Category Archives: Museums

Bernardino-Ysabel Jalandoni Museum (Silay City, Negros Occidental)

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From Balay Negrense, Solo next brought us to the nearby 2-storey Bernardino-Ysabel Jalandoni Museum, beside the City Public Market  and near the San Diego Pro-Cathedral.  Also called the Pink Museum, the house was first owned by Don Bernardino Jalandoni and his wife Dona Ysabel Ledesma-Jalandoni.
Bernardino-Ysabel Jalandoni Museum
Their grandson, Luis Jalandoni, was a former priest who became one of the top leaders of Communist Party of the Philippines.  Since the 1970s, he has been living in exile in the Netherlands.  Luis spent the first 12 years of his life in this house.  The current heirs, Mr. and Mrs. Antonio J. Montinola have entrusted its care to the Silay Heritage Foundation, a non-government organization.  Built from 1908-1912, it was declared, on November 6, 1993, as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute (NHI).
The expensive doll collection
The sala
A 4-poster, “An Tay” bed
The Steinway piano
Solo and Jandy browsing through books
on the round, single slab table
An old phonograph

We were toured around the house by a male guide.  The house was built with durable balayong, a hardwood coming all the way from Mindoro.  At the ground floor are photographs of Silay’s ancestral houses, a display to the Jalandoni’s expensive doll collection, 2 carriages, a gallinera (its bottom was used as a temporary enclosure for chickens) and a carroza with the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is still being paraded around the city during Holy Week.

A Stradivarius violin
A grandfather clock
A wooden harp

The second floor has embossed, prefabricated steel trayed ceilings imported from Hamburg, Germany.  Intricately carved, French-designed wooden calado transoms, a study of visual aesthetics and function, allow air to circulate within the house.  On display are antique furniture (including a single slab round table and 4-poster, Chinese-made “An Tay” beds), a wooden harp, Ming Dynasty chinaware, an old telephone, sewing machine, a Stradivarius violin, a grandfather clock, an old phonograph, a Steinway piano, chandeliers, etc.  The museum also features a fine collection of books, glassware and lace supplied by the Silay Heritage Foundation members.

Grace and Cheska at the grand stairway
Bernardino-Ysabel Jalandoni Museum: cor. Rizal and Severino Sts., Silay City, Negros Occidental.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM-5 PM.  Admission: PhP50.  Tel: (034) 495-5093.

Balay Negrense (Silay City, Negros Occidental)

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After lunch at Locsin Reunion venue, Solo again toured us around the city, this visiting the 12-bedroom Balay Negrense (Hiligaynon for “Negrense House”), one of the largest if not the largest ancestral house in the city.  The first museum to be established in Negros Occidental, it was built in the Neo-Renaissance style, from 1898-1912, by Yves Gaston.  Yves was the son of 19th century sugar baron Yves Leopold Germain Gaston of Lisieux (Normandy, France) and Prudencia Fernandez, a Batanguena.  Yves generated wide-scale interest in commercial-scale sugar cultivation with his horno econonmico, the precursor of today’s sugar mills.  

 
Balay Negrense

Victor Gaston and his 12 children lived here from 1901 until Victor’s death in 1927. During World War II, the house was said to have been occupied by Japanese military officers. Later, the house became a venue for a ballet school run by one of the descendants until the early 1970s but was abandoned shortly thereafter and fell into disrepair.

The grand W-shaped staircase

The Negros Cultural Foundation, a group of concerned Negrenses, managed to acquire, through a donation, the house from the heirs of Gaston. The structure was then repaired and furnished with period furniture and fixtures through donations from prominent individuals and, later, the Department of Tourism.  This lifestyle museum was officially inaugurated on October 6, 1990.  

The spacious living area
The round table with names of Gaston descendants

Now a showcase of Negrense art and culture, it displays antique furniture, a grand piano, Filipiniana costumes and Gaston memorabilia.  The museum boasts of a grand W-shaped stairway (women used the right stairway, men the left), calado or carved panels that served as ventilators between rooms, etched window glass, fancy-grilled ventanillas (smaller windows beneath the large windows with sliding panels that can be opened to admit the wind) and sprawling gardens.  Solo showed us a big round table with lists of the names of the owner’s descendants, some of them familiar names of celebrities and politicians.  Some of them were my relatives.

The grand piano
The 2-storey house has a lower storey of concrete, with foundation posts made with trunks from the balayong tree, a local hardwood also used as floorboards for the house. The upper storey is made of wood while the roof uses galvanized iron.  The house has a 4-m. high ceiling and is elevated from the ground level by a 1 m. high crawlspace which enhanced air circulation, allowing the wooden foundations to be aerated, preventing dampness from rotting the wood and preserving the integrity of the house.
 
L-R: Jandy, Grace, Solo and Cheska
 
Balay Negrense: Cinco de Noviembre St., Brgy. III, Silay City, 6116 Negros Occidental.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM-5 PM. Tel: (034) 714-7676 and 495-4916.

Ramon Hofilena: The "Father of Heritage Conservation" in Silay City (Negros Occidental)

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Manuel Severino Hofilena Heritage House

Certainly one of the highlights of our three-day visit to Silay City (Nregros Occidental), with my wife Grace and children Jandy and Cheska, was, aside from attending the 8th Locsin Family Reunion (my first), our tour of some of Silay’s 31 ancestral homes, accompanied by my young Silayanon cousin  Neil Solomon “Solo” Locsin.  Our longest visit was at the Manuel Severino Hofilena Heritage House, an illustrado’s house built in 1934.  A visit here was by appointment with current owner Ramon “Monching” Hofilena but Solo set it up for us with call to him. On hand to greet us was the 72-year old Ramon Hofilena himself.  

Ramon Hofilena

Since 1962, Monching has been welcoming visitors to his family’s ancestral house, the first Heritage House in Silay to be opened to visitors.  Also, since his return from New York in the 1970s, Monching has also been on a life-long crusade  to restore and protect Negrense cultural heritage.  He organized the Annual Cultural Tour of Negros Occidental (ACTNO), the longest running (nearly 40 years) cultural tour in the world.  Its itinerary includes Bacolod  City, Silay City (Jalandoni and Hofileña heritage homes), Victorias City (Church of St Joseph the Worker); Manapla (Chapel of the Carwheels) and Talisay City (PhP600/person, limited to 55 people).  The tour is often conducted yearly on all Saturdays of December, except holidays, from 9 AM to 5:30 PM.

The living room

The interiors of the house to be  exudes touches of genteel elegance.  The formal living room still has its original 1930s Art Deco period furniture.  Beside it is a 150-200 year old, German-made M.F. Rachals upright piano handed down by Monching’s great grandmother. Monching, a lover of art and culture, gave us a two-hour guided tour of his collection of museum-worthy pieces such as  antique lamps and chandeliers, large Ming dynasty jars, copies of the world’s first pocket books, silver picture frames (with pictures of his parents and 8 siblings; all of whom were involved in the arts: piano teachers, ballet and flamenco dancers, theater artists), a dining table set with fine china, silverware, wooden images of St. Vincent Ferrer, saved from the island’s old churches), wine glasses and silver candelabras, none of them reproductions.

The dining room


The comedor (dining room) has hardwood and glass cabinets (plateras ) that display Pre-Hispanic Chinese porcelain and ceramics, all of them archeological finds discovered in Silay (some an incredible 3,000 years old).  Monching also has a  collection of small dolls (said to be the smallest in the world, you need a magnifying glass to appreciate them) and curios from around the world, including tektites (meteorite stones) and anting-antings (good luck amulets).  The house also has an old press from Silay Printmaking (founded in 1970), the oldest printmaking workshop outside Manila.  Monching is working to popularize printmaking as an art form.  

Monching shows us his painting collection

Upstairs, lining the walls, are Monching’s  impressive collection (the most comprehensive personal collection on public display) of more than 1,000 works by foreign artists Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, Albrecht Durer, Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige; National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal (when he was 15 year old student at Ateneo) and works of local artists from the 19th century to the present – Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Ang Kiukok, Fernando Amorsolo, H.R. Ocampo, Jose T. Joya, Cesar Legaspi, Napoleon Abueva, Vicente Manansala and Bencab (Benedicto Cabrera).  Monching, with much emotion, gives special mention to abstract expressionist paintings of Conrado Judith, a poor and unknown Silaynon high-school graduate with no formal art education who died from tuberculosis at the age of 34. His canvas paintings, some damaged by sun and rain, were discovered by Monching in his thatch house.

L-R: Ramon Hofilena, Solo Locsin, Grace, Jandy, me and Cheska
Manuel Severino Hofilena Heritage House: Cinco de Noviembre St., Silay City, Negros Occidental.  Visits are by appointment.  Tel: (034) 495-4561.

Silay City’s Ancestral Houses (Negros Occidental)

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Calle Rizal

Another reason for my visit with my family to Silay City, aside from visiting my mom’s hometown and attending the 8th Locsin Family Reunion, was to see for myself Silay’s ancestral houses.  Silay, founded in 1760, became prosperous in 1846 with the cultivation of sugar cane and its new-found wealth translated into the construction of many opulent ancestral homes, located mostly along Calle Rizal.

The two-storey Antonio dela Rama Locsin Heritage House, dating back to the Spanish Colonial Period, is said to be the oldest house in Silay. This was the house where the late Architect Leandro V. Locsin (National Artist for Architecture) grew up. The house has capiz sliding windows and ventanillas.

Silay is the second city in the Philippines, after Vigan City (Ilocos Sur), to be named a museum city, making it one of the country’s top 25 tourist destinations.

The Soledad and Maria Montelibano Lacson Ancestral House, with its American-inspired look, features windows with glass panes and a galvanized iron sheet media agua, a secondary roof that helps protect windows from rain. The second floor still retains its sliding capiz windows and ventanillas.  When coming from Talisay City, this is the first ancestral house that will greet you.

Most ancestral houses in the city are named after their owners while other more famous houses are known for their unique characteristics or colors (Twin Houses, Green Hose, White House, Pink House, etc.).

The ancestral house of Jose “Pitong” Ledesma, along Cinco de Noviembre Street, was built in 1917.  It was the home of the renowned Silaynon pianist, conductor and philantrophist who was known for his sonata Tanda de Valse.” Ledesma also brought operettas de zarzuelas from Europe to Silay. The present owner of the house is Magdalena Locsin-Ledesma, piano accompanist of opera singer Conchita Gaston.

A total of 31 (some well-preserved) have been identified by the National Historical Institute (NHI, now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) as National Treasures.  Nine of them are Level 1 (Declared):

  • Carlos Arceo Ledesma Heritage House
  • Antonio de la Rama Locsin Ancestral House
  • Delfin Ledesma Heritage House – 28 Generoso Gamboa Street
  • Juana Coloso Ledesma House
  • Amelia Hilado Flores House (owned by Jison-Alano)
  • Arsenio Lopez Jison Ancestral House – Rizal Street
  • Antonio Novela Sian House – cor. of Rizal and Zamora Streets
  • Manuel de la Rama Locsin Ancestral House – Rizal Street
  • Josefita Tionko Lacson Ancestral House

The two-storey Teodoro Morada Ancestral House, also called the “White House, was built in the early 1990s. A fusion of Spanish and American colonial architecture, this beautifully restored heritage house exudes a genteel Neo-Classical liner. It has a grand double winding staircase on the ground floor, glass paned windows, and a second set of Persiana windows behind them. Now the home of Rene and Jessica Velez Dimacali, is the favorite house in Silay of Liza Macuja.

Sadly, three Level 1 houses have already been demolished.  They are the Augusto Hilado Severino House (bought by the Iglesia Ni Cristo), the Claudio Hilado Akol Heritage House (bought by the Locsin Genealogy Foundation – balcony has been retained) and the Modesto Ramirez Hojilla (Carlos Javelosa Jalandoni) Ancestral House.

The two-storey Modesto Ramirez Hojilla Ancestral House, a Beaux Arts-style house currently owned by Carlos Javelosa Jalandoni Sr., was built in the 1920s. It is an example of an American Era adaptation of the classic bahay na bato which was influenced by 19th century “salt shaker” houses, with their wooden horizontal clipboard facades. Currently dilapidated, it is notable for its adaptation, introduced by the Americans, to Filipinos living on the ground floor.

Nineteen others are Level 2 (With Marker).  My grandfather’s house, built in the 1930s and locally called Balay Daku or “Big House, is one of these.   The others are:

  • Victor Fernandez Gaston Heritage House (Balay Negrense) – Cinco de Noviembre Street, Brgy. III
  • Alejandro Amechazura Heritage House – Plaridel Street, now the office of Celsoy Agro-Industrial Corporation
  • Manuel Severino Hofileña Heritage House – Cinco de Noviembre Street
  • Bernardino and Ysabel Lopez-Jalandoni Ancestral House – Rizal Street, Brgy. II, a lifestyle museum, commonly called The Pink House
  • Jose “Pitong” Ledesma Heritage House – cor. Jose Ledesma and Teodoro Morada Streets
  • Kapitan Marciano Montelibano Lacson Heritage House -Rizal cor. Zamora Streets, Brgy. II, home of New City Cafe (Kapehan Sang Silay)
  • Vicente Conlu Montelibano Heritage House – Zamora Street
  • Maria Ledesma Golez Heritage House  – Rizal Street, now RCBC Silay branch
  • El Ideal Bakery (Cesar Lacson Locsin  Ancestral House) – 118 Rizal Street
  • Jose Benedicto Gamboa Heritage House – Roque Hofilena Street, the Oro, Plata, Mata” (1982) house
  • Angel Araneta Ledesma Heritage House  (Culture and Arts Office of Silay) – Plaridel Street, commonly called The Green House
  • Teodoro Morada Heritage House – cor. of Cinco de Noviembre and Zamora Streets
  • Digna Locsin Consing Heritage House
  • Generoso Reyes Gamboa Heritage House (Twin Houses) – 960 Zamora cor. Cinco de Noviembre Streets
  • Soledad and Maria Montelibano Lacson Heritage House – Rizal Street
  • German Locsin Unson Ancestral House – 5 Zamora Street
  • Severino Building/Lino Lope Severino Ancestral House – cor. Rizal and Burgos Streets.
  • Benita Jara Ancestral House (ancestor of Nicolas Armin Jalandoni- last owner) –  Generoso Gamboa Street, now Silay City Sangguniang Panlungsod Building.

Check out “Jose C. Locsin Ancestral House,” “Balay Negrense,” Ramon Hofilena: The “Father of Heritage Conservation” in Silay City and the “Bernardino-Ysabel Jalandoni Museum”

The two-storey Digna Locsin Consing Ancestral House, across the Teodoro Morada Ancestral House, is also called the “Red House.” Now the home of Judge Reynaldo Alan, this heritage house displays American-Period horizontal clapboard sidings with Art Deco grillework.

There are also a number of ancestral houses that have not been declared as Heritage Houses.  They are the Felix Tad-y Lacson Ancestral House (sadly, demolished 2014), the Antonia de la Rama Locsin Ancestral House, the  Aguinaldo Gamboa House (house where Gen. Douglas MacArthur stayed), St. Theresita’s Academy and the Locsin House (Freedom Blvd, Brgy.Mambulac).

The Josefita Tionko Lacson House, the only heritage house in Silay with an elevator, has a Nativity scene show every December featuring Belen characters purchased during her many travels in Europe. Her house, propped up by Classical columns, allows the public to remain under shade.

Silay City Tourism Office: Sen. Jose C. Locsin Cultural and Civic Center, 6116 Silay City.  Tel: (034) 495-5553.  Fax: (034) 495-0848.  E-mail: silaycity_tourism@yahoo.com. Open Mondays to Fridays, 9 AM – 5 PM.  Coordinates: 10.79907,122.97658.

Return to the Hundred Islands (Alaminos City, Pangasinan)

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View of Islands from View Deck

The last time I’ve been to the Hundred Islands in Alaminos City, Pangasinan was way back March of 2005, Holy Week with son Jandy and 2 lady friends, and we only got to explore 3 of its islands, camping overnight at Marta Island. I considered this a poor batting average considering that there are 127 of these granite and scrub-covered islands and islets, a number of them having white sand beaches.  Again it was Holy Week and this time I, together with Jandy and daughter Cheska, found ourselves in Pangasinan, staying at El Puerto Marina Resort and Spa at the provincial capital town of Lingayen.  The resort offered day tours to the islands and we decided, especially Cheska who was a first-timer to these islands, to join the tour.  Our group included Fil-American Ms. Katrina Nogoy and Malaysian-American Ms. Janet Jun Siew Loh, both visiting school teachers from Japan.  Our guide was resort employee Mr. Viramel “Ram” Velasco. 

Lucap Wharf

The trip, via a van driven by Mr. Nixon Fernando, to Brgy. Lucap, take-off point to the islands, took all of 1 hour. Again, it being a long holiday, the wharf and every island with a white sand beach was packed with tourists.  Although I brought a 5-pax tent with me to Lingayen, camping on an island was out of the question.  However, we decided to explore beyond the normal tourist boat route which only included the partially developed Children, Governor’s and Quezon Islands, this time including the other outlying but interesting islands, paying a hefty PhP800 to do so.  While waiting for our boat, I made a short visit to Lucap’s Marine Museum which has a collection of corals and other marine life.  This 1,844-hectare national park, declared as such on January 18, 1940 through Proclamation No. 667, is believed to be the second largest marine reservation in the world with 2,000 species of marine life.

Lucap Wharf Marine Museum

The whole park can be readily covered, even by a slow banca, in half a day.  Most of the islands we passed are small (the smallest being less than 20 sq. m.), heavily-undercut at the base and have an elevation of 20 m. .  Many do not have trees to shade you from the sun and do not carry a name.  Some that do carry names are fancifully named after luminaries in the country (Marcos Island, Romulo Island, Quezon Island, etc.) while others are named after plants and animals that they resemble (Mushroom Island, Turtle Island, etc.).  An interesting photo opportunity was Cathedral Island, so named after its cathedral-like, fruit bat-inhabited cave with domed rock formations.  

Cathedral Island and Cave

Our first stop was Governor’s Island.  The island had white sand beaches on both sides but lolling around at the packed beaches wasn’t yet in our agenda.  Instead, all five of us decided to climb up the top of the island which, unlike 5 years ago, now had paved stairs and roped railings leading to a concrete view deck with railing (and packed with tourists).  What hasn’t changed, though, was the magnificent and panoramic view it afforded of this mini-archipelago said to have been formed from the tears of a prehistoric lovelorn giant who pined for his lost lady love.   The island also has a not-too-deep, sea-sculpted cave.

Marcos Island

Our next and longest stopover was Marcos Island.  Marked by mermaid statues, the island consists of 3 mounds, a 70-foot drop-off, a nice white sand beach (difficult to land on when the waves are high) and a helipad on the smaller dome.   From the beach, a well-marked trail, on the left, leads to the top of the island where its chief attraction is the bat-inhabited Imelda Cave which can be peered down from a blowhole above. Here, the adventurous and brave could climb down a wooden stairs to a ledge where they can cliff dive to the sea below.    

Waiting in line for our cliff dive
All five of us took a shot at it but the visibly scared Katrina and Jandy (although he knows how to swim) donned life vests just in case.  Upon hitting its suitably deep waters, we swam or clung to the cave walls, out to the cave mouth and back to the white sand beach.  Although Janet and Katrina only tried it once, we liked it so much that we went back for second shots (Cheska tried it thrice).  With our adrenaline rush sated, we finally settled down to lolling around in the rock-shaded portion of its beach. 
Cheska taking the plunge

It was now noontime and, after this exciting but adrenalin-sapping exercise, we were visibly hungry, our previous meal being an early breakfast at the resort.  We got back to our boat and proceeded to Quezon Island (at 25 hectares, the largest in this mini-archipelago).  This most frequented island was truly packed to rafters with tourists as it had, aside from its white sand beach, a pavilion for guests, stores (where one could dine) and toilet and bathing facilities (for a fee).  Again, it being a holiday, prices of goods bordered on the cutthroat but, hungry as we were, still ordered cooked Spam (at PhP250, twice that in Manila) plus rice (at PhP25 per cup) washed down with half-liter bottles of water (at PhP60).  The island also has a nursery for giant clams (locally called taklobo), a demonstration site for 300 clams dispersed here and at Children’s and Governor’s Islands, and all monitored on a regular basis. These, as well as the corals and mangroves, were rehabilitated through a program called “Marine Biodiversity Enhancement,”  a project of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) and the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation (MERF). 

Cuenco Island and its Cave
Backed at our boat, we passed by, but did not land, at the similarly packed Children’s Island which has a walkway and a calm, nearly wave-free shoreline suitable for children (hence its name). Cuenco Island, also called Quinco Island, was our last stopover.  This interesting island has two white sand beaches, on two sides, and a huge cave that passes through its center. 

War Memorial Museum (Lingayen, Pangasinan)

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War Memorial Museum

War Memorial Museum

This open-air museum, within the Lingayen Gulf War Memorial at the Provincial Capitol Compound, has relics of the American landing during World War II. On December 22, 1941, during World War II, Japanese Gen. Masaharu Homma and his 43,000 troops landed at Lingayen Gulf. Four years later, on January 9, 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur also landed here with 68,000 American troops during the liberation.  A stone marker here marks the landing site.

The exhibits

The exhibits

The open-air exhibits include a twin 40 millimeter ant-aircraft gun, a naval 3” gun, a Japanese Nakajima “Kate” torpedo bomber and two repainted U.S. M24 “Chaffee” tanks (one has its turret turned to the side, and the other’s turret is to the front).

A repainted U.S. M10 tank

A repainted U.S. M24 “Chaffee” tank

Japanese Nakajima “Kate” torpedo bomber

Japanese Nakajima “Kate” torpedo bomber

The author, Cheska and Jandy beside an ant-aircraft gun

The author, Cheska and Jandy beside a twin 44 mm. anti-aircraft gun

A pagoda displays a collection of historic photographs (including information on HMAS Australia hit by Kamikazes) while a bronze compass and map, in the center of the compound, details the US Army units that landed on January 9, 1945 at Lingayen Gulf.

Mount Fortress and Museu de Macau (Macau)

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From St. Anthony Church, Jandy and Cheska, and I walked to Mount Fortress (Fortaleza do Monte), one of Macau’s fortresses that give parts of city an old European skyline. From the fort’s vantage point, we easily visualized how effectively the forts covered all approaches to Macau. As with forts in Europe, those in Macau stood on stone foundations, with many of the walls differing considerably. They were made with chunambo (said to be able to withstand cannonballs), a mixture of earth, straw, lime and oyster shells, tightly packed in layers between strips of wood.

Mount Fortress

The approximately 8,000 sq. m., trapezoid-shaped Mount Fortress, strategically located on a hill top 52 m. above sea level, was built from 1617 to 1626 to protect the Porto Interior (Inner Harbor), the Praia Grande Bay and, to a lesser extent, the Porto Exterior (Outer Harbor) and the Chinese border. The city’s principal military defense structure, it was crucial in successfully holding off the attempted Dutch invasion of Macao in 1622.

The Cannons of Mount Fortress

The fort was equipped with cannons, military barracks, well and an arsenal that held sufficient ammunition and supplies to endure a siege lasting up to 2 years. Its 4 corners protrude to form bulwarks. The northeastern, southeastern and southwestern walls are built on 3.7-m. wide granite bases. The walls, 9 m. high narrowing upwards to 2.7 m. wide at the top, are made of solid rammed earth, further strengthened by a thick stucco of ground oyster shells.

A Fantastic View of the City From Mount Fortress

The parapets were crenelated for the installation of 32 cannons and the two corners of the southeast wall have watchtowers. The walls facing the Chinese mainland do not have any battlements, indicating that the fortress was built only for defense against attacks from the sea.

Museu de Macau

On April 18, 1998, the 2,800 sq. m. Macao Museum was installed at the site, consisting of 2 underground levels and a third one above the fortress’ top platform following the location, volume and design of the old military barracks that existed at the site before the area was demilitarized in 1965. The museum presents the history of the city and territory of the former Portuguese colonyof Macau.

Museu de Macau – Interior

St. Dominic Church and Treasures of Sacred Heart Museum (Macau)

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When we were in Largo do Leal Senado, my kids and I visited the Church of St. Dominic, situated right in the middle of the  square.  Built in 1587 by 3 Spanish Dominican priests, it is one of the most beautiful churches in Macau.   Originally built in wood, it was, in 1828, rebuilt in stone and was restored in 1994.

St. Dominic Church

The first Portuguese newspaper, A Abelha da China (The China Bee), was published here in 1822.   The church’s basic layout is influenced by both Portuguese and Spanish styles and its architecture is Jesuit Mannerist. The church is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Macau.

St. Dominic Church – Interior

We also dropped by bell tower at the back which was modified into the small Treasure of Sacred Art Museum. On the right side of the church is the sacristy (dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary), the only surviving part of the old monastery/convent that was built with the church.  Here, we went up the stairs that lead to the museum located at second and third floors.

Treasure of Sacred Art Museum – Exhibit

When the Religious Orders were abolished in Portugal in 1834, the museum received many articles of sacred art that are now presently displayed. The museum, opened to visitors in 1997, occupies what is left of the ancient cloister and also the other rooms that are still connected to the church.

Treasure of Sacred Art Museum – Exhibit

There are approximately 300 pieces of excellent quality artifacts, many of which are also from Macau. that date back from the 17th to the 19th centuries.  The rich collection includes gold objects, statues, richly ornamented canonicals, religious paintings and other liturgical vessels.

Museo de Baler (Aurora)

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Museo de Baler

We arrived in Baler by 3 PM, Holy Thursday, and we were met at the quaint, 2-storey Museo de Baler by Baler Tourism Coordinator Ms. Riza del Rosario who tried to secure accommodations for us (there weren’t any).   While waiting, we took time to explore the museum both  inside and out.   At the building’s facade is “The Baler Historical Mural” done by sculptor Toym Imao (son of National Artist Abdulmari Imao) and unveiled on June 30, 2008.  It depicts 400 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines, from their arrival until the Siege of Baler, plus images depicting progress and development in Baler and in other towns of Aurora.

Museum exhibits

Opened on June 30, 2003 (Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day), the museum exhibits historical records dating back to the Spanish period; splendid photographs covering the images of Baler and the rest of the province; centuries-old Chinese ceramics; memorabilia of Lt.-Gov. Pedro Guerrero; old bells of Baler Church; sabutan weaving products;  art works, costumes, etc. One notable exhibition is devoted to the life and career of Commonwealth Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, Baler’s foremost son (born here on August 19, 1878), while another highlights Aurora’s indigenous peoples, preserving Ilongot as well as Dumagat artifacts.  The museum’s wall is decorated with a mural commissioned by local son Sen. Edgardo Angara to remind the locals about the heroism of their ancestors.

Quezon Memorial Park

Standing beside the museum, at Quezon Memorial Park, is a replica of the bahay kubo where Pres. Quezon’s was born and grew up (Casa de Maestro Lucio Quezon) plus a Spanish-era cannon, mini-lagoon and a sitting bronze statue of Quezon, set on a circular platform, designed by Julie Lluch and installed in 2006.  Baler is also the birthplace of Quezon’s wife Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon (February 19, 1888), after whom the province was named.  As First Lady, she initiated the rebuilding of Baler’s old church.  marker for her is located a block away.

Light and Sound Museum (Manila)

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Light and Sound Museum
One of my son Jandy’s subjects in Asia Pacific College was “Rizal Life and Works” and one of the subject’s requirements was a scheduled visit, with his classmates, to the Light and Sound Museum in Intramuros.  I decide to accompany him there. This 2-storey, 1,800-sq. m. museum used to be the Beateria de San Ignacio, the first nunnery established in the Philippines.
Execution of Gomburza
Inaugurated last 30 November 2002, this museum, a tourism project of Sen. Richard Gordon, chronicles the Filipino’s pursuit for freedom under the leadership of National Hero Dr. JoseRizal, and other revolutionary leaders such as Cebuano warrior Lapu-Lapu, RajahSoliman and Andres Bonifacio. It features, in dramatic, historical tableaux, up to 140 moving mannequins dressed in life-like costumes, its overall presentation showing the Filipinos’ resiliency, intelligence and self-worth throughout its history.  
Rizal in Europe
Characters in Rizal’s novels
The sets and other effects took us through a 45-min. tour, with voice-over script, of Philippine history: from prehistoric times, the arrival of the Spaniards and Christianity, the shaping of Filipino culture under the friars and the brewing revolutionary movement, up to Rizal’s execution in 1896.
Jandy at Printing Press of La Solidaridad
Rizal writing his novel Noli me Tangere
Rizal in Dapitan
The entire ground floor focuses to the Spanish annexation of the Philippines as a province. The second floor recounts Dr Jose Rizal’s saga and describes his prolific days as a student at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila as well as his trip to Europe where his burning desire for Filipinos to be treated fairly by the colonizers was ignited. It also features his two books Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which exposed the ills of the Spanish society.
Trial of Rizal
Rizal visited by his mother
Rizal walking to his execution
There was also a huge room tracing Rizal’s martyrdom. The room replicates the scenario at Bagumbayan where Rizal tried to face the executioners to prove his innocence.  Another area shows details of Filipino uprisings steered by Andres Bonifacio. Bonifacio and his followers tear up their cedulas or residence certificates, a symbol of Spanish dominance during that time. 
Execution of Rizal
In addition, there is the Bagumbayan exhibit with its symbolically collapsed walls depicting a prelude to something new for Filipinos.  Towards the end of our tour, we all walked along a dim corridor leading through the exit made of heavy wooden doors facing the set up of the new Intramuros overlooking the well-lighted city golf course in the perimeter of the walls. 
Death of Rizal
Light and Sound Museum: Sta. Lucia cor. Victoria St. (near Baluartillo de San Diego), Intramuros, Manila.  Admission: PhP100 per person for a group of ten. First show starts at 10 AM and last show starts at 6 PM.  Tel: (632) 524-2827.  Fax: (632) 524-0823.