Naga City: An Maogmang Lugar (A Happy Place)

Naga City: An Maogmang Lugar (A Happy Place) 

Jessica L. Chua

SA21-G

I went home for the five-day long weekend which was the reason why I was not able to go to the field trip. So, my fieldwork happened to be in my own hometown, Naga City, which is located in the southern part of Luzon. Going to the various places assigned was not that hard for me since I already know where to go. The difficult part, however, in doing the fieldwork was how to manage my time and how to go to the places in a short time. Fortunately, I had successfully finished all the tasks. 

Strategy: I asked my mom to accompany me because she knows the place more than I do. I decided to go to the churches first to make use of the time wisely. Two out of the three churches were just near to each other and inside the vicinity of one of these churches, Cathedral, has a museum. After visiting these places, I went to Geewan, a local restaurant which is selling various local food. Then, I went to the public market to check some of the local products which could be found. The remaining church and public cemetery were along our way home so these places were visited last.

TASK 1: Do You Know Naga?

KEY INFORMANTS/PERSONS INTERVIEWED:

1.  Meliton Dela Rosa

2.  Lilian Dela Rosa

                     3.  Jason Orogo

Social Map (refer to Individual Report Paper)

Social Mapping? Is it difficult or not? As a person who grew up being around the place, I find it easy to do the local map since I already know most of the places and Naga City is just a small city. I have already went everywhere in the place which made it easy for me to recall where the areas of political, economical, and religious are. 

The Locals

Interviewing the Locals

Sociological Reflection: Even if I am from the same city, I realized that the locals do not have the same perceptions towards Naga City. Each and every local has a different perspective and view about the economical, political, religious, etc. of Naga City. Individual differences is present in this situation. 

Personal Reflection: I did not really find a difficulty in looking for interviewees. I interviewed my uncle and aunt, and our houseboy for this task. It was easy for me to interview them because I already know them and I was comfortable in asking them about the locality. 

Tags: #locals #interview #politics #economy #landmarks #socialmapping 

TASK 2: Holy Places

Carmelite Church

San Francisco Church

Cathedral (Outside)

Cathedral (Inside)

Carmelite is a Church where the nuns of Missionaries of Charity serve. At the right side of the picture above, it can be seen that there is a nun kneeling down in front of Jesus who is nailed on the cross. Most of the church-goers are from the higher social class. I was not able to take a picture inside the Church because it is closed when I went there. But the interior is not that big and fewer people can be accommodated compared to San Francisco Church and Cathedral. I can say that this is, so far, the most beautiful Church in Naga City. It is also maintained and neat. Most of the churchgoers here came from well-off families.

Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of San Francisco Church. Its architecture is simple and new. At the ceiling is an image of “The Last Supper.” There are also saints on the altar like the first Filipino saint, Lorenzo Ruiz, Saint Joseph and a crucifix. Most of the church goers in this parish are ordinary people. They might be probably known as commoners.

Cathedral Church is at the center of two Catholic schools, namely University of Sta. Isabel and Naga Parochial School. It is already an old Church in Naga City. There is also an image of Our Lady of Penafrancia, also known to be as “Ina” since she was the patron of the Bicol region. Cathedral is a big Church and it is home to many figure of saints. The people who are going in this Church came from all walks of life. 

Sociological Reflection: I realized that the architectural appearances of the churches affects their churchgoers. Social classes are being highlighted in this situation. Sometimes, social inequality could also be seen since there seems to be "standards" for the people who can enter that particular church. Some people might also feel unfit for a particular church which make them go to other churches.

Personal Reflection: I really felt awkward posing around some of the areas of the church. I really don't want to be captured on the camera alone. It was also uncomfortable because I was inside the churches which was only meant to be houses for prayers. However, I really enjoyed visiting the churches which I have gone to Mass during my childhood years. I really missed praying in those churches since I rarely visit it nowadays because I am already staying here in Manila. I also got the chance to spend some time meditating and praying peacefully while inside the Churches. 

Tags: #socialinequality #socialclass #church #religion

TASK 3: Silent Sanctuary

Oldest and Newest Tomb in Naga City Public Cemeterery

I went to Naga City Public Cemetery to get 25 names. I was not able to find tombs with the lists of death that is before the 1940s. The reason for this may be because the cemetery is not that old. The decades which has the highest number of mortality, based on the list of 25 names, are 1991-2013. This may probably because people were more prone to diseases during these decades because of the unhealthy food and advancement of technologies which damages people’s health.

Most of the dead people were having Filipino names. There were also few people who have Chinese names. During the old times, the names were really Filipino or Spanish or Chinese. However, the recent ones are already having English names.

Sociological Reflection: I was shocked when I saw some of the mauseleums have clothes were hanged. I was surprised by the fact that some of these, have caretakers which are literally taking care of it through staying and living in it. For me, this is a violation of the social norm. This is deviant for me. I did not really expect to see families who are residing in these places. It is a cemetery and is meant for dead people. It is not a place where living creatures can live.

Personal Reflection: While roaming around the cemetery, I got goosebumps because first of all, it was a public cemetery and it was really full of tombs and it really had a scary look. I did not enjoy being in this place that I just to go home and take a rest already. I was really uncomfortable while I was walking around and looking for tombs which are having a certain year of death. 

Tags: #publiccemetery #socialnorms #deviance

TASK 4: Museo Arqueologico

With the caretaker

Paintings

The paintings that are present in Museo Arqueologico are made by three artists namely Maria Asuncion, Juan Camacho and Leo Fortuno. They painted the images of the Archbishops of Caceres and other saint figures. The museum only included paintings of religious figures because it is located inside the area where the Cathedral Church is located. So basically, the paintings were not really that of socio-economical importance however, it still contributes to the welfare of Naga City since it is, historically and religiously, important.

According to the curator, the artists who made some of the paintings are the following:

Maria Asunsion who was the famous painter among the Asuncions. The curator said that their family was from Binondo, Manila but transferred to Sorsogon City. Juan Camacho who was a painter from the early 1900s. He was from Naga City who also came from a family of painters. The last painter who contributed to the different painting in the museum was Leo Fortuno. He started giving his paintings in the museum on 1988. He was also from Naga City.

Sociological Reflection: At first, I was just staring at the paintings and was really confused about the paintings which I was looking at. I did not have any idea about who painted them and what was the importance of it and why were the paintings were just images of the various archbishops of Caceres. However, my mother and I approached the caretaker and asked her questions. She was, at first, having second thoughts of really explaining to us the paintings. But then, my mom informed her that I was doing a fieldwork and that I am from the Ateneo. After saying that, the caretaker immediately talk and talk and talk and shared her knowledge about the paintings. For me, this somehow exhibited social inequality. She would never be that friendly and nice if my mom did not tell her that I am from the Ateneo. 

Personal Reflection: It was really nice to know new things about your place especially if it was about the religious aspect of the locality. I enjoyed touring the museum because I had seen the talents of our own artists being showcased. 

Tags: #socialinequality #discrimination 

TASK 5: Exploring a Public Market

Abaca products

Local food

Local products

The different tastes of pili nuts

The different tastes of pili nuts

There are various products which I have spotted in the public market. The products were just parted into abaca products and pili products. These products were the prevailing ones that could be found since Naga City is located in the Bicol region which is rich in abaca and pili fruits. Other products which can uniquely be found in the locality are cacao, coco jam and chili oil. These are also because the raw materials of these products can richly be found in the Bicol region. These products are all products of Naga City and are oftentimes exported.

Sociological Reflection: I was roaming around the public market with papers, ballepen and a camera. This was not frequently seen while in a public market. This may be the reason why some of the buyers and sellers were really staring at me. I was also running already because I was running out of time. This situation might be weird for others since I was, as if, in an amazing race. For them, I seem to have been violated the social norms. 

Personal Reflection: This task was the second to the most tiring task, next to the cemetery task. I had a pretty hard time looking for the local products because the market is a big place and I do not usually go to public markets. However, this task made me also satisfied because I was able to explore a whole different world and I was also able to try new things. 

Tags: #norms #deviance 

TASK 6: Masiram Asin Maharang (Yummy and Spicy)

Spicy food

Local dishes which are present in my chosen locality were easy to be found. Since I also came from my chosen locality, I already know where to find these local dishes and there are restaurants which are serving these dishes.

It can be noticed that every local food of the Naguenos is added with a touch of “sili.” Locals of this city say that Bicolanos are really into spicy food which is the reason why most of the dishes are flavored with “sili.” Spicy foods are hot and there is a strong taste that can touch your tongue. Bicolanos, as a comparison,are known to be “Oragon” or strong and tough people.

For the Bicolanos, these local food are historically and culturally important since these have already been a trademark and identity of Bicolanos. For example, in my case, I really love spicy food. Whenever I order dishes that are spicy, my friends would go, "Taga-Bicol ka talaga!" 

As far as I know, these dishes did not have any innovation and were remained as it was. Bicolanos are really conservative and this is the reason why up to now, the original dish is still existing and not being changed. 

Sociological Reflection: Just like what happened to me in the public market, the waiters and waitresses in the restaurant seems to question what I was doing. I took pictures of the local dishes that were displayed. Usually, people are already taking pictures of food but these food were bought. In my case, I did not buy anymore the local dishes since I was already hurrying. Based on the dishes, the culture of Naga City could also be seen because of the spicy dishes mixed with a lot of "labuyo" or pepper.

Personal Reflection: I was already really tired during this time. Going around the city on a sunny day was really not a pleasant idea. I was already dripping off with too much sweat and I was somehow already pissed of making too many tasks. However, I still managed to continue the remaining tasks given. 

Tags: #socialnorms #culture #conservation

TASK 7: I Am Not Scared

I, myself, am a local from Naga City. I haven’t heard any scary stories about our place and I also do not know any haunted places in our province. But, of course, I still asked some locals who I met and let them recall if there is any ghost stories in our place. According to them, there’s none. I asked them why they say so. They said that Naga City is already a city and its civilization is also not far from Manila. Naga City is also a place which is already full of “gimikans”, malls, and other establishments. Although it is just a small city, locals say that the people living in the area do not really believe in ghosts anymore. Many people are already busy with work and this kind of stories is not being talked about anymore.

Sociological Reflection: I have asked many locals on whether there are haunted or ghost stories in our place but they gave me the same answers. It is either there's none or that they do not know. I think, the locals have the same belief regarding ghost stories and that they do not believe on ghosts or other weird creatures. 

Personal Reflection: I have realized that our beliefs may be passed on. Maybe, one of the reasons why most people do not believe in ghosts anymore because their ancestors also did not. Different beliefs are also inherited and we, people, only follow what other people believe in. 

Tags: #beliefs