Exporing Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Bagac, Bataan

28 January 2012

I visited the "Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar" in Bagac Bataan together with travelers - Bianca Ramos and Cristy Okamoto. It was a three-hour ride from Manila. 

The place is actually a resort in an "old setting" style, a replica of the old Philippines (colonial era) with ancestral houses lining up along a cobbled stone street. 

Although it is a replica, the concept is great. Among the notable ancestral houses include - The Casa La Union, Casa Binondo, Casa Tondo, Casa Cagayan, Casa Nueva Ecija and the Casa Candaba. 

The architecture is amazing. The only structure lacking though is a colonial church to make it a really nice colonial setting. According to the administrator of the place, 30% of the ancestral houses are authentic. They bought it from owners who abandoned them from different places in the Philippines, transport them to Bataan and then reconstruct them. 

Perpendicular to the cobled stone street from the entrance is a three-story building replica of Casa Quiapo. It is a very nice place to practice photography using both colored and sepia settings.

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Explore the Cradle of Democracy in the East - Historic Barasoain Church

Province of Bulacan

City of Malolos

Whenever I had a free-time, I see to it that I spend it  doing the things I love the most - if not trekking, exploring or discovering historical landmarks - that incude old churches, museums and houses.

I have stayed in Manila for at least 15 years already but never thought of visiting old churches in Manila or nearby provinces eversince. On a Saturday morning, I thought of visiting the Barasoain church after looking at a post card. After all, I had never seen this church in person yet. I can recall that this church was once printed on the old 10-peso bill.

From Manila, I traveled to Cubao Baliwag bus station. I met a fellow traveler Cristy Okamoto at the terminal. We took the bus bound for Malolos. We asked the bus driver to drop us at the Malolos crossing.

It was a 45-minute bus drive from Cubao to Malolos crossing. Our landmark was the Jollibee store. At the other side of the road, we took a jeepney bound for Malolos market (bayan). The Barasoain church is 10-minute jeepney ride away from the Malolos crossing.

Barasoain Church and Old Convent

Barasoain Church Background: Barasoain Church (also known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish) is a Roman Catholic church built in 1630 in Malolos City, Bulacan. Having earned the title as the Cradle of Democracy in the East, the most important religious building in the Philippines, and the site of the First Philippine Republic, the church is proverbial for its historical importance among Filipinos.

Founded by Augustinian Missionaries in 1859, the church is also renowned for its architectural design and internal adornments. The original church was burned during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution however, it was renovated. It is about 42 kilometers away from Manila.

Statue of Emilio Aguinaldo

The church recorded some of the important events occurred in the country. While it has been a temporary residence of General Aguinaldo, three major events in Philippine History happened in this church: the convening of the First Philippine Congress (September 15, 1898), the drafting of the Malolos Constitution (September 29, 1898 to January 21, 1899), and the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic (January 23, 1899). By Presidential Decree No. 260, the church was proclaimed as a National Shrine by President Ferdinand Marcos on August 1, 1973. Unusual for newly elected presidents in the Philippines, the church has been a venue in an inaugural affairs. General Emilio Aguinaldo and former president Joseph Estrada were the only two who have been inaugurated in the place.

Historic Barasoain started as a village of Malolos in 16th century and created as an independent town in 1859 and reannexed in Malolos in 1903 and this explains the presence of a stone church here. Barasoain had its first stone edifice in 1871 to replace a temporary one but was burned in May 1884 during the Santacruzan. In 1885, the current structure was started while the belfry was constructed in 1889. The church became the most historic church in 1898 and in 1998 President Joseph Estrada took his oath of office. The facade has Neo-Classic touches and its rounded pediment is echoed by the arches and rose window at the lower part (Wikipedia).

I had been looking at the pictures of the Barasoain church from books, magazines and websites but this was my first time to come face-to-face with the historic monument. 

Church Interior

We alighted at the plaza just beside the road and there we saw the grandiose facade of the Barasoain church and the old convent attached to it on the right side stretching all throughout the length of the plaza.

Pulpit

We were completely amazed by the grandeur of the church facade. We took photos and read the historical markings attached to the church wall. The church main entrance door was closed at that time but thanks to an old lady who showed us the way inside the church through the side entrance.

Main Altar

The interior design of the church is well-maintained. The color, the paintings and the ceiling still looks exactly the same as the original design. The old pulpit stands near one of the columns at the right side of the church naive facing the main altar.

With the main door closed, the interior is quite dark but thanks to my camera tripod. I was able to take the correct exposure of the church interior.

After exploring the interior of the church, we moved on to the old convent. The old convent had been converted into a two-story museum. The lower part housed more than a hundred Sto. Nino statues in different costumes - baker, doctor, nurse, policemen, and others. The statues were so colorful.

At the second floor are the old furniture (muebles) and few old paintings. The windows are made of thinly polished capiz shells sliding from one quadrant of the window to another. Looking out of the window you'll see the wide plaza with the statue of Emilio Aguinaldo and the flags previously used during the Philippine revolution against the Spaniards.

Ancestral Home

From Barasoian church, we walked along Paseo del Congreso St. There are still few ancestral houses lined up along the road. We explored also the old "Imprenta" also know as "Casa Real" where we saw several printed newspapers during the revolutionary period with the old printing machine.

Malolos Cathedral Background: Malolos Cathedral, also known as the Basilica Minore de la Nuestra Señora de Inmaculada Concepcion (in Spanish) or Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception (in English), is the ecclesiastical seat of the Diocese of Malolos in the Philippines. Note: Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception or the Manila Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Manila.

Malolos Cathedral

The Spaniards and Augustinians arrived in Malolos in November 14,1571 (Blair and Robertson,The Philippine Islands,volume 34,page 304-310,paragraph 3) they built a small chapel near Canalate River, a bigger church was built which was recognized as a Parish Church in the records of the Augustinian chapter of June 11, 1580.Malolos Convent have its jurisdiction to the Clerial and Christianization Mission in Binto (became Encomienda in 1590 and Quingua Town in 1602).Due to the frequent submerging of its first location,they moved the church to another location facing Malolos River in 1591 (the present location of the church).

 Augustinians placed under the mantle of the Immaculate Conception.Malolos Church was initially parish of Encomienda de Malolos made as the town parish in 1580.Initially built from light materials in 1580-1591,later the church and convent were enlarged by Fr. Roque Barrionuevo in 1691. In 1734, the church was built with stronger materials by Fr. Fernando Sanchez. Fr. Juan Meseguer finished this project in 1740 and Fr. Jose de Vivar applied the finishing touches in 1753.

 However, both the church and the convent were destroyed by fire in 1813. The construction of the present church begun in 1819 with Fr. Melchor Fernandez. This prolific builder was also responsible for the addition of arches to the convent; the fortification of the belfry (to accommodate the installation of a clock); and the construction of the bridge connecting Malolos with Barasoain. However, the buildings were destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1863. Fr. Ezekiel Merino undertook the reconstruction of the collapsed structures which lasted until 1872.

Another severe earthquake took place in 1880 which destroyed the convent. Fr. Juan Tombo began the restoration of the convent in 1883. It was completed in 1884 by Fr. Felipe Garcia (Wikipedia).

From Casa Real, we continued walking towards the Malolos City Hall and then at the left side is the Malolos Cathedral. The Cathedral looked like a new building at first though historians said that the construction of the present building started in 1819. The Immaculate Conception School for Boys is just beside the Cathedral.

After taking photos at the facade of the Malolos Cathedral, we had a quick refreshment at a nearby food court and then left Malolos back to Manila via an FX van bound for Cubao.

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Trekking Mt. Ugo

Province of Nueva Vizcaya and Benguet 

January 21-22, 2012

Onboard Victory Liner, we left Manila at 11:15PM for another major climb up north. We were all excited and ready to scale Mt. Ugo in Benguet province from Nueva Vizcaya.

Jump-off point at Kayapa Market, Nueva Vizacaya

Following our itinerary, we were supposed to be at the bus terminal in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya by 05:00AM but we were delayed due to a road accident involving a trailer truck just past the Dalton Pass.

Trail leading to Dumolpos Village

We were at the bus terminal at 7:00AM. We boarded the jeep and head on to Kayapa, the jump off point. It was past 8:00AM when we reached the municipality of Kayapa. We had a quick breakfast and prepared our packed lunch.

Crossing Fences

We started trekking past 9:00AM. The trail is generally good and steep. Pine trees were everywhere. 

Landscape view of neighboring mountains

By 12:00PM, we reached a small village, Indupit and we had our lunch. While at Indupit village, we met a pastor who is heading for Domolpos Village. We continued trekking at 1:00PM heading towards Domolpos Village. It was past 4:00PM when we reached Domolpos Village.

Cascading mountain summits

Domolpos Village has a church, elementary school buildings and a small clinic. After fixing our things in one of the school buildings, we met someone from the clinic and the pastor and had nice talks with them. We met also few of the kids and donated few school supplies like notesbooks, pencils and medicines.

Domolpos Elementary School

At about 6:00PM, we went up the church and had our dinner there. The church was made of wood and it was nice. After dinner, we had socials and nice talks with the pastor. We left the church at about 8:00PM.

Domolpos school building

The following day, we had a light and quick breakfast past 4:00AM and then started trekking at 5:15AM. It was very cold and the sky was clear as we can see the stars and the moon.

Sumptuous dinner

It was an amazing experience for all of us on the trail to see the surroundings turned orange - gold as the sun rises.

Sunrise at the trail leading to Mt. Ugo summit

We continued trekking and reached the summit at about 7:30AM. We started our descent by 8:00AM.

Trail leading to the summit

The trail going down is steep and long. By 10:45AM, we reached the old saw mill and continued our descent. We had our lunch by 12:00PM along the trail just before Lusod Village. At 1:00PM, we continued our final descent. The trail is steep and open.

Mt. Ugo summit

At 3:30PM, we reached Itogon Village and passed through the hanging bridge. We stoped for a while for picture taking.

Overlooking a river

At 4:00PM, we reached the Brgy. Hall at Itogon, Benguet and prepared to leave for Baguio onboard a jeep. 

Crossing the hanging bridge

We were at Baguio city past 5:00PM and had lunch there. We were all back to Manila past 5:00AM the following day. 

Municipal Hall, Itogon Benguet

It was another exciting adventure with friends!!

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Explore the Underground Cemetery in Nagcarlan

Nagcarlan, Laguna

07 January 2012

I invited an office mate to see the Underground Cemetery in Nagcarlan, Laguna province. I've seen this place from famous blog sites and travel magazines including newspapers as one of the top tourist destinations near the capital.

In fact, many of the friends that I met on the trail have also recommended this place a must see one.

On a Saturday morning, we left Manila onboard a bus from Gil Puyat - Taft Avenue bound for Batangas at 0630H. We asked the driver to drop us at at San Pablo City in Laguna where we can take a jeep bound for Liliw.

We alighted at a junction in San Pablo City and from there we took a jeep bound for Liliw and asked the driver to drop us at the gate of the Underground Cemetery.

At 0918H, we were standing infront of the cemetery main gate. At the site, we were told by the administrator that the Underground Cemetery opens at 0800H and closes at 1600H. Photos are allowed for personal use only and no flash photography inside the chapel the crypt below it.

From the gate, we started to explore the site and walked towards the chapel. The cemetery chapel reminded me of the "Simbaan a Bassit" (small church), also a cemetery chapel in Vigan City. 

The cemetery is very old and of Baroque architecture in circular and with an area of at least 1 hectare in my assumption.

 

It is surrounded by stone walls made partially of bricks, red tiles with iron-wrought grills.

The main entrance gate is made of an arch with two iron grill gates. From the main gate, a pathway made of red bricks (not cobble stones) across a green landscaped space leads to the entrance of cemetery chapel. 

Below the chapel is an underground graveyard. According to Wikipedia, the underground graveyard consists of at least 36 tombs arranged in four walls. 

 

 

 

The crypt and chapel is connected by two flight of steps. The first nine steps lead to a Spanish inscription that reads

Go forth, Mortal man, full of life

Today you visit happily this shelter, 

But after you have gone out, 

Remember, you have a resting place here, 

Prepared for you. 

The last six steps lead to the underground crypt. 

The cemetery has 240 apartment-type niches on the walls where each side of the chapel contains 120 niches. Overall, there are 276 niches.

 

The cemetery administrator told us that no more burials are allowed inside the cemetery. The complex is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo and managed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. 

 

 

We enjoyed exploring the place and there were no other visitors yet at that time, As a National Historical site, we were so happy to see that the place was clean and very well maintained in general.

We left the place at 1145H and traveled to our side trip destinations nearby.

NAGCARLAN UNDERGROUND CEMETERY HISTORY according to Wikipedia.

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery (Filipino: Libingan sa Ilalim ng Lupa ng Nagcarlan) is a national historical landmark and museum in Barangay Bambang, Nagcarlan, Laguna supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. It was built in 1845 under the supervision of Franciscan priest, Fr. Vicente Velloc as a public burial site and its underground crypt exclusively for Spanish friars, prominent town citizens and members of elite Catholic families.It is dubbed as the only underground cemetery in the country.

Establishment of the Underground Cemetery

Fr. Vicente Velloc supervised the establishment of a cemetery in Nagcarlan in 1845 below Mt. San Cristobal. Unlike the traditional Spanish cemeteries at that time, Fr. Velloc decided to build it away from the town's center. The cemetery is planned to serve as a public resting place for the people of the town while the underground chamber below the chapel of the cemetery will only house remains of Spanish friars and prominent people. It was built together with the construction of the expanded St. Bartholomew Parish Church and rectory. The cemetery is built with a chapel where funeral masses was held and directly below it is an underground crypt.

As Meeting Place during the Revolution

During the Philippine Revolution, the cemetery served as a meeting place of revolutionary leaders of the Katipunan in 1896. Pedro Paterno and Gen. Severino Taiño of the "Maluningning" command held a meeting at the cemetery where they planned the historic Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897. It also served as hideout for Filipino leaders during the Philippine-American War and of guerillas in World War II.

Declaration as a Historical Landmark

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery was declared as a National Historical Landmark by virtue of Presidential Decree no. 260, dated August 1, 1973 with amendments by Administrative Order 1505, dated June 11, 1978. Since the declaration, no more burials were allowed in the cemetery. It underwent renovations before it was again opened to the public during the unveiling of the marker in October 24, 1981. The oldest tomb is dated 1886 while the last interment was in 1982 when it was formally declared as a National Historical Landmark.

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