by Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
Baclayon is forever grateful
to Doña Beatriz Miranda Zobel De Ayala
I remember a few lines from a song which my mother taught us in school. This was the period when Spanish was a legislated course in High School and in College. I still had 24 units of Spanish in College. It was in higher Spanish when we were taught the poems of Miguel de Cervantes, a Spanish poet Laureate and Mi Ultimo Adios of our own national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. This is the song: La Española, beautiful maid of Spain. Your sweet face I will never forget. Shawl of lace and the castanets. I’m in love with you, maid of Spain.
I learned the song from my elementary years in celebration of the United Nations week when our class represented Spain and presented a number for the purpose. Those were the days when we were exposed to the legacy of Spain, both the tangible and the intangible.
And how did I know and meet this gentle lady named Doña Beatriz Miranda Zobel De Ayala? I met her, up close and personal at the Pipe Organ and Dinner Concert of our parish held at the Immaculate Conception Church, Baclayon, Bohol years back.
The Zobel family paid for the restoration of our chuch pipe organ through their Ayala Foundation. Aside from this, there were several projects poured into our hometown like the tourism building, etc.. The family also helped us fight against the road widening project of the national highway that would have resulted into the demolition of ancestral houses along the highway. It was both scary and devastating to see pieces of earthmoving equipment that started to appear at the Poblacion. These equipment were meant to demolish our ancestral homes. We won in our crusade with the help of the Ayala Foundation, represented by Beatriz Zobel Jr., Metropolitan Museum of Manila represented by Ino Manalo and other agencies like the NCCA and the church, of course.
It was then when BAHANDI was born led by our very own Ginete Clan of Jojie and Nestor Pestelos, Gardy Labad and Fr. Victor Gilay. During the BAHANDI regime, we were given seminar workshops to prepare us for homestays and establish our own brand of eco-cultural tourism, exposing us to the different sights and treasures of the hometown.
What was very memorable for the people and audiences was the evening of the concert. People came in their barro at saya and in their best. It was the first time after more than fifty years when the sound of the pipe organ was heard again. The last person to play, then, was Inko Marcelina Israel with his partner Indong who pumped manually the big wind pipe beside the instrument.
That evening, the Ayalas came in full force and in their best, too. The Ayala daughters, Senorita Bea and Senorita Patsy were with their parents and their guests: the Hapners, the in laws of Señorita Patsy. Personalities from Manila and Cebu came, too: Philip Counjieng, Toti Villalon, an artist commissioned by the family to look into the decor, the sound system and all the other details to make the affair a super success and the beautiful memories of the evening etched forever in the hearts of the people.
We had several meetings of planning with our own Msgr. Vicente Nunag and the representative of the Ayala foundation, Mrs. Ortigas. Of course, Ino Manalo was there all the time. His mother and sisters were there during that unforgettable evening all the way from Manila. Ino manalo even brought the Manila Symphony Orchestra, two or three years later, with the venue at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. All of these events happened with the cooperation of the LGU under the leadership of our Mayor Atty. Alvin Uy.
I could still remember that the Master of Ceremonies in that grand event wore a light blue gown. She came all the way from Manila, too, as she was still based there at that time. She just came home for the occasion, all expenses paid for by the Ayalas. Congratulations my BFF Ardy Ines Araneta Batoy, the lady who can hold a crowd in awe for as long as she wants.
