Part 5 of the Libotero Negros Occidental Heritage Series

Across the St. Mary Magdalene Church is the town plaza of Hinigaran.

Busts of Philippine heroes greet you at the Hinigaran Town Plaza. From L-R: Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, national hero Jose Rizal, Jose Abad Santos, General Vicente Lim and Lt. Eduardo Baumann

While walking around the plaza, I noticed that there seemed to be a festive mood so I tried to look around.

Hinigaran was holding their Municipal Cultural Meet at their gym during my visit

The event was well-attended by the Hinigaranons, which actually made me feel glad as the local government unit has provided a venue for its constituents to appreciate and value culture and the arts. Nowadays, most people would rather be occupied by technology, computers and the internet, so here’s two thumbs up to the Hinigaran LGU!

Further into the town plaza is the Hinigaran Municipal Capitol

The identifying mark on the municipal building is the emblem of the Commonwealth of the Philippines which means that the structure was built within 1935-1946, when the Philippines was still a Commonwealth of the United States. Interesting!

I watched the Cultural Meet for a few minutes while enjoying an “ice drop”. It really felt great to be somehow immersed into the culture of the locals. At around 3:30pm, I finally left Hinigaran on a mini-bus bound northward.

(…to be continued)

Part 4 of the Libotero Negros Occidental Heritage Series

From Kabankalan City, the town of Hinigaran is about an hour away. Hinigaran is perfectly located just between Bacolod and Kabankalan and one of the landmarks of this bustling town is their century-old church. Since the church is along the national highway, it is difficult to miss! So, as soon as we passed in front of the church, I hopped off the bus.

The church is located directly by the highway with almost no sidewalk! Quite dangerous for pedestrians if you actually think about it

The church was built in the 19th century through forced labor under the Spanish colonization. The local faithful were said to have been required to work for 15 days and were only paid 15 centavos, thus, the place where the church stands is known today as Kinsehan or Quinchihan.

The church features Romanesque architecture which can be noted on the semi-circular arches on its facade and belfry.

The church was made using chicken eggs, limestone, corals, and bricks. The walls are 2-meters thick so hopefully the church would be able to withstand any natural calamity in the future.

At the left side of the church is a three-level belfry that is functional up to this day.The church bell is said to be made of silver and gold, that weighs an enormous 480 kilograms

Meanwhile, just beside the church, fronting the convent, are five old bells, that are as old as the church! Amazing. The church was completed in 1881.

It’s quite sad to see though that the bells look quite neglected as the immediate surroundings are full of scrap

See above photos: the bells are surrounded by scrap metal, wood, chairs, a removed gate, trash, an unused restroom, etc.

As I entered the church, I was very much surprised to see that the interiors have been heavily renovated, and in bad taste at that!

Disappointing! Sigh! I do not see any connection between the newly renovated interiors and the exterior design. Only the facade, walls and the belfry of the church remain original and untouched and I hope it remains that way, preserved for the appreciation of the next generations to come.

A funeral service was ongoing during my visit so I did not stay long inside the church. As I exited, I noticed that there seems to be something going on at the town plaza, so I crossed the street and explored.

(…to be continued)

Part 3 of the Libotero Negros Occidental Heritage Series

After a walk in the park and snapping some photos of the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol, I flagged another cab to take me to the Ceres South bus terminal. (There are two Ceres terminals in Bacolod, one for northbound buses and the other for southbound. They’re located at both ends of one street).

I took an air-conditioned non-stop bus bound for Kabankalan City. Fare was P115. What I like about Negros is their established bus culture. It is the home base of the popular bus company, Ceres Liner, making almost every town in the island accessible to everyone. You can just hop on a bus and go anywhere!

Kabankalan City is a first-class city in southern Negros Occidental. Based on the latest census, it has a population of at least 166,845 people. The city is at least five towns away from the capital Bacolod. If you have your own vehicle, going there would only take a little over an hour. But since I was on a bus, it took me about two hours to reach Kabankalan City.

Prior to this trip, I really did was not able to do much research about Kabankalan City as I only planned to make it as the starting point of my town-to-town heritage hopping all the way back to Bacolod City. So as soon as I arrived at the Ceres Bus Terminal in Kabankalan, I hired a tricycle to take me to their city hall. Tricycle fare in Kabankalan is only 7 pesos. Do not ride if the tricycle driver tries to take advantage and asks for a higher fare.

Anyway, I really didn’t know what to expect but when we were approaching the city hall, I was pleasantly surprised to see a sprawling castle-like structure in the middle of sugar plantations.

I was feeling quite lazy taking photos under the scorching hot noontime sun so I wasn’t really able to capture the whole building and show it’s castle-like features which means that you actually have to go there to appreciate its beauty!

Kabankalan has a really grand and imposing city hall building, which reflects the potential of the city as one of the most progressive in the province.

Since I was there on a Saturday, the whole place was deserted. There was nothing else to do in the City Hall complex so after I took some photos, I hired another tricycle to Gaisano.

I was already quite hungry as I arrived in Gaisano Kabankalan so I dropped by Mang Inasal for lunch. (LOL, fastfood still.) One thing that amazed and amused me was the fact that almost all people who were dining at the restaurant ate with bare hands. Wow! And they all sprinkled chicken oil all over their rice. I don’t know how that would taste like, I was imagining it would feel like sipping cooking oil. Eww! I’m really not a fan of oily food though. Utensils were available by request.

Although first class in terms of income, Kabankalan is still mostly rural. Its streets are very clean!

After lunch, I took another tricycle to bring me back to the Ceres Terminal and I hopped on a Bacolod-bound bus to bring me to my next destination, Hinigaran.

(…to be continued)

Part 2 of the Libotero Negros Occidental Heritage Series

As soon as I got my check-in luggage and exited the arrival hall of the Bacolod-Silay Airport, I hopped into a van that would take me to Bacolod City. It’s the most affordable and practical means of transport to the city, so far. Fare for each passenger is P50. What’s nice about it is that it works like a carpool service, that is, you’re delivered right to your doorstep, that’s if your destination is along the main thoroughfares though.

Anyway, I was booked at Circle Inn Hotel and Suites and luckily, some passengers were bound for the Ceres Bus Terminal which was a few meters beyond the hotel, so I disembarked just right in front of the hotel. Convenient!

Prior to my arrival, I already made reservations with the hotel online so checking in was seamless. I was then led to my room where I quickly laid my luggage. Then I freshened up and took a cab to SM to have dinner at Greenwich. LOL. So much for my first night, oh well.

After dinner, I went back to the hotel and called it a day. I quickly fell asleep, zzzzZZzzzz.

DAY 2.

I set my alarm to 7:30am as I planned to take a roadtrip to southern Negros Occidental that day. So as soon as I woke up, I took a shower and did all my morning rituals. At 8am, I was already in a cab that would take me to Jollibee – Lacson Street for breakfast.

After breakfast, I crossed the street to appreciate the architectural marvel that is the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol.

Libotero poses at the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol

Located along Lacson Street, one of Bacolod City’s main thoroughfares, the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol was built in the 20th century, on the year 1925 to be exact, featuring American neoclassical architecture. This is where the Kilometer Zero marker of Negros Occidental is located. Distances to other points in the province are measured starting from here.

One of the highlights of the structure is a three-level colonnade (a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. source.) at its center-most portion. These columns are crowned by Corinthian capitals.

It is easily one of the most grand provincial capitol buildings in the country. With the presence of a newly-built building within the complex, the central portion of the capitol currently serves as the home of the Negros Museum.

What sets this capitol apart from its counterparts in other provinces is the presence of a huge lagoon! The placid waters reflect the relaxed atmosphere in Bacolod and the whole province in general.

While the area may be quite sleepy during daytime, it is a different story during nighttime thus it deserves another post.

Insane editing thanks to the new Adobe Photoshop CS5

(…to be continued)

Part 6 of the Libotero Baguio-Banaue Roadtrip series

DAY 1.

After roaming around and buying the much-needed essentials at SM City Baguio, it was still raining so hard!

So, we decided to buy some raw meat and cooking essentials, and just cook our own dinner at the hotel (which was apartelle-style so it had a stove and a refrigerator).

Since there was really nothing better to do on a cold night, we immediately hit the sack after dinner. Hoping for better weather conditions on our second day. Zzzzzzz.

DAY 2.

Good morning Baguio!

Foggy Baguio City at 5:55am.

To minimize expenses, we still cooked our own breakfast then we took turns in the shower. Brrr, the water was ice cold! We were literally jumping inside the bathroom!

We finally got out of the hotel at around 7:45am. It was still drizzling but climbing the Lourdes Grotto was a now or never thing, so we started our morning exercise.

The foot of the hill

The Lourdes Grotto is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Baguio City, especially for Catholics. It is located on a high hill and it takes 252 steps to get there. Surrounding the foot of the hill are stores selling candles and flowers, which you can offer when you reach the top.

Halfway up!

For the faint of heart, there is a shortcut! An asphalt-paved but very winding, narrow and steep road would lead you halfway up the 252 steps. There’s ample parking space in the area and pasalubong shops abound as well.

Taxis can also bring you up halfway through the 252 steps

And we finally reached the top.

The Lourdes Grotto. Clouds commanded for a washed-out sky.

Anyway, if you climb a few more steps from the grotto, you’ll reach those closed gates (see above photo), and on a clear day, you can actually see a strip of the Naguilian Road and a breathtaking panoramic view of a certain portion of La Union. When visibility’s really very high, you can even see Lingayen Gulf and some provinces of Pangasinan!

Upon reaching the top, we offered our own prayers and intentions, enjoyed and appreciated the view and then we started going down.

Halfway down!

(…to be continued)

Part 5 of the Libotero Baguio-Banaue Roadtrip series

DAY 1.

After lunch at Skyrise Hotel and Restaurant, it was the perfect time to climb up the Lourdes Grotto to shed some calories. Since it was just less than a block away from our hotel, we were at the foot of the hill in an instant.

Foot of the hill

We were all so ready to climb more than 200 steps to the top when rain just suddenly poured out of nowhere!

Run!

Bummer! So where else could we go on a rainy day? To the mall ofcourse, LOL. So we hopped on our van and proceeded to SM City Baguio.

If my memory serves me right, the last time our family was in Baguio was eight years ago but I never remembered having encountered insane traffic jams in the city! This time, traffic in Baguio is like hell. I think one can get to point A to point B quicker when walking than when on a vehicle. That’s practically okay when the weather is good but when it’s raining so hard, we had no choice but to be patient. I am really saddened by the urban mess that is Baguio City. It feels like the city is about to burst anytime. All I could do is just, sigh!

So after running like a turtle for at least an hour, we finally arrived in SM City Baguio!

During my last visit, SM wasn’t existent yet. All I could remember was a hill full of pine trees! I wonder where all those pine trees are now. I hope they were “transplanted” and are now breathing in a better place.

Opening to the public on November 2003, SM City Baguio is now easily one of the top tourist destinations in Baguio City! While we’re totally sad about the removal of hundreds of pine trees in the area, at least we get a neatly designed SM mall as a consolation.

I can confidently say that SM City Baguio is one of the best-designed SM malls. We were all so used to the boring boxes back then and this mall is actually the first that went out of the box. You can really see that much thought has been poured on the design and construction of the mall.

Taking advantage of the cool mountain resort climate of the City of Pines, SM City Baguio is mostly non-airconditioned! Only the cinemas and some of the individual tenants have their own aircon units. This was achieved through the use of a tensile roof and a terraces-like structure that allows the cool mountain air to come in. Cool!

Anyway, here are some photos of SM City Baguio:

The main atrium

SM City Baguio is made up of 4 levels

Heavy rain spawned a very long queue to the taxi bay

SM City Baguio is one of the most crowded SM malls. It has an average daily pedestrian count of 100,000

Another long queue to the taxi bay at the supermarket entrance

The mall’s lotus-like tensile roofing

Escalators

Directory

Foodcourt

SM City Baguio is set for expansion in the near future!

(…to be continued)

Part 6 of the Libotero Eastern Visayas series.

After our very satisfying dinner at Calle Z Cafe, Sir Gerry and Ma’am Ludette brought us to RTR Plaza to watch the Bituon Han Leyte or the festival queen competition of the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals 2011.

When we arrived, the program has already started but we still proceeded to watch. The RTR Plaza, which stands for Remedios Trinidad Romualdez, is named after the mother of former first lady Imelda Marcos. It is the largest public plaza in Tacloban.

Every June, the plaza is virtually converted into the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival Park where various cultural and other social activities, all in paying homage to Sr. Sto. Nino, are held.

The Bituon han Leyte or the festival queen competition is the search for the ultimate lead dancer who possesses not just beauty, but brains and exceptional dancing skills as well. Candidates will not walk the ramp in swimsuits and evening gowns but with their respective festival costumes instead.

One of the highlights of the competition is the ritual presentation where each candidate together with the contingent she represents would give a 2-minute preview of their performance for the streetdancing and ritual showdown at the Leyte Sports Development Center the next day.

This year, 12 candidates represented their respective towns and festivals in the Bituon Han Leyte 2011! And ofcourse, the most-awaited and entertaining part of the competition would have to be the Question and Answer Portion! The big question goes like this, “What asset of your city/municipality would you like to promote and how would you promote it”?

The ladies were really able to put up a show. Some were really nervous and rattled and were mumbling random words which sounded quite funny but one candidate really stood out among the rest and is just very deserving of being declared Bituon Han Leyte (Star of Leyte) 2011! She is no other than Candidate #4, Rosejaen Tiunayan representing the Pamilipig Festival of Sta. Fe, Leyte. Her answer to the question was flawless! She started off by saying that her town has 3Ps. People. Place. Potential and then went on to deliver a very outstanding world class answer.

She also bagged other awards such as Miss Talent, Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic. Here are the rest of the winners of the Bituon Han Leyte Festival Queen Competition 2011!

1st runner-up: #10 Mariane Hernandez – Quiot Festival, Isabel, Leyte (she also bagged the Ms. New Placenta award)

2nd runner-up: #8 Alone Jane Rebodillo – Tulo-Usa Festival, Tolosa Leyte (she also bagged the Best in Festival Costume award)

3rd runner-up: #13 Cris-an Sharmaine Avila – Bato-Balani Festival, Bato, Leyte (she also bagged the Miss Olive C award)

4th runner-up: #12 Jenny Ann A. Palacio – Karatong Festival, Dulag, Leyte

Meanwhile, here is a short clip of the Bituon Han Leyte Parade of Costumes

After the competition, we felt the need to quench our thirst so we proceeded to Best Foods and Friends Coffee Shop, just located at the left side of the RTR Plaza stage. There, we got to encounter Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla, the chairwoman of the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals 2011 so we took the chance for a photo-op! Yihee!

(L-R) Don, Fitz, Rina, Mayor Matin Petilla, Sir Gerry, Alvin and the Libotero

Aside from the numerous activities held at the plaza during the festival season, what piqued my interest was this photo wall within the park:

Zip Southern Leyte. This new zipline located at the highest bridge in the country, the Agas-Agas bridge in Sogod, Southern Leyte, is said to be the longest zipline in the Philippines, with a length of almost one kilometer!

Gawd, when will I ever have the guts to try a zipline!

(…to be continued)

Part 5 of the Libotero Eastern Visayas series.

DAY 1.

After our sunset chillout session at Cafe Lucia, it was time to freshen up before dinner. So Don, Fitz, Rina, Alvin and I, all went to our hotel, Luxury Suites. Since they have already checked-in a day ahead, I registered on my own at the front desk. I was then given my room key. I’d like to thank Don for carrying my trolley bag all the way to the 3rd floor! (hihi!) We had at least an hour to freshen up and relax for a while since our call time was 8:30pm yet so I settled all my things in my cute single room then prepared myself for dinner.

At 8:30pm, we all met at the hotel lobby at the 2nd floor and left our room keys. It’s always a standard practice to leave your key at the front desk when going out so as not to misplace it. Then, we went down to the street and flagged a tricycle to bring us to our dinner destination for my first night in Tacloban, Calle Z Cafe! We had two tricycles. One for Don, Fitz and myself and another for Alvin and Rina. Fare for each passenger in Tacloban is P7, if your destination is just within five kilometers.

Located along Independencia Street, Calle Z Cafe is one of the most popular dining and hangout establishments in Tacloban.

Calle Z Cafe

Calle Z Cafe has this homey feel that made me feel comfortable the instant I stepped in their doors. Depending on your mood, you can choose to dine indoors or in their patio area.

Adding to the delightful atmosphere is their wide(st) array of music so it’s really a wonderful place to hang out, chill and just relax either with the family or with friends.

Something fun about Calle Z Cafe is their menu. It’s backside is filled with Pinoy Jokes that won’t fail to tickle your funny bones. Sir Gerry told us that everytime they need to change their menu, he always makes an effort to update the jokes on it.

Now let’s go to the real deal. The Food! Calle Z Cafe serves sumptuous food and drinks at affordable prices. Ofcourse, we would never miss the opportunity to taste their best-sellers and some other choice dishes.

Bulalo. Calle Z’s version of the popular beef soup is the best in town! The soup is so good that you actually have to close your eyes while taking a sip. The meat was oh-so-soft.

Sizzling Bangus Sisig. The perfect mix of fishy-garlicky-lemony flavors. The best thing about it is it won’t leave a fish after-taste on your mouth.

Tokwa.

Chopsuey.

Crispy Tenga. The dish that totally made my night! Sounds very exotic and I initially thought that it was only for the adventurous but at the moment it touched my taste buds, coupled with the dipping sauce served with the dish, my whole body was awakened and suddenly craved for more! I don’t know of any restaurant that serves Crispy Tenga, so I savored the moment and digged in!

So, if ever you get to visit Tacloban, never fail to drop by Calle Z Cafe or you’ll totally be missing out. The Crispy Tenga alone is all-worth it!

Calle Z Cafe
39 Independencia Street, Tacloban City
(+6353) 321-3197 & 325-8582
Learn more about Calle Z Cafe and be surprised to see photos of prominent personalities who have already dined in there at their official Website

** I would like to thank the Department of Tourism – Leyte for this very unforgettable dinner experience at Calle Z Cafe! **

Earlier today, I witnessed for the very first time the T’nalak Festival in Koronadal City, South Cotabato. Thirteen contingents which represented each town in South Cotabato (except Polomolok which did not send a contingent) and Koronadal City. The festival is a wonderful display of the rich culture and heritage of South Cotabato.

Here are the results of the recently concluded 12th T’nalak Festival held as part of the 45th founding anniversary celebration of the province:

T’Nalak Festival Street Dancing Results

Kasadyahan sa Kapatagan
CHAMPION: Tupi National High School
1st Runner-Up: Barangay Saravia National High School, Koronadal City
2nd Runner-Up: Barangay San Jose National High School, Banga

Kasadyahan sa Alalan
CHAMPION: Notre Dame of Sto. Niño, Sto. Niño
1st Runner-Up: Norala National Higj School
2nd Runner-Up: Purok Sison Elementary School, Surallah

GRAND SHOWDOWN:
CHAMPION: Liberty Tampakan National High School, Tampakan
1st Runner-Up: Lugan Central Elementary School, T’Boli
2nd Runner-Up: Sta. Cruz Mission School, Inc., Lake Sebu

The winners of the three categories each received a trophy and a cash prize of P125,000 for the champion, P100,000 for the 1st Runner-Up and P75,000 for the 2nd Runner-Up. All the other participating contingents also received a consolation prize of P10,000.

Congratulations on the success of the 12th T’nalak Festival!

Part 4 of the Libotero Eastern Visayas series.

DAY 1.

After snapping some photos and some jump shots at the Leyte Landing Memorial, we all decided that we need to have a late afternoon merienda so, we headed to Cafe Lucia, back in Tacloban City. But before that, we made a quick stop at Robinsons Place Tacloban as Rina had to buy essential materials for her nail art.

The second level of the Rotary Center is an area for events, parties, and other functions

From Robinsons, Cafe Lucia was, more or less, a kilometer away. Located at the bayfront along Real. St in Tacloban, Cafe Lucia occupies the ground level of the Rotary Center, a building owned by the Rotary Club of Tacloban.

The alfresco area by the bay

Upon arrival, we were immediately in awe, especially with the location as the sea breeze was perfect for the late afternoon chillout! The location offered panoramic views of Tacloban City and the peninsula, separated by the Cancabato Bay. During our visit, we even sighted 2 aircrafts about to land at the Tacloban airport.

The calm Cancabato Bay by dusk

At that moment, we weren’t really hungry, we just really needed to quench our thirst so we didn’t have the chance to taste their pasta dishes, which I heard, were their bestsellers. Sayang!

Very relaxing atmosphere, with a great view of the sunset, don’t you think?

For that, we each ordered our own frappe. (Do check out the artworks by some local artists exhibited just beside the counter). It was sort of a taste test as no one ordered the same drink as the others. I had the Peppermint Mocha Frappe. Sounds familiar? Yeah, it does taste like Starbucks’ version of the drink which is a good thing as Starbucks only offers the drink during the holidays. Cafe Lucia’s Peppermint Mocha Frappe was priced at P105 but had a generous serving entirely filling a tall glass. For “pulutan”, we had microwaved butter popcorn.

Tacloban’s own mini-Baywalk

While slowly consuming our drinks, we talked about our itinerary for the next 2 days and then later on, we delved into photography specifically on how to capture those perfect dusk-early evening landscape and portrait shots. Good thing, Sir Gerry was there, so he served as our mentor. We covered aperture, bokeh, ISO, flash bouncing techniques, manual mode and some other omg-nosebleed stuff! LOL.

After all that, we tried to apply what we’ve learned so here are my shots of Tacloban City. The prominent feature on the photo is the Tacloban Astrodome. To the rightmost of the photo are the Sto. Niño Church and Balyuan Amphitheater. Cheers!

(…to be continued)