Category Archives: Rizal

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Light (Cainta, Rizal)

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Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Light

The only church in our bisita iglesia outside of Metro Manila was the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Light in Cainta. When we entered the churchyard from the main road, we only saw the side entrance near the altar. To see the beautiful façade, we had to first enter the church then go out the front door.

This town’s original church (at the time was under the patronage of Saint Andrew the Apostle), designed by Fr. Juan de Salazar, S.J., was first constructed in stone by Jesuit Fr. Gaspar Marco in 1707 and completed in 1716, during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J, while he was still the parish priest.

Check out “Church of San Felipe Neri” and “Immaculate Concepton Cathedral“

In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the Kingdom of Sicily and was chosen as the new patroness of the church and, by 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish.

Porte cochere

On February 23, 1853, the church building was damaged by an earthquake, both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish rectory or convent sustained cracks.  By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884 letter by Don Mariano de San Juan (the pastor of Cainta) to Fray Pedro Payo, O.P., the Archbishop of Manila.

The four-storey bell tower

In March 1899, during the Filipino-American War, the church and parish rectory, including the venerated Marian image within, were burned down. The stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus “IHS” (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator), attached at the top portion of the church’s façade, was the only mark left of its Jesuit beginning.

NHI historical plaque

For 67 years, the church was left in ruins, without any significant restoration. On June 10, 1966, after Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos gave permission for the church’s reconstruction on February 15, 1965, the reconstruction of the church began. The facade was kept untouched. When one of the beams collapsed, the reconstruction was halted and further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes.

The church interior

On June 15, 1967, reconstruction resumed and it was completed and blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on February 25, 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over, by the CICM Missionaries, to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. Until 1998, the church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta.

The main altar and retablo

In 2007, the church was declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI),  now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), for its significant role during the Philippines-American War.

Te choir loft

On December 1, 2007, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. On December 1, 2012, an episcopal coronation, coinciding with the parish fiesta, was performed by the local bishop with the assistance of Ms. Henrietta De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican.

After the burning (during the Filipino-American war in 1899) of the original enshrined icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a painting of Our Lady of Light brought to Cainta in 1727 from Ferrara, Italy by Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ.),  the venerated Marian image was recreated by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

On December 6, 2017, the image was granted the papal bull of canonical coronation by Pope Francis and it was crowned on December 1, 2018, the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

Statue of Our Lady of Light

The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, measured approximately 44 m. (144 ft. long), 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 11 m. (36 ft.) high. Made of stone and limestone (calycanto), its roof was tiled and had a dome (media naranja), transepts (crucero) and five buttresses (contrafuertos).

Old church bells

The nave’s spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (claraboya) while the belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (esquitas). The baptistery, with an arched ceiling, was situated at the bottom of the belfry. Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail, pulpit and three doors. Five retablos are found inside the church, with the original picture of the Our Lady of Light enshrined at the central niche.

Parola ng Panampalataya

The sacristy measured approximately 8.2 m. (27 ft.) long, 7.3 m. (24 ft.) wide and 5.5 m. (18 ft.) high. The parish rectory, with a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices, measured approximately 37 m. (120 ft.) long, 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 7.3 m. (24 ft.) high.

Statue of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

The larger reconstructed church measures 68 m. (223 ft.) long, with a transept 42 m. (138 ft.) wide, and with walls 10.5 m. (34.4 ft.) high. It has a semicircular arch main entrance and four lateral doors. There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.

Statue of Resurrected Christ

It’s simple, two-level Early Renaissance façade, with superpositioned paired columns, has semicircular arch statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the triangular pediment.  The attached four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has semicircular arched windows.

Statue of the Crucifixion

Church of Our Lady of Light: Andres Bonifacio Ave. (near Cainta Junction), Brgy. San Andres, Cainta 1900, Rizal. View Map>>> Tel: (02) 8655-0840.  Feast of Our Lady of Light: December 1.

How to Get There: Cainta is located 29.1 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.

Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light (Cainta, Rizal)

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Church of Our Lady of the Light

This town’s original church (at the time was under the patronage of Saint Andrew the Apostle), designed by Fr. Juan de Salazar, S.J., was first constructed in stone by Jesuit Fr. Gaspar Marco in 1707 and completed in 1716, during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J, while he was still the parish priest.

In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the Kingdom of Sicily and was chosen as the new patroness of the church and, by 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish.

NHI plaque

On February 23, 1853, the church building was damaged by an earthquake, both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish rectory or convent sustained cracks.  By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884 letter by Don Mariano de San Juan (the pastor of Cainta) to Fray Pedro Payo, O.P., the Archbishop of Manila.

Church transept

In March 1899, during the Filipino-American War, the church and parish rectory, including the venerated Marian image within, were burned down. The stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus “IHS” (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator), attached at the top portion of the church’s façade, was the only mark left of its Jesuit beginning.

For 67 years, the church was left in ruins, without any significant restoration. On June 10, 1966, after Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos gave permission for the church’s reconstruction on February 15, 1965, the reconstruction of the church began. The facade was kept untouched. When one of the beams collapsed, the reconstruction was halted and further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes.

The four-storey bell tower

On June 15, 1967, reconstruction resumed and it was completed and blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on February 25, 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over, by the CICM Missionaries, to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. Until 1998, the church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta.

Parola ng Panampalataya

In 2007, the church was declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI),  now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), for its significant role during the Philippines-American War.

Statue of Our Lady of Light

On December 1, 2007, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. On December 1, 2012, an episcopal coronation, coinciding with the parish fiesta, was performed by the local bishop with the assistance of Ms. Henrietta De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican.

Statue of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

After the burning (during the Filipino-American war in 1899) of the original enshrined icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a painting of Our Lady of Light brought to Cainta in 1727 from Ferrara, Italy by Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ.),  the venerated Marian image was recreated by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

Old church bells

On December 6, 2017, the image was granted the papal bull of canonical coronation by Pope Francis and it was crowned on December 1, 2018, the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

Bell inscribed with “Ano D 1835 – N.TRA SENORA D LALVZ” (Year 1835 – Nuestra Senora de la Luz”)

The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, measured approximately 44 m. (144 ft. long), 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 11 m. (36 ft.) high. Made of stone and limestone (calycanto), its roof was tiled and had a dome (media naranja), transepts (crucero) and five buttresses (contrafuertos).

Old bell inscribed with “S. ANDRES APOSTOL – SIENDO CURA EL PRESVITERO D. AGUSTIN MENDOSA – SE PVNDIO ESTA ESQVILA MAYO 15 D 1847” (“St. Andrew the Apostle – When Don Agustin Mendosa was parish priest – who built this small bell on May 15, 1847”

The nave’s spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (claraboya) while the belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (esquitas). The baptistery, with an arched ceiling, was situated at the bottom of the belfry.

Statue of Resurrected Christ

Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail, pulpit and three doors. Five retablos are found inside the church, with the original picture of the Our Lady of Light enshrined at the central niche.

Statue of the Crucifixion

The sacristy measured approximately 8.2 m. (27 ft.) long, 7.3 m. (24 ft.) wide and 5.5 m. (18 ft.) high. The parish rectory, with a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices, measured approximately 37 m. (120 ft.) long, 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 7.3 m. (24 ft.) high.

Church interior

The larger reconstructed church measures 68 m. (223 ft.) long, with a transept 42 m. (138 ft.) wide, and with walls 10.5 m. (34.4 ft.) high. It has a semicircular arch main entrance and four lateral doors.

There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.

Main altar

When we entered the churchyard from the main road, we only saw the side entrance near the altar. To see the beautiful façade, we had to first enter the church then go out the front door.

Side altar

It’s simple, two-level Early Renaissance façade, with superpositioned paired columns, has semicircular arch statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the triangular pediment.  The attached four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has semicircular arched windows.

Choir loft

Church of Our Lady of Light: Andres Bonifacio Ave. (near Cainta Junction), Brgy. San Andres, Cainta 1900, Rizal. View Map>>> Tel: (02) 8655-0840.  Feast of Our Lady of Light: December 1.

How to Get There: Cainta is located 29.1 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.

Hike from Camp A to Camp B (Fresno Agro-Forestry and Eco-Tourist Campsite, Tanay, Rizal)

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The author, Jandy and Mon at the summit of Sambong Peak (629 MASL)

On our second day at Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite, we woke up before 6 AM to witness an equally fiery sunrise.  At the restaurant, we hadr a filling breakfast of hot coffee, corned beef omelet and garlic fried rice prepared by the staff from our leftover rice the night before.

Check out “Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite“

Dawn at Mount Kulis

After breakfast, we met up with Mr. Edong Penamante, the katutubo head of the 200-strong Fresno Tour Guide Association (about 90% of which are also katutubo) who was to be our mandatory guide for our 5-hour tour of Camp A and Camp B.

Our guide Edong Penamante

Posing at the summit of Mount Kulis. Mon and I are wearing our Don Bosco Makit batch 1975 T-shirts

After a preliminary briefing by Edong, we all went down Mount Kulis, via a cleared dirt trail (the sides of which have been leveled to accommodate more tents), to the giant Spider Web, a favorite of most trekkers which (just like Noah’s Ark), on weekends, has a long queue of visitors wanting to try it out and take Instagram-worthy shots.

View of the Spider Web and kubos from the dirt trail

The giant Spider Web. On weekends, it has a long queue of visitors wanting to try it out and take Instagram-worthy shots. As we visited on a week day, we only had to wait a little while for this previous group to finish. Their guide, high up on a perch,, directs his group to create star-like configurations before taking their photos.

We only had to wait a little while for a previous group to finish. Getting on board was tricky and we had to crawl to make it to the center of the “web” (made with nylon ropes).  Once in place, Edong, high up on a perch, directed us to create star-like configurations before taking our photos.

As directed by Edong, we created a star-like configuration….

Getting back to solid ground was difficult for us senior citizens. We had to crawl, Mon on his knees, me on my butt …..

Posing with members of the previous tour group…..

At one side of the area are some 13 native-style huts, of different sizes, which are rented out.  Nearby are some common public toilets.

A-frame huts perfect for couples……

Some of the larger cottages

It was uphill from thereon as we made our way up, via a steep and rocky trail, to Sambong Peak (629 MASL) or Heart Peak (named after the heart-shaped, flower-lined wood and bamboo backdrop where couples pose).

The dirt trail leading up to Sambong Peak (or Heart Peak)

Two senior citizens finally make it up the summit of Sambong Peak

Located at the back of Mount Kulis, it was named after the generous number of native sambong plants (Blumea balsamifera) in the area.

Father and son bonding

There are also limestone karst formations on a cliff, perfect for Instagram shots.

Standing on limestone karst formations

 

From Sambong Peak, we next made a 30 to 45-minute hike, along a trail involving mountainous slopes, rocky and grassy areas, to Noah’s Ark.

Taking a water break and resting before making our final push up Noah’s Ark…..

Noah’s Ark is approached via a wooden bridge with bamboo railings. A sea of clouds sometimes envelopes the mountain and Noah’s Ark was designed as such to create the illusion that you are sailing over this sea of clouds. One of the visitors is posing atop a limestone karst formation beside the bridge.

This boat-shaped wooden structure, with bamboo outriggers, sits atop a limestone karst formation and is approached via a wooden bridge with bamboo railings.

Too bad there was no sea of clouds during our visit. This will have to do …..

Jandy doing a Titanic pose atop Noah’s Ark…..

A sea of clouds sometimes envelopes the mountain and Noah’s Ark was designed as such to create the illusion that you are sailing over this sea of clouds. Visitors also pose atop a limestone karst formation beside the bridge.

Making our way back to the Registration where we will have our lunch……

From Noah’s Ark, it was another 30-minute hike to the Registration Area were we had our lunch and rested awhile prior to our visit to Camp B.

Mon, Jandy and I on board our toro-toro, a makeshift 4×4 vehicle that would take us, on an exciting roller coaster ride, to the hanging bridge and the swimming pool. There were no seats, so we had to travel standing up and had to hang on tight as we went down the steep trail, ducking when we encountered tree branches…..

It is a steep uphill-downhill hike to get to the Hanging Bridge at Camp B but, luckily, there was an open top 4 x 4, driven by Mr. Stephen Fresno (a relative of campsite developer Reynaldo Fresno), that would take us there.

The author at the Hanging Bridge

Still, it was a bumpy, roller coaster ride going to the Hanging Bridge, always on the lookout for tree branches that could knock us off our feet. For safety purposes, only a maximum of 7 persons are allowed on the bridge.

After crossing just halfway for our pose, we made our way back and hiked, along another dirt trail, to a riverside swimming pool created by a dam.  Here, we rested our tired bodies as we immersed ourselves in its bracingly cold waters.

This riverside swimming pool was created by a dam. The waters were bracingly cold

This capped our tour and we made our way back, this time uphill via the same 4 x 4, back to the Registration Area (where others alighted) and continued our way, again uphill, back to our campsite at Mount Kulis.

Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite: Sitio Maysawa Brgy. Laiban/Cuyambay, Tanay, 1980 Rizal. Mobile number: (0999) 553-4449 and (0946) 552-3659. E-mail: jimmydelasada24@gmail.com.  Official website: Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist.  Official Facebook page: Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist.

Admission: Php200 (day tour, 4AM – 3PM), Php300 (overnight, 4PM – 1PM). Tent Rental: Php500 (good for 2 persons), Php800 (good for 4 persons), Php200/tent pitching (bring your own tent). Guide Fee: Php500/5 pax (day tour), P1,250/5 pax (overnight). Note: Mandatory guide if you go on Noah’s Ark and Lion Falls House.

How to Get There: Via Cogeo, ride a jeepney (PhP25/pax) or van (Php35/pax) From Araneta Cubao (in front of Gateway Mall, along Aurora Blvd.), to Cogeo Gate 2. At the end of the City Market, there’s a jeepney terminal.  Take a jeepney (Php48/pax) bound for Sampaloc and tell the driver to drop you off in Maysawa Circuit. Upon reaching Sitio Maysawa, ride a tricycle (Php150/4 pax) that will take you to Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite.  Via Tanay, ride a jeepney or van going to Tanay town proper. From Tanay Public Market, ride a jeepney that will take you directly to Sitio Maysawa. Upon reaching Maysawa charter a tricycle that will take you to Fresno.

Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite (Tanay, Rizal)

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Mt. Kulis (620 MASL) at Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite

After nearly two years of being cooped up indoors due to the Covid Pandemic and its accompanying lockdown, the lowering of alert levels gave us an opportunity to get out and breathe the fresh air.

Prior to camping, Mon, Jandy and I had lunch at restaurant beside the registration area of Fresno. They serve silog meals.

Upon the suggestion of then Tanay Senior Tourism Operations Officer (and now Municipal Development and Planning Officer) Mr. Jeff Pino and with the assistance of acting Tourism Officer Ms. Joicee Jules Gapido, I made plans to again try out no frills camping at Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite, a hiking destination opened last 2019.

The restaurant

Owned by Mr. Mabini Dela Sada, an IP (Indigenous Person), the campsite was developed and managed by Mr. Reynaldo Zapanta Fresno, a Capiznon from Mambusao town.

The registration area

Their advocacy is to provide livelihood enhancement programs to the indigenous people (katutubo) from the 10 mountain barangays (recognized to be an ancestral domain) of Tanay as well as the preservation of the beauty of the mountains.  In coordination with the DENR, they have started planting fruit bearing trees.

The dirt road leading up to Mt. Kulis

Joining me in this camping trip were my son Jandy and Mr. Ramon “Mon” Sarinas, a fellow Don Bosco Makati high school batchmate and an avid outdoorsman and photographer.   The trip to  Tanay, via C-6, took all of two and a half hours, passing the towns of Cainta, Taytay, Angono and Cardona and making two toilet breaks and a short stopover at Morong Park in Morong.

Check out “Morong Park“

Our parking area

Upon reaching Jollibee Tanay, I followed the instructions given to me by Joicee, turning left at Sampaloc Road and then drove for 15 kms..  Upon reaching the Sampaloc Barangay Hall, I again turned left at Marilaque Highway, driving for about 30 mins. as the road wound for 13 kms., passing by many of Tanay’s many roadside resorts and restaurants famous for their scenic views of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

The unfinished pavilion

Upon reaching a fork, I turn right on Maysawa Road.  Upon reaching a tricycle terminal, I again turned right to a partially paved but mostly dirt road all the way to the gate of Fresno.

The green-roofed cottage sits on the site of Cardo Dalisay’s kubo, destroyed during Typhoon Ulysees.

We arrived just 30 mins. before Mon and we met up at the camp’s registration area beside the entrance. Before anything else we had lunch at the restaurant which served served silog meals (tapsilog, tocilog, etc.).

The terraced hillside where tents could be set up

As we arrived on a Monday (peak days are weekends), we were allowed to bring our cars all the way up, via a rough, steep and narrow dirt road, to the summit of Mt. Kulis (620 MASL) in Camp A, parking our cars just outside a pavilion.

Setting up our tents…..

The pavilion was still a work in progress.  The building, when finished, would house some 10 rooms and a second floor view deck where one can watch both the setting and rising sun.  Already in place are restrooms and a restaurant where you can order, in advance, silog meals (tapsilog, tocilog, etc.).

The summit once housed, beside the pavilion, “Cardo Dalisay’s” kubo (the “bahay ni Cardo” from the ABS-CBN primetime TV series “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano“) but this was destroyed during the powerful Category-4 Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco).

Time to relax and enjoy the view …..

Beyond the building is the campsite where the grassy hillside has been terraced to create level platforms where campers could pitch their tents.

The terraced platforms can accommodate some 16 tents.  As we arrived on a week day, we were the only campers (it gets packed on weekends with tents all around the place sprouting like mushrooms).

Dusk was soon upon us…..

Sunset over the Sierra Madre Mountains

Despite the afternoon sun, a cool breeze was blowing.  Around us we could espy, on the east side of the hill, the destinations for our tour tomorrow – the Spider Web and some kubos below us and, in the near distance, Mount Sambong and Noah’s Ark much further away.  Come dusk, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Check out “Hiking from Camp A to Camp B“

The restaurant at Mt. Kulis

View deck where you can enjoy the setting sun…..

After a delightful dinner of pork liempo grilled over our stovetop grille (bonfires and campfires are not allowed), with rice cooked by the staff at the restaurant, we retired to our tents and warmed ourselves with shots of fruit-flavored gin while listening to cool 1970s and 80s music.  It was lights out by 10 PM, a curfew set and enforced by management.

Mon preparing dinner over a stove topgrille

Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite: Sitio Maysawa Brgy. Laiban/Cuyambay, Tanay, 1980 Rizal. Mobile number: (0999) 553-4449 and (0946) 552-3659. E-mail: jimmydelasada24@gmail.com.  Official website: Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist.  Official Facebook page: Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist.

Admission: Php200 (day tour, 4AM – 3PM), Php300 (overnight, 4PM – 1PM). Tent Rental: Php500 (good for 2 persons), Php800 (good for 4 persons), Php200/tent pitching (bring your own tent). Guide Fee: Php500/5 pax (day tour), P1,250/5 pax (overnight). Note: Mandatory guide if you go on Noah’s Ark and Lion Falls House.

How to Get There: Via Cogeo, ride a jeepney (PhP25/pax) or van (Php35/pax) From Araneta Cubao (in front of Gateway Mall, along Aurora Blvd.), to Cogeo Gate 2. At the end of the City Market, there’s a jeepney terminal.  Take a jeepney (Php48/pax) bound for Sampaloc and tell the driver to drop you off in Maysawa Circuit. Upon reaching Sitio Maysawa, ride a tricycle (Php150/4 pax) that will take you to Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite.  Via Tanay, ride a jeepney or van going to Tanay town proper. From Tanay Public Market, ride a jeepney that will take you directly to Sitio Maysawa. Upon reaching Maysawa charter a tricycle that will take you to Fresno.

Morong Park (Rizal)

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Morong Plaza

Morong Park, formerly known as Morong Town Plaza, just in front of Morong’s old Municipal Building (Morong Commandancia), was converted into a park in 2010.

Within the park are statues of Jose Rizal, Tomas Claudio and Rafael Pacheco’s (the world renowned Father of Palm and Finger Painting, 1933 – 2016) “Ang Pamilyang Magsasaka” sculpture.

Statue of Tomas Claudio

National Historical Institute plaque installed in 1992

Private Tomas Mateo Claudio, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps as part of the American Expeditionary Forces to Europe, was the first Filipino to die in World War I when he was slain during the Battle of Château Thierry in France on June 29, 1918. In 1921, the Tomas Claudio Memorial School was established as a tribute to him.

Old municipal hall

The Old Municipal Hall once housed the Commandancia del Distrito Politico-Militar de Morong (created in 1853), the seat of government during the Spanish Era. It was originally made of adobe stones and hardwood, with galvanized iron sheets for roofing.

Morong Historical Marker installed by the National Historical Commission in 1971

Class 1945 Morong High School plaque

During the early American Period, it was converted into a public elementary school building (the Old Central).    During World War II, it was damaged but was rebuilt, with alterations and, on August 16, 1944, was converted into a high school (Morong High School).  The first batch of 33 students graduated here on November 24, 1945.

Statue of Jose Rizal

In the 1960s, the building was torn down and rebuilt using reinforced concrete and was used as the municipal hall for the local government of Morong until 2011, when the local government offices were transferred to the new municipal building in a different location. Today, its second floor houses the Museong Pambayan ng Morong which was formalized in 2015 via an ordinance.

Ang Pamilyang Magsasaka (Rafael Pacheco)

Morong Park: Brgy. San Pedro, Morong, Rizal.

Diocesan Shrine of Mary Magdalene (Pililla, Rizal)

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Diocesan Shrine of St. Mary Magdalene

The Diocesan Shrine of Mary Magdalene is located just a few kms. away from San Ildefonso Parish Church in Tanay, beside the Bahay na Bato.  It was first built in bamboo, cogon and nipa by the Franciscan missionaries in 1583 under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene.

Check out “Church of St. Ildephonsus of Toledo”

In 1632, a conflagration destroyed the church and the whole town and, when a new church was built, another fire destroyed the church in 1668. Rebuilt in wood from 1670 to 1673, the altar and convent were repaired in 1848 and the church was again repaired from 1962 to 1976.

Buttresses at the side of the church

On January 16, 1977, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled a historical marker on the church’s façade and, on July 22, 2018, the parish was declared as a diocesan shrine.

The church interior. This is the only Rizal church with a painted ceiling

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The two-level, simply designed adobe Baroque façade, devoid of any decorations, has a semicircular arch main entrance with a portico, above which is a semicircular arch window.  Both levels, flanked by flat pilasters, is topped by a low triangular pediment with a bas relief of St. Mary Magdalene in the center.

The four-storey bell tower, on the church’s left and chamfered at the corners, tapers up in uneven levels, with a balustrade on the four level.  The first level has segmented arch windows with semicircular arch open and blind recesses on the succeeding storeys.  It ends in a dome topped by a miniature campanile and a cross.

The church pulpit

The church distinguishes itself from other Rizal churches in that beautiful religious-themed paintings adorn its ceiling.

The ceiling above the altar

The baptistery, housing a small retablo  with a small devotional painting of St. Mary Magdalene, is located at the bottom of the bell tower, on the left side from the vestibule of the church. 

The baptistery with the image of St. Mary Magdalene

Diocesan Shrine of St. Mary Magdalene: J.P. Rizal St., Brgy. Imatong, Pillila 1910, Rizal. Tel: (02) 8654-2881. Feast of St. Mary Magalene: July 22. Coordinates:  14.4802481, 121.306448.

How to Get There: Pililla is located 61.9 kms. (a 3-hour drive) from Manila and 48.6 kms. (a 2.25-hour drive) from Antipolo City, both via the Manila East Rd./R-5.

Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary (Baras, Rizal)

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Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph Complez

The Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, located on a low mound just off the main highway, a short distance from  Baras Municipal Hall, enshrines the miraculous image of San Jose de Baras and is known to be the oldest parish dedicated to St. Joseph in the Southern Tagalog mainland.

The church’s Baroque facade

Approached by a flight of 11 steps, it was first built by the Franciscan missionaries in 1595 (at the town’s old site in what is now Boso-Boso in Antipolo, with St. James as its patron).

Plaque installed by the Philippine Historical Committee in 1939

In 1636, it was transferred by the Jesuits, to Ibayo, located one and one-half leagues (about 7.24 kms.) southeast of the first site, to escape the hostilities of the Aeta inhabitants in the area who burned the town and the church in 1635.  The church, dedicated to Christ the Savior, was also affected by hostilities, this time when Chinese rebels, in 1639, burned the church as well as other churches in neighboring towns.

The church interior

In 1682, the town was returned to the present site by the Franciscan and the present adobe church was built here from 1682 to 1686, with the church now dedicated to St. Joseph as its patron. In the 1960s, the church ceiling was removed during a renovation, exposing the rough wood beams supporting the ceiling.

The exposed wooden trusses

Tiles used for the restoration of the floor were taken from ruined structures in Intramuros. Renovations to the structure have also been done in the 2000s.  On December 7, 2021, the church was elevated as a diocesan shrine, the 9th declared as such in the Antipolo Diocese.

The church’s pulpit

The church’s simple, two-level façade is a mixture of fortress-style and barn-style Baroque architecture. The façade’s dark, simple, coarse and sparse qualities, typical of Franciscan mission churches built during the 16th century, is given a decorative touch mainly through the stream of balustrade trimming its triangular pediment, as well as the checkerboard pattern of brick and stone on the pediment’s upper portion, which indicates an addition to the original and much lower stone pediment.

Windows are limited to the facade and one side of the church and the sanctuary is divided from the nave by an arch. As the structure has not been plastered, the dark adobe bricks on which the church was made are exposed. The convent is located on the left side of the church.

The church convent

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The four-storey, hexagonal bell tower, on the church’s right, has a square base and has semicircular arch blind and open recesses.  It is topped by a balustrade and a dome.

The simple but well preserved interiors revealed the exposed wooden trusses that support the church’s roofing, lacking a ceiling that is usually seen in churches. The altar and lectern are stone artifacts unearthed beneath the church during the 1960s renovation.

The altar retablo

The altar, divided into stories, appears to have been intended to be a stone sarcophagus. The main altar and the two side altars are both in the Plateresque style.  The image of San Jose de Baras is believed to have been made after the completion of the Church in 1686.

The convent interior

Old church photos

Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary: San Jose St., Brgy. San Juan, Baras, 1970 Rizal. Tel: (02) 8861-3155. View Map>>>Feast of St. Joseph: March 19. 

How to Get There: Baras is located 43.2 kms. (a 1 hour and 25 min. drive), via Ortigas Ave., from Manila and 29.9 kms. (a 55-min. drive), via Sumulong Highway, from Antipolo City.

Church of St. Jerome (Morong, Rizal)

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Church of St. Jerome

This intricately-designed church, dedicated to St. Jerome (patron of scholars of the Bible, this saint translated the Bible), is one of the splendid examples of tropical Baroque architecture (more properly described as Baroque Revival architecture) in the Philippines, with its unique bell tower shape and finely detailed façade with fanciful balusters, large pillars and carved stone ornaments.  It is a favorite subject for photographers and a lovely backdrop for weddings and selfies.

The unique bell tower shape of the facade

It was first built in wood by Franciscan friars in 1612 opposite of its present location, on the south bank of the river.  After it was destroyed by fire together with a large part of the pueblo in 1612, it was rebuilt, on elevated ground at the opposite bank of Morong River (which ensured its safety from floods and fires) from 1615 to 1620 by Fr. Blas de la Madre with stone and mortar.

The finely-detailed Baroque facade

Stones were quarried from a hill called Kay Ngaya; lime from the stones of the mountain Kay Maputi; and sand and gravel from Morong River. Measuring 42 varas long by 12 varas wide, the church had a single nave with a semicircular apse, built under the direction of Chinese master craftsmen.

The plaque installed by the Philippine Historical Committee in 1939

In 1850, Fr. Maximo Rico commissioned Don Bartolome de Palatino, a native of Paete, to renovate the facade and build the four-storey, 30 m. (100-ft.) high octagonal bell tower.  Completed on February 2, 1853, the new Baroque façade, designed by Severo Sacramento, had a towering height of 20 varas. During the Philippine Revolution, Spanish casadores and other loyal civil guards were besieged in the church and convent, finally surrendering to the Katipuneros on August 19, 1898.

The left side of the church

The central portion of the elaborate, exquisitely carved and frequently photographed three-storey Baroque façade, one of the most striking of all church facades along Laguna de Bay, surges outward and the catenated balustrade above gives the whole a dynamic feeling.

The church interior

It has superpositioned Doric columns, a semicircular arched main entrance and an elaborately decorated segmental pediment with carved cornice and tympanum.  Horizontal string courses with decorative moldings and balustrades identify each level. Various decorative elements, some Mexican in origin, give the facade a richness characteristic of Baroque.

The choir loft

Chinese influence is seen at the two (a boy and a girl) Chinese lion sculptures at the entrance to the steep entrance driveway (it is 30 feet above the town). One lion, said to be the girl lion (said to have a hidden treasure inside it), was stolen between 2000 and 2005. The male lion is safeguarded at the St. Jerome school vicinity.

Main altar area

Above the main entrance is its landmark single bell tower (characteristic of European churches), the church’s focal point, with its statue of St. Michael the Archangel on top and ornamented with floral and scroll designs.

Four angels, representing the cardinal virtues (Prudence, Justice, Restraint and Courage), stand at the corners of the bell tower. The Franciscan coat-of-arms (indicating it was once assigned to Franciscan missionaries), the hands of Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi, is seen on the main facade of the bell tower.

The cross at its tip is illuminated at night and can be seen from the surrounding countryside. When fishing at night and during the storm, the bell tower is used by local fisher man in the nearby towns as a light house. Fr. Felix Huerta, writing in 1852, states that the facade had finials shaped as jars and shells used for illuminating it.

An added attraction in the church is the first class relic (a part of the saint’s body) given to the parish year in 2005, through the effort of then parish priest Rev. Fr. Lawrence “Larry” Paz, when they had their first pilgrimage tour to Holy Land and Vatican City.

Publicly exposed every Saturday during the anticipated mass (the kissing of the relic is done every last Saturday of the month), the relic is guarded by the knights of St. Jerome. Another much bigger relic, given, in 2007 to the parish as a gift from the main chaplain of the church of St. Jerome in Rome, is now buried on top of the table of the main altar.  It is kissed by the priest every time there is a mass.

 

The Four Evangelists

Church of St. Jerome: Turentigue St., Brgy. San Jose, Morong, Rizal. Tel: 8653-1259.  View Map>>>Feast of St. Jerome: September 30.

How to Get There: Morong is located 4.5 kms. (a 2-hr., 15-min. drive), via R-6, from Manila and 26.6 kms. (a 1-hr. drive), via Sumulong Highway, from Antipolo City.

Church of St. Ursula (Binangonan, Rizal)

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Church of St. Ursula

The centuries-old Church of St. Ursula, at the poblacion, was first built by Franciscan friars as a chapel in the late 16th century to gain access to native settlers around Laguna de Bay.

The church’s Baroque facade

The present church, started in 1792 and completed in 1800, was renovated in 1853. At the same time, the adjacent convent was rebuilt, under Fr. Francisco de Paula Gomez.

NHC Plaque

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The two-level, Baroque façade has a semicircular arch main entrance, flanked by four sets of rectangular pilasters , at the first level.  The second level, flanked by rectangular pilasters topped by urn-like finials, has three sets of semicircular arch windows (the bigger one in the center) framed by flat pilasters and topped by triangular pediments.

The triangular pediment has a rose window in the center. Between the façade and the bell tower, on the second level, is a statue of St. Ursula. The lovely three-storey, octagonal bell tower, on the church’s right, rests on a square base and has semicircular arch blind and open recesses.  It is topped by a dome and a cross.

The church’s interior

Inside, the church (like that of Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary in Baras) has no ceiling and its wooden trusses are exposed giving it a rustic look.

Check out “Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary”

The exposed ceiling

The altar and retablo

Church of St. Ursula: Paterno St., Brgy. Libid, Binangonan, Rizal. View Map>>>Tel: (02) 8652-3423.  Feast of St. Ursula: October 21.

How to Get There: Binangonan is located 32.5 kms. (a one hour and 20 min. drive), via Manila East Rd./R-5,from Manila and 25.4 kms. (a 1-hour drive), via E Bank Rd. and Manila East Rd., from Antipolo City.

Diocesan Shrine of St. Clement (Angono, Rizal)

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Diocesan Shrine of St. Clement

This church, dedicated to St. Clement of Rome ((also known as Pope Clement I), had humble beginnings as a chapel of a hacienda in 1751. A church, in Biga, was damaged during the June 3, 1863 earthquake and never repaired.

The church’s Baroque facade

The present church, began in 1877 with mulawin posts, cogon roof and bamboo sidings but, on July 2, 1881, an Episcopal permit was issued by Archbishop Pedro Payo de Felix to construct the church with its present day materials.

Old photo of church (photo: Municipality of Angono Facebook page)

The bell tower, built in 1930 by Fr. Segundo Alto, replaced the small wooden campanario located at the patio. A big copper church bell, brought to Angono in 1784, by the hacendero Josep Blanco Bermudez, is still in use at the bell tower of the present church.  In 1938, another big copper bell, donated by Pedro Anorico, was installed at the bell tower.

The church’s modern interior

AUTHORS NOTES:

The church’s simple Baroque facade has a protruding central segment with a semicircular arched main entrance with receding planes above which is a semicircular arch niche (with statue of St. Clement) and a triangular pediment.  Flanking this ensemble are semicircular arch statued niches.

The first two storeys (and part of the third), with semicircular arch windows, of the bell tower on the left are  original.  The slender tower above, which replaced two octagonal storeys with balustrade and pyramidal roof, is a later addition.  The right wing and the third level of the facade are also later additions.

The modern interior has paintings done by Angono artists above the left side of the nave.

The main altar and retablo

In 1952, the glorietta, with its statue of Christ the King, was completed and, in 1955, the window frames and panels in the bell tower and convent were renovated.

The left side of the nave with paintings by Angono artists

On September 8, 2021 (the Feast of the Nativity of Mary), the church was declared as a Diocesan Shrine ((the 10th  diocesan shrine of the Diocese of Antipolo) by Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon.

Paintings of Angono artists

Diocesan Shrine ofSt. Clement: Dona Aurora St., Brgy. Poblacion Ibaba, Angono, 1930 Rizal.  Tel: (02) 8650-3859.  Feast of Pope St. Clement: November 22-23.

How to Get There: Angono is located 26 kms. (a 1-hour drive via OrtigasAve.) from Manila and 18.4 kms. (a 40-min. drive via E Bank Rd.) from Antipolo City.