PITY the rich. The pandemic curtailed their freedom of movement. Maybe most are staying home now and glued to their tech hardwares viewing Korean movie series. Few read books now.
The others are on gardening and are learning how to cook. They can no longer fly on weekends to Hongkong for their favorite Chinese food, or to Macao for the Macanese dishes and play on baccarat tables and the electronic (slot) bandits. Customarily the super-rich several times in a year fly to the Rivieras, Mediterranean, Europe and in the Americas and throw parties on their yachts parked on Sta. Monica bay or at Monte Carlo. What a life! Now no place to indulge and splurge. Corona virus is global.
This pandemic changed everything overnight. When government decreed this is the new normal, it is not normal. The thing we were accustomed doing before Covid 19 dramatically changed. How could you say it is normal when you can’t even seat beside your wife when dining in a restaurant where it only allows 30 persons? There are no more of those big parties where heirloom jewelries are on display.
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Let’s journey back in time when normal is normal. In the early years the rich Capampangans, particularly those living in Manila grouped together and formed a ball club called ‘Man Communidad Pampanguena ‘, a counterpart of the Kahirup ball club of the sugar baron families in Negros and Bacolod City. The demarcation line was drawn between the haves and the haves not. The sugar planters occupied the front seats of cockpits and churches. No poor can sit in the two front row seats. There were poor people who won’t get out of their homes with tattered clothes. (Now it’s fashionable with a ripped jean, and they cost more). The rich never wore denims. Khaki pants were worn only by town policemen and conductors of the Enriquez owned La Mallorca Pambusco.
Lifestyle evolved over the years.I was still in shorts, and there were only few families in Porac who owned those encased television sets and what was mostly viewed at nighttime were the Combat series starring Rick Jason, Hawaii Five with Steve Mcgarett and Wild Wild West with Robert Conrad. Now we have the Netflix and YouTube and don’t have to go to theater s. I remember was never a traffic situation on the streets because only few jeepneys were plying the nine kilometer Porac-Angeles stretch. (This was before Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991) Maybe only twenty families owned private cars. Illegal drugs as a problem was unheard of. The countryside was peaceful and quiet except for some skirmishes between government troopers and dissident groups. The seat of power was at the provincial capitol in San Fernando. There was only one hospital, and this was the Pampanga Provincial Hospital, now Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital.
In our town there was only one public school and located at the back of the Catholic church. Students coming from the barrios had to walk some kilometers. I remember some of them like the Saenz siblings from Hacienda Dolores, the Coronel brothers from Pulong Santol and the Dimalantas from Mitla. (I wonder what happened to all of them now, what have they become). Hitching a hike from jeepneys for them was a luxury. Compared today where almost all families, considered poor included have a vehicle to ride. It’s either a Sarao Jeep, a trike, an old car or the least a motorcycle.
Only Angeles City, Guagua and San Fernando had movie houses. Box office tickets were 25 centavos for orchestra and fifty centavos for balcony. There were only five movie theaters in Angeles City, namely Devry, Marte, Paraiso, Rio and Eden Theatres. Sandra and Robin Theatres of the Nepomucenos came later. The known Hollywood actors were John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Gregorio Peck, Kirk Douglas, Humphrey Bogart among others. Gorgeous women in those years Ingrid Bergman, Gina Lolobrigida, Cyd Charisse, Jennifer Jones were among the popular. Brigitte Bardot was a fantasy. Sharon Stone, Demi Moore and Jennifer Lawrence came later.
Our province mate Rogelio Dela Rosa was king of Philippine movies. His rival for the title was Leopoldo Salcedo of Cavite. All kids like me love action and watched movies of Jesus ‘Og’ Ramos, Jose Padilla Sr. in Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo, and Cesar Ramirez in Bernardo Carpio. Efren Reyes Sr. was a swashbuckler and always on the scenes for long sword fights with Johnny Montero.
We love fiestas. People aside from visiting kids and friends had the chance of watching Zarzuelas or two bit variety shows starring unknown performers. The more cultured loved the serenatas of two big bands competing on the bisperas of fiesta mostly held at the church patio. Santacruzans were big events. An occasion to watch bevy of beauties coming from other towns in their beautiful gowns and all made up. Now all of the above are just plain memories.