 500 year. Inspiring in both magnitude and significance, the fair attracted participation of national and international firms and institutions.

Pavilions, pagodas and pageants.

There were impressive pavilions from 35 Philippine provinces, 18 chartered cities, 63 business firms, 21 national government agencies and a dozen foreign  countries led by the U.S., China, Spain, Cambodia, Indonesia, Italy, Korea,  Thailand, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and Vietnam.

GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME. The Catholic Church Exhibit was allotted the biggest space in the fairgrounds, showcasing old, ecclesiastical arts and staging religious plays.

The biggest space was allotted to the Catholic Church of the Philippines, which put up a 2,500 sq. m. cathedral-shaped building, complete with a belltower and chimes. The compound housed an exhibit of old ecclesiastical art, rare books, relics and religious documents. The pageants, tableaus and theatrical plays presented periodically were among the top drawers of the fair.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS. The bell-shaped U.S. Pavilion, designed by Arch. Carlos Arguelles, was inspired by the historic Liberty Bell that was tolled in 1776, during  the decalaration of American independence.

Of the foreign pavilions, the one that got the most attention was the United States Pavilion which replicated the shape of the iconic Liberty Bell that was believed to have been rung to mark the reading of  the Declaration of American Independence in 1776. The U.S. pavilion was designed by local architect Carlos Arguelles.

 THE PAVILIONS OF BELGIUM AND SWEDEN.

The streamlined pavilions of European countries such as Sweden, Belgium and Spain provided a sharp contrast to the Asian pavilions of China, Cambodia and Thailand that looked like majestic temples and pagodas, with spires and peaked roofs.

PAVILIONS OF CAMBODIA AND INDONESIA

Each country proudly showed off its latest scientific, industrial, and cultural advances, some of them entirely new to Filipinos— batik textiles and rubber products of Indonesia; Chinese porcelain, silk fabrics, objects of art in marble; Famed Borsalino hats, wines, fine woodworks and modern machineries from Italy; Belgian tiles, ceramics and glass products;  industrial machines for agriculture, navigation, dairy industry, packaging and printing from Sweden; and Thai jewellery, gemstones, textiles and religious antiquities in the form of two Buddha heads.

Public display of attractions.

PAVILIONS OF BASILAN, CEBU, ILOILO AND PASAY CITY.

Provincial exhibits competed for attention with their attractively-designed show-windows that presented products of the most bewildering variety. Batangas not only featured famous products like balisongs, twine and cordage, embroidered jusi, shell products and wooden shows, but the display also included a real horse! Bohol showed off its flagship products—Talibon Hats, made of finely woven raffia buri. Not to be outdone was Davao, which has progressed amazingly after the Liberation. Its special attraction is the durian fruit, which is said to impart youthful and masculine vigor to those who partake of it.

Exotic Lanao featured its kris and flute, spears and guitars,  cymbals and gongs, most in brass.  Mountain Province put on display a miniature Ifugao Rice Terraces while Sulu boasted of its world-class pearls and shellcrafts.

GOVERNMENT BUREAU PAVILIONS, National Rice and Corn Corp. (NARIC), and the National Merchandising Corp.

Government bureaus and state institutions had their own exclusive compound, that housed exhibits from Department of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry, Public Works and Communications, Education, Science and Technology, Justice, National Defense, among others.

Private commercial enterprises pitched in by holding state-of-the art exhibits that drew raves from the daily crowd. International Harvester, for example, showed off its modern tractors, motor trucks, industrial and agricultural equipment. Paperboard products made from  locally-collected scrap paper, demonstrated the recycling capability of Philippine Paper Mills, Inc. Interesting gadgets and devices could be seen at the booths of western Electric, Motorola and Audivox—from high-efficiency projectors, hearing aids to micropohnes, audograph dictating machines, and two-way radios.

Sideshows, spectacles and rides of a lifetime.

But if the adult crowd were awed by these marvelous building attractions, the younger set—including children—could not wait to go to the Amusement Zone, where thrills of a lifetime await.

AMUSE ME. The Amusement Center of the Fair was laid out at the Sunken Gardens, divided into 4 sections that featured a variety of rides and sideshows.

The 20-hectare space on the Sunken Gardens could be accessed by an overhead bridge linked to the exposition grounds. Divided into four sections,  the Entertainment Zone featured special rides, acrobatics, stateside shows, and water spectacles.

SILVER STREAK. One of the exciting roller coasters that one could ride at the Amusement Center, never before seen in the Philippines.

New roller coaster rides brought in from the U.S. by Pedro Taguba & Co. were instant hits with Filipino kids, and so were the miniature railroad train rides of Jack Warner. American impresario E. K. Fernandez flew in a troop of artists and daredevil acrobats to complement Billy Rose’s Aquacade show that had 30 costumed mermaids  swimming in complete synchronicity as they flipped and tumbled in the giant pool.

Artists from around the globe came to provide songs and dances, but world-renowned Xavier Cugat became the toast of the stage, with his troupe that performed bouncy Latin numbers that had audiences clamoring for more.

Picking the fair’s fairest: Miss Philippines 1953

Without a doubt though, the  Philippine International Fair centerpiece event was the coronation of Miss Philippines 1953. Rising movie stars, young colegialas, glamorous high society girls and unknown provincial delegates rushed to join the prestigious competition.

THE ROLE OF THE FIRST RUNNER-UP IS VERY IMPORTANT.  Some of the candidates for the Miss Philippines of the Fair. Many were handpicked by their local government officials and came from pedigreed backgrounds.

The list of candidates read like a veritable who’s who of city and provincial beauties, many handpicked by their local officials to lead the quest for the plum Miss Philippines crown: Emma Nepomuceno ( Nueva Ecija, mother of singer Gary Valenciano), Lina Taguinod (Cagayan), Ofelia Salvacion (Quezon Province), Florina Guerrero (Catanduanes), Teresita Gianan (Legaspi City), Estela Viana (Occidental Mindoro), Teresita Abueva (Bohol), Naty David (Camarines Norte), Ofelia Salazar (Zamboanga), Rosario Prieto (Naga City), Magneta Magbuhat (Batangas), Loretta de Guzman (Dagupan), Maria Dulce Ramiro (Misamis Occidental), Alice Fuentes (Baguio), Jesusa de Leon (Bulacan), Petrona Bucad (Isabela), Ana Maria Arnaiz (Dumaguete), Antonia Tan (Samar), Lucita Salazar (Ormoc City), Nelia Cuaycong (Negros Occidental), Amelita Pastrano (Iloilo), Teresita Villarosa (Cebu City), Gloria Salazar (Leyte), Santanina Tillah (Sulu, the future senator), Lily Cuevas (Basilan City), Corazon Lacsamana (Zamboanga del Sur), Gilda Gruet Walstrom (Davao, socialite once linked with Ferdinand Marcos) and Monette Tambunting (Quezon City).

THE CHOSEN. Maria Cristina Galang, daughter of former Tarlac governor Alejandro Galang, Miss Philippines of the 1953 Philippine International Fair.

But it was a fair convent-bred 19 year old  beauty from Tarlac, Tarlac who walked away with the Miss Philippines 1953 title, Maria Cristina Galang. The 5’4” Lyceum student,  daughter of a former governor of Tarlac, Alejandro Galang and Apolonia de Leon,  She was also automatically named Miss Luzon. Her royal court included Violeta Villamor of Cebu (Miss Visayas) and Gina Walstrom of Davao (Miss Mindanao).

CRISTINA’S COURT. Miss Philippines 1953 and her court of honor.

 Hits and Misses: Miss Philippines, Miss Universe and the Muse of Manila

MUSE OF MANILA, Imelda Romualdez

Incidentally, at the same pageant, a Miss Manila was chosen, won by Norma Jimenez over Amparo Manuel and Imelda Romualdez. Imelda, a losing nominee, was given the title “Muse of Manila” after tearfully complaining to Mayor Arsenio Lacson about alleged irregularities in the contest.

CROWNING MOMENT, Miss Universe Armi Kuusela crowns Cristina Galang as Miss Philippines of 1953. Kuusela would meet Virgilio Hilario during her stay in the country, whom she would eventually wed.

Cristina’s victory was significant, for she was crowned by no less than the visiting 1st Miss Universe of 1952, Armi Kuusela of Finland (Armi later married rich Filipino businessman Virgilio Hilario after a much-publicized whirlwind courtship).  While here, Kuusela was given the royal treatment wherever she went—from paying a courtesy call to Pres. Quirino, visiting Baguio where she would meet Hilario, laying a wreath on Bonifacio’s monument, to top billing the “Show of Shows” at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

NINOY AQUINO JR., CONSORT TO A QUEEN. Future senator Benigno Aquino Jr., a townmate of Cristina, served as her escort at her Coronation.

Armi was assisted by the 1952 queen, Teresita Sanchez. Cristina’s  escort was her kabalen, the young 21 year old Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. The pageant committee originally wanted Cristina to join the 1953 Miss Universe in Long Beach, California, but this did not push through. Instead, a namesake, Cristina Pacheco was sent to the international competition.

Tarlac showed its gratitude to Cristina by throwing a lavish Despedida Dance at the Tarlac Trade School Court in her hometown on 5 September 1953. Tarlac’s most prominent citizens, headed by Governor and Mrs. Antonio E. Lopez and Mayor Hipolito Castañeda graced the occasion. A park was also fittingly named after her, the Maria Cristina Park, located near the provincial capitol.

TOAST OF TARLAC. Maria Cristina Galang was accorded a victory ball by a grateful province  for her triumph as Miss Philippines.

Cristina acted as a welcome official of the 1st Philippine International Fair, meeting important dignitaries, foreign visitors, crowning fiesta beauties and lending her beautiful presence in several social events. (After her duties at the fair ended, Cristina went back to her Liberal Arts studies  at the Georgian University in New Jersey. She then went  to Fordham University in New York for her graduate studies in Sociology. There,  she met Dr. Jose Caedo, an intern-trainee at the Cancer Memorial Hospital, who would become her husband. The Caedos would have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl).

FAIR MEMENTOS. The Philippines International Fair spawned many collectible materials including first day of issue stamps, medals, philatelic items and commemorative booklets.

 A share of fair rewards.

To further underscore the significance of the 1953 Philippine International Fair, commemorative stamps were even issued to mark the milestone event. Scheduled to close in April, the Fair was extended until May 31, 1953. In all, over two million visitors came to the fair, twice the city’s total population, making it a resounding success. Close to 700 thousand pesos were collected at the gates.

The momentum generated by the 1953 Philippine International Fair proved short-lived with the envisioned industrial age remaining still an elusive dream. An attempt to sustain the gains through a follow-up 1954 edition was a dismal failure and was quickly forgotten.  Internal problems like the rise of Huk insurgency, graft and corruption in the government, politicking, lack of infrastructure (many unbuilt and unrestored from the last war) , and a poor, inefficient transport system led to an unremarkable economy still driven by agriculture, small, cottage industries, and underdeveloped tourism.  

CROWD PLEASER. Over two million people visited the fair in its 4-month run, twice the population of Manila.

But for many Filipinos who have never known the benefits of real progress, a truer index of his advancement would be his happiness and well-being —the ability to smile and laugh, even when the going gets tough.  Put in this perspective, the fairs of his day were the perfect distractions to his daily worries, a place to see and be seen after a day’s toil, a peaceable, joyous realm to soak and revel in, where he could witness-- at his leisure--the unfolding marvels and wonders of a modern world.

President Elpidio Quirino had hoped that the Philippine International Fair  would  not just “ focus attention on the progress of the first Republic in the Far East”. It was also his desire that the event help “advance the common concern to make freedom, peace, and increased well-being the ultimate goal for men of goodwill everywhere”. For one brief,  shining moment—four months to be exact-- the Fair managed to just that, and more:  it uplifted a people’s spirit, rekindled pride of country, and left a legacy of collective happiness and good feelings—when all the world came to discover the promise of a new Philippine republic-- that would live on for years to come.

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR TOWNANDCOUNTRY.PH, 

 SOURCES:

ALL PHOTOS, FROM ALEX R. CASTRO COLLECTION