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Sunday, December 05, 2004
Jovellanos: Mangaldan's Don Juan T. Biason
By Mel V. Jovellanos
THE golden age of Pangasinan journalism and literature was in the 1920's and 1930's when Pangasinan, as a local language, was highly developed. Novels, short stories and quality poetry were churned out by Pangasinan's literati headed by Don Pablo Mejia, Maria C. Magsano and a host of other literary luminaries were published and devoured hungrily by the literary-conscious Pangasinenses.
During that particular period the moro-moro and the zarzuela also held sway. The zarzuela particularly was a bit hit and town fiesta celebrations were not complete without the presentation of at least one original zarzuela.
The military regime in the early part of American rule however, was very strict in its censorship of Philippine islands with long imprisonment and a stiff fine.
Undaunted by such prohibitions, Filipino nationalist writers made use of the drama to agitate for independence. The dramatists, in desire to keep the idea of independence burning, wrote and staged plays that were characterized as "inflammatory propaganda pieces masquerading as zarzuelas."
One writer, Juan Abad was indicted. Aurelio Tolentino, one of the most prolific writers, wrote a play entitled, "Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas" (yestrerday, Today and Tomorrow) which protested American imperialism. The play attacked the occupation of the Philippines by the Americans and closed with an imaginary success of the Filipino revolutionists. Subsequently he has the play - a zarzuela actually - translated from Tagalog to Pamgango, Bicol and Pangasinan and had it presented in all the theaters in Manila and the province. Consequently, the American authorities arrested Tolentino and in 1905, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment. The US government later reduced the penalty to 15, then eight years but in 1912 Governor William Forbes pardoned him.
There were other cases of extreme censorships and newspaper suppression ("El Renacimiento" and Cebu's "El Nueva Dia") but in the province of Pangasinan literature and journalism continued to flourish.
In the year 1912 an Academy of Pangasinan ("Awiran na Pangasinan") was formed by several vernacular writers. Its aim was to standardize and develop the Pangasinan language. The most prominent member of the "Awiran" were Mangaldan's famous zarzuelista, Juan Tamondong Biason, Pablo Mejia, Antonio Sision, Rodrigo Peres (COMELEC Commissioner in the late 40's), Antonio Bengson, Manuel V. Moran (later to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), Servillano dela Cruz (from there her became Pangasinan's provincial governor), Narciso Ramos (Father of former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos), Angel B. Fernandez and Jose B. Fernandez (both of them became mayors of Dagupan City), Jose F. Llamas and Jose V. Jovellanos (they also became mayors of Dagupan in the 1920's), and others. The "Awiran: inspired and encouraged writers to use the Pangasinan dialect.
During the period between the end of the First World War and the eruption of the second global conflict, zarzuelas dominated the entertainment industry in the country. The most dominating writer and producer of zarzuelas in the province of Pangasinan was one of Mangaldan's outstanding personalities - Don Juan T. Biason.
He was indeed outstanding in everything he undertook. He was a businessman, cockfighting aficionado, debater, lyricist, philosopher, playwright, zarzuela producer and a frustrated Catholic priest. A man of wide-ranging interests and intelligence, he was a by-word among the people throughout his lifetime. Old folks in Mangaldan who knew him have nothing but praises for his versatility, creativity and wit.
Born in 1866, Don Juan was the second son of Domingo Biason of barangay Macayug and Aniceta Tamondong of Guiguilonen, Mangaldan. He spent his early days in Macayug, on the banks of the Angalacan River. Ever since the Spanish times the town of Mangaldan was known as the producer of Catholic priests. So, in keeping up with tradition, Juan was sent to Vigan, Ilocos Sur and for ten long years studied at the seminary. But just when he was about to be ordained as a priest, he went home to Mangaldan, minus the tonsure but with Consuelo Mercado who was to became the mother of his six sons. Don Juan later remarried after the death of Consuelo. He got hitched with Concepcion Aquino of the prominent Aquinos of the town who became the mother of Leon and Demetria.
According to Atty. Alicia Mejia-Bautista, Don Juan, although he never held any office on government, shared equal prominence with his contemporaries who wore in politics and the priesthood.
As a businessman, he established the first soap factory in Mangaldan in 1928. Later, he opened branches in Santa Barbara, San Fabian, Bayambang and Malasiqui and San Carlos. His other business ventures included the first fireworks factory and the first cockpits in San Jacinto, San Fabian and Mapandan. He also organized the Biason Orchestra, which was well known as far as the Ilocos. His orchestra conductors were Claudio Gonzales and Tranquilino Caballero who had their training wit the famed Banda Italiana in Manila.
But Don Juan won popular acclaim not only for his business pursuits but by his prolific pen. His fame as a zarzuelista reached as far as Pampanga, Nueva Ejica, Tarlac, Ilocandia and of course the entire province of Pangasinan.
The first zarzuela in Pangasinan was staged by Don Catalino Palisoc of Lingayen (later to become the provincial governor of Pangasinan), entitled, "Say Liman ag Naketket, Panpinsiwan," in 1901. It was a political propaganda directed against the American government. Soon the rage spread to the rest of the province, partly because of the didactic and instructive value of the zarzuela being a convenient forum for discussing the social and political issues of the day under the guise of romance and melodrama, and partly because it was a lucrative enterprise.
The first quart of this century saw the emergence of local playwrights joining Palisoc, like Pablo Mejia of San Nicholas, Sergio Ferrer and Francisco Cruz of Lingayen; Julian Zulueta of Calasiao and Gregorio Venezuela of Pozorrubio. The works of these writers were predominantly good-citizen plays, didactic and social consciousness dramas.
In the 20's and 30's Don Juan's name rose to prominence. His popularity was perhaps due to the more homely themes of his plays. His zarzuelas invariably dealt with home and family relationships.
Don Juan wrote close to thirty scripts but only eight can be properly accounted: "Say Biin Asawa To" (The loving wife); "Say Biin Maagap a Walna" (A Woman of Gree); "Say Lakin Maagap a Walna" (The Greedy Fellow); "Marocsan Mansioman" (The Cruel Step-parents); "Malamang ya Anak" (Ungrateful Child); "Maaron Anak" (The Loving Child); "Panaon Aman" (Times Past) and "Panaon Natan" (Present Time).
This is quite an achievement considering that writing a zarzuela is like writing a whole book and this one includes the songs, which are an integral part of the zarzuela. The music of Biason's zarzuelas were composed by Tranquilino Caballero and Claudio Gonzales while the lyrics were supplied by Biason himself.
It is unfortunate that all but two of Don Juan's scripts were burned when fire hit his residence in 1926. The only two extant works salvaged by his son Leon, are "Maracsan Mansioman", considered as his masterpiece, and "Maaron Anak."
Some of the famous actors and actresses who helped Don Juan carve an enviable niche in the cultural hall of fame of Mangaldan and the entire province for that matter, were Teodorica David Magno, Nicanor Aqiono, Jr., and Yaying Gonzales. The other members of the Biason stage troupe whose names were bywords in almost every Pangasinan town during the roaring '20's' abd the exciting '30's' were: Filomena Caballero, Paula Evangelista, Mariano de Guzman, Arcadio Serafica, Endong Golea, Damian Jimenez and Marciano Villegas.
Why cannot any of Pangasinan's cultural troupes stage Don Juan's masterpiece, "Maroksan Mansioman," a zarzuela that is as contemporary as it was in the '20's' and '30's'?
When Don Juan died in 1935 at the age of 69, an era died with him. Let us revive that era. And let Mangaldan spearhead this cultural revival, this renaissance of the cansionan, the moro-moro and most of all, the unforgettable zarzuela.
(December 5, 2004 issue)
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