Romblon, Romblon is a heritage town

All I knew about Romblon was that it was literally sitting on marble and that its cathedral is a National Cultural Treasure. But little did I know that the town's historical fabric was very much intact and if you compared the center of town to postcards from the prewar years, nothing much has changed. Walking around the streets of Romblon, Romblon was indeed a blast from the past! You could already see Fort San Andres as you enter Romblon Port.

From the port, I walked towards the Romblon Shopping Center in from of Freedom Park where all the marble souvenir stores are clustered. There are a lot of really nice souvenirs but they should improve the ones with engravings which usually say "ROMBLON SOUVENIR." The way they engrave and paint the words in most of the souvenirs, in my opinion, cheapens the marble. Anyway, I decided to purchase souvenirs after I dropped off my stuff at the hotel.

I was looking forward to seeing the Romblon Cathedral which is a National Cultural Treasure. But I did not expect the entire town to be a heritage treasure! Around the plaza are most of the elements of our old towns, including the church and convento, the municipio, a Gabaldon schoolhouse, old houses, several colonial bridges and a charming Rizal monument in the center of the plaza.

The Cathedral of St. Joseph was one the 26 colonial churches declared as National Cultural Treasures in 2001. The church, dating back to the 15th Century, was constructed by the Augustinian Recollects, and its interior features several Baroque-style retablos. Behind the church is Fort Santiago, one of the two forts in Romblon, Romblon. But I didn't climb up since the locals said there's nothing much left.

But Fort San Andres on the opposite hill is a lot more intact. Built at about the same time the church was constructed, its main purpose was to alert the town about the arrival of Moro pirates. A 210-step stone stairway will bring you up to the fort where a PAG-ASA station is located.

Where to stay
There are a lot of standard accommodations in Romblon which offer both electric fan and air-conditioned rooms.

Blue Ridge Hotel
Gov. Fetalvero Street
We stayed in this inn and got a really good deal. Non-aircon rooms have TVs and start at PHP700. While air-conditioned rooms with TV start at PHP800.
+63 919 3819393
+63 921 3748717
+63 920 8712643

Romblon Plaza Hotel
Pres. Roxas corner Fetalvero Street
This seems to be the best hotel in town. Ordinary fan rooms start at PHP550; while air-conditioned rooms start at PHP1000.
+63 42 5072269
+63 42 5072277

Parc Bay Mansion
This inn seems relatively new and is conveniently located in front of the ferry terminal and offers air-conditioned rooms for as low as PHP650.
+63 9215757760

Part 1: Romblon is more than marble
Part 3: Romblon's food surprises
Part 4: Aglicay Beach and Trangkalan Falls in Tablas

Capones Island and its lighthouse

Capones Island has always been famous for its white sand beaches and the Spanish colonial lighthouse perched on top of a hill. It was the last stop for our San Antonio, Zambales trip. From Anawangin, we had prearranged with our boatman to pick us up and bring us to Capones Island. We made it there just in time for lunch.

The island was so picturesque as we slowly closed in on it. When we finally made landfall, I was raring to find a shady place to take a nap having had no sleep for the last 30 hours. And I did and found myself cozy on the sand drifting away to lala land.

Since we didn't have much time left, we had to forgo the hike up to the lighthouse. Add to the fact it was hot and I had already consumed my supply of water. So we were content with making one round by boat on the way back to Pundaquit.

What's sad about Capones Island is that its riddled with tourist garbage and vandalism. The fantastic rock formations have been converted into modern petroglyphs etched with names of stupid tourists who do not know any better. And the sand was full of garbage! Here are the list of things that have to be done:

1. The Municipal Government of San Antonio, Zambales should lead efforts to clean up the island. They can charge fees to pay locals to ensure that the place is kept clean all the time and to reprimand tourists who vandalize the rocks or leave their garbage on the island.

2. Boatmen should be trained to brief tourists who hire their boats. They have to remind tourists that everything they bring to the island, especially garbage, they should bring back home with them. In fact, the community should take the initiative to make sure the island is clean since it is their source of income.

3. Finally, tourists should share the responsibility of caring for the environment. As the saying goes: "Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time." So don't leave your garbage anywhere.

Anyway, the boats to Capones and Anawangin are quite small. It can fit about four people. Don't even try to be stingy since the waters around Capones are known to be quite rough especially in the afternoon. And these are open seas. So it's best not to overload especially since there are no life jackets. We learned about the rough waters first hand as we went around to check out the lighthouse. There were just four of us and the waves were pounding and water was getting in our small boat. But we did get our photos but not with ease.

The boat ride back to Pundaquit was about 30 minutes and it was relieving when we finally made it. You usually take a shower at the house of the boatman. But since we wanted to leave as early as possible, we just out the sand and freshened up.

On the way back to Subic, we stopped by the house of President Ramon Magsasay in Castillejos, Zambales. We made one last stop in Subic for a hefty meal at one of the Korean restaurants before motoring back to Manila.

Part 1: Hiking up Mt. Anawangin and down to the beach
Part 2: Anawangin Cove in San Antonio, Zambales

Oslob Church gutted by fire

It was depressing news for me. The 178-year old Oslob Church was destroyed by a fire which hit at dawn today. The church was was a very important element out the Southern Heritage Trail of Cebu. A landmark of the town, it was one of the few churches with an intact clay tile roof convento.

This incident highlighted two things. The first and most obvious is that fire fighters in these remoter parts of the country are ill-equipped and not prepared. Imagine, the fire station was just 50 meters away. But fire fighters and residents had to push the fire truck to the church! Second, it shows the importance and need for architectural documentation for all our heritage sites. In cases like these, if the site was documented, we could easily refer to the diagrams to restore the church.

The Archdiocese of Cebu plans to rebuild the church within the year. I hope that they restore the church to its original form, just as other countries do when their heritage sites are gutted by fire.

Around Taal Lake

I visited several towns around Taal Lake yesterday. Our first stop was Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas. It's probably the best residential resort by the lake.

Club Balai Isabel has one of the best views of Taal Volcano. At the moment, many parts are still under construction. But the reception area, club house, and several hotel rooms are already complete and ready to accept visitors. We had lunch there as well and ordered some bulalo, fried tawilis, ginataang kalabasa and fried chicken.

We then headed off to Tagaytay en route to Taal. But we stopped by Bag of Beans to check out their bread shop. I had a chicken and mushroom pie.

As soon as we arrived in the heritage town of Taal, we went straight to the Taal Basilica to check it out. Since we didn't have much time, we made a quick drive around town to check out the wonderful heritage houses.

Although relatively intact, there seems to be a lack of continuity in the town since the new structures stick out like sore thumbs in between the charming heritage homes. The local government should do something about these newer structures.

Our last stop was the Church of Caysasay and the miraculous well of Sta. Lucia also in Taal. We didn't stay too long since we wanted to be back in Tagaytay before dark.

On the way back, we made a stopover at Sonya's Garden. I was tempted to have a meal there since I simply adore their salads and pasta. But we'll have to save that for another day. Dinner was at the garden restaurant of Bag of Beans. Then it was back home for us.

Club Balai Isabel
Brgy. Banga, Talisay, Batangas
Mobile +63 918 8473619
Manila +63 2 7761521
Batangas +63 43 7280307

Sonya's Garden
Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite
Mobile +63 928 5073302
Landline +63 46 4132081

More art and architecture from UP Diliman

In the last entry, we mentioned Cesar H. Concio. Once the University Architect, Concio also designed Melchor Hall which houses the College of Engineering; Palma Hall which serves as the home of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy; and the student center Vinzons Hall.

In front of Vinzons Hall is the first reinforced concrete monument in the country. People often mistake it for a monument of Bonifacio, but the Grito de Balintawak actually depicts a nameless Katipunero. It was transferred here in 1968, saved from an imminent demolition.

Beside Vinzons Hall is the College of Business Administration (CBA). Inside the CBA Lobby is a very important work of Jose Joya, National Artist for Visual Arts, known as The Barter of Panay. In front of the building is an artwork of Napoleon Abueva called The Spirit of Business.

Abueva actually has numerous works scattered around campus including: the Nine Muses at the UP Faculty Center; the Crucifix with Two Corpora at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice; the University Gateway; Diwata at the Faculty Center; Alma Mater at the lobby of Ang Bahay ng Alumni; Three Women Sewing the First Philippine Flag, also known as Tres Marias Plaza, at the UP Donors' Garden; and the Tribute to Higher Education at the entrance of University Avenue.

Vinzons Hall and the College of Business Adminsitration stand in front of the Sunken Garden, an important center of campus life in UP Diliman. So many memories, both good and forgettable, are linked to this open field. It played host to old forgotten traditions such as the “Cadena de Amor” and the grueling ROTC Sunday trainings; to today’s UP Fair. It’s a perfect afternoon hangout, great for football or Frisbee practice, and infamous for its evening escapades. And it was wonderful the Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber-shot camera has a really useful panoramic shot feature which allowed me to capture the place in its entirety.

Part 1: UP Diliman is a showcase of art and architecture
Part 2: UP Chapel and the Church of the Risen Lord

UP Chapel and the Church of the Risen Lord

If you remember, I've already featured three campuses and their chapels namely the Ateneo and the Church of the Gesu, La Salle and the Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and FEU and its chapel. Now I'm featuring UP Diliman and its two chapels.

The Catholic church of UP Diliman is the Church of the Holy Sacrifice or the UP Chapel. It is a National Historical Landmark and was designated an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum owing to the fact that it stands as a testament to the creativity of not one, not two, but four national artists!

The dome-shaped structure, a fine example of Modern architecture in the Philippines, was designed by Leandro Locsin. Around the UP Chapel are fifteen large murals painted by Vicente Manansala depicting the Stations of the Cross. The marble altar and the large wooden cross above it were sculpted by Napoleon Abueva. And finally, the mosaic floor mural called the “River of Life” was designed by Arturo Luz.

Another renowned architect, Cesar H. Concio, was responsible for designing the neighboring Protestant chapel, the Church of the Risen Lord.

Part 1: UP Diliman is a showcase of art and architecture
Part 3: More art and architecture from UP Diliman

HCS launches 2008 Architectural Conservation Lectures

The historic Army and Navy Club Building will play host to the first of the 2008 Architectural Conservation Lectures of the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS). In this first installment, Tina Paterno, a professional conservator practicing in the USA, will speak on conservation procedures and issues on Saturday, March 8, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

This project is brought to you by the HCS in partnership with the Manila Historical & Heritage Commission (MHHC) and the Museo ng Maynila. The three lectures of Paterno are (1) Soiling on Limestone: Diagnosis & Cleaning Methodologies; (2) Survey, Research and Diagnosis as Phase 1 of a Restoration Project; and (3) Brief Discussion on the Performance of a Consolidation Treatment (Ethyl Silicate) on Adobe. Lunch will be provided by the MHHC. After lunch, individual consultations on specific project-related conservation issues will be accommodated. Interested parties should make an appointment.

The lecture is open to the public. However reservations are encouraged by informing the Heritage Conservation Society of your intention to attend. Please contact our secretariat at 5212239 or 5222497. In lieu of seminar fees, your kind donation to the HCS will be much appreciated.

Libingan ng mga Bayani, our national cemetery

Have you ever visited the Libingan ng mga Bayani? The last time I remember entering the place was way back in kinder during one of our field trips. I've seen the Manila American Cemetery much recently, several times in fact since I'm awed by how grand, serene and well-maintained the place is. And it's sad that our own national cemetery could not compare to an American cemetery on Philippine soil!

So while I was killing time in Fort Bonifacio last Saturday, I decided to pass by Libingan ng mga Bayani. The entrance reads: "I do not know the dignity of his birth, but I do know the glory of his death" which are the words of Gen. Douglas MacArthur from his sentimental 1961 visit to the Philippines.

At the center of the whole cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And around it are graves of various Philippine dignitaries including two former presidents, Carlos P. Garcia and Diosdado P. Macapagal. The older Manila North Cemetery has three presidents namely Osmena, Roxas and Magsaysay.

Also buried in the dignitaries section of the Libingan ng mga Bayani are former vice-presidents Arturo M. Tolentino and Salvador H. Laurel.

There is also UN General Assembly president Carlos P. Romulo, for chief justices Enrique M. Fernando, Fred Ruiz Castro and Claudio Teehankee, Sen. Blas F. Ople and PCGG Chair Haydee Yorac among others.

The Libingan ng mga Bayani also has a section reserved for national artists which serve as the final resting place of names such as Nick Joaquin, Ang Kiukok, Jose T. Joya, Levi Celerio, Teodoro M. Locsin and NVM Gonzales. The only thing I didn't like about the area was that the graves were too simple for national artists and scientists, simply marked by crosses, no room for creativity.

OT: I've virtually turned down every opportunity to travel for the past one and a half months. That includes two international trips and a host of local destinations. Bear with me as graduation requirements have been filling up my schedule. But summer has a lot in store which is why I'm already excited!

Sunset at the Manila Yacht Club

It was a great opportunity to view the Manila Bay sunset! I just came from a frat party at the Manila Yacht Club. And I purposely arrived there early a while ago so that I could take photos of the yachts and the sunset.

Itself a piece of history, the club was founded in 1927. Now on its 80th year, it has hosted an international regatta, serves as the training ground for our teams to international yachting events such as the Olympics and SEA Games, and is an important venue for social gatherings.

Banaue mornings and a stopover in Dupax

Imagine waking up to the cool Banaue morning with a view of the rice terraces and tree-covered mountains just outside your window. That's what I experienced at the Banaue Hotel for the past few days, with rooms, function rooms and a restaurant that provides panoramic views of the rice terraces. That's one cluster of terraces in the Banaue poblacion which is still free from eyesores and other unsightly structures.

It was our last day in Banaue and I'll definitely miss the cool mountain air and the great views. Before leaving for Manila, we listened to Ifugao Governor Teddy Baguilat talk about the challenges they have been facing in the preservation of the rice terraces and possible solutions to these problems. It's indeed very difficult to push for the preservation of these terraces when almost every young Ifugao dreams of making it big in the city, when G.I. sheets and hollow blocks become a status symbol. But there is definitely hope since the community realizes now that they are custodians of a legacy to the world.

On our way back to Manila (I was asleep again for most of the trip), we made one last stopover at Dupax del Sur to check out the San Vicente Ferrer Church which is a National Cultural Treasure. We had lunch there too. Anyway, it's back to school for me.

Rice terraces in Hapao and Hungduan

Today was a fantastic day! I finally visited one of the UNESCO-inscribed terraces, the Hapao and Poblacion clusters in Hungduan. There are five all in Ifugao and the cluster in Banaue poblacion is not one of them! These five are Hungduan, Mayoyao, Nagacadan in Kiangan, and Batad & Bangaan in Banaue.

It was a one and a half hour jeepney ride from the Banaue town proper to the Hapao Terraces in Hungduan. Then from there, we motored to the Hungduan Terraces in the Poblacion. We were welcomed by the mayor and other city officials. Lunch was served in front of the municipal hall. Around the area were examples of traditional Ifugao dwellings.

Before proceeding back to the hotel, we then passed by Lagud Village Learning Inn, a community-based tourism project where tourists can opt to stay in traditional Ifugao dwellings. In fact, there have been five Japanese exchange student living there for several mounths now, immersing with the community. We also donated P200 for kids to a plant tree in our name, part of reforestation and fund-rasing efforts for the education of the young Ifugaos.

We finally got back at 4 p.m. and I decided to take a power nap before our next appointment. Dinner was at a campsite in Banaue. Kudos to the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo) for organizing this great tour and for taking the lead in the preservation of the rice terraces. More photos in Multiply.

Church overload in Iloilo and Antique

The day after the conference, we visited the towns of Southern Iloilo and Antique, my 59th province. From the hotel, we took a van and stopped by the towns of Tigbauan and Guimbal, which I was not able to visit during my previous visit, to check out their churches. We then proceeded to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Miag-ao Church and the cemetery chapel, also in the same town.

In the next town was a National Cultural Treasure, the San Joaquin Church. But equally impressive was the well-preserved cemetery which has maintained its old and uncrowded look.

From there, we drove down to Antique. But we stopped over first at the junction point called Tiolas to have lunch. I got myself an order of batchoy. From there, we took the road less traveled to the southernmost point of Panay Island, the town of Anini-y.

The Anini-y Church was very much intact and I hope that it is declared a National Cultural Treasure soon. It was most definitely worth the visit.

Our companions had to drive back to Iloilo City since they were leaving that night, but Archt. Richard Bautista and myself opted to stay behind to continue further up north to visit the other towns of Antique. Transportation was scarce and we had to wait for 30 minutes for the next jeep to arrive. Our next stop was the town of Hamtic since the cemetery chapel there was quite intact.

From Hamtic, we took another jeep to the capital of Antique, San Jose de Buenavista. After taking photos around the Antique Capitol, we rushed to get a jeep to Patnongon to check out more heritage structures there. Although in ruins, the church, casa real and an old bridge are still standing and I hope it remains that way. We had to rush back to San Jose to try to get a bus back to Iloilo City. If we got stranded in Antique, we were prepared to stay for the night. But good thing we were able to find a bus back and got back to Iloilo City.

The next day, it was raining hard so I was too lazy to get up. Our plan was to go around Central Iloilo. But we decided to continue our church and cemetery tour since it looked like the weather was improving.

From the hotel, we took a cab to La Paz for lunch. Where else to try batchoy than where it was born! We ate at Deco's. From there, we took a jeep to Jaro, where we boarded another jeep to Cabatuan. We got off at the cemetery a few kilometers from town. The walls and chapel was still intact.

We then took a tricycle to the town proper. The church was gargantuan with two exaggeratedly large belfries on either side of the facade. Its stone retablo is said to be the tallest in Iloilo after the Oton Church was destroyed during the 1948 earthquake.

From Cabatuan, we took another jeep to Janiuay. After visiting the ruins of the church, we took a tricycle to the cemetery. I've seen photos of this all the time but was quite disappointed when I got there. It was quite neglected. To me, the best cemetery I visited is the one in San Joaquin which I heard was recently restored.

From Janiuay, we took a jeep to Pototan and transferred to another jeep to Dingle to visit the church. Good thing there was English Mass.

We were planning to visit Duenas but since we had a flight to catch, we took a jeep straight to Iloilo City. They sure know how to stuff the jeepney! There were three passengers in front plus the driver, thirteen on either side, plus about eight in the middle, and even some holding on outside!

In Iloilo City, I took some photos in Jaro before we proceeded for a quick dinner in one of the chicken inasal restaurants. It was then a mad rush to the airport and we got there just in time since I got my favorite front row seat. Hehe!

Seafood binge in Breakthrough Restaurant, Iloilo City

I'm in Iloilo City again. I arrived at the new Iloilo Airport this afternoon from Cebu. Bernard met up with me there and we took a cab to the city proper. I wasn't feeling that well so after a brief stopover at the old Iloilo City Hall which is now part of UP Visayas, I went back to the hotel and took a nap.

In the evening, Isa Silva and family took me to Breakthrough Restaurant in the Arevalo District for dinner. I'm not that fond of seafoods but it was a seafood binge for me. We had abalone sashimi, talaba and the pricey diwal shells for dinner among others. Everything is fresh and you can catch your dinner yourself. The restaurant is also by the beach so the breeze adds to the ambiance. After dinner, we had some dessert in Smallville.

More heritage in Cebu City

I've already seen the major attractions of Cebu City before. So this time, we went around looking for old houses. Arnold first took me to the house of President Sergio Osmena which was bought by CAP. Sadly, they built a building right smack beside it ruining the proportion of open space around it. On one hand, I laud CAP for preserving old structures and opening them as free museums to the public. But on the other hand, they were very ill-advised with renovations and additions to the structures.

We then drove around the Sepulvida Street and Ramos areas since there are a number of colonial houses there. Among the places we checked out was the Archbishop's Palace and the Borromeo House. We also dropped by Parian to check out the Yap-Sandiego House and Casa Gorordo, a wonderful house museum restored by the Aboitiz Foundation.

Lunch was at a restored residence called Mooon Cafe. This was a wonderful example of adaptive reuse of a heritage structure. Many of the items in the menu are Mexican-inspired. For lunch, I had nachos and a burrito.

In the afternoon, we visited some institutional buildings. I have seen the Cebu Capitol from the outside, but it was my first time to enter. And lo and behold, there was a grand ballroom inside! Wow! At least this elegant feature of the building is still intact. Although there are layers of the usual kitsch decor and fixings typical of government offices, there is still hope if Governor Gwen Garcia has the interiors restored properly just like in Pangasinan.

From the capitol, we walked to the Rizal Memorial Library and Museum, another heritage government building.

For dinner, I met up with my Cebu-based brods at Cafe Laguna in Ayala Center. Tomorrow, I take a flight to Iloilo.

From Guiuan to Catbalogan

From Borongan, we drove to Guiuan which was an hour away. The church there is a national cultural treasure. Before visiting the church, we had lunch at Aling Celing's in the market. We had kind of shell called sambong among others.

Entering the church outside Mass hours is not that easy since they are very protective after incidents of theft. But we got in thanks to some through channels. Aside from being relatively intact, what is unique about the church are the shell ornamentation in the transepts and the baptistry.

If only I had more time, I would have wanted to visit Calico-an Island, the surfers' haven of Eastern Samar. But it looks like I'll have to save that for another day.

After checking out the church, we proceeded to Balangiga to check out the church and monument. We've all heard about Balangiga Massacre and the quest to return the bells to the town. In Balangiga, I boarded a bus to Samar Province.

My plan was to sleep in Catbalogan for the night which was a long way to go. But first, I dropped by the town of Basey to check out the church. The old church in Basey is the most intact colonial church in Samar Province. Outside the church were a group of kids playing and they were excited about my camera and egged me on to take their photos which I happily did to satisfy their curiosity. If I only had time and funds, I would have checked out the caves of Sohoton, also in Basey. But you'll need a whole day to do that.

There's no direct transport to Catbalogan. So I had to try my luck by rushing back to Tacloban's Abucay Terminal to find a van. Another option was to wait at the foot of San Juanico Bridge but it was risky since it was getting dark and I might not find a ride. Good thing I caught the last van which left a little past 6 p.m.

They warned me the roads were bad. But I didn't realize they were that bad. I felt like I was on a speeding moon buggy. From Calbiga to Catbalogan, potholes were like craters on the moon and I pitied the suspension of the van as the driver sped across the bad road.

In Catbalogan, I had dinner at Tony's Kitchen. But I didn't realize that serving sizes were for groups. So I had to eat the sizzling steak all by myself. After dinner, I went around the nicely lit Samar Capitol.

The next day, I went around Catbalogan before taking a bus to Calbayog City. More photos in Multiply.

Transit in Tacloban

This trip was in the works since I bought my P1 ticket on Cebu Pacific last February. But the funny thing was I had not planned at all for this trip! I simply rode the plane to Tacloban and played everything by ear.

I had informed my brods that I was coming over. But I didn't want to hassle them. I was already seated in the waiting jeepney when I texted my brods informing them that I had arrived. What surprised me though was a reply from one of them for me to wait at the airport since he would pick me up. So I got off the jeep and happily waited. It really touched me since we had never met before.

He took me to the MacArthur Landing Site in the neighboring town of Palo. Just a few days before, on October 20, they had celebrated the anniversary of Mac Arthur's landing. We then had breakfast at the nearby MacArthur Park and Beach Resort, one of those classy resorts built during the Marcos days to house the Miss Universe candidates in 1973. It's supposedly a class "A" resort but service was crummy. When we arrived, they were cleaning up the restaurant from a wedding reception which obviously happened the night before (a real hotel cleans up right after the event) so the place was quite messy. What do you expect from a government agency like the PTA?

We then proceeded to the Duptours terminal to check out the schedule of vans to Borongan. I got a seat on the 11:30 a.m. trip and spent PHP180 for it. Since I still had time, I visited the DOT regional office a few meters away to get brochures since there were none at the airport. At least I could read up while I was in Borongan and decide where to go next.

Then I dropped by the Price Mansion further down the street which served as Gen. MacArthur's headquarters while he was in Leyte. It's now owned by CAP and there is a small museum inside with memorabilia of MacArthur's stay in the house. The even preserved the hole created by a Japanese bomb which luckily did not explode. Before leaving for Borongan, I had lunch in the house of a brod who lived in front of Duptours.

It was a four-hour trip and I got to pass by the San Juanico Bridge as well as Samar Province for the first time. I slept for most of the trip since I did not have sleep the night before (I took the 5:10 a.m. flight). Check out my photos in Multiply.

Malabon, Metro Manila's hidden gem

Today, I joined a tour of Malabon called "Halina lusungin natin ang Malabon" organized by concerned people of Malabon led by Atty. Monchet Lucas of Rufina Patis, Leona Nepomuceno of DOT, Terry de Jesus a home owner, and Archt. Richard Bautista of the NCCA.

Our tour began with a briefing and a sumptuous lunch at the Pescadores restaurant at Letre Road corner Dagat-Dagatan Avenue. We then proceeded to our first stop, the San Bartolome Church. I had high expectations for this church knowing that it was one of the untouched churches in Metro Manila. But to our shock, it's in the process of being uglified by the current parish priest who is not even a native of Malabon.

The current hard-headed parish priest, Fr. Ric Torrefiel, has all but listened to the objections of the local community about his kitsch and tasteless renovations. Sadly, he was the same priest who bastardized the interior of the old Concepcion Church, also in Malabon.

I hope the townsfolk of Malabon stops this priest from wreaking more havoc to this historic church by halting all their donations to this utter waste of church funds. Why don't priests simply focus on their spiritual role rather than push their parishioners to cough out money to satisfy their whims and caprices? That money is best spent fulfilling the pastoral needs and responsibilities of the church.

Members of the group were aghast! From a simple but elegant centuries-old church, Fr. Torrefiel has managed to turn it into a cheap, gaudy, tasteless, kitsch, cabaret-like interior enumerating some of the adjectives blurted out by those in the tour. On the exterior, he painted fake brick lines! And when we asked the tour organizers about it, they said that the more the local people stop him, the more he pushes for what he wants. Now where is the CBCP when you need it?

Anyway, after that depressing first stop, we walked to Betsy's Cake House to have a taste of their broas and view the works of the silent artist, Serafin Serna, a contemporary of Fernando Amorsolo.

We went from one house to another. The group first entered the Dionisio House. Then we moved to Concepcion to visit three Luna houses, the Borja House, and Paez House, as well as the Concepcion Church which Fr. Torrefiel had already bastardized. We also dropped by Dolor's Kakanin to check out their sapin-sapin.

We also visited the home and gallery of Angel Cacnio, an artist whose works have been used by the Central Bank on our bills and coins. From Concepcion, we moved to the Rufina Patis Factory, passing by other old houses along the way. Indeed, Malabon is a treasure trove of heritage, which is sadly deteriorating due to the annual flood and subsidence (sinking of the ground).

From Rufina Patis, we were served a sumptuous Malabon merienda at the Martinez House. Of course, there was pancit malabon, puto bumbong, puto sulot, bibingka, pichi-pichi, sumpia (in Malabon, lumpia is fresh, sumpia is fried, what we know as turon is called valencia and when you say turon, it means it's filled with mongo beans), kikiam and camachile biscuits (which we thought were tamarinds), among many others.

Then we moved to the oldest known house of Malabon dated 1861, the Raymundo House. Behind the house, we got to see the Malabon-Navotas shipyards. The two towns are separated by a strait (and not a river) since we always forget that Malabon and Navotas are islands. In fact, during the Spanish colonial period, they were totally detached from the island of Luzon. It was Imelda who reclaimed most of the lagoons around the islands, thus erasing their former charm.

From the Raymundo House, we attended the soft opening of the Bahay Parokiyano Gallery, a place for local artists to showcase their works. Indeed, this trip to Malabon was most worth it! Thanks to the organizers for inviting us, and filling both our stomachs and our minds. For more photos of Malabon and Navotas heritage, check out Richard's Multiply.

Around Cotabato City

I had been looking forward to this weekend for months. I went to Mindanao with brods Ryan and Allen, and our friend Ching. The tickets were booked way back April (yes, it's the P1 fare promo). We took a flight to Cotabato City (the airport is in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Shariff Kabunsuan) where the van of Ching's cousin picked us up.

We visited Small World in the same town. Aside from the zoo, everything else was closed since the park is fully-open only on Sundays. The Lourdes Grotto is also there but since the priests who own the place make it such a hassle to visit (you have to get a permit and leave your driver's license and all), we decided to move to our next stop, the Tamontaka Church, a national historical landmark.

I had expected to see an old church. But it was totally new. The older church was destroyed by a fire several years back. It was declared a national historical landmark just in 2004, long after the new and current church was built which thus came as a surprise to me since I know that the NHI requires a certain percentage of authenticity before declaring structures.

Anyway, we passed by the new Cotabato City Hall before proceeding to Mang Gorio for a late lunch. We ordered barbeque chicken and buko halo-halo. We also dropped by the Kuta Wato Caves but that was a big disappointment. It was so dirty, and you had informal settlers residing above the caves. I could just imagine where all their human waste goes. The city government should take out that tourism sign outside because it is no longer an attraction. It's such a pity since the natural pool inside the cave would have made it such an enchanting place.

From there, we proceeded to the old city hall and town plaza. Our plan was to drop by the tourism office but it turns out, government offices close early on Fridays in this part of the country. Friday, is a day of prayer for Muslims and I was told it had been practice here that after services, employees don't go back to the office anymore. Oh well!

The local government should encourage the rehabilitation of the early post-war commercial buildings in the town proper. These structures give the city a lot of character.