R.T. LIM (CAWA-CAWA) BOULEVARD CIRCA 1999

CAWA-CAWA BOULEVARD is also known as R.T. LIM BOULEVARD and another recreational place by the sea where folks could jog or run in the early morning, or just hang out at anytime while viewing Sta. Cruz Island or the port or the fishing boats and the famed sunset.

http://www.zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=San_Jose_Cawa_Cawa_Zamboanga_City_Philippines

Location of San Jose Cawa Cawa, Zamboanga City

original name: San Jose Cawa-Cawa

geographical location: Zamboanga Del Sur, Region 9, Philippines, Asia

geographical coordinates: 6° 54' 33" North, 122° 4' 2" East

Distance from CITY PROPER: 1.10 Km.
Location: West Coast

It stretches from San Jose Road covering Cawasa drive, Ruste drive where the Claret School is, to Johnston Subdivision to Baliwasan Cemetery, Don Basilio Navarro Road, ZAEC Medical Center, Pilar Colleges and up to Cawa-Cawa covering the shoreline of RT Lim Boulevard.

Adjacent barangays are: Canelar, Sto. Niño, Baliwasan and Zone I-City Proper

History of San Jose Cawa Cawa, Zamboanga City

Barangay San Jose Cawa-Cawa used to have long and sandy beach but narrowed by the road widening along the stretch of RT Lim Boulevard, which was the popular picnic ground of Zamboangueños during sunsets and weekends.

The other half of the name of the barangay got its name from the word "Cawa" which means frying pan in the local dialect. The beach along RT Lim Boulevard was believed to be shaped like frying pan and swimmers repeatedly called the beach Cawa-Cawa to warn the bathers of the perils of the depth of the sea in the area.

Cawa-Cawa Blvd. or R.T. Lim Blvd. is a place to hang out in the evenings for many people and students. Many street vendors are there to provide the much needed snacks from soft-drinks to suman or balut. People start packing in as the sun starts to set. The sunset is magnificent.

I found pictures taken in October 1999 at the Cawa-Cawa Boulevard and I want to share them with you.

Since this was taken on October 10, 1999, I presume that this was also during the Fiesta Pilar and supposed to be on the day of the Regatta. I can't explain why there are no vibrant vinta sails in the next photos... can someone explain?

It was mentioned in old Zamboanga news circa 1999 that the colorful vintas gather in the boulevard especially during the Fiesta Pilar.

There is now an ongoing rehabilitation and renovation of the sidewalk of the R.T. Lim (Cawa-Cawa) Boulevard and so these images may just remain in our memory.

http://www.zambotimes.com/archives/11865-Boulevard-rehab-to-start-soonBeng.html

Friday, December 19. 2008

Boulevard rehab to start soon—Beng

District 1 Congresswoman Beng Climaco the other day assured the early implementation of the R.T. Lim  Boulevard rehabilitation project stressing that it will be in line with the preservation and protection of the city’s major landmarks and attractions.

Famed all over, the R.T. Lim Boulevard will be expanded and facelifted using the P20 million allocation from the lady solon’s priority development assistance fund (PDAF) with counterpart funding from the city government of Zamboanga under Mayor Celso Lobregat.
Climaco said the project forms part of the priorities of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
She said the proposed expansion of the facility will help boost tourism and investment in the city.    “People will have alternate recreational area”, she said.
“This is also in full support of Mayor Lobregat’s massive infrastructure program”, the congresswoman declared.
Based on the plan, the boulevard will be expanded by several meters and improved.

The project will be implemented by the District Engineer’s Office under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The city government, through the City Engineer’s Office is also preparing its own plans and estimates for the implementation of another phase of the project.
Climaco said the project is in line with her advocacy on tourism promotion and is intended to help improve the image of Zamboanga City .
Zamboanga City, she stressed is blessed with numerous tourist attractions and their improvement or rehabilitation would help promote these landmarks. — Ryan Sta. Teresa

This is R.T. Lim (Cawa-Cawa) Boulevard today.

the R.T. Lim Boulevard is now widened. 

The rehabilitation is still ongoing to the rest of the Boulevard.

For this year 2011, the Regatta de Zamboanga will again be held in the R.T. Lim (Cawa-Cawa) Boulevard.

We look forward to the Regatta de Zamboanga during the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival which will definitely give color to the R.T. Lim Boulevard!

PLAZA PERSHING CIRCA 1999

PLAZA PERSHING  is one of the historical landmarks of Zamboanga City and here are photos taken in 1999. 
It is an open air park where people go to listen to bands, contests, meetings, like "miting-de-avances" and other public activities of the city. 
The agri-fair is also placed in this area during Fiesta Pilar.
A giant Christmas tree is placed in the center of the Plaza during the Christmas season.
It is also a place where families and friends can stroll or just sit around to relax, where kids can run around and a "tambayan" (stand-by place) for students since Universidad de Zamboanga is just a walk away. 
Plaza Pershing is located in downtown Zamboanga and very accessible to the City Hall, to the Universidad de Zamboanga, to bazaars and department stores.

from Wikipedia:

Plaza Pershing - Plaza Pershing was established in Zamboanga City, Philippines to honor Governor John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) with his victory over Muslim insurgents.

We could see the century-old Zamboanga City Hall from Plaza Pershing.

This is the Universidad De Zamboanga near the Plaza Pershing which was founded in 1948.

from Wikipedia:

Universidad de Zamboanga (UZ) is a private university in Zamboanga City, Philippines, founded on October 12, 1948 by Arturo Eustaquio, Sr. It was formerly known as Zamboanga A.E. Colleges until it was changed to Universidad de Zamboanga in 2005, the year it was granted university status. UZ holds 25% of all college enrolment in region 9 Western Mindanao. It has 8 campuses spread out in an area of more than 130 hectares in and outside of the city. These campuses include the Main Campus in barangay Tetuan, City Campus, Cabatangan Campus, Pasonanca Campus, Veterans Campus, San Jose Campus, Canelar Campus and the Ipil Campus in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. UZ has 2 Highschools namely Arturo Eustaquio Memorial Science Highschool and the UZ Technical Highschool.

At present, Plaza Pershing is undergoing renovation and rehabilitation and here is a news coverage I lifted online.

http://www.zambotimes.com/archives/

PLAZA PERSHING UNDERGOES FACELIFT

by Shiela Covarrubias

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The historicalPlaza Pershing located right at the heart of the city undergoes rehabilitation and improvement in line with the city government's thrust to preserve historical landmarks.

Costing P6 million, the Plaza Pershingrehabilitation is backed by a Sangguniang Panlungsod resolution supporting by the move of the Local Council of Culture, Arts and History (LCCAH) headed by Mayor Celso Lobregat to have Plaza Pershingrenovated the soonest possible time following the proposal from the Architectural division of the City Engineer's Office. The SP resolution was authored by Councilor Percival Ramos.

City Engineer Luis Despalo said the project is set to complete September or 6 months after it started rehabilitation March this year. He said the site development project includes pavers, walkway, fences, lights, drainage including the reconstruction/improvement of the stage and the construction of additional hanging gardens. The fountain will be replaced with the construction of a lighted and cascading fountain.

Councilor Ramos said the development of the landmark is purposely to preserve the site named after John Black Pershing, an American general who played a significant role in Zamboanga's history. "It (PlazaPershing) is one of the most cherished historical landmarks of the city"

Councilor Ramos said the face lifting of Plaza Pershing is appropriate and will help boost the city's tourism. The proposed improvement of the historical site will give the residents –locals and out of towners, the alternate site to visit, he said.

The project, according to the young councilor will likewise serve as a reminder for the young generation about the colorful history of Zamboanga.

The LCCAH, through resolution CL-02 series of 2010 and sponsored by Prof. Ali Yacub last Nov. 13, recommended the immediate implementation of improvement/rehabilitation of Plaza pershing as presented by Architect Rodel Falcasantos to include the rehabilitation of the stage, fountains, site development and landscaping.

I  do hope Plaza Pershing keeps its soul and historical ambience after the rehabilitation is done.

Let us look forward to this!

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL CIRCA 2000

This is the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Zamboanga City, Philippines circa 2000.

from Wikipedia:

The present structure of the cathedral was built in 1998-2002 in cruciform, of which the candle-like design is appropriate to the cathedral's patron. Inside the main church is marble statue of theImmaculate Conception designed by Philippine National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva. 

the old rectory of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is still seen.

At the altar is the statue of the Immaculate Conception made of marble and sculpted by National Artist, Napoleon Abueva.

The altar was also carved from a solid block of marble also by Napoleon Abueva.

from Wikipedia:

Napoleón Isabelo Veloso-Abueva (born January 26, 1930), more popularly known as Napoleón Abueva, is a Filipino artist. He is a sculptor given the distinction as the Philippines' National Artist for Sculpture. He is also entitled as the "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture". He is the only Boholano given the distinction as National Artist of the Philippines in the field of Visual Arts.^[1]

the altar of MCIC in 2000 in preparation for the visit of the Relics of St. Therese

The Immaculate Conception in MCIC by Napoleon Abueva

Msgr. Cris Dela Cruz, then the Parish Priest and builder of the MCIC, introduced me to Napoleon Abueva. 
I felt fortunate to have met a National Artist for the first time ever and he was a Visayan at that. 

(Could I meet any other National Artist in my lifetime?) 

And, he also had the same first name as my father.

with Archbishop Carmelo D.F. Morelos and Carmelite sisters

They also made a resin version based from the original sculpture, which is now placed in the center of the Centro Pastoral land.

Centro Pastoral 2005: on the left hand side is the resin version of the Immaculate Conception 

I'd like to share more about the life of Napoleon Abueva which I picked up from Wikipedia.

Biography and career

Napoleon Abueva, nicknamed Billy, was born on January 26, 1930 in Tagbilaran, Bohol to Teodoro Abueva, a Bohol congressman and Purificacion (Nena) Veloso, president of the Women’s Auxiliary Service. His father was a friend and contemporary of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas and Ambassador Narciso Ramos. He was a member of the Provincial Board, and later became the Provincial Governor of Bohol. He ended his career as a Congressman in 1934. Both of Abueva's parents died serving their country.

Abueva has six other brothers and sisters: Teodoro (Teddy), Jr., now based in New York, USA; Purificacion (Neny -deceased), married to Atty. Ramon Binamira (dec.) of Tagbilaran City; Jose Abueva (Pepe), former president of the University of the Philippines; Amelia Martinez (Inday), now living in Chicago; Teresita (Ching) Floro, now living in Sydney, Australia; and Antonio (Tony), a landscape artist who met a tragic fate aboard Princess of the Orient; his body has not been found.

In 1943, at the height of the Second World War, Napoleon Abueva became an unwilling victim of the atrocities of the Japanese. With his father, a leader in the underground movement, and his mother in the women's Auxiliary group, the family was hunted. His parents were captured, tortured, and killed in Valencia. Billy was then only 14 years old, but this did not spare him from the brutality of the invaders. He accompanied his grandmother to Ilaya, Duero where they were captured by some Japanese soldiers. His grandmother was later freed, but he was hog-tied, brought to Guindulman, and tortured for more than a week. He lost his front teeth, and the blue-black marks on his wrists and ankles took weeks to heal.^[1]

As a young boy, Billy studied at the Tagbilaran Elementary School, and later at University of Southern Philippines, Holy Name College (now Holy Name University), and Rafael Palma College (now the University of Bohol) before making it as a sculptor.

A home-grown talent, he was given a break in 1951 when he won the Pura Villanueva-Kalaw Scholarship. He then took up a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines where he graduated in 1953. This was followed by a Fulbright-Smith Mundt Scholarship in 1954-55, after which he got a foreign Students Scholarship at the University of Kansas (1955–56). At the same time, he won another scholarship at the Instituto de Allende in Mexico City which he did not avail due to conflict in schedule. It was also in 1955 that he finished his Masters in Fine Arts at the Cranbook Academy of Arts, U.S.. In 1956, he attendedHarvard University for another scholarship grant.

At U.P, one of his mentors was Guillermo Tolentino, also a national artist, who created the oblation at the university entrance . Tolentino later relegated to him the task of replicating the sculpture for the Campus of U.P. Los Banos.

Abueva has helped shape the local sculpture scene in the Philippines. Being adept in both academic representational style and modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds of materials from hard wood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood and bamboo) to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and brass.

In 1976, he was proclaimed as National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts by then President Ferdinand Marcos. He was the youngest recipient of the title at age 46.

Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955), Thirty Pieces of Silver, The Transfiguration, Eternal Gardens Memorial Park (1979), UP Gateway (1967), Nine Muses (1994), UP Faculty Center, Sunburst (1994)-Peninsula Manila Hotel, the bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of National Library, and murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan. One masterpiece he dedicates to the Boholanos is the Sandugo or Blood Compact shrine in Bohol, Tagbilaran City, a landmark at the site of the first international treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos. This is now a tourist attraction in Bohol province. This shrine is an expression of Abueva's awareness of his roots, and a manifestation of his artistic talents.

Abueva also performed the death mask procedure of opposition leader Ninoy Aquino in 1983, as well as that of Fernando Poe, Jr. in 2004. Both masks are now displayed at the Center for Kapampangan Studies, Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac. Incidentally, he also made a death mask of Cardinal Sin.^[2]

He is married to Cherry Abueva, a psychiatrist, and has three children, Amihan,Mulawin, and Duero. Before his stroke, he used to teach at the Industrial Design department of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts.^[3]

It is an honor that a National Artist be the sculptor of the  marble Immaculate Conception in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which is also now a landmark and an icon of Zamboanga City.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL, ZC CIRCA 1998

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Zamboanga City, Philippines is presently one of Asia's largest modern cathedrals and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga.  

BUT, Do you remember the old Immaculate Conception Cathedral?

I guess most of the people couldn't remember the old cathedral especially the younger kids, so I'd like to share some historical data about this.

from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Cathedral_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_(Zamboanga_City)

History

The first church was originally located at the front of Plaza Pershing, where the present Universidad de Zamboanga stands. The church was designated a cathedral in 1910 when the diocese of Zamboanga was created. In 1943, the cathedral was one of the edifices bombarded by Japanese soldiers during World War II. In 1956, the cathedral was relocated beside Ateneo de Zamboanga University, formerly known as the Jardin de Chino.

Features of the cathedral

The original cathedral

The cathedral located at the Plaza Pershing was made of wood and concrete. The image of the Immaculate Conception was located at the main altar, with two Jesuit saints Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier on each side. The image of the patroness was said to be spared from the bombs of World War II and was transferred to a road now known as La Purisima Street.

The old cathedral at La Purisima (1956-1998)

The former structure of the cathedral was designed in 1956. The site was used to be the chapel of the Jardin de Chino. The facade consists of the life-size sculpture of Immaculate Conception at the left side and the bell-tower at right. The chapel of the saints were located inside the area where the image outside was located. The stations of the cross were made of stained glass at each side and the added station, "Ressurrection", was located near the right altar at the confession area. Then the bronze relief of the last supper was located at the day chapel which serves later as the perpetual adoration chapel.

The Old Cathedral at La Purisima circa 1998. The facade consists of the life-size sculpture of Immaculate Conception at the left side and the bell-tower at right.

 

The stained glass in the facade is that of the Immaculate Conception.

The stained glass of the Immaculate Conception in the facade

The stained glass of the Immaculate Conception in the facade of the Old Cathedral
is again place in the present Cathedral and with enhancement of its glory.

new stained glass with the original central stained glass
at the facade as viewed from inside the church

Here are photos of the altar in 1998. 

These were taken during the Baptism of Nicoll and soon after the Cathedral was scheduled for demolition to be replaced by a new Cathedral.

the altar of the Old Immaculate Conception Cathedral

In the Immaculate Conception Cathedral with the Parochial Vicar, Fr. Jude Duncombe  

with Baby Nicoll

These are pictures in the other areas of the Cathedral.

This is the image of the Immaculate Conception which was originally place in the altar. This now has a special place within the Cathedral grounds, where devotees could light a candle.

The present Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a landmark in itself. The Cathedral was started and finished during the time of Archbishop Carmelo D.F. Morelos.

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in 2005

present Metropolitan Cathedral of Immaculate Conception with the Century Bell

from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Cathedral_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_(Zamboanga_City)

The Metropolitan Cathedral (1998-present)

The present structure of the cathedral was built in 1998-2002 in cruciform, of which the candle-like design is appropriate to the cathedral's patron.

The new structure of the Cathedral was designed by Abarro and Associates through the efforts of former Msgr. Crisanto de la Cruz, who said that the decay of the old cathedral's ceiling damaged by termites was one of the reasons why the reconstruction should take place. The design of the new cathedral was unveiled in December 1997. The old structure had been demolished a day after Easter in 1998, preserving its stained glass window and sculpture from the facade, which respectively are located at the rear portion of the new church and at the left side. The Cathedral was solemnly dedicated on December 6, 1999 with Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of Cebu and President Joseph Estrada Ejercito as guests of honor. The day chapel, columbarium, baptistery, the multi-purpose hall and office were constructed in 2002.


A new addition to the Cathedral is the PhP4,000,000 Century Bell Tower, broke ground on the day of Immaculate Conception, 2010. This belfry, located at the Ateneo side of the Cathedral, marks the existence of Zamboanga's archdiocese for 100 years.

It is difficult to remember how the old Cathedral looked now that it has been changed to the grand modern but meaningful Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.