Category Archives: Philippines, Republic of the

Museo del Seminario Conciliar (Naga City, Camarines Sur)

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The Museo del Seminario Conciliar, opened on September 1998, consists of a Marian Room, Ecclesiastical Collection, Gallery and Archive and the Archaeological Collection.

The Marian Room has a replica of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, pictures of the original Lady of Peña de Francia in Salamanca, Spain and extant postcard-size pictures of the canonical coronation of Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

The Ecclesiastical Collection displays retablos (altar backdrops), antique santos, vestments, chalices, monstrances and episcopal seals of the liberal-minded Bishop Francisco Gainza and hard-line Bishop Arsenio Campo, the last Spanish bishop to serve in Bicol.

The Archives-Gallery contains the memorabilia of Monsignor Jorge Barlin as well as pictures of the various Bicol bishops including Jose Cardinal Sanchez, the first Bicolano cardinal.  The Archive has books in Latin and Spanish printed in the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s as well as baptismal and marriage registries in the 1700s and early 1800s.

The Archaeological section displays the collection of Ermelo M. Almeda.  It consists of Philippine pottery and burial jars found in archaeological diggings in the Bicol region, Calatagan (Batangas), Marikina City (Metro Manila), Samar and Palawan; porcelain ware from Vietnam and Thailand and Chinese porcelain ware from the Tang Dynasty (618 to 906 AD) to the Qing Dynasty (1645 to 1912).

Museo del Seminario Conciliar: Holy Rosary Minor Seminary, Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Naga City, Camarines Sur)

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The next day, after breakfast at the hotel, we were whisked off on a tour of the city’s 3 foremost religious shrines.  We made our first stopover at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (also called the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral). Originally founded in 1595 on the location of the market, the present Spanish Romanesque church, one of the largest in the country, was completed in 1843. Damaged by typhoons and the 1811 earthquake, it was restored in 1890.  Its austere interior houses a Black Nazarene statue and some fine ecclesiastical silver in the sacristy.

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

The church’s plain and massive, three-level façade has a semicircular arched main entrance, paired superpositioned columns, statued niches and a slightly curving end wall at the second level.  It is topped by a triangular pediment with a centrally located clock.  The levels of the massive, Renaissance-style bell towers on the flanks are marked by enclosing balustrades.   The church has an austere interior, a Black Nazarene statue and some fine ecclesiastical silver in the sacristy.

The image of the Virgin of Peñafrancia is transferred and enthroned here until her feast day from the Basilica during the Translacion (the 2-km. ritual transfer of the Virgin, by the traditional all-male retinue). A novena is held during the Virgin’s stay at the cathedral.

Beside the cathedral is the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary where our media colleague Rick Alberto studied.  Formerly the Seminario Conciliar de Nueva Caceres, it was founded in 1797, the first school for ecclesiastical and lay education in Southern Luzon.  On September 1998, the cathedral’s old seminary building was declared a National Landmark by the National Historical Institute.

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist:  cor. of Elias Angeles and Paz Streets. Tel: (054) 473-1836 and 473-8418. Feast of St. John the Evangelist: December 27.

Deer Breeding Farm (Ocampo, Camarines Sur)

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With still some daylight up ahead, we opted to visit another of Gov.  Luis Villafuerte’s priority projects: the Deer Breeding Farm in  Ocampo.  Located below Mt. Isarog’s slopes, this experimental breeding farm, started in 1996, has a 60-head herd made up of 5 species of Australian deer (blackbuck antelope, the fallow deer, the chital deer, red deer and elk).

Grazing deer with Mt. Isarog in the background

Here, we decided to go “deer hunting” with our cameras.  This proved quite difficult as the deer were wary of us newcomers, retreating as we approached them.  Luckily, it was feeding time and the deer seemingly ignored us as they went about their meal with gusto.  We also had our fill as we clicked away with our cameras.

The deer up close

Its not everyday that we see deer in the country but it certainly is possible in Camarines Sur.  Satisfied with this unique experience, we decided to call it a day, returned to our van for the return trip back to Naga City and our hotel, dropping off our guides along the way.  That night, I slept soundly, counting deer instead of sheep.

Deer Breeding Farm: Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Ocampo, Camarines Sur

Consocep Resort (Tigaon, Camarines Sur)

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After an early morning breakfast at the hotel, Alex, Rick, Jess and I, together with Boyet and Susan, all left on our van for a familiarization tour of Naga City’s favorite getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city: Consoscep Mountain Resort at the foot of Mt. Isarog in Tigaon.  Accompanying us as guides were Ms. Melba Niebres and Ms. Shiela Clara of the Camarines Sur Tourism Office in Pili. The trip, via the Jose Fuentabella Highway, was to take all of an hour.   Past the towns of Pili and Ocampo, we turned left at the intersection leading to the resort.  The 8-km. uphill drive was scenic all the way as we passed abaca plantations and verdant forests.  Turning off our airconditioning, we instead savored the cool caress of its Baguio-like mountain air.  Along the way, we also passed the Parks and Wildlife Office.  Nabontolan Springs are located within its grounds.

Consocep Resort
A welcome arch signaled our entry into Consocep Resort.  This resort, developed in 1989 during the term of Gov. Luis Villafuerte, is located at the 1,800-ft. level of Mt. Isarog.  This extinct, isolated volcano’s vast 101.12-sq. km. (10,112-hectare) base covers Naga City and the towns of Calabanga, Goa, Pili, Tigaon and Tinambac.  The mountain is said to be the home of the legendary Bicolano goddess Aligata and Negritos also live within its dipterocarp forest.  Upon arrival, we parked our van at the park’s spacious lot.
 
Mt. Isarog
From hereon, it would be all footwork.  The appeal of this mountain resort is its fascinating waterfalls.  The resort has 3 major waterfalls: Bulalacao Falls, Kawa-Kawa Falls and Tumaguiti Falls.  There are also 2 smaller ones.  Getting to these falls proved to be easy as we leisurely hiked along cemented, pebbled-washout or cobbled-stoned pathways and stairs (there are said to be 1,394 steps along the trail).
 
Entrance to the resort
The first waterfall we reached, Tumaguiti Falls, was the park’s highest.   Its name was derived from its rain shower-like gush of water.  We weren’t prepared for a wet reception at this fall as we didn’t bring bathing attire or extra clothes.  Boyet didn’t seem to care as he took, with gusto, his first “natural” shower, clothes and all.  We could only watch in envy.
      
Tumaguiti Falls
We soon continued on our way to our next destination: Kawa-Kawa Falls.  Its name was derived from the native word kawameaning “big cauldron.”  Although a David compared to the Goliath-like Tumaguiti Falls, it is still the best known and most popular because of its natural “slide” into a man-made swimming hole so structured as to blend naturally with its surroundings.  Again, Boyet took a natural bath in its refreshing waters while we consoled ourselves by just breathing the cool mountain air and admiring the tall trees and giant ferns.  We also interviewed 47-year old Domingo Saulon, one of the park’s four rangers.
     
Kawa-Kawa Falls
After about 30 mins., we continued on our way to our final destination: Bulalacao Falls, so named because of its rushing cascade. After passing a dressing area and an impressive treehouse, we soon heard the rushing waters of the waterfalls.  But first, we proceeded to its viewing deck.  Quite tired and famished, we partook of the packed Bigg’s Diner packed lunch we brought along: fried chicken and laing (taro leaves with shrimps in coconut cream) cooked in true Bicolano fashion; hot and spicy.   After this hearty lunch, our group proceeded down the steps, to the falls.
      
Bulalacao Falls
What a falls it was!  This third major waterfall truly lived up to its name, as its onrushing waters fell down, in graduated steps, to a deep, inviting pool surrounded by lush foliage.  The temptation to dive in was irresistible and since I had already missed out on two beautiful falls, it would truly be a sin to miss out on this third and last opportunity.  Clad only in my jogging pants, I waded its icy-cold waters for my own “natural” bath.  Boyet, Alex and our guides; Melba and Sheila, soon followed suit.   Susan, Jess and Rick still opted to remain as spectators, watching us as we lolled about the pool.
     
A treehouse at the resort
After 30 mins. of sheer ecstasy, we reluctantly left the falls, drenched as a newborn chick, to make our way back to the park entrance.  The return trip was all slightly uphill and our group was split in two as the others lagged behind.   Reaching the parking lot ahead of them, I took the opportunity, while waiting for the others, to dry myself under the sun.  Soon everyone was accounted for and we all boarded our van for the return trip down the mountain.

Back to Naga (Camarines Sur)

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The first time I’ve been to Naga City was way back in 1980 when I attended a Rotaract convention there.  I wasn’t much of a tourist then as I was now.  Opportunity beckoned again when I was invited by the Department of Tourism to cover its May 25 to 28 Kaogma Festival.  I was to join a media group consisting of Mr. Rick Alberto of What’s On/Expat, Mr. Jess Escaros of Philippine News Agency and Mr. Alex de los Santos of Pilipino Reporter.   Also accompanying us were Mr. Boyet Escueta and Ms. Susan Codotco, media coordinator and in-house writer, respectively, of the DOT’s Office of Tourism Information.  We left the DOT by 11 AM on an airconditioned tourist van.

Quezon National Park

All of us were in for a long haul as the trip to Naga City took all of 9 hours, passing 6 towns and 1 city in Laguna, 11 towns and 1 city in Quezon, the whole length of Camarines Norte and 5 towns of Camarines Sur before reaching our destination.  Places of interest along the way include the scenic seacoast highway along Atimonan, Plaridel and Gumaca and the Quezon National Park with its winding zigzag road (locally called bitukang manok).

The Miss Camarines Sur beauty contest

We arrived at the city by 8:30 PM and checked in at the Villa Caceres Hotel.   After a hearty supper, it was off to work as we covered the Ms. Camarines Sur beauty pageant held at the Government Center in Pili.  Special guest there was former Miss International Melanie Marquez.  After a courtesy call on Gov. Luis Villafuerte, we called it a day and returned to our hotel for a fitful sleep.

Villa Caceres Hotel: Magsaysay Ave., Naga City, Camarines Sur. Tel: (054) 473-6530 to 33 and 811-6083 to 89. Fax: (054) 473-9327.   E-mail: info@villacacereshotel.com. Website www.villacacereshotel.com.

Matabungkay’s Balsa Festival (Lian, Batangas)

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Parade of Decorated Balsas

I, together with other members of the print and broadcast media, were again invited (my first was a media familiarization tour last March 23 and 24) to cover the First Balsa Festival in Matabungakay, Lian.  Matabungkay’s very shallow beach is lined with about 150 of these rented balsas, all ingeniously fitted with shaded picnic tables and grills for visitors who want to go dining al fresco, swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing and, at the day’s end, watching the magnificent sunset. These hardy balsas and their navigators have, in effect, become the durable and unique symbol of Matabungkay and a very important contributor to Lian’s tourism livelihood economy.

Sunset at Matabungkay

We were guests of the 4.2-hectare, DOT-accredited “Class AA” Matabungkay Beach Resort and Hotel (MBRH).  Just recently, the resort was named as the “Most Outstanding Beach Resort of 2002” during the 17th Annual Parangal ng Bayan Awards and the 2002 National Consumer Excellence Awards.  As festival hosts, MBRH was in the thick of preparations with the visibly-tired Ms. Charley Leviste-Antonio (Vice-President for Operations), Ms. Marissa Romero-Balangue (Marketing and Sales Director), Mr. Rico M. Violeta (General Manager) and Ms. Blessie Zarzuela (Gen. Manager of Adea Advertising) ably providing the push.

Sen. Loren Legarda

We arrived at Matabungkay in time for the festival’s highlights: the Balsa Race and the Parade of Decorated Balsas.  The weather was perfect with the sun shining brightly on a cloudless, blue sky.  The race and parade was held along the beachfront of Kandahar Resort.  Invited guests of honor included Sen. Loren Legarda-Leviste and former Batangas Gov. Antonio Leviste.   The Balsa Race was a test of the boatmen’s strength, endurance and dexterity with the bamboo pole as they navigated their sometimes unwieldy balsas to the end of a one hundred meter long course along the shoreline.  The winners took home cash prizes of PhP10,000, PhP7,000 and PhP5,000 for first, second and third place respectively.

Matabungkay’s hardy balsas

The Parade of Decorated Balsas was truly a spectacle in itself.  It also had a message: recycling and use of indigenous materials.  This theme was evident among the eleven entries who vied for even bigger cash prizes of PhP20,000, PhP15,000 and PhP10,000 for first, second and third respectively.  Aside from bamboo, the indigenous material from which all balsas are made, the entries also made free use of the town’s famous caballero flowers, the fiery-red blooms of the flame tree.   Recyclable materials of choice were old newspapers (as banderitas) and plastic, colored water-filled, 1.5-liter soft drink bottles strung together.  The star of the parade (although not the winner) and the photographer’s delight was a balsa featuring a gay, blue-painted shokoy (local name for a “merman”).

A crowd favorite

After the show, it was back to MBRH for a sumptuous, a la carte lunch at its Caballero Café.  Later, we were all booked in some of the resort’s 57 airconditioned superior and executive guest rooms with cable TV, private bath and spacious veranda.   In the afternoon, the mood of the Balsa Festival turned Filipiniana as MBRH also played host to two exciting games, both qualifying as the Filipinos’ version of “Grease.”  The first was a palo sebo, where contestants had to clamber up a greased up bamboo pole in a no-holds-barred race to grab the pennant on top.  Equally greasy was the habulan ng biik, where contestants raced against each other in a bid to be the first to catch a greased up piglet.  Poor pig.   

A senior citizen dance

Later in the afternoon, students from the town’s different secondary and tertiary schools as well as senior citizens showcased their talents in dance and other production numbers at MBRH’s basketball court.  Quite a colorful sight was the dance troupe which performed a komedya (also called a moro-moro), an age-old dramatization of the battle between Christians and Moors.  It won the top prize. Another sure-fire scene stealer was the town’s old ladies in white and multi-colored balintawak attire who showed a lot of spunk in rendering a native dance.  One even regaled the appreciative crowd with her whole-hearted rendition of the timeless song “Tayo na sa Antipolo.”  Bravo!  Come nighttime, the festival was capped by band performances where the townspeople slowly but surely danced the night away, to the beat of old and new disco tunes, up to the wee hours of the morning.  What a way to end a day (and a festival).

The Waterfalls of Mt. Romelo (Siniloan, Laguna)

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Mt. Famy in Laguna, the nearest and most accessible mountain trekking destination from Manila.  The mountain, in itself, is no “tall” order being only about 1,100 ft. (335 m.) high.  The charm of the place, aside from its accessibility, lies in its 7 beautiful waterfalls (Ambon-Ambon Falls, Batya-Batya Falls, Buruwisan Falls, Lanzones Falls, Matandang Buruwisan Falls, Sampaloc Falls and Sapang Labo Falls).  It was this charm that made me decide to visit the place.  I brought with me Jandy and Jesu-Mariae School teachers Mr. Roy Trillo and Mr. Arnel Daliva.  We left Manila by 6:30 AM traveling via the C-5 highway to Pasig City, Antipolo City, and the Rizal towns of Cainta, Taytay, Teresa, Morong, Baras, Tanay and Pililla, before crossing the Laguna boundary, to Mabitac and Famy.

Buruwisan Falls

The views along the winding and well-maintained asphalt highway at Mabitac were truly spectacular as we feasted our eyes on the surprisingly forested mountains of the majestic Sierra Madres and the calm, azure waters of Laguna de Bay.  The route here, and in Antipolo City, is full of sharp, Kennon-like zigzag bends.    Asking around at the Caltex station in Famy town, we were beginning to wonder why no one seems to know or even heard about this mountain named after their town.  One even gave us wrong directions to a mountain in Pakil.  The answer is simply because it isn’t there in the first place.  We tried the next town of Siniloan.

Jandy rafting at the falls

Later conversations with Siniloan residents Geronimo and Marilyn Pontipedra revealed that our mountain destination was, due to an erroneous land survey, placed within the territorial jurisdiction of Famy town. Hence, the name Mt. Famy.  In reality, the mountain belongs to Brgy. Macatad in Siniloan.  Here, they call it Mt. Romelo.  Two of the mountain’s 7 waterfalls are another story.  Buruwisan Falls and Ambon-Ambon Falls, according to some travel brochures that I’ve read, are supposedly under the jurisdiction of neighboring Sta. Maria and Pangil towns respectively.  Brgy. Macatad’s residents claim otherwise.   We arrived at the jump-off point by 9 AM and parked our car, for a fee, at a house along the highway.  All four of us registered our names at the store of Ms. Pontipedra and gave a small donation.  Laden with our gear we, at first, refused offers for guides and porters.  This was foolish economy on our part as there were many forks along the trails.  We finally engaged the services of 13-year old Macatad resident Joel Diaz as our guide.   Later, he also became my porter as the heavy weight of my backpack began to tell on my unfit, then 43-year old body.  Who ever said age doesn’t matter?

Camping by the falls

Our destination, Buruwisan Falls, is accessible by two mountain trails: Puting Bato and Pulang Lupa (the shorter route).  I neglected to ask which route we took. The initial part of the trail was through rocky streams and muddy river beds.  We soon entered a light forest and it was uphill and downhill all the way through 2 hills, passing occasional spear grass (cogon) trails.  The most difficult part was clambering up a steep 45-degree grassy incline to the top of the first hill.  Here, two stores offer a welcome relief of cool soft drinks and fresh buko (all for an understandably “steep” price of course) to the victorious climber.  This scene is also repeated on the second hill.   Both hills offer spectacular mountain views and weak Smart and Globe signals.  Beyond the hill, my mobile phone become useless baggage.

It is never lonely along the sometimes muddy trail as it was the peak of the trekking season.  Groups of hikers occasionally passed us by (and vice-versa).  One even rode on a horse (hired for PhP150 one way).  These horses also carry gear and supplies.  Soon after passing the second hill, our spirits were buoyed by the sound of rushing water as we neared our destination.  After three hours of strenuous trekking, we arrived at the campsite in time for lunch.  We pitched our tents below the falls’ rocky overhang (a good shelter from the sun and rain, but quite risky during an earthquake).  I particularly situated my tent‘s opening to face the falls. There were already 6 tents pitched before our arrival.

Lanzones Falls

The 50-ft. high, postcard-perfect Buruwisan Fall is featured in many travel books for the rappelling thrills it offers.   According to Joel, other visitors here even engage in the very dangerous, extreme sport of diving from the top of the cliff down to the falls’ deep pool.  Luckily, no one has, as yet, died from it.  On my part, I just engaged in the safer sport of just swimming in its bracingly cold waters while Jandy paddled along on a floating log.   Our indispensable Joel who continually served us throughout our stay, later guided me to Lanzones Falls, downstream to the right from Buruwisan Falls.  Although half the height of Buruwisan, it was just as spectacular and its shallow pool had surprisingly clearer waters than its predecessor.

Matandang Buruwisan Falls

The waters of the two waterfalls meet to form the majestic but rarely visited Matandang Buruwisan Falls (Binaytuan Falls to others).  Said to be 200 ft. high, its splendor is rarely seen by visitors as its base can be reached only after a very difficult hike.   Joel was one of the lucky ones to have visited it.  I could only view it from the falls’ top.  After an early supper, we retired to our tents for a much needed rest after a hectic day.  Sleep, however, was almost an impossibility as the ground beneath our tents was rocky.  The rubber mat I brought along only provided some relief.  I was also quite unused to roaring sound of the waterfall beside us.

Batya-Batya Falls

We awoke early amidst a slight drizzle, had a hearty breakfast, dismantled our tents and packed our backpacks.  Leaving our gear behind at the store of Joel’s grandmother, we then proceeded, with Joel leading the way, upstream to Batya-Batya Falls.  Getting there was easier said than done as we had to hop among large boulders and twice wade through 5-ft. deep waters, carrying our belongings above our heads.  After a 30 min. hike, we finally reached the falls.  Equally beautiful as the others we visited, it was unique in its own way as its crystal-clear waters fell in tiers.  There were small, deep basins (hence the name, batya which means “basin”) at every drop.  We had the irresistible urge to climb it and all four of us did so.  Joel stayed behind with our stuff.  Climbing it was quite difficult but well worth the effort.  Up the falls was another stream leading to Sampaloc Falls.  It entailed a long hike though.  Four out of seven waterfalls visited already make a good batting average, so we decide to forego a trek to this fifth fall.   With great difficulty, we retraced our steps back down the falls. 

We were back to the store by 10 AM. Here, we changed into dry clothes and started our hike back to my car.   We made it back in a “record” time of 2 hrs., stopping only for rest at the two hilltop rest areas.  After a short talk with Ms. Pontipedra and a late merienda of halo-halo, we left by 1 PM after paying the PhP100 parking fee.  We arrived in Manila by 4 PM, stopping only for a late lunch in Antipolo City.

      

Taal Volcano: Hike to the Crater Lake (Talisay, Batangas)

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Mt. Binintiang Malaki

This Holy Week, I availed of a standing invitation from Ms. Lily Rodrigo-Canlas, president and C.E.O. of Jesu-Mariae School, my son’s school, to stay at the Jesu-Mariae Center in Tagaytay City.  This retreat/seminar center could comfortably accommodate 80 people in dorm-style facilities.  With this center as a jump-off point, I planned to revisit Taal Volcano via the Kayabok Trail on the other side of Volcano Island.  Joining me were my son Jandy and daughter Cheska who’s been egging me to include her in my escapades.  Joining us were 5 of Jandy’s teachers: Mr. Robert Castaneda, Ms. Veneriza “Vener” Trillo, Ms. Theresa “Thet” Quieta, Mr. Joel Fatlaunag and Mr. Erwin Vizcarra.  All, except Robert, are jittery first-timers at the volcano.     

Picnic Grove with Taal Volcano behind us

We left Manila on the morning of March 27 and arrived at the center in time for preparation of a delicious barbecue lunch.  After customary visits to the city’s Picnic Grove (where we went horseback riding) and People’s Park in the Sky (now in a sorry state of disrepair), we returned to the center for a delicious supper and retired early as we had to leave very early in the morning for the volcano trek. 

Cheska horseback riding with Thet

The next day, Holy Thursday, we all awoke by 5 AM, had breakfast, pack our provisions of bottled water, sandwiches and bananas (good trail food) and left the center by 6:30 AM.  From Tagaytay City, we went down to Talisay (Batangas) via the treacherous concrete zigzag road called Ligaya Drive, down to Brgy. Caloocan.  As soon as we arrived at the boat landing station, we were swamped by boatmen hoping for an early kill, this day being a holiday.   Soon, they were trying to pluck our feathers by charging us a cutthroat rate of PhP3,200 just for the trip (with 6 passengers only).  It was soon watered down and we settled at the still horrendous price of PhP2,400 to bring all 8 of us to our destination.

On our way, by boat, to Volcano Island

We left the station by 7 AM on board a big motorized banca.   The trip was smooth all the way as the waters were calm. As we went around the island, the 311-m. high (the island’s highest point) Mt. Binintiang Malaki (translated as “giant leg”), soon hove into view.   This northwest cone, seemingly featured on most Taal Volcano postcards like an island (actually connected to the real Volcano Island), emerged overnight during the 1707 eruption but is now dormant. A dismal sight during the voyage was the presence of numerous fishpens which our boat had to negotiate to get to the other side.

Nearing the homestretch

We landed on the island’s western shore at Brgy. Kayabok by 7:30 AM.  All throughout the trip, the boatman kept egging me to get a guide (at extra cost of course) but we have decided even before the trip to do without one as the Kayabok Trail was definitely well-trodden.  We also refused a lady islander’s rather steep offer to guide us for PhP500.  Anyway, we had all the time in the world even if it meant getting lost in a small island.   Our seemingly concerned boatmen seem to have other things in their minds.  I wonder why.

The Crater Lake seen from a distance

We began the trek on a happy note, following the well-trodden trail up a hill. The sun soon rose brightly on the sky and we began to feel the effects of the intense heat from the morning sun.   As we soon reached the top of the hill, the trail began to fork, leaving us in a dilemma.  All the while, we somehow had a feeling that we were being followed and, soon enough, our boatmen were hollering for us to come back.  We ignored them.  Later, we encountered our huffing and puffing boatmen along the trail.  We were told that we took the wrong turn and they, in all kindness, offered to guide us in the right direction.  Or were they?    It soon dawned upon me that these boatmen were concerned, not with the guide fee (which I consistently refused), but with the fact that they may lose their first big meal ticket (or buena mano) of the day among the winding trails.  We could just as easily have taken our boat ride back to Talisay from the other coastal villages.  With this in mind, they never left us out of their sights after that.

Finally, at the Crater Lake

Vegetation on the island is sparse, consisting mostly of short grass, tall, nettled spear grass (cogon) and thorny brambles.  The treeless trail we trekked was all loose volcanic ash and the ground underfoot was also hot as volcanic rock retains heat both from the sun and the hot magma trapped deep within its bowels.  This, coupled with the sweltering heat of the sun, soon made our tongues hang out.  Our party was soon divided into two as our neophyte mountaineers Vener and Thet began to lag behind.  Cheska, however, proved to be tough and resilient as she kept up with the guys. 

The island within the Crater Lake

We took solace under the small shade of occasional thorny aroma trees (most of the large trees have been blown away by previous eruptions) where we quenched our parched throats and munched bananas as we waited for the stragglers to arrive.  Along the trail we passed by one of Taal’s 47 craters.  This seemingly dormant crater had a flat, cogon-covered bottom.  We also encountered makeshift refreshment stalls selling canned softdrinks (PhP30) and bottled water (PhP20).  After a tiring uphill hike, the shimmering blue-green waters of the crater lake made its appearance like a mirage on the horizon.  It was all downhill after that and, soon enough, we reached the crater lake’s rim.  It was 9 AM and the hike took all of one and a half hours.    It could have been longer.  Our socks and shoes were soon off as we couldn’t wait to dip our tired feet in those inviting waters.  However, the lake’s waters deepen just a few feet from the shore. About 30 m.  offshore is the small, crescent-shaped island.  The lake’s waters are actually dilute sulfuric acid with salts and other minerals such as sodium, boron, magnesium and aluminum added in.   Acidity in the water, measured in pH (the lower the pH, the higher the acidity), is a “whopping” 2.7 (neutral pH is 7.0) with about 3% sulfur.   Sulfurous waters have medicinal qualities and it did wonders for my mosquito-bitten legs.  Our boatmen also took home 1.5-liter bottles filled with this salty and bitter water.  Also as a result of the sulfur deposits, the stones at the lakeshore are coated yellow.

L-R, Vener, the author, Jandy, Thet, Robert, Erwin and Joel

After lolling about the waters, taking our lunch of sandwiches and photo shoots for posterity, we left the lake and retraced our way back to our boat and left the island by 11:30 AM.  Any notions of being in Tagaytay for an early lunch were dashed when our boat engine conked out (obviously out of gas) just a kilometer off the shore of Brgy. Caloocan.   We had to wait for half a hour for a relief boat to ignominiously tow us back to shore.  After paying our boatmen (they had the gall to ask for a “tip”), it was back to our car for the uphill drive back to Tagaytay and a well-deserved lunch.  Back at the Jesu-Mariae Center, we collapsed, dead-tired, on our beds. 

The Balsas of Matabungkay (Lian, Batangas)

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Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel

I was invited to join a media familiarization tour of Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel in Lian, Batangas on March 23-24, the weekend preceding Holy Week.  Our assembly area was the Department of Tourism (DOT) Bldg. near Rizal Park.  I left my car at my wife’s office at Gil Puyat Ave, took a fully-packed LRT train, overshot my designated stop which was U.N. Ave. and dropped off instead at Central Station where I decided to just walk, for the exercise, back to the DOT.   I arrived at the DOT cafeteria, huffing and puffing and drenched as a newborn kitten, just in time for breakfast.

Check out “Resort Review: Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel“

Joining me at the breakfast table were some of the Who’s Who in travel journalism: Mr. Randy V. Urlanda of Panorama, Mr. Frank A. Evaristo of Manila Bulletin, TODAY veteran photographer Mr. Manny Goloyugo, Ms. Arlene Dabu-Foz of Manila Bulletin, Mr. Romark Mayuga of Manila Times, Ms. Claudeth E. Molon of TODAY, Ms. Lala Rimando of Newsbreak Magazine, Ms. Ruby Gonzalez of Travel Weekly East, Ms. Maggie De Pano of Business World Online, Mr. Michael David C. Tan of What’s On & Expat and Mr. Melvin S. Magtaus and Mr. Dennis Lapan of Lifestyle Asia.

Also present, as host, were Ms. Leona  DG. Nepomuceno and Ms. Camille Cua of the DOT.  Also joining us were Ms. Blessie Zarzuela of Adea Marketing, the TV crews from ABS-CBN (3) and RPN 9 (3) and 2 other DOT personnel.

We left the DOT at exactly 8:30 AM for the 3-hr. airconditioned coaster trip to Matabungay.  I sat at the lone bucket seat up front with its wide legroom suitable for my 5’-10” frame.   I had to buckle up though.  The long 105-km. trip via the Sta. Rosa Expressway was pleasantly uneventful until we reached the junction leading to Lian.  Here the coaster was bodily stopped by resident “commissioners” out to make a killing this early.   This scene was repeated  5 more times as we approached the town and our hotel, the last one a roadblock set up by the barangay soliciting donations for their fiesta.  What a damper!

Media participants by the Nestea swimming pool
A fleet of balsas

After arrival and check in at the resort, we had lunch and, after a short rest, we were all invited by Marissa to take a ride on one of the resort’s floating bamboo rafts (locally called balsa) where a merienda of pancit bihon and canned soft drinks awaited us.   Ideal in Matabungkay’s very shallow beach, the shore is lined with lots of these balsas.   They are navigated by long bamboo poles sometimes up to the edge of the drop-off and, once a suitable spot is chosen, anchored in place.  All rafts have shaded picnic tables and grills.  From the balsa, visitors could go swimming, snorkeling and, at the day’s end, sunset watching.

Even after the sun has set, a number of these lighted balsas are used to await fishermen and their much-awaited bountiful catch.   These balsas, in effect, have become a very important contributor to Lian’s tourism and livelihood economy.   As a tribute to this hardy and durable symbol of Matabungkay, Lian has decided to hold its first Balsa Festival this coming May 17-18.

The 2-day festival, proudly hosted by Matabungkay Beach Hotel & Resort, promises to be activity-packed.  Highlights are a Balsa Race and the Parade of Decorated Balsas.  Different sectors of Lian and the nearby towns will be invited to participate, 80 for the Balsa Race and 60-70 for the Parade of Decorated Balsas.  Students from the town’s different secondary and tertiary schools will also showcase their talents in dance and other production numbers.   The festival will be capped, on the evening of May 18, by band performances and a beach party.

Preparing for my trial dive

After the raft excursion, Marissa invited us to try our hand at scuba diving at the resort’s swimming pool.  I, plus  Blessie and Lala, took a crack at it.  The others begged off.   Mr. Jim Waite, the in-house dive instructor, gave us a brief overview on the  basics of diving and its equipment.  The much-awaited actual lesson followed and we were soon fitted with masks, snorkel, buoyancy compensator, tanks, weight belts and fins.   This being my second dive (my first was a trial dive in Club Paradise in Palawan), I was soon diving about at the pool’s floor like a fish within its element.

After a much-needed shower, a torchlit dinner was served along the beach.  Additional lighting was provided by a bonfire.   We were also joined by TV crews of ABS CBN and RPN 9 TV.  Immediately after that, we were again invited to a round of nighttime entertainment at Gotcha Club.  The girls monopolized the videoke while us guys contented ourselves with rounds and rounds of billiards and table tennis.  Still others just watched the girls sing to their heart’s content until the wee hours of the morning.

Press conference by the beach

The next day, after a sumptuous buffet breakfast at Caballero Café, we buckled down to serious business with a mini-conference held at the beach area.   Invited to the conference were Ms. Charlie Leviste-Antonio (the resort’s Vice-President for Operations), Mr. Jim Waite, Ms. Balangue, Mr. Violeta and the town’s Chief of Police.  Here we voiced our concerns (the “commissioner” episode, environmental issues, Holy Week security, etc.) and asked questions concerning the resort’s history, facilities and plans, the upcoming Balsa Festival, scuba diving opportunities and Fortune Island (a sister resort).

Posing with our hosts

Immediately after the mini-conference some of us opted, it being Palm Sunday, for a mass (complete with the appropriate palms) held at the resort’s pavilion.  After a late lunch at Café Caballero, we packed up our stuff, had a photo session at the resort entrance and said goodbye to our gracious hosts, Ms. Leviste-Antonio, Ms. Balangue and Mr. Violeta.  We left the resort by 2:30 PM  and arrived in Manila by 6:30 PM, after a side trip to Calatagan and numerous stopovers at Tagaytay City for fruits, espasol, buko pie and mazapan sweets.

Matabungkay Beach Resort and Hotel: Brgy. Matabungkay, Lian, Batangas.  Manila office: Unit H, Garden Floor, LPL Towers, 112 Legaspi St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.  Tel: (632) 819-3080, (632) 752-5252 and (632) 751-6685.  Fax: (632) 817-1176.  E-mail: mrb@matabungkay.net or inquiry@matabungkay.net.  Website: www.matabungkay.net.

The National Gallery of Art (Manila)

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The next day, I continued on my rounds of the National Museum, this time proceeding to the next door National Gallery of Art, housed in the Old Legislative (Congress) Building.  This historic edifice, a magnificent Neo-Classic-inspired structure with stylized Corinthian columns, is a work of art in itself.

It was designed in the Federal style of architecture as a museum/library in 1921 by American architect and Manila and Baguio City planner Daniel H. Burnham and Filipino architect (and later 1973 National Artist) Juan Nakpil.  It functioned as a museum/library until 1935 when it was made the legislative seat of the Philippine Commonwealth.

This grand, earthquake-proof edifice, was, however, reduced to rubble during the Liberation of Manila.  After the war, the building was rehabilitated with Ralph Doane and Antonio Toledo as architects in charge for its construction and extensive renovation.  A fourth floor was added.

After the declaration of martial law on September 21, 1972, Congress was abolished and the building was closed.  After years of neglect, the building was restored to its former glory as the Executive House, Office of the Vice-President, Philippine Senate and finally as the permanent home of the National Gallery of Art.  It was formally inaugurated as such on October 18, 2001, during the National Museum’s centennial.

The museum’s ground and fourth floors houses offices, laboratories and storage.  The second floor houses art exhibits while the third floor has a seminar hall and two major halls, also airconditioned, for science exhibits.   Today, the National Gallery of Art has amassed a collection of 1,204 visual art pieces, most of which are paintings housed in three major halls and three smaller halls at the second floor, all airconditioned.  A session hall, for formal lectures and concerts, has just been refurbished.

The National Gallery of Art
The star attraction of the National Gallery of Art is the Juan Luan Hall facing the front entrance lobby of the second floor.  It houses the Juan Luna Collection, a September 19, 1990 bequest of the now defunct Far East Bank and Trust Company.  Inside are 162 oil paintings (on canvas, panelboard and wood panels) and charcoal sketches of foremost Filipino master painter Juan Luna y Novicio (October 23, 1857-December 7, 1899) as well as Andres Luna de San Pedro (1887-1952).   

The remarkable Juan Luna studied and perfected his craft by living in the art capitals of the world: Rome (Italy), Paris (France) and Madrid (Spain).  In Spain, he was commissioned by the Spanish Senate and King Alfonso XII to paint El Batalla de Lepanto (The Battle of Lepanto) which now hangs at the halls of the Spanish Senate.

Another work, La Muerte de Cleopatra (Death of Cleopatra), won the silver medal at the 1881 Exposicion General de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain. His last major work, Peuple et Rois (People and Kings), completed in 1889, was acclaimed as the best entry in the 1904 St. Louis Exposition.  Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire during World War II.  But these were not his greatest obra maestras.

Juan Luna’s Spoliarium
Populating a whole wall in the gallery is Luna’s famous and awesome (425 cm. x 775 cm.) mural masterpiece Spoliarium which won the first gold medal (grande prix) awarded by the elitist Salon des Beaux Arts during the 1884 Exposicion General de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain.  Luna, upon the instigation of Francisco de Paula Redoreda, painted this colossal multi-figure mural depicting a scene of dead gladiators being mourned by relatives. 

Rendered in frenzied fin de siecle brushstrokes, it was identified by Jose Rizal as an allusion to the exploitation of the country by Spain.  This art achievement underscored the ability of Filipinos to compete with Europeans at their backcourt and it was also a subtle affirmation of the Filipino’s capability to run affairs back home.

The Art Donations to the National Museum Hall displays notable donated art pieces by rising stars Emilio Aguilar-Cruz, Lex Cachapero, Elizabeth Chan, Papo de Asis, Jaime de Guzman, Gene de Loyola, Josie de Ocampo, Zozimo Dimaano, Miguel Galvez, Elmer Gernale, Ang Kiukok, Gregorio Lim, Hernando R. Ocampo, Joaquin Palencia, Al Perez, Jonathan Pulido, Carlos P. Valino and Roy Veneracion.

A retablo at the Religious Art Hall

The Religious Art Hall houses Spanish-era statues of saints, paintings and retablos.  Retablos are intricately carved and decorated altar pieces which are often gilded, polychromed and embellished with rosettes, scrolls, Solomonic columns and cherubs. On display are a huge retablo from Leyte (late 18th century) and another smaller one from Dimiao (Bohol).

The oldest painting in the collection is the unsigned, circa 1800 oil on wood painting Coronation of the Virgin.  Another hall houses the still ongoing Centennial Celebration of Wood & Form by Jerusalino “Jerry” Araos which was opened last October 24, 2001.

The Colonial Art Hall houses oil paintings on canvas and wood as well as pencils sketches of genre scenes, typical landscapes known as pasajes, still life as well as portraits done by prominent Spanish and American-era Filipino painters.

The most noteworthy is Juan Luna contemporary Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo (1855-1913) who won the second prize for Virgenes Cristianas Espuestas al Populacho in the same Madrid competition won by Juan Luna’s Spoliarium .   His teacher (as well as Juan Luna’s), Lorenzo Guerrero (November 4, 1835 to April 8, 1904), is a painter of religious and native landscapes. Gaston O’Farrell (1879 to 1942), on the other hand, was a student of Juan Luna.

Fabian de la Rosa (May 5, 1868 to December 14, 1937) is famous for his painting Planting Rice which won in the 1904 St. Louis Exposition.   Rafael Enriquez (July 1, 1850 to May 5, 1937) was the first director of the U.P. College of Fine Arts.  Prominently displayed at the center of the gallery is a terra-cotta bust of Gov. Ricardo Carnicero done by National hero Dr. Jose Rizal in 1892.

The Colonial Art Hall

The Old and Contemporary Figurative Art Hall houses works done by seven of the country’s National Artists as well as other noted artists.  These National Artists are painters Fernando Amorsolo (1892 to 1972), Victorio Edades (1895 to 1985), Carlos V. “Botong” Francisco (1913 to 1969), Cesar Legaspi (1917 to 1994) and Vicente S. Manansala (1910 to 1981), and sculptors Napoleon V. Abueva and Guillermo Tolentino.  They consist of oil paintings done on canvas or wood, pastel on paper and charcoal on paper as well as sculptures.

The Zoology Division, born in 1901, is one of the oldest pillars of the National Museum.  Their exhibits are both interesting and captivating, providing a true-to-life showcase of our rich and diverse Philippine fauna.

The country is home to 172 terrestrial mammals, 351 reptiles and amphibians, 573 birds and 1400 butterflies.  Of the 1,236 species known to occur in the country, 512 are endemic.  As the Department of Tourism Building hasn’t been officially turned over to the National Museum, the zoological displays are still confined at the National Gallery of Art.

The Philippine Terrestial Fauna at the third floor was opened last October 30, 2001 with the theme “Ride the Green Wave.”  It features a walk-in diorama of preserved and mounted endangered specimens in their simulated habitats.   They include the Mindoro dwarf water buffalo or tamaraw, scaly anteater or tangiling, Palawan bearcat or binturong, Philippine brown deer or usa, mouse deer or pilanduk and Gray’s monitor lizard or butaan.

Birds include the critically endangered Philippine eagle or haribon (our national bird), rufous hornbill or kalaw, black-naped oriole or tulihao/kilyawan, grey-headed fish eagle and the pink-bellied imperial pigeon.  Mounted in glass cases on the walls are various insects like butterflies, moths, beetles, grasshoppers, locust, bugs, ants, wasps, bees, crickets and cicadas.

Also on display are a glass enclosure of a termite colony plus another of anthropods of a more pesky nature but still of medical importance: dog louse (garapata), sucking lice (lisa), human lice (kuto), bedbug (surot) and the mosquito (lamok).

The Bones from Prehistoric Times to the Present

The Bones from Prehistoric Times to the Present Exhibit, an exhibit with a lot of stories to tell, is also located on the third floor.  It was opened last October 10, 2001.  On display are skeletons of man, mammals, frogs, birds, fishes, snakes, dolphins and sharks (entered through a bite-size portal surrounded by huge shark teeth).

There are also fossilized specimens of a stegodon (Stegodon sp.) tusk found at the Espinosa tusk site in Solana (Cagayan), an Elephas sp. molar, a Rhinoceros philippensis mandible with teeth and a giant tortoise (Gechelone sp.) limb bones and claw. There are also bone awls and ivory seals from the Ambangan site (Butuan City, Agusan del Norte) and Stone Age tools and knives.

Also noteworthy, as a shining example of the Filipino’s oftentimes wildly fertile imagination, are the remains of a basking shark found near the shores of Burias Island (Masbate).  It was mistakenly identified as those of a Loch Ness-type monster or dinosaur, and presented as such in sensational Jurassic stories featured by the Philippine Star (February 24, 1997) and the Pilipino Star Ngayon (March 1, 1997).

The exhibit’s star attraction, however, is a huge, complete and centrally displayed skeleton of a sperm whale (Physeter catodon).  A “must see” for medical detectives and forensic scientists, this whale skeleton has a tale to tell.

It is not a whodunit tale but rather a “who didn’t do it” story of extreme pain as this specific specimen suffered from osteoarthritis as shown by an extra bone along the margin of the articular surface of vertebra no. 24 and 25.  It also had a fractured rib.  However, this was not the smoking gun that killed the whale because signs of healing are seen on several broken ribs.

National Gallery of Art: National Gallery of Art Bldg., cor. Taft and P. Burgos Ave., Manila.  Tel: (632) 527-0278 and 527-1215.   Fax: (632) 527-0306. Open 10 AM-4:30 PM.  Admission is free.  Website: www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph.