Category Archives: Philippines, Republic of the

Magellan’s Cross (Cebu City, Cebu)

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From the Basilica del Sto. Nino, Grace and I walked over to the nearby octagonal kiosk of wood, adobe and red brick tiles, built in 1845, that houses Magellan’s Cross in the center.  Inside this kiosk are the remains of the original cross which was encased in hollow, black tindalo wood to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross, believing that it possesses miraculous powers.  
 
Grace besides Magellan’s Cross

However, some people believe that the original cross had been destroyed or disappeared after Ferdinand Magellan’s death in Mactan and that the cross we saw there was a replica planted there by  the Spaniards after the successful colonization of the country.

Ceiling paintings at the kiosk

At the kiosk’s ceiling are paintings depicting the events of Magellan’s visit – the baptism of Rajah Humabon and 800 of his followers by Fr. Pedro Valderrama and the first Catholic mass in Cebu.

Magellan’s Cross: Plaza Sta. Cruz,  Magallanes St., Cebu City 6000, Cebu

Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino (Cebu City, Cebu)

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From the Great Taoist Temple, Grace and I returned to our van which then proceeded, down the hill, to the city proper where we made a stopover at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino.  Formerly the San Agustin Church, this church was built by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Fr. Andres de Urdaneta to house the 30-cm. high image of the Sto. Niño, the statue given by Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon’s wife and recovered unscathed in a pinewood box by Juan Camus on April 27, 1565.  The image is enshrined in a small chapel to the left of the altar.  

The Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino

The first church, built with wood and nipa by Fr. Diego de Herrera, was destroyed by fire on November 1, 1566.  The second, a stone replacement built by Fr. Pedro Torres from 1605 to 1606, was also burned on March 1628.  It was rebuilt soon after, with stone and bricks, by Fr. Juan de Medina but was demolished in 1731 by Fr.  Jose Bosqued.  

The present stone structure was foundation was started on February 29, 1735 by Fr. Diego Bergano, Gov.-Gen. Fernando Valdez, Bishop Manuel Antonio Decio y Ocampo, continued  by Fr. Antonio Lopez and Fr. Francisco Aballe and was completed in 1740 by Fr. Juan de Albarran.   It was restored and reinforced in 1782 and slightly restored in 1889 by Fr. Mateo Diez who added the windows.  Both church and convent were restored in 1965 on occasion of the fourth centennial of the Christianization of the country.  The side retablos, the old organ and some portions of the monastery were removed.   On April 28, 1965, the 400th year of Cebu’s Christianization, it was conferred the title of Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño by Hildebrando Cardinal Antoniutti, papal legate of Pope Paul VI.  It is now a National Landmark.

The church has an imposing, solid facade blending Muslim, Romanesque and Neo-Classical features.  It is divided into 2 levels with shallow pilasters dividing each storey into 3 segments.  The graceful Muslim-inspired trefoil arched main entrance is flanked by shallow, rectangular, statued niches, above which are the semicircular arched windows of the second level.  It is crowned by a double-edged triangular pediment.  The Baroque-style bell tower has 2 alternatingly shaped blind and open windows ending up in triangular pinnacles with a circular disc.  It is crowned by balusters and a Muslim-influenced dome.  The convent, finished in 1769, is located on the opposite far end.

Inside the basilica is a painted ceiling, finely carved retablo and choir screen.  In the baptistery is the image of Our Lady of the Fort (Nuestra Señora de la Cotta) which was recovered in the vicinity of the church while Fort San Pedro was being built in 1565.  It is believed to be the one given by Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan’s chronicler, to Queen Juana on the day of her baptism.  Among the treasures of the basilica is a wooden bust of Christ known as Ecce Homo, believed exhumed from a spot near the church on August 20, 1572 by a Spanish soldier digging the foundations of his house.  The image was in a coffin containing the remains of an imminent person identified as Raxa Carli which may have been a latinization of Rajah Carlos as Rajah Humabon had been christened.  It is conjectured that the bust was presented by Magellan to Humabon on his baptism and was buried with him when the rajah died.   
 
Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino: Osmena Blvd., Cebu City 6000, Cebu.  Tel: (032) 255-6699.

Great Taoist Temple (Cebu City, Cebu)

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After breakfast at the hotel, Grace and I were picked up at the hotel lobby for the start of our city tour.  We proceeded, via van, to Beverly Hills, a wealthy residential subdivision located 6 kms. from downtown.  Situated 300 m. above sea level, it has a panoramic view of the city, the harbor and Mactan Island.  Above it is Victoria Peak, named after the hill in Hongkong.  Beverly Hills has a number of Chinese temples.

The Great Taoist Temple

We made a stopover at the Great Taoist Temple which is open to worshippers and non-worshippers alike.  Accessible by 3 separate winding routes, the entrance of the temple is a replica of the Great Wall of China.  The smell of incense was everywhere but the temple was really quiet and peaceful.  From its spacious balconies, we had a panoramic view of Cebu City, Mactan Island and Bohol.  Taking pictures of the gods inside the temple was strictly prohibited.

The temple’s spacious balcony

Built in 1972 by Cebu’s substantial Chinese community (about 15% of the population), this huge multi-level complex of bright red and green pagodas, guardian lions and dragons, follows the slope of the terrain.  It was built in a highly ornate style of Chinese architecture and is topped with a pagoda-style roof.

This well-maintained temple preserves the teachings of the 600 B.C. philosopher, Lao-tze.  Taoists climb the 81 steps (representing the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures) to the temple for the beautiful ceremonies, light joss sticks and have their fortunes read by the monks.  The temple also has a big dragon statue, a fish pond, an old bell, a chapel, a library, a souvenir shop and a wishing well.

Great Taoist Temple: Beverly Hills Subd., Lahug District, Cebu City, Cebu.  Open daily, 8 AM-5 PM. Admission is free.

Cebu Plaza Hotel (Cebu City, Cebu)

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Grace and I departed Manila for Cebu City on an early morning Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight.  This would be my first return visit to Cebu City, the place where I was born.  At Mactan International Airport, we were shuttled to Cebu Plaza Hotel where we were to stay 3 days and 2 nights.  This 22-storey hotel, situated atop a hill 600 ft. above sea level, within a 6-hectare hotel complex, has a panoramic view of Cebu City, the mountains and the island of Mactan.  

Cebu Plaza Hotel

Upon arrival at the hotel’s spacious and grand lobby, we checked in at Room 1200, one of the hotel’s 420 luxuriously-appointed airconditioned guest rooms that includes 22 de luxe suites, 3 royal suites and 1 presidential suite.  Our suite had a view of the mountains and the pyramid-shaped Cebu Casino across the street from the hotel.

Cafe Tartanilla

This hotel, Cebu City’s landmark business resort hotel, also has a restaurant (Lantaw Restaurant), a coffee shop (Cafe Tartanilla), a bar (Alindahaw Bar), disco (Boom), 11 function rooms, business center, 2 swimming pools and a shell tennis court.  Within the complex is a picnic area and the Sugbo Village and Museum.  

Cebu Casino Filipino

AUTHOR’S NOTES

Today, the hotel’s management has changed hands and the hotel has been renamed the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel.  Still the top 5-star hotel in the city, it now has 329 rooms, 4 restaurants, a grand ballroom and 12 function rooms.

Marco Polo Plaza Hotel: Cebu Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills, Lahug District, Cebu City, Cebu. Tel: (032) 253-1111.  Fax: (032) 234-8170.

Houseboating at Lake Caliraya (Cavinti, Laguna)

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For the 4 days of Holy Week, Dad booked us on an unusual vacation – traveling on a houseboat in Lake Caliraya Reservoir in Laguna.  There were 6 of us joining – Dad, Mom, sisters Salve and Tellie, and me plus our maid Irene Nebreja.  We also had a pilot and crew to bring us wherever we want to go on the lake. Our white-colored houseboat, with light blue trimmings, had spartan sleeping quarters, a dinette, kitchenette and a sun deck.

Our houseboat

 Our boat, part of a fleet of houseboats, was, according to our pilot, used by the cast and crew of the 1979, Francis Ford Cuppola Vietnam-era war epic film Apocalypse Now when they were filming some scenes in Laguna (notably the river scenes at the Bumbungan River and Pagsanjan Falls).  Mr. Cuppola and stars Marlon Brando or Martin Sheen may have slept in it. Who knows?

Cruising the lake

The massive, man-made Lake Caliraya is a mountain lake situated at foothills of the Sierra Madre Range at an elevation of 300 m. (800 ft.), between Lumban and Cavinti (a large portion is located here) .  It was built in 1943 and supplies, together with Lake Lumot, runoff water to the Kalayaan Hydroelectric Plant complex located north of the town.  Its original outlet was the Pagsanjan River, just above the falls, but now the smaller, artificial Lake Lumot feeds the main lake through a pipeline.  Both lakes cover 1,834 hectares of land and 76.9 hectares of water resources.

On dry land

My brother Frankie with pregnant wife Cherry,  Cherry’s Silahis International Hotel officemate Anna Purino and Cherry’s sister-in-law May Martin (the wife of Cherry’s elder brother Tony) also dropped by while we were docked and went swimming.  Swimming here is not like that done in a beach or even a river as the lake’s shoreline of viscous red slippery clay steeply drops just a few feet from the shore. Again, according to our pilot, a kid drowned when he slipped on the mud and fell into the water.  For safety’s sake, we all donned life vests in the water.  Others just sunbathed at the boat’s roof.

Windsurfing, waterskiingand shallow draft boating are popular here.  Fishing especially for large-mouth (black) bass, carp, bangus(milkfish), tilapia and dalag (mudfish) is a favorite activity in the lake.   Dad’s friend, Gen. Victor Natividad, was also there for the waterskiing, bringing along waterskiing equipment as well as a speedboat.  Frankie, May and I  took turns trying to waterski.  I was unsuccessful though as I kept falling when the speedboat started pulling me.

Resorts and picnic grounds line the shore of the lake and, on Easter Sunday, we docked at Nayong Kalikasan Resort where we heard mass at its clubhouse prior to our return to Manila.

Gallery XI – Our Natural Inheritance (National Museum of Natural History, Manila)

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Gallery XI (Our Natural Inheritance)

Gallery XI (Our Natural Inheritance) of the National Museum of Natural History, focusing on climate change, is where you can learn various environmental issues that the country has been facing over the years.

Check out “National Museum of Natural History”

The electronic globe showing the earth’s biosphere

This gallery starts with a five-minute audio-visual presentation of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Philippines that are protected areas in the country with an introduction into the amazing biodiversity of the country.

Sitting at the center of the adjacent room is an electronic globe showing the Earth’s biosphere and some phenomena affecting the Earth’s climate system such as the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, the 1997 El Nino phenomenon and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.  It animates ocean currents, phytoplankton movements, tsunamis and more.

Around it are audio-visual presentations with state-of-the-art sound domes of some of the country’s flagship species as well as species recently described in the past decade.

Some of the NIPAS Declared Sites

Gallery XI (Our Natural Inheritance): Phinma North Exhibition Hall, 2/F, National Museum of Natural History,  Agrifina Circle in Rizal Park, T.M. Kalaw Street, corner General Luna Street, Manila. Open Tuesdays – Sundays,   9 AM to 12 noon (cut off time is 11 AM) and 1 to 4 PM (cut off time is 3 PM). Tel: 82981100 local 3000 and 85277889.  E-mail:  cmvod@nationalmuseum.ph or inquiry@nationalmuseumph.gov.ph. Visitors shall be limited to 100 per museum per session. Visitors are required to pre-book online at https://reservation.nationalmuseum.gov at least a day before the visit. Confirmation of booking will be sent through email.Group reservations are limited to five (5) persons only.  Walk-in visitors will NOT be accommodated.  Coordinates: 14°34′59.9″N 120°58′55.9″E.