BARONS OF BACOLOD AND ILOILO (3/4)

The morning of the 27th of April was to be our first day of the heritage tour that would take us all over the province of Iloilo. The entire party was up early and by seven in the morning, people were arriving at the appointed  rendezvous to kick off the tour. We started milling around in the plaza of the San Jose de Placer Church in Iloilo City for a while as there was a Mass being held and it was improper to just barge in and take the obligatory photo documentation of this lovely church. Following the Spanish lay-out of the town the church is bounded by the Plaza Libertad and the municipal building. Across it would be the Freemason headquarters and the former Iloilo hotel with its graceful portico. Road improvement projects at the front of the church mar the view as there were heavy machinery parked in front of the Spanish style convento situated at the left of the church.

Started in 1873 by Fr. Mauricio Blanco, O.S.A., who also started the two rectangular belfries flanking  the church in 1893. The church was repaired by Fr. Manuel Diez in 1902. It was spared from destruction in WWII and was restored by Engineer Mariano Cacho of the Panay Electric Company. The church was again renovated in 1980-'82 by Agustinian priest Fr. Andres de Centina using Romblon marble on its transept, presbytery, main and side altar walls, and floors. A main feature is its altar gilded with 17,000 gold panels undertaken by Fr. Jesus Fernandez. It has three knaves and a transept marked with fluted columns in Corinthian style. The Byzantine church has a semicircular arched main entrance with  minor entrances on each side. Six Ionic columns support the twin belfries and a pediment with a statued niche on the tympanum. It also has semicircular arched windows and rose windows on its facade.

St. Joseph convento

They also house the image of the Nstra. Sra. del Rosario, an image found on the 29th of September,  1614 during the defense of Iloilo by  Corporal Diego de Quinones against the invading Dutch fleet headed by Admiral Georges Spillberg It was taken in a solemn procession to the church by Fathers Geronimo Alvarado and Juan de Morales.The Statue was damaged  in 1850 church fire and restored in Manila in 1873 and restored again in 1907 by Sra. Dna. Candelaria Soriano vda. de Cacho* ( A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches, Benjamin Locsin Layug, New Day Publishers, 2007)

We met our Iloilo guide as we were leaving the church and boarded the bus for our next destination. As it turns out, Roy Gatpatan is the cousin of my next door neighbor here in Manila. I've been making friends with close Manila connections, how cool is that? Roy Gatpatan was most entertaining with commentaries injected with humurous anecdotes and stories eliciting hearty laughter from us.

We first did a city tour going through Calle Real where heritage buildings stand side by side and still intact and in use. Graceful architecture still abounds in Iloilo City with the buildings' dates proudly displayed on their  unique facade. Deep inside I'm thinking, had Escolta not been bombed in WWII, it would have looked like Calle Real. We also went around the university belt of Iloilo where learning institutions have proudly produced  technocrats, political figures, health workers and seafarers. This prompted our guide to quip that "awareness of heritage has something to do with the literacy rate of a city." Once again, the laughter...

A lot of us missed breakfast for fear of missing the early call time, so it was a treat stopping by the Camina Balay nga Bato at a small sleepy district called Villa de Arrevalo. Originally known as La Villa Rica de Arrevalo the adjective has been dropped over the centuries. It is said that when the Queen Isabel II was deposed because of the Salic Law, the Vireinato (viceroyalty) was transferred to this location thus earning the title rich village. An obelisk at the plaza with a crown on its apex symbolizes the patronage from the queen.

We were met at the ground level by the current owner and resident of the heritage house, Luth Camina Avancena welcomed us and spoke of the house history. She is the 4th generation occupant of the home built on the support of 24 hardwood posts covering the entire floor area of the home. Built in 1865, the home is an elegant throw back of generations of family members that have introduced little changes over the years. Their main draw is an experience of sipping piping hot, thick chocolate from a baterol. The chocolate comes with crispy crackers or  rosquillos for dipping into the thick coco. To get a refill, one merely rings a small bell and the server comes to you with pewter pitcher of hot chocolate brew in hand. It harks back to the time when the dons and donas need not raise their voice to call house help. At the mere tinkling of a bell, they come running to fulfill your every whim.

We then proceeded to the San Joaquin Church, in San Joaquin where we were met by the officer in charge for tourism Ms Erlyn Alunan. The church of San Joaquin is a success story of restoration. Located 53.5 km west of Iloilo City, it sits on a plain overlooking the sea. The church is a declared National Treasure. It is constructed of  gleaming white coral rock quarried from the shores of Punta Maligting, Bgy. Igcadlum, Igbaras. Fr. Thomas Santaren, O.S.A. headed the construction of the church in 1869. The simple facade has three sections. The ground level has an arched main doorway with coupled pilasters dividing it in three sections. On each side of the entry way are statued niches. The choir loft level has two niches as well and a statued niche at the center. The triangular pediment has two sets of finials on the top. The unique feature of the church is its high bas relief of the Rendicion de Tetuan depicting the victory of the Spanish forces under Spanish General Leopoldo O'Donnell over the Moorish forces under Moorish Crown Prince Muley Abbas. The relief was done in red, blue and yellow mosaic carved in  stone blocks and mounted on the pediment.which was added halfway through the construction of the church by Fr. Santaren, Spanish Engineer Felipe Diaz and a Filipino (some say Chinese) carver.

We made a short stop to sample some of San Joaquin's delicacies at Do Doy's (AHP San Joaquin) residence and to admire his collection of old photos, shards of hand painted Florentine tiles, artwork of old churches. Then we proceeded to the Campo Santo of San Joaquin. Ms Erlyn regaled us with a history of the town's noble past. Some of the locals, Ms Erlyn included, trace their ancestry back to the ten Bornean Datus who fled Sultan Makatunaw's cruel reign during the Sri-Vijaya empire c. 1250 A.D. These ten Datus were:1. Datu Puti (the leader), 2. Datu Balensusa, 3.Datu Bangkaya, 4. Datu Dumalugdog, 5. Datu Dumangsil, 6. Datu Dumangsol, 7. Datu Lubay, 8. Datu Panduhinog, 9. Datu Paliburong, 10. Datu Sumakwel. Ms Erlyn is a direct descendant of Datu Paliburong. 

The Campo Santo of San Joaquin is built on a hillside with an imposing chapel right smack ini the center of the public cemetery. Located on the outskirts of the town, it was supposedly intended for the final resting place of victims of a cholera outbreak. Unfortunately, the cemetery has come under controversy quite recently. The pride of San Joaquin residents and also a National Treasure became the site of a treasure hunting spree that was spearheaded by the parish priest Nelson Silvella. Treasure hunters were caught red-handed while digging 60 feet under the mortuary chapel seeking gold in the dead of night. Witnesses and the caretaker (bribed by the priest) filed a complaint to the police who apprehended ten men involved in the crime. The priest has been relieved and is currently in hiding. Ms Erlyn made her leave from there and we back tracked towards Miagao for our lunch and to experience a World-Heritage site.

Lunch at Miagao Municipal Hall was sponsored by the local government. We were warmly welcomed at the town Hall and they were only too happy to have an AVP of the town's history and it's national treasure. at the lobby were samples of the local weave called Hablon. The town takes it name from the Miagus plant that grows abundant in the area. But more than a heavy lunch, I had a drink of water at a 7-11 building that blocks the view of the church from the road. Another photo bomber of a national treasure!

Maigao Church is an imposing building built like a fortress. There's good reason for this. The town, along with San Joaquin and Guimbal lie near the ocean. It was a favorite haunt of slave traders who would raid the town to capture locals and sell them off as slaves. Miagao in the third church built in the area on top of a hill called Tacas (escape). The first church was built in 1734 and burned to the ground by Moro raiders in 1741. The second one built by Fr. Fernando Camporredondo from 1744 to 1750 was also burned and looted by pirates in 1754. The existing one was built by Fr. Francisco Maximo Gonzalez in 1786 of huge stones quarried from Sitio Tubo (San Joaquin) and completed by maestro de obras from Igbaras in 1797. 

The elements have not been kind to Miagao Church but its construction has mostly weathered natural disasters and wars. In 1864, Agustinian priest, Fr. Agustin Escudero undertook restoration of the church, and in 1880 interiors were done by Fr. Jose Sacristan. In 1898 the church succumbed to fires and American War 1910. Damaged by an earthquake in 5 Jan 1948. Restored by Archbsp. Wenceslao Enojo in 1959. In 1962 Msgr. Leonardo Javillo and NHI chairman Esteban Ocampo did restoration as well. A marker was installed by National Historical Institute under Director Luis Montilla on 16 February 1963. 1 August 1973, Maigao was a declared land mark, and in 1994 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Miagao is certainly the most beautiful of the World Heritage Churches in the country. It has four meter thick walls of sand stone. The facade has Filipino motif in high relief depicting the giant image of St. Christopher carrying the child Jesus on his shoulder.  Philippine flora dominates the  motif. A coconut tree serves as the support for St. Christopher flanked by fruit laden Guava and Papaya trees representing fertility. The lower portion has a semicircular arched entry  framed by two pillars. On each side of the entrance are statued niches. Sto. Tomas de Villanueva, the patron saint is in the central niche of the choir loft section with a heavily decorated frieze and the pediment has the high bas relief of of the Filipinized artwork reminiscent of the Aztec style design. Acanthus leaves are included in the decorative patterns of the design. The bell towers are asymmetrical with half circular buttresses. The left has four stories while the right has three. These were later additions during construction in 1839 by Father Francisco Perez. The pealing of the bells warned of invasion and pirate raids and the lower tower allowed for sound to travel farther inland as a warning to locals.

We sort of back-tracked our way from San Joaquin to Miagao and passed through Taytay Boni which is one of the last remaining Spanish bridges in the country. The bridge is remarkably well-preserved and kept from vandalism with a wrought iron fence around it. Built in 1854, the bridge stands as a testament to Spanish engineering. Bonifacio Neular is credited for designing the bridge which allows the overflow of water from the mountains to drain out to the ocean. The bridge is 35 meters long, 6.7 meters wide with 1 meter walls. Yellow sandstone called tablea is the main composite of the bridge which was de-commissioned in the 1960's when the new highway was built. The bridge lies on the outskirts between Miagao and Guimbal. Speaking of Guimbal, the town is known for its vanishing mansion. The story goes that on certain evenings a beautiful lady will hail a cab and direct the driver towards Guimbal. Once the mansion is in sight, the lady will disembark from the cab with directions for the driver to pass another route. When the driver turns around, the mansion is nowhere in sight. A marker with an effigy of a white lady and the tree where the mansion is supposed to be located marks the mystical spot.

Lazaro Ancestral House in Iloilo City was our next stop. Another Bahay na Bato, the house is notable as it was visited by no other than national hero Jose Rizal on his way from Dapitan to Manila. Apparently, the patriarch Don Raymundo Melliza was a classmate and close friend of Jose Rizal who served as a chief magistrate in Cuba and advised him about the Cuban settlement which Rizal wanted to move to in lieu of his imprisonment and eventual execution. The request he made was denied by the Spanish authorities and Rizal ended up walking to his execution. The house is now occupied and is our venue for merienda of a Pancit Molo and empanada. The house is expansive and has a big blow up of Jose Rizal in the caida. Unfortunately, i took much of my time taking stock of the photographs I had for the day and they ran out before I could experience it.

Relic of St. Anne

It was a short drive to Molo Church and the sun was beginning to set so I immediately made my way to the church dedicated to St. Anne. While taking photos, I  saw Mike Asinas who tagged me along to the old convento to take photos of their collection of antiques and to see the relic of St. Anne. Nothing beats the luster of old wood and I admired the items on display at the convento of Molo Cathedral. They have the ecclesiastical chair which Pope Paul IV used on his visit to this church. Incidentally, the second Filipino saint, San Pedro Calungsod, served in the church in his prime before he was martyred while evangelizing the local Chamorro indigenous people in Guam along with Jesuit saint Diego Luis de San Vitores.

Made of coral stone in 1831 under the supervision of Don Jose Manuel Locsin. The church withstood the bombing of WWII but the belfries were destroyed. It was restored after the war. It has five retablos and stained glass windows on its walls. The church is known for the images of 16 female saints that line the knave. The main facade is divided into three sections and arched main doorway flanked by coupled pillars. the upper segment has an arched stained glass window in the center and the windows on the belfry are arched as well. Rose windows are placed on top of the windows while a bas relief of Jesus is placed on top of the stained glass. The pediment has a niche with the statue of St. Anne. The third level of the belfries have finials and topped with turrets.

Across the plaza is the Yusay Mansion. Now, I personally left out the Consing name in deference to the wishes of a dear dear friend and mother figure who shall be left un-named. The Yusay mansion apparently was never owned by the Consing family. According to her, one of the Yusay daughters married into the Consing family and that he eventually became mayor of the town. They did live in the mansion during his term.  As part of his duties, the mayor would allow audience to his constituents who needed assistance in a myriad number of things. Not that he wasn't any good as a public official. From what I hear, he was indeed, an efficient mayor of Molo. But the name stuck. When they sold the mansion to SM Kultura, there was included a clause which prevents the mansion from being torn down. So the mansion was restored to its former glory. The second level was supposed to become a mini museum on the history of the property. That is yet to materialize.

Yusay Mansion

So after a long day spent practically jumping in and out of the bus, we were dropped off at the hotel to have our dinner anywhere we wanted. Our hotel was next door to its mall. We had dinner at a small restaurant called Chika-an where we sampled their version of  tuna sisig, chicken inasal and a veggie dish which i can no longer recall. The  dinner was alright... but the conversation and the laughter was simply superb!!!

BARONS OF BACOLOD AND ILOILO (2/4)

I woke up ahead of my alarm to the sound of chirping birds. Daylight was creeping in as I enjoyed my morning coffee in the cabin 4-D of Mambukal Resort. I just  stepped out to see the avian life amongst the trees when I remembered the evening commentary on the bus that there was a population of bats in the area. I was not disappointed. There were an inordinate amount of bats flying in to roost for the day. It was amazing to watch so I ran in again to fetch my camera and photograph them. I managed to take some snapshots of flying foxes and other species of bats. Apparently there are 4: golden mantled, common island, large flying fox and the endangered golden-crowned flying fox. I also took photos of surrounding areas  and checked out the restaurants for my breakfast. I was going to check out the falls when I bumped into the ladies who were also on their way to see it.

There are seven stops to the summit of the falls, the last one being the most spectacular. The trek was mild and the way was clearly marked out. There were too many photo ops along the way that when we reached the first stage of the falls, it was time to head back to base camp so we won't be late for the 8:30 a.m. call time. The cottage we stayed in was clean and well-ventilated. It had abundant water supply and the bathroom was neat and in working order.The sprawling complex has a total of 23.6 hectares and abundant wildlife to enjoy. Among the facilities are a buttterfly garden, hot mineral baths, a spa, zip line, boating lagoon, wall-climbing, pool, convention hall, canopy walk, villas, cottages and Ishiwata bath house. Mambukal Resort is the gateway to Mt. Kanlaon. I think a second visit is in order...

People have to remember that when they are part of a tour group, they are answerable for any delays they cause while on the trip. That should be taught to millenials. I go by the rule that if you're on time, you're already late! So we waited for more than half an hour to leave because three young men failed to wake up early and pack up ahead of call time. That further delayed our trip to the next stop thus affecting the schedule for the entire day.

We made a stop at Tan Juan Araneta house  in Bago City.  The home is now a general  museum run by the local government of Bago City. Famed as the home of General Araneta whose claim to fame is deluding the Spanish forces to surrender to him using only makeshift canons and 2 guns... that was a stroke of genius! He reclaimed the house for his  family  of twelve to live in until his death in 1924. The family was forced to abandon the house again with the arrival of the Japanese Kempeitai who used it as their headquarters. After WWII, the heirs no longer wanted to stay in the house and the local government made use of it at first as the Bago High School in 1947. By 1972, the Araneta family donated the property to the local government unit. By 1982 restoration had begun with the aid of the National Historical Institue. And in 1991 the museum was underway. It now has different sections from war memorabilia, home implements and furnishings, sugar production and an effigy of a babaylan (shaman).

Our next stop was at the Panaad Stadium in  Bacolod City. Apparently, we arrived a few days late for the Panaad Festival. Thank goodness! Otherwise we would not have been able to see the Kalamay sa Bacolod mini museum. The one stop museum  had a petite collection of memorabilia that deals with the production of sugar: its painstaking, labor-intensive production. It also has a section of dolls in indigenous attire. One was created by artist Solomon Saprid. Then we headed for lunch.

Eron's Cansi House is an unpretentious hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves a variety of dishes for lunch fare. But since we replied to the query of what we wanted to eat... we wanted cansi for lunch. They brought us here because this was the best place to experience it. We ordered a few side dishes but the focus was the savory thick broth that came with bone marrow and fall off the bone meaty goodness of  cansi. The souring agent for the soup is an endemic ingredient called batwan. It's a green bulb that is boiled together with the thick broth and the bone-in leg and shank of beef. It's their Ilonggo version of sinigang including the gelatinous marrow that melts in your mouth. Honestly, if they didn't serve anything else,  the broth on the rice could save my lunch hunger pangs. So good!!

The Capitol of Negros Occidental is a neo-classic style building following Daniel Burnham's Beaux Art style that had been extended over the decades.  Corinthian columns  support a parapet that has two caryatid figures on each corner along the front colonnade. The facade faces a wading pool in the plaza that is bounded by Filipinized figures done by Guillermo Tolentino.  The provincial capitol tourism office is on the right wing annex of the building. The multi-purpose/social hall is on the second floor of the main building. 

Pressed for time due to our delayed schedule we were given  10 minutes to visit and document the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City. The church was originally a small chapel built in 1876. The present structure was built upon the initiative of Fr, Mauricio Ferrerro using Guimaras Island corral stone and inaugurated by Fr Manuel Cuenca in 1882.On the 23rd of June, 1933 it was made a cathedral. Msgr. Casimiro Lladoc repaired and improved the church in 1936. to mark the Cathedral's centenary, the church bells were brought down from the belfry and placed on the right side of the church patio in 1976.  Beside it is the Archbishop's Palace started in 1830 by Fr. Julian Gonzaga but was completed only in 1890. It was a refuge of Spanish military and civil officials during the revolution. It faces a small park with a Band Stand in the center. the church property line runs along the center of the park. The crown along the roof of the band stand has the names of  important classical composers. The band stand is adorned in classical black and white contrasting tiles. Fountains have suggestive sensual figures representing male and female genitalia.

By four in the afternoon we were at the port and ready to board a ferry to Iloilo.  Luckily the weather was cooperative and it was an hour and a half of smooth sailing from the Bacolod port to Iloilo. We saw Rocca Encantada but it was too far for any discernible photo from my camera. When we disembarked from the fast craft, the jeepney we rode in struck a bargain with us for a fifty peso/ pax fare from the port to our Go Hotel destination and another ride from the hotel to  our dinner at Kamalig at Atria Ayala. Dinner was superb as usual...I swear I must have gained 5 more pounds from eating on this trip. Tita Dodi Escartin joined us for dinner. She was in Iloilo attending to her father who was sick at the time.

Kamalig Restaurant at Atria Ayala (photo by Pheeyah Salones)

We were so full after dinner, we decided to burn off some calories with a stroll at the Esplanade along the mangroves of  the Iloilo river. The air was barely blowing and when it did, it was a warm night. Fitness enthusiasts were jogging or speed walking along the Esplanade.  It was also nearing the weekend so families were  strolling out at night.It's interesting to see new urban development in an old city but done right. Imagine doing an esplanade along the Pasig River... that would be a 10 mile marathon. Why can't the metropolis pool their resources together to build a jogging path like this?

Some members decided to end their walk at the Esplanade and took rides to their respective hotels. Tita Dodi left her car at Atria and we walked back with her. We then decided to have after dinner coffee at  Madge Cafe at Atria. The staff were friendly and informative. They knew their product and helped us decide what drinks to order. After the drinks, Tita Dodi decided to take us on a night tour of the city. It was a nice drive... no traffic! But it was either I was too tired or my glasses were dirty or that the surroundings were too dark. I could barely make out the palatial homes outlines against a dark street. After that, Tita Dodi dropped us off at our hotels to rest for the night.

BARONS OF BACOLOD AND ILOILO (1/4)

El Ideal

From the 25th -28th of April, 2018 I was travelling all over Bacolod and Iloilo with my Advocates For Heritage Preservation family. The tour was arranged for us by AHP member Emman dela Pena who took great pains in ensuring the tour went smoothly. Tito Encarnacion was the busy bee who acted as the team leader. He is after all, the founder of AHP.

I'm no stranger to Bacolod since I have friends in this province. But normally when I'm there it's usually for an outreach performance of Ballet Philippines from many years past. This trip makes it extra special because aside from the sentimental journey I was about to take, it offered me a relaxed attitude in seeing Bacolod and Iloilo from the vantage point of  being an admirer of heritage and an advocate at that! All those years of going to these provinces have become more meaningful as it provided me the opportunity to reminisce and remember some friends who are no longer with us in the physical world and some who have moved to distant lands and started new lives...

Our trip to these islands also led me to gasp at the lifestyle of the aristocrats... It just surprised me that my friends were/are as normal acting as anyone who didn't have tracts of land nor money to burn. I guess the truly rich in their own humble way are never flashy with their wealth nor as eager to flaunt what they've got.

I was at the NAIA terminal 3 at 1:00 a.m. to be sure I made my flight. There, I bumped into Tito and Aye who were taking a chance in re-booking to an earlier flight. At the gate I saw Alice de Vera Vasquez. Then I saw Noel Panaligan and family with Ness Cembrero across the hallway. Before we knew it, Tito and Aye were also walking towards the gate. Our flight landed in Bacolod at 5:00 a.m. and we got a van share to get us to the meeting place for breakfast in Silay City. El Ideal is a non descript, unpretentious restaurant that has been a land mark in Silay for decades. It's a re-purposed ancestral home with a historical marker out front along the main highway next door to an old school building. They serve great food at reasonable prices and they also have shelves of delicious local breads and delicacies made in the area.  I had Chorizo Pudpud for breakfast which was a good idea. The  sausages are taken out of their casing and fried. The meal is served with garlic rice, sunny side and a dip of local vinegar called sinamak. The protein kept me awake for the morning tour. At 130.00 pesos, that was a good choice.

I also went meandering around the town while the meals were being prepared. They open for breakfast around six but we were let in due to a previous arrangement with Emman. I took photos of old homes along the main highway and went into the San Diego de Alcala church right beside the town plaza. Built over the ruins of the old church, the new edifice was erected in 1920. Some of the ruins remain undisturbed behind the church. It was elevated to Pro- Cathedral status in 1994, the second church to gain that distinction and the only one outside of Manila. The church was designed and built by Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi after churches of his beloved country of origin. Funds were provided largely by Don Jose R. Ledesma, a wealthy sugar baron and the rest were from donations of the community. The church is laid out in a cruciform pattern flanked by two belfries and a rosette window in the facade and a dome on the altar area (the only one in Bacolod).

One by one the participants started to trickle in as their flights arrived. The Manila, Bacolod and Iloilo contingent once completed started to board the bus (a first for AHP heritage tours) and made our way to open countryside towards the Chapel of the Cartwheels in Manapla which was our first stop. Shaped like the typical salakot ( a wide-brimmed hat used to shield workers from the searing sun), the chapel's roof is made of slats of old wood to form a conical shape. Most of the walls are made up of old discarded wheels of carumatas  (wooden carts) that transported freshly harvested sugar cane from the fields to the milling area. Even the image of a crucified Christ is mounted on an old cart wheel emphasizing the significance of the chapel's thrust to reach out to the farm hands. Pews are made frown hewn hardwood and assigned to the family that made it. Lighting fixtures use re-purposed steel plates from tilling machines that draw furrows during planting season. A centuries old boulder brought to the area by workers serve as the main altar, while an image of the Madonna with butterfly sleeves stands off tangent to the altar. During construction, Msgr. Gaston dissuaded his father to see the church and upon completion, presented it to his father who thought it was unsightly. The individual parts of the chapel are pregnant with ecclesiastical meaning which was lost on the aesthetic sensibilities of his father.

Hacienda Rosalia

It seemed as though it was a joke considering the chapel is within the grounds of Hacienda Rosalia. The three story mansion sits amidst lush gardens with a tennis court on the side and a playhouse which is an ode to the nursery rhyme of the old lady that lived in a shoe. The sparkling white mansion is punctuated by brilliant hued flowers and a fountain in the front. This ancestral home is used by the descendants of the Gaston family and was used by Peque Gallaga (who is married to one of the daughters) for the award-winning film Oro, Plata, Mata. They actually opened its doors to welcome us and allowed us entry into the recibidor. All around it are the sugar cane fields where the family gained its wealth and prominence. Manapla is 44.5 km north of Bacolod City and may be reached via public transport or van hire.

Our guides Raymond Alunan and Cidni Mapa (take note of their family names) made commentaries along the way engaging us with stories of  the powerful and mighty hacienderos whose property lines reached out to as far as the horizon line.  They spoke of how the wars affected the way of life of the rich and mighty landlords and how their loyal workers would shield them from Japanese atrocities if they had treated their workers fairly. This was how the haciendas that remain were spared from commandeering by the Japanese Kempeitai and how the families managed to hold on to their baronies. The stories were animated enough to include the quirks of the rich and famous and the workers who pandered to their little  whims for fear of getting their ire.

The sun was getting high  and we reached our next stop at another chapel that was built for the workers. This one was recently featured as another model for art conservation.  Perhaps the newest among the churches in Bacolod, the Chapel of St Joseph the Worker in Victorias, is right smack in the heart of the Victorias Milling Co. and one needs special permission to see it. I was here many years ago for the 75th anniversary of Victoria Sugar Central. It grabbed my attention then as it still does now. The chapel is a composite work of modernity amidst a busy factory and sugar mill. Done by Ossorio family in 1948, the modern church features mosaic artwork in the baptistry on the baptism of Christ  and some panels in the altar and facade made of bits of colored soft drink bottles.

The piece d' resistance is the mural of the last judgement with the gargantuan image of the "angry" Christ dominating the mural. The artwork was a collaboration between Alfonso Ossorio ( son of Miguel Ossorio) and Ade de Buthune, a Belgian born American artist. The fresco remains the focal point of the altar with  brilliant colors that seem to leap out from the walls. It is hard to maintain as it requires a particular pigment, carbon chromium carbide ethyl silicate no. 40 to retain its brilliance. Around the chapel are images of saints in Filipino attire and style. Ergo it was featured in Life Magazine and Liturgical Art Magazine for its  first Filipinism in ecclesiastical art.

It was past noon when we got to our lunch venue at Edgewater  restaurant. It sits literally at the edge of the ocean. Edgewater offers  fresh, abundant seafood at very reasonable prices. For our meal, we feasted on garlic fried milkfish, kilawin with gata (ceviche with coconut cream), KBL-kadios, baboy langka (beans, pork and jackfruit),  sisig, calamares and a basin full of fresh oysters and streamed rice. All of that for two hundred pesos per pax. Beat that!

Our next stop was at the Hofilena Museum. We were a bit late for our appointment because lunch was a bit slow but so worth savoring,  but sir Ramon Hofilena was a most gracious host. The museum is actually their ancestral home  and he actually lives there.

Sir Ramon is a sprightly 84 year old that can still deliver a punchline to enliven sleepy guests. A former swimsuit model, artist, athlete, thespian and former golden boy of High Society, his activities were side-swiped when he had a temporary paralysis from head to toe. Thankfully,  he recovered! His well appointed home is replete with memorabilia of an esteemed family that was used to travels abroad and stately dinners at home. Walking from room to room, I was constantly amazed at his collection of fine china, artwork, books, photos and curios from various ends of the globe. He will even sign prints of artworks and memorabilia one can purchase at the museum.

Next item on our itinerary was the Victor Fernandez Gaston Heritage House or the Balay Negrense. The home was donated to the local government by the Gaston Family as a showcase for culture and the arts. There was formerly a dance studio on the ground floor but is now an exhibit area of furniture and costumes some of the rooms are now showcases of family portraits and escudos of the family's noble past.  The wooden balusters of the two-pronged staircase lead to an open floor plan on the second level where groupings of furniture  are set purposely to encourage conversation among guests. Nothing beats the charm of gleaming old wood! The floor boards are wide and polished to a dark sheen. And the front windows are arched tall enough with ventanillas underneath to give it an inviting open  facade.

On our way to our last stop for the day, we passed many other heritage houses and our guide Raymond would break into story-telling of many tragic romances that left us feeling a little sad. One such story was that of Adela who was forbidden to see  Rudy, (a man who courted her) because he was below her station. Given that she was duty-bound to listen to her parents' will, Adela and  Rudy made a vow to wait for each other. Adela still tried to reach out to him through letters sent through her friend, Emma. Apparently, Emma and her beloved Rudy fell in love  and were eventually married. Adela, refusing to accept her fate becomes a recluse and locks herself up in her room. She shuns the company of her  family and lives her life in utter solitude. And because every time she wakes up in the morning  and rises to the sight of her married friends home (one house away from hers), her last act upon inheriting the home from her parents was to lop off the second floor of the house where she lived and stayed on the ground floor. She passed on in September 2,  2011.

Before Sunset we made our way towards the Balay ni Tana Dicang in Talisay.  I had to tell the sad love story of Adela because our next stop was at a home of a strong-willed empowered lady. The house was owned by Efigenio Lizares and Enrica Alunan. Tana is the diminutive for kapitana referring to the matriarch of the clan. The house sits on a 6,000 sq.m. property and done in the traditional Bahay-na-Bato style. The exterior is made of corral stone (coquina) and brick with a palitada of lime. The  ground floor was where the boys rooms were stationed. This was so the boys could protect the women on the upper floor. A total of 18 rooms make up the whole house. On one side of the house was formerly a street that Tana Dicang had closed off to discourage unwanted male admirers of her daughters. That side of the house has iron grill works protecting the windows while the street side has none. Venatanillas are present everywhere and above that are sliding capiz windows. The callado and balustrade of the escalera principal are decorated in thorn-like patterns while rosette patterns soften the theme. On one side are masculine almost phallic motiff  and the sala has  a more feminine motiff. Tana Dicang was eventually widowed and she had to raise all her children on her own, She rose to such prominence that statesmen would make an appointment to solicit her influence. At the same time, she ran the affairs of her hacienda with a trusty Thompson (shotgun) by her side. In order to keep the property within her family she willed that only the daughters could inherit her property.

Raymond Alunan playing the piano at the sala of Tana Dicang

The sun was going down  and it was time to head for dinner and a place to rest after a long day. We drove up to Mambukal Resort in Murcia which is 32 km from Bacolod City. Spread over 23.6 hectares, Mambukal is a nature sanctuary and water park with natural hot springs fed from the vents of Mt. Kanlaon.  We got our room assignments for the night and unloaded our gear in the cabins. At P1,200.00/night for 4 pax, it was a good deal.  Our dinner was at the reception area of the Ishiwata Baths where we dined on KBL, pancit, fish, chicken and fresh fruit for dessert. But before we could make it to the hot spring dipping pool it was about to be closed for the evening. I didn't mind. Freshening up after dinner, I drifted off to slumber land...