Ang Tibay Talaga ng Ang Tibay

Ang Tibay`s Branches in Manila (Map from Dimasalang Kalendaryong Tagalog)

ANG TIBAY. Ang mapaggawa ng mga sinelas, kotso, zapatilya at sapatos na pang BAGONG TAON at Pangmatagalang Panahón. (We make shoes for the new year that will practically last forever!)

ANG TIBAY. Ang iginaganda ng mga sinelas, kotso, zapatilya at sapatos na gawa sa Pagawaáng ito, pagka't mga sunod sa USO at MODA na sadyang pang mahal na Araw. (We have up-to-date styles, look your best on your special days!)

ANG TIBAY. Ang Sinelasan at sapatusan, gumagawa ng mga sinelas, kotso, zapatilya at sapatos na malamig sa paa, lalo na sa ganitong taginit. (We make shoes that are cool on the feet specially in this heat!)

ANG TIBAY. Ang mga sinelas, kotso, zapatilya at sapatos sa pagawaang ito, ay siyang mainam na pang Antipolo, pagka't magagara, panbundok at panlaban sa lupang malagkit. (We make shoes that are best for going up Antipolo - stylish, mountain-bred, built for muddy terrain!)

ANG TIBAY. Ang unang Sinelasan at Sapatusang pinarisan ng iba sa nagkukumpuni kung nasira ang kanyang mga yari, na walang bayad kailan ma't maaaring kumpunihin pa. (As long as your shoes are still repairable, we'll mend them for free!)

Emilio Aguinaldo's Ang Tibay Shoes on display at Kawit Cavite

ANG TIBAY. Ang tanging Sinelasan at Sapatusan na naglilinkod at dumadayo sa bahay ng nagpapagawa, (sa Maynila lamang) kailan ma't tawagin sa telepono ó sa sulat upang sukatan ang kanilang mga paa. (We measure your shoe-size right in your living room!)

ANG TIBAY. Magpahanda na kayo ng inyong sinelas, kotso, sapatilya sapatos ó botitos na pamasko na makakabagay ng bago ninyong terno ó trahe. (We make shoes that will best match your wardrobe!)

This series of ANG TIBAY ads appeared in Honorio Lopez' Dimasalang Kalendariong Tagalog in 1922. Sorry for the translations, sometimes I get a bit carried away.

Footwear and the Church

"Houag bobonotin ang paa sa chapin, sapagca,t, isang casalaulaan. At sa iyo, Feliza, ang huli cong bilin, ay houag mong bobonotin sa simbahan at saan man ang paa sa chinelas, at pagpilitan mong matacpan nang saya, sapagca,t, ga nacamumuhi sa malinis na mata ang ipaquita." (Do not pull your foot out of your slipper because it isn't proper. And to you Feliza, I remind for the last time, do not pull your foot out of your slippers inside the church or anywhere for that matter. Also try to make sure that your slippers remain hidden under your skirt, people might find that improper as well)

"Ang lalaqui o babaye na cun lumalacad sa simbahan, ay di nagdarahan, ang tulin ay di hamac at cun nagchichinelas ay sumasagadsad, bucod sa masamang tingnan, nacalilibang sa nagdarasal na tauo, nacapagbibigay galit at di malayo macayurac sa nan~galuluhod, ay nagpapahayag na uala sa caniyang caloob ang pagpasoc sa bahay nang Dios."(men and women who doesn't walk properly when they are inside the church - walks fast and makes this scraping noise with their slippers, distracts people who are praying. Not only do people find them irritating, they also give one the impression that they don't respect the house of God)

an excerpt from "PAG SUSULATAN NG DALAWANG BINIBINI NA SI URBANA AT FELIZA NA NAGTUTURO NG MABUTING KAUGALIAN" by Presbitero D. Modesto De Castro, 1902

"For clothing a man requires yearly--four rough shirts of guinara, costing from one to two reals; three or four pairs of trousers, at one to two and a half reals; two kerchiefs for the head, at one and a half real (hats are not worn on the south and west coasts), and for the church festivals generally one pair of shoes, seven reals; one fine shirt, a dollar or more; and fine pantaloons, at four reals. A woman requires--four to six camisas of guinara, at one real; two to three sayas of guinara, at three to four reals,and one or two sayas of European printed cotton, at five meals; two head-kerchiefs at one and a half to two reals; and one or two pairs of slippers (chinelas) to go to mass in, at two reals and upwards."

taken from "The Former Philippines thru Foreign eyes" by Fedor Jagor et at, 1816-1902

walking home from school

"His early education was handled in the private school of Maestro Cabriel of Santa Ana. His mother sought to prepare him for the priesthood, but his father's cousin Doña Carolina sent him to the Ateneo Municipal. His family, being impoverished by his father's vices, could not give the boy the luxury that other students of Spanish parentage had. Young Felipe had to walk to school barefoot and to carry his slippers under his arms, to be worn only in school". - Biography of Felipe R. Calderon on Wikipedia (Calderon is the Father of the Malolos Constitution)


“One memory he retains very well, however, was when his mother brought him to attend the first day of classes in the town’s public elementary school. “I was the only one barefoot,” says Salonga. Six years later, he remained unshod in a class photo taken of the graduating class, which a classmate gave him while he was campaigning for a congressional seat in 1961. He kept this picture to remind him of the hard times he and his family went through early on in his life."- Virgilio Galvez writing about Jovito Salonga (Jovito Salonga was a former Senate President)

When I was a kid, every time I’d nag my parents about buying me a new pair of shoes, they would always tell me that when they were kids, they’d walk to school in nothing but bakyas, and that for their entire high-school life, they only had one pair of shoes. My lola would buy them shoes that were two sizes bigger so that even if they grew, it'll still fit. Then they’d use my uncle who’s a successful businessman as an example, and tell me that my uncle walked to school barefoot so his sisters could buy bakya.

I have to admit that indeed there are many successful individuals in our society today that have had these, if not worse experiences during their childhood. But these aren't isolated cases, nor are experiences like these not happening anymore. Today, young students in the countryside still walk barefoot to school, as their impoverished families could barely feed them let alone buy them slippers or shoes. I myself didn't believe this until I went to visit one school in Laguna with the Knowledge Channel and found out that most of the children there were unshod, and that every school-day, these kids had to walk for thirty minutes just to get to school and another thirty minutes to get back home. Most of them even had to work after school so that they'd have food on the table! It’s just revolting how some politicians could stomach pocketing millions from the public coffers and turn a blind eye to such realities - just imagine how many children those millions could have helped.