Vanishing Points

BOWLING IN OLONGAPO

2014-08-13T22:06:00.000+08:00

“The gods are bowling in heaven.”

When I was a young boy, I often heard this quip in the vernacular from the elders whenever rolling thunders were heard especially on a fine day. Such was the popularity of bowling in our city that the word easily made its way into our colloquial expressions.

Unlike with basketball, volleyball, badminton or even softball, that could played in the streets or vacant lots, one needs to head to a bowling alley and pay a fee to play the game. Nevertheless, bowling became one of the favorite amusement activities of the residents of Olongapo city from the '60's to the early '90's.

Early Years

Based on published sources, bowling was most likely introduced in Olongapo not later than 1939 by the American forces. This could be deduced from two issues of U. S. Marines publication called “Leatherneck.” In an article in a 1924 issue, Olongapo Naval Station was described as having sporting facilities for basketball, volleyball, baseball, and golf but nothing was mentioned about bowling and gymnasium (for bodybuilding?). The availability of bowling and gymnasium facilities in Olongapo Naval station were first listed in a “Leatherneck” issue 15 years later or around 1939.

Interestingly, outside the West Gate, at the poblacion of Olongapo, during the early years when there were only a limited type of businesses set up by local entrepreneurs, a bowling center was already established. It was owned by the Tirona family who also operated a barber shop.

Records in other parts of the country show Manila had a bowling center as early as 1898, in suburban clubhouses in Nagiajan (probably present day Nagtahan) in Santa Mesa area while in the cities of Cebu, Ilo-ilo and Zamboanga, bowling clubs were established in the 1930’s.

At the Cavite Naval Station, which was developed way ahead of Olongapo Naval Station, regular organized bowling tournaments were held by American servicemen as early as 1927.

Decades of Bowling Popularity

Along with most buildings and structures, the bowling alleys in Olongapo were destroyed during the second world war. After the war, a massive base construction was undertaken by the U.S. Navy expanding the area occupied by their facilities. Thereafter, two bowling facilities were constructed inside the base, one at Subic Naval Station and the other at Cubi Point Naval Air Station.

On the other hand, outside the base, bowling alleys were established by different businessmen over time and by the 1970’s a total of four commercial bowling centers were operational in Olongapo city. This figure could be considered a relatively high number given the demographics during those times. Back then, many cities and municipalities in the
Philippines did not have their own bowling centers.

Tia Juana Billiard and Bowling Hall. The Del Rosario Enterprises ran a business complex at a block along Magsaysay Drive bounded by Gallagher and Hansen streets. Included in the complex was one of the most popular night clubs during the 70’s - Tia Juana Club. As Olongapo was oftentimes compared to Tia Juana, Mexico, the name recall was easily established. The famous night club was on the second floor of a building at the Hansen corner while the bowling alleys were located on the ground floor and were separated from the billiard area by a cleared path which traversed from Magsaysay Drive to the east end of the building leading to the Delros theater at the back.

The combination of different businesses, in this case, a cinema, a night club, bowling and billiards, and restaurants in one complex created a synergy that attracted more customers than the total number of the customers of each of the businesses had they operated independently. This is the same basic formula applied by modern mall operators today.

Situated at the heart of Magsaysay Drive, Tia Juana was the most accessible among the four bowling centers. As Magsaysay Drive was the prime “Liberty” area at that time, there were more American servicemen who patronized this establishment on any given day than the other three.

When I was in high school, whenever I passed by that area, I would often stopped by and watched a few throws. I don’t recall any time that my friends and I ever bowled at Tia Juana though. It was primarily because of the crowd (kibitzers or “miron” in Tagalog) and the place being too exposed to the public.

Overall the facilities of Tia Juana bowling establishment could be described as basic and
spartan. Later on, the name of the club was changed to Brown Fox. Eventually the original
buildings and structures on the Del Rosario Enterprise block were town down and a new commercial complex was built. It has been renamed and currently known as Olongapo City Square. Unfortunately, the bowling lane is no longer part of the current business mix.

New People's Lane (2011 photo)

New People’s Lane. In front of Pag-asa Public Market along Gordon Avenue, stands the building of New People’s Lane. During those years when the naval base was still operating, a strip of night clubs and bars at Gordon Avenue served as an alternative “Liberty” area for the Americans. But the strip did not reach the location of the New People’s Lane and as such it did not draw this market segment as much as Tia Juana.

In this case, without the Americans to compete with, the People’s Lane became a more popular choice of the locals.

Another reason could be that the building, flanked by two fire walls, seemed like a rectangular box with nothing but walls on three sides. Without air conditioning, it would be very uncomfortable for the Americans and to those who were unable to acclimatize. Local residents, being accustomed to tropical climate, could tolerate the temperature. However the lack of in-house refreshment counter where patrons could buy drinks to re-hydrate themselves forced them to step outside the building.

These things considered, the players who patronized New People’s could be described, in general, as the more serious type of bowlers. In other words, he is the type of customer who goes there because he really intended to bowl, no matter what. Unlike someone who just came from a movie house and on his way saw a bowling alley and decided to play a game or two.

The former fits the description of one of my cousins who got into bowling so much that he made New People’s Lane his hang-out and bowled after work until past midnight almost every Friday during his prime. And he was not alone, as many Olongapo bowling aficionados did the same thing.

New Peoples’ Lane remained open for business until early this year. Although the business sign board is still up, the facility has been closed for repair for some time now. It is expected to open once the repairs are completed.

R&R Lanes. During its heyday, R&R Lanes was easily the standout among the four in terms of the quality of the facility – pleasing interior, good illumination and most important the quality of the alleys. Although the pins were not automatically set, it exuded an ambiance of slightly higher standards targeting those in the upper class of the market while maintaining competitive pricing.

It was located at #1 Perimeter Road corner Fendler Street, just a short walk from the Subic Naval Base main gate. Its proximity to Magsaysay Drive should have drawn US servicemen bowlers but in general, the majority of its clientele was local residents.

The bowling alleys were at the ground floor of a three-story building. Unlike that of New People’s Lane, R&R building hosted a number of tenant of varied businesses – photocopying machine, car rental, obie-gyne clinic and others. For a time there was Seoul Restaurant at the top floor where we got to enjoy our share of bulgogi and kimchi long before the Korean “invasion” of Olongapo and Subic. As the owner of the building earned by leasing spaces to whoever interested persons or companies who came along, there seemed to be no conscious effort to combine businesses that could complement one another and produce a synergistic effect.

R&R’s in–house snack bar became a hit when it introduced lumpiang sariwa (vegetable spring roll) wrapped in crepe. During those times, in other food outlets that I know, the regular thin lumpia wrapper was used. Today lumpia in crepe wrapper is widely available, like in Goldilocks.

Some time in the 1980’s I chanced upon a small group of Philippine movie stars (Liza Lorena et. al.) enjoying the games at R&R while taking a break from their shooting schedules. From their conversations, I got the impression that they thought R&R Lanes was at par with some of the best bowling alleys in Metro Manila.

After the base closure, the bowling facility stopped operation but the other business tenants continued to operate until the building deteriorated and eventually closed down. The building was demolished in 2012 and on its ground now stands a new hotel.

R&R Building (2011 photo)

New Hotel at the former site of R&R building (2013 photo)

Cristal Lanes. Located at across the Olongapo City Public Market, Cristal Lanes is the ‘odd one’ among the four in terms of location.

Cristal Lanes at the 3rd and 4th floors of this building (2014 photo)

The district, which some people regarded as ‘downtown,’ is supposed to be the commercial area of Olongapo. True enough, there’s the public market, a number of supermarkets, bazaars, drug stores and others. Locating a bowling center in the area seemed to be odd as the other three competitors were located at or near the rest and recreation district of Olongapo.

Stories had it that when the owner constructed the four-story building, he did not really intend to open a bowling facility. He simply planned to make the upper floors as residential units for rent, the ground floor of course for the business store spaces and the second floor for the storage of merchandise. Unfortunately, it seemed that there were not enough takers on the residential units. Consequently, they had to rethink the original plan and instead decided to construct a bowling center with a total of fourteen lanes - six on the third floor and eight on the fourth floor are. In the early years, duckpins were played on the third floor and tenpins on the fourth floor.

Another peculiar about Cristal Lanes was the unassuming side entrance at the ground floor
which could be mistaken as similar to that of a discreet cheap hotel. In comparison, People’s and R&R both had large glass doors, while Tia Juana alleys were actually in an “open” area.

The stairs don’t have an access door to the second floor but leads directly to the third floor. This made why many people mistakenly think the bowling lanes were on the second floor of the building. Back then, when asked where Cristal Lanes was, people answered ‘at the second floor of ARC pharmacy.’

It’s difficult to miss New People’s Lane once one gets to Pag-Asa market along Gordon avenue because of a huge sign marking the establishment. But in the case of Cristal Lanes, there is nothing except for a small sign on piece of wood about 8 inches by 2 feet pointing to the entrance.

Despite these oddities, Cristal Lanes succeeded in attracting people from all walks of life. From those who wanted to bowl for fun to those serious bowlers aspiring to be champions; from students with limited allowance to naval base workers and professionals with a some cash to spare.

One good thing about Cristal Lanes is the balcony at the east side of the building which allows breeze to come in which helps maintain the natural ventilation.

There was a billiard table or two back in the ‘80s but today ping-pong tables are available at the third floor.

The in-house refreshment counter became famous for pancit (noodles) and potato salad. Many people even went to Cristal Lanes, not to bowl, but to have a snack while watching their friends throw balls at the alleys.

By keeping the overhead down, the bowling alleys were able to maintain competitive pricing. Rightly or wrongly, Cristal Lanes, didn't even bother to put up a sign, rarely advertised in local radios, and kept the facilities to the basic. This conservative approach could have been an important key to its longevity making Cristal Lanes the only standing ‘pin’ in the bowling industry in Olongapo today.

Third floor of Cristal Lanes (2014 photo)

State of the Art

After the Americans left Subic, along came a state-of-the-art bowling center at the general area where the former Subic Bowling alleys were located. It was part of the newly developed recreational complex called Times Square, which included a pizza parlor, cinemas, boutiques and snack bars and many more.

Cosmic Bowling featured well-laid alleys certified by a bowling authority, superb lighting, with glow in the dark pins, modern look, air-conditioning, well maintained facilities. People truly enjoyed bowling at this world-class facility. The only complaint was that there was a time limit imposed on throws.

Advertising and marketing campaigns were launched to encourage people to experience Cosmic Bowling. I never expected someone showing up in my front gate offering passes to bowling lanes at promotional prices but someone from Cosmic Bowling did go house to house in our barangay to conduct direct selling campaign.

No doubt, Cosmic Bowling (Subic) operated under a well crafted business model developed by its mother company. However, it seemed that it positioned itself more of an entertainment center rather than a sport/recreation center, a trend that started to take place in the United States in the 1990's. But the question that should be answered first was - "Is the market in Olongapo/Subic ready for this kind of bowling activity?" Cosmic Bowling (Subic) closed down after only a few years of operations.

Cosmic Bowling (Subic) sign, (2014 photo)

Tournaments

Bowling tournaments provided the steady flow of cash to the business during the competition seasons of the year while walk-ins or occasional bowlers provided additional income on a day to day basis. But in the long run, tournaments bring more money than games played by walk-ins. Thus, whichever attracted the most number of bowling leagues to play tournaments in their venue will likely get the lion’s share of the market.

One thing about bowling is that both genders can actively participate. In basketball, for instance, only men’s team are usually formed. For bowling leagues, it is normal to have men’s division and ladies’ division. Likewise, it was not uncommon to have additional games for teams comprising of mixed men and women bowlers. In fact, today based on the announcements at Cristal Lanes, more “Mixed” bowling tournaments are conducted. (see photo below)

One demographic group that formed a number of bowling leagues were the employees of the U. S. Naval Base. In addition to Base-wide league, there were also Command-wide leagues, and some units of a Command held their own Shop-wide bowling tourneys.

A base-wide league called the Inter-Command Bowling League or ICBL first rolled out in the year 1969, according to an issue of Subic Bay News. Major commands of the U. S. Naval Base formed two divisions – one for the men and the other for the ladies. Take a look of how they named their teams back then:

Men’s division and their Command - D’Suppliers(NSD), D’Schemers (NSD), Lanelords(Navsta), Lanemaster(Navsta), Raiders(PWC), Alley Kahns (PWC) Lancers(SRF), Tigers (SRF), Astronauts (NAS), Flyers (Cubi), Devil Dogs (Marine Barracks), Leathernecks (Marine Barracks), Sidewinders (NavMag), Sparrows (NavMag), Computers (DPSSC);

Ladies’ division – Alleys Queens (Navsta), D’Elites (NSD), Cubites (NAS), Centerettes (PWC), Blue Ladies (SRF), Marinettes (Marine Barracks), Computerettes (DPSSC).

On the other side of the bridge, the Olongapo city government sponsored bowling tournaments participated by different barangays, civic groups and other non-government organizations. Many private companies also organized bowling tourneys for the welfare and recreation of their employees.

The Fun Of Bowling

For many Filipino amateur tournament players, the fun of bowling is not merely striking the most number of pins. ‘ Ang masarap sa bowling ay ‘yong alaskahan.’ (The fun of bowling is in the alaskahan)

When Filipino co-workers and friends joined together and compete in a bowling tournament, one should not expect to see games like those Bowling Tour games shown over ESPN, where silence and other bowling decorum are observed. Filipinos engaged in “alaskahan,’ during game time and sometimes even after the games. The word “alaska’ has no exact translation in English; ‘to tease’ is inadequate. The bowling term ‘bench work’ which means an action or conversation intended to upset an opponent is also not quite the same as “alaska.”

Let me give an example of ‘alaskahan.”

Let’s say Gloria, a beginner shows up for the match with a brand new wristband used by professional bowlers. She throws her first ball and it goes to the gutter.

Then someone from the opposing team would shout at her, “ano ba yan Gloria pa wristband-wristband ka pa, kanal din pala. Hubarin mo na ‘yan.” (Come on, your wristband is useless, your ball just ends down in the gutter. Take it off!)

If Gloria were not used to alaska, she would be offended and maybe get mad at the ‘alaskador.’

But in the spirit of fun, Gloria may return the alaska with a counter, “Oy Cosme, inggit ka lang, wala ka kasing pambili ng wrist band. Ulam mo nga laging sardinas. Weh” (Hey Cosme, you're just itching. You can't afford to buy a wristband. Your lunch is always sardines.)

And everyone gets a good laugh including the alaskador.

Hanging On

A form of oligopoly prevailed during the decades when four players shared the bowling market in Olongapo. Today with only one player adressing the demand, a monopoly is in existence. In general, in a monopoly, the price tends to be high as there are no competitors. Fortunately the current fee charged by Cristal Lanes is only 40 pesos or leass than a dollar. (1 US dollar = 43 pesos).

Cristal Lane continues to host tournaments after tournaments which provide the funds to perpetuate its operations. Over the years, it hasn't changed much its business personality allowing local bowlers to enjoy the game with ‘alaskahan’ on the side.

In the United States, the home of the people who introduced bowling to Olongapo, the number of bowling centers are on a steady decline according to an article published last month at www.businessweek.com, "America's Vanishing Bowling Alleys." The article also reports that a leading bowling company is planning to take bowling to its next version with its latest concept.

Cristal Lanes, using its old and tested formula, should be able to hang on and continue to survive despite the downward trend. If the only surviving bowling alley in Olongapo stops to operate, then only the gods in heaven will be bowling.

The SRF Tree

2013-10-21T23:36:00.002+08:00

Although Subic Bay had been used as a center of ship repair operations and replenishment by the United States Navy since the arrival of the Dewey Drydock in 1906, the U. S. Naval Ship Repair Facility, Subic Bay (SRF Subic) attained the status of a ‘command’ only on October 1, 1954.

As SRF Subic passed through the different stages of its evolution as an organization, it created or develop different symbols to direct its evolving culture, express the mission of the Command and to foster solidarity among its personnel.

For instance, the SRF Subic had an emblem or logo, which consists of the iconic U. S. Navy anchor, mooring ropes, the water (of Subic Bay), a naval ship and industrial buildings. The SRF Subic slogan during the Vietnam War was “Our Business - Fleet Readiness – In War or Peace.”

Some years after the Vietnam ended, a new slogan, selected from entries submitted by its employees, was used to convey a message that was more or less in tune with the times - “A tradition of excellence in service to the fleet.” This was during the time when MBO was already considered as passe and Total Quality Management (TQM) was beginning to gain popularity in American organizations.

SRF Subic also adopted a moniker for its workers – The SRF Tigers. The name did not actually come from of any of sporting events sponsored by the Command but in one of its industrial shops. An American official started calling the Filipino workers under his supervision "Tigers" because he was impressed by their agility and quickness. Later on, the whole SRF Subic workforce was nicknamed the SRF Tigers and a caricature of a tiger was added to its icons enhancing the “Can Do” spirit of the SRF Subic personnel.

A symbol can also be in the form of a ritual. SRF Subic held annual celebration of the founding of SRF Subic on the first day of October with simple activities. But the activities were raised to a slightly higher level every fifth year, as in 5th, 10th, 15th and so on, as those years were regarded as milestones years. Probably this was in line with the concept and practice of Management By Objections (MBO) which was the widely prevailing management philosophy during those time.

In 1979, during the SRF Subic’s 25th birthday celebration, the SRF Subic family undertook an activity which they had never done in their previous anniversaries. They planted a sapling in the lawn across the street (Waterfront Road) from Building 51 (SRF Administration Building). Consequently, the young tree was named SRF Tree and a living symbol of the Command was added to its host of symbols and icons

And what exactly is the SRF tree?

It is a narra, which has the scientific name of Pterocarpus indicus. As to why this particular specie of hard wood was selected to symbolize SRF Subic was not difficult to justify. It was expected that the narra tree would stand the test of time with all its inherent characteristics of strength and resistance, just like SRF Subic.

In 1984, during the Command’s 30th anniversary, a photo of the SRF Tree, by then five years old, was taken with five key SRF Subic officers huddled around it. The picture was published in the Command’s official newsletter called SRF Tiger Talk, about a week later.

from SRF Tiger Talk Vol. IX, No. 7, Oct. 5 1984, author's collection

(From the 1984 photo, note the picket fence around the tree; and on the foreground just behind the front picket fence, note a white rectangular object, its entirety not fully captured in the photo, which I think is the marker, and the marker’s concrete block.)

SRF Subic Bay, once the largest repair facility in the U. S. Navy, was unable to reach its 40th year as the Subic Naval Base closed shop in 1992. Had the Subic Naval Base continued its operations, SRF Subic Bay would have turned 59 years old this month.

Following the decommissioning of SRF Subic, the U. S. Navy military and American civilian personnel were assigned elsewhere. The thousands of Filipino workers from the ship repair facility sought fortunes in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, and in other parts of the Philippines. A few remained and worked at the Subic Freeport Zone.

The SRF Administration Building had been demolished a long time ago. There are a number of buildings and structures of SRF Subic which are still standing and are now occupied by locators.

The Mount Pinatubo eruption, powerful typhoons, summer heat, extreme monsoon rains and other elements put the SRF Tree to the test.

Today on that very spot where the SRF Subic Tigers planted a white narra sapling stands a tall and healthy narra tree. If the photo-shoot style in the 1984 newsletter was to be followed, the photo should have thirty four (34) people gathered around the tree, representing its age.

Understandably, the wooden picket fence is gone. The marker, maybe steel or bronze, is no longer there but the concrete block where the marker was attached is still on site. From its appearance, a casual observer might regard this "artifact" as just a piece of concrete junk.

The SRF Tree is leaning a bit to the right (looking towards Alava Wharf) like in the 1984 photo. It was not able to grow to a ninety degree angle from the ground because, I think, of the presence of an older, and much bigger tree a few meter on its east side.

The nickname "SRF Tigers" is destined for immortality, as long as former SRF employees and their descendants keep talking about its illustrious history. The SRF Tree, may be spared from physical development inside the Freeport, and reach beyond the century mark, but it might be forgotten as a living symbol of a great organization.

Street Names at Subic Naval Station

2013-07-08T21:58:00.000+08:00

I grew up in a city where streets that run south to north are named alphabetically, and streets that run from east to west are named numerically. Like in West Tapinac, the names of the streets are Altman, Basa, Corpus, Draper, Esteban and Foster.

This system of naming streets appears to be similar to some districts in Minneapolis. Although this grid system was introduced by the Americans in Olongapo after it was reorganized after the War, the same was not implemented at the Subic Naval Station (Navsta). My guess was that the authorities wanted to honor distinguished individuals in naming the roads, avenues, and streets at the Naval Base, something that they could not do by simply filling in the names from the letter A to Z.

This post lists the names (and short background) of famous and distinguished American presidents, governor-generals, military officers, Filipino revolutionaries and national heroes, hold-over streets names of old Olongapo, and generic names used to identify the different streets, avenues, roads, highway, and lanes at Navsta, Subic.

U. S. Presidents (first set)

Street Markers. White on Green, original markers during US Navy days
White on Blue with Asian characters installed by SBMA

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Although they served during those years prior to the start of U. S. direct involvement with the Philippines, they were honored with street names for their accomplishments as three of the greatest U. S. presidents. Interestingly, all of them were involved in armed conflict, the first two – the American Revolution and the third – the American Civil War.

Washington Street is located at the former Ship Repair Facilities (SRF)

Between Schley and Quezon streets.

Jefferson Street runs between the two lots occupied by the closed Legenda Hotel between Waterfront road and Dewey Avenue.

Lincoln Street is between Legenda Hotel and the SBMA buildings (229, 255) between Waterfront Road and Dewey Avenue. (SBMA = Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority)

U. S. Presidents (second set)

The second set of presidents served during the Spanish-American War and the years that followed when the U. S. became directly involved in the Philippines namely: William Mckinley, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.

Mckinley, the 25th U. S. president, was incumbent when the United States intervened in Cuba that led to the Spanish-American War (1898). As a result of this war, the U. S. liberated Cuba from Spain but annexed the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico. Consequently U. S. A. officially became a superpower. Or “imperialist” as some people would say. (President McKinley supported the annexation of the Philippines.)

In 1901, McKinley issued an executive order allowing 500 Filipinos to enlist in the U. S. Navy. However, they were mostly assigned to do stewards job like cooking, and cleaning. From that humble beginning, Filipinos continued to enjoy the opportunity to get enlisted in the U. S. Navy (via Sangley Point beginning in 1947 and via Subic Bay in 1960) and by 1973, they could get the rank that they might qualify. The enlistment was stopped in 1992 following the rejection of the treaty that would have extended the lease of American bases in the Philippines.

McKinley street in Subic is a relatively short road between Boardwalk Inn and Texas Joe and starts from Waterfront Road and ends at the Subic Dispensary.

Taft (27th president) came to the Philippines in 1900 when he was appointed as the first American governor-general of the Philippines, a position he held until 1904. As a governor-general, some regarded him as “sympathetic toward the Filipinos,” and improved the economy and welfare of the general population.

From 1904 to 1908 he served as Secretary of War during the incumbency of President Roosevelt. In 1905, Taft became the chairman of the Taft Board which recommended the fortification of Subic Bay as the first priority for the defense of the Philippines with the core of justifications as follows:

"Subic Bay occupies the same position in relationship to the control of the Philippines (As Quantanamo does to the Panama Canal) and its protection by fixed defense is of the greatest importance, not only in order that the fleet may protect Manila. but that it may have facilities for docking. repairing, and provisioning in those distant waters."

But this was not immediately accepted by higher authorities. Eventually from 1907 to 1920, the fortification of Grande Island was carried out under the auspices of the U. S. Army and the fortified section of Grande Island was named Fort Wint. Incidentally historical records showed that Grande Island was purchased in 1905 by the U. S Army. After World War 2, Grande Island was incorporated into the Subic Naval Base.

Taft Street is situated (Waterfront road to Dewey avenue) between SBMA Administration buildings and the mini-forest park, Wynn’s bar.

One of Manila’s busiest and important avenues still bears his name – Taft Avenue – and is the site of a portion of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line.

Woodrow Wilson, (28th president), during his 1912 campaign for presidency was quoted as saying “the Philippines are at present our frontier but I hope we presently are to deprive ourselves of that frontier.” Thus unlike Taft, Wilson worked on the liberal stance of giving independence to the Philippines. During his incumbency, the Jones Law was passed and signed. It provided the first formal declaration of the United States to grant independence to the Philippines. In 1916, still during Wilson’s term of office, the first all-Filipino senate convened.

Wilson Street is located inside the SRF compound between Harrison and Gridley Roads.

Governor-Generals

Governor-general is the title used by the highest ranking Spanish officer in the Philippines. The United States used the same title for the the chief executive officer in the administration of the Philippines. In addition a body called the Philippine Commission was created to promulgate policies and other development objectives. There were a total of five American governor-generals who served before the position was abolished when a new form of governance (Commonwealth) was implemented. Taft was the first American governor-general of the Philippines. Two others who are remembered at Navsta are Francis Bacon Harrison and Luke Edward Wright.

There are two U. S. presidents with the name Harrison but I think the street in Navsta was not named after either one of them. It was more likely named after Francis Bacon Harrison, the governor-general (1913-1921) appointed by President Wilson, who was sent to help, among other things, prepare for the eventual independence of the Philippines.

In Manila, a road parallel to Taft Avenue is named FB Harrison. I have to admit I did know what FB stands for during those years when I often went to Harrison Plaza, a pioneering mall in the country, to unwind after our grueling exams in college.

FB Harrison, could be described as heaven-sent for Filipinos and I recommend to the interested readers to peruse in more comprehensive readings about the life of this man who after his term as governor-general returned to the Philippines and served as adviser to the Manuel Quezon and the first four presidents of the Philippines after World War 2. I would say, Harrison really loved the Philippines that he willed to be buried in this country. Thus after he died in the U. S. (1957), his remains were flown to Manila and were interred in Manila North Cemetery. In 1992, when the city of Manila honored him, his tomb was transferred to an area where the great Manila mayors were interred.

Harrison Street is located inside the SRF compound.

Luke Edward Wright started his Philippine service in 1900 as a member of the second Philippine Commission; appointed as vice-governor of the Philippines in 1901 and Governor-General (1904-1906).

Wright is much remembered for his decision to commission a famed American architect (Burnham) to design a plan, something that people at present refer to as urban planning, for Baguio.

The people of Baguio honored Wright and Burnham as well. Baguio city’s iconic images of pine trees and horse/pony rides are taken at Wright Park. And those boat rides at a man-made lake are shot at Burnham park.

Wright Street was a short street located between Schley and Pershing streets. Unfortunately, it could have been one of the first 'casualties' of real estate development in the Subic Freeport.

American military greats

All the honored military officers saw action during the Spanish-American War.

Dewey and Gridley

George Dewey. Had the Spaniards completed the installation of big guns at Grande Island in time when the Spanish-American War broke out, Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo could have mustered his fleet in Subic Bay and who knows, maybe Dewey could have engaged the Spanish Fleet in Subic Bay. But Montojo did not keep track of the progress in Subic and had no choice but to make a stand in Manila Bay. And on May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey led a squadron of modern ships and crushed the wooden fleet of Montojo in the Battle of Manila Bay.

When the Americans took possession of the Philippines, there came a time when the U. S. Navy had to make a choice where to locate and develop their naval stronghold. In 1900 a board recommended against Subic or Manila but instead suggested Guimaras island. Admiral of the Navy Dewey (promoted the after his victory in the Battle of Manila Bay) and the commander of the Asiatic Fleet, Admiral George C. Remey did not agree with Guimaras and strongly favored Subic. A new board was formed to make a study. This new board, which had Admiral Remey as a senior member, decided in favor of Subic Bay.

View of Dewey Avenue from the Old West Gate (Spanish Gate)

Dewey Avenue is a premier road starting from the Old West Gate (Spanish Gate) to tKalaklan Bridge. This used to be prewar Olongapo’s main thoroughfare and previously called Esteban Avenue.

The secondary school in Subic Naval Base for dependents was named George Dewey High School.

In Manila, Dewey Boulevard located by the bay was renamed Roxas Boulevard.

Charles Vernon Gridley. Captain Gridley was the ailing commander of the flagship USS Olympia which led the squadron that destroyed the Spanish fleet in the battle Manila Bay. He is well remembered in history, thanks to the now-famous order of Commodore George Dewey – “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.”

Gridley Street is located inside the SRF compound.

Schley and Sampson

Rear Admiral William Thomas Sampson, assigned as the commander of the US naval force at the North Atlantic Station in 1898 and Commodore Winfield Scott Schley were both part of the naval campaign to search and destroy the Spanish Fleet commanded by Rear Admiral Pascual Cervera.

That campaign, albeit victorious, was tainted with controversies which was termed as the Schley-Sampson controversy. While it was Commodore Schley who commanded the squadron that engaged and completely destroyed the Spanish Fleet led by Cervera, Sampson sent a message that sparked the controversies – “the fleet under my command offers the nation as a Fourth of July present, the whole of Cervera’s fleet.”

At Navsta, Sampson Road and Schley Road meet at an intersection and interestingly ‘Sampson’ and ‘Schley’ share the same post. Sampson Road starts from an access to Alava Pier and ends at Burgos Street. Schley Road is well remembered by former employees of the Ship Repair Facility as it served as the main entrance to the SRF compound.

John Joseph Pershing. Considering the rivalry between the Navy and the Army, it might be surprising that a street in a naval base was named after as army officer. But General Pershing was no ordinary officer. He campaigned in many fronts, including the Philippines. He was the only one ever promoted to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States prior to the awarding of the same, but posthumously centuries later to George Washington.

However, unlike his Navy counterpart, Dewey, who had a premiere avenue named after him, Pershing only got a short, secondary street named after him. Pershing Street is parallel to (and the first street north of) Waterfront Road via Sampson Road.

Heroes of Philippines Revolution

A total of six Filipinos who played important roles if the Philippine revolution against Spain and/or U. S. were given recognition – Father Jose Burgos, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon, Apolinario Mabini and Deodato Arellano.

Father Jose Burgos and two other priests (with Gomez and Zamora collectively called Gomburza), were martyred by means of garrote following the allegations that they were the advisers of people, soldiers and laborers, who took part in the Cavite Mutiny.

Paciano Mercado Rizal, who was a close friend of Father Jose Burgos and his brother, narrated the story of Gomburza to his younger brother Jose Rizal who was only ten or eleven years old at that time.

Rizal was so moved by Gomburza's martyrdom that later in his life he wrote and published two novels – "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibustirismo" exposing the abuses of the Spanish clergies and military in the Philippines.

After Rizal published his second novel in Europe, he went back to the Philippines (1892) and founded La Liga Filipina - “ a league or association seeking to unite all Filipinos of good character for concerted action toward the economic advancement of their country, for a higher standard of manhood, and to assure opportunities for education and development of talented Filipino youth.” In short, it was like a reform movement.

Andres Bonifacio, Deodato Arellano and a few others joined the La Liga Filipina. Deodato Arellano, brother in law of Marcelo del Pilar, became the secretary of the organization. Rizal served as an adviser, not the chairman or president of the league.

Just a few days after the formation of La Liga Filipina, Rizal was arrested and exiled in Dapitan in Mindanao.

Bonifacio and others tried to keep La Liga Filipina active but in the absence of Rizal, the organization was eventually dissolved..

Just like in most societies, there are conservatives, liberals and radicals. Believing that they would not get anything by pressing for reforms, Bonifacio, Arellano and a few others founded the Katipunan to prepare for a revolution in the same year La Liga Filipina was founded (1892). Later on, due to his leadership, Bonifacio was regarded as the “Father of Katipunan.” Four years later ( August, 1896), the Katipuneros, led by Bonifacio formally showed their defiance against the authorities in the “Cry of Pugad Lawin”

While Rizal was in exile in Dapitan, the La Liga Filipina, as previously mentioned, continued its tasks to seek reforms. During this time Apolinario Mabini, considered as a political philosopher, became its Secretary. Mabini did not support the Katipunan revolution at first, as he wanted to continue pushing for reforms through writing and discourse. But after Rizal was executed by firing squad in December, 1896, Mabini totally embraced the revolution.

In 1894, a member of one of the well to do, and political families in Cavite, Emilio Aguinaldo, joined the Katipunan chapter in that province. Aguinaldo and his forces won many campaigns against the Spaniards in Cavite and he quickly attained the rank of a general and eventually Aguinaldo became the first president of the first republic in Asia.

Mabini joined Aguinaldo’s forces and was given important post despite his physical condition. Mabini, considered as the Brain of the Revolution, served as the Prime Minister in the first Philippine Republic.

While the Philippine revolution was being waged, the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898. Filipino revolutionaries and Dewey’s forces fought against one common enemy. But after the Spaniards surrendered, the U. S. annexed the Philippines, and Aguinaldo and his forces fought against the Americans (1899).

In 1899, Manuel Quezon joined the Katipunan (by that time time fighting the Americans) and became the aide-de-camp of Aguinaldo. Quezon was later promoted to Major and campaigned in Bataan. However, in 1900, Quezon surrendered and went back to school to finish his law degree. He later joined politics, starting from local then national. And as fate would have it, Quezon ran and won against his former boss, Aguinaldo, in the 1935 presidential election of the Philippine Commonwealth.

Of the six Filipino heroes, only Aguinaldo seemed to have had a historical presence in the Subic/Olongapo area. Dewey’s naval forces had no ground troops to actually occupy the land prior to the arrival of U. S. Marines and U. S. Army servicemen. Thus for a period of time, the U. S. just laid some sort of a naval blockage in Manila while the Katipunan, by then divided to Bonifacio and Aguinaldo groups, Magdiwang and Magdalo, respectively, engaged the Spaniards in many fronts. In the Subic/Olongapo area, the Spaniards, under threat from Katipuneros abandoned the Arsenal de Olongapo and retreated to Grande island, and hauled themselves up until their surrender to Admiral Catalan, a Cuban who defected to the Philippine side. The unit of the Subic/Olongapo Katipuneros who took control of the Arsenal and the pueblo as well were aligned with Aguinaldo’s group.

Rizal Highway, the main highway at naval station, named after Dr. Jose Rizal, extends west to east, from Manila Avenue to Argonaut highway.

Aguinaldo Street runs from Dewey Avenue to Rizal Highway.

Bonifacio Street is a relatively short one between Dewey and Quezon.

Mabini Street is located inside the SRF compound between Washington and Rivera point roads.

Quezon Street and Extension runs from Rivera point to Burgos Street to Sampson to Santa Rita Roads.

Burgos Street is outside the perimeter of SRF compound; between Arellano Street and Rizal Highway.

Arellano Street is short street from Schley to Burgos Street.

Local residents

Some streets names of prewar Olongapo, possibly from surnames of prominent local residents were maintained. These are Rojas, Labitan, Espiritu and Raymundo.

These streets might have been named after the following:

Tomas Rojas, who was formally addressed as Señor Tomas Rojas, was vice president of Olongapo (circa 1903). One of the prewar movie houses in Olongapo was owned by the Rojas family.

Rojas street is located at the east side of Tappan Park; connecting Waterfront Road and Dewey Avenue.

Labitan – no historical records found identifying an individual to whom the street was named. However, Labitan is a well-known clan in Subic, Zambales.

Labitan Street runs from Waterfront Road up to Rizal Highway; the first segment is at the west side of Tappan Park (Waterfront to Dewey). The second segment is not directly in line with the first (Dewey to Canal). The third segment runs from Canal to Rizal Highway.

Espiritu – no definitive historical records found. However, the Espiritu’s have been recorded as residents of Olongapo as early as 1917. Amado Espiritu and Isabelo Espiritu from Cavite were members of the founding group of the first Masonic Lodge established in Olongapo (Lincoln Lodge) in 1917. Isabelo Espiritu was elected as Junior Warden.

Espiritu Street is parallel to (and at the west side of) the first segment of Labitan Street; runs from Waterfront Road to Dewey Avenue. There is also a Espiritu Street in East Tapinac, Olongapo city.

Florentino A. Raymundo – member of Municipal Advisory Census Board for Subic in 1918 Census of Philippine Islands, together with Damaso Esteban and Juan Juico.

Raymundo Street is between Simpson and Aguinaldo Streets, north of Canal Road. In prewar Olongapo, the town market was located in the vicinity of Raymundo Street.

Señor Damaso Esteban was the first president of Olongapo elected during the first popular election in the locality. The main thoroughfare of prewar Olongapo was named after him but was changed to Dewey Avenue. In West Tapinac, Olongapo, there is a Esteban Street.

Another prewar Olongapo street which no longer exists is Anastacio Street; which was previously located at the Public Works Center compound.

Generic Names

Some streets got their names from their locations – Waterfront Road, Canal Street, Causeway and Basin Street.

Basin Street became part of the Subic Bay Yatch Club area and was closed to traffic.

Others

Manila Avenue. The first time Olongapo became accessible to modern motorized vehicles was after the completion of the Zigzag Pass in Cabalan in 1925. A road that was built connecting the town proper from Waterfront to the national highway was named Manila avenue because it led to the capital city of Manila. Years later, that part belonging to the present Olongapo was renamed Rizal Avenue. For many decades prior to the formation of SBMA, that portion that used to connect the Manila Avenue (at Naval Station) to Olongapo was longer existed. A new bridge was constructed during the early years of SBMA. Today Manila Avenue serves as the main access for vehicles to the Subic Bay Freeport as the Main Gate bridge had been decommissioned.

Manila Avenue, view from Waterfront Road

Santa Rita Road. During the Spanish time, Santa Rita, an Italian saint, was honored by naming a mountain, a river and a barrio located in the general area of South Zambales and Bataan. When the road was built, it was possible that it took its name from one of them.

Another possibility was that the karitelas (horse-drawn carriages) plying “Bayan” Olongapo to barrio Santa Rita used to have their terminal at that road which, over time, got its name from the signs and barkers’ calls.

An indication that Santa Rita Road was an important thoroughfare in the past was that the northern portion (between Canal and Rizal) had four lanes and an island (now lined with Narra trees). Subic Marines history noted that in December 1945 (just after World War 2) U. S. Marines took over from Navy personnel the task of guarding the Santa Rita Road Gate.

Santa Rita Road’s first segment (two lane) is between Dewey Avenue and Canal road and its second segment (four lanes) is between Canal Road and Rizal Highway.

Santa Rita Road - November 2011 photo

Uncertain Origins

Barryman Street – No Barryman in relevant historical records found. The closest is a Berryman. A U. S. Marine with a rank of Lt. Colonel, Otway C. Berryman, who in 1901 was in command of the District of Subig and Olongapo; also Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks, Subic Bay October 1901 to January 1903.

Barryman Street is situated between the two Administration buildings of SBMA (229 and 255).

Betty Lane. In the history of Philippine-American War, a Betty Hill (Rebecca Jane Perkins) joined her husband, a U. S. army sergeant, during his tour of duty in the Philippines in the early 1900s, where she ministered to the soldiers.

Betty Lane is at the north side of Mini-golf course/mini-forest park between Simpson and Taft streets.

Hughes Street. Lt. (jg) Charles F. Hughes, during the Spanish American War, served under Commodore George Dewey’s Asiatic Command. He retired as an Admiral and completed his tour as an Admiral occupying the position of Chief of Naval Operations.

Hughes Street is located at the south perimeter of Tappan Park between Labitan and Rojas streets.

Kauffman Road. Rear Admiral James L. Kauffman became commander of Philippine Sea Frontier when it was reestablished in 1944. During this tour, he was promoted to Vice Admiral.

Kauffman Road is an unmarked road between Buildings 255 and 662; connecting Taft and Lincoln streets. At Gordon Heights, Olongapo, one of the streets is also called Kauffman.

Previously Unnamed Lane

In the 1980’s, someone noted that the short strip from the Main Gate to Rizal Highway had no name. Aguinaldo street ends at the parking lot by the Subic Gym. The short path towards Rizal Highway was a narrow fire lane. Hence, that lane on the north of Rizal Highway was no longer part of Aguinaldo Street.

To search for an appropriate name, a base-wide contest was held. One of the criteria was that the name should reflect the appearance, usage or something to that effect. The winning entry? - Liberty Lane.

Later, a ‘Liberty Route’ was designated to help sailors from visiting ships to easily find their way to the Main Gate. The route starts at the SRF piers to Schley Road (SRF Entrance/Exit) left to Simpson Road, left to any of the three perpendicular streets (Dewey, Quezon, Raymundo), right to Aguinaldo Street, cross Rizal Highway to Liberty Lane.

At present, the name Liberty Lane is no longer in use. Perhaps SBMA authorities assumed that the lane was an extension of Magsaysay Drive which is on the other side of the bridge and marked it accordingly.

Magsaysay Drive 2013 - Images

2013-01-31T21:50:00.000+08:00

Images of Magsaysay drive, the main drag of Olongapo city, twenty years after the closure of the U. S. Naval Facilities in Subic Bay.

Next 10 images

From Main Gate, right side of Magsaysay Drive

Lot 21
SM City Olongapo (mall)

Corner Gordon Avenue
Subicads, Greenhills shopping
former locator - Straw Hut Pizza,

McDonald's
former location of Grand Theater

Ocampo's Department Store, Max's Restaurant
former location of Sanitary Bazaar

Brads, Naval Bazaar, Lovely Kahael Pawnshop, Casino Filipino

Wimpy's Burger, Travel Lodge, Willy's

City Square
Corner Hansen Street
former location Del Rosario Enterprises, Tia Juana

Block between Gallagher and Fendler streets
former locator - 168 bar

Corner Fendler Street
Sam's Pizza

Near Rizal Avenue
Sierra Club building, Ambyanz Nite Club, Apozaga, etc.
former locators - Sierra Club, Banaue, Airport Restaurant

Next 11 Images From Unity Rotunda, right side of Magsaysay drive heading Main Gate

RM Centerpoint (built 2012)

former location - Glenmore shoes

Corner Fendler Street, and 5th Street
Arlene's Inn, David Salon
Former location - Mariposa Bar

Jade Hotel and Restaurant
Former location - Zanzibar

DBS Money Exchange, Brews Bistro,

Alimar KTV, Police Station

American Legion Post, DiY Hardware

MCS Building, Ridgecrest Garden Hotel, Acme Inn

Chooks to Go, Daday's U.K.
former locator - Chatterbox Pizzahaus

Mang Inasal, Jollibee, Conti's

Corner First street
Sidewalk stalls
former location - Hot City Disco, Rock in Concert

Near Perimeter Road
Mansion Drug, Goldilocks

All photos taken January 2013.

The Prewar Hiking Trails To Olongapo

2013-01-23T22:10:00.000+08:00

Prior to the construction of the Zigzag pass in the 1930’s, Olongapo was accessible by modern land transportation only through the general highway of Zambales from Pangasinan. But that route takes a very long and dragging journey for people coming from Manila to travel northwards to Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, westward to Pangasinan and then southwards practically spanning the entire length of Zambales just to reach Olongapo.

People coming from the south (Bataan, Manila etc.) had another option - take motor vehicles up to Dinalupihan, Bataan and from there, start a hiking trek to Olongapo.

Two hiking roads (or trails) on the south side of Zambales were listed in the report of Philippine Bureau of Lands included in the 1904 Report of Philippine Commission:

1. Bajac-bajac via Tanauan

2. Binictican via Pastolan to Bataan

Bajac-bajac via Tanauan was described as “shorter than the second (Binictican via Pastolan to Bataan) but has more grades and is more preferred by pedestrians.”

Binictican via Pastolan to Bataan was said to be preferred by “travelers on horseback and native sledges."

Bajac-bajac via Tanauan Trail

The issue of the American Chamber of Commerce Journal of December 1928 contains two articles that describe about a hiking trail to Olongapo, which I believe pertains to the Bajac-bajac via Tanauan trail.

The opening paragraph of the 1928 article, entitled “Olongapo: The Jewel Of Subic Bay” reads:

“In going overland to Olongapo, the trail beginning at hacienda San Benito winds westward over the mountains and debouches in the outskirts of the town of Santa Rita. This trail involves a hike of about five hours. Going up the mountains, the trail follows Crooked river; going down on the other side it follows the Santa Rita river and disperses in the shallows of the ford. As soon as one is up the opposite bank, he encounters a village road which leads him to the corner, turns him to the right and leaves him at Gordon’s place. At this cabaret the traveler may bathe, wet his parched whistle, lunch, and order a motor car in which to drive to Olongapo.”

From the second paragraph, this information: “xxx the trail runs into the mountains and will soon be widened into a road making Olongapo but three hours from Manila.”

On the same Journal issue, an article entitled “Another Week-end Outing From Manila” written by Walter Robb offers additional details.

“So that, when we found we could motor to Dinalupihan, in Bataan, hike over a stiff mountain trail from there to Santa Rita, Zambales, get from Santa Rita into Olongapo either by caretella or motor car, and back from Olongapo to Manila by a comfortable night boat, we, a friend and I seized opportunity without delay. Xxx Without hesitation the trip is recommended to others. It is not too arduous or too prolonged for anyone in good health; on the contrary it is invigorating.”

From the article by Mr. Robb we learned that Hacienda San Benito was a sugar cane plantation at Dinalupihan established by Benedictine monks from Germany. Travelers who arrived late that they could not complete the five hour hike before sunset could stay overnight at the Hacienda and start the hike early the next day.

The article referred to Santa Rita as a “town.” I think the word was used as a general term to describe a place with a large population (as opposed to a village or a settlement), and not to mean a municipality.

Bajac-bajac, as mentioned in the 1904 report, could probably refer to a mountain and not to the barrio or barangay Bajac-bajac which was not yet officially established at that time. Earlier map (from U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey prepared from Spanish surveys to 1891) shows a mountain in Olongapo named Bagbag with a peak elevation of 357 feet. The coordinates in the old map point to the mountain covering the elevated areas of the present day East Bajac-bajac, part of Old Cabalan (east) and West Kalayaan housing.

The mountain at the left is named Bagbag in an old map; Barangay Santa Rita at the foreground; 2011 photo

The mountain was most likely named after a tree -
Erythina indica leguminosea – called bagbag (word of Ilocano origin), also called dapdap in Pampango and Coral tree in English. In the early years of American occupation, spelling of Filipino names of places where standardized and "g" was changed to "c" in some cases as in Subig to Subic. Bagbag became Bacbac and eventually spelled as Bajac-bajac. Ask a native English speaker to say “Bacbac” and “Bajac bajac”, and you’d probably would not notice any difference.

Tanauan is a plateau, its present name now spelled as Tanauar. Located at Old Cabalan, it is northeast of Bajac-bajac. It is also known as First plateau.

Getting back on the article, that portion – “As soon as one is up the opposite bank, xxx” – could mean that from the trail located at Tanauan Plateau, one would cross the shallow portion of the river and move to the village road at Bagbag. The configuration of the present day zigzag road matches the description; that is, the road is along the southside of Tanauan plateau and north of Bagbag.

As early as 1928, people were aware that the trail “would soon be widened into a road.” Indeed the trail was widened and became part of Highway No. 7 in 1932 bringing to an end the hiking trips to Olongapo via this route, as well the commercial boat rides from Manila and to Olongapo.

During World War 2, a fierce battle, the Battle of Zigzag Pass as some authors call it, was fought in this area where the Japanese were on the defensive position and the Americans and Filipinos were on the assault. In the late 70’s to early 80s, the road was further improved as part of what is now called the Olongapo-Gapan road.

Binictican via Pastolan to Bataan Trail

Unlike the first trail which had two accounts about it, the second trail identified in the 1904 Report had no written description about its location before the War.

From the narrative portion of Supreme Court decision promulgated in December 29, 1903 (G.R. no. L-1365 The United States vs. Gervasio Santiago, et. al.), one could infer that as early as 1902, there was already a trail from Binictican to Dinalupihan. Briefly the case involved three U. S. Marines who wanted to return to Manila from Subic and hired Filipino guides to help them on their journey from barrio Binictican toward Dinalupijan (Dinalupihan). However, there were not much details about the trail on this document.

In the absence of a definitive account, one could only make deductions based on related information. The Second trail probably started in the same general location in Dinalupihan and went westwards like the Bajac-bajac via Tanauan trail. But in Tipo (in Hermosa, Bataan), it turned in a south southwest direction towards Pastolan (also in Hermosa) and continued in southwest direction until Binictican and then west towards Binictican valley down to the shoreline.

Hikers using this trail back then, would take a short ferry ride from Binictican to get to Kababae (the old barrio) and walk to Olongapo poblacion. After the U. S. Navy a completed a reclamation project to expand the land area for the naval base (1950's), Binictican became accessible by road.

Binictican, classified as a barrio back in those days, provided a vital and a strategic resource for the operation of the U. S. Naval facilities – fresh, potable water. An Executive order placed large hectares of land including Binictican, Pastolan, Mount Santa Rita, et al, as part U. S. Naval Reservations under the control of the U. S. military. After World War 2, Binictican became part of the U. S. Naval Station and ceased to be a barrio as its residents relocated to Olongapo.

In the 1950's, around the same time frame of the construction of Cubi Naval Air Station, a highway from National Highway (7) at Tipo to the leveled summit of Mount Santa Rita was built where a Naval Communication Link Station was erected. A portion of that highway could have been part of the old trail.

After the expansion of the U. S. Naval Station, access to the Binictican to Bataan via Pastolan trail was allowed only to authorized persons. In the early '60s, Aetas living inside the Naval Reservation, were relocated to New Cabalan. About a decade later, some of the previously relocated Aetas were allowed to go back inside the base and were settled in that area now called Pastolan Village.

With the establishment of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the strict access restriction to the road/trail to Pastolan was lifted. Since then many adventurous people have enjoyed hiking, running or cycling (mountain bikes) in Pastolan/Binictican areas.

.
At the present, only the Binictican to Pastolan section remains in a trail condition as the Pastolan to Tipo portion has been developed into a road.

Those who want to experience hiking/biking at the remaining trail section usually take the Binictican Drive and after passing the Binictican Golf Course, look for the the trail head (just before reaching Pamulaklakin Forest Trail). The uphill hike to Pastolan could last from 45 minutes to an hour or a bit more depending on the pace.

Pastolan Aetas continue to regularly use the trail in going to (and returning from Binictican and Olongapo) if they would complete the journey on daytime.

But this segment may, in the not so distant future, also be widened and converted into a road (and forest fire break as well) as more investments and projects are channeled in the ancestral domain of the Pastolan Aetas.

Jungle trail from Binictican to Pastolan, 2013 photo

Asinan Elementary School, Olongapo City

2011-11-30T21:40:00.001+08:00

Olongapo was badly in need of schools after World War 2. Both the Olongapo Primary School and Olongapo Intermediate School were destroyed during the war. But, the decision to expand the U. S. Naval Station prevented the reconstruction of the two schools in their original locations at Barrio Poblacion.

LOCATION

New schools would have to be created in other locations. In 1945, Bajacbajac Elementary School was established in the north district. On the south district, the first of the so called "New" barrios to be developed was New Asinan partly due to the urgent need to relocate the business establishments from the commercial district of old Olongapo at Barrio Asinan. In 1946, Asinan Elementary School was created at a large parcel of land bounded by Manila Avenue on the west, Perimeter Street on the south, and First street on the north.

FIRST TEACHERS

A number of the former teachers from the Olongapo Primary and Olongapo Intermediate Schools sought assignment in the newly created Asinan Elementary School. A few others were recruited from other places to complete the faculty requirement, (including Mrs. Julie Del Rosario, a former teacher/assistant principal I consulted for this post).

FIRST CLASSROOMS

The Philippines was rising up from the ashes of a ravaging war and there were gazillions of things to be repaired, rehabilitated and constructed with the very limited funds available. And so people learned to make do of what they had. Asinan Elementary School was initially provided with modest facilities like quonset huts for temporary classrooms. Brought to the Philippine soils by the U. S. military, this type of easy to assemble buildings was widely used in Olongapo schools after the war.

FIRST SCHOOL IN SOUTH DISTRICT

For a few years, Asinan Elementary School was the only elementary school in the south district of Olongapo; Sta. Rita Elementary School and Bajacbajac Elementary School were both in the north district. There was a relatively rapid rise in enrollment requiring more classrooms.The communities around the school, through the Parents and Teachers Association, actively helped in raising funds to construct more buildings.

When things got better in Olongapo and in the country in general a few years after the war, more funds became available for school construction.* By the time I entered first grade in 1966, there was no longer a quonset hut in place and there stood an elegant Gabaldon type building with spacious classrooms serving as the main building of Asinan Elementary School.

MAIN BUILDING

The Gabaldon type of school building became the standard design for public school after the enactment of the Gabaldon law during the American Administration of the Philippines. There were some variations depending on the terrain and other factors but the general design was maintained in the public school buildings constructed in the Philippines up to the early 1960’s.

While most of the existing Gabaldon type buildings sit on the ground, that of Asinan Elementary School was raised about five feet from the ground, like it was on stilts. It was likely that the proximity of the campus to the river was considered and elevating the building mitigated the effects of flooding.

STAGE

The middle portion in other Gabaldon type school buildings had a wide stairsteps, but in Asinan Elementary School, a concrete stage was installed in the center leaving just enough stairsteps on the left and right sides. The raised stage also provided ample headroom under it making it possible for some pupils to play games under it after classes were dismissed.

BUILDING DESCRIPTION

The main building were composed of three components: the first, the primary block (parallel to Manila Avenue) composed of two classrooms and a corridor of tongue and groove floor(in front of the rooms); the second and third, the left and right wings connected to the main block, both offset forward, providing rooms for the principal’s office on the left and the library on the right. Each wing had five or six classrooms. The corridors at the wings were in the interior and provided with railings.

The interior dividers between the classrooms (except the two next to the office and library) were made of wood panels which could be folded to open the rooms if necessary as in the case of seminars or assemblies. At the end of the wing corridors were steps. The configuration of a primary block with vertical wings on either side formed a courtyard open on one side which was used as a garden and playground.

(Recently I went on a road trip to south Zambales to take photos of aGabaldon type buildings. I found one that looked similar, but not exactly the same, as the old Asinan Elementary School main building. It has only the primary block without the left and right wings. It sits right on the ground while that of Asinan Elementary School was raised about five feet from the ground. My gratitude to the school officials of Cabangan Elementary School for allowing me to shoot.)

Gabaldon type school building, Cabangan, Zambales, November 2011

OTHER BUILDINGS

Behind the main building stood a one-storey row of about four classrooms parallel to the primary block. Before the construction of the Gabaldon building, this might have been the main building of Asinan Elementary School built in 1948. To the left of it was a narrow side gate along First street. The wide main gate of the campus was along Manila Avenue in front of the main building.

To the right of this row, a two-storey building consisting of only four classroom, two on the ground floor and two on the second floor was probably constructed around 1970. The rooms at ground floor were made of concrete while those at second floor were made of wood. We used one of the rooms at the ground floor as our home room when I was in grade six.

Behind the new two-storey building, and near the east property limit of the lot, was an old one-storey building with two or three classrooms. I remember that old building housed the rooms allocated for the lower sections.

There was another set of rooms (or shops) near the fence parallel to Perimeter road where Practical Arts classes and shop works were held. Next to to the right was a self help constructed shack which used as classroom for Agriculture class under Mr. Galicia. Students built this shack themselves under the his guidance.

There was another single-detached room near the Perimeter street fence used by Grade 1 class of Miss Aranda. Mrs. Julie del Rosario recalls: “the area classroom of Miss Aranda often gets flooded and we had to ask the intermediate students (boys) to carry (piggyback) the grade 1 pupils out.” She helped solve this problem by asking the city mayor (Moy Lipumano) for filling materials.

AGRICULTURE, HOME ECONOMICS, STATUE

A few meters from the Agriculture shed was a house, that’s right a house, in the middle of an open space fronting Manila Avenue. It was a small house on stilts which was used for Home Economics classes. Near the HE building was the statue of President Ramon Magsaysay. I visited other schools in the city and almost all of them had Jose Rizal monuments. I think only Asinan Elementary School had the Champion of the Masses monument among all the public schools in Olongapo.

In the early 70’s, one or two Marcos type of school buildings (one storey, concrete, steel trusses) were constructed in the campus.

CANTEEN, SCIENCE GARDEN

To the left of the main building was the school canteen, operated by the Pusing family. And a few steps in front of it was our science garden with a number of fire trees and other hard wood which provided a lot a shade and a beautiful sight when they were in bloom.

FLAGPOLE, BELL, SCHOOL SIGN

In the 60's, the usual steel flagpole standing from the ground could be seen by the open concreted space between the main gate and the stage but it had corroded in time. In the 70’s a thick but shorter wood pole anchored on the trusses in the middle portion of the main building fronting the stage was used to hoist the Philippine flag. The ropes was long enough so it can be secured in one of the posts on the corridor. Close by the flagpole was the school bell made from solid steel, (or was in brass?) Under the flagpole hanged a huge rectangular signboard bearing the name of the school.

MAJOR RENOVATION

Asinan Elementary School underwent a major renovation sometime in the 80’s and the aging Gabaldon type building was demolished. A two-storey concrete main building was constructed farther back, but not parallel to Rizal Avenue (new name of Manila Avenue) but slightly on an angle parallel to First street.

DEMOLITION, TRANSFER

In the mid 90’s the buildings and facilities of Asinan Elementary School were demolished for the construction of a new hospital, now named as James L . Gordon Memorial Hospital. Asinan Elementary School was transferred to a lot along Gordon Avenue, in a government property geographically located in Barangay Pag-asa.

Today, at the original location of Asinan Elementary School, I can see only a tree from the science garden to remind me of my alma mater.

Principals and Teachers (partial list)**

Principals

Esteban, Paulita L.

De Perio, Lolita F.

Ragasa, (from Bicol)

San Miguel, Catalina

Agana, ?

Felipe, ?

Mendigorin, Restituta P.

Cardenas, ?

Teachers

Del Rosario, Julie (promoted to assistant principal in the 60’s)

Aranda, Celerina

Escusa, Olympia

Garcia, Nancy

Del Rosario, Remedios

Mendoza, Julita

Encina, Leonor

Merza, Norma

Famularcano, Leonor

Famularcano, Edma
Saldana, Apolonia

Saldana, Verna
Saldana, Helen
Mamangun, Rosario
Granados, Carolina

Lazarte, Laura Cruz

Domingo, Dolores

Galicia, Carlos

Rubin, Agustin

Estabillo, Mila

Faltiguerra, Estela

Felipe, Basilia
Corpuz, Carmelita

Montemayor, Irene Abad

Edbay, Thelma

Balajadia, Paulino

Balajadia, Remedios

De Guzman, Milagros

Garcia, Carmelita

Manlutac, Lucila

Jorge, Dionisia

Hernandez, ?

Ducos, ?
Nunez, ?

Nunez, ?

Alba, ?

Aranas, ?
De Castro, ?

Legaspi, ?

Dakila, ?

Coll, ?

Morales, ?

Subtitute teacher

Eclarin, ?

-------------------------------

Notes:
*Although Olongapo was under the administration of the U. S. Navy until 1959, the public education of residents was under the Philippine system and therefore the funds for operating the schools came from the Philippine government, except for at least two schools which were built using U. S. Navy funding.

**Up to 1982 only. Entries with missing first names would be updated when they become available. The author regrets misspellings or inaccuracies, if any.

Of Barrios and Barangays - (Last part)

2011-11-21T23:38:00.001+08:00

Of Barrios and Barangays (Last Part)

(Continued from third part)

A massive reconstruction and rehabilitation of the U. S. Naval Reservation, Subic Bay and Olongapo took place after World War 2. The U. S. Naval Station at Subic Bay was expanded and the U. S. Naval Air Station, Cubi Point was established.

As a result some barrios were relocated and new boundaries of Olongapo and its subdivisions were redefined. Over the years, new barrios were created and were renamed barangays pursuant to a presidential decree (see part 1). There are currently seventeen barangays in the city of Olongapo.

Hold-over barrios from Old Olongapo (descriptions at third part of the series)

Sta. Rita
East Tapinac
West Tapinac
East Bajacbajac
West Bajacbajac

“New” barrios

New Asinan
New Kalalake
New Kababae
New Banicain
New Ilalim (sitio first, recommended to be a barrio 1961, resolution 23)

Other developed barrios

Mabayuan was developed to provide additional land to accommodate the displaced residents from the the old barrios not absorbed by the “New” barrios, and the new migrants to the municipality. The slopes of Kalaklak ridge west of West Bajac-bajac and Santa Rita were graded and roads constructed to make the place more suitable for community development. The barrio was named after the river on the foot of the ridge.

As early as 1916, Mabayuan river had been documented as a source of fresh water supply by the U. S. Bureau of Yards and Docks. A dam was constructed across the river, and was called Mabayuan dam which was also the site of a rainfall measuring station as early as 1918.

The main thoroughfare of this barangay is Otero Avenue, named after one of the first barrio officials, Jose Otero, a barrio lieutenant.

Kalaklan. Before Kalaklan was made a barrio, some parts of it had been developed first. In the early years of the American administration, a beach in the western part of Kalaklan became a favorite bathing spot and it was called Halfmoon beach due to its crescent shape. There were early accounts of driving motorized vehicle from the main thoroughfare Esteban street, (renamed Dewey Avenue), to Kalaklan bridge, then up left to Kalaklan and down from a short bend to Halfmoon beach. (Halfmoon beach was renamed Kale in the 70’s but was recently reverted back to Halfmoon.)

In 1953, a housing project in a portion of Kalaklan (near Mabayuan) was developed by the U. S. Navy to provide housing for naval officers stationed at the base and for some high ranking civilian personnel. The housing project’s streets were named after states in the U. S. namely Washington, Maine, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Alaska. (Street names still in use). Later on, other areas were opened for residential purposes for the expanding population and thereafter Kalaklan attained the status of a barrio.

Barrio Kalaklan was named after the mountain of the same name. There is also a Kalaklan point and a Kalaklan river.

The 1904 report of governor of Zambales spelled the river (Kalaklan) as Caraclan. In another publication, Monthly Bulletin of the Philippine Health Service vol 7 no 1, (1927), the same river is spelled as Caraclan.

Caraclan is Pangasinan word for abundant. This is also the same meaning in Pampango from the root word ‘dacal.”

Barretto. The portions of what would be Barangay Barretto that were first developed were Maquinaya beach and an opposite vale which was used as a rifle range by the U. S. Marines as early as 1906. That range is now a police camp. East of the camp is Maquinaya river. In 1906 and 1909, the Maquinaya river was the locale of studies on malaria cases contracted by U. S. Marines.

The U. S. Navy maintained the facilities at Maquinaya and used the area as a supply depot until the Naval station expansion and subsequently relinquished control of the same. After Olongapo became a municipality in 1959, sitio Maquinaya was created comprising of the former U. S. Navy range and areas northward and eastward which were later opened for residential and commercial purposes. Around 1961, Sitio Maquinaya became a barrio by virtue of a provincial resolution.

The barrio was later renamed in honor of Gov. Manuel Barretto, former governor of Zambales (from1956 to 1967).

New Cabalan. Back in the early history of Olongapo, all of the areas north and north east of Olongapo townsite towards the boundary lines with Pampanga and Bataan belonged to Barrio Santa Rita making it the largest barrio of Olongapo.

One of the sitios of this large barrio was Cabalan, which were mostly mountains and thick jungles. In the 1930's, the Zig-zag pass was constructed in Cabalan which finally made Olongapo accessible by modern land transportation from Bataan. The road somehow helped in the development of Cabalan, albeit mostly on that part close to Bajac-bajac.

During World War, a fierce battle took place at Zigzag pass on the area that would constitute New Cabalan. Some authors call the encounter the battle of Zigzag pass.

After the war, the Reservation authorities designated a place for the Negritos living in areas that would be affected by the base expansion. Around 1954, the selected place for Negritos was called New Cabalan Negrito Reservation. It could be viewed as a Reservation within a Reservation. However, this reserved area did not include all of Cabalan and to make a distinction, the portion of Cabalan that remained with Santa Rita was referred as Old Cabalan.

After Olongapo became a municipality, New Cabalan was “integrated” to Olongapo and became one of its barrios. The integration provided the legal basis for Olongapo government to exercise jurisdiction of the place and its inhabitants. Later on, as the population of Olongapo steadily grew, New Cabalan was opened for settlement by non-Negritos. A rough estimate indicates that Negritos make up less than 30 percent of the population of New Cabalan today.

Pag-asa. In 1953, along with the housing project in Kalaklan, there was also a housing project undertaken in Saluysoy. Saluysoy means a brook or a small stream. Saluysoy, as an official name is no longer used today, but during the 50’s to early 60’s, it was the name of a housing Subdivision.

Prior to the relinquishment of Olongapo by the U. S. to the Philippine government in 1959, the U. S. Navy wanted to draw a master plan for Olongapo. It sought the services of Harland Bartholomew and Associates which completed a Plan for the Community of Olongapo in 1956. The plan recommended, among others, reclaiming large portions around the existing land mass of Olongapo.

A reclamation project was undertaken that resulted in the creation of more residential lands for “New Kalalake” and Saluysoy. Unfortunately not all of the components of the Bartholomew and Associates master plan were executed as the time came for Olongapo’s relinquishment to the Philippine government.

In 1963, the municipal council of Olongapo passed a resolution recommending to the provincial board of Zambales to create a barrio from a certain portion of Saluysoy and name the same barrio as “Pag-asa.”

Apparently the provincial board of Zambales did pass a resolution to that effect as subsequent resolutions issued by Olongapo council already mentioned barrio Pag-asa. For instance, Resolution No. 117 Series of 1963 – appropriating an amount for the completion of foot-bridges at Barrio Pag-asa.

Pag-asa means hope.

Gordon Heights. During the Vietnam War, there was a tremendous migration of people to Olongapo to work inside the naval base and in the rest and recreation industry. Majority of the settled residents converted their houses to have rooms for rent. But still the supply of affordable housing could not meet the demand. As a result, shanties along the banks fo the drainage canal at Asinan, New Banicain and New Kalalake emerged. For many years, the shanties were the first view that would be seen by people coming off the base via Main gate bridge. There were public toilets on stilts that discharged untreated wastes on the drainage canal so much so that sailors called the canal S*** river.

According to published accounts, it was through the initiative of Mayor Amelia Gordon that a relocation site primarily for the residents in dire conditions was developed. The site selected was Purok 7 (Block 7) of barrio Santa Rita. As early as 1969, Purok 7 had been referred to as Gordon Heights, like for instance in Ordinance No, 62, series of 1969 – appropriating an amount to defray cost of labor for the construction of artesian wells at Gordon Heights and Ordinance No. 119 series of 1970 – appropriating an amount for the construction of Keith Street, Gordon Heights.

In 1970, the Olongapo City council passed a resolution (no. 23) requesting a representative from Zambales to the Philippine Congress to file a bill creating the barrio of Gordon Heights out of the whole area of Purok 7 of Santa Rita.

In 1971, by virtue of Republic Act 6199, Barrio Gordon Heights was formally created.

The Olongapo City government administered the clearing and land development of Gordon Heights. It was reported that Mayor Amelia Gordon tapped the assistance of a Philippine military unit based in Pampanga for grading, leveling and road construction. (The Philippine Army is divided into BCTs or Battalion Combat Teams.)

Barangay Gordon Heights was named after the former city mayor James L. Gordon Sr. who was assassinated a few years before the creation of the barrio.

Old Cabalan (see description of New Cabalan above). Old Cabalan remained a sitio of Barangay Santa Rita for many years after the creation of New Cabalan as a barrio. Barangay Santa Rita, with its relatively large area, continued to attract more and more residents to a point that its population became comparable to that of a municipality in Zambales. Experts in local governance and politics would know the pros and cons of having one barangay with a very large voting population in relation to the other barangays. A proposal was made to separate Old Cabalan from Santa Rita and make the former a distinct barangay for effective control and administration.

In 1988, the Olongapo City council passed Ordinance No. 30 –A entitled “An Ordinance Creating Old Cabalan as Independent Barangay Separate from Sta. Rita, Olongapo City.” It was amended in 1989 by Ordinance No. 6.

However , there were accounts that in June 1989, the proposal was presented in a plebiscite among the residents of Barangay Santa Rita. The results favored the proposal paving the way for the creation of the seventeenth barangay of Olongapo city.

Hence, as a barangay unit, New Cabalan is older than Old Cabalan. Old Cabalan is in fact the “newest” barangay of Olongapo city.

Of Barrios and Barangays (Third part)

2011-11-15T23:19:00.001+08:00

Continued from Second Part

Barrios of Old Olongapo

("Old Olongapo" in this post means Olongapo during its early history to prewar period. Naval base expansion refers to that action that took place after world war 2)

Boton bridge across Boton river (2010 photo)

1. Boton was a village bordering Cubi, originally populated by Aetas or Negritos of Zambales; name retained at U. S. Naval Station.

In a 1907 report of Governor Gabriel Alba of Zambales, Boton was identified as one of the eleven important settlements of Negritos in Zambales. He noted, "there is a considerable tendency toward assimilation and cohesion among the Negritos of Boton, x x x, who seemed to be inclined to reorganize in order to found a township later on." He had the impression that "the Negritos of Boton (Olongapo) are more civilized than any of the other tribes in this province, and come frequently into town."

Probably named after a specie of tree - barringtonia asiatica, barringtonia speciosa.

2. Binictican was a village with a valley and a river of the same name; source of fresh water; geographically lying partly in Olongapo and partly in Bataan; name retained at U. S. Naval Station.

Binictican was listed in the first Philippine enumeration census (1904) as one of the three barrios of Olongapo. During the early American administration of Subic Bay, Binictican was one of the three southern gateways to Olongapo via a trail from Dinalupihan to Pastolan to Binictican.

Other spelling from early accounts: Binigtican, Binictigan. Not to be be confused with Biniptican which is a point west of Grande Island, Subic Bay.

3. Banicain was a fishing and agro-forest village at Cubi; listed in the 1904 Philippine census as a barrio of Olongapo; geographically part of the province of Bataan; name discontinued at U. S. Naval Air Station; relocated to make way for the construction of Cubi runway in 1956; relocation named "New Banicain."

4. Poblacion or bayan was the town proper of Old Olongapo with Plaza de Olongapo (Tappan Park) as nucleus, west of Spanish Gate; name discontinued at the U. S. Naval Station.

In the 20's , the old town of Olongapo was described as a cheerful place with wide clean streets, neat dwellings, good public buildings, well-stocked shops, and residents enjoyed all the comforts of a modern community: fire protection system, electric (power) plant, and drainage system and water distribution lines.

The barrio of Poblacion was heavily damaged during World War 2, by intentional burning by local authorities before the Japanese came and by Japanese bombings. Immediately after the war, the land where the barrio of Poblacion stood became part of the Naval Station. The town proper of Olongapo was moved to Bajac-bajac.

"Poblacion" is a Spanish word for "town" or "population." In the Philippines, it was commonly used as name of the central barrio or the town proper.

5. Wawa was a village at the foot of Kalaklan bridge; name discontinued at the U. S. Naval Station.

Wawa was noted as a place where residents were allowed to raise pigs as such practice was banned at the poblacion.

"Wawa" is a Tagalog word for "mouth of the river."

6. Asinan was a village in the vicinity of Manila avenue; name discontinued at the U. S. Naval Station; relocated across the canal and named "New Asinan."

Barrio Asinan was the place where shops and stores mostly owned by Chinese were located and was regarded as the commercial center of the town.

"Asinan" means a place where salt is made, "asin" is Tagalog word for "salt".

7. Kalalake was a village near the banks of Kalalake river; name discontinued at U. S. Naval Station; relocated to "New Kalalake."

Kalalake had a famous natural landmark - a hill or a plateau which was quarried during the construction of the Arsenal de Olongapo. As years passed, the plateau was not only totally leveled by quarrying during the American time but a lagoon was also created.

The name was believed to have come from a local folklore, together with Kababe, root word Lalake is Tagalog word for "man, male." Other account pointed to the adjective "kalalake," shortened form of "kay lalake" which means "very large" from root word "lake or laki" for "large, big" referring to the large boulders or rocks found in the area.

8. Kababae was village adjacent to Kalalake; name discontinued at U. S. Naval Station; relocated to "New Kababae."

The name was believed to have come from a local folklore, together with Kalalake; root word "babae" is Tagalog word for "woman, female."

9. Ilalim was a small village on an interior site, meaning not by the shore, but covered by dense forest near Bataan; name discontinued at the U. S Naval Air Station; relocated to “New Ilalim”

"Ilalim" is Tagalog word which literally means “under” and figuratively means ‘hidden.’

10. Sta. Rita was village on the outskirt of old Olongapo which covered a vast area towards the northern and northeast boundaries of Olongapo with Bataan; part of Subic Naval base expansion.

Barrio Sta. Rita was identified in a 1907 report by the Governor of Zambales as one of the eleven important settlements of the Negritos of Zambales. It was one of the three gateways to Olongapo from Bataan by a trail from San Benito, Dinalupihan to Sta. Rita which took around five hours on foot.

The barrio took the name of the river Santa Rita. It is the only barrio (barangay) of Olongapo which is named after a saint.

11. Tapinac was a district, originally farmland or swamps, and did not form part of Subic Naval Base expansion but was reduced in size to make way for “New” villages, and was also converted to residential use.

It was divided into East and West Tapinac to form two barrios.

Tapinac is a specie of a tree listed in the Third Annual Report of the Philippine Commission (1902) in a table of various species of trees in Southern Bataan, between tanguile and tauto. Unfortunately, the scientific name not provided. It is probable that 'tapinac' is a local name for the specie as there were no reports of such in other parts of the country.

12. Bajac-bajac was a district, originally almost entirely swamps, and was not included in the Subic Naval Base expansion, but converted to residential and commercial use to accommodate workers and businesses. It was divided into East and West Bajac-bajac to make two barrios.

Prior to the construction of zigzag pass, travelers could go to Olongapo by trail from Dinalupihan, Bataan to Tanauan to Bajac-bajac. This trail was called Bajacbajac trail or road for short.

Possible name origins – name of trail “Bakbak” but pronounced by Westerner as "bahac-bahac"; or "Bajak" – Malay word for plough, or "Bahaque" – from "bahag" or loincloth.

Other early spelling bahac-bahac, baak-baak.

13. Matain – original barrio of Subic which became part of Olongapo just for a few years, and returned to Subic. (1910 to 1912).

(to be concluded)

Of Barrios and Barangays (second part)

2011-11-10T10:57:00.000+08:00

Continued from "Of Barrios and Barangays"

The Spaniards operated the Arsenal de Olongapo for just over a decade or about thirteen
(13) years as the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898. After the Battle of Manila Bay, the Spaniards abandoned the Arsenal de Olongapo and gathered at Grande Island at the entrance of Subig Bay and thereafter surrendered. On July 1898, Olongapo came under control of Filipinos as the American troops did not immediately occupy Olongapo after the Spaniards' surrender.

After the Spanish-American War, the American went from a "liberating" mode to a "colonizing" mode, and declared her former allies in the Philippines who did not pledge allegiance to Uncle Sam as insurgents. On December 1899, American troops took control of Subig Bay and Olongapo.

Interestingly, on January 1900, the American commander of the military unit in control of Olongapo called for a secret balloting to elect a municipal president, vice-president and other officials. This, in effect, could be considered the start of reestablishment of the municipality status of Olongapo.

In November 1901, a government authority, treated like a province with its own governor and other officials, was created by the President of the United States and named Subig Bay Naval Reservations. It took administrative control of territories in and around Subig Bay which were detached form the provinces of Bataan and Zambales. The municipality of Olongapo became part of the territories under the reservation.
The former Arsenal de Olongapo was kept by the Americans and began developing it into a naval post (Navy Yard).

However the Subig Bay Naval Reservations did not last long and in November 1902, it was effectively abolished. The municipality of Olongapo became part of the province of Zambales again but remained under the administration of the U. S. military.

In the 1903 Philippine Census, the first enumeration census conducted in the Philippines and was published in 1905, Olongapo was listed as one of the municipalities of the province of Zambales. There were only three barrios shown in the census of Olongapo as follows (with the corresponding number of civilized population):

          Poblacion    1, 121
          Banicain          153
          Binictican        158

Poblacion could have been a consolidation of four or five barrios near and around the town proper of Olongapo, reported as one barrio for expediency.

In 1909, an Executive Order was issued to set standard spellings for selected geographical names including "SUBIG" to "SUBIC" and "KUBI, KUBY" to "CUBI."

Olongapo, at one point in its early history, annexed the barrio of Matain from Subic Zambales. This took place in January 1910 by virtue of Executive Order No. 130 issued by the Governor-General on December 30, 1909 which partly read "the barrio of Matain, Municipality of Subic, Province of Zambales, is hereby annexed to the Municipality of Olongapo, Zambales, and the seat of municipal government of Olongapo is hereby transferred from its present location to the barrio of Matain."

Although Olongapo continued to develop in proportion to the development of the U. S. Navy Yard, many residents were for a long time, anxious about the possibility of declaring Subic Bay a naval reservation again. In 1912, the decision was made that placed Olongapo and other areas around Subic Bay as part of the U. S. Naval Reservation. Consequently, Olongapo was stripped of its municipality status and was reduced to a barrio and annexed to the municipality of Subic. This action which was deemed necessary to prevent double jurisdiction between civil and naval authorities took effect on April 1, 1912. Likewise, as part of the Executive Order, specifying the boundaries of the naval reservation, Matain was returned to Subic.

While politically Olongapo was a barrio of Subic municipality, it was under the control of the United States Naval Command, and thereby enjoyed an autonomy from the municipal authority. Olongapo's civil government was essentially a council headed by a Reservation Officer, a U. S. Navy officer, who acted as the mayor. Yet, since Olongapo was a part of Subic municipality, its eligible residents could vote or run for municipal public office. At one time, residents of Olongapo were elected to five of the six seats for municipal council of Subic.

Olongapo's status as a barrio in a U. S. Naval reservation lasted from April, 1912 to December, 1959, except during the Japanese occupation.

Immediately after the Second World War, a massive build up of Subic Naval Station took place which drastically changed the boundary of Olongapo. Some years afterwards, the U.S. Naval Air Station, Cubi Point was established which also displaced residents.

(to be continued)-

Of Barrios and Barangays

2011-10-31T12:59:00.000+08:00


Pre-Spanish time Olongapo warrior. From Ulo ng Apo rotunda

From a small fishing village, Olongapo has grown into a bustling city with seventeen barangays. This series of posts present interesting historical facts and trivia about Olongapo and its barangays. Part 1 traces Olongapo's early history.

From Balangay to Barrio and Back

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines, the basic political unit in the islands was called "balangay" or "barangay" after the Malay word for a water craft, about eighty feet in length, used to carry around fifty passengers who were moving out from their village to form a new settlement elsewhere. A barangay might be an independent village or a part of a confederation of different barangays formed for mutual defense or for other strategic purpose.

During the Spanish times, the basic divisions of towns (pueblos) and cities (cuidad) was changed to Spanish word "barrio." However, in some towns, "barangay" remained in use but changed the meaning to a sub-barrio or a hamlet. Even when the country became under the United States and gained its independence, the word "barrio" continued as the official name of the municipal units.

Finally in 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos put an end to the usage of "barrio" by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 557 declaring all "barrios" in the Philippines as "barangays."

Village of Olongapo

History tells us that Olongapo was a small fishing village in Subig Bay. Perhaps that was how Captain Juan de Salcedo, that young conquistador who to explored the northern part of Luzon, saw it in 1572. Unfortunately there was not much account about the village as his notes focused on the deep harbor of Subig Bay*.

There were not much historical accounts about Olongapo for quite a number of years, centuries actually, since Salcedo's visit. On the other hand, there are plenty of records on Zambales,the province where Olongapo is located. The Recoletos (barefoot Agustinian) upon their first arrival in the Philippines in 1606, began establishing municipalities in assigned places in the country. The Recoletos were in charged with the spiritual administration of Zambales until 1679. Included in the towns founded by this Order were Morong in Bataan and Subig in Zambales which were (newly) established by 1670. The Recoletos took charge again of Zambales from 1712 to 1785.

From the accounts of the Recoletos' missions, it could deducted that the Recoletos, having founded Morong and Subic, conducted spiritual missions on the villages along the coast of Subig bay between the two towns. Certainly, the village of Olongapo could not be missed. However, the absence of any account of any founding of Olongapo as a town could mean that Olongapo was considered at that time a part or barrio of Subic. (This is a personal assertion and not a historical fact).

Pueblo de Olongapo

The next significant historical event recorded pertaining to Olongapo took place inn the year 1868 when a military expedition was sent to assess Subig Bay and the land along the coast, and concluded that Subig Bay was suitable for building a naval base. In 1884, King Alphonso XII of Spain, acting on the proposal from the 1868 expedition, issued a Royal Decree reserving Subig Bay for naval purpose. In 1885, the construction of Arsenal de Olongapo was approved and started. That was the beginning of the dream of Spain to eventually make Olongapo her finest naval base in the Orient.

The current marker at the Old West Gate, also known as Spanish Gate, entrance to Arsenal de Olongapo, partly reads "the base at Subic-Olongapo was used by the Spanish Navy to provide repair, supply, ammunition and medical support for ships." The construction and operation of Arsenal de Olongapo greatly improved the economic activities of Olongapo. The skills requirement of the base attracted many people to settle in Olongapo.

Old West Gate - entrance to Arsenal de Olongapo. (2010 photo)

Historical records show that right after the construction of the arsenal or as early as 1886, the area outside its premises was referred to as "Pueblo de Olongapo." It was possible that the construction of the Arsenal mandated the establishment of a town outside the premises to support its operation and to strengthen its defense. In fact, the Spaniards included in their defense strategy to protect only the arsenal but also the town of Olongapo by making the area an island.

Another proof that Olongapo attained the status of a municipality is that the lay-out of the 'town proper' conforms to the standards set forth for town configuration in "Leyes de Indias" or "Laws of the Indies."
These were the sets of laws issued by the Spanish Crown for its American and Philippine possessions. Travelers to Zambales should notice the striking similarity of the configuration of town proper of different municipalities - Castillejos, San Marcelino, San Antonio, San Narciso, etc,. - a town plaza surrounded by 'municipio' or municipal hall, other government buildings, school and in some cases, surviving residential homes of prominent residents, the angles of the main streets, in accordance with the "Laws of the Indies." "Pueblo de Olongapo" was set up in a similar pattern, with Plaza de Olongapo (Tappan park) as the center piece. This further suggests that Olongapo gained the status of municipality during the last years of the Spanish rule in the Philippines.

Unlike the towns of Zambales, which were founded by religious missions, the establishment of Olongapo as a municipality took a different route by way of economic development from the construction and operation of a military facility.

(to be continued)

*Subig is the old name of Subic

Mall Construction - Olongapo City Images

2011-09-30T15:29:00.000+08:00

Olongapo City will soon join the group of key cities in the country that have a world class mall. Construction of SM Mall, which is owned by the Philippines' largest mall operator, SM Prime Holdings has been in full swing since early this year, with day and night shifts. Here are some images taken from June to September 2011 on the construction of SM City Mall along Magsaysay Drive corner Gordon Avenue, more popularly known locally as Lot 21.

June

July

August

September (view from Main Gate bridge)

The White House(s) in Olongapo

2011-08-27T22:43:00.000+08:00

The White House, the official residence of the United States president, is one of the world's most famous buildings. No wonder many entrepreneurs all over the world capitalized on its popularity and name recall by naming their businesses "The White House." Olongapo had its own share of such enterprises, for the same reason or not, in different times of its history.

The Pre-War White House. There was once a "The White House Hotel" in Olongapo, located outside the U.S. Navy Yard, during the pre-war period. My mother said that it was very close to Tappan park, overlooking Subic Bay, in an area where there were many coconut trees.

On eBay, an image could be seen of an advertising card (for sale) of The White House Hotel printed in the 1930's. The information contained in the small calling card includes the hotel's location at "the Legaspi Garden of Olongapo," and its selling pitch - "wonderful view off the front porch of beautiful Subic Bay," "clean, cool room, with the best beds of any provincial hotel in Luzon," "good meals, comfortable and homelike moderate rates, ' and the name of the proprietress - "Mrs. R. Hummer."

My mother was still a young lass when she first met Mrs. Hummer who was a frequent customer of the tailor shop ran by my grandfather, fondly called "Mang Nano." My mother thought Mrs. Hummer was not an American but a European, most probably Italian. Grandfather did not speak in English, but he conversed well with Mrs. Hummer in Spanish. The lady, who was described by my mom as a "large" woman, and by a creative writer in an old journal as "someone whom Rembrandt should paint", usually asked my grandfather to make her simple cut dresses made from "cacha," that same material used in packaging refined sugar in the old days.

By today's standards, the White House Hotel could be classified as "small," having only eight rooms. It's unfortunate that my mother could no longer pinpoint the exact location of the hotel. My guess, based in her description, would be the location of the former Navy Lodge, now the Boardwalk Inn.

The 60's and onward White House. Located along Magsaysay Drive, the "White House Club" easily became of the favorite night spots of the U. S. servicemen in the '60's. From an old photo from a website featuring memoirs of USS Kawishiwi (AO-146) for the year 1967, it could be seen that the White House Club was situated at the left side of Magsaysay Drive from the Main Gate, after Acme Club, A-1 Hotel and before UN Hotel. An entry in a forum website describes the White House Club in 1966 was "in an upstairs" and "the building was not very built solid as the floor shook at times when we got to shaking it up." One of the original members of a Manila-based 50's classic rock band "Five Brown Boys," joined a combo playing at the White House Club which they aptly called The Presidents, according to a website about the Five Brown Boys. There was also a popular duo, The Honey Sisters, around 1963, who made the U. S. servicemen homesick with their songs. A former U. S. serviceman commented in a photo at Flickr that one of his favorite Olongapo 60's bands was "White Rabbit," which regularly performed at the White House Club and other spots along the Drive.

It is not certain as to the exact year the White House Club stopped operation, but by the 70's, there emerged a White House Restaurant on that spot. The restaurant tried to compete in the same league as Kong's, Dragon House, and Admiral Intercontinental. The white paint on both the interior and exterior of the building made it stand out among the buildings along that stretch of Magsaysay Drive.

After the restaurant closed, the building's original exterior color was maintained by the succeeding businesses, somehow preserving the reminder of the old glory of The White House Restaurant. But things could not remain as they are for so long, and in October 2010, workers applied new coat over the original white paint.

Painters apply new coat over the original paint of the "White House" building

The 90's White House.There is a historical building at the Subic Free Port Zone that has been in existence for many years but it became known as The White House only in the '90's. During the time when the Subic Naval Base was operating, the Commanding Officer (CO) of the U. S. Naval Station (NAVSTA), was billeted in a house across Tappan Park. Back then, it was simply referred to as CO's Quarter. When the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) took over the former base, the CO's Quarter was renamed Admiral's Guest House and served as a venue for functions,seminars, workshops, exhibits and other similar events. Participants, guests and visitors asking for directions to Admiral's Guest House were often told to look for "white house" near Tappan Park. Consequently, the place became more fondly called "The White House."

A few years prior to the closure of the naval base, skilled craftsmen from the U. S. Navy Public Works Center, (PWC Subic) worked for weeks to complete a major rehabilitation of the CO's Quarter. It was during this period that I came to examine the building up close and personal. At first I was puzzled why a house would have a receiving area large enough for ballroom dancing. I was thrilled to climb up the narrow stairs leading to an observatory of sorts.

My amazement led me to ask my parents (who both grew up in Olongapo) about the house at Tappan Park. From their response I learned that it used to be a hospital during the pre-war period. My mother, up to the present, still calls it Camilla Simpson Hospital. During the time when the U. S. Navy was maintaining a Navy Yard in Subic Bay under the command of Captain Edward Simpson, his wife Camilla, initiated fund drives and rallied for donations for the construction of a hospital in Olongapo. In gratitude for her selfless efforts, the medical facility was named in her honor. For many years, the Camilla Simpson Hospital served the medical needs of the people of Olongapo.

In September 2005, the Sangguniang Panglunsod (City Council) passed a resolution requesting the SBMA Board to enact the preservation of all historical relics available in its jurisdiction. The resolution specifically identified "the former Camilla Simpson Hospital now known as the Admiral's Quarter also known as Whitehouse near Tappan Park" as one of the landmarks that are important to the history of the Olongapenos and should be preserved for future generation.

A few months ago, SBMA stopped operating the Admiral's Guest House and awarded the lease to a private company (based on the building permit billboard on site). Construction is currently ongoing and from the looks of it, it is not undergoing preservation but a complete change in lay-out, and appearance with plenty of add-ons not present in the original building.

Front of the Admiral's Guest House, facingTappan Park (2008)

Silver Star Mami House

2011-07-11T22:55:00.000+08:00

The first name that comes to mind when Olongapo residents think of Chinese noodle soup or 'mami' is Silver Star Mami House. But that was in the 1980's, when Silver Star Mami House was the most popular restaurant of its kind in the city. Unfortunately last week, the demolition of the old building that housed the mami house, along with a hotel, and a night club was started, bringing to a close decades of operation of a home-grown business enterprise.

Silver Star's popularity could be attributed to the quality of its mami offering which came in four basic toppings customers could choose from - beef, chicken, wanton, and asado.For those who wanted more variant, the beef topping could be mixed with either chicken, wanton, asado or siomai. Silver Star probably made their own noodles that other local restaurants were not able to imitate. The broth used for the soup was really delicious and it could be half of the reason why patrons kept coming back.

As mami was usually paired with siopao, Silver Star sold one of the best siopaos in the city filled with either beef asado or bola-bola. There were other Chinese dishes on the short order menu - chopsuey, foo yong, fried rice, siomai, fried chicken, asado, and lumpia.

The store's location was excellent. That area around the Ulo ng Apo rotunda is one of the busiest areas of the city, day or night. In the old days, there were a number of cinemas operating in the area, and some of the moviegoers would go for light snacks at Silver Star after the show. In the evening, clubbers who splurged on beer and wanted to freshen up, stopped by for a bowl of hot noodle soup before proceeding to the next activity for the night. Employees on swing shift who had exhausting work night, would drop by for a midnight meal.

Although Silver Star enjoyed a good chunk of loyal followers, maintained the quality of its mami and siopao, and remained in a location with high traffic, there were many adjustments it did not undertake. When the franchised business of Chowking arrived in Olongapo and challenged Silver Star head on, the latter was unable to protect its position and eventually lost the a great deal of its share in the market. Its store interior was not adapted to the changing times, there was no product promotion, and in general, it became stagnant while Chowking, on the other hand, was fully engaged in capturing more and more customers with intensified marketing campaigns, impeccable store interior and exterior, series of planned introduction of new food offerings and other modern marketing strategies.

A few years ago, Silver Star allowed Karaoke singing at night but this move made it more of a beer joint than a mami house. It was primarily for this reason that I stopped going there at night for a bowl of mami because of the sight of dozens of empty beer bottles on the table and the sound of off-key drunk customers.

For residents of Olongapo, the store front of Silver Star would also be remembered as the crime scene of a dawn shooting of a policeman reportedly by his fellow policemen. He survived the attack and requested to be transferred out of Olongapo. For weeks the marks of bullet shots on the concrete wall of Silver Star near the siopao counter became a trivial attraction.

When the building is fully demolished, the once very popular mami house could just well be a trivia in the city's business history. The story of Silver Star Mami House is a typical example of the sad flight of a number of other home-grown enterprises which are being challenged by the influx of new franchised businesses developed in Metro Manila and overseas.

Rizal Triangle

2011-06-30T11:17:00.000+08:00

Dr. Jose P. Rizal's monument, November 2008

Monuments of Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, are found all over the country as well as in a few cities in the world. In Olongapo city, the land where Rizal's monument stands has a triangular shape thereby bearing the name Rizal Triangle Park instead of the usual Rizal Park. Residents simply refer to it as Triangle, for short.

Viewed from the top, the lot looks like a pointed wedge, devoid of a vast landscape like the Rizal Park in Manila offers. Its smallest angle is bounded by Rizal Avenue and Arthur street; opposite that angle is the third leg, west 22nd Place. Before Triangle's upgrade, a walkway divided the park into two sections; the south end consisting of a mural of of local war heroes, Rizal's monument, flagpole, benches and siar trees; the other half consisting of a covered multi-purpose court, a stage with the inscription -"dedicated to a lasting friendship between two nations," a small playground, and an unmarked monument.

Rizal Triangle's location - at the heart of the city's business and government center - provides a highly accessible venue for various activities. The City Hall complex and a police precinct are just across the street north. The Olongapo City Public Market is south of it; the West Bajac-bajac market is at northwest. Shopping centers, malls, restaurants and other business establishments are located on the east and west of the park.

Rizal Triangle is the alpha or omega of many civic, political and religious activities in the city. It is the assembly point for for undertakings that would be carried out in a another location like planting of seedlings or saplings in the watershed. It is the terminal point for parades like that held every 30th of December. Basketball and other sport tournaments, commencement exercises, prayer rallies, beauty pageants, job fairs, political campaigns, product promotions, medical missions, and many other activities are held at the Triangle.

Monday morning aerobics exercise of city hall employees

While the centerpiece of the park is Rizal's monument, the stage is usually where the action is. There is a marking on the top portion of the stage which reads - ". . . DEDICATED TO A LASTING FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN TWO NATIONS. . ." On the wall on one side of the stage is the seal of the Philippines and on the opposite side is the seal of the United States. Both the Rizal monument and the stage appeared to be part of the resources turned over by the American government to the Philippines in December 1959. In the appendix of the document "Relinquishment of Olongapo and Adjacent Areas," the list of assets included Card No. 2-0000R Rizal Monument and Card No. 2-00010R Triangle Stage. If this were the case, then it was the Americans who dedicated a landmark to a lasting friendship between the U.S. and the Philippines.

The Rizal Triangle Stage, June 2011

President Corazon Aquino at the Rizal Triangle Stage, 1986

When President Corazon Aquino was still a candidate, she delivered her campaign speech at Rizal Triangle. That was the first and only time that I have seen her in person, and I was so moved with her story about Ninoy that I forgot to take her photos during the speech. A very young lass, Kris Aquino wowed the crowd that day.

Covered court, June 2011

There is a blue roof over the basketball court now. In the old days, the plain concrete court was exposed to the sun and rain. Nonetheless, it served as the initial training ground for Olongapo cagers who made their mark in national sports. I have heard stories from some folks bragging that they had played with Johnny Revilla when they were teens at the Rizal Triangle. "Batanggapo" is a colloquial term to refer to the people of Olongapo. It has a subgroup - "Batang Triangle," for people who played tough, rugged basketball games countless times at Triangle's court. ("Bata" means child).

In the early 90's Rizal Triangle erupted with a huge rally of Olongapo residents and base employees calling for the ratification of the treaty that would allow the U. S. Naval Base to continue to operate. Prior to the senate session on the ratification, there were already indications who among the senators would vote against the treaty. Their caricatured faces were burned in front of the stage during the rally. Several years later, these senators were honored with a shrine at the Waterfront road at the Subic Freeport Zone.

Today, Rizal Triangle draws a host of people from all walks of life; a few of them stay on the area semi-permanently. If you wish to have your nails done (manicure and pedicure), you can easily find a manicurist at the park. If you are not feeling well, you can go to the lady who sits by a table in front of Rizal's statue to have your blood pressure measured. There are a number of tables for chess players. Vendors of different sorts are also common. Sometimes I see people getting the traditional Filipino healing massage or "hilot."

I like more than the man made fixtures of the park are the trees along the edges. There are siar trees and other types of trees, numbering about a dozen. They provide the shade and color green in the park mostly covered by concrete. In a city that is experiencing rapid urbanization, Rizal Triangle remains one of the few remaining open spaces in the business district of the city.

The Inscription at Olongapo Public Cemetery (Last part)

2011-06-03T10:57:00.000+08:00

(continued from blog post of 31 May 2011)

Decades later, I got access to the internet and I thought that with it I could find out the answer to the question we were not able to answer in high school - "Who wrote the inscription at the Olongapo Public Cemetery?"

Unfortunately, there were not much entries about it during the early years when the internet service became available. Around 2007, I finally got an "AHA!" moment when I found an entry in the accounts of Robert McKenzie Knight in his paper entitled "How To Demagnetize A Submarine." According to the account, his unit received an order to fly back to Subic Bay in June of 1945 and that on their way from San Marcelino airstrip (in Zambales), they were loaded on trucks and were driven to Naval Base in Olongapo. On their way, he wrote, they "passed Cubi Point where at the top of the point was a cemetery sign at the gate that said, "Those who honor the dead will care for the living." He added that "thirty years later, in 1975, I revisited the area and the same sign is still there at the cemetery."

Mr. Robert M. Knight paper provides a written account that as of June 1945, the sign with the inscription was already in place. Although he wrote Cubi Point in his memoirs, I believe that he actually passed by Kalaklan point. The route from San Marcelino going to the Naval base at Olongapo by land transportation does not pass by Cubi point which is geographically part of the province of Bataan. Furthermore, there is no cemetery at Cubi Point.

If the marker was existing as of June 1945, then it is certain that it was constructed at the time Olongapo was under the administration of the U. S. military command in Subic Bay.

Sometime in 2008, I hit a key information on an entry in a website about cemetery listings in the United States. The inscription "Those who honor the dead will care for the living" could be found at Strong River Cemetery at Simpson County, Mississippi! I also found out that Strong River Cemetery was founded in 1828. But there was no image of the inscription at that website. It could just be an epitaph on one of the graves. But at any rate, it gave proof that such adage or saying had been in existence in the United States.

Finally in 2010, my image search at Google revealed two photographs of the marker at Strong River Cemetery, Simpson County. One of them was contributed by Mr. Robert Heinsch as shown:

Photo by Robert Heisnch (Find A Grave website)*

The picture clearly shows the inscription is the same with that in Olongapo cemetery. It also does not have any attribution but interestingly, there are no quotation marks. The absence of such could mean that the words were not quoted from someone, that is, it was an original work for Strong River Cemetery. It was also possible that the people responsible for the creation of the marker just forgot to acknowledge the author. Could it be that the author was an African-American, and considering the racial segregation prevailing at that time in the United States, particularly in Mississippi, the author was not given due recognition?

On the reply of Mr. Heinsch to my e-mail to him about the author of the subject inscription, he told me he has no information about it but noted that inscription is similar to the motto of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) - "Honor the dead by helping the living." Researching on VFW, I found out that its roots could be traced back to 1899 when veterans of Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service. Years later, several veterans' organization combined and formed the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States in 1914. If there was a connection between the inscription and the VFW motto, I will leave that to professional historians to explore. However, the information I gathered on the research reminded of the fact that a number of those who served in the war and insurrection mentioned chose to stay in Olongapo and contributed actively in its development.

On the assumption that the inscription at Strong River Cemetery was an original work and existing prior to 1898, the theory we formed in high school (blog post of 31 May 2011) could be amended as follows:

The inscription at the Olongapo Public Cemetery was constructed during the time when Olongapo was under the administration of U. S. military command in Subic Bay but prior to the Japanese occupation (1899 to 1941); the person who suggested it could have been an active-duty personnel from Mississippi who was assigned at Subic, or a veteran of Spanish-American War (1899) or the Philippine insurrection (1899-1902) who decided to stay and got a civilian job in Olongapo. He remembered the inscription at Strong River Cemetery and suggested that the same be used at the marker of Olongapo Cemetery but could not supply the name of the author because there was nothing indicated at the original marker.

If our theory were true, then Olongapo City has a historical link with Simpson County, Mississippi. As to the author of the inscription "Those who honor the dead will care for the living," let it remain a mystery; for now.

Main entrance, Olongapo City Public Cemetery, 2011

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*Mr. Robert Heinsch gives explicit permission to use the photograph for any legitimate purpose.

The Inscription at the Olongapo Public Cemetery

2011-05-31T15:42:00.000+08:00

People passing through Olongapo on their way to Zambales would not miss the Olongapo City Public Cemetery along the National highway at Kalaklan. If they look closely, they would notice an inscription on the marker at the main entrance which reads: "Those who honor the dead will care for the living."

It is such a powerful message that many people can't help to ponder about it. I knew a person who did and broadcasted his thoughts about it in national television. It was during the early years when ABS-CBN came back on the air after the first People Power Revolution. A tall, dark and handsome Olongapeno who made it in national radio way before martial law was declared, was called back to duty by Channel 2 to be one of the anchors of the early evening television newscast, - Mr. Ric Tierro. During a newscast around the time of All Saints Day or All Souls Day, he delivered an editorial about these two important Filipino holidays. He began by referring to the marker, something like "Doon sa aming bayan sa Olongapo ay may nasusulat - (In our town, Olongapo, it is written) Those who honor the dead will care for the living." Mr. Tierro talked about why and how Filipinos honor their departed loved ones, explained the traditional activities observed during these holidays, then focused about the meaning of message of the inscription.

As to why this editorial by the late Mr. Tierro had stuck to me had a lot to do with an extra curricular activity back in high school when I served a staff of our school newspaper. One time, we ran an article to raise the awareness of the students about facts and figures about our city and school. To make it more attractive, we made it into a contest with a list of twenty questions. The first student who could give the correct answers to all the questions would get a prize of ten pesos. That amount could buy a decent snack back then. The questions were simple like - 'What is the first and only only art gallery in Olongapo city?" Question number 9 was "What inscription is written at the main gate of city's cemetery?"

While the answer to the inscription question was pretty straightforward, one of the staffers got curious about its author. This she asked during one of our editorial meetings - "Who wrote the inscription?" Our adviser thought that when we publish the answers, we should also indicate the author of the inscription in observance of an ethical rule in journalism. An ocular inspection conducted by two staffers confirmed that there were quotation marks on the inscription but there was no attribution. During another meeting, we were instructed to help research on the identity of the author by interviewing parents, grandparents and residents who might have knowledge about the inscription. I asked by dad and mom, who both grew up in "pre-war" Olongapo, but they did not know the answer.

Not one of the staffers reported back to the office with a definitive answer. However we were able piece the following from the data gathered from various interviews: at the time Olongapo was turned over to the Philippine government in 1959, the marker was already in existence; it was probable that it was suggested by an American military official assigned in Olongapo or Subic at the time of the construction of the marker; that official might have read or seen a similar inscription in a marker in a cemetery in the United States and that he was recalling something far in his past that he could not supply name of the author of the inscription; the quotation marks were included to indicate that the words were written or spoken by an unnamed person.

It was, for me, a disappointment not being able to find the answer. From that time on, whenever I passed by the cemetery on my way to Barretto or Zambales, I was often reminded of an unfinished business in high school. I thought that things like these, however trivial they might seem, should be accounted and recorded well in the pages of our city's history.

Years passed and then the world wide web was created!

(to be continued)

The Day Hollywood Came to Olongapo

2011-05-17T10:39:00.000+08:00

Sonny was walking along Rizal Avenue on his way to school when he noticed a billboard being installed in front of one the clubs on the block that included Mom's Tacos, Prime Theater and Cherry Club. If he had enough time he would have stopped to take a close look but he left his house at 7th street a bit later than the usual. There was something odd on the billboard that struck him but he could not figure it out just yet. Sonny promised to himself that he would check it out on his way back from school.

Rizal Avenue (between 9th and 11th streets), 2011 photo

His classmate Pablo, who lived in the same barangay as Sonny, went along with him later that afternoon. Sonny almost forgot about the billboard as his conversation with Pablo grabbed his attention elsewhere. But as the two high school seniors passed Emperor hotel, they saw not one, but three, newly-installed billboards. Sonny thought that the colors were pale or desaturated in comparison to the bright, bold colors typical of Philippine graphic arts. Pablo, noting that some of the letters had diacritic marks, opined that the language could be Vietnamese.

As the days went by, more billboards and signage were added in front of establishments lining up that stretch of Rizal avenue from Magsaysay roundabout to 11th street. Sonny heard that that part of Olongapo city was being adorned to look like a street in downtown Saigon for a filming of a big-budgeted Hollywood movie. News about the coming of a film outfit to shoot in the city spread like grass fires in Zambales mountains during the rainless summer months. But unlike the flames of cogon grass which died down quickly, talks about the filming persisted everywhere for many days.

During a family dinner, Sonny inquired about the details about the filming from his dad, his repository of A-one information. Working at the Subic Naval Base, his father had access to publications not normally available in Philippine newsstands, more so during the years the country was under martial law.

"If plans push through, Marlon Brando would be the star attraction in the movie," his dad informed those present in the dinner. Sonny butted in with his impression of Brando's character of a mafia don in "The Godfather" movie. Thanks to countless spoofs and comic impressions of Brando by Filipino comedians, Brando had remained a household name in the country even years after "The Godfather" movie was shown.

"'The Godfather' movies earned millions worldwide that it made some people connected with the production of them very rich. One of them is the director of "The Godfather" who will produce and direct this movie to be partly shot in our city," his dad explained.

"Who is he?" Sonny asked.

"His name is Francis Ford Coppola."

Sonny had never heard of a Francis ford Coppola before. He was familiar with Mario Puzo, the author of the book "The Godfather," simply because his dad had a paperback copy of the book stacked in the bookshelf in the living room.

His father guessed that the shooting in Olongapo would probably be just be an establishment scene, just to let the viewer know where the location of the act was taking place. He doubted that Brando would set foot in Olongapo because he had read that the character Brando would portray was supposed to be staying deep in the jungle and not in the city of Saigon.

With the information he got from his dad, Sonny's curiosity and interest about the film leveled up so much so that he left for school earlier to look around that area along Rizal Avenue being prepared for shooting. It was on an early morning that he noticed a bus, not like the Victory Liner bus used for daily commutes, but a tourist bus parked outside the Emperor Hotel. Sonny walked by and saw a lady wearing a traditional dress of Vietnam standing on the sidewalk talking with a Caucasian as if receiving instructions. Sonny formed the impression that the passengers of the bus were Vietnamese and they would be the recognizable faces in the forefront during the shooting of the street scene.

That was the very first time that Sonny had ever laid eyes on a Vietnamese in person; he had only seen pictures of them in newspapers, magazines and television. He could not help but look at the Vietnamese lady to the point of almost ogling her. There was some kind of mystique in her, Sonny thought, just like the Filipinas from the countryside.

Vietnam had been a part of the lives of the residents of the city. Sonny grew up hearing Vietnam in daily conversations, although it was usually followed by the word 'war' as the Vietnam war was being fought during his most of childhood years. Part of the billions spent by the United States to finance the war was spent directly and indirectly at Subic Naval Base and Olongapo city. His father and uncles, and a few cousins were employed at the Ship Repair Facility which carried the fighting slogan "Fleet Readiness In War or Peace." Olongapo's R&R industry grew leaps and bounds at the height of the war being waged in a land west of Subic, across the South China Sea.

The buzz and excitement about the shooting of the scenes borne out by the chance of witnessing up close a Hollywood spectacle were fueled even more by the news that the outfit would hire locals to pose as extras, and would rent vehicles and other props for the shoot. Sonny's neighbor in 7th street, Boy Laki, a tall and lanky lad, passed the casting test; he was told report wearing a salakot, a native hat on shooting day. Mr. Miranda, an acquaintance of Sonny's dad, was thrilled to lease his junked Renault sedan to be used as a parked vehicle in the background. Mr. Mirador felt like he hit the jackpot when the outfit approved to rent three European cars that he presented, all in running condition.

It was like fiesta during the day of the shooting. Vietnamese and Filipino extras mastered at 7th street facing Rizal Avenue. Many of them would walk as pedestrians, others would be bicycle or motorcycle riders, and a handful would drive cars. Hundreds of spectators watched from the sides, setting aside other chores just to experience a Hollywood shooting. Sonny originally wanted to go closer to Rizal Avenue but the size of the crowd prevented him. He found a wooden worktable at the corner of 7th and Altman street and climbed on it to get a better view of the queue that extended as far as the intersection of 7th and Corpus streets.

7th Street, 2011 photo

Hours had passed since the extras were assembled but the cue signal had not been given. People said that that was really how Hollywood people made movies; long preparation and long post-production work. The monotony of waiting was often broken by joking remarks of the kibitzers to the extras they knew. Like that one for Boy Laki: You look more Vietnamese than the real one! People made silly remarks just to get everyone laugh and ease the situation.

Finally a guy at the roundabout, where the command post was situated, announced the command to prepare to move. Pedestrian extras lined up, riders straddled their bikes and motorbikes and drivers started the engines. The crowed cheered and clapped their hands.

"GO! GO! GO!"

The assembly marched slowly at first towards the roundabout and turned left towards Rizal Avenue. The pace picked up a bit as they reached Rizal Avenue and moved northwards. Sonny saw a man directing the flow by motioning his hand like a traffic officer, and another one was shouting on the megaphone "FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!" In a matter of minutes, 7th street was emptied of extras, bicycles, motorcycles and cars. The filming of the scene where Olongapo played double for Saigon was completed.

Rizal Avenue view from Magsaysay roundabout ( Unity Circle), 2011 photo

A few weeks after the historic day, Sonny and Pablo, along with hundreds of their schoolmates, graduated as members of high school class 1976. Pablo, having taken a four year course, was on his last semester in college when the movie "Apocalypse Now" was shown. Sonny and Pablo met up to see the movie together, excited to find out how their city looked like in the film. The opening scene showed Martin Sheen inside a hotel in Saigon; he peeped through the blinds; a street scene was quickly shown. But it was not that scene filmed in Olongapo, not by any long shot. The movie took more than the usual two hours. Both Sonny and Pablo thought they probably dozed off intermittently because they did not catch the scene that was shot along Rizal Avenue three years ago.

(A fictional short story based on real historical event)

San Narciso, Zambales - Images

2011-05-10T10:46:00.000+08:00

San Narciso plaza, Catholic Church, new building Magsaysay Memorial College

Municipal Hall, plaza

Business establishments - national highway corner road leading to beach resorts

Business establishments near the public market, tricycle terminal

Waiting shed along National Highway, front of Magsaysay Memorial College


Municipal road from La Paz going to town center

May 2011 images of and around the town center of San Narciso, a quiet municipality in southern Zambales.

View of Olongapo City from Balimpuyo Ridge

2011-04-22T23:56:00.000+08:00

Barangay Sta.Rita on the foreground, Subic bay on the background

Balimpuyo ridge in Barangay Sta. Rita, Olongapo City attracts hundreds of visitors during the Holy Week, with the most number of people on Good Friday. Some years ago, three crosses were planted on top of the ridge resembling those in the Calvary. Since then many Catholics have included in their devotions to climb the hill and spend a few minutes of prayer or candle offering.

The area where the crosses are located has an elevation of 126 meters from sea level and offers a breathtaking view of Olongapo City and parts of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

U. S. Navy Anchors in Subic - Images

2011-04-15T14:23:00.000+08:00

A few pieces of at least three types of anchors left by the U. S. Navy in Subic could be seen on display at the lawn in front of Building 167, formerly a movie theater at naval station, then SUBAC, and now a school for sustainable tourism studies. In another location, there is a set of two identical anchors outside the main entrance of Subic International Hotel.

The largest anchor outside Bldg. 167 is a navy-type stock anchor, also known as Admirality Pattern, or Fisherman. The simplified depiction of this type of anchor is used in many variations of logos of U. S. Navy and its units and the tattoos on the arms of the cartoon character Popeye the Sailorman. (The inserts are photos of the same anchors taken two years ago outside the Subic Bay Museum building.)

There are two pieces of the Standard Navy Stockless anchor manufactured by Baldt Company in the area. This type of anchor with its simple design and easy handling had been widely used in U. S. Navy ships visiting Subic Naval base.

The third type of anchor on display is the snug stowing, I believe, also made by Baldt company. It is longer than the standard navy stockless anchor.

The type of anchor at the Subic International Hotel is a lightweight anchor with the brand LWT, designed for U. S. Navy landing ships. The engraving on the anchor reads "BALDT -USN LIGHT WEIGHT LWT 1500 LB CHESTER, PA PATENTED."

Siar Trees (peltophorum pterocarpum) in Subic

2011-04-08T21:48:00.000+08:00

This time of year, siar trees show off their orange-yellow flowers. But the flowers will not last very long; siar, a deciduous tree, sheds off its flowers in a few days. Fortunately siar blooms in summer, when more tourists visit Subic and enjoy the natural spectacle nature offers. There are many spots around the freeport zone where siar could be seen, from the central business district to the housing areas. There are so plenty of them that one would easily think that siar is native to the Philippines. While it is native to the Indo-Malayan region where it is called soga, soga jambal, batai, jemerelang laut, siar is considered by some experts as an exotic species in the Philippines. It is also known as copper-pod, yellow poinciana, and golden flame in English.

Top photo: Siar along Sampson road across Metrobank. Right photo: along Waterfront road.

This Siar is located along Canal Road at the back of Golden Dragon Restaurant.

A pair of siar along Bonifacio street across Freeport Exchange parking area.

Yellow trees and yellow jeepneys. There are also many siar in Olongapo city, like those at Rizal Triangle and Marikit Park. Photo shows two large siar trees at Marikit Park area.

Top Ten "Subic Base" Words Rarely Heard Today

2011-03-29T21:40:00.000+08:00

Decades of American military presence at Subic bay had influenced many aspects of the life of the people of Olongapo, including the language used in daily conversations. And given the innate likeness of Filipino to borrow words from other languages, many words and phrases relating to the former naval base operation were incorporated into the common man's vocabulary. But since the base closure in 1992, the use of many popular Navy-related words had dwindled. Here is my list of ten words from Subic Naval Base operations rarely heard today:

1. LIBERTY - rest and recreation time for U. S. servicemen. Sailors issued with "liberty passes" walked down the Liberty lane leading to the Main Gate. After the base closure, U. S. Navy ships arrive at Subic during Military Joint Exercises a few days a year, a short time (pun intended) one can again hear "liberty" in conversations. Use in a sentence: A tsunami of American sailors rampaged through the main gate on their first liberty run in Subic.

2. OPEN GATE - There were a few times in a year when the Subic Naval Base was opened to the public, usually when there were carnivals or fiesta celebrations. However, visitors' access was strictly limited to the event venue, often at Remy field or on tours to Navy ships. It came to be known as Open Gate and for some people, that was their only chance to take a peek of a part of the naval base.

3. STATION DITO - DITO means HERE; so Station Dito is a military personnel stationed "here" in Subic Bay. This was coined to distinguish them from servicemen from visiting ships. Locals knew that "station dito" guys could not spend like the fleet sailors from visiting ships who saved a lot of dough for their Subic liberty.

4. ELOY - comes from the word SAILOR and Tagalized to form a slang which refers to Filipino citizens serving in the U. S Navy as military servicemen. This takes a similar slang formation as "Marcos" becomes "McKoy" and "abnormal" becomes "abnoy."

5.LAST VISIT - is a send off party where relatives and friends of Filipinos recruited via Subic Naval Base for the U. S. Navy attend a day-long celebration of picnic, pictures and games before the recruits are sent to San Diego. Last Visits were held at the Receiving Station Compound, now the site of Transportation Department of SBMA.

6. PX, STATESIDE- PX is short for post exchange, goods sold at Navy Exchange and similar outlets. Stateside is a product made in the United States. Some of these items found their way to Pag-Asa market in Olongapo City making it a famous destination for shoppers hunting for PX. PX and stateside are no longer popular words as IMPORTED or DUTY-FREE are more current.

7. CONUS - military abbreviation of Continental United States. CONUS was frequently followed by a noun as in CONUS training. Part of the perks of civilians working at the U.S. Naval Facilities was the chance to attend training in the U.S.

8. SA LOOB - Tagalog word for INSIDE; "SA LOOB" is the shortened "SA LOOB NG BASE" (INSIDE THE BASE). Thus the military base in Subic was simply called SA LOOB by the locals. Interestingly, these days although people work inside the Subic Freeport Zone, they are not saying "Sa loob ng freeport" when telling about their place of work but specify the particular company or office.

9. S.P. (Shore Patrol) - Uniformed U. S. servicemen assigned to patrol areas of Olongapo where their peers took their liberty. SPs were not police but acted like marshalls to help keep peace and order during liberty hours. Liberty runs under the current Visiting Forces Agreement. are not provided with deployment of SPs, perhaps due to legal implications.

10. BARRIO RUNNERS - private vehicles owned by STATION DITOs used in going from the base to Barrio Barretto. The automobiles were in such conditions that they were no longer practical to be shipped back to the U. S. or to the next duty station. So they were just sold and resold to incoming STATION DITOs. Barrio Runners could also mean a serviceman who always went to barrio Barretto for good time.

OUT OF OLONGAPO - An Informal Survey on Migration

2011-03-15T22:45:00.000+08:00

The following is a short article on an informal survey which aimed to describe the pattern of migration of a small group of people from Olongapo City, containing the results and descriptive explanation thereof.

On the evening of Wednesday, March 17, 1976, members of the graduating class of a premier public high school in the city of Olongapo received their diplomas marking the completion of their secondary education. Interestingly, one of the two graduation songs of the class 1976 was 'Climb Every Mountain,' by Hammerstein and Rodgers. The inspiring lyrics of the song advise to "climb every mountain, search high and low, follow every byway, every path you know, . . . ford every stream, till you find your dream, . . . follow every rainbow till you find your dream." It could had been, in retrospect, a call to go places.

Thirty five years had passed since the young men and women of batch 1976 sang that song and every graduate followed the path they discovered as they forged ahead. And where did they find their dream? To find out, an informal survey was conducted recently, not on the entire class, but on one of the seventeen sections that made up class 1976. The sampling size is forty seven (47) members, comprising of thirty four (34) males and thirteen (13) females. The average age of the members at the time of the study is fifty one years old.

The basic research question is "Where are you presently residing?"

For residents of the United States, "How did you obtain your residency status?"

The results of the responses are summarized as follows:

RESPONSE Frequency Percentage(%)

Olongapo and its environs 6 12.7

Other parts of the Philippines 14 29.8

United States of America

via Special Immigrant 3 6.4

via Enlistment in U.S. Navy 5 10.6

via Marriage to a U.S. resident 3 6.4

via Other Types of Immigration 6 12.7

Australia 4 8.5

Germany 1 2.2

Canada 1 2.2

Overseas Filipino Workers 4 8.5

TOTAL 47 100

Only around thirteen percent, or six persons, have remained in Olongapo city or in neighboring towns in Zambales. Of the four males, two are working at the Subic Freeport Zone, one is a returning OFW, and the last one is employed in Castillejos, Zambales. Of the two females, one is a college instructor and the other is a widow of a U. S. serviceman.

Fourteen persons opted to live in other places of the country outside Olongapo, due to employment or marriage.

More than a third of the class, or thirty six percent, are currently residing in the United States by way of several options available for migration. Special Immigrant Status, subject to approval, could be awarded to a Filipino who had worked for at least fifteen years at U. S. Naval Installations in the Philippines. Three persons went to the U.S. from petitions of parents who enjoyed this privilege. Five males left Olongapo in their early twenties by enlisting in the U. S. Navy. All of them had long retired from the service by this time. Two females married U. S. servicemen and another married a U.S. resident of Filipino descent. There are six persons who received residency status by other types of immigration category.

Four persons migrated to Australia, and one person each in Germany and Canada.

Four males are temporarily residing abroad, but on a long term basis, as Overseas Filipino Workers, mostly in the Middle East.

As this is an informal survey, the results may or may not reflect the over-all pattern for the whole population (class of 1976) but this could give a glimpse of the general picture or serve as a jump off point for a more in depth research study. The presence of the United States Facilities in Subic Bay (up to 1992), presented additional options that made it relatively easier for Olongapo residents to migrate to the U.S. The immigrants to the U.S. outnumber the class members who stay at their home town three to one. Around a third of the group left the city for other places in the Philippines.

Roughly nine percent found greener pastures in Australia which had opened its borders to highly skilled technicians from the Philippines. A great number of former base workers who had completed the Apprenticeship Programs at the Ship Repair Facility and Public Works Center in Subic, easily gained access to the path leading to the Land Down Under.

Surprisingly, there was only one class member who went to Canada, despite the numerous seminars and advertisements from consulting companies providing immigration assistance to Canada.

Almost nine percent are currently working as OFWs, but this number is expected to decrease in the next few years as the age limit for OFW would be reached.

Images - U. S. Navy Planes "Land" at Olongapo City Parks

2011-03-07T00:33:00.000+08:00

Students of the nearby city college frequent Leo's park to review lessons, take snacks, or chat with friends. The body of a U. S. Navy plane, which was originally displayed at Subic Naval Base, found a new home at Leo's Park located at Old Hospital Road.

The city of Olongapo acquired from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority bodies of jet planes left behind by the U. S. Navy and preserved the same for their historical and heritage value to the city. One of them is this R-A5 Vigilante which now serves as the landmark at the main entrance of Marikit Park, along Rizal Avenue.

The Main entrance of Marikit Park is marked by a concrete mural honoring the Filipino workers. The R-A5 Vigilante is an added eye-catching piece.

December 2008 photo of an F8 Crusader while it was at Subic Freeport Zone. I believe this was the same plane that had served as the landmark at the entrance of the U. S. Naval Station, Cubi Point.

Olongapo City Supermarkets

2011-02-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

Block of Supermarkets east of the public market

Mother used to buy grocery items at the public market, oftentimes at a store called Alemar's. On some occasions she purchased a few can goods at Baby Herminia at Second Street, a variey store sometimes referred to as NAMARCO, the acronym of National Marketing Corporation, a government owned and controlled corporation created in 1955. And for small bits and pieces, there was Aling Atang's store at the corner of Altman and 7th street.

Her buying pattern for groceries was altered when the first supermarket in the city was established in the late 1960's. It was called Tableland Supermart and was constructed on the same block as Serg's theatre. It was the first and the only supermarket in the city for some time and was an instant success. With more space and a more convenient shopping protocol, with lower margin and higher volume than grocery stores, supermarket shopping was easily adopted by residents. Tableland supermart later transferred to a site between San Roque Hospital and Lutheran Church. Soon, a number of supermarkets were established in the city to compete with Tableland. Tableland remained a strong business for many year it but unfortunately it was destroyed by a fire. It was never rebuild.

A medium-rise building was constructed south of the Olongapo City Public Market and was used as hotel and a supermarket. Riza Hotel occupied the west portion of the building and RC Supermart was on the southeast facing the market. RC Supermart's ground floor was devoted to groceries and the second and third floors were for other items usually sold in department stores like sporting goods, music records, appliances etc. RC Supermart had become a major supermarket in the city for many years but lost market shares towards the 90's. Just a a few years ago, its store space was leased to a Bingo parlor. There is still RC today but it is just a small store across the original site and could no longer be classified as a supermarket.

Happy Valley Supermarket after the fire

Happy Valley was also a pioneering supermarket in the city with its location west of the public market, near the tip of Rizal Triangle. Happy Valley competed consistently for many years. Initially it was just on the ground floor and later expanded to include other items on the upper floors of the building. It also opened a mini-mart along Magsaysay Drive. In recent years, Happy Valley Superstores opened branches at Subic and Iba Zambales. Happy Valley attracted a lot of loyal customers and has succeeded in establishing a well-entrenched brand in the city. Some years ago, the mini-mart along Magsaysay drive was razed by a fire. Last month, its main store across the public market was also damaged by a fire.

What started out as a small specialty store during the time when Tableland Supermart was the leading supermarket in the city, has grown to be a huge enterprise. Mother used to buy only Chinese tea at a store with a catchy name - Choa's For Everything. When Tableland Supermart ceased its operation, Choa's For Everthing was transformed from a store to a supermarket. Just like RC supermart and Happy Valley, its location near the public market attracted people who have just finished their purchase at the market. Over the years, it has expanded by getting more space from adjoining buildings. It later renovated the building where it is currently located. In addition to the ground floor for the groceries, it also has a second floor for housewares, school and office supplies, sporting goods, etc. Around the 1980's, the top three supermarkets were probably RC, Happy Valley and Choa's. My guesstimate is that Choa's For Everything has the highest market share in the city's supermarket industry at present.

Conti-J Supermarket was one of the many businesses located at the Conti Building, north of the public market. It was the first supermarket in the city which introduced the bar-code readers at the cashiers counters, something that is pretty common and standard in today's supermarkets. Interestingly, other supermarkets did not immediately follow the same practice despite the advantages of the new technology. It always amazed me how the cashiers of Choa's For Everything could remember the price of each the items with all the different brands, sizes and variants. These days, all of the city's major supermarkets are computerized. Around the time when the Subic Bay Freeport Zone started accepting duty-free shops, the owner of Conti-J Supermarket expressed his views regarding the challenges Olongapo City based supermarket with the operation of giant duty-free shops which enjoy exemption from value added taxation. Conti-J Supermarket eventually closed down and was leased to Vercon Supermarket, a successful supermarket company based in Bataan.

Jeleebee Supermart is the first supermarket situated along Magsaysay Drive and operates 24 hours a day. It is more of a niche player and does not have that much inventories as those located near the public market market. But its filling up a need in the market and has been in operation for many years. Its current location is actually its second. After Jeleebee Supermart gave up its original location, another 24/7 store was set up there and was named Circle J General Store. Both of them are still in operation until now. There are other supermarkets established in the city like Oscar Supermart, Golden King General Merchandise, Shop & Carry Expressmart, and YBC Supermart along Rizal Avenue, near 5th street.

It is interesting to note that except for Tableland Supermart, all the other major supermarkets were built around the public market. It seemed to be a very basic strategy to cluster in a certain location. It took some years before a store like Jeleebee veered away from the usual concept and set up a supermarket right in the middle of the R&R district of the city. All the supermarkets in the city, past and present, have smaller floor area compared to a typical supermarket in the malls today and therefore have narrow aisles and compact stacking of goods. Except for YBC, no supermarket has its own parking space for its customers.

With these inherent disadvantages on the design of Olongapo supermarket amidst the constant improvement and expansion in the services of the duty free shops inside the freeport zone, more and more residents are wooed to patronize the duty free shops.

Within the next two years, SM Mall is expected to open a Supermarket at the former site of the Olongapo City Mall. It would not be surprising if SM's overall strategy on the conquest of Olongapo retain market has been completed on the drawing boards this early. A direct frontal attack against the existing supermarkets by SM is likely. And about three years from now, Ayala would also open a supermarket at the Subic Freeport Zone. Ayala is also expected to launch an aggressive business strategy to grab a sizable market share.

Those two giant retailing companies are backed up by enormous resources, experience in national and international commerce, have pools of professional managers, and more contacts with suppliers. Both of them would construct modern stores with better facilities, pleasant interiors, larger selection of inventories, parking space, more convenient lay-out and other shopping amenities. Homegrown Olongapo city supermarkets would be on the defensive side and should start digging their trenches, so to speak, if they want to remain as supermarkets.