Category Archives: Spanish-Era Structures

The Quiet Charm of Dumaguete City (Negros Oriental)

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Dumaguete City

After 2 nights in Bacolod City, it was now time to move on to our next destination (with a change in dialect) – the Cebuano-speaking Dumaguete City, the capital of neighboring Negros Oriental.  Like Bacolod City, this visit was a first for me.  We departed Bacolod City by 1 PM.  To get to Dumaguete, we had the choice of two routes.  Both entailed making an 86.9-km. drive to Kabankalan City.  From here, the first route entails making a further 140.2 km. drive, along the southern underbelly of the island, to the border plus and an additional 140.8 km. drive to Dumaguete (total of 367.9 kms.).  The second and shorter route entails a 25-km. drive from Kabankalan City, cutting through the mountainous spine, to the border and an additional 101.3-km. drive to Dumaguete (total of 213.2 kms.).  As time was the essence, we took the second route.  What a spectacular route it was!  Traveling through Kennon Road-like zigzag roads, we passed lush and spectacular mountain scenery all the way to the coast.   After a 4.5-hour drive, we arrived at Dumaguete by 5:30 PM and checked in our tired, travel-weary bodies into airconditioned rooms with bath and cable TV at Harold’s Mansion.

Rizal Blvd.

Negros Oriental has, in the past, been mistaken (by the national media as well as Pres. Gloria Arroyo) for its better known, and more prosperous, neighbor Negros Occidental, so much so that it is seriously considering a name change (i.e. Oriental Negros).  Even Dumaguete, its capital, is a relative unknown compared to its counterpart, Bacolod City.  However, both city and province are slow waking up to economic potentials domestic tourism brings.  More so with Dumaguete City, a city which, in my opinion, exudes a quaint and quiet charm plus a campus life quite similar to my alma mater, the University of the Philippines.

Bell Tower

Dumaguete, like Bacolod City, is a showcase of Spanish and American-era architecture.  The City Hall, along Sta. Catalina St., was built in 1907.  In front of it is Quezon Park, a flower market and a children’s playground.   The Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, located across Perdices St. (formerly Alfonso XII St.), from Quezon Park, has a coral and brick Spanish bell tower built in 1811 to warn townsfolk against piratical raids.  The tower was restored in 1985. The Provincial Capitol, along North Road, was built in 1924 in the same Roman Neo-Classical style used by Daniel Burnham, the American city planner of Manila and Baguio City.  It has a park (Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park), 3 tennis courts and 2 schools nearby.

Provincial Capitol

The distinguishing landmark of Dumaguete, however, is the beachfront area along Rizal Blvd., much like Manila’s Roxas Blvd. (before reclamation).  Our National Hero, Jose Rizal, was said to have once strolled here during a stopover on his way to his 4-year (1892 to 1896) exile in Dapitan (Zamboanga del Norte).  Today, Rizal Blvd., a favorite area for picnics, play or retrospection, is also the favored address of a number of cozy places to eat, drink and be merry.  Our favorite watering hole here is Loco-Loco.

Molo District: The "Athens of the Philippines" (Iloilo City)

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Molo District, located 4 kms. from the city proper, was the former Chinese quarter of Arevalo called the Parian. Formerly a town before it was absorbed by Ilolilo City, it is also called the “Athens of the Philippines” because it produced some of the best political leaders and thinkers of the land such as Gregorio S. Araneta (secretary of the Malolos Congress), Gen. Aniceto L. Lacson and Chief Justice Ramon Avancena.  Here, you can try the popular pancit molo, spiced pork-chicken meatballs daintily wrapped in thin dough and boiled in peppery chicken-pork broth.  It was introduced here by the Chinese during the 18th century.

Church of St. Anne

The district’s twin-towered, Gothic–Renaissance Church of St. Anne, one of a few churches in Iloilo not built by the Augustinians, was built with coral rock and a tile roof, in 1831, under the supervision of Don Jose Manuel Locsin. In 1863, it was replaced by a temporary church by Fr. Jose Ma. Sichon until it was renovated in 1869 by Bishop Mariano Cuartero.  On August 4, 1886, our National Hero Jose P. Rizal visited this church to pray on his way to Manila from exile in Dapitan, referring to it as “la iglesia bonita.”  During the liberation of Iloilo in 1945, the church withstood artillery barrages but its two bell towers were totally destroyed and the church partially damaged.  It was rebuilt after the war.  The church, declared as a National Landmark by the National Historical Institute in 1992, has stained-glass windows and 5 wooden Gothic-style retablos. It is also called the Women’s Lib church because of the 16 life-size female saints’ statues lining the nave.  The district’s patron saint, St. Anne is in a prominent corner of its massive, antique wooden altar.

A nearby bandstand

In front of the church is a plaza filled with old trees, with gnarled trunks and branches, and an interesting domed gazebo which is actually a bandstand, a typical feature in Western Visayas plazas.

Church of St. Anne: cor. Jocson and San Marcos Sts., Molo District, Iloilo City, Iloilo.

La Paz District (Iloilo City)

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La Paz District, located 2 kms. from the city proper, was formerly called Lobo, Llaunon, Ilawod and Iznart (after Iloilo alcalde mayor Manuel Iznart), was established as a parish in 1868. It is noted for its La Pazbatchoy, a delicacy made of flat, scissored noodles and pork innards simmered in broth and topped with crushed pork crackers and spicy herbs.  It is served in restaurants around the market. 

Church of Our Lady of Peace
Its brick and stone, Neo-Classic style Church of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), at the plaza, was started in 1847 by Fr. Candido Gonzalez, continued by Fr. Leandro Jambrina (in 1879) and Fr. Manuel Camara (in 1880) and enlarged and finished, in 1895, by Fr. Mariano Isart.  In 1909, it was restored by Fr. Anselmo Corcuera.  The stone convent was started by Fr. Mariano Isart based on plans by Don Julio Hernandez and Don Lorenzo Romero.  It was damaged during World War II and the 1948 earthquake.  

The church interior

Two engaged columns, supporting a triangular pediment, are recent additions (1970).  The 2-level church facade is flanked by twin octagonal, domed bell towers. 

Church of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage: Jereos St., La Paz District, Iloilo City, Iloilo.

 

Stopover: Cape Bojeador Lighhouse (Burgos, Ilocos Norte)

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Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

About 25 kms. out of Pagudpud, past Bangui, on our way to Bauang (La Union), we made a short stopover at Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Burgos town’s famous landmark.   Designed by Magin Pers and Pers in 1887, first lit on March 30, 1892 and still in use, this 19-m. (57-ft.) high lighthouse, also known as the Burgos Lighhouse, is one of the highest in the country.  It is perched on 160-m. high Vigia de Nagpartian Hill, between the low shrub Ilocos Mountains and squat coral cliffs facing the northern portion of the South China Sea.  A 45-km. (1-hr. ) drive from Laoag City, it could be reached by steps from the Maharlika Highway at Km. 536.  The octagonal lighthouse, topped by a bronze cupola, was made of lime, sand and water reinforced by a mixture of molasses and a sticky by-product of the rubber tree known locally as ablut.   

The rocky Cape Bojeador coastline

Too bad we couldn’t climb its narrow iron spiral staircase to the lantern room (now a modern electric lamp powered by solar panels) and its viewing gallery surrounded with decorative iron grille work as the lighthouse was then undergoing a much-needed rehabilitation and we could only admire it from outside. Just the same, we still had a breathtaking view, from the hill, of the surrounding expanse of the rough and rocky coastline of Cape Bojeador and the whitecaps of the South China Sea.  

Simbahan a Bassit Cemetery (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

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From Plaza Saalcedo, I next drove to the Simbahan a Bassit (meaning “small church”) Cemetery, which contains the graves of the town’s eminent families.  It has a cemetery chapel, one of the interesting religious heritage structures in the country.  Located within a camposanto, very few of these remain in the country today and many are in a sad state of deterioration.   This well-preserved chapel, done in the Neo-Classical style, has a facade supported by rectangular columns and adorned with a pair of Baroque-style volutes and some floral details.

Simbahan a Bassit Chapel

Started in 1610, it was probably the first church built with permanent materials in the Ilocos. Blessed on November 9, 1852, it it also has an espadaña (a wall with holes in which bells are hung), the only one of its kind in the entire Ilocos region.  Its floors, made mostly of granite slabs, were mostly used as ballast by Chinese trading junks left behind on the return trip to China.  The chapel houses a statue of the Crucified Christ behind the main altar.  Almost as old as the church itself, the image is reverently called Apo Lakay (Ilocano for “old man”) and is renowned for its miracle cures.


Simbahan a Bassit Cemetery: Quezon Ave., Liberation Blvd., Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.

Arzobispado (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

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From Bantay, I returned to Vigan and dropped by the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul and its adjacent Arzobispado, the official residence of the Archbishop of Nueva Segovia.  The latter, the only surviving 18th century archbishop’s residence in the country, was built from 1783 to 1790.  In 1898, it served as the headquarters of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and, in 1899, as headquarters for American forces under Col. James Parker.  

The Arzobispado

The Arzobispado features sliding capiz windows and cut out decorations with floral motifs. The Museo San Pablo, beside the Arzobispado, showcases ecclesiastical artifacts, antique portraits of bishops, a throne room, archdiocesan archives and other religious paraphernalia gathered from various colonial churches all over the province.  

Museo San Pablo: Open Fridays-Wednesdays.  Admission is PhP5 for students and PhP10 for non-students.  Pre-arranged tours are allowed.

 

 

A Calesa Tour of Intramuros (Manila)

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After Jandy and I finished touring Fort Santiago and its Rizal Shrine, a calesawas waiting outside for us.  During our absence, my daughter Cheska, always the adventurer, took a fancy for a ride in that horse-pulled contraction and was able to convince Grace to hire one (for PhP200).

It surprised me that the 4 of us were able to fit in a carriage with a backseat made to seat just 2 passengers comfortably.  Jandy and later Cheska took turns on the driver’s seat.  Our driver, Boy Javier, rode shotgun.  Grace and I, plus one of our kids, just managed to squeeze (or should I say contort) ourselves at the back.  We all took it good-naturedly and proceeded in high spirits on our nostalgic 1-hour tour which took us from the fort to Manila Cathedral, Plazuela de Sta. Isabel, San Agustin Church, around the walls and gates of Intramuros and back.  Boy, quite familiar with Intramuros’ history, acted as our tourist guide.

During the Spanish era, Intramuros was breached by eight main gates or puertas: Aduana (Pasig River), Almacenes, Isabel II (Pasig River), Sta. Lucia (Manila Bay), Sto. Domingo, Parian (landward), Postigo del Palacio (Manila Bay) and Real (landward).  The last three were main gates of the original 16th century fortifications. When the Americans took over the 67-hectare walled city, two of the eight gates, Aduana and Almacenes, were torn town to make way for wharves, warehouses and vehicular access. 


The Postigo del Palacio, along Calle Postigo (from the Spanish word meaning “door latch”), was built in 1783 and was the private gate of both the archbishop and the governor-general, who would use it whenever they wanted to enter or leave the city incognito.  Our National Hero Jose Rizal was led to his December 30, 1896 execution through this gate from his cell in Fort Santiago.


The Puerto Real (Royal Gate), built in 1663, was the gate reserved for the governor for his stately entrance or exit.  It was originally located at Calle Real del Palacio (now Gen. Luna St.), at the right side of Baluarte de San Diego facing Bagumbayan.  It was destroyed during the British invasion of 1762.  Later, it was transferred from to its present site along Muralla St. and was made narrower and lower.  Civil and religious parades that used to pass the old gate were later rerouted to Puerto del Parian.  Two spiral staircases lead to the ramparts.  Its interior holds a collection of church silver.  Musical performances take place in the Puerto Real Gardens.

Puerta del Parian, the official gate of the governor after the British invasion, links the city with the bustling Chinese ghetto (Parian de Arroceros, one of Intramuros’ earliest concentrations of Chinese merchants) outside the walls. 


Puerto de Isabel II, at Magallanes Drive, diagonally across the Bureau of Immigration, was built as a storage arsenal and was the last gate built by the Spaniards in Intramuros.  Opened in 1861 to ease the traffic between Intramuros and Binondo, flanking it are vaulted chambers which served as soldiers’ barracks and arsenals for storing munitions.  A bronze statue of Queen Isabel, which once stood in front of Malate Church, was unveiled in 1860 at Plaza Arroceros (now Liwasang Bonifacio) but was moved next to the restored gate for the 1975 state visit of Prince (and later King) Juan Carlos de Bourbon of Spain.  Today, its vaulted chambers house a series of seven restaurants and cafes: Aposento, Café Provencal, Capone Bistro, E-hive, Pancake House, Starbucks Café and Tamayo Café.  The open area outside are reserved for chairs and tables.
Puerto de Santa Lucia, built in the 18th century, has two side chambers.  One chamber has steps leading to a dungeon-like cell that served as a septic tank.  The gate led directly to Malecon Drive, a popular promenade ground, through an excavated and restored cobblestone bridge.

  
Intramuros had a total of 10 bulwarks or baluartes : six of which were in Intramuros proper (Dilao, San Andres, San Diego, San Gabriel, Sta. Lucia and Sto. Domingo) and the rest in Fort Santiago.  Three ravelins or revellins (Bagumbayan, Parian and Recoletos), four mini-bulwarks or baluartillos (San Eugenio, San Francisco, San Juan and San Jose) as well as two redoubts or  reductos (San Francisco and San Pedro), were added to strengthen weak areas and serve as outer defenses


Baluarte de San Gabriel, once Intramuros’ most important defense to the north, faced the settlements of San Gabriel and Parian, both heavily populated by Chinese merchants, traders and transients.  After the British invasion of 1762, its bulwarks were renovated by Spanish Engineer Miguel Antonio Gomez to strengthen its defense.


Baluarte de San Andres, formerly known as Baluarte de San Nicolas y Carranza, still has its original lookout tower (logarita), bombproof powder magazine (built in 1733, it contains military artifacts on display), stable house, drainage and foundation.  A reconstructed guardhouse overlooks the powder magazine.    Today, there are 3 commercial establishments within it: Mas y Mas Music Lounge (opened July 28, 2000) at the far end, Creole Café inside the powder magazine and Ciudad Fernandina (opened December 1999) at the site of the former stable house.

Baluarte de Dilao was also called at different times as San Lorenzo, San Francisco de Dila, San Fernando de Dilao or simply Dilao (after the Japanese suburb it faced across the moat).  Part of the original fortification of Intramuros in 1592, it was constructed to reinforce the intermediate space of the walls between Parian and Real called frente de tierra.  Reduced to rubble during World War II, its reconstruction in 1984 was based on the original 1773 plans of Engr. Dionisio O’Kelly.


Baluarte de San Diego was known as the Fundicion or foundry.  The noted blacksmith, Panday Pira (who built the six lantakas or bronze cannons of Sulayman’s bamboo-palisaded fort), forged cannons for the Spanish at the site.   It was the only bulwark facing the sea (although part of it has now been reclaimed and is now the Port Area) and was built and designed by Jesuit Fr. Antonio Sedeno from 1586 to 1587 as a circular fort called Nuestra Senora de Guia, the first stone fort of Manila.  It was renovated in 1593 to join the walls of the city.  The old fort was of poor quality and it soon fell into disrepair.  In 1979, high walls of three concentric circles were discovered and excavated, part of the original fort’s round tower.  In 1644, construction of the present baluartewas started and was completed between 1653 and 1663.  This subterranean arsenal storage also served as dungeons for the Spanish military’s prisoners.   Shaped like an ace of spades it was formerly covered with a big mound of earth. Its walls were breached by the British cannon fire in 1762.  After the British occupation, its walls were restored and strengthened.  It was again damaged during the 1863 earthquake and destroyed in 1945 during the liberation of Manila.  It was again restored from 1979-92 after the archaeological excavation of the old fort.
       
Both are now major attractions in Intramuros.  It being so, we all made a stopover here.  Preparations for a wedding were then in progress, with the ceremonies to be held at the left of the entry and the reception at the right.  The old fort was accessible via a spiral stone stairway.  From the bulwark, we had a bird’s eye view of the city as well as the 18-hole Club Intramuros golf course.  The old fort is close after 6 P.M. to discourage lovers’ trysts.  


Ravellin de Recoletoswas so named because of its proximity to the Agustinian Recollect Church.  It served as defense to fill the gap between Baluarte de San Andres and Baluarte de Dilao.  The original entrance was sealed off and a new one opened in 1941 to make way for new Victoria St..  It is now converted into the Aurora Gardens (named after the late wife of Commonwealth Pres. Manuel L. Quezon).

       
Revellin de Real de Bagumbayan, also built in 1663, was used as prison cells during the American period and was later converted into the Manila Aquarium just before World War II.  During the Japanese Occupation, it was used as barracks and was damaged during the liberation of Manila in 1945.  It was restored in 1969 and additional works were done in 1982. The Manila Aquarium was maintained until its closure in 1983.  It was reopened in 1990 with the name Acuario de Manila.  It has an impressive collection of Philippine fishes on display.  The moat that separated it from the gate is now a garden of tropical greens and coconut palms.  It serves as a venue for performing art presentations.   
     
Revellin del Parian, the defensive bastion or outwork of Puerto Parian, was named after the Parian de Arroceros across which lived the Chinese living outside across the moat. It was built in 1603 soon after the Chinese uprising (October 3, 1603, St. Francis Day) and its cannons were hereafter aimed at them. The ravelin was used as a defense line between the curtain walls of Baluarte de San Andresand the Parian Gate.  Its vaulted chambers were built in 1739 to house soldiers and military supplies.  The entire defense works were completed in 1782 and it was restored, after World War II damage, from 1967-82.       Archaeological excavations of the site yielded 17th century artifacts and Japanese Occupation mass graveyards.  Some of the gruesome World War II findings include finger bones clutching an unexploded grenade or clinging to a rusty bayonet.
       
Baluartillo de San Jose, known as “No. 1 Victoria Street”, served as Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters in 1941.  A tunnel-like passage built in with a drainage canal emptying out into the moat, its primary use was to transport ammunition to Reducto de San Pedro.

       
Reducto de San Pedrois an independent pentagonal structure built outside the walls.  A powder magazine during Spanish times, it had its own stockpile of cannon balls deposited in recessed ledges at the entrance.  A ramp on one side of the structure leading to the parapet made their transport easier.  Gun emplacements looked out.  During the pre-World War II period, it was an office of the USAFFE.        

During our tour, Grace and I could not help but notice the proliferation of fine-dining restaurants and cafes inside portions of the ancient walls, vaulted chambers and some fortifications, notably at Baluarte de San Andres and Puerta de Isabel II, all built in the name of “adaptive re-use,” a concept wherein the past is adapted to keep it as a living part of its newer environs.  Here, the argument between conservationists (notably the Heritage Conservation Society, an NGO) and the Intramuros Administration.  The first is  concerned by this commercial invasion of Intramuros’ past while the latter concerned with the task of preserving it by any and all means.      In these days of national budget deficits and cuts and the Asian financial crisis, economic imperatives have necessarily come into the picture.  A great deal of funding is needed in the restoration and preservation (and later, the operation) of historic sites such as Intramuros.  That is a given.   On one side of the coin, the IA is hoping that revenues earned from these restaurant and café endeavors would help in the economic revitalization of Intramuros by creating new jobs, promoting heritage tourism, increasing the area’s property value and, in the long run, attracting new investments.  In short, they are hoping that this economic base will eventually support Intramuros’ preservation.  “Revitalized” historical districts usually cited include Clarke Quay in Singapore, Covent Garden in London and the Cartagena de Indias Fortifications in Colombia.     On the other side of the coin, conservationists and moralists are concerned that these new constructions will violate the IA charter by debasing the structural integrity of the historic walls.  The IA charter states that “all walls, fortifications and gates are special zones subject to specific rules and regulations regarding allowable and prohibited uses, specific building requirements and architectural standards”.   They also contend that these restaurants and cafes endanger Intramuros’ unique historical atmosphere as well as damage the morals of students studying in the nearby schools and universities.     As architects, Grace and I are doubly concerned with how these new commercial developments may compromise Intramuros’ structural, as well as, aesthetic integrity.  Just the same, we are also pragmatists who believe, especially in these days of economic uncertainty, that these are viable ways of making restoration and preservation pay for itself.     However, it is our hope that, with proper monitoring of building regulations and violations, a compromise might be struck between the two sides.  

Revisiting Fort Santiago (Manila)

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After our lunch at Toho Restaurant in Chinatown, Grace, Jandy, Cheska, Dad, Mom and I drove to Intramuros and parked the car at Fort Santiago, just across the Manila Cathedral.  Being a weekend, there was a steady stream of visitors, including foreigners, all strolling leisurely. With Jandy, I planned to revisit the fort, our last visit being  way back March 1, 1993 when Jandy was just 6 years old.   

Upon entry, we were ushered into the well-kept Plaza Moriones, a public promenade that was fenced off by the Spanish military in 1864.   It now has beautiful landscaping, a flagpole and a fountain. To the right is the Almacenes Reales (Royal Warehouses) where goods brought in by the galleons were stored.  We passed by the Administrative Office, a refreshment kiosk and the picnic area (at its back is the archaeological excavation of the Artilleria de Maestranza, the foundry which cast cannons and ammunition during Spanish times) before reaching the moat and, across it, the fort’s main gate. 
       
The original gate was built in 1714, destroyed during the American liberation and was restored in 1983.  Its stone carvings were done by Zacarias Salonga.  Above the gate is a wooden equestrian relief carving of St. James (Santiago Matamoro, after whom the fort was named) slaying the Moors done by Wilfredo Layug (a distant relative?). Guarding its flanks are Baluarte de San Miguel (Manila Bay side) on the left and the Medio Baluarte de San Francisco (Pasig River side) on the right.
      
Immediately upon entry is Plaza Armas, the fort’s main square and probable site of the palisaded fort of Rajah Sulayman.  On its left are the ruins of the Spanish Barracks and the Rizal Shrine and on its right is the renowned Dulaang Rajah Sulayman, an outdoor theater built on the site of the old barracks.  It has a 3-dimensional stage built amidst the fort’s adobe walls.  Next to the theater is the Postigo de la Nuestra Senora del Soledad (Postern of Our Lady of Solitude) used as a passage to the Pasig River.
    
Fronting Plaza Armas, on the right, is the Casa del Castellano, site of the fort commander’s residence and now occupied by a terraced garden.  Below it is a dungeon/cellar where food supplies were kept.  On the left, is the Baluarte de Sta. Barbara, strategically located to overlook both the Pasig River and Manila Bay.  Started as a wooden platform in 1593, storage vaults and the bombproof powder magazine where added in 1599.

       
Almost destroyed in the fighting of 1945, Sta. Barbara has since been landscaped and now contains a memorial park known as the Shrine of Freedom. Its Memorial Cross marks the common grave of 600 World War II victims found there.   On its Pasig River side are the Falsabragas de Sta. Barbara and Media Naranja, 2 false walls which protected the main bulwark when heavily bombarded from the river.
On our way out we noticed the brass shoeprints (many of them now missing) installed during the 1998 centennial to trace the path of National Hero Jose Rizal when he walked from his cell to Bagumbayan for his execution (7:03 A.M., December 30).  After exiting the fort’s gate, it was back to Plaza Moriones and some more time travel.  Past the Wall of Martyrs, the American Barracks Ruins and the picnic grounds is the Baluartillo de San Francisco Javier. Built by Gov.-Gen. Sabiniano Manrique de Lara, it protected the old postern gate when the first Governor’s Palace was located inside the fort until 1654. It kept military supplies.  Its Reducto de San Francisco Javier, added in 1773, now houses the Shrine of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe.
       
Restored in 1985, the Baluartillo’s 10 chambers now house the Intramuros Visitors Center (IVC).  It consists of an information center, a photo gallery exhibiting the Walled City’s past and present, an audio-visual chamber (where “The Sanctuary of the Filipino Spirit”, an 18-min. video-documentary on Intramuros, is shown), a restaurant/coffee shop and souvenir shops.

The Twin Wishing Wells of Sta. Lucia (Taal, Batangas)

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Later, Jandy and I proceeded to to the back of the Chapel of the Virgin of Caysasay where we ascended the 5-m. wide Chinese granite (“piedra china”) stairway called Hagdan-Hagdan.  This stairway was built in 1850 by Fr. Celestino Mayordomo to replace the original adobe stairs.  

Hagdan-Hagdan

After the first flight, we crossed over the railing and proceeded down a well-defined dirt path to the Twin Wishing Wells of Sta. Lucia.   This is the spot where the 2 Marias found the image.  It has a Chinese-inspired (supposedly erected by ethnic Chinese) coralstone arch with a bas-relief of the Virgin of Caysasay.

Twin Wishing Wells of Sta. Lucia

Underneath are two wells, the waters of which are reputed to have miraculous healing and therapeutic powers.  Devotees usually pray at the grotto to the Virgin at the back, wish and light candles and then take baths at the wells.  The waters of the left well, said to cure head injuries, is for the initial bath and the waters of the second well, for healing the body, is for “rinsing.”  Returning back to Hagdan-Hagdan, we reached the San Lorenzo Ruiz Arch, renamed after the first Filipino saint, after 125 steps and 3 flights.

Southern Luzon’s Heritage Village (Taal, Batangas)

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Jandy and I checked out of Villalobos Lodge in Lemery by 6 AM, had an early breakfast at the town  and drove beyond the small bridge (Lemery’s boundary with Taal) over the Pansipit River to Taal’s poblacion (town center)  which was zoned and patterned by Spanish architects after the town of Albuquerque in Spain.

Taal Park

Our first stop was the town’s stately municipal hall, the former Spanish-era Casa Real.  It was built from 1846 to 1850 by Augustinian Fr. Celestino Mayordomo.  Directly in front is the wide, landscaped Taal Park with its mercury lights and statues of Jose Rizal (installed by Banaag Nang Tagumpay), Apolinario Mabini (installed by the Malvarian Society on December 1928), A Los Heroes Nacional (installed by La Sociedad La Patria on May 20, 1929) and the newer one of Marcela Agoncillo (installed January 20, 1979).  This central area was restored in 1976 during the administration of Mayor Corazon A. Caniza.

Taal Municipal Hall (Casa Real)

To the left of the basilica is the former Escuela Pia, now Taal’s Cultural Center.  It was built by Fr. Aniceto Aparicio in 1885 and was restored by the Taal Arts and Culture Movement in cooperation with the National Historical Institute.  It was made into a National Historical Monument by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260 (August 1, 1973), Executive Order No. 375 (January 14, 1974) and Executive Order No. 1505 (June 11, 1978)

Taal Cultural Center (Escuela Pia)