The author, critic and academician, Dennis B. Gonzaga, wrote a series of 28 short features on various creative, cultural, and heritage elements around the city of Naga. These were featured on his The 416 Art Space FB page and the Rigmat Arts and Culture Fest FB page — everything about the community of creatives and cultural workers, comfort food, everyday public spaces, old-time favorite destinations, literature about the city’s heart and soul, and many more about this vibrant, colorful and happy place. This is Part 2 of a series of 4, featuring Days 8 to 14.
February 8: Warren Balane
The visual arts landscape in Naga City is a lush and relatively uncharted territory. From masters of old-school realism, to exponents of folk-inspired contemporary themes, to bold crafters of objet trouvé assemblages, to renascent abstractionists, there are representative and available artists. Except for a few, most of these artists are self taught, drawing inspiration and discovering techniques grounded in their personal and experiences in and about the city.
One of these homegrown gems is Warren Verastigue Balane, a rather unassuming visual artist whose mild-mannered demeanor conceals a unique creative fire that has earned him recognition from esteemed art competitions at both the local and the national levels. Collectively, his works are a thesis in the utility of the elements of line and color as narrative. Each of his works is a clever study of space and visual elements. There is a different set of aesthetics to be experienced when a Balane piece is viewed from a critiquing distance and then from an intimate contiguity. From a wider perspective, a Balane painting suggests a grand trope or theme. A close examination reveals a seemingly infinite procession of finely crafted minutiae.
From a curatorial perspective, a Balane piece offers great value because the artist emphasizes polish. He prepares the canvas with such great care. The mounting is seamless, the corners are tucked and stretched, the canvas is well primed. The finish is equally impressive that the actual piece is meant to last a long time.
Some of Balane’s new works can be viewed at the Pagtalubo group art show at the Museo ni Jesse Robredo souvenir shop. The show runs until February 28, 2025.
February 9: Toasted Siopao
The toasted siopao is a beloved snack among Nagueños and Bikolnons. It became quite popular sometime in the 1970s when two homegrown restaurants–Romero’s Bakery and the Naga Garden Restaurant–included it in their short order menu. Compared to the traditional siopao which is steamed, it is baked until the bun achieves a golden brown color and a crispy texture.
The traditional siopao itself is an indigenized version of the Fujianese baozi. The steamed siopao is larger and contains local fillings such as pork asado or “bola-bola”.
Toasted siopao is a dense and hearty snack that can be eaten by itself or as a side to mami or pansit. Aside from chopped pork as filling, it also has hints of onion, potato, and Chinese chorizo. A slice of boiled egg is also an ingredient. Unlike steamed siopao which is accompanied by a sweet sauce, toasted siopao tastes best when paired with banana ketchup.
Today, aside from the aforementioned favorites Naga Garden and Romero’s Bakery, the most flavorful toasted siopao is available in any branch of 3N Bakery.
February 10: Naga City Public Market / Naga City People’s Mall
The Naga City Public Market–now known as the Naga City People’s Mall–was once considered to be the largest market of its kind in Southeast Asia. Although it has since faced competition with the rise of contemporary malls and huge commercial establishments, it remains the center of commerce for Nagueños and for residents of adjacent towns.
Spanning an area approximately 1.5 kilometers, it boasts of numerous shops and stalls that cater to retail and wholesale customers. Its wet market section is the priority drop off point for suppliers of meat and poultry, seafood and freshwater catch, fresh produce, fruits, and frozen processed food items. It also has a vast selection of dried fish and preserved food stuff. In recent times, it housed stalls selling volumes of pre-loved clothes and accessories ( ukay-ukay ).
Long tenured craftsmen specializing in jewelry, leather and shoes, made-to-measure couture, and “native” handicrafts are still highly sought after. It is said that as long as you have the patience to look for items that are no longer offered in most of the new commercial spaces, you will probably find them in a small corner of the public market.
At night, the bustling commerce typically confined in the public market’s perimeter spills into the streets, particularly along the crowded Jaime Hernandez Avenue and General Luna, from the riverside to Prieto Street. Squeezed between vendors squatting before buckets of fish and hawkers tending carts of vegetables and fruit are foodmongers and even peddlers of small jewelry items.
This area of the city is often referred to the as the City’s old business district. It is an enduring patch of nostalgia, a reminder of Naga City in simpler times.
The photos are of impressionistic paintings of areas in and around the Naga City public by Nagueño artist Brian Ramos.
February 11: New China Restaurant
One of the enduring business establishments in Naga City is the New China Restaurant, located near the corner of the streets of Prieto and General Luna. Established in 1943, it is a silent witness to the economic, socio-political, and cultural growth of Naga City. It has served Chinese-Filipino fusion dishes to nearly three generations of Nagueños, and perhaps to a few generations more.
Beyond the food, the well-ventilated space of the restaurant made it a favored gathering place for the City’s culturati. But it is equally loved by the working class who look forward to end a stressful day with a bottle of beer or a bowl of steaming mami. It was also the preferred place for special events. There was a time when its airconditioned second storey dining room was a mark of sophistication. Wedding receptions, birthdays, and other special ocassions were extra special when celebrated at New China’s upstairs dining area.
New China was also the original destination for coffee enthusiasts. Its coffee option–a basic brew paired with a serving of evaporated or condensed milk–is simple yet iconic. Journalists, artists, writers, the movers and shakers of society hatched and refined ideas over cups of sweetened black coffee.
In recent times, New China continues to endure despite competition from big-brand fast food chains, fellow homegrown restaurants that have modernized their menus, services, and production to keep up with gastronomic trends, and from small “eateries” that offer savory options for lesser prices. Still, it remains a relevant piece of Naga’s gastronomic identity. It remains a favored destination for local loyalists, from morning market-goers to Sunday church parishioners.
The younger generation looking for content for their social media presence are discovering it through the stories of their parents and through nostalgia-driven stories from both history and food vloggers. Old-timers still frequent it, exalting about the authentic human experience it offers that no contemporary dining places can match.
February 12: Nagueños, Carlos Ojeda Aureus
Nagueños is a collection of short stories by Dr. Carlos Ojeda Aureus, a respected educator, an astute philosopher, and an esteemed writer. Through his collected works, Aureus carefully crafts his observations and reflections on the shifting zeitgeist of his beloved hometown.
Each story is narrated through the filter of his personal spiritual struggle between being a devotee and being a critic of his faith. His stories are of a hometown that exists simultaneously beneath his feet and and in his soul. The places are tangible and real, the personalities are cut from the same mortal fabric as the residents of the City. This is a City that persists in keeping its spirituality intact in deference to duty and to history. But this is also a City that is awakening to new worldly experiences that excite both the flesh and the mind.
Through his melody of stories, Aureus plucks at various strings all at once. He reminds us of Naga as a world deeply rooted in a faith that is as fecund as it is flawed. But he also impresses upon us that this parochialism that embraces–or perhaps strangles–the city must reflect upon its own relevance amidst the shifting social, political, and cultural tides. He guides us through these difficult realizations through the tropes and metaphors of tumultuous encounters between old men and young women that challenge our perceptions of what is morally acceptable and what is socially inevitable. The compromise is in the liminal spaces of the heart and the soul, often eerie, unresolved, unrequited, lonely, surreal.
February 13: The BL@H
The angst-driven ‘90s was a wild era for a burgeoning local music scene that leaned on the ethos and aesthetics of that era’s counterculture. This creative boom was the product of technocultural and social confluences : from the high demand for transistorized portable radio and cassette players, the peaking popularity of the music video mediascape, the Internet in its earliest stages, to music literacy offered by budget-friendly “songhits” magazines. Of course, the mainstream platforms of that time were quick to recognize the trend and capitalized on it. Being in a band was essentially one’s ticket to a bigger social circle. A guitar, three chords, and the pent-up frustrations of puberty were the core ingredients to a potential garage hit.
Ground zero was not limited to Metro Manila. Across the country, urban cultural melting pots were shaping their own music landscape. While only a handful of acts achieved mainstream recall, there remained a vast uncharted landscape of underground talents who had their own hyperlocal hardcore following.
In Naga City, the band that essentially broke through was The BL@H. Composed of a crew curated from different bands that were already popular in the local scene, The BL@Hcame out with their eponymous album in 1996 with radio-friendly singles like “Gandang Kupas”, “Puberty Blah”, and “Homesick”.
But their contribution to pop culture is their inclusion of two Bikol-language songs, “Lasngag”, and “Si Nanay, Si Tatay”. The former is a vivid description of a drunkard stumbling through a wild night of partying to waking up the next day with an intense hangover. The song, while dealing with a mundane topic, is memorable in that it captures the local color through its heavy riffs and through the use of Bikol and Tagalog to tell the story. The second song is their fresh take on an iconic folk song about the Bikolnon’s intense love for family.
Since then, the members of The BL@H have moved on with their respective careers and creative journeys. Some have moved on to a different plane of existence. But the brand remains a constant, a stamp on local pop culture. The occasional reunion concerts between long years are always a treat, especially for Gen Xers who left a portion of their hearts and spirits in the cusp decade that was the 90s.
The BL@H band members: Hamillan Pavoreal – vocals, Jawaid Banaag – compositions and arrangements, lead guitar, Robert Sarcilla – bass (+), John Arvin Collao – drums, Erwin Ticar – drums, Ely Ticar – guitar, Wawoo Brendia – guitar.
Featuring the full video of The BL@H’s reunion concert last 2018, courtesy of Jawaid Banaag’s YouTube channel. Click link to view video.
February 14: Art and Love
Naga City is home to a vibrant community of creatives and cultural workers. Steeped in various influences, whether hyperlocal or global, historical or contemporary, this community is a diverse mix of individuals and collectives that each bring a unique artistic experience.
This passion for creative endeavors has led to a rhizomic surge of artistic energy. Local creatives are becoming much more conscious of their role as social and cultural exponents and recognizing their potential to self-curate their own unique visions.
Because of this, there is a slow shift away from arboreal and monolithic centers of validation. Visual artists are looking at cafes, public spaces, and any available physical platform as viable additions–if not outright alternatives–to traditional galleries. Musicians are reclaiming the “indie” space, particularly in a time when the portability and accessibility of shared facilities and open source technology is making production much more affordable and possible. Theater advocates are immersing into communities, creating material for minimalist spaces, and organizing grassroots-based companies. Writers are shifting into self-publishing. Craftsmen and “artepreneurs” are organizing pop-up fairs where they can sell their products without the need for middlemen. Building, infrastructures, and other physical spaces are being converted into creative platforms, infusing them with fresh identities and relevance. The same is seen in other creative disciplines.
This deep love for the arts is the source of resilience for local creatives. As long as artists continue to create, there is always light and hope for society.
The header features a collage of the impressionism of Nagueño artist Brian Ramos portraying scenes at the Naga public market.
About the author:
DENNIS B. GONZAGA: Writer, critic, and academician. Former Humanities faculty at Ateneo de Naga University. Curator of The 416 Art Space in Naga City. Advocate for local culture. AB Political Science graduate, Ateneo de Naga University; MA Asian Studies graduate , University of the Philippines.