Monthly Archives: October 2007

Rafael’s Farm Garden Restaurant (Babatngon, Leyte)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

On my fifth day on Leyte, I decided to take a much needed break, my map updating work for United Tourist Promotions (makers of EZ Maps) just about done.  My sister-in-law Paula suggested I bring along Selena and Sean, my niece and nephew respectively, and have lunch at Rafael’s Farm Garden Restaurant in the next town of Babatngon.  We brought along their family driver Cherwine Avis.  It was just a 13-km./30 min. drive to the restaurant.

The boating lagoon

This peaceful, 16-hectare place in the middle of farmland, because of its ambiance, is a perfect place to dine, get close to nature and relax  with its beautiful, well-maintained landscaping.  There were many open green spaces to walk around, a wishing well, a manmade waterfall, a calesa, a treehouse for children to play in and a lagoon where one can go rowboating.  A wooden platform leads to a gazebo at the middle of the lake.  At night, fireflies swarm at a nearby tree.  The restaurant was named after the grandson of owner/entrepreneur Rene Tampil. Rene is also the owner of meat shops and the “Join Us” fastfood eateries in Tacloban City.

Selena at entrance to main building

The thatched-roof main building, with its native decor and open on 2 sides, has a wooden floor, conversation areas with sofas, interesting coffee tables, old and lamps, sculpture pieces, and an infinity pond with koi fish around the perimeter. A favorite weekend destination, it is truly a nice place for one who wants to get out of noise and stress of city life, even if just for a few hours.

The conversation area and infinity pond

The main dining area has dining tables topped with crocheted tablecloth and wooden chairs with woven abaca backrests and seats covered with banig.  All around are artwork (done by local artists) for sale.  The menu features a wide selection of delicious Filipino dishes (fish sinigang, grilled herb chicken, kinilaw, kare-kare, crispy chicken kawali, coco chicken stew, garlic butter fish steak, yellow pork chop, baked scallops, classic baby back ribs,  etc.), salads (farmer’s salad, garden fresh salad, etc.), desserts (buko gelatin, halo-halo, turon, etc.), pastries and beverages (lemon grass tea, ginger tea, iced tea, etc.), all at reasonable prices.  You can avail of a set meal consisting of salad, a side dish, rice, main course and dessert for PhP220.


Rafael’s Farm: Brgy. Pagsulhugon, Babatngon, Leyte.  Tel: (053) 325-0729.  Mobile numbers (0918) 669-9909 and (0915) 920-0325.  E-mail: inquiry@rafaelfarm.com and reservation@rafaelfarm.com.  Website: www.rafaelfarm.com.

Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Hilongos, Leyte)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Continuing on our way to Maasin City, Doods and I traveled the next 44 kms., past the towns of Inopacan and Hindang, to Hilongos. There, we made a brief stopover at the town’s Spanish-era, fortified Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.  This church was built by Jesuit friars in the 18th century and renovated by secular Fr. Leonardo Celis-Diaz, a native of Cebu.   

The modern Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate
Conception.  On its left is its Spanish-era bell tower

The original church, now incorporated as a transept, was a single-nave structure whose main door was also the gate to a bastioned fortification.  Some bastions and walls of that fortification still remain.  The main nave of the church is a modern construction and the church interior is completely new.

Ruins of the bastioned fortification

However, the town is more known for its octagonal flanking bell tower, now considered as the highest existing bell tower built in the Spanish era.  Also built by Fr. Celis-Diaz, this  independent multi-storey structure is now plastered over with Portland cement.   The convent, probably completed in the 19th century, houses many of the church’s antiques including silver vessels from the 18th century.

Baybay City (Leyte)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

After breakfast at Bahia Coffee Shop, I was picked up at the Hotel Don Felipe lobby by Mr. Doods Alcaraz, a medical representative requested by my sister-in-law Paula to drive me to Maasin City where I was to do map updating for United Tourist Promotions (makers of EZ Maps).  We used Dood’s car for this purpose.  We left Ormoc City by 8:30 AM.  The Maharlika Highway, though concreted, was pockmarked with cracks and potholes and first time drivers along this route would have to drive with caution.  Doods, however, frequently plied this route and knew it like the palm of his hand. 

Baybay City Hall

After 46 kms., past the town of Albuera, we made our first stopover for  merienda at a Jollibee outlet at the new component city of Baybay (it became such by virtue of Republic Act No. 9389 and was ratified by a plebiscite held on June 16, 2007) on the central west coast of Leyte where ferries leave for Cebu and the other islands.  This wasn’t my first visit to the city as its port was our jump-off point for our April 22, 2000 visit to the Cuatro Islas (under the jurisdiction of Inopacan).   

Baybay Port

On November 18, 2008, the Supreme Court struck down Baybay’s cityhood law, making Baybay a municipality again.  On December 22, 2009, acting on the appeal of the so-called “League of 16 Cities” (of which Baybay is a part of), the Supreme Court reversed its earlier ruling but, on August 24, 2010, again reinstated its 2008 decision. On February 15, 2011, the Supreme Court upheld, for the third time, the cityhood of Baybay.  Baybay is a city again.

After merienda, I dropped by the town’s Spanish-era Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.  The church was built in 1852 by Fr. Vicente E. Coronado and continued under the supervision of Maestro Proceso from Manila.  In 1866, fire destroyed the church except for the Chapel of the Holy Cross.  It was repaired in 1870 and finished by painter and sculptor capitán Mateo Espinoso (probably a local dignitary and artisan). 

Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

Walking Tour of Maasin City (Southern Leyte)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Having just had a Jollibee merienda at Baybay City, I decided to forego taking lunch and proceed on my own with my ocular walking tour of the city.  It was quite hot and sunny and I decided to leave my jacket at Dood’s Honda City, a decision I was  to regret later.  I had no idea what Doods did while I was away.

City Hall

The city proper was concentrated on two main streets: R.K. Kangleon St. and Tomas Oppus St. and all around it were the city hall, public market, schools, banks, inns, restaurants, churches and bus, jeepney and tricycle terminals.  Minutes into my walking tour, it began to rain and I had to wait it out in the shade before continuing on my way.  Leyte’s weather is really fickle, sunny one minute and rainy the next.

Busy Tomas Oppus Street

Much further away was the Provincial Government Center, Maasin City being the capital of the province.  Located here were the Provincial Capitol building and other provincial government offices around a park. To get there, I had to take a tricycle.  Before going back to Tacloban City (a further 185-km./4-hr. drive away), Doods and I had a late lunch at San Pedro Lechon Manok. 

The Provincial Capitol Building

Maasin City Investment, Promotions and Tourism Office: City Hall, Maasin City, Southern Leyte.  Tel: (053) 381-2138.

 

Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption (Maasin City, Southern Leyte)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

From Hilongos, Maasin City was just a further 37 kms.away, past the towns of Bato and Matalom. Doods and I finally reached city by 12:30 PM and Doods conveniently parked the car in front of the city’s Spanish-era Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption.  This church was started in 1771 by Jesuit Fr. Serapio Gonzalez, continued by Fr. Jose Paco from 1839 to 1852, destroyed by fire in 1884 and later rebuilt.  In 1968, the church was made into a cathedral and, in 1993, the cathedral was made a National Shrine by the National Historical Institute.

 Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption

Its simple, sparsely-decorated Early Renaissance façade has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by narrow paired columns, a pediment with a centrally located a statued niche flanked by square windows and topped by a circular window.  On its right is a tall and slender 3-storey bell tower and surrounding the church is a fortification with quadrilateral bulwarks at the corners. Part of the fortification has been demolished to give way to a school. A bulwark on the western side of the site has the inscription “San Carlos Año de 1781.” Inside the cathedral are Spanish-era images and santos found in its altar and ceiling.

The cathedral’s interior