Li-loan's San Fernando Rey

San Fernando Rey

San Fernando Rey in Liloan [li-loan] is a church shrouded with mysteries. Legend has it that the cave at the back of the altar is full of ancient treasures and that a sea creature protects it. This of course is a myth but stories like this add mystique to already a popular town, making the place more interesting.

The meter thick wall. I'm amazed at how this church has been preserved


The interior

I tried to look for someone in the parish to talk to; I was not in luck, there was no one. I want to see the cave for myself, in the early days it was said to have been made accessible to the public. I’m certain that the cave is man-made, but when it was dug out, nobody's sure. But whether it was hollowed out in the 1800’s or during the Japanese occupation, I suspect that the purpose would be to hide possessions, if not lives.

The Coral Stone church with a Parola replica

The Hispanic Cebu era had its share of pirates, Moro raiders sacking the rich southern towns of the province – and it makes sense that such an asylum exist inside the church, which during those years was where people would seek refuge from calamaties. During the brutal Japanese occupation this cave possibly served the same purpose.

I’ve heard that the cave is flooded with water, if this is the case, it could be similar in design with an ancient excavation made in Canada, where after the excavation, the hole was intentionally flooded to conceal the treasures forever.

I plan to go back in Lilo-an, hopefully, I could inspect this legendary cave and take pictures. I’m trying to contact people that could make this possible, a recent blogger, who writes about the town, was denied access by the current parish priest.

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The Friars that built it were men of great vision; they knew the parish would grow so they built a church that would have the capacity to accommodate parishioners for centuries. There has been no expansion ever since, which is truly remarkable!

What’s also interesting is that it was built facing west, when it was standard practice to erect churches facing the sea, which is on the East. Nobody is certain why it was designed this way, Cebuano historians believe that the builders wanted to steer clear from the heat of the sun [since mass were held regularly in the morning]. But I left the place still with question in my head, why when all the churches was established facing the sea, why was Li-loan’s San Fernando Rey erected facing west?

My opinion is that the mission that planned building the church sought to pay reverence to the monarch saint by building a church that faces his kingdom in the west.

I could be wrong though.

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Here I saw expert potters; they declare that theirs is the best lechon de leche, but every town here in Cebu claims superiority over the other towns, in the end, the proof is in the eating. Grill stands are also popular here, after tasting their grilled fish and sea weed salads; I could attest that life is good here. It must be. I was beginning to fall in love with the town that I’ve only known in books.

There is also a ruin of “Bantayan sa hari” in Barrio Celero, similar to Mandaue, these fortifications reach Daangbantayan, a sentry system as part of a defense plan laid out to protect the Christian population. The town is proudest of their Parola, built by Taft in the 1900’s. It’s a Beautiful monument of time, history and tradition of diligent Liloanons.

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Another Rizal monument

Another Rizal monument in Liloan's town hall which by the way is a fascinating structure built during the American colonial years. But I was surprised to see who donated the typical Rizal bronze statue – a young representative named Vicente Sotto, a Cebuano literary genius and a respected statesman.

Cebu Cathedral Museum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="423" caption=" The old convent converted into a wonderful museum"][/caption]

Cebu Cathedral has unveiled their Museums finest collection, entitled “Cuna del Cristianismo: The Ecclesiastical Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu”, the displays would be permanent, and it features ancient pieces from pre Vatican II chasubles, life size paintings of Cebu’s bishops [including that of Dn. Pedro de Agusto, an Augustinian from Mexico, the islands first Bishop], rare photos [recuerdo de patay of past Bishops] and the amazing centuries old icons from the old parishes across the island.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="427" caption="The rear portion of the convento, at a distance the Cebu Cathedral"][/caption]

This is by far one of the most impressive museum I’ve ever visited here, the onetime convento that houses the exhibition is in itself a remarkable place, said to have been built by a visionary builder – Bishop Santos Gomez Maranon [builder of the churches in Oslob and Naga, under his administration, the impressive convent in Sibonga was also created], it is witness to the accomplishments of the pioneer missions. As missions succeeded in converting Sugbuanon natives, it gradually formed the shape of not only this wonderful island but the entire nation, as the Cebu missions would serve to be the model for future missionary expeditions.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="434" caption="The wooden engraving of Saints"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="438" caption="A beautiful altar with its sacristy, adored with gold and silver"][/caption]

There is a guided tour when I came in, but I decided not to join the group because I wanted to observe at my own [very] leisurely phase. In the first floor, a whole retablo complete with religious objects is put on show, the silver art is of the most excellent quality, a product of the galleon trades. Heavy wooden benches and engraving of the four gospel saints said to be more than two centuries old can also be found. What’s amazing is that the whole house is still partially supported by the original log foundations!  Some of these thick timber foundations are highlighted by lights for everyone to see.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="The floor, showing the first portion belonging to the prehispanic era, then the Hispanic and later the American colonial"][/caption]

A portion of the second floor is dedicated to Cardinal Vidal, a great man who has served his church admirably. The exhibits features some of his personal collections , it includes  letters and a private notes, photos and medals - his La Lealtad Acrisolada por Isabel La Catolica [presented by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia in ‘76], another medal presented this time by El Generalissimo, Francisco Franco, the prestigious Gran Cruz de la Orden Isabel La Catolica.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="387" caption="- A Cebu Bishop’s photo, taken and printed in Binondo Manila"][/caption]



This project of the Archdiocese of Cebu is a very good example of what restoration should be, I’m so happy with what I’ve seen here. Although there were portions that were obviously reconstructed, needed to maintain the old convent structurally sound, the effort placed on preserving the old character of the historical house is commendable.

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Photo taking is prohibited on the relics exhibited on the second level, something that we all – being visitors should respect, I limited my shoots on the areas where it was allowed.

Carmelites of Cebu

The Gate with the Convento

The beauty of Cebu city is that it’s metropolitan, well developed, but hidden behind its progress are sacred grounds that continues to provide spiritual sanctuary for centuries to its inhabitants.

One of my adored places to visit is the Carmelite convent and chapel, founded in the mid 1900’s by the Carmelites here in Mabolo. It has a quiet small garden, where I would just take a seat and rest my mind, it has several rock benches, mature trees with broad leaves scattered around the convent grounds that supplies ideal shade.

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The Carmilite Chapel with the familiar Carmilite symbols

The place is perfect for finding serenity and God, even Arroyo, stressed out with numerous issues on her presidential campaign against Poe, who many still believes won, that she silently flew and sought asylum inside the Carmilite convent, startling even her closest cabinet members.

Inside the classical gothic chapel are candle stations, I often light candles after dropping coins in the donation boxes. Candles are mysterious things, they have the power to unwind your weary mind, and its light is like a mirror where you could see yourself and reflect on the troubles you face. I’m always looking to lit candles, even when I was a child, I did it for fun then but now that I’ve matured, it feels very different.

Inside the church is a relic, a small piece of rock from Mount Carmel, taken from where the Holy Virgin appeared and delivered her divine message. It’s sheltered inside a transparent container, just beneath a life-sized statue of the Nuestra Sra. Del Carmen.

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The Entrance of the Monastery, a Carmelite sister at the gate

I’m sure that we all wore Scapulars when we were kids, I use to wore them even when I’m playing basketball, I’ll never take them off until it gets worn out - then I’ll just buy another one. My mother told me that it has mystical powers and I believe that it has powers, that anyone who wears the Carmilte Scapular would be kept away from harm, something that I would discover to be the truth later in life.

I have a scapular, placed inside my car; I’ll momentarily stare at it and say my little prayer before heading out. In 2005, I suffered a terrible accident; I collided head on with a jeep somewhere in Tunasan, my car was badly wrecked, windows smashed into pieces. I momentarily lost consciousness upon impact but regained it just in time to drive my car to safety near the shelter of Pepsi Muntinlupa. It was a hit and run, when the police came they were told by the tambays to look for the jeep, they never caught that bastard who crossed his driving lane to overtake causing the collision.

I was rushed to the hospital; fortunately, it was Asian Hospital, one of the finest medical institution in southeast Asia. Aside from stitches and some hours of observation for possible head trauma, I was out of the hospital in less than 6 hours. I attribute this unbelievable survival to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.



Being here in the Carmilite Convent and Chapel is always a special occasion for me, I doubt it if I’ll be able to make a pilgrim to Mt. Carmel, I know seeing that little rock in the Carmelite chapel is the closest I could get to that miraculous mountain.

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.
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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!