History That You Can Touch: 1944 Philippine Commonwealth Fifty-Centavo Coin

This is just a year older than the first 1945 coin I wrote about in my previous post (read blog here).

As part of America's plan to resurrect the economy of the devastated Philippines after World War II, it minted new coins to be used in the Philippines as the Japanese Imperial Army confiscated all the coins they could get their hands on. The coins they confiscated were brought back to Japan to be melted and used for their own purposes, probably for ammunitions and machinery.

Finally, on October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur landed in Leyte to start the campaign to recapture and liberate the Philippines, which gave everyone hope that this might be the beginning of the end of the war. By the time MacArthur landed in Leyte, the people of Victorias had already suffered for two years and five months in the hands of the Japanese invaders. And although the Japanese Imperial Army arrived in Victorias on May 27, 1942, the first Victoriahanon who died during World War II perished on December 16 or 17, 1942, days after the Japanese attacked the Philippines. Their ship sank in the waters of Manila Bay after it hit a sea mine (read blog here). During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese took over Victorias Milling Company (VMC) and produced alcohol for the use of their military (read VMC history here).

(The obverse of the 1944 Commonwealth coin)

This coin also contained silver and was minted in San Francisco Mint, while coins using base metals were minted in other mints in the US. Identical with the 1945 coin, the obverse (main face of the coin) features a woman, with her hair flowing with the wind, standing with a hammer on her right hand, while her left hand seems to hold a flower. Before her is an anvil - a block of iron on which you put a metal that you want to flatten or shape into another form. The steaming Mayon Volcano is on her left, and at the bottom is the world "FILIPINAS", which is a carryover of the Spanish influence.

The reverse has "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" written on top with the official coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in the middle that included a scroll with the words "Commonwealth of the Philippines". "1945" is written at the bottom.

     (The reverse of the 1944 Commonwealth coin)

Just like most Filipinos, whenever we see the years 1941 up to 1945 in our Philippine History, we all tend to remember with pain the suffering out ancestors endured in the hands of the invaders. This coin is also a real reminder of World War II. Liberation in Victorias came on April 26, 1945, when the first American soldiers arrived in Victorias. This is the reason why April 26 is celebrated as the feast of the Our Lady of Victory in Victorias.

The next coin will be a lot older.

(Photos of the 1944 coin taken at the Victorias Public Plaza).

#worldwarII #oldcoins #1944coins #PhilippineHistory #history #historian #WWII #Commonwealthcoins #numismatics

History That You Can Touch: 1945 S Fifty Centavos Philippine Commonwealth Coin

(The reverse or the opposite side of the coin)

Just like the 1734 Murillo Velarde map, artifacts and objects from the past always bring back stories during the time when they were created. Starting with this piece of coin, I am connecting the history of Victorias to the time it was minted.

This is my 1945 S Fifty Centavos Philippine Commonwealth coin that I am writing about today.

All these years about writing the History of Victorias City Philippines, I am lucky to have those black-and-white photographs at home whose stories were as fascinating as the personalities in the picture. I have always said that black-and-white photographs tell the most colorful of stories.

         (The obverse or the main side of the coin)

When this 1945 coin was minted, the Philippines was still suffering from the ravages of World War II. All Philippine coins during the war were confiscated by the Japanese Imperial Army and must have been brought back to Japan to be melted into ammunitions or machinery needed for the war. The Philippine had its own Manila Mint that was used by the Spaniards during their time, and later by the Americans. But during the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese must have used the facility for their own purposes. The mint was destroyed during the liberation of Manila. This is the reason why Commonwealth coins were minted in 1944 and 1945 in the US - to replace the ones that were confiscated by the Japanese. 

When the US saw the war was ending, it started minting coins for the Philippines. Coins with silver were minted at the San Francisco Mint, while coins using base metals were minted at other mints in the US. The 1945 Fifty Centavo coins had 'S' mark; 'S' stands for San Francisco. This coin was struck in 1945, the year the American forces liberated the Negros island from the control of the Japanese Imperial Army. In Chapter 17, I wrote about the way of life of the people of the town of Victorias (read blog here), and in Chapter 26, I wrote about the day when the first American soldiers arrived in Victorias (read blog here).

This coin has grooves around it and is about 0.75 silver. The obverse (main face of the coin) features a woman, with her hair flowing with the wind, standing with a hammer on her right hand, while her left hand seems to hold a flower. Before her is an anvil - a block of iron on which you put a metal that you need to flatten or shape into another form. The steaming Mayon Volcano is on her left, and at the bottom is the word "FILIPINAS", which is a carryover of the Spanish influence.

The reverse has "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" written on the top of with the official coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in the middle that included a scroll with the words "Commonwealth of the Philippines". "1945" is at the bottom.

Almost 80 years old, it has become a real reminder of World War II, the time when our Victoriahanon ancestors endured, and eventually survived, the cruelest and saddest part of our history.

The photos were taken at the Victorias Public Plaza.

In the next posts, I will share some older coins from the 1900s, and even a few from the early 1800s.

#WorldWarII #oldcoins #1945coins #philippinehistory #history #historians #WWII #commonwealthcoins #numismatics #coins

Always Remembered, Monsignor Guillermo 'GG' Gaston

It was drizzling as I entered the grounds of the Carmelite Monastery in Mandalagan, Bacolod City. The cloudy skies came to mourn as well. As I learned beforehand that his body was to be brought that morning from the San Sebastian Cathedral to the Carmelite Church, this was a quieter place to pay my respects, I thought. When I came to the church's door, there was nobody else. From the back, I could see his white coffin surrounded by white and yellow flowers on the right side of the altar.

After making the sign of the cross, I walked towards his coffin; the sound of my light steps was accompanied by the occasional rustling of the winds that caressed the plants on both side of the church. This was my first time to visit the Carmelite Church and it felt, well, weird. Me, along in a church and approaching a casket. The eeriness I felt was just momentary. I was here to pay my respects, my tribute, my thanksgiving, and pray for this extraordinary man of cloth, a good friend and an institution in our Negrense communities: Monsignor Guillermo 'GG' Gaston.

                        (The Carmelite Church)

As I stood in front of his white coffin with his smiling portrait next to it, I whispered a greeting and introduced myself in Hiligaynon, telling him who and whose child I was. I remember thanking him for all that he had done for the faithful, his visits to our home and his endearing friendship with our family. But when I heard footsteps coming in into the church, I gave way to his next visitors and chose to sit at a pew a few rows down and prayed the holy rosary for him.

         (The rosary Monsignor GG gave my mother)

And then a very unusual thing happened. I was in the middle of the rosary and again alone inside the church when, out of a corner of my left eye, I think I saw a priest in a black sotana come in from the left side of the church. It was just a split second; the priest was young and handsome, and looked caucasian, like a foreigner. He was striding from one of the open archways at the left as if walking towards the altar. But then, when I turned my head towards him, nobody was there! The leaves of the plants at that area suddenly were rustled by a strong breeze! Again, nobody was there!

I just continued my rosary. And when I finished, I stood up and went back to Monsignor GG's coffin for a final farewell. I whispered to him to go in peace and asked him to pray for us when he is finally with The Father.

The last time we saw Monsignor Gg was when we, a group of his fans and friends in Victorias, visited him at his home in Hacienda Santa Rosalia in June 2022. We brought him merienda, asked for his fascinating stories, and made him feel he was always remembered and loved. All this while using a small whiteboard and a black marker to communicate with him as he had difficulty hearing. It was a fun afternoon for all of us.

And even years earlier, on one of my vacations in Negros, we drove up to visit him and were fascinated by his stories, including the one about his family's mansion was saved during World War II, which became this following piece. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=143310208111630&set=a.102358232206828

(When we visited Monsignor GG during a Christmas vacation from Korea)

He had touched many lives and is still remembered by many, including my mother who still cherishes the rosary he gave her. 

Monsignor GG's contributions and service to the Negrense communities and to the faithful of the Diocese of Bacolod and its parishes are immeasurable. We all remember him today on his death anniversary.

Monsignor Guillermo Maria Azcona Gaston was born on March 7, 1932, and died on July 20, 2023. 🙏

#monsignorgaston #monsignorGG #dioceseofbacolod #bacolod #priest

The Stained Glass Artwork of Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio @ The Mary Help of Christians Church, Philippines

More than a decade ago, I was kneeling in front of the altar of the Basilica di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice in the Don Bosco Valdocco district of Turin, mesmerized by the huge painting made by Tommáso Lorenzone where one could see at the center the Virgin holding a scepter with her right hand while carrying the Child Jesus on her left and surrounded by Apostles, Evangelists and angels. This has become the most familiar image to all Bosconians in the world, a painting that was created based on Don Bosco's detailed instructions. Today, inside the church named after her in the northern part of the Negros Island in the Philippines, separated by 11,000 kilometers of land and sea from Turin, I am again mesmerized, not by a painting but by another art form, and not of the Virgin but of her saint, Don Bosco.

At the wall of the eastern transept of the Mary Help of Christians Church inside the Canetown Subdivision of Victorias City, is a huge stained glass window that presents Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio in a familiar garb with a familiar background.

Saint John Bosco is wearing a barong tagalog, a Filipino shirt worn during formal occasions, in light gray and pants in tones of brown. Wearing a crucifix around his neck, Don Bosco is holding Saint Dominic Savio, his student who died at the age of 14 and was later canonized a saint. With both hands clasped together, Dominic Savio is also wearing a barong with blue and white geometric designs in front and light blue pants. 

Their background shows the northern Negros landscapes: mountains that can be seen when looking towards the east, and blue skies as well as a bright red-orange glow of a sunrise when God bestows upon the island a gift of anther day.

Both saints are standing on the fertile Negrense soil surrounded by sugarcane plantations depicted by a rich growth of green sugarcane leaves with rows of canes symbolizing the main produce of the island and the working sugar factory of Victorias Milling Company (VMC) with four of its six chimneys blowing out smoke. At the lowest part of the artwork is a small part of the railroad tracks supported by sturdy railroad ties made of wood. VMC used to have a railroad network of about 400 kilometers that meandered around haciendas and sugarcane plantations in northern Negros where its locomotive trains hauled sugarcane to the mill.

The halos of the two saints are drawn around their faces by lead rods formed in a circle, while the wrinkles on the forehead of Don Bosco, symbolizing his wisdom, are formed across his forehead. Impressive! Creating such beautiful stained glass windows require artistry, creativity and skill. I was told that a Mr. Boy Verdeflor made some of the stained glass artworks inside the Church.

The Don Bosco Technical Institute was established in 1952 inside the compound of the Victorias Milling Company after the Salesian Order in Hong Kong accepted the offer of VMC founder, Don Miguel Jose Ossorio, to open a school in VMC; that was 72 years ago. The Salesians of Don Bosco itself, founded by the Saint himself in December 1859, has 14,486 bishops, priests and novices in 133 countries around the world today. That was 164 years ago, and they continue to mold the minds and the character of the young with the teachings of the Saint.

The Salesians of Don Bosco are "open to the cultural values of the countries in which they work and try to understand them and welcome their values, to embody the message of the gospel." Seeing Don Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio in Filipino barong makes me believe that the saints are one with us Negrenses and Filipinos.

Stained glass windows require daylight to reveal its beauty. I would want to visit the Mary Help of Christians Church again one sunny morning.😊

#Donbosco #SaintJohnBosco #SaintDominicSavio #DominicSavio #Bosconian #MaryHelpofChristians #Catholic #Saints

My 1744 Murillo Velarde Map and The Philippine Independence Day

                  (My 1744 Murillo Velarde map)

In my blogs about the history of hometown, I have shared stories about the old black-and-white photographs from our family's collection. Digging into the stories and researching about the faces in the photographs were always rewarding, satisfying, and most of all, fun. I do this because history and stories about our past are meant to be shared, especially with the younger and future generations. And in doing this, what I discovered in the past years of researching and writing about my discoveries has always remained true: black-and-white photographs always tell the most colorful stories.

In this post to commemorate the 2024 Philippine Independence Day, I am sharing another historical artifact: my own 1744 Murillo Velarde map.

The 1744 Murillo Velarde map is the reduction of the 1734 map of Padre Pedro Murillo Velarde, a Jesuit friar, scholar and cartographer. This means that the 1744 map is a smaller version as it does not include the 12 illustrations that accompanied the original 1734 map.

The story about the 1734 Murillo Velarde map is a fascinating part of Philippine history.

Padre Pedro Murillo Velarde was a priest and a very learned person. He was an authority on many matters during his stay in Las Filipinas, and was an author of the Jesuit history in the Philippines. So, when King Philip (Felipe) V of Spain, who reigned from 1700 to 1746, ordered Fernando Valdes Tamon, the governor-general in Las Filipinas from 1729 to 1739, to provide him a map of his property in the east, Padre Pedro Murillo Velarde was tasked to do the project. 

King Philip ordered a detailed map to be made because he must have wanted to see for himself how his archipelago, located in another part of the world, looked like. During the Spanish colonial period, the Spanish decrees followed the feudal theory that it was the monarcy that owned all of the land. That is the regalian doctrine. Felipe V owned all the islands, although I am not sure whether he knew then that they all numbered more than seven thousand, high tide or low tide. 

Two indios, Francisco Suarez and Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay, helped in the creation of the map. Suarez drew the fascinating illustrations (and probably the images featured in the map itself) on both sides of the map while Bagay, a Tagalog who was in the employ of the Jesuits, engraved the map on the copperplates. Nicolas Bagay also helped in the printing of Jesuit books until his death. The 'project' took them about a year to complete and the finished product, officially named "Carta hydrographica y chronographica de las Islas Filipinas", was the most comprehensive and accurate, compared to what was already done at that time. It was called the first scientific map of the Philippines, naming 900 towns, regions and places, which to me, is already impressive; although I have not yet counted all the names in my map, not that I have any plan to.

Unfortunately for us, in 1762, the British attached Manila which caught the Spanish authorities by surprise. The attack happened on September 23 and the British finally captured Manila on October 6, 1762. Historians wrote that residents in Manila were either raped, tortured and killed, and offices and homes looted. Part of the loot was the eight copper plates of the 1734 Murillo Velarde map. The British commander, Brigadier General William Draper brought these plates to England and donated them to Cambridge University, his alma mater. The University then printed a few copies of the map, one of which ended up in the hands of the Duke of Northumberland who kept it at his Ainwick (pronounced an-nik) Castle. Those copper plates were later melted by the British to make their own charts. The engraving work of Nicolas Bagay of the map of Padre Pedro and the drawings of Francis Suarez disappeared forever.

That copy of the map kept by the Duke of Northumberland came into light when the current and 12th Duke decided to sell some treasures in his valuable collection to fund the repair of the drainage system in his land. The Duke auctioned off at Sotheby's about 80 art objects, and the 1734 Murillo Velarde map was labelled by the auction house as Lot #183. And in a successful bid over the phone, entrepreneur Mr. Mel Velarde bought it for an equivalent of almost Php 13 million. After more than 200 years, Mr. Velarde brought back the map to the beautiful island that are drawn on it.

              (Galit, Panacot and Lumbay shoals)

This map became part of the evidence furnished by the Philippine government when it filed in 2013 a complaint against that invader at the arbitrary tribunal that was constituted under the United Nationals Convention on the Law of the Sea. The tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in July 2016. I realized that even from centuries past, Padre Pedro, Nicolas and Francisco helped us in this symbolic win against today's invaders. Then, in the early 1700s, they might not have realized that their drawings and the names of the shoals Galit, Panacot and Lumbay - the ones near Zambales in Luzon, and the three groups of dots representing the Kalayaan Island Group, or the Spratlys, which they called Los Bajos de Paragua (Paragua was the old name of Palawan) in 1734 were of tremendous help in our fight for our sovereignty in the early 21st century. 'Panacot' is Scarborough Shoal, named after a trading ship, SS Scarborough, that was shipwrecked in that area in 1748. These shoals were called by the Spaniards Bajo de Masinloc because they were nearest (about 240 kilometers) to the town of Masinloc in Zambales. The invader claims that it is theirs because it is within the several lines that they drew on the South China Sea with their greedy imagination. 

      (Bajo de Paragua - Kalayaan Island Group)

As I stare at the map, I wonder: how many other Spaniards and indios contributed to this map that is now known as "the mother of all Philippine maps"? 

                       (Negros island of 1734)

According to the article of Mr. Jorge R. Mojarro, Padre Pedro gathered all existing maps, charts, and any geographical information available at that time and studied them to come up with his 1734 comprehensive version. And all those maps of the archipelago that he used as references must have been prepared by other Spaniards and indios who lived in that specific region or island. This made me ask, was the person or persons who mapped out our Negros island totally surprised when the map they finally drew of the Negros island was shaped like a foot? In the first place, did some cartographer from Europe taught them how to map out an island? I wonder how they accurately drew the curves of the coastlines or the ridges of the land. Did they travel by boat around an island until they reached the point of their origin? Did they venture into the forests and encountered wild animals and huge snakes until they came close to the foot of Mount Kanlaon or Mount Mayon? In the map, both are drawn properly, by the way. It was easy for one to overlook the effort and time, and probably lives lost as well, that were spent to create this. But rather than just staring at it, I am in awe of those hands from centuries past who created what Mr. Mel Velarde calls "the map being the one true land title of every Filipino". 

But as we again celebrate our Independence Day, we ask ourselves: are we really independent? Have we gotten rid our country of colonizers and invaders who, like the attack in 1762, are catching us by surprise?

Yes, at first glance, the map may look crude and unappealing. But through their magnificent work from 290 years ago, Padre Pedro Murillo Velarde, Franciso Suarez, and Nicolas Bagay still remind us not to take for granted the freedom and liberties the Filipinos of centuries past had worked hard for.

Happy Independence Day!

Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan! 

Sources:

https://www.esquiremag.ph

https://murillovelardemap.com/manila-london-back-story.../

https://murillovelardemap.com/the-murillo-velarde-map-a.../

https://lawphil.net/.../jur.../jul2019/gr_192956_leonen.html

#murillovelardemap #map #Philippines #philippineindependenceday #arawngkalayaan #history #historian #victoriashistory #victoriaslgu #negros #maps #essay

When Cecile Licad And Tchaikovsky's Piano Concierto No. 1 Made My Christmas

In 1987, fresh from passing the CPA board examinations, I flew from Bacolod City to Manila in order to find work. Armed with my new CPA license, degrees in Economics and Accounting, and a transcript of scholastic records that was littered with very good grades, I found a job as a junior auditor in an accounting firm in Makati. It was a good place to start a career, I told myself. 

As a new employee, I did not have vacation leave credits that would have allowed me to go home for Christmas. Worse, as a new employee, my starting salary could not even afford me to buy a plane ticket home.😭

But I was realistic. As an accountant, I knew that my cash inflow was just enough for my daily transportation, meals, and occasional movies, and I understood it all. I was just happy I was working. In Makati, no less! 😎

That December, I told my parents I could not be with them during Christmas, although my mom could have found a way to send me a plane ticket. It would be the first time ever for me to be away, so I just had to accept it. I reminded myself that Christmas Day was just 24 hours, and so was New Year's Day. But I was lucky I lived at an uncle's home in Tambô, Parañaque, for free, and even luckier that he had a cook and a houseboy who watched over his house when he was away. So, I wouldn't be really alone.

A week before Christmas Day, I read in the news that Cecile Licad would be playing at the Concert at the Park, a program held at Luneta Park that featured free musical and theatrical performances. Everyone who played the piano knew who she was! The Cecile Licad! At Luneta Park! For free!😄

When I was a kid, my mother wanted me and my brother to learn how to play the piano. She was a big fan of Van Cliburn and she wanted her boys to play too. I was about 10; my brother five. She found us a piano teacher in our hometown, Mrs. Paz Certicio, and told us we were scheduled to take lessons on weekends during the school break. After his first try, my brother gave up. He told my mom he'd rather play a ukelele. I, not wanting to disappoint her, continued. My piano lessons were in the afternoons, at two and for 30 minutes. But at 2PM, a sleepy hour, those 30 minutes felt like a day! 😢

It was only when school resumed after the summer break that I appreciated the lessons! I suddenly found Music, a school subject I hated, very easy! I could read notes, tell whole notes from half notes, and even read sharps and flats effortlessly! After a few months, I was playing Beethoven's Für Elise! And after a year, I could play (with two hands) Pandango Sa Ilaw (Tempo di Valse) and Sarung Banggi without looking at the music sheet! Fascinated, I could not even explain how I was able to memorize the entire sheet and knew exactly what white key, black key, or a group of keys to press simultaneously to make it sound melodious when played in a sequence. I loved it! 😎

Unfortunately, I had to stop taking piano lessons after two years because Mrs. Certicio moved her lessons to after-class schedules. But over the years, when I watch piano concerts on TV, I would envy those virtuousos who effortlessly played those difficult pieces that were full of sharps and flats, and finger-twisting chords that I could only dream of playing, and when I read the news about our famous pianists in the Philippines like Cecile Licad and Rowena Arrieta, and their successes abroad, I was also impressed and proud! I felt I was still a pianist, but without practice!😄

Then Christmas Day came.😌

In the afternoon of December 25, 1987, a Friday, I took two jeepney rides: first, from Tambô to Baclaran; then, from Baclaran to UN Avenue. I then walked towards Luneta Park and looked for the venue. When I got there, the long benches at the front were already taken. It turned out I was not the only one excited to watch the special performance. I looked for a seat a few rows back, and waited for Ms. Nikki Coseteng, that day's emcee who was seated at the right side of the stage, to start the program. If I remember right, it was the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra that accompanied her in the concierto.

After she was introduced, we welcomed her, not only with an excited audience's applause, but more like a homecoming palakpakan. Cecile then took her seat at the grand piano. Her audience did not care about the noise around the venue, or that the music could drift away with the Manila Bay breezes. She could just play Chopsticks and I would still give her a standing ovation.😆 

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concierto No. 1 is a very familiar piece of classical music. The first bars always got your attention; very theatrical and was always used in some dramas. And Cecile had to play (pun intended!) for more than 30 minutes what Tchaikovsky had brilliantly composed in 1875! 

As I was at the back, I had to crane my neck! Her hands were jumping up and down the ivory keys, and running from left to right and back again, her audience was mesmerized! I was enthralled! 

After the first movement, it finally sank in. I told myself this was the highlight of my Christmas! Licad! Tchaikovsky! Philharmonic! What a Christmas gift! But more than a Christmas treat, it was an experience and a dream come true!😊

In between movements, my eyes wandered around and I recognized her former husband, cellist Antonio Meneses, bespectacled and sitting at the left side of the audience on an empty bench with a baby on his lap. I thought the baby must be their son, Otavio. I guessed her family spent their Christmas holidays in Manila.🌲

After the final thunderous notes of the concierto with Cecile raising both of her hands in the air, finally  releasing the grand piano from her enslavement, I could still hear the music ringing in my ears which was now mixed with an even louder applause. We were all standing!🙏 

I could no longer remember if there was an encore, but there could have been one, or even maybe two. All I could remember was a certain realization: the coming together, in one moment, of things fascinating to me. 

I would have wanted to compare this moment to a rare planetary alignment where my fortune aligned with Mars, Venus and Jupiter in the night sky. This moment, however, was more of a confluence: I, seated in front of Cecile Licad as she played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concierto No. 1, which was the concierto Van Cliburn played that won him the 1958 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, and he, being my mother's favorite pianist from whom she got an idea to send me to take piano lessons.♫🎶

And when I told my mother about it the next time I came home, she could not believe it herself!😀

Looking back, I realized I was not meant to come home for the holidays that year because there was a special gift awaiting for me on Christmas Day in Manila. We should not wonder how the universe conspires to grant our wishes, or how things happen the way they do. Maybe, when you wish and you are deserving, it will come true for you too!😍

Salamat guid, Cecile Licad, Tchaikovsky, Mrs. Certicio, and my Mother!😃

(Cecile Licad playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concierto No. 1 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Sir Georg Solti conducting) 

#CecileLicad #Tchaikovsky #PianoConciertoNo1 #LunetaPark #music #pianist #classicalmusic #thankyou #salamat 

Philippine History: Chapter 30 - Don Felix Montinola Memorial College of Victorias, Negros Occidental

(The bust of Don Felix Montinola that was displayed at the administration office of his school.)

In Chapter 16, I wrote about Don Felix Montinola, Sr. and his legacy in the town of Victorias, and in the same chapter (read blog here), I mentioned about his family's founding of a school two years after he died. The school was established with the encouragement and help from his nephew, Don Agustin M. Jereza, the son of Don Felix's older sister, Valentina. Don Agustin, an engineer by profession, founded his own school in Cebu City, the University of Southern Philippines (USP) that attained university status on July 8, 1949. That same year, on September 25, Don Felix died.

When he was still alive, Don Felix Montinola, Sr. already envisioned opening a school and even discussed the idea with his wife, Doña Dorotea Montinola y Magalona, and his children. In 1937, Don Felix saw firsthand the success of the University of Southern Philippines, then named The Southern College, when he visited USP in Cebu City to receive an honorary degree honoris causa. He was recognized for his contributions to the town of Victorias. Although he was the 9th mayor of Victorias, serving from 1934 to 1940, he was already an active civic leader even before he was elected mayor. In 1907, he directed stage plays to raise funds for the town's small municipio made of nipa (read Chapter 11 here). Taking after him, two of his sons, Hector and Benito, became the 12th and 14th mayors, respectively (read Chapter 21 here).

On September 24, 1951, the Don Felix Montinola Memorial Institute was set up and its location was right at the town center of Victorias, across the public plaza on a land owned by his family. The school building started with a few classrooms and gradually grew using strong timber from Mindanao and with a simple letter 'L' lay-out that would maximize the lot size over which the school would stand. The school library would be on the second floor along with the principal's  and administration offices, while most of the classrooms would be on the ground floor. There were two staircases, each with a landing, going up to the second floor, both made of sturdy wood that would produce loud thumping sounds when students ran up and down, especially when rushing late to a class. From the main entrance, one could use either the right or the left staircase going up. The school canteen, located on the ground floor, was right below the library. The canteen had big windows on its Osmeña-Highway side through which anyone at the street could buy refreshments. During recess, students and teachers could walk in to get some snacks, while other students brought their own lunch, or balon, and could in the school premises, but some students crossed over to the Victorias public plaza, sat under the shade of the big trees, and enjoyed their balon with their classmates. In those days, their balon would be wrapped in banana leaves, then wrapped again in an old newspaper. The balon was accompanied only by a spoon; no need for a fork. On rainy days, the main concrete corridor on the ground floor that connected the main entrance to the last room at the western end of the school was turned into a path where CAT officers and cadets practiced their march and drills as it was about 50 meters long. In the original design of the rooms on the ground floor, the rooms could be turned into one, big connected room as they were all separated by accordion doors that could be closed during classes and opened when there was a program or seminar. 

The entrance of the school was oriented to the southwest, facing the Osmeña Highway. The flagpole that was erected on concrete foundation in 1952 was at the eastern end of the school campus. Then, the students had a dirt playground using the adjacent lot that is now a commercial area. This dirt area used to host the sports games with the four flag poles for the colors of the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors erected next to the concrete structure that housed the toilets.  In the later decades, more classrooms would be added on the second floor when the school included college courses to its curricula. In the afternoons after dismissal, the school's drum and bugle corps would practice its drills and march along the Jover and Miraflores Streets, filling the neighborhood with its lively music and drumbeats. On Saturdays, the Citizens' Army Training or C.A.T. sessions for juniors and seniors were held on the dirt playground. 

From the start of the first school year, the University of Southern Philippines had lent its support to the school by providing its experience, faculty, and curricula. This was why most of its earliest faculty members were from Cebu. USP's support made Don Felix Montinola Memorial Institute (later, Don Felix Montinola Memorial College) a popular private school with students even coming from nearby municipalities. Its tuition fees were affordable even to the daily wage earners, and its location was very convenient to the young students.

(The lady in a white dress and black belt is Miss Nita Castellano, a teacher, while the other lady is Miss Julieta Barrientos who worked in the administration office. Taken in the late 1950s along the Osmeña Highway in front of the Victorias public plaza. The school is on the right side of the photo. Read blog here.)

(March 8, 1955: the College Day celebration with the school's muse at the stage with her escort. The other pairs at the foreground are (from the left):

Virgilio Hollero and a lady from Escalante; Cesar Torema and Rosario (?) ; Igong Lozande and Thelma Seballos; Aniceto Carumba and Lilia Estribo.

The young lady in a white gown is the young Ms. Estela Fermin, a great granddaughter of Don Felix. Her father was former Victorias mayor, Jesus Fermin.)

When the school celebrated its 40th year in 1991, it published a souvenir program that included a list of past principals and assistants to the principal as well as its faculty that year. 

These are the past directors, principals, and assistant to the principals of DFMMI as appointed for the school year indicated, until 1991:

1951 - 1952: Mr. Arturo Filoteo was appointed as school director; he was affiliated with USP. Mr. Moises Villegas was the principal; he was also from USP.

1952 - 1953: Mr. Alberto Farol was appointed director and was also sent by USP. Mr. Felipe Garcia was the principal and was also from USP.

1953- 1954: Miss Mamerta Mendoza was appointed as principal; she was also from USP.

1954- 1955: Miss Mamerta Mendoza remained as principal.

1955- 1956: Miss Carmen Saso was appointed as principal; she was also from USP.

1956- 1957: Mr. Felipe Garcia was appointed as director; he was also from USP. Miss Leticia Villegas appointed as principal; she was the first Victoriahanon to become the school's principal.

1957 - 1958: Mrs. Luisa Campos-Montinola was appointed as directress, while Miss Leticia Villegas remained as principal. (Mrs. Luisa Campos-Montinola was the wife of Mr. Benito M. Montinola, son of Don Felix Montinola and also a former mayor of Victorias).

1958: Rev. Fr. Vicente Montinola became the director, while Miss Leticia Villegas remained as principal.

During the school year 1985-1986, when the school added college courses like junior secretarial and degrees in education, it tied up with the West Negros College and Dr. Potenciano Julom was appointed dean, while Mrs. Nelly H. Parreño became the principal and assistant to the dean.

For school years 1986-1987 and 1987-1988, Dr. Julom remained as dean, while Mrs. Lorna Garcia was appointed principal. From 1989 to 1991, Mss. Montserrat T. Villalba was the dean and principal. In 1990, more classroom were built on the second floor to accommodate the increasing number of high school students and the evening classes for college courses.  

(The photo above shows a section of the graduating class of 1955 with class officers sitting in front with the teachers. Those seated from the left are: Rolando Ancan (student class officer), Rosario Dequiña(?) (student class officer), Mr. Pajares, Mr. Hernani Fuentes, Miss Cui, Miss Jesena, Mr. Arturo Filoteo (director), Miss Mamerta Mendoza (principal), Miss Padilla (who later married Mr. Hernani Fuentes), Mr. Villegas, Miss Erlinda Ynayan (student class officer), and Ramon Delgado (student class officer). This was taken in front of the municipio of Victorias.)

(The photo above shows Section II-A of 1952-53, meaning Section A of second year students. The girls' sections were separated from the boys, and the higher sections were reserved for girls. The man seated in the center with hands on his lap is Mr. Arturo Filoteo.)

Featured in 40th anniversary souvenir published in 1991 were the following faculty members, the candidates for the Search for Miss DFMMC 1991, and the board of trustees and administrative staff that year:

                   College Department faculty:

High School Department faculty:

Candidates for Miss DFMMC 1991:

Board of Trustees and Administrative Staff:

By the way, in Chapter 18 of the History of Victorias City, a chapter devoted for some scary stories known in Victorias, the school was mentioned because of a 'kapre' that was believed to have been haunting its premises at night (read blog here). The 'kapre' who made his presence felt in the DFMMC grounds was 'captured' in a black-and-white photograph taken as students posed at the main entrance of the school. 😱

The photograph, which was in the possession of the school's treasurer, was borrowed by a former faculty member and was never returned. Taken during daytime, it showed a group of students standing and smiling at the entrance of the school, while the 'kapre' was seen leaning on the Jover-Street side of the building towering over the students as his height reached the windows of the principal's office. He wore white trousers and a white shirt tucked in with a black belt. His face, although seemingly complete with human features like eyes, a nose and a mouth, was shaped differently and did not exactly look like the face of any local. As an alumnus, did you have a scary story about the kapre in Don Felix?😱

Although the school closed in 2015, it produced thousands of alumni who continue to keep alive the spirit of a Felixian every year through their alumni homecoming.😋

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