Juan Nepomuceno

BIOGRAPHY OF JUAN NEPOMUCENO Y VENTURA AS AUTHENTICATED BY HIMSELF AND HIS FATHER

THE parents of Juan V. Nepomuceno are Juan Nepomuceno Y Angeles and Macaria Ventura y Santos, both are natives of Manila during the Spanish government. They have had four daughters and two sons, born in Manila, and two daughters and myself, born in Tarlac, during the Spanish government. From the eldest to the youngest: Constancio, Aquilina, Cirila, Bonifacia, Jose, Concepcion, Dolores, Juan and Elena.

ACCORDING to my elder sisters and brothers, my father while in Manila had studied four years of law and dun to this fact, he was de¬signated Clerk of Court in Tarlac, still under the Spanish government, and that he enrolled me in a private school named St. Vincent Ferrer,in Manila, for my elementary studies at the age of seven; but on account of the raising Philippine revolution against the Spanish regime, he got me back in Tarlac.

FROM my own knowledge, my father when OUT country was liberated from Spanish government, he attended the Assembly of Representatives in the church of Barasoain, Malolos, as representative for Tarlac, under the Presidency of General Emilio Aguinaldol. Who later moved to Tarlac and. Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, on retreating from the attacks of American forces.

IN 1899, I was with some of my sisters residing in Victoria, Tarlac, where my father was Municipal Justice of the Peace, during American government, and in 1901, I went to Manila to enroll in a Filipino private school named Liceo de Manila, where I terminated my high school. Afterwards I enrolled in Sto. Tomas University for course of medicine, and in 1912, I was gradated as licensed physician and returned to Victoria, to get my father and sisters to live with me in Tarlac, where I was practicing my profession.

In 1915, I was appointed President of Sanitary Division of Tarlac, composed of three municipalities: Victoria, La Paz, and Tarlac, as my headquarters; afterwards, the two former municipalities were separated from my sanitary division. Aside from this appointment, I was designated as Acting Provincial Health of Tarlac in 1919, for one year, more or less.

UPON assuming my position, I found the insanitary practices of the masses such as cooked foods wore exposed to flies and dust, with¬out covers, in the market, as well as in hotels and restaurants, bakeries; vendors alongside the streets and sidewalks, stray domestic animals as pigs, goats, carabaos, horses and cows, ramming around and leaving their wastes on the ground. The houses in the community without toilet system, only the so-called pig system. The toilet in the public market was of the pail system; no trash receptacles, garbage and refuse scattered on the- floor; vendors' stalls mostly occupying the floor, no passages for the market shoppers, etc.

Knowing that the insanitary conditions so found cannot be reme¬died. at once to the better, the first four years of my administration were devoted to lecturing the, people about good sanitation and coopera¬tion with me in behalf of public health. In the meantime, I have sub¬mitted to the proper authorities such municipal sanitary ordinances as prohibiting the cooked foodstuffs without proper covers against flies and dust, requiring owners of houses to have sanitary toilet with flash water, Antipolo system or pit system in the rural areas; to have water hand pump instead of the insanitary dug well, putting emptied drums for garbage and refuse along the sidewalks.

I recommended to the municipal council to provide public market with trash receptacles with covers, water hand pumps, sanitary toilet with flash water, more street cleaners and truck garbage collector, catching of stray animals which were impounded in a place and he recovered within three days or put in public auction under the auspices of the municipal treasurer who received, the money derived from the public auction, issuing the corresponding official receipts which I use them for the prosecution against the violators of such ordinances, prohibiting tamps vendors for both sides of the streets as well as sidewalks, prohibiting adulterating milk as detected by the lactometor, physical examination of personnel in hotels and, restaurants, bakeries, etc.

DURING my administration, a free medical consultation at certain hour of the morning, performing autopsies and treating physical injuries, issuing the odrreaponding medicolegal reports, appearing before courts of justice, performing physical examinations of dancers in cabarets and Prostitutes which were already found prior to my administration, for the detection of contagious diseases, particularly venereal disease. Those found healthy were issued the corresponding medical certificate to continue with their occupation and those found with the diseases were put under treatment until they become healthy. AFTER lecturing the people during the first four years of my administration, the following three years I began prosecuting the violators of sanitary ordinances so much so the community nicknamed me: "Dr. Juaning, eatricto maselan", and receiving by mail, threats and anonymous letters.

FINALLY, the public sanitary conditions of Tarlac was better, after the end of my administration, thanks to the cooperation of the community and government authorities, and whoever had notice it may attest so. In this connection, I would like to mention Mr. NICANOR SALAZAR, actual municipal councilor of Tarlac for many terms, may certify concerning the better public sanitation at the end of my administration as President of the Sanitary Division.

IT is further stated that, before my official administration, in 1915, under my initiative, the Tarlac Women's club was founded among the civic women of Tarlac, and a Puericulture Center was established under the auspices of the said club.

PERSONAL REMARKS:

I was born in Tarlac, Tarlac, on 30th April 1887. AS to temperament I am tranquil, but I lost it when discussing to an insistent and unreasonable person.

IN thinking, I am broad-minded about 40 years ago.

IN -1913, I married Simplicia L. EXEQUIEL of Candaba, Pampanga, by civil marriage, having had six children: one male and five females.

The one male and one female died during their childhood, the remaining four daughters already married now. I am now a widower since August 11, 1963.

SINCE I have had grand and great-grandchildren whom I kiss and pick the cheeks, I enjoy seeing children on the streets and pick their cheeks when casually I approach them. CONCERNING dances and music, I used to dance the waltz, polka and one-step; playing piano, accordion and guitar, by self-study during my younger years. I enjoy seeing native dances, hearing songs sung by women because of their delightful and. tender voices.

REGARDING the arts, I paint in water color, oil and crayon by self-study and creative imagination until nowadays. I am also an amateur photographer.

MY favorite pets are birds kept in cages.

IT social characteristics, I am talkative, like to chat with anybody in various topics, in doing so, I keep my five senses and mental faculties functioning, not dormant, despite my advancing age.

I go to bed late, sleeping six hours as average and wake up at dawn then I wash my mouth and face, practicing calisthenics exercises, cleaning everything from dust in the house, and take my breakfast afterwards. Then I commence reading; newspapers and magazines, without failure; then I take the principal meals, preferably eating vegetables and thick fish, as I eat little during meals, I snack between them.

MY vital statistics: 5 feet 5 inches tall; weight between 110-132 pounds; blood pressure 'ranging from 100-135.

SINCE 1912, I have been renting houses in Tarlac, and not until 1921, was able to have a proper house built under my direction and supervision located in a residential lot, inherited from my father. Unfortunately, said house caught fire from a neighboring house fire in 1954, then my own actual residential house was built in 1954.

MY ways of life until nowadays are simple, moderate and conservative.

FINANCIALLY speaking, I have never been neither rich nor poor; rather I belong to the middle group. IN 1952, I retired from the government services exactly 37-1/2 years of service.

ON the occasion of my retirement, the Tarlac Provincial Health awarded me a Diploma of Merit and Appreciation, likewise, the Tarlac Medical Association, awarded me also a Diploma of Merit; and in 1962, the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, granted me a Bronze Plaque as a Golden Jubilarian. These are my valuable treasures and consolations during the rest of my life.

AS to dialects and foreign languages, I speak Pampango, Tagalog, Spanish and English by self-study, reading newspapers written in English with the help of the dictionary.

VARIOUS municipal ordinances enacted by me, and a list of sanitary toilets, water hand pumps with their corresponding owners and places, accomplished during my administration, were kept in my office, as one of my sanitary inspectors in the government service, nowadays named Mr. DELFIN CRUZ, may confirm it.

IN my leisure time, I play solitaire at home with my playing cards as my entertainment.

AS to my health, I feel healthy, however about six years ago, a colleague took my electrocardiograph and said that I have Coronary In-sufficiency, to which I concur with, and taking the appropriate medicines I feel relieved after ten minutes and when it recurs, I do the same, however, nowadays, it recur seldom.

FROM my paternal tree, only remain alive, myself and the next one older than me, named Dolores V. Nepomuceno, widow of Dr. Deogracias. The other sisters and brothers were already dead long before my father died in May 2, 1914, at the age of 69 years 11 months and 14 days.

JUAN NEPOMUCENO Y VENTURA M.D. April 7, 1968