By Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
The Bedtime Stories of My Lola Danday
(Part 2)
Last week, I started sharing the bedtime stories of my Lola Danday. Allow me to continue with this article today.
For Lola Danday’s cuaresma stories, she related episodes about Padre Juan Villamor, the first Filipino parish priest after the Spaniards. And according to her, her parents, Tan Akoy and Agripina Buhion Villamor helped Padre Juan Villamor in the latter’s studies for the priesthood.
I remember so well the portrait of Padre Juan, displayed in our ancestral home and deposited in our silong when the Karaang Balay roofing was changed from nipa shingles to galvanized iron after a strong typhoon. The portrait might have been destroyed when our silong had also undergone transformation to give way to 2 additional bedrooms. But I had replicated the portrait from the family of Nong Juaning and Nang Lerin Villamor Caballo, a second cousin of Padre Juan. In 1995, I gave the portrait to the Baclayon museum in celebration of Baclayon’s 400th year anniversary. So, the photo must be in the museum now.
Padre Juan was one of the children of Casimiro Inocencio Villamor and Cecilia Balo Talaid. There are images under their care of their 4th generation encargados:
- Senior Jesus De La Huerta – Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane under the care of the heirs of Francisco Villamor and Zoila Alarba. The present encargados are the children of Juana Villamor and Modesto Dologuin and the children of Melecio Villamor and Sabina Quibod.
- San Juan – St. John the beloved. It was to him that Jesus entrusted His mother by His famous words: behold your mother and to Mary, behold your son. The image of San Juan was entrusted to Lorenza Villamor married to Juan Malon. The present encargados are the 5th generation Malons – mostly, the children and grandchildren of Freney Malon Ongque. The entire family contributes to the maintenance of the image and the carro for the processions during holy week.
- Sta. Maria Magdalena. This image is entrusted to Gregoria Villamor married to Lucas Goyot. The present encargados are the children of Rufa and Jesus Cuaresma namely Boy, Linda, and Preciosa.
- Sta. Veronica. This is entrusted to Inocencio Ignacio Villamor and Pantaleona Badiang. After the demise of the couple the image was entrusted to Juana Villamor and Catalino Valeroso. The present encargados are the children of Florencio Uy and Anastacia Bunao and the grandchildren of Paciencia Valeroso.
- Senior Jesus Nazareno was originally entrusted to Ciriaco Villamor and Agripina Buhion. The fourth generation encargados are the grandchildren of Guadalupe Villamor Oppus and Alejandra Villamor Calizar.
The sacred images entrusted to us make up the glue that binds us together, which leads us to the path of knowing the wider family built by Marcelo Tamayo Villamor and Silvina Iyog.