Touched by Our Lady of Manaoag

These past many years, Gambia Consul Ma. Agnes Huibonhoa has been a staunch Marian devotee. One day, much to her delight, she stumbled upon a humble little chapel of Our Lady of Manaoag that was near Malacañang where she used to work under her uncle Teofisto Guingona Jr. who was the executive secretary then. Ever inquisitive, Agnes dug deep into the history of the place and discovered many stories of faith and everyday miracles. Here, she shares some precious snippets.

The chapel is located in a once-seedy neighborhood in Sampaloc, Manila where lived society’s misfits and outcasts. Back in the 1960s, the place was racked by abject poverty, criminality, and violence that were so much a part of the people’s daily lives. In the middle of all this stood a humble makeshift shack that served as a chapel with only car chassis for its posts and pews fashioned out of wooden planks mounted on hollow blocks. Shining like a rare jewel was a framed image of the Virgin Mary that drew droves of devotees from near and far.

“I think it was Our Lady of Manaoag herself who inspired the building of the chapel and chose Sampaloc as the site, particularly Sta. Teresita Street,” stoutly asserts Agnes. “You see, the street was formerly known as Kalye Gupit, located in Barangay 409, Sampaloc, Manila. From the name itself, the street was characterized by bow-yielding and violent people because of adject poverty.”

Something about (virgin) Mary

There’s something about this Virgin Mary. Felipe Sikat Legaspi, founder of the chapel, chanced upon a headless image of the Blessed Mother in his backyard.  He looked around for other Marian images that would complete the headless statue. One day, by some serendipitous stroke of fate, Felipe’s parents brought home a framed image of Our Lady of Manaoag from Pangasinan which, when put behind the headless statue, amazingly completed the image of the Blessed Mother. Thus started Felipe’s devotion to Our Lady of Manaoag, patron saint of the townsfolk of Manaoag, Pangasinan. He vowed to spread the devotion to Our Lady of Manaoag and soon, people from the area, which had over 2,000 residents, as well as the nearby areas of Sampaloc with a population of around 150,000, were flocking to the makeshift chapel to venerate the Blessed Mother.

Stories of faith and miracles

Soon, stories of answered prayers and miracles spread like wildfire. Like the story of Christina Cruz, a sampaguita vendor from Manila who frequents the chapel every Sunday. Her sister was in labor and had difficulty giving birth to her child. Christina went to ask for the Virgin’s help. When she came back to her sister, her sister’s condition had improved. Christina continues to seek the Virgin’s intercession in all her needs.

There’s Jose Makimkim of Quezon City, one of the volunteers who helped in the construction of the chapel. He was wrongly accused of a crime in 1971. He asked the Blessed Mother’s help so that truth would prevail. He was acquitted due to mistaken identity.

There’s Elaine Villar who was confined in 1983 for four days as doctors could not come up with a clear diagnosis of her case. She sought the help of Our Lady of Manaoag and doctors eventually discovered she had a ruptured appendix —  just in the nick of time or she would have died of blood poisoning. Elaine is now the president of the foundation that maintains the chapel.

There’s Anton Legaspi, grandson of Felipe Legaspi, who was set to undergo surgery to remove a blockage in his throat. But with prayers — and rubbing the medal of Our Lady of Manaoag on his throat area — the blockage eventually became smaller and the operation was reduced to medication.

In 1963, Felipe Legaspi started the veneration of the Virgin Mary in a framed image, as well as the recitation of the Angelus and the Holy Rosary every evening at 6 in the small shack built out of scrap materials. After that, the incidence of violence and crime in the area miraculously dropped, lifting the community’s morale.

In 1966, the Martirez family gifted Felipe with a life-sized replica of Our Lady of Manaoag which was housed in the small shack.

A chapel is born

In the mid-1970s, construction of the church went into full swing in a robust display of true bayanihan spirit. The church design was undertaken by architect Jess de Asis, the construction materials were contributed by engineer Engracio Ang, the marble flooring was donated by Henny Tan, and the wooden pews, which are being used till now, were provided by Frank Isaac. The residents in the area and nearby areas, who couldn’t give anything material, gave instead of their time and efforts, putting in work after logging out of their daily jobs.

Finally, through the community’s gung ho spirit, the church was completed in the mid-1980s, every nook and cranny with a heartwarming story to tell.

Noteworthy is the fact that the chapel’s replica image of Our Lady of Manaoag was one of the first participating images during the Intramuros Grand Marian Procession in 1979. Teresita Rosario and family, and many other devotees, donated the Virgin’s embroidered clothes designed by Aureo Alonzo.

In 1999, a fire struck the house next to the Chapel of Our Lady of Manaoag. Miraculously, the framed image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was attached to the wall opposite the burning house, was spared. In 2009, the chapel was devastated by the floods brought on by Typhoon Ondoy, but all the images escaped the mayhem and have remained intact to this day.

A true-blue marian

“I have always been a devotee of Our Lady of Manaoag,” confesses Agnes Huibonhoa, who has her own story of miracle to tell. “She has strengthened my religiosity and faith in God. She has inculcated in me a fervent devotion and an unwavering trust in God on so many occasions, strong and determined in solving problems that come my way. On one occasion, I prayed unceasingly to Our Lady of Manaoag for my family member who was diagnosed to have a slight hydrocephalus. Our Lady answered my prayers and he was ultimately pronounced well.”

The chapel has attracted a lot of pilgrims, consisting mostly of devotees who have gone to Our Lady of Manaoag shrine in Pangasinan and want to extend their devotion. They find it most convenient to visit this chapel that’s smack in the heart of Manila as it is open until 12 midnight on Wednesday and Friday. And for those who can’t travel to Pangasinan to visit Our Lady, there’s a Lady waiting for them at this little chapel, where Masses are held every Sunday, first Friday, and first Wednesday of the month. Also celebrated are the Feast Days of Our Lady of Manaoag every third Wednesday after Easter and first Sunday of October, as patterned after the practices at the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan.

The chapel holds a special place in Agnes’ heart because she has nurtured it since 1991. “I met Felipe Legaspi (he passed away in 2011) by chance when I visited the chapel. I got to talk to him and, in my own way, contributed to the maintenance of the chapel.”

Agnes funds the regular repainting of the chapel, the repair and maintenance of the wooden pews, among other things.

Outside her work for the chapel, Agnes, who comes from a privileged background, likes nothing better than to give back, and give unconditionally, to the poor and the disadvantaged. She conducts medical missions for the population in Barangay 409, Sampaloc, Manila, as well as an annual gift-giving to help the Foundation of Our Lady of Manaoag these past many years. As there are many senior citizens and aged people in the barangay, she hopes to start a home for the aged program, too.

As if her plate isn’t full enough, Agnes also heads several fund-raising activities for many other NGOs, like the Philippine Cancer Society, Philippine National Red Cross, Johann Strauss Society, Marillac Hills Duyan Rehabilitation Centre, Virlanie Foundation, Mother and Child Project, Childhope Street Education Programme.

This workaholic lady is also focused on her consulship for the Republic of Gambia, a West African country whose President Jammeh has forged a lasting friendship with the Philippines.

Golden jubilee for a grand lady

The workaholic Agnes will be busier than ever next year as the Manaoag Chapel celebrates its 50th anniversary. “I will fix and enhance the dome of Our Lady, have the chapel repainted, and the pews refurbished,” says the excited hermana mayor.

One of the highlights of the Golden Jubilee is a Grand Marian Procession featuring the numerous Marian images from the different parts of the metro. There will also be a grand (but profound) Santacruzan with more participants in a contest to be Reyna Elena, Reyna Emperatriz, Reyna Justicia, etc.

As the first hermana mayor of the barangay, Agnes plans to come up with a more meaningful and spiritual fiesta. “I wish to make the faithful more prayerful and thankful of the graces that Our Lady has showered on the faithful, the barangay, and the chapel,” she muses. “I want to make the Golden Jubilee Year of the Our Lady of Manaoag Chapel very meaningful, to honor and enshrine the holiness and virtues of Our Lady of Manaoag.”

For this once-dejected community, which has been touched and inspired by this Lady, so full of grace and love, life will never be the same.