Friday, June 29, 2012

Marinduque - My Beloved by Victor Perlas Vizarra

VICTOR PERLAS VIZARRA, a Marinduqueno abroad shares this poem, and thanks to him, "a tribute to my beloved province of Marinduque and its people, most especially the OFWs-- today's unsung heroes and to my co-expatriates who are tireless in their efforts in helping their less fortunate and impoverished townsfolk."


Moriones festival is a hallmark tradition

Around your six coastal towns,
Re-enactment of the legend of Longinus, the blind centurion
In pantomime and colorful Roman costumes

Nocturnal recitation of Christ's passion in verses
During the entire Lenten season
Usually mark the week long celebration
Queue of flagellants scourging themselves
Under the scorching heat of the summer sun
Echo in my dreams of you, my home--my beloved...
I am proud of your majestic views and God-given beauty,
where the warm breeze from the deep blue ocean
kisses the lush idyllic hillsides and caresses our souls
as we greet the coming of a new dawn
with renewed hopes and enthusiasm.

I am also proud of your beautiful sons and daughters
who bravely fought their fears and anxieties
working hard in war-torn and calamity-laden countries
thinking of nothing, but their loved ones left behind.
A few got lucky while others didn't see the light of day,
nor tasted the fruits of their toils--bitter or sweet...

Is it really worth the sacrifice when families are separated,
either by choice or unfortunate stroke of fate
Young kids left by their mothers or fathers, or both...
their total care and well-being, sometimes neglected
could possibly lead to an early and catastrophic ending;
the lucky ones never stop with their lavish spending
as if money grows on trees and manna falls from heaven.
Stop... look, and listen to your inner voice--
Do we really need to outdo each other?

Vanity and ego slowly cripple the moral fibers
of a once sweet and innocent society...
Loneliness due to separation from loved ones
sometimes could lead to broken families,
and early demise of someone's character;
are these the price we need to pay
in lieu of your progress and modern lifestyle,
quo vadis, Marinduque?...my home, my beloved!


Is it worth the prize when your lovely daughters
are selling their souls to the devil to satisfy yours?
beautiful and modern homes completely furnished,
now replaced their old but cozy nipa huts;;
where their parents and siblings watch soap operas
on big-screen-colored television sets,
and listen to the ear-piercing sound of HiFi stereos
while dancing and singing to their favorite videoke tunes.


Do we really need to leave your beautiful shores?
Your open seas are teeming with fish of all species,
and your dense forest filled with fauna and timber
as far as my eyes can see and feet can explore...
Over the green hills and on top of your fertile plains,
and across the valleys where our old folks toiled
Abundant harvest and sharing, are they gone?

Marinduque--my beloved, my beautiful home
I'm happy and proud of what you had become...
Despite the moral decay and other social issues,
and although still plagued with occasional brown-outs
as your development is a work-in-progress,
and your total transformation still remains to be seen;
you are vibrant and progressive, and still welcoming
your warm receptions and beautiful smiles,
always keep the weary and starving strangers
filled with delight...my foreign friends;
take a hike and go see for yourself.

God bestowed you with scenic beauty,
and natural resources to sustain your children
Let no man put you asunder,
and trample upon your tranquility;
let no one destroy you again
as in the case of Calancan Bay,
for together with the fallen ones
who fought and died in the "Battle of Pulang Lupa"
we will rise as one in spirit, body and mind!
the mighty and proud Marinduqenos...

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Revisiting Guisian in Mogpog, Marinduque

Gusi, jar. Guisian's symbol found at Guisian Elementary School.

Ask anyone from the hamlet of Guisian and he or she will tell you that the origin of that name is “gusian”, meaning a place where many gusi, jars were buried in the days of yore. Not a single gusi may be found now but ancient stories of buried gusi filled with gold unearthed on the mountain tops and forests have been told and retold here for generations.

Guisian is one place hardly known even to many Marinduque inhabitants. More than 10 years ago, this hamlet hit the papers due to a firefight between rebs and government soldiers. The visiting rebs were not there to find hidden treasures but apparently to promote their ideology. It’s on record that when the rebels left, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the introduction of ‘distance learning’ in Guisian ‘to prevent the return of negative ideologies’, she said. There were many who batted eyelashes upon hearing that GMA formula. 

Whatever that meant, truth is until today you have to climb a mountain to get even a celphone signal in Guisian. Nonetheless, the military has absolutely cleared the area of ‘taong labas’, 'outsiders'. In fact Marinduque was declared in 2009, as the first-province in the entire country freed of subversive elements. Shown in this photo, taken yesterday, are soldiers partaking in the barangay's fiesta celebration.

Guisian is about seven kilometers away from the main road in Balanacan, and except for very short and narrow stretches of areas that have been mixed with some concrete, the road to Guisian seems almost untouched by government-owned heavy equipment for repair or rehabilitation. 

Going to Guisian is like rough sailing, but on land, as you bump and rock your way ever upward where villages have disappeared. You see solitary huts in the valleys as you travel. 

.  For this reason, a single jeepney plies the route Guisian-Mogpog Poblacion and vice versa only once in the morning and once in the afternoon daily to transport students, workers, merchants and commodities.

After less than an hour of travelling to Guisian and having to wait for the driver to fix a flat tire you get a glimpse of a bay appearing from behind the coconuts and other tall trees. Gazing downwards you see quite a few houses. The rough road turns into concrete as it goes down a steep hill. It could very well be the longest steep road in this island-province.

A glimpse of Sayao Bay through coconut trees.

Guisian is a wide expanse of mountains and ravines, but one immediately sees upon reaching the main village that it is situated on a rocky and very narrow strip of land between the water and a mountain. It is located on the westerly portion of Sayao Bay which is entirely surrounded by mountains. 

A fleet of fishing boats that are from 50 to 75 gross tons each are anchored in a fishing port in Guisian, owned by a small family that reportedly started from humble beginnings.  They fish exclusively in the wide expanse of Tayabas Bay that adjoins Sayao Bay, bringing the catch to Dalahican Port in Lucena or to Mogpog market for local consumption. 

Necessarily, all the tripolantes, crew come from this village. Some younger tripolantes, however, have also ventured into working in other fishing vessels as far as Camarines Norte because of apparently more regular and bigger catch there from the waters of the Philippine Sea. They come home, now and then, for visits to their families and friends on special occasions such as yesterday’s feast of their Ina ng Laging Saklolo, the patron saint. (Shown in photo are Hejay and JR who both came home for the fiesta, having a happy time with their friend, Aira).


The elderly, too, must sing of their sorrows, pains and joy!

Sayao Bay that adjoins Tayabas Bay gives life and protection to barangay Guisian and environs. 
Sayao Bay blocks big waves and reduces strong winds. In 2009, however,  a storm surge caused by typhoon Feria hit this village partially destroying houses along the coast. Today, peace and quiet, and community togetherness reign here.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

When all the barangay folks went out to swim

Day together for everyone in this fishing village.

For once, all of the fisherfolks in this village of Bunganay in Boac, Marinduque parked their vessels on the shore, with no one venturing out to fish. This transpired last Sunday on the feast of San Juan Bautista, St John the Baptizer.

Boats on Bunganay beach.

A day or so before it happens, barangay leaders, youth groups and fishing coops hold informal meetings just to assign whoever should take charge of drinks, who should prepare food such as pansit, palabok, siniroy (sliced bananas cooked in coconut milk), niyubak (crushed banana mixed with grated coconut), macaroni soup, fish dishes, etc.

Bunganay fisherfolks are a major local supplier of fish catch in Boac. 

They stayed on the beach from morning till sunset.
Boys together, girls together, heads of families together, the women together, the grannies together.

Strangely, there was no tuba (coconut wine) served, but Emperador Brandy, soft drinks and red wine for the ladies.


Bunganay is just half-a-mile away from Cawit port.

"Mas maigi na din mandin ito na kami na mismo ang maglublob sa dagat kaysa kami pa ang magpambasa sa iba tulad ng nakagawian, di baga?", said Mabel, a young housewife while enjoying swimming with her kids. ('Better to immerse ourselves in the sea than to douse water on others as what has always been done, right?).

The sunset they viewed from Bunganay beach on that day.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Sakyan mo ako, Marinduque Tricycles and Vans

Motorized tricycle.

Tricycles are the most popular means of transportation in all Marinduque towns. A tricycle could normally carry four passengers but tricycle drivers often squeeze in five for that extra money to the discomfort of passengers. Two passengers ride in the side car and two behind the driver. Regular short routes are always with fixed rates from Php 10 upwards to distances of up to about 12 kilometers.  

"Sakyan mo ako", ride on me.

Beyond that distance, the rate is negotiated with the tricycle driver who, instead of quoting his price, are wont to ask passengers how much they might be willing to pay for the special trip.

So this boy rides this tricycle his own way.

With the promotion of tourism in the island of Marinduque, some  residents have invested in the purchase of comfortable passenger vehicles.


Passenger Van

Full size vans such as these could accommodate 8 to 10 passengers. They could be hired on a daily basis and the charge (including a driver), is from Php 3,500 to Php 5,000 for trips within the island. Vans could also be hired from Marinduque to any point of Luzon. Some have obtained franchises for daily trips from Manila-Marinduque and vice-versa charging Php 800 per passenger. There are no terminals for these vans in Metro Manila. They could be reached by calling the number of their operator who would arrange for the pick up of passengers from their houses or any given location ("door-to-door service").

The above vans are owned by Ronald Pol Millar of Joy Long Grandia Shuttle Service with adddress at Bancoro, Buenavista, Marinduque, and could be contacted via
Celphone Nos. 0939-855-9755 or 0910-449-7606.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Could Masihan be Maysia?

A place they call 'Masihan" in Gasan.

This beach area in Gasan is called Masihan. It offers a great view of the three islands known collectively as Tres Reyes. These islands are said to be the 17th and 19th century hideout of Moro pirates before staging an attack on the poblacion.


Masihan in barangay Pangi is, so far, the nearest clue to physically identifying a place known as "Maysia", one of two places where the townspeople of Gasan, as written, decided to move after the destruction of the poblacion by the Moros in 1764. 


The present poblacion of Gasan in the background as viewed from Masihan.

Tracing places that don't ring a bell could be a painstaking business involving the search for more clues from the landscape itself, from the make of old structures in the area, from ruins, if any, from documentary evidences and from oral history. With luck, those things could lead to even more interesting, new discoveries. 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Pirates, typhoons and more Marinduque nightmares

Moro weapons

In those years during the 17th and 18th century, there were heart-breaking stories of piratical depredations in Marinduque where some villages at the peak of those raids were depopulated. One could just imagine the trauma of those families whose members were captured by the pirates for slavery. 
Moro pirate ship. Boac attacked in 1754, Gasan in 1764.

There was a time in June of 1754, when 17 Moro embarcaciones, sea vessels invaded Boac, Marinduque. Nine hundred of them landed and sacked the town and captured inhabitants. Then the town of Gasan was destroyed ten years later, in 1764, such that it was depopulated. Those who survived transferred the town sites to a sitio called "Maysia" (and I still wonder where that could be), and Laylay which is in Boac. Gasan's tributary population in that year was reduced to only 130.
Recreation of an ancient storm (Image linked to page)

Then there were extremely destructive typhoons that hit the region in those days giving more nightmares to the people. In "Typhoons in the Philippine Islands 1566-1900)" (Garcia-Herrera, Ribera, Hernandez and Gimeno), we find the following account from an entry dated November 13, 1844: "Some interisland ships were lost in the sea of Marinduque; the church of Gasan was blown down and several houses of Mogpog were ruined; more than 500 work animals perished in the floods of Boac."

Then, within 24-31 October 1875, in the center of the town of Boac, "the water reached a height of three meters, carrying to the sea various houses, destroying all the bridges, and causing the death of 130 animals. In Santa Cruz, Marinduque, the bastion was blown down, and the crops totally injured. In Gasan the storm destroyed 83 houses, inclined 35 and unroofed the church and convent."
Delubyo scene from a Teatro Balangaw play.

After that turbulent era, historic confrontations by Marinduquenos with pestilence, more harrowing typhoons,  political struggles and modern-day environmental disasters would come. It must be a good thing for Marinduquenos to know their history, even help trace and uncover more secrets we've never known before. In the process, one could get a sense of what it was like then.




Boac Church, Cemeterio de Tampus, Trivino-Lardizabal colonial house.

Then when we get to see the ruins of old bastions, or get to visit virtually abandoned cemeteries, or from old churches nestled on hilltops get to view with a certain awareness the colonial houses below, we could use those trips not only to recharge our own batteries but to make others aware of them, too. By knowing, it could be their turn to speak differently of Marinduque and shout about their new awareness everywhere. 


Friday, June 22, 2012

Marinduque also figures in map exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Manila

Portion of 1734 Philippine map of Fr. Pedro Murillo de Velarde with Marinduque.
134 maps owned by private collectors will be shown to the public for the first time in an exhibit titled "Three Hundred Years of Philippine Maps 1598-1898". This is part of several activities to mark Philippines-Spain Friendship Day and will run from June 26 to July 31 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

The Philippines had been a Spanish colony for more than three centuries so the exhibit will give an idea "of how the Spanish authorities saw the Philippines in those days", said Spanish Ambassador Jorge Domecq, "you will be seeing many of the features which resound in many of you, in your minds these days with all the maritime issues", he was quoted to have said.

For Marinduquenos, the exhibit will also show how the island of Marinduque was seen  by the Spaniards in those days. Marinduque was among the islands in the Philippines which played a vital role in Spain's maritime enterprise, the galleon trade. Not only were the galleons San Juan Bautista and San Marcos built in shipyards on this island, but merchant vessels during that era sailed along the south Luzon coast through the sea surrounding Marinduque then though the San Bernardino Strait across the Pacific to Acapulco,

Cartographers during the 18th to early 19th century apparently did not see Marinduque as a heart-shaped island as shown in today's maps. In those ancient maps the island was leaf-shaped.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Marinduque State College: Diamond Jubillee celebration today


Marinduque State College (MSC), the only state college in Marinduque celebrates its 60th founding anniversary today. Established on June 21, 1952, through R.A. No. 805 authored by Cong. Panfilo M. Manguera, during the presidency of Pres. Elpidio Quirino. It was then known as Marinduque School of Arts and Trades (MSAT), offering two-year vocational courses such as Machine Shop Practice, Electricity, Automotive Mechanics, Building Construction, Furniture and Cabinet making, Garments Trade, Cosmetology and Food Trades. It also opened with a four-year secondary trade curricula.


MSAT then came to be known as the Marinduque Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), in 1983, providing more opportunities for students to take up courses in Civil Engineering, Fisheries, and Trade Technical Education. A satellite campus in Torrijos was then opened. By 1998, a Graduate Studies Program was introduced, alongside the opening of more satellite campuses in Sta. Cruz and Gasan. It came to be known by its present name, Marinduque State College.


1988 photo of high school girls of MIST.

It actively pursues its role as an institution of higher learning and its mission of providing quality education through effective methodologies and strategies. Today, courses in Engineering, Allied Medicine, Entrepreneurship, Communication and Tourism, and Information Technology are among those offered in addition to Industrial Technology and Secondary Teacher Education.

Former students of then MIST.

MSC is committed to achieve status as a premier college in the region along the fields of instruction, research, extension and production.

MSC students join this morning's parade from Boac town to the College located in
Barangay Tanza in the Riverside District. Some 6,000 students are currently
enrolled at all the MSC campuses combined.

The conversion of MSC into a university, as Marinduque State University,
is vigorously pursued at present.

The future MSU will further benefit poor but deserving students not just from Marinduque but also from neighboring provinces who cannot afford to pursue higher education. The university is seen as a unique resource bringing extensive economic benefits to the school and to the provincial community in terms of highly skilled graduate workforce it is committed to produce. 

Thus, the best is yet to come for Marinduque State College that today marks its Diamond Jubilee Anniversary with special activities also retrospecting its history.