The spice plaza of Cavite
After the election break last week, we continue once more with our series on Philippine plazas and parks. This is at our heritage of civic spaces and the need to conserve them for environmental, social, and cultural reasons.
From the island of Panay the other week, we move to the province of Cavite. The province is increasingly coming under the urban influence of Metro Manila. With the CAVITEX and other road links, it now hosts an increasing number of gated suburban communities for people who work in Metro Manila.
This metropolitan sprawl is already altering the urban landscape in the province, with big box mall, strip development and call center complexes sprouting like mushrooms. Because of this, it is important for towns and cities in Cavite to make sure their master plans look at conserving as much heritage along with open and green spaces to counter encroaching urban development.
On this first foray to the province, we visit the small but very intriguing town of Ternate. It is a coastal town with a rich history related to Manila.
A few decades ago the town was known more as the last stop prior to hitting the ridges of the once popular mega resort development of Puerto Azul. The original long drive has now been drastically cut by improved roads. Aside from the CAVITEX, the new CALAX (Cavite Laguna Expressway), which broke ground recently, will serve to make the area more attractive to developers as well as benefit coastal resort developments.
The origin of Ternate is quite interesting because of its link to a town of the same name in the Mollucas, also known as the Spice Islands, located in present day Indonesia. In the 1500s, the Portuguese added the Moluccas to their expanding Empire. The Jesuit, Saint Francis Xavier, founded a community there, which grew and eventually resisted the Portuguese because of abuses. When King Philip II brought the two countries of Spain and Portugal together, Spanish forces took over Ternate.
In 1662, Chinese pirates threatened Manila. Spanish authorities rushed to strengthen the capital by ordering garrisons from Mindanao and other posts in Mindanao to come to Manila’s defense. The garrison at Ternate in the Moluccas was also abandoned and all hands sailed to Manila in 1663. With the garrison came about 200 Mardicas, natives of the Moluccas and residents of Ternate.
The invasion did not come, so the Merdicas were granted land at the mouth of the Maragondon River in Cavite, where a small settlement was already in existence. They were also asked to settle there to help shore up coastal protection south of Manila. They integrated with the locals and the settlement grew.
The Merdicas first called their settlement Barra de Maragondon (barra means sand bar) then eventually to Ternate, to acknowledge their hometown. By the 1800s the town had grown and was anchored by a plaza with a stone church, a casa real (municipal hall), and even a school. The Merdicas also brought their language, a Spanish creole, which is known as Ternateño Chabacano.
Originally part of the larger Maragondon town’s jurisdiction, Ternate became an independent entity in 1863. The Catholic parish of Santo Niño was founded two years later. This image was venerated and several miracles were eventually attributed to the Santo Niño of Ternate, or the Santo Niño de Barra.
The church had been rebuilt several times from the 1700s to the Philippine revolution in 1899. It was rebuilt in the American period and renovated after the war. The feast of Santo Niño de Ternate is celebrated here on Jan. 6. The town sticks to its tradition of giving the Santo Niño an annual bath before the New Year’s Eve. The bath water is believed to cure illnesses.
Today, the town of Ternate is still a sleepy coastal settlement. The town’s civic and church plazas, which appear to be about a hectare in combined size, is largely intact. The good thing too is that the national highway does not cut into the town, removing the usual pressure to widen roads and cut trees.
The church’s parvis is a paved open space, which apparently is used for parking and for events (a raised stage is on one side). It does heat up during the day because of this. The civic plaza itself is fairly well maintained. It has today’s de riguer “I heart (put name of town or city)” 3-D sign for photo-ops, along with the fashionable LED mega-bulletin board. The plaza also hosts two statues, one of Rizal and another of a local hero. Both of the statues are of proportions and coloring that appear to be a strain of anonymous Filipino folk art that is opposite the more classical bent of the likes of Guillermo Tolentino or Anastacio Caedo.
The plaza is divided into three parts the front portal, which has the two statues and a circular water feature; the middle section, which has a gazebo surrounded by what appears to be a skating rink (like the old ones at the Luneta and Burnham Park); and the covered multi-purpose hall.
I give the Ternate Plaza a rating of six out of 10. It is fairly intact but the plaza lacks shade from trees, along with some open space. Every corner is filled with some element or feature belying the Filipino horror vacuii, or fear of empty spaces.
Ternate will surely grow, as tourism and urbanization spread from Metro Manila. The town’s unique history needs to be better appreciated by visitors. It is the type of historical spice that adds flavor to any provincial tour and provides a sense and pride of place for its citizens.
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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.
