Ash Wednesday musings

It is the first Ash Wednesday since 2019 that we actually went to church to receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads. I was not able to do that in 2020 not because of the pandemic but because I was on field work and could not go to church. In 2021 and 2022, we still were hesitant to go to church because of the health protocols. Our first face-to-face Mass was a baccalaureate Mass in May 2022. Prior to that, we only had online Masses. Instead of going to UP Diliman's Parish of the Holy Sacrifice where I usually attended the Mass for Ash Wednesday, I decided to go instead to the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary near Hinulugang Taktak in Antipolo. This was after I dropped off our daughter at school. There were already many people for the 7AM Mass so it felt like old times. The only thing different was that people wore face masks. Mask-wearing is still practiced by most if not all people despite government declaring that people may no longer wear masks. I guess many are wary about COVID-19 and masks still offer additional protection after being vaccinated vs. the virus.

This morning, we were reminded more of our mortality as the priest who celebrated the Mass suddenly froze at the altar when he was just about to start the communion rite. He was already holding the host and everyone was silent as we kneeled after the rite of peace. People including a minister and the sacristan had to rush to him to check on him. Eventually, more people came to help as it was clear that something was wrong. The parish priest also rushed to the altar and a couple of doctors and nurses also came to help. Most people appeared to be in shock including the lector who could have asked for the help of any doctor in the church. It appears that the priest's blood sugar went down as he apparently recovered after drinking some Coke (yes, that's a sugar rush for those in need of one). Still, the parish priest had to take over and preside over the communion and concluding rites of the Mass.

That experience reminded me of how quickly things might change and how delicate our lives really are. We should reflect on this and have "time outs" every so often as we have become too busy, too engrossed with doing something. We have forgotten to do nothing and have no appreciation to the quiet time that we can use instead for meditation and seeking the peace we desire.

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Easter Sunday flashbacks and farewell to a cousin - Holy Week 2022

I remember that Easter in Tatay's hometown started way before Sunday. There was a vigil from Good Friday and this culminated in a Mass late Saturday night. There was also an early morning Easter Vigil Mass on Sunday. Early meant around 3 AM and this was attended by farmers who came from all over the town for this event. They brought with them 'binhi' or seeds for the next planting, particularly of rice. I know of this because I had two aunts, the elder sisters of my father, who went to these Masses in the early morning and who brought with them the binhi or seeds to be planted in their small plot outside of the town proper. Tatay's lifelong friend and kumpare Tay Domeng and his family also always attended that Mass and stayed at our home to have breakfast and exchange stories before returning to their home in the 'uma', which I think is the equivalent of inaka in Japanese.

For some reason, I recall that it always rained or at least drizzled that night or early morning. It was probably a sign that there will be a good harvest from the seeds brought to be blessed that morning. Too bad sometimes for the 'salubong' or 'dampog' as they called it in Kiniray-a. This was the ceremony recalling the meeting of the resurrected Christ and His grieving Mother. The image of the grieving Mother Mary (Dolorosa) had a veil removed by a child dressed as an angel who announces that Christ has risen. I think I only woke up a couple times for this and the following first Easter Mass. That was mainly for the experience of it aside from me not having an option not to go with relatives for this event. Tatay always went to the second Easter Mass when he also met up with old friends and other relatives who probably didn't know he was there.

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Last night, we received news of the passing of a first cousin. Manong Pecoy died of cardiac arrest last night, the second one he suffered in the last week. He was hospitalized for a week before his demise. Francisco Manopla y Regidor was blessed with a long life and just turned 90 early this April. He was a cousin though he was older than Tatay. Tatay being the youngest among siblings had sisters and brothers who were much older than him. As they say, matanda kami sa dugo (our blood is older), which explains why many of my cousins from my father's side are senior citizens and I have grandchildren as old as my youngest brother. Our nephew was saying that just before he passed away, Manong was in high spirits and even joked that he wanted to have a bottle of Red Horse (beer). He was a simple man who worked hard and helped his sister finish school. He shared many experiences with Tatay who likes to relate how difficult life was and the sacrifices they made in order to have an education. 

I thought it was apt that he passed away during Easter. He was not the religious type but he definitely lived a life that is more Christian than others would pretend theirs to be. Paalam Manong Pecoy. You lived a blessed and exemplary life more than how you probably saw it. May you now rest and rest eternally with our Creator.

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Black Saturday senti - Holy Week 2022

"Patay pa ang Diyos." (God is still dead.) That is what our grandfolks, uncles, aunties and even parents told us before when we were children. They were referring to Black Saturday and why there was a need to be quiet as well as careful (as if no one was watching over us during this day post crucifixion (Good Friday) and before the Resurrection (Easter Sunday). Nevermind that many of us went to Catholic Schools and were taught otherwise. Some traditions were not meant to be questioned at this point and need not be. 

Those were more innocent times when commercial establishments were closed at least from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday. A few were open out of necessity (there was demand for food, drinks and other items) especially in my father's hometown where the atmosphere was quite festive. Every other year before Covid-19 they held the local high school's grand homecoming and combined with the annual Lenten kapilya or chapel competition among barangays (i.e., 14 stations of the cross), there are a lot of people about including balikbayans from all over the world. The homecoming was also an opportunity for family reunions so there are a lot more people than just the homecoming crowd. Entire families come to celebrate and that celebration starts way before Easter. I wonder if they resumed these activities this year as I haven't heard from our relatives or seen anyone from there posting about these on social media (another thing that we didn't have back in the day and perhaps that was a good thing!). 

There was a time when Black Saturdays meant practically no TV as stations were also taking their breaks. We didn't have cable or satellite TV back then, and there was no internet yet so you didn't have these alternatives or options for entertainment and the like. Holy Week, if you're not so religious, was a timeout of sorts from busy schedules, from work. It was also a time when you can just read a good book or magazine. I usually had the latest copy of Reader's Digest or read the old ones at our ancestral home in Iloilo. Other times, we can just go out and take a stroll to the countryside (uma as they call it in Tatay's language) or perhaps the town plaza with my cousins. I don't remember getting bored. And having nothing to do was always an option unlike these days when young people are demanding one activity after another. Lost, it seems, are the quiet times that allow for one's mind to rest and be in peace. One shouldn't be doing stuff on Black Saturdays because "patay pa ang Diyos."

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Good Friday musings - Holy Week 2022

I've written about my boyhood memories of Good Friday including the times when we spent the Holy Week in my father's hometown in Cabatuan, Iloilo. The last two years have been spent mostly at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic though last year I recall we were already able to take our daily walks around the neighborhood. I also remember that we had started getting vaccinated around this time last year so hopes were high.

We decided to stay at home again this year despite Rizal and Metro Manila being on Alert Level 1. The latter meant people could basically go out and travel wherever they wanted to as long as you have proof of vaccination and practice the minimum health protocols such as wearing a mask. We had talked about doing a Visita Iglesia but relented as we thought perhaps many other people were going to do this after two straight years of being confined to their homes.

There was no official Alay Lakad this year, the third straight year there won't be an "official" one. I put official in quotation marks as there really is no stopping devotees or those with panata (vow) with Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Virgen de Antipolo). True enough, there were many people who walked from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday to the Antipolo Shrine and there are many evidence of this from social media posts in the area. The numbers probably weren't in the millions that was pre-Covid-19 but it was a sizeable crowd that triggered comments about its being a potential super spreader event.

Perhaps a winner this Holy Week, if you can call it that, are businesses. Unlike the Holy Weeks of old, malls, supermarkets, shops and restaurants are mostly open this stretch of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday. I have memories of the times when most establishments were closed during these days. In the provinces, there were eateries, stores or stalls open because there was demand (i.e., people including tourists going around) but the malls and supermarkets were generally closed. Eventually, Black Saturdays became exceptions as people prepared for their Easter celebrations. Next it was Maundy Thursdays. Finally, commerce got to Good Fridays starting with the large fastfood chains opening their branches to feed the people going around (e.g., doing Visita Iglesia). At first, the justification for this was that not everyone was Catholic and so they could deploy non-Catholic staff to man their operations. Of course, we know that was BS (pardon for the term here) but everyone seemed to welcome this development. People needed to eat despite these days supposed to be for fasting and abstinence. So much for that part of religion!

More reminiscing and opinions in the next post.

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Food for lent

It was Ash Wednesday last March 2 and that ushers in the Lenten Season for Roman Catholics. This means Fridays one has to observe fasting and abstinence. Fasting here means only one full meal that day (as opposed to the stricter water only rule observed by some and different from the no eating and drinking during the daytime but meals at nighttime practiced by Muslims) and abstaining from meat (beef, pork, chicken and others). 

Due to this latter rule about meat prohibition, most Catholics opt for seafood, particularly fish. But is it really a sacrifice as what abstinence is essentially about? Fish is particular is quite enjoyable as a meal and many people will choose a variety of seafood over common meat dishes anytime. I, for one, would prefer seafood over beef or pork dishes. Grilled fish? Definitely! Tuna or salmon sashimi? Bring it on! Prawn tempura? Why not! So much for the sacrifice aspect of abstinence...

Dried fish for breakfast?

I think regardless of the food we eat during Lent, we should make some sacrifices as we reflect on the themes of this season. We should practice restraint versus excess and do our part fighting temptations of the material and even carnal kind. After all, 'food' should not be limited to its literal meaning but perhaps be understood or accepted for its deeper aspects.

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Food for Lent

It's the Lenten Season once again and its that time of year when meat consumption tends to go down for Catholics. We are supposed to fast and abstain from meat (that's beef, pork and chicken) on Fridays and the specific days like Ash Wednesday, Maunday Thursday and Black Saturday.

Frozen seafood i vacuum packs mean they will last longer in the refrigerator.

I usually get dory, tanguige, tuna and milkfish as part of our food supply. Bangus (milkfish) is usually for breakfast while the other seafood can be cooked a number of ways. Sometimes I get tuna belly for grilling and sashimi-grade tuna for a home-prepared version of this Japanese favorite. And this is not just for Fridays but for the entire week. Of course, I try to get fresh seafood whenever I have the opportunity to go to market. That's where I get our supply of vegetables, shrimps, fish and other seafood from our suki vendors.

There was a bit of irony when Ash Wednesday happened to be the same day as Valentine's Day. Some people (the more religious ones?) were in some sort of dilemma how they can "celebrate" Valentine's Day when it was a day of fasting and abstinence if you're a Roman Catholic. I'm sure they were able to figure that out while practicing abstinence from meat

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Maundy Thursday musings

Maundy or Holy Thursdays these days don't really feel like what is was many years ago. For one, people seem to be no longer going to the churches for religious purposes. People appear to go on Visita Iglesia these days more like tourists rather than the faithful on pilgrimage. This is evidenced by the massive amount of selfies and other posts on churches and other religious places visited today and tomorrow. In other words, its more for show than for one to strengthen one's relationship with God. Do you really have to take a photo and post about the church on social media real time? Do you really have to "check-in" wherever you are tonight as you go for your seven churches?

Then of course there are the travelers who take advantage of the long week off to hie away to a resort somewhere in the country or abroad. I'm sure everyone's social media accounts have lots on their newsfeed about friends or acquaintances posts of beaches, resorts, hotel rooms, airports, train stations and others about travel and tourism. It's peak season for tourism facilities in the Philippines and those who can afford to travel do so to escape the heat and other discomforts of Metro Manila never mind how inconvenient the travels would be between their homes and their destinations of choice.

In my case, I have preferred to stay at home during these times of the year. While catching up on work is tempting (I have lots of exam papers to correct.), it seems inappropriate to do that during these holidays. Instead, the Clairvoyant and I have done some housekeeping, clearing various stuff from our cabinets, drawers and other storage. We've also taken the opportunity to spend quality time with our daughter and checking on our parents. That, I believe, is more valuable than going around or somewhere during the Holy Week.

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All roads lead to Antipolo - Alay Lakad routes and traffic schemes

I'm reposting here an article I wrote in another blog that I maintain. I thought it appropriate for the season and the Holy Week.

The Rizal Provincial Government and the Antipolo City Government recently posted traffic rerouting schemes on their Facebook pages. Lalawigan ng Rizal was the first to post schemes that affect traffic in at least 3 major local government jurisdictions – Antipolo, Cainta and Taytay. The schemes affect the two major corridors that basically lead to Antipolo’s National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (or Antipolo Cathedral to many) – the Ortigas Avenue corridor and the Marcos Highway-Sumulong Highway corridor. There are many major and minor routes connecting to these corridors and are clearly seen in the maps.

Within Antipolo, there are also re-routing schemes, which the Antipolo City Government posted along with a “clearer” re-posting of the maps from the Rizal FB page. The Antipolo FB page includes information/maps on the rerouting within the city center. These schemes will affect traffic circulation including public transport routes. Critical would be the permanent and temporary terminals and parking areas set-up around the city that should be able to accommodate the thousands of vehicles that are also expected to be used by people who won’t be walking or cycling.

What the maps basically say is that from 4:00 PM today, Maundy Thursday, to 6:00 AM tomorrow, Good Friday, the stretch from Cainta Junction to the Shrine will be closed to traffic. This is to allow the hundreds of thousands expected to make the trek to Antipolo to have the road for themselves. What the maps don’t say is that motorcycles and tricycles would likely be allowed, too. I can understand that motorcycles could easily squeeze into the throngs of people but then allowing tricycles to operate among the walkers and bikers would be risky given their drivers’ behavior. Add to this that they would be making a killing out of charging opportunistic fares.

Technically, the rerouting schemes don’t appear to be as well thought of as can be expected from the LGUs. Baka ito lang nakayanan ng staff o ng consultants nila, and surrender na agad ang Rizal and Antipolo with regards to the coming up with more options for people to travel to the Antipolo Shrine? Not all people can walk or cycle but are willing to and could take public transport for their pilgrimage. The maps themselves are a bit crude and the Province of Rizal and City of Antipolo could have done much better maps given the resources of these LGUs. There are open source tools now available as well as your basic software like PowerPoint or Photoshop (even Word!) that can be used to render good quality images to guide people making the Alay Lakad. This is a regular event and though it happens once a year then perhaps the LGUs could have better plans especially to transport people who cannot make the walk to Antipolo. The objective after all is to convey the masses to and from the shrine safely and efficiently – something a mass transport system can do whether via Marcos/Sumulong or Ortigas corridors.

One reminder to all doing the Alay Lakad: keep your garbage to yourselves if you cannot find a proper waste bin. Do not dispose of your waste along the route and make a dumpsite out of Ortigas Avenue, Marcos Highway, Sumulong Highway or whatever roads you are taking! Kasalanan din po ang irresponsableng pagtatapon ng basura. While you might be forgiven for these “sins” through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (which many will likely take at the Cathedral), nature will have a way of getting back at you for your environmental travesty.

Some thoughts on a Good Friday

For a change, this will be our first Good Friday in many years that we are staying home instead of going out for Visita Iglesia. For me, this comes after many years of spending Good Fridays in my father's hometown in Cabatuan, Iloilo where we usually went during the Holy Week. It is a nice change in pace as we didn't have to drive around. And it seems a good thing after seeing all those posts about traffic congestion along routes typically used by travelers to go to the churches in and around Metro Manila. 

The more adventurous go to the provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Pampanga and Tarlac either for religious trips (e.g., Visita Iglesia) or recreation (e.g., swimming, hiking, etc.). These trips are usually by car or motorcycle and lead to congested roads in many areas, particularly near popular churches. Private vehicles are the main modes of transport because there  are less public transport vehicles operating during Good Fridays. Tricycles rule many streets in the absence of jeepneys and buses despite the demand for their services on this day.

An inconvenient and rather irritating sight through what many people claim as expressions of faith in the form of Visita Iglesia, alay lakad or, what a friend has termed as bisikleta iglesia (for the cyclists) are the piles of garbage along the routes. Ortigas Avenue, Marcos Highway and Sumulong Highway, which are the most popular routes to Antipolo Church, for example, are basically trashed and quite literally considering all the garbage accumulating along these roads. These are by-products of people claiming to go on pilgrimage but forget that they also have a responsibility to the environment. Most of the trash are non-biodegradable; plastics that need to be processed if not recycled. These are the same wastes that clog streams and drainage systems that eventually lead to flooding during the wet season. This is something that I think people should also reflect upon as they impose their waste on others and disregard the environment while claiming to do so in the name of pretentious faith. After all, it is a grave sin to the environment and to your neighbor when you are irresponsible with your garbage.

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All roads lead to Antipolo, Part 2

Antipolo has been a popular pilgrimage site since the Spanish Period ever since the reports of miracles performed through the image of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. These include her image being reportedly found among the Antipolo tree that is the basis for the name of the town that now is a highly urbanized city and capital to the Province of Rizal. Rizal, of course, is the name of the province that once was generally called Morong. One town of the province still bears that name and it, too, has a beautiful, picturesque church. The Shrine is often visited by those seeking safe travel, perhaps these days it has even become more popular due to the tremendous numbers of overseas foreign workers (OFWs) employed abroad. Antipolo is also allegedly the richest among the most popular shrines or churches in the Philippines, supposedly ahead of Quiapo (Black Nazarene), Cebu (Sto. Nino), Baclaran (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), Naga (Penafrancia) and Manaoag (Our Lady of Manaoag), though not necessarily in that order. I think I read about this in one of Ambeth Ocampos' columns from the Inquirer. 

 

The popularity of the Shrine is so much so that a road was built to directly connect it with Manila, particularly to Intramuros where the seat of government was at the time. This road is most probably along the corridor that is now Ortigas Avenue. Of course, in the Spanish Period, this would be a more general route that would have likely included many rough trails considering that the Ortigas we know now was only developed in the 1970's. I witnessed this when we moved from Manadaluyong to Cainta in 1976, often seeing huge machines work their way along what is now Valle Verde to carve out a wider right of way for Ortigas Avenue. 

 

During the American Period, the trams operated by the Manila Electric Rail and Light Company (MERaLCo) included a line that went up to Antipolo. Those trams were the state of the art and representative of high technology in public transportation in those years after the turn of the century and a line to Antipolo reinforced the shrine's importance to many people and the government's recognition of this. The tram network, which was probably the most developed in Southeast Asia if not in Asia at the time, was destroyed during World War 2 and was never rebuilt for some reason. It is something that Metro Manila now continues to regret if only to postulate what might have beens and what could have beens if the network was revived after the war. Of course, this bit of history is related to the eventual rise of the jeepneys but that is another story for another post. Nevertheless, there still exists in Antipolo some remnants of the tram's glory days and it is remembered as a road which is still called "daang bakal," as the railways were fondly called then and now. 

 

There are now many ways from Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces to Antipolo, although several of these eventually merge into three main roads en route to the Shrine. One is via the old route along Ortigas Avenue, a second is the route via Sumulong Highway, and the third is through a "back door" via the Antipolo-Teresa Road. Routes from the general areas of Manila, Makati, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Taguig and the southern cities of Metro Manila and towns from Laguna, Batangas and Cavite will most likely merge to Ortigas Avenue. Meanwhile, people coming from Quezon City, Caloocan, Marikina, Bulacan, Pampanga and the northern Rizal towns of San Mateo and Rodriguez (Montalban) will likely converge along Sumulong Highway. Meanwhile, those coming from the east including the Rizal towns like Tanay, Teresa, Morong, and Jala-jala, the Laguna towns like Paete, Pakil, Pangil, the Quezon towns of Luisiana, Lucban, Infanta and General Nakar, and others will most likely take the Antipolo-Teresa Road that climbs from the east of Antipolo. People from Marikina, Cainta and Pasig generally may take either the Ortigas or the Marcos Highway/Sumulong Highway route. 

 

Public transport to Antipolo these days include mostly jeepneys as the city is the end point of many routes - a testament to its importance even as a reference point for public transportation. One can easily spot the Antipolo-Cubao jeepneys in the Araneta Center in the Cubao business district in Quezon City. There are two lines, one via Cainta Junction (where jeepneys eventually turn to Ortigas Avenue) and another via Marcos Highway, turning at the Masinag Junction towards Sumulong Highway). Another terminal is at the EDSA Central near the Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong where Antipolo-Crossing jeepneys are queued. And still there is another, albeit somewhat informal terminal near Jose Rizal University (JRU, which was formerly a college and hence the old JRC endpoint), which passes through Shaw Boulevard, Meralco Avenue and eventually turns towards Ortigas Avenue. Other jeepneys from the Rizal towns all have routes ending in Antipolo simbahan, referring to the shrine. 

 

There are now also multicabs, shuttles offering express trips between Antipolo and the same end points of Cubao or Crossing. Others go all the way to Makati in the Ayala financial district. These evolved out of the Tamaraw FX taxis that started charging fixed fares during the 1990's and competed directly with the jeepneys. These are popular, however, with office employees and students during weekdays and the nature of their ownerships and operations do not make them serious competitors to the jeepneys during the merry month of May and the Lenten Holy Week. 

 

There was an Antpolo Bus Line before. These were the red buses that plied routes between Antipolo and Divisoria in Manila. These died out sometime between the late 80's and the early 90's probably due to decreasing profitability and likely because of its competition with the jeepneys. That bus company, along with the green-colored G-Liners, the red EMBCs (Eastern Metropolitan Bus Co.) and CERTs, and the blue Metro Manila Transit Corp. buses used to form a formidable mass transport system for Rizal and the eastern towns of Metro Manila. There were even mini-buses (one I recall were the Antipolo "baby" buses and those that plied routes betwen Binangonan and Recto). Most of these, except the G-Liners eventually succumbed to the jeepneys. 

 

In the future, perhaps the jeepneys should give way to buses as the latter will provide a higher level and quality of service along Ortigas Avenue and Marcos and Sumulong Highways. Already in the drawing boards is a plan to ultimately extend LRT Line 2, which currently terminates at Santolan, Pasig, to Masinag Junction and then have a branch climb along Sumulong Highway and terminate near the shrine. This will bring back the trains to Antipolo and would surely make the church and the city very accessible to people. I look forward to these developments both in my capacity as a transportation researcher-engineer and a Catholic who also visits the Shrine to pray for safe travel for loved ones and myself.

All roads lead to Antipolo, Part 1

The title of this post is based on a saying referring to the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage that is located in what is now the City of Antipolo in the Province of Rizal, to the east of Metro Manila. The saying is based on observations during May when the feast of Our Lady is celebrated the entire month. While people flock to the shrine throughout the year often to pray for safe travel, many devotees go up the city on top of a mountain of the Sierra Madre range to pray the novena to Our Lady, hear Mass, or simply to partake of the other attractions of the city, including, of course, the food. 

 

Leaving the village to fetch the Clairvoyant at the airport late last night, I was reminded of just how many people flock to Antipolo during the Lenten Season. The eve of Good Friday is usually the time when devotees walk from all over Metro Manila and the nearby towns of Rizal to the Shrine of Our Lady in what is commonly termed as "alay lakad" or literally "walk of offering." It is actually a pilgrimage of sorts for most people. I mention "of sorts" here as a form of reservation, a hesitation on my part to call it a pilgrimage like what people did in the old times. My reason is that there are now many temptations along the way to Antipolo and many people usually succumb to these temptations, usually arriving at the Shrine with full stomachs that betray the sacrifice they claim to have made in order to reach their destination. It is better, I think, that one should take a vehicle (even a bicycle) straight to the Shrine and say an honest prayer than walking and feasting along the way. The only difference perhaps is the exercise. Call it a sour grape, but I am still somewhat a purist in these things so I must apologize to any reader who would not share my view. 

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Maundy Thursday

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary has an entry for Maundy Thursday. Its origins are traced to the Middle English maunde ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on the Thursday before Good Friday. The word "maundy" is supposedly taken from the Anglo-French mandet, from the Latin mandatum command. 

 

The Mass celebrating the Last Supper and the washing of the feet of the Apostles is held on Maundy Thursday. My memories of these Masses are mostly of those in Cabatuan, Iloilo, the hometown of my father, which I also consider my own hometown. It is usually a High Mass and in the province I appreciate that it is celebrated in a grand but still solemn fashion. A former mayor friend of my father's used to refer to these Masses as "misang Batman," a humorous allusion to the comic book superhero for the cape used by the parish priest during the Mass. 

 

I have good memories of many parts of the Mass being sung by the celebrant (back in the 80's and the 90's, that was Rev. Fr. Amado Escanan) who had an excellent baritone. The choir was also usually good but I remember a couple of soloists who had operatic voices (and clearly showed they had professional training to hone their talents), whom I was told were music teachers or professors from one of the older families of the town. One can really feel the essence of the Mass when it is sung and sung well. And I get it from the comments of the churchgoers that they too are appreciative of the efforts of the Parish Priest, the choir and the musicians to make this and other Masses a wonderful experience of faith. 

 

The Mass in Cabatuan usually started from 5:00 PM and ended around 7:00 PM depending on the length of the sermon, the ceremony of the washing of the feet, and the rites and procession for the Holy Sacrament after the Mass. The sermon may drag on depending on the message the priest would want to impart on the parishioners. There was one Maundy Thursday during an election period when the priest delivered a scathing sermon over 30 minutes (it felt even longer than that) admonishing politicians and candidates about their shortcomings and controversies they were involved in, and reminding everyone about responsibilities in the context of the season and mentioning the ceremony of the washing of the feet. There were even ceremonies of the washing when those whose feet were washed were not only those of the "Apostoles" but included candidates for local elections. 

 

I usually went with my Nanay Nene (Enriqueta Regidor), an elder sister of my father, and Manang Maya (Rebecca Brey) to the Mass and we usually entered the church by the side entrance near the altar. From there, we had a good vantage of the altar and the choir during the Mass and I can remember the strong smell of incense used throughout various stages of the celebration. This scent is embedded in my memory and I associate it with the High Masses in Cabatuan. After the Mass and the procession for the Holy Sacrament, we always walked back together with other relatives and friends (neighbors) to our house along Serrano Street. 

 

Passing through the plaza and other streets before reaching home, we see the preparations for Good Friday activities including the many still unfinished chapels for the stations of the cross that were set up at the intersections of streets surrounding the plaza. These chapels will be competing the following day when they will be all lighted up and choirs singing the pabasa beside them. It is a recent tradition (from the late 1980's) that has become an attraction not just for those who resided in Cabatuan but also from neighboring towns and even tourists from abroad. Once back at home, we usually shared a simple dinner and exchange stories well until late at night. Eventually, we go to our respective rooms to get some sleep in preparation for waking up early the following day for activities for Good Friday. 

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Black Saturdays

We usually spent Black Saturdays at home. When we were children, our grandmothers and aunts told us that during that day “patay pa ang Diyos” (God is still dead.). The concept was easy to understand. After all, we were also told that Jesus died on Good Friday at 3PM. [As such, for some other reason, we were also made to believe that it was prohibited to bathe after 3PM.] We were also told to observe silence on Black Saturdays and in the province it was quite easy to be so since only a few AM stations did have programs and then the broadcast usually had the Holy Week theme. There were some homes that played old songs, apparently refraining from playing the more lively tunes and reserving the loud music to the inevitable Easter Sunday. These customs or traditions are no longer practiced today and the last time I was in Cabatuan to observe the Holy Week I did notice that people went about their ways as if there was no religious commemoration. People played popular music on their stereos and youth played basketball and other sports in the town plaza. Of course, there were still activities in preparation to the “Salubong” and Easter Sunday festivities the following day. If it were a homecoming year at the high school, then there were already “preliminary” activities by the different batches especially the Silver Jubilarians who were the main sponsors of the homecoming. [I will write about this another time as the homecomings at my father's high school deserves its own space.]

We observed abstinence though fasting was not strictly imposed in Cabatuan. I remembered I could even get away with eating in between meals as long as I ate only bread. Back then as now, I enjoyed bread even without the “palaman” as long as the bread was fresh enough. We never ran out of bread at our home in Cabatuan. There would always be “pandesal” bought from the local bakery that never seemed to close even during the Holy Week. But usually arriving on Holy Wednesday allowed me to purchase other types of bread like the star bread, which tasted like “monay” but had a sprinkling of sugar on top, and “pagong-pagong,” which was interestingly shaped like small turtles. 

The “pandesal” was dipped in hot chocolate made out of tableyas. I have fond memories of the taste of the cacao concoction we sipped not in the mornings but in the afternoons. Morning drink for us children was either Milo or Ovaltine, still chocolate but of the mass produced and diluted kind. My uncle, Tatay Adoy, had a store back then and we would always stay in the store and acted as shopkeepers even if we couldn't understand the Kiniray-a spoken by customers, and we ended up always fetching Tay Adoy or our cousin, Manang Dora, who always vacationed from her work in La Carlota City in Negros Occidental (which was at the time a 6 to 7 hour trip by jeepney, boat and bus from Cabatuan as there were no fast ferries then and the highways were not yet as good as they are now) to attend to the customers. Frequently, the customers, realizing that there were “bakasyunistas” from Manila and that we were the children of “Tay Eyong,” would try out their broken Tagalog blended with the “malambing” Ilonggo accent. 

I do miss those days and write about these times past but cherished as my way of documenting memories for those who wanted to have an idea of how it was during my childhood days – mostly during the 1980's.

Easter in Cabatuan

No, I'm not in Cabatuan right now but I've always reminisced about childhood days when I spent my Holy Weeks in my father's hometown. It was a part of the summer that I've always looked forward to. It was a time when the family on my father's side got together, reacquainting themselves and exchanging stories on a year past and updating each other on relatives who were not able to make it to the informal reunions. We heard Mass at the ancient church of Cabatuan whose patron saint is San Nicolas Tolentino. I remember my aunts, Nanay Pilar and Nanay Agrong, going to church very late Saturday night or early Easter morning for the vigil mass. The brought grain with them for these to be blessed. It assured us of an abundant harvest every year - El Nino notwithstanding. I was able to get a good photo of the church below: 

San Nicolas de Tolentino Church, Cabatuan, Iloilo

I will always go back to Cabatuan whenever I'm in Iloilo. No excuses now especially since the airport is already there. But I look forward to less busier days when I and the clairvoyant would visit during the Holy Week and reminisce good old times with beloved relatives.