Save the Manila Metropolitan Theater!!!

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Just a day after my birthday, I joined my media friend Mr. Fernando “Rannie” Bernardo and Ms. Melissa Grace Dizon (La Consolacion College School of International Hospitality Management professor) in a group being assembled  by Mr. Lawrence “Rence” Chan (who hosts the Royal Postal Heritage Tour), of the Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club, that was to be part of a special documentary tour with the GMA 7 I-Witness team.  The documentary was to feature the sorry plight of the now-abandoned and unused Metropolitan Theater (fondly called “The Met”), for me a precious and stunning icon of the Filipinized Art Deco genre that needs to be preserved for other generations to see and appreciate.

The Manila Metropolitan Theater

Aside from Rence, Ronnie, Melissa  and I, our group also consisted of Ms. Ma. Fatima T. Flores (a B.S. Architecture student from FEU), Mr. Efren C. Taburnal, Jr.; Ms. Gemma Suguitan-San Jose (of the Southern Luzon Association of Museums); Ms. Maria Ronna Beltran (a blogger); Mr. Dong Despojo (Prima Camera Club); Mr. Noel Aguilera Acedillo (Prima Camera Club); Ms. Bettina Arriola (an art teacher) and Ms. Marian L. Barro (a U.P. Manila student).

Our documentary group

However, due to some miscommunication between GMA 7 and Rence, the scheduled tour did not push through.  Even worst, we were not allowed entry by the security guards.  Just the same, so as not to make this an exercise in futility, Rence proceeded to give us a moving documentary on the history of the Met. The theater, along the Pasig River and in front of the equally classic Manila Post Office, was designed, in  the Art Deco style (then a rage in the U.S.A.), by National Artist (for Architecture) Arch. Juan M. Arellano.

Inaugurated on December 10, 1931, it seats 1,670 (846 in the orchestra section, 116 in loge and 708 in balcony) and was the biggest in the Far East at that time. During its heyday as the “Grande Dame” of theaters, the Met played host to vaudeville acts, zarzuelas, operas, pageants, Filipino and Spanish plays, and performances by well-known artists such as violinist Maestro Jascha Hefertz and composer/conductor Dr. Herbert Zipper (who conducted the Manila Symphony Orchestra).

Severely damaged (losing some of its roofing and some walls destroyed) during the liberation of Manila in 1945, the theater was rebuilt, fell into decay in the 1960s (where it became an ice cream parlor, boxing arena, garage, motel and gay club) and was meticulously restored to its former glory by Arch. Otillo Arellano (Juan Arellano’s nephew) and former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos and rededicated on December 17, 1978.

However, it again fell into decay. Worst, a nondescript, 24-hour Park n’ Ride bus terminal and parking structure, with its accompanying itinerant vendors and equally unsightly food stalls, was built behind the theater by then Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, compromising the theater’s once-privileged landscape.

Stained glass panels above main entrance
Detail of bas-relief curlicues

In 1996, it was closed due to a long-running financial dispute between the city government and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) over its ownership and management. On June 3, 2010, after extensive renovations (the main roof and 2 minor ones were repaired), it was again reopened by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim but again slowly deteriorated due to disuse, typhoons (Angela) and water infiltration.  Water and electricity has been cut off.  The main entrance is now home to the homeless vagabonds and its arcades are filled with garbage and stinks to the high heavens with urine.

Tiara-like pediment with minarets
The theater’s still exuberant and symmetrical exterior, with its tiara-like pediment with stylized minarets, has rectangular stained glass panels (by Kraut Art Glass of Germany), bas-reliefs with curlicues or mask-like chimeras; whimsical rope designs; friezes; colorful ceramic tiles; capiz shell main entrance lamps; intricate grille work at the doors and windows; and is also enhanced by sensuous, exotically-draped female statues, said to be Siamese dancers, done by Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti (who lived in Manila from 1930 until his death in 1958). It used to house the Museum of Philippine Costumes and Dolls, a GSIS district office, an LBC branch and a travel agency.
 
Female statues done by Monti
Detail of column with capiz lamps
Theater arcade
Another statue by Monti
NHI plaque

Such a beautiful Art-Deco masterpiece deserves a much better fate and should not follow the demise of other gems such as the Manila Jai Alai Building and Meralco Building.

Manila Metropolitan Theater: Padre Burgos Ave., Liwasang Bonifacio (near LRT Central Terminal), Manila

Quezon Bridge (Manila)

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Quezon Bridge

The 447 m (1,467 ft) long 22.50 m and (74 ft) wide Quezon Bridge, a combined arch and prestressed concrete girder bridge, connects the Manila districts of Quiapo (it is also commonly known as “Quiapo Bridge” since it connects the Quiapo area to the heart of Manila proper) and Ermita across the Pasig River in the Philippines.

Structural members underneath the bridge

The bridge, which replaced the Puente Colgante, the first bridge built over the Pasig River and first steel suspension bridge in Southeast Asia, was constructed in 1939 under the supervision of the engineering firm Pedro Siochi and Company. Immediately behind the bridge is the Manila Post Office Building.

The murky Pasig River underneath the bridge

Named in honor of Manuel Luis Quezon, president of the Philippines at the time of its construction, Quezon Bridge was designed as an Art Deco style arch bridge and was inspired from the design of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Rebuilt in 1946, after World War II, its last major structural repair was done in 1996.

NOTES:

On April 10, 2014, the bridge was affected by a fire that razed a community of shanties underneath the bridge.

After months of construction work, the bridge was strengthened, without entirely closing Quezon Bridge to traffic, by replacing damaged structural components, performing sand blasting, installing carbon fiber and applying epoxy on the deck slab.

Arroceros Forest Park: Manila’s “Last Lung”

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I was slated to join a group being assembled  by Mr. Lawrence “Rence” Chan (who hosts the Royal Postal Heritage Tour) as part of a special documentary tour with the GMA 7 I-Witness team tasked to feature the sorry plight of the now-abandoned and unused Metropolitan Theater.  However, as I arrived very early, I decided to explore the nearby Arroceros Forest Park.

Arroceros Forest Park

Arroceros Forest Park

Located in the  middle of Manila, on the western bank of the Pasig River, beside the LRT Central Terminal Station and right beside the point where one end of the Quezon Bridge (formerly Puente Colgante) is situated, this small but valuable pocket of green is the only secondary forest left in the entirety of this noisy and polluted metropolis.

Quezon Bridge over the Pasig River

Quezon Bridge over the Pasig River

Upon entering its gate, I was literally transported to a different world as this 2.1428-hectare mini forest park was intended, by former Mayor Alfredo Lim, as a refuge of Manileños from the chaos and pollution of this rapidly urbanizing city.  In 1992, the city government purchased this abandoned riverside lot, for PhP60 million, from the Land Bank of the Philippines.

The park entrance

The park entrance

The park has a rich history, though, it being the site of a 16th and 17th century trading post where Filipino rice dealers in Pasig River engaged in barter with visiting Malay and Chinese traders.  The name arroceros was derived from the Spanish words meaning “rice dealer.”  Later, it became the site of the historic Fabrica de Tabacos. during the 19th century and, site of a military barrack (Estado Mayor) during the American era.

A man-made home for the birds

A man-made home for the birds

Though almost a half of its original area (and 70% of the trees) has been irretrievably lost to the concrete structure of the Manila Education Center of the Division of City Schools (another ill-conceived project, built in 2002, of former city mayor Lito Atienza), it still plays host to a diverse array of 8,000 ornamental plants (pink frangipani, palm fronds, etc.) as well as 10 kinds of city-dwelling avian wildlife (sparrows, bulbuls, etc.). Currently, the park is being maintained by Winners’ Foundation Inc. with the help of the Catholic Women’s Club.

The ill-conceived Manila Education Center

The ill-conceived Manila Education Center

To enhance the park’s visual appeal, some minimal landscaping was done, mostly in the form of walking paths, thus enabling visitors to walk within the park. The 61 varieties of trees in the park (labeled accordingly), which insulate the visitor from the noise, heat and pollution, include talisay trees (Terminalia catappa), acacia trees (Acacia confusa), narra trees (Pterocarpus indicus), mango trees, ficus rubber trees (Ficus elastica), mahogany trees (Swietenia mahogani) and Indian neem trees (Azadiratsa indica). Despite its diminished size, this accessible and calm oasis, the “last lung of Manila,” was still worth a visit.

Bridge over a pond

Bridge over a pond

Valenzuela City Museum ((Metro Manila)

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The first half of this museum tour features the Pre-Colonial Period (when a group of settlers lived within the city’s modern boundaries which was then surrounded by bodies of water, hence the name Pulo, meaning “island,”later to be called Polo), the Spanish Period (when Spanish authorities founded the town of Polo in 1623, then constructed a church from 1627-1632), the Philippine Revolution (where  Dr. Pio played a key part by publishing Kalayaan, the Katipunan’s newspaper, with the help of residents), the Philippine-American War (where Polo became the headquarters of Gen. Antonio Luna and where the March 26, 1899 Battle of Malinta took place, resulting in the death of U.S. Col. Harry ClayEgbert), the American Period (when Dr. Pio became Polo’s president municipal and the MacArthur Highway was constructed in 1928, allowing enterprising Americans to buy swathes of land, including the over 3,000 hectare Malinta Estate in 1904, which were turned into sites for subdivisions and factories such as the Balintawak Beer Brewery, which opened in 1938, eventually becoming San Miguel Brewery after the war) and World War II (when residents, including incumbent presidente municipal Feliciano Ponciano, formed a guerilla group, under Lt.-Col. Edwin Ramsey, to combat the Japanese invaders).

The Pre-Colonial Period
The Philippine-American War
The Spanish Period

Midway through the exhibit are life-size statues of 3 homegrown heroes of the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War: Delfin Vellila (who fought the Spanish during the March 30, 1897 battle at Pasong Balite and died fighting the Americans in Guiguinto, Bulacan, in 1899), Dr. Pio Valenzuela (with his walking stick on his right hand and doctor’s bag on his left) and Gen. Tiburcio de Leon (known for his role in the Battle of Tullahan River which enabled the forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo to flee to Northern Luzon).

Life-size statues of Vellila, Valenzuela and De Leon

Interesting text and photo panels include an 1865 description of Polo by Fr. Felix de Huerta; gobernadorcillos(“little governors”) of Polo during the Spanish Period; a list of 55 World War II heroes (Barrion’s Division); and a list of 22 revolutionaries from Polo.  There’s also  beautiful, backlighted stained glass panels depicting San Diego Alcala (the city’s patron saint) and San Roque, flanked by texts of the hymn to the former and prayer to the latter.

San Diego and San Roque in stained glass

Another interesting panel is dedicated to the city as home to 2 movie companies (Premiere Productions and Larry Santiago Productions) and location site of movies (Asiong Salonga, Minsa’y May Isang Gamugamu, Darna, Mga Mata ni Angelita, Lo Waist Gang, etc.); the local delicacy putong Polo (Polo rice cakes), with an actual gilingan bato (stone mill) on display; as well as to Stone Age (Pre-Neolithic Period), flaked tektites (rocks believed to have fallen from the sky) and obsidians (natural volcanic glass formed by the rapid cooling of magma) unearthed in 1933 at the barrios of Pugad Baboy (now Brgy. Gen. T. de Leon) and Maysan by Prof. H. Otley Beyer.

Tektites and obsidians
Putong Polo and a stone mill
Valenzuela in Movies

The second half of our museum tour, which began as soon as we entered the replica of Arkong Bato (built in 1910, it marked the boundary of Rizal, where Malabon formerly belonged, and Bulacan, where Polo formerly belonged), brought us to the city’s present, as an industrial hub. A prominent section, called “Made in Valenzuela,” features products made by factories based in the city – roasted peanuts (Grower’s), processed food (CDO), beauty and skin-care products (Splash), beer (San Miguel Beer), mattresses (Uratex), steel pipes (Mayer), water tanks (Bestank) and water pumps.

“Made in Valenzuela” Exhibit

The final part of the museum shows facilities and services (health care, education, etc.) offered by the current city government, photos of past and present mayors and congressmen of the city, and awards garnered by the city and modern-day Valenzuelanos (Marc Logan, Rowell Santiago, Fe Evangelista Padrinao, Irene S. De Castro, Isidro Arenas, Fernando S. Lumacad, etc.) deemed as role models for the current generation.

Photos of past and present mayors and congressmen
Modern Day Valenzuelanos

Valenzuela City Museum: G/F, City Hall, MacArthur Highway, Valenzuela City, Metro Manila.  Open from Mondays to Fridays, 8 AM-5 PM. Admission: free.

The Andres Bonifacio Monument (Caloocan City)

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A few days ago, I again got an invitation from Valenzuela City historian and museum curator Mr. Jonathan C. Balsamo, this time to attend the opening of the Valenzuela City Museum, the city’s second (after Museo Valenzuela). To get there, I took the LRT (Light Rail Transit) from the Gil Puyat Station (near which I parked my car), along Taft Ave., all the way to its terminus at at the Andres Bonifacio Monument.  At its end is the beginning of the MacArthur Highway (or Manila North Rd.), where I was to take a Malanday or Malinta-bound jeepney to Valenzuela City Hall.  West of the monument is Samson Rd..  As I still had time on my hands, I decided to view the monument up close.
 
The Andres Bonifacio Monument
Popularly called Monumento, the monument, dedicated to the lifework of Katipunan founder (July 7, 1892) Andres Bonifacio (the “Great Plebeian”), is also the terminal point of bus and jeepney routes.  The move to build it came from former Katipuneros, particularly Bonifacio friend Guillermo Masangkay.  On February 23, 1918, the Philippine Legislature passed Act No. 2760, approving the erection of a national monument in memory of Bonifacio. Eight years later, on August 29, 1930, a jury, headed by Arch. Andres Luna de San Pedro (the son of Spoliarium painter Juan Luna) and composed of sculptor Vicente Francisco and Arch. Tomas B. Mapua, was created and convened to select the best design for the monument.
 
Andres Bonifacio
The design chosen was from sculptor (and later National Artist for the Visual Arts in 1973) Guillermo E. Tolentino. On November 30, 1929,  its cornerstone was laid by First Lady Doña Aurora A. Quezon and was started in 1931 with the help of sculptor Anastacio T. Caedo.  It was inaugurated on November 30, 1933.  On August 17, 2002, it was declared as a National Monument, by the National Historical Institute, and a National Cultural Treasure, by the National Museum, on November 30, 2009. 
The ravages of Spanish colonial rule
The execution of Frs. Gomez, Burgos and Zamora
The monument, Caloocan City’s most famous landmark, is said to face Tondo (Manila), Bonfacio’s birthplace.  This sculptural masterpiece has 23 bronze figures surrounding a four-sided, 40-ft. high marble pylon that rises from a 4-sided marble base and is topped by the winged figure of victory.   At its base is a platform-like structure with figures symbolizing the causes of the Philippine Revolution.
 
NHI plaque
The pylon has 5 parts, each representing the 5 aspects of the Katipunan. The monument stands on a base in the shape of an octagon whose 8 sides symbolize the first 8 key provinces (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac) placed under martial law for revolting against Spain and the 8 rays in the Philippine flag. The 3 steps leading up to the monument represent the 3 centuries (333 years to be exact) of Spanish rule.
 
Winged Victory
Bonifacio Monument: intersection of EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Ave.), MacArthur Highway, Samson Rd. and Rizal Ave. Ext. (Avenida), Caloocan City, Metro Manila

Sagada Weaving and Souvenir Shop

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Come morning, after breakfast, it was time to check out at our inn for our return trip to Manila. We all boarded our hired jeepney and made our way, out of the poblacion, along Sagada’s narrow, Bontoc Road which was filled with parked vehicles and people, it being market day.  

Sagada Weaving & Souvenir Shop

Past the St. Theodore’s Hospital, the traffic began to ease and we were soon on our way. We made a stopover at the Sagada Weaving and Souvenir Shop.  This pioneering weaving firm is one of the town’s biggest employers. Here, we got to interview Mr. Ezra Keithley Aranduque, the owner who showed us around the weaving area (his weavers were on leave, though, it being the holidays).  This venerable Sagada institution, an offshoot of the now-defunct weaving business of Lepanto Crafts established in 1968, was started in Sagada by the late Andrea Bondad (Ezra’s mother) in 1978. The cloth was originally woven from thread obtained through trade with lowlanders.

With Mr. Ezra Aranduque

Today, they produce and sell, at reasonable prices, quality products hand-woven by backstrap looms, such as backpacks, purses, hats, ponchos, shoulder bags, wallets, slippers, blankets, place mats, table runners and other products.  They also sell traditional Cordilleran clothes such as tapis (traditional-style Igorot skirts), wanes (men’s g-strings) and bakget (women’s belts with tails).  All these are also sold in select stores in Baguio City (Benguet), Bontoc, Kalinga and Apayao.

Jocie tries out a loom

According to Ezra, his weavers use traditional, intricate Cordilleran designs which consists mostly of vibrant red and black stripes on a white center panel with additional red, yellow, black and green motifs such as oweg (snakes, a fertility symbol) and tekka (lizards, a symbol of longevity) running through it.  Rivers are represented by zigzag lines, and mountains and rice paddies by triangles.

Sewers at work at the souvenir shop

The tapis, wanes and blankets are woven using 2 distinct patterns – the simpler kinayan or the more elaborate and popular pinagpagan.  They spent more than one month to produce just 28 m. of this durable and strong, handwoven fabric which has vanished from handwoven fabrics produced in the region. In 2011, the Bureau of Trade Marks of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the Bureau of Patents has granted Sagada Weaving patent certificates (IPO Certificate of Registration No. 4-2009-006672) for its local design described as consisting of a diamond and 2 half diamonds forming an X design of any two colors.  The Bureau of Patents also granted Sagada Weaving (Patent Registration Nos. 3-2009-00441 to 00446) exclusive rights, throughout the country, to make, use, sell or import an industrial design which consists of  6 color combinations with diamond and X designs.

 

Finished souvenir products

Sagada Weaving and Souvenir Shop: Bontoc Road, Nangonogan, Sagada 2619, Mountain Province.  Mobile number: (0918) 927-6488 and (0919) 557-1431 (Mr. Ezra Aranduque). E-mail: weavings@sagadaweaving1968.com and sagadaweaving1968@yahoo.com.  Website: www.sagadaweaving1968.com.

Back to Sumaging Cave (Sagada, Mountain Province)

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After our Bomod-ok Falls hike, we all again boarded to our hired jeepney and returned to Sagada town proper to pick up our packed lunch.  This was partaken off while on our way, down Suyo Rd., to Sumaging Cave (also called Big Cave, Marcos or Latipan Cave), another of Sagada’s popular and frequently visited attractions   Sumaging Cave has the largest chamber of Sagada’s 60 known, connected caves. 

Jandy descending down the cave entrance

My companions were slated to go spelunking there and Jandy and I gamely joined in.  We have entered this cave 15 years ago (Jandy was 12 years old then) with a lone Kankanai lady guide but we only went as far as the King’s Curtain.  With his then small frame, Jandy simply could not make it down the “curtain.”  For this spelunking tour, we still wore the same clothes we wore at the Bomod-ok Falls hike but I brought along my waterproof case for my camera.  Jocie, our tour coordinator, chose to stay behind, having been in this cave twice before.

A short briefing from our guide

Upon alighting our jeepney, we all went down a path leading to the cave’s big yawning entrance. Entering this cave doesn’t require special training or equipment but were required to register at the Municipal Hall and bring along 2 local guides with Petromax lamps.  Just like in Bomod-ok Falls, the place was crawling with tourists with the same intention as ours.  After a briefing from our guide, we all began our steep descent along the first 100 m. of the trail, the rocks made slippery by being coated with slimy guano (bat droppings).  

Having a foot spa treatment

Past the “elephant” formation, we were required to leave our shoes, slippers and sandals.  From hereon, it was barefoot trekking the rest of the way as it involved wading through water.  Along the way, we passed many  grotesque limestone formations which were given fanciful names such as “Pig Pen,” “Rice Granary,” “Giant’s Foot,” “Dap-ay,”the “Bear,” “Pregnant Woman,” “Cauliflower,””Giant Fudge,” “Frog Pool,” “Mickey Mouse” and “Alligator.” 

“Giant Fudge”
Riding the “Turtle”
Joy, Jessica and Desiree at the “Alligator” mouth

The “Dancing Hall” and “King’s Curtain” were quite impressive.  To get down the latter, which we failed to do during our previous visit, we had to use the thighs of our guides as stepping stones and their hands and shoulders as supports.  From there, we had to rappel (rope-assisted descent) down a slippery rock wall, to a cold, knee-deep underground river with crystal-clear waters.  On our return trek, we again have to rappel up as well as climb up a rope and rubber ladder.  Our tourist route took all of 2 hrs. 

King’s Curtain
Jandy finally makes it down “King’s Curtain”

Other tourists were doing the more challenging and very difficult Cave Connection, a full exploration of Sumaging and Lumiang Caves which may take 3-4 hrs.  We exited the cave all sweaty, smelly, muddied, very tired but safe.  Jandy had some scratches on his elbow from a slip but was, altogether, unhurt.  I came out without a scratch but with aching muscles from 4 hrs. of morning hiking and 2 hrs. of afternoon spelunking.  Not bad.  Not bad at all. 

 

 

Trek to Bomod’ok Waterfalls (Sagada, Mountain Province)

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After our early morning sun rise tour, we returned to our jeepney and made our way back to our inn where our breakfast awaited us.  Thus filled, we made preparations for our scheduled hike to the huge, picturesque and impressive 40-m. high Bomod’ok Waterfall (a.k.a. Big Falls), one of Sagada’s most visited tourist attractions. This waterfall flows down to Amlusong Creek to join the Chico River.  Despite 2 past visits to Sagada, this would be a first for Jandy and me.  

Assembled and ready to go

Joining the hike were Ms. Jocie Dimaculangan (our tour coordinator), Ms. Diosa Diaz, Ms. Eureka Joy Bueno, Ms. Joy Tenejero, sisters Jessica and Jasmin Bez, Ms. Long Garcia, Ms. Desiree Benitez, Mr. Donald Danao and couple Lilia and Aldrin Tejada. We left our jackets and bonnets and, instead, donned hats; light, quick-drying sport shirts and jogging pants; slippers and rubber sandals.  I also wore my belt bag while Jandy toted a small backpack with our water and provisions.  We, however, forgot to put on some suncreen lotion.

The trek begins …..

We again boarded our hired jeepney and proceeded on a 20-min. drive to the Tourist Information Center in Brgy. Bangaan where we met our two Kankanai lady guides: Ms. Joanna Tumag and Ms Norma D. Padawil.  There were already lots of tourists gathered at the basketball court, the jump-off point for the trek.  As we were early, there were still a lot of walking sticks available for us to choose from for use during our hike, free of charge.  This supply would be exhausted by noontime.

Bangaan Rice Terraces

After a quick briefing by our guide Joanna, we began our trek by descending down a series of concrete steps carved along the mountainside.  During the initial part of the hike, everyone was in the upbeat and jocular mood, especially our friends Jess, Joy and Desiree.  Halfway through the hike, the heat, thirst, exhaustion and aching muscles would change all that. From afar, we could espy verdant Aguid and Fidelisan Rice Terraces, both chiseled out from an entire huge, rounded spur of a mountain, giving it the appearance of one single work.  

Traditional house in Fidelisan
The dap-ay of Fidelisan

After about 45 mins., we entered the village of Fidelisan, the oldest in town and the heart of Northern Sagada’s villages. Visitors here have to register and pay an environmental fee of PhP10.  Here, we passed by a traditional house and, beside a sari-sari store, a dap–ay (or a–to), an all-important open communal meeting place for male elders made with stone slabs (tourists are not allowed to enter here).  Further out, we noticed a cable line system, powered by a car motor, used to transport gold and copper mine tailings.  Ingenious at best but, sadly, I’m no fan of the destruction that mining, whether small or large-scale, causes to the environment.

The ingenious cable transport system for mine tailings

From hereon, the rest of the hike would be via cross-terrace walking wherein we had to maintain our balance as we traversed a maze of rice terraces via the narrow, meandering paddy walls (locally called pilapil).  This afforded us the opportunity of observing the ingenuity of the terraces up close, including how the rocks were piled one on top of the other (those in Banaue use compacted earth); the efficient irrigation system; and the muyongs, the hydrological system that irrigates these terraces.  The paddy walls are not always open to tourists (especially during obaya or sacred holidays) as it is taboo to disturb the paddies during the weeks when the rice panicles are ripening.

Jandy traversing a pilapil

After a 1.5-hr. hike, we soon espied the top off the towering waterfalls which had a wide and deep pool.  As it was the Holy Week break, the area was packed with local and foreign tourists.   Enough light for sunbathing was still available, it still being morning, but taking a dip had to be done in stages as the water was icy cold.  Some intrepid daredevils made high dives, legs first, from a promontory just below the falls.  

We left the falls by 11 AM and retraced our steps back to Fidelisan.  By now, there were lots of tourists making there way to the falls and we had to wait many a long time for them to pass through as the paddy walls were just wide enough for one person.   It was now noontime and uphill to Fidelisan and we were gasping for breath and taking a few minutes of rest every few steps.  I was dripping buckets of sweat and ready to collapse when we reached the village.

The halo–halo stand

Upon arrival, we were saved by the sight of enterprising villagers selling cool and refreshing, one-of-a-kind halo–halo (PhP20/glass).  Aside from the usual sago and gulaman, they also added the unusual mango and melon bits and macaroni  with the shaved ice and evaporated milk.  From Fidelisan, we took the right trail to get to Aguid.  There, our hired jeepney awaited us to take us back to town.  

Sunrise Watching at Kiltepan (Sagada, Mountain Province)

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Jandy and I were awake by 4 AM as we, as well as the rest of the group, were slated to leave, on a hired jeepney, for  the Kiltepan (named after the 3 bounding barangays of Kilong, Tetep-An, and Antadao) Viewing Tower vantage point, where we were to view Sagada’s famed sun rise. It was very chilly that early morning, so we all donned our jackets and bonnets and made sure we all brought our cameras (in Jandy’s case, his Samsung Galaxy Tablet).  Breakfast would have to wait until our return.  The jeepney ride took all of 25 mins.,   traversing the road leading to Dantay Junction, then turning left towards a winding concrete road then, finally, to Kiltepan Junction, a  bumpy shortcut foot trail leading up to the hill on the right. 

Kiltepan Peak
The sun makes its appearance

It was still dark when we arrived there and the full moon could still be seen in the night sky.  There were already a number on sunrise watchers when we arrived, some bringing along coffee to keep warm together with their cameras and tripods.  Soon, more people arrived and the parking lot was soon filled with vehicles, both private and hired.  Some enterprising Sagadans, taking advantage of the holiday atmosphere, were making a killing selling freshly-baked pastries.  

The crowd of sun rise watchers
Jandy and I watching the sun rise

Soon night passed into day and we had an unusual and magnificent bird’s eye view of layers upon layers of the terraces at Kilong and Tetep-an, right down to the river valley and the Cordillera Mountain range, with the clouds below us.  

View of the rice terraces below us

Above them are the high ridges separating Bontoc from Sagada. We can also see the remnants of a Piltel antenna tower at the 1,636-m. high summit that was struck by lightning.  Then, at the 5:50 AM mark, the sun made its glorious appearance, to the joy of the crowd who had been forewarned that early morning fog can sometimes ruin views of the sun rising.  We were lucky to see the sun rise in all its majesty.

Echo Valley (Sagada, Mountain Province)

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After checking in to our rooms at Alapo’s View Inn, we rested for a while then assembled at the ground floor for our guided tour of the lush and picturesque Echo Valley, one of the most popular hikes in Sagada.  Though it wasn’t our first visit (Jandy and I have visited it twice before), it would be the first for most of the group. We conveniently wore shorts and slippers and brought along our jackets, water bottle and my camera.  From our inn, we all entered the compound of St. Joseph’s Resthouse and St. Joe’s Cafe, then crossed the road to the grounds of the Anglican Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the oldest church in the Cordilleras outside of Baguio City.  Here, we already noticed the huge number of people also undertaking this introductory tour of Sagada.

Echo Valley and its famed hanging coffins

Further up the St. Mary High School gate, past the basketball court, Centennial Bell and the Sagada Cooperative Store, we climbed paved steps up to the Sagada Cemetery which has 14 Stations of the Cross and is marked with a huge cross.  I asked the guide if he knew where the burial plot of Eduardo Masferre, the famous photographer who died in 1995, was but he was just as unknowing as I was.  Well, maybe next time.  William Henry Scott, the American historian who died in 1993, is also buried here.

Sagada Cemetery
The cemetery has a fine view of the northern valley. Further up the cemetery is Calvary, the cemetery’s highest point.  From Calvary, we went down a narrow, steep dirt path to Echo Valley.  Along the way, we espied, on the left side, a 40-ft. high cliff where the Sagada rock climbing tour is conducted (PhP250/pax).  Sagada, with lots of cliffs and rock formations, is one of the few Philippine destinations that offer the fairly young sport of natural rock climbing.
 
Sagada Rock Climbing Tour
At the valley’s vantage point, some of our companions shouted out loud to hear their echo while others just admired the pleasant scenery.  From afar, we could already see 2 clusters of the town’s famed hollow-log “hanging coffins” or kuongs.
 
Aldrin and Jandy at the vantage point
From the valley, we again made a steep hike down, to the “hanging coffins” located on large limestone cliffs at the opposite side.  The few “death chairs” (sangadil) placed next to the hanging coffins were still there.
 
It was already starting to rain when we made our way back up the valley and the path was already becoming slippery.  Our jackets, made just for cold protection, was soon soaked inside and out and we were soon drenched when we arrived at the church and sought refuge inside.  Here, we waited for the rains to subside before making our way back to the inn.