Cebu Philippines: The Sinulog 35th Issue and Mayen Tan

l-r: Mayen Tan and Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

I spent an afternoon with writer-editor, Mayen Tan, who gave me a copy of the 35th anniversary issue of the Sinulog magazine. As editor, Mayen had invited me to write an article for the commemorative issue, which I did, entitled, "My Mother and the Santo Nino."

Some publicity re Handumanan

Some friends have forwarded links with articles re the Handumanan Carnaval Event:

Proud to be Pinoy, by Honey Jarque Loop

Cebu Lifestyle - By Invitation Only: Handumanan, by Marlinda Angbetic Tan

The Handumanan - Carnaval Queen and Miss 24-inch Waistline

I know, I know, I haven't written in a while. Tag it to being busy, tag it to having my bronchitis recur. Excuses, excuses I know. Now, there's so much that's happened I don't know where to begin.

The Handumanan Carnaval Queen event happened (my offering to my mother who would have loved the event). I have realized that this sort of thing is not my cup of tea, dear readers. It was amusing but not great fun to have your hair blowed dried to oblivion, have makeup so thick you looked like a Kabuki. The Carnaval Queen Persona is not part of my Persona-Repertoire.

But in any case I amused myself.

For instance, there were two other "damas" or princesses and one of them was a lovely young woman whose only topic of conversation was her 24 inch waistline. This was her claim to fame. Everyone knew about her 24-inch waistline. Miss 24-inch Waistline herself announced that her teenage daughters had thicker waistline than she had. The entire time we were being madeup, she and the gay hair dresser and make up artist discussed her waistline, and how scandalous it was that beauty queens have 26-inch waistlines. The dress designer declared, "I send them away. I tell them to go on a diet before I make their gowns." It seems that Miss 24-inch Waistline, maintains her waistline, not just by dieting, but by wearing a custom-made corset every single night. (She is married; I wonder what her husband thinks of that. And I wonder how healthy it is to sleep in a corset at night. It's like feet-binding.)

The Handumanan event (Handumanan means remembrances or memories) used the carnaval queen business as a way of framing their program. The performers performed to the Queen and damas. So there was a couple who sang Cebuano songs, and man who did a balak (spontaneous Cebuano poetry. Vice Mayor Mike Rama also did a balak. Performer Max Zurban did songs and jokes in Cebuano. Here's one Max Zurban joke: A nun went jogging at 4 in the morning and was raped. The next day, the other nuns went jogging at 4 in the morning. Of course this is funnier in Cebuano, and told by Max Zurban.

The finale was Cebuana singer Dulce who was very, very late, the poor audience and even I were tired and sleepy.

The program ended with a sinulog dance; and then I couldn't wait to get out of the gown and into my normal clothes. Had a late supper with my sister-in-law and my two Manila guests, Norma Lucero and Lilu Giminez. And back home, was happy to scrub all that makeup off and take down my hair.


More to come, including a visit to the Gold Museum in Ayala Museum - a 10-13th century Philippine gold artifact exhibit.

Update #1 from Cebu, Philippines

Pit Senyor, from Cebu, where the Sinulog festival is warming up! Last year a million people were here to participate in the week-long celebration focusing on the Santo Nino (Child Jesus) of Cebu. These past years, festivities have expanded to include not just the religious proceesion and mardi-style parade, but exhibits, performances, etc. One such event is the Handuman, which focuses on the revival of the Cebu pre-War Carnaval Days. Odette Jereza, vice president of the University of Southern Philippines, was appointed Handuman Chair by Vice Mayor Mike Rama. Odette conceived of the Carnaval idea, and apparently the memorial website of my mother, Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra, inspired her. There will be a full-blown production this Jan. 17 at USP's theater.

And Odette asked me to be Carnaval Queen, to represent my mother. My first instinct was to decline: I don't have anything to wear, I will have guests here in Cebu and must take care of them, etc. etc. But I heard a little nudging in my heart - I will call it my mother's voice: Go ahead, hija, you'll have fun. So, even though Odette is calling me Carnaval Queen, I call myself a proxy of my mother.

They are making a gown that'll echo what my mother wore during those Carnaval Days (1930s), and all festivities will "copy" what had happened back in the 1930s - including a balak by Vice Mayor Rama. The Carnaval Queen will have 2 attendants, and apparently whatever dancing, singing (by famous Cebuana Dulce) will be offered to the Carnaval Queen and attendants. So, basically, after whatever walk the Queen does, she just sits and watches the program. There is talk of a throne, crown, and a projected background of my mother in her Carnaval garb.

Very funny - I will keep you posted about all this, dear readers.

Cebu's traffic is now getting impossible because the processions and parades have started and roads blocked. You can feel the heightening excitement of the people in Cebu.

As far as I'm concerned I'm still nursing a congested ear, which occurred in California but which got aggravated in the plane. Seems to be better today, but it's like that: the ears feel clear in the morning, but gets congested in the afternoon.

I attended the art exhibit of Paulina Constanzia, Cebuana artist who lives in Canada. There I saw familiar faces: Terry Manguerra, Chinggay Utzurrum, Tina Escanao Chiongbian, Elena Chiongbian Young, Marilou Briones Chiongbian, and many more.

I was saddened to hear that Tony Garcia, husband of Lucy Franco Garcia, died on Christmas Eve. I also heard that Mayor Tommy Osmena has cancer and undergoing chemo treatments. Cecilia Picornell had a mini-stroke, but is doing fine. Husband, Jaime reported she and Cecilia are on a diet and Cecilia has lost kilos. These are my childhood friends dear readers, which adds to my disconcertment.

I haven't had time to connect with the historian/academic crowd, although I did hear from Jing Ramos of Zee Quarterly. A number of people praised the article (Life in Parian Now) in the November issue of Zee Quarterly, and Jing (who had invited me to write the article) will be dropping by to give me copies.


All for now, dear readrs.

SINULOG 2008 CEBU PHILIPPINES!

The buzz in Cebu was that the prisoners of YouTube fame wanted to participate in the Sinulog Mardigras parade, and the officials seriously considered it. They couldn't ignore that these prisoners are in the top 10 of YouTube's videos and mentioned thus in Time Magazine. But in the end, the officials decided they are still prisoners and were not allowed to leave the confines of their prison house. However, as a concession, those who wanted to see them perform could go the Capitol at a certain time, catch a shuttle that would take them to the prisonhouse to watch their performance.

The talk is that the two prisoners who have muscled these now-famous dancing videoclips are in prison for "estafa" and for drugs - they aren't murderers or anything like that.

This year - 2008 - the Sinulog has been rainy! Saturday, it rained off and on for the fluvial parade of the Santo Nino, for the procession, attended by a million people. Roads were closed off, people crammed the procession route or joined the procession, and it was quite something to watch the people's faces when the Santo Nino in His carro appeared - the cheers, the waving, the energy were impressive. All of this during a heavy downpour.

The next day, Sunday, was mardigras day. The weather forecast was a strong storm, and talk was that numerous eggs were delivered to the Carmelites, as is the tradition, if you want to keep it from raining. The nuns apparently pray for dry weather and God knows what they do with all the eggs they receive. It was dry for most of the day, but it did rain in the afternoon, but the participants of the parade kept right on. Apparently 2 million people watched the parade.


Monday, the Casa Gorordo had a Sinulog Bisaya, danced by Evelita Diola and her troupe. This is the real prayer dance by an octagenarian who remembers what it was like in the 1930s. It's a very folksy, heartfelt dance, nothing glitzy like the Sinulog mardigras. I am not sure how to describe it, the drums still beat out the sinulog beat. The dancers are dressed as Spaniards and Natives, reenacting I suppose the origins of the Santo Nino, which had been brought to Cebu by Ferdinand Magellan. What was interesting was when the Evelita Diola, prayed verbally to the Santo Nino and she mentioned Don Mariano. Later, we learned that she prayed for my grandfather Mariano Cuenco, for whom she had worked in Colon, many years ago.


Stay tuned, dear Readers, stay tuned!



Pictures show:
Top: Joy Guerra, Louie Nacorda, Gavin Bagares, Gav's friend, and me in a post-Sinulog celebration;
Next: Terry Manguerra and me with Evelita Diola (in yellow)
Bottom pictures show Joe and Rita Suaco, and Chinggay and Joe Utzurrum