OUR tour guide, Vergel Santos, lamented at how little is known of his hometown. He said a Google search can attest to that, keying in Angeles City leads to photos of its infamous red light district, or some would hastily associate the region with Mt. Pinatubo, lahar, and all else in between.
But that’s the thing about Pampanga. It’s a rare, beautiful gem whose distorted image just needs to be dusted off. A thriving region, home to many historical landmarks, Pampanga has played an important role throughout the course of Philippine history—a beacon of progress and governance during the Spanish period, and with the establishment of the old Clark Air Base, was the location of a sprawling military facility for the greater part of the 20th century.
In a tour hosted by Widus Hotel and Casino, a resort property inside what is now known as the Clark Freeport Zone, we were given the opportunity to retrace the footsteps of the Kapampangans, and along the way, discover interesting anecdotes of their history and culture.
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Our first stop was the Clark Museum. For someone born around the same time the US Air Force left the base, and at the time of the tour had no idea what “PX” was, stepping inside the museum was an eye-opener. Everything I needed to know about the old military station was there--under the wing of curator Ceferina Yepez, who has worked in Clark for more than 50 years, and is hailed by locals as a living legend.
Photos, artifacts and her personal accounts of the base’s heyday after the second world war gave me a newfound appreciation of Clark, of the Parade Grounds right in front of the museum, of the American-style barn houses on the side that were once lived in by military officers.
While a few structures in Clark remain abandoned, including the base hospital that’s rumored to be haunted, many have also been leased and are now occupied by private organizations. Clark, with its 4,400-hectare scenic landscape abounded by trees, has since been redeveloped as an industrial and tourism hub. Among the more contemporary sites there are the Clark Nature Park, the El Kabayo Riding Stables and the Nayong Pilipino that features replicas of Filipino villages.
Later on I learned that “PX” referred to imported “Made in USA” goods that locals could buy in the towns surrounding Clark, such as Dau, during the 1980s. Though imported goods now are not as hard-to-find as they used to be, a shopping kick reminiscent to the “PX” era can be relived in the privately owned duty-free shops inside Clark’s main zone. Our first day ended with, as you guessed it, shopping.
Then just when I thought my trip down past decades had ended for the day, later in the evening we were treated by the hotel with VIP seats to the concert of Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics, a popular soul group in the 1970s, who were their guest performers for the Valentine’s weekend.
According to hotel general manager, Alfred Reyes, Clark has also started to become a favorite venue for concerts because of its international airport’s accessibility and convention facilities. Widus, for one, had been host to international acts like Rex Smith, The Platters and John Ford Coley—and Alfred said he is looking into inviting more musicians soon.
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The second day had us traversing to an earlier epoch, as we headed to the bustling Metro Angeles composed of Angeles city, San Fernando and Bacolor, all bearing remnants of our Spanish heritage.
We visited cultural treasures like the centuries-old Betis Church in Guagua that features the craftsmanship of the pioneering Filipino woodcarvers.
We passed by the old railway station of San Fernando, and landmarks in Angeles city, like the Bale Matua, that dates back to 1824; and the Holy Rosary Church, that was built by the Spanish government through polo or forced labor.
One of the highly affected towns of the Pinatubo explosion in 1991 was the old Spanish settlement of Bacolor, and there we were able to visit the half-buried San Guilliermo Parish. Built in the 16th century, it used to be a classic, high-ceiling structure until the disaster covered its entire floor area. It was heartwarming to see, though, that despite such circumstance, the faith and resilience of the parishioners persevered. The townsfolk of Bacolor continue to use it as a place of worship, using what was formerly the upper level windows as doors, and the age-old, ornately-carved retablo (altar) that was excavated.
We culminated with a food trip to Susie’s Cuisine for its delicious kakanin, and to Mila’s Original Tokwa’t Baboy, a popular home-based eatery that serves Kapampangan fare. A trip to Pampanga is never complete without trying their cuisine, inarguably the most distinguished of all cuisines in the country.
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The region is brimming with destinations both historical and contemporary, and our two-day trip was not enough to visit it all. There is more to see, like the Pamintuan Mansion, said to have been graced by the likes of Aguinaldo, Luna and MacArthur; and exciting activities to take part in like trekking in Paradise Ranch or going on a zip-line in Clark Nature Park. But though our trip was a short one, a huge chunk of Pampanga’s fascinating story was unravelled to us, tales and experiences that have moved us to come back for more-- just as how our tour guide, Vergel, had hoped for.