373. APO IRO! APO IRO! Discovering the Year-Long Cult of St. Peter in Apalit, Pampanga, by Ross M. De Leon

(Transcribed from the magazine article published on Weekend Malaya 20 Sept. 1987)

By Ross M. de Leon, Photos by Zek Barroso & Jolly David

Apalit town becomes exceedingly alive from June 28 to 30 every year. It is when the whole town becomes one and celebrate the feast of Sta. Peter whom folks lovingly call Apo  Iro. Actually, the people get busy as early as May when the fiesta committee members start mounting the bamboo poles for the buntings.

That the Apaliteños put their minds and hearts in the fiesta event is eveident in the buntings alone. The colors are well-chosen, the hangings have identical shapes and sizes.Arranged very close to each other, the buntings would look like one bg canopy. If one views it from the window of a century-old two-storey house, it turns into a magnificent rainbw that dips somewhere in the Pampanga River.

With a band playing fiesta tunes and people coming in with their glorious smiles, the scene takes a different appeal. It is as if time hangs suspended for three days and everyone is reborn. Nothing occupies the people’s attention except to give their best to Apo Iro. The life-size image in pure ivory is 287 years old. It is the only on in the country which sits on a throne.

Most of us are familiar with St. Peter in an upright position holding a rooster and keys. But Apo Iro of Apalit is a magnificent Prince of the Church in papal robes. Fr his feats, he wear a three-tiered crown symbolic of his being a first Pope. He has a scepter, a huge cross around his neck, a ruby ring and keys. On other days, Apo Iro wears a simple, priestly robe, not the old pajamas and baseball cap he used to. “A pope would never appear in public wearing pajamas, would he?”, asks Rick Badenhop who is married to the camarera, Erlinda Sazon-Badenhop.

Through the Years. It is Linda’s ancestors, specifically Don Pedro Armayan Espiritu, who bought Apo Iro t the country. Don Pedro got the image done in Spain including its original crown, scepter, ring , keys, necklace , cross, the fisherman’s shoes in pure slver. All those have remained intact since Apo Iro’s arrival in 844 at the old home of Don Pedro in Alauli, Apalit. Don Pedro transferred it to a bigger house in Capalangan and has stayed there ever since.

St. Peter’s shrine in sitio Capalangan, Apalit, Pampanga

From 1974 till now, Apo Iro has been under the care of Dña. Elisa Sazon, a direct descendant of Don Pedro. The old lady died in May this year which made her daughter Erlinda, the new camarera.

The family has undertaken the awesome task of being host to Apo Iro’s numerous visitors throughout the year. But it is on his feast day when the preparations are even bigger. Linda, a well-known dentist, is not daunted by the responsibilities for she has fund the perfect partner  in Rick. The latter is a busy executive of Equitable Bank and has accepted Apo Iro graciously as part of his life.

The very old Spanish home of Rick and Linda opens its doors to everybody ob Apo Iro feast day. Rick reveal as , “we have to hire no less than 40 cooks to feed the devotees for free.” About 10 to 20 cavans of rice are needed each year, four large pigs, 300 peces of chicken, 40 kilos of beef, and a jeepload of bihon and not less that 30 cases of softdrink are consumed. “Of course, there are other ingredients and other items butthose are the staples. The cash donation may reach up to Php 15,000 but we always add Php20,000 to that”, declares Linda.

Devotees expecting miraculous cures for rheumatism, asthma, and other ailments.

Aside from which, the family spends over Php3,000 for the coconut oil which the devotees request. Then there’s the maintenance of the chapel and the garden built in 1981 which come from the Badenhop’s purse. “We will keep the tradition the way Linda’s parents and ancestors did it. You cannot just close the shrine for lack of fnds. We believe that Apo Iro will help in every way,” says Rick without hesitation.

The Badenhop’s faith in the miraculous power and generosity of Apo Iro is echoed by the devotees who flock by the thousands. Maria Santos, a 68 year old resident of Caloocan, and her whole clan come yearly in 4 jeepneys. There are 80 of them and they have been faithful to Apo Iro for the last six years. “Lahat kami pati dalawang apo ko, pinagalig ni Apo Iro,” remarks Aling Maria, a furniture shop owner.

Aboard the barge are Apo Iro and the Virgin Mary on their 6-hour  fiesta time journey to the Apalit Cathedral.

She herself goes down the river when the fluvial procession begins. The woman explains, “Dati hindi ako makalakad dahil sa rayuma sa pareho kong paa. Pero simula nang magdebosyon ako kay Apo Iro, gumaling na ako.” In between fiestas, Alig Maria usues coconut oil to massage her feet. “Mabilis ang ginhawa. Ganon din kapag nagbabad ka sa ilog na dinadaanan ni Apo,” came the simple declaration of faith. Her two grandchildren were rid of their asthma again through the water and oil from Apo Iro.

There’s Felisa Cabildo Albina who is now 73 years old and widowed. She began her panata at 17. Aling Feling’s eyesight was failing because of cataract, “pero iniligtas ako ni Apo Iro.” She used to suffer from hypertension and severe headaches. But she does not look her age nor does her illness seem to bother her when she dances on the street with other devotees. This, they do, when Apo Iro leaves the shrine for the población and on the day that he returns.

Felisa Albina, 73, has been dancing for Apo since 1921.

The dancers bring with them all kinds of leaves but especially guavaleaves. “Kahit anong halaman basta isinama kayApo Iro nakagagaling,” relates Aling Feling. “Pakulo ka lang ng tubig at yoong dahoon pag may sakit ka ng tiyan, ulo o lagnat at tiyak na wala.”

For this year’s festa, however, there were signboards requesting devotees not to destroy the plants. Rick points out, “They can get the leaves but nothing should be uprooted. We spend a lot in the upkeep of the plants.”

Miracles? Another devotee of Apo Iro is 14-year old Nicomedes Estrella of Iba. He was only 4 years old when he got leukemia and his parents were told that he would die soon. Once, when he was delirious, he told his father, “Itay, dalhin mo ako kay Apo Iro.” He and his parents stayed in the chapel for two weeks after which Nick recovered for good. He is now a healthy teener who for the last 10 years has been spending the last 3 days of June with Apo Iro.

Aling Maria, Aling Feling and Nick are only three of the tousads of devotees who greet Apo Iro on his feast. They wait rain or shine till Apo is brought out from the chapel and down into the river. The chanting of “Apo Iro, Apo Iro!” is awesome, the kind that makes your hair stand on its end and sends shivers down your spine. There is a marvelous rain of petals, confetti and leaves followed by a thunderous applause. Dancing on the street continues as Apo Iro is carried to the river by the Knights of St. Peter.

Devotees Mary Indiongco, Knights of St. Peter Macario Vargas 
and Amado Arceo with Dr. Erlinda Sazon-Badenhop in front of the
287-year old Apo Iro.

Despite the gaiety, the festivities do nt turn into a circus that would lessen the solemnity of the event. More people await Ao Iro at the river where he takes a barge. From Capalangan, he is transferred to a bigger, more splendid float at the point where the Calumpit and Pampanga Rivers meetfor his 6-hour journey to the Apalit población.

The fluvial procession is a sight to behold, a powerful feast of colors for photographers. The large float carrying Apo Iro and and the Blessed Mother is followed by smaller bancas, barges, etc. all filled with people. The banks are lined with more devotees who immerse themselves in the water for everyone believes that this is the only time of the year when the water becomes curative through Apo Iro.

A vigil and procession are held at the Apalit cathedral for a day when Apo Iro returns to the shrine in Capalangan. The return journey is awaited with greater joy and enthusiasm as if the Apo left the sitio not for a day, but for years. Dancing, dousing of water, and feasting are the order of the day. The folks stay till late at night in thanksgiving, for their belove Apo Iro is back and safe.

218. Santo Stories: STA. MARIA MAGDALENA OF APALIT, PAMPANGA

STA. MARIA MAGDALENA OF THE GONZALEZ FAMILY. Taken 25 November 1973. 

The original image of Apalit's Sta. Maria Magdalena had ivory head and hands, owned by Dr. Joaquin Gonzales (+1900) and Florencia Rodriguez Sioco (+1925). This 120 cm. Magdalena had her owned giltwood carroza. Bot image and carroza were inherited by their son, Augusto Sioco Gonzalez, who married Rosario "Charing" Arnedo, daughter of Pampanga's provincial governor, Macario Arnedo.

According to the recollections of the late father of descendant Mr. Toto Gonzalez, this original Magdalena was capeless; it was dressed entirely in embroidered burgundy velvet. It had a tiara of silver as well as a perfume bottle. Her accessories included real gold and diamond jewelry --- earrings, necklace, ring, and bracelets. It was always dressed by the female retainers of the family (never by the family members themselves) and was kept assembled the whole year through inside its glass case in a guest room filled with ivory santos in virinas.

This  Gonzalez-owned Sta. Maria Magdalena was unfortunately destroyed when the Americans dropped a bomb on the Gonzalez house in barrio Sulipan where Japanese army trucks were parked
(the bomb was actually intended for the Apalit bridge) on New Year's Day, 01 January 1942.

After the war, in late 1945, Dna. Charing commissioned "Talleres de Maximo Vicente"  to make a new Magdalena image and carroza, for Apalit, to replaced the lost ivory image. Maximo Vicente asked Charing Gonzalez for a photo of the original Magdalena but she had none; she simply gave him carte blanche to produce one. The result is a beautifully carved wooden image with an expressive face and hands, with an "encarna" that made her look Jewish. She stood at 5'6" tall without the 4" base.

The famed santero arrayed her with long hair of "jusi", a burgundy vestida and golden yellow cape with brass flowers dipped in silver then gold, and a double-plated (silver and gold) tiara. She holds her attribute, a  glass perfume bottle,  Vicente also provided a classical wooden carroza with silver-plated brass decorations and 1940s milk glass virinas. Mr. Toto Gonzalez remains the current caretaker of this exquisite Sta. Maria Magdalena, and she continues to lend her regal presence in the annual Holy Week processions of Apalit.

(Many thanks to Mr. Toto Gonzalez for providing the background information on Apalit's Sta. Maria Magdalena, and to Dr. Jojo Valencia for the 1973 photo.)

205. THE BABE ‘N BELEN PROJECT

As a collector, I don’t only collect what I like. I also collect because I see possibilities in many things—whether they be tattered, old, or missing a piece. Therein lies my problem—in my house, I have many odds and ends in various stages of decay, but which I never throw away. My instinct often tells me that these once-loved objects can be a. restored b. salvaged c. re-loved d. adapted for re-use. Which often leads to challenging projects like this Belen project which took about half a year to complete.

 It started with an old wooden sleeping Niño that I found in a provincial antique shop. It was not exactly an impressive piece—it had been thrown in for a song, together with a large San Antonio I had purchased separately. Nothing remarkable about its carving . In fact, it even had a chipped foot.

But sleeping Niños are always hard to come by—be they expensive ivory or plain wood. So, I took it home, repaired its foot (using epoxy clay) and set it aside—in an old urna shared with its original occupant, a bigger sleeping Niño.

 So for months, there it lay—until one day, I saw an unusually small wooden structure in another antique shop I frequent. It was topped with a cross, so I assumed its an old altar, but it has such an intriguing design—there are no indications if the open parts were covered in glass, no doors, no hinges.

 It had a sort of a headboard with a circular flower cut-out, a motif I have seen on old bauls and comodas. The top also had a carved leaf-like appliqué which looked askew. Could this be a miniature toy furniture? Or a mini-urna?

 Anyway, I took it home and envisioned a wooden casing for my homeless wooden Niño. The first thing I did was to strip off the layers of greenish paint that have accumulated as a pasty muck on the wooden surfaces. I decided to remove the carved wooden trim too. 

 After I filled in some holes and other imperfections, I sent it to my frame-maker for a quick week-end paint job. Then, I had the 3 open sides outfitted with glass panes, using the same rubber glue for installing windows. The back, which had the “headboard”, was left open (I put a small curtain to cover it, instead.)

 As the “pediment” looked bare without the carved trimming, I checked my stock of “collectible junk” and found an old brass ribbon trim, that I neatly tacked on top. I used vintage lace to decorate the front and the sides of the altar, then sewed a velvet cushion pad and a pillow for the Niño.

 Maybe I’ll decorate it with some mother-of-pearl flowers when I find the time, but for now, I consider my Babe ‘n Belen Project completed---just in time for Chirstmas!!

188. Santo Sighting: SAN MATEO APOSTOL y EVANGELISTA

The image of San Mateo (St. Matthew) , one of the 4 Evangelists and one of Jesus's apostles, rarely is seen in home altars of yore in the Philippines. Many that I've seen are usually church images, comprising a collection to represent the 4 Evangelists--Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. So it was a delight to see this small, 15 inch wooden San Mateo, being unloaded by a collector through an antique shop.

San Mateo, author of the first Gospel, was the son of Alpheus and a Roman tax collector by profession at Capernaum. Nothing definite is known about his life, except that he was also known as "Levi". It is also uncertain whether he died from natural causes or was martyred--there are various accounts of his martyrdom, but it is not known whether he was stoned, burned or beheaded.

This santo, adheres to his traditional iconography--San Mateo holds a book to designate his authorship of the Gospel, and a money sack (now missing) in the other hand to denote his former life as a ta collector. A small angel holding an inkwell stands by his side to signify his new life as a messenger of Christ. The santo stands on a squarish damaged base.

Based on the carving and painting style, this stocky San Mateo seems to date from the midcentury. The halo, which  looks original to the piece, looks more contemporary. Sadly, I could not afford this santo which came with a hefty price tag, so I had to look the other way. It was eventually sold to another willing collector.

San Mateo's feast day on the Western calendar is September 21. he is quite predictably, the patron saint of bankers, bookkeepers, accountants, money managers, stockbrokers, financial officers, customs officers, and tax collectors.

167. THE CASE OF THE DOGLESS SAN ROQUE

ROCH OF AGES. The restored and completed San Roque reunited with a replacement dog. The base was repainted and the santos, which remained in great condition, were cleaned and buffed. The santo stands 24 inches high, excluding the base.

The hunt for antiques –and antique santos, to be specific—has changed irrevocably with the advent of cellphones, which can conveniently transmit photos in minutes. In this manner, assessing antiques for sale has become easier; pictures, however small, can give one a fair idea of the santo’s aesthetics, condition, and indications of age and size.

 When the above picture of a dogless San Roque was sent to me by a Pampanga dealer, I was impressed by the overall carving style and uncommon representation of this pilgrim saint. The santo is dressed like a peregrine (pilgrim), with a cross carved in relief on his left chest area.

 He is shown lifting the hem of his brown vestments, a finger pointing at the wound on his thigh (more common folk representations show the wound on his knee).

The hatted figure holds an original staff, with a flask tied to the tip.

 The face of San Roque is lean and long, his face dour,almost devoid of expression. His glass eyes were of the imported variety, commonly referred to as ”ojos de Europa”, which are in fact, doll eyes that were commercially produced in Europe since the 19th c.

 Keeping the saint company is an expressionless Angel in white holding a tablet with this inscription: “Los que fueron heridos de peste el favour de Roque alcanzaran salud” (Those wounded by the plague, (ask) the favor of St. Roch to attain health) This is in reference to his ministry of the sick during a pestilence in which he himself was stricken with the deadly disease.

 San Roque stands on a damaged base, which has lost much of its paint. Also missing is San Roque’s faithful dog, who ministered to him when he became ill himself, by bringing him bread daily.

 I would date this incomplete tableau to the 1950s and I thought it’s worth acquiring and restoring. The size alone—24 inches—is highly desirable. The best thing about this San Roque was its price, and when I personally saw it, I was convinced even more that I have found a truly worthy piece.

 I personally undertook the cleaning of the santo and the angel, which I easily detached from the base. The base immediately went to a local painter who simply re-painted it with a marbleized effect.

 The most challenging part was finding a replacement dog. Weeks before I saw this San Roque, I remembered seeing a dog being sold separately in one of the shops at Philtrade. I had made an offer for it, which the Seller did not accept.

I thought that the dog had the right proportions to match my San Roque. I returned to Philtrade and located the shop—and thank my lucky stars, the wooden dog with a whole bread in its mouth was still there! I made another offer, and this time, the Seller agreed to sell me the dog.

 Soon as the base arrived, I assembled and staged the different pieces, using wooden pegs. Everything fell into place, moreso when I positioned the dog by his master’s side—it was perfect fit. My San Roque tableau is finally complete.

162, Find of the Year: SAN ANTONIO DE PADUA from the Taller of Irineo M. Cristobal

In one of my recent antiquing weekends last June, I decided to drive to Apalit and check out the stuff of a dealer there, fairly new in town. I had not realize that it was the town’s fiesta week, and I was caught in a massive traffic jam that resulted in a trip of more than an hour! Of course, upon arriving, I chided the dealer for not warning me of Apu Iro’s (St. Peter, the town patron) fiesta, and she retorted that had she done, I wouldn’t have come. What a clever ruse!

She appeased me with fiesta food, all laid out on her table, while she took out her items for me to see, not much really---ceramics, vintage paintings, kitchen collectibles. I bought a few Chinese achara pots, but there was nothing much of interest for me.

With a sigh, I was all set to depart, but then, the dealer suddenly remembered a santo that she had stashed upstairs, plus a few other religious articles. When her helper brought them down, I became excited by what I saw. It was a 36 in, San Antonio on a 5 inch base, classically carved, complete with a bald Niño, similarly carved in the same refined style.

Saint Anthony of Padua, Italy was a popular saint in the country, introduced early by Franciscan missionaries. It was said that the Child Jesus appeared to him, hence the representation. Only 36 tears old when he died, he was canonized a year just after his death. Today, he is commonly referred as a "finder of lost articles".

San Antonio was in a bad state, with one arm missing and without hands. At one time, the saint must have held a sprig of lilies—symbols of purity--perhaps carved separately to be held by his right hand. The Niño’s condition was much better, its joints intact, with just a few broken fingers. The images had been repainted several times in the past, and when I got them, their bodies were painted pink, their faces, in ashen flesh color.

San Antonio was missing his halo, while the Child Jesus had lost his wig. There were no indications in the head that he wore potencias. Both heads, however, were handsomely carved, and I estimated to be anywhere from 60-70 years old, early post-war pieces, perhaps.

I have missed out on a few large images of San Antonio in the past, so I made sure that this one goes home with me. Because of the flaws of the carvings, I managed to wrangle a big discount from my dealer. Not only did I got to take these santos home, but also an 8 in. antique wooden sleeping Nativity Niño!

 I was so eager to have these images restored that I didn’t even bother checking the schedule of santo restorer, Dr. Raffy Lopez. He was in the midst of moving things into his new house, but I brought the santos to him anyway, barely a week after purchasing them. Knowing I will never take “no”for an answer, he went ahead and accepted this restoration project.

Initially, my project brief included giving San Antonio a swarthy complexion, complete with 5 o’clock shadow, but thank God I changed my mind. Since I was on a shoestring budget, I asked Dr. Lopez to outfit him in an austere dark brown hooded habit, with simple gold trims on the hems and sleeves. I had no idea what the Niño would wear, so I pretty much left this to the good doctor to decide. The restoration process began almost immediately.

Lopez brought the santo to his contracted carver who made new hands and attached new arms for San Antonio. Niño’s fingers were mended in no time at all. The encarna painting itself was done in several stages but I was pretty much kept in the loop with regular phone messaging updates.

 It was during this stage of the restoration that we made a stunning discovery about this santo’s provenance. When the painter finished stripping the old paint done on the base, a small brass plaque appeared on the upper right hand corner. The plaque was just the size of a small postage stamp, but when it was further cleaned, the letters in relief became more apparent, revealing the name and address of the original maker: TALLER DE IRINEO M. CRISTOBAL. Evangelista, Manila, P.I.

 This then is the handiwork of the famed santero from Quiapo who was active in the creation of religious statuaries from the 20s to the 50s. Irineo M. Cristobal, one of the more popular commercial santeros who followed Maximo Vicente, established his own talyer in the santo carving district of Manila—along Evangelista Street in Quiapo.

 A month after, I was ready to bring San Antonio home. He now wears a beautiful habit complete with the trademark Franciscan cord. The Child Jesus, in appropriate ”goldilocks” wig is vested in a plain vintage satin tunic, also corded at the waist.

I was pleased with the way he was restored, but even happier knowing that I have a treasure in my hand—a Cristobal creation, no less—just the second image in my collection with known and proven provenance.

 Dr. Lopez managed to find a vintage 8 inch halo, which fitted him perfectly—this, after my own fruitless search in thrift shops and antique shops. He did better than that by finding a set of potencias of the right size, in the last minute!

 To give a sense of completeness, I let the santo hold a stem of antique flowers made from mother of pearl (lagang), and then made these photographs.

But on the day I was to take the santo home, a friend gifted me with this handcrafted spray of lilies—an attribute of the saint—made also from mother-of-pearl shells!! Will wonders never cease??

 So this then is the finished San Antonio de Padua with Niño Jesus by Irineo M. Cristobal—an affordable find that has become my find of the year! Now this calls for my own fiesta celebration!!