Juan Quijano, the bishop-writer of the Philippine Independent Church
Juan Quijano was born on October 20, 1882 in Ilocos Sur. He was the son of Eugenio Quijano and was ordained a priest of the then Aglipayan Church, now known as the Philippine Independent Church. He was assigned in the Alcantara Parish in Cebu in 1907 then was later promoted as Bishop and had Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental, his jurisdiction.
He married Segundina Gador of Alcantara, Cebu. He wrote numerous plays and short stories, among them are: "Bili sa Salapi", "Asawa", "Human sa Kalipay", and "Sulundong Asawa". His children became successful in life; a son by the name of Gedeon later became a doctor of medicine, a writer, a guerilla officer, and became the longest-serving Governor of Misamis Occidental.
His eldest daughter by the name of Gardeopatra, also known as Inday Garding or Doc Garding as the latter was a dentist, became a famous woman of arts and literature. Inday Garding was born on April 27, 1918 in Alcantara, Cebu, and studied in various schools in Misamis, Lanao, and Manila.
Garding contributed to many magazines and publications, among which was The FREEMAN. She wrote stories entitled "Ang Asawa nga Dala sa Akong Uyoan" (1941) and "Maayong Ngalan" (1937). The information on the Quijano father and daughter writers are told in the book of Dr. Resil Mojares entitled "Cebuano Literature".
Doc Garding was president of the LUDABI (Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya) Misamis Chapter and the Women of the Philippine Independent Church from 1975 to 1977. She was awarded the Gawad ng Sining at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1993. Doc Garding, the Champion of the Cebuanas in Arts and Literature died on May 3, 2003.
The other children of Bishop Quijano were Gumamela, Himaya, Eugenio, and Lourdes.
Bishop Quijano founded the publication, Ang Iwag, which existed from 1917 to 1940. It was printed by the Falek's Printing Press in Cebu. It was later transferred to Oroquieta when Quijano became Bishop of Oroquieta and there founded his own printing press, the Quijano Printing Press. The original content and design of Ang Iwag was a four-page magazine, containing news, household tips, and a special page for religion. The featured contributor of the publication was Don Vicente Yap Sotto, the benefactor of the Aglipayan Church.
Ang Iwag was renamed in 1926 as the Bag-ong Magbalantay. Bishop Quijano, who championed Cebuano literature and independence of the church, died on August 4, 1953.
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