Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery (Laguna)

Posted on 26 August, 2014 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

From the Church of St. Bartholomew, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I left the town proper. Just 2 kms. out of the town is the Baroque-style, 1-hectare Underground Cemetery. The first and only one of its kind in the country, it was built in 1845 by Franciscan Fr. Vicente Velloc. This would be my second visit, having done so 15 years ago. We parked the Toyota Revo at the Shell service station across it.

Plaque installed by National Historical Institute (NHI)

The scrollwork-decorated octagonal red brick walls, 18 ft. high arch and 2 elaborate wrought iron gates were still there and remain quite impressive. The enclosed circular garden is surrounded by 240 (120 on each side) above-ground, apartment-type niches similar to Manila’s Paco Cemetery.

The scrollwork-decorated octagonal red brick walls and 18 ft. high arch

Maricar, Violet and Lanny

The oldest niche is dated 1886 and the last interment was in 1982, nine years (August 1, 1973) after it was declared as a National Historical Landmark by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260 (with amendments on June 11, 1978 by virtue of Administrative Order 1505). Its historical marker was only unveiled on October 24, 1981.

The above ground crypts

Traversing the red tiled walkway, we entered the dome-like cemetery chapel, used for requiem or funeral mass, which was built in a strange arabesque style and has blue and white tiles. Inside is the Sto. Entierro, the glass bier of the dead Christ. The planked ceiling which was water-damaged during my first visit was now partially repaired.

Father and son in front of the chapel

The interior of chapel

We went down one of the two stairways leading 15 ft. down to the underground crypt which contain 36 tombs (housing the remains of Spanish friars and prominent people), arranged in 4 walls with burial plaques. Unlike my first visit, I was now allowed to take pictures (but no flash). Back at the chapel, we signed the customary guest book and left.

The underground crypts

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery: Brgy. Bambang, Nagcarlan, Laguna. Open Tuesdays to Sundays. Admission is free. Donations are needed and welcomed.

Church of St. Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)

Posted on 26 August, 2014 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

From Liliw, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I continued on our way to the next Laguna town of Nagcarlan. This historic mission town was founded in 1583 by Franciscan Fr. Tomas de Miranda (known in history to have planted the first grains of wheat in the country). It became an independent municipality in 1595. This would be my second visit to this town, my first being 15 years ago (April 4, 1999).

Church of St. Bartholomew

As such, I was excited to revisit the town’s prominent landmarks – the Church of St. Bartholomew and the Underground Cemetery, both of which were featured in my articles written for the defunct TODAY (now Manila Standard TODAY) as well as in my first book “A Philippine Odyssey: A Collection of Featured Travel Articles” (New Day Publishers, 2005) and a previous blog entry in B.L.A.S.T.. My photos of these places were taken with roll film then.

The church interior

Being a long time ago, a lot has changed with the town. For one, there were now many one way-streets and it took some time, and patience, before we reached the church located opposite the market but far from the municipal hall (which is nearer to the Underground Cemetery).

The church retablo

Violet, Jandy and Lanny at church entrance

Violet, Jandy and Lanny at the church entrance

Restored in “Laguna Baroque” style by Fr. Vicente Velloc (the same priest who built the Underground Cemetery), its impressive brick facade features super-positioned orders consisting of coupled columns on the first level and single columns (reaching only halfway on the walls) on the second. Its pediment has a Baroque-inspired slightly curved raking cornice.

The unusual 4-storey bell tower

The unusual, 4-storey bell tower, built by Fr. Fernando de la Puebla, is topped by Muslim-inspired crenelations. Unlike in Pagbilao (Quezon) and Majayjay, we weren’t able to climb it as the door leading up to its stairs was locked.

The plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (NHI)

The plaque installed by the Historical Research and Markers Committee

How To Get There: Nagcarlan is located 102 kms. from Manila, 106 kms. from Sta. Cruz and 8.7 kms. from Majayjay.

Church of St. John the Baptist (Liliw, Laguna)

Posted on 26 August, 2014 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

After lunch at Liliw Fast Food, I took advantage of a lull in the rain and walked up the road towards the town’s red brick and adobe Church of St. John the Baptist. This church was first built in wood in October 1620, rebuilt in stone from 1643 to 1646 but was partially destroyed during the July 18, 1880 earthquake. The church and convent were reconstructed in 1885 but partially burned on April 6, 1898.

Church of St. John the Baptist

The church’s elegant, 3-level Baroque-style facade, divided by superpositioned columns into 7 segments and extending up to the pediment, has a semicircular arched main entrance finished with irregularly cut block of stones surmounted by layers of bricks, a bas-relief depicting the Baptism of Christ by St. John the Baptist on the second level and a centrally located statued niche on the undulating pediment.

The church’s three retablos

On the right is the immense, moss-covered, 3-storey bell tower covered by a dome and topped by a tower. It has a good view of Laguna de Bay. Inside the church are retablos (altar backdrops) finished in gold leaf. The 4-level retablo mayor (main altar) at the center contains 13 niches housing statues of saints. The center of the lowest level contains the tabernacle. The two side retablos houses 4 niches of saints. A stained glass dome is located above the main altar. Regretfully, the ceiling of red brick and mahogany-finished wood was painted white.

The dome above altar

Before leaving, I entered a small passageway to the left of the main entrance to visit the Capilla de Buenaventura, a small chapel dedicated to Franciscan Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura, author of Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala, the first Tagalog dictionary which was printed in Pila, Laguna in 1613. His image is enclosed in a glass case which is believed to be 500 years old. Here, I lighted a bundle of 7 multi-colored candles which I bought for PhP40. On the right side of the church’s entrance is the church’s Perpetual Adoration Chapel.

Capilla de Buenaventura

The church’s grounds, developed to promote Christian teachings for pilgrims, has a patio with a white-painted statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus flanked by several whitewashed statues of different saints, the child Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

The church’s patio

Church of St. John the Baptist: Poblacion, Liliw 4004, Laguna. Tel: (049) 563-3511 and (049) 234-1031.

How To Get There: Liliw is located 110 kms. from Manila and 17 kms. from Sta. Cruz.

Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great (Majayjay, Laguna)

Posted on 26 August, 2014 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

From Lucban, we finally crossed the Quezon-Laguna boundary, into Majayjay where we made a short stopover at the town’s Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great. This would be my second visit to the town, having done so 12 years ago (October 13, 2002) with Jandy. This Augustinian-built church is now listed, by the National Museum, as a National Cultural Treasure.

Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great

The moss and vine-covered side of the church

I featured the town and its church in my article Hay Hay! Majayjay which appeared in TODAY (November 10, 2002) and a previous B.L.A.S.T. blog entry. Its unusually tall, stone and brick colonial Baroque facade, with its 6-m. thick adobe walls (though still covered with unsightly vines and moss), was still impressive even after all those years.

The church’s long rectangular nave

The plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (NHI)

During my first visit, I wasn’t able to explore the church interior in detail as a wedding was ongoing at that time. This time there wasn’t any wedding as we walked the azulejo-tiled floor of the 60-m. long and 17-m. wide, rectangular nave, admiring the antique relief statues of saints lining it, the wooden balconies above it on both sides, an elaborately decorated wooden pulpit accessed by a stair, a Sto. Entierro, and the 3 elaborate retablos (altar backdrops) with its pantheon of saints.

The 3 impressive retablos

The wooden pulpit

Violeta, Lanny and I were also able to go up the hexagonal bell tower, via the choir loft, just as we did in Pagbilao. Jandy and Maricar stayed behind. Of equally huge proportions as the church, the bell tower was supported by unusual 16.5-m. high solid buttresses. The catwalk above the ceiling (called langit-langitan), leading to the crossing above the transept, can no longer be accessed as it has deteriorated.

The dome above the altar

Violet and Lanny climbing the stairs going up to the bell tower

Unlike the bell tower of Pagbilao, the stairs going up was sturdy concrete with steel railings. And just like in Pagbilao, we also had a commanding view, upon reaching the top, of the town as well as Laguna de Bay . The tower had 5 century-old bells. its main bell was said to weigh about 3,000 kgs. and its thunderous peal can be heard 3 kms. away.

One of the church bells

View of the town from the top of the bell tower

Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great: Poblacion, Majayjay, Laguna. Tel: (049) 258-1012.

How To Get There: Majayjay is located 120 kms. from Manila and 18 kms. from Sta. Cruz.

Eker & Ely Lucban Longganisa and Pasalubong (Lucban, Quezon)

Posted on 26 August, 2014 by Benjie Layug — 7 Comments ↓

From the church, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I walked towards Eker & Ely Lucban Longganisa and Pasalubong, situated just behind the church where, we were told, we could buy the best Lucban longganisa. It was raining heavily, so we brought our umbrellas with us. Established in 1958 (incidentally the year I was born), Eker & Ely is one of 10 longganisa makers in town.

Their Lucban Longanisa is sold by the dozen – P150 for big longanisa and P55 for small. I bought two dozen packs of the former while the others bought packs of the latter. It’s a good thing we arrived here in the morning as their longganisa is usually sold out by afternoon.

Longganisa hung on poles for buyers to see

Aside from their bestseller longganisa, the store also sells different delicacies made in Lucban and other parts of the country. The list includes macaroons, coco jam, broas (the local version of ladyfingers), uraro, miki lucban, piaya, pastillas, mazapan, galletas (egg cracklets) espasol, achara, espasol, coco vinegar, peanut brittle, peanuts, cashews, etc.

Lanny, Violet and Maricar deciding on what to buy for pasalubong

Eker & Ely Lucban Longganisa and Pasalubong: 114 A. Racelis Ave., Lucban, Quezon. Tel: (042) 540-3304. Mobile number (0920) 237-9056.

How To Get There: Lucban is located 160.36 km. from Manila and 23.7 kms. north of Lucena City. From Manila, it can be accessed via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX, exit at Turbna) and the Manila East Road.

Church of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse (Lucban, Quezon)

Posted on 26 August, 2014 by Benjie Layug — 3 Comments ↓

After checking out Batis Aramin Resort & Hotel, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I proceeded to the Lucban town proper to check out its iconic Spanish-era Church of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse as well as to to buy some Lucban longganisa for pasalubong.

Church of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse

Plaque installed by Philippine Historical Commission in 1939

This wasn’t my first visit to this town and its church as Jandy and I visited it during a visita iglesia 15 years ago (April 2, 1999). This church was featured in my article “A Cultural and Religious Pilgrimage to Quezon” (April 7, 2001), in the Travel & Lifestyle Section of TODAY, in my first book “A Philippine Odyssey: A Collection of Featured Travel Articles” (New Day Publishers, 2005) and a previous blog entry in B.L.A.S.T..

The side of the church

Arched windows

It was already raining when we arrived at the church and I parked by Toyota Revo within its shady plaza which is surrounded by gardens, grottoes and stone walls called quince-quince. The church went through a history of fire, bombing during World War II and reconstructions. It is the center of the Pahiyas Festival which is held here every May 15, the Feast of San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Farmer). The church enshrines the image of San Isidro Labrador

Decorative keystone on top of the main entrance

Detail of column set in high relief

Even in gloomy weather brought about by the rain, I was still awed by its lofty, fanciful facade with its curved, almost cloud-like outlines; cornice volutes; horizontal moldings that gently flow, from end to end, through the wall expanse; the columns set in high relief; intricately carved finials that cap the columns at the pediment area; the arched windows and the portal with decorative keystone. The moss and vine-covered bell tower, on the church’s left, rising up in three tapering levels, is topped with a weather vane. Both the church’s facade and the bell tower are finished with lime and cement.

The church interior

Statue of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.