Plaza of coconuts, candies and candles

For this week’s edition on our continuing series on Philippine plazas and parks, we venture to Candelaria, Quezon. The town is just larger in population compared to last week’s feature, the neighboring municipality of San Juan, Batangas, but its total land area is smaller.

Candelaria is home to a handful of large processing and manufacturing complexes. This situation has put greater pressure of urbanization, leading to more commercial density at the town’s core and the resulting loss of the town’s original architectural heritage.

Before 1885, Candelaria was part of the more established town of Tiaong. Parts of it were within the bounds of the town of Sariaya. Apparently the expansion of agricultural development from the middle of the 19th century led to the town’s formal establishment by Royal decree on August 5, 1879.

I could find little by way of literature on the town’s history. Since it shares the geomorphology of neighboring towns, it can be assumed that coconut and other crops were grown in abundance, fed by good soil and irrigation.

Like her neighbors, Candelaria prospered in the American colonial period, helped no doubt by the rail connection that ensured that the town’s produce would find markets in the provincial capital of Lucena, and Manila and beyond. Coconut and its downstream products were key to the town’s prosperity.

One American company’s story is intimately tied to Candelaria. The Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company was an iconic American success story. The firm was established by an Armenian immigrants led by Peter Paul Halajian in Connecticut in 1919. They manufactured candy bars made with a special ingredient — coconut, almost all of which was imported from the Philippines. Their brands Konabar and Mounds were popular for decades from their introduction in the 1920s. During World War II, 80 percent of Peter Paul’s production was bought by the US Army and became essential in soldiers’ rations.

After the war, the company established a large factory in Candelaria to ensure continuous supply for the mainland. The company was eventually bought by Cadbury, which itself was swallowed eventually by Hershey’s. The Philippine operation was sold to Filipino interests in 1962. The local company carries on with the legacy of coconut products and carries the original name. Today, several coconut and food processing factories provide for most employment opportunities in the town, fueling growth and urban development.

From its inception the town appears to have developed physically along the traditional template of the laws of the Indies, with a large plaza defined by church and municipal complexes. A familiar grid pattern of streets surrounds this central core. The grid is similar in dimension to San Juan’s, at about 90 x  90 meters.

I found little information on the church of San Pedro Bautista. One source states it was first built or completed in 1879. This would put it contemporaneous to many churches in the smaller settlements of Batangas and Quezon. An image from the turn of the century shows the church as it was under the Franciscan order.

The church today appears to have undergone many renovations. A porte cochere was added. This only appeared in post-war churches and was driven (no pun intended) by the increase in car use. The interior shows a very modern ceiling, a bit distracting from an aesthetic sense, but fully functional.

The open space in front of the church is the de facto town plaza although it is fenced off. The area has been totally paved with impervious concrete, which makes the space uncomfortable for all but cars parked there for mass. There appears to be vestiges of pre-war construction in the portal by the street and some statuary.

A very busy National Highway (Maharlika Highway or the Pan-Philippine Highway) now bisects the original space and the municipal complex is isolated across the other side of the road from the church and plaza. The building also appears to have been renovated several times. I suspect that it may have been built or at least renovated extensively in the 1930s as the Rizal statue in front of it sits on a very lovely Art Deco plinth.

Before the highway was built, the main route for transport was the railway, which is about 300 meters south and parallel to the current highway. The Peter and Paul complex sits near the train station. Today the system is moribund and informal settlers line the railways right of way within the limits of the central town area. The old Bicol express used to pass here. The full revival of the line would go a long way to improve the town’s and the province’s connection with Metro Manila and points south.

Candelaria’s cultural heritage is unknown to most Filipinos. Quezon Province itself has not developed its full potential this side of the magical Mt. Banahaw. In the meanwhile, and despite challenges, Candelaria and nearby Tiaong and Lucena are growing. Unplanned growth may soon bring out the negative side of development, with loss of heritage and commodification of culture.

I give the Candelaria Plaza a 6 out of 10 because it is mostly concrete and hot. The church has lost its original elegance, and a busy highway bisects the municipal complex. The space is still there and it is not impossible to recover or improve it before commercialization blights the town’s center completely. I will light a candle for Candelaria’s future. May it be as good as the candy bars the town helped to bring the millions overseas.

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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.