85. GEORGE REY URBANO: A Filipino Trailblazer in International Professional Wrestling

GEORGE REY URBANO. For over 3 decades, this trailblazing Philippine-born wrestler made waves in the American wrestling circuit as Rey Urbano, Tokyo Tom, Taro Sakuro, and his most famous wrestling persona—the Great Kabooki.

Wrestling has always had a worldwide audience, ever since the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), was founded in 1948 as a governing body for professional wrestling. Based in America, NWA began promoting brawling matches on television back in the early 1950s.  By 1961, canned wrestling programs (Men’s and Women’s) were seen regularly on late-night Philippine TV over DZBB Channel 7.

Curiously, Filipinos did not catch on to wrestling despite their love for contact sports, preferring boxing instead. After all, the boxing world included many Filipino champions—Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia, father and son Cely and Anthony Villanueva, Flash Elorde, among others-- fighting figures of our national pride. They were the best reasons to root for the sport—not alien names like Bobo Brazil, Gorgeous George, Killer Kowalski, and the Fabulous Moolah.

Not until the mid-1980s that Filipinos took a second look at wrestling. By then, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) took command of the sports, booking champions and producing big wrestling events, beamed on cable TV from huge venues like Madison Square Garden and Shea Stadium.

SMACKDOWN SOUVENIR. A 1950s fight program from the first golden age of American wrestling features a match between Rey Urbano of Manila versus Axel Cadier from Sweden.

WWF signed up and headlined wrestlers Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, Roddy Piper and Bret Hart, in shows like WWF Superstar, set amidst music, lights and much theatrics. Merchandising gimmicks were launched for its pool of talents, spawning action figures, video games and toys. When the programs went into syndication, they were lapped up by a mainstream audience who found new heroes to idolize.

The entry of Filipino-American grapplers further fueled the Filipinos’ crazy fascination, and later, obsession, with wrestling. There was Dave Batista (David Michael Bautista), a hulking 6’6” wrestler who was snapped up by WWF (now World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) in 2000.  Now retired, Batista remains visible in action films like “Riddick”,  “Guardians of the Galaxy”, and “Avengers: End Game”.

Benny Cuntapay (B.Boy), has also successfully fought in the All-Pro and Combat Zone Wrestling. While T. J. Perkins, who used to fight as “Pinoy Boy”,  won the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Championship in 2016. Recently, Fil-Am Michael Paris (aka DJZ), 2-time Impact X Division Champion, was reported in March 2019 to being squired by WWE.

REY OF LIGHT.  Rey Urbano resplendent in a Philippine Muslim costume. Photo by Libnan Ayoub, 100 Years of Professional Wrestling in Australia via Online World of Wrestling.

The extraordinary feats and skills of these world-class Filipino matmen, however, were foreshadowed not too long ago by a Manila-born strongman who blazed trails by breaking into the competitive world of international wrestling—in his time, the only professional wrestler in all of the Philippines: GEORGE REY URBANO.

FATHER JUAN. Rey’s father was born in Samar and became an inventor, the first Filipino to own a U.S. patent for a fountain pen and pencil that can write in the dark. He later entered the movies business back in the Philippines.

Born in Manila on 25 Apr. 1924 to Juan and Sixta Urbano, Rey had quite a comfortable life. His father was a successful inventor and businessman, the cousin of famed movie director and actor, Manuel Urbano (screen name: Manuel Conde), who had made waves in Venice in 1952 with his opus, “Genghis Khan”.

COMING  TO AMERICA. As a student of the San Francisco City College, Rey Urbano (on the right) was a valuable member of the school’ football team in 1948. Photo courtesy of The Guardsman via RECON MAGAZINE, March-April 2017 issue. Used with permission.

Four year old George Rey,  his older 3 siblings (Belen, Marina, Isidro) and their mother Sixta moved to America in 1928, to follow Juan, who had  gone there ahead to set up a manufacturing business. Sixta boosted the family income by selling jewelry pieces. The children went to schools in the San Francisco area where they had settled.

Things were going well for the family, until tragedy struck in 1939 with the death of their mother. Rey was only 15 then, still a student at the San Francisco Polytechnic High School. To make things worse, his father Juan decided to return to the Philippines to look for business opportunities in the field of movie production—an obvious influence from his showbiz cousin whose career was about to peak.

Left in the U.S. in the care of relatives, Rey immersed himself in football and judo. The war in his native Philippines cut short his college dreams, and so, at age 19, like his brother Isidro before him, he joined the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment in early 1943.

REMEMBER THIS ALAMO SCOUT. 19 year old Rey Urbano, Rey Urbano, as a member of the 1^st Filipino Infantry Regiment in 1943. He and his brother would also sign up as volunteers of the Alamo Scouts. Used with permission from RECON MAGAZINE, March-April 2017 issue.

The 2 brothers would later volunteer to become Alamo Scouts, an elite reconnaissance unit that saw action in the jungles of  New Guinea. The next year, Rey and Isidro were deployed to the Philippines as part of the Allied landing forces.

When the war ended, the young veteran left his military career to go back to school. He entered San Francisco City College in 1947 which had an excellent football program. Though a bit underheight for the sport (he was 5’9”, 200 pounds), Rey became an outstanding player of the 1948 team, which snagged a mythical national junior college championship.

To build his stamina and strength on the gridiron, he took to an alternate sport he had also been avidly indulging in: wrestling. He underwent intense training in the school put up by the acclaimed Filipino wrestler Pantaleon Manlapig, who had previously held many Pacific Coast titles, under the name Tony Aguinaldo in the 1940s.

MENTORED BY MANLAPIG. Rey Urbano trained under Filipino wrestling legend, Pantaleon Catanghal Manlapig, who fought in Hawaii under the name Tony Aguinaldo. He held the Pacific Coast title in the 1940s for several times.

Rey was instantly hooked. He came to master many fighting styles and techniques—Greco-Roman, Sumo, catch-as-catch-can styles.  Bitten by the wrestling bug, he passed up a football scholarship from the University of Southern California,  ignored his father’s pleading to return to the Philippines and be a movie star, and instead, chose to focus on a new goal: to become a professional wrestler.

STRIKING A FIGHTER’S POSE. Rey Urbano in his first official photo as a professional wrestler, taken in 1950. Photo courtesy of L.A. Public Library via RECON MAGAZINE, March-April 2017 issue. Used with permission.

He debuted in a match held in Honolulu, Hawaii on 23 April 1950, using his real name, “Rey Urbano”, defeating Chico Garcia in his very first professional outing . The Ogden Standard-Examiner in Utah was effusive in its review of Rey’s performance: "Rey Urbano came here recently from the Philippines and has impressed with his ability under all kinds of fire… The Islander uses the side of his hand in a cutting manner not unlike the chopping knife he used at home in the sugar cane fields. It is both legal and effective."

Rey was on his way. The next year, Rey was billed in a match at the Los Angeles Olympic Coliseum, capturing the attention of the nearly ten thousand screaming wrestling fans that crammed the venue. The one sad setback he experienced was the death of his brother, Isidro, who was killed in action in the Korean War of 1952.

Though he found steady work throughout the west and southwest in the next few years, Rey realized that the crowd drawers of wrestling bouts were not the favorites like him, but the villains of the ring. In fact, they also brought in the big bucks!  Rey, thus, in a complete turn-around, shed his clean, good boy image to assume a villainous wrestling persona.

TURNING JAPANESE. Rey Urbano made a major career shift by becoming a wrestling villain in the person of  “Taro Sakuro”, a name he used from the late 50s and 60s. Photo courtesy of RECON MAGAZINE, March-April 2017 issue. Used with permission.

As it was just a few years after the terrible War in which the Japanese earned a reputation as heinous villains for their war crimes, Rey chose to be known as “Taro Sakuro”. In 1959, in his first fight in Tennessee, the bearded “Japanese” hulk in a short robe and wooden sandals, ascended the ring and struck fear with his evil eye gaze and calm, but fearful exterior. But most of all, his behavior and fighting tricks disgusted the crowd—which he had hoped would happen—a despicable anti-hero that the audience loved to hate.

Rey enjoyed immense success with his new wrestling character. In  1962, he won the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship, and, with Oyama Kato, the NWA U.S. Tag Team title. Promoters began matching him  with more popular, more high-profile wrestlers. Needless to say, this move paid off, and he began collecting more susbtantial paychecks. 

 THE TERROR THAT WAS TARO. Rey Urbano as “Taro Sakuro” demolishes Alberto Torres in a 1962 fight. Photo courtesy of Wrestling Revue. Via RECON MAGAZINE, March-April 2017 issue. Used with permission.

As the new bad guy of wrestling, Rey had to deal with the backlash of fans. He survived a shooting, stabbings, and countless verbal and physical attacks. The most serious of all was being spiked on the foot by a woman using her sharp,  stiletto-heeled shoe,  a bloody injury that required surgery. He took all these in stride as occupational hazards that he had come to expect from the job.

Through all these, Rey carried on and retained the Japanese guise that helped  revitalized his career. Appearing in Texas in 1965, he briefly became “Tokyo Tom” and a substitute for “Tokyo Joe”, a convicted wrestler who was banned from the ring. He introduced gimmicks like incorporating over-the-top karate chops and thrusts in his moves that had the audience reacting wildly.

Shortly after the Texas stint, Rey faced another difficult, life-threatening hurdle. He was afflicted with a brain tumor and underwent a crucial operation. Thankfully, the mass was benign. He spent his 5-year long convalescence by going back to the California State University-Hayward  to finish a college degree (Recreational Studies). He found gainful employment at a recreational park where he held P.E. classes and occasionally wrestled to raise funds for his advocacies.

THE GREAT KABOOKI. The most well-known wrestling character conceived by Rey Urbano was a huge, hulking menacing Oriental warrior, a villain that the audience loved to hate. Alex Castro Photo.

Though doctors believed he will never wrestle again, he defied their dire prognostications and returned to the ring in late 1972 in a new incarnation. This time, he transformed himself into a villainous Japanese warrior of unspeakable brutishness, with a fierce-looking face painted for battle, and a name that no one will forget: The Great Kabooki.

He took his Japanese character to heart, dressing in authentic robes, and performing the ceremonial sumo ritual of throwing salt in his fights, which he also used to blind his foes. Everywhere he made an appearance, the Great Kabooki was a daunting figure to behold, inspiring fear and awe. His triumphant rebound was met with roars from the audience, who lapped up his acts and antics on the ring, catapultin him again to national prominence.

THAT KABOOKI FACE. Rey Urbano was the first wrestler to use paint make-up to make his Japanese character more theatrical, and more fearsome.

Rey, as The Great Kabooki, made a surprising comeback and toured the Midwest and the Southwest region. In 1973, he secured a spot in a Detroit promotion starring top wrestling star, The Sheik. He also worked the Great Lakes area, and wrestled in a few International Championship Wrestling shows.  Approaching 50, he still managed to complete 22 matches that year but the tolls of advancing age had begun to show, and he felt it.

To slow down, he accepted a job as a part-time chef in a California restaurant. He also seemed to have inherited his father’s creative genes. He devised “First and Ten”, a football board game and “Knockout”, a boxing game, both for kids. He formed a company—Urbano & Associates—to market these, but they generated little interest, so he eventually sold them off.

THE NAME OF THE GAME.  “First and Ten” was a gameboard developed by Rey Urbano, who inherited his father’s inventive genes.

With failed financial expectations, he returned to wrestling at age 58, reviving his Great Kabooki image. This posed some confusion, however, as by 1981, a younger Japanese wrestler by the name of Mera Akahishi, had started using the same name using the original spelling—the Great Kabuki.

In his 1982-83  farewell tour with ICW in the Midwest,  the Great Kabooki finished 16 matches, including one against the hugely popular Macho Man Randy Savage. His final fight was staged in a high school gym in Illinois. Like a true professional, he fought with his partner, Ratamyus,  in a tag team match and won---this, despite an audience of only 250.

KABOOKI FOR THE KILL. As a wrestling villain, Rey Urbano was jeered and harassed by hostile fans, but he took all these in stride. He entertained fans with his nasty stage demeanor, his tricky karate chops and martial art moves. 

In his twilight years, Rey joined an association of both retired and active wrestlers and boxers known as the Cauliflower Alley Club, which, in 1992 gave him recognition for his valuable contribution to the sport. Though he was married 3 times in his lifetime, Rey had no children; his family consisted of fellow wrestlers with whom he kept in touch regularly in annual reunions.

His fame reached the Philippines, but he was largely overlooked by his countrymen as they were more engrossed with rising boxers who were starting to win world championships in the 60s and 70s.  His occasional trips to his original homeland were more for family visits.

Jun Urbano, the TV funny man known as ‘Mr. Shooli’, remembers meeting his uncle twice. In one of his uncle’s rare homecomings, his family hosted him lunch and was served a specially-large dish of “kare-kare”. He watched him eat until he finished everything off. Then, Rey turned to Jun’s mother, smiled and hollered: “O-kay! Now bring out the main dish!”. His relatives were stunned at his voracious appetite. “Ang laking tao niya! (Such a big man)!”, Jun Urbano recalled.

GOLDEN GEORGE. In his golden years, Rey Urbano became a member of a fraternal wrestling group, and joined wrestling reunions for 15 years.

But Rey Urbano also had a big heart. In his own, quiet  way, he managed to entertain hundreds of wrestling fans for many decades, never mind that he did not attain the great financial success he worked so very hard for.

Described as “an all-around good person”, Rey  made many friends along the way.  In all, he fought a total of 989 matches in his lifetime career under 4 names, and wrestled against revered names like Bobo Brazil, Bruno Sammartino, Randy Savage and Mighty Igor—credentials that are nothing short of impressive.

Rey spent his remaining days in a Las Vegas nursing home, passing away on 16 Oct. 2007 at age 83. He is interred at the Southern Nevada Veterans Cemetery.

Today, wrestling and its related full contact disciplines like mixed martial arts, have a large, loyal Filipino fan base that continues to grow,  thanks to a constant fare of TV wrestling shows: Raw, Smackdown, This Week in WWE,  Bottomline and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), among others.

URBANO LEGEND. George Rey Urbano, (b. 25 Apr. 1924/ d. 16 Oct. 2007)

While Filipinos are currently rooting for Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor, The Miz Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss, they are also rediscovering their very own Dave Batista,  Brandon Vera, T. J. Perkins,  Michael Paris and Kris Wolf who have become worthy sports icons for legions of Filipino fans. Add to that the name of  George Rey Urbano—the Great Kabooki—a kickass Pinoy came before them, who broke barriers and made history to  become the only Filipino international wrestler in the first golden age of American professional wrestling.

 SOURCES:

Zedric, Lance. By Any Other Name the Story of Alamo Scout George Urbano

RECON MAGAZINE, March-April 2017 issue, pp. 1-8. http://www.alamoscouts.com/news/RECON_MarApr2017_OL_Magazine.pdf

 Pictures used with permission from Mr.Lance Zedric, unless otherwise noted.

 -Clovis News Journal (NM). “Wrestling Star Has Colorful Background.” Dec 17, 1952

-Drason, Dave. Wrestling Revue. 2007.

 -Friend, Percival. Rest in Peace, Reynaldo Urbano, The Original Kabooki. 2007. Wrestling Newsletter by Mark Bujan. http://www.oocities.org/percivalafriend/friend102207.htm

 -Funk, Dory, Jr. on Rey Urbano. As reported by Reported by Adam Martin of WrestleView.com On Thursday, October 18, 2007.

 -The Guardsman Yearbook. City College of San Francisco. 1948-1949.

 -Hurschmann, Bill. He Makes Football Better Game. San Mateo Times. Jul 11, 1977

 -Johnson, Steve. Original Kabooki faced a tough foe. Slam Sports. Oct 11, 2007. http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2007/10/17/4584657.html

 -Jourdan, Walt and Lee. “From Shoeshine to Star Wars” (The Chronicles of Walt Jourdan).

 -Lamas, Demas. Wild Wonderful Career Recalled. Fremont Argus (CA). Apr 15, 1971. P. 11.

 -Ogden Standard-Examiner. Twin Main Events on Wednesday at Berthana. Dec 16, 1951. P. 12A

 -Online World of Wrestling.http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com

 -Oxnard Press-Courier (CA). “On the Town with ‘Bud’” Jun 25, 1976.

-Urbano, Rey. www.Wrestlingdata.com

 -Wrestling Revue Magazine. 1963. P. 48. Photo of Taro Sakuro.-The Great Kabooki: http://www.geocities.ws/percivalafriend/friend102207.htm

 -World Wrestling Federation, https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/world-wrestling-federation

Other Photos:

·       The Great Kabooki close-up photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKQ7YXXQ_L4

·       Rey Urbano older photo: Rey Urbano at the 2003 Cauliflower Alley Club reunion in Las Vegas., Photo by Rose Diamond

·       Rey Urbano photo by Libnan Ayoub, 100 Years of Professional Wrestling in Australia via Online World of Wrestling, http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/bios/r/rey-urbano/

84. 8 LOOK-ALIKE LANDMARKS OF THE PHILIPPINES

The Filipino obsession to find their counterparts of the West was a form of colonial mentality that peaked post-war.  From fashions to fads, locals copied American ways. Philippine showbiz spawned its own versions of Elvis, Liz Taylor, James Dean and Charlie Chaplin. Soon, landmarks from the Western world began making their appearance here--some intentionally copied, a few just accidental look-alikes. 

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BANTAYANG BATO of Sta. Rosa Laguna and ARC DE TRIOMPHE of Paris, France

The Sta. Rosa Arch in Laguna served as a watchtower for marauding pirates in the early days.Watchmen blew their horns either for signs of danger, during festivities or for mourning a deceased native In 1925, municipal president Jose Zavalla hired David Dia to renovate the Arch which was said to be modeled after Paris’ Arc de Triomphe at the Champs-Élysées, built in 1806. The local  Arch was built near the market area in 1931. Dia, a native of Santa Rosa, was a famous sculptor during his time. He was th maker as well of Dr. Rizal’s monument in the town plaza.

Picture sources: Alex R. Castro Archives

 

THE LEANING WATER TOWER of San Fernando and THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA

Pisa’s leaning belfry was started in 14 August 1173 and took 199 years to complete. The tower began to tilt while it was being constructed and has a height that varied from 186 to 183 feet, and currently leans at an angle of 3.99 degrees. In the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, there exists a version of the Italian campanile—but the leaning structure is a NAWASA water tower that was constructed in 1929 at a cost of Php10,000. Due to subsidence and its weak foundation, it tilted through he years. There was an attempt to prop it up in 1947, but the cost was prohibitive. Thankfully, it  stopped tilting in 1955. It makes an angle of 87º with the horizontal (normal is 90º with the horizontal.

Picture Sources: Leaning water tower: photographed by Nelson Pineda, Tower of Pisa: Author’s collection

 

THE RUINS of Negros Occidental and the TAJ MAHAL GATE of Agra, India

The great gate to the Taj Mahal of India is of medieval architecture, with fine inlay work of white marble and precious stones on the red sandstone surface. It is eerily similar to the remnants of the mansion once owned by sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and Maria Braga Lacson in Talisay, Negros Occidental, now known as The Ruins. The grand residence was constructed in the early 1900s, inspired by medieval Italian architecture. It has been transformed by descendants into a tourist attraction.

Picture Source: Taj Mahal gate: www.pixabay.com , The Ruins: photo by Dustin Mijares, www.choosephilippines.com

 

SANTIAGO APOSTOL CHURCH of Betis, Pampanga and SISTINE CHAPEL of the Vatican.

The Sistine Chapel, originally known as Cappella Magna, is found in the Apostolic Palace where the Pope resides, in the Vatican. It is famous for its ceilings which are profusely decorated with 15^th and 16^th century frescoes with many biblical scenes, as well as events from the life of Christ. Its Philippine counterpart can be found in the baroque church of Betis, rebuilt with concrete materials in 1770. The church underwent extensive renovation and beautification during the term of its last Spanish priest, Fray Santiago Blanco in 1939. The magnificent ceiling paintings are attributed to a series of artists that included the legendary Simon Flores,  Isidoro C. Soto, a relative of literary great Juan Crisostomo Soto;  Macario Ligon in the 1930s; and, in the early 1980s, Victor Ramos (1922–1986) who repainted and restored almost 80% of the ceiling artworks. The church has been declared a National Cultural Treasure by the Natioonal Museum and the National Comission for Culture and Arts in 2001.

 Picture Sources: Sistine Chapel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel, Betis Church: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betis_Church

THE LINCOLN STATUE of Baguio City and the LINCOLN MEMORIAL of Washington D.C.

In Washington D.C., just across from the iconic Washington Monument stands a the Lincoln Memorial, built to honor Pres. Abraham Lincoln. In the expansice central hall can be found the seated statue of the great president, carved by the Piccirilli Brothers under the supervision of the sculptor, Daniel Chester French. The statue stands finally 19 feet (5.8 m) tall from head to foot, and took 4 years to finish, A more modest version can be found at the Liberty Park, in Camp John Hay, Baguio City. Abe, just like his Washington counterpart, sits dignified on a chair, although he is made of cast cement with painted features that made him look sadly comical. There is also a Statue of Liberty replica in the same park.

 Picture sources: Lincoln in Baguio: Photo by Neil Sinadjan, taken Nov. 2009, www.tripadvisor.com.ph, Lincoln Memorial statue: https://www.nationalparks.org/our-work/programs/lincoln-memorial-rehabilitation

 

LOURDES GROTTO of Bulacan, and the LOURDES GROTTO of Massabielle, France

In 1858, starting on Feb. 11, the Virgin appeared to 14 year old Bernadette Soubirous in the cave of Massabielle in Lourdes, France. Her apparition was climaxed with the revelation that she was the Immaculate Conception. The rock cave has become the focal point of the Our Lady of Lourdes shrine. The religious grotto in Lourdes has been replicated  at brgy. Graceville in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan and features a small spring whose water, running beneath the Lourdes statu, and like the spring France, is also said to be miraculous.

Picture Sources: Lourdes, France: vintage postcard, Author’s collection, Lourdes,Bulacan: https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Our-Lady-of-Lourdes-Grotto

 

CHRIST THE REDEEMER of Cagayan de Oro and CHRIST THE REDEEMER of Brazil

The symbol of Christianity worldwide, the 98 foot-high concrete statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), with arms open wide, stands on the peak of the Corcovado Mountain, overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. French sculptor Paul Landowski created this art deco masterpiece, and executed by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. Th massive image was built between 1922-1931. There are at least 3 copies of Cristo Redentor in the Philippines, but the most faithful is the one found in brgy. Balua, Cagayan de Oro. The 30 foot-tall statue, completed in May 2012,  stands on a 10 hectare land owned by the Villar-owned Golden Haven memorial sanctuary.

 Picture sources: Christ the Redeemer, Brazil: Wikipedia, Christ the Redeemer-CDO: Photo by Clement Dampal II, http://www.bestspotsph.com/2013/04/santuario-de-redentor-perfect-replica.html

 

STATUE OF LIBERTY of Intramuros and STATUE OF LIBERTY of New York

The most replicated symbol of American freedom is that of Lady Liberty, which stands enlightening the world on Staten Island in New York. A gift of France to the U.S., th 305 foot image was inaugurated in 1886. In Manila once stood an 8-foot copy of the Statue of Liberty in the Balurate de san Diego, Intramuros. The Philippines was one of the recipients of the bronze statue, which was created on the occasion of the 40^th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in 1950. It survived attacks from student activists in the 60s thru the 70s, until it was moved for safekeeping at the BSP head office in Ermita, Manila.

Picture sources: Liberty of Intramuros: CardCow.com, Liberty of NY: wikimedia commons

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR ESQUIRE PHILS. AND PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE "8 

PHILIPPINE LANDMARKS TAKEN FROM OTHER COUNTRIES", 20 May 2019.

81. The Car Is Born: EARLY YEARS OF PHILIPPINE MOTORING

Image 1: BABY, YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR. The Israels, Benito and Adrienne, try their new French-made car on an Alsatian road. The Israels were relatives of the Ullmans, part-Germans who settled in the Philippines as businessmen. Dated 1926.

An index of affluence for Filipino in the days of the American rule was the possession of an automobile. To this day, having a car—next to owning a house—continues to top the list of  goals of every working Pinoy. After all, a car was more than just a functional transportation invention; it was a status symbol, a statement of success to be driven and flaunted on the road.

Image 2: HORSELESS CARRIAGES. Automobiles along the shopping district, Calle Escolta. 1920s.

This obsession with cars is reflected in the current number of vehicles that were registered in the Philippines in 2017, reaching an all-time high of over 10.4 million units. It is inconceivable to think that less than century ago, in 1928, there were only 19,791 automobiles in our islands, mostly concentrated in our cities and major town centers where majority of the good roads and thoroughfares were.

Image 3: CRUISING TAFT. One of the modern macadamized roads built during the American period is Calle Rizal (started in 1899), later renamed Taft Avenue. The avenue provided supreme driving pleasure for the motor enthusiast.

For all the years that Spain ruled the Philippines, it had very little to show when it came to its public works records. The task of road and bridge-building was often undertaken by their missionaries. When the Americans took over, they were aghast at what the natives had to undergo to travel from one town to another. For example, a man living in a sitio some 100 miles from the city had to equip himself with 3 horses to reach Manila, and—due to extreme road conditions-- he could not always be sure that he could reach the city on a living horse!

Eventually, the Americans, through the Bureau of Public Works, embarked on an extensive, national road-building that saw dramatic increase in kilometrage of all classes of roads. By the end of the 1920s, over 12 thousand kilometers of new roads had been added, speeding up the transport of goods and products to key markets, and spurring livelier economic activities. Rich Filipinos began discovering  too, that these new highways were also the perfect avenues on which to display himself and his grand equipage—the automobile.

Image 4: A FORD YOU CAN AFFORD. Ford Model T, 1914 model. The people’s car was so affordable, prices started at $400. Photo: Wikimedia commons.

Nothing  impacted the nation’s mobility , so much as the automobile—the rickety, sputtering, still-imperfect machine that arrived in the final years of the 20^th century.  German engineer Karl Benz is credited with developing the first motorcar in his workshop in 1885, which, in a test run,  covered a distance of 1 kilometer at a speed of 15 kph.

The building of a single car, however, took many months; it was left to American Henry Ford to find a way to shorten the process. This, he did, by  introducing a conveyor-belt moving assembly line in 1913, that could put together an automobile  in just 90 minutes, making the production of cars commercially viable. The result of Ford’s breakthrough efforts was the introduction of the affordably-priced Ford’s Model T—“ a car for the multitude”—launching the era of popular motoring around the world.

Image 5: BEFORE THE CAR, WAS THE CARROMATA. Mode of public transport before the advent of cars were horse-drawn carriages of all shapes and sizes called carromatas, calesas, caruajes and quiles.

As an American-ruled territory, the introduction of the automobile to our islands was assured. For their modes of transport, Filipinos were used to riding animal-pulled vehicles—like the caruajes ( also known as “rokabays”, must-haves for prominent Filipinos), quiles, caretons, calesas and, in the rural areas, the wheel-less, sled-like  paragos.

Now, the prospect of owning this modern motorized wonder was becoming a reality.

The first automobile in the country was brought in by the famous “La Estrella del Norte”, a department store founded by the Levy Brothers that started as a watch and jewelry shop in Iloilo. In the early 1900s, the flourishing ‘La Estrella” opened a large branch along Escolta, and diversified its inventory of stocks to include bicycles, phonographs, moving picture machines—the first of their kind to be seen in the country.

Image 6: LA ESTRELLA AUTO PALACE, Dealer of Essex, Hudson, and spectacular Dodge cars. 1929.

The La Estrella car was acquired by a medical doctor of note, Dr. Juan Miciano, a UST physician.  The automobile was a French-made Richard-Brasier, that came all the way from the Paris car manufacturing plant founded by Charles-Henri Brasier  and partner r. On an average, it took a little over 3 months to ship an automobile from Europe or the U.S., to Manila.

Though extremely expensive (over Three Thousand Pesos, roughly $1,540) in the first decade of the 20^th century, automobiles found ready buyers, mostly from Manila’s elite set, like Don Benito Legarda who bought a Renault in 1904.

Image 7: CHEVY RUNS DEEP. Lucy Martin, a popular vaudeville dancer who performed in Manila, drove a Chevrolet during her stay in the islands. Late 1920s.

Efficiency in car manufacturing brought prices down significantly, and cars were soon being snapped up through easy installment plans. Vaudeville star dancer Lucy Martin even bought a Chevrolet while performing here in Manila in the late 1920s. Other favorite cars included the Blackhawk, a lower-priced companion car to the Safety Stutz, the speedy Hupmobile, and Chrysler’s De Soto.

Image 8: DRIVE NOW, PAY LATER. Car prices for different models of Chevrolet and Pontiac, from 1929.

 After “La Estrella”, Erlanger and Galinger, a well-known brokerage firm, began selling motor vehicles as well. In 1902, the U.S-made Locomobile was offered for sale by the company, only the second car brand to be made available in the country. Soon, more brands came into the market: Oldsmobile, named after founder and pioneer auto maker Ransom Eli Olds, made its first appearance in Manila in 1906.

Image 9: BACHRACH AND ROLL. The first commercial automobile imports company was the Bachrach Motor Co., founded by Emil Bachrach. 1940 ad.

1907 marked another milestone with the establishment of the first commercial automobile imports in the Philippines by Russian-born American, Emil Bachrach, who had come to the Philippines in 1901 to look for his fortune. His early enterprises included a watch shop, a credit company, and a furniture business that proved to be very successful.

Image  10: 1929 BACHRACH MOTOR CO. AD for DURANT TRUCKS AND NASH CARS.

The visionary, in anticipation of the growth of the automotive industry, opened a new company, Bachrach Motors, and snagged the lucrative Ford Motor franchise, Thus, that same year, the very popular Model T was launched in the Philippines.  It would later add Nash, Packard, Chalmers, Cadillac and Willys Overland in its roster of vehicle brands. Bachrach Motors remained in business for long, fruitful years---supplemented with a Garage and Taxicab Co. and the Rapid Transit Co., the first bus line of Manila. After Bachrach died in 1937, the operations was continued by his family, ceasing only in the mid 1960s.

Image 11: CONVERGENCE POINT. Plaza Goiti (now Plaza Lacson) was a busy meeting point of vehicles—from calesas, streetcars and automobiles. 1920s.

The advent of the automobile—that noisy, but irresistible symbol  of 20^th century progress—did not banish the horse overnight. But many Filipinos began transforming their livery stables into spacious garages for their modern vehicles. The plazas of Manila became the convergence points of  caruajes, calesas and now, the automobiles. But in bustling Escolta, touted as Manila’s Fifth Avenue, the spanking new automobile reigned supreme. Daily, Iberian señoritas, well-heeled families and their uniformed chauffeurs, all church-bound to Tondo, Sampaloc and Sta. Cruz would pass by the busy, cosmopolitan street.

IMAGE 12: MACONDRAY & CO. dealer of De Soto cars; FRENCH MOTOR CO., sole agent for the Graham Sedan 1928.

The demand for cars spurred the growth of the automotive industry, and revolutionized commercial transportation in the country. As a result, entrepreneurs cashed in on the auto boom by going into car dealerships  in Manila and beyond. The 1920s and 1930s ushered in the golden age of Philippine motoring, with international car models appearing on our new city avenues and boulevards.

Image 13: BLACKHAWK, named after an Indian chief, was one of the most promoted cars in the Philippines in 1929. It was manufactured by the Stutz Motor Car Company in Indianapolis from 1929 to 1930.

Levy Hermanos, for example, spun off the Estrella Auto Palace from its main “La Estrella” store in Escolta. The car dealership on Gandara St. offered the spectacular Dodge Super 6, Essex and Hudson models in 1929. At its peak,  it carried 21 different car and truck brands, operating fully until the 1950s.

Image 14: LUNETA MOTOR CO. One of the biggest and most popular car dealers in the country, with a big showroom in Escolta. It was known for its posh Chrysler-Plymouth automobiles. 1938.

Luneta Motor Co., in Plaza San Luis, was another famous go-to place for prestige brands like Chrysler-Plymouth, which came on sale in the mid 1920s. In 1937, the company mounted car shows that demonstrated the strength and durability of the car. In 1955, Luneta Motor Co. also undertook distributorship of jeepney bodies made by Francisco Body Builders (soon to become Francisco Motors Corp.), which was then appointed to assemble Ford Consul and Thames trucks for the premiere auto dealer, that was in business until the 1960s.

Image 15: FORD CARS by MANTRADE.  Manila Trading and Supply Co. was into office equipment and rubber products before selling cars. It is now called Nissan-Mantrade. HUPMOBILE, a very popular car model, as advertised by PARSONS HARDWARE CO. 1929 ads.

Along Malecon Drive is located the Manila Trading and Supply Co. (the future Mantrade), which began as a dealer of various branded products---office machines (Remington typewriter), rubber materials (United States Rubber), and later,  automobiles by Ford. In 1920, it focused exclusively on being a Ford dealer, and pre-war branches were put up all  over the country, including a showroom in Escolta.

It reorganized after the war and put up an assembly plant in 1955. The American-owned company would go on to sell Ford brands, like Cortina, Thames, Transit and Taunus.  In the 1960s, ownership was transferred to a group of Filipino businessmen, and continued to lead the way in car dealership. Today, after over 100 years, it is still in operation, known by its new name, Nissan Mantrade.

Image 16: PACIFIC MOTORS, dealer of PONTIAC—“the car you’ll be proud to own”; PACIFIC COMMERCIAL AD, dealer of CHEVROLET SIX, 1929 ad.

 There were a dozen or so other dealers and authorized auto distributors scattered around the city: Macondray & Co. , located in Hidalgo, Quiapo with branches in Iloilo and Cebu, specialized in De Soto;  Pacific Commercial Co. (Plaza Sta. Cruz), distributor of General Motors and all Chevrolet models ; Pacific Motors, distributors of Pontiac, Oakland, Cadillac and La Salle; Manila Motor Co. Inc., in Ongpin (with branches in Baguio and Bacolod); French Motor Co. (Rizal Avenue), Parsons Hardware Co., sales agent of the Hupmobile; and Automotive Sales Co. (along Pinpin St.) which sold Buick automobiles.

Image 17:  FILLER’UP. Print ad for Shell Fuels and Motor Oil, from the Asiatic Petroleum Co. (P.I.) Ltd., and Associated Gasolineand Cycol Motor Oil, from Associated Oil co. 1930s  ad.

With the arrival of automobiles came the rise of gas and service stations. Fuel companies like Shell (through the Asiatic Fuel Co.) and Associated Oil Co. were already around by then, and expanded their product line to include motorcar fuels and oils. Standard Oil. Co, of New York was also supplying filling stations with Socony oil and lubricants.

Image 18: SERVICE WITH A SMILE. A 1920s ad of the Motor Service Co., supplier of car accessories and genuine replacement parts.

Maintenance and auto supplies shop, like the Motor Service Co., Inc, offered tires, tubes, replacement parts and accessories through its Central Auto Supply branch along Avenida, cor Azcarraga St.

Image 19: THREE MEN AND A CAR. Three Filipino dandies take their large car of unknown make to Baguio. 1936.

 From commercial and business use, automobiles soon became “personal transportation” for private owners, as more latest models coming in, equipped for thrill and speed (early cars could not even top 30 mph in the 1900s). Young men from affluent families took their cars out for joyrides and pleasure trips along Dewey, Avenida and Escolta, while making a statement in their streamlined motor on wheels. Spanking-new Studebakers, Roosevelts and Cadillacs lined the streets of Manila, competing for space and attention.

Image 20:  MERCURY RISING. A student shows off his new Mercury, a premium car produced by Ford Motor Co. Late 1940s photo

A maximum speed limit of 8 miles per hour was set within Manila in 1920, which was oftentimes violated by reckless drivers. By then, there were already 8,000 automobiles plying the city roads at all hours.

Image 21: THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST. The consequence of driving too fast. The driver punctured a tire, swerved in to a ditch and lost control of his car. 1938 photo.

The number of accidents continued to mount however. The most common traffic violation was overspeeding. A 1933 newspaper account observed: “Our motorists have developed a mania for speed, resulting in the inevitable consequence of suffering from accidents and the tragedy of either death or injury of the passengers of the car”. Other reasons include not having the right of way, wrong passing and not making signals when turning.

Image 22: TALLERES DE AUTOMOBILES, or Manila Motor Works, an early auto repair and service shop founded by former mechanic Pedro Reyes in 1928. Photo from Progress Magazine, 1958.

But one man’s car crashes  can be another man’s livelihood. Motor shop repairs were soon being set up, and enjoyed good business, as in the case of the Manila Motor Works. In 1928, Pedro Reyes, a former mechanic of Pacific Commercial Co., and a shop superintendent of Teal Motor Co., founded his Talleres de Automobiles  along Avenida, and grew it to become the nation’s most progressive and reliable auto body repair shop and truck body builder until the 1950s.

 What the early Filipino driver of the 1900s could never know was that, even as more roads, bridges, and highways were built, and more cars rolled into our islands, the capital city, given its design and limits, would one day be bursting at the seams  with a burgeoning post-war population and the continuous migration of people to Manila from the provinces.

Image 23: AVENIDA MADNESS. Bumper-to-bumper traffic along Avenida Rizal, with calesas and automobiles jockeyng for positions on the 4-lane avenue

 By the 1950s, traffic was becoming a concern as public buses, private cars and the new king of the road—jeepneys—vied for space on the road. Today, the car that accelerated our commercial progress is the same machine being blamed for the slowdown  of business activities.

Image 24: IT’S WORTH THE TRIP. Members of a family makes a stopover at Kennon Road in their spacious late 40s model Oldsmobile. The postwar years saw more Filipinos owning cars, and making more trips to other parts of the country, boosting domestic tourism. Photo from 1957.

Still, it could not be denied that the automobile allowed a man his physical freedom never thought possible. Where before, an islander’s only world was his water-locked town, or that rural folks could only visualize the sights and sounds of a city, the car has given him the power to travel like the wind, to extend the boundaries of his experience, to feel the emotions of many regions and many cultures, in effect, to explore his Filipino-ness.

 SOURCES:

Various 1929 Graphic Magazine issues:

“A Bit of Transportation History”. 30 Oct. 1929, p. 8

“Traveling Like the Wind”. 25 Sep. 1929, p. 14

“Evolution of the Automobile”,30 Oct. 1929, p. 10

“Lure of the Highway”, 6 Nov. 1929, p. 44.

 “Motor Car Accidents”, The Sunday Tribune Magazine, 23 April 1933. p. 8

 Reader’s Digest, “The Origins of Everyday Things”, Reader’s Digest Association Ltd., 1998., p.

 Kraus, Michael. Kraus Vera, Family Album for Americans, Ridge Press Inc. 1961, published by Grossett and Dunlap. Pp. 231-247.

 Ragoon, Richard Wilhelm, “How much were cars in PH back in the day?”.posted 9 Feb. 2018. https://www.topgear.com.ph/features/feature-articles/Philippine-cars-cost-history-a52-20180209