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Minalin Minalin is a fourth class highly urbanized municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines, known for its 400 year old church with a unique design that incorporates pre-colonial architectural motifs alongside its European Catholic iconography, and for its "Aguman Sanduk" New Year's Celebration,in which the town's straight men dress as beauty queens and ride through town on festive floats. The town is also referred to as the "Egg Basket of Luzon" because of its large-scale production of eggs and chickens, prompting the town to put up the Philippines' first ever egg festival in 2008. Geographical accounts dating to as early as 1860 mentions that Minalin was producing rice, corn, sugar cane, cacao, indigo (ail) and fruits. When the rivers dried up, residents dug up wells to generate water for their animals as well as for irrigation. They also engaged themselves in fishing in water canals and swamps, while others go into trade, usually dealing in major commodities such as sugar including its production, and the production of dye, nipa wine and vinegar. They also weave some local fabrics for domestic use and mats

Geography

It has a land area of about 48.27 square kilometers and it is located southwest of the capital town of San Fernando. The Town of Minalin is called "Mina Linda de las Mujeres". Minalin is situated North of Sto.Tomas and is bound on the East by San Luis, San Simon and Apalit; by Macabebe on the South; and by Betis and Bacolor on the West.

Barangays Minalin is politically subdivided into 15 barangays. Bulac, Dawe, Lourdes, Maniango, San Francisco Javier, San Francisco de Asisi, San Isidro, San Nicolas (Poblacion), San Pedro, Santa Catalina, Santa Maria, Santa Rita, Santo Domingo, Santo Rosario, Saplad

Local Government The municipal government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judiciary. The judicial branch is administered solely by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The legislative branch is composed of the Sangguniang Bayan (town assembly), Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council), and the Sangguniang Kabataan for the youth sector. The mayor and vice mayor are elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head and leads the town's departments in executing the ordinances and improving public services. The vice mayor heads a legislative council (Sangguniang Bayan) consisting of councilors from the barangays or barrios.

Landmarks Santa Monica Parish Church The Santa Monica Parish Church here was declared as a National Cultural Treasure (NCT) by the National Museum on August 27, 2011.[7] The Minalin Church (Sta. Monica Parish), located on the town's highest ground called burul (the town had moved to its present site due to flooding, hence 'minalis,' later corrupted to minalin) but despite its elevation, silt from the river has already invaded its beautiful church. The peeled palitada reveals the original red brick walls, giving the church its unique old-rose touches. The ancient mural paintings in the adjoining convent, one of which is a primitive-looking map with details of trees, ducks, crows, a boat, a hunter and a crocodile. A detail not to be missed are the corbels and beams in the convent and high up in the church's ceiling, with carvings that some say depict pre-Hispanic pagan deities like naga (serpent), dapu (crocodile) and galura (eagle), but Siuala ding Meangubie believes they depict only one creature, bulig (mudfish). [8] Minalin's main year-round attraction is its old church - the Sta. Monica Parish Church in Barangay San Nicolas, which will be four centuries old in 2014.[4] Joel Pabustan Mallari if the Holy Angel Universitys Center for Kapampangan Studies (CKS) notes that the church is one of the 20 first missions put up by the Augustinians when they came to the Philippines, but it is whose designs include motifs reflective of pre-Hispanic culture.

Baroque Church The Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has also designated the conservation and protection of more than 30 other Spanish-era churches to be of utmost importance. These were registered as National Cultural Treasures. These churches were given priority status not just due to their historical value, but also based on the geographic representation of various regions across the nation, and include Parish Church of Santa Monica in Minalin, Pampanga. As one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, the Parish Church of Santa Monica has been at the forefront of Philippine history since their construction in the 1500s. During the time of Spanish colonial rule, the Church and State worked hand in glove. They had served the Catholic church in the archipelago and as the political backbone of Spanish colonial rule. The unique design of the churches reflects the integration of Spanish and Latin American architecture to indigenous architecture of the Philippines, including a fusion with Chinese style. The Church's political power of that period manifests in the architecture. They had been designed to withstand attacks during revolts and rebellions, giving the Churches the appearance of fortresses. The blending of religion and military portrays the manner Spain saw its situation in the Philippines. The Church of La Nuestra Seora de la Asuncion, located on top of a hill, served as a citadel during times of crisis, providing the best example of the blend of purposes in the architecture. Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva withstood the occasional attacks from Muslims coming from the south. Aside from the 4 churches designated as a World Heritage Site, the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has also designated 26 Spanish-era churches for conservation and protection. They have been registered as National Cultural Treasures. They have been given priority status for their historical value as well as serving as the geographic representatives of regions throughout the nation and include the Parish Church of Santa Monica in Minalin.

Minalin Mural One specific tourist attraction at the Sta. Monica Church is a 400 year old map painted on its convent's walls, referred to as the "Minalin Mural". The Minalin church, among 20 original Augustinian missions, is the only one that bears corbels showing pre-Hispanic culture. The mural, 89 inches wide and 113 inches tall, shows the flora and fauna of Minalin during the early 1600s. An expert from the Center for Kapampangan Studies (CKS) describes the mural as [a] prehistoric landscape of riverine communities, marshes and swamps with birds, agricultural land with damulag (carabao) and a farmer at the background'.'

The mural is made of argamasa - a type of cement used during the period which is made of lime mortal, fine river sand, and egg whites. The mural bears the date "1619", and is believed to have been made within five years of that date

Patio and Convent Museum The declaration of the church as an National Cultural Treasure (NCT) was the second in Pampanga after the St. James Church in Betis, Guagua. The National Museum deemed the Sta. Monica Parish as an NCT for three reasons. Firstly, its faade features a unique giant retablo influenced by Christian, Buddhist, Hinduist and animistic cultures. Secondly, it is the only Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines having four capilla posas that remain intact to these days. The capilla posas reflect Spanish colonial religious discrimination as these were used by the Indios while the Peninsulares were the ones who entered the church. Thirdly, it owns an old painting depicting the Our Lady of Consolation giving the cords to Sta. Monica and her son St. Augustine. This painting is at the uppermost level of the retablo mayor, according to the statement. The church houses also a mural that is dated 1614 and shows an old map of the town, said to be the seat of the Kapampangan region, according to a will by Francisco Malang Balagtas or Pansomun. Festivities Aguman Sandoc One major tourist attraction in Minalin is its "Aguman Sandoc" New Years Celebration in which the straight men of the town dress as beauty queens and ride through town on festive floats displaying not only humor but also the camaraderie and charity of each member of the community.[5] The celebration has also been referred to as the "Belles of Minalin" but Minalin natives prefer to continue calling the event "Aguman Sandoc", which translates literally as "Association of the Ladle".[5] The event is differentiated from gay pride parades because the event is specifically intended for heterosexual males, and is intended simply to be an act of fun, rather than a statement about gender.[5] This annual display of beautiful dresses and expertise in womens make up signifies that this town follows the dynamic changes in womens fashion not only in the Philippines but also in Europe, Asia and in other countries.

Egg Festival

On June 4, 2008, Minalin celebrated its fame for producing over a million chicken eggs per day by holding a the country's first "First Egg Festival." An exhibit of Minalin's egg produce was put up, and a taste test of 10,000 boiled eggs was held. Also, 70 poultry raisers donated 100,000 eggs to Typhoon Cosme's victims in the nearby provinces of Pangasinan andZambales.[6] Mayor Edgar Flores and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo graced the exhibit of their egg produce, and a taste test of 10,000 boiled eggs. Also, 70 poultry raisers donated 80,000 eggs to Pangasinan's "Cosme" typhoon victims, and 20,000 shall go to Zambales.

Notable Minalenians Governor Eddie T. Panlilio, the former governor of Pampanga. Bernardo Poblete - (alias Banal,a.k.a. Tandang Banal), one of the leaders that helped found the HUKBALAHAP (HUK) movement during the Japanese Occupation, was from Minalin. Poblete, a former active member of the Aguman ding Maldang Talapagobra (AMT,) a pre-war peasant socialist movement in Pampanga, was later elected as one of the four generals of the military committee which later became the general headquarters.[37] Minalin became for a while, one of the hot beds of HUK activity in Pampanga. Socialist Party founder Pedro B. Abad Santos stayed in Minalin during latter war years. He died of an acute ulcer with intestinal complications in a HUK settlement in Minalin on January 15, 1945

History of Minalin ( Detailed ) MINALIN: The Town that Moved and Stayed by Lord Francis D. Musni Consultant, CKS, Holy Angel University

The town of Minalin found on the right bank of the creek which drains from Sto. Tomas and the northeast mountains, derives its name from the word minalis which means to move to[1]. Though one legend claims that its name was derived from a combination of the words Mina, which means mine, supposedly inscribed on a rock left at the place in 1700 by a Spaniard named Jos Espeleta, and Lin, the name of the founder of the town [2]. While another undocumented legend playing on Mina Linda de las Mujeres, meaning a mine of beautiful women. A gobernadorcilloby the name of Diego Tolentino wrote Minalin instead of Minalis in one of the expedientes and that is how it has been spelled since[3]. In the Calendario Manual y Guia de Forasteros, for the years 1839 to 1841, Minalin was misspelled as Minalim. [4] Minalin is situated North of Sto.Tomas and is bound on the East by San Luis, San Simon and Apalit; by Macabebe on the South; and by Betis and Bacolor on the West. Geographical accounts dating to as early as 1860 mentions that Minalin was producing rice, corn, sugar cane, cacao, indigo (ail) and fruits. When the rivers dried up, residents dug up wells to generate water for their animals as well as for irrigation. They also engaged themselves in fishing in water canals and swamps, while others go into trade, usually dealing in major commodities such as sugar including its production, and the production of dye, nipa wine and vinegar. They also weave some local fabrics for domestic use and mats (petates). Most accounts trace the foundation of this town as early as 1614 when it was designated as a visita of Macabebe. In the Chapter held on May 17, 1614, the capitulars agreed to segregate this town from its former matrix, Macabebe and recommended that the Provincial appoint a minister to reside there. Its notice of separation from Macabebe was repeated in the next Chapter on April 29, 1617. It took about a year later though before a minister in the person of Fr. Miguel de Saldaa was assigned. On October 31, 1624, the parish was accepted as a vicariate independent of Macabebe with Fr. Martin Vargas being appointed as its prior. In the Intermediate Chapter of 1633, Minalin was given the two visitas of Pangasinan and Tubungao, (Tabungao?) which act was reconfirmed in the 1639 Chapter. Its oldest barrio Tabungao, which most historians place to be the present barrio of Sta. Maria, was mentioned several times in the will of 1826 Will of Don Fernando Paganiban, direct descendant of the great Don Fernando Balagtas. The Paganiban will who traces his royal ancestry to the Lakandula household, many of whom

are from Minalin, among them his mother Da. Charolina Orian. It also made mention of one of his forebears, one Francisco Nuga married to a certain Da. Chatalina Mirmo, both come from Barrio Tabugao. The will further traces the roots of the testator to as early as Don Fernando Balagtas, also from Tabugao. The convent of Minalin is fortunate to have been under the care of several zealous missionaries of the Augustinian Order. One extant letter written by Fr. Isidro Rodriguez from Minalin on May 5, 1670, mentions the concern for the growing expenses of sending missionaries to the Islands.

For unknown reasons, Minalin was aggregated to Bacolor following the Chapter of May 9, 1650. It was also aggregated to Betis in the Chapter of October 21, 1678, and again in May 11, 1680. Records show that Minalin had 2600 souls by 1732. It had 4,544 souls in 1760. Following the expulsion of the Augustinians from Pampanga in 1771 as a result of the secularization controversy, native regulars were assigned to parishes. Don Lorenzo Malaca was the first native secular assigned to Minalin in 1771, followed by the more popular, Don Manuel Francisco Tubi. From 1771 up to about 1838, no Augustinians were assigned to Minalin. The last Augustinian friar assigned before the expulsion, Fr. Jose Sales, describes in his declaracon debajo juramento (statement under oath) the condition of the church at the time he turned it over to the Alcalde Mayor Pedro Diaz and to the native Tagalo priest who did not speak the language of the province and the town. Fr. Sales wrote that he turned over the church with its five altars, with their images, nine benches, two bronze bells in the tower, one large and the other one small, and three confessionals. Also included were silver jewelry and ornaments of the church , 8 baptismal registers, 3 libros de padrones, 4 old account books , one registry for the dead, one book of receipts and expenses of the Cofradia de la Consolacon, and one book for list of its members.

A census of residents in the province of Pampanga in 1776 shows that of the total 64,053 inhabitants, 477 were either Europeans or Spanish mestizos; of these number 132 resided in Bacolor, 51 in Guagua, and 27 in Minalin, among others .

There are no records which indicate the actual construction date of the church of Minalin. The only extant account of its construction so far is the report prepared by Mayor Cristino Lagman dated July 30, 1911 mentioning that the church was completed in 1764 during the tenure of Bachiller Calixto Gregorio. Although a noted Kapampangan historian mentioned that the church was completed before 1834. Another document dated December 20, 1854 from the office of the Alcaldia Mayor of Pampanga reveals that a petition from the parish priest of Minalin, Fr. Jos Torres asking for permission to rebuild the church and parochial house, was

granted. A newspaper account appearing in the July 5, 1866 issue of the Gaceta de Manila mentions that the church was still under construction.

The report on the pastoral visit of Fr. Jos Segu, Archbishop of Manila to Pampanga in 1831 tends to shed some light on the details of the construction of the church. On May 10, 1831, Archbishop Segui proceeded to Minalin after making a similar pastoral visit to the nearby town of Baliuag (now Sto. Tomas.) Archbishop Segui was met at the church door by the secular parish priest of Minalin, Don Quintin Cndido Paron, together with other local personages. It was reported that when Fr. Paron arrived in Minalin, the church was in ruins that they had to celebrate the sacrifice of the mass in a granary (camarin) . TheInventario de 1827 says that the church had five altars: the major altar, its two collaterals and two (others) found under the choir loft, with their corresponding images[28]. Curiously though, the 1831 report mentions only of three altars and a convent with a roof made of nipa. The same report concludes by indicating that the liquidated funds (of the parish) amount to 938 tributes, with a population of 4,893 souls.

During Dr. Mauricio Mirandas tenure as parish priest (1834), a great flood occurred in this town that everything that was planted was inundated and many domestic animals were drowned[30]. The town experienced another flood which brought waters higher than the level of the houses during Fr. Ignacio Manzanares tenure. Later accounts tell that Fr. Isidro Bernardo restored and embellished the church in 1877. While Fr. Galo de la Calle (1890) and Fr. Vicente Ruiz (1895) are known to have repaired minor damages during their respective tenure. Fray Ruiz is the last Augustinian friar assigned before the Revolution . Minalin church may have suffered only minor and insignificant damages during the Philippine Revolution for it is one of those few parishes that did not file any war claim.

In 1937 the Most Rev. Michael ODoherty, Archbishop of Manila, approved the request of Rev. Fr. Prudencio David, parish priest of Minalin for permission and disbursement of funds for the re-plastering of the walls, and repainting of the church interiors. Fr. David was replaced by Fr. Daniel Castrillo, a Spanish Augustinian who was formerly assigned to Porac, in August 1942[36].

Bernardo Poblete (alias Banal,a.k.a. Tandang Banal), one of the leaders that helped found the HUKBALAHAP (HUK) movement during the Japanese Occupation, was from Minalin. Poblete, a former active member of the Aguman ding Maldang Talapagobra (AMT,) a pre-war peasant socialist movement in Pampanga, was later elected as one of the four generals of the

military committee which later became the general headquarters. Minalin became for a while, one of the hot beds of HUK activity in Pampanga. Socialist Party founder Pedro B. Abad Santos stayed in Minalin during latter war years. He died of an acute ulcer with intestinal complications in a HUK settlement in Minalin on January 15, 1945.

On May 11 1948, Rev. Fr. Genaro M. Sazon laid down plans for a Catholic high school which will be housed in the parish convent. Minalin Academy opened its doors in 1948 with 40 students and 4 teachers.

The inscription of the Minalin Church by the National Museum in the Registry of National Cultural Treasures affirms its outstanding historical and cultural value which is highly significant and important to the country and nation. The inscription will provide the necessary government for its protection, conservation, and restoration. With the synergy of the parish church, the local government, and civic and non-governmental organizations, the inscription of Minalin Church as a national cultural treasure gives it the much needed impetus to boost local tourism. One of its outstanding features being its extant four capillas posas, a rarity, being the only one in the country, as confirmed in one of the most recent books on Philippine churches.