Araw ng Kalayaan

Isang maalab na pagbati sa Araw ng Kalayaan mula sa siyudad ng Kabite, tahanan mga bayani, sa makasaysayang lalawigan ng Kabite.

Cavite City (then called Cavite Puerto) was the site of the 1872 Cavite mutiny that resulted in the martyrdom of Padres Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora. Cavite City is also the birthplace of Ladislao Diwa, who founded the Katipunan with Andres Bonifacio, and of Julian Felipe who composed the Marcha Nacional Filipina that became the Philippine National Anthem.

Cavite City was also home to the 13 Martyrs who were executed for their involvement in the Katipunan. A Cavite landmark is the monument to these Trece Martires in Rosario district in San Roque, below.

Sa Kabite, may grupo ng mga Mason, at malakas din ang Iglesia Filipina Independiente o Aglipayan Church, na parehong tumututol sa mga pang-aabuso ng mga Kastila noong araw. (Ang ama ng aking lolo nga daw ay naging escribano o scribe sa Simbahang Aglipay noong kanyang kabataan.)

Maraming kalye at eskwelahan sa siyudad ng Kabite ang ipinangalan sa mga bayani nito. Kaya't bata pa ang mga Kabitenyo ay nakaukit na sa kanilang kamalayan ang mga pangalan ng mga bayani.

Some people might think it ironic that despite its place in the struggle for independence, it is in Cavite where we see the vestiges of Spanish colonial influence through the Chabacano language. But Chabacano is also an expression of the Caviteño identity, proof of how some Filipinos took from the colonizer's language and created one distinctly their own, un lenggwahe Creole de niso mismo.

Para Dios y Patria!

Cavite City's Baywalk

Long time no post. Here's a new one. A Chabacano conversation.


Chabacano 1 (C1): Ay, que bonito ya pala aqui. Como Baywalk na Roxas Boulevard. Mira tu quesi manga luz, el manga lamppost! Como na Manila!

Chabacano 2 (C2): E, cuanto pedaso lang esi. Cunta tu.



C2: Cuatro lang. O pero tiene pa aqui na park.

C1: Nuevo lang esi, nuay pa ung mes.

C2: Bueno naman, at least tiene dondi pwede pasya mga Caviteño. Y tiene pa como paseo.

C1: Hay naku, di quel Huwebes, bahang baha aqui. Akala yo baha del aguasero, aquel pala baha del aplaya. High tide kasi. Nuay ma ora. Secung seco ya.

(No time to translate. Anyone who wishes to translate, you're welcome to do so by posting a comment. Gracias!).

La Virgen

In late November to early December, the San Roque Church played host to a Marian exhibit. Actually the host (or hostess) was San Roque's patron saint, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga.

The images included the Mater Dolorosa, Nuestra Señora de la Turumba, Nuestra Señora de la Leche, Nuestra Señora del Rosario and many others.

I took these photos at a time when the exhibit was closed, and got shooed away by a caretaker, who mumbled that visitors weren't allowed when there was no one around to watch, because Las Virgenes' accessories and finery might get stolen. In the past and in other places, thieves have not spared these images. And so I hesitated to upload this post, fearful that bad people might get wind of Our Ladies' whereabouts. But now the Marian exhibit is long gone from Cavite City and I can safely post the pictures.

Here are the many faces of La Virgen, this blog's tribute to Her, who gave Holy Birth to the Man whose cumpleaño the world is celebrating this season.



In the backdrop is the yet unfinished ceiling of the San Roque Church, corrugated sheets still. Holding court among all was the image of La Soledad so familiar to Caviteños.

San Roque Church renovation update

Tiene egroup el mga Caviteño que ta ayuda na construction del San Roque Church, el casa de La Soledad. Ya habla ilo, mga dos o tres año pa raw bago caba el iglesia, pero cabao ya raw el physical structure. Ya umpisa el construction di quel 2001. El nombre y email address del egroup sanroquerenovationgroup@yahoogroups.ca.

I was in Cavite the past days, and I've been marvelling at the devotion of those supporting the church's construction. There was one particular supporter that caught my eye.

Primero, ya mira yo con ele cerca na palengke, pero ta maneha yo y no hay yo camera at that time kaya no yo ya pudi saca litrato. The next day, ya mira ya naman yo con ele, ta dale vuelta na kalye Rafael Palma. Ta maneha ya naman yo kaya no yo pudi saca picture. After that, no ma yo ya encuntra con ele.

And then, just as I was leaving Cavite, I saw him, her, it. Black Toyota Innova parked along Lapidario St in San Antonio, faith and support to Our Lady of Solitude written all over. Near the front is the line: "Help Build Our Church."

Viva La Soledad

For all Caviteños everywhere, here is a belated greeting on the feast of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga, Cavite City's patroness. Happy Fiesta!

Below is the official poster commemmorating the event, courtesy of Ms. Joy Picache dela Rosa of the Cavite City Library and Musuem. Gracias, Ma'am Joy!

The price of progress: Cavite Road Project

Looks like the Manila-Cavite coastal road project is quietly pushing through, and if newspaper reports are to be believed, one proof is that fishing villages in Bacoor, Cavite are being told to prepare to be wiped out.

That's the gist of the story that came out in today's Philippine Daily Inquirer, and in the print version, there was even a graphic of the route from the Zapote Bacoor Interchange to the projected Kawit Toll Plaza and Interchange, a seven-kilometer stretch of road over water that will have three viaducts spanning the coast of Bacoor.

After the Toll Plaza, the expressway proceeds inland into Noveleta and on toward Sangley Point which is again planned as an international hub of some sort. Habla Chabacano had a post on that a year ago, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of Sangley gearing for hub-ness?

Anyway, here's the full article entitled "Cavite road project stirs poor villages" that came out today.

Jimel Academy Class of '83

Jimel Academy's Class of 1983 recently celebrated its 25th year. (How time flies. My brother is a member of that class and the image I have of him filed away in my mind is him in high school. That's 25 years ago!)

I remember that Jimel Academy opened in Cavite City sometime in the 70s and it was where Caviteño-Fil-Am (or is it Caviteño-Americano) kids went to study. My younger brother and sister finished high school there and some of their classmates were balikbayans from the U.S.

I'm posting here pictures of the reunion of members of Class 1983 who are based in the U.S, my brother included. Incidentally, Batch 83 also has its own website, JABatch83, but I think it's still under construction.

Anyway, below is a note from my brother, Mark del Rosario, with some pictures.

The reunion was held on July 12 and 13 in Las Vegas. We had an afternoon get-together on Saturday at a village clubhouse with the families, and a formal dinner on Sunday in a hotel with some classmates bringing their spouses.

There were 27 of us who attended (remarkable considering that there were only like 75 of us in the graduating class).

Here are the pictures, which looked like the reunion was great fun!
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Here's Mark's list of those who attended the reunion (no particular order):

1. Mark del Rosario
2. Jeffrey Bautista
3. Alfred Cruz
4. Carlo Santos
5. Eduardo Toletino
6. Louie Del Carmen
7. Dindo Avellanosa
8. Frederick Abutin
9. Jeffrey Anglo
10. Jojun Fojas
11. Carmen Sarino-Roy
12. Grace Pulido-Hallen
13. Emily Encarnacion-Illo
14. Marjorie Mediran-Cunanan
15. Elena May Legaspi-Cruz
16. Ghia Bautista-Samonte
17. Caroline Kagaoan-Galvante
18. Nessie Ramirez-Norris
19. Shirley Israel-Bautista
20. Joy Baldonado-Gayban
21. Mary Ann Cuevas-Beluso
22. Tina Del Rosario
23. Sandra Sandin-Filoteo
24. Alina Aban-Buckley
25. Cecilia Cacha-Amogawin
26. Glenda Soriano-Lao
27. Annalyn Javier-Acogido