Mabolo

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="322" caption="The Mabolo church with its classic neo gothic design, recently has been under heavy renovation."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="323" caption="A bell that has been brought down from the tower, dated 1891. A prominent Filipino Chinese, Hilario Sunico, funded the making of this massive bell for Talambanan"][/caption]

Mabolo church, a beautiful white painted iglesia which has been under renovation since I got here in Mabolo is a classical, neo-gothic architecture which reminds me of the Catholic churches that I saw in Singapore. This one have a beautiful bell tower, but it's not as fortunate as the other ancient churches here in Cebu, it has been greatly damaged by a typhoon [1877] and an earthquake [1882], this events has altered the original but much of the old remains.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="329" caption="The Convento"][/caption]

The present convento is remarkable, it was built in 1866, the guys running the church should work on conserving as much as they can of the original. The charming coral stones walls, the beautiful iron grilled windows, solid marble floor and the huge wooden doors are still  intact.

It took some effort to research on the town since there is little information available in the parish so I had to visit the public library near the capitol, I figured that good information about the church posted here could help a future Maboleno understand their history.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="327" caption="The Churchs retablo, there was a modest wedding when I was touring the grounds of the church"][/caption]

The town was originally Talamban [an], the whole area was Augustunian frontier, much of the estates around Ciudad Cebu belong to them, and the Augustinian workers of Banilad formed this town we know now as Mabolo.

In 1600 it officially became a town; it used to served as stable and practice grounds for horses, the Banilad estate's town church then is a visita of San Nicolas and was transferred to the jurisdiction of Opon in 1762.

Fray Julian Bermejo, the great mind who defended the southern towns of Cebu from the Moro raiders, famous for his watch towers suggested that the town be provided hectares of land for a church, convent, school and a casa real.

In 1847, the town relocated to its new site.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="322" caption="Beautiful windows adore the centuries old convento"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="325" caption="The grotto"][/caption]

 

Punta Engaño

Commuting from my place to Mactan takes about 45 minutes, that is without regular day traffic, which would surprise Manilenos because traffic here is incomparable to what we have in metro Manila, difference between night and day my friends. The destination is Punta Engaño, or simply Engaño, for the locals here. From the hi-way you could hitch a ride and it would only cost you a measly 13 pesos, along the way you'll pass by the massive airfield of Mactan airport.

Just the other day, I was asking colleagues [local peeps] how to go this place, I was quite surprised that some of them has never been there. That's strange, but I don't really get easily discourage, it was my Nanay who told me, "kung marunong ka magbasa, hindi ka maliligaw".

I've been planning [dreaming?] to go here ever since I was in secondary school, it look large and gorgeous in photos, but seeing it right in front of you is something else, it's not as big [when you're a child everything is a giant] as I expect it to be but it's a handsome monument.

It is said that the memorial for Magellan, constructed by Fray Aguirre in 1866, is the area where the Portueguese explorer died. It's an elegant monument, made of coral stones and white marble, it's in fine form, well preserved, for this I commend the Mactan local government. Fray Aguirre, then parish priest of Opon [old name of Lapu-Lapu city] made certain that his conquistador would not be forgotten, the project was said to have been approved by the previous governors and was only constructed years later.

Many foreigners, staying in the Mactan hotels nearby take pleasure snapping shots at the impressive white stone structure. There is a bronze statue closer to the water of Lapu-Lapu, the triumphant Mactan chief.  A historical marker is also nearby commemorating Lapu-Lapu's victory. What I find odd are these small Lapu-Lapu bust, more like a cartoon image, spread around the monument. These bust are painted and has their eyes fixed at the Magellan monument.

I was once ask if Lapu-Lapu is a hero, I think he was because he fought for his turf [not Filipinas since there was no state during his time], he did what he thought was right, and that means something, he was the underdog fighting a giant, stories like these inspires people to dream, if he doesn't want to be Christianized and be under any ruler, good for him. But we should also study what happened during this break gained from his amazing victory.

But Magellan deserves credit for his hard wora. This guy is probably the most poorly treated figure in our history, that we have Christian culture today is because he mapped out the island for the future missionaries and conquistadores. I'm sure not all would agree but history is history.  Some of us would prefer always prefer a picture of Magellan getting stabbed to death than a Magellan planting a Cross. I think we must go beyond this mind set. While Panama praise Balboa as its founder and the US having Columbos as one of the most revered historical figure in their history [they even have a holiday for Colon] we picked on giving Hispanidad the maddest evaluation we could give.

Very few people know that Magellan was offered by Humabon to use his warriors, but he declined, probably thinking his armored army, small in number and weak from the extensive ship expedition, is superior, he led his group straight to the slaughterhouse, but Lapu-Lapu's greatness would've been erased in our  history if it were not for the Italian scribe who wrote down in details what happened that day, so the Mactan hero exist largely because history was written for him.

Legend has it that Lapu-Lapu never died [like Elvis Presley who many believe is still alive], people say that he turned into a boulder that resembles his form. I was told that the stone was in the Punta but I can't find it, or I probably did but did not recognize that it was Lapu-Lapu, someone must've used it to built a house or something. The brass marker by NHI is located in front of the Punta Engano, at the back is a panoramic painting of the Battle of Mactan. Which is celebrated in the annual celebration called Kadaugan. The victory of Lapu-Lapu is significant [for the pagans and warring tribes] because it delayed the Spanish invasion and Christianization for 40 years.

There are lovely shops around the Punta Engano, they sell bracelets and wooden furniture. While the Mandauehanons were making bulky wooden furniture, the people of Mactan were crafting their beautiful guitars, I'm not sure whether guitar making here is bigger than the other places here in Cebu, but I tried on some of their locally made guitars, craftsmanship is remarkable and its low-priced.

Walking around Fuerza de Sn. Pedro

The fort and Plaza Independencia Circa 1904

Fort San Pedro is a miniature version of Intramuros. Well, it was never built to protect a settlement but to provide safe haven for the men who dared invade the often hostile native inhabitants. I can imagine the Kastilas running for cover here! The triangular shaped fortification is quite odd especially for a first time visitor, but if your being constantly under attack, defending 3 sides is a lot easier than looking after 4 [Legazpi only kept a small army]. I think it was really devised to provide a fast cover and transitory quarters but within the fort there is a convent, several wells and I believe a school, but looking at how small the fort is, it's hard to picture how they all can fit here. The Americans made the fort a barracks, and then it became a school until it was turned over to the city administrators.

What makes this fort significant is that not only its status as the oldest known fortification in the islands but that it was built under the supervision of the adelantado himself, Miguel Lopez Legazpi, who honored his lead ship and named the fortification after it.


Main edifice connected to the gate

It has several canons sitting on strategic location around the wall. An excavation was said to have been made, proving that there was a prehispanic population where the walls stands, the same is said to be true in Manila where Legazpi had built his city on top of a native Bornean kingdom, that is why excavation is always being sought under Intramuros.

Flora and fauna inside the fort

One of the three main security post on top of the forts thick wa ls

The fort is well kept, but I've heard that it was not always the case. Plants and trees are abundant, there were lovely flowers, bathing pigeons and a resident sleepy cat. Outside, on the left side of the entrance a monument dedicated to Legazpi, at the back, which is obscured by many things, fronting a hoops court a monument for the scribe Pigaffeta.


The white stone monument dedicated to Legazpi

If your wondering what that white tower [painted so white you can't make out what the marker says!] in Plaza Independencia is, that's the monument built honoring Legazpi, it declares "Primer Gobernador de Estas Islas y Fundador de Esta Ciudad", at the other side of the tower is written, "Ano de 1855 Reinando Isabel II y Mandando La Pro. El Sr. Rafael Cervero Y Valdez".


This plaza is also the original site of the capitol before it got moved to Osmenia/Escario. The plaza now serves as sleeping grounds for the homeless people, there is massive road construction now in the area. Every Sunday there's a makeshift barberia there. A monobloc, a hand mirror and the mighty barbero, but I didn't bother to take picture for fears that the barber could stab me open with what look like razor sharp labaja!

Overall, the fort is a great place to visit - the city government [to my surprise] did a descent job on this heritage site, but I feel more has to be done, like why isn't there any effort to make this heritage sites tourist friendly? It's a must in your place "to visit" list!

Another curious structure in the area, right across the plaza fronting the sea is the Malacanang sa Sugbo, which was vandalized by this current presidents vanity, who placed her year [2004] of renovation in front of the building, when I went to the building I understand what's the purpose why they placed those big bold numbers 2004 there - that was stupid. This edifice is the Cebu's Aduana built in the early 1900's.

Pride of Mandaue

The resilient Mandauehanon's rebuilt their centuries old house of prayer after the destructive fire

Prehispanic native tradition had an unwritten law, name places after shrubberies. Mandaue was named after a plant [Mantawi] said to have grown [or crawled] in abundance there. The Kastila who came, saw and conquered warped the indigenous name to fit their talking.

Mandaue is home to the finest wood furniture makers in the country, which explains why they have a carpenter for a patron saint. So admired was their wood products that they were exported to Spain in great quantities! Their salt was also well known for its exceptional quality - however, unlike the wood products which still big to this day, the salt making is a shadow of what it used to be, it's an endangered trade now limited to a barrio [reminds me of the Sampaguitas of Tunasan San Pedro!].

San Jose parish, a national shrine, is home to the only life-size carved depiction of the last supper in Asia, el Senor de Cena. Miraculously spared during the fire that partially destroyed the church in 2001.

The extent of the damage was big; it destroyed the centuries old sacristy and icons. Brass plaques attached to the walls now offers a tribute to all the generous donations both monetary and labor that paved the way for its reconstruction.
[/caption]
the mighty tower

One Fray Bermejo successfully defended the southern places of Cebu, he was called upon to devise a series of protective measures to defeat the Moro raiders - and his approach has succeeded, inspiring the series of defense towers from Daang Bantayan to Mandaue. One of this defense structures is the mighty Bantayan sa Hari [the city's great symbol] armed with cannons and manned 24/7, and this ancient defense system gave a clear break for Catholicism to spread. Unfortunately, this once magnificent watchtower, symbol of Spain's colonial authority and purpose of putting all natives under the bells is in a depressing condition, left to deteriorate, unkindly vandalized, both citizens and government seem to have forgotten about its crucial role in Sugbuanon Christianity, history and culture.

The tower is more than 1 kilometers away from the church of Sn. Jose, this solid watchtower itself is pretty close to the waters now, its situated almost under the old bridge that Macoy built. The tower is perfectly aligned with the church in a straight path [now a concrete pathway ending at the oil depo] with the population right next to it. This could only mean that the church was built away from the shores to protect it from the raiders, a signal from the bantayan would've given sufficient time to defend their sacred Iglesia and tiny town.

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The Beautiful Presidencia

The Presidencia is another interesting structure, its located in front of San Jose. It was built in the 1937 and was inaugurated by the legendary Cebuano Governor S. Cabahug. It is said that Katipuneros fought hard to win it from the Spaniards in '89 where the Presidencia now stands, they vowed not to desert it again, and the hangover wasn't over yet when an American ship demanded its surrender in 1901. The Spanish structure was destroyed by the Americans, the Presidencia we today was only built in '37.

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Mantawi Festival is celebrated on the 1st week of May, I'll try to catch it!

Padre Cera's Las Penas

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="232" caption="The Recollets greatest builder in Spanish Philippines"][/caption]

I was looking at my old collection of photographs when I saw pictures of St. Josephs's of Las Pinas that I took s  sometime in 2006 when I was looking for the old bridge that was built by the master builder of Las Pinas, the great Padre Diego Cera, creator of the iconic bamboo organ and founder of the town  parish. Today, the recollet Padre is regarded as the founder of the old Las Pinas town [although records show that it was founded in 1762, Cera came inthe early 1800's], but still such an honor should be given to Cera, as the emblem of the ciudad would show today his legacy, the Bamboo Organ.

In front of the parish is a grey stone monument of Padre Cera, surrounded by his workers, digging the bamboos out of the salty sands of the bay. It took him almost a decade to complete his project. This technique made the otherwise fragile bamboo into a hardy material, replacing the traditional metal pipes used in popular european pipe organs - necessity they say is the mother of all invention.

Whats astounding is that the Recollet father built the church and the organ almost at the same time, testament to his uncanny planning skills. Today, inside the mini museum, one could find some of the original pieces of the organ which was taken to Europe for a full repair sometime in the 70's.

The annual star attraction of the town is the international event, the Bamboo Organ festival, where both local and internation choir groups compete in the spirit of celebrating the uniqueness of this beautiful musical instrument.

A representative of St. Joseph, Msgr. Albert Venus, expressed his disappointment to see that foreigners are more interested than locals, in his words "its alarming". We're a generation without a clear understanding of our heritage and identity, so this attitude is not really surprising Padre.

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Most people think that Las Pinas got its name from the tropical fruit Pina, a visit to the old Iglesia of San Jose would disprove this, the original bell now sits in front of the door that leads to the loft, inscribed on the bell is the word "Las Penas" [Siendo Cura-del Pueblo de las Peñas el M.R.P. Padre Diego Cera se Fundio este equilon ano de 1820] which literally means hardship [sacrifice], its interesting how it became "Pinas" for there was no record of any pineapple industry in this once  fishing district of Paranaque.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="323" caption="The Parochial Chair"][/caption]

Inside the museum of the Las Piñas Parochial Church are other relics. Pictures and memorabilias from Padre Ezequiel Moreno, a Spanish Recollet so admired by his town mates that when he was transferred to Sto Tomas, the Las Pineros protested the decision in front of the Recollets headquarters in Intramuros, said to be the first ever people power in our history, he went on to fulfill his duties in Sto Tomas and other provinces under the Recollets, he became a Bishop in Latin America. He is also regarded as one of the founders of Puerto Princesa - Nick Joaquin  in one of his essay, said that among the paladins of clothe, the recollets were the specialist in "jungle missions", today, they are credited for converting Negros into the successful sugar maker that it is.

They were also once the richest order in the country, with big shares in San Miguel and land holdings greater than the other orders.

Matud Nila

When I was looking for a place to stay [I'm really on a super tight budget] I was looking for some inexpensive spaces, I found many places that were old and neglected, many offer rooms that were like dirty bomb shelters. I was hopping from one barrio to the other, unfamiliar with urban Cebu, I would always end up asking for directions, I was at the mercy of strangers, and true enough, people here are generous and kind.

Like the Zubiri's of Cebu.

Their Grandfather was a renowned Visaya musician, "an all around" musikero, his daughter now confined to her wheelchair recalls. I was interviewing her for sometime when I realized that I was giving her a hard time, I was told that she has survived several medical emergencies, I no longer dared to ask more. After thanking her I left her alone with her good lady caretaker.

His father was Ben Zubiri, aka Iyo Karpo, the composer of the immortal Visayan ballad, "Matud Nila" [they say]. A tagalog version, "Ikaw na Lamang" was made by Levi Celerio. Zubiri was also a Cebuano actor, acting in one of the first Cebuano movies released in theater houses locally. A matud nila has been sung by countless Filipino musician from Pilita Corales to modern crooners like Mark Bautista. Its the greatest Visayan song my Mama would tell me.

My Mama, a Visayan woman herself, would listen to a radio drama to an AM station, the background music was this timeless classic, sung by a soothing female voice [anyone knows who the singer was on that show? its on DZRH I believe, the drama was played every noon time, mid 1980's].

Zubiri was also a fierce guerrilla fighter during the Japanese occupation, he met his wife in Bohol, where he was stationed. He died on 1969.


Ben Zuburi and his awards on top of his beloved piano where he created his memorable Cebuano ballads