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Title: Compilation of notes on the most important timber tree species of the Philippine Islands.
Author: Ahern, George Patrick, 1859-1942.


http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=philamer;cc=philamer;q1=naga;rgn=full%20text;idno=ANG5071.0001.001;didno=ANG5071.0001.001;view=image;seq=00000146

THE EFFICIENCY OF PORTLAND CEMENT RAW MATERIALS FROM NAGA, CEBU By W. C. REIBLING and F. D. REYES

THE EFFICIENCY OF PORTLAND CEMENT RAW MATERIALS FROM NAGA, CEBU By W. C. REIBLING and F. D. REYES (From the Laboratory of General, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry, Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.)

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=philamer;cc=philamer;q1=naga%20cebu;rgn=full%20text;idno=agu4820.0001.001;didno=AGU4820.0001.001;view=image;seq=3;page=root;size=s;frm=frameset;

Margarita Roxas de Ayala

Margarita Roxas de Ayala (1826-1869) was the one of the first philanthropists, the first great matriarch of the Roxas, Ayala and Zobel families and one of the greatest Philippine businesswomen of all time. She was the eldest daughter of Don Domingo Roxas, founder of Casa Roxas (later Ayala y Compañia), and one of the greatest businessmen and Filipino exponents of the Spanish colonial era.

Early Life

She was born in Manila on July 29, 1826. She was the eldest child of Domingo Roxas, who founded Casa Roxas, and Maria Saturnina Ubaldo, a Spaniard. During her early life she suggered great indignity and injustice when her father Don Domingo was incarcerated three time.. The Spanish colonial authorities suspected that her father was a sympathizer of the Filipino cause and had published anti-Spanish tracts. This was because Don Domingo was one of the earliest industrialists of the Philippines and had opposed the sugar and alcohol monopoly. He was also an advocate for liberal reforms. Most damning of all was that Don Pedro had actively supported the Cofradia de San Jose, the organization of Apolinario de la Cruz or Hermano Pule.

On her father's third incarceration in 1842 (her father was already over 60 years old) she took on a dangerous voyage to Spain to personally seek the father's pardon from Queen Isabela II. After six months of patiently waiting outside the Spanish royal court, Isabella II was so impressed with young Margarita's determination that she granted her father's release.

After sailing in 1843 for several months back to the Philippines (the Suez Canal had still not been opened), she arrived too late to see her father's liberation, for he had died in prison.

Ascendance of the Roxas y Ayala Empire

In 1843 she assumed control of the her father's company, combining both her business and civic work. Domingo Roxas' children renamed the company to Roxas Hijos. Later the company name was changed yet again to Roxas Hermanos, when her younger brother Don Jose Bonifacio Roxas left to manage his own company.

On the foundations of her father's business, she diversified into real estate, mining, and alcohol production. She bought large tracts of swamplands all over the Philippines, including in Candaba, Pampanga, Calatagan, Batangas, and in 1850 to Capiz, where she sent her distant nephew Antonio Roxas (great grandson of her uncle Antonio Roxas y Ureta to start the nipa palm business. She personally supervised her field foremen (capataz) in the harvesting of nipa palm alcohol which became the basis of Ginebra Ayala.

In 1844, she married her father's partner who was 25 years her junior, Don Antonio de Ayala, a Spaniard from the Basque region of Alava de Ayala, Spain. They honeymooned in Europe and upon their return they set about in expanding the business. When her youngest brother Mariano Roxas died, the company name was changed once again to Ayala Compañia, which survives to this day as the Ayala Corporation. She quickly expanded into mining when she opened the first coal mine in Pandan Creek, Naga, Cebu and another one in Atimonan, Quezon. She opened the Philippines' first distillery, turning nipa palm into alcohol. To that end she purchased 5,000 hectares in San Esteban, Pampanga, near the present towns of Macabebe and Masantol. She journeyed herself to her various businesses as far as Cebu and Capiz.

With her newly acquired wealth, she became the foremost philanthropist of her time, donating her own summer residence called La Concordia in Santa Ana, Manila in 1868 to the Colegio de la Concordia, which survives to this day as La Concordia College. The school upon her instruction was staffed by a Spanish order of nuns, the Sisters of Charity and dedicated to educating and giving scholarships to marginalized women. Its official name though was Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion La Concordia.

With uncommon zeal she dedicated herself to various endeavors of charity. She became the president of the Conferencias de San Vicente de Paul in 1861 when the Jesuit superior, Fr. Jose Fernandez Cuevas recommened her for the position. Fr. Clotet related that " she entered the houses of the poor and visited the slums to see the sick and invalids, helping them in their needs both material and spiritual, or alleviating their miseries and assuaging the griefs of widows and orphans, who always received from Mrs. Ayala her protection and solace. And this did not exhaust her charitable spirit; she took under her charge and sustenance many families who had been in one way or another victims of calamity." After the destruction of San Juan de Dios Hospital after the earthquake of 1863, she led its reconstruction efforts by forming a "bazar de caridad" to raise funds, collecting several thousands of pesos. She sponsored a separate ward for poor in the same hospital. Such was her philanthropic fame that even the national hero Jose Rizal in his personal diary noted that he knew of Doña Margarita's many acts of philanthrophy on 31 March 1884.

In 1851 her brother Don Jose Bonifacio Roxas bought the a former Jesuit-owned estate in Rizal province, around 1,650 hectares to establish Hacienda San Pedro de Macati. In that same year she and Don Antonio cofounded Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II, currently known as Bank of the Philippine Islands. It was the first private commercial bank in the Philippines and Southeast Asia and Don Antonio became one of its first directors. In 1864 Doña Margarita and her other brother Mariano Roxas and her husband formed Roxas Hermanos, without Don Jose.

Upon the death of her brother Don Mariano in 1868, she changed the company name to Ayala y Compañia

Legacy

For these many achievements, the Spanish colonial government honored her wwith the designation of Dama de Honor de la Reina and feted her with the military band Banda de Reina Maria Luisa.

On November 1, 1869 Doña Margarita died and left Don Antonio to run the company single-handedly until his death in 1876.

They had three daughters. The first daughter Carmen Roxas de Ayala would marry her cousin Don Pedro Pablo Roxas and their daughter Margarita Roxas de Ayala y Roxas would later marry Eduardo Soriano. They would become the parents of San Miguel Corporation industrialist Andres Soriano.

Doña Margarita's and Don Antonio's other daughter Doña Trinidad de Ayala would later marry Jacobo Zobel y Zangroniz to start the legendary Zobel de Ayala Family. Eldest daughter Camila would marry Andres Ortiz de Zarate but died without any heir. Upon the death of Don Antonio, Carmen and Trinidad continued the management of Ayala y Cia.

On her grave a inscription fittingly describes her spectacular but brief life:

D.O.M.

Margarita Roxas de Ayala

Murió el 1. de noviembre de 1869

a los 43 años

¡Margarita!

Asociándose a los pobres encontró el secreto

de interesar a Dios en su fortuna

He ahí su historia.

Memoria de su esposo y hijas.

Source: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Margarita_Roxas_de_Ayala

Tribal yearnings

Sunstar
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Tribal yearnings
By Lorelie Joy S. Albano

They live in shanties covered with plastic, nipa, bamboo shafts and some worn fabric patched together to make a home. Fifty-three families of the Ati race have been nestling in South Poblacion, Naga, Cebu since the year 2000. The Atis were brought to Cebu by hardship, and now they are eking a living by selling bracelets, earning P200 per day that is stretched to sustain a family of six. Nomads for so long, the Atis now dream of finding a homeland in Cebu. “Dugay na gyud ming nangandoy nga naa na mi’y permanenteng kapuy-an (we have long dreamed of having a permanent place to live in),” said Ati chieftain Manuel Sanger. Their journey began when, stricken with famine in the mountains of Iloilo City, 20 families of the Ati race walked their way to San Carlos City, selling bracelets along the way to finance their bid for a better life. They moved from one place to another. They lived in private lands and were cast away after they cleared and tilled them. They lived along the streets, seared by the heat, drenched in the rain. They lived under bridges. Many lost their lives. After several years in San Carlos City, the tribe decided to try its luck in other places. After traveling on a ferry going to Toledo City, the Atis finally reached South Poblacion, Naga, Cebu in the year 2000. But because of poverty, they have not been able to build decent houses. Moreover, the tribe does not have proper sanitation. Very few houses have their own comfort room, so they share one public comfort room. Almost all their children are malnourished, walking dirty and naked outside their houses, playing in the mud. Stepping in Learning of the Atis’ plight, Gawad Kalinga (GK) has stepped in, proposing to the Municipal Government of Naga to make the place they are staying in a special resettlement area for the aboriginal people. GK is an initiative by the Couples for Christ to eradicate slums in the Philippines by building houses and transforming poverty-stricken areas into vibrant communities. Naga Mayor Ferdinand Chiong, through the Municipality of Naga, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples support this move. Last Dec. 4, 2003, Mayor Chiong submitted an application to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 7, proposing a special resettlement area to be constructed in South Poblacion, Naga for the Atis. The Municipality of Naga and GK united to submit this proposal. But obstacles lie ahead. The land the Atis are occupying is not titled. In addition, a resident named Santiago Villarico is claiming ownership of the land. After an ocular inspection, engineer Aurelio Caña of the Cebu Environment and Natural Resources also said there is a big possibility that the lot the Atis are living on is timberland, considering its location. Extending around five hectares, the land is an open space adjacent to the sea. It was formed when the path of the Pangan River was diverted at the mouth portion where mangroves used to grow. Until now, the status of the land is unclear. A resurvey is still to be conducted to ascertain whether the land is timberland or not. If the lot is proven to be timberland after the resurvey, Villarico can never own it because under Section 16, No. 8 of Presidential Decree 705 or the Revised Forestry Code, “strips of mangrove or swamplands at least 20 meters wide, along shorelines facing oceans, lakes and other bodies of water are needed for forest purposes, and may not, therefore, be classified as alienable and disposable land.” In the meantime, the Atis have been trying their best to raise their own standards of living, as well as to fit in. Some children of the Ati community are already going to school in Naga. The children get free education in the nursery and kindergarten levels with the help of teacher volunteers through Gawad Kalinga’s education program, Sagip. Livelihood The sale of bracelets is still the Atis’ major source of income. They learned this trade from their ancestors. Called panagga, the bracelets are said to provide protection from evil forces and spirits. Made of herbal medicines and little ornaments, the bracelets sell for P15-P25 each. The Atis also engage in weaving and make herbal medicines that can cure different kinds of illnesses. These are made from the bark and roots of trees that they brought from Iloilo. But after years of staying in Naga, the tribesmen have learned to augment their income by raising pigs and chickens. In addition, the Atis run a cooperative store to meet their daily needs, with the savings set aside for emergencies, such as hospitalization. Some members of the tribe have earned enough to buy appliances. Will this tribal people finally see the end of their nomadic existence? They will find a home only with the green light to keep the land under their feet and the willingness of Naga residents to embrace them as friends.

F.D. TECSON: WRITER, POLITICIAN AND LABOR LEADER

Erlinda Kintanar-Alburo, Sumad: Essays for theCentennial of the Revolution in Cebu. Manila: De laSalle University Press, 2001.
pp. 95-96.

F.D. TECSON: WRITER, POLITICIAN AND LABOR LEADER

[Naga, Talisay, Carcar]

On March 16, 1906 was born in a mountain barrio of NAGA a son and grandson of a manananggot or tubagatherer, who became vice-mayor of Cebu city:Florentino D. Tecson. While attending Cebu High School, F.D. (as hewas known to Cebuanos) started as compositor then asreporter for the Bag-ong Kusog. At the age of 17, hewas already its editor. Indeed, journalism was a paththat led to politics for many of F.D.’scontemporaries. In the beginning, newspapermen were from theilustrado class who published and edited their ownpapers (like Vicente Sotto, Sergio Osmeña and VicenteRama) and who also ran for public office. Later, moreand more writers were recruited from the middle classwho became aware of their influence on the readingpublic (much like today’s movie and TV personalitiesin office). Thus, in 1928 alone, nine members of theBK staff ran for various offices in Cebu city (RamonAbellanosa, Gervasio Lavilles, Avelino Morales,Paulino Sanchez), Talisay (Panfilo Lastimosa, VicenteGarces), Carcar (Epifanio Alfafara, VicenteSarmiento), and San Fernando (the editor F.D. Tecson). From an elected councilor of San Fernando inNAGA and of Cebu city, Tecson became vice-mayor ofCebu in 1954. Four years earlier, he had passed thebar. From the BK he moved to the editorship of AngTigmantala (The Publisher) and Nasud (Nation) andfinally the proprietorship and editorship of AngMamumuo (The Laborer), titles whose order parallelsthe movement of his calling. His involvement withlabor started when he was assigned to cover themaritime strike of 1934. Within a year, F.D. becameauditor of the Federacion Obrera de Filipinas chapterin Cebu, its vice-president, and its president. Hethen organized a separate labor union called thePhilippine Labor Federation. F.D. was also a poet, a fictionist and an
orator, “the proverbial fellow with the goldentongue,” (according to the [p. 96 starts here]Republic Daily of 17 September 1955) whose gracefulCebuano prose read like poetry. A youngercontemporary writer, Martin Abellana, once wrote ofhis “meaty and thought-provoking” stories. Pseudonymsbeing in fashion then, he wrote under such pennames asFlorentino D’Ville, Tinoy-od (“in straight-fashion”),Victor Kutsero, F. Lorentino and Victor Florentin. Hewas most adept at handling stories of rural life. His only book of fiction, Lingawon Ko Ikaw (LetMe Entertain You), published by his own press in 1957with 5,000 copies, is a remarkable collection of 17stories. His realism is seen, for example, in detailslike panghinguto (licepicking) as an excuse forgossiping and a woman’s picking of her teeth before aprospective lover’s visit. He writes with gentlehumor, even while hitting at then popular targets likethe abusive landlord, the absent spouse, and theerring politician. Expectedly, he sides with “thedown and trodden,” but without being anti-capitalist. Contemporary readers, however, will probablynot respond to these stories in the same way that theearlier Cebuanos did. The story, for example, thatwon first prize in the 1930 Bisaya story contest, “MgaKasingkasing Dagku” (Magnificent Hearts), they willsay is too melodramatic. It is about a youngschoolteacher’s sacrificing her sweetheart in favor ofher older sister who herself had sacrificed herpersonal life to be able to send the younger one toschool. Even as the more practical generation that weare will see that the Cebuano story only records anideal of behavior, there is a necessary distancebetween what we consider a good story now andyesterday’s. When F.D. left the world of his parents in
search of a better life in the city, he would havecarried with him the rural folks’ attitudes thatshowed in his writings, like resignation in thatstory. In the poem “Ang Manananggot” (1927) hewrites: “Mabati ta lamang unya nga, sa sanggotan,Gitaghoy ang balitaw: maoy iyang balus sa kaniyanagpaantus. . .” (We can hear then, among thecoconuts, the whistling of a balitaw: his answer tothose who let him suffer…) Here the Cebuano songbecomes a defense or self-consolation. A popular folkform until the 60s, the balitaw is all but gone now.Certainly, F.D. and other writers of his time musthave learned from its lively exchanges something ofgrace in argument, even as they were leaving thebarrio.

WHEN MUSLIMS AND ZAMBOANGUEÑOS FOUGHT TOGETHER

Erlinda Kintanar-Alburo,
Sumad: Essays for theCentennial of the Revolution in Cebu.
Manila: De laSalle University Press, 2001
pp. 41-42.

WHEN MUSLIMS AND ZAMBOANGUEÑOS FOUGHT TOGETHER

[Naga, Minglanilla]

Now it may sound unseemly, but around 150Muslims (led by a Datu Mandi) fought side by side withZamboangueño voluntarios and Spanish cazadores orlight cavalry from May to September 1898 against therevolutionary forces in Cebu. They constituted thereinforcements that bolstered the sagging spirits ofthe Spaniards who sought refuge at Fort San Pedro inthe early days of the Revolution in Cebu. These soldiers figured in skirmishes around theSudlon mountains, at Bitlang (called the “Tirad Pass”of the south), at Budla-an in Talamban, and at Mt.Ginkiutan; and in the hills of NAGA and MINGLANILLA.
In most if not in all these encounters, theKatipuneros won, their intimate knowledge of the steephillside enabling them to outsmart the approachingenemies. The Spanish forces would retreat at dusk forfear of the dark in unknown territory. Accounts ofhow many of the latter forces were killed or woundedin the hills vary, but their biggest casualty wasprobably 70 in the battle of Budla-an. A Katipunero watchman would sight theapproaching enemies from a tree like the dalakit, rollboulders and logs that could wound or kill thosebelow, and get an official (like Alejo Miñoza atBudla-an) with a few men to bait the soldiers into aforested area where around 200 men would be waiting toattack. The Spaniards and the rest would retreat, butthey vented their frustration on the innocentvillagers on their way down. They killed the farmersand their families (or burned their houses as they didin Paril after the Budla-an fiasco). The Muslims wereespecially noted for their atrocities. It is saidthat they would cut off the ears of the unfortunateKatipunero and string them for a demonstration in thecity before General Montero and his men. Othersupposed witnesses said that they removed the liver,boasting that all the insurgents were killed. [p. 41 starts here] Paeng Tabal bore theatrocities of the Muslims heavily and waited for achance to avenge his fellow Sudlonons. One day, uponhearing that Captain Pueg and his combined forces werein Pardo courting some women, he asked Gen. LuisFlores or Unos if he could go down and hear massthere. The General objected, perhaps guessing Paeng’sreal intentions. Nevertheless, the four Tabalbrothers and some men, accompanied by Gen. NicolasGodines (who may not have expected an encounter),
proceeded to Pardo. It was probably the bloodiestfight between the Katipuneros and the forces of thevoluntarios, cazadores and Muslims, lasting from 9:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Katipuneros were grosslyoutnumbered, for they could not expect reinforcementsfrom an unknowing commander, but they beheaded someMuslims (a mere handful by then) and Spaniards. Fromthe latter they snatched rifles and cartridge belts,while from the Muslims they took the krises and somesilver that had spilled from their waist. Thisadventure, however, caused Paeng Tabal his life. The Spaniards had learned the Katipuneros’strategy of using macheteros (originally referring tothose who clear away bushes with cutlasses), whofunctioned to penetrate the thick mass of Spanishtroops during a battle. The Muslims and Zamboangueñoswere made to peform a similar function, and with thisborrowed strategy pushed the Katipuneros in turnfurther into the hills. Later, when the Muslims and Zamboangueñosdispersed and the latters’ weapons were confiscated bythe Spaniards, four of the voluntarios were arrestedby Col. Engayo’s men. Questioned by Engayo why theyvolunteered when they would be fighting Visayans likethem, they said that they were captured in the townsof Zamboanga and put on a boat for Cebu. NearingCebu, they were each given a rifle (presumably, to theMuslims who came with them, a kris) and made to wearthe rayadillo uniform. Were they telling the truth? And would theMuslims have joined them for another reason?