The Cult of Amoy Noning

On March 3, 1919, a certain Julio Buntilad wrote the bilingual weekly “Nueva Fuerza” complaining about the presence of a religious cult (“colorum” in the local parlance) in the hinterlands of Guba, Pulangbato, Siraw and Talamban. The cult, led by a young man named Laureano “Amoy Noning” Solar was reportedly wreaking havoc, threatening residents with cholera, death and destruction unless they joined or believed. Since 1915, Solar, erstwhile resident of Opon and Carmen, had been propagating a brand of faith based on the belief that he was sent by God to cleanse the world. He had been a successful trader, owning three houses in Sanciangko Street as well as properties and a store in Talamban while still in his early thirties.

Solar was believed by cult members to be the new Pope whose Rome was located in Pulangbato. To ordinary Cebuanos, however, he was nothing more than a demagogue and charlatan who profited from selling bottles of oil (lana), various herbs, and other healing paraphernalia commonly identified with quack doctors.

On March 24, 1919, Cebu Police chief Bagyo arrested Amoy Noning and 20 of his followers, some of whom carried names like “Leon Kilat”, “Rizal” and “Aguinaldo”, accused of causing the death of some mountain residents following healing sessions that failed to cure them. Out on bail, he returned to Carmen where he was warmly accepted, even given the honor of heading the committee for fiesta celebrations of Carmen in 1920. His luck had run out by 1927 when he was sentenced to seven years in prison in Camarines Sur for stealing P19, 000 worth of jewelry from a couple he had tricked into believing that he should have custody over their precious property for the world would end by December 31, 1930. Others also filed ten other cases against him. By October that year, Solar went to prison and nothing was heard from him again, quite an ignominious end for an otherwise enigmatic leader.

- Ybarra