SALAMYAAN: THE WITNESS TO MARIKINA AND MARIKENYOS (2022)

 Salamyaan is mentioned in the poem "Taga Marikina Ka" by Rodolfo S. Dela Paz, which was published way back February 20, 2000, in the River City Gazette.  

The word "Salamyaan" is included in the fifth stanza of the poem, which indicates that a Marikenyo should know about it. 

But, if you are not familiar with it, I am here to tell you everything you need to know about Salamyaan. 

WHAT IS SALAMYAAN?

Salamyaan is a Tagalog-Marikina word that pertains to a stall or a place where Marikenyos, particularly the elderly, are gathered to rest, chat, eat, and entertain. In an interview with Mr. Andy Carpio or Mang Andy, the word "lamyaan" is the original term for the place. It has evolved to salamyaan because when people ask where they are going, they answer "sa lamyaan." 

In Salamyaan, there is a long table made of bamboo and "tarima," which is a low bench made of wood. The long table serves as the resting chair or bed, and the "tarima" is for relaxing the foot or the place to put on the slippers. 

The structure of Salamyaan has no walls that make the air flow freely, suitable for tropical climate. Mang Andy said that "its structure and the materials used made it a comfortable spot to gather because they can dress however they want."

HISTORY OF SALAMYAAN

No document traces the exact origin of Salamyaan. However, the furthest document recovered was from Daniel Santos' record (1981) that states, "Before the rise of shoe factories in Marikina in the latter half of the '50s, the men gathered in Salamyaan to exchange news with each other. 

In Mrs. Vicenta Senga or Nana Entay's statement, she said, "that the farmers used Salamyaan to rest during afternoons." Farming was the main livelihood of Marikenyos because of the fertile soil in the riverside.

The records cited the existence of Salamyaan at the beginning of the shoe industry in Marikina. In the 18th century, in one of the gatherings of farmers, one was limping because of a foot injury. They gave him a mini-foot contraption to wear, that is made from a piece of wood. That is what they said was the start of creating "bakya." The second one was during 1885 when they held their meeting of Mr. Tiburcio Estaquio, Mr. Ambrosio Sta. Ines, Mr. Gervacio Carlos, Mr. Laureano "Kapitan Moy" Guevarra and other friends after mass. They also said that this was also the time when Kapitan Moy released his proposition to study how shoes are made to provide a livelihood to youth. For he believed that not everyone prefers to work in the field and the majority, at that time, was unemployed. 

In the statement given by Mrs. Maria Cruz or Nana Maring, she shared that the peak of Salamyaans was during the years in the office of Gil Fernando in the latter half of the '50s. She mentioned that almost every street had Salamyaan during the '60s and '70s. The probable cause for this peak was the familial connection and the nature of the livelihood of Marikenyos. 

In the explanation of Florendo-Imao, every family or clan in Marikina formed their own Salamyaan. Isidro explained that the salary of the shoemaker was higher compared to government employees and factory workers. Their salary was based on how many pairs of shoes they made that they could finish depending on their speed, contrary to factory workers whose salary is based on hours they worked. Thus, it gives them a lot of spare time to chat and exchange jokes in Salamyaans.

The Salamyaans also served as a resting place during the "pabasa" during Holy Week, BINGO place, eating place, singing place, gossiping place, and also a place to discuss politics. 

According to the statement of Mr. Severino Santos or Tatay Joker, he said that in Salamyaan you will know pieces of information you will not get from other places like who's the mistress of this person, who's dead, and many more. There were also heated discussions about politics that were educational. In fact, during the Martial Law where the media is controlled by the government; the Salamyaan served as the news source and discussion table, which at times was seditious.  

Also during the election period, every elder in Salamyaan promote their bet, and often candidates would visit there. Despite the heated debate, it was rare to see people fighting. 

In Mrs. Bea Santos' statement, she said that "there were times when elders would plan and contribute for their outing. She added that Salamyaans were the reason why elders were always optimistic in their area.  

SALAMYAAN DURING PRESENT TIME

Currently, Salamyaans were not as common as they used to be. The primary factor was the program "Disiplina sa Bangketa, Simula ng Pagbabago" of Mayor Bayani "BF" Fernando in the year 1992. 

Tatay Joker shared that there were many Salamyaans in Kalumpang. Sadly, they were demolished because it became a road obstruction.

The Salamyaans that were known before like "El Paraiso," "Haliging-Bato," "Bullets," "Picnic Boys," "White Roosters," and many more were lost because of the demolition. 

As of the writing of the research of Jayson Petras De Guzman, there were three remaining Salamyaans - the "Takaw-Mata" and "Lambak" that are located at Kalumpang and "Santos Sili" of Brgy. Santo Niño.

The name "Takaw-Mata" originated from the jokes of the elders. According to Tatay Joker, the old men were staying here from morning to night and every good-looking girl passing by gets their attention. Thus, the phrase "matakaw na lang sa mata" started the namesake of the Salamyaan.

LESSON TO LEARN FROM SALAMYAANS

Salamyaans have become the center for dialogue in Marikina. May it be about something shallow like gossip and jokes, or something profound like politics, news, freedom, and independence. It proved that Marikenyos knew the value of communication and dialogue to develop social awareness and bond.

Reference: 

Jayson De Guzman Petras. (2010) Bayan At Pagkabayan Sa Salamyaan: Ang Pagpopook Ng Marikina Sa Kamalayang-Bayang Marikenyo.