17. Review: COMFORT WOMEN: Slave of Destiny

Category: Books
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Author: Maria Rosa Henson

Maria Rosa Luna Henson burst into the national consciousness in 1992, when she broke half-a-century's silence to talk about her ordeal as a ‘comfort woman’ in a World War II rape camp.

In April 1943, then 15 year old Rosa was taken by Japanese soldiers and forced to render sexual services to the military. In this moving autobiography, she recalls her childhood as the bastard daughter of a rich Angeles landowner, her wartime experience and her decision to go public with a secret she had kept for 50 years. She wrote her memoirs by hand, often crying as she remembered. ‘Comfort Woman’ is a story of a young woman’s survival, but it is also an account of her extraordinary courage which moves and inspires us all.

Her example encouraged other women to come out with their own stories, belying earlier claims that the Japanese forces did not set up ‘comfort stations’ in the Philippines as they did in Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia. Lola Rosa overcame great odds to become a champion of justice for the most secret and silent victims of World War II. Sadly, her personal crusade went unfinished when she died of a heart attack at the Pasay City hospital on the night of August 18, 1997. She was 69. The book was a finalist for Best Biography in the 1997 National Book Awards.

16. HISTORIANS AS CRIME DETECTIVES, by Russel S. Arador

(originally published Jan 23, 2009)

I read with interest an article in this newspaper by a good friend of mine, Tonette Orejas, titled “Kapampangans recover missing saint’s image.” It tells of the theft and quick recovery of a 19th century image of St. John the Apostle.
 
What I found riveting about the story, however, wasn’t the role that modern-day communication technologies played in the success of efforts to locate the missing religious heritage. It was the potential of tapping historians and their encyclopedic knowledge of the past to solve common crimes, whether committed today or a long time ago.

Among those who figured in the heart-pounding search for and rescue of the image of St. John of Apostle was Dr. Lino L. Dizon, director of the Tarlac State University’s Center for TarlaqueHo Studies. Although Prof. Dizon’s part in the detective work did not go beyond forwarding an S.O.S. email to book author and fellow Kapampangan Alex Castro (who did a search of his own) I believe he was able to make a simple but crucial decision of alerting somebody who could do something because of his work as a historian.

 Knowing the right people who have the capability and the predisposition to help is a matter of training. For this reason alone, I can say that historians can work wonders in solving crime puzzles. However, I must admit there’s more to detective work than information dissemination. Crime investigation entails knowledge of people, places, events and documents, past or present, living or dead, printed or displayed on an LCD screen.

In these things, again, I dare say historians like Prof. Dizon have solid grounding, thus suited for detective work. For example, according to Prof. Dizon, one can easily find out how certain landed families were able to acquire their vast tracts of land. And don’t be surprised if in the closet of one or two of these families you will discover the skeleton of a former revolutionary leader who fought in the Philippine revolution against Spain and the subsequent Filipino-American War.

Using a simple framework, Prof. Dizon clues us in on the secret: During the Spanish period, land titling wasn’t a serious thing. Infact, there was virtually no system of land registration to speak of. It was only upon the coming of the Americans—who introduced the Torrens System—that lands began to be registered for the purpose of real estate ownership.

Now, who do you think trooped to the Registers of Deeds to register lands, not necessarily their own? The moneyed class, the educated class and the revolutionary leaders, many of whom were both moneyed and educated, Prof. Dizon said. How about the poor and illiterate peasants in the barrios? They didn’t even know what was happening.

Prof. Dizon also speculates on the possibility of revolutionary leaders being allowed by the American government to own large tracts of lands in exchange for giving up the fight and laying down their arms. Thus, not only can historians reconstruct the past, but they can also reconstruct the past to detect crimes. Landgrabbing, for example.

15. STOLEN IMAGE IN CULTURAL TREASURE FOUND, by Tonette C. Orejas

(Wheww!! Look what online santo sleuthing has done: we helped recover a stolen church image! Hooray for cultural activists and heritage advocates! We won over the agents of doom! The recovery was reported on national news and made it to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. All's well, that ends well.)

 *****

By Tonette Orejas Central Luzon Desk First Posted 15:31:00 01/16/2009 

BACOLOR, Pampanga -- It took only a few days to recover a 19th century image of St. John the Apostle that was stolen last week from one of the country's 20 national cultural treasures. Text messages, e-mails, and mobile phone calls, plus loads of Catholic faith, saved the day for church heritage conservation.

 The image, reported missing on January 10, is part of a retablo (tableau) at the right wing of the Basilica Minore de San Miguel Archangel in Tayabas, Quezon. It stands on the right of the Mater Dolorosa, depicting a scene in which St. John was consoling the Virgin Mary after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The search for the image ended on Thursday night in this town that was ravaged by the Mt. Pinatubo eruptions in 1991. Bacolor is 215 kilometers away from Tayabas. The buyer, ecclesiastical art restorer Tom Joven, found tell-tale signs of theft, secured the image and said he was donating it to the basilica. The taklang ayup (bird droppings) spattered on the image gave away the crime, Joven said. Made of wood and three feet tall, the image is a detalyado or carved in the round. The search, it turned out, started on cyberspace.

The YahooGroup of the Heritage Conservation Society became an important communication line, said Ivan Henares, HCS director and administrator of the group's site.

 "We have received a lot of SOS calls from various locations in the country. Common are requests for help to stop the demolition of heritage structures or tasteless renovations on heritage churches, among many others," Henares said. Ryan Palad, a native of Tayabas and curator of the GSIS Museum in Pasay City, first posted the call for help, including an attachment of a photo of the image, on Jan. 15.

 "We would like to seek your help to retrieve the stolen image of St. John the Evangelist (wood, height 3 ft) from the Basilica de San Miguel Archangel, Tayabas,Quezon," said Palad. Palad also sent text messages to friends and colleagues who passed the information around.

 Palad's contact, Prof. Lino Dizon of the Tarlac State University, passed the message to HSC member Alex Castro. Emelita Almosara, deputy director of the National Historical Institute, also launched a search, communicating with Palad by text messages and cell phone calls.

 Castro launched his own search not long after he replied to the group's YahooGroup. "I was alerted by a friend about this stolen piece—San Juan Evangelista, a 3-foot image. Someone was peddling a San Juan the week before—of the same size! I was rather suspicious—until the identity of the image was corrected—San Ramon Nonato daw. So I didn't pursue my probing of the middleman who informed me of this image for sale. So, which is which?" Castro's posting went.

 Palad heeded Castro's request for a picture. The theft also became an opportunity for Palad to correct what had long been wrong all along. The image all along was that of San Juan Evangelista, not of San Ramon Nonato.

 Coincidence or not, Joven texted Castro on Thursday to say he bought a San Juan Evangelista on Jan. 9, on the Feast of the Nazarene, and felt something suspicious about it. He e-mailed Castro a photograph. The photographs from Palad and Joven matched.

"Alex informed me that after comparing pictures from Ryan and the one who purchased it, I think we found the image, thanks to the HCS network. Sharing of information here has proved to come out with quick result," Henares announced on the site. Angel Bautista of the National Museum of the Philippines, who was in the communication loop, learned of the recovery.

 "Tayabas Basilica being a national cultural treasure, I think we should not let this pass and find out who stole the image and prosecute those who committed this travesty," Henares said.

Palad, surprised at the fast discovery, exclaimed in typical Tagalog fashion: "Maraming, maraming, maraming salamat po (Many, many thanks)!" Castro rued "there are still unscrupulous dealers out there who are out to make big bucks out of our church material heritage.

 Joven, who restored the four-century old, half-buried San Guillermo (St. William The Hermit) Church in Bacolor, said he felt lucky that the image got to him and was given the opportunity to secure it.

 "Serendipity" was what he felt all along about the image, he said. "I didn't want to buy it at first because I have a San Juan Evangelista already but I did because I felt like it was really going to me," he said.

 Initially, he planned to include it in the Holy Week exhibit of the University of the Sto. Tomas Museum. When the image was delivered, Joven said he believed that the dealer, possibly a middleman, lied to him. The latter, doing business by text and e-mails, claimed that the image belonged to a family in Pagsanjan who was disposing of it because the brood was transferring to Makati City.

 "I had a hunch something was wrong. If this belonged to a family, why did it have bird's feces all over it? I said it might have come from a church," he recalled. His suspicion grew when UST's Fr. Didoy Abaño informed him that a San Juan Evangelista image was stolen in Tayabas. That's when he texted Castro.

Asked why he agreed to return and donate it, he said: "That's the right and good thing to do for art restorers, collectors and Catholics like me. We should be part of the church heritage conservation effort."

Dr. Leticia Cordero-Yap, a native of Tayabas who worked in the Pampanga capital of San Fernando, will return the image to Msgr. Antonio Obena, the parish priest, on Saturdayv.

PHOTO B: The recovered San Juan image, found and sold in Pampanga. Secured by the buyer, it was turned over to a Tayabas resident today for its return to Tayabas.

14. FAITH GROWS, TROY GROWS

Our antique Mater Dolorosa is the center of our family's veneration, commissioned in 2002 to honor the memory of our father, Gerardo M. Castro Jr., who passed away in 1998. The antique head, from the workshop of Makati santero, Mr. Francisco "Kiko" Vecin, was outfiited with a vintage wooden body and two sets of hands. It first joined the 2004 Good Friday (9 April) procession of the San Rafael Parish, in Barangay Mabiga, Mabalacat, Pampanga and has since regularly participated in our town's "Maleldo" (Mahal na Araw) traditions. We have documented our Dolorosa's annual participations through these pictures.

My nephew, Trojan Angelo Castro or Troy also has his official picture taken with the Virgen every year. When, for some reason, that is not possible, we take a separate shot of Troy and superimpose his image on that of the Dolorosa's, through computer magic. These pictures have become conversation pieces as it is amazing how both he, and our faith--have grown through the years.

 +++++ 

YEAR 2003, age 9... 

 +++++ 

IN YEAR 2004, age 10... 

 +++++ 

IN YEAR 2005, age 11.. 

 +++++ 

 

 IN YEAR 2006, age 12...

 +++++ 

IN YEAR 2007, age 13... 

+++++ 

..AND IN YEAR 2008, age 14... 

 +++++ 

 ..AND IN YEAR 2009 (Holy Wed., Apr.8) , age 15... 

+++++ 

YEAR 2010, (Holy Wed. 31 March) age 16 

+++++ 

YEAR 2011 (Holy Wed., 20 April), age 17 

 ++++

YEAR 2012 (Holy Wed., 20 April), age 18

13. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU, IMA

Ima, my mother, finally surrendered to God’s will after putting up a valiant fight against lung cancer, the same disease that claimed my father eleven years go. In the 6 months that she battled the disease, she found comfort in my old Star Wars bedsheet—still soft and serviceable after all these years. My siblings from abroad sent her all kinds of brand new blankets—but it was this galactic sheet that she clung to, even as she was sustained by our love and prayers and buoyed by visits from family and friends.

 In the end, not even her favorite security shield could save her life, but her spirit remained unbroken throughout her ordeal. Her humor kept our faith alive and the strength of her will was incredible. Several times, on the brink of death, she miraculously bounced back, astounding even her doctors. But on the night of June 23, at 8 p.m, my Ima, spent and weary, decided it was time to join my late father Gerry and brother Eric in eternal life. Though physically gone, Ima lives in our hearts. Godspeed, Ima, wherever you are, may the Force be with you. (1 July 2009)

 WE REMEMBER IMA:  ESTER DEL ROSARIO-CASTRO

 (b. 13 Aug. 1928- d. 23 Jun. 2009)

Exactly a year ago today, our Mother, Estrella del Rosario-Castro, joined our Dad and brother Eric in eternal life. I miss her cooking, I miss her laughter in the house, I miss watching telenovelas and game shows with her, I miss Saturday Masses with her, and I miss our monthly dine-outs at her favorite Chinese Restaurants. But Ima lives on, loved and remembered for always in our minds and in our hearts!

 You were there when we took our first steps,

 And went unsteadily across the floor.

 You pushed and prodded: encouraged and guided,

 Until our steps took us out the door...

 You worry now "Are they ok?"

 Is there more you could have done?

 As we walk the paths of our unknown You wonder

"Where have my children gone?"

 Where we are is where you have led us,

 With your special love you showed us a way,

 To believe in ourselves and the decisions we make.

 Taking on the challenge of life day-to-day.

 And where we go you can be sure,

 In spirit you shall never be alone.

 For where you are is what matters most to us,

 Because to us that will always be home...

 (22 June 2010)

12. Look What I Found III: ME, IN A MAGNOLIA AD

MY FULL PAGE WORTH OF FAME.  The original print ad for Magnolia Dairy Bar with me as the milk-shake drinking model.

Now here's a real blast from my secret past. Once upon a time, I had my 30 seconds of fame as a commercial model. Unthinkable, you say? Well, I have a tear sheet of a full page, full color print ad for Magnolia Ice Cream House to prove it. Remember that famous dairy bar along Aurora Boulevard that served all those yummy frozen specialties? Whether you believe it or not, I was once their flavor of the month!

This must have been around 1979 or 1980. I remember being handpicked by the Director, Manuel “Jun” Urbano Jr. (known to this generation as Mr. Shoo-Li) for this one minute slice-of-life commercial, showing people of all ages, enjoying a Magnolia frozen treat. Featured in vignettes were a pair of young lovers (Raymond Lauchengco got that one), a family of 4, a Mother Superior and her brood of nuns (Gigi Virata was one of them). A group of executives, a school barkada ( With That's Entertainment member, Joel Alano+) and a bespectacled nerd (guess who?).

 I recall shooting the commercial in one extra long day. My instructions were for me to act like I was so absorbed with a book, that upon leaning to drink my milk shake, my chin gets bumped by the straw. Then I had to do furtive glances left and right to see if someone had seen my awkward moment. True enough, a colegiala seated nearby does, and I bury myself between the pages of the book. It sounded so easy, but by the end of take 5, you feel mechanical and rattled, and most of all, confused.

 In any case, I made it to the final edit of the commercial, as well as the print ad version that you see here. Not only that, in less than a month, I was again shooting a Magnolia Chocolait TV commercial with nerdy me sandwiched between 2 chocolate-sipping lovelies, who have taken refuge under my umbrella in the rain. Who cares if I was typecasted? I was, officially, a commercial model!

Now let me show you my print ad for that famous soap brand, if only I can find it…

11. I AM CERTIFED ebay JUNKIE

So here I am checking my ebay profile:

Member since 20 April 1999. 227 transactions. An impeccable 100% Positive feedback. No negatives. Not even neutral comments. With a record 8 purchases in the last month alone. Ebay must be proud. I don’t know if my mother feels the same. All these brown-wrapped packages and Fedex boxes arriving in the mail bode ill for my already crowded SSS box house. Another object of affection means another shelf to make, another space to fill. And they just keep coming: old photos, religious paintings, vintage figurines, armless saints, rusty lunchboxes, Carmen Miranda coloring books and collectible Coke bottles.

 But I can’t help myself. There is an ebay itch I have to scratch. Why, a few years ago, when I and my friends bidded on an Amorsolo painting on ebay sold from Austria, the feverish bidding even made it to the local paper (the exciting account was written by Jose ‘Butch’ Dalisay ), with me losing the painting to a Filipino doctor based abroad. See, my rabid ebaying makes good copy.

 True, bidding and buying online is not only addicting, it can be hazardous to one’s resources and reason. I have bought lemons and fake antiques, received damaged goods and have items lost forever in the mail. But after nine years of ebaying, I can say that I had more good times than bad. I have managed to amass quite a few rare finds on ebay, acquired at reasonable—and sometimes, ridiculously low prices, lending credence to every basurero’s belief that trash does indeed, yield treasure.

 Let me present my Favorite Top 5 ebay finds:

 I have a tie for 5th place, 2 examples of Eastern and Western art...

5.  FILIPINIANA TIPOS Y COSTUMBRES DEL PAIS FIGURES

These are well-made and highly detailed escayola (plaster of paris) figurines that showed typical costumes of common Filipinos in the early 1900s. The pair—depicting Filipina vendors-- was sold by a friendly American ebayer and which I won after a heated bidding against another Philippine-based buyer (who I found out later, was my own antique dealer-friend!). They are actually cheaper commercial versions of woodcarved and polychromed figures that were in vogue at this time, carved by artists like Graciano Nepomuceno. These figurines were marked at the bottom with “I. Beck”, a leading emporium near Escolta, Manila originally established by Jewish businessman Isaac Beck in 1898 as American Bazaar. I paid $130 for this pair. The seller offered--for an additional 20$--a 3rd figure which she said was moderately damaged. I still whack my head every now and then for not taking up her offer.

 5. CALVARIO TRAGANT ART IN A GLASS DOME

This wonderful 19th c. Calvario tableau, encased in a fragile glass dome, survived its trip from Belgium (where the seller was based) to the Philippines—although the cross fell off and had to be re-glued. The whole ensemble is made of “tragant”, a stabilization/bonding agent used by pharmacists of old. When mixed with water, sugar and sometimes, eggs, it forms a kneadable dough that can be shaped into various figures on flat molds—much like a cookie. It hardens, becomes less porous and can thus be painted. Tragant art was a favorite past time of monasteries in Europe in the 19th century. And this treasure became mine for only $45!

 +++

 4. MOUNTAIN MAID, C.V. LOPEZ PAINTING

The ebay seller of this fine ethnic painting was a gallery in California. I was fascinated not only by the fact that this piece was painted by the noted Mabini painter Crispin Villafuerte Lopez (1903-1985), but the subject looked so much like my sister who grew up in Baguio! Anyway, back to the artist. C.V. Lopez was a well-known portraitist who won 1st prize for a Rizal portrait in a painting competition to celebrate the hero’s birthday centenary. But, he also painted mandatory landscapes and genre scenes. His paintings locally command a starting price of Php60,000, but I got this framed piece for only $60++ (roughly PhP 3,000) dollars, shipped all the way to the Philippines!

 +++

 3. BLANCO “FLORA DE FILIPINAS” PRINTS

Spanish Fr. Manuel Blanco O.S.A, was sent to the Philippines and served as cura parocco in several parishes. He also became a Rector provincial and Prior of Guadalupe, where he died in 1845. He documented his life works on Philippine flowers and plants in his book, Flora de Filipinas, the 3rd edition of which contained colored illustrated plates of local flowering plants, now highly prized by collectors. The ebay seller was a gallery in Sta. Ana, California. I won one colored plate earlier for 45$. Two years or so later, I contacted him again with the intention of acquiring more prints, but his prices have since doubled. But $90 is still a reasonable amount to pay for a handsome Blanco print which commands 5-digit prices in the Philippines.—if you can find one.

 +++

 Again, it's a tie for 2nd place:

2. SAN FRANCISCO DE PAOLA, MEXICAN COLONIAL PAINTING

This painting on a canvass of San Francisco de Paola, the Italian beggar- friar saint and founder of the Minim Order, came from a Mexican seller. It was dirty, damaged and was without it stretcher. However, it still retained its vibrant colors despite its age and a glaring tear on the canvass. It was also dated at the back (1876). I won this fine piece for under $100, and had it shipped to the U.S. for safekeeping. When it arrived in the Philippines, it was expertly restored by a local painter and reframed in an appropriate Italian gilt frame. It is one of my most favorite pieces, showing the saint in his austere habit and a sunburst bearing the word "Caritas" (charity), a virtue he was well-known for.

 2. ECCE HOMO PASTEL PAINTING

Now here's a large painting found by an American ebay seller from a Philadelphia estate sale. The seller put this up with a "Buy It Now" option for $200 as she was rushing to raise funds for her daughter's wedding. The highly detailed pastel work depicting the tortured Christ, crowned and holding a reed scepter, came in its original carved gold-painted frame and its original 'bubbly' glass. Due to the size (it was over 2 x 2 square), I had it shipped to the U.S. with the intention of carting it home when I get there for my regular vacations. But it was just too big to handle, so it was crated and shipped to the Philippines where it arrived safe and sound after another month of waiting.

 +++

 And my best, most valuable and prized ebay find...

1. INMACULADA CONCEPCION RELICARIO PAINTING

This oval centerpiece is circumscribed by several layers of pearls and a number of relics (Getsemani, Diego del Alcala, Calvario) , and further surrounded by wired beads, sequins, fabric flowers and gold embroidery. Doves made from balsa wood and cut-out Victorian Angels mounted on springs make unusual accents as they move when the shadow box is shaken.

This item—found in Bulacan and which I now had reframed-- came away with no bids and I purchased it from the dealer after, for the tidy sum of P3,000. I have since been offered Php140,000 for this treasure, but I am not budging. And what have you found on ebay lately? (22 June 2008)