CARLA HUMPHRIES or MADELEINE LAUREN APACIBLE HUMPHRIES- A Daughter of Batangas A grand daughter of the former Congressman of the First District of Batangas, Conrado DongApacible,and the current Mayor of Nasugbu,Batangas, Charito Mayuga-Apacible of Lemery and Nasugbu,Batangas. Her mother is a daughter of the former Congressman and the current Mayor of Nasugbu while her father is an Italian-American. The Apacibles are actually from Balayan,Batangas where the brothers Leon Apacible and Galicano Apacible were born.Leon was a lawyer who moved to Taal and became the finance office of the Revolution and represented Lepanto Province in the Malolos Congress while Galicano was a doctor who was with Rizal where in fact,Rizal himself was their cousin through their mother,Dona Catalina Castillo-Apacible. Galicano became the chairman of the Filipino Comiiitee in Hongkong raising funds for the Revolutionary Government of Aguinaldo and became Batangas Governor and the First Secretary of the Dept of Agriculture. A cousin of Leon and Galicano was actually the ancestor of Carla Humphries,whose son,Apolinario Apacible became the congressman of Batangas from the 1950s to the early 1960s,Congressman Apolinario Apacible. A son of Apolinario became Congressman too in the post-Edsa Revolution, Congressman Conrado Dong Apacible who married Charito Mayuga of Taal and Lemery,Batangas and now the Mayor of Nasugbu,Batangas.A brother of Cong.Dong Apacible became Congressman too from 2010-2013,Cong Tomas Tom Apacible and a brother of Carlas mom became Mayor of Nasugbu,Batangas as well,Mayor Raymond Apacible. --------------------------------- Thursday, June 21, 2007 Fit to be Royalty Carla Humphries talks to Leah Nemil-San Jose about growing up in a colonial home. Star Studio Magazine June 2007 Photographs by Cyrus Panganiban Hairstyle and makeup by Jomel Razon In a lime green shirtdress that gave her milky white skin a luminous glow, Carla Humphries was definitely the big splash of color in her familys ancestral home in Batangas. The house, with its Spanish colonial style that includes century-old galineras and electricity-converted gas lamps, doesnt seem to be a place that a 19-year-old teenager would enjoy, especially a former Parisian girl. But maybe it was the French in her that made Carla fall in love with the rural lifestyle. I loved playing outdoors with the other kids especially sa tubuhan (sugarcane field) and then eating tubo afterwards, Carla says chuckling at the memory of her eight-year old self chewing on sugarcane. We are having lunch in the town proper of Nasugbu at a quaint restaurant called Kainan sa Dalampasigan, a family favorite, Carlas mom, Tonette, informed us. As a little girl, Carla would come here, hoping her maternal grandmother Rosario would buy her favorites, halo-halo and leche flan -- Iniisip ko pa lang tumutulo na laway ko -- which the crew actually had for merienda that day. I played hide-and-seek a lot here, Carla tells us as she gave a tour of the restaurants grounds that included a beautiful chapel set in a lush tropical garden. I call the owners lolas because Ive known them for so long that theyre almost like relatives. Before her family moved to the Philippines for good in 1995, Carla had already spent many of her summer vacations in Batangas. Tsokolate, tuyo, and rice were her favorite fare for breakfast; she would also excitedly await the sorbetero for her queso ice cream. She barely knew Tagalog or English then, but it didnt stop her from playing with the local kids and exploring her surroundings. If she wasnt at the sugarcane plantation, she would be at one of the beaches, smearing her body with the black sand. No matter how long I stayed in the sun, I would never get tan. So Id put on the sand and say, Look Im black! Of course, Carlas main playground was her familys estate with its expansive front and back yards and a house interior that consists of at least four spacious reception areas. The sprawling one-storey abode looked like it was designed to receive and to accommodate as many people as possible (in fact, the front yard is occupied by a small cottage that can easily seat 20 people, and the same goes for the pergola before the entrance door), and as it turned out it was the case. Carlas mom is an Apacible, a family with a rich political history that began with Galicano Apacible, a doctor by profession and a patriot at heart. A bit of historical trivia: the Apacibles are related to Jose Rizal and Galicano was once under the care of the national hero, living with him in Intramuros during his college days and even going with him to France along with Antonio Luna and T.H. Pardo de Tavera. Following in their ancestors footsteps, many of the Apacibles have gone into public service, especially in their native Batangas, including Tonettes grandfather and parents. The familys calling has obviously dictated the houses design. Its very open. It allows for a lot of sitting, eating, and receiving, Tonette says. The material used for the house was really heavy duty -- it can take a lot of wear and tear. And that is important with all the people coming in and out of the house. The floor actually has gotten better as it got older. Age gave it more character, texture. Even as a child, Carla never had a problem with strangers in her grandparents house. She actually enjoyed interacting with them and always indulged their requests for her to sing. She loved hanging out with her Lola Rosario and as a result, she learned to play, of all things, tong-its. Just how good is she in the local card game? After a quick pause and a grin on her face, Carla answers. I am a mediocre player. Then, as if she couldnt help herself, she sweetly blurts out, I beat drivers. After the laughter dies down, Carla continues, When I play, I know they [the men] always think I am such a delicate lady. And Id deceive them even further because Id go, Kuya, ano po itong... like I dont know the game. Hindi nila alam Bantangueño [kalaban nila]. It wasnt all tomboy games, of course. Carla earned the nickname Chichay from her relatives for her kikay ways. She would often be found trying out her lolas hats in her grandparents specious walk-in closet (shes become a hat collector now), playing dress up. Thats why when she saw her first Santacruzan - replete with voluminous gowns, sparkling crowns, and dashing escorts - Carla was instantly awed by the parades pageantry. She wanted to be Reyna Elena. So my mother gave her a Santacruzan parade, in December! Tonette exclaims. Can you imagine? And it was the whole deal - she was Reyna Elena in a beautiful gown with an escort an an arko over her. And they paraded in the grounds. Her lola really spoiled her. Well, its hard to say no to someone whose beauty emits such radiance and warmth. But Carlas mom says that peoples generosity with her daughter is not all about good looks. Shes a people person, and its genuine and sincere.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 04:37:52 +0000
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