San Juan Bautista - The Patron of San Juan City

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San Juan Bautista of San Juan City

In the modern city of San Juan, known for its modern feel with the existence of a famed shopping center, some notable schools and convents and played an important role during the Philippine revolution. One of the most enduring devotion in the city is their devotion to the city's titular patron - St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist became part of the history of the city that his fiesta, known for its "basaan" tradition became one of the city's much awaited event.

San Juan Bautista of San Juan City
The image

The venerable image of San Juan Bautista of San Juan City is a de tallado image of St. John the Baptist that is currently venerated in his shrine in Pinaglabanan, San Juan City. The image presents a standing St. John the Baptist in his full iconography: long wavy hair, a beard covering his majestic face, wears a hair shirt, wears sandals, his hand holding a book with a lamb on top of it, and his walking staff signifying his role as the precursor of his cousin, Our Lord Jesus Christ, a red tunic which symbolizes his martyrdom and wears a halo on the back of his head.

Origins

The history of the devotion to St. John Baptist began as the city, then a pueblo's history began. The current location of the city was named "San Juan del Monte" (Saint John of the Mountain), owing to the area's hilly terrain.

Although the parish was established on July 15, 1894, the construction of the first church happened in 1895, under the supervision of architect Luis Arellano and the financial support of Mariano Artiaga. A Franciscan, Fr. Roman Pérez, OFM served as the first parish priest from 1894 until 1897.

San Juan Bautista of San Juan City
The newly built church then enshrined a centuries-old image of John the Baptist, after whom the town is named. The image was originally enshrined  at the Parish of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Binondo yet due to the Chinese revolt took place in the area, it was deemed that it must be transferred at the older Santuario de Santo Cristo of the Dominican Order. By the decree of the Archbishop of Manila, ot was ordered to be  transferred to Pinaglabanan Parish in and was enshrined permanently since then. The first fiesta honoring St. John the Baptist was held on June 24, 1866, the Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist.

On August 30, 1896, on the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, the Battle of San Juan del Monte between Filipino and Spanish troops occurred in the expanse of land fronting the newly built church. In spite of the hostilities, the parish continued to serve the community. The parish of San Juan in Pinaglabanan became a silent witness to the city's subsequent history and development. The St. John the Baptist Church was declared as a historical landmark in 1989

Wattah Wattah Festival in San Juan City
Wattah Wattah Festival

The feast of San Juan Bautista in the city is celebrated every July 24, the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. His fiesta is also marks the main festival of the city that became an attraction for years, the "Wattah Wattah Festival" or more commonly known as "Basaan". The Wattah Wattah festival is a celebration of thanksgiving done in the traditional “basaan” or dousing of water among children and grown-ups on the streets as a way of sharing the blessings reminiscent of the baptism of Jesus Christ performed by St. John at the River Jordan..

San Juan Bautista of San Juan City on his carozza for his fiesta celebration
The origins of this festival is unknown yet history tells us that during the Spanish regime, San Juan del Monte became the source of clean and fresh water in Manila and became a destination for washerwomen who wanted to do laundry and even attest to its medicinal properties. A Dominican friar, Father Miguel Peguero, devised a sophisticated aqueduct system to deliver water from the spring to the San Juan River, where water carriers from Manila could collect it for transport to the city. The Peguero Aqueduct supplied San Juan, Manila, and the neighboring districts with high quality water from its completion in 1690 to the mid-19th century. In 1733, a Spanish nobleman named Don Francisco de Carriedo donated funds towards raising enough money to devise a more efficient water delivery system for the needs of the growing city. Construction began in 1878, with pumps imported from France and iron pipes from England, and the Carriedo water system was inaugurated in 1882. The San Juan reservoir, dubbed El Deposito, added to San Juan’s reputation and became and tourist attraction. The Carriedo system operated until 1929, when a more extensive and modern water system was established, and it was relegated to storing a backup supply of water for the city.

The role of San Juan as the capital’s source of potable water conferred a considerable amount of strategic political importance upon the sleepy town in the hills, and would influence the Katipunan’s plans to overthrow the Spanish colonial regime.

For years, locales continue to actively participate in the Wattah Wattah festival to celebrate life, blessings, history and renewal of faith..

San Juan Bautista of San Juan City
The devotion

The devotion to St. John the Baptist in San Juan City continues to develop and observed up to the present days. Local devotees and pilgrim often flock his shrine, especially on the month of July in time for his fiesta.

The mission of St. John the Baptist was to be the forerunner of the Messiah and the mission of Jesus was to be the saving Messiah. Luke highlights the greatness of Jesus and the subsidiary position of John as the precursor of the Messiah and the herald of God’s coming kingdom. More than likely, none of us will be asked to give our lives for the gospel. But we are all asked to be messengers by God. Each of us is asked to live, share and proclaim the good with courage and conviction. We are called to live a prophetical life. We are to be inspired, encouraged and challenged by John the Baptist; prophet and messenger of God.

References:

"Parish History". St. John the Baptist Parish. St. John the Baptist Parish, Retrieved September 28, 2019.
"Wattah! Wattah! A celebration of water blessing", Retrieved from https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/1023354 on September 28, 2019.

Special thanks to the owner of the photographs utilized in this blogpost.
+AM+DG+

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