Despues de una larga ausencia

Apologies for the long absence. Work got in the way, and could not be ignored, specially in these hard times.

I'd like to post here a comment made by an anonymous reader of Habla Chabacano, in reaction to a post about Padre Pedro. Here is what Anynoymous said:

Yo naci' en la ciudad de Cavite en 1944 durante la guerra contra Japon. Conoci' Padre Pedro Lerena, un puro espanol. Era un padre de parochial my estricto que ponia miedos a los Cavitenos. Yo servi' como un sacristan durante mis ninez. El padre era un buen amigo de mi familia, mi abuela, especialmente porque eran paisanos. Mi abuela nacio' en Barcelona, Espana pero crecio' en las Filipinas desde su quinta anos de edad hasta su muerte en 1952, edad 84 anos. Su nombre era Doña Angela Zabala Borromeo.

Below is a translation of Anonymous' comment, done with a little help from Google's translation tools.

I was born in Cavite City in 1944 during the war against Japan. I know Father Pedro Lerena, a pure Spanish. He was a strict father who put fear in the hearts of Cavitenos. I served 'as a sacristan during my childhood. The father was a good friend of my family, my grandmother, especially because they were countrymen. My grandmother was born in Barcelona, Spain but grew up in the Philippines from the age of five until her death in 1952 at the age of 84. Her name was Doña Angela Zabala Borromeo.

Any old-time Cavitenos out there who have something to say about this? Your comments are welcome.

Sacred Heart

My Uncle sent me a short text message to say the monthly meetings of the Sacred Heart Academy Alumni Association of Cavite City have been discontinued. He quotes one of the members he talked to. "Members are getting fewer, with many survivors now disabled," he said. The last Sacred Heart gathering was a Christmas party held December last year but only seven showed up.

Caviteñas Long Ago-2

Sacred Heart was an exclusive school for girls that existed in Cavite City in the early decades of the last century. It figured a lot in my grandmother's stories because she studied there. I've written about it in an earlier post. (That post got a comment from JPS who is looking for information about Sacred Heart).

Anyway, in response to JPS: the remaining Benedictine sisters who used to run Sacred Heart in Cavite City are now living in their convent in Baguio. Tiene ve, ta bisita mi aguela con ilo na Baguio. Aquel ung madre, Sister Gala, ya quida madrina de mi aguela (wedding sponsor). Tiene eli sobrina, Sister Brigida, vivo pa y talla rin na Baguio.

JPS also mentioned the names Sister Beata and Sister Renate. According to my Uncle Bobby who accompanies my grandmother to visit the Benedictine nuns, Sister Beata has been long dead and is buried in Leyte.

At right is a photo of a Sacred Heart Academy reunion and, as the banner in the picture says, it was held in 1988, nearly 20 years ago. My grandmother is standing in front, third from left, the one with the black hair. In the old sepia photo on top, my grandmother is the one seated right smack at the center.

Also according to Uncle Bobby, there is a Sacred Heart Alumni Association meeting every month and is presided over by Ñora Puring Ballesteros.

Padre Mojica

I think that's the name of the parish priest who came after Padre Pedro. Padre or Father Mojica. If I'm not mistaken.

Historic Rebelliousness

At the boundary of Bacoor and Las Pinas along Coastal Road is (was) a sign that welcomes visitors to the "Makasaysayang Lalawigan ng Cavite" (Historic Province of Cavite). And within the province, there's probably no town or city more historic that Cavite City.

Sure, there's Kawit where Philippine Independence from Spain was declared but we'll always have Cavite City where naturally rebellious people were making trouble for authorities long before Aguinaldo grabbed center stage.

Cavite City is where Fort San Felipe is located and Fort San Felipe was where shipyard workers staged a mutiny in 1872, which was blamed on Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora who were later executed.

Much later there were the 13 martyrs of Cavite, young men from well-to-do families who were also executed for anti-Spanish sentiments. A monument to them stands along the road going to Fort San Felipe near Garita Elementary School and their names are written in stone.

And even to this day, Fort San Felipe plays host to rebels because that's where they locked up the soldiers accused of attempting to overthrow you-know-who. Why am I writing about this? Nothing really except that in a few weeks, it will be the anniversary of two coup attempts and you get to wonder whether anyone is going to try anything again. But then it's election time so people's minds are probably elsewhere at the moment.

Padre Pedro

My Dad says that the old San Roque priest from the 1960s or early 70s must have been Padre Pedro. I'm not so sure. I remember Padre Pedro being mestizo. The grouch of a priest who terrorized me was Pinoy. It must have been the one who became parish priest after Padre Pedro.

Caviteñas Long Ago

Pictures are what we usually attempt to put in order as we unclutter our lives and homes. I've never been successful at uncluttering, and have this very bad habit of misplacing important things like pictures.

Until today, and only with this particular set of pictures. They belong to my grandmother. I borrowed them 15 years ago for her 80th birthday. She is now 94 going on 95.

Someone in my household found them today. It shows my grandmother, Luz Peña, in her teenage years in Cavite City sometime in the 1920s, when she was a student at what was then the Sacred Heart Academy, an exclusive school for girls run by the Benedictine sisters, the same ones who run St. Scholastica's College today.

From my grandmother's sketchy stories (I often felt confused with the way she told her stories which were never linear or chronological), Sacred Heart was located somewhere in what was once the old city, near where the Philippine Navy base and Fort San Felipe are currently located.

In the group picture, she is the only one wearing what looks like a dark printed dress, standing third from left. It is obviously Christmas, as the decor behind them indicates.

Most people in Cavite City then spoke Chabacano. There were of course outsiders (mga taga-labas) who did not speak the dialect. There were also Americans, and years later Cavite City would be where they set up the military facility known as Sangley Point.

Come to think of it, my grandmother actually spoke three languages aside from Chabacano--Tagalog Spanish and English--as I am sure other Caviteños did in their time.