I don't always get to visit Bataan. It's quite near Manila; at least 3-4 hour drive, but I don't always have a proper reason to drop everything I'm doing and go there. Recently, I was invited to go on a day trip to Bataan... Bagac, Bataan to be precise.
The fun thing is, everyone on this day trip knew each other. Huddled in two vans, all 24 of us wanted to visit the sites on the itinerary: Mt. Samat, Dunsulan Falls and Las Casas Filipinas Ciudad de Acuzar. The call time for rendezvous was at 4a.m. You'd think that was early? It was just the right time. It was good enough to catch some sleep en route to the sites.
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| Dambana ng Kagitingan Main Hall |
Our collective prayers were somehow answered. The tropical storm had veered away on that day. But it was still rainy and dreary. But because everyone was in high spirits, no one complained about the rainy weather. On the contrary we were prepared for it. We had parkas and umbrellas so rain or no rain, we had decided to make the most of the trip.
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| Museum |
Mt. Samat was the first site we went to. I'm no stranger to Mt. Samat. My father would go every year during independence day on account of him being a war veteran. 1787 feet above sea level, Mt Samat is located in the town of Pilar, Bataan and its parent peak is Mt. Mariveles. Mt. Samat is a parasitic caldera of an extinct volcano and it is situated on the edge of the caldera.
The Dambana ng Kagitingan in Mt. Samat stands as a testament to the Filipino soldiers' bravery in WWII. The main hall has marble flooring and an altar that serves to be a venue for high mass and stained glass backdrop. The left chamber leads to a WWII museum of artillery and artifacts of WWII. At least 78,000 exhausted and sick soldiers under the command of Maj. Gen. Edward P. King surrendered to the Japanese forces after 4 months of fierce fighting in battle. On its peak is a Memorial Cross that has a viewing deck on its arms. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, the elevator was under repair. The picnic area was where we all shared in a sumptuous breakfast before we departed for the next stop.
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| Dunsulan Falls |
Dunsulan Falls is located at the foot of Mt Samat. It is located on the NE of the mountain in barangay Liyang, also in the town of Pilar.This is where the streams and gulleys of mount Samat drain out. On this particular day, the rains added a larger volume of water to the drainage. The water was quite turbulent due to continuous rains the previous night so it was quite a dangerous swim. We then headed to our third stop right after a sumptuous lunch.
Las Casas Filipinas Ciudad de Acuzar is a site where Manila's ready-to-be-demolished old homes have been given a new "lease" in its existence. Owned and operated by a man whose passion is rebuilding old homes to its former glory, Las Casas as it is commonly called is a park and bed and breakfast that restores, re-purposes and in some cases rebuilds the Bahay na Bato concept adapted by Filipino builders during colonial times.
It has become a tourist attraction that features some on the country's stateliest mansions that would have ended up in a pile heap. Thanks to Manny Acuzar's vision, these homes were dismantled brick by brick, plank by plank and re-located in a coastal area in Bagac, Bataan.
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| Hotel Oriente |
Day tours are arranged in such a way that guests are led on a tour of the most noteworthy restored homes by tour guides dressed in period costume. Some weddings are held in Las Casas for a very picturesque and unforgettable ceremony.
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| Alberto Mansion |
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| Casa Byzantina |
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