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“Antonina! Antonina!” — my classmates in elementary in St. Joseph’s College in Quezon City would call me, reading the bold name plate I wear across my chest. I would cringe. I hated that name. It sounded like the name of a Lola. Indeed, it was the name of my Lola – Lola Antonina — who I was named after. Because Lola Antonina and Lolo Roman lived with us and to avoid confusion, Dad used to call me “Antoninang Maliit” (small Antonina) to differentiate me from “Antoninang Malake” (big Antonina) pertaining of course to my Lola, but which Dad would never say to her face, naturally.

Like many Filipinos I had a proper name, the name that appears in my birth certificate, and a nickname, the name I am called by my family and friends. A lot of Filipinos have a proper name consisting of two, three, or even four long-winded Spanish names from the era of Rizal, the first of which is often Maria (like mine). Then, their nickname is usually an Americanized shortcut of their proper name. I guess it’s a form of unconscious and well-meaning torture by Filipino parents from the generation of… well, my parents.

Besides me, I have a heap of “Antonina” cousins (or “Antonino” for the boys), as well as at least one niece who are named after Lola Antonina. Well, to my Antonina and Antonino relatives, I don’t know if you feel the same way as I do about our name… but like it or not, we have to live with it. And in honor of Lola Antonina’s birthday (which is today), I hope this entry would make you proud of your names as well as our family heritage.

Lola Antonina was born “Antonina Francisco” on 10 May 1904, or 102 years ago from today. Contrary to popular belief (or more accurately, contrary to MY belief), she was named after St. Antoninus and not St. Anthony of Padua (the patron saint for lost objects). St. Antoninus was a Dominican priest and archbishop of Florence in the 15th century and his Feast day falls on the day of Lola Antonina’s birth, the 10th of May. I guess that explains why she was named “Antonina,” meaning inestimable and not the more popular “Antonia.” Lola Antonina’s nickname was Ninang but I saw some of Lolo’s love letters to her and he called her by the sexier and more cosmopolitan name, “Toni.”

Lola Antonina came from an illustrious family of career women… probably some of the first career women in the Philippines. Her cousin, Philomena, was the first woman pharmacist in the Philippines. Another cousin was the first woman lawyer in the Philippines. Lola Fely, Lola Antonina’s eldest sister is the founder of the Centro Escolar University (CEU) where Lola Antonina also taught. Lola Antonina herself, as well as at least another sister, Lola Domy, are pharmacists. I must say… not bad for women in Manila in the 1920s and 1930s.

The Francisco sisters, who were all pharmacists, had a pharmacy in Sta. Mesa St. called Farmacia Francisco. In 1920, there was a young man named Roman Mabanta who was the General Manager of the Philippine Vegetable Oil Company which was located in Pureza St. in Sta. Mesa. Roman would park his car near the Farmacia Francisco and he would see the lovely Francisco sisters. (Note: Yes, Roman was one of the very few who had a car in the 1920s. It was charcoal-fed and its fuel was alcohol converted into gasoline. I don’t know what kind of car he had though). Roman had his heart set on Antonina from the first time he laid eyes on her. Unfortunately, there was a malicious rumor going on at that time that Roman was the real father of a certain Tito Manahan. So, Antonina’s family didn’t like the two young lovers to be together. The sweethearts had to content themselves with sending each other secret love letters written in Spanish. But love prevailed and exactly six months from the time they met, Roman and Antonina got married and the Angkan ni Roman at Antonina was created. They bore six children, at a time when infant mortality was high. Five of the children were born through hilot. Only my Mom, who was the youngest, was born in the hospital. Those children bore 37 grandchildren (I am No. 37), who bore 86 great-grandchildren, who bore 8 great-great-grandchildren (yes, I myself, am a Lola now). They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1970, a few months after I was born. Lolo Roman died in 1976 and Lola Antonina died in 1986 at the age of 93.

Lolo and Lola moved from their ancestral home in P. Campa and lived in a house Dad built for them in the same compound as ours so I got to see them everyday as a child. After I come home from school, I would kiss Lola as she sat on her rocking chair on the balcon in front of the garden. She would always say, “Ah nanjan ka na pala.” I would always think to myself, “naturally, I’m here. I’m kissing you, aren’t I?” But I like to think that I am Lola Antonina’s favorite (do I hear violent objections from my cousins? Hehe!). I was, after all, her youngest grandchild and her namesake. Unknown to my parents, after they would give me my weekly allowance, I would go to Lola and she would give me another allowance. I was also the inheritor of her great beautiful Winkelmann piano. Lolo bought that piano for Lola way back in 1920 (which would make it 86 years old now and still sounding beautifully). It was imported all the way from Germany. It was made of shiny wood and it had a crown and old-fashioned candle holders. I used to love playing on it during the the frequent brown-outs in the 80s and 90s where I would put candles on the candelabra and I’d wear a white flowing robe for a proper sinister effect. The piano was really beautiful. I practiced on it since I took up piano lessons when I was 4 until I finished my Bachelor of Music in Piano (I hardly play now).

Anyway, I digress… so back to Lola Antonina. Lola Antonina loves her family. She would pray six rosaries, one for each of her children, every single day in her prayer room. Every Sunday, by unbreakable matriarchal decree, everyone had to come to the house in Kamuning for lunch. Lola would serve her delicious molo soup, paella, leche flan, and authentic Japanese sukiyaki. Yes, Lola had a gardener before the Japanese time who taught her to cook genuine Japanese cuisine. The reunions would be held in Lola Antonina’s flower garden in front of her house. She kept a long daisy patch beside the driveway. Beside it were the santol tree and the mango tree which bore the sweetest fruits every summer. There was also a coconut tree and a sampaloc tree. On one corner was the grotto with the Lady of Lourdes and a pond where my sister kept her turtles. The garden was carpeted with perfectly manicured bermuda grass. Lola tended her garden well and I can remember many family reunions she hosted there.

Lola Antonina loved her family so much and she would be happy to know that we remain close-knit as ever even after her death. We have grown very big now and our family reunions look like a people power revolution. We’re a bunch of big (except me – I’m small, but my cousins are all six-footers) fair, Chinese-looking, curly-haired, fiercely loyal to each other clan. And we proudly call ourselves the the Angkan ni Antonina. Yes, that’s my name too and I’m proud of it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLA ANTONINA!!!

Thank you to Uncle Peping Mabanta who provided me all the historical information about Lola Antonina and Lolo Roman. How I wish I could post pictures here of Lolo, Lola, the Angkan, the Winkelmann piano, etc., but all the pictures are in Manila.

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