Author's Notes on Book 2 of The Saga of Fray Paco

Author’s Notes on The Saga of Fray Paco: Book Two. Don Cesar. The Tycoon

Book 1 of the Saga of Fray Paco introduced the bird who was known in my family as Fray Paco. In Book 2, I introduce my family and the city they lived in – Manila the Pearl of the Orient. Of course – things changed as a result of the Philippine – American war – when America asserted its Colonial aspirations. As always, war brings change and during periods of change there are opportunities.

Book 2: Don Cesar the Tycoon - Chapters One and Two.

Don Cesar Ortigas Nieto, the young Tycoon presents the new 20th century. Like the Renaissance which came gradually and then exploded, so did the Industrial Revolution. The English and Dutch banks had accumulated immense liquidity due to the slave trade in Africa and in the Americas. Their vaults and coffers literally overflowed with gold, silver, diamonds and other precious metals. They swam in money. The great wealth derived from the slave trade fueled the Industrial Revolution in England. The English had enjoyed 150 years of prosperity and created a vast empire. Spain's empire was in decline and America saw the opportunity to grab some pieces it coveted – and so they did.

When the slave trade was stamped out at last in Africa and in the Americas the contingency scenarios they had devised were now firmly in place. Now they turned their eyes towards the East, India and China and all their masses of humanity to exploit as slave labor in the factories and as serfs in the agricultural industries. As a panacea to their intolerable living and working conditions they sold them opium.

The Philippines was a Spanish colony but few Spanish entrepreneurs immigrated to the islands. There was no decent employment. Those who came were adventurous and enterprising Basque and Catalan bankers and financiers. They formed profitable joint ventures with the English capitalists operating in South East Asia. All of these Moneymen including Don Cesar Ortigas Nieto practiced pure mercantilism. Between them they divided up the spoils.

Don Cesar is the young voice of the century consumed by the acquisitive itch, which he seeks to satisfy in as moral a way as he is able and capable of doing. When he discovers that this itch appears to be on a collision course with what a truly holy person might call unethical and immoral beliefs he follows his selfish pursuits. It must be said, however, that within the context of the time, Don Cesar was a cultured if not erudite man searching for an equitable balance between Knowledge and Spirituality, Lust and Self-Denial and Kindness and Thoughtlessness towards all creatures great and small.

Don Juan is destined to remain an intriguing enigma. A man of principle but which principle does he pursue? A man whose family had possessed great wealth for centuries enabling him all the time in the world to attack sacred cows and bring them down if necessary.

One who had a Muslim as his most trusted scribe. A Sephardic Jew. Fascinated by the figure of Jesus and Machiavelli. He and Don Cesar induce us the readers to examine the teachings of Jesus and view them as similar in many way to those of Prince Siddhartha – the Gautama Buddha.

Machiavelli in a prismatic light who proffered morality in Politics and who advocated separation of Church and State in the early 16th century.

Don Juan is thus a secular individual more than a religious one. At the time that Don Cesar sought his legal expertise to represent the cause of the Ortigas Nieto against the Dominican Friars and the Roman Curia in Rome; rumors abounded that he was the Venerable Master of a secret Masonic Loggia that he had founded in Manila. He was a man of Law, but again we must ask ourselves which Laws?

Don Mamerto, Don Cesar’s middle brother is the voice of the Intelligentsia. He belongs to those extraordinary souls such as Mark Twain who ferociously attack the amassing of wealth for the sake of wealth as inhuman and vicious. Don Mamerto is a Protester and a Dissenter. He spurs Don Cesar towards good deeds.

Don Torquato is the man of faith. He is devoted to the Catholic Church and does his beast to live within its precepts. In spite of this, he has an abiding respect for his eldest brother Don Cesar. He disapproves of the wealth and grandeur of the Church; in particular its vices gall him. But he is unwavering in his faith in Jesus and in the early teachings of Christianity.

Dona Urraca represents the eternal dilemma of women. Marriage and a tribe of children which inevitably devour you, the nunnery, promiscuity done in secret or the elegant salons of the Casa Allegre –a.k.a as the Happy House or the Bordello. She found another solution, which proved satisfying though solitary. Following prevailing custom, she lived with her eldest brother, Don Cesar who was a devoted brother as were Don Mamerto and Don Torquato and allowed her free rein regarding her personal life.

The illnesses, which afflicted her, are sadly still with us today. Malaria and Dengue fever are more deadly and kill more people than ever. Jet travel has seen to it that these maladies are now present in great numbers in the West.

Tomorrow I shall post a chapter on Book Three of The Saga of Fray Paco. Don Alcibiades: The Banker. This book describes the humorous early days of Fray Paco and our family – set against the roaring 20's of Manila.

P.S. The picture above is of the US General's staff in Manila - taken in 1904 (when book begins).

Life in the US and Philippines in 1904

Dear Reader,

Before I introduce my main character in Book 2 of the Saga of Fray Paco: "The Tycoon Don Cesar," I would like to give you a brief overview backdrop for my story.

The first thing to keep in mind is that this book takes place during the Philippine American War. Here's a brief overview of what things were like back then -- both in the USA (the colonizer) and in the Philippines (the colonizee).

HERE ARE SOME OF THE US STATISTICS FOR 1904:

THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE U.S. WAS 47 YEARS.

ONLY 14% OF THE HOMES IN THE U.S. HAD A BATHTUB.

ONLY 8% OF THE HOMES HAD A TELEPHONE.

A THREE-MINUTE CALL FROM DENVER TO NEW YORK CITY COST $11.00

THERE WERE ONLY 8,000 CARS IN THE US, AND ONLY 144 MILES OF PAVED ROADS.

THE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT IN MOST CITIES WAS 10 MPH.

ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, IOWA, AND TENNESSEE WERE EACH MORE HEAVILY POPULATED THAN CALIFORNIA. WITH A MERE 1.4 MILLION RESIDENTS, CALIFORNIA WAS ONLY THE 21ST MOST POPULOUS STATE IN THE UNION.

THE TALLEST STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD WAS THE EIFFEL TOWER.

THE AVERAGE WAGE IN THE U.S. WAS 22 CENTS AN HOUR.

THE AVERAGE U.S. WORKER MADE BETWEEN $200 AND $400 PER YEAR.

A COMPETENT ACCOUNTANT COULD EXPECT TO EARN $2,000 PER YEAR, A DENTIST $2,500 PER YEAR.

A VETERINARIAN BETWEEN $1,500 AND $4,000 PER YEAR.

A MECHANICAL ENGINEER ABOUT $1,200 PER YEAR.

MORE THAN 95 PERCENT OF ALL BIRTHS IN THE U.S. TOOK PLACE AT HOME.

NINETY PERCENT OF ALL U.S. PHYSICIANS HAD NO COLLEGE EDUCATION.
INSTEAD, THEY ATTENDED MEDICAL SCHOOLS, MANY OF WHICH WERE CONDEMNED IN THE PRESS AND BY THE GOVERNMENT AS "SUB-STANDARD."

SUGAR COST FOUR CENTS A POUND. EGGS WERE FOURTEEN CENTS A DOZEN.

COFFEE WAS FIFTEEN CENTS A POUND.

MOST WOMEN ONLY WASHED THEIR HAIR ONCE A MONTH, AND USED BORAX OR EGG YOLKS FOR SHAMPOO.

CANADA PASSED A LAW PROHIBITING POOR PEOPLE FROM ENTERING THE COUNTRY FOR ANY REASON.

THE FIVE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN THE US WERE:
1. PNEUMONIA AND INFLUENZA
2. TUBERCULOSIS
3. DIARRHEA
4. HEART DISEASE
5. STROKE

THE AMERICAN FLAG HAD 45 STARS. ARIZONA, OKLAHOMA, NEW MEXICO, HAWAII, AND ALASKA HADN'T BEEN ADMITTED TO THE UNION YET.

THE POPULATION OF LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, WAS 30!

CROSSWORD PUZZLES, CANNED BEER, AND ICED TEA HADN'T BEEN INVENTED.

THERE WAS NO MOTHER'S DAY OR FATHER'S DAY.

TWO OF 10 U.S. ADULTS COULDN'T READ OR WRITE. ONLY 6% OF ALL AMERICANS HAD GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

MARIJUANA, HEROIN, AND MORPHINE WERE ALL AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER AT CORNER DRUGSTORES. ACCORDING TO ONE PHARMACIST, "HEROIN CLEARS THE COMPLEXION, GIVES BUOYANCY TO THE MIND, REGULATES THE STOMACH AND BOWELS, AND IS, IN FACT, A PERFECT GUARDIAN OF HEALTH." (NUFF SAID)

EIGHTEEN PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLDS IN THE U.S. HAD AT LEAST ONE FULL-TIME SERVANT OR DOMESTIC.

THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 230 REPORTED MURDERS IN THE ENTIRE U.S.

Okay ... now here are some facts about life in the Philippines at the same time

> LIFE EXPECTANCY WAS 65 YEARS, UNLESS YOU WERE A GUERILLA FIGHTER, IN WHICH CASE THE U.S. MILITARY SHOT YOU DEAD ON SIGHT

> THE PASEO AROUND OUR GORGEOUS PLAZAS WAS LIMITED TO TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE CONSTANTLY WITHIN THE SIGHTS OF THE WINCHESTER RIFLES OF THE U. S. SOLDIERS. YOU WERE A CORPSE IF YOU EXCEEDED THE PRESCRIBED NUMBER TWO
YOU WOULD ALSO FIND YOURSELF IN THE OTHER WORLD IF YOU SANG SONGS CONSIDERED SUBVERSIVE OR ANTI AMERICAN, THE MILITARY ESPECIALLY HATED THE SONG ABOUT "SOME G - D BIRD''

NOTE: MOST FILIPINOS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT SONG "BAYA KO". WE ALL SANG IT DURING THE ANTI -MARCOS RALLIES.

 VIRTUALLY ALL FILIPINOS HAD ACCESS TO SOME FORM OF BATHTUB OR SHOWER. THEY HAD ARTESIAN WELLS, TANKS FOR COLLECTING RAIN WATER. MANILA WATER WAS HIGHLY DESIRED. RICH FILIPINOS TRAVELED AROUND EUROPE AND AMERICA
WITH THEIR OWN CASKS OF IT.

NOTE: I MEAN, THERE WERE SLUMS IN LONDON, PARIS, MADRID, NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SMELLY FILIPINOS ARE STILL HARD TO FIND, IN SPITE OF THE ABJECT POVERTY WHICH WAS UNKNOWN IN 1904 BUT WHICH SADLY , IS VERY FAMILIAR TO US TODAY. OUR POLITICIANS, AS MANY OTHERS ALL OVER THE WORLD STINK. BUT,,,,,,,,,,,NOT BECAUSE OF BODY ODOR.........UNLIKE SOME OTHERS IN MORE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES.

> THERE WERE 35,000 TELEPHONES. SOME RICH FAMILIES HAD MORE THAN ONE LINE.

> THE MILITARY, THANKS TO THE FARSIGHTEDNESS OF GENERAL ARTHUR MACARTHUR, THOUGHT A HAPPY AND CONTENTED UPPER CLASS WAS PARAMOUNT TO THE PACIFICATION OF THE ISLANDS. THEIR THINKING AT THE TIME WAS THAT YOU CAN'T PLOT REVOLUTIONS IF YOU'RE BUSY GOSSIPING ABOUT THE  MOST LURID SCANDAL OF THE WEEK..........WE DID / DO STILL HAVE PLENTY OF THAT.

NOTE: THERE WAS THE SMALL OBSTACLE OF OBTAINING THE PERMISSION FROM THE U.S.AUTHORITIES IN ORDER TO HAVE A TELEPHONE. IT WAS ONLY A BURUEACRATIC HASSLE, USUALLY, THE POOR WHITE TRASH SOLDIERS/ENGINEERS WERE ONLY TO HAPPY TO BE SUBORNED. AFTER ALL, THE ILLUSTRADOS (ILLUSTRIOUS) FAMILIES WERE WHITE OR MESTIZO. MIXED FILIPINO OR CHINESE. WHAT THE HELL........DOUGH WAS DOUGH.

> THERE WERE 30,000 CARS AND VEHICLES, MOSTLY IN THE HANDS OF THE MILITARY.

> THERE WERE OVER 800 MILES OF PAVED ROADS, IN ORDER TO REACH THE GOOKS WHO WERE ONCE AGAIN REVOLTING OR CAUSING TROUBLE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THESE ROADS WERE ALSO USEFUL TO THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY. WE HAD ALL THOSE NATURAL RESOUCES OUR COLONIZER COVETED SO MUCH. THE FASTER TO GET THE STUFF TO MARKET, THEN ONTO SHIPS TO THE ''MOTHER COUNTRY''

> THE SPEED LIMIT WAS THE SAME AS THE USA. TEN MPH. BUREAUCRATS, WE KNOW, HAVE NO IMAGINATION.

NOTE: NEITHER CIVILIANS NOR MILITARY PAID ATTENTION TO THE SPEED LIMIT. THERE WERE FREQUENT SMASHUPS, ESPECIALLY ON WEEKENDS WHEN
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS WOULD GET PISSED TO THE GILLS.

> BEER OVERFLOWED, BUT THE NATIVES ( THAT WOULD BE OUR FOREFATHERS) MADE POTENT DRINKS LIKE TUBA AND BASI. THEY WERE POISONED MOST OF THE TIME. THEY HOPED TO KILL MORE AMERICANS. SO ANY VILLAGE FOUND WITH THESE DRINKS,,,,,,,THAT MEANT MOST VILLAGES......WERE PUNISHED BY BEING HERDED INTO CONCENTRATION CAMPS, OUT IN THE OPEN WITHOUT FOOD AND WATER , AND LEFT TO DIE.

> IF THEY FELT MERCIFUL. SOMETIMES SOLDIERS, HARDENED FROM THE INDIAN AND CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA SHOT EVERYTHING THAT MOVED INSIDE THOSE ''PENS'' ON SEARCH AND DESTROY MISSIONS, THE HELPLESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN COULD ONLY POINT TO THE THICK JUNGLES UP HIGH AND YELL IN TAGALOG ''BUNDOKS'' AS TO THE WHEREABOUTS OF THEIR’’ TERRORIST/BANDIT ‘’ MEN. THE FILIPINOS REFERRED TO THEM AS ‘’GUERRILLEROS‘’ OR ‘’SOLDADOS POR LA LIBERTAD‘’ FREEDOM FIGHTERS.

N.B. THE WORD BUNDOKS HAS SINCE ENTERED THE AMERICAN LEXICON AS "BOONDOCKS".

> FILIPINOS WERE ALSO CALLED ''INJINS'' ''TAGALS'' ''MANILA MEN'' BROWNIES AND MONKEYS WITH NO TAILS. THE WORD ''GOOK'' WAS ESPECIALLY FAVORED. IT WAS A KOREAN WORD FOR KOREAN RIFF RAFF. VIETNAM WOULD TAKE THIS WORD TO GREAT HEIGHTS.

> THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT STORE IN THE WORLD WAS WING ON, IN SHANGHAI
IT WAS EIGHT STORIES HIGH AND COVERED AN AREA OF 200,000 SQUARE METERS. IN MANILA WE HAD THE MOST LAVISH EMPORIUM, CALLED "OCEANIC". CUSTOMERS DRESSED UP TO SHOP THERE. THE OWNERS, SEPHARDIC JEWS, CHARGED AN ENTRANCE FEE. ALL OF MANILA'S ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILIES CONCURRED.

PLEASE NOTE: THE PURPOSE OF THE ENTRY FEE WAS TO KEEP THE NON - COMMISIIONED U. S. SERVICEMEN OUT. SAILORS , WHEN THEIR
SHIPS DOCKED COULD ONLY GAWK AT THE ELEGANT STORE WINDOWS.

> SIKHS AND PATHANS FROM INDIA'S NORTHWEST FRONTIER (AFGHANISTAN) GUARDED THE PREMISES. ALL WERE OVER SIX FEET TALL, WORE TURBANS WHICH WERE 12 TO 15 INCHES HIGH, AND WERE SHOD IN BOOTS WITH THREE INCH HEELS. GOLD AND SILVER DAGGERS ADORNED THEIR BELTS.

> THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF THE PHILIPPINES BANNED THE POSSESSION OF FIREARMS UNDER PAIN OF SUMMARY EXECUTION.

> THE LOCALS USED CURANDEROS/SHAMANS SKILLED IN THE TRADITIONAL ARTS OF HEALING. THEY HAD A HIGHER RATE OF WELL BEING THAN THE ARMY .

> THE NATIVES – HAD A HIGHER RATE OF LITERACY THAN ITS OCCUPIERS. IT WAS CLOSE TO 50%. .

> SPAIN, THEIR FORMER COLONIZER HAD AN APPALLING LITERACY RATE, 10%. INDEED, LIFE IN SPAIN "SUCKED’’.

>FILIPINO DOCTORS CAME FROM THE RICH FAMILIES. THEY STUDIED IN UNIVERSITIES IN GERMANY, SUCH AS HEIDELBERG, MAINZ, DRESDEN, NUREMBERG AND VIENNA IN AUSTRIA. THERE WAS OXFORD, BUT THE FAMILIES HAD SUFFERED FIRST HAND THE HORRIFYING EFFECTS OF COLONIZATION. THEY COLLABORATED WITH THE AMERICANS, FOR REASONS OF EXPEDIENCY AND SURVIVAL, BUT THAT DID NOT MEAN THEY LIKED THEIR COLONIZERS.

> THE 800 MILES OF PAVED ROADS ALSO SERVED TO GET OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. WHICH OUR COLONIZERS EXPLOITED, ON BOARD SHIPS BOUND FOR AMERICA AND EUROPE, WHICH FLEW AMERICAN , BRITISH AND GERMAN FLAGS. SUGAR WAS VERY CHEAP, WE WERE GROWING IT,

> ALL MEN AND WOMEN, WASHED THEIR HAIR EVERY DAY. THEY USED COCONUT SOAP, CALAMANSI JUICE, GUAVA AND MANGO JUICE. LEMON GRASS WAS EXCELLENT AS WAS AVOCADO. THERE WERE CHINESE HERBALISTS IN CHINATOWN WHO SOLD SPECIAL SHAMPOOS .....AT A PRICE.

> THE FIVE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH DEPENDED ON IF YOU WERE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN:

MILITARY:
1. BACTERIAL INFECTIONS INCLUDING PNEUMONIA
2. TUBERCULOSIS
3, MALARIA AND OTHER HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
4. HEART DISEASE AND STROKE
5. DEATH AT THE HANDS OF THE FREEDOM/GUERILLA FIGHTERS

CIVILIANS:
1. TUBERCULOSIS
2. MALARIA, AND OTHER HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
3. DEATH BY FIRING SQUADS, STARVATION, WATER DEPRIVATION,---
4. CHOLERA
5. OTHER BACTERIAL INFECTIONS-

FATHER'S DAY WAS CELEBRATED ON THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH, 19TH OF MARCH

> THE FEAST OF THE NAME OF THE VIRGIN MARY WAS THE DAY OF THE MOTHER.........IT'S SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER.

> UNTIL 1911, TRADE IN OPIUM WAS LEGAL, AS WERE HEROIN, COCAINE, GANJA, AND MARIJUANA

> INDEED, MARIJUANA WAS SMOKED BY OUR ELDERLY ANCESTORS FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND GLAUCOMA. THERE IS NO RECORD IN MY FAMILY’S DIARIES OF ANYONE'S BRAINS BEING FRIED. PERHAPS THE WAY IT IS REFINED TODAY SUCKS?

NOTE: MY GRANDFATHER WAS ADDICTED TO ABSINTHE. HE DIED AT THE AGE OF 39. YOU WILL FIND A REFERENCE TO WORMWOOD FROM WHENCE IT IS DERIVED IN THE APOCALYPSE OF SAINT JOHN'S REVELATIONS. 

> THERE WAS WIDESPREAD USE OF DRUGS IN THE BRITISH, FRENCH AND AMERICAN ARMIES. YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW THE POPULATIONS IN SHANGHAI, SAIGON, BANGKOK, HONG KONG, NEW DELHI, BOMBAY, CALCUTTA, WERE REDUCED BY THE EASY ACCESS TO ALL THESE DRUGS.

> IN MANILA, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH EXERCISED ITS CONSIDERABLE POWER TO STIFLE ITS USE, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE RURAL AND WORKING CLASSES WHO COULD ILL AFFORD IT.

> THERE WERE EXTRAVAGANT OPIUM PARLORS AS WELL AS CLUBS FOR PEDOPHILES. ONE NOTORIOUS PLACE IN NEW YORK CITY WAS RUN BY A 15 YEAR OLD MERCENARY IRISH . HE HAD DOG FIGHTS IN WHICH CLIENTS PLACED HEAVY BETS. HIS MALE AND FEMALE PROSTITUTES WERE AGED 5 TO 13. THE DEATH RATE AMONG THEM WAS
STAGGERING.

>IN MANILA THE INFAMOUS BABILONIA CLUB CATERED TO PEDOPHILES. IT WAS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS BABYLANDIA.ITS OWNER , A LEBANESE JEW WAS A PROFESSIONAL GAMBLER IN HIS LATE TEENS. POKER , FANTAN AND MAHJONG PROLIFERATED AND IT TOOK NO PRISONERS. THE BABILONIA CATERED LAVISHLY TO ITS MEMBERS. WALK- INS COULD NOT ENTER ITS OPULENT PREMISES.  

> MOST RURAL AND URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN THE PHILIPPINES HAD MORE THAN ONE DOMESTIC HELPER. THE RICH CARED FOR THEIR DOMESTICS UNTIL DEATH. THEY LOOKED AFTER THEIR HEALTH, CLOTHES, SCHOOLS, WEDDINGS, FUNERALS. OFTEN, THE CHILDREN OF DOMESTICS ATTENDED THE SAME SCHOOLS AS THE CHILDREN OF THE WEALTHY. IT WAS THE CUSTOM TO PAY FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ONE'S STAFF.

> MANILA WAS A BUSY PORT. MOST OF THE MURDERS, WHICH WERE NOT PUBLISHED BY THE MILITARY IN 1904 INVOLVED DRUNKEN FIGHTS BETWEEN SERVICEMEN OVER GIRLS/WOMEN.

> BECAUSE OF A COMBINATION OF FACTORS, TOO LONG TO DELVE INTO HERE, MY BOOKS WILL ILLUSTRATE IT,,,,,,,,,MANILA WAS KNOWN AS THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT. SCIONS OF POWERFUL AMERICAN FAMILIES LIKE NELSON AND DAVID ROCKEFELLER, JACOB SCHIFF AND BARON MAX WARBURG HONEYMOONED IN OUR ISLANDS AND COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF MANILA.


Here we are - a hundred and four years later ... except now instead of being the "Pearl of the Orient" - Manila is now the Cloaca of the Orient.

PEOPLE! THAT TOOK A GREAT DEAL OF SELF DESTRUCTIVE EFFORT. WE ALLOWED OURSELVES TO BE COWED, BOUGHT, SEDUCED AND CORRUPTED INTO ACCEPTANCE IF NOT SUBMISSION.

> UNLIKE THE VIETNAMESE, WE DID NOT STAND AND FIGHT TO THE DEATH, WILLING TO DO IT TO THE LAST MAN.ALAS! WE HAD NO HO CHI MINTH.