The Ancestral Houses of Camalig (Albay)

Posted on 29 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

Gonzales Ancestral House

After lunch at Rayben’s Place Restobar & Grill, we decided to burn some calories by doing a walking tour of some of Camalig’s Spanish and American-era ancestral houses. All were within walking distance from the municipal hall.

Camalig Municipal Hall

Most of these bahay na bato (stone houses) typically have persiana (sliding wooden louver storm windows); ventanillas (openings with wooden balusters called barandillas) below the windows; and bandejado (decorative panels).

Capiz shell sliding windows (Melba Moyo House)

Media agua (awning), supported by wooden or ornate iron braces, wraps around over windows which use concha (checkerboard capiz shell panels) for its espejo (wrap around transom).

Persiana louvers (Gonzales Ancestral House)

Eave calado and persiana louvers (Don Sixto Nuyda House)

Their interiors have high ceilings; calado (wooden fretwork) on the upper walls; antique furniture and wide wooden floor planks.

Don Sixto Nuyda House – interior

The Nolasco House, built in the early 19th century, was owned by Diego Nolasco, a former town mayor. The house was once used as the town’s temporary municipal hall. Ruins of the old house, believed to be the municipal hall and judicial building, can be seen at the rear of the existing structure.

Nolasco Ancestral House

The Jaime Moyo Ancestral House, originally owned by Heron Moyo (brother of Teodoro Moyo whose descendants own the Melba Moyo House), is presently owned by Heron’s son, Jaime. During World War II, it was once occupied by Japanese Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita.

Jaime Moyo House

The Gonzales Ancestral House, presently owned by Ms. Ninibeth Gonzales, was built in 1920 and is one of the best-preserved ancestral houses in the town. Its media agua is supported by ornate iron braces.

Ventanilla with barandillas (Gonzales Ancestral House))

Ornate iron braces (Gonzales Ancestral House)

The Anson Ancestral House was originally owned by Toribia Iglesia Moya, sister of former capitan municipal (1877-1878) Doroteo Iglesia Moya and mother of Anacleto Moya Solano, last capitan municipal (1897-1900) and first presidente municipal (1901-1902) during the American era.

Anson Ancestral House

It was later bought by the Ansons and transferred to the Valencianos in 1920 and returned to the Ansons in 1980. It is distinguished by its outdoor main staircase leading to the living room and azotea. During the Spanish era, it was used as quarters for the guardia civil.

Outdoor stairway leading to living room (Anson Ancestral House)

The Melba Moyo House, built in 1932, was first owned by Barbara Nieves Moyo who late bequeathed it to her son Teodoro Moyo. After Teodoro’s death, the house was manage by his wife Melba Grageda Moyo. During World War II, high-ranking Japanese officials lived here.

Melba Moyo House

One house we did get to enter, with the permission of the owner, was the Don Sixto Nuyda House, built in Geometric style of architecture in the 19th century by the previously mentioned capitan municipal Doroteo Iglesia Moya.

Don Sixto Nuyda House

The Nuydas are affiliated with the Moyas through nephew Marcos Obligacion who took a Nuyda wife. Justino Napay Nuyda, a Bicolano zarzuela (a lyric-dramatic entertainment genre of Spanish origin) writer and the first Albay Second District congressman (1935-1941), once resided here.

Diamond-patterned concha windows (Don Sixto Nuyda House)

We entered the house via a uniquely designed stone porch that corresponds to the gillian of traditional Filipino pile houses. Inside is an exemplary showcase of diamond-patterned concha. It was damaged during the 2006 typhoon Reming which left 66 people dead in Albay. The ground floor has been boarded up.

Don Sixto Nuyda House – Interior

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, Camalig, 4502, Albay. Tel.: (052) 484-1965

Municipal Tourism, Culture and Arts Office: Camalig Tourism and Pasalubong Center, Brgy. 2, Camalig, Albay. Mobile number: (0927) 621-3315. E-mail: camalig_tourism@yahoo.com.

Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO): Albay Tourism Bldg., Albay Astrodome Complex, Capt. F. Aquende Drive, 4500 Legaspi City, Albay. Tel: (052) 481-0250 and (052) 742-0242. E-mail: albaytourism@yahoo.com and albaytourism@gmail.com.

Hoyop-Hoyopan Caves (Camalig, Albay)

Posted on 29 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave (photo Rommel Natanauan)

After our short stopover at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Tabaco City proper, we proceeded on our way, via a 28.3-km./28-min. drive along the Ligao –Tabaco Rd., to Camalig and a further 8 kms. (a 20-min.) drive south to Hoyop-Hoyopan Caves where we were to do some amateur spelunking. The cave is privately owned and maintained by the Soriano, Nieva and Nuylan families. Here, we were met by Mr. Garner N. Abril, our local cave guide who was well versed in the cave’s history and its trail.

One of the cave entrances

This natural, 3-level, tunnel-like limestone cave, one of the most popular and easily accessible caves in Albay, covers an approximate area of 31.4 sq. m. of land. Located 16 kms. from the Cagsawa Ruins, the cave’s name is derived from the Bicol word meaning “eternal whispering breeze” or “blow-blow” because of the sound of wind whistling through the main entrance. Upon entering, we instantly felt a blow of cold air.

Mr. Garner N. Abril, our local cave guide

Our tour, done in a group, went through the subterranean path and eventually ended at the other part of the mountain. We traversed a staircase that provided easy access to the other levels of the cave. Strategically placed light bulb along pathways allowed us to fully appreciate the rock formations inside the cave.

Cave stalactites

In 1972, 2,000-year old bones in burial jars, beadwork and potsherds, dating from 200 B.C. to 900 A.D. and attributed to Calanay complex, were excavated here. The artifacts are now housed at the National Museum in Manila, while some are displayed at nearby Camalig Church. The late Franciscan Fr. Cantius Kobak, OFM, an archaeologist, classified the cave as old as 3000 B.C to 4000 B.C.

Media team posing beside a cave pool

During the Japanese occupation in World War II, Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave served as a guerilla and refugee camp of the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (Hukbalahap) and as a hospital and orphanage. According to stories from the townsfolk, it took three years before the enemies discovered the camp. During the Martial law era, when curfew was strictly imposed, this cave served as a safe haven for party goers and, when a destructive typhoon strikes in the area, as a refuge and shelter.

The Dance Hall

The cave has wonderful formations of stalagmites and stalactites and numerous entrances and exits varying from two to 10 m. in diameter. Many of the different stalactite formations resemble a chicken drumstick,a statue of the Blessed Virgin, a hanging snake, a hand formation, a sexy lady with long hair, a hanging man, a statue of Moses and a crocodile tail. In order to reach the different chambers, these narrow passageways tested our skill in squeezing, scrambling, crawling, and kneeling to get through to a mini-pond (some sections of the cave have puddles of water) and the “dance hall” (a wide open-space with a round concrete platform installed in the middle ). One of the cave’s openings is a grand window, through which travelers can enjoy a splendid view of Mayon Volcano.

Mano po

After we exited the cave, we bought some crystals, mounted on key chains, pendants or necklaces, and some native products (hats, etc.) available for sale at a stall. I bought a crystal necklace and key chain as well as one in its raw form (prices, depending on the size of the crystal stone, ranges from PhP50- 500).

Jollibee Chicken Joy drumstick?

Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave: Brgy. Cotmon, Camalig, Albay. Admission: PhP200 for two to three persons, while the parking fee is P25 is also charged. A local tour guide, , can be hired for PhP100 to PhP200 (inclusive of 1 lamp). An additional PhP300 is charged if you want to turn on the lights inside the cave. Public transportation to the cave is also available.

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, Camalig, 4502, Albay. Tel.: (052) 484-1965

Municipal Tourism, Culture and Arts Office: Camalig Tourism and Pasalubong Center, Brgy. 2, Camalig, Albay. Mobile number: (0927) 621-3315. E-mail: camalig_tourism@yahoo.com.

Church of St. John the Baptist (Camalig, Albay)

Posted on 29 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

First built, with wood and nipa, by Franciscan friars from 1579 to 1580, the second church, together with the “escuela Catolica,” was built with stone in 1605. This church was destroyed during the 1814 eruption of Mayon Volcano and was rebuilt with solid blocks of volcanic stones from Mayon Volcano, in 1837, by Fr. Francisco Latoba and Fr. Manuel Brihuega.

Church of St. John the Baptist

In 1845, Fr. Miguel Barcela built the church façade, the escuela Catolica and the bell tower. The church was finished in 1848. On November 1987, the church was damaged by super typhoon Sisang, (international name: Nina) losing its roof, ceiling and beams, but was subsequently repaired.

The church facade

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church’s first level has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by superpositioned columns and niches with statues of St. Clare of Assisi and St. Peter the Baptist (San Pedro Bautista). The second level has rectangular windows of equal sizes. The triangular pediment, above it, has a centrally located niche with a statue of St. John the Baptist, above which is a small oculus. It is flanked by superpositioned columns and separated from the second level by an entablature.

Plaque installed by the National Historical Commission

The 4-storey, hexagonal bell tower, on the church’s left, has massive bells and a fine view of Mayon Volcano. During World War II, it served as a lookout for American troops searching for Japanese stragglers hiding in hillside caves.

The 4-storey, hexagonal bell tower

Inside the church is a ceiling painted with some images, chandeliers and burial niches, including a memorial stone honoring a resident who died at the age of 115 years (1797 to 1912). Its adjacent convent houses a small museum which displays some of the 2,000-year old bones, beadwork, potsherds and other artifacts found from Calabidong Cave.

The church interior

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, Camalig, 4502, Albay. Tel.: (052) 484-1965

Municipal Tourism, Culture and Arts Office: Camalig Tourism and Pasalubong Center, Brgy. 2, Camalig, Albay. Mobile number: (0927) 621-3315. E-mail: camalig_tourism@yahoo.com.

How to Get There: Camalig is located 539 kms. from Manila and 14 kms. northwest of Legaspi City.

Church of St. Francis Xavier (Nasugbu, Batangas)

Posted on 4 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 3 Comments ↓

Nasugbu’s Church of St. Francis Xavier is a relatively new edifice as much of its construction happened only during the 1990’s. The Nasugbu parish, once under the jurisdiction of the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Balayan, underwent a sad and dark turn of events in the past. Its first chapel, as well as a convent for the parish priest, was built in Brgy. Looc.

Church of St. Francis Xavier

Later, the town transferred to its present location. In 1852, a church was dedicated to the Nuestra Seňora Virgen de le Escalera and St. Francis Xavier. In 1896, after the people of Nasugbu rose against the Spanish colonial regime, Spanish troops locked up almost 500 men, women and children inside the church and then set the church on fire.

The 4-storey bell tower

Another simple, wooden parish church was built on its present site. Eventually, the town’s growing population necessitated the construction of the much larger, present church which was started in the early 1990’s. During the Centennial Celebration of the Archdiocese of Lipa, the church was declared as a Pilgrimage Church.

Antique bell

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church has a Romanesque-style façade with a portico over the driveway supported by fluted columns with Corinthian capitals, on top of which is an entablature and a triangular pediment. The façade’s second level, also topped by a triangular pediment, has a large, centrally located rose window flanked by two smaller circular windows.

In front of the main entrance is the church’s antique bell, forged in Spain and bearing the king’s royal seal.

The church’s interior

The interior has a magnificent barrel vaulted ceiling painted in the trompe-l’œil style. The main altar, above which is a dome, features expensive hardwood carvings. It has an antique, larger-than-life restored crucifix. The Immaculate Conception is enthroned on the Gospel side while that of St. Joseph, the patron of Batangas, is placed on the Epistle side. Underneath an antique carving of the Most Blessed Holy Trinity is an image of St. Francis Xavier surmounting the top arch. The central focus of the magnificent altar is the Tabernacle of the Most Holy Sacrament. Beneath the altar of the church is an ossuarium.

Choir loft

The octagonal, 4-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, is topped by a cupola. It can be reached by 200 steps in 3 spiral stairways and two wooden ladders. On November 21, 2006, a whole set of 18 carillon bells (the biggest weighed 320 kilos while the smallest weighed 55 kilos) from Paccard-Fonderie de Cloches of Annecy in France, costing PhP4.4 million, were installed at the tower.

Main altar

The carillon plays in two musical scales of 18 bells, three are swinging big bells (moving to and fro and making sounds in each movement) and 15 are fixed (do not move and are struck by clappers outside), each producing a distinct tone set by its manufacturer in France. Thus, 18 bells mean 18 notes.

Trompe l’oeil ceiling

Church of St. Francis Xavier: J.P. Laurel St., Nasugbu, Batangas. Tel: (043) 931 – 5186.

Munting Buhangin Beach Camp (Nasugbu, Batangas)

Posted on 3 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 4 Comments ↓

Munting Buhangin Beach

From the very crowded Interlink Beach, we again continued on our quest to find a suitable beach resort for overnight camping. Canyon Cove was out of the question (PhP800/pax just for a day tour) so we moved on. Then I saw the sign for Munting Buhangin Beach Camp and, remembering my past overnight stay there, decided to check it out.

Munting Buhangin in the evening

Just past the members only Terrazas de Punta Fuego, we turned left into the gate of the resort and inquired about the rates from the security guards. From here, it’s a 1-km. and very steep downhill drive. As it was the peak season, we had to park our car some distance from the resort. We decided to leave the heavy camping gear inside the car and walk the rest of the way down. Then we had to go down a very long flight of stairs, with some 100 steps, to get to the reception area.

The long flight of stairs

Reception and information area

Our total bill for our overnight camping, which we promptly paid, came up to PhP3,400 which included entrance fees, camping fee and breakfast the next day for the 5 of us. I regretted not bringing our gear with us. Oh well.

Melissa and Almira inside our Coleman tent

Melissa and daughter Almira inside the Coleman tent

My son Jandy and Albert

Anyway, my son Jandy and Melissa’s children Almira and Albert volunteered to return with all our stuff, making the arduous climb up the stairs and the steep driveway to get to the car and then return, this time heavily laden, with all the heavy camping gear, backpacks and provisions. Thank God for children.

Kainan sa Beach Camp

The convenience store

The 24-hectare Munting Buhangin Beach Camp is backpacker and camper-friendly and just perfect as I brought along my 5-pax Coleman tent. This we pitched under a shady tree and beside a convenient long table with benches, all monobloc. Kainan sa Beach Camp, its restaurant, as well as the information and reception area (with its all-important convenience store where we bought our bottled water, ice cream and snacks) and a common grilling area were nearby.

Airconditioned concrete cottages

Airconditioned bamboo cottages

A treehouse

The resort also has a variety of accommodation choices, from airconditioned cottages, 2 and 4-pax family rooms, the always popular 10-pax treehouses to tents for rent. They also have conference rooms for seminars and team building activities. Their comfort rooms and shower areas, quite a long walk away, were not well-maintained, with sand all over the floor.

Comfort room and shower area

We didn’t sleep much inside our tents as our noisy neighbors were up all night and into the wee hours of the morning. With no sea breeze, it was also uncomfortably hot that night. Our packed breakfast the next day, ordered the night before, wasn’t much – scrambled egg and a cup of steamed rice with a choice of either tocino, beef tapa or longanisa.

Bamboo and nipa picnic huts

Monobloc picnic table and benches

A plus for the resort is their clean and wide beach front, on a captivating cove, which has clear and shallow water (not so during the rainy season though) with fine, light brown sand (no shells or sharp rocks) and not much waves, just right for giving lessons to a city dweller like Melissa on how to float. In spite of it being Holy Week and summer, the beach wasn’t overflowing with bodies. They also offer beach volleyball, tug-of-war, high rope, watersports (kayaking, banana boats, jetskis, aqua glide, speedboats, etc.).

Beach volleyball action

Melissa (third from right) joining the tug-of-war

The High Rope

There is nothing super special about this resort. However, if you’re just a backpacker, camper or simply a typical traveler just looking for some relaxation, a nice beach and a family picnic (you can bring your own food) under some shady trees while watching a beautiful sunset, then this is a good choice.

Dusk at Munting Buhangin

The author with Almira

Munting Buhangin Beach Camp: Brgy. Natiunan, Nasugbu, Batangas. Metro Manila booking office: 7/F Makati Executive Center. 114 L.P. Leviste cor. V.A. Rufino Sts., Salcedo Village, Makati City. Tel: 818-1975, 818-4798, 812-5448 and 818-2083 local 122. Fax: (632) 892-3649. Mobile number: (0922) 887-4131. E-mail: muntingbuhangin@gmail.com and muntingbuhangin@yahoo.com. Website: www.muntingbuhangin.ph.

Interlink Beach (Nasugbu, Batangas)

Posted on 3 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 3 Comments ↓

When I was still a young man, a lot of our Holy Week family vacations were held at Interlink Resort where my father bought some shares (Check out a past Interlink Resort promotional video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD3mf7LkrJw). The resort was located on a hilltop within a private peninsula which could only be accessed by boat from Wawa Port.

Interlink Beach with Fortune Island seen from afar

The suicide cliff with a sea-sculpted cave below

Back then, the resort had non-airconditioned duplex cottages with airy verandas, a restaurant, small swimming pool, tennis court and a putting green. From the resort, a regular shuttle would transport guests down to the brown sand beach. The nearby cliff was said to have been the site where desperate Japanese soldiers jumped to their death during World War II. I remember that a shrine was installed to mark the event.

Posing beside one of Interlink Resort’s duplex cottages

Posing with my Mom and siblingswith the cliff in the background

Posing with my Mom and siblings with the peninsula and cliff in the background. On the far left is Wawa Port

Author (right) with sisters Tellie and Salve. In the background is Payong-Payong Point

The beach, though nothing like Boracay, with more coral reef than sand, was still a sight to behold as, a short distance from the beach, one could behold the well known Payong-Payong Point, a towering, offshore rock formation carved by wind, rain and the smashing waves.

Camping at Interlink Beach

Sunset at the beach

This place is also very familiar to some landscape photographers who love taking photographs of the beautiful sunset with Payong-Payong Point as backdrop. This scenery was also featured in the 2000 movie Pedrong Palad (Starring Joonee Gamboa, Chin Chin Gutierrez and Jaclyn Jose) and the January to May 2011 fantateleserye Mutya.

Wawa Port

The beach was somehow created when the developer bulldozed some of the coral away during low tide. During low tide, one could even walk, among the coral, all the way up to the rock formation, climb it and watch the fiery sunset from there. Here, the coral reef drops dramatically into the dark depths. From afar, you can also make out Fortune Island, 14 kms. away. My last visit to the still operating resort was sometime in 1982 or 1983. Some years later, the resort closed down.

Waiting for our banca at Wawa Port

I next visited the place on March 29-30, 2002, another long Holy Week end, camping on the hilltop with my son Jandy, daughter Cheska and Jandy’s Jesu-Mariae School teachers Erwin Vizcarra, Joel Fatlaunag and Vener Trillo. The resort back then was already abandoned and in ruins. The evening was very cold and, during the night, we woke up to cows grazing around us. Thoughts of Japanese ghosts in our midst were always in my mind. Some evening it turned out to be.

Crossing over to Interlink Beach

Holy Week of 2015 again brought me and Jandy there, with friend Melissa Tinonas and her children Almira and Albert. After a 1.5-hour trip via SLEX from Shell Magallanes, we arrived at Wawa Port by 11 AM. There were many cars parked at the port and, from the looks of it, there were many beachcombers also coming for a visit. We all boarded a banca to take us to the other side (PhP10 per person). From the breakwater, you could already see the great number of people who went there for a free swim.

Payong-Payong Point seen from Interlink Beach

Part of the beach now had some nipa picnic cottages said to be owned by a certain Nanay Precy Morales whose family lives near the Payong-Payong Point. Half of the beach was now cordoned off, off limits to beachcombers as it was now private property. Going up the hill, I talked to the security guard on duty. The hill was now cleared of the ruins of the now defunct Interlink Resort as well as the resident coconut trees and new villas were being built in their place. Well, so much for camping here in the future.

The new villas being built

Whatever becomes of the place, memories of Holy Weeks past in the former Interlink Resort will forever live in my mind.

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 an avid reader, traveler and free-lance travel writer in his spare time, contributing articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day, Bluprint 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.