Category Archives: SPECIAL TOPICS

Angkor Archaeological Park (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

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Our second day in Siem Reap was to be spent exploring Angkor Archaeological Park, particularly its star attraction – Angkor Wat.  After breakfast at Bopha Angkor Hotel, Violet, Osang, Jandy and I were met at the lobby by our previous tuktuk driver who brought us, from the bus station, to the hotel the previous day. A lot of tourists tour Angkor this way.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Bopha Angkor Hotel & Restaurant”

He agreed to bring us, on board his tuktuk, to the park and back for US$5 each (they prefer this payment rather than their local currency – the rial).

Touring Angkor Archaeological Park via tuktuk

Aside from Angkor Wat, we were to also visited Bayon Temple, Preah Pithu, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Royal Palace and Phimeanakas Temple, Baphuon Temple, Chao Say Tevoda, Ta Prohm Temple, Banteay Kdei and Thommanon Temple.

A rainy arrival……

The tuktuk drive took around 20 mins. and we arrived at the park by 10:30 AM.  It was drizzling when we arrived.

Check out “Bayon Temple,” “Preah Pithu,” “Terrace of the Elephants,” “Terrace of the Leper King,” “Royal Palace and Phimeanakas Temple,” “Baphuon Temple,” “Chau Say Tevoda,” “Ta Prohm Temple,” “Banteay Kdei” and “Thommanon Temple”

Royal Palace – Silver Pagoda (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

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Silver Pagoda (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Silver Pagoda (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

From the Throne Hall, Osang, Violet, Jandy and I proceeded to south side of the Royal Palace complex.  The beautiful Silver Pagoda, built in honor of the Lord Buddha, is the official temple of the king of Cambodia.  Formerly known as Wat Ubosoth Ratanaram, its official name is Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot (“Temple of the Emerald Buddha”), after the green baccarat crystal Buddha it houses.  Its name is commonly shortened to Wat Preah Keo.

Mandapa of Satra and Tripitaka

Mandapa of Satra and Tripitaka

Constructed in 1962, at Queen Kossamak’s command, by King Norodom Sihanouk, it replaced the wooden pagoda built by his grandfather in 1902,  the original aging structure being too weak to stand. During the Khmer Rouge years, more than half its contents were stolen but the pagoda itself was pretty much unscathed.

King Norodom's Statue

King Norodom’s Statue

The Silver Pagoda, is so named because of its 5,329 silver floor tiles, each around  20 cm. (8 inches) square and each weighing 1.125 kg (2.48 lbs), and having a total weight of more than 6 tons. Some of its outer facade was remodeled with Italian marble. The pagoda’s construction shows the clear influence of Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaeo, also home to a precious crystal Buddha to which the one in Phnom Penh bears an uncanny resemblance.

King Ang Duong's Stupa

King Ang Duong’s Stupa

After removing our hats and leaving our footwear outside, we were allowed to enter the vihara which houses a rich collection of 1,650 royal gifts received by the Royal family over the years, including artifacts and Buddha images, many of them national treasures.  The pagoda is more a museum than place of homage and no monks stay in permanent residence here. However, on entering the pagoda, we only saw a small area of the temple’s signature  silver tiles as much of the floor was covered by carpets. Photography is also not allowed inside.

Kantha Bopha's Stupa

Kantha Bopha’s Stupa

On display are gold and jeweled Buddha statues, notably a a small 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha (the “Emerald Buddha” of Cambodia) and an impressive, life-sized gold Maitreya Buddha. The latter, housed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, was created in the palace workshops between 1906 and 1907.  It weighs in at 90 kgs., is dressed in royal regalia commissioned by King Sisowath, and is decorated with 9,584 diamonds (the largest of which weighs 25 carats).

Reamker Frescoes

Reamker Frescoes

The main building (vihear) is bounded, to the east, by the statue of King Norodom (sitting on a white horse) and to the north by the Mondapa of Satra and Tripitaka, a library housing Buddhist texts.  At the eastern corner is the bell tower, south of which, near the exit, is a model of Angkor Wat. South of the vihear stands 4 structures, from west to east – the chedi (stupa) of King Suramarit and Queen Kossamak, the Dharmasala, the Chedi of Princess Kantha Bopha and the Phnom Mondop (Mount Mondop, where the statue of Preah Ko is situated). The last mentioned is an artificial hill with a pavilion housing a bronze footprint of the Buddha from Sri Lanka.

Osang, Jandy and Osang at Kantha Bopha's Stupa

Osang, Jandy and Osang at Kantha Bopha’s Stupa

These structures are surrounded by a wall – the oldest part of the palace – covered with 80 m. long, colorful series of frescos depicting episodes from Reamker, the Khmer version of the Indian Ramayana, , one of the great Hindu epics.ainted from 1903 to 1904, its bottom half has faded, throughout the Khmer Rouge years, due to neglect. Some restoration has been done but much of the damage is still clearly visible.

Royal Palace: Samdach Sothearos Blvd., Phnom Penh.  Open daily, 8 to 11 AM and 2 to 5 PM.

Royal Palace – The Throne Hall (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

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Throne Hall (Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay)

Throne Hall (Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay)

Upon paying the admission fee of US$6.25, Jandy, Osang, Violet and I started our guide-less tour of the Royal Palace grounds.The first major building we passed was the open-sided Preah Tineang Phhochani, the banqueting and dance hall, inaugurated in 1912. The pristine gardens of the palace grounds are dotted with topiaried trees and are planted with tropical flowers and plants such as Allamanda cathartica, Couroupita guianensis and Jatropha integerrima.

Osang, Violet and Jandy at top of grand stairway

Osang, Violet and Jandy at top of grand stairway

We started with the cross-shaped Throne Hall (Preah Thineang Dheva Vinnichay Mohai Moha Prasat, or “Sacred Seat of Judgement”), the most impressive building in the royal compound.  The Throne Hall , crowned with 3 spires, is the second building to be built on this site.  The King’s confidants, generals and royal officials once carried out their duties here and it is still in use today as a place for religious and royal ceremonies (such as coronations and royal weddings) as well as a meeting place for the King’s guests.

A 7-headed naga

A 7-headed naga

The first building was constructed of wood in 1869-1870, under King Norodom, then demolished in 1915 and the present 30 x 60 m. building, a  faithful reproduction of Norodom’s wooden palace, was built in 1917 and inaugurated by King Bat Sisowath in 1919. This building, as well as all buildings and structures at the Royal Palace, faces the east (best photographed in the morning). The building’s central, 59 m. high spire is topped with the white, 4-faced head of Brahma.

A garuda appearing to support the roof

A garuda appearing to support the roof

Inside are 3 royal thrones (2 traditional and 1 Western-style) and golden busts of Cambodians kings and queens, starting from the reign King Ang Doung onwards. However, we, as well as all other visitors, weren’t allowed to go inside, much less take pictures of the interiors, even from the outside.  We could only take photographs of its exterior.

Spire topped with the white, 4-faced head of Brahma

Spire topped with the white, 4-faced head of Brahma

The hall’s broad and grand entrance stairway has banisters formed by 7-headed nagas.  Each column of the colonnaded veranda is topped by a garuda with outstretched wings, all seemingly supporting the eaves of the roof.

Hor Samranphirum

Hor Samranphirum

To the right of the Throne Hall is the Hor Samran Phirum, the Royal Rest House, built between 1915 and 1917.  It is not open for public viewing. On coronation day, this small pavilion is used as a royal rest house and waiting area.  Here, the incoming King and Queen wait for their elephants to be bought around. On one side of the building is a door and some posts which are used to harness the elephants while the royals board.  The king no longer keeps elephants and, today, this building is used to house gifts from foreign dignitaries as well as the royal musical instruments and utensils used in royal coronation processions.

Hor Samritvimean

Hor Samrit Vimean

Exhibits at Hor Samritvimean

Exhibits at Hor Samrit Vimean

One small but elaborate pavilion we could photograph, both inside and out, was the Hor Samrit Vimean, also known as the Bronze Palace. The Royal treasury, this tall but narrow building houses regalia vital to the coronation ceremony including the Great Crown of Victory; The Great White umbrella of state; The Sacred Sword; The Victory Spear; The Fan; various procession group figures bearing the national, religious and monarchy flags; and clothing worn during King Sihamoni’s coronation on October 2004. We joined other tourists at the small display room at the lower floor where we observed, and photographed, display cases exhibiting some of the more minor royal regalia and utensils. At the rear, we note the 7 mannequins wearing seven days’ worth of colors.

Preah Tineang Phhochani

Preah Tineang Phhochani

Just north of the Preah Tineang Phhochani, the palace grounds are closed to visitors so we could only observe the other buildings beyond from afar. Getting a much-needed facelift and shielded by a huge tarpaulin (with the actual likeness of the building inside) during our visit was the cast-iron, French-style Pavilion of Napoleon lll, the oldest surviving structure on the palace grounds.  It was presented by French Emperor Napoleon III to King Norodom in 1876 and re-erected here. The pavilion was used by the Empress Eugenie (Napoleon’s wife) during her inauguration of the Suez Canal in in Ismailia, Egypt in 1869. It now serves as a museum of royal memorabilia and a photo exhibit of former Cambodian kings.

The Pavilion of Napoleon III and the Preah Reach Damnak Chan

The Pavilion of Napoleon III and the Preah Reach Damnak Chan

West of the pavilion is the Preah Reach Damnak Chan.  Built in 1953, it’s partly a museum housing a collection of gifts to the royal family while another part is an office for the Ministry of the Royal Palace.  Just past the Pavilion of Napoleon III, a gateway provided us access to the Silver Pagoda.

Royal Palace: Samdach Sothearos Blvd., Phnom Penh.  Open daily, 8 to 11 AM and 2 to 5 PM.

Preah Sothearos Boulevard (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

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Preah Sothearos Boulevard

Preah Sothearos Boulevard

After our short visit to the National Museum, Osang, Violet, Jandy and I proceeded on our way to the nearby Royal Palace. The Royal Palace, a good example of Khmer architecture, covers an area of 174,870 sq. m. (402 m. x 435 m.). Its layout features a defensive wall (kampaeng), throne hall (preah tineang), Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Preah Keo Morakot), stupas (chedei), towering spires (prang prasat) and mural paintings.

Osang feeding the doves

Osang feeding the doves

The complex is divided by walls into four main compounds.  On the south side is the Silver Pagoda, on the north is the Khemarin Palace, on the west is the private sector (or the Inner Court) while the central compound contains the Throne Hall . The buildings of the palace were gradually built over time, some were dismantled and rebuilt as late as the 1960s, but some old buildings date back to the 19th century.

Gamely posing with a sentry at his ost

Gamely posing with a sentry at his post

From Street 184, we turned right to the surprisingly car-free (save for one tourist bus) Preah Sothearos Blvd. On its left is a wide promenade with yellow hexagonal floor tiles.  Here, flocks of black, white and gray doves congregate.  Children enjoy chasing them while adults feed them with corn kernels and peanuts bought from vendors nearby. Beyond the promenade is a small park, Sisowath Quay and the mighty Mekong River.

The open-air Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya ("Moonlight Pavilion")

The open-air Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya (“Moonlight Pavilion”)

On the boulevard’s right are the high, yellow crenelated walls of the Royal Palace. We passed two guardhouses, one of them manned, gamely posing with the guard on duty. The  open-air  Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya (“Moonlight Pavilion”), built alongside a section of the palace walls, dominates the facade.

The Victory Gate

The Victory Gate

One of the most notable buildings of the Royal Palace, it serves as a venue for the Royal Dancers, as a tribune for the King to address the crowds and as a place to hold state and royal banquets. During the 2004 coronation of King Norodom Sihamoni, it was used for a banquet and a tribune for the new king.  It also has a balcony that is used for viewing parades marching along Sothearos Boulevard.

Finally ... the visitor's entrance gate

Finally … the visitor’s entrance gate

Past the pavilion is the Victory Gate which faces the entrance steps leading to the palace’s Throne Hall. Traditionally, this gate was only used by the king and queen though it is now used to admit visiting dignitaries.  As such, this gate was locked.  However, the entrance for tourists wanting to tour the palace was nearby.  Upon entering, we walked along a short corridor to the ticket booth.

 

Saigon Central Post Office (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

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The largest and busiest central post office in Vietnam, this Neo-Classical-style building, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city and a fine example of French colonial architecture, is a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and French influences.  This big, airy and spacious building  was designed and constructed, between 1886 and 1891, by the famous French civil engineer and architect Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame).

Saigon Central Post Office

Saigon Central Post Office

Its vaulted roof, massively high arched ceiling (carried by the two rows of steel pillars), numerous wickets, wooden counters (that seem like ticket counters), ornate furnishings, green window shutters and creatively designed arched windows (with engaged piers) are reminiscent of old European railway stations.

Clock above the main entrance

Clock above the main entrance

Above the main entrance, with its intricate ironwork, is its original and still working giant clock. The gorgeous, patterned floor tiles inside represent antique maps.

The post office's massive interior

The post office’s massive interior

Though still a completely functional post office housing a useful office center with phones and fax lines, the building administration have also added souvenir shops (ref magnets, post cards, T-shirts, wallets, coin and stamp collector sets, etc.), currency exchange offices (though their rates was pretty high they are better than rates at the airport), wooden benches for tired tourists, and the still original phone booths (above which are clocks with times of select Asian cities) to make international calls (others are now ATM booths).

Phone and ATM booths

Phone and ATM booths

Inside this never too crowded but never really empty post office, on the upper part of both walls flanking the main entrance, are two large, eighteenth century maps that were painted on the walls just after the post office was built.

Map of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia

Map of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia

Map of Greater Saigon

Map of Greater Saigon

On the left side is a map of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia entitled Lignes telegraphiques du Sud Vietnam et Cambodge 1892 (“Telegraphic lines of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia 1892”) while on the right side is a map of Greater Saigon entitled Saigon et ses environs 1892 (“Saigon and its environment 1892’). At the end of the expansive hall is a huge portrait of Ho Chi Minh. 

Osang, Jandy, Violet, the author and Australian friend Gerald Hosiah

Osang, Jandy, Violet, the author and Australian friend Gerald Hosiah

Saigon Central Post Office: 2 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, tp. (opposite Notre Dame Cathedral), Ho Chi Minh City.  Open 8 AM – 5 PM. Tel: +84 8 3822 1677.   

Saigon Opera House (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

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The iconic, stately and elegant Saigon Opera House, also known as the Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theater, is hard to miss as it is located at the intersection of Ð Dong Khoi and ÐL Le Loi.  The front of the building is a good place to take photos or maybe just sit round and spend some time people-watching. A Highland Coffee Shop outlet is located behind the building. During our visit, a pre-nuptial photo shoot was ongoing at the bottom of the steps in front of the theater.

Saigon Opera House

Saigon Opera House

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to see the inside unless we watched an actual performance (plays, concerts, ballet, opera, and Vietnamese traditional dance) or the 60-min. AO Show (6 PM and 8 PM), a show fusing dance, circus and musical forms in a vibrant and light-hearted series of sketches.  However, prices for these performances don’t come cheap. For the AO Show, admission ranges from 630,000 VND to 1,470,000 VND (US$29.7 to US$69.3).

A venue for pre-nuptial photo shoots

A venue for pre-nuptial photo shoots

This grand, 1,800-seat colonial building, an example of French Colonial architecture in Vietnam, was designed, as the Opėra de Saigon, by architect Felix Olivier and its construction, started in 1898, was supervised by architects Ernest Guichard and Eugène Ferret. The theater was completed on January 1, 1900. Its applied ornaments, balustrades, cartouches and roof are particularly French while the large central arch, Ionic columns, coffered ceiling and the caryatids (though less modestly clothed than Greek examples) are Greco-Roman motifs.

The veranda and richly-engraved arch

The veranda and richly-engraved central arch

In 1944, the theater was damaged by the Allied air attacks and, in 1954, was used as a temporary shelter for French civilians arriving from North Vietnam. After 1956, the building was restored and used as the home of the Lower House assembly of South Vietnam and it was not until 1975, after the fall of Saigon, that it was again used as a theater. In 1995, the theater was again restored.

A scantilly clad carytid

A scantily clad caryatid

Shaped like the Opéra Garnier in Paris, the Municipal Theater is a smaller counterpart of the Hanoi Opera House (built between 1901 and 1911).  Influenced by the flamboyant style of the French Third Republic, its ornate façade, decorated with inscriptions and bas reliefs, is shaped like France’s Petit Palais (“little palace”) which was also built in 1900. In 1943, some of its decorations, engravings and statues were removed from the theater façade (to make the the theater look more youthful) but, in 1998, during the 300th anniversary celebration of Saigon, a portion was restored by the city government.

Bas reliefs and paired Ionic colums

Bas reliefs and paired Ionic colums

This opera house has an 800-seat main seating floor plus two levels of seating above; a sweeping staircase; and all the inscriptions, décor, and furnishings were designed and drawn by a French artist and sent from France. It now hosts the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (formerly the Ho Chi Minh City Symphony and Chamber Orchestra), one of the city’s premiere entertainment companies.

Deatil of bas relief

Deatil of bas relief

The theater is equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, and safety equipment. Many of its original architectural and decorative features, including a stone veranda, white stone statues at the entrance, colorful granite tiled floors, chandeliers, bronze statues in front of the stairs, richly-engraved auditorium arch and wall statues, have been incorporated. In 2009, an outdoor lighting system was installed on the roof of the Opera House.

The author, Jandy, Osang and Violet

The author, Jandy, Osang and Violet

Saigon Opera House: 7 Lam Son Square, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: 08 3829 9976.

Sangyaw Pasasalamat Parade (Tacloban City, Leyte)

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Jandy and I arrived at typhoon-ravaged Tacloban, via a Cebu Pacific flight, on the morning of June 29.  Grace, Cheska, Marve and Kyle were already in the city, having left the day before.  We arrived at my brother-in-law Manny’s house just in time for lunch.

The Sangyaw Pasasalamat Parade

The Sangyaw Pasasalamat Parade

His house was conveniently located along Avenida Veteranos, one of the major city streets that the Sangyaw Pasasalamat Festival (which honors Señor Santo Niño de Leyte, Tacloban City’s patron saint) parade would pass through (Real to Imelda then Rizal towards Romualdez and will end at the Kanhuraw Hill).

The Sto. Nino de Leyte is a favorite theme

The Sto. Nino de Leyte is a favorite theme

The parade, held nearly 8 months after Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) devastated the city and other parts of the Visayas, was a simple affair, tame and devoid of much extravagance and glamour as with previous festival parades.

Thank you in many languages

Thank you in many languages

Foreign aid workers also join in

Foreign aid workers also join in

The parade was participated in by more than a thousand merrymakers from 8 schools, 5 barangays, private companies (LBC, Talk and Text, Monterey, ABS-CBN, etc.), government agencies (PhilHealth, Department of Health, Department of Education, etc.), delegates from the various branches of the country’s armed services, and the humanitarian international non-government organizations (iNGOs) such as Oxfam, Save the Children, Volunteers for the Visayans, World Vision, Plan Philippines, Care Philippines, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), etc.. Eleven non-competing and six competing groups will join in the merrymaking. There were only 5 participating floats.

One of the participating floats

One of the participating floats

With its theme “Pasasalamat,” the parade now focuses on thanksgiving for those who survived the wrath of the super typhoon as well as for Taclobanons and Leyteños to express their gratitude to the different iNGOs whose heartwarming assistance and support helped Tacloban and the Taclobanons get back on their feet.

Lion dancers from the Fil-Chinese community

Lion dancers from the Filipino-Chinese community

The iNGOs also made this parade possible by taking care of the logistics, giving a subsidy of not less than PhP30,000 to each participating barangay and contingent.  During, the parade, thanks was expressed in the languages of the iNGOs –  Australia (Thoinks Moite), Belgium (Dank U), China (Xie Xie), France (Merci),  Germany (Dankeschön),  Greece (Efharisto), Hungary (Koszonom), India (Nandri), Indonesia (Terima Kasih), Italy (Grazie), Japan (Arigato), Korea (Kamsahamnida), New Zealand (Kiaora Koe), Russia (Blagodarya), Spain (Gracias), U.S.A. (Thank You), etc.

A drum and lyre band

A drum and lyre band

Though it was a gloomy Sunday, with scattered rain showers (but no excruciating heat from the sun), it was nice to see the people enjoying again and the city colorful, with many Taclobanons, in colorful costumes, joining the parade, exhibiting their unique innovations and creativity.

Sangyaw Parade (27)

Sangyaw Parade (37)

Sangyaw Parade (147)

It was still a parade with a rainbow of colors

It was still a parade with a rainbow of colors

The parade somehow relieved the stress and trauma that the Taclobanons have experienced after Typhoon Yolanda.  At the same time, it also helped people in the area to feel that life is returning back to normal in the city.

Kyle, Marve, Grace, Cheska and Jandy enjoying the parade

Kyle, Marve, Grace, Cheska and Jandy enjoying the parade

City Tourism Operations Office: City Hall, Kanhuraw Hiil, Tacloban City, Leyte. Tel: (053) 325-8955, (053) 325-2491, (053) 523-9671 & (053) 325-6248.

The Mangyan Village of Talipanan (Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental)

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From the Puerto Galera Municipal Hall, we returned to our respective vans, with Ms. Aileen N. Bareng (Senior Tourism Operations Officer of Puerto Galera) plus Ms Susan E. Cruz (Tourism Operations Assistant) and Sienna May R. Manongsong, both of the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Tourism Office joining us, and were driven to the Iraya Mangyan Village at Sitio Talipanan.

Weaving hut

Weaving hut

The Mangyans, the indigenous people of Mindoro Island,  consists of 8 ethnic sub-groups, the Iraya being one of them.  This tribe used to prospered along the coastal areas until they were forced to move from their land and were treated as second class citizens, neglected and discriminated.

Iraya-Mangyan weavers at work

Iraya-Mangyan weavers at work

They never wore slippers, wore old and torn clothes, and could rarely afford to eat rice in a week, surviving by gathering lami (sweet potato). After a major battle between government forces and communist rebels in 1986, the indigenous families were forced to leave the mountain and squat in the lowlands. The foot of Mt. Malasimbo in Puerto Galera alone is home to as many as 200 Iraya-Mangyan families.

Nito handicrafts on display at showroom

Nito handicrafts on display at the showroom

Nito jars

Nito jars

Since 1989, the Ayala Foundation, with the help of Ms. Beatriz “Bea” Zobel (wife of businessman and philanthropist Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala), has been implementing numerous projects covering education, livelihood development, housing management and health for these Iraya-Mangyans so that they may become more active participants in and productive members of their community yet be capable of managing its own affairs and activities without compromising its own culture.

Neat row of Mangyan houses

A neat row of Mangyan houses

In 1990, the Jaime and Bea bought a piece of the property for them and, in 2007, the couple acquired the rest of land and started developing the Mangyan Village, complete with power and water supplies.  Through their effort to bring the Mangyans to the mainstream of Philippine society through education, the village has produced a number of successful graduates (licensed teachers, community workers, ec.) who are now doing their part in helping their fellow Iraya-Mangyans.

Oriental Mindoro Cruise Drive Caravan ladies exploring village

Oriental Mindoro Cruise Drive Caravan ladies exploring the village

At the village, Oriental Mindoro Cruise Drive Caravan participants were welcomed by Mr. Fabian “Pabling” de Jesus, the 53 year old Batangueño right hand man of the Ayalas in Mindoro, who is at the helm of this project.  We met him at a large pavilion, at the center of the village, were about 52 Iraya-Mangyan, mostly women and wearing their uniform yellow shirts, were busy weaving strands of nito (Lygodium circinatum), a richly colored tropical vine of the fern family, into beautiful but functional baskets, plates with intricate designs, beer bottle holders, place mats, laundry baskets, jars and storage boxes. Mangyans are  expert basket weavers. At the very least, each Mangyan earns around PhP60-P70 in a day. In 2013, the Mangyan Village received 1,879 visitors who availed of these locally produced handicrafts.

An Iraya=Mangyan family in their new home

An Iraya-Mangyan family in their new home (photo: Ms. Sheena Ferrer)

The finished nito products are displayed at the adjoining showroom. The products are also brought to Makati City where the Ayalas opened two stores. The Mangyan workers receive shares from the sales and 4 kilos of rice every week. The Foundation also provides livelihood training in dressmaking, beading, masonry, electrical wiring and agriculture, among others.

Author crossing bamboo bridge (photo: Sheena Ferrer)

Author crossing bamboo bridge (photo: Ms. Sheena Ferrer)

When we visited this 4.2-hectare community located 9 kms. from the town proper, they already had a 4-classroom public elementary school (which accommodates grades 1 to 6 students), a medical facility managed by Indian nuns, common comfort rooms and 69 nice 36 sq. m. 2-bedroom houses complete with electricity, beds, furniture and kitchen and eating utensils.  Priority was given to the community elders.  Each house was estimated to have cost PhP150,000 which includes labor and materials. According to Mr. de Jesus, they are looking at building about 300 of these houses.

Iraya-Mangyan children

Iraya-Mangyan children (photo: Ms. Sheena Ferrer)

Mangyan Village: Sitio Talipanan, Brgy. Aninuan, Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental.

Automobile Association Philippines (AAP): 28 EDSA, Greenhills, San Juan City.  Tel: (632) 655-5889.  Fax: (632) 655-1878.  E-mail: info@aap.org.ph. Website: www.aap.org.ph.

AAP Travel: G/F, Sea Tower Bldg., 2332 Roxas Blvd. cor. Arnaiz Ave., Pasay City. Tel: (632) 551-0025.  Fax: (632) 551-0014. E-mail: info@aaptravel.com.  Website: www.aaptravel.com.ph.

Bancuro Church Ruins (Naujan, Mindoro Oriental)

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After lunch at Benilda ng Bancuro Resort & Restaurant, next on our Oriental Mindoro Cruise Drive Caravan tour was the Bancuro Church Ruins, more popularly known as Simbahan Bato (Stone Church), just a short drive from the resort.

Bancuro Church Ruins (Simbahan Bato)

Bancuro Church Ruins (Simbahan Bato)

This old, roofless ruin is what remains of an Augustinian Recollect church and priory that was built in the 1690s, on swampy ground, with adobe and coral rock.  The church also served as a fort and a place of refuge against Moro invaders.

The native-style church within a church

The native-style “church within a church”

After several tries by marauding Moro pirates, the place was finally overran by them.  The pirate were said to be looking for the church’s bell, said to be made of gold but, not being able to find it, they instead burned the church to the ground in 1824.

The Augustinian symbol of a pierced heart

The Augustinian symbol of a pierced heart

The 2-level church has never been reconstructed and its coralstone and adobe walls were crumbling and creeping with vines until the 1960s, when a small chapel (literally “a church within a church”) was built within its massive walls.  It was renovated in 2011.

Masonic symbol of a square over compass?

Masonic symbol of a square over compass? 

Still trying to decipher it.

Still trying to decipher this. I recognize the pierced heart on the left. The symbol beside it looks like the Greek symbol for “pi.”

Above the main entrance arch, on the second level, is a small statue niche, above which is the Augustinian symbol of the pierced heart. Flanking it are rectangular openings. Pockets along the walls display several Christian icons. Outside the native-style church is a small plaza with 2 shrines (one for Jesus and the other for the Virgin Mary).

Oriental Mindoro Cruise Drive Caravan participants at church entrance

Oriental Mindoro Cruise Drive Caravan participants at church entrance

Simbahan Bato: Brgy. Bancuro, Naujan, Mindoro Oriental.  It is a 45-min. jeepney ride from the town proper.

Automobile Association Philippines (AAP): 28 EDSA, Greenhills, San Juan City.  Tel: (632) 655-5889.  Fax: (632) 655-1878.  E-mail: info@aap.org.ph. Website: www.aap.org.ph.

AAP Travel: G/F, Sea Tower Bldg., 2332 Roxas Blvd. cor. Arnaiz Ave., Pasay City. Tel: (632) 551-0025.  Fax: (632) 551-0014. E-mail: info@aaptravel.com.  Website:www.aaptravel.com.ph.

Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker (Victorias City, Negros Occidental)

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The highlight of our visit to the Victorias Milling Co. (VICMICO) was the Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker, an artistic landmark in the Western Visayas that heralded the birth of Filipino religious art in the country.  This modern and futuristic  church, also called the Ossorio Chapel, was designed by New York architect Anthony Raymond (an apprentice of the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright) and was built, on the site of the old factory, from 1948 to 1949.  Earthquake-proof, its tower and nave are connected by movable beams.

The Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker

The Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker

This Chapel, built for VMC personnel and their families, was once featured in Life Magazine (as well as Liturgical Art Magazine) as “The Church of the Angry Christ.”  It features mosaic panels formed with bits of broken bottles of soda, milk of magnesia and other colored bottles gathered by parishioners.

The chapel interior

The chapel interior

A symbol of avant garde art, it depicts the angry Christ (God the Son), with a flaming heart and seated on skulls and a serpent (which represents death), on Judgment Day with big eyes and long, outstretched hands (symbolizing His welcoming of the faithful who were called to this continual last judgment), being received by God the Father, represented by 2 huge, red-orange hands.  The Holy Spirit, represented by a descending dove with multi-colored wings, hangs above. All over the place are multi-colored angels.

The controversial mural

The controversial mural

Christ is flanked by brown-skinned Filipinized saints in native attire, standing as witness to Christ’s resurrection – St. Joseph and the St. John the Baptist on the left and Mary and St. John the Evangelist on the right.  The first Filipinism in liturgical art, its singular rendition of brown-skinned Filipinos as Catholic saints has deliberately “Filipinized” traditional Biblical themes, thus giving it a Filipino face.

Triangle with an overseeing eye

Triangle with an overseeing eye

The controversial altar mural, done in a psychedelic splash of primary colors, was also criticized in the 1950s because of its solid, vibrant colors and striking brush strokes.  It also created a stir in conservative church circles for its depiction of Jesus Christ as angry and fierce-looking, instead of a merciful and gentle god. The altar’s beam has a triangle with an overseeing eye, looking at those who are called – the faithful attending the mass.

Skylight above altar

Skylight above altar

Belgian-born American liturgical artist Adelaide “Ade” de Buthune, the Baroness of Schaerbeek, assisted by Romulo Sta. Ana, was commissioned to decorate the baptistery (depicting Christ being baptized as a Filipino), the tabernacle, the mosaic outer walls (particularly the mosaic of Joseph’s wedding to Mary) and murals at the back.

A sculpture of Benjamin VValenciano

A sculpture of Benjamin VValenciano

Local engraver Arcadio Anore executed Bethune’s designs for the brass plates decorating the pulpit, baptistery and other parts of the church. Local artist Benjamin Valenciano, a carpenter from Victorias, did the the crucifix, the Stations of the Cross and the images of Joseph and Mary, garbed as ordinary brown-skinned Filipinos.

Bell tower

Bell tower

Philippine-born American abstract expressionist Alfonso A. Ossorio, the New York-based artist son of Don Miguel Ossorio, did the mural decoration of the altar within 11 months.  Alfonso studied Fine Arts at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachussets, U.S.A.) and continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design. Among his friends were the famous abstract expressionist artists Jackson Pollock and Clyfford Still.

The Last Supper

The Last Supper

As painting medium, Alfonso used ethyl silicate 40, recommended to him by Ralph Mayer, a paint chemist, as appropriate for the tropics as it fghts humidity and withstands the dampness. Up to now, the murals have not been retouched and their bright colors still looks magnificent.

The Virgin Mary with the Holy Spirit

The Virgin Mary with the Holy Spirit

The front facade of the church has a mural showing three scenes from the life of St. Joseph – the marriage to Mary, the workshop at Nazareth, and the death of Joseph. There;s also the comic-like painting outside depicting “The Prodigal Son” (believed to be a pioneering work on the comics art in the Philippines) while the back of the church depicts “The Last Supper” and “The Virgin Mary with the Holy Spirit.”

The workshop at Nazareth

The workshop at Nazareth

Outside the church is a Carabao Sundial, built in December 1975 by Senior Machine Shop students of Don Bosco Institute, led by Hezekiah B. Katalbas and Vicente Gonzaga, with the assistance of VMC management.  Its horn is exaggerated to become the dial face.

The Three Kings

The Three Kings

As it features the works of world famous artists, this chapel should be protected and preserved for other generations to appreciate and, to ensure its preservation, it should be declared as a National Heritage Site or National Cultural Treasure.

The Carabao Sundial

The Carabao Sundial

Church of St. Joseph the Worker: Victorias Milling Co. (VICMICO), Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

How to Get There: Victorias City is located 34 kms. (a 45-min. bus or jeepney drive) northeast of Bacolod City.  Upon reaching the intersection of the National Highway and the road leading to VMC, hire a tricycle that goes straight to the church.