Photo-Hunt: flags

Philippine flags at the Rizal Shrine, the national hero's ancestral home in Calamba, Laguna.

The modern design of the Philippine flag was conceptualized by Emilio Aguinaldo, a Filipino revolutionary leader, during his exile in Hong Kong in 1897, drawing inspiration from the flags used by the Katipunan, an anti-Spanish revolutionary organization, and the Cuban revolutionaries. The first flag was sewn by Doña Marcela Marino de Agoncillo with the help of her daughter Lorenza and Doña Delfina Herbosa de Natividad (a niece of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal). It was displayed in battle on May 28, 1898 and was formally unfurled during the proclamation of independence on June 12, 1898.

On June 12, 2009, the Philippines celebrated its 111th Independence.

A horizontal bicolor of blue over red, with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist containing three 5-pointed gold stars at its vertices and an 8-rayed gold sun at its center.

Philippine and American flags at a war memorial marker in Corregidor Island

The American Flag was used from 1901 to 1919 when the Philippines was administered directly from the United States.

Posted for Photo Hunt hosted by TN Chick.

Wordless Wednesday: Calamba church

The church of Calamba, made of adobe and built in the 19th century. This is where the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, was baptized on June 22, 1861 (three days after he was born).

Posted for Wordless Wednesday

Weekend Snapshot: Rizal Shrine

To honor the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the national government has turned his ancestral home into a shrine. This Spanish-vintage 2-storey house in Calamba, Laguna where Rizal was born and raised stands at the center of town, right across the Calamba church. The shrine houses memorabilia of Rizal's childhood, from photographs and early sculptures made by the late hero to laminated excerpts of some if his best written works, as well as photos of the women in his life.

The original house was built around 1848 by Rizal's parents, Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso, and was damaged during World War II. It was restored under the supervision of National Artist Juan Nakpil during the term of President Quirino and was inaugurated in 1950. The house has maintained much of its colonial appeal.

It's a spacious house with three bedrooms, dining and living rooms and kitchen on the second floor. The window panels are made of capiz shells that let in natural light, thus creating a pleasant and homey atmosphere. I love the splashes of light that burst happily at different angles when one enters a room.

We went to Laguna last weekend looking for a private resort with a swimming pool for Sally's family reunion. After we accomplished our mission, we decided to drive to Rizal Shrine in Calamba. After all, every Filipino should see where the national hero grew up, right? Rizal Shrine is open to the public, free of charge.

the garage...the horse was moonlighting in Sta. Ana :D

dining area

Rizal's bedroom that he shared with his other siblings.
He was the 7th of eleven children.

the masters' bedroom
Take note of the ubiquitous orinola at the foot of the bed

an antique kerosene lamp

the staircase

the back of the house

a sculpture of a very young Jose Rizal and his dog

Posted for Weekend Snapshot

Lasang Pinoy: not my kitchen

I couldn't resist not posting these photos of a traditional Filipino kitchen complete with dapog, an Ilonggo term for a part of the kitchen where cooking is done using the traditional earthen stove, wood or charcoal, clay pots and ladles made of coconut shell and bamboo.

There's also a huge rice or fruit storage basket made from woven bamboo, some earthenware to store salt and dried fish; a few bilao or kalalaw, a round woven bamboo tray for fruits and vegetables, also used as a winnowing basket to remove rice chaff. A banggera, an extension from the window where dinnerware are washed and dried, is behind the capiz window panels.

No, this is not my kitchen. This is the kitchen where our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, probably watched his mother cook when he was a little boy in Calamba. I dropped by Rizal Shrine last weekend on the way back to Manila. Will post more photos of the house where Rizal spent his childhood in.

Kitchen at the Rizal Shrine, Calamba, Laguna

More kitchen photos at spiCes