Author: ajay

The merry month of May ushers in the Santacruzan festival across the country. This is the queen of all fiestas honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. Even people from other faiths find reason to celebrate during this annual event as it takes on a significance other than the cultural and religious. Townsfolk usually ogle at lovely sagalas (with their escorts) and the beautiful gowns they’re wearing.

Manila’s annual Flores de Mayo is no exception. In previous years, it was held at the Manila Hotel and the Rajah Sulayman Park. This time around, the venue was the sprawling Mall of Asia.The much-awaited parade featured the city’s fairest ladies wearing the creations of top couturiers. It was time to practice with my camera again, and take a few pics. All of the ladies wore designer interpretations of the terno, the native Filipino clothing popularized by Imelda Marcos.

Resigned Bb. Pilipinas World 2008 Janina San Miguel was an eyecatching sign in this elaborate brocade gown by Jontie Martinez.

The hair and accessories of the beauty queens were really impressive. Look at the details. Of course, Filipinas don’t go out like this everyday. But hey, this happens only once a year!

This year’s theme was “Bellissima Filipina” and had the Venetian touch. Hence, the ladies carried Venetian masks. Above gown by in-demand designer Danilo Franco even had a painting of the Sistine Chapel on the skirt.

Overall, the works of the Filipino designers were really impressive. They were able to show not only the elegance of the Filiino terno, but the terno with a global touch. Take for instance this colorful Mexican-inspired creation by Gin Villamayor.

Long-time couturier Renee Salud is shown with the costume he fashioned for Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry.

Waiting and preparation time! This was before the fashion show and parade around the MOA stores.

More of the winsome sagalas:

Flores de Mayo 2009 was organized by the Congregacion del Santisimo Nombre del Nino Jesus headed by Ben Farrales, in cooperation with SM MOA, the Department of Tourism and Unilever Philippines.

This morning, I did something that was out of my routine. Instead of checking my emails first thing, I viewed the town’s most talked about videos featuring a celebrity doctor and his separate trysts with three models slash showbiz personalities, in various states of undress. It is because my web-connected friends have been talking about them that I had to ask for a link, rather belatedly. Of course, the sex tapes are also now available in your friendly bootleg vendor in Quiapo and elsewhere.

What made the stuff even more interesting is that the expose was made by a senator whose name was linked to several actresses before, while being married with kids.Talk about irony.

One of the women in the scandal, Katrina Halili, has come out in the open to denounce Dr. Hayden Kho who was responsible for videotaping their private moments. I must say she must use the attention she already got from lawmakers to pursue this case till the end. It doesn’t matter what kind of woman she is, or the fact that she’s a sexy starlet. The Hayden Kho scandal should be a test case for the proliferation of privately filmed videos where unknowing women are often the victims, and exploited in the marketplace.
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This is the second time I’ve visited Liliw, Laguna - a charming town south of Manila. All of the occasions I’ve been here, it was just for a stop-over but it doesn’t change my opinion about how charming it is.

There are some things that hold my attention upon entering - the brick-colored church and the narrow streets which play host to well-maintained- houses. Of course, there are all those shoe stores. This is after all the “Tsinelas Capital” of the country. The riches of the people in this town were made from fashioning all those tsinelas (slippers).

This giant replica is what greets you upon entering the main thoroughfare…..

Visiting Liliw after the Pahiyas festival, we were surprised to learn that it was their San Isidro fiesta too. There was decor left over from the Gat Tayaw Tsinelas Festival last May.

And then of course it’s a sin not to visit Cafe Arabela, Liliw’s own bistro flocked by people from all over. Its low ceilings will daunt you if you’re six foot and above, but its comfort food offerings will make you stay right in place. I brought home brownie squares as pasalubong and my kids loved it.

Our pilgrimage to the Pahiyas festival also turned out to be a Visita Iglesia of sorts. We were able to visit at least four ancient churches! Ever since getting married in a 16th century church last January, I’ve been obsessed with their history and details. The Roman Catholic houses of worship in the Philippines may not be as grand as the ones in Europe but they’re still comparable in terms of historical value. They remain enduring symbols of Spain’s colonization of the Philippines, and some of them have housed revolutionaries fighting for Philippine Independence.

First on the agenda is the Lucban Church in Quezon, which is almost 400 years old. Said the inscription: ” The first church, built in 1595, was ruined in 1629. The second church was constructed between 1630 and 1640, but was seriously damaged by fire in 1733. The present church was completed in 1738 and the convent in 1743.”

The Liliw Church in Laguna is another thing of beauty, and dates back to the 1600s. It is notable for its orange-y brick color.

The church is the centerpiece of a town known for being the country’s premier slipper-makers. It is surrounded by a parking lot and a couple of pergolas or open-air quadrangles.

The Majayjay Church was massive as well. It was first built by Augustinian missionaries in the late part of the 1500s, and was destroyed by several fires. It has been reconstructed several times since then, and was even used by American forces during the Philippine-American War in 1912.

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is the first and only one of its kind of the Philippines. The government, in fact, has declared it a National Historical site. It is a beautiful experience to visit this church-cum-cemetery because of its perfectly-manicured park and very clean surroundings. You’ll get carried away and forget there are tombs around you.

Nagcarlan is actually the newest of the churches, having been built only in 1845 by Franciscan missionaries. It was in the place where the leaders of Filipino revolutionaries hid during the war for Philippine Independence in 1896.

I promised to myself to travel more this summer, and so I did ~ while fulfilling my long-time wish to see the Pahiyas festival. I was also thankful that I joined a tour group instead of driving out. Paying $20 (or P1,000) for a whole day tour that covered four towns, a hearty buffet lunch and with free halo-halo to boot was indeed worth it. I’d have to commend some travel agencies for making tours around the islands affordable for most Pinoys (and not just tourists or balikbayans.) This was one example where joining group tours is more advantageous than flying solo or venturing out on your own.

Anyway, here’s my picture at the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery with three other travellers I only saw during the trip. Again, the advantage of being in a group tour is that it wouldn’t look so obvious that you’re by your lonesome. And you can always make friends with them!

Here’s how our itinerary looked like:

4:30 a.m. - Meet-up in Makati City where we boarded a van and have coffee/early breakfast while waiting.

It was a three-hour trip to Lucban, Quezon and I didn’t see much of the scenery as I couldn’t resist sleeping!

8:00 a.m. - We arrive in Lucban, Quezon and take the Pahiyas route. Time to take lots of pictures! Some vendors in the town have export-quality hats made from buntal or buri, and I buy some. There are handpainted ones which cost as little as 35.
Wow.

Somewhere along the way, I chance upon Lucban’s one and only vegetarian restaurant, Steps to Eden and ordered a mixed fruit shake. It was delicious! I couldn’t help but be amazed with the tales of of the owner who said they’ve been tapped to aid in the recuperation of some patients by preparing a special diet that is organic and meat-free. It got me thinking that we really should find time to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Two things that Lucban is famous for: its longganisa (native sausages) and pansit habhab (if am not mistaken, habhab is the act of eating from the leaves, as they don’t serve utensils with the noodles.) You can get a flavorful serving of the Lucban pancit for as little as six pesos!

By noon, we were ready to leave Lucban. The grand parade was at 2 p.m. yet but the tour organizer said this wasn’t advisable, as the crowds get even thicker. We motored off to neighboring Majayjay, a sleepy town in Laguna. Here, we took more pictures of the majestic (and ancient) Majayjay Church.

Our buffet lunch in Torio’s Canteen just across the church was very good, and came with the package tour. We had ample servings of pako (fern salad), fried chicken, grilled pork belly and ginataang tilapia. Lambanog, and an exotic dish of fruit bat was even passed around, but I skipped that. The owners of this countryside resto get high points for hospitality.

2 p.m. - We arrive in Liliw, Laguna ~ the “Slippers (Tsinelas) Capital of the Philippines. Turns out the town was also celebrating their fiesta. Some groupmates spent the time shopping for sandals and bags. We also taste the halo-halo with cheese in this place called “Liliw Fastfood.” Must-buy pasalubong in Liliw , aside from shoes and slippers: the custard roll in theie bakeshop, ginataang bagoong with santol and pastries from Arabela coffeeshop.

3 p.m. We arrive at the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery, another religious-historical site in Laguna. More on this in a future post.

Afterwards, we were off to face the horrendous traffic in South Luzon Expressway

This day tour was made possible by:

Nature Awareness & Conservation Club Inc.
Tel. Nos. 5157964 & 8061720

Other info:

Torio’s Canteen
Bgy. Sta. Catalina
Majayjay, Laguna
Tel. No. (049) 305-4995

Steps to Eden
102A Mabini St. Lucban, Quezon
Tel. No. (042) 540-2440