Music, Dance, and Negotiations of Identity in the Religious Festivals of Bicol, Philippines by Marilyne Antonette Adiova A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music: Musicology) in the University of Michigan 2014 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Christi-Anne Castro, Chair Emeritus Professor Judith O. Becker Associate Professor Charles Hiroshi Garrett Professor Rudolf Mrazek Associate Professor EJ Westlake © Marilyne Antonette Adiova 2014 To my parents, Edison and Louella Adiova, and to my sister, Lauren Adiova, for their constant love and support. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I offer my sincerest gratitude and respect to Christi-Anne Castro, my mentor and dissertation advisor, for her advice, insight, and continuous support in all stages of this work. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee: Charles Garrett, Rudolf Mrazek, EJ Westlake, and Judith Becker. Their suggestions, guidance, and support have enriched this dissertation. My gratitude goes to those who provided a great deal of help while I was conducting fieldwork in the Philippines, including my aunt Lemee Oliveros Caayao, my aunt Lalaine Oliveros Rosales, and their respective families, who made me feel at home while I was far from it. I thank my relatives in Naga City, who were always willing to help me find my way and showed me great kindness. I am grateful to family friends who provided transportation to various festivals, especially Etet Mangohig and Guillermo Resuena. I would also like to thank those I met during my time in the Philippines: the various festival organizers and Department of Tourism staff who informed my research; members of the Developmental Institute for Bicolano Artists; the staff of Oliveros College, Inc.; as well as the members of PREX, the Parish Renewal Experience Seminar at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Iriga City, who welcomed me with fun and friendship. At the University of Michigan, I am grateful to my colleagues in the Department of Musicology, who have inspired and supported me throughout my coursework and the dissertation process. I express great appreciation to the Rackham Graduate School, the iii Center for World Performance Studies, the Sweetland Writing Center, and the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance for the many funding opportunities I have received over the years. I owe a lasting debt of gratitude to the Noraysa Boyz: Domingo David, Jason Fernandez, and Marco Salazar. From playing kulintang music, to hanging out every week, to spring break adventures, they have helped keep me sane throughout my graduate school career, especially as I endeavored to finish this dissertation. I am so thankful for their friendship. Finally, my love and deepest gratitude goes to my family, especially my parents and sister, to whom this dissertation is dedicated. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES viii LIST OF FIGURES x ABSTRACT xii INTRODUCTION 1 Theoretical Frameworks and Foundations 8 Research Methodology 16 Chapter Summaries 19 CHAPTER 1. Bicol History, Economy, and Performing Arts 24 Spanish Contact 32 Contemporary Bicol 39 Bicol Music and Performing Arts 43 v 2. Festivals in Bicol and the Philippines 55 The Nature of Festivals 56 Festivals as Rituals 64 An Overview of Festivals in the Philippines 69 Bicol Festivals 77 Festivals and Philippine Tourism 79 3. Reinventing an Invented Tradition: The Tinagba Festival of Iriga City 93 The Gayon Bicol Tinagba Festival 105 Finding Identity Through Reinvention: The 2011 Tinagba Festival 126 4. Street Dancing in Hybrid Space: Religiosity and Commercialism in the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia 134 Naga City as Bicol’s Center of Roman Catholicism 140 The Separation of Church and State in the Philippines 142 The Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia 147 The Roles of the Church and Local Government in the Feast 154 The Voyadores Festival 161 Music and Dance of the Voyadores Festival 172 Religious Spectacle and Cultural Tourism 192 Conclusion 196 5. Negotiating Identity Through Memory: The Reinvention of a Bicol Festival Abroad 198 Filipinos in Michigan 207 Filipino American Organizations 211 Our Lady of Peñafrancia as Shared Symbol 214 vi EPILOGUE 230 APPENDIX 234 BIBLIOGRAPHY 238 vii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES EXAMPLE 3.1 “Lapay Bantigue” melody 116 3.2 Excerpt of “Magtanim Hindi Biro” melody 116 3.3 The theme song melody of the Ibalong Festival 121 4.1 “Resuene Vibrante” 174 4.2 The “Resuene Vibrante” chorus as performed by musicians from Tigaon, Camarines Sur at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 177 4.3 The “Resuene Vibrante” chorus as performed by the Community Base Theater Group of Sorsogon City at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 179 4.4 Rhythmic chanting in the “Resuene Vibrante” chorus as performed by the Community Base Theater Group of Sorsogon City at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 179 4.5 The “Resuene Vibrante” chorus as performed by Magarao Central School at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 180 4.6 Section 1 of the interlude played between choruses by the Community Base Theater Group of Sorsogon City at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 182 4.7 Drum break. Section 2 of the interlude played between choruses by the Community Base Theater Group of Sorsogon City at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 183 4.8 Section 3 of the interlude played between choruses by the Community Base Theater Group of Sorsogon City at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 183 4.9 The interlude played between choruses by the Mariners Polytechnic College at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 184 viii 4.10 The drum break in the interlude played between choruses by the Mariners Polytechnic College at the 2009 Voyadores Festival. 184 5.1 Prominent melody (a) and its variations (b) and (c) in “Kamurawayan sa Dios.” 223 ix LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 0.1 A street dancing performance at the 2008 Boa-Boaan Alinsangan Festival in Nabua, Camarines Sur 3 0.2 Dancers dressed as pre-colonial warriors in the 2009 Ibalong Festival in Legazpi City, Albay 10 1.1 The Republic of the Philippines 25 1.2 The Bicol Region 27 1.3 Musicians playing bamboo slit drums at the 2008 Boa-Boaan Alinsangan Festival in Nabua, Camarines Sur 45 1.4 Couples dance the pantomina in the streets at the Kasanggayahan Festival in Sorsogon City, Sorsogon 51 1.5 An elementary school drum and lyre band performing at the 41st Charter Anniversary Celebration of Iriga City, Camarines Sur 53 2.1 A corporate sponsor’s advertisement on the side of a parade float depicting the Christianization of two Filipino natives during the civic parade at the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga City, Camarines Sur. 83 2.2 The Kaogma Festival commences as the flags of the cities and municipalities of Camarines Sur are brought into the capitol grounds. 89 3.1 The Emerald Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes 97 3.2 The mayor, mascot, and Agta ethnic people on a float emphasizing unity 108 3.3 Dancers representing the Lapay Bantigue Dance Festival conclude their performance at the Gayon Bicol Tinagba Festival 115 x 3.4 Dancers representing the Sosogon Festival at the Gayon Bicol Tinagba Festival. 124 4.1 The backside of a pocket calendar featuring the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia with the logo of a tobacco company. 137 4.2 During the traslacion, a priest and the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia ride atop an anda, a specialized carrier that will transport them from the Peñafrancia Shrine to the Naga Cathedral. 149 4.3 The Fluvial Procession 150 4.4 The fluvial procession’s destination: the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Basilica Minore. 153 4.5 Female dancers from Tigaon, Camarines Sur waving white handkerchiefs in the air. 164 4.6 Male dancers from Tigaon, Camarines Sur portraying voyadores as they paddle their boats down the Bicol River. 165 4.7 The religious zones of the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. 167 5.1 Members of the Bicol Association of Michigan praying to Our Lady of Peñafrancia and the Divino Rostro. 201 5.2 A flyer advertising the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Michigan 216 5.3 The traslacion at the 2011 Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Rochester Hills, Michigan. 219 5.4 The traslacion at the 2011 Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Rochester Hills, Michigan. 219 xi ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the relationships between music, dance, faith, memory, the objectification of tradition, and tourism found in religious festivals in Bicol, Philippines. The three case studies of this dissertation explore festivals as complex, ever-changing phenomena that are shaped in many ways by the dynamic between religious and secular communities. The first case study discusses the shift of the Tinagba Festival in Iriga City, Philippines from a community festival into a regional event, and examines the tensions that exist between the Catholic Church, local government, and private sector in its planning. The second case study examines the push and pull between the Church and the local government over the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga City. The third case study discusses the roles of memory and music in the staging of the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Michigan and the ways in which members of a Bicolano diaspora community reconstruct and modify aspects of culture through shared memories, music performance, and current circumstances. The analyses in this study give particular attention to street dancing competitions, as these events are highlights of almost every Philippine festival on local, regional, and national levels. Street dancing competitions consist of music and dance choreography that portray aspects of culture meant to represent traditional and regionally specific aspects of Bicol.