City of San Fernando Pampanga Calesa Tour

I chanced upon the free calesa heritage tour in the Facebook page of the City Tourism of San Fernando. Originally slated for August 14 but due to the Habagat torrential rains, it was rescheduled to August 21. This initiative was due to the twin celebration of the city as 112^th anniversary as provincial capitol and 262nd founding anniversary this month. It was a great bonding time for me and my son on a Sunday morning. We went to the City Hall fronting the Metropolitan Cathedral and registered our names. The City Hall was built in 1874. It was burned by General Antonio Luna due to the advancing American forces and was rebuilt in 1917. A number of calesas are already lined up past 8:00 am. Our tour guide Kelvin is the president of the Fernandino Student Tour Guides and they are actively involved in promoting local tourism and heritage.

Kelvin introduced us to Kuya Elmar, the kutsero and Matikas the brown horse assigned as our ride for the day. We were off for an hour of exciting adventure.

Hizon Paras House also known as Balai Matuwa. This house has a tall wall surrounding it so just a fraction of the house can be seen. Former presidents visited this abode and Ninoy Aquino.

Henson – Hizon House – also known as Casa Nicolasa was owned by Don Saturnino Henson y David, who was gobernadorcillo of San Fernando and first tesorero municipal and Maria Lacson. It is considered the 1^st Bahay na Bato in the city.

Near this house is a monument of Nicolasa Dayrit Panlilio – the one featured in Heneral Luna movie who helped Katipuneros who were wounded and mediated between Luna and Tomas Mascardo.

We made our way to the highlight of the tour, the visit to the San Fernando Old Train Station & Museum. Before we reached the station proper, there’s the Kilometer 102 Death March marker where the old railroad tracks used to be situated. The train station is the end point of this barbaric war event. Around 2,500 to 10,000 Filipino and 100 – 650 Americans died during the death march from Bataan en route to San Fernando before they reached their final destination in Capas, Tarlac. The 97 kilometer walk consisted of brutal physical abuse and later on categorized as a Japanese war crime.

The Old Train Station is a defunct PNR railway line in Luzon starting from Tutuban terminal. Inaugurated by Governor General Eulogio Despujol and Archbishop of Manila Bernardino Nozaleda on February 23, 1892, the San Fernando Train Station stood witness to historic events. On June 27, 1892, Jose Rizal debarked from the station and the next day en route to Bacolor. On April 1942, KM 102 was the ending point of the Bataan Death March. From with Filipino and American prisoners-of-war were hauled to Capaz, Tarlac to Camp O’Donnell.

Inside the museum we met Jude, one of the volunteers who’s a university professor. He told stories of the efforts of volunteers to maintain and restore the station. He also provided trivia on famous people who arrived in the station: Rizal to visit Leonor Rivera in Tarlac and to recruit member for La Liga Filipina and the arrival of the first Ms. Universe on the town.  The museum features life-sized statues of Death March Filipino and American soldiers, copies of war headlines from various newspapers here and abroad, photos of the Japanese regime, an old train ticket, war memorabilia and prewar photos of the train station.

We then went around the Provincial Capitol where an important battle took place between guerilla forces and the Japanese Imperial Army in the site during the Second World War.

Our last destination was through the Heritage district along A. Consunji street where famous ancestral homes are located, some are restored while others in pitiful condition.

Hizon - Ocampo House – Leoncia Hizon inherited the house from parents Anacleto Hizon and Victoria Singian de Miranda. She married Basilio Ocampo, gobernadorcillo of San Fernando. Among their children was famous architect Fernando H. Ocampo who designed the San Fernando Metropolitan Cathedral, Manila Cathedral, Admiral Apartments (Hotel) in Malate which was torn down last 2014, Regina and Calvo Buildings in Escolta. It’s just sad that this house is not preserved and in its decrepit state.

Lazatin House – owned by sugar farmer Don Serafin Lazatin y Ocampo and built in 1925. During the Second World War, it served as residence of the 14th Army Commander of the Japanese Imperial Army, General Masaharu Homma.

Consunji House  - used to be the residence of Antonio E. Consunji, the gobernadorcillo of San Fernando in 1892. He was removed from office by the ruling Spanish government because of his attendance when Jose P. Rizal visited the town in June of that year. He became the presidente municipal of San Fernando during the Philippine Revolution from 1898 to 1899.

Tabacalera House – Built by Tabacalera owned by Don Ramon Lopez. The first floor of the house served as the office of Tabacalera. The property was owned by Simeon Ocampo. During the Japanese Occupation, it was sequestered by the Japanese Imperial Army together with other residences in San Fernando, and served as the headquarters of the Kempeitai or the Japanese police.

Santos-Hizon House - the turn-of-the-century Victorian-style house was built by the couple Teodoro Santos, Jr. and Africa Ventura. The house was later purchased by Maria Salome Hizon, a nurse of the Pampanga Chapter of the Philippine Red Cross during the Philippine Revolution. The property was acquired by her brother Ramon Hizon and is currently owned by the heirs of his son Augusto Hizon.

The Hizon-Singian House was the second house of couple Don Anacleto Hizon and Victoria Singian de Miranda y de Ocampo. During the 1896 Revolution, the house was occupied by Spanish General Antonio Ruiz Serralde. It was appropriated by the Japanese Imperial Army to serve as a military hospital and barracks from 1943 to 1944. The house also served as headquarters of American General Walter Krueger of the 6th American army during the liberation period until 1945.   

We also passed by Sotero Baluyot Bridge, formerly known as Puente Colgante, the Spanish era bridge was reconstructed in 1896 using iron and stone. It was damaged during the Philippine-American War and then bombed in the last World War. Using Baluyot’s design thesis completed at the University of Iowa in 1909, the bridge was restored, becoming an attractive arch bridge made of reinforced concrete. It was at the time, the only road that was accessible going to Manila.

The last landmark was the Pampanga Hotel just across the cathedral and one of the oldest structures in town, wherein General Douglas Mcarthur stayed overnight.

The tour lasted for only over an hour but the memories will linger for a long time. It’s a privilege knowing the city which welcomed and adopted me with open arms. This is just the beginning.

For more updates, visit the Facebook page of the City Tourism of San Fernando: https://www.facebook.com/itsmorefuninsanfernando/?fref=ts