Halloween 2009

Cebu's 1730 Jesuit House - in October issue of Zee Quarterly.

CEBU’S 1730 JESUIT HOUSE
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
First published in Zee Quarterly, October 2009 issue, copyright by Cecilia Brainard
The article has its own pictures and has been carefully edited; the pictures in this blog entry are mine; this blog entry may have some typos/mistakes.

I first learned about the eighteenth century Jesuit House in historic Cebu from Concepcion Briones’ book, Life in Old Parian. Intrigued by the history of the Jesuits, I also read The Jesuits in the Philippines 1581-1768 by H. de la Costa.
The Jesuits, also known as the Black Robes, came to the Manila in 1581. By 1595 they were in Cebu. The Jesuits went on to administer a free primary school teaching Spanish, Visayan, and Chinese students Christian doctrine, reading, writing, arthimetic, and deportment, grammar.

After 1605, the Jesuits appointed a Vice Provincial who acted as an overseer, a roving supervisor of missions, and who acted as a liaison among the mission stations and the provincial superior and civil government. The Vice Provincial had his own residence, and the 1730 Jesuit House, located between Zulueta and Binacayan, near Mabini, was such a house.

When the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines in 1768, the 1730 Jesuit House ended up in the hands of others. In its 279 years of existence, the Jesuit House has been used for different purposes: it was the residence of the Vice Provincial of the Jesuits; it became the headquarters of the Japanese military during World War II; it was a private nightclub in the 1950s; it was used as a hospital by the Americans; and it was also the residence of the Alvarez family who sold the place to Nicanor Sy in the mid-1960s.

Sy converted the premises into the Ho Tong warehouse and for some forty years the Jesuit House took on the guise of a bodega. Sometime after the Sy family acquired the property, they placed an iron gate to protect the antique wood gate and three medallions above the gate with the emblems of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; and so thankfully, the eighteenth buildings, gate, and coral wall are still there.

Three years ago, I dared enter the Ho Tong Hardware bodega and asked a woman if I could visit the Jesuit House. She graciously asked some workers to lead me to the middle of the enclosed compound where two adjoining buildings stood. I had to be careful not to trip over metal cables and piles of stuff stockpiled all around the buildings as well as within the buildings. The first building I encountered was smaller; it had stairs that led to a dark rectangular space, like a huge hallway, cluttered with more hardware stuff, but I could see huge antique foundation posts — huge tree trunks painted red. From this first structure I crossed a covered bridge to get to a larger building — still dark and cluttered but this building had a sign above a doorway that said, “1730.” In the darkness and clutter, and I realized that this was the sign that made this building the oldest recorded building in the entire Philippines. I was led through a huge room, like a sala, to the other end of this bigger building with wide wooden stairs that led to the ground floor. Briones had written that the original stairs had been removed by the Alvarez family and brought to Bohol. These then were the replacement stairs. But it was dark and difficult to catch details of the stairs and of the buildings. I would have to wait three years before I would see the Jesuit House again, this time with more light and without the warehouse clutter, and in fact this time the Jesuit House would be a museum.

Jimmy Sy, son of Nicanor Sy now the head of the Sy family decided sometime in June 2009 to turn the Jesuit House into a museum. How a businessman like Jimmy, who for most of his life had lived with the Jesuit House buried underneath the Ho Tong bodega, got the inspiration to turn the place into a museum is a story in itself. Jimmy attended Sacred Heart School and the Ateneo de Manila University – schools run by Jesuits. While he was in the Ateneo library, he pulled out a 1936 pictorial book by Father Repetti, a seismologist whose hobby was taking pictures of old religious structures in the Philippines. When Jimmy flipped the pages, he saw an image that looked familiar – it was the Jesuit House in the Ho Tong Hardware bodega. Jimmy made a copy of the picture and showed it to his father. His father filed it away and for the moment the story ended there, but in fact Jimmy kept that information in his head, information that very well could have been the seed of his decision to develop the Ho Tong bodega into the Jesuit House Museum. Looking forward to this retirement, Jimmy welcomed the idea of becoming the steward of this oldest documented building in the entire Philippines. He felt the urge to share the place with others.

I revisited the Jesuit House Museum in August 2009, and since it was only a two-three month project, the warehouse clutter was still around. Jimmy explained that he is still building a bodega and it will take time to develop the Jesuit House Museum. However, the two building structures have been cleared and are being spruced up. Jimmy has decorated some areas with antique furniture and oil lamps so that visitors can have an idea of what the Jesuit House looked almost three hundred years ago. I could now see that the first structure was a large covered azotea. A covered bridge connected this to the main building, which had been the house of the Jesuit Vice Provincial in the sixteenth century. Both structures had two stories, and I only visited the upper floor. The main structure, that is the actual residence of the Vice Provincial, has a large central room, with rooms surrounding this space. These rooms have not been developed and are closed to the public.

Jimmy has also decorated this large space with furniture, an altar, lamps. He has likewise fixed up the original entrance to the building from Binacayan road. Plants, antique angel wood carvings, antique oil lamps, and wrought iron grills on windows give one a good idea of how the place looked like in the past.

According to Jimmy and his conservation architect Anthony Abelgas research must first be done. They are working with Jesuit Father Rene Javellana who is providing them with the historical aspect. In fact, Father Javellana has already written about the Jesuit House and Jimmy generously provided me with a copy of Javellana’s 1987 article, “The Jesuit House of 1730” published in Philippine Studies.

Jimmy Sy sounds like a religious convert, brimming with fervor and enthusiasm, when he talks about the Jesuit House. In the bigger building, he explains that the first original door had faced Binacayan Street, the tiny winding street close to Colon Street. Once upon a time there had been a gate and stairs on the Binacayan side. Jimmy excitedly pointed at the wood planks on the floor, pointing out where another kind of wood had patched up stud-holes. He showed me a square space to the right of the main stairs where a painting must have hung. He pointed out ancient carved wood beams through ceiling holes and showed off windows in the first floor area underneath the azotea, wondering why windows should be in a now-enclosed space. He pointed out a cemented area near the stairs that he says was a burial spot.

And the best part was when this business man started talking about the spirits in the place. Apparently Jimmy had invited a Jesuit classmate who is psychic to the place. The man said he felt the presence of so many spirits in the place. A ritual was done to ask permission from the spirits to do work on the place. There are still bits and pieces of red offerings on top of the burial spot near the stairs.
Jimmy also talked about a local oral legend about a sacristan who murdered seven Jesuits. Feeling remorseful, he carved a Cross on the coral stone wall outside. Jimmy searched for the Cross and found it, on the Binacayan side, near an area of the wall that looked like it had been enclosed. There had once been a gateway there, but it had been sealed. A new gateway was transferred to where the current opening is.

News that the Jesuit House is now finally a museum is a source of great delight to historians, heritage-lovers, tourists, and media. The new Jesuit House Museum already has a steady stream of visitors: guests from Manila, America, Europe, Australia, Korea, Cebuanos themselves (some of whom had never even heard of the Jesuit House), and many more. The 1730 Jesuit House always had visitors, even when it was buried underneath the Ho Tong Hardware, but now, the public is clearly anxious to see the sixteenth century Jesuit House properly restored and offered for public view. It is after all one of the treasures of the Philippines.
###


Side Bar: The Jesuits in Cebu

It was the Jesuit superior, Antonio Sedeño himself who founded a house in Cebu on what is today M. J. Cuenco Avenue. Sedeño was a veteran missionary who like St. Ignatius had been in the military when he was young. He had gone to England as a page of the Duke of Feria when Mary Tudor was queen. On March 13, 1568, he sailed for Florida with a group of Jesuits headed by Juan Bautista de Segura. In 1572, Sedeño was the first Jesuit sent to Mexico, and it was while he was acting Rector of the college there that he was informed he was chosen as superior of the first Philippine Mission. Traveling with three companions, he sailed from Acapulco on the galleon San Martin on March 29 and arrived Manila in July. There Sedeño and his company learned Tagalog. After much hemming and hawing as to whether the Manila Jesuits would head the entire Far East or the Philippines, and as to what type of work they would actually do there, the King of Spain sent an order for the Jesuits to establish a Jesuit College where they would teach not only Spanish boys but also mestizos and sons of the ruling class.

Cebu, the site of the first Spanish settlement was not forgotten, and by June 30, 1595 Sedeño himself headed a small group composed of Alonso de Humanes, Mateo Sanchez, and a lay brother to sail to Cebu for the purpose of founding a Jesuit house there. The people received them warmly and donated 500 pesos, which the Jesuits used to buy a house near the beach. The city corporation donated adjacent land for a yard and garden. The trip to Cebu had been on an uncovered sailboat, exposing the Jesuit passengers to the stormy weather for three weeks. Sedeño became ill and passed away in Cebu on September 2, 1595. They buried him in the domestic chapel on the ground floor of their first house, but three years later, Father Pedro Chirino transferred Sedeño’s remains to the new Jesuit church.
 ~~~

Read also
Life in Parian Now
Cebu's 1730 Jesuit House 
The Secret Hall of Angels 
A Story of Hope
Finding Jose Rizal in Cebu
Lola Remedios and her Sayas
Lunch with F. Sionil Jose
~~
tags: Cebu, Philippines, history, Jesuits, 1730 Jesuit House, Sugbo, Spanish Colonial, religious

Update ~ GROWING UP FILIPINO II: MORE STORIES FOR YOUNG ADULTS

I started the book project, Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults in 2007. It took about a year to collect the stories, after which I submitted the manuscript to my Philippine publisher. I thought the publisher and I had an oral agreement that I would retain US publishing rights. Since Growing Up Filipino I was published by PALH in the US, I wanted this sequel to be published in the US as well. After hanging on to the manuscript for 9 months, the Philippine publisher said they wanted all publishing rights after all, not just Philippine rights. I withdrew my work and decided PALH would go ahead and do the US publication. It was now late 2008.

A friend offered to design the cover and book (for a fee), but unfortunately her husband passed away in early 2009. Understandably, the book project was hung up for months. It wasn't until August before attention was given Growing Up Filipino II. The inside pages and cover were completed this October. I had to continuously proof the work because mistakes were constantly being picked up - lines disappeared in the cover for instance. A contributor's name was misspelled on the cover, and in the last minute I had to resend cover files to the printer, and when you make corrections late in the game, you pay to have those mistakes corrected. The delay also means the book misses out on mainstream reviews because you have to send galleys 3-4 months before the book is released. The scheduling for Growing Up Filipino II has been so messed up, I'll be relieved if the book comes out at all, much less dream of mainstream reviews for the book (as GUFI received).

It's been truly a long haul, but the files are with a US printer and I am hoping the book will be out by mid-December. Wow - three years! It's taken three years to complete this book.

This experience prompted me to take an InDesign class so I can handle some production work myself, if I ever take on another book project. It's difficult to be dependent on other people. Even though you pay them, their priorities may not be your priorities.

Getting past all of that and looking forward, here's information about this wonderful collection. The cover is beautiful; the contributors great. The short stories are really quite good and I hope the book will be as successful as Growing Up Filipino I.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults is the second volume of the Growing Up Filipino series by PALH. In this collection of 27 short stories, Filipino and Filipino American writers explore the universal challenges and experiences of Filipino teens after the historic events of 9/11. The modern demands do not hinder Filipino youth from dealing with the universal concerns of growing up: family, friends, love, home, budding sexuality, leaving home. The delightful stories are written by well known as well as emerging writers. While the target audience of this fine anthology is young adults, the stories can be enjoyed by adult readers as well. There is a scarcity of Filipino American literature and this book is a welcome addition.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Dean Francis Alfar, Katrina Ramos Atienza, Maria Victoria Beltran, M.G. Bertulfo, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Amalia B. Bueno, Max Gutierrez, Leslieann Hobayan, Jaime An Lim, Paulino Lim Jr., Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor, Dolores de Manuel, Rashaan Alexis Meneses, Veronica Montes, Charlson Ong, Marily Ysip Orosa, Kannika Claudine D. Peña, Oscar Peñaranda, Edgar Poma, Tony Robles, Brian Ascalon Roley, Jonathan Jimena Siason, Aileen Suzara, Geronimo G. Tagatac, Marianne Villanueva

Blurbs:
This collection of twenty-eight stories--of growing up Filipino in the Philippines, in the United States, in Canada--presents adolescents grappling, with some confusion and anxiety, about their place as affected by social and cultural mobility that separate and also enclose them. These are stories of discoveries about the young self at the brink of adulthood; of longing for a once-comfortable past, of fears arising from present economic hardships which threaten the future; of loneliness in family gatherings and in school, of racism, single parenthood…These are impeccable stories in range of subject matter and modes of narration: part of the story of the Philippines and wherever Filipinos live; part of the world's story.
Linda Ty-Casper, Novelist

Every story in this collection authentically captures the interdependence of society-at-large and some individual's growth, within extended families, both natural and ritual.
Leonard Casper
Professor Emeritus, American Studies
Boston College.


When read collectively, these stories become an embodiment of the Philippine mosaic, to highlight the fluidity of Filipino/American identity.
Rocio G. Davis
Associate Professor of American Literatures
University of Navarre

NEWS FLASH: DYLAN TURNS EIGHT!

Celebrating Dylan's eighth birthday!

POST TYPHOON UPDATES FROM MARILY OROSA

My friend, Marily Orosa, and I talked for almost an hour today. Marily talked about what happened during the typhoon and she also talked about how things are now. She lives in a high rise in Makati and was not affected by the flooding, although her Bel Air office did have flooding in the basement. Her staff members were affected however, when their homes were flooded neck-deep. As seen on the news and YouTube clips, the flood waters flooded many areas in Metro Manila. The Marikina Valley, near the college we attended (Maryknoll College) was badly flooded, with many lives lost.

Marily talked about people building rafts for their families, and even then, some did not survive. She talked of babies being placed in basins, and surviving.

Even though the flooding has subsided some, people are still suffering. People are getting sick from the dirty water; many, Marily said, apply thick grease on their feet and legs to prevent direct contact with the polluted water. There simply is no place to dump the garbage, even if people collect the garbage in their area.

Before Filipinos recovered from Ketsana, Typhoon Pepeng pummelled Northern Luzon. So, while Manilenos try to pick up their lives, people up north are digging up their dead.

It's sad news, and it's not over. People are bracing themselves for the diseases that will follow.

Do continue to donate to the Red Cross (and designate your donation for Philippine typhoon victims).

From Cebu Daily News, via Inquirer Global Nation

Casa Gororodo holds exhibit of Abellana students
Cebu Daily News First Posted 11:22:00 10/06/2009 Filed Under: Libraries & Museums
THE Casa Gorordo Museum opened the exhibit “Abellana and His Harvest” last Aug. 21.

The exhibit showcased works of Cebuano master painter Martino Abellana’s former students Gabriel “Gabby” Abellana, Edgar “Gary” Carabio, Adeste Deguilmo, Sofronio “Pronnie” dela Cerna, Jayme Francisco, Siegfredo “Fred” Galan, Luther Galicano, Bernardo “Ber” Hermoso, Elena Larrazabal, Palmy Pe-Tudtud, Celso Pepito, Henrietta Piczon, Max Siao, Antonio Vidal, Mariano “Mar” Vidal, Arlene Villaver, Jose “Kimsoy Yap Jr. and Sonia Yrastorza.

The exhibit is the third and last of the series of Abellana retrospective exhibits, which began in November last year.

The 18 artists featured two samples of their works: one created during their apprenticeship with Abellana; the other a recent work yet with the style obviously influenced by Abellana.

The exhibit was opened by Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Cultural Heritage Program executive director Dr. Jocelyn Gerra and Yap in behalf of the artists.

The ceremonial ribbon was cut by Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa general manager Martin Brenner and assistant communications
officer Rica Rellon, and internationally-renowned Cebuano writer Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard.

The exhibit will run until Oct. 30.

Federation of Filipino American Associations, Inc Event

The Federation of Filipino American Associations, Inc. held it's annual Filipino American History Month celebration on October 3, 2009 at the Long Beach Marriott Hotel. My husband and I attended this event because our long-time friend, John Allen, received an award from the Association. The other honorees were: Mary Salas, Irene Castillo, David Zanta, and The Asian Journal. Members of the Association and guests who were present include: Leo Pandac, Luz Bag-Aw, Victor Manalo, Tonia Reyes-Uranga, Jose Baldonado,Cirilo Pinlac, Paul Blanco, and Benito Miranda.

I was amused to learn who the mother of Benito Miranda is - Carmen Moras, one of my mother's friends in Cebu. My mother used to talk about Mameng Moras. I also recalled Benito's old maid aunts, the Moras sisters, who were famous for wearing huge diamond earrings everyday.

Following are some pictures. The picture above shows John and Elizabeth Allen and Lauren Brainard. That's Mac sprawled on the floor; Mac has a Facebook account as Mack Nificent.

Another Typhoon about to hit the Philippines

Typhoon Pepang (Parma) is expected to hit the Philippines on Saturday. People haven't recovered from the devastation of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana). Read about it here.

Here's a list of the 11 Worst Philippine Typhoons
http://www.typhoon2000.ph/stormstats/11WorstPhilippineTyphoons.htm

About Movies and Books...

Movies I've seen recently:
~ Bright Star - I enjoyed this Jane Campion movie even though I acknowledge the movie had a plodding quality, and it has Campion's signature anglophile point of view. The movie documents the romance of John Keats and Fanny Browne. It made me want to reread the poetry of John Keats - oh how we loved his poetry along with Shelley's and Byron's when we were in high school.

~ Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - I saw this kid movie with my grandchild Dylan. He enjoyed it more than I did. The film is based on a 1978 book about an inventor who creates a machine that causes clouds to drop - not rain - but all sorts of food. Dylan chuckled through the movie; I dozed off in some parts.

Book I'm reading: The Virgin Suicides, a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides - I highly recommend this and the other novel, Middlesex by Eugenides.

Book I'll be reading next: Michael Genelin's second crime novel, Dark Dreams, published by Soho. Michael's first novel is Siren of the Waters. Both novels have the same protagonist, Jana Matinova. Get your copy from Amazon.com or from any bookstore. Great mystery novels.

Michael was kind enough to write in the Preface of Dark Dreams, "My gratitude to Cecilia Brainard, Lauren Brainard, and John Allen for their continuing friendship and their aid in strengthening my resolve, and my work as a novelist."

Thank you Michael, for the acknowledgement!

~~~
Picture l-r: Dylan and Luke

MAJOR FLOODING IN METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES

Read on, and google: Manila typhoon Ondoy

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/world/asia/28philip.html?_r=

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/27/philippines.floods/index.html

PICTURES - 1730 JESUIT HOUSE IN HISTORIC CEBU

Here are some pictures of Cebu's 1730 Jesuit House. Owners Jimmy and Margarita Sy have now turned this historic place into a museum. The 1730 Jesuit House is located in the Parian, Cebu City, on Zulueta Street near Mabini. The Jesuit House may be the oldest documented house in the Philippines and is an important historic site.

CEBU BOOK LAUNCH OF FINDING GOD WITH PICTURES

Honey Jarque Loop has written in the Food and Leisure section of The Philippine Star, Sept.24, 2009, an article about the Cebu book launch of FINDING GOD. Read on past the launch of the Pelaez biography.


http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=507904&publicationSubCategoryId=81

Introduction to Fiction Writing, 9 Week Class UCLA

I'm teaching an Introduction to Fiction Writing at the Writers' Program at UCLA Extension, beginning September 30 and ending December 16, 2009. Contact 310-825-9416 if you're interested.

Course Description:

It has been said that all of us have locked inside at least one good story to tell. This course is designed to tap into that story--and others--in a positive atmosphere. Through lectures on craft, short writing exercises, assignments, and discussion of student work, apprentice fiction writers learn the nuts and bolts of fiction writing, such as plot, conflict, characterization, dialogue, narrative voice, and point-of-view. This course focuses on short fiction but includes principles that students use in X 462.71 Novel Writing I: Writing the First Novel. The course goal is to draft one short story or a chapter of a novel. This course is a prerequisite for students who are continuing in either the short- or long-fiction sequence.

Commentary on Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters, by Reme Grefalda

Anvil Anthology Highlights Spiritual Narratives
by Reme Grefalda

Publisher Anvil Philippines recently released Finding God, an anthology of spiritual encounters by Filipino writers compiled and edited by Cecilia Brainard (When the Rain Goddess Wept) and Marily Y. Orosa (Studio 5 Designs). The 18 selected essays have a common religious base rooted in the Christian faith from authors with diverse backgrounds, among them a former high ranking leader in the Philippine communist party, noted journalists and editors of magazines, recipients of literary awards, college professors, teachers, a research scientist, a biologist and one who describes herself as a "runaway bride." Seven are based in the Philippines; the rest, including Brainard, reside in the U.S.

In their preface to this book project (their third collaboration), the editors praise the courage of contributors in discussing their personal trajectories and private pain which led them to their awareness of God. Novelist, M. Evelina Galang (One Tribe) in faraway Iowa recounts the horror of watching the televised events in New York City on September 11. Susan Evangelista (Carlos Bulosan biographer) experienced an intense oneness with the world during a session in Zen meditation. Children’s literature writer, Tony Robles describes in Agapé, his early years in a Christian School where he was the lone Filipino. In City of Courtesy, Brian Ascalon Roley (American Son, A Novel) recalls in his letter to his son that “the center of [his] childhood religious life” was his lola. His return to his faith, his daily masses and prayers now reflect his grandmother’s rote piety, one which he arrogantly dismissed during his teenage years. But tantamount to his experience is Roley’s appreciation of his Mid-western church community in Cincinnati, so totally different from his Southern California roots.
Other contributors include Mila D. Aguilar, Evelyn Regner Seno, M. G. Bertulfo, Edgar Poma, Aileen Ibardaloza, Paulino Lim Jr., Raquel Villavicencio Balagtas, Marlinda Angbetic Tan, Liza B. Martinez, Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, C. Sophia Ibardaloza, Susan Evangelista, and Remé Grefalda.
Cancer, the all-pervading strike-down of the 21st century, brought lives of authors into focus much more than any one issue. Personal loss of loved ones, confrontation with crossroads and powerful conversion narratives lift this anthology from the level of “religious” reading to the seldom-found affirmation, the necessary community-on-the-page for those who experience periods of isolation with their peers as they follow through with their spiritual awakening. Always, questions percolate in the mind: Was it real? Delusion, maybe? Self induced?
Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters brings to the forefront the hidden issue shied away from by most Filipino writers. The publication addresses the need for affirmation by readers with similar encounters so laced with their Filipino identity, but who are protectively reticent about sharing experiences in discovering their own spiritual reality.

Finding God is available in the Philippines in National Bookstores and Powerbooks; and online from http://www.anvilpublishing.com and http://www.palhbooks.com. Softcover, $19.95. For further information, contact anvilpublishing@yahoo.com or palh@aol.com.

Evolution of the Dona Filomena Building, Cebu, Philippines

Lola Remedios and Her Sayas, published Zee Lifestyle August-September 2009

LOLA REMEDIOS AND HER SAYAS
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
Published in Zee Lifestyle, Aug-Sept 2009

When I was small I used to listen to my mother (Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra) talk about her lola or grandmother, and there was another lola she spoke of, only this one was referred to as “lola sa tuhod.” It took me a long while to figure out that she was talking about her grandmother and great grandmother. The great grandmother she referred to was Juana Lopez who originally came from Naic, Cavite and who did business in Cebu and Leyte. Year ago, when I was gathering genealogical information about my family, an aunt sent me a brief description of Juana Lopez as someone “who loved to dance. “

This surprised me because pictures of her show an oval-faced serious woman with hair severely swept back. In the photos, Juana wears a saya and a camisa, and the black and white photos increase the severity of her looks. She may have been more flirtatious than her pictures suggest because she married a second time, to a Veloso in Leyte. She had children with that second marriage, but I’m guessing that her first child, Remedios, gave her headaches as only firstborns are capable of doing. Consider this: Remedios married my great grandfather when she was only 13. Even though women married early in the olden days, I’m almost certain that Juana was shocked when her daughter announced she’d be quitting her schooling at the Inmaculada to marry the school teacher and poet, Mariano Albao Cuenco. It seemed the marriage was a good one; Remedios bore over a dozen children, although only four survived to adulthood.

Remedios was the grandmother my mother spoke of with great awe. In fact, I believe that Remedios had been her role model, especially when my mother became a young widow. Listen to what my granduncle Archbishop Jose Ma. Cuenco of Jaro, Iloilo said about Remedios as a widow: “My good mother was a woman of strong determination, ready to overcome all obstacles. Besides she was business-minded. With these qualities she was able to relieve our poor condition. Little by little, she bought land on which she built several houses. The high rents of these houses were a great source of income to us.”

Following Remedios’ footsteps, my mother, after my father died, bought properties, built houses on them, and rented them out. She sent all four of us children to college and to graduate schools abroad.

Remedios was widowed at 39, with three sons, a daughter, and the family of her second son staying in her house. She not only invested in real estate, she also ran her husband’s publishing business, Imprenta Rosario, making her the first woman publisher of Cebu. She continued raising her children in the intellectual and religious atmosphere that she and her husband had created. She must have been proud of her children’s accomplishments: the oldest son became an archbishop; the second son became a senator; the third son, a representative; and the daughter a writer.
What astonishes me, is that not only was she excellent at juggling the publishing business, real estate business, and her family, Remedios took meticulous care of her looks. All her pictures show a slender woman, dressed in elaborate and elegant saya, camisa and panuelo.

In a photo taken in 1895, she is wearing an elaborately embroidered panuelo, and a chic black ribbon with a cameo or pendant; she is wearing large earrings. Her hair is pulled back in a bun, and no doubt she had a peineta in her hair, as was the custom of the days.

A photo taken a few years later shows her wearing a printed long skirt and a light colored filmy camisa and panuelo with lace edges. She wears interesting jewelry – necklace, earrings, ring.

In a picture taken around 1909, after she was widowed, we see her wearing an attractive skirt with stripes and the camisa and panuelo pick up the lively pattern.
And in a photo taken when she is an old woman surrounded by her children and one grandson, she is finely dressed in a saya that is richly embroidered. She wears rings, a bracelet and a necklace.
The photos are in black and white but the clothes were no doubt richer in color – indigo blue, emerald green, deep red, glowing yellow perhaps.


In her book, Life in Old Parian, Concepcion G. Briones, has fine descriptions of Remedios from the 1920s:

“I still retain in my mind’s eye the picture of Doña Remedios Lopez Cuenco — the Cuenco matriarch hurrying to her front door to welcome Msgr. Giuguilmo Piani, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, who, at that time, was to confer the Vicar-General title on her erudite son, Msgr. Jose Maria Cuenco, at the nearby Cathedral.
“Nyora Medyos wore a satin merino (navy-blue) saya, wide and bouffant, an elegant camisa, and a panuelo which was pinned on her bosom with a magnificent brooch of gold and pearls. Tucked inside the waist of her saya, on the left side, was the golden-chain or porta-abanico which, as the name implies, held her big silk fan. Jewelry? She had the most gorgeous ones, too. Old gold and pearls, rubies and diamonds worn at her throat, on her fingers or on her wrists…”

In another part of her book, Briones writes: “Nyora Medyos used to come very early, mornings, in sayas and kimono to the printing press — her long black curly hair falling down to her waist, freshly shampooed and fragrant with samuyao…”
This is an interesting and vivid description of Remedios with her flowing long hair. The sensual image belies the fact that she would be typesetting and working huge heavy presses that crashed and clanked — a man’s work, really. (My mother told me that the powerful machines shook their residence above.)

It should be understood that Remedios was an unusual woman — she was strong, intelligent, determined, driven, possessed with a devil-may-care attitude about what people thought of her hands smeared with ink from the printing press. She was the matriarch of a family that was demonstrating its leadership in politics as well as in the church, and she and her family displayed the trappings of importance: a home in fashionable Colon Street furnished with fine things; her sons studied abroad; and family members took the time to clothe themselves in fine silks, satins, piña, with embroidery and lace. Shoes matched. There were different sets of jewelry for daytime, nighttime, casual occasions, as well as rock-size diamonds for important events and for investment.

It was a different era then — a time of gentility, of gallantry, of romance, of elegance, a time when people sat on the azotea to catch the breeze, a time when neighbors dropped by for afternoon visits. We, who are used to our current-date city life, who rush about in our jeans and pants and T-shirts, no longer know this life.
Remedios did not remarry. She was an attractive, good-looking, dynamic woman, and there must have been men who were interested in her. But she devoted her life to her family and her businesses. Remedios died in 1945 at the age of 75.

Curiously, my own mother who was also fond of dancing and beautiful dresses never remarried either. She too devoted her life to her children and businesses. Even when she became old, my mother continued to dress elegantly, copying perhaps her role model, Remedios Lopez Cuenco. ~~~ end (copyright 2009 by Cecilia Brainard)
~~
Read also
Life in Parian Now
Cebu's 1730 Jesuit House 
The Secret Hall of Angels 
A Story of Hope
Finding Jose Rizal in Cebu
Lola Remedios and her Sayas
Lunch with F. Sionil Jose
~~
tags: Cebu, Sugbo, Philippines, travel, tourism, history, women, politics, Cuenco Family

SATURDAY MORNING - TWO COUSINS

Dylan and Luke watching Saturday morning cartoons

The Rat in Cebu Laguna Garden Restaurant

I'm not trying to ruin the reputation of Laguna Garden Restaurant in Ayala Cebu because frankly the food is excellent there. But last August, when I had dinner there with some friends, a commotion broke out in one part of the restaurant. We stood up to investigate and saw a huge rat running around the rafters of the ceiling. Foreigners stood gaping at the sight. Filipinos whipped out their cell phones to take pictures. I had my camera with me... and well... I took a couple of pictures.




~~~~
Lively discussion of this in my facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/ceciliabrainard

Lynley Ocampo: It's not only at that restaurant. Some months back, I saw a rat at my favorite coffee place also in Ayala.
Evelyn R. Bosh: OMG
Cecilia Brainard: So the rats live in Ayala. They have to do something about them, for health reasons.
Lynley Ocampo: Apparently.
Daisy Lorenzana Genaldo: frankly, i do not care if the food is excellent there ... one rat means filth ... and more rats in the hiding. there is no way i am ever eating there if we do go to cebu. thanks so much for the info.
Maria Terea Rodriguez-Laurente: OMG. I was there in August 13 evening same place.
Ederlindo Cojuanco II: You know where these rats are hidding...at the kitchen! LOL
Ben Anthony Dicdican Cabacoy: Dertz...it was Master Splinter having dinner(-_-) LOL
Richard Yu: Nope. Its the secret ingredient for a super yummy recipe! Ilibre ko si Gloria sa resto na ito!
Frederick Ygnacio Jr.:We can ask what are the Pest Control Measures Ayala Center Cebu and Cebu Business Park Admin has undertaken as Ayala Terraces practically houses the series of reputable food chains in Cebu. We too regularly patronize the restaurants at Terraces.
As the current Vice-Pres. of Cebu Business Park Bdlg Administrators Association, Inc. maybe I can raise this pest control issue within the zone on our next meeting.

my opinion:
The restaurants are relatively new.... Read More
All food refuse and garbage are collected everyday.
This is an isolated case and obviously the Rat is not a resident in that restaurant. It's a stray Rat that found its way to the Terraces. Unfortunately for Laguna Garden the Rat choose to find refuge there. Mas humot cguro ila food. hahha Pastilan! Still, this has to be addressed. First stop, the SEWERS!
Cecilia Brainard: To Frederick Ygnacio Jr: Perhaps you can also discuss with the Powers-that-be to CLEAN UP CEBU'S RIVERS AND CREEKS. They are filthy - filled with garbage and God-knows-what, and all in plain view of tourists and Balikbayans. Rats, dirty rivers/creeks - these are health hazards just the same. Plus all this filth is not good for Cebu's tourism business.
Daisy Lorenzana Genaldo: AMEN!!!!
Paul Kekai Manansala: One key to cleaning up the rivers is to provide garbage collection and water and sewage lines in the squatter camps, or else relocate these people to low-cost, subsidized housing. Most people in these neighborhoods simply dump their garbage and sewage into the rivers and other waterways that they usually live right next to. They also bathe and wash their clothes in these same filthy waterways, which doesn't help either.
Eileen Martinez Apostol: Whether this is an isolated incident or not, i can just say that is an urgency best taken cared of. That said, their bouillabaise is worth trying! Really good last time I had it!
Cecilia Brainard: Pasig River has been pretty much cleaned up and it has a nice ferry system in place. Government officials had to make the decision to clean up the Pasig before it happened, and it took years. Cebu officials can do the same - just make up their minds to clean up Cebu's rivers and creeks, look for funds, ways to get this done. The people must be educated and invoved in the cleanup project as well. The revenue from tourism will pay for it. In fact, these rivers and creeks can be turned into tourism sites,with restaurants, walkways nearby, as in Bangkok,Amsterdam, Venice, Norway. I've written more extensively about cleaning up Cebu's rivers in my blog, http://cbrainard.blogspot.com (search for cleanup rivers Cebu)

BEST LECHE FLAN RECIPE with Vietnamese Touch

A few years ago I watched the cooking channel and saw a Vietnamese woman prepare leche flan. I've been using her recipe and love it. The flan turns out perfect, smooth and creamy, and not so heavy. Here's the recipe:

Leche Flan with Vietnamese Touch
4 eggs
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp vanilla
sugar to carmelize container
Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla. I carmelize sugar in a pan and spoon out brown sugar-liquid into the bottoms of pyrex containers. I put the mixture into the containers, around 2/3 or 3/4 full. I double boil for around 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

Let the pyrex containers cool. Run knife around the edges and loosen flan before flipping onto a serving plate, spoon carmelized sugar over the top. Delicious!

More Pictures Taken in the Philippines, August 2009

Gossiping in Makati, l-r: Marily Orosa, Cecilia Brainard, Maribel Paraz, Mila Santillan

Taken in Cebu at a dinner hosted by the Francos: l-r seated: Lucy Garcia, Terry Manguerra,Cecilia Brainard; l-r standing: Chinggay Utzurrum, guest, Diana Ledesma, Helen Misa

Taken in Edith Alcantara's condominium in the Fort, a gathering of some Maryknollers: l-r: Precy Florentino, Marily Orosa, Meldee Perez, Edith Alcantar, Cecilia Brainard, Milla Santillan, Maribel Paraz, Lyn Enriquez

l-r: Edith Alcantara, Lynn Enriquez, Marily Orosa, Cecilia Brainard, Maribel Paraz

Dinner in a Greek Restaurant in Greenbelt, Makati: l-r: Cecilia Brainard, Araceli Lorayes, Guia Lim, Tess Tan

With STC classmates: l-r: Joy Atienza, Darn Posa, Lilu Gimenez, Mila Santillan, Cecilia Brainard

In Tagaytay: l-r: Darn Posa, Mila Santillan, Cecilia Brainard, Joy Atienza

Lunch at Tootsies in Tagaytay, l-r: Mila Santillan, Cecilia Brainard, Darn Posa, Joy Atienza

Taken in Borussia's Northern Cebu l-r: Inday Blanco, Terry Manguerra holding Aya, Chona Bernad, Chuchi Mannchen, Cecilia Brainard

Fundamentals of Creative Writing Available

My book, Fundamentals of Creative Writing, was also released by Anvil this August. Proper book launching will be scheduled when I return to the Philippines in early 2010, but the book is available from Anvilpublishing.com and from palhbooks.com.

It's a how-to-write book sharing what I've been teaching at the Writers' Program of UCLA Extension for 15 years.

The back cover blurbs say:

Fundamentals of Creative Writing is a powerful resource to encourage students and/or aspiring writers to strive for excellence in their writing skills. Not only does it guide readers through the basics of setting, scene, character, conflict, dialogue, plot, point of view, voice, style, theme and tone but it also provides useful activities that challenges the writer to get their creative juices flowing. I would highly recommend this excellent book to anyone who wants to improve and enhance their creative writing skills.
Jacqueline Gullas-Weckman
Vice-President, Academic Affairs
University of the Visayas


Cecilia Manguerra Brainard has written a wonderful resource for students of creative writing. This book, Fundamentals of Creative Writing, provides students with practical steps that truly work. The strategies presented in this book are a product of the authors 15 years of teaching creative writing. She is also a prolific writer who has written numerous short stories, novels, and non-fiction books.
Edmundo F. Litton, Ed.D.
Associate Professor of Education
Loyola Marymount University

This book (Fundamentals of Creative Writing) describes the “essentials” of creative writing, not only from a technical perspective, but also by unveiling how creative writing leads us to imaginatively engage and act upon the world. Brainard’s structure reminds us that, above and beyond technique, the most important thing a writer needs is a genuine love of story and a respect for the power of words.
Rocío G. Davis
Associate Professor of American Literature, University of Navarra, Spain
Author of Begin Here: Reading Asian North American Autobiographies of Childhood

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's Fundamentals of Creative Writing is a marvelous textbook that combines useful technical advice on craft with beautiful practical examples in her own stories. Brainard's treatments of writerly voice and left brain/right brain theory as it connects to writing are among the best available in today's writing textbooks. Her story examples cover a variety of story types, techniques, points of view, and historical as well as contemporary topics and themes. This book will indeed help writing students write strong stories and improve their craft. Brava, Ms. Brainard.
Vince Gotera, Editor of the North American Review
Professor of Creative Writing, University Northern Iowa

PHOTOS FINDING GOD BOOK LAUNCH, MAKATI & MANILA

Makati seated l-r: Marily Orosa, Isagani Cruz; Standing l-r: Cecilia Brainard, Karina Bolasco

Makati, seated l-r: Brenda Arroyo, Nina Lim, Edna Del Rosario, Evelyn Bosch; Standing l-r: Mila Santillan, Maribel Alvarez, Joy Uytioco, Cecilia Brainard, Marily Orosa

Makati l-r: Marily Orosa, Cecilia Brainard

Makati l-r: Raquel Balagtas, Cecilia Brainard, Araceli Lorayes, Tessa Tan, Meng Sanico, Mila Santillan

Makati l-r: Mayen Tan, Liza Martinez, Felice Sta. Romana,Raquel Balagtas, Cecilia Brainard, Marily Orosa

Makati l-r: Marily Orosa,Mila Aguilar, Cecilia Brainard, Mayen Tan

Makati l-r: Mayen Tan, Cecilia Brainard,Brenda Arroyo, Maribel Alvarez, Mila Aguilar

Cebu l-r: Cecilia Brainard, Carlos Cortes

Cebu l-r: Cecilia Brainard, Jaime Picornell, Karina Bolasco

More photos of the book launchings of Finding God in Makati and Cebu in
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=135925&id=769308553&l=2818f5b677

Report Book Launch of Finding God, National, Glorietta 5, Makati

Was the Manila launch of Finding God a success?

Oh yes!

Around 150 people attended the book launch of Finding God in National Bookstore, Glorietta 5, Makati. Mila Aguilar, Raquel Villavicencio Balagtas, Liza Martinez, Felice Sta. Maria, Mayen Tan, Marily Orosa and I shared excerpts from our pieces in the book. Good reading, attentive crowd, great food.

I'll be posting pictures later on. Cebu launch of Finding God coming up, Aug. 21, Powerbooks,SM, North Reclamation Cebu.

MARILY & CECILIA ON NBC EASY READING RADIO

Marily Orosa and Cecilia Brainard were featured in NBS Easy Reading, radio talk show, this morning. They talked about their new book, Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters.

REMINDER BOOK LAUNCH FINDING GOD

REMINDER BOOK LAUNCH OF FINDING GOD

Anvil Publishing and National Bookstore cordially invite you to the launch of

FINDING GOD: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters

EDITED AND COLLECTED BY Cecilia Manguerra Brainard & Marily Ysip Orosa

AUGUST 14, 6 to 9 pm NATIONAL BOOKSTORE GLORIETTA 5 MAKATI CITY
&
AUGUST 21, 6 to 9 pm POWERBOOKS CEBU 2ND FLOOR, SM CITY NORTH RECLAMATION, CEBU CITY

FINDING GOD: TRUE STORIES OF SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTERS - Book Launch, Aug. 14, 2009, Makati

The anthology, FINDING GOD: TRUE STORIES OF SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTERS, will be launched next month August. It's not yet confirmed and I will confirm the details as soon as I have them: FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2009 IN POWERBOOKS, MAKATI. Thie book is co-edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard and Marily Ysip Orosa, and published by Anvil.

Contributors are: Mila D. Aguilar, Raquel Villavicencio Balagtas, M.G. Bertulfo, Susan Evangelista, M. Evelina Galang, Evelyn Regner Seno, Tony Robles, Edgar Poma, Aileen Ibardaloza, Paulino Lim, Jr., Brian Ascalon Roley, Marlinda Angbetic Tan, Lisa B. Martinez, Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, C. Sophia Ibardaloza, Reme A. Grefalda. Cecilia and Marily also have essays in the book.

Blurbs:
There is one thing I am sure of, and it is that God will never do anything that is bad for us. Our puny minds often cannot understand how all our sufferings can be good for us, but if we look back at our lives, we see how everything eventually works out well in the end. This is the faith that underlies the essays in this book. It is a simple faith, but a profound one.
Isagani R. Cruz, Philippine Star

My father confessor once told me, that at times one would not be able to see God's plan until one looks back or partake in the experience of others. This book, a collection of narratives on finding God will surely uplift our faith as we learn from the experience of others.
Jocelyn B. Gerra,Ph.D, OPL, ( Lay Dominican), Executive Director, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.

Finding God on earth, next to entering heaven in eternal life is, to my
mind, the greatest gift one can experience.
I know that not everyone can be aware that he or she is finding God at
precisely the moment this experience is happening, but all the contributors are
to be envied, for finding God can be such an awesome moment whether it happens
when one is in great physical pain or in deep spiritual anguish.
I am privileged to write one of the blurbs of a book being dedicated to the
memory of my dear friend, Jose de Santos Orosa, who taught me what forgiveness
is all about.
Josefina T. Lichuaco, columnist, former Secretary of the Department of
Transportation and Communications

MORE WHEN I GET CONFIRMATION ABOUT THE BOOK LAUNCH DETAILS!