The Nueva Ecija Museum: Repository of provincial heirlooms

With his recent proclamation as duly elected governor of the Province of Nueva Ecija in his third and final term, Tomas N. Joson III spelled out his program of preserving the cultural and anthropological heritage of his realm.

This he said is not only for the sake of contemporary denizens but also for future generations.

Through the provincial government’s Dibisyon ng Turismo at Panlalawigang Konseho ng Kasaysayan, Kalinangan at Sining, Joson has appealed to Novo Ecijanos to participate in his administration’s cultural preservation efforts by donating or lending relics, artifacts, photos and other memorabilia for display in the first ever Nueva Ecija Museum.

“This is to further enrich our heirloom as a province through unifying efforts aimed at showcasing our endemic heritage,” Joson stressed.

He pointed out that the museum has varied sections designed to accentuate the different aspects of the Novo Ecijano’s cultural and historical trove. Indeed, in every sense of the word, Nueva Ecija’s repository has all it takes to be considered a museum. Off hand, it is an institution, or part of an institution, devoted to the collecting, preserving, and interpreting of the materials of art, science and history. Historical materials, in this sense, include everything representing man’s cultural history from the primitive artifact to the modern machine.

Most museums arrange their exhibits to illustrate particular branches of knowledge, that is, to show the pragmatic art of Nueva Ecija in this particular case, the evolution of kitchen utensils and musical instruments. Such is the case with the Museum of Nueva Ecija.

The first alcove of the museum contains a relief map showing the different political and administrative subdivisions of the province by towns and cities and large barangays together with legislative districts.

Minerals and precious deposits underground are likewise pointed out according to geologic classification of soils. Appearing extant herein is a model of the Upper Pampanga River Irrigation Systems containing both the scenic Pantabangan dam and the mammoth Casecnan dam that supply irrigation water and power. Presented also as art pieces are traditional palay cultivation methods native to Nueva Ecija and forms of inland fishing inherited from early settlers of the province.

In the mountainous areas of the province with its rainforests live some wild animals and exotic plants and trees. Flora and fauna abound in them. In those mile-high sanctuaries flow rivulets and streams fresh out of waterfalls. They are juxtaposed with hot spring waters that soothe tired and aching muscles. Then there are the ravines and caves that make spelunking another adventure worth experiencing. Cool spots similar to that of Baguio and Tagaytay are situated in the Caraballo and Sierra Madre mountain ranges such as Carranglan town. In the Sierra Madre towns of Laur, Gabaldon, Pantabangan and Gen. Tinio roam wild boars, tropical deer, monkeys that co-exist with the soaring eagles.

These are all presented for the scholarly consumption of culture vultures and plain outlookers with the use of dioramas. Indeed, Novo Ecijano artisans and artists breathe life into accounts of Nueva Ecija’s richness, a living testament to the people’s aesthetic talents and skills.

The third alcove showcases the Novo Ecijano’s religiosity. Photos and figurative representations highlight the annual “Taong Putik” festival celebrated every June 24 in honor of St. John the Baptist in Barangay Bibiclat in the town of Aliaga. Participants put mud on their faces and bodies to symbolize their humility when asking the Almighty for forgiveness for the sins they have committed. This is done occasionally likewise to thank providence for a bountiful harvest in months past.

There is also the Araquio, a zarzuela type of stage presentation used as art form during the Spanish era to proselytize for the Christian cross. The routine synopsis has Queen Helena searching for the cross amid constant battles between Moors and Christians. It is staged during the Feast of the Holy Cross in the municipalities of Penaranda, Jaen and Gen. Tinio (Papaya).

A fourth set accentuates Nueva Ecija’s agricultural tradition. Farming has always been a principal source of livelihood of Novo Ecijanos since way back. In migration to the province by Ilocanos and Pangasinenses from the north and northeast, Tagalogs from the south and Kapampangans from the southwest was precipitated by their interest in agricultural pursuits beginning 1837 up to 1915. The different tools and methods used by these early farmer-settlers are on exhibit in the museum. This methodically explains why Nueva Ecija to this day remains Central Luzon’s “last frontier.”

Lastly, Nueva Ecija’s participation in the carving out of nationhood is masterfully presented in the best curatorial tradition. The circumstances that led to the open rebellion and defiance to Spanish colonial authority by men loyal to Gen. Mariano Lllanera, a native son of Cabiao, first came to fore in the historic town of San Isidro. It is also in San Isidro that Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo moved his presidential headquarters when the American expeditionary forces were in hot pursuit to get his scalp.

The siege on the town’s local factoria is clearly magnified in diorama form too. In later times, the Novo Ecijano’s heroism was further amplified by guerrillas under the command of one Capt. Eduardo L. Joson who later on served as governor of the province and fathered present day leaders who are his children and third generation descendants. Yet it is not only in war and soldiery that Novo Ecijanos excel. The province has already produced a national artist in music in the person of Felipe Padilla de Leon.

This and more would be seen in the first ever museum of the province. Gov. Joson has time and again pledged to enrich their heritage through constant reminders to his constituents that the museum mirrors the image of the typical Novo Ecijano.

[ Pantabangan Dam Wiki ]