Recollections of Childhood in Tiwi

One of the more vivid recollections of my childhood was that of a Toyota Coaster, a mini bus servicing the big hotels in Legaspi— Mayon Imperial Hotel, La Trinidad Hotel and Albay Hotel—stopping by daily in front of our house, always bringing a bevy of multinational tourists led by a distinctly loud tour guide who descended the concrete steps towards the house, where artworks and products made of abaca and other native materials were mounted on a wall display in the sala.

My grandparents were known proponents of the local handicraft and cottage industries in Tiwi since the 1950s and were featured at the height of their business in the Philippines Herald, one of the leading newspapers at that time, in a section titled Little People Making Big. per said article- “they stopped the exodus of women from Bicolandia” which I will also write about in a future post.

Looking back? It was always fascinating as a child to watch the awestruck faces of those tourists as they examined the framed artworks as the din of the tourist guide’s voice reverberated throughout the small room as he explained the intricate process and the materials used in their construction.

Most of the artworks that were on display depicted the local hot springs, vignettes of early geothermal exploration, and of course, the usual touristy fare— rustic local scenes with the Mayon Volcano as a backdrop.

The tourists were a mix of various nationalities from all over the world, with the Australians and the Japanese comprising the majority.

My gran’pa Lolo Pito sold a lot of his artworks during the heyday of tourism in Tiwi (1970s to early 1980s). He used to keep a small notebook with pictures of his artworks and the names and address of his buyers catalogued in it. The list was a hodgepodge of various nationalities, with one of the more noteworthy entries being a Peruvian whose name now escapes me who bought several huge pieces that made me wonder how cumbersome it would be to transport them to South America. Now, whenever I remember that particular moment, I would envision a scene where I’d spot one of those frames hanging in a restaurant on the streets of Lima.

Unfortunately, I could not find that particular notebook the first time I went home to Tiwi from the United States. It was probably lost to the floods brought about by the annual monsoons and typhoons that constantly visit and plague Basag since forever.

After the wells of the hot springs dried up as a consequence of the geothermal operations in the 1980s, the sight of the mini bus and its tourist passengers visiting Tiwi suddenly became scarce, until one day they just stopped coming.

The tourism industry became anemic and the revenues it brought to Tiwi took a downturn. With a few exceptions, the souvenir shops have closed and the people behind them moved on to other endeavors.

And what happened to the tourist guide with the loud and distinct voice?

I have learned years later that his name was Aguinaldo ‘Gina’ Cariño; that he was a good friend of my grandfather — they were party-mates in the local branch of the Liberal Party under Senator Victor S. Ziga; that he became a Board Member of the Province of Albay during the time of Governor Romeo Salalima and in 2014 was honored by then-Governor Joey Salceda as one of the Outstanding Albayanos for his lifelong support and contributions to the tourism industry in the province, among other reasons.

This is the Philippines!

During the peak of the tourism boom in Albay and Tiwi in the mid 1970s and 1980s up until the early 1990s, the fame and beauty of the Japanese Garden in Tiwi was not only confined to local knowledge but was also renowned overseas. It was listed in many foreign tourism brochures and guidebooks (e.g. Japan) as a must-see in the Province of Albay for visitors.

The 1992 National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Handbook on Land and Other Physical Resources named the Japanese Garden in Tiwi as one of the premier tourist attractions in Albay, but its most notable inclusion was in a 1977 tourism book, This is the Philippines!

In the book, the author Lea T. Castelo talked about how Imelda R. Marcos’ support for the arts and culture inspired her...

“the writing of this book has been inspired by the First Lady whose consumate dedication to the development of the arts and culture in this country, in order to make it a land of vibrant and self-reliant people, is the pride of the Filipino race. Coming generations will also appreciate the wonders of their land, its history, and its destiny, from this book.”

She later expounded how “The residents’ participation in the national development came in the form of developing beaches, constructing resorts and building parks...”

And in the entry for Tiwi she described the Tiwi Japanese Garden as a —

“A beautiful place not only for the enjoyment of residents but even for tourists and domestic visitors is the Japanese Garden. This is almost a hectare in area. It was developed by the Japanese Peace Corps volunteers and landscape technicians. It is a charming blend of Japanese art and the use of native ornamental plants. Aside from its colorful attraction, the garden stands for the warm friendship of two peoples: the Japanese and the Filipinos.”

History of Tiwi Japanese Garden (second in a series)

In the first few years after its completion, the supervision and maintenance of the Japanese Garden was under the jurisdiction and supervision of Barangay Tigbi, since the barangay council in partnership with some prominent movers and shakers of the town spearheaded the fundraising drive for the creation of the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Garden in Tiwi.

Mayor Oriel C. Clutario (seen in this photo from the 1970s with vice-mayor Alfredo Corullo among others) was one of the driving forces behind the project and became so enamored with the traditionally designed Japanese strolling garden as well as with the colorful and beautiful fishes that he took it upon himself to personally handle the upkeep of the garden. For years, the townspeople would often see the mayor feeding the Koi and the large-mouth gouramies in the pond as well as trimming the ornamental plants all by himself.

During his long tenure, Mayor Oriel Clutario even had Tio Juan Cruz, one of the Municipio’s utility men, designated as the caretaker of the Japanese garden and if needed would assign other municipal personnel at his disposal to help maintain its charm and beauty.

The Tiwi Japanese Garden is more than 50 years old and is probably the first and oldest authentic Japanese garden designed by a Japanese national in the Philippines. Also, it is older and its landscape design more beautiful than the ones found at the Luneta and in Lake Caliraya in Laguna respectively. The Japanese Garden is also one of the last, if not the last public green space in the heart of Tiwi.

—- a few distinctions that if properly explored especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, a rehabilitated and well-maintained Tiwi Japanese Garden, especially in this age of instagram and social media, can once again be a magnet for domestic and international tourists alike, with the potential to help reinvigorate the once prosperous tourism industry in Tiwi.

It is worth noting that the Japanese Garden’s creation was spearheaded by Tiwinhons and its construction was funded by money through the efforts of Tiwinhons. It was an endeavor, guided by the spirit of Bayanihan to attain a common goal.

And if we consider the Japanese Garden’s age as well as the circumstances behind its creation, the Japanese Garden qualifies to be registered and be classified as one of the Heritage Sites of Tiwi. Let us hope that the Local Government, who at present is undergoing a cultural mapping of the town, will consider its inclusion and push for the aforementioned distinction under Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.

Tiwi Japanese Garden- Noboru & Hoshino

one balmy afternoon in the summer of ‘86, as was our usual wont in those days, we found ourselves hanging out at the Japanese Garden to pass the time, learning the chords of some folk songs to try to play them on the old acoustic guitar.

while we were singing, in the middle of doing a bit of the harmony part of Scarborough Fair in our best interpretation of the Simon and Garfunkel classic, out of the corner of my eye i saw a figure moving toward us. 

with a small book in hand, the first of the two men (who i could easily tell from looking at them were Japanese) approached us and asked us in halting English about what we knew about the garden while pointing to the Japanese tourist guidebook in his possession. 

i introduced myself and told them about the history of the garden — they were surprised at my Japanese name and at first thought that i was a descendant of a Japanese serviceman from WWII. so, i told them that i was the son of the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) who designed the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Garden, and when they asked for the whereabouts of my father since they were interested in meeting him, I brought them home with me to Basag to meet my father Akihiko, where they spent the entire afternoon conversing about various subjects over tea and sinapot. 

I would learn that Noboru and Hoshino were philanthropists who frequented the Philippines and were helping finance the scholarships of Filipino students in Baguio. I would also learn that it was also their first sojourn in Albay and traveled straight to Tiwi upon learning of the existence of the Japanese Garden from their guidebook issued by the tourism agency in Japan. 

When my father and mother went back to Japan a year later, they again met Noboru and Hoshino in Tokyo. The hosts entertained and treated the visitors from the Philippines to a side trip to Tokyo Disneyland among other things.

As for me, a month after my chance encounter with Noboru and Hoshino, i received a letter from Japan and inside was the photo below which shows 16-year-old me and my friends, Josel Cano and Jing Villanueva, trying to look cool and dandy in front of the camera.

The Inauguration of Tiwi Japanese Garden

This 1970s-era black & white photograph of the inauguration of Tiwi’s Japanese Garden shows then-Tigbi Barangay Captain Edgar “Etan” Competente and Mrs. Salvacion Climaco leading the traditional ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Also in the photo were some of the prime movers and supporters that played a part in the realization of the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Garden in the heart of Tiwi— Mrs. Patria C. Gutierrez, Mrs. Naomi C. Corral, Mrs. Caring Dalde, Rev. Fr. Francisco (Parish Priest), Dr. Tomas Madrilejos, Mr. Akihiko Shimizu, Mr. Gavino Consuelo, Mrs. Salvacion Templado, Mrs. Dading Competente, Mrs. Lydia Cruel, Mrs. Pilar Consuelo, Mrs. Lydia Rodriguez and Mr. Fred Cariño.

Built with local labor and designed by Akihiko Shimizu, a Japanese landscape artist who arrived in Tiwi in 1968, the Japanese Garden is styled after the traditional strolling gardens popular during Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868).

Akihiko Shimizu was a ceramics technician and one of the pioneering members of the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) in the Bicol Region, as well as the first of the continuous pipeline of JOCVs (now JICA) that were sent by the Japanese government to Tiwi through the years as ambassadors of Goodwill and Friendship with the mandate to share their knowledge and expertise with the people and their industries.

Naomi Climaco Corral (1992-1995) and Patria Competente Gutierrez (1996-2004), would both be elected and served as mayors of Tiwi decades after this picture was taken.

Vinegar Candy

It is hard to imagine especially for children that once upon a time, things as common and as ordinary nowadays as candy were luxuries. Unlike today, Tiwinhons with a sweet tooth during the early years of American colonization did not have very many opportunities to satisfy their sugar cravings.

So, what did they do? They improvised and made do with common, readily available household ingredients and a little help from some of their enterprising Home Economics school teachers, who would come up with novel ideas and turn them into recipes for their students to try later on.

Here is one of those recipes from a repository that I encountered while perusing some of my notes about the “Tiwi Society,” a group composed of proud and well-meaning Tiwinhons, circa 1900s.

Vinegar Candy

Ingredients- 2 tablespoonfuls of butter a cup of granulated sugar 1/2 cup vinegar

Method of Preparation:

Put the butter into a skillet; when it melts add the sugar and vinegar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, afterwards stir occasionally. Boil until, when tried in cold water the mixture will become brittle.

Turn the candy on to a battered platter to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, pull the candy until it is white. Hold the mass lightly with and pull with the tips of the fingers. Do not squeeze the candy in the hand. Cut the candy into small pieces using scissors. Arrange the pieces on a buttered plate or a banana leaf to cool.

Try them if you must. Will you be up to the challenge?