Imelda Marcos turned 80 a few days ago and celebrated it at Hotel Sofitel.
I once wrote about Justice Romeo Capulong as one of my favorite lawyers. (Ka-Blog! April 2006) I also remember writing I was not really close to him; I just admired him from afar. Serving him coffee or bringing him papers while I was NDF-JS PIO do not count, do they?
Today, I finally got to know him up close. We are making a tribute video documentary about him and we spent some hours with him and his family.
He and his partner welcomed us into a humble house they are staying at present. I noticed the many antique furniture inside the house they obviously like to collect. This was confirmed when we were taken to their real home. The house is nowhere near as big as one would be excused to assume a top notch lawyer like Ka Romy would own. But therein are many furniture (mostly second-hand and acquired cheap) that are as beautiful and tasteful as those that could be seen in a palace. (Atty. Capulong had to leave his house because of threats against his life by gloria’s dogs of war.) Molave, apitong, narra, yakal—name all treasured Philippine hardwoods, Ka Romy and wife have them as cabinets, chairs, floors and chests. How I wish we both had time to talk about all of them but we had a video to produce.
This day is one of the most enjoyable times I have spent with a real celebrity. He took us where he does his morning walks. He prepared us capuccino. He instructed us on his health regimen, including the benefits of drinking wild yellow ginger tea. There is so much to this man than just being the best human rights lawyer this country ever had.
Two things I like most about being with Ka Romy today.
For breakfast, the couple took us to the nearest wet market where they do their regular shopping. He said the market is where he feels most acutely the people’s pulse. The market is where he can easily belie the government’s rosy economic forecasts. Atty. Capulong treated us to goto or rice gruel (ten pesos) and lumpia or deep fried veggie wrap (five pesos each). His easy repartee with their suki carinderia, suki fish vendor, suki vegetable vendor and the jueteng kobrador or collector (not suki) say so much about Ka Romy’s humility. They all consider him their friend though they often see him on TV. “Lagi naming napapanood si sir. Sikat na, mabait pa!” they said.
We talked about Ka Romy’s roots extensively. A shared tenant farmer’s son, he narrated his humble beginnings. But he is aware of his family’s noble history. “Muslim kami, galing sa Tondo. Ninuno namin si Lakan Dula.” (Lakan is a Tagalog and Pampango word for “king.”)
As my personal tribute to Ka Romy, I researched the following (okey, cribbed from the book “Manila, My Manila”):
Before the palefaces arrived in these shores, Metro Manila was of two kingdoms—Maynila and Namayan. The former is where Fort Santiago is now; the latter had its capital where Sta. Ana is now. Namayan’s territories include familiar places—Quiapo, San Miguel, Sampaloc, Santa Mesa, Paco, Pandacan, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati, Pasay, Pateros, Taguig and Parañaque.
According to Manila historian and National Artist for Literature and Journalism Nick Joaquin, the high point of Namayan history was the marriage, sometime in the 13th century, of Namayan princess (later Empress) Sasaban to Madjapahit Empire crown prince (later Emperor) Soledan (orAnka Widyaya). They ruled Indonesia.
The imperial couple had a son, Prince Balagtas. Because he was to become King of Namayan, he married Lady Banginoan. Banginoan was the daughter of Lord Lontok and Lady Kalangitan, princess of Pasig. Her grandfather was Archduke Araw.
One of King Balagtas’ descendants was Lakan Takhan who had a bastard son named Pasay. Takhan bequeathed to his son the kingdom we now know as Pasay City.
After Takhan, Namayan was ruled by his son Palaba, who was in turn succeeded by his son Laboy. Laboy was succeeded on the throne by his son Kalamayin. It was Kalamayin’s sad fortune to be the sovereign when the palefaces arrived. When Kalamayin’s son was baptized a Christian, prince Martin, the Kingdom of Namayan was no more.
The Kings of Maynila, Tondo, Namayan and others were originally Borneans. It was therefore natural for them to embrace Islam as their religion.
As an aside, Joaquin wrote about El Kapitan Juan de Salcedo falling in love with a local Princess—the Lady Candarapa. Salcedo was Legazpi’s nephew while Candarapa was Lakan Dula’s niece. Both Legazpi and Lakan Dula frustrated the love affair. Salcedo was sent to conquer Ilocandia; Candarapa died three months after her lover sailed north. Salcedo christianized the Ilocos and the Cagayan Valley regions; Candarapa gave us the word that means “hopeslessly in love.” (Shades of Captain Smith and Pocahontas and Romeo and Juliet.)
From the seeds of King Balagtas sprang such Tagalog-Pampango dynasties as the Soliman, the Lakandola, the Gatbonton, the Gatchalian, the Gatmaitan, the Gatdula, the Malang and the Kapulong or today’s Capulong. In fact, in later times, if a person has distinguished himself, his name is preceded by a “Gat” like Rizal and Bonifacio.
It should be remembered that Rajah Soliman, along with his uncle, Rajah Matanda (Rajah Laya), Lakan Dula, and the great Lakan Macabebe from Pampanga were the brave kings who fought Legazpi in the battle off Bangkusay in Tondo. They lost, Lakan Macabebe killed. But there were lost battles that inspired wars of liberation at some later date (Alamo, Texas; Moncada, Cuba; Tet Offensive, Vietnam).
Five hundred years later, one of these kings’ descendants fights his battles and wars defending the Filipino. His name is Romeo T. Capulong.
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1-23-2007
