128. “MANO PO” NO MORE & OLD CAMARAG

                                “MANO PO” NO MORE & OLD CAMARAG
                                                    Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano, LPT
                                                                                 13 January 2021

My first public appearance, after 22 days in the hospital and 14 days home quarantine due to COVID-19 infection, was this morning as I delivered a message during the launching of the San Isidro Green Ladies Organization (SIGLO) Integrated Farm & Agro-Eco Tourism Park in Barangay Quezon, San Isidro town in southern Isabela. Before my speech, Governor Rodolfo “Rodito” T. Albano III, Vice Governor Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III and Congressman Allan U. Ty arrived together with Mayor Vilmer B. Bravo to support this new endeavor of the kababaihan of San Isidro. When Vice Governor Dy saw me, he approached me and asked what happened and offered his “Duterte signature fist bump” greeting instead of accepting my traditional mano po gesture. Isabela’s 28^th Provincial Governor is our wedding ninong in 2009 and before this pandemic, my wife and I never failed to “mano” whenever our paths crossed.

Searching the net and browsing the book “Encyclopedia of Philippine Folk Beliefs and Customs” by Fr. Frencaisco Demetrio, S.J. revealed: “Mano po” is a unique Filipino tradition dating back to precolonial times. “Mano” or pagmamano is an honoring gesture performed as a sign of respect to elders. Aside from this esteem action, pagmamano is a manner of requesting the blessing from the older person. The individual giving the greeting bows using the right hand towards the hand of the elder and presses their forehead on the elder's hand. The person showing respect may ask "Mano po" or "Pa-bless po" to the elder in order to ask permission to initiate the act. Normally someone may mano to their older relatives upon entry into their abode or simply everytime upon seeing them. It is normally responded by extending the hand and uttering the words; “God bless you” or in Filipino, “Kaawan ka nawa ng Diyos”.

The word mano is Spanish for “hand” while the word po is often used in Filipino culture and language at the end of each sentence as a sign of respect when addressing someone older similar to sir/ma;am in English. Combined, mano po literally translates to “your hand please”, as the greeting initiates the gesture of touching the back of the hand of an elder lightly on the forehead.

One of the barangays of San Isidro town is historic Camarag. Camarag was once the capital of Nueva Vizcaya province from 1839 until 1856 when the province of Isabela was created. Camarag, for a long time, was synonymous to the old pueblo of Echague. Various researches from the files of the Dominican missionaries assigned in Cagayan Valley which were compiled and annotated by Fr. Pedro V. Salgado, O.P. in his book “Cagayan Valley and Eastern Cordillera 1581-1898” disclosed the history of Camarag.

Etymologically, “Camarag” is specie of a big tree found abundant in the locality and vicinity of what is now Echague, San Isidro, Jones and San Agustin. In 1752, Camarag was founded civilly by the Order of Preachers and on May 12, 1753 it was recognized as an ecclesiastical mission under the patronage of Saint Joseph. In 1759, Camarag was made a vicarage.

The acknowledged native founder of the settlement of Camarag was the Yogad leader Mengal Alingog (Alingot in Spanish manuscripts). The Yogads and Gaddangs from the hinterlands of Diffun and Amanga were the first settlers in the Spanish administered pueblo of Camarag situated along the Cagayan River approximately the site of the present poblacion of Echague.

In 1776, the town center of Camarag was transferred to the banks of the Ganano River less than ten kilometers away from the banks of the Cagayan River. But according to Fray Ocio, the actual relocation took place after nine years because of the very determined resistance of the Yogad mengals and their people. The missionaries had wanted to transfer the town site but could not implement their desire due to the opposition of the natives. In 1785, the commander of the military fort in Diffun ultimately forced the transfer. The reason for the transfer was not clear. Fr. Jose Brugues simply said, Camarag’s permanence by the bank of Cagayan River proved “detrimental to the bordering towns, an obstacle to the reduction of the pagans”. As do how it was detrimental, he did not explain.

The order of the transfer, which was so repugnant to the Camarag people, provoked a rebellion not only in Camarag but in the whole district of Paniqui as well. But the Spanish-controlled army quelled the rebellion and the transfer pushed through. Fr.  Brugues related: “The people of Camarag resisted as much as they could, even with violent means. But the commander of the fort, who was interested in the dissolution of the town and the dispersal of the population to the bordering towns, caused the rebellion not only of this town but of the entire District of Paniqui. Conquered and forced to transfer by the soldiers of the fort, the people persisted in their dislike of the transfer, for in 1792 the principalia protested against it to the Superior Government, asking authorization to return to their original place”.

As to why the natives of Camarag opposed the transfer, Fr. Julian Malumbres gave the reason the greater fertility of the soil by the Cagayan River compared with that of the Ganano River. To which are to be added cultural reasons, like the affection and friendships the people have developed with their neighbors in the old abode, as well as opposition to the dictatorial behavior of the Spaniards transferring whole towns, together with all the inhabitants, to new undeveloped places. Fr. Malumbres said: “In 1776 they were forced to transfer to the banks of the Gananoc River, which they did with utmost repugnance for they had to abandon the fertile plains of the great river to the infertile plains of the tributary”. A church of stone and mortar was built in the new site. Ruins of the great edifice can still be seen today beside a Roman Catholic chapel of Barangay Camarag, San Isidro, Isabela.

On May 24, 1839, the alcaldia of Cagayan was divided upon the creation of the province of Nueva Vizcaya which comprised all towns from Ilagan to Aritao in Caraballo del Sur including the visita of Palanan (then a part of Nueva Ecija province) and Catalangan. Old Camarag became the capital of the newly created province up to 1856.

The persistent desire of the people to go back to the bank of the Cagayan River paid off and on March 14, 1863, during the time when Fr. Juan Comas was Vicar of Camarag, the Spanish government allowed the return of Camarag and its people to their original place by the bank of the Cagayan River, now the present town center. With the transfer, Camarag was renamed to Echague to honor the incumbent Governor-General (1862-1865), Don Rafael de Echagüe y Méndez de Vigo (or Bermingham and Gipuzkoa; 1815-1887). Camarag eventually became one of the rancherias of Echague.

On June 17, 1967, the Ganano region of northwestern Echague town was created as a municipality by virtue of Republic Act No. 5139 and christened as San Isidro. The rancheria of Camarag became one of the 13 barangays of this town. After visiting the site of the old settlement, I strongly recommended to the Local Government Unit of San Isidro to preserve the vestiges and install a historical marker so the young would know and to immortalize the glory of Spanish Camarag which once served as the seat of government of the old alcaldia of Nueva Vizcaya.

In Iriga City in Camarines Sur province in the Bicol region, a statue of a boy gesturing the “mano po” to his grandmother before he leaves for school immortalized the remarkable unique Filipino act. “Mano po” shows good breeding and the value of respect among Filipinos. Unfortunately, some youngsters of today are not keen on this tradition and worst of all, the pandemic aggravated decline of this waning culture. This custom originated long before our colonial history and was passed from one generation to another even before Camarag was founded 269 years ago.