ONE FINE SUMMER IN BAGUIO CITY

It is my childhood dream to one day visit the City of Pines and be able to feel the cold weather and roam around the city. For years, the scent and feel of Baguio were a reality to me but only in my imagination.

 

Baguio is dubbed as the summer capital of the Philippines. It is the perfect place to escape the scorching heat of the summer sun. Hence, I feel so blessed to come to the city right in the middle of the summer month of May.

 

It was three o’clock in the afternoon when our group left Manila on board a passenger bus to take us to Baguio. It was a seven-hour long ride but it was not boring at all. I have enjoyed the wide and smooth expressways as we traversed from Manila to Clark all the way to the provinces of Pampanga, Pangasinan and La Union then up to Baguio City. The sceneries of wide agricultural fields and the countryside along the roads were captivating and relaxing.

 

Serious and funny talks with our group mates and eating with them made us ignore time and distance until we reached Baguio City. We arrived there at 10 o’clock in the evening. The moment I stepped down from the bus, I took my first breathe and had my first feel of the Baguio cold night time weather. It was really cold as if the entire place has a centralized aircon. Our host took us for a late dinner in a cozy restaurant. The food tastes so good. Right there, we proceeded to our hotel and slept so deep the entire evening without turning on the aircon.

 

The following morning, we got up early and braced ourselves for a day long tour. Our first stop was the Baguio Cathedral. What a beautiful postcard perfect view of the church. It is so romantic lovers would fall in love with it and fell more in love with a partner. We went up through several stairs and had some pictures taken at the crucified Jesus. The cathedral’s ground was quite huge and the cathedral’s façade is perfectly-designed like those in Europe. I went inside it and prayed; of course, thanking God for making this childhood dream came true.

 

On a rented van, we rode our way to the Baguio Botanical Park. We had some photos taken at the gate together with the natives wearing the traditional Igorot outfits. Then off we went to the Mansion, the summer residence of the president of the Philippines when he or she is in Baguio. We had some photos taken but only at the gate because people are not allowed to enter the compound.

 

Across the street, we had some photos on a standee of Igorot male and female figures with our face on top. We also have some photos with a gigantic and scary looking dog. All were allowed for a fee.

 

We proceeded to the Mines View Park which is a few minutes away from the city center. There were lots of merchandise like colorful flowers and souvenir items while walking our way to the famous viewing deck. It was really a sight to behold standing on top looking down at the layers of mountain ranges and ocean of greeneries below. The fogs were caressing the top of the vegetation even as I have to lock my thick jacket as it was too cold.  Then, it started to drizzle and so we have to move quickly back to the entrance. We gathered by the ice cream parlor beside the gate and tasted for the first time the strawberry-flavored coned ice cream.

 

Our next place to visit was the Bell Church, which is a Buddhist Temple. Huge welcome landmarks tower the compound. Once inside, you can see the tall and iconic pagoda but before reaching it you will be walking on series of stairs alongside which are some Buddhist’s religious figures. Bougainvilla mostly of red and pink were in full bloom adding more vibrance to this place of worship for Buddhists. A few minutes from here is the Tam-awan Village which we have explored as it features some traditional houses of the Igorots. We even went up the slopes of the hill for a bit of hiking adventure. Down the hill is a small store cum restaurant in which gallery of paintings of some local artists adorned the walls.

 

We rode passed the highways going to the town center of La Trinidad, Benguet. I was really amazed by the several kilometers stretch of walls that shelter the Benguet State University (BSU). I would assume BSU is one of the largest universities in the country in terms of land area. By minutes passed 12 noon, we were already at the famous Strawberry Farm which is located at the further end of BSU. What a huge farm it is. The strawberry plantation is sprawled on a huge flat terrain where strawberries are planted as far as one’s eyes could see.  There were these long lines of stores where we bought some processed strawberry jam and other sweet products for pasalubong. While the farm is the farthest in our itinerary, our leisurely trip did not end here. We are even off to some more awesome spots as we went back to the city.

 

We passed by the picturesque Colors of StoBoSa, La Trinidad, a hilly neighborhood of painted houses of varied hues as if turning the entire the village into a living canvas. We took some photos while in the middle of the hanging bridge and bought some souvenir stuff by the cliff’s edge. 

 

Minutes passed and we were already at the Stone Kingdom, a newest attraction in Baguio. By its entrance are two giant monuments of Igorot kings both clad in the traditional outfit made of loin cloth called bahag with headdress on top standing tall holding a long dagger the edge of which touching the ground. As I entered the man-made kingdom, I draw a sigh of amazement looking up the structures of passageways going up the hillsides all made of small-sized thousands of white coral stones symmetrically assembled on top of the other. At the other side is what I presumed to be the kingdom hall. These narrow stone pathways and kingdom hall were all carved on the slopes of a hill encircling the expanse of the square. We slowly and carefully walked thru the small paths layer by layer until we reached the highest point. I find it quite tricky walking down the hill thru the narrow paths as just a small misstep may spell an accident.

 

As if not yet contented with the little hiking adventure, we went up to the overpass that connects the two sides of the hill passing thru the square. While in the middle of the overpass bridge, we observed that it was getting darker and we saw from the west side mounds of moving fog carried by the gentle wind approaching from where we are. As it was getting nearer, we hurried down the hill afraid that the thick fog might engulf us as well as the entire place.

 

After a few minutes ride, we went to the haunted Diplomat Hotel and found it to be dilapidated and nearing collapse reason why visitors are no longer allowed to enter. We just satisfy ourselves walking around the yard surrounding the building and just looked at it imagining how it may have looked like when it was used as hotel and then later as hospital during the American and Japanese periods and in the succeeding decades and today when maybe ghosts of any kinds reside on it. Diplomat Hotel has been featured a lot of times on television shows along with spirit questors, hence, it was me now wondering in real life if horror stories in this haunted hotel were real.

 

To cap our day trip, we had an unplanned pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto nearby. I took the more than 250 steps going up the grotto. Along the staircases are some religious statues of saints and sorrowful mysteries. I said little prayers while on a small stop on these statues. When I reached the grotto atop the hill, I was so happy at my age I can still make it and miraculously I have not felt any tiredness. I prayed for thanksgiving at the foot of the tall statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. I have also prayed on my knees on a chapel a few steps beside the grotto.

 

We went back to our hotel by dusk already. Tired as we are, we slept early.

 

On our second day, we strolled around the Burnham Park. It was a dream come true for me to be in this park that was named after its designer Daniel Burnhan, one of the world’s famous urban planners who came to the Philippines in the early period of American colonial period at the turn of the 20^th century. Burnham was also commissioned to design the city’s centers of Manila, Cebu, and Davao. For us environmental planners, he is considered as the forerunner of City Beautiful Movement. The park is huge enough to accommodate hundreds of daily visitors. Its green expanse is dotted with lines of pine trees, other native trees and long walkways. At the center is a picturesque huge lagoon where one can experience boat ride. At one side of the lagoon, one can wear for a rent some Igorot native costume. On the outskirts of the park, one can ride for a rent on bicycle or little jeeps for fun. My group just enjoyed ourselves walking around thru the pathways.

 

From the park, we walked our way to the Baguio Public Market which I consider as the cleanest wet and vegetable market I have been to. Pathways were spacious enough to accommodate huge number of market goers. Vegetables sold were all fresh and reasonably priced as well as pasalubong items. When we passed by a coffee store, I was allured by the coffee’s aroma wafting thru that portion of the marketplace. On a thrift store, I bought a used Adidas jacket that was lowly priced.

 

We rode on a bus that took us to SM Baguio. We spent several hours there and bought some more items. After taking our dinner, we leisurely walked our way from the street along the vicinity of the mall to the famous Session Road now transformed into a long avenue of night stores selling used apparels of all types. I bought myself a jacket. It was really a tiresome long walk passing thru humongous people that crowded the stores. Once we got off from the crowded stores, we turned to a stretch of food stalls gallery on an open space at the Burnham Park.

 

It was already passed ten in the evening and there were no taxis that were passing by. We decided to just walk our way to our hotel. We passed thru a steep road up. Our feet were already aching even before we reached the hotel. Laying my back on my bed, I felt so exhausted but it was worth it. I will never forget Baguio. It was so cold and so cool and awfully a wonderful city. If there is another chance, I would surely find my way to be here again.

 

 

 

Dreaming on the Plazas of Iloilo

Visiting Iloilo is a dream come true for me. I have been longing to see for myself the well-preserved historic plazas scattered in various Hispanic towns of the province. As a town planner, I am an advocate of creating and preserving public plazas because these are the focal points of the people in the community coming from various age groups and walks of life and it carries the image of the people and of the place. Plazas are the silent witnesses to historic events of a place, both the desirable and the undesirable as we know it.

 

Myself coming from a place with a low regard for open spaces such as public parks and plazas, I can only dream of sitting down quietly in a plaza of another place like the ones in Iloilo. Thank, God, a few months ago, the universe conspired to make my dream come true. I not only had the opportunity to sit on a bench in just one plaza, but in four different plazas. The people of Iloilo seems to have an innate and impressive penchant for designing best plazas not only in the country but in the whole world.

 

During my solitary escapade, I first visited Molo Plaza. Pure love and romance consumed my mind as I was walking along the paths and the churchyard.  The church façade is an ideal place for making bonds with loved ones. The entire plaza was spacious enough to accommodate people of all ages and their families and loved ones.

 

When I entered the church, I felt like I was transported to the time when Spaniards ruled the country. It was so wonderful to see the long pews, the antique images of saints, the paintings, and the well-preserved pulpit where the priests would deliver the homily; it was on top so everybody attending the mass can hear it.

 

Just on the side of the church yard is the gazebo which was surrounded by monuments of Greek goddesses adding more romance to the place.

 

When I sat down on the big cut-out of Molo Plaza, I can only surmise how it would be wonderful to be born and to live in this place. Across the plaza is the majestic and romantic Molo Mansion which I think is an architecture wonder because of its intricate and balanced symmetry and classic design. It was beside the Molo Mansion that I sipped a cool mango shake, my all-time favorite, savoring each drop of it while awesomely devouring the charm of the Molo Plaza.

 

My next stop is the Jaro Plaza which is just a few minutes away from Molo. The plaza was obviously newly-redesigned and modernized yet maintaining the old feel. The pathways were huge and it is so wonderful to see students, group of friends and families having their afternoon stroll and bonding moments. Again, I could only dream of this for my hometown. I walked leisurely to the towering monuments that dominate the plaza, one of which is that of Graciano Lopez Jaena, a Filipino writer and reformist who was born in Jaro. What got my attention was the giant Spanish-period belfry made of red bricks which stands like the leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. It was so high anybody could be dwarfed standing next to it. Across the plaza is the centuries-old Jaro Church  with its façade blackened by moss thru the passage of time which has grand stairs on both sides that meet on the second level of the church’s façade which holds the grotto of Our Lady of the Candles, the town’s patron saint.

 

I consider my travel to Iloilo as not complete without visiting the Miag-ao Church, a  UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with four other Baroque churches in the Philippines. I was so astounded to see the church’s façade draped in various artistic carvings of local flora and fauna as well as images of saints. It was so unique I have not seen one like this anywhere. Whoever were the artists who turned the church’s façade into a whole wall of canvass were truly geniuses. Across the street from the church is the Miag-ao Plaza. It was so huge and designed to evoke not only love but also patriotism as what lies at the center is the monument of Jose Rizal.

 

While going back to the city, I passed by the town of Guimbal and  was amazed by the gates and fences of houses that were uniformly designed and all painted in vibrant yellow hue. I endured the scorching heat brought by the midday sun as I walked thru the town center. The place was all too typical of a plaza complex during the Spanish period characterized by being surrounded by the church, the town hall and on the other side by the hospital and some commercial spaces. The plaza of Guimbal is really one for the books and for me one of the bests in this part of the planet. Again, I have met Rizal in stone at the center of the plaza just steps away from the awe-inspiring marvelous amphitheater facing the town hall. I was really awed and astounded by its charm.

 

As I laid down to sleep that night, I was so happy another dream came to full view. But I know that my happiness would be more complete once a dream plaza takes shape in my own hometown.

 

                                                       At Jaro Plaza

                                                At Jaro's leaning belfry

                            At Miag-ao Church, UNESCO World Heritage Site

                            At Jaro Church

                            At Guimbal Plaza

 

 

 

Name Game

 It sends a shock among Filipinos to see beautiful faces on Mexican telenovelas whose names are somewhat taken from their distant pre-Hispanic era. Names like Pedro, Juan, Jose, Antonia, or Fernanda oftentimes become a source of humor and ridicule among us. And we ask, “How could these beautiful people be named such?”

 

There goes a generalization that says that ones name is the sweetest music or melody to ones ear. Call me in my name properly and I will treat you well. However, mispronounce my name or say it with an apparent disrespect, expect a bang from me (he-he)! Forgive me, but at times our names being the “sweetest melody” is not always the case. How would you feel if you bear a name like Hudas, Hestas, or Barabbas? Just like what a parent from “kyusi” named his children. Of course, these kids bear also the stigma of the infamity of the trio.

 

Going back to the Mexican, guys, there can be no sense of wonder with their Hispanic names. Like the Philippines, Mexico was once a colony of Spain (15-18^th century), being the crown colony those times. All right, the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards for more than three hundred years but we have been colonized too and neocolonized by the American until now. And Filipinos seem to love everything that is American including names. Thus, our name lists which were bombarded then with Juan`s, Jose`s and Maria`s are now packed with John, Joseph, and Mary. Most of the time these are being combined with one or two names. Hence, there goes Peter Paul, John Paul, or Mary Claire. Parents of these children are seemingly unmindful of the psychologists` warning that a kilometric name makes a child impatient especially when he is still learning to write it. My classmate tells me, in a ten-minute quiz, while everybody in the class is submitting their papers, he is still writing his three-tiered name.

 

Examining closely where do most of us take a name is quite fascinating. Oftentimes, parents combine the first or last syllables of their respective names. Hence, Reynaldo and Amanda`s child is likely be named Reyman. Parents also resurrect the names of their parents and grandparents. Oftentimes, with the third, the fourth, or the fifth after the surname as if they are part of a big royal family. Other parents, however, searched out for unique names or just invent their own so as to make a distinct identity for their children. Some just imitate the names of their favorite actors, soap opera character, or a superhero, or from the world or community’s who’s who. Meanwhile, sentimental few got the inkling of giving names to their children the virtues of Faith, Hope, Love, or Charity. This is of course in an obvious attempt that their children may exude virtues as their name suggest. People who claimed their selves to be culturally aware and nationalists like the names Diwata, Aya, Dalisay, or Liwayway. These names appear so ancient and outmoded to most Filipinos today. I asked myself why do Filipinos despised names like Juan or Filipe and glorify its American equivalent of John and Philip?  Or why ridicule Juan Panday and salute John Smith? Or laugh at Rogelio Dagdag and swoon to Roger Moore?

 

There is nothing wrong on our efforts to beautify the names of every generation. Nor it is a sin to stereotype names in favor of euphemism. However, for a heterogeneous country like ours, the names of the people are quite important in seeking for a common national identity. Our names should correspond to our nationality. We must be identified, through our names in the community of nations as Filipinos not a nation of varied nationality.