Don Bosco Center of Studies

An Affiliate of the Salesian Pontifical University

GOD AND THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

A short reflection of my visit to the churches of Pampanga and of Ilocos Sur

A Reflection Paper submitted to Rev. Fr. Nestor Impelido, SDB

Institute of Theological Formation

In partial fulfillment of the subject History of the Church in the Philippines

By

Bro. Regino Carlo P. Godinez, SDB

September 24, 2010

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Pampanga Tour
Excited and restless: these two adjectives had been with me for almost a
month since I enrolled in this subject in the second week of June this year. I already
knew about the upcoming study tour to Ilocos, but to my surprise, a bonus item was
provided for—a tour to Pampanga! This happened last July 30, a Friday. After that
memorable day ended, I could not help but appreciate the richness and depth of my
Catholic religion, at least in the context of the local churches here in my motherland.
Although I only saw a fraction of the beauty of the Philippine church through the
magnificent antique and modern church structures in Pampanga, I have the
satisfaction that indeed there is something deeper than the grandeur, beauty and
historicity of those churches we visited! It is the reality of a God’s immanence—
present in the concrete affairs of the people—that make it more than meets the eye.
The trek to Pampanga from Makati was not too long—about an hour’s drive.
The generosity of Fr. Nesty’s cardiologist greeted us with a hearty McDonald’s
breakfast in Pampanga. What impressed me was the joy in his face while he was
watching us consume our ‘big’ and tasty meals. It gave me the enthusiasm during the
day as I visited, together with my companions, to the selected churches there. What’s
common with all the churches we visited, aside from their Augustinian origins, was
their notable antiquity. Many of them had a long nave, with carved majestic retablos.
Seriously, I thought Fr. Nesty’s immense knowledge on those churches was
unbelievable—as if he were the owner. As regards the structure of the buildings,
many of the walls, albeit some were damaged, were made of the old-style bricks and
square-cut stones.
The first church was that of the San Guillermo parish church in Bacolor, where
the Television series “Santino” was being shot. It was once a huge and tall church,
but was destroyed by an earthquake and was rebuilt by Fr. Eugenio Alvarez in 1886.
Almost two decades ago, this lovely church was buried almost halfway from the
ground up by the mighty Pinatubo lahar about two decades ago.
I have to say that among the churches that made a lasting impact to me was
the Parish of Santiago Apostol in Betis, in Guagua, Pampanga. A Baroque-inspired

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church, it was a lovely site inside the structure with paintings all over the interior
walls and ceilings—almost like the grandeur of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. The
exterior wasn’t as eye-catching as that of the interior. Indeed I ought to agree with
the sage who said the oft-quoted line “don’t judge the book by its cover.” It had a
wooden and well-maintained floor. Quite a number of the church’s ornaments were
unquestionably antique. Looking at the beauty of the church, I was able to sense the
religiosity of the people going to mass in that wonderful church. Fr. Nesty mentioned
about the use of such frescoes for catechetical purposes. Well, if I may add
something, I felt that the frescoes and other artworks were definitely a reflection of
the people who built the place and designed and beautified it. I always believe I can
know the spirituality or the values of the person when I get to see his or her house.
And I say kudos to the people of Betis, in Guagua, for the job well done! Not only did
they give me the impression that they are a loving and warm people, but also they
are deeply devoted and have a well-founded Catholic tradition, let alone the number
of priests that the town has contributed to the church!
Our final activity for the day’s tour was nothing short of splendid. The day
was capped by a celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Sta. Monica Church that
boasts of its most unique façade, like that of an enormous retablo. Although I did not
find the church as lovely, artistic and impressive as that of Betis, it still made a very
good impression on me. For one thing, it was my first time to attend a mass in the
church. Secondly, during that mass I was able to realize how God loves us because of
bestowing upon us the grace of visiting all those fantastic antique churches that are
definitely priceless and a beauty to behold. In that culminating activity, I was able to
look back at the whole day and told myself “I have to be thankful…” Indeed I
thanked God for that rare opportunity to visit the houses of worship of the
Pampangeños. During the whole-day tour, many of us felt not so comfortable inside
the bus: its air-conditioning system was not so good. But on my part, I was seated in
the front and so I had plenty of space and it was a bit cooler than at the back. I wasn’t
so distracted during the whole day as far as the bus ride was concerned.

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Never did it occur to me that there were many beautiful churches in

Pampanga. All I ever knew before was that our Sto. Niño de Cebu was the finest in
the whole Philippines. But my Pampanga experience made me think twice of my old
conviction!

Ilocos Tour
After an ‘appetizer’ tour to Pampanga, I was looking forward to the main
course: Ilocos! Hearing from the many delightful accounts of the previous batch’s
tour, I was already gearing up for the up and coming adventure. And when the day
came at last, I was beaming with delight. However, the long drive to Ilocos was
accompanied by a rather unpleasant sleep. I wasn’t used to sleeping while sitting
down and not stretching my long legs. Nevertheless, when we arrived, I mused at
the possibility of not enjoying the day anymore since I had a terrible sleep. Observing
some of companions, it seemed they also felt the same way I did. In my own
estimation, many of us slept for only a total of three to four hours and rest was
unease. But that was not the case! The first day was in fact the turning point of my
great interest in the study tour. Hence, I’ve devoted much time recalling my Vigan
experiences with delight.
After a modest but nourishing breakfast, off we went to Vigan, Nueva
Segovia, to the Conversion of St. Paul Cathedral. It was just beside a meek plaza,
with a huge but almost- dried-up pond. It had an attractive white façade. It was
founded in 1575, with paintings of the “Twelve promises of the Sacred Heart” hung
in a frame in every pillar inside the church. It had six side altars, two pulpits on
which the homilies of old were delivered, fourteen chandeliers. The retablo was a
grand, gold-plated wooden attraction. We also went inside the Spanish-style
Arzobispado de Nueva Segovia, which was adjacent to the Cathedral. What really
caught my attention in this first-day visit was the existence of a museum in the
second floor of the Arzobispado, housing the pre-Vatican II liturgical artifacts and
archives of the church. To me, it opened my eyes to the reality of Vigan’s centuries-
old Catholic tradition.

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A visit to the heritage village nearby was equally breathtaking. We had our
lunch in one of the restaurants and bought many of our T-shirts in the souvenir
shops there. I never thought I’d be in a place famous for its Spanish-style
neighborhood, kept intact since the time of the Spaniards. I was really amazed at
how they beautiful they were. I’ve already seen such houses before in Cebu. But I’ve
never seen an entire vintage village. I couldn’t help myself as I ran into the heart of
the heritage village and savor the beautiful array of such rarity. I was really amazed
at the antiquity of the whole town and how it managed to maintain its tradition.
Somehow, looking at those vintage liturgical relics was a peek into the Catholic past
of Vigan and how they celebrated with enthusiastic devotion the important liturgical
ceremonies then.
My bewilderment of Vigan was capped by the mayor’s warm reception of us.
We were given the opportunity to pose with her even if there weren’t any
appointments that are usually reserved to big politicians. Mayor Medina humbly
greeted us and shook with our hands. During the casual picture-taking, together
with her were the vice-mayor and one of her council members. That was not the end
yet. The mayor herself invited us for breakfast at her own home. Sunday, August 22,
was the agreed date and the third day of the weekend tour. When we went there for
the Ilocos-style breakfast, we were all the more moved at such a hospitable reception
that is normally not being done in the houses of some other First Families, let alone
eat breakfast with them! But what awaited us was not just a well-prepared meal but
an inspiring Medina household—the husband (former mayor) and wife (the mayor)
with their lovely children, plus an entourage of employees. According to Fr. Nesty,
what we just had that day was unprecedented.
Somehow, at hindsight I feel proud that I’m part of an iota of the Ilocos Tour
history. Such a humble city with a deeply-rooted cultural heritage and Catholic
tradition made my first day in Ilocos simply awesome. It was a very wonderful
experience such that I totally forgot about my uneasy bus ride just a few hours ago!
Looking back at my Vigan experience makes picture out an immanent God who is
not only found in those magnificent structures we went into, but also in those

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persons who patiently responded to our simple queries for directions, who assisted
us in our buying of souvenirs and ‘pasalubong’, and in those who gave us warm
smiles and lasting hospitality. The lovely place matched well with the warmth and
kindness of those in the city. As far as I’m concerned, I treasure my Vigan experience
so much that I can still narrate to any interested fellow the important details what
happened there!
Much of our second day was devoted to travelling northbound. We first
passed by the famous San Agustin Church in Paoay, which is included in the Unesco
World Heritage list. Such a lovely façade and a truly remarkable feat of human
engineering, considering it was only in 1704 that the cornerstone of the church was
built. Then we also visited Sta. Monica Church. It was followed by the Parola of Cape
Bojeador, then the ruins of the Pasuquin Church. Next we stopped by the St. Andrew
the Apostle Church in Bacarra, with a gigantic belfry already damaged by an
earthquake. It was not as exhausting anymore as the first day. What I loved most
during this day was the visit to the San Agustin Church in Paoay. I can say now is
the Church with all its antiquity and dilapidated trusses and some damaged
buttresses still retained its splendor.
The Third day, Sunday, was spent first at the home of Mayor Medina, as I
already mentioned earlier. Then we also entered the Syquia Mansion, the heritage
house of former president Elpidio Quirino and his wife then, Doña Syquia. It was a
well-adorned palace with the preserved household furnitures, decorations, paintings
and many others. In the afternoon, we made a stopover in the Church of San Juan
Bautista, in Badoc. Then we also went to Sinait, to the San Nicolas de Tolentino
parish. Then in the last day, Monday, we visited the church in Calasiao, which is of
Dominican design. It’s the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul. And then in the afternoon,
we also stopped by the Shrine of our Birhen ng Manaoa, which was deemed to be a
place with a truly devout Catholic people.
Ilocos Tour Impressions
Obviously I have written much about the first and third days of our splendid
study tour to Ilocos. The reason is something very dear to me: if not because of the

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exquisite Vigan experience, I wouldn’t have had the motivation to look forward to
the next days. The people, the places, the church architecture and the panorama of
nature that I saw, touched and felt left a vibrant impression in my person. Aside
from all this, I have also been observing the passion, zeal and brilliance of our tour
guide—our history professor par excellence—as he accompanied us with the great
dedication of an extraordinary mentor. That in itself was very compelling. Fr. Nesty
was so enamored at his craft of dissecting all the details of the wonderful churches
that we visited that I myself got enthused at his teaching us.
I couldn’t help but revisit the passage in John 12: 21, when the Greeks
requested Philip, Jesus’ disciple, to show them Jesus: “Sir, we should like to see Jesus”.
In this case the Greeks are we the history students, who insisted on seeing Jesus. And
Fr. Nesty has become Philip, the one who, together with Andrew, led them to Jesus
whom they were looking for. Through Fr. Nesty’s showing us the wonderful
Churches, our search for the answers and our thirst for the history of those
magnificent churches were satisfied.
Reflecting upon what happened, that first day became something in which the
love of God was so clear that we all responded to it in a positive manner. The
conglomeration of all the days’ events was a painting of love of the Lord for all of us
so that we would be able to enjoy and savor every ounce of that study tour. The
many minute inconveniences paled in comparison with the beauty that God
provided for us during the rest of the tour weekend. It might be too much to say that
there was actually the spirit of the Eucharist that accompanied us during the tour.
But I say it truly did accompany us. The true meaning of the Eucharistic sacrifice of
Jesus Christ—i.e., the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross in Mt. Calvary—went
beyond the time-space continuum. Our small and simple study tour is still part of
this Cross event! We journeyed towards Ilocos in order to witness some aspects of
Jesus’ act of dying on the cross and how he has remained until now in the hearts of
all mankind. The physical structures that we encountered in Ilocos were mere
expressions of the one and only salvific act—the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the
Cross. And Jesus indeed has become one with us: “The Word was made flesh, he lived

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among us, and we saw his glory…full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). And as what Bro.
George Celis, SDB mentioned to me in one of our casual conversations, it is still the
same God that the people of those humble Ilocos Sur towns had been worshipping
for over three hundred years. All accidents have changed but the substance still
remained—God. It was God who has provided the Filipinos with a receptive culture
to the missionaries; it was the same God whom the Spanish missionaries preached to
the formerly pagan Ilocanos. The God that they worship now has been the same ever
since the first rays of dawn in the Christian history of the Philippines.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans 16: 26, tells us the Jesus Christ is the age-
old mystery that has now become “so clear that it must be broadcast to pagans
everywhere to bring them to the obedience of faith.” Philippines was a pagan nation before
the entry of Spanish missionaries and conquistadores. And when the early
missionaries, specifically the Augustinians, started to evangelize and catechize the
Filipinos in the northern part of Manila Ilocos, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that
enabled the mystery of Jesus Christ to be known to them. First of all, I cannot but be
grateful for this gift of evangelization to us Filipinos. Now we know that the eternal
truth, which actually seeks to be known even in foreign and pagan, was actually the
first to make the move. God himself initiated the Filipinos’ Christianization even if
we are far away from the center of the Catholic religion; the gift of salvation is “for all
those whom the Lord our God will call to himself” (Acts 2: 39).
I wonder why the Philippines was such a fertile land for the seed of
Christianity to flourish that fast! Could it be that the Holy Spirit blessed our land
with receptive Filipino souls to the truth of Christ? Possibly, yes! And I believe our
reception was done also because the method of evangelization done by the first
missionaries was aided by the power of the Holy Spirit. Without question, we
became witnesses of an all-knowing and provident God who was and is still at work
with the people today. He is both transcendent, and at the same time immanent. That
is the mystery of God communicated to us, so to speak, by the beautiful imageries of
majestic antique churches, of wonderful cultural heritage, the nature and persons
that met us with a smile.

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Conclusion
Both Pampanga and Ilocos Sur offered me a second look at the beauty of the
Christian, nay Catholic faith. All those wonderful experiences furnished me a very
confident feeling that my faith in Jesus Christ is also being sharing by a multitude of
Filipinos. With what I saw in those churches, people and historical lessons, I could
say my being a Catholic and a future priest at that will definitely not be put to waste.
For it is through these wonderful places of worship that I can celebrate the Glory of
God! I was thinking of why not visiting these places when I will have become a priest
in a few years’ time. Why not!? The antiques and the deeply-rooted Catholic
populace in those local churches we visited bequeathed me an awesome feeling
throughout the educational expedition. But the reality of God is definitely more
awesome than none. I saw with my own eyes the truth of God’s existence!

End

Reflection Paper on the Study Tours to Pampanga and Ilocos