The History of Victorias (Philippines) - PREFACE

After having lived away from this town that I also call my own, I came home to walk its streets, roam its busy corners, and rediscover its history.

From the stories I was told when I was young, to the ones I asked and read about, and lately, to the detailed history written in 1953 by the Victorias public school teachers, and another written by one distinguished Victoriahanon who made sure the generations that would come after his would be able to read it as he once lived it, I thought of bringing their interesting stories together and write them because, firstly, they have to be shared, and secondly, their stories have become ours.

I'm talking about my hometown, Victorias, in the Philippines, and thanks to the kind Victoriahanons who patiently answered my questions about their lives and their past, who walked with me as I explored the corners of this town to satisfy my curiosity, and who gave me mental images of what this town was like when photographs were not available about the past generations I wanted to know.

I am grateful to the Victorias public school teachers who, in 1953 and under the mayorship of Benito Montinola, Sr. (1950-1953, 1956-1959), recorded in written form the history, culture, traditions, even myths and legends of Victorias (hereinafter referred to as "the 1953 compilation") in compliance with the 1951 executive order of then President Elpidio Quirino who instructed all cities and municipalities in the Philippines to do so in order to save what was left after the destruction of World war II. And thanks to Ms. Christine Mae Sarito, who painstakingly compiled the 90 pages of the works of these public school teachers into digital form, I was able to read and relive our past.

These 100 teachers from various public schools in the municipality of Victorias in 1953, led by their district supervisor, Mr. Hermogenes Hipolito, went around interviewing people, sitting down with them and writing their stories, legends, myths, and traditions of Victorias. Although I want to write all their names here as a tribute for their unforgettable deed for all of us, I am specially mentioning three, namely, Mrs. Juliana Delgado, Miss Manuela Perez, and Miss Elsie Ledesma, whom I all personally knew; they have long passed. Those hundred teachers should be given the honor and tribute for their contribution in preserving the stories of our past.

But the biggest thanks we should all be giving to as Victoriahanons is to Señor Esteban Jalandoni for, not only writing down events and stories that were personal to him (hereinafter referred to as "the Jalandoni memoirs") and that contributed to what we are today, but also for his service to our town and to our ancestors during his life.

Originally from Iloilo (probably, Jaro) and then Bacolod, Sr. Esteban Jalandoni arrived in the old Victorias on July 31, 1901, to become the town secretary. He became a very active member of the community, lending his time, knowledge, and dedication to a new place he would call home until his last days.

In 1901, Sr. Esteban Jalandoni was the town secretary and eventually became the treasurer, justice of peace, and our mayor from 1928 to 1930. He was a true Victoriahanon, a real 'public servant' during the time when that term carried integrity with it and deserved everyone's respect. Thanks to his family, especially to Mr. Tony Demegillo, who told me he was the one who discovered the Jaladoni memoirs - a pile of papers that was just lying beneath a gramophone in their living room all those years. He also told me he was just a young boy and didn't know that those papers contained a first-hand account and stories of what the old town was at the last years of the Spanish rule and the first decades of the American colonial period. Thanks also to Mr. Dino Acuña who provided me with photocopies of 21 selected pages of the Jalandoni memoirs, specifically, Pages 10 to 25, and 27 to 31.

Let me add that, with everything Sr. Esteban Jalandoni had done for our town, he and Capitana Tutang (Chapter 4) are the only Victoriahanons worthy of their own monuments or pedestals, although their status can only be placed inside government buildings and not on our public plaza so as not to violate any guideline of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (Chapter 8).

I also thank Mr. Modesto Sa-onoy, whose book "Negros Occidental History", a rich compilation of historical events that happened in the province, was a source of some details. I also thank the staff of the Negros Occidental Provincial Library and Mr. Roque Hofileña of the Negros Occidental Historical Commission.

I have laid of the following chapters using the chronology of the 1953 compilation, highlighting the stories that interested me. The events written in the 1953 compilation, by the way, stopped at the year 1953.

And now, I am retelling them along with my questions, ideas, and arguments they caused me to infer because in written history, there are more stories hiding beneath those words than what they actually tell. And as I don't have the resources to dig deeper into our past, this is what I could only come up with: Victorias's history in my style of storytelling.

And although I have made efforts to ensure that these stories are true based on the Jalandoni memoirs, the 1953 compilation, online information, inquiries, ocular inspections, and visits to the public libraries, I do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

So, going back to our history of Victorias, where do I start? Where else but from the town plaza!