Golden arches in the old hometown Wednesday Mar. 20, 2002, Philippines

IT does give you a jolt, driving into your old hometown and being greeted by the golden arches of a McDonald's outlet.

You don't know whether to cheer the hometown's entry to the "big leagues," or mourn the passing of an era. Or is it possible that your mental picture of the town of your origins has long been eclipsed by reality?

The Alaminos of my memory is a quiet town which just happened to be the nearest jumping off point to the Hundred Islands. But even in Lucap, the seaside barangay from where the tourist hordes depart for the islands, the bustle is confined to the pantalan or pier, and to the resorts. We used to have a house in Lucap, and from our balcony, we espied the buses and vans loaded with excursionists raising clouds of dust as they speeded down the highway. But otherwise, the tourism trade hardly disturbed the quiet mornings.

It was even quieter in town, where, from the vantage point of the huge windows on the second floor of the "big house," the "bahay na bato" that my lolo built, we could spy on everyone coming and going. This was because the house stands just behind the town plaza, across the church. From these windows, we had a privileged view of basketball tournaments, the processions on Good Friday and other religious occasions, and of anyone crossing the plaza on the way to market. I remember times when, expecting visitors from Manila, we stood sentinel by the windows because we could spot all the vehicles traveling on the main road and those turning right to the road leading to Lucap.

Huge acacia trees, which thankfully still stand, shaded the plaza with its basketball court and kiosk plunked down the center. Late afternoons, just as the church bell tolled the Angelus, everyone walking by would stop to pray, only to move on once the bells tolled again. If we happened to be playing hopscotch on the dusty street just as the bells tolled, we were expected afterwards to rush to our elders gossiping nearby to kiss their hands, as a sign of respect.

Funny, but it's been decades since I last heard the church bells tolling the Angelus. When did my hometown become too noisy for church bells?

LAST year, Alaminos became a city, the only one so far in Western Pangasinan.

It may have been quiet only in my memory because Alaminos has always been a busy crossroads, a trading and commercial center even for surrounding towns like Anda, Agno, Bolinao, Bani, Mabini, Burgos, Infanta, Sual, Labrador and Bugallon.

My family has long been part of the city's commercial life. Though they also happened to own agricultural lands and salt beds and fishponds, my maternal grandparents, Gabriel and Emilia Braganza, were also tradesfolk and entrepreneurs. They established and ran the town's first hotel, "Hotel Alaminos," and had an interest in the first movie theater. Years later, on the site of the old Hotel Alaminos, my mother set up "Gabemil," named after her parents, a dry goods and variety store that benefited greatly from its location just across the street from the public market. The property would fall into my uncle's hands, and take on various incarnations as an ice drop factory, a pharmacy, even a computer school. Today, it is the site of the McDonald's outlet, a huge glowing " M" mounted high on its roof, dominating the skyline of Alaminos. What would Lolo Ambing and Lola Eming have to say to that?

TO CELEBRATE the first anniversary of cityhood, as well as the feast day of the town patron, St. Joseph, local leaders organized a three-day celebration with the theme "Alaminos: A City Rising in the West, Gearing towards Development."

Mayor Eduardo Fontelera, Vice Mayor Teofilo Humilde Jr. and other city officials hope to focus the celebration toward the future, as the new city rises to the challenges of development in this part of Pangasinan. But as Bishop Jesus Cabrera, prelate of the Diocese of Alaminos, reminded officialdom, cityhood should also mean "more and more people, especially the poor, (enjoying) whatever social benefits may come when a town becomes a city."

Organizers, led by Councilor Ella Braganza, have crammed the three days with a flurry of activities, from sports tournaments to an amateur singing contest, an agri-agra trade fair, parades, a Search for Binibining Alaminos, and even a Search for Miss Gay Hundred Islands. Alaminos is also privileged to pay host this year to the pastoral visit of the Papal Nuncio, the Most Rev. Antonio Franco.

AS part of the cityhood anniversary, Alaminos honored "12 Outstanding Alaminians" Monday evening.

The awardees were led by Agrarian Reform Secretary Hernani Braganza and Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor.

Among the other awardees were: former Provincial Fiscal of Pangasinan Rodolfo Aquino; retired general Edgardo Espinosa, now managing director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) in Taiwan; civil society leader Jeremias Montemayor (Leonie Montemayor's father), who founded the Federation of Free Farmers; and internationally recognized fisheries expert Herminio Rabanal.

Former Mayor Leon Rivera, who served as town mayor for 16 years, was also honored, along with Regional Trial Court Judge Leo Rapatalo; Police Director Victor Signey, now the director for research and development of the PNP; Special Prosecutor (with the Office of the Ombudsman) Leonardo Tamayo; the country's first chess International Master Rodolfo Tan Cardoso; and this columnist, the only "daughter" among the sons so honored.

| Home | Events | Profile | 100 Is. Natl. Park | Government | Yellow Pgs | Messages | Site Info | Extras|            <ac.forum>