Introduction:
With the blending of old engineering
and modern day architectural structural designs, its result is a splendid and magnificent
old and modern structure, which today still proudly stands for over 120 years
if we would consider the day when it was first constructed. The old brick church was constructed in 1892
by Spanish Jesuit Missionaries in their second coming to the Philippines
Thus, they were forced to leave
their Philippine Mission and returned to Europe .
Fortunately, the suppression order
was lifted and the Jesuits returned in 1859; possessing the whole island of Mindanao
Leading its construction were Jesuit
Brother Coadjutors Francisco Riera, a master carpenter and builder; Juan Costa,
an expert potter; and Antonio Gairolas, carpenter; and of course, the
townspeople.[3]
But the war had ravaged it and it is in this point that we must know its story,
not only on how it is today, but how it was in the olden times, or before it
had turned into a brick church.
The Ravage:
Before World War II or before it was
razed to the ground on September 16, 1942, it was comparable with the churches
of Cagayan de Misamis and the one at Camiguin in Mambajao. But sadly because a
Japanese Officer named Capt. Okumora with two other soldiers sought refuge at
the belfry after engaging in a gunbattle with the guerillas led by Lt. Collado,
the church was the sacrificial lamb; and it’s burning took place inevitably in
order to wad out the enemies who were strategically posted at the two bell
towers.[4]
It was wartime, the military decided
to burn down the church; and nothing had been done to stop them from doing it,
not even the compassionate appeal of the Parish Priest, Fr. Clement Risacher,
an American Jesuit. Despite the audible sobbing of pious women, the order went
on undeterred and fixed, “the church must be burned”. The sobs and yearnings to
spare it from burning had not reversed the burning order. So, right at the sight of anxious onlookers,
dried coco midribs “langkay” were gathered and used as torches to light the
mounds of wood piled nearby the church’s wooden structure which ignited and
turned the building into an inferno. The hard wood structures were easy pyres,
and in a matter of an hour, or two, the beautiful church that the Balingasagnon labored much to erect for three
years was toppled down; and its ashes and embers mixed with the sandy-loam soil.
The burning heat was so intense and
the suffocating smoke was unbearable. From the safety of the belfries, the
Japanese soldiers were totally helpless and jumped, mindless where they would
land and flying like squirrels without any flaps to minimize the drag of their
fall. They must had met their deaths before even perhaps touching the grounds,
a .30 caliber bullet is indeed a bone and flesh crusher ammunition; its
projectile is faster like the speed of a Mach 1 Tomcat fighter.
Tactically, the act of war was well-regarded
as a justified and made out due to an execution of a decision, a military
strategy indeed. In their own points of views, it was justifiable because in a
sense they successfully killed the three Japanese, whom they feared had the
capability to send the distress call through a radio set at their headquarters
in Cagayan de Misamis. But the question is, did the Japanese really have a
radio set with them; and was it capable of transmitting a message from the
belfry to Cagayan de Oro? But those questions do not matter anymore today, what
was done could never be undone.
On the point of views of ordinary
people even those who were not church-goers during those days, or for those who
are not even born yet during the war, the burning was a great fiasco; a shame
for an unnecessary loss of a great icon, the focal point of the religious lives
of the townspeople. The burning order was an unworthy military decision; they
could have starved their enemies and surely they would have come out from their
rat holes and surrender for hunger and thirst. But why there was such a rush to
burn down the church, perhaps they had not even placed a stone on its
foundation during construction, so it did not matter much for them.
But since it was war, no one had assumed
the responsibility of the guilt and blame; and poets would usually say that
time and circumstances made it to happen. Nevertheless, a conscientious mind
would always inwardly and silently asked the conscience of those who are accountable,
“what have you done?”
The
Construction of the Brick
Church
As can be traced in the letters of a
priest to his senior colleague, a Superior
From the Jesuit Missionary Letters, Cartas
10:522-524 written in Balingasag dated 29 December 1892 by Fr. Jose Vilaclara[5] to Fr.
Jacinto Juanmarti, S.J. hereunder is what he said:
“Quite enthusiastic work
on the churches is going on in this region. In Balingasag, Bro. Riera has now
laid the foundations, the small pillars, and 30 posts. Each barangay has a lime kiln for the church
and an oven for bricks is always used. They also have stones close by. Omitting
for the time when they are harvesting the rice, the inhabitants of the town
volunteer for work.”
Apparently, the construction works
of the brick church started in 1892, as said by Fr. Vilaclara to Fr. Juanmarti.
The latter was the Mission Superior of the Tamontaca Mission in Cotabato.[6]
When the construction began, Fr.
Salvador Ferrer, S.J. was the Parish Priest. He was at the helm of the parish,
because when he first arrived in 1877 with Fr. Gregorio Parache, S.J., he was
only his Assistant. The Jesuits gradually took the mission stations in the
Misamis area from the Recollects; and such indeed created ill-feelings. The
Recollects felt they were being driven for good when the Jesuits came back to
Mindanao; nonetheless, they did not know only that they would be given other
missionary charges in the provinces near Manila, to the great dismay of the
Filipino secular priests, who were also qualified to serve as Parish Priests,
but never were given any chance to prove their competence.
The Recollects gave the missionary
charge of the Parish of Balingasag in 1877 to Fr. Gregorio Parache by virtue of
an order issued by Governor General Jose
Lemery E Ibarrola Ney y Gonzalez. He was a former Senator in the Peninsula [Spain ], and became Governor General in the Philippines
At the time Fr. Parache took the
parish of Balingasag, Fr. Francisco Arcaya, OAR was the Recollect Parish Priest.
He replaced Fr. Angel Martinez del Carmen, OAR who died in 1875.
Going back to the happenings in the
Great War, the burning of the church in 1942, therefore, completely razed down
all its wooden structures: the two belfries; the big wooden main and side
altars of ebony [retablo]; the ceiling [alcova]; the choir’s cloister at the
second floor above the main door; the thick wooden main door on the west and
its two side doors; small sacristy’s doors; and the 30 hardwood posts.
What we accounted refers only to a
few things the church had, and we have not touched yet the things which indeed
are priceless that went with the ashes.
But are there other churches aside
from the brick church?[9] Yes,
there is, early history books said. If the ruins in sitio Galas, a contested
area between Barangay Waterfall and Baliwagan being historically rich; was indeed
a church, the first stone church of the early settlement of Gompot
[Balingasag], therefore, was constructed thereat.
The ruins today would not enable us
to visually conclude that the ruin was indeed a church because it is fully
dilapidated or all had fallen to pieces. However, if local history books would
be the final arbiter, all the subsequent two books which were published later say
that it was a church. Thus, we would admit that the oldest church in Balingasag
was somewhere in Galas. Since the settlement was transferred to the present
town site some 2 or 3 kilometers away going northwest, the old stone church was
abandoned and through the passing of time, it had fallen to pieces either
because of acts of god, or by man.[10] Perhaps,
it was abandoned because it was ruined either by man or by the force of nature.
If the devout Christians were able
to erect a stone church at the old abandoned settlement of Gompot, how come they
were unable or it took them only in 1892 to built a brick church?
These are questions which could be
answered only by conjectures and guesses; and could only be good if it can be
supported by consistent reasons, and citations from well accepted scholarly
works, or by artifacts.
The Old
Wooden Church Other than the Brick:
Fr. Pablo Pastells, S.J.[11] was in
Balingasag Mission in 1888. He was assigned at the Tagoloan residence, and this
is what he said about the old wooden church
of Balingasag
“La Iglesia, tenia a la sazon
una parel de nueve a
diez palmos de alto, sobre la cual se levantaba
el tabique Pampango, techo de
nipa, tres Buenos
altares y el mayor, de camagon,
de regular arqui-
tectura. Predicabase en ella en visaya todos los
domingos y dias festivas mañana
y tarde . . .”[12]
From what he said, seemingly a
handful of what we understand from it, says that the church’s wall was made of tabique
pampango[13]
of about nine or ten palmos high; its roof were of nipa, with three good
altars and the main altar was made of camagong or ebony; and in good
architectural taste. The church preached always in Visayan either in the
morning, or afternoon in all Sundays and feast days.
This church Fr. Pastells was
referring to was the old church that was not certainly adjacent with the wooden
priest’s house; and nearly perpendicular to it, was where the brick church of
1892 was constructed.
As can be recalled, the Immaculate
Conception Parish of Jasaan was established in 1830; and nineteen years later,
Balingasag was made as a parish too, on November 3, 1849. From 1848 and downwards,
Balingasag was attached to the Parish of Jasaan. The reason why probably Jasaan
became a parish earlier than Balingasag was maybe mainly for its nearness to
the Recollect base in Cagayan de Misamis.
The Punta Gorda
Mountain
Nonetheless, it must neither be
construed nor assumed that because Balingasag was attached to Jasaan, she was a
barrio of Jasaan. It could not be that way, Gompot or Balingasag was known to
the Spaniards even in 1571 and she was much ahead with Jasaan in terms of
population, production, and land area, and it had attained a status similar
with the pueblos of Cagayan and Tagoloan.[14] What
maybe is appropriate to say is that Balingasag was a “visita” of the Recollects
from the Parish of Jasaan until 1849 though she was already a colonial town in
1749 according to Padre Felipe Redondo y Sendino, the Provisor of the Diocese
of Cebu.[15]
For all we know, a town in the early
century of Spanish colonization, and even later in the 19th century,
need not necessarily be a parish to achieve the status of township; and such
was due to the scarcity of priests. Thus, despite Balingasag was already a
recognized civil town in 1749, she was only installed as a parish in 1849, or a
century later, after she was made as a colonial town. During its installation,
the Recollects were the missionaries in Balingasag and so with other places in Mindanao . Imaginarily, the boundaries were located at
Punta San Agustin in now Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental and drawn northwards
straight to Punta Sulawan in El
Salvador
But during the second coming of the
Jesuits, Balingasag in 1877 was made as the center of the Jesuit Mission in
this part of Northern Mindanao particular in the eastern side of what is now
Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon areas.[17] There
was only one Jesuit residence in this area and it was in Balingasag, where
missionary trips were planned, prepared, and executed. However, on the western
part, El Salvador was one of
Jesuit residence and it was located in El Salvador
The first known church in the
present or later times and to have been erected at Balingasag poblacion was the
one constructed by the Recollects that the Jesuits had assumed in 1877. Where
was it constructed in the first place, was it in the present site where the
brick church was laid or somewhere?
This wooden church stood maybe more
than a hundred meters away from the town’s mooring place, or in what is today’s
wharf and where the business booth areas of the Lambago Café are established.
Of course, it fronted the Bohol
Seas monument
of Sta. Rita
The first known church in the present
or later times and to have been erected at Balingasag poblacion was the one
constructed by the Recollects that the Jesuits had assumed in 1877. Where was
it constructed in the first place, was it in the present site where the brick
church is laid or somewhere?
What the Old Wooden
Church
As said by Fr. Pastells, the wooden
church had three altars. He had not given us a brief description of its
interior, so based on local sources; we would like to notate the following:
The main altar or altar mayor was in two layers and made
of camagong. On the first layer stood the statue of Sta. Rita de Cascia on the
centermost part, and not far from her, was the statue of San Roque. Opposite
the San Roque, stood the statue of San Isidro Labrador; and occupying the
second lower layer of the altar was the Sto. Niño. There were no other statues,
except the Sto. Niño. All these sacred statues came from Barcelona , Spain
On the right wing of the church, there
stood an altar unlike the main altar that had two layers; this had been on a
single layer. Though it was small, the altar however likewise was made of camagong, like also the other altar
located opposite to the left. The statue of San Jose
The pulpit was located on the
center-extreme right side of the church’s main altar. It was elevated a little
bit, with the painting of Holy Spirit serving as back draft. Opposite to it or
the one located on the left, was a small altar, which had the statues of the
Virgin del Carmen and San Agustin.
One distinct feature of this old
church, it had hardwood [tugas] flooring; the walls or panels were likewise
hardwood [lampirong] and anchored on
a cement [possibly tabique pampango]
measuring more or less at six finger-length. The window jams were hardwood of
the same material including the window panes.
It had a few benches at the center
of the church’s interior [12 rows of benches actually and arranged opposite
each other] which were exclusively used by the prominent persons of the town
like the incumbent Capitan, Capitan Juez or Juez de Paz, Teniente
Primero, Teniente Segundo, and the sixteen Cabeza de Barangay. The School Teacher or Señor Maestro had a seat
of his own located near where his students would kneel; and there were no other
chairs because the ladies would just seat on the floor while the men would
stand during the mass.
According to Fr. Pastells, the
church’s roofing was made of nipa. We just but keep on wondering why the roofs
had ceilings or alcova, which are
made of amakan.[20]
Usually, only structures that have permanent roofs should ideally have ceilings
or alcova. Using alcova or ceiling in a structure where it has no permanent roofing
may only dilapidate early the ceilings because the rain would get through the
roofs. So, despite the roofs was nipa, still it had ceilings made from amakan that were twined by rattan to
have a firmer grip with the ceiling braces.
However, dilapidation of the
ceilings and its interior would be imminent although the materials they used
were all hardwood “lampirong”, “balayong” and “tugas.” Although these are
hardwood, it would not be able to withstand continuous exposure to rain if the
roofs were unkempt. If the roofs are well maintained, and rainwater could not
get through it, the natural process of dilapidation would be slower. This
edifice may have been constructed sometime in 1849 when Balingasag was
installed into a parish, or perhaps it might even be constructed even earlier
than 3 November 1849.
From its roofing and as can be seen
directly from the ceilings, there hung three (3) aranyas or chandeliers. These shiny chandeliers were made by
vanishing tradesmen who know the art of goldsmith or blacksmithing; and two of
which had a diameter of two feet while the other one had only half of their
sizes. These were all made of melted old coins “the Queen Isabella editions”
which accordingly had greater content of gold than plain steel. The local
goldsmith had known their job well for the chandeliers were crafted beautifully
as if were priceless collector’s items from Spain
The church’s ornaments too were
crafted by these goldsmiths and it ranged from shining pall post “palio” to simple candle holders “candelario” or those intricately
designed to hold more candles at a time measuring more or less 35 inches in
length and 23 inches in width; and there were six of them.
When one enters from the main door
or puerta mayor, at its left side the
baptismal font was located. It was a small room and grilled with wooden rails
or sashes; and at its midst was the ceramic font for baptism. At its back draft
was a huge painting depicting the
Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist at Jordan River .
The opposite side of the baptismal
room or to its right, was a wooden stairway “balayong” leading to where the choir’s cluster.
From the outer side of the church
[puerta mayor] to its left was where the church bell tower was constructed. It
was not too high; in fact it was made of wood and stood barely a few feet
taller from the church’s apex. Nevertheless, it had accommodated five (5) bells;
two were rotating bells while the rests were all fixed.
[The bells had names and why did
they have? For identity, yes, but why their names were names of saints? For
abundant graces? Let us leave it, but rightly they ought not to be named that
way.]
The rotating bells were named as
Stella Matutina and Sto. Nino; and the remaining three fixed hanging bells were
called as San Roque, San Bartolome and Sta. Rita. The biggest bell was the Sta.
Rita; it could accommodate five (5) persons at a time in its inner cone.
On October 31, 1878, Fr. Francsco
Xavier Martin Luengo, SJ an Episcopal Visitor of Balingasag Parish arrived
together with Fr. Jose Canudas, SJ across the Macajalar Bay from Tagnipa or El
Salvador. Their visit was concerning the confirmation of children; the
Episcopal Visitor was authorized by the Bishop of Cebu to institute the
sacrament on his behalf.[21] This
was what his assistant, Fr. Canudas, SJ said:
“And what shall I tell
Your Reverence[22]
about the decoration of the altar, the silver processional crosses, the big
thick carpet covering the presbytery and the decorated priestly vestments? That
everything was quite costly like those of a cathedral.
The church, although not
bad, does not fit all those adornments. It has a cota about nine or 10 palmos [a
palmo is about 12 inches] tall, atop
which is a rather well-constructed tabique
pampango, the roof of nipa. The church has three beautiful altars, the
main one especially precious, since it is entirely of camagon [a kind of ebano]; its architectural style in good taste.”[23]
From the second paragraph as said by
Fr. Canudas, there was too a cota
with a height of about 9 or 10 palmos
and its roof was made of nipa. .
In 1889, there was an exploratory
team for scientific research which the Jesuits organized to visit the different
mission stations. Fr. Francisco de Paula
Sanchez, SJ was the head and he was in Balingasag on exploratory visit.[24] He
arrived at Balingasag taking a long boat from Jasaan in the afternoon of 23
April 1889, after negotiating it for two hours. His impression was this in a
letter to the Rector of the Ateneo dated 30 April 1889:
“It is very wide, with
good altars and even better ornaments; the choir, numerous and well-rehearsed,
assisting at the solemnities with a band of 40 musicians I believe to be the
best or one of the best in all of Mindanao, for an expert musician, already
known in Manila
Another Jesuit explorer who at that
time was not a priest yet, was Jose Maria Clotet.[25] He was
with the team, but arrived in Balingasag days later from Tagoloan and spent his
Holy Week in the parish. This was his impression:
“The priest’s residence
is placed at the entrance to the town, not far from the shore, and with an
attractive garden on one side, and in front at a few paces away, the church. A
bit antiquated, but spacious and in good condition. The altars are
elegantly simple and in good taste, the main one made of camagon [a kind of ebony], with gold décor.”[26]
Since the time the Jesuits took it
from the Recollects on October 28, 1877, the old wooden church continued to be
serviceable, in fact it was a bit antiquated, but spacious and in good
condition” yet, said Clotet in 1889 and “very wide, with good altars and even
better ornaments …“said Fr. Sanchez. Was there any compelling factor why such a
church had to be replaced by a brick one when it is still serviceable and could
even outlive time because it was made of hardwood “tugas, lampirong, and
balayong”?
The answer is plain and simple, the
sea eroded the area and not much later the church would be demolished by heavy
waves, despite there was no storm surge yet in those days unlike today as a
result of global warming. Yet, the right decision was reached by the priest and
the people, the church had to be moved somewhere, safer from the heavy waves
during westerly monsoon or the habagat.[27]
The 1892
Construction:
Probably, 1892 was the best year to
begin the construction of the brick church. For countless reasons, the
undersigned believes these might be the most logical reasons, to wit:
a) The Master Carpenter,
Brother Coadjutor Francisco Reira and Brother Coadjutor Juan Costa, the Expert
Potter and Brick-Maker, were assigned purposely together in the Northern
Mindanao Missions particularly for construction of churches. Bro. Costa was
first assigned in Balingasag in 1889 and he successfully finished the
Waterworks System there. He had successfully transferred such technology to the
locals, thus making the town therefore capable of producing bricks through kiln
driers in the barrio such as those in sitio Luguimit and Camarin in Binitinan.
His assignment here benefited not only the parish of Balingasag, but as well as
the near Jesuit residences such as those in Talisayan, Tagoloan, and El Salvador
b) As can be recalled in
April 1889, Fr. Sanchez and Brother Costa had a serious talk regarding the
project which the latter would be working soon. Such was about the piping of potable
water from barrio Linggangao to the poblacion. The waters from the spring where
the Kitagtag Creek originates shall be piped in through clay pipes or those
made in bricks following the intricate marked and identified points passing
through the Linggangao areas up to Balingasag Poblacion.
c) The completion of the
Proyecto de la Traida de las Aguas del Pueblo Balingasag sometime in August
1890 greatly influenced the planners to proceed the construction of the church
because voluminous cubic liters of water shall be needed. Somewhere between the
existing fountains located at the old tribunal or in the latter years as the
public market, which today is a Sports Covered Court and the Plaza by the Sea
[right now the areas somewhere the College Gymnasium and partly nearer the
four-storey new concrete building of St. Rita’s College of Balingasag], was
where the third fountain erected.
d) The church may have
sufficient funds from the sanctorum to prosecute the project.
e) Perhaps it was the forte
of time, building magnificent churches,[28]
With these considerations, the
construction of the brick church started on September 19, 1892 and this was
classified as a public work. Under the colonial law, all able bodied men aging
18 years old to 60 years old, were obliged to render 15 days work each year for
public works. Through the initiative of the religious groups, the numbers of
days work to be rendered by a polista
or worker was reduced from 40 days to merely 15 days beginning 1883. Before
1883 or before Don Joaquin Jovellar became the Governor General of the
Philippines, corvee labor or polo was fixed at 40 days work in public
works each year of every male taxpayer.[29]
We would not make any absolute assumption
that during the last decade of the 19th century, it was the forte of
time that big churches which were intended to outlast time, were constructed by
missionaries. There is no concrete explanation to this, except that in the
second district of Mindanao where today’s Misamis Oriental was a part of it,
unusual and unexplained things happened at a time or happening rightly after
the other. What were these? The
construction of four big churches began and of course, the Jesuits were too
busy. So, could this be not a forte that happened during those times?
The first brick church the Jesuits
constructed in Misamis Oriental was at El Salvador
Participation
of the Parishioners:
Under the corvee law or polo, it was so explicit that all able male from ages
18 to 60 years old must have to work for 15 days a year in public works. Since
the Church and State in colonial Philippines
were one, the construction of the Balingasag
Church
Supposedly, only the men shall
render work, but it was not that way for the women through volunteerism they worked
as well, including the children. If that happens in today’s setting, there
would have been direct violation to PD 603 or the Child and Youth Welfare Code.
Said law protects the right of children and rightly should they be allowed to
work, their works must be lighter and, in safe and non-hazardous areas.
Despite, the church’s construction
site was never a safe or ideal area for children to work, they happily
volunteered for work, for they believed it was a rare privilege to work for a
cause so noble. So, together with the women, they had special work assignments,
they carried stones, a shot-foot size or maybe smaller or bigger than a child’s
head; and dumped it at a cesspool in the middle area where the church would be
erected.
While this was the usual activity of
the women and children, some women were assigned to cook food, and surely too
they brought with them from their respective homes anything that can be eaten
or cooked for the hungry men, who either pile and lay the bricks, or cut and
towed timbers from the Lingangao or Dal-as areas to the construction site.
There was no truck in town; in fact, it was not an era of mechanization yet.
So, horses, cows, or carabaos were the beasts of burden including men.[31]
Aside from the works done at the
construction site, those who were specially trained by Brother Costa in
pottery, ceramics and brick making like Felipe Cabural and his gang, must have
mixed clay and straws, and heated them in temperatures in excess of the boiling
point of water to harden it in the kiln driers. These kiln driers were at
Luguimit and Camarin in Binitinan, but maybe there were other shops in the
nearby barrios, unfortunately our local references failed to mention them,
where they may have been located.
Those which were produced in Camarin
were transported to the poblacion by banca because Binitinan is near by direct
route through bancas than overland
travel; and while those from the shop at Luguimit, were brought to the
construction site by carts drawn by work animals. With the carpentry works
under the general supervision of Jesuit Brother Coadjutor Francisco Riera and
his aide Brother Coadjutor Antonio Gairolas, the work moved on schedule. Though
it was too tiring work, the work moved on and interrupted only during rice
harvest time, for a large number of the workforce stopped and worked in the
harvest. Thereafter, they returned to the construction site in high spirits and
continued the work, despite they had worked already more than what had been
required by the corvee law.
The work was indeed tiresome; imagine
there were no trucks only simple machines – pulleys, fulcrum, caratilla, maso,
paleta, shovels, pick mattocks and human strength ¾ horsepower, but yet the
workers continued to persevere and kept on working while happily chanting
rhythmically “Iboy Salla” to while
away their tired muscles and focus their preoccupied minds.[32]
The piles of bricks more or less 10
meters in height and lesser than two meters thick were secured; they served as
the wall and enclosure of the church. There were three entrances, two from each
side while one was the main door. Furthermore, two bell towers were erected
from either sides of the church and fronted the seas. Of course, the bell
towers were not made of bricks, but of hardwood.
Upon entering the church’s main
door, to the right was a stairway to the upper floor, where the choirs used to
cluster. From this floor, one could either go to the right or left to access
the two bell towers on another floor, which had the bells. The wide open space
on the lower floor had a nice wood flooring of tugas and balayong. Tugas has whitish color while balayong is red; they were placed and nailed
alternately, thus it had a beautiful floor combination. Indeed, the design and
arrangement of this section was a bit intricate than the similar section of the
old wooden church by the sea.
There were usual problems in the
construction as normally happening like the clashing of opinions and decisions.
As if the Parish Council, if we have to call it in today’s setting and the
Parish Priest had different views where to place the church main door. Shall it
be at the west side of the building or fronting the sea, or not? The parish priest
insisted that the main door shall face the mountain or to the east, so its
altar shall be on the western side of the church. However, the parishioners had
dissenting opinion, so it overruled the wishes of the priest. Such had
disgusted him that the work was suspended temporarily.
Could that be a reason why there was
suspension of work, perhaps yes or there had been some justifying reasons.[33]
By October 1895, the brick church
was finally finished and such was so impressive for a town to have, an icon, and
a trademark of the townspeople fervor to their religion, which they learned to live
and accept through the missionary labors of the early Recollects and now the
Jesuits. The final touches marking its completion were the religious paintings
on the ceilings. The ceilings were hardwood and crisscrossed from the edges of
the wooden structure of the bell towers up to the where the bricks on the
eastern part were fixed. Likewise, the
church’s roofs were galvanized iron.[34]
Sadly a month before the church was
finished, the initiator of the project Fr. Salvador Ferrer died in Manila
On its inaugural blessings in
October 1895, Fr. Juan Bautista Heras, SJ,[35] the
Local Superior based at the Tagoloan Jesuit residence solemnized the church in
honor of her patron saint, Sta. Rita de Cascia. The blessing of the two bell
towers was done on the following day.
Forty-seven years later after it was
blessed, the brick-church was reduced to ashes on September 16, 1942 because
the Guerilla fighting for a noble cause against the Japanese Imperial Army
decided to drastically burn it, so the four enemy soldiers would abandon their
position.[36]
But the guerillas were wrong, the Japanese preferred to die honorably than
surrender. Their enemies died at the cost of a heavy expense of the charred magnificent
church.
The
Aftermath:
As a result of Lt. Collado’s
tactical decision, only the brick walls of the once magnificent church stood.
The wall is about 8 meters high and a meter in thickness and it serves as the
perimeter. Its two majestic belfries that offered a skyline phenomenal view of
the town despite towering acacia trees were surrounding them to the west and
eastern side of the church, tumble to pieces, but the bells were intact and
never melted. The wooden structures were
easy prey of the fire, as well as the galvanized iron roofs and only a handful
of those roofing materials could still be utilized.
The ravage brought by war in a sense
had never stop the exercise of piety of the faithful despite their church was
flatten to the ground.
Until the Lenten Season [April
1943], masses were at the priest’s convento.[37] Not
much longer, masses and institution of sacraments in the poblacion was suspended
because military operations intensified; the priest and the remaining residents
of the poblacion evacuated. In a much safer place in the mountains bordering
the areas of Napaliran and Lagonglong, the priest had his makeshift chapel at
Agong Daku. Away from rifle and machine gun fires, the priest began saying
masses at the chapel, but before that could be done, the sacred church vessels
like the chalices, ciborium, platen, cruets, monstrance, priest’s vestments and
altar bell had to be retrieved at Kawiton. These things were brought at the
height of the evacuation or escape out from the poblacion, after the same was
being requested by the church’s sexton to carry or safe keep them.[38]
Reconstruction
Works:
Despite the parish center was in
self-exile closer to three years beginning 1943, it was reestablished in mid
1945 at the poblacion. The General Armistice was signed by ranking Japanese
officials and Gen. Douglas MacArthur of the Allied Forces on board a battleship
off Tokyo Harbor
Fr. Risacher returned to his former
base, so with the countless families that evacuated. After setting first the
old priest house, he consecrated the burned brick church, of course, after the
same had been tidied; and solemnly installed the Blessed Sacrament in a
tabernacle, where God’s presence is symbolically demonstrated by the ceaseless
flicker of candle or oil light all the time.
By June 1945, the set of parochial
life was at the poblacion. Reconstruction had to begin since everyone was there
already and eagerness to reconstruct or restore the ravage church was in
everyone’s Christian heart.
Technically, to restore is different
from reconstruct. To restore is to bring it back to its original shape or
design.
So, if by chance, the thought were
for restoration, maybe it would take quite so long a time to obtain the
technical plans and designs. Although everything were given by the Spanish
Jesuits to their successors the American Jesuits in 1927 when the latter took
charge of the parishioners, maybe it would be hard for later to retrieve the
technical plan and designs of the church if the same was born.
If they did desire to strictly
restore the old brick church, they must have to try their luck and secure those
documents from the Jesuit Province of Aragon in Barcelona , Spain
In a stricter sense of the word, Fr.
Clement Risacher began the church reconstruction in 1945. Had the burning been
attributed by mere act of atrocity by the invaders, perhaps they would
responsibly indemnify us. But the thing is, it was the Guerilla under a
bungling field commander who gave the order of burning.
Well, Japan
However, the monies the government
received out from reparation are appropriated to government projects, so the
church being a separate entity from government shall have no part on it and
must find its own funding. In the case of the church reconstruction of
Balingasag, the work must be undertaken not only by one priest, but by so many
priests until the church looks again beautifully as could be seen today.
Fr. Risacher after serving
Balingasag for 12 years, he was here in 1937 yet; left for another parish.
Fr. John Pollock, SJ replaced him in
1949. He initiated an intensive work preparation program; it is a prelude to
another massive construction undertaking yet to come and it would be again a
big undertaking after the construction in 1892.
With the assistance of the Parochial School
teachers of Sta. Rita School
Moreover, a Landing Craft Transport
[LCT} in military parlance or popularly known as landing barge landed at the
camarin once owned by Caromias and later by King Hong Khu. It carried a
barge-load of galvanized iron for the roofs of the reconstructed brick church
and other construction materials. The barge came from Cebu City
In 1892, Brother Coadjutor Francisco
Riera used 30 columns to support the main roof structure, belfries, and
ceilings, excluding the brick foundation because they likewise separately carried
the load of the furling and trusses on each wing areas of the building. Based
on count through recall since the center columns are no longer there, there are
about 15 wooden columns also on each side of the reconstructed brick church.
Probably, the positions of these wooden columns during the reconstruction were on
the same spot before the brick church was burned.
The significant differences between
the old brick church 1892 and the reconstructed brick church in 1949 are as
follows:
- There
were no more magnificent bell towers on the western part of the church or
on the areas fronting the sea.
- A
bell tower was constructed on the eastern side of the church at its right
when one faces the mountain.
- There
was no second floor anymore for the choir.
- The
retablo or three altars on the eastern part were all charred; a new altar
was constructed and it occupied the western part of the church or to where
the former main door was located. The main door was on the east side and
it had two small side doors.
- The
priest house in 1892 was formerly located at today’s St. Rita’s College
quadrangle while in 1949 a new convent was constructed fronting the
reconstructed brick church in the west northwest.
Let us not talk on how the mass was
said since during this time, Latin was the mass language, and the priest did
not face the churchgoers. It was an era of the Confiteor Deo and other Latin
prayers. It was in Vatican II Council when some significant changes were
introduced like the use of the vernacular or the native language and the
turning of the altar upfront so the churchgoers may see what was going on
during the mass. Pope John XXIII convened the council on 11 October 1962.[42]
Three years later, Fr. John Pollock
was assigned to another parish and Fr. Ralph Lynch, SJ was the parish priest
from 1951-54. The reconstructed brick church was his priority too, as he
continued the project of his predecessor.
In 1954-1955 under Fr. Arthur Shea,
SJ, although his stay was short a year only, the parish was a beneficiary of a
full-life size sculptured station of the cross from the United States
[Could it be
not those items came from Rome and purchased
only by the kind benefactor from the U.S. U.S. to Balingasag
and not directly from Rome
In resume therefore of the Jesuit
endeavors from 1945 up to when the last Jesuit left Balingasag in 1959 to give
way the secularization of the parishes, their corporal works must have been
focused on the reconstruction of the brick-church.
From the simplest work such as the
putting up of window grills and up to the relocation of the altar back to its
original position in 1892, they had done it with full enthusiasm and diligence.[44] The last
American Jesuit missionary priest of Balingasag before the diocesan priests
took over the parish was Fr. Theodore Daigler [1958-1959]. It was him who
relocated the altar to its original position. Meaning, it is the present
location of the church’s altar.
The Brick Church
The clergy priests or the
non-religious orders received from the American Jesuits their missionary areas
in the late 1950s, though it is also a fact that some parishes are still
managed by religious orders; and such was mainly for reasons that there are no enough
diocesan priests to minister the parishioners.[45]
In 1959, the Parish of Sta. Rita of
Balingasag was too fortunate to have an Auxiliary Bishop, Monsignor Teofilo
Camomot, DD. He was an auxiliary bishop because Msgr. James Hayes was the
Archbishop, for Cagayan de Oro Diocese was lifted to the status as an
Archdiocese in 1954 by a Papal Bull issued by Pope Pius XII. With him was Fr.
Joaquin Resma and known to the children during those days as the “Magician”
considering that he used to play hand tricks and make money out from plain
newspaper. Thereafter, he gave the money to his well amused spectators, the
children and instructed them to buy bread.
During the first communion of Grade
III Class 1963 of the Carmelite Sisters under Sta. Rita’s College, a high school
by then yet; the communicants had a group picture taking a pose at one of the
side altars [retablo] to the right. In that picture, the undersigned was there.
So from that, we can safely say, the concrete altars already existed in 1962 or
1963 or even in 1959 because Fr. Daighler brought back the altar to its
original position.
In 1964, benches [the ones which are
still used today] were solicited by the priests from the parishioners. It
turned out only that out of airs the donated benches bore the name of the
donors, thus it says in an embossed plastic about an inch in width, “Mr. &
Mrs. Juan de la Cruz”. By that marking, it seems to imply that the bench is
reserved to them when they come to hear mass. Good that later on, all those
plastic identity tags were taken off from the benches.
Sometime in 1967, the communion rails
at the presbytery were pulled off. It had stopped the awful practice of priest
of going to and fro the presbytery to give the Holy Viaticum to the faithful
who kneeled along the rails during communion.
[Each
parish priest has his own priority project, and it never occurred that the
church was not attended too. Nonetheless, we could not mention every detail of
the improvements they made as it would run into monotony; in fact there were
laudable improvements made but they are not for the church, but for other
projects like the convent, parish hall, and cemetery, and so on. What we wish
here to notate in this paper are the significant achievements with regards to
improvement of the brick church. So we wish to apologize for the partiality.]
From 1971-1977, improvements were
made on the altar. Masonry works was done, the exquisite arching of the three
altars [retablo] was done.[46]
In 1977 up to later part of 1983,
the church’s ceiling was being worked out; and it simply minimized the warmness
of the church during the hot summer sun.
To address the unpleasant sight of
the dilapidated “companario” on the
eastern part of the church and to ensure the safety of the “sacristans” who
would like the steep stairs every now and then for the bells to ring, on the
ground at the left side near the sacristy, a steel bell tower was erected. After
the steel tower was finished, the sacristans
had shown great sighs of relief because they were always afraid in climbing the
“companario” not for its heights, but
for other things their minds were manufacturing more so during the 8:00 o’clock
evening bells for the repose of the dead.
[This is
not directly related with the reconstruction or improvement of the brick
church, but certainly it must have some good effects with regards to the
ministry of the parish in general. It happened during the remaining half decade
of the 1980s when Baliwagan was groomed into a parish. At first she started as
a Chaplaincy and later became a full-fledged parish with the titular name as
the Parish of the Mother of Perpetual Help.[47]
It actually lightened the mass loads of
the Parish Priest of Sta. Rita since Balingasag was divided into two parishes,
with Baliwagan taking the areas to the East Southeast up to the barangays of
Malagana as her ecclesiastical territory.]
Another significant works for the
brick church was done from 1989 to 1995. A prayer room at the Church’s Sacristy
was constructed and consecrated. It is a solemn place to talk with God through
prayers, people with some traits of mysticism and asceticism pray preferably in
the sacred confines of this room.[48]
Congruent with the prosecution of
the project to establish a holiest place in a sacred place, the prayer room;
the church’s altars were likewise renovated and the retouching of the
sculptured Station of the Cross were done. It is necessary to retouch those
treasured religious objects because for four decades it hung uninterrupted at
the walls; and only the resident swallows touched them affectionately for their
hardened nests are built nearby or within the crevices of the sculptured
statues.
The
Renovation of the Brick
Church
[Why
do men if given the chance to do extra good things shall go with it? Is there a
prime motivation? Yes, there is, for life’s journey is but only once, man
wishes to be remembered of his goodness, he wants to live some legacy behind
and in so doing, he may be able to build a good house somewhere in the future,
where he would spend the better part of his life sooner thereat.
Goodness
just like evil is inherent in man, and it all depend on him what he desires to
do with his life. Generally, men are happy when they have done something great;
however, there are those that can live happily even without doing good.
Why do I
say this discourse as an opening statement? It is because there are some people
who had looked into the renovation or reconstruction of the church in 1998 as
something undoable or cannot be done. The priest alone could not do it, but the
people had concertedly labored to make it happen. It happened, the church
reconstruction was done.]
In September 1998 after the parish
priest had assessed the lives of parishioners and probably had found them
spiritually uplifted as demonstrated in their eager commitment to projects and
activities the church had. He noticed also that there had been a consistent
high attendance of churchgoers, so he had though that perhaps time has come to
bestow into them great and challenging responsibilities. With him spearheading,
he believed a project worthy of remembering through time could be done.
The brick church was reconstructed by
Fr. Risacher in 1945 and such work was continued by Fr. John Pollock in 1949
with great enthusiasm; and by other priests. Undeniably, the parishioners had participated
physically and supported the project as well financially; the extent perhaps of
their participation was a bit less because at the time the parish was
technically a missionary area of the Jesuits. Aside from the meager sources
drawn locally, funds from outside may have been come in forms of donations
probably, and exclusively were used by the Jesuit Society to finish the
project. Indeed, the project was finished, despite there are some rooms for
improvements that could be done later, which other priests had seen.
Despite all the odds, in 1998, a
young priest had shown determination and eagerness to renovate the roof
structure of the old brick church. Everyone in the parish signified his
willingness to support this once in a life time undertaking of a priest. The
parishioners knew that the project though how costly it would be, if ever
finished shall be ultimately owned by them and not by the priest. Highly
motivated by this thought, every home had a personal pledge, the monies, they
shall offer it monthly. For this, the Parish Pastoral Finance Council was
tasked to do the greatest challenge, to raise a big sum of money amounting more
or less to the total cost of the project estimates.[49]
Nevertheless, the monies shall not
be produced right away, but raised in staggered basis depending on the flow of
work and materials used. As such, there would spatial time to think how to
raise funds, would it be solicited or through donations, or monies shall be
raised through fund raising - raffles, concert, and so on.
If the church’s income shall be
depended upon for the project, it never could rightly be enough in comparison
with the projected expenditures in terms of labor and materials. Church collections are solely not for the
parish alone, but certain percentage goes to the Archdiocese; and from there we
do not know how it would be appropriated and spent. For sure, part of that will
go back and shall be used to subsidize “weak parishes,” or those having lesser
collections.
Partly, a church or archdiocese’s
fund shall be appropriated to answer also its social responsibility. In times
of natural or man made calamities, the church is there on the forefront and
this means expenses. Other object of expenditures shall be the infrastructure
projects of the archdiocese, much money shall be set for this. The rest maybe
may go to Vatican
[This
is only a wild guess, but this is how monies in government flow, though in
terms of financial disposition there are always differences between government and church governance, their
variance may not be far enough insofar as administrative respects of monies
would be concerned, I guess so again. If government has corruption, the church
may have none, or if there is, such would be insignificant compared with
governments.]
As maybe known by everyone, the
total estimated project costs amounted to a tune of P9million. By the time, the
project was nearly completed and coinciding with the mandatory expiration of
the Parish Priest, thus his inevitable transfer to the Parish of Claveria, total
expenses amounted to P7million already. This did not include yet the extension
of the sacristy.[50]
“In the beginning it was something
like that, but later on when it was nearing completion, it was more than that,”
the good priest said.
The greater bulk of the expenditures
mainly were the costs of steel that served as trusses, purlins, braces, angular
bars, and round and corrugated steel bars for the roofing structure. Next to it
was the cost of specially made Coloroof sheets ordered at RJ Jacinto Company in
Lugait, Misamis Oriental. Following the roof materials, another great expenditure
was the costs of flooring [marble tiles were used from Romblon and Bulacan], including
cement. Cost of aggregates and backfilling materials were bit lower than the
estimates considering that owners of heavy equipment [dump trucks, graders, and
road rollers] offered them for free to work for a day or two, more so during
weekends, so, the cost of equipment rental was saved.[51]
It can be recalled that the entire
floor area excluding the sanctuary or the presbytery section was backfilled.
Load and loads of aggregates and backfilling materials were carried by dump
trucks to the interior of the church through the main door at the western
entrance. The elevation of the floor area was raised to two feet for the paved
roads surrounding it were already higher than the church’s flooring.
Backfilling was solidly done, the
inner layer that held the backfill materials was an old concrete floor; and
after thicker layer of soil were laid and compacted, concreting followed. The
ultimate work of the floor area was the laying and sanding of the marble cut
slabs or tiles.
Had the heavy equipment were rented,
the costs would have been staggering for rentals are usually computed or
charged by the hour. But out of their generosity, only the fuels, lubricants, meals,
honorarium of operators and drivers, and costs of right of way passage of
trucks entering or passing the properties of land owners in going to and fro
the quarry site were assumed by the Parish.
The Middle
Interior Columns and Its Challenge:
The crucial work of the renovation of
the church’s roof structure was the elimination of the 12 middle interior
columns on each side. These wooden 12 columns supported the whole weight of the
old brick church roofing structure.
In determination or distribution of
a structural load to the foundations, there are lots of basic considerations to
be reckoned. Firstly, the roof structural load shall be considered on its “dead
load” weight. Meaning how much or how heavy is the roof structure load alone
without any additional loads on it, like additional weights of persons on top
the structure [live load]. Another consideration is the wind factor; or its
gustiness during extreme weather conditions such as those happening during super
typhoons.
Soil analysis is a factor to reckon
with, because if in case the soil is muddy, the columns have to be piled driven,
and as soon as the rock bed is reached, pile driving shall stop for the columns
are now anchored well below.
For this specific undertaking, a
question was tackled whether or not the total roof structural load including
all other considerations would be directly absorbed by the old brick structures
alone. Would it be not necessary anymore to reinforce it with new concrete
columns? And if it will need some concrete column reinforcements, would its
structural foundations be able to hold the load of the roof structure considering
that the bricks are already old, having been kilned long time ago?
The 12 middle interior columns on
each side would have to be eliminated, that is why there had been a renovation
work. Seemingly, it was a problem and that question hangs in the air, whether
it is attainable or not? Henceforth, there were criticisms, because some people
did not believe that the renovation can be done without their support. Ordinary
people listened to their filthy ideas.[52]
If pessimism were entertained, problems
seemed to exist gravely and it may weaken the will to work. But for the engineers,
the problem on the distribution or determination of the roof structure load was
merely a matter of mathematical computation only. They had seen the necessity
to reinforce the old brick columns with new concrete columns and girders to be
able to carry on, or sustain the great load of the roof structure and the
stress it has to bear. There was no need to pile drive the reinforced columns, firmed
matting below in the foundation may do.
After thoroughly identifying where
to place the counter sustaining pressures to withstand the stress, the
Engineers erected reinforced concrete column. The new columns were fittingly
placed at the center of every brick column at an interval of two brick columns
starting from the side door. The side doors are the mid-section of the church’s
total length from east to west. A reinforced concrete column was fitted to the
old brick column starting at the brick column of the side door. From the first
reinforced brick column of the side door, it moved towards the east and with an
interval of two brick columns, another reinforced concrete column followed. In
an interval of two brick columns starting from the side door and moving towards
the east, there were four reinforced columns erected.
Since the area of the church is
rectangle, there would be identical numbers of reinforced concrete columns at
the west side starting from a similar side door. The brick columns on the other
side [north] are equal with the south side. So, the measurement of the area is
plainly length multiplied by the width would be the area, or with a width of 20
meters multiplied by its total length of 60 meters give us an answer of 1,200
sq. meters for the total area. It is a
perfect rectangle.
Moreover, a concrete girder or beam
extends from east to west with columns underneath it, and designed as arches [six
arches from the east side to the side door and similar number from the same side
door towards the west] and strongly matted with steel. The arches served as
additional columns that supported the girder which was securely placed
horizontally at the apex of the old brick columns, to assist carry or withstand
the load of the entire roof structure.
Web members on each truss were
intricately designed and either was vertically or diagonally set; and the
bracings started a few inches away from the roof girders. To give firmer
support to the trusses, angular bracings from the nearest column were extended
or looped towards the upper end of the truss. In some sense, they seemed to
serve as bottom chord of the truss, but they are not. The design is called as cantilever, and appropriately advisable
for trusses that had been extended at five meters or more, away from the
columns and towards the ridge roll or apex of the roof.
Connected from truss were the “C” purlins. The purlins were attached or welded on the top chord of the truss; and
readied to house the Coloroof. Aside from “C” purlins, angular bars were abundantly
fabricated and placed parallel to each other and braced with 8mm round bars.
They served as the support of the structure because they were braced
horizontally from the trusses and functioned too as purlins, thus minimizing
the costs and use of purlins. Sag rods
were likewise used to establish firmness of the purlins as the former were linked to the purlins.
Rafters were also used in between
trusses to give support. When the interval of the truss exceeded 5 meters or
fixed at 5 meters, rafters shall be used to prevent sagging.
Partly for stress tensioning, lateral ties and turn buckles were installed for diagonal movement; and they
traversed diagonally from one truss structure to the other, thereby keeping the
truss always firmed. In support of the lateral ties and turn buckles, were struts.
Turn buckles and struts have similar functions, there only difference is, turn buckles traversed diagonally from
one truss to the other and it had a big “X” design, because usually they
traversed in two’s and crossed each other.
Struts are to be connected horizontal from one truss to the other at the
bottom chord.
Ideally, trusses would have some
intricacies in design and that depends on a given situation. Maybe one of the
reasons why designs shall have some intricacy is to be able to have extra
rigidibility. With appropriate bracing and stress tensioning system, structure
durability can be achieved. A nice roof structure whose loads are evenly
distributed to strong, and durable columns; and good foundations below can
somehow withstand small magnitude of seismic movements. A magnitude too big
more than the stress load of the columns, foundations, trusses and other
structural related supports could be endured for a time through the art of
flexibility, but certainly the structure can not at all times bear the stress,
more so if the act of gods would be repeated immensely and intensely.
For this, there were two additional
concrete columns fixed at the western part of the structure or at the puerta mayor side. They were erected
inside the church opposite each other and raised in support of the truss.
[This
is a layman’s views on how the roof structure load had been evenly distributed
to the old brick columns on each side - south or north perimeters of the
church.]
The roof structure design at the mid
section of the church as well as those of the two side doors are complex. It
does not have the ordinary roof design common to old buildings. The mid section
was cut-opened and, purposely lifted a few more feet higher than the regular
height of the roof, so it may generate natural ventilation. Instead of the
usual inclined symmetrical design that formed an angle more or less at 30º or 35º,
or lesser than that at the lower curve of the truss on its extreme ends; the design
of the lifted section is like a cut cylinder. The cut cylindrical shape faces
downwards and this is a unique structural design in town. It is known as a
vaulted roof.
Meanwhile, the roof structure fronting
the side doors were also cut. From the cut section, two diagonal roof structures
are formed, one is shorter than the other; and they crossed forward even beyond
the side doors. It was extended beyond that point for shade from rain or light
cover of the churchgoers.
The major structural works included
erection of concrete columns, girders, beams, and making of additional support arches;
and the installation of steel trusses, purlins, angular bracings, and the roofs
belong to roof works, so with the ceiling.
Ceiling
works:
After the Coloroofs were
nailed or tucked to the purlins or angular
bars, woodworks followed; and the essential work was paneling. Ceiling works just like the structural work is
likewise intricate; the woodworks must follow the contours of the roofing. In the
mid-section where the roof had been lifted and cylindrical in shape, the
ceiling too was like that.
Ceiling joist were either screwed or
bolted from the purlins and angular bars to hold the panels or ceiling. Whole
length marine plywood was attached as panel, or ceiling and a wooden molding
evenly divided its length. There are 8 rows of marine plywood on the main
ceiling structure from the east and going horizontally to the where the side
doors are located. Exactly at the end of the eight (8) plywood-lengths [4’x 8”
in size], is the opening of the cut portion of the ceiling. The open space is the
roof cylindrical structure design. It has an area of about 44 feet in length or
[11-plywood arranged vertically in width]. The area of the width is 32 feet or
[8-plywood arranged horizontally starting from the roof beam, or 4 feet plywood’s
width multiplied by 8 plywoods will give us an answer of 32 feet].
Thus, the lifted open space area
that served as natural ventilation where the cylindrical cut was designed may
have an area of about 32 feet in width and 44 feet in length.
Ornamenting the ceiling is a wooden
frame or cornice that starts its
rectangular form at the fourth plywood length. The cornice is on either side of the ceiling and extends from east to
west.
How high was the construction’s
bamboo scaffolding inside the church? Too high and always scary when one is not
used to it, but for the erectors, welders, carpenters, and laborers who dared
the challenge, it was just like working in a receiving room.
With all the aches, sweat and fears
of the construction workers, because for sure they did feel fear, the
renovation was successfully completed with zero case of fatality. There was a
case of work connected injury; two workers were electrocuted while removing the
old galvanized roof. The wet zinc touches a live wire and two workers in the
roofing structure had cheated death for fortunately they survived; and were
hospitalized under the account of the Parish. From then on, the Project
Engineers and everyone in the project exercised extra-ordinary diligence to prevent
occurrence accidents.[53] The
project was finished with zero rate of accident, as a consequence of the
adaptation of safety first policy.
The
Inauguration:
With bar charts, and PERT [Project Evaluation
Review Technique], the Engineers were able to evaluate the progress of the
actual work in S-Curve Chart, because the accomplishment reports data are just
fed in the database. By those engineering monitoring tools, they were able to forecast
that the project could be finished not beyond year 2000. In other words, the
project was on schedule, or on the frame time. Sensing its manageability, works
for the bell tower, a multi-rise structure in 4 stories; and a devotional
chapel inside the church was started. Actual work took off in June 2000 and was
simultaneous with the renovation, it went on.
In December 2000, the renovated
brick church, the bell tower, and devotional chapel were solemnly inaugurated
by Bishop Jesus B. Tuquib, Doctor of Divinity. [He is the Bishop Emeritus of
the Archdiocese being already retired now. Bishop Antonio Ledesma, a Jesuit is
the Bishop of Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro.
Reminiscence:
[The reconstruction or renovation of
the church was indeed a general endeavor of all people who had committed to
share their time, effort and few pesos for its completion could imposingly be
placed rightly in local history because it deserves a place thereon.
Despite it was never compulsory but
purely voluntary, parishioners had made it a point though how poor maybe they
are to spare a few pesos for the construction of the church.
What a virtuous act of selflessness,
they almost have nothing, yet they gave it though they knew they have nothing
that much left for them at home.
Maybe let us look back to the ordinary
workers on site, though they knew what they would receive is lesser than the
usual fees of big construction company, they never said “I do not wish to work anymore
because the rate is not alluring.” Instead they worked with great enthusiasm;
even happily trading or not minding a full day’s work as merely nothing but
only voluntary because they too are committed of finishing the project that
does not have enough funds. And people too were volunteering to work on
weekends for no cash consideration. How
come? Why is it?
The answer maybe is; man always
wants to do something good. The renovation of the brick church was a rare
opportunity for people who had served to share their time or money for a cause
so good.
Like those who lived or worked aboard,
they have not seen the project, nor maybe requested by the priest to donate, but
they knew through their families that the project is ongoing. Whether they had
seen it or not, the appeal from their families for help reverberated in their
hearts. They gave.
There is no need for corvee law to be decreed like in the
colonial days, but only a little push of right action or direction, or leading
by example can redirect man’s way of thoughts from self-centeredness to
unselfishness. Really, the priests indeed hit the hearts of the true
Balingasagnon, those who care not only of himself, but for others too.]
In The
Present Times:
About the
Priests.
By course of natural order as life
shall and will always be; all the Spanish Jesuits who actively or indirectly participated
in the construction of the brick church in 1892 were long ago dead. Even those
who were assigned here after 1892 and the priest [Fr. Theodore Daighler, SJ] who
turned over the parish to the diocesan priests in 1959 may have or had gone forevermore.
Life seldom reaches a century, and
if it does, it is so rare and indeed a great blessings. The diocesan priests
who were assigned here from 1959 to 1977, five of them are now rested. However,
in 2012, Fr. Leo Cervantes celebrated his sacerdotal golden jubilee; he was assigned
here in 1965 to 1968 and God must have bestowed his countless blessings to him.
In fact, he had a thanksgiving mass at the parish church.
But evidently dying is not only for
the older ones, it is for anyone including the younger ones; and sadly Fr. Nilo
Aguiman died in 2010 while serving as Parish Priest of Sta. Rita.
We are not counting who lives or who
dies, it is not the theme of this essay. On the contrary, we are discussing
this in order for us to know that their deaths indeed had blessed us, the
faithful; for they lived and died as priests and forevermore, they are, till
time ceases.[54]
The former parish priests who had
served Balingasag are still assigned in other parishes today as parish priests
as well, except for Fr. Alfredo Tamayo who is now serving a parish in the U.S.
Fr. Joel Oga is the current Parish
Priest. He is assigned here vice Fr. Aguiman (d), because Fr. Allan Pulgo’s
assignment here was only temporarily until at the end of the Lenten Season of
2010.[55]
How the Brick Church
The removal of the wooden interior
middle columns visually made the church more spacious.[56] Its
presbytery though it was elevated earlier is not much higher now than it was
before, because the area below it; was likewise backfilled, hence they also are
elevated presently.
So, the priest or those who are on
the presbytery can always see openly the churchgoers who are below them. That
is why, for some reasons, the priest may always know who were sleepy during mass
especially during the homily.
Insofar as the “retablo” [back
altar] is concerned, the existing one is similar to the previous, the fact that
it has three canopies as well. Occupying the center canopy is the Cross of the
Risen Christ; to His left is the statue of Sto. Niño, while on the right side
is Sta. Rita de Cascia. The apexes of the canopies are shaped like as an
inverted letter “U” of the English alphabet.
The canopy’s posts or pillars are
rounded, with shiny brass or bronze plates on its base and on the uppermost end
of the post, there are three pieces of square slabs which ornamentally were
placed before the “U” design of the canopy begins to arch from one post to the
other. Below this retablo is a wide block
of concrete or seemingly like a back draft [rectangular in form still part of
the retablo] that faces the main altar.
On either side of this rectangular
block are two full-life size angels, and a few feet away from them, or going
inward to the center of block are tiles or block of beautiful tiles. They look
nice; the design is attractive.
The retablos were improved during the too short term of the temporary
successor of the late Fr. Aguiman. The retablo
looks good with the new color combinations now. The main altar has a
transparent glass upfront where a sculptured minute image of the Last Supper is
depicted and could be seen visibly by the churchgoers.
Located far left from the main retablo is where the tabernacle is
placed. It occupies a space below the retablo,
where the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus occupies. Opposite of this, is
the retablo where our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception is placed.
Overhead or located near the main
altar are two small chandeliers hanged opposite from each other. Another bigger
chandelier is likewise hanged on the center, a few meters away from the main
altar. At the rear area or from the puerta
mayor, one chandelier is also placed.
From the main door and located to
the right is the devotional chapel of Sto. Niño.[57] It is
well furnished, people used to pray thereat always. They sometimes forget that
it is the Blessed Sacrament that should be the focused of everything. Well,
this does not mean they are not doing well, anyway.
Except for the sacred images or
statues of saints who were previously mentioned in their places at the retablo,
other saints occupied every available window on either side of the church. Thus,
we would see either from the left or right side of the church’s wing the
statues of St. Michael the Archangel; San Isidro Labrador; St. Joseph; St. John
Vianney; St. Augustine; San Vicente Ferrer; San Lorenzo Ruiz; San Roque; Our
Lady of Guadalupe; Our Lady of Fatima; the Pieta; Our Lady of Assumption; Our
Lady of the Rosary; St. Anthony de Padua; and so on.[58]
The church has four rows of benches
or pews and the ones which are placed at the side areas are small benches. In
ordinary days when there are masses, benches are not all occupied, but on
Sundays and days of obligation, it is hard to get a seat. To remedy this, the
Parish Priest with his assistant had arranged four masses in the parish church
alone, three in the morning and one in the afternoon during Sundays.
The area at the right side of the
sanctuary is occupied by Lay Ministers, while on the opposite side is where the
mass servers are seated. The Lectors occupy the main front benches to the left,
a few paces away from where the Holy Gospel shall be read.
Moreover, the choir’s cluster is
located at the front right side, below the sanctuary. There is no second floor,
where the predecessors used to station themselves; and at the top of their
voices sang the Kyrie, Christus Vincet . . . Christus Regnat, Tantum Ergo, and other mass hymns during
pre-Vatican II time.
Furthermore, the church bell tower
is a four-story building; the first floor housed the Catechist’s Support Center
The dimension of the bell tower is 6
meters square exactly 2 meters wider than the bell tower of Carmen Church
Some Reflection:
Before we close this essay with the
final “Had’s” and “If’s’” sentences, perhaps it is befitting to give some
significance of the historic value of the sculptured ‘via cruces” which are
placed or hanged at the brick walls of the church.
In Note No. 30, the undersigned had
talked about the beautiful churches of the North like those in Paoay, Ilocos
Norte; Vigan in Ilocos Sur; and Baclayon and Dauis in Bohol in the south. We do not compete for honors with those
churches because true exercise of religiosity is never equated in contest as to
whose church is better than the other. But if we talk of travel and
sightseeing, the ones mentioned are the most sought by tourists. So, we say,
those churches are really nice.
As said earlier, we are not for
competition; however it would not be certainly bad, if we aspire someday to be
like them. In one of the unexpected travels of the undersigned to the north
some two months ago, he happened to spend a day in Vigan. Aside from a stroll
or calesa tour at the Heritage Village
[old colonial house, cobblestone pavement, souvenir shops, etc.], one
remarkable destination that one should never forget is a visit at the Vigan Church
Before he saw the Vigan’s “via
cruces,” his mind, so with his heart were filled with pride that our church has
the unique “via cruces” all over the country. Despite, the undersigned is not
well-traveled, but there were times when he could go to other places by mere
chance, or should we say by accident. Maybe on seminars or had traveled with
friends or relatives. In the places where he had once gone before Vigan, there
are no “via cruces” similar to Balingasag.
So, indeed, he concluded that the
ones in Balingasag is one and only in the country. But such pride in his heart
and mind receded at the sight of a likely similar “via cruces” at Vigan
Cathedral. Its length, width, or more or less its structure, are likely similar
but not on its minutes details.
Nevertheless, the tickling small sense
of pride is still upheld because to him, the one in Balingasag were skillfully
sculptured; and the carved figures or “persons” projected on each station are
more in number than those at Vigan Cathedral. The carved figures or “persons”
of the Vigan “via cruces” seemed just to have been embossed lightly on the
wooden frame. They are not carved or sculptured well, aside from the lesser
numbers of carved figures displayed on each station.
Hence, deep in his heart, he feels
that the Balingasag
Church
As a matter of fact, Station of the
Cross No. 1 inadvertently just felt from the wall and broke into pieces, even
its wooden framework disintegrated. It can no longer be restored; it was a
total wreck. Local sculptor could not replicate it; we wonder those in Paite,
Laguna if they can. Or could it be only the original maker of that can
replicate it, if that is the case; it would be in the U.S. or in Rome ,
or Spain
What the undersigned wishes to
convey before other “via cruces” would meet similar fate or be dilapidated by
time, at least there would be proper preservation care. Such responsibility supposedly
shall be inherently vested on the parishioners because of the historic value of
those “via cruces.” A random scrutiny of the “via cruces frames,” some already
have traces of cracks due to quakes or stress; and they are visible. The
woodworks of most frames are already attacked by termites; and it would not
take so long for those beautiful “via cruces” to be out of service because of
total dilapidation.
Now is the appropriate time for us to
do something significant to preserve this heritage, which we have since 1954.
Fr. Arthur Shea, SJ received these as donation from one of his benefactors. The
“via cruces” has been here with us for more than 50 years already, and insofar
as laws is concerned, such is already considered as a heritage of Balingasag.
We must do something good not for
our own time, but for our children and their children’s children. It is never late,
if we give it a try while there is time yet; otherwise, we would be late and be
totally helpless. If we do nothing about it, and leave it to rot without
exerting efforts to save it for other generations to see, maybe we are just
like those helpless onlookers who had done nothing when the church was
condemned for burning in 1942. It is sad if another experience likely similar
to that though it is but only a “via cruces” may happen once more. Yes, it is
only “via cruces” but, its historic significance to the religiosity of the town
is priceless.
Though finite things are not
infinite, at least if there are efforts of care and preservation, its economic
life may be extended. With everyone’s utmost efforts of care, maybe the “via
cruces” would last for another 50 or more years. Is this not good? Look, the
Basilica of St. Peter over the tomb of the saint on the Vatican Hill was
founded by Emperor Constantine the Great in 320 AD, but it is still there now because
the Christian World cares for it.[60]
Finally, had only the people in
those days exercised some sort of “people empowerment” or vigilance, maybe the
Lieutenant who ordered the burning shall have a second thought. Who knows if he
would have given another order, and not necessarily the burning of the church?
But that was it; nothing was done by the parishioners, except for Fr. Risacher
who pleaded mercy to differ the order.
Nevertheless, there was no mercy. The good priest went to the church and
climbed upstairs to negotiate with the Japanese, so the church may be spared.
However, the Japanese were determined not to surrender, but die; it was their once
in a life chance to die honorably like the way of the Samurai. So why not die
for the Emperor, just like the Saints in Heaven, for God? Indeed, they died as heroes of their
fatherland, but not as saints; we guess.
It is likewise so sad for us to know
later, there were others who even carried langkay
or midribs of coco trees for the bonfire. And rugs were asked from nearby
houses on the order of the Guerilla Officers to be used as wicks, the tenants
gave; and these were later soaked with gasoline. Why? Much scared so
cooperative? How awful! Had 1942 been an era of People Power, maybe the parishioners
would have been in the “kapit-bisig
makibaka” stance to deter or protest the burning. But it was 1942 and not
1986, so sad once more.
If only the brick church of 1892 was
not burned in 1942, till these days, the hardwood structure certainly would
have outlived time yet. Since she was burned, her yesterday’s beauty only
exists in the memories of those who had seen, prayed, or had attended Holy
Masses during those times on it. For the many who have not seen her even in
pictures today, they would just think of how impressive maybe really she was. Their
guess is maybe as good as mine, and for sure, we do care of her short-lived
existence.
O0O
Contributed by:
Rex
R. Valmores
Email: ressu54@yahoo.com.
[The Contributor Speaks . . .
Today, if there is a picture of the
old brick church of 1892, it is considered as a very rare memorabilia. Evidently, many had heard of its reference being
talked about by our old folks – [oral tradition is a part of history], or
perhaps cited in a good written story. But maybe it was told or discussed just
so concise like a passing wind.
Thus, the undersigned had thought
and indeed began collating pieces of stories [oral tradition] and with
available history materials on hand; had tried bringing it together to form a
story. Well, the story did not generally begin during the time of construction
of the brick church in 1892, but it skidded back or revolved at the time when
there was no brick church yet, but a wooden and tabique pampango church of the Recollects. Unfortunately, however,
we missed the awesome literature of the time of the Recollects; and only had
the narration of the Jesuits about it, when they took charge of Balingasag
mission area in 1877 from them.
This essay has been tediously
prepared based on the narration of the events from old people who may have
witnessed or remembered those days. However, the later events are based from
contemporary works; and of course with some substantiation from the senior citizens.
During the Great War, most of them
were only 10 or 15 years old; and today they are in their twilight years in the
80’s.
Due to failing memories because of
old age, we could not squeeze clean or clear information from them. For every
statement or fact presented, there must be some revalidation of what had been stated.
Such could never be validated just by anyone, but by older people too. If there
are similarities of their statements, maybe what they said is likely true.
But, of course, those validated
statements would again be screened and checked through crisscrossing the pages of
earlier works of local scholars and other references, if available.
The process as said is tedious,
nevertheless; it has to be done that way.
To read a thing of the past, more so
that we have to concretize it in our mind’s eye, requires patience; and the
undersigned salutes them for that.
Henceforth, may the reader absolve
the undersigned for all his shortcomings. For the technical people, it is
indeed hard trying to understand the confusing terms and language of the Engineering World. So, kindly accept his
sincere apology. The undersigned wishes too, to thank Engineers Darwin Emata,
Ernesto Chavez, and Francis Dahilan for a nice briefing of their works. It is
only sad that he does not have a big engineering mind to muster and grasp it
well.
Lastly, if it would not go so odd,
perhaps this contributor desires to bestow this small work as a token of
respect to our lone classmate who had joined a Religious Congregation. She is now
in Rwanda , Africa ,
in one of the disheartening places on earth where apartheid killings happened
before. Good that there is peace now. She is with the Daughters of Divine Zeal,
an Italian Congregation whose apostolate has reached to the Philippines Marikina
City
After high school, some 42 years
later, a handful of us fortunately met Sr. Maria Amie Acut in the homecoming
last May 2012. We were greatly honored of her presence, indeed.
In Rwanda
Going back in 1970, in a graduating
class of more than a hundred, it was only the cute and morena beauty Amie who had chosen the Life of a Nun. She told me, “I
was really surprise why I become a nun; it is the least thing that I ever
thought. But if God calls us, we go with an open heart.”
A good number of our classmates are
church workers now, nurturing the RVM religious upbringing; there are Lectors
like Anita and Phoebe; and Thelma, as a worker in one of the ministries at the
Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. Brendon acts as a council leader in his parish as
well as Crisogono during his term.
In this pressing time when work is
always a priority for some, we have classmates who would or had stayed by with
their Parish Priests or Ministers; and they are and would always be there ready
to serve. The undersigned wishes to acknowledge with gratitude the commitment
and support they had shown. It is therefore befitting to thank them – Rudy and
Laura, Crispina, Marilyn, Chuchie, Ma. Luisa, Helen, Juliet, Marybelle, Lux, Marilou, Minda, Elleriza, Herminia, Leonie;
Julia; Albino; Douglas; Edgardo; Cristino; Sofronio; Rolando; Romeo; Virgilio; Matthew;
German; Roger; and Neciforo, for such a laudable work and keep that up.[62]
For those who are not mentioned, it
does not mean that their works are merely insignificant or no greater
importance at all. It is not like that, but, we could not mention everyone’s
name because we do not know for sure how everyone has been faring.
Nevertheless, though how insignificant maybe the work is, if it was ardently
done for God’s greater glory; irrespective of what religion one professes, we would
like to believe that one has already done a deed of righteousness.
God always sees even the most
insignificant things we did, oftentimes people missed to see.
Our batch is somehow blessed; at
least we have one classmate who indeed has offered everything to Him. There is
no better way of describing Sr. Ma. Amie’s noble deed¸ but perhaps the poem “How
Do I Love Thee” by Elizabeth Barriett Browning may capsulize it in a line, when
she said, “I love thee to the depth, breadth, and height my soul could reach.”
For this, let us have the high five!]
ǭǭǭ
[1] A Suppression Order was
issued Pope Pius II in 1773 due to the tremendous pressures exerted by the
Bourbons (Kingdom of Spain , France, Naples Great
Island
[2] The first group of
Jesuits arrived on 13 June 1859, their second coming since they had been here
in 1581; was headed by Fr. Jose Fernandez Cuevas. With him were five priests
and an equal number of Coadjutor Brothers. See Fr. M.A. Bernad, S.J. The Great Island Mission
[3] Fancisco Riera was born in Manresa , Barcelona , Spain
on 20 January 1844, entered the Society of Jesus as a Coadjutor Brother, and
came to the Philippines Manila Spain in
1922, and died in Manresa Philippines
Antonio
Gairolas
was born in Arbeca, Lurid , Spain Mindanao missions, was caught, and
imprisoned in Surigao during the revolution. He died in Davao
Juan Costa was born in Brera, Barcelona , Spain
on 11 March 1845, entered the Society of Jesus as a Coadjutor Brother on 19
October 1867, and came to the Philippines Manila , and went back to Spain Mindanao , Vol. IV.
[4] DV Dongallo, MJ
Valmores, & LC Diestro, History of Balingasag, pp. 110-112.
[5] Jose Vilaclara was born
in Artes, Barcelona , Spain
on 27 November 1840, entered the Society of Jesus on 4 October 1862, and came
to the Philippines Manila El Salvador and Talisayan in Northern
Mindanao . He returned sick to Spain
on 2 September 1897, and died at sea off Aden
[The Gulf of Aden connects with the Red Sea, it is located southeast of today’s
country of Yemen , northeast
of Somalia and likewise near
the island of Socotra Fort
Santiago , Manila Mission
[6] There were two mission
stations in Cotabato, along the two exit waterways of the Rio Grande de
Mindanao. On the northern part was the mission of Cotabato, while on the south
and not too far from the former, was the mission of Tamontaca. It was in the
mission of Tamontaca where the present day Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM
sisters) labored much in the care and evangelization of the Teruray and
ransomed children from Moro slavery. The Teruray are indigenous people of this
part of Cotabato, who had been ones the focus of the evangelization of the
Jesuits in their second coming to the Philippines Mindanao ,
Vol. IV: The Dapitan and Balingasag Mission.
[7] Blair & Robertson,
the Philippine Islands .
[8] Balingasag was the only
Jesuit residence in the eastern side of Misamis or today’s Misamis Oriental. It
covered the missionary areas from Tagoloan to Magsaysay, while on the western
side; El Salvador
[9] The first local history
book entitled History of Balingasag by Dongallo, D.; Valmores, M.; and Diestro,
L was published in 1977. It categorically said that the stone edifice ruin in
Galas was the first church
of Balingasag
[10] A thesis on the cause of
the transfer of old settlement of Gompot to the present town site aside from
the flooding of the Balatukan River could be accessed on a forthcoming essay on
e-book “Marginal Literature: Evangelization and Exploration of Northern
Mindanao and Other Related Events during Spanish Colonial Philippines” by Rex
R. Valmores, soon on his blogspot and facebook accounts.
[11] Fr. Pablo Pastells was
born in Figueroa, Gerona , Spain Manila , where he
became the spiritual adviser of the young Jose Rizal, he was assigned to the
eastern Mindanao missions. His last assignment
in Mindanao was Tagoloan, where he stayed for only a year, for in 1888 he as
named Superior Spain Spain ,
he as first assigned as Assistant to the Jesuit Provincial in Aragon Madrid Tortosa , Spain
[12] Fr. Pablo Pastells,
S.J., Labor Evangelica, Mission de la Compania
de Jesus, Volume 1 p. 227.
[13] A mixture of lime and
cement, and matted or reinforced with bamboo stakes.
[14] Blair & Robertson,
The Philippine Islands .
[15] On his scholarly work, “Breve
Reseña en la que Provincia de la San Nicolas de Tolentino”.
[16] Imaginary division of
Mindanao effective 1620s during the time of Governor General Tello, where it
was officially agreed that all lands from the same boundary going west belong
to the charge of the Jesuits. However,
in 1762 the Jesuits were expelled by the Bourbon Kings in all their dominions
in the world. They were out of the Philippines
and the rest of Mindanao belongs to the charge
of the Recollects.
[17] The Jesuits chose a
centrally located town or mission site from where they undertook mission trips
to the hinterlands. Jasaan was not a residence, but was attached to the
residence of Balingasag. Other Jesuit residences were Tagoloan and El
Salvador.__ Fr. J.S. Arcilla, SJ Jesuit Missionary Letters Vol. 1V p. 268.
[18] Previously, Sta. Rita de Cascia monument was
fountain in 1888 and it was part of the plaza fronting the sea. Later on, the
Balingasag Waterworks System which Bro. Juan Costa, S.J. constructed with its
source at Barangay Linggangao no longer operate, so the fountain was converted
into a monument of Dr. Jose Rizal sometime in 1910. There was a big controversy
on the issue of ownership of the land where the fountain or the Rizal monument
that have to be constructed. The Parish Priest insisted that the plaza by the
sea belonged to the Parish; while the Municipal President protested saying that
it belonged to the Government. The controversy was latter on resolved by the
Juez de Paz, however, it is said that the Municipal President lost his post,
after the Priest’s claim was dismissed without merit. From Rizal monument, it
was made into a sacred shrine of Sta. Rita, and its shuffling was done because
the plaza by the sea was swapped with the property of the Parish on the
southern part of the church, or today’s public park. [Annotation mine].
[19] LR Vega, “Daklit nga
Kasalaysayan sa Lunsod sa Balingasag” Vol. III, p. 25.
[20] Thin slices of bamboo
measuring not more than 2 inches in
width are matted and entwined together
on a 4”x8” [plywood size] and serves
generally as ready-made panels or whatever uses it may be used.
[21] Romualdo Jimeno, O.P.
(Order of Preachers or Dominican), was Bishop of Cebu from 19 January 1846 to
19 January 1867. He had previously been titular bishop of Ruspe, Vicar
Apostolic of Tunkin, to which he had been raised in 1839. See Fr. J.S. Arcilla,
S.J. The Rio Grande Mission, Vol. I: 58.
[22] Fr. Alejandro Naval, SJ
was their Provincial Superior.
[23] Fr. J.S. Arcilla, S.J.
Jesuit Missionary Letters, Vol. IV: 219-220.
[24] Fr. Francisco de Paula
Sanchez was born in Flix, Tarragona, Spain on 12 January 1849, entered the
Society of Jesus on 11 May 1865, and came to the Philippines in 1872. For the
next six years he taught at the Ateneo Municipal and became the favorite
teacher of Jose Rizal. He was assigned to Taganaan and Tandag in Surigao
successively, where the revolution caught him. Recalled to Manila Manila
[25] Jose Maria Clotet was
born in Manresa , Barcelona ,
Spain on 19 April 1864,
entered the Society of Jesus on 11 January 1881, and came to the Philippines Manila , after which he returned for theological studies
and his priestly ordination in Spain Philippines in 1897 to join the staff at the
Jesuit Weather Observatory in Manila Spain
in 1923 and died in Sarria, Barcelona Mission
[26] Ibid, 348.
[27] Like the church in El Salvador
[28] Nearing
the turn of the 16th century, when Northern
Luzon and the populous islands of the Pintados were explored and
evangelized by the regular priests or the religious missionaries, construction
of beautiful churches began. In the North, the Catholic Church of Paoay is considered
as one of the most travel destination of tourists, aside from the Catholic
Cathedral of Vigan; because of its unique structural designed. The Agustinians
[OSA] built them in 1596. In the Pintados or in the Visayas, the Baclayon Church
in Bohol caters most pilgrims or tourists. Bohol is also fame of its splendid churches just like the
North – the Ilocos areas. In Bohol, the church of Dawis
[29] It was
also Jovellar who abolished the payment of tributes, however he instituted the
tax on cedula personal, which
significantly the Katipuneros in the Cry of Pugad Lawin vehemently protested by
tearing their cedulas.
[30] Fr. Ramon Pamies, S.J. was born in Borjas del
Campo, Tarragona , Spain
on 17 January 1831, entered the Society of Jesus on 26 December 1866, and came
to the Philippines Spain Davao in 1868 with
the first group of Jesuits to evangelize Davao Tortosa , Spain
[31] The first three
automobiles in town appear in 1928 owned by the families of the Vega’s,
Pimentel’s, and Valmores’. __ DV. Dongallo, MJ Valmores & LC Diestro,
History of Balingasag, p. 14.
[32] Remedios Palma-Gil
Magsalay, Short History of Catholicism in Balingasag.
[33] The entire fund of the
church is called “sanctorum”, it comes from the tributary parishioners who paid
tributes at 1 1/2 reales, 30
centavos, each year for the sanctorum. A tax in big towns constitutes a
respectable fund, which the barangay heads collect for the Public Treasury. Six
percent of the amount collected is paid in compensation for the work. The rest
has to be presented or remitted to the Parish Priest for expenses in the
celebration of three feasts (the town’s Patron Saint, Corpus Christi Mindanao , Vol. 4:7.
[34] Fr. Ramon Suico, an Agustinian Recollect, and
the Parish Priest of Cagayan de Misamis changed the roofs of the Church into
galvanized iron in 1861. He died on November 10, 1889.
[35] Fr. Juan B. Heras, S.J.
was born in San Jaume de Fontanya, Barcelona , Spain on 10 January 1836, entered the Society of
Jesus on 21 April 1858, and came to the Philippines Manila ,
appointed Vice-Rector and two years later was the Superior Superior Superior Superior , he
was assigned to the northern Mindanao missions
in Caraga and later on in today’s Misamis Oriental. During the Revolution where
the Spanish Priests in particular the Jesuits in Cagayan de Misamis in the
closing of the 19th century were imprisoned, he was appointed as the
Local Superior [Balingasag Mission which includes the Missions of Sumilao
and Linabo in Bukidnon] vice Fr. Raimundo
Peruga, SJ who was the Parish Priest of Tagoloan and the previous Local
Superior. Fr. Heras together with the other Jesuit priests and brother
coadjutors spent more than a year in prison in Cagayan de Misamis. In the
prison camp, he exercised his duty as Superior Manila ,
however as soon as political stability was restored again, Fr. Heras returned
to Mindanao and was the Parish Priest of
Jasaan until the time of his death. He died in Manila del R.P. Juan Bautista Heras de la Compania de Jesus, 1836-1916
(Manila
[36] Lt. Collado ordered the
burning, he was the highest ranking officer, and in command of the guerilla
movement, despite there was an American who joined the guerilla. The American
soldier was Clyde Abbot. __ MJ Valmores, DV Dongallo, and LC Diestro, History
of Balingasag.
[37] The old priest house
which both the Spanish Orders – the Recollects and Jesuits, and the American
Jesuits occupied, was formerly located in the present school quadrangle of St.
Rita’s College of
Balingasag
[38] As narrated by Dr.
Polygino J. Valmores, who carried it tirelessly during evacuation time. He was
already 12 years old at the onset of the war. Based from an interview conducted
on August 9, 2012, Lagonglong, Mis. Or. [Annotation Mine.]
[39] After the restoration of
the Society of Jesus in 1814 and later when they returned back to the Philippines in 1859, the Province
of Aragon was given the charge of the
Philippine Mission until 1921, when the Province of New York Jesuit
Province Mindanao ,
Vol. IV: 506.
[40] As narrated by Mr.
Estercacio Domo, a Retired COMELEC employee in an interview with him on August
7, 2012 at his residence. According to
him, their Grade VI Industrial Arts teacher was the late Eusebio Galdo.
[Annotation mine.]
[41] One notable contribution
of the Alfredo Hojas was the use of his truck driven by Thomas Espinosa (d) in
hauling woods from off-road sources to the worksite. __ Interview with Mr.
Estercacio Domo.
[42] The Ecumenical Council
was attended by 2,500 bishops and it had made 16 documents and among others are
the following: Unitates Redintegratio
on Ecumenism; Nostra Aetate on
relationship of the Church to non-Christian Religion; and Dignitates Humanae on Religious Freedom. Vatican II had as well
invited Protestants to the forum at St. Peter’s Basilica as observers, and it
considers “Protestants not as heretics and schismatic but “separated
brethrens”. Among the prominent Theologians during the council were Marie
Dominique Cheru and Yves Congar [Dominicans]; Edward Schillebeeckx; and Karl
Rahner, S.J. and Bernhard Haring, CSsR [German Theologians]. Josef Ratzinger, a
Theologian too, [today’s Pope Benedict XVI] and Albino Luciani [later as Pope
John Paul I] were among the respected personalities in the council. When the
issue of changing the Latin tradition that existed some 2000 years ago into the
vernacular and when the council was called to vote for its enactment or not,
only 200 bishops [conservatives or traditionalists] voted against the changing.
Not much later, masses in the universal church had been changed from Latin to
vernacular. Moreover, after Vatican II, all types of recognized structure and
services in the church are called as ministry [like the Ministry of Health,
Ministry of Economic Enterprise
[43] Unfortunately, recently,
the bolts of the First Station of the Way of the Cross [Jesus was condemned to
Death] which were secured to the brick walls accidentally gave way. Beyond the
control of everyone, the sculptured station fell and broke into pieces. It was totally
destroyed and irreparable. In one of my visits to the North, Vigan in
particular; I heard mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul and it has sculptured
Stations of the Cross too. In size it is similar with that of Balingasag,
nevertheless; in terms of workmanship, the one in Balingasag is much better for
the sculptured images are too imposing.
(Annotation mine.)
[44] We bet
the window iron grills were donated by various prominent families of
Balingasag. It is readable even today; others are from organizations like
“Catholic Women’s League,” “Kapunongan sa Birhen sa Lourdes
[45] In the 1970s or up in
until the 1980s, the Columban Fathers had some of the parishes in like Sagay in
Camiguin, in the mainland Kinoguitan and Balingoan. In the recent times, the
parish church – The Shrine of the Holy Eucharist and another church in
Kauswagan are under the charge of the Fathers of the Blessed Sacraments. These
have been in this set-up and authorized by the Archbishop or Bishop to best
serve the interests of the faithful for similar reason due to scarcity of
priests, this time diocesan priests. [Annotation mine].
[46] Expert Mason and
Carpenter Ireneo Macabale made most of the works in the improvement of the
church.
[47] The Parish of the Mother
of Perpetual Help of Baliwagan has already produced two priests. The first was
Fr. Roniedon Paclar Valmoria, SSJV and the other was Fr. Ariel Cadavez Lara, an
Agustinian [Order of St. Agustin (OSA)]. (Annotation Mine).
[48] It was later closed by
the priest because it was so secluded and too tempting to the burglars, in
fact, a nun witnessed a man forcibly opening the donation box, so he could have
the money inside. Such incident is a risk for people who used to visit to pray;
they may even turn as victims of these thieves, who knows.
[49] As narrated by Bibiano
B. Suazo, BEC leader of Purok 8, Barangay 2, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental on 11
August 2012 on a casual talk with him. (Annotation Mine).
[50] Interview with Cenon
Sabejon, Foreman of the Balingasag
Church
[51] Heavy equipments from
the LGU-Balingasag, Eduardo Sausa, Teo Labadan, Construction Firm that
constructed the Poblacion-Waterfall
By-pass Road
[52] There was a letter
addressed to Fr. Perseus Cabunoc, the Parish Priest, which advised him not to
continue anymore the project because it could not be done being impossible. The
letter was signed and instead of discouragement, it had even increased the
priest’s desire to carry on the project.
__ Information derived from an interview with Mr. Edison Dahang, [on
September 7, 2012] former Parish Secretary since the time of Monsignor Columbus
Villamil, Fr. Perseus Cabunoc, and during the time of Fr. Ricardo Dancela,
where the former resigned because he ran for Barangay Kagawad at Cogon,
Balingasag, Mis. Or. and was elected.
[53] Engineer Erwin Garma and
his wife Leonina Q. Abuzo, a Civil Engineer too, were the Project Engineers of
the church renovation. They offered their services without collecting any
technical supervision or professional fees, or obliging the Parish Priest to
enter into an agreement for a decent payment of their skills and services, nor
obtained a Project Contract which Engineers usually do in construction to
compensate their rendered skills and services in the project. The Parish in
recognition of high-esteem of their unselfish attitudes and untiring services
gave them monthly honoraria, which indeed was too small not even exceeding 1%
of the total project cost. The spouses received their honoraria because the
Parish Priest insisted that they must receive it. [Annotation mine.]
[54] The
First Spanish Jesuit Missionary who died in Balingasag in recorded history was
Fr. Santiago Puntas, S.J. After the political instability of the country in
early 1900 and when the situation became normal again, Fr. Puntas returned to
Mindanao, where he was formerly assigned in the various missions in Southeastern,
Northeastern, and Northern Mindanao . He died
in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental on 19 March 1908, and his grave today
could no longer be traced in the absence of a tombstone’s mark at the Roman Catholic
Cemetery Mindanao ,
Vol. IV the Dapitan and Balingasag Mission. (Underscoring mine.)
[55] Recently, Fr. Joel Oga,
the parish priest; has started installing steel grills with designs on the
arches, or where the secondary columns were placed, above the old
brick-columns. His concern now is the construction of a two story priest house
or cnvento constructed diagonally on
the northeast side of the church. Practically, the priest house would be
attached with the church’s sacristy. The project is ongoing and his Asst.
Parochial Vicar, Fr. Eleuterio Datoy assists him well. When the project would
be finished, the old convento that
Fr. Pollock constructed would be abandoned for good. It is however unclear yet,
if it would be utilized as another office, or demolished, or whatever.
[56] The columns were made into benches and now
used by the church. (Annotation mine).
[57] Where the Santo Entierro
is likewise placed.
[58] Other sacred images or statues which are
owned by some of the big clans in town used to join procession during Good
Friday. From their homes, they are brought to the church for the procession and
blessed. These statues are the “Dolorosa;” the Scourging at the Pillar;
Carrying of the Cross; the Crucifixion; the Pieta [turn-over lately by its
owner to the church]; and the Santo Entierro. Moreover, the undersigned would
like to believe that the statues of saints now at the church are accumulated
collections by the different parish priests either made through purchase or
donation, after the burning of the church. It is not known whether attempts
were made by the parishioners to recover the statues from the church before the
burning. Likely, all the statues were burned. (Annotation mine.)
[59] Fr. Perseus J. Cabunoc,
SSJV finishes this Carmen Church project. While assigned in Claveria, Misamis
Oriental, he constructed a concrete church there, which is likewise imposing.
His potentials as a builder of infra project may have started when he renovated
the old brick church
of Balingasag Balingasag Church
[60] August Franzen / John P.
Dolan, A History of the Church, p.59.
[61] Information provided by
our classmate Marilyn Tan-Gonzaga whose house in Marikina
[62] The contributor was
referring to his high school classmates in 1970, to mention a few as follows:
Anita Salvacion, Phoebe Llido Balabag, Thelma Aguilar Balbin, Brendon Valmoria,
Crisogono Llido, Rodolfo Olano, Laura Madroño Olano, Crispina Sacote, Marilyn
Tan Gonzaga [Marikina
City
O0O
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