MANILA CARNIVALS 1908-1939

198. Carnival's Radio Night: THE SEARCH FOR MISS RADIO

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The Radio as a new communication medium officially came to the Philippines in 1922 when a test broadcast was made by a Mrs. Redgrave from Nichols Air Field using a 5-watt transmitter. Early broadcasting was a strictly an American affair until the 1930s when local songs and program, started to be heard from KZIB, KZRH and KZRG Stations. Radio took off quickly by leaps and bounds, with many Filipino homes tuning into entertainment programs and listen to the musical comic sketches of Dely Atay-Atayan and Andoy Balun-balunan, the classic standards of the Mystery Singer Cecil Lloyd, the operatic songs of Atang de la Rama, as well as sound effects laden-radio dramas and variety shows.

No wonder then that when the 1936 Manila Carnival was inaugurated, the crowds were treated not just to the usual sidelights of masquerade parties, university nights, amusement rides and contests but to a whole new event—the Radio Night. A radio tower was installed in the carnival grounds from which songs and performances were broadcasted. It was capped with the selection of a “Miss Radio”, chosen from a field of female announcers and radio personalities that included the most popular names of the airwaves.

The first winner, Miss Radio of 1936, was actually a married woman of Pangasinense-Swedish parentage--Januaria Constantino Keller (b. 1918)—a skilled modiste who moonlit as a singer at the station owned by the Jewish businessman Isaac Beck. Husband Ramon Novales was her accompanist. She sang kundimans and Tagalog love songs and she was soon attracting the attention of local production outfits like the Excelsior Studios, who also wanted to screen-test her. Januaria, now known as Carmen Rosales, at first, resisted, as she claimed to have no talent for acting, but she went along anyway—and passed her test. Carmen joined an audition for the movie “Mahiwagang Binibini” and was picked to play a small role in support o the lead star, Atang de la Rama.

It was her second movie, "Arimunding-Munding," that finally launched her to full stardom. Carmen’s team-up with Rogelio de la Rosa would prove to be one of the most formidable and most successful love teams in the history of Philippine cinema. The reclusive legend died at the age 74 on Dec. 11, l991.

Competing in the same Miss Radio quest were two well-known beauties from artistic families: Milagros Mat Castro and Lina Flor. Milagros was the daughter of Remigio Mat Castro who had already made a name for himself as a writer, producer and director of radio shows. While her sister Luz Mat Castro sang kundiman songs, Milagros performed literary declamations, all done under the watchful eye of their father.

Lina Flor (b. l914/ d. 1976) made her mark in radio by writing soap operas, but she also wrote insightful articles for the Manila Times and The Daily Mirror, where she was a popular columnist. She enjoyed a long career, writing both in English and Filipino, that would last for nearly 50 years.

Miss Radio 1937 was a Pampanga belle named Elisa “Ely” Manalo who dabbled in radio and movies. Ely had the distinction of reigning also as Miss Luzon in the court of that year’s Miss Philippines winner, Maria Carmen Zaldarriaga. That year's Radio Night was to be the last, although the popularity of the medium continued to soar.

The golden age of Philippine radio would peak in the 50s, with almost every home having their own Bakelite or plastic transistor radios—but by then, the Manila Carnivals were already just distant memories of our colonial past.

197. Carnival Beauties: MANOLITA C. VILLAESCUSA, 1927 Miss Zamboanga

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ZAMBOANGUEÑA HERMOSA. Manolita Villaescusa y Camins, the second Miss Zamboanga, was a popular hometown beauty whose Spanish ancestry is evident in her strong mestiza features.

Zamboanga made a strong showing in the 1st National Beauty Contest for Miss Philippines when local lass, Carmen Fargas, almost won the title, after tying with Miss Batangas, Anita Noble. So close was the race that after a second voting, it was decided that Carmen, too, deserved a crown, so a new title--Miss Pearl of the Orient Seas--was awarded to the comely mestiza.

The local Zamboanga government stuck to the winning formula in fielding their next Miss Zamboanga—another pedigreed Filipina-Spanish mestiza by the name of Manolita Villaescusa y Camins. Her mother was Valeria Fuentebella Camins, who traced her ancestry to one Francisco Camins who served in the Spanish Navy stationed in Zamboanga. Another relative would be a future governor of Zamboanga (1931-34), Carlos Hernandez Camins.

Coming on the heels of Carmen’s victory, Manolita went to Manila to join other provincial delegates and was quickly installed as one of the favorites for the crown. She failed to clinch a place in the finals, however, but went back home to Zamboanga where she was feted and was asked to participate in that year’s Rizal Day festivities, along with former Misses Zamboanga. She later married an Antonio.

196. Carnival Beauties: LUZ CENTENO PAMINTUAN, Candidate, 1934 Miss Philippines

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WIN OR LUZ. Lucy Pamintuan,a well-travelled society belle from Angeles, one of 3 Kapampangans who competed for the 1934 Miss Philippines crown.

The search for Miss Philippines in the 1934 Manila Carnival was touted as the tightest race ever by observers who took note of the high pedigree of the candidates who gamely joined the contest that year.

The A-list included UP students Consuelo Villamor (sponsored by The Tribune) and Clarita Tan Kiang (Philippine Collegian), Pacita Madrigal, daughter of Don Vicente Madrigal and Susana Paterno (Dee Tees), Miss Manila Marcelina Cuenca (Philippine Free Press), Vice President Sergio Osmeña’s daughter, Maria Osmeña (Bisaya), Zambangueña society girl Pilar Blanco, Angelina Diy (El Debate) and Pura Luna (Bulaklak).

Pampanga was represented by 3 beauties, who surprised beauty fans by becoming leading candidates throughout the voting period: Luz Pamintuan of Angeles, Luz Sarmiento of Bacolor and Remedios Ibarra of Guagua.

Luz “Lucy” Pamintuan,was born in 1915, the 5th child in a brood of 11, of Don Florentino Torres Pamintuan of Angeles with 2nd wife Tomasa Centeno of Pulung Bulu, a daughter of his tenant-farmer. Don Florentino was a Georgetown University-educated lawyer, who counted Sergio Osmeña, Manuel L. Quezon, Isauro Gabaldon, Manuel Roxas and Claro M. Recto as friends. After the death of her father in 1925, her mother Masing, went on to manage her husband’s sugar planting business successfully, becoming a founder and stockholder of Central Luzon Milling Company and a member of Pampanga Sugar Development Corp. (PASUDECO).

Lucy attended Holy Ghost College and Assumption Academy. When her father went to the U.S. for his advanced law studies, Lucy tagged along and went to Immaculate Seminary in Washington. A well-travelled girl, she has also visited several countries in Europe. Lucy also became a popular member of the elite Smiles Club, Rho Alpha and the local Catholic Women’s League. In 1934, sponsored by the newspaper Excelsior, Lucy joined the Miss Philippines search in the annual Manila Carnival. U.P. law student Clarita Tan Kiang, however, won the final counting on 30 January 1934.

Not one to dwell on this setback, Lucy thereafter became the toast of Pampanga’s high society, meriting a special section in the 1936 Pampanga Social Register, a book that featured the movers and shakers of Kapampangan society. She married twice--first to Fernando Casanovas, then to Jorge Halpern Garcia. She, however, remained childless. Lucy Pamintuan passed away on 1 December 1965 at a relatively young age of 50.

195. Carnival Movers & Shakers: JORGE B. VARGAS

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BY JORGE, THERE'S A CARNIVAL! Jorge b. Vargas was a moving force of the Manila Carnivals, starting from the 1920s down o the Commonwealth years, serving in different capacities as Director General and as permanent member of the Pgilippine Carnival Association. Portarit by Fernando Amorsolo.

Jorge Bartolome Vargas (b. 24 August 1890) was a long-serving member of the Philippine Carnival committee, an association which began in 1909, when he won a carnival-sponsored essay contest while a student at the University of the Philippines. The brilliant son of Angel Tiongco Vargas and Filomena Trinidad Celis from Negros Occidental, Jorge graduted with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911, and Bachelor of Laws in 1914. He actually qualified as a government scholar in 1914, but financial problems quashed his dream to be a pensionado.

The young lawyer was appointed as clerk in the Philippine Commission after passing the bar, and was promoted to the position of Chief Clerk of the Department of the Interior in 1917. The next year, he became Speaker Sergio Osmeña’s legislative secretary and in 1919 was handpicked by President Manuel L. Quezon to be his Executive Secretary.

In 1921, Vargas became the Director-General of the Manila Carnival, also dubbed as the Magallanes Carnival. It turned out to be a resounding success, and from that moment on, Vargas became a permanent fixture in the Carnival circuit, assuming different executive posts, from the 20s through the Commonwealth years.

When World War II reached the Philippines, Vargas assumed mayorship of the open city of Manila, which was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army on 2 January 1942, declaring it an ‘open city’. Under a collaborationist Republic, he was the caretaker of the Philippine capital and served as the Philippine ambassador plenipotentiary to Japan.

After the War, Vargas was named Chairman of the National Planning Commission from 1946–1954 and was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines from 1961-1965. In 1960, the Republic of the Philippines awarded him the Legion of Honor with the rank of Commander.

Vargas was deeply involved in art collecting, Philippine scouting and Philippine sports. He was a founding member of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (now the Philippine Olympic Committee) and became the first Filipino member of the International Olympic Committee.

He was first married to Marina Yulo with whom he had 8 children (Jorge Jr., Angel Federico, Gregorio Roberto, Lourdes Filomena, Eduardo Mariano, Ramon Teodoro, Teresita Carolina and Maria Luisa). He and second wife Adelaida Montilla Peña were childless. The popular Manila Carnival personality passed away on 22 February 1980.

194. Carnival Beauties: CARMEN R. FERNANDEZ, 1926 Miss Palawan

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THE LI'L SIS ALSO RISES. Carmen Rodriguez Fernandez, the 1926 Miss Palawan, was the younger daughter of Trinidad Fernandez, who, two years earlier, reigned as the 1924 Queen of the Manila Carnival.

Two years after Trinidad Fernandez won the Manila Carnival crown in 1924, her younger sister, Carmen, made her own bid for the first Miss Philippines title in 1926. Born on 1 April 1907 to parents Clemente Fernandez and Vicenta Rodriguez, Carmen grew up in Cuyo, along with her 13 siblings.

Hoping to replicate her sister’s victory, Carmen—as Miss Palawan 1926--went to Manila to compete against 20-plus other girls, a formidable line-up that included rich society belles, accomplished collegians, fair-haired daughters of patriots, mesmerizing mestizas and exotic mountain belles. The crown, however, eluded Carmen, which ended on the head of the beauteous Batangueña, Anita Noble.

Six years after her Carnival experience, she met and married a handsome 1923 West Point graduate, Santiago Garcia Guevara in 1930. They moved to the United States in 1938 but returned to the Philippines before World War II where Santiago was assigned in Orani, Bataan as a member of the Philippine Scouts, and as Topographical Officer of the U.S. Army Survey Troops. He would later join and survive the Bataan Death March.

After the War, Carmen and her family—which now included 3 children—returned to the U.S. in 1949. As Santiago was stationed in different parts of the country, the family got to live in the states of Georgia, California, Texas and Maryland. They permanently settled in Washington D.C. in 1953, after Santiago’s retirement. The Guevaras next moved into the Watergate Building along Virginia Avenue, where Carmen immediately made herself at home in her new neighborhood.

She became an active member of the parishes of St. Thomas and St. Anne’s, and also supported the St. Stephen’s choir. Carmen was elected as president of the Philippine-American Women’s Association in the District of Columbia, tirelessly raising funds for the group’s charities and cultural events.

Widowed in 1996, Carmen was honored by her adopted country wirth a ceremonial resolution given by the District of Columbia to honor and congratulate her on her 100th birthday on 6 February 2007, a befitting tribute to a woman whose inner beauty shone much brighter in her golden years.

193. Queen of the 1926 Pampanga Carnival: JUANITA S. ARRASTIA of Lubao

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ARRESTING BEAUTY, Juanita Arrastia, Miss Pampanga 1926, had Basque and Filipino blood in her veins. She and husband, Dr. Wenceslao Vitug, continued to manage the hacienda left by her father, the richest hacendero of Lubao, and were known for their compassion and generosity in their treatment of their tenants.

Juanita Arrastia was a 24 year old beauty from Lubao when local organizers approached her mother, Francisca Salgado, to seek approval for her candidacy to the provincial fair. Her mother, in turn, referred them to Juanita’s father, Valentin Arrastia, who grumbled and showed no interest at the project. Unfazed, the organizers returned to plead with him. One day, tired of their implorings, he threw his arms in the air to dismiss them, and, walking away, exclaimed "Vanidades del mundo! (Vanities of the world!) They took that as a 'yes'.

Thus, Juanita became Lubao’s official bet to Pampanga’s royalty quest. The Arrastias descended from Basque adventurers from Spain who settled in the Philippines and found fortune in the vast agricultural lands they accumulated and farmed. Juanita’s father himself, was the richest hacendero in Lubao. It came as no surprise that she won the crown.

Many years later, when a granddaughter asked her about her beauty queen years, she knitted her brows, pursed her lips, gave her a side glance, and said in Kapampangan, "I won because my father had the biggest hacienda in Lubao. It wasn't about beauty."

But if truth be told, the Arrastia women were legendary for their beauty. “No one can be more beautiful than the Arrastia women”, one Philippine society observer even noted (Isabel Arrastia Preysler, former model and wife of Julio Iglesias, mother of Enrique and who latter married into Spanish royalty, came from the Arrastias of Lubao.)

At her proclamation, the lovely Juanita wore a glittery baro’t saya with a long train, attended by her two damas, Miss San Fernando and Miss Apalit. Military officials, young court pages, town muses and the governor of Pampanga shared the coronation stage with her. Her King Consort was her town mate, the dashing 22 year old Gregorio (Yoyong) Fernandez, then a freshman dentistry student at the Philippine Dental. Gregorio was also her 3rd cousin from the Salgado-Montemayor side of the family. He would go on to become a top actor and award-winning director and the father of the late action star, Rudy Fernandez. As a director, Gregorio is also credited with discovering Rogelio dela Rosa.

Juanita surprised everyone by getting married on 15 May 1926—just a few months after being named Miss Pampanga-- to Dr. Wenceslao Beltran Vitug (b. 28 Sept. 1891). Wenceslao (Apung Beses) came from a barrio of Arrastia sharecroppers, but news of his brilliance had made him a town celebrity of sorts. He overcame his humble beginnings by graduating at the head of his class at the Pampanga High School. He earned a medical degree from the University of the Philippines, practiced at the Philippine General Hospital and taught Medicine at his alma mater.

The marriage of Juanita to a ‘commoner’ who made good was big news in Lubao, where they settled and became hacenderos themselves, noted for their compassion and kindness to tenants. It was said that Dr. Vitug personally treated sick tenants while Juanita cared for the welfare of their families, even extending interest-free loans. The couple themselves were blessed with 7 children: Lourdes (Lulu), Amelia Juana (Melly) , Maria Magdalena (Nena), Antonio Jesus (Tony, a medical doctor), Luis Lamberto (died young, of bone cancer), Mario Venerando (died of aneurysm), and Roberto Nicolas (Bert).

The Vitugs would eventually settle in Manila , living long, full lives surrounded by the love of their children and grandkids. Wenceslao passed away in 7 January 1986 at age 94, while Juanita died in 8 September 1994. Their old Lubao house was acquired by an architect and had it transported to a seaside town of Bagac in Bataan where it is now part of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

192. Carnival Beauties: MANUELA L. ORTEGA, 1927 Miss La Union

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AY, MANUELA. The first Miss La Union, Manuela Lacsamana Ortega, came from a family of politicians who continue to rule over La Union to this day.

The Ortegas comes from a powerful political family in La Union that has been involved in politics of the province since 1901 and which continues to this day. The patriarch was the Cebu-born Don Joaquin J. Ortega, who, at age 31 was appointed as the first civilian governor of La Union by Gov. Gen. William H. Taft.

The next year, he became the first elected provincial governor. His marriage to Francisca Lacsamana of Bangar produced 14 children (one died in infancy) and among them was the lovely Manuela L. Ortega, the first Miss La Union.

Like her seven sisters (Antonia, Vicenta, Ramona, Juanita, Joaquina, Concepcion, and Maria), Manuela was raised and educated in the province, learning domestic arts and housekeeping duties as was the custom in those days. All these changed when she was handpicked to be the provincial bet to the Manila Carnival search for Miss Philippines. With her family’s affluence and clout to back her, she went to the big city of Manila to compete in the first ever National Beauty Contest for that was won by Anita Noble of Batangas.

Later in life, Manuela settled down, married a businessman from Isabela and became Mrs. Quiroz. Manuela’s five brothers—Jose, Luis, Francisco, Joaquin and Evaristo—all finished Law and all served in different capacities as judges, councilors, mayors, provincial board member, governors, congressmen, Speaker pro-tempore, thus continuing a family tradition in public service that has lasted for over a century.

191. Carnival Beauties, PILAR BLANCO, Candidate, 1934 Miss Philippines

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PILLAR OF BEAUTY. Pilar Blanco, a classical pianist from Cebu, was a popular candidate to the 1934 Manila Carnival quest for Miss Philippines. Her daughter is also a concert pianist of repute, Ingrid Sala-Santamaria. Ca. 1934.

Pilar Blanco was a budding classical pianist from Cebu when she started attracting the attention of local beauty aficionados. She was one of the first graduates of Sister Baptista Battig, a German Benedictine nun who came to Manila in 1908 to teach music. The good sister rented out pianos in makeshift classrooms and taught Filipino students Western music and techniques.

Among Pilar’s co-students were Marcela Agoncillo, Pacita Zaragoza, Blanca Castillo and Imelda Katigbak; the latter two became concert artists. Pilar herself was an ardent and accomplished pupil of Sr. Battig. Eventually, Sr. Battig would eventually set up a regular music department in a Singalong school that would be known as St. Scholastica’s College.

When it was time to nominate a candidate for the queenship of the 1934 Manila Carnival, Pilar’s name was submitted by the newspaper, “The Social Fountain”, which avidly supported her. Hopes were high for the Cebuana who not only possessed mestiza good looks but also an exceptional musical gift. But competition was stiff that year; the crown went to a Chinese-Filipina from Marilao, Clarita Tan Kiang, a student of the University of the Philippines.

Pilar, however, had other things planned, one of which was to marry her handsome beau, Salvador E. Sala, an educator. Even with a family to care for, Pilar continued her passion for the piano, by setting up a music school in her native Cebu. She named it the Battig Piano School, in honor of her mentor, and when her daughter Ingrid came of age, she became her first tutor. Ingrid Sala-Santamaria would pursue her advanced music studies at the world-famous Juilliard School and become a concert pianist of note.

The flowering of the golden age of music in Cebu is credited to the relentless promotion of Pilar Blanco-Sala and her family. It was she who established the Cebu Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO), later to be known as the Peace Philharmonic of the Philippines. The Sala children honored their parents with the creation of Salvador and Pilar Sala Foundation, Inc. (SPSFI) in Cebu on 10 October 1998, a non-governmental organization that implements social projects in the field of education and music.

190. CATALINA MORENO ZAVALA: A Family's Recollection of Miss Luzon 1935

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Catalina Zavala Moreno was born on November 11, 1916 to Luz Vasquez Villena and Aquilino Zavala, both residents of Tondo, Manila. She was the eldest of 5 siblings, 3 girls and 2 boys. She spent her childhood and early adult life in Tondo, went to primary school in Sta. Catalina College and attended the University of the Philippines for a course in Home Economics.

Catalina, or Nena, as she was fondly called, was a beautiful child, and often elicited admiring glances and comments when she accompanied her mother on various outings. She was known as "muneca" (Spanish for 'doll') because of her fair skin, brown hair and beautiful brown eyes and long curly lashes. Nena grew up to be a tall, willowy and winsome beauty and many suitors were after her during her years in the University. It was during these years that she was asked to vie for the title of carnival queen, that era's version of our beauty pageant.

As history records, Nena won the title of Miss Luzon during the 1935 carnival. Photos of the coronation night show her to be a lovely, slender and graceful young woman, poised and confident, yet still sheltered and innocent, on the cusp of womanhood at age 19.

She was swept off her feet by young, dashing and handsome Hector de Santos Moreno, youngest scion of the respected de Santos-Moreno clan, just arrived from a four year course in Heidelberg, Germany. He was the grandson of Marcelino de Santos (treasurer of the Katipunan, associate of Jose Rizal),who has a street in Divisoria named after him, and youngest son of Pacita Ongsiako de Santos and Roberto Gutierrez Moreno (then Fiscal of San Pedro, Laguna).

Hector fell in love with Nena and persuaded her to elope with him in the summer of 1936. They were married in Baguio on April 14, 1936 and took up residence in the Moreno mansion on Juan Luna Street in Tondo, Manila -- then one of the more respectable residential areas in old Manila. Hector and Nena's early married life was spent in this house, along with the young families of Hector's siblings: Ada Moreno de Leon, Nitang Moreno Lopez, Mario Moreno and Elsa Zamora, and Choling Moreno and Enrique Villanueva. In later years the siblings left Juan Luna to take up residence in other parts of Manila, but Hector and Nena remained there along with Ada and Sancho de Leon.

One interesting footnote about this imposing structure built on approximately 20,000 square meters of land is that an exact replica of the house was built in Gagalangin, a few minutes away from Juan Luna, by the same architect. This second mansion housed the de Santos siblings.

Hector and Nena Moreno stayed in Juan Luna until 1950, when they moved to Horseshoe Drive with their 5 children. Two more children were born after the move to Quezon City, and Hector and Nena lived here until their last days.

Nena quickly involved herself in the neighborhood association, and as president worked at organizing the neighborhood along with the other residents' wives. She also threw herself in Jayceerette activities in full support of her husband's membership in this organization, participating in most of the fundraising activities of the group. She was a full-time mother except for when she ran the restaurant Talk of the Town at Manila Doctor’s Hospital and when she ran the family's 300-hectare hacienda in Nueva Ecija. Apart from these commitments, Nena was basically a housewife, devoted to the care and upbringing of her (now) 7 children; Roberto, Hector, Maria Paz, Jose Luis, Maria Isabel, Miguel and Maria Luz.

In her later years, Nena devoted her days to parish prayer meetings and related activities and to the care of her husband. She was always the focal point in family gatherings, and her children and grandchildren cherish the memory of many happy, noisy and fun-filled family events in Horseshoe Drive. Nena was always caring, supportive and loving to all the members of her family. Her incomparable sense of humour, her incisive witticisms and words of advice, her wisdom and generosity made her the perfect mother, the perfect lola, the perfect wife, and these are the traits she will always be remembered for. She passed away at the age of 81 on May 13, 1998, and Hector followed 3 years later on May 14, 2001. She was a beauty all throughout her life, doted on by her husband, loved by all.

(This contributed piece was made possible through the efforts of Andrea Tantoco (Catalina's granddaughter) and Maria Luz (Jackie) and Maria Paz (Tootsie) Moreno who wrote this biographical sketch based on their recollections of their parents, Catalina and Hector Sr. Many thanks!).

189. Carnival Memento: 1936 MANILA BOHOL BOOTH BROCHURE

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The Commonwealth Carnivals were the last to be celebrated in the country. The 1936 edition was mounted at the usual venue, Luneta, riding on the crest of national enthusiasm, brought about by America’s promise of independence after a 10-year transition period.

Provincial participation continued at the Carnival, and the Province of Bohol was a consistent and active member of the 1936 fair held from 15 February to 1 March 1936. The slant of the Carnival was the same as in the previous year, with emphasis on the Philippines’ commercial and industrial progress.

Bohol staged an art deco booth, featuring representative samples of its products. This complimentary brochure served as a guide to the province, to attract prospective investors and tourists alike.

From the write-up, we see that Bohol’s agricultural produce included palay, corn, sugar, abaca, cogon and tobacco, in that order. A census of the province’s animal stock was also featured, complete with a tally of the number of carabaos, cows, horses, pigs, goats and sheep found in the region.

Putting its best foot forward, Bohol also boasted of its new services and infrastructures, including its two airports and the telephone system connecting the island to the rest of the Philippines and the world. The looming war in the would put a halt not only to the national fair but also the great Philippine dream.

On 17 May 1942, just 6 years after the Carnival, Bohol would be invaded by the Japanese by way of Tagbilaran. Three very difficult years where to follow, until the return of the Americans to Bohol on 11 April 1945. A year later, Bohol became a part of the independent Republic of the Philippines.

188. Carnival Beauties: MARIA PALOMA OSMEÑA, Candidate, 1934 Miss Philippines

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PRESIDENTIAL DAUGHTER , Maria Paloma Osmena, Candidate, 1934 Miss Philippines.

In 1934, the participation of one candidate to the annual Miss Philippines search of the Manila Carnival elicited a lot of interest and media following. Maria Paloma Osmeña after all, was the daughter of Sergio Suico Osmeña (1878-1961), governor of Cebu and Speaker-elect of the 1907 Philippine National Assembly. He would go on to become a Vice President of Manuel L. Quezon in 1935, and eventually become the 4th president of the Philippines (1944-46) after Quezon’s death.

Maria’s mother, Estefania Chiong Veloso, had 9 other children with Sergio: Nicasio, Vicente, Edilberto, Milagros, Emilio, Jesus, Teodoro, Jose, Sergio Jr. Maria’s brothers were involved at some point in Carnival activities like Nicasio or Nick and Emilio, who provided escorting duties to some of the Carnival royalties. Maria’s father would marry a second time to Esperanza Limjap, herself a former Manila Carnival princess.

Maria’s candidacy was supported by a leading newspaper. The competition that year was stiff, with the UP collegian candidate, Clarita Tan Kiang prevailing over the rest of the candidates that also included Lucy Pamintuan, Luz Sarmiento, Pilar Blanco, Pura Luna, Consuelo Villamor and Angelina Diy. Still, her Carnival experience was something she would not forget.

Ten years after, she met and married an accomplished classical pianist in New York on October 1944, James Milne Charnley. Charnley often accompanied opera singers like Bidu Sayao, a Metropolitan Opera House soprano and one of Brazil’s most famous artists. They settled in New York, New York.

When Pres. Diosdado Macapagal changed the date of Philippine Independence to June 12, children of past presidents—including Maria Osmeña-Charnley, were present at the historic signing of the act on 4 August 1964. With her were Gerry Roxas, Carmen Melencio-Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon Jr. and Tomas Quirino.

Maria and James regularly shuttled back and forth from the U.S. to the Philippines. James also got to accompany local Philippine divas like Nelia Manalo Concordia whenever they gave recitals. After her husband’s death, Maria settled back home in the Philippines and lived to be in her 90s. She reposes at the family mausoleum in Cebu.

187. Carnival Beauties: CATALINA "Katy" DE LA CRUZ, Candidate, 1924 Queen of the Manila Carnival

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KATY DE LA CRUZ AT AGE 12. The future 'bodabil' superstar, not yet a teen, but already looking like a sophisticated vamp. She was already an established name in the local vaudeville circuit, performing in top-rated movie houses, when she was nominated as one of the Manila candidates for the 1924 Manila Carnival Queen search. Ca. 1919.

In 1924, a city search was conducted to select the Manila candidate to that year’s Queen of the Manila Carnival quest. A 17 year old petite and talented beauty nearly caused an upset by placing a strong second to the eventual winner Lolita Paterno. She was none other than Catalina de la Cruz, who, as Katy de la Cruz, would go on to greater fame on the world stage as a jazz and torch singer, honed by years of vaudeville experience in the Philippines.

She was born in Intramuros on 13 February 1907, although her roots are in Bulacan. Her father was a concierge at the Ayuntamiento Bldg., earning 30 pesos a week. At age 7, the streetsmart Catalina would go to the ferias around Intramuros and would steal the scene by singing songs while swiveling her hips to the delight of the crowd. People would throw her coins which she used to augment the meager family income.

An American theater owner, Harry Brown , spotted the tyke and arranged to have her sing during intermissions while the movie reels were being rewound for playing at his cine houses. Thus, Katy de la Cruz’s career was launched, at a salary of 1 peso a week. Her father’s objection, however, forced her to go back to school, which she would not finish anyway. The family relented and young Katy was back on track of a new and exciting career.

At 10, she performed at the Savoy, later renamed Clover Theater. At 13, she made the rounds of popular movie houses: Cine Rizal, Cine Amor, Cine Gloria, Lux, Palace, Rivoli. Her raspy, gravelly voice became her trademark, which she learned from slurring the lyrics heard from scratchy Victrola records.

At age 21, to the consternation of her family, Katy eloped with Jose Yoingco, a pianist. Despite parental protests, they stayed together till Jose’s death in 1955. By then, ‘bodabil’ was at its peak and Katy found herself a leading vaudeville star, rivaled only by Diana Toy. Her chorus girls included Patsy, Chichay and Chuchi.

She was still in her teens, when, in 1924, she was nominated to be one of the candidates for Manila’s representative to that year’s search for the Queen of the Manila Carnival. After all, she was quite a looker, and she was described thus by an American fan: “..5 footer, 105 buxom pounds…dark olive skin…hell’s ember eyes”…

Married women then could join the contest and she found herself in friendly competition with such familiar personalities like Vitang Escobar Cowper, protege of John C. Cowper, dean of Philippine variety show. For awhile, it looked like Vitang, a singer-dancer, would be the most serious threat to Katy’s candidacy—she actually led her in the first counting, but Katy overtook her in the 2nd counting. In the final tally, however, votes for the more affluent Lolita Paterno came pouring in—“golpe de Paterno” was how the surge of Paterno votes, over 12 million in all, was described by media men covering the event. Katy wound up in second place with over 11 million votes. Pacita Serra, Marcelina Lerma and Vitang Cowper completed the top 5.

In the national finals, Trinidad Fernandez of Palawan emerged as the 1924 Queen of the Manila Carnival from among contestants like Benita Reyes (Pampanga), Maring Barreto (Zambales) , Victoria Lopez (Iloilo) , Leonor Reyes (Bulacan), Corazon Ruth de Veyra (Leyte), Angela Martinez (Cavite), Amelia Paras (Marinduque), Victoria Ledesma (Negros Occidental) and Consuelo Lazo (Batangas).

But Katy couldn’t possibly care: her career was on an upswing. She found an adoring American audience who took to her and her songs like “Planting Rice”, “Balut”, “St. Louis Blues” and “One of These Days”. She sang at the Elks Club, the University Club, the Army-Navy Club. Her international stints included performances in Honolulu and San Francisco where she was described as a “combination of Sophie Tucker and Carmen Miranda”. She also captivated Las Vegas in 1961, as well as Melbourne, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

In between all these, Katy made movies and even won a Famas supporting actress award for her role in the 1953 movie, “Inspiration”. She retired in San Francisco with her four children. One daughter, Angie, teamed up with Nikki Ross and, as “Wing Duo” also made a mark in comedy-musicals in the 60s.

In 1989, the Cultural Center of the Philippines honored “Mommy Kate” with the staging of the musical “Katy”, based on her life. Maya Valdez portrayed her in the successful musical revue. She retired in the 1990s and passed away in California on 10 November 2004 at age 97. True, Katy de la Cruz was not fated to win the Queen of the Manila Carnival crown, but she earned a more enduring and iconic title—the Queen of Philippine Vaudeville.

186. 1927 DULAG CARNIVAL

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THE 1927 DULAG CARNIVAL. Celebrating the beauty of Leytenas, under the American Regime.

1927 was the first and only time that a Miss Leyte was named to compete in the Manila Carnival search for Miss Philippines; the winner was Amelia Zialcita Romualdez, a cousin of Imelda Romualdez (Marcos). Her participation inspired municipalities to hold their own carnivals and elect their own royalties, even at a local level only.

One such town that held its own carnival festivities that same year was Dulag, a large and progressive coastal town of Leyte fronting the Leyte Gulf, just 36 kilometers from the provincial capital, Tacloban. Dulag was an important commercial hub in its heyday; ships from all over would dock at its port carrying merchants who traded their products for Philippine abaca, copra, tobacco, rice and wine with the natives. At one time, the shores ofDulag were lined with large warehouses filled with goods that were imported to foreign countries.

As a toast to its prosperity, the municipality organized its very own Dulag Carnival of 1927. Queen Teofila I and her retinue of princesses and escorts were elected to serve as the carnival royalties, as preserved in this rare photo. The details of the event as well as the background of the queen-elect have all but been lost to oblivion. But the 1927 Dulag Carnival must have been a grand and pompous event, complete with the Philippine-American trappings and trimmings of a royal coronation.

Ruined by the last World War, Dulag would rise again and earned the distinction as a “Liberation Town”. Many veterans still claim that it was in Dulag that Gen. Douglas MacArthur first landed upon his promised return—and not in Palo, Leyte as historians believed.

185. Carnival Beauties: PACITA PATERNO MADRIGAL, Candidate, 1934 MIss Philippines

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PAGEANTRY, POLITICS AND PACITA. The 15 year old Pacita as a high schooler of Philippine Women's College (now University). She went on to become a Senator in 1955, only the 2nd woman to achieve that feat--and an election topnotcher at that! Ca. 1930.

In the 1934 quest for Miss Philippines, one lovely candidate turned heads not only for her illustrious pedigree and family wealth but also for her academic brilliance that would served her well in the future. Pacita Madrigal y Paterno would go on to greater heights by entering politics and topping the senatorial elections of 1955 under the Magsaysay Administration.

Maria Paz or Pacita was one of the 7 children of the influential senator and millionaire, Don Vicente Madrigal y Lopez of Albay with Susana Paterno y Ramos of Laguna. Born in 1915 in the San Miguel district of Manila, she grew up together with her siblings Macaria, Josefina, Antonio, Jose, Consuelo Alejandra, and Maria Luisa.

Pacita studied at the Philippine Women’s College. At age 15, she became a leading candidate for the title of "Princess of Education", a contest conducted on the occasion of the San Juan de Letran's Tercentenary activities, her father's alma mater. She graduated as high school valedictorian in three years; was medalist at the Sorbonne University, Paris and graduated magna cum laude in business administration at the University of Santo Tomas. She also went to 2 finishing schools: the Collège Féminin de Bouffemont at Seine, Paris, and at the Powers School in New York.

At age 19, Pacita was sponsored by Dee Tees, a leading publication of the Commonwealth years, to be their candidate to the annual Miss Philippines Beauty Contest of that year’s Manila Carnival. Competition was stiff—there was the Spanish mestiza Pilar Blanco, Maria Osmena, Marcelina Cuenca (former Miss Manila) and the 2 Kapampangan belles, Lucy Pamintuan and Luz Sarmiento to contend with. And there was the Chinese mestiza beauty from UP, Clarita Tan Kiang, who eventually won the crown.

But Pacita had other things in mind than being just an icon of beauty. She was soon abroad to further enrich her education. She was in New York when World War II broke out on 8 December 1941. Determined to maker herself useful, Pacita took up Red Cross work and also volunteered at the Walter Reed Hospital.

After the war, she married Herman Warns, a Manila Gas Corporation executive and proceeded to establish her ballet school. But in 1953, she gave up her school to head the Women for Magsaysay Movement, and her interest in politics began. With Magsaysay’s victory, she assumed the position as Social Welfare Administrator.

Two years later, she decided to run for the Philippine Senate. Pacita, at age 40, became the first woman to ever top the senatorial elections. According to Time Magazine, she did so with the most number of votes ever garnered by a senatorial candidate up to that time (2,544,716 in all). She was just the second woman after Geronima Pecson, to be elected to the Senate.

As cabinet member when she was SWA administrator, she was involved in some 40 committees, councils, commissions, boards and institutes—from the Council of State, Community Development Council, Slum Clearance Committee, Community Chest to the Philippine National Red Cross, Pan Pacific Women’s Association, and Philippine Committee of United Nations Appeal for Children.

After the death of Herman Warns, the widowed Pacita married lawyer Gonzalo Gonzales in 1956. She was defeated for re-election in 1961 after accusations arose about her misappropriation of public funds in 1956. Had her credibility not been damaged by the charges, she could have posed as a serious threat to Carlos P. Garcia’s presidential candidacy in 1961. The Manila Carnival beauty who could have been the world’s first female head of state, died at the age of 93 on 12 September 2008.

184. SCENES FROM THE 1929 MANILA CARNIVAL

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After a one year lull, the country went agog when the Philippine Carnival Association announced the resumption of the Manila Carnival in 1929. There was so much ado about that year’s edition, marked with major changes in the selection of Miss Philippines. This time, schools were tapped and encouraged to send their beauty delegates, and select colleges from all over the Philippines like the Manila College of Pharmacy, Centro Escolar de Señoritas, the University of the Philippines, Cebu Colleges, Sta. Rosa College and Filipino Academy chose their own bets.

The winner who emerged was the statuesque UP collegian, Pacita de los Reyes, a a brainy law student who had four princesses in her court (previously, the queen was attended by a Miss Luzon, Miss Visayas and Miss Mindanao).

Never has there been a Miss Philippines as busy as Pacita, who had to attend five royal pageants throughout the 16 day festivities. The programs were often thematic and at her Coronation Night alone, she appeared as ‘Pearl of the Orient Seas’. She also had a change of escorts at her every appearance.

Her university honored her with a U.P. Night and for some students, participation in the dances was mandatory, credited to their Physical Education course. This explains why the entertainment and musical interludes were lavish and varied; the entire university, it seemed, turned up in full support of their Queen, as these photos show.

183. Carnival Beauties, DAISY P. HONTIVEROS, Miss Mindanao, 1934 Cebu Carnival

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PICKING DAISY. Kahirup's bet to the Cebu Carnival Queen search--Daisy Hontiveros--would become a leading force in advancing the cause of Philippine theater, in partnerhsip with her husband, award-winning director and National Artist, Lamberto Avellana Sr. She is shown here at age 17.

In the court of the 1934 Cebu Carnival Queen Maria Lagrimas Ong, one lovely runner-up was destined for even greater things after her fourth place finish in the quest for the province’s carnival royalty. Daisy Pardo Hontiveros, who reigned as Miss Mindanao (Julieta Abad was Miss Visayas and Julia MacVean was Miss Luzon), would become the future wife of National Artist and award-winning film director Lamberto Avellana and would distinguish herself as a leading light in Philippine theater.

Lourdes Genoveva Dolores Pardo Hontiveros was born on 26 January 1917 in Capiz, Capiz to Jose M. Hontiveros and Vicenta R. Pardo. She was the eldest in a brood of 10 children, that included Jose, Leon Jose, Alejandro, Renato Jose, Eduardo Jose, Juan Nepomuceno Jose, Ma. Teresita Vicenta, Benjamin Jose and Ramon Nonato.

Nicknamed “Daisy”, she went to the Assumption Convent in Iloilo for her elementary years beginning in 1924. In 1930, she started high school at Capiz High. It was here that she was chosen as Miss Capiz and, in her senior year, she was prevailed upon by the influential Kahirup Club to join the quest for the 1934 Queen of the Cebu Carnival. Young Daisy did not disappoint her sponsors and emerged as Miss Mindanao.

That same year, after graduation, Daisy was accepted at the University of the Philippines in Padre Faura where she took a drama course. She became a very popular and accomplished actress in school, and was named 1st Intercollegiate Girl in only her first year. She also became a talented writer (editor of Philippine Herald in 1937-38) and radio actress.

On 19 June 1938, she married Lamberto V. Avellana at the Remedios Church in Malate, whom she had previously met in 1932 at a party. The two had actively immersed themselves in theater and radio work and this interest led them to organize the Barangay Theater Guild in 1939. They had four children: Marijo (died in infancy), Mari, Ivi and Bating.

Lamberto Sr. would earn fame with his film “Anak Dalita” which won the Grand Prix at the Asian Film Festival in Hong Kong in 1956. Their theater guild produced the Nick Joaquin play, “Portrait of the Filipino as an Artist”, which became the longest-running play in the Philippines. Daisy appeared as Candida in the 1965 film version.

When Lamberto passed away in 1991, Daisy carried on with her theatrical pursuits, and in 1994, she was named “The Cinema’s Living Treasure” at the Manila Metro Film Festival. She was also a Centennial Awardee for Theater by CCP. Aliw Awards honored her with a Gawad Siglo ng Aliw for Theater in 1999. Daisy continued directing stage readings of plays at FEU from 2002-2006. On her 90th birthday, she was given a tribute by the CCP and NCCA. The province of her youth, Capiz, honored her, along with Jovita Fuentes, with a “Saludo” in 2009.

182. A Newspaper Account: 1908 CARNIVAL IN THE PHILIPPINES

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CARNIVAL IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippine carnival, originated by Americans in Manila, is one of the biggest and most entertaining annual shows in the Orient. Interesting exhibits from all over the archipelago, from China, Japan, Siam, Singapore, the Federated Malay States, the Straits Settlements, and other surrounding countries, are shown while magnificent land and water parades, athletic tournaments and field sports, add to the amusement of the visiting throngs. The accompanying photos of certain features of the carnival are typical of the islands’ festival of fun.

NEW VEHICLE KNOWN AS THE ‘MULOMOBILE’.
Freak device of an army officer for fun-making at a carnival recently held in Manila.

The first shows Captain George T. Langhorne, U.S.A., one of the original promoters of the carnival, in his ingeniously contrived ‘mulomobile’, where it cannot be said the cart is before the horse.

LAUNCH OF THE GIANT’S HEAD.
Odd decoration of a boat at the carnival held recently in the Philippine capital. The head is a colossal imitation of the clown’s and the top of its cap is the steamer’s smokestack.

The decorated, grotesque-appearing launch shown in the second illustration is the creation of one of the foreign colonies of Manila, and was designed to take part in the water parade, which was one of the striking features of the carnival.

The giant head surmounting the boat’s awning was placed immediately over the smoke-stack, the cap having an opening in the top for the smoke to pass out. The effect was of course very curious and the vessel quite naturally attracted its full share of attention as it took its part proudly in the pompous pageant.

181. Carnival Beauties: SOFIA LOTA, Miss Cotabato 1926

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SOFIA'S CHOICE. Sofia Lota, 'an exotic find from the untamed regions of Cotabato", assuming a film star pose in 1926.

One of the most daring beauties ever to grace the Manila Carnival was a woman who went by the formidable name Sofia Lota Rinagandu Magadi Sinambel Malibutang. Surprisingly, she came all the way from Cotabato, where religious conservatism was held in esteem. When she came to Manila, she was touted as a “Muslim with royal blood in her veins” and her bio-data likewise listed her accomplishments: a dancing girl, a former nursing student, and a school teacher.

Sofia’s name and picture, however, does not appear in the omnibus photo of the Manila Carnival contestants issued in 1926. Whether she competed or not, Sofia Lota (or Lotta), billed as “an exotic find from the untamed regions of Cotabato”, went on to becomea nationally famous personality when she joined the movies shortly after the Carnival of 1926.

She, along with other candidates, had been invited by Vicente Salumbides, the American-trained actor and director, to drop by at his studio. He was in the process of casting new faces for the movie projects he had been lining up for production. Sure enough, the beautiful Sofia caught the eye of the director, who cast her in his 1927 movie, Fate or Consequence with Gregorio Fernandez.

Sofia was a natural in front of the camera, and the next year, she found herself appearing with Vicente himself in the movie “The Soul Saver”, which featured a a very rare screen kiss. At the time of the making of the movie, Vicente had a fiancée—Rosario H. Panganiban, Miss Pampanga 1926, who had competed against Sofia in the national carnival. During the filming of the kissing scene—then sensational in its time—Rosario was there to witness the on-screen osculation—take after take. Right there and then, Rosario decided to marry Vicente in a fit of jealousy.

The vampish beauty created quite a stir with her screen performances. Leading magazines like Graphic and Free Press took note of the "Moro girl making good in the movies". Right after finishing "The Soul Saver", Sofia was paired again with the dashing Gregorio Fernandez in the classic hit, “Lumang Simbahan” written by Florentino Collantes and directed by Jose Nepomuceno for Malayan Films. She was the ill-fated Julita to Gregorio’s Rodolfo. Again, it featured a mouth-to-mouth kissing scene with his leading man, and by this time, Sofia seemed to be very much comfortable doing the smoldering scene. "Excellent work by every member of the cast distinguishes it as a drama of genuine merit. But it is Sofia Lotta who is the star", reported The Tribune and Herald on the acting of Miss Cotabato. The Times gushed, "The work of the youthful star, in fact, does much to establish the picture as a masterpiece of stirring, moving melodrama. Her part alone makes the picture worth seeing".

She did one more film, "Ang Mutya ng Pamilihan" in 1929, where Francisco Varona, a member of the Philippine Carnival Association, made a cameo role. Sofia Lota became one of the top stars of a generation of artists in the early 30s that included Naty Fernandez, Gregorio Fernandez, Maggie Galloway, Dimples Cooper, Eva Lyn, Carlos Padilla, Eduardo de Castro, Nena Linda, and Giorgina Hollis.

180. SCENES FROM THE 1933 MANILA CARNIVAL

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A Night View of the 1933 Carnival City

View of Entrance, Army Show

A General View of the Horticultural Exhibits (1933 Carnival)

Exhibit Building of the Province of Leyte (1933 Carnival)

Exhibit Building of the Province of Rizal (1933 Carnival)

A Night Scene at the Commercial and Industrial Fair Building (1933 Carnival)

179. THE 1924 LAGUNA PROVINCIAL FAIR

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VICTORY FOR VALESCA. Queen of the 1924 Laguna Provincial Fair.

Ever since the inception of the first ever Manila Carnival of 1908, “La Laguna” had always been one of the more enthusiastic provinces ever to join the national fair. Its provincial government threw its all-out support by putting up one of the most outstanding booths in the pioneer exhibits that drew rave reviews from visitors and media men covering the fair. The award-winning 250 sq.m. booth was noted for its exquisite display of finely woven buri and uway hats, textiles, medicinal water from Majayjay, hats of cana muda from Liliw, sinaba (rice variety) from Sta. Rosa, varnished furniture made from narra, corchos, Japanese sandals and fishes from Laguna de Bay.

The people of Laguna were not disappointed too, in their quest to have one of their fair daughters crowned as the Queen of the carnival festivities. In 1923, Virginia Llamas of Pagsanjan copped the top crown, to the delight of the people of Laguna. Thrilled by her victory, the local government organized its first ever Laguna Provincial Fair (there had been town carnivals years before) in May 1924. The queen-elect was none other than a mestiza beauty, Valesca Calma, who reigned as Queen Valesca I. Two years later, the province had its first official Miss Laguna, in the person of Loreto Relova, who competed in the 1st National Beauty Contest for Miss Philippines.

178. A Program Description: The 1934 MANILA CARNIVAL

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(Taken from the Manila Carnival Commercial and Industrial Fair Program, 27 January-11 February 1934)

All is set for the 1934 Carnival. With things beginning to look rosy in the business horizon, we look forward to a successful reign of Billiken in the Carnival City, both in point of attendance and in the variety of attractions in the big show. Well may we have such an elaborate arnival to welcome the approach of a better era in business which, in the words of some business prophets, “is just around the corner”.

This year’s Carnival will again run for sixteen days and nights in the beautiful cit of lights on Wallace Field, Manila. Starting on January 27, next, it will not end until the wee hours of February 12. It is the purpose to make of this festival a truly never-to-be-forgotten period of revelry mirths and laughters; of funs, frolic, dancing and all other sorts of amusements; of riotous colors and exquisite and fantastic shows and sights; of impressive and colorful pageants and parades’ in short, of all those things that are devoted to the sunny side of life.

Famous show places the world over have been ransacked for novelties for the coming Carnival. From all indications, the public will be treated to a series of new features in the line of shows that will long be remembered by Carnival visitors for their variety and gorgeousness. The management is bent on realizing, to the fullest extent, the principal aim of the association, which is to provide once a year a period of wholesome enjoyments which, people tired of the year’s daily grind, sorely need for their physical and mental uplift.

Now will these be all for the thousands of Carnival enthusiasts. Recreation places, eating parlors, hot dog stands, and beer and soft drinks gardens will be found in the different sections of the Carnival City ready to serve the public. The famous Carnival Auditorium where Miss Philippines hold court every night as Carnival Queen, also affords to the sensation seekers attractive and tantalizing spectacles noted for their gayety and glamour.

On the other hand, those inclined to be serious can find plenty of food for thought in the Army and Navy exhibits, in the display of arts and sciences of some bureaus or educational institutions, and in the Commercial and Industrial Fair section where made-in-the-Philippines products galore greet the eyes of the public. Here, the different provinces of the Philippine Archipelago vie with each other in presenting in a most effective manner their various industries and economic resources; while different government bureaus and offices also try to acquaint the public, through exposition and practical demonstration, with their varied activities intended to promote the well-being of the nation.

There will also be found there a horticultural show that is decidedly among the most interesting and highly instructive exhibitions in the entire Carnival, and the well decorated booths of local and foreign manufacturers where their respective wares are exhibited and sold to the milling throng that usually jam the industrial and commercial fair.

177. Carnival Beauties: LILIA H. LOPEZ, 1930 Miss Philippines Candidate

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LILIA H. LOPEZ of Iloilo, Candidate of Atalaya newspaper to the quest for Miss Philippines of the Manila Carnival 1930.

Lilia Lopez was born in 1912 in Iloilo, the child of sugarcane baron Vicente Villanueva Lopez and Elena Javelona Hofileña. The Lopezes were among the richest and most certainly, the most influential families from Old Jaro. Lilia grew up in affluence, with her siblings Nelly, Benito and Vicente. In 1928, the Lopezes built an imposing mansion aong Calle Iznart, naming it Nelly’s Gardens, after Lilia’s eldest sister. Lilia, however, spent much of her childhood years with a widowed aunt, Dña. Presentacion Lopez, at the RocaEncantada home, together with her first cousins Fernando and Eugenio Lopez. Lilia found a playmate in Julieta Lopez, an adoptive daughter of her aunt and late uncle, Don Benito Lopez. Julieta would become Miss Iloilo of 1927.

Lilia’s very own carnival moment would come three years later, in 1930, when she was sponsored by the Visayan publication Atalaya to compete in the Miss Philippines quest of that year’s Manila Carnival edition. Her campaign, however, was thwarted by a fellow Ilongga—Consuelo Acuña, who was crowned as the 1930 Miss Philippines.

Still, Lilia had a great experience as one of the muses of the Carnival. Just 18, she also had her studies to think about as well as the admirers who had come to woo her. One of them was Gil Puyat, the son of furniture maker Gonzalo Puyat (The House of Puyat had furnished the lovely Lopez Mansion with their quality furniture).

But it was to Francisco Lopez Sison of Silay, Negros Occidental that Lilia gave her sweet yes. Their marriage resulted in 3 children: Lourdes, Elena and Francisco Jr. The couple also adopted three more kids. Lilia’s family inherited the Nelly Gardens and upon her death in 2000, her daughters assumed ownership of the house, which to this day, remains a symbol of Iloilo’s once and future glory.

176. 1926, Queen of the Pangasinan Carnival, POTENCIANA I

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THIS BEAUTY HAS POTENTIAL. Queen Potenciana I, 1926 Pangasinan Carnival Queen with her King Consort, was a popular winner and her victory was even reported in Spanish newspapers.

Not since the 1919 Pangasinan Carnival has there been a more publicized provincial fair than the 1926 event held in Dagupan. After seven years, people still remember the mesmerizing beauty of the 1919 queen, Nieves Gonzales. Earlier in the year, the first titled Miss Pangasinan was sent off to compete in Manila for the Miss Philippines title, Corazon Sison.

Pangasinenses apparently could not get enough of their beautiful lasses so in 1926, a separate queen was selected for the Pangasinan Carnival—a charming belle whom we know only as Potenciana. “Su Majestad Potenciana I” was escorted by a handsome mestizo, and her victory was even reported in a Spanish publication, together with her coronation portrait.

The second Miss Pangasinan, Asuncion Gonzales, did not fare well in the 1927 Miss Philippines quest. It was only in 1930 that a Pangasinense beauty managed to land in the semi-finals of the controversy-marred 1930 Miss Philippines contest. Nieves Ocampo Benito landed in the Top 8, but missed the final cut after the pre-judging, which required the candidates to wear bathing suits. She later married her consort Cipriano P. Primicias Sr., who went on to become a Philippine senator.

175. CHILDREN'S PETIT CARNIVALS

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Perhaps to make a point and remind every one that the Manila Carnivals is for the old and young alike, the beauty pageant—always the highlight of the national festivities—became the inspiration of some provincial groups to hold their own petit carnivals with children reigning as royalties.

The Charity Fairs (Feria de Caridad), organized by the government to raise funds for its charitable advocacies, actually popularized the concept of having children reign as “queens” during these much publicized 1920s events. Schools even held their own themed charity fairs, featuring little misses addressed as “Infantil Princesas y Reinas” and decked in court costumes and pompadour wigs. Then the Anti-TB Society launched its own “Queen of Mercy” quest where only children were eligible to join.

These children’s beauty pageants were immensely popular and became springboards for beautiful young misses to join the Manila Carnival Queen search later on. For instance, Alicia de Santos was chosen as Queen of Mercy in 1929; two years later, she competed in the 5th National Beauty Contest and emerged as Miss Luzon. Similarly, little Blanquita Opinion, Queen of Charity in the 1925 fund-raising program of Centro Escolar alumnas, joined the Miss Philippines search eight years later and won the title of Miss Visayas 1933.

The idea caught on in the different provinces, and soon, petit carnivals were being organized with literally, their own petit royalties. This example shows a provincial carnival held in Aparri in 1939, with an adorable Queen Teresita and her satin-caped escort, ruling over the fair’s festivities. The tradition continues today, instigated by TV shows which holds annual talent-cum-beauty pageants like “Little Miss Philippines”.

174. Carnival Memento: 1909 MANILA CARNIVAL TICKET

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TICKET TO RIDE, AND MORE! A rare example of a 1909 Manila Carnival general entrance ticket issued by the 'taquillera' at the gate. 1909.

So well-received was the first Manila Carnival of 1908 that a second Carnival just had to be organized the first year. Director General G. A. Reilly noted, “The Carnival of 1909, in presenting itself to the Orient, needs no more substantial guarantee of success than the truly wonderful record left behind by the Carnival of 1908”.

To give the second Carnival a fresh sense of visual identity, an illustrator was commissioned to create a logo for the Manila Carnival of 1909, which was cascaded to all sorts of printed materials and collaterals. The logo shows three Carnival symbols of revelry—a court jester and two masked female revelers, one in a Gibson Girl hat, the other in a native baro, to symbolize the unity of East and West. Below the smiling jester is the great seal of Manila. A ribbon carried the text “The Philippine Carnival”, festooned on top with coconut and anahaw leaves. The date of the event is on a crest between the 2 female figures: February 1909, Manila.

The artist has discreetly inscribed the illustration with the letters “HX” inscribed in an ovoid, below the Filipina masked figure. He may have been Howard Hedden, an American who illustrated for national publications like The Philippine Magazine in the first decade of the 20th century.

The small 2 x 3 in. paper ticket featured here, printed with green and red colors, repeats the design elements of the logo although they have been compressed and rearranged to fit the vertical portrait format. This paper ephemera, now over a hundred years old, is a rare memento of our country’s finest hours, when the world converged in Manila to see the a grand spectacle never before seen in the Orient.

173. 1936 Queen of the Ilocos Norte Carnival, FLORENTINA I

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ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. Queen Florentina I. Ilocos Norte Carnival Queen of 1936.

The province of Ilocos Norte was quick to take a cue from neighbor Ilocos Sur in holding its own petit carnivals. Ilocos Sur seemed to have taken the Carnival spirit more to heart, holding provincial fairs with more frequency and at every given opportunity. But it is to be remembered that Ilocos Norte gave the country its second Manila Carnival Queen, in the person of Julia Guerrero Agcaoili of Piddig, who reigned in 1909. Her sister, Pilar, also was the Queen-elect of the 1929 Ilocos Norte petit fair.

Ilocos Norte fielded two beauties in the 1926 and 1927 editions of the national Manila Carnival. In the dying years of the Carnival, the only documented provincial fair was held in 1936, in which this beauty, "Her Majesty, Queen Florentina I", reigned over the festivities. Nothing more is known of this Ilocana beauty. The last Ilocos Norte Carnival was held in the postwar year of 1946.

172. THE MINDORO CARNIVALS

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HER MAJESTY, QUEEN PEPITA I. With her court. Mindoro Carnival 1926.

The seventh largest island in the country, Mindoro was known to Spaniards as a “gold mine”—Mina de Oro, hence its name. Pre-colonial history tells us that Mindoro, known as Ma-i in those days, was an active trading partner of China. Local traders swapped and sold cotton, beeswax, pearls and gold with their Chinese counterparts.

When the American came, they made Mindoro a sub-province of Marinduque on 23 June 1902, but later in November, Mindoro was separated from its mother province and its own provincial government was organized with Puerto Galera as the seat. Mindoro was finally declared a regular province in 1921. Thereafter followed, the fast development and cultivation of the island's interior. The structure of society and culture were likewise altered, becoming more influenced as American influenced crept in.

The Manila Carnival offered the opportunity for Mindoreños to show how far they have advanced in terms of economic, commercial, social, cultural and human development. In 1926, the people of Mindoro held their own showcase of progress, a provincial carnival that was highlighted by the coronation of Queen Pepita I.

The next year, when the Manila Carnival called for candidates to the 2nd National Beauty Contest, the province sent their very first beauty delegate to Manila to compete in the 2nd Miss Philippines- a Pinamalayan-born belle and a St. Scholastica interna named Caridad Morente, Miss Mindoro 1927.

HER MAJESTY, Queen Loreto I and Court, Mindoro Carnival 1935-36.

There are no records of other Mindoreñas having succeeded Caring (who lived to be more than a hundred), but the provincial carnivals of the big island province continued. During the Commonwealth years, another petit carnival was held, of which we have above a lone pictorial evidence. Her Majesty Queen Loreto I reigned supreme in the provincial fair, assisted by two fair princesses and their consorts. Not much else is known about Loreto and the details of this carnival.

After the Second World War, the island was divided into its two present-day provinces, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro, on June 13, 1950, by virtue of the Republic Act No. 505.

171. Carnival Memento: 1920 MANILA CARNIVAL POSTER

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CARNIVAL POSTERITY. Posters issued by the Philippine Carnival Association are sought after by collectors of Filipiniana and fair & exposition memorabilia.

The 1920 Manila Carnival was truly a special edition of the national fair. For two consecutive years before that, the Carnival had been scrapped as the United States was engaged in a long-winded war with the Central powers. But as the war came to an end with an American victory, the Carnival Association revived the event in 1920, dubbing it as the Victory Carnival and Exposition.

This full-color original poster was just one of the promotional materials printed for the 1920 Carnival by the Philippine Carnival Association. The main visual depicts a pair of revelers, with the man dressed as the Red Devil, the Carnival mascot and his woman companion as a masked Perriot. The Angel of Peace descends upon the Carnival gate, holding an olive wreath. The same illustration appeared in other collateral materials, like the 1920 souvenir program, which also featured the couple on the cover.

This incredibly rare, large poster comes in 3 sections and measures an impressive 25 x 48 inches. It must have been printed by the Bureau of Printing in Manila. Posters such as these were seen all over the city—from train stations, municipal halls and government bureaus.

Used with permission. My thanks to: Mark J. Weinbaum Fine Vintage Posters and Decorative Prints 2211 Broadway, Suite #4E New York, NY 10024 By Appointment www.MJWFinePosters.com

170. THE PETIT CARNIVALS OF ZAMBOANGA, part 2

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ZAMBOANGUENA HERMOSA. Her Royal Highness Margarita Macrohon, queen of the 1934 Petit Carnival of Zamboanga.

The election of the Queen of the 1934 Petit Carnival of Zamboanga started in the second quarter of 1933, and by September 1933, the first canvassing of votes for the candidates was already undertaken. The five leading candidates were Remedios Caballero (510 votes), Marietta Hamoy (450 votes), Margarita Macrohon (310 votes), J. Torres (280 votes) and J. Marin (120 votes).

On October 28, the 9th counting showed a change in leadership with Margarita Macrohon on top with a whopping 8000 votes, followed by newcomer Susie Galle, Marietta Hamoy, Adela Johnston, Ella Varian and Remedios Caballero at the tail-end.

More concrete plans were also drawned up by the Carnival committee and exposed to the public by November. Local residents, however, raised eyebrows at the idea of a cabaret-style pavilion as one of the attractions of the petit carnival. Inter-school dance and costume contests were also planned, using the Manila program as the model.

The final tabulation to determine the 1934 Zamboanga Carnival Queen was done six days before Christmas. Margarita Macrohon was the runaway winner with 47, 470 votes. Her elected princesses were Remedios Caballero (2nd, with 23,810 votes) and Susie Galle (a close 3rd, with 21,810 votes).

Margarita Macrohon was already a popular young woman of Zamboanga society when she became queen. She had participated in the 1929 fiesta of the city’s patron Virgen del Pilar, crowning the “Princesa Floral” of the fiesta. She also joined the the Declamation Contest, a talent that ran in her family (brother Jun was a champion orator of Ateneo de Zamboanga).

In the Fancy Ball dance contests, Tetuan Elementary School placed first with their “Clown Dance” (under Maria Rodriguez), while the City School came in second with “Fairies Dance” (under Mary Hampton). In 3rd place was the contingent from Sta. Maria Elementary School with their “Russian Dance”.

When the fabulous Carnival of 1934 ended, the organizers realized a net profit of PhP 3.77 for their business venture—not exactly a great profit, but Zamboanga certainly had fun. And that was all that mattered.

169. THE PETIT CARNIVALS OF ZAMBOANGA, part 1

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Ever since local mestiza girl Carmen Fargas put Zamboanga province in the national beauty map by winning “Miss Pearl of the Orient Seas” at the first ever Miss Philippines quest of 1926, the city was never the same again. Zamboangueños became determined to duplicate the festive mood of Manila by staging their own petit carnivals.

Zamboangueños were already celebrating Rizal Day, Garden Day and the city fiestas with spectacular results since the 1920s, and the petit carnivals were another welcome additions to their fondness for social revelry. Two petit carnivals—one in 1930 and the last in 1934-- stood out for the lavishness of the staging and the competitiveness of the candidates in the beauty search.

Antonio C. Orendain, author of “Zamboanga Hermosa”, had vivid recollections about these most-awaited events of the city:

“The Carnivals were exciting. The Red Rovers sponsored most of them… The (beauty) contest was the Carnival fund raiser in those days and sympathizers sold ballots for their candidates. Family prestige and personal popularity counted for victory more than beauty—physical, intellectual, moral. When the candidates were on an even keel in their attributes, the contest was feverishly exciting.

IN THE DAYS OF MILK & HONEY, Zamboanga residents celebrated their fiestas lavishly and indulged even more luxuriously in fairs and carnivals with beauty queen to boot. In the petit carnival of 1930, the beauteous Rosie Shinn reigned as the queen with the debonair Pab Sebastian as her consort. Completing her court was the lovely Luisa Fernandez and Josefina Fermin.
In one such contest did Conchita Albrecht of Maluso lose to Rosie Shinn of Zamboanga City. Both mestizas were ravishing beauties and the contest was talked about for years later. The coronation pageants were fanciful, ranging from Egyptian, Arabic or Moorish spectacles to metaphoric fantasies. From the time Carmen Fargas won the title of ‘Pearl of the Southern Seas’ in a national beauty contest in Manila, the metaphor was popularly adopted."

Carnival organizers engaged the services of the best decorators in the province. Ramon Ramirez, for instance, a town artist who embroidered garments for santos, decorated chapels for fiestas and taught folk dances for veladas, was commissioned to direct most of the pageantry of the petit carnivals. In Tetuan, Badong Azacarraga, had the final say in the artistic directions for the district festivities, while a certain Pinky did all the work in the Visayan center of San Jose.

In that romantic era, the winning queens were exalted and extolled, often depicted as pearls and, as such, had thrones designed like cockleshells. Symbolic representations were the fad and there was even a year when dancers danced out of a giant pot to pay tribute to the Carnival sovereign.

168. ESPERANZA ESCOLAR LIMJAP-OSMEÑA: From a Carnival Princess to the Country’s First Lady

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FROM A FIRST PRINCESS TO A FIRST LADY. Esperanza Escolar Limjap, from the nationalist Limjap family, was in the royal court of the 1915 Carnival Queen. She eventually became the First Lady of the Philippines by becoming the 2nd wife of Pres. Sergio Osmena.

Seven years after the first Carnival of 1908, the national fair had established itself as a grand event of eminence, due not just to the spectacles, but also in part to the prominent, high-profile personalities who participated actively in the Carnival festivities. One of the most ardent supporters were members of the wealthy Filipino-Chinese Limjap family, led by the family patriarch, Mariano Limjap and his wife, Maria Escolar.

It is to be remembered that the very first Carnival Queen of 1908 was Leonarda Limjap, an elder daughter of the Limjap couple. She, however, had to abdicate her throne in favor of a family trip to Japan. Pura Villanueva stepped in to assume the queenship of the very 1st Carnival. Perhaps to make up for that inconvenience, the Limjaps gamely joined the winner’s royal court of honor in the next few years.

First to make her appearance as a princess of the 1915 Carnival Queen, Concepcion Medina, was 19 year old Esperanza Escolar Limjap. Born in 1896, Esperanza , aside from Leonarda, had two other sisters—Felisa and Paciencia, and two younger brothers, Jose and Francisco, who would both marry Carnival Queens. Jose or Perico was wed to Catalina Apacible (1923 Queen) while Francisco was the King Consort of the 1926 winner, Socorro Henson. The Limjap sisters were popular high society figures due to the status of their family, who were also held in esteem for their strong nationalist bent—Mariano was known to have lent his financial support for the Philippine Revolution.

Just five years after her Carnival stint, Esperanza would meet and marry Sen. Sergio Osmeña, a widower who had previously lost his first wife two years before, Estefania Chiong Veloso. Osmeña had been tirelessly working for Philippine independence ever since he launched his political career, becoming a Speaker of the House of the 1907 Philippine Assembly. The promised independence was delayed by the World War II and the Japanese Occupation. Upon the death of Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon, Osmeña ascended the presidency of the Philippine government-in-exile in the United States—making Esperanza the fourth First Lady of the land.

She remained in the Philippines, however, all throughout the dark days of the World War II. She was a First Lady for just two years, while rearing her children Victor, Ramon and Rosalina. Esperanza Limjap-Osmeña, the beautiful lady-in-waiting of the 1915 Carnival court who became a First Lady, died in 1978 at age 82 years old.

167. Carnival Beauties: JULITA MATIAS, 1927 Miss Nueva Ecija

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CROWN JEWEL JULIE. Julita Matias, the 1927 Miss Nueva Ecija, the second from the province.

The first time Nueva Ecija fielded a representative to the Manila Carnival quest for Miss Philippines was in 1926, when the first official Miss Nueva Ecija was crowned. This sparked interest in the national carnival promoting the provincial government to hold its own petit carnivals.

In 1927, Nueva Ecija again named its second queen to compete in the 2nd National Beauty Contest. She was none other than 21 year old Juliana "Julita" Matias, born on 11 December 1904. After her carnival campaign (the title went to Tayabasin Luisa Marasigan), "Julie" married Manuel Serrano Maronilla Sr., with whom she had 7 children: Manuel Jr., Jose, Irene, Norberto, Julian, Ramon and Mary.

166. THE 1932 ORMOC CARNIVAL

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ORMOCANON QUEEN. The royal queen of the 1932 Ormoc Carnival, identified only as T. Torres. Dated 1932.

Ormoc, now a city of Leyte, got its name from 'ogmok', an old Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain. Its early economy is agriculture-based, with a well-developed sugarcane, rice and pineapple industry. Ormocanons also subsisted on aquaculture or fishing.

The people of Ormoc are predominantly Catholic with a visible Muslim minority. Like other Philippine towns and places, Ormoc celebrates its annual fiesta in honor of the patron saints Saint Peter and Saint Paul on June 28 and 29.

In 1932, the one and only known Ormoc Carnival was held, possibly to coincide with their fiesta celebration. Not much is known of this petit carnival which saw the election of a local carnival queen, seen in this picture, identified as T. Torres.

She is, in fact. Trinidad Garces Torres. The Torres family of Ormoc, of Spanish-Chinese-Filipino descent, are well-known for their wealth and prominence. Showbiz celebrity and now congresswoman Lucy Torres, wife of Richard Gomez, comes from this celebrated clan. Trinidad is the sister of her paternal grandfather. She married a military man, Col. Segundo Vergara, but she died young. She lived long enough to writer her memoirs which were published and given away to relatives and friends who came to celebrate her 100th birthday.

The fair must have copied major elements from the national Manila Carnival--including the exposition of agricultural and commercial produce, evidence of Ormoc's march to progress.

Indeed, local residents are proud of what Ormoc has become--an independent component city, not subject to regulations from the Leyte provincial government. In fact, Ormoc today is the acknowledged economic, educational, cultural, commercial and transportation hub of western Leyte, notwithstanding the killer typhoon that flooded the city and took more than 6,000 lives in November 1991.

(Many thanks to Mr. Louie Nacorda who provided the information on our beautiful subject here, after contacting his cousin, Jullie Martinez Torres, Lucy Torres' mother).

165. TANGHALAN NG PILIPINAS: A Philippine Showcase at the 1912 Primera Exposicion Filipinas

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(translated from ‘Sariling Tala ng Renacimiento Filipino’, February 12 issue)

ILOCOS NORTE
The farming industry and probably, in the future, mining, is the source and wellspring of wealth of Ilocos Norte.I The woven products of Paoay are charming and durable. Praiseworthy too are the blankets and towels that they make. The natives take advantage of the abundant bamboo and rattan that grows there; they are made into chairs, salakots, beds and many more. The wood cut from the mountains of Solana, Piddig, Vintar and other towns are made into clothes cabinets (aparadors), tables, beds, hampers, hats and other items of note. The leaves of the ‘sarakat’ (a palm variety) plant are woven into sleeping mats and table runners in Banggi. We also noted that they make beautiful salakots of fine finish. There are knives with very good blades.

Palay is also one precious commodity valued by the province; the natives have more than sufficient supply, and the surplus is brought to nearby provinces—what more if there was a better water irrigation system.

Those, however, are not just the province’s riches; there are also its cotton threads, and in the earth’s belly comes valuable ores and minerals like magnesium, asbestos, yeso (gypsum), almagre (red ochre), coal and many more. It is hoped that these ores would bring a never-ending fountain of richness for Ilocos Norte.

PANGASINAN
The pleasing arrangement of the objects on display and the artful, visually-appealing product presentations are what make the Pangasinan exhibit impressive even to those with discriminating taste. At the door, the visitor gets the distinct impression of entering an expansive palace.

That’s because Pangasinan is the province that leads in palay harvest nationwide—and the husk (ubay) of the palay was used to decorate the interior of the booth, all the way to the center stage. Adding more appeal is a mandala of palay that serves as a centerpiece. Surrounding this mandala are spaces that contains the names of the wide rice variety of the province.

The interior columns inside the palace-like palay pavilion are wrapped with coconuts.

In the captioned picture placed in the center of the booth, we read of Pangasinan’s harvest tally for a year: 15 million pesos worth of palay, 2 million and 400 thousand pesos' worth of tobacco, 1 million and 800 thousand worth of coconut and hundreds of thousands’ worth of “pawid” (nipa roofing sheets), monggo and sugar which constitutes about 24 million pesos in value.

One should not also miss the sombreros from Calasiao: there were many of these on display made by a few women.

Pangasinan won a prizes for ‘the most artistic booth’.

MOROLAND
Moroland’s showcase is full to the brim with valuable objects. There are large conches filled with corn grains or pearls, and there are many Moro attires, rattan chairs, wooden tables, hat racks and utensils made of brass, chalk ware, beautiful mats, whips, fish nets and many, many more.

On one side, one can view a variety of sharp spears, gleaming krises and blades; also here are hand-made ‘lantakas’ (cannons) and other Moro battle gear.

It is important to know that these are in great demand in Europe and America where they are bought for good prices, including rubber, almaciga wood, kala (tortoiseshell) or karey, sugarcane, palay, abaca, monggo, camote (yams), linga (sesame), peanuts, dapo (orchids), corn, tobacco, coffee, assorted stoneware and many more. The provinces of Moroland also have wooden produce like gibo, balakbakan, narig (all hardwood trees), lumbayaw (a rice variety), lawan, kalantas (lumber trees), yellow narra and many more.

The cynosure of many visitors’s eye is a small house where resides Datu Diki-Diki. This Moro has a height of just 2 feet, 10 inches and weighs 30 pounds at 37 years of age.

This showcase was given a prize for it’s “biggest number of quality goods”.

SAMAR
The showcase is decorated with abaca, which rivals the best abaca in the land. Samar, other than abaca, also produces palay, kalibiib, earth ore, vegetables like ube, gabi, squash , araro (arrowroot), and other harvests.

The natives are fond of making luxurious mats, salakot and tampipi (woven storage chests). They also weave piña fabrics. From the forests of Samar, one can get long and sturdy rattan. There are about 23 kinds of wood that can be used in the making of very durable wooden items. There are also many varieties of shell from the sea. We also saw a few mineral produce like black coal from the earth.

A live snake about 30 feet long, with a circumference as wide as a man’s thigh was kept in a cage—the object of the crowd’s fascination. Samar was awarded a prize for 3rd class provinces.

CAMARINES SUR
Ambos Camarines (Southern Camarines) won’t be left behind with its display of unique treasures. This province also produces abaca, palay, corn, sugar cane, coconuts and many more. Like the others, it also turns out good and sturdy rattan seats and polished sombreros that are of very good finish.

Wood of varying durability and long, thick rattan can be found in the forests and mountains of Camarines.

The more valuable display of this province are its mineral ores that are a source of paracale and tumbaga (low class gold). In the shores of some of its towns, one can also find many paka and all sorts of shellfish.

164. Carnival Beauties: ROSARIO J. IMPERIAL, 1927 Miss Albay

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IMPERIAL BEAUTY. The second Miss Albay, Rosario Jaucian Imperial, belongs to a very influential family in the region known for their vast land holdings and prosperous abaca business.

Rosario Imperial y Jaucian, Albay’s bet to the 2nd National Beauty Contest belongs to the most affluent clan from Daraga with a most interesting history from both sides of her family. The earliest forebear of the Jaucians is a Christian Sangley from Molo, Iloilo whose grandson, Mariano, relocated to Daraga where he strated a family with a native Bicolana. His descendants made a fortune in abaca and, until the mid 20th century, the Jaucians were the biggest and richest landowning family in Bicolandia.

The Imperials, on the other hand, traces their roots to two brothers shipwrecked in San Bernardino Strait in the 1800s. After settling in Manila, they moved to Daraga where succeeding members married into the Jaucian family. Rosario is a product of this Jaucian-Imperial union, which consolidated the two families’ wealth, power and influence.

Well-known Imperials include the brothers Carlos (1907 Albay representative to the Philippine Assembly), Leoncio (senator, 1916-22) and Jose (Albay governor). To this list, we can now add Rosario, who ably represented her provincemates in the national quest for Miss Philippines.

163. Carnival Beauties: ROSARIO F. REYES, 1912 La Princesa Zenza de Mindanaw

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PRINSESA ZENZA DE MINDANAW, Rosario Reyes y Fernandez of Camiguin reigned in the Mindanano Court of the Queen of Mindanao, who happned to be her elder sister, Remedios. The Reyes sisters were known all over the island as enchanting beauties. Ca. 1912.

The 1912 El Dia Filipino del Carnaval was unique in several aspects especially with the selection of Carnival beauties that saw the crowning of the “Matrona de Filipinas”, Paz Marquez. She was attended by regional queens representing Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, who, in turn, had also had their own array of ‘damas y consortes’, making for a larger royal contingent that rivalled that of the first Carnival.

The Mindanao Queen who bore the fancy title “La Sultana Zoraida de Mindanaw” was Remedios F. Reyes of Camiguin Island whose sisters were just as beautiful. When she won, she called on her sisters to be part of her court. A younger sibling, Rosario Reyes, thus became one of her princesses, assuming the title, "Prinsesa Zenza de Mindanaw".

Born in Mambajao in 1893, Rosario was the daughter of Don Rafael Reyes and Dña. Rafaela Haro Fernandez, rich hacenderos who were well-known in the whole of Camiguin. All their daughters were schooled in the finest institutions; just like elder sister Remedios, Charing was sent to the Colegio de Sta. Catalina in Manila, then moved to the Colegio de Sta. Isabel for 3 years. To further expand her horizons, she and her sisters moved to Hong Kong and became an intern at the Convento Italiano for another 3 years, to pursue a course in Fine Arts.

She so excelled in painting, winning a medal for her work, “ Un Dia Invernal”, at the 1908 Exposicion de Bellas Artes held in Manila. Four years after, at the age of 19, she would grace the Queen of Mindanao court as one of its lovely muses. A write-up about her described her thus: Endearing is how we call Charing, and she is truly a woman of allure and attraction, all at the same time. (“Cariñosa la llaman CHARING y ella es verdaderamente una mujer seductora y attractive y al mismo tiempo”.)

162. THE 1927 KALIBO CARNIVAL

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HALA, BIRA BEAUTY. Queen Crisanta I, the carnival royale of the Kalibo Fair, dated March 1927.

Kalibo, the capital of the province of Aklan, was not to be outdone by its Visayan neighbors when it came to holding its own petit fair. Nearby Capiz had already started its own local carnivals as early as 1924, and Cebu’s own versions of the national event were the talks of the whole Western Visayas region. Besides, Kalibo has had a long tradition of rambunctious revelry and unparalleled merrymaking with its annual Ati-Atihan Festival held in honor of the Sto. Niño.

It was said that in the first Catholic Mass held in the island, ‘sangka libo’ Aeta natives attended, giving the town its name and starting the Ati-Atihan fiesta tradition. Held during the 3rd Sunday of January, this festival never fails to draw devotees, visitors and tourists from all over the Philippines.

And so, in 1927, Kalibo put up its first and only known carnival. Details of the petit carnival remain obscure, and we only have this sole photo as a visual document of that event held in March 1927. Also only the first name of the Carnival royal is known to us, the lovely “Queen Crisanta I”. It would be safe to assume that the people of Kalibo, with their penchant for merrymaking, pulled no stops in making sure that their carnival would be one of the best in the Visayas.

161. The Carnival Architects: MAPUA, BARRETTO, ARELLANO

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The splendor of the Carnivals owes much to its fabulous edifices that did not fail to impress and awe—from the imposing Carnival Gate, the majestic Coronation Throne, the expansive Hippodrome to the provincial booths and displays that vied for the spectators’ attention. The first Carnival did not have a definitive visual theme, a merry mix of American and Philippine motifs, with inspirations drawn from mythology, European fantasy and royalty.

Committees were organized to handle and manage every aspect of the Carnival activities like Promotion, Program, Decoration, Tickets, Invitations, Sanitation, Security, Music, Dances, Sports Competition, Transportation and Masquerade Balls. The construction of the Carnival infrastructures fell into the hands of several key people. In charge of building the main edifices was Col. Mark L. Hersey, while the Hippodrome was put under Col. George Langhorne, who also multi-tasked as the King Consort of the Queen of the Occident. Mauro Prieto headed a team of that included Armando Campa, Manuel de Iriarte, Vicente Singson, C. Rodriguez and B. Roxas that designed and built the Carnival stage of 1908.

As the Carnivals became even more elaborate in the succeeding years, architects were hired to render their professional and expert services in designing the overall Carnival look, including its fabulous buildings and structures. Returning Filipino architects who were sent as pensionados to study in the beaux arts schools of the American East Coast, were the first to be employed for these all-important tasks. Three of them would go on to achieve national recognition and earn their well-deserved place as leading lights of Philippine architecture: Tomas Mapua, Carlos Barretto and Juan Arellano.

Tomas B. Mapua (b. 21 Dec. 1888/ d. 22 Dec. 1965) was the first registered architect of the Philippines who designed the 1917, 1920 and the 1921 Carnivals. The son of Juan Mapua and Justina Bautista, he was sent to America by the U.S. government for his high school and college education. He earned his Architecture degree from Cornell in 1911. For the 1921 Carnival, he executed the magnificent Magallanes Exposition Building, that had 5 high entrance arches surmounted by figural statues and the Main Entrance to the Carnival that had five expansive gateways book-ended with domed structures topped with fancy spires. Inside, the Throne Hall of the Auditorium featured an ornate central dome supported by columns, sheltering the throne of the Queen like a baldochine.

Mapua would go on to design and build the Manila City Hall, Manila Custom’s House, Agrifina Circle, the Post Office Building and the Leyte Capitol. In 1925, he founded the Mapua Institute of Technology (now Mapua University), which became the premier architecture and engineering school of the country.

Carlos Barretto holds the distinction as the first pensionado architect, having graduated three years earlier than Mapua, earning his degree in 1908 from the prestigious Drexel University in Philadelphia. He was the second (after Mapua) to be officially registered as an architect in 1921, as required by law that was passed by the National Assembly that year, one of 22 Filipinos.

Barretto designed the Carnival infrastructures of 1935, built on exuberant Art Deco motif that was the prevailing style of the Commonwealth years. After the Liberation, a group of Filipino architects that included Barretto, organized themselves into the Philippine Institute of Architects which proved to be of great help to the Philippines’ post-war recovery.

Juan Marcos G. Arellano (b. 25 April 1888/ d. 5 Dec. 1960) was the Tondo-born child of Luis Arellano and Bartola de Guzman. His first interest was painting, studying under Fabian de la Rosa and Lorenzo Guerrero. After graduating from Ateneo in 1908, he pursued architecture as a government scholar at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1911, before finishing his course at Drexel, where Barrettoo had finished a few years before.

Trained in Beaux Arts, Arellano worked briefly in New York before his return to to the Philippines. In 1922, he was named as the chief architect of the Manila Carnival, creating the grand neoclassic edifices that complemented the Graeco-Roman theme of the national fair. Arellano would go on to design the Metropolitan Theater in 1935, his best-known work, plus the Jones Bridge, the Legislative Building, the Bank of the Philippine Islands and the Malcolm Hall of the University of the Philippines and the U.S. Embassy. After his retirement in 1956, Arellano returned to painting, his first passion.

For at least 2 decades, the Carnival City of Manila was transformed by these accomplished architects, with their gift of design—creating landscapes of sheer fantasies and building gateways to new worlds of romance, royalty and revelry, fascinating feasts for all the nation’s eyes to see.

160. THE 1912 SAN PABLO CARNIVAL

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Another early supporter of the annual Manila Carnival was the province of “La Laguna”, whose people followed the happenings in the capital city with anticipation and excitement. Just like other provinces that caught the Carnival bug, Laguna also sought to replicate the spirit and the success of the national fair, by holding its own provincial carnival.

The rich coconut town of San Pablo was chosen as the site of the carnival, planned from March 28 to 30, 1913. The organizers put their energies to motion, vowing to compete with the Manila Carnival in terms of grandeur and gaiety. They sought to attract local tourists by drumming up the search for their own “Reina de Carnaval”, and early on, two formidable candidates for the crown loomed, which was played to the hilt in the national press.

The first frontrunner to the crown was the 16 year old beauty, Pacita “Paz” Paulino. The daughter of businessman Marcos Paulino, Paz, at such a young age, was an accomplished pianist, noted for her expressive interpretation of opera favorites and classical pieces, performed with heart and soul. Musically-gifted, highly cultured, Paz enchants, with both her beauty and talent, earning early approval from her provincemates.

Standing in her way is the mestiza beauty Rosario Fule, just 17 years old, but already a popular figure in her home province, famed for her good breeding, admirable personality, and a kind of facial beauty that never fails to fascinate.

We would never know who brought home the crown ( subsequent issues of El Renacimiento did not carry follow-up news), but for sure, the real winner was the province itself, which pulled off its first ever Carnival successfully—not on the same league as the Manila Carnival as ambitiously envisioned—but worthy enough to merit coverage on the country’s leading dailies of that time.

159. Carnival Beauties: ANDREA BADURIA, 1926 Miss Camarines Sur

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CAMARINES CHARMER. Andrea Baduria, the first Miss Camarines Sur, was a standout in the 1926 Manila Carnival pageant, whose family was renowned in Bicolandia for their wealth and status.

The Badurias were an old family who came from Liga and settled in Tigaon after the eruption of Mayon Volcano in 1834. They figured prominently in the political affairs of the town during the Spanish regime. They also invested in abaca plantations and amassed considerable wealth and power.

Miss Camarines Sur of 1926, Andrea Baduria is acknowledged today as the first ever pre-dating the reigns of modern day Bicol beauties, Miss Bicolandia, Melody Gersbach and Venus Raj.

158. Captions from a Fabled Time: THE 1924 MANILA CARNIVAL

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From revelers’ eyes come these side stories of the goings-on of the fabulous 1924 Manila Carnival. They are taken from souvenir Carnival photo postcards, sent to friends and relatives and inscribed at the back with the sender’s personal observations of the various aspects of the fair, giving us a front seat view of the sidelights and highlights of the national event, in accounts that are chatty, intriguing and always, amusing.

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Ve aqui querido gasómetro la entrada de la ciudad de Momo (diseñada por el arquitecto Barretto). Por esa puerta ha pasado medio Manila y un buen promedio de gente de provincial. Es la boca en donde ha entrado muy cerca de cien mil pesitos. El carnival empezó el 16 de Febrero y termino el 24. Luigi

(I see here a gas meter* that I like at the entrance of the city of Mirth (designed by the architect Barreto). (That is why, through this gate, ) half of Manila have passed through and a good number of people from the provinces. It is the portal wherein very close to a hundred thousand bucks have entered. The carnival started on 16 February and will end on the 24th.)

Oh gasometro ve aqui la mansion en donde aletea D.Cupido y donde mas de dos corazones palpitan alborozados. El baile, frenetico, ahora cadencioso y siempre Nuevo. Ahora estan de moda qui en Manila el Scandal Walk y el Ambassadors y con el tiempo el “Loco Walk”.

(Oh, I see a gas meter* here in the mansion where Mr. Cupid is flapping (his wings) and where more than two hearts are beating jubilantly. The dance is frenetic, now rhythmic and always new. The latest fashion now in Manila is the Scandal Walk and the Ambassadors and the beat of the “Loco Walk”.)

Ilustre Suizo: Ve alli a la ilustre pañeja S.M. Trining y su consorte S. Jose Araneta (hermano de Salvador). Que pañeja mas monumental, verdad? Pero no te importe chico y no envidies el no haberte pordido encontrar entre nosotros durante estos dias de fiestas y Jolgorios, tu mission es escalar su Ph.D. y despues yo te prometo que sera’s el consorte de la prometida de tu corazon! Salud y exito, Luigi

(Distinguished Swiss:
This here, is the distinguished queen (Her Majesty) Trining and her consort , Mr. Jose Araneta (brother of Salvador). Isn’t it true that the queen looks more majestic? But do not worry, boy, and don’t be envious for not meeting us during these days of feast and merrymaking. Your mission is to attain your Ph.D., and then after, I promise that you will be the consort of the bride of your heart! Health and success, Luigi)

(NOTES: Luigi, a foreigner, sent these postcards to a Swiss friend. The Spanish word, "gasometro" literally means gas meter, but it may been used as a people counter, to determine the number of Carnival visitors. Most likely though, it is a euphemism for alcohol or spirits, sold freely at commercial booths, and which contributed to the "drunken revelries" that marked and marred the fair.)

A tower of light situated at the center of the Carnival ground proclaiming to delight all on-lookers, Miss Alicia Rimando

Maring, Ang Reyna sa Grand Stand ng ikatlong Parada. Nonaury

157. Carnival Beauties: CONSUELO A. ROA, 1927 Miss Misamis

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COMELY CONSUELO, the bet of Misamis in the 1927 Miss Philippines search of the Manila Carnival, comes from a family of means, supporting her province with her philanthropic acts, long after her marriage to a Cebu businessman.

The Roas are an old family from Cagayan de Misamis, and their family tree is well documented from as early as the 18th century. They are related to the foremost Filipino painter, Damian Domingo, whose marriage to Luisa Casas resulted in 10 children. Two of them, Jose and Anastacio moved to Misamis from Manila, where their two maternal aunts—both married to Roas, resided. The two brothers also married Roas—Jose married Catalina Roa, while Anastacio married Romana Roa.

Miss Misamis of 1927—Consuelo Roa—was descended from this large and artistic family. She was born on 20 June 1902 in Cagayan de Oro to parents Ramon Roa and Andrea Abejuela. She had a sister, named Carmen. Consuelo studied in local schools but did not finish her secondary education. She found herself the toast of her province when she was selected to succeed Amparo Nery and represent Misamis at the 2nd National Beauty Contest of the annual Manila Carnival.

After the national pageant (won by Miss Manila, Luisa Marasigan), Consuelo met and married a businessman from Cebu, Jose Suico Almario. She settled in her husband’s home province and their union was blessed with 5 sons and 2 daughters (Nemesio, Jose Jr., Alicia, Mario, Sylvia, Antonio and Benjamin). Consuelo, however, kept touch with relatives in Cagayan, starting a prosperous real estate property business there. She and her sister, Carmen Roa-Villarin were known for their philanthropic works in their beloved home province.

156. Jazzing Up the Carnival: LOU BORROMEO, Bodabil King

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JAZZ THE WAY YOU ARE. Louis F. Borromeo of Cebu, came back after hitting it big in the American entertainment circuit, and introduced jazz music to the Philippines by way of his song-dance-circus-magic revues that livened up the Carnivals. Ca. 1922.

Luis Borromeo, originally from Cebu, was one of the first Filipino entertainers who made it big in the jazz music halls of America and Canada in the first decade of the 20th century. In 1920, Luis Borromeo returned to the Philippines, renamed himself Borromeo Lou, and put up a band that popularized classical-jazz music. This music genre found favor in the local entertainment circuit, which integrated such performances in the variety shows, which Borromeo later dubbed as “vod-a-vil” or ‘bodabil’, Filipinized from the French ‘vaudeville’.

The enterprising pianist-impresario went beyond spreading his jazz music by establishing his own repertory of artists known as the “Borromeo Lou & Co., Ltd.” , which had magicians, dancers, acrobats, comedians, singers and musicians in its roster of performers. Soon, Borromeo Lou was being invited to grace important events and high society functions.

In 1922, Borromeo and his group was tapped by the Manila Carnival Association to provide entertainment for the 1922 Manila Carnival. He was thus introduced to the Carnival audience as “the originator and recognized King of Orientalized and ‘classic’ jazz, a pianist of rare skill and ability, and champion of all round mirth provoker of the Far East”.

Borromeo Lou and his group’s appearance as the star feature of the 1922 Carnival was made possible through a “royal appointment by her Gracious Majesty, the Queen of the 1922 Manila Carnival”, as hyped up in ads promoting the show.

The cast was headed by Borromeo Lou himself (“The Human Dynamo, Direcor and Classic-Jazz Pianist”), Miss Toytoy ( “The captivating China girl that has won the hearts of all Manila with her character songs and distinctive dances”), Datu Mandi (“The superb and inimitable Moro baritone who interprets with perfection the most difficult operas and sings the exquisite melodies of modern composers”) , Dudu (“The Moro Musician”) , Lucas )”The Miniature Harold Lloyd”) , Hayoki and Maruki San (“The Japanese Twins), musicians Sulubi, Baki and Swasing. Of course, Borromeo’s jazz orchestra, capable of “producing about 240 jazz explosions per minute”, topbilled the Carnival show.

Under Borromeo Lou’s superb direction, his troupe dished out quality entertainment for the Carnival crowd, furnishing “the joy racket of the big show”, night after night.

“If you’re sick, come and be cured. If you’re going to die, come and have a good laugh first. If you’re well, come and help carry out the Jazzophobia victims”—so went Borromeo Lou’s call-to-action to Carnival visitors and revelers. His “bodabil” shows would thrive for the rest of the American occupation—staged in fiestas, petit fairs and theaters—and jumpstarting the careers of well-known artists as singer Katy de la Cruz, dancer Bayani Casimiro, and the Charlie Chaplin look-alike, Canuplin.

155. Carnival Beauties: LUZ S. BESA, 1927 Miss Tarlac

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WIN OR LUZ. Luz Besa, the second beauty to hold the title of Miss Tarlac, married her escort, Engr. Arturo Ilagan, and led a long and fruitful life.

In the Manila Carnival of 1927, Tarlac was represented by the beautiful Luz Besa, (b. 7 November 1907/d. 2002) daughter of Tomas Besa Sr. and Fabiana Salak. Her father passed away when Luz and her siblings were still young, so her mother was left to run the family’s rice and palay business. Luz had an only sister, Lourdes (died of TB during WWII) and 4 brothers: Tomas Jr. (lawyer) , Gualberto (agriculturist), Augusto (orthopedic surgeon) and Gaudencio (judge).

Luz went to the Philippine Women’s University for her schooling. At the local pageant, she was escorted by Engr. Arturo Ilagan from Gerona, Tarlac. After the contest in Manila, Luz was avidly pursued by her engineer-escort for the next 7 years.

Eventually, the two got married and settled in Tarlac, where they operated the Tarlac Ice Plant while raising a brood of 7 children: Eddie, Hernan, Arturo Jr., Mina, Cynthia, Josefina and Ofelia. She lived to celebrate her golden wedding anniversary and passed away in 2002.

154. Carnival Mementos: PRINT ADS

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Major commercial business establishments. private enterprises, government bureaus and other industries that supported the Manila Carnival placed ads in souvenir programs, magazines and other periodicals. While most companies used generic advertisements to announce their services and products, a few commissioned ads with specific Carnival themes. A few examples are shown on this page:

CRISPULO ZAMORA (1871-1922), founded the country's premier metalcraft and engraving store which made most of the medals, Carnival crowns, trophies, pins, military adornments, jewelry pieces and badges for use in the annual Carnival. Together with his wife, Pelagia, he turned his home business into a lucrative industry, the most well-known in the Philippines. His business ran for several generations. (1923)

"THE NIAGARA" was an American-owned luxury store along Escolta that operated alongside popular shopping haunts as I. Beck's, Heacock's, Botica Boie, Oceanic and Erlanger & Galinger. (1910)

"EL DEBATE" was a leading newspaper at the turn of the century, published by the Elizalde Family, which also owned "The Philippine Herald", "Mabuhay" and " Monday Mail". (1910)

"LA PUERTA DEL SOL" (The Door to the Sun), together with "La Estrella Del Norte" (The Star of the North), were the leading high-end department stores along Calle Escolta, touted as "the longest street in the world", at least, by Philippine standards, in the early part of the 20th century. (1910)

"ANG TIBAY", was the most popular local shoe brand in the Philippines that was founded in 1910 by Toribio Teodoro (1887-1965) and partner Juan Katindig. The renown footwear company actually started making slippers, but by the 1930, it had become a giant industry with modern machines that turned out over a thousand pairs of shoes daily, incresaing to 3,000 in the 1950s. Toribio amassed so much wealth that he bought the Manila Grand Opera House. This ad advertised new shoe designs made especially for the Carnival. (1934).

"THE YOKOHAMA" was an early Japanese trading and retail company with offices in Carriedo, which imported its stocks--mainly cotton goods and general merchandise-- from Yokohama, Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka. Its contemporaries include Matsui & Co., Nippon Bazaar and Ohga & Co. (1910)

"CABARET DE SAN JUAN", was an early 20th century dance hall that was frequented by high-heeled guests from here and abroad. It was unique in that it had a skating rink, a new craze at that time. Its chief rival was the better-known Sta. Ana Cabaret. (1910)

SQUIRES, BINGHAM & CO., was a popular photo print shop established by two British, Roy Squires and William Bingham, in 1905. The business expanded into a general merchandising and trading shop, specializing in imported sporting goods, guns and ammunitions. Today, it is the holdings company owned by the family of Don Celso Tuason, and is known as the Arms Corporation of the Philippines. (1909)

153. Carnival Beauties: LUCILLE M. MAXEY, 1926 Miss Davao

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MAXEY-MUM IMPACT. Davao sent the lovely Lucille Maxey to the 1st National Beauty contest of 1926, of Fil-American parentage. Her father was a soldier, a member of the U.S. occupational forces who stayed on in Davao.

In the dual pageant of 1926, Davao sent a Filipino- American mestiza to the 1st National Beauty Contest by the name of Lucille Morales Maxey. Her parents were Melbourne Maxey and Regina Morales of Banganga, Davao.

Mr. Maxey was a member of the 1899 American occupational forces and like many of the soldiers, decided to stay in Davao, find a wife and raise a family. He quickly rose in rank, and held high positions in both the Philippine public school system and the provincial government. He became the School Supervisor in the east coast of Davao and later became a Deputy Governor of Zamboanga.

Lucille was the eldest daughter, and her siblings included John Carlos, Margaret, Florence, Fred and George Maxey.

152. Carnival Beauties: ASCENSION GAVIOLA, 1926 Miss Bohol

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BOHOLANDIA'S BET: Miss Ascension Gaviola, the first titled queen of Bohol and candidate to the 1926 quest for the first Miss Philippines.

The first Miss Bohol, Ascension Gaviola, was born in the rustic and historic town of Jagna in Bohol. Ascension competed against over 20 delegates for the first Miss Philippines title, a much-awaited highlight of the 1926 Manila Carnival. It was a great experience for a country belle like her, but once she went back to Bohol, she ended up becoming Mrs. Llido.

In October 2006, she was one of the 141 illustrious sons and daughters of Jagna who earned honors and achieved their goals in their own respective fields of endeavor.

151. A Program Description: THE 1910 MANILA CARNIVAL, part II

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The Carnival of 1910, in presenting itself to the Orient and the rest of the world, needs no more substantial guaranty of success than the truly wonderful record left behind by the Carnivals of 1908 and 1909. Even after the experience of two years, this institution seems to be definitely and firmly established in the Philippines and its fame has spread to all parts of the world. Its phenomenal growth and development to date indicate that its future possibilities are unlimited, but even now Manila may justly lay claim to the possession of the greatest attraction in the Far East.

In any one of the numerous departments forming this great production may be found enough of interest to far more than justify the effort involved in a journey to Manila from almost any part of the world. The industrial feature, the athletic meet, the wild tribes exhibit, the display of curiosities and novelties, the street pageants, the hippodrome, the coronations, the masked balls, the open-air performances, the pyrotechnic display, the fantastic ceremonies, the races, the live-stock and machinery exhibits, and a great variety of other attractions, all working together as parts of a machine-like whole, transform the quite, staid, dignified Manila of history and tradition into a whirlwind of fascinating activity.

Certain features, beautiful in their execution, features of strength and skill, are less appreciated when presented in an immense open air amphitheatre. This year’s Hippodrome, as will be seen by the program, has been greatly enhanced and made more interesting than ever before.

By reference to the detailed program, it will be seen that one of the principal and, it might be added, the most important feature of this year’s carnival, will be the industrial exhibition. The display shown therein have been gathered from all over the Philippines. It has become customary to look upon the Philippine Carnival as a mere vehicle to furnish mirth and amusement to the populace. While this is to a great extent true, it must be borne in mind that the primary object of the carnival is to promote in every possible way the natural resources, arts and handicrafts of the Philippines, and it must be said that, to a large extent, the two carnivals which have already accomplished this.

This year’s industrial display, it is believed, will do much toward supplying the outside world, as well as the people in the Philippine Islands, with real information of a most valuable nature on these points. Visitors to the carnival will be well repaid by making a careful and leisurely inspection of all that is to be seen in the industrial section.

The great land parades which have been features of the carnivals already held will be repeated this year on a larger and more gorgeous scale than ever. For the first time in the history of the Philippine Islands, foreign troops will march with the American military forces. The Japanese Consul-General arranged to have a detachment from the cruisers now in the harbor represent his country and the sailors and marines from the British Cruiser. Monmouth will represent Great Britain.

In the Carnivals already held, the costumed groups, especially the famous Red Devils have attracted great attention, and this year, this feature will be greatly enlarged upon. There will be Green Devils and there will be Yellow Devils and there will be jesters from the Columbia Club, and other organizations will present features in this line which will not be made known until their actual appearance at the carnival city.

The sports at this carnival, as will be seen from the detailed program, will be very interesting. Man very important events will be held, among which will be the Gun Club tournament. The polo games will be between players from the local teams, the army teams and teams representing the very best polo talent from Hongkong and Singapore, and will be hotly contested.

It would require more space than would fill several books of this size to give in detail all of the many features of this carnival. The program of events, as they will be held from day to day, is presented on the other pages and the attention of visitors is invited thereto. Enjoy yourselves.

150. A Program Description: THE 1910 MANILA CARNIVAL, part I

2010-12-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

The festival that is now being celebrated is the third annual Philippine Carnival. The Carnival has, in some respects, become to be looked upon as “Manila’s show”. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the Carnival is held in Manila, and all of the men who form the working force of the carnival organization live in the capital city of the Philippines, it has always been realized that were it not for the great support furnished the carnival association by the provinces, it would be out of the question to even attempt a festival of the breadth and scope of the one which is now being celebrated.
Then, too, while it has been the principal aim of the Philippine Carnival Association to furnish an annual carnival that would be a credit to the whole Philippine Archipelago, they have not forgotten that an institution of this nature is bound in time to become so well known that it will be looked upon as one of the biggest features of life in the Far East. Already its fame has gone to the furthermost corners of the earth. The first carnival made Manila well known as a provider of first class entertainment, and the second carnival spread the fame of the Philippines throughout Europe, the United States, the Orient and Australasia. Hundreds of inquiries have been received during the last year for information regarding the fiesta now in progress.

Advertising matter of a very high class has been widely distributed. The Red Devil trade-mark of the Philippine Carnival is now familiar from Manila to Vladivostock, Yokohama to Calcutta, and from San Francisco to London, and Honolulu to the Antipodes. This has had the effect it was intended it should have. Last year, the Carnival Association entertained a fair number of foreign visitors who were attracted by the fame of the initial carnival, and this year, we have more visitors from the outside world than it was even hoped would come.
In the United States and Europe, the carnival is a product of gradual evolution which comes into existence only after the social, political, industrial and commercial institutions of a country have become highly developed. At such a point the development of the country, and as a means whereby, during a certain season, the maximum of pleasure may be enjoyed by the entire population, the carnival serves a most important purpose.

In the Philippines, however, with its undeveloped institutions and confronted as it is by the great problems of creating the very fundamentals of national, social and commercial existence, the need for such an institution, solely as a means of amusement and pleasure will not exist for many years.

In spite of this, and entirely apart from its important purposes of practical utility, Manila’s carnival in point of interest, amusement and novelty, may very properly be classed with the famous shows of the world. Indeed, it is doubtful if ever in the history of the modern world there had been crowded within the limits of a period of less than a fortnight a series of entertainments so striking in their character and so nearly representative of the highest grade of amusement from all parts of the globe. International expositions have been held in other sections of the world and into these much of the local color of different countries has been infused; but it has remained for the dreamy, mysterious Orient, with its world of wonders not to be found outside, to discover the real secret of a carnival of the nations.

The fact is not remarkable when considered in the light of conditions existing in the Philippines. When, in 1907, the first Philippine carnival was projected, and its plan and purposes placed before the Secretary of War, now the President of the United States, no difficulty was experienced in impressing upon him the fact that among the institutions operating in this country toward carrying out the proper intentions of the United States Government, none might reasonably be expected to be productive of more valuable results than this. From that date until the present time this interest in the success of the carnival has been active and substantial.

The directors of the Carnival Association in carrying out their plans have had access to every facility possessed by the military and insular governments. Special arrangements with the War Department have placed at their disposal for use in presenting the different gorgeous spectacles forming the central feature of the display a class of talent the securing of which in any other part of the world would be a practical impossibility. In both of the carnivals which have been held, the soldier and the sailor have been conspicuously represented, particularly in connection with the great hippodrome which formed the most striking feature f these carnivals, and whose third appearance is now with us.

Of even greater value has been the assistance furnished by the Civil Government. This has consisted in part of substantial cash appropriations for the support of the institution and in part of the detail of the highest grade of men in civil service for carnival purposes.

These and other equally important features, the active interest and assistance of the business and foreign communities, the fact that Manila is ideally situated with reference to the securing of features of interest from other Oriental countries, and that the Philippines are extremely rich in novelties splendidly suited to the purpose of the carnival, make it possible for this comparatively small organization of men situated in an obscure and imperfectly developed portion of the world, many thousand miles removed from the centers of art and social activity, to present once in each year a two weeks’ period of such striking interest and novelty as to easily rival the greatest attractions of modern times.

149. Carnival Beauties: AMPARO NERY, 1926 Miss Misamis

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THIS MISAMIS MISS IS NOT TO BE MISSED. The 1st Miss Misamis, Amparo Nery became a well-known writer and poet after her Carnival days.

The first Miss Misamis to be sent to first ever Miss Philippines quest in the 1926 Manila Carnival was the lovely Amparo Nery. The Nerys trace their roots to Iligan and Umalag, Cagayan de Oro, and among the members are poets and patriots like Vicentico Neri and Don Tirso Neri. Amparo, who, early on had literary leanings, had two equally accomplished sisters, Araceli and Pureza.

Amparo Nery came to Manila to participate in the festivities, rooming with Remedios Santos (Miss Rizal) and Anita Noble (Miss Batangas) in the house of Alfredo Roa Sr. , who is from Misamis Oriental himself. Anita later was crowned our country’s first Miss Philippines.

Amparo married a Domingo and continued to pursue her passion for writing. She subsequently became the first female writer of the weekly Graphic Magazine. She also became an accomplished poetess, publishing her works in the volume, “The Weak Flesh and the Willing Spirit”, which earned praises from Jaime Cardinal Sin and Fr. James Reuter in the 1990s.

148. Carnival Beauties: JULIETA H. LOPEZ, 1927 Miss Iloilo

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THE LUCK OF THE LOPEZES. Miss Iloilo of 1927, Julieta Lopez y Hofilena was an adoptive child of the prominent Lopez family from this province. Brother Eugenio ("ening) was a frequent escort of Carnival beauties in the 1920s.

Julieta Lopez, the Ilongga bet to the 1927 Manila Carnival search for Miss Philippines, comes from the prominent Lopez clan of Iloilo. She was born in the island of Guimaras (“Roca Encantada”) , the daughter of a peon and an American. Dña. Presentacion Hofileña-Lopez, the wife of Don Benito Lopez, took fancy on the baby girl who hailed from the same place as she did, and adopted her.

She thus became the sister of Eugenio Lopez, an ardent supporter of the Carnival himself and Fernando, the future vice president of the Philippines, and Marcos's party-mate. Julieta married Vicente Arenas who became the Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican.

The couple had a son, Ramon, who married well-known Manila society figure and philanthropist Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas.

147. Carnival Beauties: LEONOR T. REYES, 1926 Miss Bulacan

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QUEEN AT SIXTEEN. The first official Miss Bulacan title was held by a teenager, Leonor T. Reyes, who was appointed in 1926 to represent the province in the 1st National Beauty Contest.

Leonor Tantoco Reyes, was just a a young lady of 16 when she was named as the first Miss Bulacan of 1926. Born in 1919, Leonor comes from a progressive and nationalistic family from Malolos; in fact, several of her blood relations are members of the esteemed “Women of Malolos”, who petitioned Gov. Gen. Valeriano Weyler in 1888 to let them open a night school and who were praised by Rizal through his famous letter addressed to them. In this group were Maria and Teresa Tantoco, aunts of Leonor.

After the Miss Philippines contest in Manila (won by Miss Batangas, Anita Noble), Leonor resumed her studies and finished her Education degree in 1933 from the University of the Philippines. She earned her Master in Education from the same school in 1954. Leonor was a teacher all her life and remained unmarried.

When she died at the ripe old age of 96 on 27 February 2006, she left behind a brother, Leopoldo and three sisters-in-law. She rests at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque. Her heritage house still stands preserved in Malolos.

146. Carnival Mementos: 1909 MANILA CARNIVAL POSTER

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This very rare full sheet lithographed poster of the 1909 Manila Carnival is generously shared by Mr. Allan Schein, who acquired this beautiful work of art in 1976 from the renowned magic poster collector, Mr. Alan J. Kanter, who is also a childhood friend.

The artwork was made by a certain artist named Fuster, which shows the Red Devil sprinkling "joy dust" on Carnival revelers. Nothing much is known about the artist Fuster, who may have been related to one Antonia Fuster, one of the beauties who graced the Oriental Court of Pura Villanueva in the previous year's 1908 Carnival.

The Red Devil figure came to life in many of the Carnival parades, with people donning devil costumes not just in red, abut also in white, yellow, black and other colors. But it was the image of the Red Devil that became the signature figure of the Carnival, replicated in medals, program covers, and commemorative posters such as this fine example.

According to Mr. Schein, this poster, celebrating the national Carnival held from 2-9 February 1909, was originally glued to a cardboard backing, but has since been fully restored. It has been framed and occupies a special place in his residence.

(Many thanks again to Mr. Allan Schein, for sharing with my readers this extraordinary memento from our nation's history.)

145.A Program Description: THE VICTORY CARNIVAL, part II

2010-11-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Early this fall, work will be begun for the Victory Carnival, which opens on January 31 and continues through February 8.

Hundreds of laborers will construct the big white wall which encloses the City and within its portals scores of buildings, to provide appropriate and artistic housing for amusement attractions and exhibits, will soon rear their towers. Plans for the Carnival City have been entrusted to one of the foremost architects of the Philippine Islands, and in beauty and lavishness of design, no previous Carnival setting will be comparable with it.

As has been the case in other years, the two dominating features of the Carnival City will be the high electric tower and the open air ballroom. Sparkling with thousands of small incandescent globes in all the colors of the rainbow, the lofty tower that stands in the center of the Carnival Plaza, crowned with powerful search-lights that throw their beams far out over the bay and back across the old city of Manila, is a perfect thing of real beauty; while the great auditorium with its perfect floor that will accommodate a thousand couples whirling in the maze of the dance, is one of the most unique as well as most beautiful structures anywhere in the world.

At night, when the lights are lit and the people of Manila with their guests give themselves over to revelry, the streets of the Carnival City become a wonderful kaleidoscope of color and life. Perhaps, nowhere else on the globe will the visitor rub shoulders with such a picturesque and cosmopolitan gathering. The American, the Englishman, the Frenchman, the Spaniard, the Russian, the Hollander, the Turk, the Hindu, the Chinaman, the Japanese, and the Filipino---there they all are, the Orientals in their native gala attire, their smiles speaking the common Carnival language, while bright eyes gleam roguishly through the showers of multicolored confetti that float down from above.

In the vast ballroom we meet them once more, the scene even being more picturesque because of the fancy masquerade costumes of many of the dancers. In its balcony sits the famous Constabulary Band, recognized as one of the leading musical organizations of the world, and to it melodious strains the cosmopolitan throng trips through the measures of the dance till dawn comes to dim the artificial lights of night.

On her dais, high above the floor sits the Queen of the Carnival, chosen from among the fairest of the many fair that the Philippines can boast, and her coronation is marked by the most stupendous spectacle of the nine-day revel.

The whole city of Manila gives itself over to Carnival. The government makes each day during Carnival week a half-holiday. The public busies itself with preparations for those who come from without our gates and the entire stage is set for the banishment of worry and trouble.

Steamship lines running to the Philippines will make available ships which will lie over here for most, if not the entire Carnival week. The hotels, led by the famous Manila Hotel, the most beautiful hostelry in the East, will perfect special arrangements for the accommodation of visitors and nothing will be left undone to make the stay of Manila’s guests a period of unalloyed pleasure.

By way of special attractions, the military and civic parades, including the mammoth Carnival Parade, with which only the Mardi Gras pageant at New Orleans can compare, the Coronation Ball, the Army and Navy Ball and the popular Carnival Ball which will open the week’s festivities, will hold most prominent place. But within the Carnival City, the entire Orient will contribute its mummers, jugglers, its master of magic, its acrobats and its freaks for the entertainment of the subjects of King Mirth. In addition, the United States and Europe will contribute spectacular thrillers, who have proved their success at international fairs during the past year.

This and more Manila offers during Carnival Season. And for it, Dame Nature provides what is most perfect in her weather repertoire. Never a drop of rain falls in those early February days, but the sun, tempered by its long sojourn in the north, gives forth nothing but pleasant warmth during the day, while the nights, delicious in their coolness, are passed all too soon under the diamond-studded tropical sky and the Southern Cross.

Manila invites the world to this celebration of our victory. Her hospitality and all that she has are yours for Carnival Time.

144. A Program Description: THE VICTORY CARNIVAL. part I

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(Taken from the official souvenir program of the Victory Carnival and Exposition, Manila, P.I., January 31-February 8, 1920)

Nowhere in the Far East will the signal of the United States and the powers associated with her be as fittingly celebrated as in Manila, “The Pearl of the Orient”.

For eleven seasons, the people of Manila have made herself the playground of the East during the first days of February , when climactic conditions combine to make for perfect days and perfect nights. There has been but one lapse.

During 1918, when preparations for the 1919 Philippine Carnival had to be made, the United States was at war with the Central Powers. For patriotic reasons and in order to enable the Philippines to unite in placing every resource at the disposal of the American government and the various organizations active in war work, the 1919 Carnival was abandoned.

For this reason, the 1920 Carnival becomes the Philippine celebration for the great Victory and in it she invites the world to participate.

For those who have never seen Manila in Carnival time, mere words can conjure up but a faint picture of its attractions and beauties. It is the Mardi Gras of the Orient. It yields not to the Carnival of Venice nor to that of Rome. It is the meeting place of the East and the West. Practically, every nationality on the face of the globe is represented in its revels.

In setting, it is unique: A modern city of alabaster set as a precious jewel in background and medievalism.

On historic Wallace Field, facing the Spanish Luneta of romantic association, the Carnival City looks out upon the shifting blues and greens of Manila Bay, its turrets commanding distant view of the island fortress of Corregidor and the narrow passage through which Admiral Dewey led his squadron to a victory that implanted the Stars and Stripes upon Oriental soil. There it nestles, on its field of emerald green, and across it fall the shadows of old Spanish battlements, the historic walls built by the Castilian conqueror and still standing as a monument to the military genius of the Spain that was three centuries ago.

In 1920, this Carnival City will surpass all of its predecessors in size and splendor, for in addition to the regular Carnival features, there will be housed within it a commercial and industrial exhibit in which the 45 provinces and 920 towns of the archipelago will be directly represented.. But this feature of the great fiesta deserves a special mention apart.

143. Carnival Beauties: ISOLINA P. PALMA, 1926 Miss Tarlac

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TOAST OF TARLAC. Isolina Palma, the 1st official Miss Tarlac competed in the search for the 1st Miss Miss Philippines of the 1926 Manila Carnival.

The first known Miss Tarlac to officially represent the province in the Manila Carnival was Isolina Palma, born 24 August 1905. She was the daughter of former Bacolor mayor Gregorio Palma with Genoveva Puno. A short while after the contest, she married Dr. Valeriano Calma, Ph.D., an agriculturist and agronomy professor from Bacolor, who earned his doctorate in the U.S.

They settled in Los Baños where, on the side, she ran a boarding house for U.P. students. The couple designed and built a house made of bamboo that became their home for over 40 years. They had 2 daughters, Elizabeth and Josephine . Isolina resided in Los Baños till her death on 25 April 1997.

142. THE 1928 ILOILO CARNIVAL

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STAR OF THE CARNAVAL DE ILOILO. Her Majesty, Estrella II, wearing her crown of beauty and patriotism. Dated 1928.

To the province of Iloilo goes the distinction of producing the very first Queen of the Orient—Pura Villanueva—the accomplished Ilongga-Spanish mestiza who ruled and captivated the crowds of the 1908 Manila Carnival. In the succeeding editions of the Carnival, Iloilo belles regularly made their appearance on the Carnival stage in Luneta, to compete against other provincial muses for the title of ‘Queen of the Manila Carnival” and later, “Miss Philippines”.

Some Ilongga beauties who went to the national Miss Philippines pageant included Amparo Unson (the first Miss Iloilo) who vied for the title in 1926 and Julieta Lopez (Miss Iloilo 1927). Both, however, did not advance to the finals.

In 1928, the provincial government held its own Carnival, but the details of that event are lost to us. A queen, Estrella II , nicknamed “Tiliang”, ruled the festivities of the ‘Carnaval de Iloilo’. We do not know if she was to have been the official Iloilo representative to the national Carnival, but in 1928, the event was scrapped due to financial, organizational and timing problems.

It would be another 22 years after Pura, for another Ilongga to bring home the crown for the province again. In 1930, the lovely Consuelo ‘Monina’ Acuña was crowned Miss Philippines.

141. Carnival Beauties: MARGARITA T. LACSON, 1926 Miss Negros Occidental

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OCCIDENTAL TOURIST AT THE 1st MISS PHILIPPINES SEARCH. Margarita Lacson y Torres, the beauty bet of Occidental Negros, was the daughter of a Negrense Katipunero general who had a blood compact with Bonifacio. 1926 official photo.

There was much talk about the celebrated lineage of the first ever Miss Philippines of 1926, Anita Noble of Batangas. Descended from heroes on both sides of her family, Anita was a shoo-in for the crown, and when she emerged as the winner, newspapers had a heyday reporting her connections to Bonifacio and the Agoncillos.

But in that year’s search for Miss Philippines, another candidate had almost the same credentials, the daughter of a true-blue Katipunero originally from Iloilo, from: Margarita Torres Lacson, the 1926 Miss Negros Occidental.

Margarita was the daughter of Aniceto Ledesma Lacson (b.1857/d.1931) of Molo, Iloilo whose parents, Lucio Lacson and Clara Ledesma relocated to Negros when Aniceto was just a boy. Aniceto studied at Ateneo Municipal and had Jose P. Rizal, the future national hero, as a classmate.

As a Manila student, Aniceto had the opportunity to meet the Katipunan Supremo and founder, Andrés Bonifacio, with whom he had a secret blood compact, the only Negrense to do so. He subsequently became a general of the Philippine Revolution.

Margarita’s mother, Magdalena “Nena” Torres was the second wife of Aniceto. First wife Rosario Araneta, a member of the royal Kabungsuan family of Mindanao, bore him 11 children. With Magdalena, 10 more children were added to the large family. Margarita’s siblings included Resureccion, Leonila, Leoncia, Nicolas (married to Mayor of Manila Arsenio Lacson’s sister, Amparo), Juan, Lucio, Luis, Consuelo and Jose.

Margarita later became Mrs. William Gemperle, a Swiss businessman and a longtime resident of Manila.

140. 1928 OCCIDENTAL NEGROS CARNIVAL & EXPOSITION

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MISS SILAY & MISS SAN ENRIQUE OF 1938 Beauties of the 1938 Negros Occidental Carnival & Exposition.

Negros had its own provincial version of the Carnival in 1928 with the launch of the Occ. Negros Carnival and Exposition. The "Sugar Queen of the Philippines" could very well afford to have its own fair, to showcase their affluence and prosperity brought about by its profitable sugar industry. As early as the Spanish times, Negros enjoyed a level of importance due to the huge economic investments infused on its sugar industry and towns like Victorias and Silay boomed, becoming more cosmopolitan and Hispanized as the years went by. This went on until the American Occupation, where its sugar produce was lapped up avidly by the U.S. market.

As such, the Negrenses' joie de vivre found outlets in festivals inspired by the Manila Carnival. The first Miss Negros Occidental had participated in the 1st National Beauty Contest of 1926, and from that moment on, the Negrenses have never ceased creating their own celebrations. In the 1928 provincial carnival, town muses graced the festivities and two of them are featured here: Miss Silay (La Musa of Guintabu-an) and Miss San Enrique, both unidentified in the photographs.

Today, the festival tradition continues in Negros, with the famous MassKara Festival of Bacolod, the Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos City and the Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota City.

139. Carnival Beauties: ROSARIO A. PICAZO, 1927 Miss Capiz

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The province of Capiz made sure that their representative to the 1st National Beauty Contest would create a major impression in Manila, placing its bet on a lovely Capizeña with an impeccable pedigree.

The beautiful Rosario Acuña Picazo is the daughter of Rosario Villaruz Acuña with her second husband, Eugenio Picazo. Nena’s mother was married first to Gerardo Roxas, and one of their children, Manuel, would become the President of the Philippines ( 1948). Nena, thus, is her half-sister.

Nena’s Picazo siblings include Evaristo, Ines and Leopoldo. Competition was very tough that year, resulting in a tie that was only broken after seeking the advice of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon. The 1st Miss Philippines title went to Anita Noble of Batangas.

138. THE 1927 BULACAN PROVINCIAL FAIR

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MARILAG NA BULAKENYA. Miss Malolos Josefa de Leon and Miss Hagonoy Carmen Tomacruz in their official photos as town muses of the 1927 Bulacan Provincial Fair.

One province that has consistently displayed its support for the national carnival is Bulacan. The province has taken part in the festivities since the inception of the fair in 1908, by way of town booths, product displays and the fielding of their beauty bet to the Carnival Queen search.

The progress of Bulacan was evident in its many pavilions put up for the pioneering 1908 Carnival, although its centerpiece Palacio de Bulakan earned mixed reviews. El Renacimiento reports: “(Bulacan Palace) has been economically improvised. Its presentation is disorderly. Made of nipa and bamboo, I shows the potentials of he industries of that province, the embryo of national industries. Hats, silks, bibelots, chairs, etc. make the pavilion an industrial, if not an art center..”

Bulacan made quite an impression in its 1924 participation, under the helm of Gov. Pio Valenzuela, who headed the Exhibicion de la Provincia de Bulacan. The town pavilions featured once again, their agricultural and commercial produce like the ‘agua minerales’ of Sibul Springs and Marilao.

In 1927, Bulacan once again held its own provincial fair, highlighted by the selection of town muses, two of which are featured on this page. Miss Malolos is Josefa Pantangco de Leon, a teacher at Bulacan High School, who went on to wed Aurelio Lularga Peña of Camiling, Tarlac. Miss Hagonoy, Carmen Tomacruz, comes from a political family from that town. The province-wide affair once again acclaimed the strides made by proud Bulakenyos in contributing to nation-building.

137. Carnival Beauties: LORETO B. RELOVA, 1926 Miss Laguna

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1926 MISS LAGUNA. The lovely Loreto Relova a noted town beauty, comes from a very large family from Pila, Laguna. She, too, had 10 children with Dr. Miguel Santos-Pascual. She competed in the very 1st search for Miss Philippines won by Anita Noble of Batangas.

The first Miss Laguna--Loreto “Etong” Relova was born on 24 February 1907 in, Pila, Laguna, the daughter of Regino Diaz Relova, a Katipunero colonel of the Magdalo faction and Teodula Oca Bartolome. The Relovas were a large and well-known family in the province—Loreta had ten siblings (Delfin, Rosario, Federico, Jose, Maria, Socorro, Roberto, Juan, Regino Miguel and Gonzalo)-- and for one of their fair daughters to be named Miss Laguna, was indeed a big honor. Her beauty was apparent at an early age—at 15, Etong was chosen to be Rosa Mistica in the annual Flores de Mayo of her town.

A first cousin, Supreme Court Associate Justice Lorenzo Rivera Relova mused about the Relova sisters—“si Charing ay sosyal, si Coring ay sosyal, si Etong hindi sosyal pero naging Miss Laguna”. As people close to her recall, Etong preferred staying at home, in the company of the tenants’ children who worked their Laguna farms. When gentlemen callers came visiting, she would stay in the bathroom, pretending to be busy. Her father had to have the trees surrounding their house cut down for fear that her admirers would climb them, since she refused to entertain them.

While her sisters and cousins went to school either at St. Scholastica or Philippine Women’s University, the young Loreto became an interna at the Holy Ghost College ran by German nuns from 1923-27. It was while she was a student there that the Governor of Laguna, Feliciano Arambulo Gomez, handpicked her to be the first Miss Laguna for the Miss Philippines search of the Manila Carnival.

Hopes were high for Etong to capture the Carnival crown, which, only four years before, had been won by a Pagsanjan beauty, Virginia Llamas—a first for Laguna. It was an exciting time for a 19 year old girl to come to the big city and meet other lovely girls from all over the country. As candidates, they toured different provinces and islands as part of their activities. Loreto did not win, but certainly relished her experience. Besides, much more wonderful things were happening in her life.

That same year, in May, while the beauty queen was coming out of the historic Pila Church, Dr. Miguel Santos-Pascual saw her from atop the veranda of Etong’s uncle, Ruperto Diaz Relova. Dr. Pascual was 10 years her senior, and already an established surgeon-physician of repute. He had finished his medical course at U.S.T and had gone to the United States and Paris, France for special studies.

It was love at first sight for the smitten doctor, and drove from Malabon to Pila to begin his courtship of Loreto. Dr. Pascual’s mother had to rent a house in Los Baños so that her son could be nearer his object of pursuit. On 7 September 1927, Loreto and Miguel tied the knot and their union resulted in 10 children (Miguel II, Raul Justino, Renato, Ma. Teresita, Dolly, Loreto II, Chit, Rene, Ed and Eduarda). It was a blissful married life, marred only by a fire in 1962 that razed their house to the ground and her Carnival photos and mementos. But Etong possessed such a sharp memory that she could easily identify relatives, determine their connection and name the provinces where they hailed from.

Their union sadly came to an end with Dr. Pascual’s passing on 7 July, 1967. Widowed at 60, Etong led a simple life surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She also became an ardent devotee of the Blessed Virgin. A routine hip operation in 1994 went awry when, after being given anaesthesia, she lapsed into a coma that would last for two long years. Loreto passed away peacefully on 3 June 1996. Had she survived her operation, she would have lived for the rest of her life in the United States where her children have all settled. Her memory continues to live on in the hearts of her family, as well as in the minds of Laguna oldtimers who, once upon a time in 1926, cheered their fair daughter as as she took centerstage to vie in the country’s biggest beauty concourse, all for Laguna’s pride and honor.

(I am indebted to Lou Relova, daughter of Loreto Relova, for her mother’s biographical sketch. My sincerest thanks! )

136. THE 1926 CAGAYAN CARNIVAL

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In 10 May 1926, swept by the Carnival fever, Cagayan held its own carnival. In fact, it was a joint, two-in-one carnival--one was for the province and the other for the capital town of Aparri. Very little is known about the organization of these provincial events, except that two queens reigned during that event.

The Aparri Carnival had Francisca Nepomuceno as Queen. The Carnaval de Cagayan Adelena Espartero reign as Miss Cagayan 1926. Adelena did not go to Manila for the national competition as the Manila Carnival had already ended by then, nor did she go to the 1927 contest—Carmen Quinto went to that one. Like the Cagayan provincial carnivals, nothing much is known about her.

135. Carnival Beauties: AMELIA Z. ROMUALDEZ, 1927 Miss Leyte

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IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS? Amelia Zialcita Romuadez, Miss Leyte 1927, bears a striking resemblance to her first cousin, Imelda Romualdez (Marcos) in her official Manila Carnival picture.

In 1927, the province of Leyte fielded a homegrown beauty to the Miss Philippines tilt. She was Amelia Romualdez, who bore a striking resemblance to a first cousin—Imelda Romualdez—who would go on to become the First Lady of the land as the wife of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. Imelda's father, Vicente Orestes, is the younger brother of Miguel Lopez Romualdez, Amelia's father, who was married to Brigida Zialcita of Manila.

Amelia's father had been a former Assemblyman of Leyte and a Mayor of Manila during World War II. The Lopezes were of Spanish descent; Amelia's paternal grandmother, Trinidad Lopez was a daughter of a Spanish friar, Fray Diego de Lopez of Granada, Spain who was assigned in Leyte. The Lopezes are credited with founding the town of Tolosa and enjoyed a reputation as a rich, influential and accomplished family.

Amelia's siblings included Daniel (Speaker of the House of Representatives 1957-62), Estela, Miguel Jr., Alberto (father of former Health Secretary, Alberto G. Romualdez), Froilan and Eduardo (Central Bank Governor).

Though a popular candidate, she did not place in the finals, with the crown going to Tayabasin Luisa Marasigan, who represented Manila and who also reigned as Sultana ng Pasig. In later years, Amelia married Col. Maximiano Janairo and settled in Maryland, U.S.A.

134. Carnival Mementos: TICKETS TO CARNIVAL SHOWS

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The Manila Carnivals drew much of its income from the many shows that were patronized by visitors who came in droves to witness such special attractions. To gain access, one had to buy tickets at the entrance gate or from the takilya booths at the show venue like the Hippodrome or the Carnival Auditorium. Complimentary passes were also issued to select guests who had exclusive entrances to the shows.

The Hippodrome of the “Celestial City” was the venue for the many equestrian shows that were staple favorites of the fair. There were horse stunts, cavalry horses parades, pony rides and rodeo shows that were presented by Americans. But dogs also had their moments at the Carnival, when dog shows were incorporated in the program.

Also held at the Hippodrome were the musical shows put up by the Constabulary Band, then famous throughout Far East Asia. Cultural shows were offered by American Indians as well as other ethnic groups like the highland tribes of Mountain Province and the Moros. They shared centerstage with military men who displayed their skills in their synchronized drills and maneuvers.

Different venues hosted many sporting events but the Carnival Stadium was the site of a few sports competitions like indoor baseball, soccer and inert-scholastic track meet.

Eagerly anticipated were the circus shows, often featuring foreign acts. Filipino acrobats livened up the shows with such stunts as an aerial fall where a young lady descended to the floor from a height of 500 feet---held only by her hair. There were magic shows, Russian ballets and arcade games reminiscent of Coney Island’s. Tickets were bought for a ride on “La Rueda Ferris”, “El Carouselle” the Monkey Speedway, and “The Frolic”, which simulated an airplane ride.

Then there were the series of grand balls in which thousands of tickets were issued —Comparsas, Coronation Balls, Army and Navy Ball, Parejas Ball, Fancy Dress Ball, Stockholders’ Ball, Inter-Collegiate Ball, University Nights—extravagant events people went to, to see and to be seen. In 1921, ticket prices ranged from 20 centavos (for the children’s ball) to Php 6.00 to the Coronation Ball (good for a gentleman and 2 ladies).

As souvenirs of the Manila Carnivals, used tickets and stubs were kept by Carnival fans in scrapbooks or bundled with old letters. Some were kept between pages of books, ledgers and notebooks only to be rediscovered by ephemera collectors today, who prized them as historical collectibles.

133. Carnival Beauties: RIZALINA B. CALUMPANG, 1927 Miss Negros Oriental

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1927 MISS NEGROS ORIENTAL, RIZALINA "Saling" CALUMPANG

The Calumpangs are one of the oldest families of Tanjay, which, at the time of the Spanish conquest was one of the more established and biggest settlements outside of Cebu. From this esteemed family came Rizalina Calumpang y Borromeo, Miss Tanjay of 1927, and who was eventually named as Miss Negros Oriental 1927. "Saling" was born on 30 December 1908, hence her Rizal-inspired name. Rare portraits of her show her distinct mestiza features, a result of the intermarriages of the Calumpangs with Spanish families (her paternal grandfather, Martin Calumpang had a Spanish-Irish friar for a father). She was one of the few Negrense beauties ever to participate in the national fair. She was sent to the 2nd National Beauty Contest of the 1927 Manila Carnival, but did not place. The crown went to an Escolarina, Luisa Marasigan of Tayabas, who represented Manila.

The beautiful “Saling” later became the wife of a dashing Baisanon, Fructuoso Montesa. Her descendants and relatives are renown personalities themselves, and they include the 1960 Miss Negros Oriental, Dr. Estela Guerrero Navarro (her husband is a 2nd cousin), Paquita Roces (the 2st Camay Girl), director Eddie Romero (her nephew), actress Chanda Romero (her grandniece), former Senator and Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Jose Calumpang Munoz-Romero (her 2nd cousin) and Dr. Jose Ma. Veloso Borromeo (a cousin, husband of Amparo Noel, 1912 Reina de Bisayas) The first and only Miss Negros Oriental bet to the national Carnival of Manila passed away at the age of 81 on 23 August 1990.

(Many thanks to Ron Jacob Abrasaldo Calumpang for the additional info on his relative, Miss Negros Oriental 1926 Rizalina Calumpang)

132. THE PETIT FAIRS OF CAMILING 1930-1933

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Camiling, a premiere town of Tarlac lying next to Pangasinan, was once a part of Paniqui. It was declared an independent town in 1838, with Don Vicente Galsim serving as the first gobernadorcillo. The town, with a name derived from the ‘kamiring’ tree that once grew abundantly there, is rich in history and tradition. Camiling is the birthplace of prominent Filipino personages such as U.N. Diplomat and General Carlos P. Romulo, U.P. President Onofre Corpuz and of course, Dr. Jose Rizal’s young love, Leonor Rivera.

In the 1930s, amidst a time of peace and plenty, Camiling held its own ‘petit carnivals’ in conjunction with the town fiesta that was held annually from May 6, 7, and 8. The first recorded provincial fair of Tarlac was held in 1927, same year as the town fair of Concepcion. Camiling followed suit in 1930, with a mini-fair that adapted certain successful elements of the grand national carnival in Manila.

Two pictures from that event show the lavishness of the petit fair, aping successfully the costumed pageantry of the Manila Carnival. Reigning queen over the festicities was Queen Pura I, a namesake of the very first Carnival royale of Manila (Pura Villanueva).

In 1933, the chosen Queen was a pedigreed beauty named Remedios Romulo Kipping. If her name sounds familiar, it is because the lovely Camiling Queen is a direct descendant of Leonor Rivera-Kipping. Leonor was a second cousin of Dr. Jose Rizal; they had met while he was but in her early teens. Unfortunately, their love did not prosper owing to Rizal’s departure for abroad to escape arrest and Leonor’s mother’s objection over her controversial suitor. Leonor was the inspiration of the character “Maria Clara” in Rizal’s “Noli” and “Fili” novels.

Leonor, instead, married the British engineer Charles Henry Kipping, whom she had met while staying in Dagupan. A lone child of their union, Carlos Jr., married Lourdes Romulo, sister of Carlos P. Romulo. They had four children namely, Carlos III, Linda, Araceli and Remedios, the future Queen of the Camiling Fair. Remedios was a student of Sta. Catalina de Manila, a school run by Dominican sisters, when she was elected to reign as the monarch of the fiesta. At her coronation, she was dressed as a Russian Empress.

The Camiling petit carnival that year had a grandiose mixed European-theme as these pictures show, reflecting the rise of this premiere commercial town, which, in prominence and affluence, ranked second only after the Tarlac capital.

Remedios later married Cesar Jimenez, with whom she had 6 children: Miguel, Meddie, Anna, Rita, Jimmy and Josefina.

131. Carnival Beauties: ROSARIO L. MANUEL, 1927 Miss Pampanga

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ROSARIO MANUEL, Miss Pampanga 1927. A beauty of renown from Bacolor, made it to the national finals of the 1927 edition of the Manila Carnival.

True to its title as the “Athens of Pampanga”, Bacolor was not just a cradle of culture, it was also the seat of beauty, echoing the fabled reputation of Greece as the land of beautiful goddesses--Hera, Aphrodite and Athena—who figured in perhaps, the 1st documented beauty pageant of ancient times, as judged by Paris.

Bacolor belles like Luz Sarmiento, Paz Sanchez, Consuelo Santos and Elisa Gutierrez were regarded as the town muses in the mid 1920s-1930s. A more notable titled beauty however was Rosario Manuel, crowned Miss Pampanga 1927. She was the daughter of Generoso Manuel and Gliceria Lacsamana of Cabambangan, now the town’s poblacion.

With her victory, Rosario (Chayong) gained the right to represent the province in the 2nd National Beauty Contest sponsored by The Philippine Free Press. Doe-eyed Rosario went to Manila for the competition to make her bid for the Miss Philippines crown. It was a tall order for Rosario, as among the previous year’s winners was a kabalen—Socorro Henson of Angeles, who reigned as Manila’s Carnival Queen of 1926.

In the 1927 edition held from February 12 to 27, 28 beauties from around the country participated. Two of the contenders that year were Amelia Romualdez, Miss Leyte, who bore a striking resemblance to her first cousin, Imelda Romualdez and fellow Kapampangan, Luz Besa of Tarlac. The judges were reminded that “in the selection of the most beautiful ladies, (you) shall consider, besides physical beauty, the personal charms and the general refinement and composure of candidates”.

In the end, Luisa Marasigan, Miss Manila, won as Miss Philippines. Her court included Miss Luzon, Iluminada Laurel (Batangas), Miss Visayas, Lourdes Rodriguez (Cebu) and Miss Mindanao, Nora Maulana (Sulu). Even then, Rosario Manuel’s beauty was immortalized in a special commemorative booklet issued by Free Press magazine. Rosario Manuel settled back in Bacolor, remaining unmarried and adopting young relatives to serve as companions for the rest of her life.

130. Carnival Mementos: COMMEMORATIVE PROGRAMS

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Collectors of commemorative items from world fairs and national expositions avidly seek out souvenir programs as these contain valuable information about the conduct of the event, schedule of activities, officers and members of the fair association and listings of major sponsors. Some programs were also profusely illustrated, and came with interesting advertisements as well as old photographs that give readers a glimpse of our past social history.

The Manila Carnivals had such programs, beginning with the 1908 national carnival. The slim volume, entitled “Programa Oficial del Carnaval de Filipinas en Manila, Islas Filipinas” has a listing of the schedules of the activities from 27 Feb. -3 Mar. 1908, including the land parades and the sporting competitions. The program is handsomely illustrated with the fabulous carrozas and floats of the different private companies and government bureaus participating in the first ever carnival of Manila. A lay-out of Wallace Field in Luneta is also featured as a convenient guide to the different booths, playing fields and the Hippodrome.

Subsequent programs were printed in color, such as the 1920 Victory Carnival and Exposition, held from 31 Jan.- 8 Feb., 1920. The souvenir program contained photos of newly-built infrastuctures—schools, bridges, municipal halls—as testaments to the march of progress in the Islands.

Programs also carried advertisements of corporate sponsors (Manila Hotel, Sanitary Steam Laundry, Firestone, Smith Bell & Co., San Miguel Brewery) and now-defunct business establishments like “Estrella del Norte”, “Gonzalo & Sons”, "Bazar Siglo XX" and “La Puerta del Sol”.

The Carnival was also a time to breastbeat, and so, important officials and members of the Manila Carnival Association—mostly government personalities—were featured in full page photos. The major characters of the Carnival—Governor Generals Leonard Wood, Francis Burton Harrison, perennial president Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Director Arsenio Luz—had regular appearances on commemorative programs.

Later programs were printed on cheaper paper stock. The 1935 program with its signature art deco design was of newsprint, with photographic reprints of the past Carnival Queens, making it a valuable documentary reference of past Carnivals.

Manila Carnival programs are very hard to come by, but a few have survived—recovered from old bauls and musty aparadors, they can either be found for bidding in online auction sites or sold as historical ephemera by antique dealers, great pictorial souvenirs of the most spectacular event ever held in our fair Islands.

129. 1938 DAVAO CARNIVAL AND EXPOSITION

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One of the last big provincial fairs in the flickering days of the national Carnival was held in the city of Davao starting on 25 June 1938. The Davao Carnival and Exposition lasted for two weeks and and the provincial capital pulled no stops in ensuring the carnival’s success. Just like the Manila Carnival, the Davao event also featured a brightly-lit carnival auditorium that was the central venue of many carnival activities.

Elsewhere, around the city, military, school and government bureau parades were held on the street, featuring officials in horses, marching bands and Boy Scouts.

When evening fell, the auditorium grounds came alive with masked balls, folk dances and other cultural presentations. Most awaited was the selection of the Queen of the Davao Carnival, won by local beauty, Angela Bangoy. One of her princesses was a Miss V. Cortez.

At her coronation, Queen Angela I donned the costume of a Muslim princess. Throughout the Carnival Days, the beautiful queen received prominent visitors who paid her homage, including Dna. Graciana vds. De Lugod and Mr. Jaime Gavina.

128. THE 1927 CONCEPCION PETIT FAIR, Tarlac

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Concepcion, one of the largest municipalities of Tarlac province is also known as the birthplace of Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. The historic town celebrates its town fiesta (pyestang balen) every 25th of April, which surprisingly is the feast day of San Marco. It can be surmised that the April 25 date originated from the petit carnivals that were popular during during the first decade of American Rule in the Philippines.

Concepcion, like many other towns copied the happenings of the annual national Manila Carnival of the Philippines, integrating the crowning of a Miss Petit Carnival in its program if activities. In his write-up about his town fiesta, historian Dr. Lino L. Dizon notes: “Both adults and children eagerly awaited not only the beauty queens of the Karnabal – as the dominant Kapampangans of the municipality pronounced such an event – but also the piyalben quing patiu (sights in the town square).

The early 1900s would have been dominated by the musicus (brass bands) parading around the town and the arcos (arcs) built in the heart of the plaza festooned with banderitas, where zarzuelas and crissotans were held. Later years would have seen the karnabal become more mechanical, with the arrival of the arueda (ferris wheel, from the Spanish rueda), the merry-go-round and other rides, collectively called chubibu (literally, ‘pacifier’ in Spanish). And each taga-Concepcion, irrespective of social class, would be eagerly inviting fiesta-goers to their dining table or even their lowly dulang, sharing genuine hospitality and their taung fiesta, like the lechun, the bringhi, the achara, and the putu lansung.”

The 1927 Petit Carnival of Concepcion was attended with similar fanfare. That year, Queen Paz I was elected as the carnival royal. Nineteen year old Paz Feliciano (b/ 13 Nov. 1918/ d./ 18 Feb. 2008) was born to a prominent family of hacienderos who were one of the original settlers of Concepcion., together with the Aquinos, Pinedas, Yumuls, Castros, Bermudezes and Cortezes. Paz had a sister, Consolacion (later married to an Ibarra)

She later married Atty. Patricio Y. Pineda Sr., a prominent lawyer and one of the incorporators of the Rural Bank Association of the Philippines. Their children included Corazon, Cecilia, Patricio Jr., Bernadette, and Maria Paz.

One of the princesses of Queen Paz I was an equally well-known town beauty, 17 year old Aurora Aquino. She would go on to be the second wife of Assemblyman and Sen. Benigno Aquino Sr., (after Maria Urquico) who was, in fact, a third cousin. They were married on 6 December 1930, and their union resulted in the following children—Maria Aurora (Maur), Benigno Simeon, Jr. (Ninoy), Maria Gerarda (Ditas), Maria Guadalupe (Lupita), Agapito (Butz), Paul, and Maria Teresa (Tessie)

Doña Aurora Aquino, mother of the late Sen. Benigno ''Ninoy'' Aquino Jr., mother-in-law of the late Pres. Corazon C. Aquino, and grandmother of current president Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III, died at 9:05 a.m. on 24 December 1998 at the Makati Medical Center. She was 88.

(THANK YOU to Prof. Lino Dizon for the use of the photo of Paz I and her consort, taken from his article: Fiestang Balen: Biography of a Town Fiesta.http://www.apwn.net/index.php/archives/more/fiestang_balen_biography_of_a_town_fiesta_by_lino_l_dizon/)