Bayambang Municipal Profile

 

MUNICIPALITY PROFILE

 

Land area: 168 sq. km.

 

Number of barangays: 77

 

Population as of 2020 PSA Census: 129,011

 

Climate: Like the rest of Pangasinan province, normally, the dry season begins in November to April and is wet during the rest of the year.

Average annual rainfall (mm): 185.12

Average annual temperature: 32.76 0C

 

Formerly a part of Binalatongan town (now San Carlos City), Bayambang, according to local oral traditions, derived its name from the word balangbang or balangabang, which is the name of a native species of bauhinia (Piliostigma malabaricum), which used to thrive in the place and used as a souring agent.

 

It is a first-class municipality in the central part of southern Pangasinan and lies along the banks of the Agno River. It is bounded on the north by the town of Malasiqui, on the south by Camiling in the province of Tarlac, on the east by Basista, and on the west by Urbiztondo.

 

Its location is perfect for businesses that target the Ilocos Region to the north, Central Luzon to the south, Western Pangasinan towns to the west and eastern Pangasinan towns to the east. Bayambang is not just a random pit stop but at a strategic crossroad which create exceptional possibilities of high foot traffic.

 

Bayambang is a town of many things. Foremost, it is an agricultural town, specifically known as "the Onion Capital of Northern Luzon" and "the Corn Belt of Pangasinan." It is also famous for its delicious fish buro and freshwater fish, that is why its annual town fiesta is dubbed as the ‘Malangsi Fish-tival,’ malangsi meaning freshwater fish.

 

Secondly, it is also a university town, because it houses a large old university, established in 1922, the Pangasinan State University-Bayambang Campus.

 

Bayambang is also known as the home of the binasuan dance.

 

The town also has a reputation of being a town of "faith healers" as well as devotees of the patron saint, San Vicente Ferrer.

 

Lastly, it is an historic town, because it once served as the fifth capital of the First Philippine Republic, and also the place where local heroes staged the first revolts against the abuses of the Spanish colonizers in Pangasinan.

 

Bayambang has 77 barangays, which are classified into nine (9) districts.

 

The municipality’s land area is generally level, with a hilly portion in a few barangays (Cadre Site, Dusoc, Bani, and Bical).

 

 

Economic Priorities:

 

The LGU of Bayambang has been undertaking analysis and engagements for the past year to develop practical ideas to reboot the local economy after the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

We have identified a set of priorities to solve the town’s economic issues and pursue our fight against poverty and inequality, to wit:

 

·       Agri-fisheries mechanization

·       Implementation of EEC Plan to curb bill payments on high consumption of energy (electric, fuel, water)

·       Implementation of and support for the Local Public Transport Route Plan

·       Strengthening cooperative development and small businesses

·       Heightened infrastructure efforts while adhering to Green Building Code to generate more jobs

·       Opening local tourism potentials

·       Easing business restrictions

·       Boosting access to quality government-financed health and education services

·       Expanding trade and investment

 

 

Gross Income

	Internal Revenue Allotment	Locally Sourced Income
2018	P227,397,900.00	P151,696,764.84
2019	P250,050,687.00	P166,539,688.84
2020	P281,413,386.00	P176,363,249.75
2021	P301,609,742.00	P156,137,817.32
2022	P420,490,843.00	P180,376,700.54
2023	P359,804,680.00	(not yet available)

 

 

Introduction for Mayor Mary Clare Judith Phyllis Niña Jose-Quiambao

MNJQ Intro

Mary Clare Judith Phyllis Jose-Quiambao, or more popularly known as "Niña" Jose-Quiambao, is the very first female Mayor of Bayambang when she got elected in June 2022.  

She is a graduate of Assumption College in Manila, and finished Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies from Harvard Business School.

Before becoming Mayor, Niña Jose-Quiambao worked as the President of the Local Council of Women of Bayambang. She has spearheaded projects such as the construction of Abong na Aro in Brgy. Wawa which aims to provide a safe haven for women, children, and members of the LGBTQ community who have suffered abuse from family members.

She was also the President of the Agricultural Infrastructure and Leasing Corporation, a private company that has provided jobs to hundreds of workers inside and outside of Bayambang and has boosted the agriculture sector of the municipality by providing modern machineries and equipment for local farmers.

Aside from these, she also served as the President of Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation, Inc. and founder of the Niña Cares Foundation. Through these foundations, the Quiambao family quietly served the people of Bayambang by donating to and caring for the needy and vulnerable sectors using private funds.

Niña is known as a devoted, loving, generous, and kind-hearted wife, mother, and friend who goes out of her way to help other people.



Now the Mayor of Bayambang, she promises to continue the Rebolusyon Laban sa Kahirapan, the flagship antipoverty program of former Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao, and to serve as "Ilaw ng Tahanan: Liwanag at Puso ng Bayan."

With her motherly approach to governance, she has endeared herself to the people of Bayambang in so many ways.

Among her own flagship projects are Bali-Balin Bayambang, which aims to make Bayambang into a clean and green place to live in.

She does not tire in thinking of ways to reach out to marginalized sectors to address their concerns, like PWDs, mental health sufferers, teenage pregnant mothers, and rape survivors.

Of course, our local children have a special place in her heart, with numerous surprises for them especially during Christmas, and that is why she has built perhaps the first Japanese anime-inspired mini-theme park in the world outside Japan.

This early, under her watch, her administration has already achieved so many impressive feats. Among this is LGU-Bayambang getting an "unmodified opinion" from the Commission on Audit for the first time in history.

Every aspect of her governance has a string of major awards. Gawad Kalasag three times for disaster resiliency. Compliance in Solid Waste Management. Green Banner in Nutrition. Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index. Digital Governance Awards. Good Financial Housekeeping. Anti-Drug Abuse Council Performance Audit. Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit.   ...Among others.

Perhaps the crowning glory of her achievements is having the entire LGU attain ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Ladies and gentlemen, our very own Local Chief Executive, Mayor Mary Clare Judith Phyllis Niña Jose-Quiambao!

Bayambang Town Transforms Public Plaza into a Mini-Ghibli Theme Park for Christmas 2023!

Bayambang Town Transforms Public Plaza into a Mini-Ghibli Theme Park for Christmas 2023!

 

Bayambang, Pangasinan's first couple once again surprises their town-mates with another attraction this Christmas season, a piece of Japan in Bayambang, by transforming the Municipal Public Plaza into a mini-Ghibli theme park as an unlikely Christmas village.

 

In lieu of the usual animated display by the Rosario family of COD Cubao fame, Mayor Niña Jose-Quiambao family's annual Christmas gift since 2016, night revelers from far and wide are in for a different experience of a lifetime as they immerse themselves in the magic and enchantment of Studio Ghibli's world, we could say Japan's answer to Disneyworld.

 

It is a fantasy world populated by characters from the most popular and critically acclaimed Japanese animé films written and directed mostly by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki.

 

Visitors are literally transported to an anime wonderland by acquainting themselves with the most memorable characters from "Spirited Away," "My Neighbor Totoro," "Ponyo," "Howl's Moving Castle," "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Princess Mononoke," "Secret World of Arrietty," and "The Cat Returns."

 

Those who are in the know especially would have a fun time milling around the Cat Bus from "Totoro," posing beside Calcifer the 'fire demon' from "Howl's," and the No-Face character or the old lady Yubaba from "Spirited Away," etc. (To the uninitiated: these are characters based on traditional Japanese folkloric nature spirits, collectively called kami.) 

 

Another little piece of Japan, the land of captivating contrasts, in Bayambang is the just concluded cosplay competition at the Balon Bayambang Events Center nearby. (Cosplay, from "costume player," is defined as "a performance art in which the participants dress in costumes and make-up, representing characters from anime, video games, television and film.") Contestants came from all over, even from as far away as Manila, just to join the fun of being someone else and acting in character if only for a few hours.

 

Locals are in for another surprise soon because in the works outside the Municipal Plaza is a taste of cutting-edge Japanese innovation and technology right on the facade of Royal Mall.

SingKapital: Commemoration of Bayambang as the 5th Capital of the 1st Philippine Republic

(The 2-hour online talk I appeared in last Sunday wasn't enough to discuss all the important points that I believe should be discussed with the public. Here are my more complete thoughts on the subject.)

SingKapital: Commemoration of Bayambang as the 5th Capital of the 1st Philippine Republic

“What is SingKapital?” so the expected question goes. But before we delve into its meaning and significance – the declaration of Bayambang as the fifth capital of the first Philippine Republic on November 12, 1899 – we need to put it in context. To understand it properly, there is a need to reconstruct the world at that point in time.

First of all, while it refers to just one day that General Emilio Aguinaldo and members of the fledgling Philippine government stopped at Bayambang town in Pangasinan, it is just one part of the many twists and turns of history of the birth of the Philippines as a nation, from the declaration of independence, the first in Asia, on June 12, 1898, in Kawit, Cavite, Aguinaldo’s hometown, to the ceding of the Philippines by Spain to the United States of America to the tune of $20 million through the Treaty of Paris of 1898, and so on.

(If we pause for a moment to consider this sudden turn of events, we can see that we Filipinos had just declared our independence from Spain, but we were unknowingly sold by Spain to the USA, and the Americans did not lose time coming over here as the new invaders in town, on the pretext of Christianizing us “heathens,” a 300+ year old Spanish Catholic colony by then, through “benevolent assimilation,” then President William McKinley’s phrase).

What came next was the founding of the first Philippine Legislature on January 21, 1899, in Malolos, Bulacan, the first capital, of course, with Aguinaldo as the Philippines’ first President and thus the "father of the Philippine Republic."

While fleeing the pursuing American Army on their way to the north, the Aguinaldo government stopped at San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, the second capital, and then Bamban, Tarlac, the third, and then Tarlac, Tarlac, the fourth, and of course, Bayambang.

It must be noted, however, that long before this fleeing company galloped their way to Northern Luzon, there was a vanguard (an advanced party) in the person of General Gregorio del Pilar preparing the way beforehand. His efforts would, of course, end in a tragedy, the Battle at Tirad Pass, which would go down in history as "the Philippine version of the Battle of Thermopylae."

Then there was General Antonio Luna transferring the revolutionary government’s Department of War in Bayambang sometime in June 1899 (certain accounts mention Bautista, then a sitio of Bayambang, as the more exact address).

(Note that historical documents can be riddled with typographical errors and outright mistakes. For example, Bayambang was sometimes mistaken for Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, and Bayambang was sometimes spelled as Bayanban, Bayamban, Bayambong, Bayangbang, etc.)

And in the middle of all this fast-paced action was a brewing internal conflict brought about by suspicions of treachery and factionalism inherent in a group of revolutionaries coming from different regional ethnic backgrounds. In fact, in the same month, Gregorio ‘Goyo’ del Pilar himself would be ordered to travel to Bayambang town to capture Luna and his men for reasons of alleged treason. This is incidentally the subject of an episode in Jerrold Tarog’s film “Goyo.” We all know by now that Luna would be assassinated in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, by Aguinaldo's men.

Meanwhile, around August or so, another significant event occurred, again in the sitio of Bautista (the town would not be independent until 1900). Jose Palma, the editor of the revolutionary government newspaper at the time, “La Independencia,” was tasked to write the lyrics to Julian Felipe’s “La Marcha Nacional Filipina.” It was a poem originally titled “Filipinas” and written in Spanish, which would eventually become the country’s national anthem, later translated to Tagalog as “Lupang Hinirang.” One account goes that the actual writing took place inside a train coach of the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan (Manila-Dagupan Railroad), but others claim that it was written in the house of Doña Romana Gomez vda de Favis, the house eventually being called “Malacañang of the North.”

The last issue of “La Independencia” appears to have been published in Bayambang as well. According to a book on the history of Philippine news media by Prof. Ricardo Jose, as the revolutionaries were escaping to Camiling and perhaps to all possible directions out of haste, they buried the printing press, which was secretly hidden in a train coach, near the railroad station, the remnant of which we still call Estacion. (One wonders how the Americans discovered this factoid – high espionage must have been apparently on the loose on both sides.)

Such is the lush backstory before Aguinaldo and company made their way to Bayambang town on November 12, 1899 through the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan and on horseback ride (some American accounts erroneously placed the date as November 13) until they were caught in faraway Palanan, Isabela.

Trivia: Aguinaldo's visit to Bayambang was briefly depicted in at least one notable novel, "Poon" by F. Sionil Jose.

***

SingKapital: The Role of Bayambang in the Birth of Our Nation

The yearly celebration of SingKapital – cobbled together by then schoolteacher Rafael Limueco Saygo from the words "singko" and "kapital" originally as “Singtal” then lengthened by Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao to “SingKapital” – every November 12 commemorates Bayambang's role in the history of the country's fight for freedom and independence during the 1st Philippine Republic.

Again, as the story goes, on November 12, 1899, General Emilio Aguinaldo made Bayambang as the fifth capital of the country while he and his fellow revolutionaries were fleeing the invading American Army's northward advance. His Council of War turned the republican Army into guerilla units, and this meant the soldiers had to resort to “ambush, concealment, and the avoidance of set piece battles,” (in historian Arnaldo Dumindin’s words).

Here is the text that serves as historical documentary basis for SingKapital:

---------------------------------------------------
Document 545

President Aguinaldo Disbands the Regular Army of the Republic and Establishes Guerrilla Warfare Against the Americans
(Bayambang, November 12, 1899)

On November 12, 1899, President Aguinaldo and other Filipino military leaders, worried by the irresistible avalanche of American victories in the battlefields, held an emergency meeting at Bayambang. In this meeting it was decided to disband the regular army and continue the resistance to American invasion by means of guerrilla warfare. Accordingly, President Aguinaldo issued the following decree:

In accordance with the present politico-military status in this, the center of Luzon, and using the powers I possess, in accordance with my council of government, I decree the following:

1. The politico-military command of the center of Luzon is hereby established, comprising of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Sambales, and Pangasinan.

2. The superior commander in question will have full and extraordinary powers to issue orders by proclamation, impose contributions of war and to adopt all such measures as may seem for the good service of the country.

3. The troops which will operate in all the described districts will maneuver in flying columns and in guerrilla bands; these will be under the orders of the aforesaid superior commander, to whose orders all the other leaders and generals will be subject, reporting to him and receiving from him orders and instructions of the government; nevertheless, all orders received direct from the government will be obeyed and advice of the same will be given to the superior commander aforesaid.

4. Sr. Pantaleon Garcia, General of Division, is appointed politico-military commander of the center of Luzon, and he will assume in addition, the judicial powers which belong to me as Captain-general.

Given at Bayambang, November 12, 1899.
Signed EMILIO AGUINALDO
President

Report of Arthur MacArthur, Lieutenant General Commanding Division, a Division of the Philippines (Washington D.C., 1900) p.1.

---------------------------------------------------

So, if it seemed just another day of encampment, another night of evading the occupying forces led by Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur (under President McKinley’s command), it was not, owing to this singular declaration. Local history professor, Rosabella Austria-Mendez, is of the opinion that this reason alone makes the visit historical.

At any rate, there were other notable things about this short (24-hour?) visit. On their way here, Aguinaldo's infant daughter, Flora Victoria (another account says Victoria Flora), died unbeknownst to the family, and she was buried in the local parish church. (Another source claims the corpse was actually buried in the nearby cemetery.)

As one visiting guest speaker from the field of arts, Jaime ‘Bong’ Antonio Jr., Culture and Development Consultant of the National Council for Culture and the Arts, pointed out in his speech during the first official SingKapital celebration, the name “Flora Victoria” means “flower of victory,” so her demise, he said, was like a sacrifice and a portent, for the Revolution would indeed eventually succeed, although it would take some time.

At the Estacion na Tren (which used to have a Bayambang station on one side of Agno River and a Bautista station on the other side), Aguinaldo and company also managed to publish an issue of the government's newspaper "La Independencia," originally edited by Gen. Antonio Luna and whose staff included Rosa Sevilla, Cecilio Apostol, and Jose Palma.

Why choose Bayambang? Another historian, Jaime B. Veneracion, speculates that Bayambang must have been a deliberate choice because of its pro-revolutionist local officials and residents. Veneracion believes that the arrival of Aguinaldo and company must have been met by the locals with feasting, like what other towns did when the revolutionists came by for a stop-over. (It must have been a muted welcome party owing to the tenor of the times, however, it must be added.)

After all, Bayambang has a history of being a hotbed of rebellion and revolutionaries (as writer Virginia Pasalo once pointed out), with Malong’s revolt in Brgy. Manambong, albeit unsuccessful, in 1660 and the first victorious revolt that Palaris staged in 1763.

Where exactly did the company stay in Bayambang? Aguinaldo and company must have occupied the local parish church or convent (Aguinaldo was not known to be anticlerical, unlike Bonifacio and the others). Other possible venues were the Presidencia, now Municipal Hall, or a private residence.

As already noted earlier, it is unfortunate that this story of our fight for freedom and independence for the first time as one nation was pockmarked with controversies. Luna would be assassinated in Cabanatuan on June 5, and shortly thereafter, on June 7, ‘Goyo’ Del Pilar would be reportedly ordered to hunt down Luna's men, the Bernal brothers, in Bayambang.

This is the reason why the annual activity called “Heroes’ Trek,” a secular pilgrimage of sorts in honor of Goyo’s heroism, retracing the path he took toward his eventual martyrdom at Tirad Pass, routinely makes a pit stop at the Bayambang Municipal Hall. Among the original organizers of this annual commemoration in this town, which was started in 1998 or 1999, was former Municipal Councilor Gerry de Vera, being the Mayor’s Action Center Executive Director during the term of Mayor Leocadio ‘Boy’ de Vera, together with then University of the Philippines professor Prospero ‘Popoy’ de Vera. Thanks to the “Heroes’ Trek,” Professor Januario Cuchapin reminds us, the locals got the idea of celebrating the day Bayambang became the country’s fifth capital.

***

What is an Aguinaldo Statue Doing Here?

Aguinaldo especially was a controversial character because of these events, among other incidents thereafter, but these faults, whether perceived or factually confirmed, are best left in the hands of historians for now and they should not overshadow Aguinaldo's achievements.

Today, a bronze statue representing General Aguinaldo stands in front of the Municipal Hall. The local government at the time commissioned no less than National Artist Napoleon Abueva to work on this sculpture in the run-up to the celebration of the town’s quadricentennial on April 5, 2014. Abueva, it was said, had to sign the contract while sitting on a wheelchair. The statue was paid for by then STRADCOM CEO Cezar T. Quiambao.

Today, this is the only official marker sanctioned by the then National Historical Institute, apart from the marker on the Municipal Hall, that reminds everyone about what transpired in Bayambang which everyone has almost completely forgotten about in time: that the nascent Philippine government once encamped in Bayambang and took a last stand before breaking into guerrilla units, making the town a temporary capital of the country, the fifth and the last of the First Philippine Republic.

Surely, the marker was also erected in honor of Aguinaldo and his indelible legacy, among which are the writing of the Philippine Constitution which establishes the country as a democratic republic and a government organizational structure with co-equal executive, legislative, and judiciary branches, a national army, a unifying flag, and a national anthem – and all these were achieved under his watch at 29 years of age. And he was reportedly forced to accept the heavy responsibility instead of actively seeking it, even when he could have said no, for love of his country and people (he was elected in absentia).

A good question to ask any reader at this point then would be, ”At age 29, what were your preoccupations? Now imagine yourself in Aguinaldo’s shoes and how you might have responded in comparison."

Understandably, the Aguinaldo statue is one of the very few ones put up in the country outside the general's home of Kawit, Cavite, the other statues being in Trece Martires, Cavite and Baguio City. But ‘Ka Miong’s’ relative unpopularity compared with, say, Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, does not change the fact that he served as the first president of the Philippines. We may refuse to use the word 'hero' on him, but he was without a doubt a patriot.

So locals will not forget Bayambang’s modest role in the birth of the nation, the Sangguniang Bayan of Bayambang led by Vice-Mayor Raul R. Sabangan passed Municipal Ordinance No. 17 in the year 2017 during the term of Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao, declaring November 12 as the day SingKapital shall be celebrated each year. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan would eventually approve this ordinance in their own resolution.

It is hoped that SingKapital will always be remembered and celebrated as the day the town of Bayambang played a modest role in the tumultuous narrative of the birth of our nation. Symbolically, it may be viewed as a day in history when our heroes bravely took a last stand for freedom, independence, and self-determination even when the going got tough – right here in our humble town, to the point of spilling copious blood for it in the end, and that is why we enjoy our freedom today and can assume an identity and nationality as Filipinos.

Trivia: The father of the Philippine Republic was a Spanish-speaking Caviteño of partly Chinese descent.

***

I dream of someday getting our hands on the following artifacts: Document 545, the last issue of “La Independencia,” the remnant of the printing press, if any, or at least its facsimile, etc.; as well as the restoration and repurposing of the Estacion as a SingKapital Museum. I hope that with this write-up, we can help in keeping the memory of that day and that its significance would be instilled in each and every Bayambangueño and Filipino down the ages.

Among other things, may we learn that it pays to study history, not only so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past, and certainly not to get stuck in the past, but also because it holds many lessons, even unexpected ones.

(The references in the comment boxes)

Beliefs and Practices: Panaglukon

Superstitious Beliefs Related to Pregnancy


• Maglagay ng asin sa bintana upang hindi mahirapang magbuntis.

• Bawal tumayo sa pintuan upang hindi mahirapang manganak.

• Bawal haplusin ng haplusin ang tiyan baka makatulog ang bata kung manganganak na.

• Kapag lumindol, kailangang maligo ang mga buntis ng suka para hindi sila makunan.


• “Aga nayari so unirong ed takayan no malukon ka.” (Don’t sit on the staircase if you are pregnant.)

Someone who often sat on the staircase while pregnant had a difficult labor as a result. It took time for her to give birth to her child.


• “Aga nayari so mangay dakel” (Don’t eat a lot if you are pregnant.)

Someone who ate a lot whatever and whenever she desired had a difficult labor and had a hard time giving birth due to complications.

• “Aga nayari ya mampuyat so malukon.” (Don’t sleep late at night if you are pregnant.)

Remecia C. Junio blames her habit of sleeping late at night for not going through labor and for having a one-week delay in her due date.

• “Aga nayari so unsilip ed inatey no malukon.” (Don’t glance at the dead  if you are pregnant.)

Marde V. Dy said it’s forbidden to glance at the corpse of the dead because because there’s a possibility of experiencing difficulty in giving birth.

• “Aga nayari so unnusok no malukon.” (Don’t bend your body if you are pregnant.)

Mrs. Marcelina's grandmother told her when she was pregnant not to bend her body because there’s a possibility that the child would someday grow without teeth.

• “Aga nayari so unsaklang ed motor no malukon.” (Don’t ride a motorcycle if you’re pregnant.)

Mrs. Rita remembers her mother telling her when she was pregnant not to ride on a motorcycle even if she was only 2-3 months pregnant because there’s a possibility that she would lose child.


Original Mappers: Andre-Yam Espiritu, Mickaella Agbuya, Jackie Lyn Balanag, Patricia Dy, Lee Diane Garcia, Kristine Ross Montil, Cindy Valdoz

Additional Mappers: Vernaliza M. Ferrer, Resty S. Odon, Shiena Mae Gravidez

First person account: How the town's first-ever coffee-table book came to be

How the town's first-ever coffee-table book came to be

by Resty S. Odon

Sometime in 2019, when I was in the thick of other things, Dr. Clarita DG. Jimenez, former College Dean of Pangasinan State University-Bayambang Campus, approached me in my office requesting help with the book she had been writing. It was about the history of the local parish church in Bayambang, the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church.

This is the kind of project I am very willing to give pro bono service to, except that I was too occupied with local government work, on top of which is the intense coverage of the upcoming 2019 fiesta celebrations and the fast approaching State of the Municipality Address. I am not sure what oracion Ma'am Clarita recited, but I just found myself saying a series of yes to what would turn out to be a series of visits that extended to more back-and-forths through calls and private messages and even a spur-of-the-moment house visit when she realized the mental health issue I was going through.

No matter how difficult the work was, I kept at it, encouraged by the knowledge that we were working on the town's first-ever coffee-table book, not stopping one bit until the book was finished because we were rushing it in time for the church's (not the town's) quadricentennial celebration.

I know Ma'am Clarita had been writing this book in bits and pieces through the years, because I had read a part of it in some old fiesta souvenir publication. There were some parts, however, that she could not write herself, for which she asked other writers to fill in the gaps. From her own recollections and from the draft itself, the contributors included Dr. Annie Manalang, Ofelia Villodres, her granddaughter Marie Francine Jimenez, an equally busy Rafael Saygo, for whom our young colleague, Patricia Espino, had to fill in, and the rest of the missing bits were left to me. 

I also helped with the editing of the draft, but out of deference to her rank and ability, I hardly touched the copy and always left the final decision to her with whatever little changes I made. In the final analysis, she had the last say on everything. It was definitely her book, and yet I found my name sharing the same authorship position -- such is her generosity of heart as an author.

At the time, I was not fully aware that the funding for the publication was a major issue until publication time, although I understand that there were some donors prior to it.

Now when we approached  Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao at his office for assistance, the first thing he asked was for us to canvass for at least three publishers, and so we did, with the help of Jojo Malicdem. When a publisher was finally chosen, we again made a personal visit to the Mayor's Office carrying the winning quotation, fervently praying that he would approve the project and give his signature as go signal.

What he wrote on the paper that served as purchase order -- for P1-million -- in his private capacity was, "Reimburse," meaning we had to sell the book at P2,000 per copy to break even and be able to return the fund. And this is how the book came to be published. No prior board or committee meetings, no long-term planning, nothing.

And as it was essentially a rush job, we were regretful that we couldn't get our hands on the best possible photos there were, so we had to make do with what was available from various local sources.

All along, Ma'am Clarita had been nursing a knee issue and had to use a cane to walk, while I was my usual miserable self suffering now and then from anxiety and panic attacks. One time, I was supposed to attend a seminar-training on Incident Command System in faraway Baguio City, but I had to change plans and vacate the bus, totally embarrassed, after going through a bad case of panic attack inside, with my blood pressure shooting up to an alarming level, judging from the face of the MDRRMO staff called "Bongga" (Jun Castañeda).

The book came into being at a high price and yet at no cost to us at the same time, financially speaking. Thus I just have to agree that, like Ma'am Clarita's own estimation, this book is a miracle, yet another unbelievable trick up St. Vincent Ferrer's sleeve or is that angel wings.