By Danilo Madrid Gerona, PhD.
FOR MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED YEARS, the City of Naga was known throughout the Spanish empire by its mellifluous and colonialist title as La Ciudad de Nueva Caceres. Although unknown to most residents, this city takes pride in being one of the first four Spanish royal cities not only in the Philippines but in the entire Southeast Asia, together with Cebu, Manila, and Vigan. This becomes the basis for the residents to proudly claim the antiquity of their roots and the immensely important role it played both in the national and imperial histories. In celebration of the 75th city charter anniversary, this paper provides a panoramic view of this city’s dramatic travail in history, tracing its birth from an indigenous riverine settlement to its rise as a bustling Spanish city, which served as a solid cultural foundation for its exponential transformation as one of the highly urbanized and progressive metropolitan centers in the Philippines in the present.
FROM THE INDIO VILLAGE OF NAGA TO THE SPANISH CITY OF NUEVA CACERES
Located almost at the center of the densely populated riverine district known to the native population as Bicol, the village of Naga, was described by various early Spanish records as the most affluent and powerful settlement. Surviving oral traditions and earliest available colonial written accounts traced the origin of its peculiar name to a duck, or a mythical serpent, but the most popular attributed it to the narra tree. Such pristine and idyllic world of ancient Naga came to a suddenly end with the arrival of the first band of Spanish conquistadores.
In the early part of 1576, an impressive Spanish force led by the intrepid captain, Pedro de Chavez, accompanied by a horde of native allies, entered the Bicol riverine district and found the opulent village of Naga. Despite a spirited resistance made by the natives, the settlements were swiftly subdued by the superior Iberian force. Spanish control of the territory was consolidated on May 27, 1579 when Capt. Juan Arce de Sardonil promptly founded on the other side of the bank of the Bikol river opposite the ancient village of Naga, a Spanish settlement where all encomenderos of that province congregated and made their residence. On the 16th of September 1579, by the decree of Governor-General Francisco de Sande, this Spanish settlement assumed the name Nueva Caceres, in honor of the birthplace of the incumbent Governor-general, the city of Caceres in Spain. The Governor-General likewise appointed what became the city’s first set of officials composed of six regidores, an escribano publico, and a secretary of the cabildo. To formalize the creation of the city, the Spanish residents of this city petitioned the king for a royal confirmation. Although nothing was known of the king’s response, it could be assumed that a royal franchise was conferred on this nascent Iberian community as the settlement flourished in time.
While the Iberian community in Nueva Caceres extended their war of conquest to the nearby villages, the task of consolidating Spanish hegemony was carried out by the missionary enterprise of the few Franciscan missionaries based in the convent of San Francisco de Naga beginning in 1578. It was also these pioneering missionaries who laid the foundation for the city’s typical urban landscape.
One of the earliest social features of the emerging colonial city was its multi-cultural population. Aside from the original indigenous residents and the small Iberian community, the cultural landscape of the colonial city was enriched by a small number of migrants called Sangley, the Chinese, whose presence could be traced back centuries prior to the coming of Spain. The Chinese’ earliest documented presence in the city was recorded in Bishop Antonio de San Gregorio’s report in 1650 which mentioned some 10 or 12 houses of Chinese merchants in the city.
Despite the occasional violent clashes which marred their relationship with the Spanish authorities in the 17th century, Chinese population continued to thrive in the city. By the 1730’s their number assumed a small community called the Sangley Parian which 18th century parish records referred to as pariancillo, located along the present Padian street. It might therefore be possible that the name of the street, Padian, was a corruption of parian rather than a term associated with the seminary which also rose in the same place probably in the latter part of the 18th century.
This abaca industry and the handicraft industry, which utilized indigenous materials, became the main source of livelihood of the natives which produced, aside from cordage, also items for personal and household decorations such as bags, rugs of various colors, and native handicrafts made of indigenous palms. Among the products were nito hats, chest boxes, wallets and other items which these natives sell in Naga. At any rate, most of these items confined their market in the city. According to the report of Bishop Domingo Collantes in 1792, the city had regular market days every Wednesday and Saturday.
The traditional market systems such as the saod and the tiangge survived in the second half of the 19th century. The nocturnal market trading particularly during Wednesdays and Saturdays continued to draw large crowds. Adolfo Puya Ruiz, a Spanish journalist who visited the city in 1887, observed that the people who flocked to the market were there either to buy their basic necessities or to court the young vendors. Puya Ruiz was amused by the sight of these young vendors in the city market who, “seated on the floor and by the light of the juepe are selling, tobacco, buyo, native liquor, sinamais, etc.”
Alongside the proliferation of these portable stalls, was the emergence of variety stores or almacenes. At about 1880’s among the more popular big stores in the city was the Spanish store popularly referred to as Sres. Munoz Hermanos y Sobrinos. This was famous throughout the province for its wide array of luxury and imported goods sold at prices at par with those in Manila. But by 1890’s bigger stores sprouted in what would become the business district of this Spanish city. This business section extended from Tabuco to Via Gainza where numerous stores were lined up. The most important street in this commercial district was the Calle Real (now the General Luna Street) where the more prominent stores were located such as the wine cellar of Senores Castillo y Lomas. Antonio Pelayo’s store also sold local and imported liquors. So was the Spaniard Jose Esturi.
As sophisticated lifestyle took roots among the residents of the city and the neighboring municipalities, businessmen were quick to perk up local demands for classy lifestyle items. Wide array of luxury items such as perfumes and jewelries were displayed for sale in the stores of Sres Antonio Gaudo and Ca. (Compaña), and from the bazar of Mariano Abella which aside from the above- mentioned item also sold porcelain wares. Drugstores also became a major business enterprise and one of the earliest and most well-known was owned by Tomas Prieto, a young but brilliant pharmacist about the early years of 1890’s. By 1896 other drugstores were opened. The vibrant economic life of the city also attracted professional physicians. Among its earliest Bikolano medical doctors was Severo Patrocinio who registered his medical practice in the city about 1893. Another physician in the city was Felix Munoz de Bustillo, apparently a Spaniard or of Spanish descent. Aside from physicians the city also drew some other minor medical practitioners such as dentists, vaccinators and even sanitary inspectors. Among the more popular dentists was Francisco Eguia, originally from Manila but took advantage of the booming industry and settled in the city.
One of the hallmarks of development of the second half of the nineteenth century was the continuing expansion of road networks extending beyond the immediate boundaries of the city. In 1887 inland travel to nearby towns of Milaor, Camaligan, Canaman, Magarao, Calabanga and Pili was possible through these roads.
Alfred Marche, a French traveller to the region in 1887, noted that the roads which linked the city to other towns were solid and fairly well-maintained.
The booming industry also boosted the intellectual life of the city. At about 1893 the city already boasted of a bookstore and a printing press called Imprenta de la Sagrada Familia owned by Mariano Perfecto located in what was then a bustling commercial area called Via Gainza (now Peñafrancia Avenue in a site where the Phil-Am Life now stands). Almost at the same time the first newspaper in Kabikolan the El Eco del Sur began circulating every Sunday first came out in the 25th of June 1893 but eventually folded up about 1894.
THE FIFTEEN MARTYRS AND THE CRADLE OF BIKOLANO NATIONALISM
During the closing years of the Spanish regime in the Philippines, the city of Caceres became the showcase of nationalist activism. What constituted as the core of nationalist propaganda in the region was the local intellegentsia who obtained their preliminary education from the famed Seminario-conciliar de Nueva Caceres. When the ideas of the reform movement reached the city, a more enthusiastic support came from the elite. This collective but inchoate patriotic sentiment was further consolidated with the birth of the masonic movement in the city. Logia Bicol no. 64, as the first masonic lodge in Bikol was named, owed its birth from a peninsular Spaniard residing in the city in the 1890’s named Don Juan Utor y Fernandez. Utor was fondly referred to by his masonic brethren as El Padre Nuestro on account of his being the Father of Masonry in the region. Owing to his influence, Utor succeeded in penetrating various sectors of the society and carry out his masonic proselytization. The masonic movement initiated by Utor prospered and drew membership from various sectors of the society not only from among the wealthy and educated indio-mestizos but even from among the Spaniards themselves.
On 22 August 1896, three days after the katipunan was discovered in Manila, Gov. Gen. Ramon Blanco telegrammed all provincial governors informing them that an “entire secret organization with a masonic character was discovered” and ordered all civil governors to be more vigilant of all persons suspected of embracing ideas against religion and the state. In response, the civil governor of Ambos Camarines, Don Ricardo Lacosta, issued an arrest order of numerous prominent persons in the province, many of them were based in Nueva Caceres. By the last week of December of 1896, the group of Tomas Prieto and those he implicated in his testimony were convicted with the crime of rebellion and received varying sentences.
Eleven, however, were sentenced to die by musketry. They were: Manuel Abella, millionaire and notary public; Domingo Abella, surveyor and son of Manuel Abella; Tomas Prieto, acting mayor of Nueva Caceres and a brilliant pharmacist; Fr. Gabriel Prieto, brother of Tomas and parish priest of Malinao; Fr. Severino Diaz, parish priest of the Cathedral; Fr. Inocencio Herrera, choirmaster; Mariano Melgarejo, former mayor of Nueva Caceres and draughtsman of the public works; Camilo Jacob, photographer; Florencio Lerma, teacher of music and owner of carriage shop; Cornelio Mercado, clerk of the Department of Finance (hacienda publica). The execution was carried out on 4 January 1897 at the Bagumbayan Field, now Luneta. These men, including Leon Hernandez, Ramon Abella and Mariano Arana came to be called as the Quince Martires of Bikol.s
But on the midnight of the 18th of September 1898, feast of the Virgin of Peñafrancia, the city was awakened from its slumber with angry shouts and outbursts of gunfire. The unexpected revolution had erupted in Nueva Caceres. Although the Spaniards were right in their belief that the Tagalog revolution would not gain substantial followings in the region, they were, however, wrong in thinking that a similar outburst of violence against them would not occur in the city. It was too late for the Spanish authorities to realize that the revolt would not be orchestrated by the masons nor by the katipunaneros but by their own trusted indio civil guards. The revolt was planned and carried out under the leadership of Corporals Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo.
The successful bloody revolt in Nueva Caceres which brought the proud Spanish government to its tragic end in the province likewise signaled the end of Spanish rule in the whole region and a provisional government independent of the Aguinaldo government was organized.
But the atmosphere of freedom was short lived as the strain on the relationship between the Americans and the Filipino troops worsened and finally ruptured into a seething warfare, the Filipino-American War. When the Americans entered Nueva Caceres on the 22nd of February 1900, it was virtually a deserted place and Nueva Caceres fell on the Americans without any fight. Few days later, the inhabitants of the various municipalities particularly Nueva Caceres began to return to their respective residences. marking the beginning of American colonial control of the city and the province in general.
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AND CAPITALIST PROSPERITY
One of the greatest and most novel aspects introduced by the American colonial government to the city was free popular education. The arrival of the U.S.S. Thomas which transported substantial number of teachers, the Thomasites, paved the way for the opening on 15 July 1903 of a grammar and a high school under the supervision of Frank L. Crone. But Catholic schools continued to enjoy esteemed reputation and the Colegio de Sta Isabel remained the only Catholic school for women. One of the most popular among these Catholic schools was the Camarines Sur Catholic Academy founded in June of 1928 by Fr. Luis Dimarumba and Bishop Francisco Reyes which was replaced by the Ateneo de Naga in 1940. Private schools such as the Southern Luzon College also opened.
New entertainment facilities were also opened such the cinema. The first non-talking movie was introduced in Naga in the 1920’s which came to be called Cine Union which quickly encountered difficulties and folded up shortly. Another movie house was opened in the same spot called Cine Cita by the Almeda family but also suffered the same fate as the previous one. The movie house business in the city had begun to take a big turn when the Lebanese couple, Victor Bichara and Emily Panayotti opened movie houses in the 1920s.
Although horse drawn vehicles such as the calesas still dominated the streets of Naga in the early decades of the American regime, automobiles, began invading the streets and became an index of high socio-economic status in 1930’s. Among the first and more popular owners of these cars were the families of Dy-Lliaco, Lopez, Arroyo, Abella, Diaz, and the Meliton. A more efficient public transport system came with the ALATCO buses.
With the presence of cars came gasoline stations and repair shops. One of the earliest gasoline stations set up in the 30’s was owned by a Chinese named Yu Kiw located near the Tabuco Bridge. This gasoline station also offered other array of car parts and accessories. The Naga Auto Repair Shop owned by C. Aragon was among the more popular repair shops in Naga.
The increasing volume of trade likewise affected the influx of non-residents of the municipality of Naga and thus the need for lodging. By the 1930’s Naga provided visitors with convenient accommodation during their stay in this bustling municipality when Jacinto Ursua opened in February 1933 the Libmanan Hotel in the Balintawak street. Subsequently more hotels were opened such as the Bicol Hotel Grocery with a restaurant and a bakery. The most sophisticated hotel was the Ritz, located in the area where the Crown Hotel now stands. The growth in the number of students in Naga from towns far and near opened opportunity for dormitory business such as that of Macandog and what came to be known as the Provincial Girls Dormitories.
Growing side by side with the rise in hotel and dormitory business was the food industry. Restaurants and food processing proliferated since the early decades of the American period. The famous Cu Tu Co, a Chinese store selling chocolates, sweets, native soap and other grocery items. The Sanitary Bakery and Grocery was well-known for its wide array of food products such as ham, bread, biscuits, grocery items, fresh fruits, etc. Naga Rendezvous owned by the Chinese Yen Nuat offered Chinese and American cuisine. Bicol Cafe, owned by the Anciano’s was among the biggest restaurants in Naga shortly before the second world war.
FROM WARTIME TO POST-WAR REBIRTH OF THE CITY
The outbreak of the Pacific War and the subsequent arrival of the Japanese in Naga, abruptly threw the town in chaos and a lingering four years of darkness. Indeed, life under occupied Naga was difficult since the war virtually destroyed the major means of production serving as the life blood not only of the capital but of the province as a whole. Although a semblance of normalcy was subsequently restored few months after, occasional outbreak of hostilities continued to sow fear and uncertainty. Between January and April of 1942, Naga was relatively quiet but not in nearby municipalities where restive civilians and members of the disbanded regular and reserve units began organizing underground resistance movements. In an impresssive display of unity and bravery, a composite guerilla force headed by Faustino Flor assisted by Juan Q. Miranda and Teofilo Padua made a coordinated attack on Naga on 1 May 1942. This victory however, was short-lived for few days later, an impressive contingent of the Japanese cavalry supported by tanks and planes arrived in Naga.
The ordeal of the residents of Naga continued for the next three years. By 1944, reports indicating that the tide of war was changing favorably for the allies infused tremendous hopes for the despairing residents. About the first months of 1945, residents heard of more aggressive guerilla combat operations on Japanese patrols and even on their fortified garrisons in the neighboring towns. The anticipated liberation of Naga finally arrived when an impressive composite guerilla forces led by Maj. Juan Q. Miranda entered the capital and engaged the Japanese in a historic three-day battle, from April 9 until 12, forcing the Japanese to finally withdrew and sought refuge in the mountains of Isarog. When the Americans arrived, Naga was already cleared of enemies.
Like the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, Naga was among the few provincial capitals in the Philippines where recovery from the devastating effects of the Pacific War was remarkably quick. By the first months of 1946, Naga was steadily restoring its pre-war urban vibrance.
Naga’s post-war rehabilitation was greatly facilitated by, among others, the immediate restoration of electric power.
Except for a brief period of interruption, particularly at the height of the battle for liberation, the distribution of power supply in Naga by Meralco was generally efficient. By the first months of 1946, this electric company had resumed normal operations. Likewise, water supply from the NAWASA, except for its routine but voluntary nocturnal shutdowns, was regular.
Commerce and trade also resumed with remarkable haste. At the start of 1946, Naga registered at least eight classy refreshment parlors and restaurants, some were already operating prior to the outbreak of the war. The more popular were the New China Restaurant, the Sugar Bowl Refreshments, the New State Cafe and Restaurant, the Washington Restaurant, the El Gaucho Restaurant, the Allied Restaurant, the New Kitchen, and The Lucky Hotel and Restaurant. Hardware and lumber business also prospered as residents were engaged in the repair of damaged buildings, an auspicious condition which enterprising Chinese and mestizos seized to gamble on their capital. Famous among them were the Central Supply, the Southern Luzon Lumber and Hardware Corporation, the Cledera Lumber, the Leechan Hardware and the pre-war Mariano Dy-Liacco and Sons, Inc.
Transportation and communication facilities began operating by 1946. On 2 November of that year, the Far Eastern Transport Inc. (FEATI) made an inaugural flight of passenger plane PI-C39 christened “City of Naga.” Inland travel to and from Naga was already regular and inter-provincial transportation needs were served by the famous ALATCO buses described as “safe, regular, courteous and economical.”
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 1947-48, Ateneo de Naga did not only resume operation but opened courses in the college level.
The clamor for the resumption of educational services in the post-war Naga received a response from a young teacher named Melchor Villanueva who opened a private school named Naga College in the summer of 1947. A year after, Naga witnessed the birth of another school, the Nueva Caceres Colleges, founded by the Commonwealth and war-time Finance Secretary Jaime Hernandez. Other private schools both collegiate and technical/ vocational were opened such as the Bicol Institute, the Southern Luzon College, the Garcia Business Institute, the Elegant Fashion Academy, the Camarines Sur Fashion Academy, and the Vicki’s Academy. More schools were added to the list of academic institutions in Naga even barely a year after. The Naga Parochial School was opened to provide a Catholic education to the young pupils. At the beginning of the school year 1947-48, the two Catholic schools, the Ateneo de Naga and Colegio de Santa Isabel, did not only resume operation but both opened courses in the college level.
To brighten the gloomy spirits of the post-war residents, two pre-war movie houses, Alex and Bichara Theaters, resumed operations in the early months of 1946, almost simultaneously with another movie house, the Cine Cita of the Almeda family. This process of rehabilitation, nevertheless, culminated in the legislative creation of the municipality of Naga into a city in 1948. Preliminary steps for the creation of Naga into a city was initiated in the early months of 1948 by the local municipal council headed by Mayor Faustino Reyes. The guerilla-turned-politician, Cong. Juan Q. Miranda, apparently played a pivotal role in the planning and in the subsequent realization of this historic charter. In his effort to provide wider dissemination and a more enlightened public appreciation of the proposal, an influential lawyer of Naga, Patricio Amanse, wrote an article in the Bicol Star arguing heavily on the fiscal benefits of the proposed charter. He pointed out that if Naga were to become a city, “its revenue would be increased by more than twice without increasing the present rate of taxes being paid by its citizens, especially the merchants and the businessmen.”
On 18 June 1948, in the presence of prominent Bikolano national officials such as Sen. Vicente Madrigal, Sec. Mariano Garchitorena, Rep. Juan Q. Miranda, Rep. Toribio Perez, Rep. Tomas Clemente, and the lawyer Antonio Ojeda, the House Bill No. 1255, sponsored by Rep. Juan Q. Miranda, was signed by Pres. Elpidio Quirino into a law. This historic law came to be known as R.A. No. 305 which formally declared Naga a charter city.
One of the major provisions of this charter dealt with the creation of the city council composed of eight key officials, namely: the mayor, the treasurer, the engineer, and the five councilors. The latter were to be elected by the voting population of the city every three years. The city council was to meet every week but could be convened for special sessions provided these would not exceed 30 times per year.
After 444 years since the creation of la ciudad de Nueva Caceres on September 16, 1579 as one of the first four Spanish cities, and 75th years after it became a charter city on June 18, 1948, Naga has accomplished remarkable milestones in terms of urban development and commercial prosperity. Such achievement is conspicuously reflected on the towering infra-structural transformation punctuating not only the vibrant tropical skylines of the heartland of the city but also the once remote and inaccessible forested slopes of the majestic Mount Isarog. It can be said therefore that, as Naga residents under Mayor Nelson Legacion takes a nostalgic glance back into its idyllic days of old, one can whisper that indeed, it has truly gone a long way!
