A Water Tank for Capiz

The water tank in Capiz during construction, about 1916.  Image courtesy of Nereo Lujan.

At the turn of the 20th, despite the building frenzy implemented by the Insular Government, far-flung communities of the Philippines still did not have adequate supply of potable water, worsening the existing cholera that had plagued and claimed the lives of thousands of Filipinos. War was one reason to blame, poor sanitation was another. Of the latter, an American doctor quipped:

"The sanitation of the towns were extremely bad. The habitations of the natives as a rule were surrounded by filth of all kinds - slops, garbage, fecal accumulations. Weeds and rank vegetation were aloud to grow along the fences and in the streets."

This poor condition extended to the lack of clean, drinking water, reason why it was difficult for the Americans to curb deaths from cholera. In fact, this scarcity of good water was triggered by the "paucity of municipal installations" [1] in different parts of the archipelago.

A practical solution was the small-scale storage of rain water. The well-to-do whose homes had galvanized iron roof could easily collect rain water that flowed into one or more tanks. The less fortunate would have to suffice keeping their water storage in the tadyao. Likewise, Heise and Abraham noted that "even in places where other waters are available, many people depend on a large measure on rain water." [2]

As early as 1906, plans were already considered in the building of the water tank but “the surface supplies are uniformly bad and well drilling has resulted in failure.” [3]

Capiz Water Tank about 1929. Image from the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, courtesy of Nereo Lujan. I presume this image was from the south.

The water tank in Capiz, about 1929. Image from the Ifor Ball Powell Collection of the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies. I gather the image was taken from the site of the present-day Hughes Street. 


It took almost a decade until a concrete water tank was built, considering the financial requirements it entailed. Finally, in 1914, the municipal government of Capiz was able to borrow P5,000 from the insular government “for the construction of a reinforced-concrete tank of 800,000 liters* capacity” located at the back of the municipal building [4]. I presume that the old presidencia of Capiz was located somewhere in the area where the present President Manuel A. Roxas statue stands.

The Capiz water tank was cast from October 2 until November 4, 1916 with sand and gravel used in casting taken from Passi River in Iloilo province. The tank stood 6.10 meters high with a diameter of 11.5 meters.

By 1917, the water tank was already functional. This development was noted by Heise and Abraham, who wrote: "The town of Capiz has developed a project for catching rain water from the roofs of the principal public buildings. A reinforced concrete tank with a capacity of a million liters* has been recently erected.” [6]

During dry months, locals lined up to get water from a spout in front of the tank. During World War II, the municipal building burned down but the tank was spared. It was eventually hidden from the public eye after government buildings were built around it and only the water spout was visible.

In the late 1980s, the Metro Roxas Water District was established. The construction of the Paslang pumping station as a main source of water supply made the tank obsolete. With the transfer of government offices in the new City Hall, the water once again came into the public’s eye.

Ofelia Rendon, a local historian, later recalled that the local government of Roxas City** and the Cultural and Historical Research Foundation met and envisioned a museum:  “We met and envisioned a museum. It was through the patronage of Mrs. Judy Roxas that we were able to convert the building into a museum. She made representations to the city council for its renovation. So, in December 1992, Ang Panublion****was inaugurated.”

A new lease of life was given to the water tank. The structure was maintained, but minor works were carried out, like repainting, flooring, the construction of an administration office,entrance, exit and windows. [7] In 2015, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority constructed an adjacent building that expanded the museum space. This building was inaugurated in 2016. In 2019, the Museum/water tank was declared as part of the Roxas City Heritage Zone. An interactive light display was installed around the water tank, as with other structures within the zone, which was inaugurated as part of the city's Sinadya Festival that year.

Water ceased from flowing from the tank. In its stead, stories from Capiz’s rich culture flow forth in the museum.

* Reports as to the thanks capacity varied from 800,000 liters to 1 million liters.
**The town of Capiz was converted into a city by virtue of Republic Act 603, An Act Creating the City of Roxas.
*** Panublion is the Hiligaynon word for inheritance/heritage

[1] Heise, G. and A.S. Abraham. (1918). Philippine water supplies. Manila: Bureau of Printing, 30.
[2] ibid.
[3] Present status of the work on Philippine water supplies (1906). The Philippine journal of science, volume 10.
[4]  Project Notes from District Engineers: Capiz (1914,April 1). Bureau of Public Works Quarterly Bulletin 3 (1), 31.
[5] The Philippine Journal of Science (1921, June) 18, 138-139.
[6] Heise and Abraham, 1918.
[7] Burgos, N.P. (2011)  Old water tank repository of Capiz artifacts. Accessed from Inquirer.

Jovita Fuentes: Teargas Incident and Career Turning Point

Jovita Fuentes and her mother (left), Dolores Fuentes, with her impresario and pianist. 


On February 15, 2020, Jovita Fuentes could have been 125 years had she lived long enough. The theatre legend was born and raised in Capiz but obtained her piano, and later, music education in Manila, where she nurtured her interest in performing and eventually got the knack of it. She wanted to teach voice but her exacting standards demanded that she should be best in it. She decided to go to Italy to learn from the masters. But it would be decades later before she could teach, for the European theatres and concert halls called her. In 1925, she made her debut performance as the helpless and hapless Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s Madam Butterfly at the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza. Her extra-ordinary performance was noticed and she soon toured around Europe where she performed in Germany, Austria, France, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Poland. She also graced the invitation of royalties, including Queen Marie of Romania, and made friends with European nobility and aristocracy.

Her most unforgettable roles where as Liu Yu in Puccini’s Turandot, Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, Iris in Pietro Mascagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss personally offered to her including the special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai Pe).

By the second half of the 1920s, Jovita Fuentes’ career surged, but by the early 1930s, with the ascendance of the Nazi Party in Germany, anti-foreign and anti-Jewish campaigns grew. A disturbing incident occurred in 1932, which would serve as the beginning of another phase in her career.

On October 21, 1932, Jovita Fuentes was to perform the title role of Salome in Wuppertal. It was a sold-out show but towards the start of her performance, she was annoyed by the unusual noise outside her dressing room. According to her niece, Lilia Hernandez Chung, who wrote her biography Jovita Fuentes: A Lifetime of Music (1978), the prima donna did not bother check what was going but instead busied herself in preparing for the show. As the time came for her to come out, she wondered why nobody in the crew knocked to tell her that the show was about to start. Little did she know that some youths had stormed the theatre and released teargas bombs to halt the performance. The crew took it upon themselves to handle the situation and despite the delay the show went on like nothing happened. Jovita delivered a yet-again stunning performance, much to the deafening applause of the audience. It was not until the next morning that she learned about chaos, much to her shock.

The news spread quickly, reaching New York and Manila. It landed on the front page of the Sunday Tribune. Her enraged Filipino fans could not contain their anger. In fact, the town council of Lucban, Quezon, drafted a resolution and sent it to the German authorities as a sign of protest.

New of the teargas incident in Germany reached Manila and landed on the front page a national daily. 




Jovita took the teargas incident and the rising German nationalism as signs that it was time to go home. She held on a little bit and moved to Milan, but with less and less contracts coming by, the financially-hard-up Jovita finally decided to return home in 1933.


Capiz and the Asiatic Cholera

The Cholera squad


Filipino historians and anthropologists have long held the belief that civilizations thrive and survive where water flow forth. Bodies of water are not considered as barriers for transportation, rather they were esteemed as super-highways that facilitated the trade, commerce, and transport of the natives and goods. Indeed, water is life. But it also turned out to be a curse, a cause of misfortune.

In 1882, Capiz wailed in sorrow. Cholera attacked 31 towns in the province, wiping out a total of 9,256 lives. For about a quarter of a century, Capiz had fallen victim many times over to cholera. But the worst was yet to come.

From 1899-1923, the world was swept by the Sixth Cholera pandemic. It reached the Philippines in 1902, the cause was rather simple, as shared by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria in her book The Governor General's Kitchen. The story goes that a shipload of vegetables from Canton, China, a cholera-infested region and where produce were believed to have been enriched with night-soil, was refused entry in Manila. The enraged ship captain dumped his goods on Manila Bay. The poor families of Tondo dived in to rescue the cabbages, not knowing that these greens were kissed by death’s curse. It took no time until cholera quickly spread like wildfire in the Philippines, killing more than 200,000 lives. The most celebrated victim was Apolinario Mabini who perished in 1904. In the province of Capiz 4,650 people fell victim; 3,016 died.

American authorities reported that on September 8, 1903, a small fishing boat from Estancia, Iloilo, discreetly docked in the port of Libas. Aboard was sick man and the disease quickly spread to every pueblo in the province. A medical inspector was sent from Manila with medicines and disinfectants and a “cholera hospital” was built to address the crisis. More than 670 Capiznons died from the 1903 cholera.

A new wave of cholera epidemic hit Panay Island in 1906, the disease originating in Iloilo on September 1 that year. It reached Capiz, Samar and the Moro provinces and prevailed until April 1907. One out of every 50 Capiznons died from cholera.

For a while in 1907, Capiz was cholera free but not for long. In March 1908 cholera made its resurgence and gradually spread until the towns of Capiz, Dao, Ivisan, Mambusao, Panay, Pilar, Pontevedra, and others became infected, a total of 673 cases being reported up to the close of the year with 1 out of every 115 people in the Iloilo, Capiz and Antique suffering from cholera, doubling the April 1907 figure.

In April 23, 1908, Frank W. Carpenter, Executive Secretary of the Insular Government, telegrammed Dr. Victor G. Heiser, Director of Health, who was then in Baguio reporting the condition in Capiz, explaining to him the necessity of a cholera expert to put the epidemic to a stop. Carpenter also reported that the municipality of Sapian had already registered 40 cases and 29 deaths, Ivisan 22 cases and 20 deaths, Capiz 3 cases and 2 deaths.

While the services of the health officer of the province, Dr. Francisco Xavier, were deemed satisfactory by the government, the need for a cholera expert was necessary to assist him. The district health officer from Iloilo, a certain Dr. Araneta, was sent to Capiz. He was given every facility to suppress the disease, and some 30 vaccinators who were on duty for the insular bureau of health were pressed into service as cholera inspectors; but the disease continued to increase. On June 5, the director of health telegrammed Dr. Xavier asking him why “despite the large number of men and funds at your disposal better results should be been obtained to date.”

The provincial board authorized the employment of a number of sanitary inspectors and the Philippine Assembly made an appropriation of P1,500 to be used in exterminating the disease. At the close of the year the epidemic was apparently under control.

One of the factors that triggered the rapid spread cholera in the islands was the limited training of Filipino health officers, " required properly to prepare them for combating epidemics and carrying out general sanitary work." This was nevertheless addressed with the trainings they received. Their attitudes towards their work were also observed: they were deficient in eagerness, “executive ability”, and devotion to duty. Many appeared to be rather inclined to "interest themselves in politics to the great detriment of their work."

The country's climate and topographic conditions were also ascertained. The ignorance of the natives and lack of hygiene were underscored as others factors. They ate with their fingers, which favored "the rapid spread of cholera."

Preventive measures were taken. In her book, Fifty Years in Hollywood, Gemma Cruz Araneta  (2019) narrated how Dr. Heiser issued a directive banning contaminated food, including the favorite fares, like bucayo, ginatan, tikoy, calamay, suman de maiz, pinais na gabi y chumpos, baling, sorbete de buco, gata, palitaw, patis, pilipit, lumpia, pinipig, bico, gulaman, toge, bagoong, and all kinds of fresh vegetables and peeled or cut fruits.  Chinese delicacies like buche, hopia, toyo, misos, sotangjon, and pancit were blacklisted. Noticeably, many of these food those days were prepared by hand, so contamination would have been very easy.

Filipino scientists also came to the rescue. Dr. Manuel Guerrero emphasized the importance of drinking only sterilized water and not eating raw food. In her book, Araneta wrote: “He warned against doing one’s laundry in rivers and streams with (dead bodies!) and sewage leakages; he indicated that for drinking water, boiling for at least ten minutes is the simplest and most effective method of purification.”

It was the curse of cholera that triggered the government to improve the country’s drinking water. These unsanitary conditions were remedied by a massive campaign that centered on cleanliness and proper hygiene. Thus, waterways were cleaned, drains and ditches were constructed. In the pueblo of Capiz, a water tank was deemed necessary as a source of potable water for the locals. It was finally built in 1916 at a cost of P5000, money borrowed by the provincial government from the insular government. When the tank was finished, it supplied the town with 800,000-1 million liters of water. Around this time also, the Pasteur Institute had formulated the vaccine that curbed cholera fatalities.

What's in a Cocoa-Nut? The Coconut in Pre-Spanish Philippine Society


When the Spanish fleet captained by the Portuguese sailor Fernando de Magallanes arrived in Humunu, a boat containing the locals moved towards them, and later brought them food and drinks in exchange for "red caps, looking glasses, combs, bells, ivory, and other things."

The voyage's Venetian chronicler Antonio de Pigafetta noted that "when these people saw the politeness of the captain, they presented some fish, and a vessel of palm wine, which ​they call in their language Uraca (arrak) figs more than a foot (banana) long, and others smaller and of a better savour, and two cochos (coconuts). At that time they had nothing to give him, and they made signs to us with their hands that in four days they would bring us Umai, which is rice, cocos, and many other victuals."

Pigafetta detailed how the natives extracted wine from the coconut:

"...wine proceeds from the said palm trees in the following manner. They make a hole at the summit of the tree as far as its heart, which is named palmito, from which a liquor comes out in drops down the tree, like white must, which is sweet, but with somewhat of bitter. They have canes as thick as the leg, in which they draw off this liquor, and they fasten them to the tree from the evening till next morning, and from the morning to the evening, because this liquor comes little by little. This palm produces a fruit named cocho, which is as large as the head, or thereabouts: its first husk is green, and two fingers in thickness, in it they find certain threads, with which they make the cords for fastening their boats. Under this husk there is another very hard, and thicker than that of a walnut. They burn this second rind, and make with it a powder which is useful to them. Under this rind there is a white marrow of a finger's thickness, which they eat fresh with meat and fish, as we do bread, and it has the taste of an almond, and if anyone dried it (the Milan edition mentions that it is dried and made into flour) he might make bread of it. From the middle of this marrow there comes out a clear sweet water, ​and very cordial, which, when it has rested a little, and settled, congeals and becomes like an apple. When they wish to make oil they take this fruit, the coco, and let it get rotten, and they corrupt this marrow in the water, then they boil it, and it becomes oil in the manner of butter. When they want to make vinegar, they let the water in the cocoa-nut get bad, and they put it in the sun, when it turns to vinegar like white wine. From this fruit milk also can be made, as we experienced, for we scraped this marrow and then put it with its water, and passed it through a cloth, and thus it was milk like that of goats. This kind of palm tree is like the date-palm, but not so rugged."

Coconut as illustrated in Fr. Manuel Blanco's Flora de Filipinas

The coconut tree and all it gives seem to be valued by the native family, as Pigafetta noted that  "two of these trees can maintain a family of ten persons."

He also observed that the natives were weary to exhaust the coconut - a lesson on sustainability we could learn from:

"but they do not draw wine as above-mentioned always from one tree, but draw from one for eight days, and from the other as long. For if they did not, otherwise the trees would dry up. In this manner they last a hundred years."

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