Danao’s Jailed Minors in 1999, Who, Where or What lives they lead today?
January 7, 2013
The above photo was taken sometime on September, 1999, at the Danao City Jail, three days after the city fiesta.
I took the shot as these young boys, ages ranged from 7 to 12, waited to get their share of packed lunch, a treat from some balikbayans, who were in Danao City for the yearly medical mission sponsored by the Danao Association USA, Inc. (DAUSA)
Accompanying us were two American ladies working for a U.S. based pharmaceutical company (Smith & Klein), which at that time donated the bulk of medicines for the Medical Mission. They were invited by Chief of Medical Mission Dr. Anita Cal-Jackson, M.D. to witness for themselves how their donated medicines were dispensed at the medical mission.
Learning that some DAUSA volunteers were going to the Danao City Jail to bring cheers and food to the inmates of the Danao City Jail, as part of DAUSA’s reach out project, the asked to tag along.
As they helped handing out packed lunch, they were so alarmed to notice and cried seeing minor inmates, one was only 7 years old, in the same cell with adult criminals, some waiting for their trial, others were awaiting their transfer to National Penitentiary in Muntinglupa, convicted for murder, homicide, thief, burglary, drug dealing, etc.
Although strictly prohibited, I took a quick snap shot using a small point and shoot camera when the two Americans asked them to come closer.
When they learned what they were arrested for breaking into stores to get some food, they lamented these kids don’t deserve to be treated as ordinary criminals.
The jail guards they talked to said that there was nothing they could do because there was no place to send them. They were street children abandoned by parents and survived by breaking into homes or stores.
The two Americans protested and said to me that they would not fly back to California until these kids are released or transferred to another place.
We asked Marieta Palos, a DAUSA officer who then headed the jail feeding project to talk to the Mayor if it was possible to release the children and take them to the Department of Social Services in Cebu City.
Two days later we made a follow up, the kids were not in city jail anymore and we were told they were sent to the town of Argao where the Department of Social Services had a facility for abandoned children.
Still I wonder who were these kids? What happened to them after all these years? Most likely in jail or dead, but we still hope the Department of Social Services had done a good job, led them to become law abiding citizens and taught them some with employable skills. (Monching Barriga)
Taga Danao ni Bai – Almendras: New ‘little president’
November 11, 2012
By Gil Cabacungan
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Nov. 11, 2012r
Jose Rene Almendras belongs to the innermost of President Benigno Aquino III’s inner circle of classmates, schoolmates and buddies from Ateneo de Manila University that hangs out with the bachelor Chief Executive at social events and after work, or travels with him on his foreign trips.
Almendras leads an exclusive trio in this inner circle that includes Cristino Naguiat Jr., the chair of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and Romy Mercado, whose family used to own Red Ribbon Bakeshop until it was bought by Jollibee Foods Corp. in 2005.
One of the President’s chums, who asked not to be named, said the Almendras clique has become a source of envy among the President’s other friends and political allies for the way it has “barricaded” itself around the President to the exclusion of others.
Of the three, only Mercado does not hold a government post—and only because of questions about his citizenship, the source said.
Almendras did not respond to requests for an interview for this article.
Karaoke sessions
The Almendras clique has been dubbed the “Apo Hiking Society”—a reference to the popular 1970s pop trio, also from Ateneo—for the way they would regale the President during karaoke sessions with their medley of the top hits of their college days.
Mr. Aquino keeps his social circle tight and he apparently enjoys being with the Almendras group because he is known not to want to spend even a minute with anyone he does not like, particularly when he wants to relax, explained another friend close to the Almendras group.
“[But] is being close to the President enough to be appointed a power broker in Malacañang after failing to generate power in his previous job?” asked the jealous presidential chum.
That “power” dig refers to the latest manifestation of Mr. Aquino’s perceived partiality for Almendras.
Almendras, who was president of Manila Water when Mr. Aquino appointed him energy secretary in 2010, was deemed to have performed disappointingly at his new job when he failed to adequately deal with the worsening power crisis in Mindanao earlier this year and his exit was widely anticipated.
During the Mindanao power summit in April, Mr. Aquino said it was unfair for some people to make Almendras their “favorite whipping boy” for the high fuel prices burdening the country and the daily blackouts buffeting Mindanao.
On the advice of Almendras, the President said the solution was for the residents and businessmen of Mindanao to pay more to get a stable and sufficient power supply. This decision was widely criticized and fueled calls for the replacement of the energy secretary.
It also fanned rumors that the President was looking to move Almendras elsewhere.
Pumped-up job
Six months later, Almendras was appointed to the now revitalized position of Cabinet Secretary, which some pundits claimed was Mr. Aquino’s way of accommodating his friend.
However, this was deemed as having been done at the expense of another close friend, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., a claim that Malacañang mouthpieces adamantly denied.
It has been pointed out that Executive Order No. 99, which Mr. Aquino signed on Oct. 31, will transform the Office of the Cabinet Secretariat from a mere facilitator of information in the Palace and integrator of the President’s initiatives as envisioned originally in its creation in 1986, into a pumped-up office of the Cabinet Secretary.
With the vastly more powerful office, Almendras can identify the priority areas in Mr. Aquino’s Philippine Development Plan, realign targets and represent the President at meetings or events; sit in all Cabinet cluster meetings and join the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) board executive committee and subcommittees on infrastructure, social work and investment; compel all state agencies and corporations to provide data and assistance to the Cabinet Secretary; and directly report to the President and run the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) and the Performance and Projects Management Office.
“Anybody that close to the President will be powerful,” said Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino.
An Aquino ally in the Senate, who asked not to be identified, described Almendras’ Palace job as “a square peg in a round hole.”
He is a technocrat in a political position, said this Senate source, pointing out a similar misfit in the appointment of Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla and Transportation Secretary Joseph E.A. Abaya, politicians who were plucked out near the end of their 9-year elective posts to manage the largely technocratic energy and transportation portfolios, respectively.
The source believes that Almendras probably lacks the political savvy to thrive in Malacañang’s “snake pit,” having spent most of his professional career at the top of some of the country’s Top 100 corporations.
An inspired choice
But Sen. Gregorio Honasan sees Almendras’ appointment in a different light, saying the President has made an intelligent choice.
“I think Secretary Almendras is an inspired move by the President, to appoint a management expert like him for a political job. I think he will provide the Palace with more stability and the President with more focus on what needs to get the job done with as little politics as possible,” Honasan said.
Aside from the presidency of Manila Water, which he assumed in 2009, Almendras also occupied key posts in various corporations during the nearly three decades he spent in the private sector.
He was a member of the management committee and concurrent head of the Visayas Mindanao Business and Operations Transformation Group.
He was also President and CEO of Cebu Holdings and Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp., both parts of the Ayala Land Group.
Almendras also served as treasurer for the Aboitiz Co. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures.
An acknowledged international resource person on sustainable development, Almendras earned his business management degree from Ateneo de Manila University and completed the strategic business economics program at the University of Asia and the Pacific.
Antonino does not agree that Ochoa’s role would be diminished with the entry of Almendras into Malacañang.
“His (Almendras) job is to ensure administrative efficiency in the implementation of the policies and programs of the President,” he said in a text message.
A source close t Ochoa said the so-called little president has welcomed the entry of Almendras and dismissed speculations of any rivalry between two of the President’s closest friends.
“Let’s just see how it unfolds,” said House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., another one of the President’s allies.
According to House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, being neither with “Balay” or “Samar”—the two warring factions around the President, so named for the divided and separate campaign headquarters of Mr. Aquino in the 2010 presidential campaign—Almendras would serve as a sort of “watchdog” inside the Palace.
“I think his presence will serve to defuse the tension between the two groups. The President has said he has his eyes and ears in every department and Almendras will serve as his eyes and ears in Malacañang,” Suarez said
Tina Policarpio: DAUSA MEDICAL MISSION REFLECTIONS
October 9, 2012
(Although not from Danao, Cristina Anne Policarpio, since she was little, was probably present in all DAUSA events since 1998, always tagging along with her Danawanon godparents, Ninang Darling and Ninong Verne Dayondon. Tina had actively participated in DAUSA fund raising activities, like selling raffle tickets to help the Medical Mission.
Her long time dream of joining the Medical Mission in Danao City, Philippines eventually came to realization, when Mom and Dad finally gave in to her persistent request to go to Danao and join her Ninang and Ninong to help out in the 15th DAUSA Medical Mission, conducted on the 3rd week of September, 2012).
We asked Tina to share her thoughts from that experience,) . . .
After twenty-one years, I was finally blessed with the opportunity to go back to a place I once called “home”. Having been born in Manila and residing there for the first six years of my existence,
I had little to no recollection of my life on the Philippine Islands. Little did I know that the DAUSA medical mission to the Philippines in the Summer of 2012 would not only reintroduce me to a culture I left behind, but it also brought about an unfathomable amount of emotions that magnified my desire to extend help to this third world country.
I have been a member of DAUSA since I was little, attending the annual fiestas and fundraiser events that helped raise money for numerous medical missions. I have seen how many hours of work go into preparing for the yearly trips, but I can honestly say that I never fully comprehended the action of “reaching out” until my recent mission experience.
During the first day of the medical mission in the Municipality of Borbon, I distinctly remember one patient I was able to assist with. He was a man who looked to be in his late seventies who had an extremely high blood pressure along with asthma. I kept track of his heart rate while assisting with his treatment with a nebulizer in order to help dilate his bronchioles.
The latter may seem like the simplest of all actions, but the gratitude he expressed through his facial expressions was enough to show me how grateful he was for the type of medical aid we made accessible for him. One person alone gave me a sense of fulfilment that has left an indelible impression on me as a human being.
I cannot even begin to describe the emotions I felt throughout my whole medical mission experience; I was extremely humbled. I remember seeing thousands of patients lined up in the early hours of the morning at the Danao Civic Center eagerly waiting to be seen by the volunteer healthcare professionals.
These same patients would wait throughout the day just to get a simple consultation or to be able to receive a small bag of vitamins; that alone was enough to show me how much they really relied on our help.
A large number of the patients were made up of the elderly as well as the sick babies and toddlers who were carried around by their mothers who seemed to need medical aid themselves.
Despite my inability to understand or communicate in the island’s dialect, I saw the need of these patients through their eyes as well as the tones of their voices, and the tremendous amount of gratitude they had towards us as their caregivers was clearly seen in their luminous smiles. It was definitely a bittersweet sight to see.
There were so many moments that caused tears to well up in my eyes just seeing and witnessing the type of lives the indigenous people of Cebu live. Some of the patients looked so sickly and hopeless, as if they were just waiting for the day when they could finally be put to rest.
Organizations such as DAUSA really give impoverished individuals a sense of hope for a better and healthier tomorrow. It is the smallest acts that we partake in, such as donating a few dollars or merely buying a raffle ticket, that make an impressively positive impact on the underprivileged families who live on the island of Cebu.
I will forever view this experience as one that has bolstered my own personal growth as well as one that has introduced me to a type of poverty-stricken life I only imagined to exist. My short time in Cebu has encouraged me to continue to give back especially by participating in more medical missions.
I promote DAUSA’s mission statement and commend its years of dedication in maintaining, preserving and pursuing a better quality of life. (Tina Policarpio)
Danao’s Choristers of Our Lady Come Home and Reminisce – 40 years after
September 29, 2012
Everyone would agree with me that whenever we visited Danao and attended a Sunday Mass in our parish church, almost always, we ended up standing on the side or at the back of the church when we came a little late.
The reasons could be that the priests assigned at our parish were better preachers, good looking and could deliver inspiring, soul-searching and lively homilies, or maybe because the choir was great. It wasn’t like this 40 years ago.
Whichever the reason, one thing is certain our parish choir is really good, maybe one of best in the entire archdiocese.
On a Saturday morning before the fiesta I had the chance to meet the people who made church goers wide awake and participative through the years.
Through their lively music Choristers of our Lady of COL has been credited to making churchgoers sing along at mass and drew more young people to the church on Sundays .
They were celebrating their 40th Anniversary, according to Ms. Suzette Cabigon-Talaue, the leader of over a 100 past and present members of Choristers of our Lady (COL).
The celebration started with a mass at 7:00 a.m., Saturday, the eve of the fiesta celebration. I promised to attend, but arriving almost 9:00 a.m., I saw only candle vendors and street children running around the church.
A church volunteer told me that COL members were at Manang Lalay’s house having breakfast. I had no breakfast yet, so that was good to know. Nang Lalay’s house was a block away, and I got there in one minute.
I had to squeeze in to have a plate of bam-i, bodbod, mango and hot sitwate as nearly a 100 former and current COL members were doing the same.
Feeling so full, I started noticing the people around. There was Msgr. Pascual Ypil who was seated close to where I was, Manang Lalay at the kitchen, her son Raul and daughter Fe, and so many others I hardly recognize, all busy chatting and laughing.
I chatted with Divina Aguiling and Suzette Cabigon-Talaue (now a Manila resident), she’s the organizer and anchor of the group, who had been communicating with members through Facebook for this first reunion.
Suzette related, “prior to COL, there was an informal choir (Stoneroller Originals) formed in 1972 at the church when Fr. Cesar Alcoseba was parish priest and Fr. Nick Bacalla, the assistant parish priest.
The Stoneroller Originals, according to Suzette, was COL’s predecessor, started by a small group: Nelson Unabia; Monching, Fe and Raul Gonzalez (Lalay’s children), Shirley Owacan, Divina Aguiling, Ningning Perez and Mario Manulat.
(I personally knew at the time, Fr. Bacalla was desperately eager to have a church choir and to retire an aging duo of Mr. & Mrs. Castor Dagatan. The couple had been singing at the Danao parish church for nearly half-a century. Although Castor could sing like Julio Iglesia and his wife like Aretha Franklin, they didn’t appeal to the younger generation. Unfortunately, Fr. Bacalla’s enthusiasm was not shared by the parish priest. The choir didn’t get much support or recognition they deserved when informally organized in 1972.)
The situation changed when Fr. Puno got assigned in the parish in 1976; he strongly pushed for the formation of big choir, so more members were recruited, not only from Santo Tomas School but also from the Danao Vocation High School. The Stoneroller Originals was renamed, and was then known as the ” Choristers of our Lady or COL; Fr. Puno was very enthusiastic and supportive of having a bigger choir in Danao,”
“Fr. Puno invited famous musicians and conductors from Cebu City to train the Choristers; among them were Fr. Rudy Villanueva of the San Carlos Seminary, Cholete Sagaral of STC and Fr. Limotlimot.
Shortly after, COL became famous when it bagged the championship award in a Kabataang Barangay sponsored Regional Youth Choir Competition held in Cebu City. Then later COL represented Central Visayas Region in a national competition held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1979.
After Fr. Puno, came Msgr. Pascual Ypil, a Danawanon, who provided more support to the choir and encouraged the youth to join in and be trained by professionals.
Suzette said that the growth of the choir and enthusiasm of COL members could also be attributed to very supportive parents, among them was her father, Ramon Cabigon, a Danao councilman, and many other parents, like Ramon and Lalay Gonzalez, etc.
When I asked who funded their 40th Anniversary reunion, Divina Aguiling acknowledged the support extended by their Balikbayan members who came in purposely for COL’s first big reunion; among them Raul Gonzalez, from Yellowknife, Canada, who worked for Diavic Diamond Mine; Fe Gonzalez, a nurse in Wales, U.K.; Generoso Capuyan, from Texas, Lorna Manipis, from Melbourne, Australia; as well as from Joel Duterte, a successful businessman in General Santos. (Joel invited Raul to GenSan and had him met in person, Joel’s very close buddy, Manny Pacquiao)
Divina, Suzette and the rest of COL are all looking forward for a yearly reunion, if possible. And so do I – maybe for the bam-i, the bodbod & sikwate and the mango. (Sulat ni Tito Mon)
(More photos of the COL can be viewed here: https://picasaweb.google.com/102616258015986788806/ChoristersOfOurLady?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Danawanon in Focus: Raul Gonzales
April 11, 2012
Yes, Virginia, There are Danawanons Living Near the North Pole
Monching, Raul and Vida Gonzales
There are at least, two Danawanons that I know living and working near the top of the world. One is a woman from Barangay Langlang, Rose Barriga-Jonsson. She lives and works in Iceland. There could be more – maybe in Northern Alaska too or Norway. Danawanons are just everywhere in the world.
The other sub-arctic resident is Raul Gonzales who I recently met during the Holy Week – in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory, Canada. (From Wikipedia: Yellowknife (2011 population: 19,234[1]) is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately 400 km (250 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River)
Raul is the son of the late Noy Ramon and Nang Lalay Gonzales of Poblacion. Their house is located at the Corner of Bonifacio and F. Ralota Streets, just across the Danao Central School and a block away from the church.
My cousin and friend Fr. Henry Bascones, currenlty a parish priest in High Level, Alberta told me about Raul, being there up far north in Yellowknife about 9 hrs. drive from his parish.
Then during the Holy Week I had an opportunity to travel far north of Canada and having a good feel of a very cold winter on springtime in Yellowknife. So on Tuesday after Easter, I bundled up, at least 4 layers – wore a winter hat – double socks and a pair of winter boots for me to comfortably walk in the snow and meet Raul at his house, just two blocks from where I was staying.
For local residents, like Raul, a temperature of -10°C is nice – they can be wearing lighter than their usual heavy winter get up that protect them from the usual winter chill at -30°C up to -50°C, which I still have to experience. (That must be at least 3 times more freezing than the freezer at Magnolia).
Raul related that he came to Canada in 2001 as an immigrant because his first wife insisted she could not raise their daughter by herself. He was an accountant at the William Lines when he left Philippines and came to Hay River, Northwest Territory, Canada and worked in a grocery store.
In less than two years at Hay River, Raul and his wife were separated, filed for a divorce while he retained full custody of their only child. Then he moved farther north to Yellowknife. The small city capital of the Northwest Territory has recently been experiencing a booming economy after the discovery of diamond in the early 1990s and the entry of the world’s top players in the diamond mining industry.
Yellowknife is popularly known as America’s Diamond capital and considered the world’s third largest diamond producer.
Raul then applied to work in one of the 3 mining companies operating about 300 miles north of Yellowknife and got his starting job as a company kitchen helper. But he did kitchen work for only a very short time, because he kept on applying whatever positions that open up until he passed a tough screening for a much better paying job as a tool keeper and warehouseman at the Diavik Diamond Mine.
(From Wikipedia: The Diavik Diamond Mine is in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Yellowknife. It employs around 700, grossing C$100 million in sales, and producing 8 million carats (1,600 kg (3,500 lb)) of diamonds annually. It is connected by an ice road and Diavik Airport with a 5,235 ft (1,596 m) gravel runway regularly accommodating Boeing 737 jet aircraft.)
As a full time employee, Raul as well as most of the employees only work two weeks and get a 2-week vacation. Every two weeks Raul takes the company airplane to the work site and is flown back to Yellowknife for the 2-week break. Employees are provided a comfortable living accommodation and free meals at the worksite’s dining hall. According to Raul aside from a handsome pay, employees are also given the opportunity to buy at 25% discount a maximum of 3 carats diamond every year.
Few years after his divorce, Raul remarried to a lovely nurse, Vida Atadillo, from San Fernando, La Union. She works at a hospital in Yellowknife. The couple came to visit Danao a year ago when Raul’s father, passed away. Raul’s daughter will be graduating from Edmonton University this June with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. (Monching – Apr 2012)
SunStar Editorial – The Fr. Jonathan Lao Question
April 11, 2012
THE case of Fr. Jonathan Lao of the St. James the Apostle parish in Compostela town should be intriguing not only for the Cebu archdiocese but more so to the province’s Catholic faithful who are not used to priests professing views that do not hew to tradition.
Lao recently instituted in his parish changes to the “Sugat” practiced by Cebuano Catholics for decades by taking the spotlight away from the Virgin Mary in the narrative of Jesus’s resurrection. He insisted on using the “biblical version” that has Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb and seeing the risen Christ first.
The move is interesting because it seems to be in keeping with earlier complaints by the parishioners about Lao downplaying the importance local Catholics place on the worship of Virgin Mary and the saints, including the Sto. Niño. Meaning, he sounds consistent with his interpretation of the gospel.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma earlier quoted Lao as saying he is a “graduate of Rome,” which is not unlike claiming superiority in theological studies over other priests not similarly situated. This seems to have given him the daring to be “different” as a parish priest.
What is puzzling is that Lao was not reported to have exhibited the same maverick streak in his previous assignments. These same complaints were not heard when he was chaplain of the Colegio de San Antonio de Padua in Danao City last year until his transfer in September.
He was accused of shooting a student who was allegedly trying to steal mangoes in the school compound. The case was settled amicably, but not before he was detained by the Danao City Police Office.
Which led some people to raise the possibility that Lao must have “seen the light” while in detention and that “light” is what he is using now to guide the faithful in his parish
But levity aside, the archdiocese should not tarry in resolving the controversy stirred by Lao as a parish priest. His maverick views strike at the age-old beliefs and practices of Cebu’s Catholics and spark confusion instead of enlightenment, at least among his parishioners.
The Catholic Church hierarchy is feudal in structure and prides in the unity of its interpretation and teachings of the gospel. Having a maverick in its midst is always frowned upon. So when will the archdiocese move to solve the Lao question.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 10, 2012.
Back to my Sweet Home Danao, after 43 Years!
November 4, 2011
by Lily Macachor-Fong, San Jose, California
The author and Balik Danao Queen Evelyn Todd from Temecula, CA with the Karansa Dancers
At 3 o’clock in the morning, I was wide-awake, so I stepped out onto the balcony, sat down, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The air was hot and humid.
I just arrived the day before in El Salvador Resort in Sabang, my temporary home for 2 weeks to celebrate the feast of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva also known as the Danao Fiesta and to volunteer in the DAUSA medical mission.
I still had my eyes closed when I heard a familiar sound “toku! toku! toku!”. I smiled and savored the moment. I haven’t heard that sound in a very long time. I continued to sit and enjoy the quiet moment … then I heard a cockcrow, “cock-a-doodle-do, cock-a-doodle-do”!
Moments later another one chimed in, then another, before long there was a chorus, welcoming the day. I had a lump in my throat; tears streamed down my face, I mumbled, “I’m home”! Strange thing to say considering I’ve lived in the US longer than I’ve lived in Danao. I never expected I’d feel that way.
The next few days were a whirlwind of activities. I began to appreciate what DAUSA has done over the years, from scholarships to the medical mission. I have always been loosely connected to DAUSA based in LA (Southern California) while I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area (Northern California), Hawaii and Colorado.
I know deep down I wanted to be more involved, “someday” I used to tell myself. That someday came, so here I am in Danao after 43 years of being away, and looking forward to helping out in any way I can.
I don’t have any medical training and I know nothing about pharmaceuticals, so I did as I was told and enjoyed every minute of it. I must say, I really enjoyed interacting with the locals and speaking Bisaya again was a lot of fun.
Having been talked into becoming a candidate for the Balik Danao Queen, I became a willing participant when I was told that it is for a good cause and the money will go to a special project.
I enjoyed it all, even the part when the Balik Danao Queen and I missed out on the parade because we arrived late. Well, we didn’t miss it completely, we were able to get on the float in front of City Hall and rode it for one block, to the delight of my cousins and Tia Lagring that came all the way from Cebu City just to see me.
They were on my cousin’s balcony waving, yelling and screaming. They made it all worthwhile. The queen and I had front row seats on stage to watch the Karansa competition. It was my first and I loved the pageantry, beautiful, colorful costumes and the performances were awesome.
The only drawback…Wa gyud ko makapamista! I have to publicly apologize to all my cousins for not making it to their homes as promised. I missed out on all that food.
Fortunately for me, I had enjoyed the ultimate luncheon that was so generously provided by Sani and Tita Barriga Tomayao in their farm in Guinacot for the Medical Mission volunteers. I tried all the dishes and they were all scrumptious, some dishes I have completely forgotten about because you can only get them in Danao.
With a newly found freedom, one day I ventured out on my own, taking a pedicab from Sabang to Danao, 3km away. Danao is no longer the quiet little town I grew up in. Now, it boasts several bakeries (there used to be only 3), cyber cafes (there was none), beach resorts (there was only Sands) and an Eco Adventure Park in the mountain of Danasan where you can ride a zip line, go caving, watch a waterfall and go horseback riding.
I didn’t recognize the streets, the houses or any of the people. It is now very crowded, people and vehicles everywhere. Crossing the street is very challenging because there is no such thing as pedestrians’ right of way.
My cousin Catherine and I were reminiscing about how we used to play “tubig-tubig” in the middle of Pio del Pilar St. Those days are gone forever.
I attended mass and lingered to enjoy the church and noticed the electric fans, nice! We won’t be needing the “pay-pay” as much. The altar is grand, beautiful and much brighter than I remembered. At the end of the mass the Philippine National Anthem was sang, hmmmm very interesting!
I crossed the street to Sto.Tomas School where I attended high school 44 years prior. The old convent where we held classes is still there and the grotto of the Virgin Mary where we used to pose for pictures has been moved a few feet away.
I continued on to Rizal Plaza where we trapped humungous frogs to dissect in our Science experiment in Sto. Tomas School. I caught a glimpse of two girls in school uniforms, looks like one is going through the hair of the girl in front of her. OMG! Nanghinguto!!! I had mixed feelings, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be grossed out.
I was very disappointed to see Sands Resort shuttered and in disrepair, such a waste of a beautiful area. I hope to see it back to its former grandeur soon.
In the 60s, it was the best Danao was to offer with it’s bowling alley, snack bar, beauty salon in the back where we used to have our hair done when there was a special event in school. I remembered the cottages… there were stories that it was the favorite place for lovers/sweethearts to rendezvous.
My cousin Grace and her husband Arturo treated me to lunch at the new Macapagal-Durano Fish Port. Now that’s progress, downstairs is where the fresh catch is dropped off and upstairs is the restaurant. I had kinilaw…yummy! I have to go back there and try the other dishes.
I never made it to the market, so I have to add that to my list of things to do next time . I missed out on the procession too, that will be on the top of my list. I’ll spend a night or two in Danasan Eco Adventure Park, and then there are the churches that my cousins promised they’d take me to see.
Since I came back, I miss the camaraderie, the food and the funny stories and jokes especially the ones Celia Barriga was telling me. They sure brought back a lot of wonderful and weird memories.
God willing, I will be back.
MEET YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES!
September 6, 2011
2011 Sto Tomas Novena U.S.A.
June 30, 2011
Amapola Introduces Harana to Danawanons
April 19, 2011
DAUSA is fortunate to enlist the support of a versatile singer/actress and radio/TV personality, AMAPOLA, in introducing to young Fil-Am Danawanons classic Cebuano love songs through dausa.org in line with DAUSA’s mission to instill in the minds and hearts of our new generation an appreciation of our rich Cebuano heritage.
Amapola is the daughter of the late great Cebuano musician, Mahnee Cabase, an icon in Cebu radio for over two decades, best known for his harana. She graciously volunteered to share with Cebuanos through the DAUSA Website her father’s huge collection of Cebuano composition.
Younger Cebuanos vaguely heard of this very popular Cebuano celebrity who sometime in the 70s quietly slipped out of the country at the time her popularity was rising to superstardom to find her niche in the U.S. So, I am posting Amapola’s brief bio penned by an adoring fan, Marie F. Hernandez.
ooooooo
Born in Cebu City to Manny & Sheila Cabase, Amapola began her musical career at the age of five, singing her father’s compositions & her mother’s lyrics in Visayan movie productions subsequently featured in a few films as a child star. Her career blossomed & took her to Manila where her television, stage, recording & film endeavors flourished. At age 17she was dubbed the ‘Jukebox Queen’ (because Jukeboxes were filled with her hit singles) in the Philippines, she sought more challenges & went on concert tours in Asia & the Pacific, and eventually the US Mainland – juggling appearances at The Fairmont Hotels in San Francisco and Dallas & in her own Magazine TV-Variety show “Amapola Presents Show” in San Francisco’s Channel 20, KEMO-TV for eight years. Scaling the heights of her musical career took her around the world – inland on concert tours and at sea as headliner onboard some of the world’s most luxurious ships.
Amapola started her singing career at the age of two when her Nanny took her to a kiddies radio show early one morning. In the audience were many people who would play major roles in Amapola’s showbiz career in Cebu City. Soon, 5-year-old Amapola made her film debut by dubbing other children’s voices in several films and not too long after that gained her own footing as one of the popular child stars in the Visayas. She debuted in the nightclub scene with her father’s band. In the mid-sixties she became the youngest bandleader with her band Amapola and the Sounds to alternate with her father’s band the Manny Cabase Sextet at the famous Sandtrap of Hotel Magellan
Soon she and her group was invited by showbiz agent “Fae” Corrales to appear as guests on “An Evening with Pilita” that opened many doors for Amapola and her band. She then resumed her film career in the lead role as the ill-fated ladylove of matinee idol Victor Wood in the film “Mr. Lonely”. Added to her movie shoots were appearances with her co-stars: Eddie Mesa, Carina Afable, Tirso Cruz III, Ike Lozada, and many more stars in the TV musical variety program on ABS-CBN: Stop Look and Listen.
In addition to her full television schedule, Amapola reigned as the resident chanteuse at the famous Hotel Intercontinental in Makati, Metro Manila with Ramonito del Rosario, Art Maloy, Maning Aballe, and the Manny Cabase Band. True to the saying: “when it rains it pours”, Amapola was offered another lead role opposite Victor Wood. Amapola tackled the role with aplomb, as a provincial lass fighting to keep the love of her life (Victor Wood) from the other woman. “You Are My Destiny” opened to jam-packed movie theatres all across the country on Valentines day which earned Victor Wood and Amapola the title: Love Team of the Year.
Amapola continued appearing on television variety shows and performing in El Castellano and Le Boulevardier in Hotel Intercontinental until an offer for a Hawaiian concert tour was offered to her in 1972. It was the same year that she had 3 singles listed in the top ten charts from her album: “Songs and Amapola.” She starred in the Hawaiian tour that reunited her with some of her colleagues from her ABS-CBN television programs: Boy Mondragon, Linda Magno and Diomedes Maturan. (Later, Amapola embarked on her solo performances at the Kahala Hilton in Honolulu and then co-starred with the Hawaiian icons: Danny Kaleikini and Don Ho in a benefit concert tour around the islands.
After her Hawaiian concerts & nightclub appearances, Amapola toured mainland USA for a couple of years. She then accepted an unprecedented contract at the Mabuhay Gardens (later nicknamed the FabMab) from owner-proprietor Ness Aquino, who later became her co-host in her syndicated television magazine-variety: “Amapola Presents Show” produced and directed Punk Godfather Dirk Dirksen. “Amapola Presents Show” went on for 8 seasons alongside her nightly appearances at the Fairmont Hotel’s Tonga Room from 1976 to 1982, making Amapola the longest running local solo performer onstage and on television in the Bay Area, and the only singer who sang the anthems for the Giants, 49ners and the Oakland As all in one season.
Her singing career onboard cruise ships began in 1986 onboard the Royal Viking Sky. Her cruising career lasted for fifteen years onboard several ships: Royal Viking: Sky, Sea (Australia and Asian Cruises), Star (Caribbean, Panama Canal, Hawaiian and Polynesian Cruises) and Royal Viking Sun (World Cruises for two legs); SS Gripsholm (European Cruises); MS Song of Flower (Mediterranean, Oriental and Asian Cruises), QE2 (New York/London run) and MS Hanseatic that gave Amapola the opportunity to travel through the Northwest Passage, Central and South America, Antarctic and the Arctic alternately for two years once spending her Christmas morning on South Georgia Island in the Antarctic. ~ Marie F. Hernandez ~
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HARANA:
“Unsa-on Ko”
Music: Manny Cabase
Lyrics: Sat A Villarino
Vocals: Amapola
“Guihigugma Ko Ikaw”
Music: Manny Cabase ; Lyrics: Sat A Villarino; Vocals: Amapola
CABASE CLASSICS
“Unya Nahanaw Ka”
Music: Manny Cabase
Lyrics: Sheila C Cabase
Vocals: Amapola
“Patayng’ Buhi”
Music: Manny Cabase
Lyrics: Sat A Villarino & Manny Cabase
Vocals: Amapola