The Kawayanan Festival (Gloria, Mindoro Oriental)

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Kawayanan Festival

Throughout my 4-day stay in the town, I was kept busy by undertaking with gusto, the role of   judge for four of the festivals’ competitions: the Bamboo Booth competition (maybe because of my being an architect), the Cookfest (my favorite pastime: eating that is, not cooking), the Street Dancing Competition and the In-Place Dance Competition (held at the gym).  It seems that the only contest I didn’t judge was the Miss Gloria Tourism 2002 beauty contest.   On my second day, to save on time, I did my bamboo booth and cookfest assignment at the same time.  It was easier said than done.  Midway through my assignment, my complexion turned from fair to really brown (like roasted lechon).  However, the cookfest was a delight as I got to sample, mostly for the first time, the town’s labong cuisine, making it a point to sample each dish once in every booth.  Of the present 22 bamboo varieties in town, only two (the first-class tinikan and bolo) are used for labong.

The street dancing parade

In succession, I tried the atsarang labong (Brgy. A. Bonifacio), embutidong labong (Brgy. Kawit), apritadang manok with labong (Brgy. Mirayan), fried lumpiang labong (Brgy. San Antonio), fresh lumpiang labong (Barangay Lucio Laurel), tortilla con labong (Brgy.  Agsalin), guinataang labong, labong salad and bola-bolang labong.   I also enjoyed the buko pandan and cassava chips, washing it all down with buko juice. So much for lunch (and dinner).  I don’t recall what I sampled in Brgy. Guimbonan but she handily won the cookfest’s grand prize.  Brgy. Malayong won the booth competition.

A daring bamboo stunt

If the cookfest was a delight, the two dance competitions were spectacles by themselves.  Costumes, musical instruments and props (including the bamboo galleon of Brgy. Lucio Laurel) used were all bamboo-inspired.  What was truly spectacular was some of the choreography (to the beat of the latest dance music) which included some death defying stunts fit for a circus.  Try balancing spread eagle on the tip of a bamboo pole using the pit of your stomach or try dancing on the top rungs of 3 1-storey high bamboo ladders held vertically together. I wouldn’t dare but they did.   In the end, Brgy. Tambong won the Street Dancing Competition (with Narra second) and Brgy. Lucio-Laurel the In-Place Dancing Competition (with Maligaya second).

A bamboo galleon

Gloria is a coastal town and beautiful black sand beaches facing the Tablas Strait extend from Barangays Tambong to Agsalin.  Too bad there is no setting sun along this coast (Mindoro Oriental faces east).  Just the same, the municipality is making efforts to develop resorts along this beautiful coast.  Part of our itinerary was a visit to these resorts. They include El Primus Jose (Brgy. Tambong Punta), Villa Escober Beach Resort (Brgy. San Antonio) and Bighani Beach Resort and Mabuhay Beach Resort, both in Brgy. Giumbonan.

My first carabao ride

On our last day, we had breakfast at the dining pavilion of Prima Farm Resort in Brgy. Bulaklakan.  This rising star of a resort has so far finished 11 airconditioned cottages with bath and TV, all beautifully built with the town’s trademark bamboo in mind.  Each are also named after one of the town’s 27 barangays and built accordingly by the barangay’s artisans.  The resort intends to finish, in the near future, its complete roster of 27 cottages.

The Tubungan Ceremony (Gloria, Mindoro Oriental)

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The next day, with the arrival of invited travel agents, we were all transported, come evening, to Dupong Freshwater Resort, a swimming and fishing resort situated in the middle of a rice field.  Here, we were welcomed by resort owner Mr. Romeo Castillo and his wife Clemencia.  The word dupong means “to set on fire.” The couple toured us around the resort’s facilities: a cool, clear swimming pool (fed by springs from Mt. Halcon); a fishing lagoon filled with with tilapia, dalag (mudfish) and hito (catfish); and a huge native-style pavilion.  A pleasant surprise awaited us at the pavilion – the tubungan ceremony.

Tubungan dance

Also called putung, this ceremony for welcoming and honoring friends and visitors is originally from Marinduque.  A large proportion of Gloria’s population are migrants from this province and they brought this unique tradition with them.  As honorees, a unique crown made of bamboo was placed on each of our heads by mamummutongs who happened to be our trusty tourist guides (in my case Gorett).

Putong ceremony

We were then made to partake of tuba (coconut wine).  A troupe of women then serenaded us with native songs as well as danced before us to the accompaniment of a band.  As a final act, these well-wishers showered us with confetti made of colored paper as a sign of love and affection.   I, together with the others, was truly touched by all these.  The evening was capped by a native buffet dinner and a fellowship night.

Dupong Freshwater Resort: Sitio Dupong, Brgy. Kawit, Gloria, Mindoro Oriental.  Mobile number: (0916) 674-3968.

Bambusetum (Gloria, Mindoro Oriental)

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After lunch,  my guide Gorett and Tess Magdalita (with husband Efren as our driver) toured me to the town’s Bambusetum, a 1-hectare bamboo reforestation project.  Bamboo, locally called kawayan, has about 150 varieties worldwide and here, 22 of these varieties are propagated and cared for by the Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR) and the municipal government.   The complex aims to propagate new and improved varieties of bamboo.

Tess and Gorett at the Bambusetum

Under the energetic stewardship of town Mayor  Romeo Alvarez and, with the support of TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), the versatility of bamboo was put to good use as a source of livelihood for the town’s 27 barangays. Started only January, these barangays have profited immensely from the manufacture of furniture, home decor and food products made with labong (bamboo shoots).  It was even made into artificial reefs.  As a tribute to the unheralded kawayan, the town has adopted it as the theme of its unique Kawayanan Festival, the only one in the country to do so.  They hope that  it will be included in the Calendar of Activities of the Department of Tourism.

Bambusetum: Sitio Balagbag, Brgy. Maligaya, Gloria, Mindoro Oriental

Arrival in Gloria (Mindoro Oriental)

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I received a personal invitation from close friend Vic Pascua to attend the 38th founding anniversary (October 1-2) of the town of Gloria and the launch of its first Kawayanan Festival.  I was to be one of more than 40 from media and travel agencies to be so invited.  The town’s name may sound familiar and you may have guessed right. Gloria was, and truly is, named after Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The town was created on October 2, 1964, by virtue of Executive Order No. 117 issued by the late Pres. Diosdado Macapagal. In gratitude, the town was named after his young and only daughter.  Just last year, Gloria visited the town during its foundation day.

The day before the festival

I left Manila for Batangas City early in the morning (7 AM) of September 30, a Sunday, via a BLTB bus. The trip was uneventful and surprisingly traffic-free, reaching Batangas Port before 10 AM and booked myself on the 10:30 Aboitiz Supercat fast ferry.  I arrived at Calapan City port by 11:15 AM and was met by my guide Ms Maria Goretti “Gorett” S. Mercado.   We took a hired L-300 van for the 81-km. (1.5-hr.) drive to Gloria, passing the towns of Victoria, Socorro and Pinamalayan as well as lovely Lake Naujan.  We arrived in time for a late lunch at Biyahero Restaurant and were soon joined and welcomed by Vic and Mr. Robert Villavicencio, the restaurant owner and chairman of the town’s Tourism Council.  I later checked in at the nearby residence of Manny and Gloria Tan (a doctor) and it would be my home for 4 delightful days. Breakfast time was always a pleasure here as I would compare travel experiences with my gracious hosts.

Media participants and travel agents

Kaogma Festival (Naga City, Camarines Sur)

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After our city tour, we all returned to Naga City proper for the highlight of our stay: the Kaogma Festival’s 27 May Grand Parade which caps the 423rd foundation anniversary of the province. The word kaogma is derived from the Bicolano word meaning “happy.”

The festival was first celebrated on May 15, 1989 to commemorate the Feast of San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Farmer), the patron saint of farmers.  This was just a one-day celebration but, over the next two years, it was extended to three days. Gov. Luis R. Villafuerte then sent Prof. Danny Gerona to Spain to research the birth date of the province which was found to be May 27, 1589.  Since 1999, the festival has become a week-long celebration.

Street dancing parade

The Grand Parade featured well-choreographed street dancing contingents showcasing uniquely designed and colorful ethnic and native costumes using abaca and characters in fantasy costume.  The contingent from the capital town of Pili won.

The parade also featured marching bands, giant mascots, competing drum and lyre corps, a fancy drill competition and a grand display of the 37 flags of the province’s cities and towns.  The festivities were ended by a fireworks display and the release of hot-air balloons.

The winning Pili contingent
Float with winners of Miss Camarines Sur beauty contest

Basilica Minore de Penafrancia (Naga City, Camarines Sur)

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From the Ermita, we crossed the Naga River, and made our way to the Basilica Minore de Peñafrancia.  This imposing modern shrine, started on April 18, 1976, was completed, after some delays due to financial concerns, on September 1981.  The original statue of the Virgin of Peñafrancia was transferred here from the Ermita on May 22, 1982.

This Romanesque-style basilica was given the title “Basilica Minore” on May 22, 1985.  The only basilica in the Bicol Region and the whole Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres, its grounds has a fine view of Mt. Isarog.

Basilica Minore de Penafrancia

After touring the basilica itself, we next proceeded to the nearby Altersheim Building where we had the chance to interview Rev. Monsignor Romulo A. Vergara, H.P., the rector of the Peñafrancia Basilica and a cousin of our media colleague Rick Alberto.  We were also shown (and privileged to touch) the original Statue of Our Lady.  The one I saw at the basilica just happens to be a replica.

Monsignor Vergara and the original statue of Our Lady
Basilica Minore de Penafrancia: Balatas Rd., Brgy. Balatas,  Naga City, Camarines Sur.  Tel: (054) 473-3644. E-mail: info@penafrancia.org.ph.  Website:  www.penafrancia.org.ph.

Old Shrine of Our Lady of Penafrancia (Naga City, Camarines Sur)

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From the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, we were driven, upriver from the city center, to the bank of the Naga River where we visited the Old Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia.  This stone church was built in 1753 by Bishop Isidro Arevalo to replace a bamboo and nipa chapel built in 1711.  Also known as the Ermita, it was restored and enlarged in 1876 to 1877.

Check out “Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist“

Old Shrine of Our Lady of Penafrancia

The shrine has a charming facade decorated with Chinese art. Its bell was donated by Don Simon Tuangqui, a wealthy Chinese trader, during its reconstruction in 1864.

The shrine’s facade

Here, on 20 September 1924, Monsignor Guglielmo Piani (Apostolic delegate of Pope Pius XI) canonically crowned the Statue of the Blessed Virgin of Peñafrancia as the queen of Bicolandia. The statue was also stolen here on August 15, 1981 under mysterious, unexplained circumstances and was returned, in six separated pieces, on September 5 in Manila.

The shrine’s altar
Old Shrine of Our Lady of Penafrancia : San Felipe Rd. Naga City, Camarines Sur.

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