Part 2 of the Libotero Pampanga and Malolos Heritage Series
DAY 1.
After a brief visit to the San Fernando Metropolitan Cathedral, it was time to return to Angeles. At the public transport terminal, I was trying to look for mini-buses, like the one I took to San Fernando, but there were none. I then saw a jeepney marked Angeles and it was starting to get filled so I jumped in. At first I thought, “OMG, what am I doing?”, but on the other hand, I am a lover of adventure, so yeah, whatever, come what may, hahaha! Before the jeepney left, the conductor collected the fares. Compared to the bus fare of P30, the jeepney ride to Angeles only costs P24 as it will be taking the Manila North Road instead of the parallel North Luzon Expressway. Throughout the 30 minute trip, I really had no idea where and when I should get off the jeepney. When we passed by the Holy Rosary Cathedral, I breathed a sigh of relief as I knew that we were already in Angeles City. When all the other passengers disembarked, I joined them.
When I got off the jeepney, I was totally clueless as to where my exact location was as I left my map in the hotel room. The landmark I remember is Puregold Angeles. It seemed to be a busy area, with a lot of people, vehicles and urban noise, probably their downtown area. I then started to ask around how I’d reach Fields Avenue in Clark. Again, the locals were very helpful. They instructed me to take a jeep marked “Henson” and so I did. A few minutes later, I found myself on Fields Avenue, yey! I then walked towards 950 Condotel and called it a day… Zzzzz!
DAY 2.
My alarm woke me up at 9am. I immediately took a shower then proceeded to the rooftop of the hotel for my complimentary breakfast. After breakfast, I was ready for the long day! Same as what I did on the first day, I took a tricycle from the hotel to Dau Bus Terminal for P70. I quickly jumped off the tricycle upon seeing that the bus for San Fernando was almost full. With lessons learned from Day 1, I took the aisle seat. I still felt the winds, but it was pleasant unlike the “in-your-face” winds on my first Dau – San Fernando bus experience, hehe.
The night before, I researched on how I could get to Guagua and learned that jeepneys bound for Guagua are usually parked near the San Fernando Flyover. Just to be sure, I informed the conductor that I wish to be dropped off at the area where I could easily find jeepneys bound for Guagua and it was very kind of them to actually do that. As soon as I disembarked the bus, I got in a jeepney marked “Bacolor-Guagua”. I wanted to visit the Bacolor Church first but I had no idea where I should get off. Later on, I was just dumbfounded when I saw that we already were way beyond the Bacolor Church, waaah. I just decided to visit Guagua Church first as it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere and if I chose to get off the jeepney and walk back to the Bacolor Church, I’ll be roasted halfway through as there was no shade whatsoever.
A few minutes later, we were already in Guagua, Pampanga..
Guagua is a first-class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 104,284 people in 18,438 households.
The town of Guagua belongs to the Second District of Pampanga, along with the towns in the southwestern part of the province. It is about 9.5 kilometers off the capital city of San Fernando.
The name Guagua comes from Wawa which means “mouth of a river” or “alua or bukana” in Kapampangan. Wawa was the original name of the town of Guagua as first known in the year 1590. Evidently, the town is strategically located along a river which played a vital role in trade and transportation in the town’s early years. Guagua was already a prosperous community way before the Spaniards came to take control of the town in the year 1561.
The jeepney passed through the town’s interior roads until it finally dropped us off at the Guagua Public Market. There were a lot of roadwork during my visit so traffic could get clogged in a lot of areas. I hope they’re completed by now.
From the public market, I already saw the massive dome of the Guagua Church. I immediately got excited and walked all the way towards the direction of the Church, not minding the scorching hot sun! After walking for about a kilometer, I finally reached the left side of the Church. A mass was still going on but was about to end so I waited before I took photos and explored the place.
The facade.
It’s a pity that spaghetti wires distract the viewer from appreciating the beauty of the Church’s exterior
The first church edifice was constructed in 1587 but was unfortunately razed by fire. The current Church structure was constructed in 1772 under the administration of the Augustinians. The Church was greatly improved in 1862 until 1870.
The massive dome
The interiors are simple and the centerpiece attraction is the main altar, a creation of noted local artist Willy Layug.
The interiors
The main altar
While still simple, the exteriors on the other hand, are marked by massive strength.
The belfry
The Cathedral-type church is located immediately adjacent to the Guagua Municipal Building and houses the Cardinal Santos Catholic Center and the Immaculate Conception Parochial School.
The Rufino Cardinal Santos Catholic Center
(…to be continued)
From Jhen:
I searched for this church and found your posts. This was taken 10 years ago right?
I visited my sister at Pampanga just this Friday and yesterday, which is Sunday, we attended the 4:00PM mass at this church and guess what? I was amazed of this church! You should take time to visit again the church.The interior of was renovated including the main altar. I don’t know how to described it but it was beautifully crafted. The white and gold then, now a combination of bronze and gold. And the windows? The side windows were all stained glass!12 on each side of the church!And another thing, the church wall (which is not visible on the pictures you took on both side of church (just below the stained glass) is made of glass too this is because, the church now is fully airconditioned!Yup!The priest who lead the mass that afternoon said the their church is the 2nd from the highest billed in the whole Asia. He said that they were paying their bill at Php80,000.00 per month!That’s why they have this second collection which is done before giving the final blessing in which the proceeds will be saved for their electric bill.
From Sinjin:
Hi Jhen,
Thanks for your comment! The photos were taken October last year. It’s nice to hear such development. I hope I can revisit soon. =)
From Mel:
Php80,000 a month. Seriously? I am all for conserving and appreciating Filipino culture and heritage sites, but spending such amount for air condition (not to mention its impact on environment)is just too much. Perhaps, a funded museum to house the church’s sacred collections through history could have been more appreciated. But then again, Filipinos have always spent too much on beautifying their Churches even while there is nothing left on their plates.
From Brian:
This church is NOT AC! The windows are open every mass.
From Catherine Oñate:
april 20,2002 our wedding.