Naquem.

Note: This photo-essay appeared in the 13-19 March 2015 edition of FilAm Star, 'the newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. The author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the said weekly.

The mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant.

After 26 years, I walked down the Bataan nuclear facility last week. A walk down was a regular routine as a health physicist there until 1988 when I decided to join the risk management department at the National Power Corporation home office in Quezon City.

A fellow ex-nuke worker from Canada was here for a visit, and we both took the chance to renew acquaintance with the BNPP, and nothing could beat walking down the well-preserved spick-and-span reactor, steam generator, and auxiliary buildings. We tarried for sometime inside the main control room, which has remained as it was many years ago. Deja vu! We felt the excitement of visitors when they cross the double hatchway to get a view of the reactor, among other things, at the reactor pool. This is an experience they would not get in an operating nuclear facility.

Throwback: it was Philippine Nuclear Power Plant (PNPP) until August 1992 when President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order No. 13 renaming it the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

We recalled getting systems and procedures ready to implement the radiation exposure management program once the fuel assemblies got loaded to the core. Actually, that program went in place as soon as the nuclear fuel arrived in 1984 at the international airport, transported by land, and deposited at the plant in Napot Point, Morong town in Bataan province.

Scale model of BNPP.

Radiation monitoring continued even if the plant did not operate until the unused nuclear fuel was sold to Siemens and shipped out on 15 December 1997. After that date, the facility was nuclear in name only; it became a non-nuclear facility.

BNPP, located at the tip of a 389-hectare government reservation at Napot Point, was a 620MW Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant built by Westinghouse. It was designed to withstand a postulated earthquake of intensity 8 in the Richter Scale (or ground acceleration value of 0.4G). Since it is 18 meters above sea level ground elevation, the site is well-protected against tidal waves and tsunamis.

Construction started in March 1976. It was almost complete in 1984 and all the equipment and systems had passed the hot functional tests. Core loading was eagerly anticipated. But EDSA 1 changed all that. In November 1986, the Cory administration decided to mothball the plant and designated NPC as caretaker.

Through the years, there had been discourses on the “the conversion of BNPP into alternative utilization” both for energy and non-energy purposes.

In May 1993, for example, President Ramos directed the secretary of energy “to consider only non-nuclear options for the operation of the BNPP” considering the results of a study on the “repair, upgrade and operation of BNPP as a nuclear power plant as proposed by Westinghouse.” He reiterated this position in 1997 when other conversion proposals were studied.

In 2008, upon the request of the Philippine government, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deployed a team of experts “to counsel ... on the practicalities of revitalizing the plant.” Akira Omoto, Director of the IAEA´s Division of Nuclear Power and leader of that mission, explained that the Philippine “has to assess what the new licensing requirements should be, how to modernize the two-decades old technology to current standards, and how to confirm that all aspects of the plant will function properly and safely. It is not the IAEA´s role to state whether the plant is usable or not, or how much it will cost to rehabilitate."

The hatchway door to the nuclear reactor (left); a view of moderating rods at the nuclear pool (right).

The other issue is if there is a discussion on the nuclear option in the power development program in the country. Apparently, there is. Mauro L. Marcelo, Jr., NPC’s asset preservation manager, informed that a multi-agency nuclear energy group headed by the secretary of energy has been created to study the nuclear option but so far this has not issued any official pronouncements. Marcelo, who was also with BNPP before, thinks that nuclear power may come around 2030 just like in our ASEAN neighbors: Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

In 2008, BNPP was opened to the public as part of the government’s information, education and communication program on nuclear power. It is almost a tourist site except that the visitors are largely students who come by the busloads for an educational tour of the facility.

Marcelo said that former Congressman Mark Cojuangco, a strong advocate of nuclear power, brings students and other groups to the site and he himself conducts the thorough briefings on the BNPP story vis-a-vis the nuclear option.

The preserved control room (left); the turbine, which is turned regularly (right).

This reminds that the Nuclear Power Steering Committee (NPSC), in its final report to President Fidel Ramos in 1998, emphasized the prominence of public education and information in building the climate of public acceptance of the nuclear option. The committee, composed of Cabinet secretaries and the head of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), was created to “provide policies, direction, monitoring, evaluation, and other functions necessary ... to attain “the objectives of the overall Nuclear Power Program of the country.”

Aside from public information and information, recommendations of the NPSC came from various studies like nuclear manpower development and siting, among others. These remain relevant until today. New studies will takeoff from these.

Regarding nuclear manpower, the NPSC reported, “Assuming that the first nuclear plant will come on line in 2021 with a lead time of 15 years for the planning, pre-construction and construction phases (meaning, the project will start in 2006), there is a need for slow but calculated build-up of the manpower base using young engineers and technologists.” This means that a timetable for manpower training has to be mapped in any proposed nuclear power program.

From the siting study, ten candidate sites of a new nuclear power plant were submitted to President Ramos in January 1996: five in Luzon, three in the Visayas and two in Mindanao. There was a preliminary assessment of candidate sites in Cagayan, Negros and Palawan. The presentation did not immediately evoke the expected outroar. The delayed reaction came later through resolutions espousing nuclear-free sentiments from concerned groups in Central Visayas, Negros Oriental and Palawan.

Siting parameters considered were safety and non-safety aspects. Geology, population, meteorogical, climatological and environmental aspects were safety considerations. Some non-safety aspects studied were socio-cultural, military and security, economics of transmission, site development and transportation access, and political factors. Others that were studied included average population density, water supply, land use, siltation/erosion, and security against volcanic events.

The cove west of BNPP has been converted into a resort facility aptly called West Nuk Beach.

For sure, the future Philippine Nuclear Power Plant will be giant issue to hurdle considering the long campaign for public acceptance especially by the population in the host town or province. Eventually, the siting consideration boils down to nuclear security, safety and safeguards.

Note: This photo-essay was featured in a slightly different version in the 20-26 March 2015 issue of FilAm Star, 'the newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the weekly paper.

The volunteers who heeded the call of singer-composer Gary Granada to sing his

public interest song “Bayan Muna.” Photo from LAPIS/Karl Ramirez.

On 14 March 2015, Filipino musical artists and composers came together at the University of the Philippines Amphitheater, hemmed between the iconic Oblation and the statue depicting the making of the Philippine flag, and joined their voices for the music video of “Bayan Muna”, a song of public interest composed by popular singer-composer Gary Granada.

Granada calls his new composition “awiting mala-harana sa bayan”, a serenade calling for solidarity in promoting nationalism and genuine change. It’s a song, he said, “tungkol sa pagkupkop sa bayan, at pagmamahal sa sariling kultura.”

“Kahit ang hangin ay lumamig / At ang damdamin di maantig / Ang kalinga at pag-ibig / Taimtim na pananalig / Sa tuwina sisigasig sa dibdib” (first part of the song)

L to R: Cookie Chua, Chickoy Pura of The Jerks band,

Gary Granada, Lolita Carbon & Bayang Barrios.

The League of Authors of Public Interest Songs (LAPIS, an apt acronym that recalls ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’) initiated this musical event. LAPIS is an “open group of unsigned musicians including Bayang Barrios, Cooky Chua and Lolita Carbon of Tres Marias; Chikoy Pura of The Jerks and Gary Granada,” according to their artisteconnect LAPIS webpage.

Their public interest musical agenda can be gleaned from their description of their LAPIS 2015 project, a collaborative Pilipino music album: “an experiment in mixing social subjects (such as gender justice or the plight of teachers and overseas workers) with crowd friendly musical idioms (rock and roll, reggae, blues, even dance). “

“Ako ay lahing kayumanggi / Ang lagi’t lagging minimithi / Ay bansa na masagana / Mapayapa, maligaya / Na kasama ang kasama kong sinta” (second part)

The polyphony of about 140 voices came from members of student organizations (The UP Repertory Company, STAND-UP, etc.), cultural groups (Concerned Artists of the Philippines, Sining Bugkos, etc.), choirs (People’s Chorale, Sing Philippines Youth Chorale), bands (Talahib Peoples Project, Plagpul, Datu’s Tribe, Tukar Sinati, Plethora, etc.), and music enthusiasts of various professions (academicians, doctors, etc.), young and old, who heeded the call of Granada for volunteers through the social media and a YouTube post weeks before the event. A blind quartet responded too, and music artists from the provinces!

Chickoy Pura of The Jerks, the Tres Marias (Cooky, Bayang and Lolita), and Granada were the lead singers in the music video

Top row, l to r: Children volunteers; Doods S. Conejos and his daughter Kaye Anne rehearse with
Ramil Pelle. Middle row, l to r: Congressman Neri Colmenares (with the guitar), his son and volunteers
from different chapters of the Bayanmuna Partylist; and group of Letranites: Cheska Jaramillo (back
to camera), Yvette Soriano, Jin Jin Tiangha, Paul S. Galutera & Raul R. Alvarez. Bottom row, l to r: Committed blind musicians;and Sakuri, in the middle, came all the way from Gen. Santos City

The technical side of the music video production had musician Monet Silvestre, sportscaster Manolo Chino Trinidad, activist singer-composer Karl Ramirez, Loujaye Sonido and the indie video outfit Munting Media, in the pool of 40 volunteers.

“Bayan muna and dapat pakikinggan/ Bayan muna ang dapat paglingkuran / Bayan muna, di ang dikta ng dayuhan / Bayan muna / di luho ng iilan / Bayan muna (3x).”

“Coming together you can say are common folks bound together by three things they all deeply value,” Granada told the Inquirer days before the shoot. “First is the welfare of the majority of Filipinos. Second is national sovereignty. And last of course is hitting the note. I am very sure about the first two. The third is the thrilling part.”

Left picture: Pol Torrente, composer-musician Neil Gatacelo Legaspi, Boogs

Villareal, Karl Ramirez & Peter Panelo of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines.

Right picture: Cabring Cabrera & Cindy Cruz-Cabrera of Datu’s Tribe,

Rica L. Nepomuceno, Boogs Villareal and Neil Garacelo Legaspi.

They came, they ate together, and sang and sang again: “Bayan ang lilikha / Bayan ang gagawa / Bayan ang magpapalaya”

Chino Trinidad with the Tres Marias: Cookie Chua, Bayang

Barrios & Lolita Carbon. Photo from Chino’s Facebook page.

Followers of Granada surely expect to see the “Bayan Muna” uploaded in his webpage for the free download. This will be another addition to their free downloads of the Cebuano and Tagalog chapel songs, the Lean Alejandro and Jose Rizal full musicals, Basurero ng Luneta (one of his 50th anniversary albums), and MAPA 1 (Mga Awit na Magagamit sa Pagtalakay ng Panlipunang Aralin Para sa Paksang Kasaysayan, Sibika, Literatura at Musika), among others.

The Gary Granada website administrator informs that they will post “Bayan Muna” hopefully before 12 June, Independence Day, “pag ready na”.

Note: This photo-essay in a slightly different version appeared in the 27 Mar - 02 Apr 2015 issue of FilAm Star, 'the newspaper for the Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the weekly paper.

Kidlat in cap and gown (he graduated from UP and Pennsylvania's Wharton School and
bahag (he embraces the indigenous culture of the Cordilleras to this day, having grown up in Baguio City).

Indie-genous from indie and indigenous: for his being the “Father of Philippine Independent Cinema”, a title given Kidlat Tahimik by his fellow film makers, and second, for making Filipino cultural threads shine through his unique, playful and humorous film narratives.

I had two occasions to meet indie genius Kidlat (formally Eric de Guia, 72, of Baguio City): at the screening of Balikbayan #1 Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III on 23 March, and at a forum with film students at the UP College of Mass Communications the next day.

In August last year, during the 10th Cinemalaya Film Festival, Kidlat received the Cinemalaya Gawad Balanghai from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya Foundation for his outstanding contribution to Philippine independent cinema. This was in recognition for giving the “[indie cinema] movement impetus through his pioneering efforts.”

Kidlat turned over Cimemalaya
Balanghai award to Yason Banal of
UP Film Institute for safekeeping.

But before the film showing, Kidlat, “the silent lightning”, struck at the Cinemalaya Foundation. He expressed a strong protest against the new policy of scrapping the New Breed category in the next Cinemalaya film festival, which would mean that new film makers will compete with the veteran directors. Kidlat symbolically returned the Balanghai award: he gave it to the UP Film Center for keeps, and he will take it back if Cinemalaya rescinds the new policy.

Balikbayan #1 took 35 years to finish. Kidlat narrated that it all began in 1979 when his oldest son Kidlat was five years old, Kawayan was three, and Kabunyan was not born yet. The busy years were from 1981 to 1985. He said that he came to realize in 1988 that he wanted to be barkada to his sons who were growing up. He decided “to be father first rather than a film maker.” He wanted focus in his role in family bonding. Thus, he “hang” his 16 mm camera, so to speak.

He resumed shooting again in 2013. The 16mm technology was out already, and digital was very much in. He felt it was a cosmic chance to finish the film after seeing his son Kawayan with a thick mane and fully bearded, perfect as the new Magellan. He had just come back from the retrospective shows of his films in the United States.

“Magellan was just a prop in the film,” Kidlat stressed. It is Enrique de Malacca’s story: “umikot sa mundo [si Enrique] at umuwi sa kanyang bayan ...he was the first OFW, the first balikbayan.” The film narrative, he jested, was “according to the gospel of Kidlat Tahimik.”

Home to the reincarnated Enrique became an Ifugao village in 2013. Here he is a wood-carver where old customs and values are very much alive.

In good humor, Kidlat said that Enrique made the complete circumnavigation. In his fiction, Enrique was an Ifugao lad who flew to Cebu using his native blanket. He could have been captured and brought to Malacca by pirates, where Magellan purchased him from a Chinese trader, brought to Portugal and Spain. Of course, he was part of the expedition in search of Spice Islands, and it was his duty to give Magellan a bath!. According to Kidlat’s gospel, Lapu-Lapu, a babaylan, not a tough guy, killed Magellan. The poor Ferdinand did not complete the round-the-world trip back to Sevilla.

Balikbayan #1 is also about the power of language. Enrique was into translating his native language for Portuguese and Spanish ears. After the long sea voyage, they landed in Limasawa. Enrique could not understand the Warays there but he understood the rattle of Bisaya words of his tribe mates when they got to Cebu/Mactan. Language was the key that opened the islands to the Spanish empire. The aside is, of course, the post-1898 experience tells that it was through language that Pinoy culture got Americanized.

The film is a family movie. “The family is in the film,” Kidlat said, “for practicality. The cheapest actors are my sons.” Kidlat himself portrayed Enrique de Malacca. Son Kawayan played the new Magellan, the other sons Kidlat, Jr. and Kabunyan did cameo roles. His wife Katrin was the original Queen Isabella. And they were all involved in the production. Kabunyan did the poster design five days before Berlin.

Kidlat talking about his approach to art.

The musical theme is something familiar to Pinoys: Yoyoy Villame song of the discovery of the Philippines by Magellan. Villame, according to Kidlat, in good humor, is the “best teacher of Philippine history” because of this signature song.

At the student forum, he told the students of his indie path: how he made films when his ‘duwende’ wanted him to tell a story.

He said that he had no scripts, no theoretical base, all “kapa-kapa” and “pakiramdaman”. He cites the crazy architecture of his Oh My Gulay restaurant in Baguio, “walang eskuwalado”, and where the Jose Rizal statue has a “bahag” underneath the overcoat. “Don’t be a square!,” he humored the film students. “Don’t be a Mother Lily!” in his swipe of Pinoy formula movies; “Don’t be Hollywood!,” a caution on sex-plus-violence to ensure box-office hits. The indie path, he said, does not lead to PST (patok sa patilya).

Kidlat looks forward to the day when he can teach again. He has proposed to what he calls the “creative colleges” of the University of the Philippines (Fine Arts, Architecture, Mass Communications, Music) to offer a required elective that he will handle, a collective course defined along Sikolohiyang Pilipino or the Pinoy “Kapwa” psychology, where the students will be encouraged to find old core values in defining their methodologies for producing creative works.

Year 2021 will be the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in Limasawa and his death in Mactan. Will there be official celebrations to mark the quincentennial of the “discovery” of the Philippines?

Who will remember Enrique de Malacca, the first Pinoy who made the first around-the-world journey across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans 500 years ago?

Probably, Kidlat Tahimik will expand or make another Balikbayan film for Enrique!

Kidlat with the image of the propagandist Marcelo del Pilar. He received

the Gawad Plaridel from UP CMC a fewyears ago,

Note: This photo-essay appeared in the 03-09 April 2015 issue of the FilAm Star,'the newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the weekly paper.

NHCP posters (left to right) – woman from Jolo as depicted in Baltasar Giraudier’s Expedicion a Jolo, 1876,

and an Iranun warrior, as depicted in Frank S. Marryat’s 1848 Borneo and the Indian Archipelago

The name of the proposed political entity shall be Bangsamoro, says the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and its versions House Bill 4994 and Senate Bill 2408, and “[t]hose who at the time of conquest and colonization were considered natives or original inhabitants of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago and its adjacent islands including Palawan, and their descendants, whether of mixed or of full blood, shall have the right to identify themselves as Bangsamoro by ascription or self-ascription.” So do the spouses and their descendants, but the indigenous peoples (IPs) will have the choice to be Bangsamoro.

“Who are the Bangsamoro” was the theme “The Bangsamoro in National History” forum that the National Historical Commission of the Philippines hosted on 27 March 2015, which happened to be the first anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB).

Muslim convert actor Robin Padilla like the others who came wanted to know the answer. Padilla succinctly explained why he was there: to fully understand the Bangsamoro and the BBL is just like reading a book, you don’t go to chapter 5 right away, start at chapter 1. He was more specific: how can I make a movie about the Bangsamoro if I do not know much about it?

Four history scholars provided the historical contexts from pre-colonial times to the present: Dr. Ma. Bernadette G. Abrera of UP Diliman, Dr. Cecilia B. Tiangan of MSU-IIT, Dr. Ricardo Trota Jose of UP Diliman, and Dr. Renato T. Oliveros of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Their presentations resonated on what the BBL Preamble expresses as “the distinct historical identity and birthright of the Bangsamoro people to their ancestral homeland and their right to self-determination – beginning with the struggle for freedom of their forefathers in generations past and extending to the present.”

Dr. Bernadette Abrera dwelt on the time when the inhabitants of Mindanao were not yet called Moros. They were already engaged in maritime trade with the Chinese, Arabs and Southeast Asian merchants as early as the 4^th and 5^th centuries. There were already trade routes on the Straits of Malacca and the West Philippine Sea, coastal ports and market places. The trade went well into the centuries as told by the accounts of Chau Ju-Kua (13^th C) and Wang Tai-Yuan (14^th C).

NHCP Chair Maria Serena I. Diokno (second from left) with the panel of history scholars (left to right):

Dr. Cecilia B.Tiangan,MSU-IIT; Dr. Ma. Bernadette G. Abrera, UP Diliman; Dr. Ricardo Trota Jose,

UP Diliman; and Dr. Renato T. Oliveros, PLM.

She described the annual embassies or missions from Luzon, Pangasinan, Sulu and other areas to China in the 15^th century. She cited the three datus who went there in 1417 with their wives and 300 families. They were received by the emperor. One of the datus died, was given a royal burial and tomb, and his family stayed for three years to mourn, according to custom.

Her narrative included the active raiding or kidnapping industry, so to speak, either for ransom or for trade, in pre-colonial times. Captives, like the eight survivors of the Magellan expedition, were sold as slaves. The ‘mangangayaw’ or raiders from Sulu, Maguindanao and Panay, she explained, used fast boats called praus.

Oral traditions and the tarsilas told of the peopling of Sulu, creation of sultanates, and the coming of Islam: arrival of Sharif Makdum (1380), Raja Baginda (1390) and Abu Bakr (1450). The oral traditions of the Magindanaoans credit Sarip Kabungsuwanfor bringing the Islamic faith in the early 16^thcentury.

They became Moros when Spaniards arrived. The colonizers named them after the Mohammedan Moors probably because the battle of Lepanto was still fresh in their memory.

To Abrera, an event in 1603 was significant. The Maguindanao Datu Buwisan raided Panay but later went back and entered into a blood compact with the Panay datus so that“they [can] join forces to attack Manila and throw out the Spaniards.”

Dr. Renato T. Oliveros (left), Exec. Vice President of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, a Tausug, dwelt on contemporary Muslim Filipinos. Dr. Ma. Bernadette G. Abrera (right), History Dept. chair of UP Diliman, talked

about the early Muslim Filipinos before the Spaniards arrived.

Dr. Cecilia Tangian reminded that there are distinct identities such as ‘Tausug’, ‘Maranao’, ‘Maguindanao’, among others, from 13 ethnic groups subsumed by ‘Moro.’

She took off from Abrera to expand on the Moro resistance to Spanish aggression. The Spanish Moro policy, she said, was to get the Moros to acknowledge Spanish sovereignty over their territory and Christianize them; trade with them but limit their trade to the islands; discover the rich resources for commercial exploitation; and end Moro piracy against Spanish shipping and the Moro raids in the Visayas and Luzon.

She quoted Sultan Kudarat’s speech of 1639 to rationalize the Moro resistance: ““What have you done? Do you realize what subjection would reduce you? A toilsome slavery under the Spaniards! Turn your eyes to the subject nations and look at the misery to which such glorious nations have been reduced. ... Do not let their sweet words deceive you, their promises facilitates their deceits, which little by little enable them to control everything ... thus, the jihad should begin”

The Spanish-Moro Wars that lasted for more than 300 years were intense, she summed up, comprising “a long bloody story of conquest, collaboration, and resistance” that “highlighted the consistency of the Moro inhabitants’ adherence to the universal ideals of liberty, freedom, self-rule and self-determination.” The coming of steamships, faster than their caracoas, faluas, joangas and pancos, later hampered the Moro resistance.

“The Muslim Filipinos had never been conquered,” Dr. Ricardo Trota Jose averred, “despite the series of agreements between Spain and sultans and datus. Spain was unable to place them under jurisdiction even with these agreements and with payments of ‘salaries’.”

Jose narrated how the Muslim Filipinos fared under the Americans from the 1898 (Treaty of Paris) until 1946 and thence to 1968 (the year of the ‘Jabidah Massacre’).

American subjugation came about through diplomatic strategies and military interventions. The Americans stayed away when they were pursuing a war with the Aguinaldo forces in Luzon. The Bates Agreement on Sulu, and the unwritten agreements with Basilan and Mindanao provided the modus vivendi: the sultans kept their positions, they got salaries but they were effectively under US jurisdiction.

In 1903, the Moro Province was established, the Americans in direct control. The restlessness among the Moros continued. Mailed fist, personified by Gen. Leonard Wood, more troops, were used to integrate or destroy them. The Moros were rankled by the separation of church and state espoused by the Americans because of their Islam way of life.

Bangsamoro history buffs with Muslim convert actor Robin Padilla.

The period 1914-1921 saw the abdication of the Sultan of Sulu, influx of Christian Filipinos to Muslim areas, construction of public schools, and the governance from Manila through the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, initially, then Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes of the Department of the Interior, later. Muslims were sent to the US to study as pensionados; they would become the Muslim elite.

The Torrens Title system was introduced. Complications arose - it became the instrument of outsiders to claim lands within the ancestral, indigenous domains.

What’s remarkable about Manuel Quezon during the Commonwealth period was his recognition that the Muslims are Filipinos although he was not happy with the sultanate system. There was integration but force was used too. “Land of promise’ was the lure for outsiders from Luzon and the Visayas to Mindanao.

“There was Quezon’s social justice program,” said Jose, “but in actuality Mindanao and Sulu were marginalized.”

Integration was the government strategy after World War II to bring the minorities into the mainstream but the law was deficient (RA 1888 of 1957), there was no money, and no political will as well.

The so-called Jabidah Massacre of 1968 appears to be the tippling point in the deteriorating peace and order in Mindanao because the call for liberation, secession, separation into an Islamic Bangsamoro was soon sounded

Dr. Renato T. Oliveros recalled a petition from 80 Moro tribes to create a separate state for Mindanao and Sulu on the eve of the inauguration of the Commonwealth on 18 March 1935.

He then dwelt on the identities of Bangsamoro as place and people, which may not be clear to the stakeholders of the proposed Bangsamoro. In the case of “Moro” versus “Muslim”, for example, he cites his personal experience being a Tausug on his maternal side. His mother would admonish them if they called her a Moro because it does not reflect her identity as a Muslim woman. The core Muslim identity is lost, he said, in Bangsamoro because it is a collective one for Muslims, Christians and Indigenous Peoples (IP).

He forwarded that there were weaknesses in the negotiations, that there should have been wider representation because of the particular character of ethnic groups, and who have different needs. “There was only a singular group speaking for all,” he said, considering that there are many ethnic groups with identities of their own (Tausugs, etc).

The latest commentary we read focuses on the question of identities as an element of trust with regard to the MILF in the ongoing thrust for approval of the BBL by 2016. Who do they represent? Is this group the voice of all the Muslim Filipinos residing in the proposed Bangsamoro entity?

Note: This photo-essay appeared in a slightly different version in the 10-16 April 2015 issue of FilAm Star, 'the newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the weekly paper.

Mogpog Mayor Senen M. Livelo, Jr. playing with the Banda de Mogpog during the Good Friday procession.

Our long-planned Holy Week vacation in Morion country, Marinduque, finally got underway when we settled service terms with the private van owner. We were previously booked for door-to-door transportation, i.e., from our residences to final destination in that province, but the Land Transportation Office (LTO) cancelled the permits of these service companies. And all the once-a-day direct trips of JAC Liner have been fully booked too.

We dismissed the prediction of a typhoon hitting the Philippines during the coming weekend. We took off for Lucena City late Holy Wednesday afternoon, and it was a fine weather sailing for the Montenegro Shipping’s RoRo (roll on roll off) ferry across Tayabas Bay to Mogpog.

By Maundy Thursday, the Coast Guard already kept the sea vessels on port. Many did not get to join the Moriones Festival because all sea travels were cancelled. But those who enjoyed Holy Week in the towns almost got stranded because of supertyphoon Chedeng. Those who made it to the first sailing to Lucena on Saturday midnight got to the Southern Luzon Expressway bound for Manila early Easter Sunday morning.

Top row: ‘Overflowing’ jeepney: common sight on the road; and Mt. Malindig,
a potentially active volcano, as seen from Poctoy White Beach of Torrijos town.
Bottom row: Cultural treasures include heritage houses like this one in Boac, and
Boac Cathedral, a hilltop fortress built in 1580, the oldest structure in the province.

First lesson learned: there is only sea travel to Marinduque at this time, and any time typhoon signal #1 gets hoisted over Quezon province and/or Marinduque, all sea travels are suspended. This seems to be the ‘normal’ in the lives of the people here. Outsiders do not have any other recourse but to fret and wait for clear weather.

Second lesson: there is no air travel. Alas, the airport is newly renovated but it has yet to bring in the tourists, businessmen and investors. We heard the despair of two beach resort owners, in Mogpog and Gasan: very low occupancy and no income at all.

The uncertainty of sea transport and the long wait at the Lucena port possibly deterred local and foreign tourists to include Marinduque in their Holy Week plans. The museum people said they missed the big flocks of visitors of past seasons.

Those who dared (despite the threat of getting stranded) had much to enjoy in the island: friendly and hospitable people, green environment, natural attractions, the Moryonan (Mogpog) or Moriones Festival (other towns) and other Holy Week traditions uniquely the province’s own.

This heart-shaped island province lies in the Sibuyan Sea, its size roughly 960 square kilometers. It has six towns (no cities!): Mogpog (where Balanakan Port is located), Sta. Cruz (the biggest), Torrijos, Buenavista (the smallest), Gasan and Boac (the capital), in clockwise order of travel along the provincial highway that strings them like a bracelet around the island. In a private vehicle, with a brief stop-over in each town center, the complete tour would not take more than three hours.

Our tour showed that agriculture is the main economic activity of the people. Coconut trees dominate the landscape and mountain sides. Coconut is their primary product. The folks say that quarantine was effective (no flora was allowed to come through the port), hence, their plantations were not ravaged by the cocolisap pest that wrought havoc in Quezon, Batangas and Laguna in 2013.

Photo-op with the Giant Morions of Gasan.

We saw rice grains being sun dried on the roadsides, and rice stalks still golden yellow all over the fields after the harvest. Fishing boats on the coastal perimeter of the island reminded that all around are excellent fishing areas, and fishing is a major source of income.

The commercial life of the province is mainly in wholesaling and retailing, majority of which are single proprietorships. According to their official webpage, unemployment is high; commercial establishments hire one to four employees only.

There are no SM and Ayala shopping malls, no McDonalds, no Jollibees, not even in Boac capital town. These should not be deterrents to come for a visit.

Mogpog Moryons wear 'bulaklakan' masks.

Probably, it’s the frequent isolation due to unfriendly weather that slows down the economic activity in the province. Its income classification, according to National Statistics and Census Bureau reports, is fourth class. Yes, Boac and Sta. Cruz towns are first class, but Mogpog, Torrijos and Gasan are third class and Buenavista is fourth class.

But eco-tourism should make up for the lack of city pastimes, high-end pleasures and comfort foods. Marinduque is gifted with fine beaches and islands for relaxation, and limestone caves, waterfalls, hills and the potentially active Mt. Malindig volcano for exploration.

As we went around the island, we saw many directional arrows to falls and caves several kilometers away from the road. For example, Bagumbayan Cave is 16 kms from Sta. Cruz town center. The tourism brochure says this is a “complex of thrilling passages and chambers, underground river where shrimps and crustaceans are in abundance, various geological formations, a waterfalls chamber halfway through the complex. ...” Great, isn’t it?

Taking a boat ride to one of the Tres Reyes islands (Gaspar, Melchor or Baltazar) was tempting with the white beach of the largest island in view from the road. But the Poctoy White Beach in Torrijos was more accessible, and tt’s a Boracay for the public!

We all came to Marinduque for the Moriones Festival, and we had as well a wonderful learning time of the island’s other Holy Week traditions, probably unsullied by ‘outside’ influences because of its frequent isolation, and the strong folk religiosity of the people.

We gathered thea all the towns staged passion plays in their own fashion: the theatrical senakulo and the Via Crucis, a street re-enactment of the passion of Christ.

Moriones of other towns wear 'romano' or
'centurion' masks.

Our press card enabled us to get close to the characters of the Via Crucis in Boac. The street drama was under the intense heat of the summer sun, and performance was so timed that the Christ must be hanging on the cross at exactly noon.

The Moriones of Boac were all in this event. Some were floggers of Christ and the two thieves Dimas and Hestas. The whips (pang-hampas) are made of abaca rope strands. The number of strands serves as the counters of years for a Mormon to make the annual sacrifice. If he has served it, he can then replace it with a new one.

This is the second year that Ronald Layog, a local radio broadcaster, played Christ. His predecessor played it for 13 years. Arce Mendea started to play the thief Dimas when he was 17 years old, and he has been doing it for 20 years. Edwin Marquez, nicknamed Tuklaw by his friends, succeeded his cousin as the thief Hestas, and he has been doing the role for nine years. The three carry a heavy cross uphill and downhill of Boac's streets. They fall and get flogged on the way to the Golgotha at the Moriones Arena.

Support cast included Donna who has played Maria for 10 years;Charles, who has been John the Beloved also for 10 years; Teresa, who has been Magdalena for eight years; and Joanna, 26, who started as a Morion when she was three years old, has portrayed Veronica these past four years.

Joanna’s father Renan Montalban was the Longinus in the pugutan(beheading) senakulo. Although he has portrayed that role in other senakulos, this is his second year to be ‘beheaded’.

The Via Crucis was a Good Friday event; the pugutan was held on the evening of Black Saturday.

A scene from the Via Crucis of Boac on Good Friday.

The pugutan started with a ‘replay’ of the crucifixion of the Via Crucis to show that Longinus pierced the side of Christ with his spear. He was also one of the officers guarding the tomb of Jesus. The pugutan depicts his proclamation of the resurrection and Godhood of Christ, and hence, he was sentenced to die by beheading, despite the intercessions of Claudia to her husband, Pontius Pilate.

The cast included professionals. A regional BIR examiner was Pilate, for example. The cast of the Via Crucis and the senakulo take their roles as a form of religious sacrifice.

To the Moryons of Mogpog and the Moriones of other towns, this fulfils a panata (vow), and they start their sacrifice on Holy Monday. They are fully costumed and masked for the rest of the Holy Week.

The cruel face of the masks is usually carved from dapdap wood, and the hood from santol wood. The Mogpog Moryon masks differ from those of other towns. Mogpog’s are bulaklakan although some are romano or centurion. In other towns, it is predominantly centurion. There are women Moriones and children too. The young ones carry on a long tradition of their families.

We watched the Good Friday procession of Mogpog. This was truly a people’s devotional event. There were no fashionistas to steal the scene from the colorful Moryons, and no flamboyant decorations of the carrozas (in fact, some are bare). Some devotees bore the andas of their images on their shoulders too.

Male devotees pull the carroza of the Last Supper in the Mogpog Good Friday procession.

What we truly loved was the sight of Mayor Senen M. Livelo, Jr. playing the processional music with the Banda de Mogpog. “Si Mayor, si Mayor,” exclaimed the watchers as the band passed by on its way to church before the procession.

We put a confirmation inquiry on Facebook if he was really Mayor Livelo in the picture we took. Surprise, surprise, he called us up from his mobile, to confirm. He revealed he is 54, single, and is a musician by heart. This is his last term as town executive.

He informed that his great-grandfather founded the band in 1909. Their ancestral house has been the training ground for the town’s musicians through the years.

Morion-duque, we’ll come back!

Note: This photo-essay appeared in a slightly different version in the 17-23 April 2015 issue of FilAm Star, 'the newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the weekly paper.

1785 map titled “Isole Filippine” from the

Lopez Museum & Library collection.

We children of coastal towns on the western side of Luzon have fond remembrance of China Sea where we went swimming on hot summer days especially during the Easter weekends, and where we watch fishermen coming in from a night out at sea with either happy dispositions (big catch) or forlorn faces (empty nets).

We never called the blue waters South China Sea (SCS), supposedly its correct name. But these past three years, we’ve been releasing marine turtle hatchlings to the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the now politically correct term.

The territorial and marine disputes at the SCS and WPS have been top news items in recent years. Greatly disturbing of late are reports about China’s reclamation activities there accompanied by photographic evidences of dredging and construction on rocks, reefs and islands in the Spratlys.

For better understanding of the issues, we’ve gone back to the basics. We started with “The West Philippine Sea -The Territorial and Maritime Jurisdiction Disputes from a Filipino Perspective - A Primer” (2013) of the Asian Center and the Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of the University of the Philippines. This is available in the internet for downloading.

The Primer defines the parameters of the SCS and the WPS. The SCS is “the much broader expanse of water ...a semi-enclosed sea, bounded by China/Taiwan in the north, by the Philippines in the east, and by Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei in the west and south.” Of particular interest are “various geographic features [scattered over the South China Sea], the most prominent of which are known internationally as the Spratlys, the Paracels, Macclesfield Bank and Pratas Island” because “[t]here are overlapping claims by various countries to these features and to the waters and resources surrounding them, including parts of the West Philippine Sea.”

Detail of a 1734 Murillo map showing Panacot (Scarborough Shoal).
From the Biblioteca Nacional de Espana online digital library.

On the other hand, “the West Philippine Sea refers to the part of the South China Sea that is closest, and of vital interest, to the Philippines.” The naming took place almost three years ago, on 05 September 2012, when President Benigno Simeon C.Aquino III issued Administrative Order No. 29. This was given to “[t]he maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago which include the Luzon Sea as well as the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo De Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal.” The AO says that this naming “is without prejudice to the determination of the maritime domain over territories which the Republic of the Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction.”

The Spratlys and the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) may have caused some confusion to many. The Primer gives us this clear delineation: “The {KIG} is a group of over fifty features and their surrounding waters that belong to the Philippines, located in what is internationally known as the Spratly Islands. The KIG is not the same as the Spratlys, however, as there are features in the Spratlys that are not part of the KIG.”

Detail of another 1734 Murillo map showing Panacot (Scarborough Shoal).
From the Lopez Museum & Library collection.

The Philippine flag flies over the KIG. “The islands, reefs and rocks of the KIG are nearest the Philippine main archipelago, and are believed to be both economically valuable and strategically important for purposes of national security. The KIG was formally incorporated as a municipality of Palawan province in 1978 ... Nine (9) of its islands and reefs presently host Philippine civilians and troops.” These islands have Philippine names: Lawak (internationally, Nanshan Island), Kota (Loaita), Likas (West York), Pag-asa (Thitu), Parola (Lankiam Cay), Panata (Northeast Cay), Patag (Flat), Rizal Reef (Commodore Reef) and Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).

The KIG is a 5th class municipality of Palawan with an area of 85 hectares and Pag-asa Island is the sole barangay. It is populated, and it has a sangguniang bayan.

There are other country claimants in the Spratlys as well as in the KIG. As of 2013, the Primer lists Vietnam as having occupied 22 maritime features; China, 7; Malaysia, 5; and Taiwan, 1.

Being from Zambales, Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) is important to us because this is the rightful source of livelihood of our fishing villages. They have been deprived of their rights when China occupied this group of rocks.

“Bajo de Masinlocs is an integral part of Philippine territory,” the Primer asserts, “being part of the Municipality of Masinloc, Province of Zambales. It is located 124 nautical miles west of Zambales proper and is within the 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Philippine Continental Shelf.”

We have also gone to the exhibit “Common Ground” at the Lopez Museum and Library to appreciate their collection of 21 antiquarian maps drawn by Western cartographers. These consistently included the Scarborough Shoal. The exhibit reflects the lecture of SC Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio on the “Historical Facts, Historical Lies, and Historical Rights in the West Philippine Sea” where he strongly argued against China’s claims on the West Philippine Sea, which include Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands.

The cartographic exhibit highlights that “for almost a millennium, the southernmost territory of China has always been Hainan Island. Scarborough Shoal never appeared in any Chinese dynasty maps. On the other hand, numerous ancient maps made by foreigners, and later by Philippine authorities, from 1636 to 1940, consistently showed that Scarborough Shoal, a.k.a. Panacot and Bajo de Masinloc, has always been part of Philippine history.”

The presentation of Justice Carpio on “The Rule of Law in the West Philippine Sea” is a very helpful in understanding the case filed by the Philippines against China with the Arbitration Tribunal. The four West Philippine Sea Arbitration Updates (May 2013, April, June and September 2014) of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the paper “Arbitration 101: Philippines V. China” (January 2015) of UP College of Law Professor and IMLOS Director Jay L. Batongbacal track the progress of the case. All of these references are available online.

The first DFA Update described the filing of the case: “On 22 January 2013, the Philippines formally conveyed to China the Philippine Notification and Statement of Claim that challenges before the Arbitral Tribunal the validity of China’s nine-dash line claim to almost the entire SCS including the WPS and to desist from unlawful activities that violate the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“This notification initiated the arbitral proceeding under Article 287 and Annex VII of UNCLOS. The Philippines has exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China.

“China’s nine-dash line claim is contrary to UNCLOS and unlawful. The Philippines is requesting the Tribunal to, among others, (a) declare that China’s rights to maritime areas in the South China Sea, like the rights of the Philippines, are established by UNCLOS, and consist of its rights to a Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone under Part II of UNCLOS, to an EEZ under part V, and to a Continental Shelf under Part VI; (b) declare that China’s maritime claims in the SCS based on its so-called nine-dash line are contrary to UNCLOS and invalid ; (c) require China to bring its domestic legislation into conformity with its obligations under UNCLOS; and (d) require China to desist from activities that violate the rights of the Philippines in its maritime domain in the WPS.”

The subsequent DFA Updates reported on the progress of the case. In Justice Carpio’s brief summary: “China has refused to participate; four of 5 arbitrators appointed by President of ITLOS [the first one was nominated by the Philippines]; the Rules of Procedures issued; Philippines filed Memorial by 30 March 2014 deadline – 4000 pages; China given deadline of 15 December 2014 to submit counter-memorial.”

In his Arbitration 101, Batongbacal wrote of the status of the proceedings as of January 2015. He mentioned that “China publicly released a position paper [on 07 December 2014] outlining its objections to the jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal while reiterating that it was not participating in the proceedings.” He also said that the Tribunal issued its third Procedural Order on 17 December 2015, and gave the Philippines until 15 March 2015 to “submit a supplemental submission on the Tribunal’s jurisdiction and the merits of the case, in particular to address the points raised by China’s position paper. After the submission, China will have a similar period of 90 days within which to file a response.”

Could there be decision within this year?

Note: This photo-essay appeared in a slightly different version under the title 'Infrastructure-building binge in South China Sea' in the 24-30 Apr 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America,' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the paper.

Reefs in the Spratlys that China has occupied. Infographics by the AFP Public Affairs Office.

“We call on China to stop the reclamation activities and to be mindful of its responsibilities as a claimant state and an important member of the international community,” Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang, Jr. expressed during the press conference held on 20 April before the start of Balikatan 2015, the US-Philippines military exercises.

Catapang showed the latest images of the massive reclamation activities by China in the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea: Mabini (Johnson in the US Board of Geographic Names) Reef, Chigua (Kennan) Reef, Calderon (Cuarteron) Reef, Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, Burgos (Gaven) Reef, Panganiban (Mischief) Reef and Zamora (Subi) Reef. All of these reefs are claimed by the Philippines, and Panganiban Reef is within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Image of Mischief [Panganiban] Reef as of 17 Mar 2015 shows artificial land

formation, dredgers and construction equipment, among others.

Photo Credit: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative /DigitalGlobe.

Panganiban Reef is claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. “When it was first occupied by China,” according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), “it was completely submerged at high tide. Therefore, it likely does not qualify as an island under Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

The Philippines had vigorously protested China’s construction of structures there since 1995. The “octagonal wooden makeshifts” of 1995 upgraded to “a single, permanent, multi-story building in 1998, and to a “three-storey concrete building” in 2014, AMTI reported.

It is possible that Panganiban Reef has been transformed into a naval base capable of accommodating one People’s Liberation (PLA) Army Navy at a time. “In 2014, Philippine fishermen began to report increased patrols by the PLA Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard, impinging on their ability to fish in the area,” AMTI said.

AMTI noted that images taken from January to March 2015 showed that dredging, reclamation and construction activities have been going on in Panganiban Reef: “ The southern platform has been further expanded using sand recovered from the reef’s southern entrance. The entrance itself has been expanded to a width of approximately 275 meters [as of 16 March 2015].”

Progress of China’s airstrip construction on Fiery Cross [Kagitingan] Reef as of

02 Apr 2015. Photo Credit: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative /DigitalGlobe.

Except for two rocks, according to the island tracker of AMTI, Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross) is submerged at high tide. That has entirely changed after China started reclamation activities in August 2014 although it had been there since 1987 when it agreed to build weather monitoring stations for a UNESCO project.

“Between August and November [2014],”AMTI reported, “Chinese dredgers created a land mass that spans the entire existing reef and is approximately 3,000 meters long and 200-300 meters wide. ... Fiery Cross may now be more than three times larger than the Taiwan-held Itu Aba, formerly the largest of the Spratly Islands.”

China’s construction works on Calderon [Cuarteron] Reef as of 18 Feb 2015.

Photo Credit: AFP Public Affairs Office.

Kagitingan Reef has turned into an artificial island. AMTI noted that “China has already constructed in excess of 60 permanent or semi-permanent rectangular buildings along on the northern side [and] at least 20 structures are visible on the southern side of the island.”

China is also building a 3,100 meter airstrip there. According to AMTI, this length of runway “can accommodate almost any type of aircraft [like transport, fighters, early warning and UAVs] that China could want to land [there],”and furthermore, it is also “installing port facilities, which may be capable of docking military tankers.”

China’s construction works on Chigua [Kennan] Reef as of 19 Feb 2015.

Photo Credit: AFP Public Affairs Office.

A naval base on Panganiban and an airstrip on Kagitingan certainly lend military advantages to China. These could be bullying rams for them press their territorial claims.

In the keynote speech of Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the International Conference on China-US Cooperation in Global Security Affairs in Washington DC on 16 April 2015, he had these to say about their “maintenance and construction work” in the disputed areas:

“... Let me reiterate here that such work is well within China’s sovereignty. It does not impact or target any other country. The main purpose is to improve the functions of facilities there so as to provide services to ships of China, neighboring countries and other countries that sail across the South China Sea. Such services will include shelter for ships, navigation aid, search and rescue, marine meteorological observation, fishery service and many others. Emphasis will also be put on marine environment protection.

China’s construction works of Gaven [Burgos] Reef as of 29 Jan 2015.

Photo Credit: AFP Public Affairs Office.

“Of course there will be defense facilities. This is only natural and necessary and they are purely for defensive purposes. If these facilities could not even defend themselves, how can they render service to others? If China could not safeguard its own sovereignty, how can it shoulder greater responsibilities for international stability? Therefore, building-up of China’s capabilities in the South China Sea provides public goods to all and serves the interests of maintaining security, stability and freedom of navigation there.”

The anxiety over these Chinese activities is expressed by Catapang: “We also believe that China’s massive reclamation activities will cause tensions among claimant countries not only because it could deter freedom of navigation but also due to its possible military purposes.”

China’s reclamation activities on Kagitingan [Fiery Cross] Reef as of 28 Jan 2015.

Photo credit: AFP Public Affairs Office.

China has dispatched fleets of fishermen, possibly militia types, to their occupied reefs. It has also driven away not only Filipino fishermen but also those from the other claimant countries.

“We are saddened hearing the reports that China has driven away Filipino fishermen near these reclamation sites and also in Bajo de Masinloc, denying our people of their own fishing areas which are the sources of their livelihood,” Catapang said.

The environmental toll of China’s reclamations: “destruction of 300 acres of coral reef systems [that] is estimated to lead to economic losses to coastal states valued at US$100 million annually”, Catapang emphasized. “It is worth remembering that China has tolerated environmentally harmful fishing practices by its fishermen who are now occupying Bajo De Masinloc, a Philippine territory that was grabbed and now being dominated. These bad fishing practices are violations under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).”

China’s construction works on Mabini [Johnson] Reef as of 30 Jan 2015.

Photo Credit: AFP Public Affairs Office.

Every Filipino should “support the government’s move to protest the ongoing construction works which clearly violated ASEAN-China Declaration of Conduct in which the signatories agreed to resolve the territorial dispute peacefully and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes,” in the words of Gen. Catapang.

Out there at the West Philippine Sea is the rusting BRP-57 Sierra Madre, which ran aground near the Ayungin Shoal in 1999. It is our unlikely defender of a small piece of our territory despite the taunts of the Chinese Coast Guards.

China’s reclamation activities on Zamora [Subi] Reef as of 30 Jan 2015.

Photo Credit: AFP Public Affairs Office.

It looks like that’s the best we can do at the moment while we wait for the decision of the Arbitration Tribunal. Hopefully, that will be our slingshot to stop the Chinese Goliath in its occupation of all the disputed rocks, reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

Note: This photo-essay appeared in the 01-07 May 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, 'the newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the weekly paper.

Landsat-7 image of Scarborough Shoal as of Feb 2010. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

A resounding ‘Yes!’ from the fishing folks of Infanta, Pangasinan and Masinloc, Zambales, according to TV news reports, who set sail on their boats loaded with ice but who will come back by the first of May, because they are also fans of Manny Pacquiao and they do not want to miss the fall of Floyd Mayweather on 03 May, Sunday morning, Philippine time. [Note: This was written several days before the fight.]

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) advised our fishermen to stay away within four nautical miles from Karburo, the fisherfolk’s derivative name from Scarborough Shoal. The bureau does not want a repeat of earlier incidents in April where fishing boats from Pangasinan, Zambales and Bataan were chased away by the Chinese coast guard with water cannons.

These brave souls know that it is a cat-and-mouse game with the Chinese maritime forces out there at their favorite Karburo fishing ground, which takes them almost half a day or 12 hours to reach.

Fleet of fishing boats from Infanta, Pangasinan heading to Bajo de Masinloc (top),

and a fishing boat damaged by Chinese water cannons during the chase from

Bajo de Masinloc (bottom). Screen imaged from GMA 7 Balitanghali news video.

The shoal is nearest to Palauig, Zambales but it is a part of Masinloc town, hence, the other name Bajo de Masinloc. It is 125 nautical miles from the country’s coastline, it is within the 200-nm Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Philippine continental shelf. China obviously does not recognize that Scarborough is an integral part of our territory.

We visited Masinloc in the summer of 2013, and we found large fishing boats that looked like these had not been out to sea for a very long time. We heard that some fishermen have sold their boats and sought other kinds of work. They explained that they could no longer fish at the shoal because the Chinese keep chasing them away. China had deployed its coast guard since the year before to bar them from Bajo de Masinloc and the surrounding waters.

The hot dispute with China at Bajo de Masinloc started in April 2012 when “a Philippine naval vessel approached a group of Chinese fishing vessels near the shoal and boarded them for inspection,” according to the narrative in ‘The West Philippine Sea [WPS] Primer’ of the University of the Philippines. “The Chinese fishermen were discovered to have illegally harvested live corals and captured sharks and giant clams. Ships of the paramilitary Chinese Maritime Surveillance agency moved quickly to prevent the Philippine Navy from apprehending the fishermen. The Philippines withdrew its naval vessel as ships from the civilian Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) arrived, as part of the country’s effort to de-escalate the tensions, even as the Chinese fishermen were extracted by the ships sent by China. This incident led to a two-month long standoff between government vessels of both sides, as neither side wanted to leave the shoal. At the height of the standoff in May, nearly 80 Chinese vessels were sighted in Bajo de Masinloc and its vicinity.” During that standoff, even the archaeological survey team of the Philippine National Museum was “harassed and intimidated by Chinese Maritime Surveillance ships as well as aircraft.”

We are from one of the coastal towns of Zambales province, and we know that the shoal is a very important fishing ground to the people of the coastal villages of the province. Fishing is their major source of livelihood. Subic, Candelaria, Masinloc and Sta. Cruz towns have fishing ports. Thus, it is not unusual to hear fish vendors in Metro Manila markets that their stocks came from these Zambales towns.

The shoal is the only large reef structure west of Luzon. It ensures ecological diversity in the WPS; it is the rich feeding and breeding ground for all kinds of fish and marine species.

The WPS Primer says, “The potential yield of fisheries resources in offshore Northern Zambales including Bajo de Masinloc is about 5,021.69 mt annually. 121 species from 33 fish families may be caught in its waters; among them are yellowfin tuna, skipjack and shortfin scad.”

The WPS is a rich fishing area. Fishermen have artificial reefs called payaos some 150-190 kilometers away from the coastline to catch tuna and other deep-sea fishes. The promise of bigger catch is still at Karburo, hence, the fishermen resort to cat-and-mouse tactic to get there: they “paddle in canoes to sneak into the lagoon - teeming with pricey yellowfin and skipjack tuna, red grouper, blue marlin and lobster - while their mother boats hide from a distance,” according to a fisherman’s account in a news story.

As an aside, the WPS Primer says, “Available data on the geology of the area indicate that there is little probability of finding any petroleum in Bajo de Masinloc or its immediate vicinity. However, massive sulfides and cobalt-rich crusts are expected in the seamounts of the Bajo de Masinloc area.”

The country’s interests in Bajo de Masinloc are related to national security, environmental and food security. The shoal is almost adjacent to the major ports of Manila and Subic, hence, its importance to national security especially with regard to shipping from these two large ports.

As we write this, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur had ended, and the statement issued after the closing ceremony has not been published yet.

Reuters though has reported on the draft statement, which raises the "serious concerns" of some leaders over the land reclamations that have "eroded trust and confidence and may undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea.”

"We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in and over-flight over the South China Sea," the statement reportedly said.

Two modern Chinese maps dated 1929 and c1933 show that Hainan Island is the

southernmost territory of China. (Detail from the Catalogue of the cartographic

exhibit on the Historical Facts & Lies in the WPS).

If only to inspire every Filipino in the fight for sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc, the cartographic exhibit that came about from Justice Antonio T. Carpio’s lecture on ‘Historical Facts and Historical Lies in the West Philippine Sea’ declares: “All the maps of the Philippines, from 1636 to 1940, period of 304 years, consistently show Scarborough Shoal, whether named or unnamed, as part of the Philippines.”

These two ancient maps dated 1636 and 1650 show that Bajo de Masinloc

is part of Philippine territory. (Detail from the Catalogue of the cartographic

exhibit on the Historical Facts & Lies in the WPS).

Note: This photo-essay appeared in a slightly different version in the 08-14 May 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, 'the newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco,CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based Special Photo/News Correspondent of the weekly paper.

“It’s May, it’s May, the merry month of May!”– Queen Guinevere in Camelot, the musical

May Day, first day of the merry month this year was Friday and it being Labor Day, an official holiday, there was a long weekend for a great escape to the fresher and cooler air of the countryside. We were on the road early in the morning, northbound traffic on the expressways was heavy from the metropolis all the way to Zambales, and service stations along the way were all crowded with people also going on vacation.

In Metro Manila, the militant labor and activist sectors were marching under the scorching sun toward Liwasang Bonifacio, the plaza by the Pasig named after the proletarian hero. Similar events in Baguio, Bicol and Davao were reported in the social media. They called for the enactment of a national minimum wage of Php16,000, and raised other issues such as the plight of OFWs like Mary Jane Veloso and US-Philippines relations like Oplan Bayanihan, among others. May Day ended with the burning of the effigy of President Benigno Aquino III on Mendiola.

Nuestra Señora de La Paz y Buen Viaje on board a banca for her

fluvial procession in La Paz, San Narciso, Zambales on the first

Saturday of May.

May Day happened to be the eve of the moveable feast, the first Saturday of the month, of the patroness of our coastal barangay in San Narciso, Zambales, the Nuestra Senora de La Paz y Buen Viaje, who we reverentially call Apo La Paz. The barangay is named in her honor – La Paz.

The barangay takes the religious aspect of the feast day seriously. An early morning holy mass is traditionally held along the shore before the Apo La Paz image is mounted on a boat for her fluvial procession on the West Philippine Sea. We were on board the boat that carried her. The boat is big and fitted to reach Scarbarough Shoal. A procession around the barangay was held in the early evening. Between these two religious activities, the fishing folks engaged in sea games: swimming and boat races, while their homes were open for feasts galore. In the old days, visitors came for the servings of dried fish called dalangdang, almost a rarity on the fiesta table these days.

May is fiesta time for supplications and thanksgiving in many parts of the country as well. The famous ones are in the tourism map: Pahiyas in Lukban, Quezon and Kalabaw Festival in Pullilan, Bulacan, which fall on the same date, 15 May, the feast of San Isidro Labrador, which is followed two days later by the three-day pintakasi in Obando for their three patron saints: Santa Clara, San Pascual Baylon and the Virgin of Salambao.

In Lukban, the houses are adorned with the harvests of the owner, fruits and vegetables, or products of their labor such as bags or hats from pandan leaves or anahaw, together with colorful rice kippings that look like leaves or petals. In Pullilan, the carabaos are stars of the day when they are made to kneel in front of the church during the procession. In Obando, people dance before San Pascual Baylon (17 May), patron for child bearing, Santa Clara (18 May), patroness of conceiving mothers, and the Virgin of Salambao (19 May), patroness of fishermen and farmers.

The calendars of villages, towns and cities in the country will certainly have the traditional Flores de Mayo and the Santacruzan celebrations. While the Flores remains very religious in character as involves floral offerings in church altars, the Santacruzan, to the dismay of church authorities, has been converted into other spectacle events.

UP Diliman Parada ng Parangal led by Chancellor Michael L. Tan

looked like a Santracruzan with decorated arches.

The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) drew inspiration from the Santacruzan to open the Linggo ng Parangal on 04 May, when it held the Parada ng Parangal to celebrate “the triumphs and accomplishments of its constituents.”

UPD adapted the form, hence, like the Santacruzan, the parade featured sagalas, women in evening gowns, and escorts walking around the academic oval beneath hand-carried bamboo arches adorned with flowers. The pairs represented the 26 degree-granting units of the university.

To lend a festive air to the parade, there were marching bands and the Higantes from Angono. The musical nuances of a Philippine fiesta were provided by a rondalla and dance performances inspired by the karakol, the traditional devotional dancing procession.

The Linggo ng Parangal is the university’s week-long celebration of the excellence, accomplishments and dedicated service of its faculty, researchers, students, administrative staff and community.

On 06 May, the university held the Parangal sa Mga Mag-aaral to honor students who have earned a general weighted average of not lower than 1.45 for the last two semesters (the University Scholars), students who have distinguished themselves in various fields, and graduates who have made the top 10 and those who passed in various licensure examinations.

Some of the sagalas, escorts and participants in the UPD Parada ng Parangal.
Top left to bottom right: College of Engineering, School of Urban & Regional
Planning, College of Arts & Letters, College of Home Economics, School of
Library & Information Studies, Institute of Islamic Studies, and College of
Human Kinetics.

The University conferred appreciation and recognition of the dedicated service of employees who retired in 2014, and those who have been in active service for 40 years. A Parangal sa mga Retirado at Gawad Paglilingkod was held for this purpose on 07 May.

The Gawad Tsanselor held on 08 May was the highlight of the week. This highest recognition bestowed by the University for excellent and outstanding accomplishments in 2014 was given to 13 individuals: three professors, four researchers, one researcher in Filipino, four students and an administrative staff. This year, a community within the UPD campus also received the award.

The Natatanging Guro awardees were: Dr. Rizalinda L. de Leon and Dr. Henry N. Adorna, both from the College of Engineering, and Dr. Jose Ernie C. Lope from the Institute of Mathematics. The Natatanging REPS (Research and Extension Professional Staff) recipients were: Frederick C. Delfin (Natural Sciences Research Institute), Miguel Paolo P. Reyes (Third World Studies Center) and Sharon Maria S. Esposo-Betan (College of Engineering Library). This was a posthumous award to Dr. Amelia E. Punzalan (National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development).

The UP Filipiniana dance numbers were inspired by

the karakol, traditional devotional dancing procession.

The Natatanging Mag-aaral awardees were: Jhesset Thrina O. Enano (College of Mass Communication), Raphael Aaron A. Letaba (C.E.A. Virata School of Business), John Paul M. Sawali (College of Engineering) and Tiffany Grace C. Uy (College of Science).

Dr. Apolonio B. Chua was Natatanging Mananaliksik sa Filipino while Pablo C. Navarro was Natatanging Kawani. Both are from the College of Arts and Letters. Hardin ng Dona Aurora was chosen as Natatanging Pook.

The Gawad Tsanselor trophy is a sculpture of the Oblation as a work in progress. The inspiration for the trophy is Michaelangelo’s “Slaves” sculpture. It symbolizes the “continuing pursuit of excellence and continuing service to the University and the nation. It also means that a recipient’s bond with the University is never ending.”

Alas, there was no trophy or championship belt for the “continuing pursuit of excellence” on the boxing ring for Manny Pacquiao, dubbed the ‘Pambansang Kamao,’ after he was outpunched by Floyd Mayweather during the ‘fight of the century’ ('dud of the century' to the disappointed) in Las Vagas on Sunday, 03 May, Manila time. Many Filipinos still find it hard to accept the judges’ unanimous decision and that terrible loss to Pinoy pride.

Note: This photo-essay appeared in a slightly differenct version in the 15-21 May 2015 issue of FilAm Star, 'the newsparer for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This blogger/author is the Manila-based Special Photo/News Correspondent of the weekly paper.

The Avengers invaded the Philippines in April, and there was nothing else to see at the cinema houses for more than a week except their battle against Ultron, who was set to put mankind to extinction. The queues to the ticket counters were long, indicative of the tight grip of Hollywood on the cultural consciousness of almost every Filipino, parents and children alike.

Colorful ethnic costume against a
blown-up picture of indigenous people
'exhibited' at the St. Louis Exposition
in the 1900s.

Well, the Marvel-ous characters have not totally left when avengers of a different kind led by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) set out a program of activities to keep our national heritage alive in Filipino minds and hearts. It has the month-long celebration of National Heritage Month in key venues in Manila, Baguio and Cebu City as well as a year-long Taoid Heritange Program around the country.

The month of May has been National Heritage Month since 2003 when then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared it as such through Proclamation No. 239. The proclamation cited, among others, the “need to create in the people a consciousness, respect and love for the legacies of Filipino cultural history” and the “need to strengthen the people’s awareness of cultural heritage sites, structures and landscapes, and encourage their participation in the preservation of these cultural legacies through various activities.”

The Taoid Heritage Program echoes the intent of Proclamation 239 especially on the importance of cultural preservation after the devastation of various cultural landmarks, heritage sites and important cultural properties wrought by the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda. It is basically an intervention program to assist local communities in the conservation of their own cultural heritage. This year’s theme is “New Fruits, Ancient Roots”.

Taoid is an Ilocano word for inheritance (mana, Tag.), which NCCA adopted to emphasize the importance of bequeathing culture and tradition to succeeding generations. Starting this month, NCCA will be going to the different communities in the country for cultural profiling and mapping.

The Spoliarium of Juan Luna is the star attraction of the

National Museum: favorite selfie background.

The National Museum is a very effective partner of NCCA in the cultural education of the young generation of Filipinos. In May, it opens its doors for free to visitors as its share in celebrating heritage month. This is also true in the affiliated museums in the regions. The museum staff says that there has been a large turn-out of young visitors every viewing day, and we have seen a truly excited audience during our two visits.

Young visitors immediately encountertwo large canvasses: the “Spoliarium” of Juan Luna and “El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante” by Felix Resurrection Hidalgo; both won the top prizes in the Madrid Exposition of 1884. It doesn’t surprise that Luna gets the more avid attention of viewers, and the Spoliarium the favorite backdrop of photo-ops and selfies.

For many, the museum offers them their first encounter with a National Cultural Treasure (NCT), an object that possesses “outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is significant and important to the country and nation.” The Luna and Hidalgo masterpieces are NCTs.

Viewers discuss the history of Philippine medicine as depicted
by Botong Francisco in four large canvasses.

Four large canvasses occupy one museum gallery. These comprise “The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines” by National Artist Carlos V. Francisco, the popular Botong of Angono, which depicts healing practices of pre-Spanish times, herbal medicine work of monk-scholars, introduction of American medicine, and markers of modern medicine today. These were at the entrance of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for 58 years until they were replaced with photographic copies in 2011. The exchange deal was for the originals to go to the National Museum. The paintings were declared NCTs in 2011.

Lucky visitors may chance upon a guided tour and thus eavesdrop on stories surrounding some Luna paintings like the “Portrait of a Lady,” rumoured to be jinxed, and “Una Bulaqueña,” which many claim to be their grandmother because her identity is unknown. There’s not much fuss on “Feeding the Chicken” by Simon Flores at the gallery entrance. The Bulaqueña and the Flores are NCTs.

Many visitors take time for photo-ops at the gallery of sculptures by the Tampincos and by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino.

Mother's Revenge, small terra cotta
sculpture by Dr Jose Rizal.

At the Gallery showing Rizaliana, the selfies are with the bust sculpture or paintings. The small sculptures of Dr Jose Rizal get special attention. His “Mother’s Revenge” shows an angry dog trying to save her puppy from the crocodile’s mouth, and the message is not lost to viewers on Mother’s Day. This was declared NCT in 2008.

The displays on Baybayin tell the young generation that before the Spaniards came, the people already had their own system of writing. The University of Santo Tomas is the custodian of the most complete handwritten Baybayin documents. Many may not be aware of it, but they are looking at a baybayin letter in the Cultural Center and NCCA logos, among others. We chuckled at the sight of a young man with her girlfriend writing probably love notes to each other using the baybayin.

Ancient Baybayin letters with translation.

The ancient and traditional writing equipment were declared NCTs way back in1997. Significant artefacts that contain ancient inscriptions were declared NCTs in 2010: the Laguna Copper-Plate Inscription (ca. 10^th century), Butuan Metal Paleograph (14^th-15^th century A.D.), and the Calatagan Ritual Pot (14^th-15^thcentury A.D.). The last is the only one of its kind with an ancient script.

There’s one gallery containing religious artefacts from the Spanish colonial times. One of them is a NCT: a retablo (altar piece) from the Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino in Dimiao, Bohol. This reminds that several antique churches in Bohol were destroyed by the strong earthquake of 2013. Baclayon, for example, was a NCT and was nominated for designation as UNESCO Heritage sites.

The Dimiao altar piece made us recall our visit to the Saint Augustine Church of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, considered the most outstanding example of 'earthquake Baroque" in the Philippines. Its distinct architectural features are the enormous buttresses on the sides and at the back. Our great-great drandparenst were baptized here before they moved to central Zambales around 1838. The church was declared NCT in 1973 and a UNESCO heritage site in 1993.

The antiques churches of Paoay, Ilocos Norte and Masinloc, Zambales, both National Cultural Treasures.

Close to our hometown in Zambales is the San Andres Apostol Church of Masinloc town, another Baroque structure but built with coral stones. It's located within walking distance from the shores of the West Philippine Sea. It could be that the town's fishermen look back to it every time they head toward Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) for protection from Chinese coast guards, and for prayers for a bountiful catch. It became a NCT in 2001.

Four Sto Ninos at the Kristo Manila on exhibit at
the NCCA art gallery.

Part of the heritage month celebration of NCCA is a back-to-back exhibition dubbed “Art & Soul: 10 years of Kristo Manila and the Kristo Niño in Cebu City” comprising artworks depicting Christ’s Passion and various images inspired by the Santo Niño. Kristo Niño commemorates the 450^thyear of the finding of the Image of the Santo Niño de Cebu and of the Agustinian presence in the Philippines (1565-2015), and the 50^th anniversary of the Santo Niño Church as Basilica Minore (1965-2015).

The sixth international arts festival was held in Tam-awan Village in Baguio City with the theme “A Global Cordillera: Heroes, Legends and Treasures.”

A musical event will be held on May 23 in Cebu City. The second 2^nd Taoid Heritage Concert is one of the closing events of the National Heritage Month.

Selfies appear to be good reminders of the richness of Philippine heritage to those who have walked through the National Museum galleries and those who have participated in the heritage month and Taoid programs. These can also be passed on with messages that the artefacts, structural landmarks and artistic expressions in the picture be safeguarded against cultural ‘Ultrons.’

The 3rd grand prize winners in the biomedical and health
sciences category: Kenneth Antonio, Thea Tinaja and Marian
Cabuntocan of Bayugan City.

Three high school students from Bayugan National Comprehensive High School in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur won a third grand award prize of US$1,000 for their team project in the biomedical and health sciences category in the Intel Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held 11-15 May 2015 in Pittsburgh.

The winning team of Kenneth Michael Angelo Natividad Antonio, 14, Marian Romero Cabuntocan, 16, and Thea Marie Laquinta Tinaja, 15, studied the potential of extracts from the integuments of the diamond back squid, a species that abounds in the locality, as source of neuroprotective and anti-stroke agents without causing adverse side effects on cardiac activity.

Antonio will be in Grade 9, and Cabuntocan and Tinaja in Grade 10 this coming school year under the K-12 program.

Angelo Urag of Butuan City with his project
in material science.

Two other young Filipino scientists were in the delegation to Pittsburgh. Angelo Grabriel Abundo Urag, 15, incoming Grade 10 student of Father Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City, synthesized superhydrophic copper stearate films using a one-step process. This is his second time to the ISEF; he competed in Los Angeles last year. Mary Carmelle Antonette Pedregosa Gindap, 16, incoming Grade 11 student of Iloilo National High School, Iloilo City, studied the antibacterial and anticoagulant properties of proteins from the skin and spine of Acanthaster planci, a marine animal species that feeds on and thereby destroys corals.

The Philippine delegation was part of approximately 1,700 young scientists selected from 422 affiliate fairs in more than 75 countries, regions and territories who converged in Pittsburgh. The five Filipino young scientists were the cream of regional finalists in the life and physical sciences categories during the National Science and Technology Fair (NSTF) of the Department of Education. The NSTF is the only ISEF-affiliated in the country, and the annual ISEF is a project of the Society for Science & the Public, which is based in Washington DC.

Carmelle GIndap of Iloilo City studied the potential benefits
from the animal species that eats/threatens coral reefs.

Around 600 of the ISEF participants received awards and prizes for their innovative research, including 20 “Best of Category” winners, who each received a US$5,000 prize.

From among these 20 'bests' came the 'best of the bests'. The top prize, the Gordon E. Moore award of US$75,000 went to 17-year-old Raymond Wang of Canada for his mechanical engineering project – a new air inlet system for airplane cabins, which improves the availability of fresh air in the cabin while reducing pathogen inhalation concentrations.

Two runner-ups each received the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of US$50,000. Nicole Ticea, 17, also of Canada, was awarded for developing an inexpensive, disposable, easy-to-use testing device to combat the high rate of undiagnosed HIV infections in low-income communities. Karan Jerath, 18, of Friendswood, Texas, got the award for refining and testing a novel device that should allow an undersea oil well to rapidly and safely recover following a blowout.

Kenneth, Angelo, Carmelle, Marian and Thea with their Shout-Out poster.

Credits: Photos from ISEF Team Philippines 2015.

Note: A slightly different version of this photo-essay appeared in the 29 May-04 Jun 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. The author/blogger is the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent of the paper.

The Philippines appears bounded by principally

by the Manila Trench and the Sulu Trench in

the west, and the Philippine Trench in the east.

The archipelago is traversed by active faults such

as the Valley Fault System (VFS).

Soon after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Department of Science and Technology (PHIVOLCS-DOST) launched and distributed hard copies of the Valley Fault System (VFS) Atlas to local government officials on 18 May 2015, we went to the institute’s webpage and downloaded the online version.

We wanted to verify what we have known in 1998 – that we were building our house in a housing village in barangay Matandang Balara (now Batasan Hills) near the Marikina Fault, which was how the West Valley Fault (WVF) was called before. Political sensitivity appears to have made the government rename the fault to help dispel scary earthquake thoughts among the people of Marikina City.

Our geologist friend also built their house in the next village on the other side of the fault. He was involved in the geological survey during the development of the housing areas. He said not to be scared because our houses do not sit on top of the fault line. After looking at our area map in the Atlas, we estimated that we actually live just about a street block away from the line.

The Atlas is a handbook of 33 large scale map sheets of varying scales, arranged from north to south, showing in detail the areas traversed by the VFS. For the 22 Metro Manila map sheets, the scale is 1:5,000. For Laguna and Cavite (10 map sheets), it’s 1:10,000, and for the sole Bulacan map sheet, 1:50,000.

The map index shows the areas traversed
by the East and West Valley Faults.The
color-coded boxes indicate magnification
scale of the Atlas map sheets.

The VFS mapping is one of the component activities of the Australian Aid (AusAid) Program-funded Greater Metro Manila Area (GMMA) Ready Project under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and implemented by the member agencies of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The Atlas can then be used for land-use planning, engineering and construction, scientific research, disaster risk reduction and mitigation programs, and other activities geared towards the promotion of safer and more resilient communities.

PHIVOLCS says that the EVF “can generate an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 that may result to a very destructive ground shaking, with intensity VIII on the PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS), in the epicentral area ... [and the WFV] can generate an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 that may result to a very destructive ground shaking, with intensity VIII on the PEIS, in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.”

The PEIS in Roman numerals ranges from I (Scarcely Perceptible) to X (Completely Devastating). V is ‘Strong’ and VIII is ‘Very Destructive’.

PHIVOLCS Director Renato U. Solidum reportedly said that the WFV has moved four times in the past 1,400 years, and on the average, every 400 years, plus or minus 10 to 100 years. The last earthquake from the WFV was in 1658, around 355 years ago. Earthquakes are not predictable but the possibility of its occurrence should make us adequately prepared for it.

Barangays in Metro Manila transected by the VFS. Cities not transected are also shown.

In a radio interview, Solidum revealed that, in a night time scenario, around 33,500 people will die and around 113,600 will be injured in areas within the vicinity of the WVF when this moves and causes a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. He said that PHIVOLCS and other agencies based their estimates on the population of the said areas, the quality of buildings and houses found near the fault line, and damage percentages in past earthquake records here and abroad.

Ground rupture resulting from an earthquake may damage buildings and structures built directly above the active fault. PHIVOLCS recommends a minimum distance of at least 5 meters from both sides of the active fault against ground rupture hazard. This should be a consolation for us who live near the WVF line.

Barangays in Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite that are transacted by the VFS.

PHIVOLCS has been distributing the material titled “How Safe Is My House?” to enable people to evaluate the integrity and vulnerability to strong earthquakes of their 1 to 2-story concrete hollow block (CHB) houses. This “House self-check” is based on a “full-scale shaking table experiment on CHB masonry structures conducted in Japan to two types of CHB houses.” Anyone who wants to evaluate their house can download the material from the PHIVOLCS website.

The self-check comprises twelve questions, each with a set of three possible answers, the best scoring a “1” and the two others a “zero”.

This Atlas map shows the West VFS traversing

areas in Marikina City & Quezon City. The

author lives in the blue-circled area .

The self-check tells that the earthquake-safe house is one that was built or designed by a licensed civil engineer/architect, built in or after 1992, not damaged or was repaired after a past earthquake or disaster, of regular shape (symmetrical, rectangular, box-type, simple), has not been extended/expanded or a civil engineer/architect supervised the extension/expansion, the external walls are 6-inch (150mm) thick CHB, the steels bars are of standard size (10mm diameter) and spaced correctly in the walls, there are no unsupported walls more than 3 meters wide, there is no gable wall or the gable wall is made of light materials or properly anchored CHBs, the foundation is reinforced concrete, the soil under the house is hard (rock or stiff soil), and it is in good condition overall.

A score of 11-12 may indicate that one’s house is safe now, but just the same, these findings should be confirmed by experts. As we write, there are several classy houses being constructed in our village closer to the WVF line. We suppose that design and construction standards are being followed to ensure that their families are safe when the nearby fault moves.

PHIVOLCS photos of lateral spreading in Bagtic, Catigbian, Bohol (left), and of the ground rupture

in Anonang, Inabanga, Bohol (right) from the Magnitude 7.2 earthquake of October 2013.

Note: This appeared as a short item titled 'Santacruzan makes a political statement' in the 'Filipinos all over the world" section of the 05-11 Jun 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in maintream America.' The blogger/author is the paper's Manila-based special news/photo correspondent. This is a slightly different edition,

Human rights advocates from the non-government organization Hustisya set up a different kind of Flores de Mayo at Plaza Miranda in front of the Quiapo Church on 30 May 2015.

The traditional Flores is a month-long veneration of the Virgin Mary with offerings of flowers to her image in the Roman Catholic churches in the country. In this event, the young boys and girls carried the customary bunches of flowers, which they offered instead to political prisoners, the desaparecidos, the victims of the Kentex factory fire, and OFWs in the gallows. There were also the familiar arches adorned with flowers but each carried a streamer with a political statement or slogan.

The arch with “Iligtas at palayain si Mary Jane Veloso” was carried by her parents Cesar and Celia. Her young children Daniel and Darren, both grade school boys, stood under the arch. The Velosos said they are in constant touch with Mary Jane by text or call. They were all in the Indonesian island of Nusakambangan when Indon president Joko Widodo granted Mary Jane temporary reprieve from execution. She was accused of being a drug mule.

Three young political prisoners are named in two “palayain” streamers: Miradel Torres, four-months pregnant when she was arrested, and Guiller Cadano and Gerald Salonga, both UP Pampanga alumni. They have been in police custody since last year. According to Cadano's father, who was at the Plaza Miranda event, his son and Salonga were not subjected to physical torture. The young men are charged with illegal possession of firearms.

The empty baby stroller beside the sagala could have been incidental or an intended metaphor. It was under the arch with the streamer seeking to “Ilitaw ang mga desaparecidos!”

Note: This photo-essay appeared as the 'living' feature of the 12-18 June 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This blogger/author is its Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent.

Haw, haw the karabao, bantuten! - From a popular Filipino folk verse

For fun, the man knelt instead of his carabao during the recent
Kneeling Carabao Festival in Pulilan, Bulacan.

There were at least a hundred carabaos, some from Pampanga and Nueva Ecija, that were brought to Pulilan, Bulacan for the Kneeling Carabao Festival on 14 May 2015, eve of the feast day of San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farming folks. The gathering place teemed with dark ‘Tagalog’ and ‘Bulgarian’ bodies, the names that the owners called their animals, which had short or long, curved or twisted, horns.

The native ‘Tagalog’ may be generic to Central Luzon. It is simply ‘nwang’ to us Zambales Ilocanos. The non-native is either pure breed or hybrid, a mestizo born of a native inahin (mother) and a foreign bulugan(bull), both darker and taller than the native. There’s no malicious cultural insinuation here.

The carabao lore we learned from the farmers added significant value to the entertainment from the animals on parade. Only a few actually knelt along the way, when they paused for a dousing of cold water, or in front of the church. You could actually count which would kneel because they had pads around the knees.

The native is the typical swamp buffalo, the water buffalo to the first Americans who set foot here. They need water, they are averse to heat, said the farmers, and they may also succumb to heat stroke, hence, the dousing. Probably the rains are most welcome to them when they get yoked for the plowing during the wet season. In our mind’s eye were our grade school days when we took the school carabao to the river for a good bath. Otherwise, it just wallowed in the muddy pool under the cashew tree in the school garden.

While on his knees, this carabao got doused during the
Kneeling Carabao Festival parade.

The farmers prefer that their male carabaos are castrated. They do not want their bulls getting wild in heat at the sight of an inahin. If there’s another bull around, they may end up rivals, duelling with their horns. The farmers described their unorthodox non-surgical method of castration; we are omiting details since they are not for the squeamish to read.

Regarding income from carabaos, a farmer said he gets Php500 for the swift encounter of his bulugan with an inahin. He would get around Php10,000 for the bulo, the young offspring, and around Php50,000 for an eight-year-old.

While looking at the predominantly mestizo horde of carabaos in the Pulilan festival, we remembered the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) in the Science City of Munoz in Nueva Ecija, an agency attached to the Department of Agriculture. It was established by law in 1992 to answer the need “to improve productivity of the carabaos not only in terms of draft but more importantly for milk and meat to increase income, nutrition, and the general well-being of farmers. “

The mestizo carabaos could be the live products of PCC’s successful implementation of its major services in the national carabao development program, particularly, artificial insemination (AI), bull loan program, frozen buffalo semen distribution, and provision of superior breeding animals. Alongside are training programs and extension services on feeding and management of dairy buffaloes, milk and meat processing, among others.

To carry out these services, PCC has 13 branches nationwide comprising state universities, and the stock farms and breeding stations in La Carlota (Negros Occidental) and Ubay (Bohol), which the government built in 1902.

A pale-skinned carabao - not the typical dark mestizo,

The farmers we met in Pulilan could have benefited from the artificial insemination performed by trained private village-based AI technicians (VBAITs) or those from local government units, regional field units of the Dept. of Agriculture, and the PCC regional centers.

The PCC info comics ‘Artificial Insemination sa Kalabaw’ informs that while the natural way of propagation is still the best, there are not many bulls to do the job. Hence, it explains the whys and hows for implanting semen from superior bulls like the Murrah buffalo into the inahin cervix.

The importance of AI is emphasized: use of superior male specie for propagation; increase of production of better breeds; prevention of diseases through natural reproduction; avoiding costly maintenance of bulugan; and the semen can be preserved for use for a longer time.

Some of the farmers could also have qualified for the bull loan program if the AI was not available in their areas.

The PCC info comics ‘Pagpapahiram ng Bulugang Kalabaw’ explains how deserving farmers can join the program. They get purebred dairy-type Murrah bulls for the natural mating with native or crossbred carabaos. The aim is to procreate animals with improved productivity for milk and meat.

A farmer does not pay for the loaned bull. If he gets a junior bull (2.5 years old and below), the loan is paid once it has produced 25 calves. On the other hand, if it’s a fertility-tested bull (three years old and above), full payment will after producing 50 calves.

A Phil. Carabao Center photo of their mestizo carabaos.

Historical memories tell that, once upon a time, carabaos roamed in the wild, and they were game like the boar, deer and tamaraw for Spanish, American and other foreign hunters. The typical carabao of olden days had very long horns.

The carabao was an unsung hero during the Philippine-American war. Edwin Wildman (1901) wrote that the propaganda war against the Americans could not have been pursued on the run without the reliable carabao. “When Aguinaldo retreated,” he said, “La Independencia, with its few fonts of type, and its old Franklin handpress, was packed into a carabao cart, and dragged along.”

It was an apolitical animal nonetheless. While it was an insurrecto, according to John Bancroft Devins (1905), it was harnessed by the American military forces to serve them too. After the fall of Aguinaldo in Palanan, the Americans used carabaos in building peace-time Philippines.

Written in carabao Spanish-English, the folk verse “Haw, haw the karabaw, bantuten”may have an amusing historical lore for explanation.

The carabao’s delight for muddy water or the esteros of Old Manila made them smell repulsive (mabantot) to American visitors in the early 1900s. But they were surprised or shocked to find that the animals also were disgusted with them. They thought the animals hated their 'American' smell (Devins, 1905) or 'white man' smell (Campbell Dauncey, 1906).

The official handbook (1903) for the Philippine exposition exhibit noted that "in the more remote towns, [carabaos] sometimes display a violent dislike for white men, occasionally stampeding at the mere smell of one." Charles Morris (1906) thought so too, that the buffalo was "prejudiced against white men, the scent of an European traveller being sometimes sufficient to set all the buffaloes in a village on the stampede," clarifying that this applied to "villages rarely visited by the whites." George Waldo Browne (1900), on the other hand, thought it was "an overmastering fear of foreigners, and the mere sight of a white man [that] has been known to stampede every buffalo in town."

Whether they are still bantuten or not, the mestizo carabao meat today is said to be comparable to beef in its physicochemical, nutritional and palatable characteristics. PCC tells us that meat from properly fed carabaos aged 18 to 24 months is equivalent to beef in tenderness and juiciness. Well, carabao meat is now used in meat products like meat loaf, corned beef and sausages. “Pen, pen, the sarapen!”

Cited references:

Devins, John Bancroft. (1905). An Observer in the Philippines or Life in Our New Possessions. Boston, [others]: American Tract Society. Retrieved from http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=sea;idno=sea185
Dauncey, Campbell. (1906). An Englishwoman in the Philippines. London: John Murray. Retrieved from http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=sea;idno=sea186
Morris, Charles. (1906). Our island empire: a hand-book of Cuba, Porto Rico, Hawaii, and the Philippine Islands. Philadelphia: Lippincot. Retrieved from http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=sea;idno=sea200
Browne, George Waldo. (1900). The pearl of the Orient : the Philippine Islands. Boston: D. Estes and Co. Retrieved from http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=sea;idno=sea210

Note: This is an expanded version of my front page story in the 12-18 Jun 2015 issue of FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in America' where we are the Manila-based Special News/Photo Correspondent.

The map was downloaded from the collection of the US Library of Congress [Catalogue No. 2013585226; and Digital ID g8060 ct003137]. The detailed pictures were cropped from this same map.

This copy was downloaded from the U.S. Library of Congress map collection.

The map of the Philippine Islands (“Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Islas Filipinas”) published by Jesuit Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde in Manila in 1734, is coming home in July. This was reportedly the assurance of Mel Velasco Velarde, chief executive officer of Now Corporation, who acquired the almost 300-year-old map from an auction at Sotheby’s in London on 17 November 2014 with his winning bid of GBP170,500 (USD$266,869.46 or Php12,014,463.09).

Sotheby’s announced that the sale was upon the order of the duke of Northumberland and the trustee of the Northemberland estates. There are still other existing copies: one at the U.S. Library of Congress and another at the Bibliotheque national de France, both of which can be accessed online.

Velarde, according to reports, will donate the antique map to the National Museum on condition that the government would take care of it and allow anyone to see it. He will also present a certified true copy to President Benigno Aquino III on Philippine Independence Day.

At the lower portion of the map is the notation “Lo esculpio Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay, Indio Tagalo, Manila año 1734,” which refers to the Filipino who did the engraving. Another indio Tagalo name is written below the notations to the map of Manila on the right side: Francisco Suarez, with the note "lo hizo", meaning he made or drew the said map.

The Carta is very relevant today. It graphically affirms the historical fact that Panacot or Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal has always been a part of Philippine territory. Thus, it is a strong rebuttal to the nine-dash-line territorial claims of China in the South China Sea. A copy of this Murillo map may have been included in the Memorial reportedly comprising around 4,000 pages of arguments, documents and maps that the Philippines submitted to the UNCLOS arbitral tribunal on 30 March 2014.

For anyone who would like to look at their provinces around that time, enlarging the U.S. Library of Congress copy would reveal the towns that were already existing at that time. The boundary between Pangasinan and Zambales was not indicated here, We know however that Zambales extended from Bolinao in the north to Subic in the South during the Spanish colonial times. In this map, Pta. [Puerta?] de Bolinao and Pta. de Agno were marked, and likewise, the barrios/towns of Cabatugan, Balca, Sagayan (which became Sta. Cruz), Tambobo, Bani, Masigloc (Masinloc?), Tugui, Castagan (Caslagan?), Banganalala, Playa Honda o Paynauen (Iba today), Banganbucao, Cabangoan (Cabangan today), and Subic. Panacot is shown off Zambales, opposite the towns of Tugui and Castagan. In modern maps, the shoal is opposite Palauig and Masinloc towns. Obviously, the Murillo map erred in the location of Masigloc/Masinloc.

The Murillo is very detailed map. There are six pictures on each of the vertical sides. The drawings include scenes from the daily lives of the inhabitants of islands at that time, and small maps of Manila, Zamboanga, port of Cavite and the island of Guam.

There is also medallion at the bottom left of the map which contains a historical line about the arrival and death of Magellan and the foundation of Manila, enumeration of flora and fauna found here, products from Mindanao like pearls, and, most significant of all, the state of the colony as of 1734 -- one archbishopric, three bishoprics, one chancery, three governments, 21 provinces or jurisdictions, etc., and number of towns and total population of the provinces administered by the various religious orders.

In 1894, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera devoted a book to the Murillo maps, the original of 1734 and its subsequent editions. He lamented the loss of valuable documents such as this in the country due to termites but noted that, thankfully, these can be found in archives or libraries abroad. He called the 1734 Murillo the ‘first map of the Philippines.’ In his lectures on the historical truths and lies in the West Philippine Sea, Justice Antonio T. Carpio called it the “mother of all Philippine maps.”

Note: This photo-essay is in the 'living' section of the 19-25 June 2015 issue of FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based special news/photo correspondent of the paper.

Propaganda exhibiit at the Lopez Museum & Library:

The Sol issued in Madrid on 31 Decenver 1892.

As prelude to our personal observance of the 117th anniversary of Philippine Independence, we pored through the Propaganda exhibit at the Lopez Museum & Library, and listened to historian Ambeth Ocampo’s discourse on “(A)lamat at (H)istorya sa Paghahanap ng Kalinangan ng Sinaunang Filipino” during the inaugural Lekturang Norberto L. Romualdez of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) at the Court of Appeals auditorium in Manila.

“Propaganda” immediately brings to mind patriotic Filipino expatriates in Spain who fought for reforms in their native land through their fortnightly newspaper La Solidaridad (Sol), which they published in Barcelona and Madrid for almost seven years, from February 1889 to November 1895.

Picture from the Biblioteca Nacional de Espana.
Juan Luna painting can be seen at the Lopez
Musuem & Library.

The reform and propaganda movement of Graciano Lopez Jaena, Marcelo del Pilar, Jose Rizal and Mariano Ponce, among many others, however did not succeed in emancipating “the nation of eight million souls [from] the exclusive preserve of theocracy and traditionalism,” borrowing from the first Sol editorial. None of these were realized: secularization of parishes; freedom of speech; equality of indios, Filipinos and Spaniards before the law; and representation in the Spanish Cortes, among their other aspirations.

Juan Luna expressed the vision of the reformist ilustrados in his España y Filipinas, which he painted in 1886. The Lopez Museum & Library has a copy of this painting that shows a woman in red classical dress (Spain) holding a lady in white baro and blue saya (Philippines) by the waist, and leading her toward a bright horizon as they ascend a staircase strewn with flowers.

This painting was adapted by the Spanish colonial government as the cover illustration of the catalog of the Exposicion Regional Filipina held in Manila in 1895 to showcase the social, cultural and economic activities in the colony. Propaganda indeed for Spain guiding her colony to a bright future!

The revolutionary movement that came also had its own propaganda press to spread cause for independence from Spain to the Filipino masses. The Katipunan propagated its ideals through the writings of Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto in the Kalayaan, their newspaper in Tagalog. Thus, the Katipunan gained many adherents in the provinces in Southern and Central Luzon.

After Kawit 1898, the new republic also needed propaganda media to get the respect and recognition of foreign powers and to announce the nation’s aspirations. Its official organ (1898-1899) published the decrees of the government and patriotic literature. The most famous propaganda paper was edited and privately owned by Gen. Antonio Luna: La Independencia. When the Aguinaldo was on the run from the Americans, so was La Independencia with its few fonts of type, and its old Franklin handpress, packed into a carabao cart.

Propaganda exhibit:at the Lopez
Museum &; Library:

La Independencia of 25 December 1898.

Back in the U.S., the propaganda mills worked to gain public support for their troops at war with Spain in Cuba and in the Philippines. Harper’s Weekly provided pictorial accounts of how their volunteer troops engaged the insurrecto Filipino armies. [Thomas Alva] Edison’s Manufacturing Company churned out movies at location sites in the Orange Mountains in New Jersey purportedly to re-enact American victories in the Philippine battlefields. In May 1899, Edison produced U.S. Troops and Red Cross in the Trenches Before Caloocan; Advance of Kansas Volunteers at Caloocan; Colonel Funston Swimming the Bagbag River; Filipinos Retreat from Trenches; and Capture of Trenches at Candaba (‘full of exciting action and excellent detail,’ according to the Edison catalog). Afro-Americans in what seem to be long Johns depicted Filipino rebels.

With the onset of peacetime in the American colony, the Filipinos began exercising their new freedoms, particularly freedom of speech. The famous “Aves de Rapina” libel case of 1908 was brought about by attacks on the Secretary of the Interior Dean Worcester in the nationalist paper El Renacimiento.

The publicity campaigns of the Philippine Press Bureau in Washington greatly helped the Philippine missions for independence to the United States from 1919 to 1924. The campaigns were intended to develop the interest of the U.S. Congress and the American public in the Philippine issue. A privately owned monthly magazine, The Philippine Republic (1924-1928) publicized the independence agenda and played up achievements of Filipinos here and those in the United States to highlight their capabilities for self-government.

Picture from the Lopez Musuem & Library.

A poster of great interest at the Lopez Museum is “The Fighting Filipino” that depicts a wounded Filipino about to hurl a grenade while he holds aloft with his left hand a tattered Philippine flagIn 1944, he Commonwealth-in-exile commissioned artist Manuel Rey Isip, who settled in the U.S. in 1925, to make this propaganda poster. According to historical accounts, fifteen thousand copies were smuggled into the Philippines, which provided a boost to the fighting spirit of the guerrillas.

Japanese counter-propaganda in various media vis-a-vis Isip’s Fighting Filipino are on exhibit at the Lopez Museum. Among these are posters hyping on the Asian co-prosperity sphere, movie posters glamorizing Philippine-Japanese partnerships, and cartoons depicting happy relationships between the masses and Japanese soldiers.

Up on the walls too are the editorial cartoons of Gatbonton in the pre-martial law Manila Chronicle. These are drawn commentaries relating usually to current events or personalities. Gat’s cartoons on our election system and Filipino politicians remain relevant today as ever.

Woven into the Propaganda exhibit are artworks in the museum collection done by our famous 18th century masters, national artists, and contemporary artists.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines propaganda as “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; [and] also a public action having such an effect.”

Today, we are confronted with propaganda, whether we discern them as such or not, in the social media we seem to have become addicted to. These may be our own or those of friends or friends of friends shared through various media streams.

Propaganda exhibit at the Lopez Museum & Library: Recreation of installation art
"Pasyon at Rebolusyon", mixed media by the late Santiago Bose.

Note: This photo-essay was in the 'living' section of the 26 Jun - 02 Jul 2015 issue of FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based special news/photo correspondent of the paper.

National Artist BenCab in front of Soldiers (Heroes of the Past IV),
his work in the Lopez Museum and Library collection.

It’s been fifty years since National Artist Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, the popular BenCab, had his first exhibit in a three-man show at the Art Association of the Philippines Gallery. The next year, 1966, he was 24, and he had his first solo exhibition of oil and acrylic paintings at the Indigo Gallery in Mabini. In celebration of his half-a-century of art practice, these three exhibitions are ongoing for public appreciation of his achievements: Frames of Reference at the Lopez Museum and Library (until 04 July 2015), BenCab in Multiples: A Print Retrospective at the CCP Main Gallery (until 16 August 2015), and Ode to the Flag at the BenCab Museum in Benguet (until 02 August 2015).

The Philippine Ballet Theatre (PBT) has staged 'Sabel: Love and Passion', a musical inspired by BenCab's Sabel, his most iconic subject, with music by Louie Ocampo, and book and lyrics by Freddie Santos. She also inspired Agnes Locsin, back in 2010, to create the dance 'Sayaw, Sabel.'

Sabel, 2005

The Sabel theme can be seen in various transformations in the artist's paintings and prints. She dates back to 1964 when she was a bag lady, a scavenger that he observed and sketched from the window of their family house in Bambang in Tondo. To BenCab, according to the BenCab Museum webpage, Sabel is "a symbol of dislocation, despair and isolation - the personification of human dignity threatened by circumstances."

Sabel is not the only element of BenCab's personal interest that permeates his art.

The Frames of Reference exhibits enable us to look at BenCab as artist (photographer, painter, printmaker), lover, family man, bibliophile and collector of historical and cultural artifacts.

Glimpses into BenCab’s life can be gleaned from about 15 of his art-books that comprise compilations of collages (clippings and cut-outs), drawings and sketches interspersed with his handwritten notes. These prominently feature his love for nostalgia, handmade paper and bookbinding. His small scrapbooks look like diaries containing his aesthetics, letters, mementos and other keepsakes.

Rizal’s and Leonor’s Letters. 1998.

Lopez Museum & Library Collection.

His other hand-crafted books show early studies and iterations of some of his most important series of works: Sabel, Larawan and Japanese Women (ukiyo-e). Also on exhibit are his early folios of prints he was a part of, along with other Filipino and foreign artists.

We had an amusing time poring through BenCab’s notes, scribbles, and studies, which he did in a playful or studied manner, by using a magnifying glass or viewing the enlarged screen images of pages of his digitized art-books: Embossed Prints, Book of Collages, Small Prints, and An English Scrapbook.

Among the Collages was one of Ninoy Aquino with the Philippine flag and the date Agosto 21, probably his memento of his participation in the EDSA I revolt. We chuckled when we saw a picture of Stalin among those he clipped from newspapers in his English Scrapbook.

Postcard to Annie Sarthou, 08 Feb 1988.

We were delighted listening to him in his two postcards dated February 1988, one with a sketch of himself in a crowd in freezing London, and the other, carrying in the cold a painting. He was speaking of his anxieties in setting up his art exhibition (carpentry work, framing, invitations, guests list, etc) at the October Gallery in London. And here he is being very fatherly: “The kids are doing fine. Mayumi might do a front cover for Elle Mag. I have to think of what to give to Jasmine for her birthday. She is learning piano. Elisar and I share the evening usually. After cooking meals for him, I watch TV. But usually his choices. Also got hook on his comic books.”

That exhibit was of his Recent Works that included ‘America Is in the Heart,’ a large painting in oil, “inspired by Carlos Bulosan’s autobiography which describes the racial discrimination against Filipinos in the United States.”

1081. Print, 1975.

He was actually returning to London in 1988. He had been back for good in 1986 and chose to stay in Baguio. He arrived in time for the EDSA Revolution, which he chronicled with a painting of two women standing in a rain of yellow confetti.

BenCab’s large Soldiers (Heroes of the Past IV) painting in the Lopez Museum and Library Collection, which he did in 1998 with charcoal, chalk, acrylic on hand-made paper, reminded us that we have seen the two historical pictures, which inspired the work.

The biography cited earlier tells us that “a turning point in his work is his discovery of rare Filipiniana prints and photographs in London’s antiquarian bookshops.” Filipiniana materials such as photographs, maps, prints, and illustrated travelogues inspired him to start Larawan series comprising portraits of the Filipina in 19th century attire, nostalgic images of colonial Philippines, Filipino migrants, expatriates and exiles, that explored “themes of cultural alienation and spiritual distancing.”

Painting detail echoing the From Hillsman to Sergeant theme
of a 1978 print.

His other collections comprise Cordillera artifacts like the bulol (representation of the rice god) and tabayag (carved lime container for the areca leaf chewable), among others. These are housed at the BenCab Museum in Tuba, Benguet, which can easily be reached from Baguio City.

The Cordillera people and its culture have also been subjects of the national artist’s paintings and prints. He has also documented the Cordillera insurgency.

In his Ode to the Flag exhibit at the BenCab Museum, the national artist portrays the "flag -- draped, wrapped and displayed with the likes of Andres Bonifacio ... [and] on anonymous human forms that are not seen, suggesting the countless, nameless Filipinos who fought for freedom." It also reminds "that the fight is not yet over, and suggests that our flag, as yet, does not fly in skies that are truly free." This affirms why he has been called an "artist-activist."

Pictures of BenCab’s paintings in the Ode to the Flag exhibit. (From the BenCab Museum Facebook album).

In 2006, he was conferred the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The citations he received when he was conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, by his alma mater, the University of the Philippines, in 2009, basically sum up his achievements in 50 golden years: "his incisive contribution to Philippine Art, lavishly expressed in a visual granary of Filipino imagery, gleaned from the country's inspiring historic past to the penetrating banalities of contemporary art ... and for his pioneering work to uphold the cultural being of the country's indigenous peoples and for spearheading initiatives to benefit the cultural, economic and social life of the underprivileged."

Note: This photo-essay appeared in the 03-09 July 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Francisco, CA, where this writer/blogger is the Manila-based special news/photo correspondent.

Applause & cheers upon presentation for graduation.

For the first time, the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) held its graduation rites in June, following the shift of the university academic calendar from June to August last year. The University Avenue still blazed with the golden yellow blooms of the iconic sunflower, this time of the species that can tolerate rain.

Class 2015 comprising 4,439 graduates from the 27 degree-granting units in the Diliman campus received their degrees under the burning morning sun during the 104^th General Commencement Exercises on 28 June. 3,499 received undergraduate degrees while 940 received graduate degrees, of which 84 were conferred their doctoral degrees. They were alerted that if it rains, they would be confirmed graduates by text.

The four summa cum laude graduates of engineering with theirDean Aura Matias,

Vice Chacellor Benito Pacheco, Chancellor Michael Tan and UP President Alfredo Pascual

Summa cum laudes. Twenty nine undergraduates who earned a weighted average grade (WAG) of 1.20 or better were bestowed with the highest academic distinction: summa cum laude (“with the greatest honors. They were led by Tiffany Grace C. Uy, BS Biology with a WAG of 1.004. She surpassed that of John Gabriel P. Pelias, BS Mathematics, graduated with a WAG of 1.016 in 2011.

Chancellor Tan congratulates Tiffany Uy
and her proud parents.

In the Diliman Files, a Facebook community group, Uy is listed second, and Pelias third, among the top five summa cum laude graduates in UP history. Number one is Exequiel Sevilla, who had a flat 1.0 WAG in 1927. The fourth and fifth are Emerenciana Yuvienco-Arcellana, 1.020 WAG in 1948, and Gertrude Gwendale Baron-Reinoso, 1.030 WAG in 1982. Among the post-war Diliman campus summa graduates though, Uy would be on top.

Mikaela Irene D. Fudolig was barely noticed during graduation rites. She was one of the 84 who received doctoral degrees. If her name rings a bell, she was this physics prodigy, who at 16 in 2007, graduated summa cum laude, with 1.099 WAG. She was the girl of 11 who entered the university without a high school diploma and without taking the UP College Admission Test or UPCAT. After her BS and MS in 2007 and 2013, respectively, she is now PhD, all in physics.

High school buddies Junji &
Mike graduate as engineers.

Based on the university records, there were only one or two summa cum laude graduates or none at all, from 1919 to 1959, although there were five in 1929, and three in 1952. In the 1960s, there were only two. During the years of student ferment, from 1964 to 1972, there was none at all. The double-digit number of summas started in 2005 although there were only eight in 2007.

Many alumni wonder why it was so difficult to earn the highest Latin honor in their time although they had magna cum laudes in their classes.

Chancellor Michael Tan attributed the seeming phenomenon to change, citing factors such as easier access to information from various sources, improvement in the teaching methodologies (the ‘terrors’ are disappearing, he quipped), among others.

Tiffany Uy was more down-to-earth with regard to her grade. To her, it just a number, only a circumstantial evidence of what [she] has learned. “A true measure of what you’ve learned,” she averred, “is (its) application toward serving the country.”

Muslim Filipinos are integral part of
the academic community & the nation.

Pag-uugat, Pag-uugnay, Pagyabong. “This theme,” said UP President Alfredo Pascual in his message to Class 2015, “mirrors your transformation from idealistic young freshmen to accomplished graduates.” He reminded that they were nurtured in integrity so they can proudly stand as “the best and the brightest in the country.”

He emphasized on “pag-uugnay” in the process of growth as true iskolar ng bayan, in the practice of excellence to achieve honorable ends.

“Many of our graduates like you,” he said, “have seen how each individual is connected to the whole—that the nation’s issues are your issues. You have been witness to how one can, under the banner of truth, improve the world through strength of mind and will. And this is done through building networks, cooperation, and interconnections.”

The iconic clenched fist in UP rites.

Secretary Armin A. Luistro of the Department of Education, the ceremony’s guest speaker, urged the members of Class 2015 to become living heroes, “mga buhay na Oblation.”

In good humor, Luistro said that he was told he would become a rock star if rallyistas appear while he is speaking. Placards were flashed while he spoke, and the mass action, which was quite expected, came before the formal closing of the program. The protest principally focused on the K-12 program.

Luistro hurled challenges to the graduates focusing on his turf: the state of public schools in the country. He asked for who can help install solar or micro-hydro power in schools that still do not have electricity. There are also more than 6,000 schools that have no access to clean water, and thus, rain catchment facilities are needed to be constructed.

He cited the Brigada Eskwela program, and he challenged the engineering graduates to volunteer in constructing around 40,000 new classrooms in far-flung areas and islands. He assured that the locations are the most beautiful in the country.

The Colleg of Law contingent singing the UP Naming Mahal with passion.

Luistro would also like the graduates to look at the out-of-school youth. According to him, there were 2.9 million of them in 2008, and this reduced to 1.2 million in 2013. “If you see a child who is not in school,” he said, “text or email us at DepEd and we will take care.”

He called attention to other challenges that graduates cannot evade: the turmoil at the West Philippine Sea, the issues on the Bangsamoro Law, which is deemed to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao, and the election of right government officials in 2016.

Response on behalf of Class '15.

Summa cum laude graduate Ma. Patricia Riego De Dios (BS Psychology, 1.139 WAG) spoke on behalf of the graduating class with “Mga Katanungan ng Payabong na Iskolar ng Bayan” vis-a-vis the graduation theme.

She recalled that their growth as iskolar ng bayan was nurtured in the university by information, friendships, experience, failures and interconnections.

“Mga kasama kong nagsipagtapos, tayo ay magiging ganap lamang na mga iskolar ng bayan sa ating pag-angat sa lupa,” she implored. “Magiging ganap tayo na mga isko at iska kapag yumabong na ang ating mga tangkay, mga sanga, at mga dahon sa kanya-kanyang propesyon at karera sa buhay: paghanap ng trabaho, ng boyfriend, girlfriend, asawa, pagpasok sa med school, law school o graduate school, at pagpapalawak ng ating kaalaman.

“At dahil nga tayo ay naka-ugat sa UP, sisikapin nating maging pinakamataas na sanga, pinakaluntiang dahon, at higit sa lahat, pinakamatibay at pinakamayabong na puno na nakapagbibigay ng silong sa nakararami.”

Strung across the front of the stage for all Class 2015 is a giant streamer, a reminder that they should go and serve the people: 'Paglingkuran ang sambayanan.'

The lightning protest demonstration toward the end of the graduation rites.

Note: This photo-essay appeared in the 10-16 July 2015 issue of the FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America' published in San Franciso, CA. This author/blogger is the Manila-based special news/photo correspondent of the paper.

UNHCR’s Bernard Kerblat spoke highly of our

“strong humanitarian tradition.”

Sometime in May this year, the Philippine government announced openness to accept thousands of Bangladeshi and Rohingya people on small boats adrift in the Andaman Sea if ever they reach our territory. This was met, of course, with positive and adverse reactions from the public through the social media.

Bernard Kerblat, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) submitted that, yes, the Philippines would have given them refuge if they landed on Philippine shores, recalling the country’s “strong humanitarian tradition.”

He said that eleven years before the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, we already had Commonwealth Act 613 or the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, which authorized the president to allow aliens to come here “for humanitarian reasons.” But even before its enactment, President Manuel Quezon already gave asylum to some 1,300 European Jews in the country.

“We discovered that very few people are aware of what your ancestors did to welcome refugees,’’ Kerblat revealed in his lecture on “The Philippines and asylum – a historical perspective” at the National Museum, which coincided with the celebration of World Refugee Day.

About 6,000 “White Russian Refugees” evacuated from Shanghai

to Tubabao Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar in 1949. (Photo courtesy

of the Pres. Elpidio Quirino Foundation)

“Our ancestors” were the Filipino generations from 1923 to 2000 who gave asylum to nine waves of refugees from Asia and Europe: first wave of White Russians (1923), Jews (1934-1940), Spanish Republicans (1939), Chinese (1940), the second wave of White Russians (1949-1953), Vietnamese (1975-1992), Iranians (1979), Indochinese (1980-1989), and East Timorese (2000).

The lectures was part of a series that the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation has scheduled for the year to commemorate Quirino’s 125th birthday.

Kerblat toured us into the nine waves, and focused on the second wave of White Russians who came during the watch of President Quirino. Taking them in was a challenge to the new republic because it was then in the process of recovery and reconstruction from the ravages of World War II.

Refugee children enjoying their snacks and soda. (Photo by

Nikolai Hidchenko. Courtesy of the Pres. Elpidio Quirino Foundation).

“Tiempo Ruso” was the theme of the parallel commemorative exhibit, which was set up by the Qurino Foundation based on the research of Kinna Gonzalez Kwan for her graduate program at the University of Sto. Tomas.

Kinna Kwan hails from Guiuan, Eastern Samar, and her mother is the mayor of that town. “Tiempo Ruso” is the term that Guiuan people fondly call the four years when the White Russians stayed in Tubabao Island, which belongs to the town. The Kwan mother and daughter have started connecting with the former refugees who settled in different countries around the world.

“White Russians” has no racial connotation. It refers to those who opposed the Socialist Revolution of 1917. Those who supported were the “Reds”.

Many White Russians sought refuge in Europe and America. Many also fled to China and settled in Peking (Beijing), Tientsin (Tianjin), Harbin, and Shanghai. They were safely ensconced there until Mao Tse Tung and his liberation army started to rule over China.

Young men and women enjoying their good times at the

Tubabao camp. (Photo by Val Sushkoff. Courtesy of the

Pres. Elpidio Quirino Foundation).

The White Russians feared that they may be persecuted and possibly repatriated to the USSR. Thus, in December 1948, in their desire to flee China, the Russian Emigrants’ Association, through the International Refugee Organization (IRO), predecessor of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), sent circular letters to all the free countries seeking help and protection of their governments, relocation of White Russian employees in their firms in China to safer regions, and temporary asylum for 6,000 people.

Many countries expressed sympathies. The only country that was willing to accept them was the Philippines, the young republic under President Elpidio Quirino.

The country opened Tubabao Island for them. The island was the receiving station for the US Naval Base in Guiuan during the Second World War.

President Quirino visited the refugee camp in October 1949. (Photo by

Nikolai Hidchenko. Courtesy of the Pres. Elpidio Quirino Foundation)

When the White Russians arrived in the Tubabao aboard rusty ships crewed by Chinese prisoners, the island had turned into a jungle, and what remained were dilapidated Quonset huts of the Americans. They found some fishing families living along the beach.

The White Russians were composed of 12 national groups: Russian, Armenian, Estonian, Germans and Austrians, Turko Tatar, Romanian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Czechs and Yugoslav, Polish, Latvian, and Hungarian. There were teachers, doctors, engineers, architects, ex-military officers, lawyers, artists, performers, and priests, among others.

With the help of Filipinos, the refugees were able to transform the jungle into a “little Russian city” comprising 14 districts with democratically-elected leaders. They had communal kitchens, power stations, Russian schools, hospital and dental clinic, arbitration court, police force and a little jail, and churches for different faiths. They transformed the church left by the Americans into a wooden Russian Orthodox church.

As their life improved and acquired normalcy, they improvised an open air movie theater, held dance parties, poetry readings, art exhibitions, lectures and performances by acrobats and dancers; they also formed an amateur theater company and an orchestra.

Pres. Quirino was a hero to the refugees. (Photo by Nikolai

Hidchenko. Courtesy of the Pres. Elpidio Quirino Foundation)

They also had to earn a living. Some taught piano and ballet to the children of Guiuan. Thus, they became friends of local families. Through these encounters, they left a legacy in Guiuan: piano playing and dancing like ballerinas.

President Quirino visited the camp on 28 October 1949. There was something that he did that former refugees remember: he ordered the barbed-wire fence around the camp removed. To them, that was an act of acceptance, goodwill and trust.

A religious stayed with them for several months: Vladyka (Bishop) John Maximovitch, who served as their spiritual leader from Shanghai to Tubabao. People of Guiuan recall stories about him as the holy man who blessed the camp from four directions every night to ward off typhoons and other dangers. He was canonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in July 1994.

The White Russians were to stay only for four months. The country extended its hospitality until 1953 because of delays in the resettlement.

A streamer of gratitude to the Philippines. (Photo by Larissa

Krassovsky. Courtesy of Pres. Elpidio Quirino Foundation)

Living a free and contented life in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Uruguay, Surinam, USA, France and Belgium today, former refugees continue to remember Tubabao Island, and with gratefulness, the benevolent and timely response of our country to the Philippines to their plight.

From former refugee Contantine Koloboff: “Philippines did a fantastic job of being friends with us, accepting us ... to me, it was a very special time of my life. I appreciate that period, it shaped the rest of my life.”

When typhoon Yolanda struck Samar and Leyte in 2013, the White Russians sent help to the devastated town of Guiuan.

Note: A shorter version of this photo-essay appeared in the 24-30 July 2015 edition of FilAm Star, the weekly 'newspaper for Filipinos in mainstream America.' This author/blogger is the Manila-based special news/photo correspondent of the paper.

Photographs of Felix Laureano in the front pages of these four issues of La Ilustracion
Artistica: 23 Nov 1896, 07 Dec 1896, 11 Jan 1897, and 02 May 1898. (From Biblioteca
Nacional de Espana)

A selection of his photographs, vintage 1880s-1890s, on exhibit at the Ayala Museum brings to the fore that, indeed, Panay-born Felix Laureano was the first Filipino photographer. After going through his works, in the La Ilustracion Artistica, a weekly magazine published in Barcelona, Spain, in the 1896 to 1898 issues, we venture to say that he was the first Filipino photo-journalist.

In a television interview, Canada-based historian Francisco G. Villanueva called him the first transnational Filipino photographer (OFW in the current political lingo) because he succeeded in professional photography in studios he set up in Spain and in the Philippines.

Villanueva, who hails from Ilolio, started his research on Laureano in 2010; thus, the exhibit is a showcase of his three-year research on the photographer that he also considers an anthropologist, portraitist and landscapist.

From Villanueva’s documentation, we learn that Laureano was born in Patnongon, Antique in 1866, the son of a wealthy businesswoman and a Spanish friar. He and his six siblings grew up in Bugasong, where their father was the parish priest.

Left photo was about an announcement to a bullfight in the Iloilo bullring (right photo),

The bullring was a bamboo strucrure. (From Biblioteca Nacional de Espana.)

He was 17 when he attended school at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1883. He stayed there for two years. Not much is known after Ateneo, said Villanueva, until he opened a photo studio in Iloilo in 1886. He could have worked as an apprentice under one of the master photographers in Manila.

Laureano was 21 when he participated with 40 photographs at the 1887 Exposicion General de Filipinas in Madrid where he received an Honorable Mention.

In 1892, he returned and visited Iloilo, but he went back to Barcelona that same year. Before then, he had participated in the 1888 Universal Exposicion de Barcelona where his works received Honorable Mention. He travelled in Europe, studied the latest photography developments in Paris, and attended the 1889 Universal Exposicion where the Eiffel Tower was launched.

Back in Barcelona, he received citation at the Exposicion National de Industrias Artisticas, and was singled out by the newspaper La Vanguardia. Between December 1892 and 1901, Laureano opened three photo studios there. Laureano could have known the ilustrados of the Reform Movement because the La Solidaridad congratulated him for the opening of his studio in 1893.

The Jaro Cathedral with a bamboo Eiffel Tower in the foreground.

(From Biblioteca Nacional de Espana)

In 1895, Laureano published ‘Recuerdos de Filipinas’ in Barcelona, a folio of 37 photographs, each with an accompanying essay. This is considered to be the first photo book by a Filipino. The book and his other photographs were exhibited in the Exposicion Regional de Filipinas, in Manila that year.

His works began to be published in 1896, and until the end of that century, his photographss appeared in La Ilustracion Artistica, La Ilustracion Espanola y Americana, and Panorama Nacional. Two of his colored photos were published in an 1899 issue of Album Salon, the first Spanish illustrated magazine in color.

We studied around 90 of his photographs in the La Ilustracion Artistica from November 1896 and May 1898.

Five issues of the weekly paper featured his works in the front page covers: 23 November 1896 (a mestiza in an elegant and colorful costume of the country); 07 December 1896 (a typical Bisayan fighting game, and the principalia or local consultative body for administrative matters), 11 January 1897 (‘Philippine Views,’ a montage of five photographs taken around Manila), 02 May 1898 (the battleships Pelayo and Infanta Maria Teresa of the Spanish Navy) and 16 May 1898 (the coastguard battleship Numancia of the Spanish Navy).

Cuadrilleros or rural guards.

(From Biblioteca Nacional de Espana)

His photographs of the Spanish warships anchored in Barcelona during the Spanish-American War in Cuba were commissioned works. In this sense, he could be the first Filipino press photographer.

Most of his works in Ilustracion Artistica were in the realm of photo-essays because all the photographs were described in detail, probably in the same manner that he did for the Recuerdos. The essays were not by-lined but there could have been no other Filipinos in Barcelona as knowledgeable of the Philippines, its people and customs, except Laureano. Yes, there were the ilustrados but they were using their pens to agitate for reforms through the La Solidaridad.

The descriptive essays on his eight pictures in the 23 November 1896 were preceded by an explanatory note, probably by the editor, which said that with the attention of Spain focused on the ‘remote archipelago’, it was appropriate to include in the issue ‘some pictures depicting typical scenes and customs, convinced that our subscribers will welcome seeing them.’ These did not have photo credits, but the editor informed that ‘these are taken from photographs provided by Mr. Felix Laureano’. The whole composition occupies more than one page of the weekly paper.

'Una Boda'- wedding party followed by a music band.

(From Biblioteca Nacional de Espana)

One of the interesting photographs in this issue is titled ‘Una Boda’ (A Wedding): a couple in a calesa followed by a music band. The short story on the wedding picture tells about the wedding practices in the villages. Matchmakers are very much a part of the preliminaries and of the post-wedding practices. The prospective groom, accompanied by his parents, relatives and a matchmaker, all dressed up, go to the house of his future-in-laws. The matchmaker begs in the sweetest persuasive tone, through improvised verses, for the hand of the future bride on behalf of the groom. The bride’s parents, also through a matchmaker reciting in verse, disclose the conditions under which they grant the hand of their daughter. One of these is the usual service for about a year or year and a half, which, of course, can be redeemed for cash to shorten the time.

If the negotiations succeed, a wedding date is set, and the groom’s party commits to pay for the wedding feast. A ritual is also described about the groom walking around for scrutiny, getting accepted by the girl, and turning over a symbolic key to the groom to signify he becomes master of their house after marriage.

Datu Piang, his family and followers.

(From Biblioteca National de Espana)

Aside from the front page photographs, the 07 December 1896 issue also has photo montages in two full pages: one depicts the views of Iloilo and Panay Island, and the other, views of the city of Manila.

The accompanying long descriptive essay, almost a full page, titled ‘Types, customs and views of the Philippines’ was also preceded by an introductory note from the editor to justify the publication of many pictures which came ‘from the kindness of the well-known photographer of the city, Felix D. Laureano.’ The justification had something to do with the ‘current insurrection’ growing in ‘those islands in the Great Asian Archipelago.’

The accompanying descriptive essay titled ‘Views of the Philippines’ appear on top of the montage of five Laureano photographs in the front page of the 11 January 1897 issue of the Ilustracion Artistica. This one is short compared to the previously cited cover stories.

Towards the end of the century, Laureano and the Spanish photographer Manuel Arias Rodriguez began sharing the pages of the newspapers in Barcelona. “Guerra Filipinas” was the tagged of Arias photographs from the Spanish front in the Philippine Revolution. Laureano was in Barcelona, and he got commissions to photograph the Spanish Navy warships anchored in the port of the city. There were scant ‘Islas Filipinas’ views after the Spaniards lost the archipelago.

One of two Laureano photographs taken during the banquet for the Baler survivors.

The other showed them enjoying their dinner. (From Biblioteca Nacional de Espana.)

It seems that Laureano’s last press photography was his coverage in 1899 of the banquet honoring the 32 survivors of the defense of Baler in Tayabas.

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Felix Laureano: First Filipino Photo-Journalist