remembrance of things awry

The seniors of any society possess real treasures in terms of memories and experiences.  And it was my privilege and honor to have sat down a few days ago with some senior Kapampangan “kabalen” — powerful, influential, and prominent politicians in their time — who regaled me with so many of their memories, among them comic but genuine recollections of the first Kapampangan president, “Cong Dadong,” and his [ second ] wife, “Ache Eva”…

“First of all, Cong Dadong was not exactly the “poor boy from Lubao.”  True, he was not rich in the way the old line Spanish mestizo hacenderos of Lubao, Floridablanca, and Guagua were [ like the  Arrastia, the Toledo, the Toda, the Ynfante, the Velez, and the Gonzalez { originally Bravo } were ].  But destitute, he was definitely not.  His father, Urbano Macapagal, a poet, was actually already a political leader in the town.  The distinguished philanthropist Don Honorio Ventura of Bacolor, then the Secretary of the Interior during the Quezon presidency, saw the potential of Cong Dadong and financed his law studies at the University of Santo Tomas.  That was the start of something big.”

“When Cong Dadong first ran for representative of the first district of Pampanga in 1949 upon the urging of several local leaders to President Quirino, he earnestly requested the heiress Carmen ‘Mameng’ Angeles Buyson of Bacolor to desist from running for the office.  Mameng Buyson was a virtual shoo-in for Congresswoman because of her expensive, high education and her ‘hacendero’ family’s great wealth.  Cong Dadong reasoned to Mameng that a ‘poor Macapagal’ from Lubao could not win against a ‘rich Buyson’ from Bacolor.  In true ‘de buena familia’ form, Mameng graciously acceded to his request.  Cong Dadong won the seat by a landslide.”

“Well, Ache Purita, his first wife, died of sickness in 1943.  She was a sister of the handsome actor Rogelio de la Rosa.  Three years later in 1946, he married the Pangasinense, Ache Eva.  Ah, she was one difficult woman.  Basically a good woman, but a difficult one.”

“It was a ‘chicken and egg’ situation.  Ache Eva did not like us Capampangans because she felt that we discriminated her because she was Pangasinense, aside from the fact that she was the second wife when the first one, Ache Purita, was Capampangan and one really beautiful woman, outside and inside.”

Oh, that marriage had its share of quarrels like everyone else’s.  There was the time when his first grandchild with Ache Purita was baptized.  Cong Dadong arrived late dressed only in his “camisa chino” [ the buttoned undershirt of the "barong tagalog" ] and he seemed to be in sixes and sevens.  With obvious irritation, he explained that Ache Eva did not want him to attend, and in the ensuing argument she had torn his “barong tagalog” to shreds!  He requested liquor because he just wanted to drink.  He drank himself to stupor that night.  We all remember that well.”

“We joked him that he and Ache Eva were following in the footsteps of President Manuel Roxas and his First Lady Trinidad de Leon.  Cong Dadong just shook his head.  President Roxas and his First Lady Dona Trining were memorable for their marital squabbles, mainly because of his lady friend, Juanita MacIlvain — sometimes in plain view during functions, sometimes only the angry exchanges were heard behind those Malacanang rooms.  Many of our older colleagues attested to that.”

“One time, [ Congressman ] Francisco “Paquito” / “Quitong” Nepomuceno brought some Angeles town officials to the Malacanang palace to meet with Cong Dadong.  The waiting room had photographs of the presidents and their first ladies.  When one town official peered closely at the photo of Ache Eva, Paquito warned:  “E ca lalapit caya, abe!  Quietan na ca niyan!”  [ "Don't go near her, friend! She will bite you!" ].  They all laughed.  Well, to their amusement, the joke reached Ache Eva and she was livid!”

“Imelda Romualdez-Marcos was NOT the first Philippine first lady to have a collection of fine jewelry.  Evangelina Macaraeg-Macapagal preceded her to it.  And before Ache Eva, it was Leonila Dimataga-Garcia.  Ache Eva collected fine jewelry and she definitely preceded Imelda Marcos as a VIP client of Liding Miranda-Oledan.  Ache Eva had a very considerable collection!  Look at President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo closely during official functions, she wears beautiful jewelry which are NOT new but actually vintage.  Those are from Ache Eva and most likely purchased from Liding Oledan.  Ache Eva also bought from the other major Capampangan jewelers of the time like Tinay Gonzalez and Ache Ines Lugue-Sarmiento, the mother of Fe Sarmiento-Panlilio, who rose to the international big leagues during the Marcos years and became ‘The International Jeweller.’”