125. THE 1928 BATANGAS CARNIVAL

Batangas beauties have done very well in the Manila Carnival Queen quest, starting with Julia Otero Arceo of Batangas, Batangas, who wore the crown proudly for her province in 1913. It took another ten years for another Batangueña to win back the title; in 1923, Catalina Castillo Apacible of Balayan town was elected Queen. Then, in the very first search for “Miss Philippines”, the lovely Anita Agoncillo Noble of Lemery, handpicked by the Batangas governor to compete in the 1st National Beauty Show of 1926, did not disappoint and emerged victorious in the tightly-fought finals.


Perhaps, Anita Noble’s winning qualities set a standard that was too high to be matched by her would-be successor, so much so that in the next year’s Carnival edition, the local carnival committee opted not to send a delegate to the 2nd National Beauty Show of 1927, to the consternation of many who had expected to see another strong candidate from the province. Besides, it was a tall order for another Batangas beauty to win the crown two years in a row.

Instead, the local provincial carnival committee decided to focus their energy on their search for the 1928 Miss Batangas. This time, an appropriate grand event was planned that will be the backdrop for the proclamation of the province’s royal queen—the 1928 Batangas Carnival.


Sure enough, the search for Miss Batangas drew accomplished beauties from all over. There was Iluminada “Luming” Perez from Bolboc, who was already a popular Manila colegiala, and Consuelo Luna, the youngest daughter of Don Remigio Luna, an affluent businessman who had set up a lucrative pawn shop business in Batangas.


In the end, the title of Miss Batangas 1928 went to the fashionable Consuelo. But alas, that year, the 1928 Manila Carnival was scrapped for reasons still unclear, and with it, the national beauty pageant. Consuelo lost the opportunity to represent her province in the much-awaited beauty tilt.

Luming Perez, the Diwata ng Bolboc, was luckier, because the year after, she was elected “Miss Centro Escolar de Señoritas” , the muse of the Manila school she went to. She became the school bet to the 1929 Miss Philippines search, which had attracted contestants from colleges, universities and other educational institutions. Iluminada eventually won a place in the court of Pacita de los Reyes, a law student of U.P., who snagged the Miss Philippines title.


As for Consuelo Luna, she met and married a doctor ten years her senior, who had studied and taught at the University of the Philippines and Cambridge, England. As Mrs. Narciso Cordero, she settled in Quiapo, Manila where she and her husband started a family that consisted of two daughters, Gilda and Teresa. Gilda Cordero-Fernando is a respected figure in Philippine journalism today, an acclaimed and multi-awarded writer, editor, book publisher, artist and cultural advocate.

It would be another five years before another beauty of Batangas descent would wear the Miss Philippines sash. Half-Batangueña Maria Villanueva Kalaw, whose father Teodoro hails from Lipa, became Miss Philippines of 1931.

43. 1923, Queen of the Manila Carnival, CATALINA CASTILLO APACIBLE

1923 QUEEN OF THE MANILA CARNIVAL. Catalina Apacible y Castillo, of Balayan, Batangas was the daughter of the well-known patriot, doctor and diplomat, Dr. Galicano Apacible.
In the 1923 Manila Carnival, a Batangueña with a distinguished lineage reigned supreme: Catalina Apacible y Castillo. She was the only child of physician, patriot and statesman Dr. Galicano Apacible and Conchita Castillo of Balayan. Galicano was a noted propagandist and also one of the founders of La Solidaridad.

As an ‘unica hija’, Catalina or Neny, was treated with parental strictness, but also with indulgence. So, when her sponsor, the Bachelors’ Club, asked her to run for the queenship, her parents gave their total approval. Immediately, friends and admirers began working for her victory, led by Eugenio Lopez, a young man from a wealthy Iloilo family. He had actively participated in previous carnivals before, and was a consort to one of the princesses of the previous 1922 court. He was relentless in his campaign for Neny, mobilizing musicians and organizing torch parades to raise much-needed funds.

QUEEN NENY I. Coronation picture of the beauty from Batangas.

Neny’s closest rival was a beautiful mestiza, Conchita Seiboth, but even she and her backers were no match to the well-oiled vote generating machine of Neny’s avid supporters. The 19 year old beauty was thus proclaimed as Queen of the 1923 Manila Carnival.
A 1923 article from The American Chamber of Commerce Journal described the events leading to the royal coronation: “The big outstanding event of the Carnival Week is the coronation of the Queen, which is performed with all the formal ceremony and pomp of real life. No expense is spared for costumes and properties. For days, the Queen and her court are rehearsed by the best talent available, to go through the elaborate ceremony in a proper manner.
THE 1923 ROYAL COURT. Queen Neny's top drumbeater, Eugenio Lopez, was the logical choice of her father to be her King Consort.

On the night of the coronation, the brilliantly lighted Auditorium is packed with a huge throng of Carnivalistas who watched the elaborate ceremony with bated breath snd burst out with a tremendous shout when the Queen finally takes the throne after the diamond-studded crown has been placed on her pretty head by the Master of Ceremonies.”

THE QUEEN AS A CZARINA. Neny cuts a beautiful figure at her coronation dressed as a Russian czarina. A similar themed ball had her dressed like Cinderella, complete with a powdered wig.
Indeed, Neny’s Grand Coronation was marked with much fanfare and gaiety. For one, the coronation theme was very unique—it was Russian. Wearing a czarina outfit complete with a vest and boots, Neny was attended by a court dressed like Hussars. Her King Consort was none other than Eugenio Lopez, a well-deserved partner chosen by Dr. Apacible himself.

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! The Coronation Theme of the 1923 Carnival was Russian. The escorts were dressed like Hussars while the ladies wore czarina outfits.
When her Carnival days were over, Neny married Pedro ‘Perico’ Limjap in 1928. Perico too, had a noble pedigree, son of a well-known Chinese-Filipino family. His sister, Leonarda was in fact chosen as queen in 1908, but had chosen to relinquish that title. Another sibling, Esperanza, was married to Sergio Osmeña, a future president. A brother, Francisco Limjap would also marry a Carnival Queen.

NENY, QUEEN OF THE CARNIVAL, QUEEN OF THE LIMJAP HOME. Shown with her eldest child, Eddie Limjap.

The Limjaps had three children—Eddie (a pilot), Evelyn ( medical doctor) and Connie. But their happy family life was shaken when Perico, who was engaged in underground guerrilla activties, was captured and executed by the Japanese during the second World War. After the war, Neny, the widow, went to America for an eye surgery and decided to stay on in Daly City, California with her children. A woman of resilience and independence, she lived alone and even drove her own car. Though uprooted from her country, Neny regularly visited the Philippines and died at age 78..

THE APACIBLES. Back Row: L-R, Neny, husband Perico Limjap (executed by the Japanese during the war), father Dr. Galicano Apacible. Front: L-R: Son Eddie (who became a pilot), Mrs. Concha Apacible, Evelyn ( who became a doctor) and seated in the foreground is Carmen.