Historical Kamuning Bakery : President Corazon Aquino among its customers

43 Judge Jimenez Street corner K-1 street, Kamuning , Quezon City -Philippines

facade of the bakery with wheat logo

We usually passed along Judge Jimenez street whenever we went to Fairview and whenever i go to Tomas Morato street in Quezon City . We used to order a couple of bread and sometimes we would also crave for their egg pies , cheese cakes, yema rolls and Pan de Rizal. The bakery had around 300 kinds of bread, cakes, pastries .

interior of the bakery

There is an air- conditioned portion where the bakery can accommodate up to 30 people at any given time. 

family photo taken during the 1950’s with a delivery trunk

History :
Kamuning Bakery was founded around November 1939 a few months after the birth of Quezon City. The community bakery had witness almost all facet of the city.
The bakery is likewise intimately connected with the founding and growth of the city named after President Manuel L. Quezon.

Pan de Rizal

One of the family old-time recipe was the Pan de Rizal a small round shaped bread which was a luxury during  the time of Rizal. According to the descendants , It was Rizal’s favorite bread, it was the one given to him by his sister when he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago. The bread was baked by their great- grandmother .  The bread is common in almost every neighborhood bakeries and was called by many names. The shelf -life is longer than the ordinary bread and can last between 5 to 7 days without any refrigeration .

Kamuning shrub with white flowers

The area used to be planted with a lot of Kamuning shrubs ( Murraya paniculata) which are commonly found in within the locality hence the name. is used both in traditional medicine as an analgesic and for wood (for tool handles).

In the West, Murraya paniculata is cultured as an ornamental tree or hedge because of its hardiness, wide range of soil tolerance.

blueberry cheesecake

We have ordered some of their home-made cakes and , this is is quite cheap at Php 65.00 per slice ! It is moist and by the time we wanted to order for take-out , it was gone !

The original owners of the bakery were Mr. Marcelo and Ms. Leticia Bonifacio, who at the time were already operating a successful bakeshop in Manila called Los Baños Bakery. The family are descendants of Lucia-Rizal-Herbosa – sister of Dr. Jose P. Rizal . 

Kamuning bakery has been pugon-baking  traditional pan de-suelo from the old family recipe of founder’s fore-bearers. Traditional old-fashioned baking with 75-year-old pugon or wood-fire brick .

  Biscocho -one of the bakery’s best sellers

This second bakery was one of the first structures in Kamuning, along with a barber shop, grocery, schools and a church. The bakery is pretty advance during their date, While most of the bakeries and business establishments only used ordinary lettering as their business logo, Kamuning Bakery used wheat as its logo to symbolized its primary ingredient in their breads.

cheesecake

Japanese Occupation

Operations were rudely interrupted during the Japanese Occupation of the 1940s. Imported flour was expensive and difficult to find. In February 1945 came the Battle of Manila, with the capital city bombed by the Americans and sacked by the Japanese. The southern districts of Intramuros, Ermita and Malate went up in flames. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed, among them Leticia’s father, Miguel Bonifacio, and her husband Marcelo Javier. Some of the ingredients were very hard find , some had to be substituted with other locally available ingredients.

pan de suelo

Pan de Suelo is comparable to French baguette with their crunchy texture on the outside and soft in the inside, It is perfect combination to any  pork and bean , sausages , ham or any leftover adobo or asado . It is also best for coffee or chocolate. The bakery plans to serve coffee which came from coffee plantations and farmers cooperative .

cookies with glazed fruits -Php 30.00 per pack

Widowed, Leticia, who was actually a lawyer, continued to run the business with her uncle Ambrosio Ison. Her bakers remained loyal to her. Helping out was Leticia’s 5-year-old son, Teddy Javier, who would sell pan de sal to customers, three pieces of which then cost five centavos.

pan de sal

It used to be a sleepy neighborhood with very few residents up until the late 1950’s when people began to settle the place. It was in the early 1980’s when two ( 2) television stations which are located near the bakery and its stars began patronizing the bakery.

egg pies

Mr. Teddy grew attached to the business, all the way to adolescence, college life, adulthood and employment as an ABS-CBN salesman. Eventually he resigned and took over management of the bakery. Business picked up when they were able to deliver bread to New Frontier, South Supermarket and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in Manila.

celebrities and famous personalities are hung in a portion of a wall

Celebrities and Presidents :

One of the bakery’s bestsellers is the Pan de Suelo, a favorite of President Corazon Aquino. “This kind of bread requires a special skill to bake,” . “It is cooked on the oven’s floor and the heat is circulated equally to ensure it is cooked perfectly.” Their bread is baked in a wood-fired oven, which gives the products a distinct flavor. Not all wood can be use baking breads , One of the best woods are from mangrove trees , hardwood varieties like narra, kamagong and yakal .

Mr. Wilson Lee-Flores

According to the present owner , Real estate and columnist  Mr. Wilson Lee- Flores accounts” Culinary Heritage Advocate ” Dr. Doreen Gamboa Fernandez wrote a lengthy article about the historical pastries and products that the bakeshop offers.

President Manuel L. Quezon would also visit the bakeshop when he would come to the city.
Celebrities like Ms. Coney Reyes, Mr. Richard Gomez , Mr. Rogelio dela Rosa , Mr. Aga Muhlach , Mr. Mikael Daez ,Ms. Jessica Soho , Ms. Gloria Romero, Felice Prudente Santa Maria , Mr. Butch Dalisay, Ms. Julie Yap-Daza, Don Alejandro Roces, Nick Joaquin among others……….

group photo with freelance writers and bloggers

The host is very engaging and there are plans to have a small restaurant within the premises which will serve pasta, coffee and hot chocolates.  When our group asked Mr. Wilson Lee -Flores on what type of bread can best described him, He said ” Pan de Suelo ” tough outside but soft inside ! 

Reference: Palayok : Philippine Food Through Time : On Site , In the Pot

Address: No. 43 Judge Jimenez Street corner K-1st Street, Kamuning, Quezon City.

Tels: 9292216, 7945045, 09175202756, 09985544220, 09228321888, 09178481818.

Store Hours extended to 11 pm daily & to 9 pm on Sundays.

Please join their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kamuningbakery1939

President Corazon Aquino Memorabilia Exhibit at Glorietta , Makati

Palm Drive, Glorietta 3 Activity Center, Makati City-Philippines

Glorietta Activity Center

The exhibit entitled “History and Her Story” commemorative photo  , memorabilia’s, and film archive gives guests a rare glimpse into former president  Corazon “Cory” Aquino’s life. This marks the 5th anniversary of her death anniversary on August 1, 2009 . There were a lot of activities all over Metro Manila , while  PHLPOST issued a 4 piece stamps and 1 souvenir sheet  flower paintings on scented papers last week.

Photos from her school years at the St. Scholastica’s College, to her marriage to the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. to the People Power EDSA revolution that changed her life, and in the process, Philippine history.

Saint Scholastica’s College-  Ms. Corazon  C. Aquino

This is quite rare moments of Cory Aquino, when she was studying at St. Scholastica’s College elementary days. This undated photo taken sometime before the second world war .

red dress

 Attire worn by former president Corazon Aquino when she was awarded Time’s magazine in 2006 as one of the top 65 Asian heroes and heroines. Not known to many- Cory’s favorite color is not yellow but it was RED !

Website: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555183,00.html

The exhibit showcases photographs from Cory’s close-in photographer Mr. Val Rodriguez, and the collections from the Aquino Center and Museum, and the Ninoy and Cory Foundation.

 

flower paintings on stamps

It was August 3, 2014 when we went to the Phlpost and saw some employees from the Philatelic section doing last minute preparations . We thought that there will be some sort of stamp exhibit about the former President Corazon Aquino – There were several stamps , fist day covers from 1992 to the definitive issues of 1999 , Cory memorial stamps in 2009 and the latest scented stamp issues .

 

stamps and paintings ( replica ) on display

We thought the exhibit will show all of the stamps issued during President Corazon Aquino term of office  but we got dismayed on how the presentation of the  framed stamps were exhibited. We thought  that it was because of the security inside the mall that the real paintings which were featured on the stamps was not exhibited . All of the stamps are in private collections.

 

L-R yellow dress worn by President Corazon C. Aquino during the 25th anniversary of ninoy aquino death in 2008, right yellow dress worn by cory which was depicted in the new generation Php 500 peso banknote issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and she also worn the dress during People Asia magazine pictorials.

source:http://www.bworldonline.com/

People Asia launched its issue entitled “Five Years Later Remember Cory”, which features never before seen photographs of Cory prior to and during her presidency.

 

video of President Corazon Aquino joint US congress address

Along with the exhibit, President Aquino also led the unveiling of a photo of former President Cory, which is featured in the special issue of People Asia magazine for August 2014. The magazine is being sold for Php 200 at the secretariat.

 

People Asia Magazine

 The exhibited was opened by President Benigno Simeon Aquino last August 4, 2014 monday and the exhibit will be until August 10, 2014. There is no entrance fees.

Woman in Yellow

January 25, 2010 marked the 77th birthday of the former Philippine President Corazon Aquino . To celebrate the event,  staunch Cory supporter Manila  Mayor  Alfredo Lim inaugurated the first monument in the country dedicated to the former leader of the country.

located right outside the Intramuros walls  beside the statute of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. right across the historic Manila Hotel and Luneta park . It would actually be the latest in the city’s  “yellow fever craze” as some might call it, Most of the City hall employees and traffic enforcers are already wearing yellow uniform , having already named a bridge, an elementary school, a university building, and a hospital after her in a span of 5 months.

77th birthday FDC commemorative stamp with second print Cory memoriam stamps

Not to mentioned the not so new issue of the Philippine Postal Corporation  a  First Day Cover ( Cory’s 77th birthday )  with a second print of the Cory Aquino memoriam stamps . These FDC stamp is  considered commemorative, since there were about 500 pieces according to the philatelic staff.

Tita Cory was featured in Philippine stamps  for about a dozen times which included the definitive issue (Philippine Presidents ) series  in early  2000.

Manila Cityhall officials led by the enigmatic Mayor Alfredo Lim, Ms. Gemma Cruz- Araneta , members of the Cojuangco- Aquino family , distinguished guests led the unveiling of the statue.

The monument  showed the former President  Cory flashing the ever-famous “Laban” or “Fight” hand sign on her right while holding the 1987 Philippine Constitution on her left which Castrillo explained was a symbolism of Cory’s legacy in restoring and upholding democratic rule in the country.

Senator Benigno Aquino statute

The  Cory monument was designed by renowned Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo ,  who happens also to be the same sculptor behind the Rajah Sulayman monument, Our Lady of EDSA,  the Pinaglabanan shrine monument and the  Bonifacio monument beside the Manila Cityhall among many others.

Cory and Ninoy stickers a hot item for collectors and sympathizers

After the unveiling ceremonies of the statue, the sea of yellow supporters and crowd sung famous EDSA songs , yellow colored balloons were flown,   While street hawkers had the opportunity to sell merchandises related to the famous couple.

Despite being world-famous for fighting martial law and restoring democracy in the country, The tandem of Ninoy and Cory statute  seems out of place !

Under the National Historical Institute guidelines on monuments, the Rizal Monument at Luneta (Rizal Park, Manila) and the Bonifacio Monument (Caloocan City) are established as points of reference and should preferably be the focal point of a city or town center.

The NHI said if two or more monuments are present at the site, the most important monument should be given prominence at the site. It said the environment around the monument must be clean and neat and should not overshadow the dominant monument.

“No new construction, demolition or modification, which would alter the relations of mass and color must be allowed,” the NHI added.

55th wedding anniversary of Corazon Aquino and Ninoy Aquino

October 11, 2009 marked the 55th wedding anniversary of the late President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and Senator Benigno Aquino Jr.

Photo taken from  the book : Ninoy Ideas  & Ideologies  page 9 : copyright 1993

The couple were married on October 11, 1954 on a simple ceremony.

Kris was emotional after Christian Bautista sang the song.

“I don’t think my dad could have become the man he became and the hero for all of us if he didn’t have a wife like my mom. And… my mom would never have become the symbol of democracy for our country kung hindi siya naging asawa ni Ninoy Aquino,” Kris said.

Photo taken  from the book : Ninoy Ideas  & Ideologies , page 8 : copyright 1993

“Finally, they’d be together in their wedding anniversary,” Kris added. “No matter how much we missed our parents, knowing that they’re together now, gives us some measure of comfort.”

Corazon Aquino memoriam stamps

The Philpost had issued last September 8 , 2009 a special commemorative memoriam stamps for the late president Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. This was a day before the 40th death anniversary .

First day issue with se-tenant stamp

Some of the memoriam stamps that was issued by the Philpost includes former president Ramon Magsaysay , US president John F. Kennedy , Pope John Paul II, former Manila  Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin among others.

President Cory is a known devotee of Mother Mary. The EDSA Shrine was formally known as the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, which is dedicated to Our Lady whom many believe miraculously interceded to oust the dictatorship in a peaceful uprising in 1986.

The Philippine Postal Corporation released a  limited quantities of se-tenants postage stamps, or two pieces of stamps that are joined together but bearing different designs, in honor of the former leader.

whole sheet of President Corazon Aquino stamps

PhilPost  had issued  a limited number of the stamps of  70,000 pieces of this new Aquino stamps will be made available to the public and collectors alike.

Four-hundred pieces of first day cover (FDC) envelopes was  given as a special gift to the Aquino family. A limited number will be made available for sale during the launching, strictly for those who have been invited to the affair.

Menchit Ongpin, whose photograph of President Aquino was used in the stamp and University of Fine Arts professor Marco Ruben Trinos Malto II would also receive smaller versions of the stamp frame for their respective contributions in the preparation of this iconic stamp.

Villanueva said that “Cory Aquino stamps will serve as a fitting tribute to her achievements before her incumbency when she led the 1986 People Power Revolution. As well as the freedom and democracy that we regained during her tenure, including fighting off several coup attempts to unseat her, must never be forgotten by all Filipinos,” he said.

Villanueva is also hoping that the stamps would serve as a permanent reminder to all Filipinos, those present and future generations, of her valuable contribution to the country.

complete set of 1992 Kabisig stamps of then President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino

This is the fifth  Cory stamps issued by PhilPost. The first was when she assumed the Presidency in 1986. This is not to include the definitive issues by the Philpost in the early 2000.

complete set of 1986 People Power stamp (mint condition)

Above – Sen. Benigno Aquino post card, 1992 Kabisig first day cover

Here is the breakdown:

1986 People Power 4 piece set issue plus souvenir sheet

1987 Constitution 2 piece set

1992 Kabisig Program 4 piece set

1992 President Aquino with President Ramos inaugural stamp

The production of the stamps was  coordinated by Mr. Rapa Lopa, nephew of Mrs. Aquino, who is also the Executive Director of the Benigno Aquino, Jr. Foundation.

However, Most of the first edition print were already sold-out during the first 3 days of the sale!!!!! The Philpost again reprinted another 150,000 se-tenant set or about 300,000 stamps of Cory.

Philatelists ,  saw  the second print editions had color variations. Thus creating another market ( errors and variation)!!! The  first printed edition is highly collectible since only 35,000 pieces of  se-tenant pairs were issued.

Very limited indeed!!!!