Daily Archives: 24 October, 2010

Church of St. Ildelfonsus (Guiguinto, Bulacan)

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Our slow progress along the MacArthur Highway was finally halted at Guiguinto where the bridge to Malolos was being repaired.  Parking my car at the municipal hall, we walked over to the nearby Church of St. Ildelfonsus.  This stone church and its convent, located near a saltwater stream, was built sometime in the late 17th century (1621 to 1691?), finished by 1734 (?) and was severely damaged during the June 3, 1863 earthquake where the upper part of its belfry fell off.

Guiguinto Municipal Hall

The church has Baroque and Muslim features with 4 sets of paired, superpositioned Doric columns, a large, semicircular main entrance in the center and Muslim-inspired geometric motifs on one of the side entrances.  The triangular pediment has a circular window almost at the base and a raking cornice decorated with volute crestings.

Church of St. Ildelfonsus

Its 4-level, octagonal bell tower, on the church’s left, has a blind surface that ends up in a balustraded pinnacle.  Of its existing bells, one dates to 1889 and was cast by Hilario Sunico and installed by Fr. Pedro Quiros.  A smaller one was installed in 1887.

The church’s interior

Back at the municipal hall, it was now time to make our way to Malolos City via the  alternative use of a confusing maze of narrow alleys and byroads.  Luckily, there were assigned personnel to safely guide us along the way.

Upon arrival in Malolos City, Jandy and I checked in at the very popular DJ Paradise Resort & Hotel.  This wasn’t the first I’ve been in this 5.7-hectare, Class AAA resort, having been here during Jandy’s school excursions, but this would be our first time to stay overnight.

Check out “Resort Review: DJ Paradise Resort“

DJ Paradise Resort: MacArthur Highway, Brgy. Dakila, Malolos City, Bulacan. Tel: (044) 791-5129 (connecting all departments), 662-4135 & 791-5384.   E-mail: info@djparadise.com.ph.  Website: www.djparadise.com.ph.

 

MacArthur Highway (Bulacan)

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Guiguinto Welcome Arch

This day, Jandy and I planned to stay overnight at the DJ Paradise Resort and Hotel in Malolos City.  However, instead of using the faster but monotonous North Luzon Expressway (and entering Malolos via the Tabang Exit), I plan to leisurely traversed the length of the more interesting but traffic-laden MacArthur Highway to get to Malolos City.  Formerly called the Manila North Road, this old, 2 to 6-lane highway was named after Lt.-Gen.  Arthur MacArthur, not after Gen. Douglas MacArthur, his more famous son, as I previously thought.

Valenzuela City Hall

The highway starts from the Bonifacio Monument in Grace Park, Caloocan City and extends through the Central Luzon provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac up to the Ilocos Region provinces of La Union and OPangasinan.  I entered it at Valenzuela City, a former Bulacan town that is now a city and part of Metro Manila.  Here, we made a short stopover at its city hall. 

Balagtas Public Market

From the city, we now entered the province of Bulacan,  absorbing the rural and urban feel of a number of Bulacan towns (Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas and Guiguinto) and Meycauayan City along the way.  The highway is not as smooth as the newer NLEX and can be sometimes chaotic as you vie for road space with buses and the slower tricycles and jeepneys.  However, here you drive underneath a canopy of trees and the roadside scenery is more charming.

MacArthur Highway at Meycauayan City