Barasoain Church/Our World-Tuesday

Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan is one of the historical churches in the Philippines.  My friends and I visited this church one Saturday in early May enroute to Sta. Maria, another town in Bulacan.  Truth be told, I wasn't aware of the church's historical significance until a former President (who, ironically, was later kicked out of office) was inaugurated here in 1998.  It was an unusual venue for a presidential inaugural ceremony.

Also known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Barasoain church is the site of the First Philippine Republic in 1898, and has earned a title as Cradle of Democracy in the East.

This church was founded by Augustinians Missionaries and the original church was constructed in 1630. The first stone structure was built in 1871 but it was burned during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. The current church was rebuilt in 1885, the bell tower was constructed in 1889.

The facade has touches of neoclassic architecture.  The interior of the church has wood panels painted in white, with frescoes of flowers, angels and saints; the altar was also painted in white with gold trimmings.  The interior was not as rich and elaborate as the other old churches I have seen but inside has an airy, spacious feel.

There was an on-going wedding ceremony during our visit and I wasn't able to take photos of the interior.

The term "Barasoain" was a place in Spain to which the missionaries found to have similarities to this place in Malolos.  When the Spanish-Filipino revolution broke out, revolutionaries coined the term "baras ng suwail" which means "dungeon of the defiant".

Barasoain Church was a temporary shelter of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines.  During this time, three important historical events happened in this church:  the convening of the First Philippine Congress in 1898, the drafting of the Malolos Constitution, and the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic in 1899.

During the revolution, this church was the haven of the Congreso Revolucionario with the ilustrados as its delegates and Gen. Aguinaldo as the leader.

I spotted this Pieta sculpture outside the walls of the church beside a small chapel (below).  

Behind the church is a courtyard and the adjoining convent has a museum dedicated to the historical events that took place in the church, a part of the museum is a repository of artifacts found in the province.  There was a Marian exhibit during our visit, in connection with the Flore de Mayo celebrations.

Barasoain Church was declared a National Shrine in 1973, and featured in the New Generation series of the 200 Philippine peso banknotes.

Malolos, Bulacan is 42 kilometers north of Manila.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Rizal Park by day [My World-Tuesday]

Last month, I showed you  Luneta by Night.  I went back to see Luneta (or Rizal Park) at daylight on August 21st, two days before the ill-fated hostage crisis just across the Rizal monument on August 23rd.  I wanted to post these photos right after the tragic event but it was too painful and humiliating.  

The dismissed police officer who hijacked the tourist bus full of Hong Kong tourists probably thought of the symbolism of this park to our history when he asked the bus driver to stop at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.  Or he was just crazy and desperate and the open grounds of the park was convenient for his evil plan.

This place was once called Bagumbayan, a marshy land facing the beach which is now Roxas Boulevard.  Bagumbayan Park gracefully hosted flirtations among the Manila elite as well as witnessed the deaths of its disloyal citizenry with indifference. For 74 years, the Spanish used this park as an execution ground for "rebels and mutineers". Between 1823 and 1897,  158 patriots and martyrs were felled on the square by Spanish infantrymen, including the 3 priests, Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora.  Jose Rizal was executed here by firing squad on 1896, and it is said that the blood they shed served as a "spiritual fertilizer which invigorated the Filipino people's yearning for liberty". (Source:  National Parks Development Committee)

It was the Americans who set the motions of building a memorial to honor Dr. Rizal.  The bronze figure is the work of Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling.  It was completed in 1913 and thereafter, Rizal's bones from the Paco Cemetery, where he was secretly buried right after his execution, were transferred to this monument.  Inscribed on Rizal monument:   

"I want to show to those who deprive people the right to love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and convictions, death does not matter if one dies for those one loves – for his country and for others dear to him." 

The Rizal Diorama (or the Light & Sound Tableau on the Life and Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal) was one of the highlights of my last visit to the park.  More about the diorama here.

There is a motorized train for those who are not fond of walking.  It's a 48-hectare park, if you're determined to walk, wear comfortable shoes.

There are a lot to see and experience here.  This the entrance to the Chinese Garden.  There is also a Japanese Garden, the National Historical Institute, National Library, Planetarium, Central Lagoon, Orchidarium (it was under renovation), Butterfly Pavilion, National Museum, a chess plaza, and a lot more.  There are concerts and performances at the open-air auditorium.

Ordinary folks with their families on a picnic, couples (young and old), students, vendors, tourists, photographers, joggers, Tai-Chi practitioners are the people one usually sees at Luneta.   It's an oasis in the middle of an urban jungle.

Sleep in the shadows of nothingness

Redeemer of an enslaved land---

Don't weep in the mystery of the tomb

Nor grieve the momentary triumph of the Spaniard;

For if the bullet ravaged your skull

Your idea vanquished an empire!

~ Cecilio Apostol, Filipino poet,

on Rizal's 2nd death anniversary, 1898

Rizal Park, Kilometer 0

Manila,  Philippines

This post is linked to My World-Tuesday

Santa Maria Church [My World Tuesday]

Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion Church in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur is a historical landmark as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It stands on top of a hill and we climbed 82 steps to reach the church.  

My first visit to this church was more than a decade ago, but it's beauty has never stopped to amaze me.  This church is a great attraction to both the traveler and the faithful---I'm more of a traveler.  

Santa Maria Church is not only a reminder of the 377 334 years of Spanish colonization but it's a unique structure built on heavy stones and mortar.  It's not as flamboyant  in scale and less stunning in the facade but I like its simple design, the reddish brick exterior, and the fact that it was built on top of a hill--giving visitors a panoramic view of the town, the green fields and the blue sea in the horizon.

One of the old Baroque churches in the Philippines, the church in Santa Maria was built in 1765.  Thick buttresses were added to re-enforce the structure to protect it from earthquakes. 

There were two Requiem masses when we arrived.  We waited for the funeral march to begin before entering the church.  Santa Maria Church is one of the 8 pilgrimage churches in Ilocos Sur.  The town is about 360 kilometers north of Manila.

stairway to heaven-- 82 steps

my walk to the altar

the pulpit

side entrance of the church

moss-covered buttresses

a hexagonal bell tower, built in 1810

This post is linked to My World-Tuesday

The Rizal Diorama [My World-Tuesday]

As promised in my last week's Luneta post, I returned to the park on Saturday afternoon to see the Rizal Diorama.  The Rizal Diorama is the actual location of his execution on December 30, 1896.  It is located on the north side of the Rizal monument, in a small enclosed section of the park. 

The area is protected by a  stone wall, a moat with a stone bridge.  The small bridge leads to a black marble wall where Rizal's poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" is engraved.
 

The poem, "Mi Ultimo Adios" (My Last Farewell), was written by Rizal on the eve of his execution as many believed.   The poem was actually untitled, undated and unsigned when Rizal's sisters found the folded paper hidden in a small alcohol stove.  On the afternoon of December 29, 1896, a day before his execution, Rizal was visited by his mother, sisters and two nephews.  When the family was about to leave, Rizal told his sister Trinidad, in English (the Spanish guards didn't understand English), that there was something in the small alcohol stove.   The Rizals reproduced copies of the 14 five-line stanzas and sent them to friends in the country and abroad.  The poem was published in the first issue of La Independencia in 1898 entitled "Ultimo Adios", thus Rizal's poem became popularly known as "Ultimo Adios" or "Mi Ultimo Adios".

Before and after Rizal, many innocent Filipinos have been executed in this area of Bagumbayan (the old name of Luneta) by the Spanish colonizers.  Falsely accused of masterminding the Cavite rebellion, the 3 priests, Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were garroted here in 1872.  In 1897, 13 Filipinos were also executed in Bagumbayan---casualties of Spanish pressure against the revolutionary Katipunan, an anti-Spanish revolutionary society.  Many unsung heroes died in Bagumbayan--patriots from Bicol, Capiz and other parts of the country were brought to Manila and executed in Bagumbayan.  The Spanish version of the "Killing Fields".

Larger-than-life dioramas show Rizal's final days in captivity and his death at the hands of his countrymen.  The Spanish authorities used Filipino, not Spanish, soldiers for his firing squad.  I was awed by the size of these bronze statues--they're about 8-10 feet tall.  It costs about 22 cents to see this diorama; about a dollar to see the light-and-sound  presentation at 7 pm.  I wanted to see the light-and-sound presentation but the gate-keeper said that there were only 6 of us who wanted to see it, they needed at least 15 people.:(

I have read some articles that Rizal's last act of defiance was to face away from his Filipino firing squad.  That is a bit incorrect because his statue here is supposed to represent him spinning away from the firing squad in a last effort to die looking up to the sky, instead of breathing his last facing down.

Some historians wrote that Rizal's last request was to be shot facing his executioners, but the Spaniards refused, citing a Spanish law that seditionists are to be shot in the back.  Legend has it that as bullets hit his back, with superhuman effort, Rizal spun himself so he could die facing the sky.

I sat on the concrete stool and contemplated  at the horrible scene...I almost cried.  I  regret that I never paid much attention to my Rizal classes in school.  His books "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" are obligatory for high school students in the Philippines, and truth be told, I only read those books because I needed to.  I think it's about time I reacquaint myself with the works of Rizal.

The Rizal monument viewed from the stone bridge.

P.S.  Across the Rizal monument, at the Quirino grandstand grounds,  a hostage crisis involving a dismissed police officer and a bus with more than 20 tourists from Hong Kong happened today.  The hostage crisis ended after a 10-hour negotiations, the police assaulted the bus, and the hostage-taker killed by a sniper's bullet earlier this evening.  At least 7 wounded hostages were brought to the hospital.  Aside from the 9 hostages released earlier today, there are no news on others survivors.  A sad day, indeed.

Posted for My World-Tuesday

Luneta by night [My World-Tuesday]

The bronze and granite Rizal monument at Luneta Park is one of the most famous sculptural landmarks in the Philippines, and a major tourist attraction in Manila.  This 48-hectare park was used to be called Bagumbayan (or New Town) during the Spanish regime, then Luneta for the park's half-moon shape.  It was officially renamed Rizal Park as a tribute to Jose Rizal, the national hero, who was executed here on December 30, 1896.  But to most Filipinos, this park is popularly known as Luneta.

Luneta is not my usual weekend destination--for one, it's a bit far from where I live.  For some, visiting Luneta is unglamorous, and most of my friends would  laugh if I'd invite them to visit the Rizal monument.  I don't know if a Parisian would react  in the same manner when asked to visit the Eiffel Tower on a given day.   Many city dwellers consider Luneta as an oasis on hot and humid days and nights, a picnic ground for folks who  prefer open spaces or couldn't afford to go to the malls.  There are gardens, playgrounds, an open-air concert hall, an artists' sanctuary, historical markers, a light-and-sound theater, a grand stadium and fountains in this park.

Ironically, it was raining when we walked around Luneta on Saturday night.  My friend and I pigged out at a restaurant in the nearby Manila Ocean Park, and we decided to walk off the calories in Luneta.

When I took photos of the Rizal monument, I crossed the metal chain  to get a closer shot, then I heard a  persistent whistle.  It was the security guard signaling me to  step out of the perimeter fence.  We asked why there is a perimeter fence when it is a public monument.  The guard explained that people tend to leave their trash near the monument, the perimeter fence also protects the monument from vandals and vagrants.  The Rizal monument is continuously guarded by ceremonial soldiers, known as Knights of Rizal.  It reminded me of a family anecdote about an uncle who had the penchant  to tickle the on-duty ceremonial soldiers when he had one too many.

Across the Rizal monument is a marker with a white ball---the Kilometer 0.   Similar to ancient Rome's Milliarium Aureum, Kilometer Zero is the point of origin to all other cities in the Philippines.

the wet and deserted Roxas Boulevard across Kilometer 0

Rizal Park (or Luneta Park) is at the northern end of Roxas Boulevard, overlooking Manila Bay.  It is a walking distance to the historic Manila Hotel, the National Museum of the Filipino People, the National Library, the neoclassic Department of Tourism building, the Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, the Planetarium, and the walled city of Intramuros.

I promise to revisit the park again soon...at day time, to show you better photos.:p

Posted for My World-Tuesday

Cagsawa Souvenir Shops [My World-Tuesday]

Who could resist souvenir shops?  When you're visiting a place, it's hard not to buy some mementos to bring home to family and friends.  These stores are a few of the  many stalls inside the Cagsawa Ruins selling Bicol shirts, hand-crafted bags and home decor products made from natural fibers, and other local gifts and flavors.  Bicol is famous for their spicy flavors--carved chili pepper key chains and magnets were a hit to my family and friends.

the belfry at Cagsawa Ruins

a cloud-capped Mayon Volcano, known as the world's most perfect cone

Naturally, you need to visit Cagsawa Ruins first before you hit the souvenir shops.:p   Cagsawa Ruins is located in Daraga, Albay, an 8-hour bus ride from Manila or a 55-minute flight from Manila to Legazpi City.  It is the remains of Cagsawa town and surrounding areas which were buried in lava during the 1814 eruption of Mayon Volcano.  About 1,200 townfolks persished and only this church belfry survived the devastating fury of Mayon.

Posted for http://showyourworld.blogspot.com

Batik/Mantsa [LP]

Kanina ko lang napanood ang Sherlock Holmes at naalala ko ang mga litrato ng Tower Bridge at Tower of London sa aking archive. At tamang-tama naman, wala pa pala akong litrato sa tema ngayong Huwebes.

Niluma na ng panahon ang Tower of London---halata naman sa mga lumot at batik sa dingding na bato.

Itinayo noong 1078 ang makasaysayang Tower of London. Buhay na ba ang lolo mo n'on? Ito raw ang pinaka-haunted na lugar sa Britain---marami kasing pinahirapan, pinatay at binitay dito. Itinayo ang Tower of London bilang isang fortress, palasyo at kulungan ng mga VIP. Naging armory din ito, taguan ang pananalapi ng hari, at mula 1303, dito nakalagak ang crown jewels ng UK. Sayang at hindi ko napasok ito, kulang kasi sa oras.

Ito naman ay hindi istatwa na puno ng grasa...s'ya ay isang mime artist sa sidewalk sa Paris. Gumagalaw lang ang mime artist kapag naghulog ka ng pera sa batya n'ya. Naligo yata ito ng pintura para magmukha s'yang tansong rebulto. Sa tingin mo, kaya pa kaya ng Tide Ultra tanggalin ang mantsa sa damit n'ya?

Posted for Litratong Pinoy