Balen a Melacuan

We experience the power of nature in various forms.  Eleven years ago, the dormant Mt. Pinatubo, awoke from its 600-year slumber.  And the effects of this eruption on Pampanga and Tarlac were devastating.  In a split second, Bacolor, the "Athens of Pampanga" being the seat of arts and culture in the province, was erased from the map in 1995. Much of Porac suffered the same fate.  On the other hand, floods continue to plague numerous other towns, year in and year out.

At present, Pampanga is also said to be sinking at a rate of three centimeters per year.  This occurrence is called subsidence, and is at its worst in the town of Lubao.  One cause of subsidence is the big number of deep wells.  As water is pumped out from below the surface, the ground sinks.  In the near future, Pampanga's coastal towns may disappear from the maps as well.  And this time, man is to blame for this continuous sinking.

The disappearance of communities is not new in Pampanga.  It is said that in 1683, floods inundated the original settlement of Minalin, and the community was thus forced to move to a higher location, at a site called Burol. Thus the name "minalis ya qñg Burol," later evolving to "Minalin."

Floods are also said to be the reason behind the creation of two modern-day Kapampangan "balens" from one original town.  According to some accounts, a flood hit a town called San Bartolome in September 22, 1858, devastating the town.  The residents were thus forced to move to a different location.  But instead of a single wave, some of the residents moved north, and the others moved south.

The first wave, headed by the town gobernadorcillo, Don Pablo Luciano, settled at the foot of Mt. Arayat.  This eventually became the town of Magalang.  A second group, composed of the Yumul, Castro, Dizon, Pineda, Feliciano, Aquino, Cortez, and Bermudez clans, and many others, were said to settle in a place called Sto. Niño.  This community would later be called Concepcion.

It was only in 1863 however, that both towns were able to settle down.  Magalang transferred to its present site at barrio San Pedro or Talimundoc.  And due to scarcity of water at Sto. Niño, and the fact that the place was filled with snakes, the Concepcion group moved to its present site in barrio Matondo.

This story explains why San Bartolome is the patron of Magalang despite the fact that it is sometimes referred to as San Pedro Magalang.  The former barrio of San Bartolome Magalang, now a part of Concepcion, inherited the legendary name "Balen a melacuan" or the "forsaken town."

Looking however at the work of historian Mariano Henson, there seems to be a slight discrepancy with the accounts.  According to him, the town of Concepcion was already in existence when the floods hit Magalang.  Concepcion was created also in 1858, just shortly before the floods hit. 

Due to the short span of time between the creation of Concepcion and the time the flood hit Magalang, knowledge of the division of the original town may not have been that widespread yet.  Thus, the townsfolk may have thought that the division of the original town was brought about by the flood and the two waves, when in fact, the two waves most probably occurred because Magalang and Concepcion were already two separate towns, thus causing separate movements of the communities. 

Further research needs to be done in order to find out what really happened during the great flood of 1858.  But despite these conflicting accounts, one thing is very much certain.  A flood did devastate Magalang, just as it inundated Minalin almost a century earlier.  When nature hits, it can most definitely be unrelenting.

Kapampangans should learn from the many lessons of history.  From the numerous calamities that have affected our province, the fact hits us loud and clear.  When man alters the course of nature, nature strikes back with a vengeance.  Floods are a fact of nature.  But sometimes, flooding could be avoided completely.  But floods will always occur in Pampanga if hardheaded residents continue to restrict the natural flow of our waterways. 

The town proper of San Fernando, for example, suffers yearly from floods because many "illegal" residents continue to build structures on the places were the San Fernando River and its tributaries used to flow.  Thus, when the rainy season hits, the flow of the water is restricted, and the City is submerged.  In fact, in an area of the City were flooding is at its worst, a newly built cement structure is seen encroaching on a bridge.

A thorough investigation should be conducted on the matter of these "illegal" residents, who reside on land that should not be lived on at all.  And when completed, the City Government should punish the unscrupulous individuals who released to them the questionable land titles and building permits.  And this has to be done at the soonest possible time for we must give back to nature, what belongs to nature.  If not, with the advent of another rainy season, San Fernando may find itself among the ranks of other "Balen a melacuan."

Please send your comments or suggestions to ivanhenares@yahoo.com.

We would like to request those who will be using the information above, especially for publication, to properly cite the author and the Kapampangan Homepage.  The above column was published in Sun*Star Pampanga.