The Heritage Town of Taal, Batangas

A few months ago, I visited the quiet town of Taal, Batangas. It's famous for having the largest Roman Catholic Church in Asia -- the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours. It's one of the best preserved, heritage town I've visited so far (along with Talisay City, Vigan, and Pila in Laguna).

Aside from the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours, I was surprised at the number of (well preserved) ancestral houses in Taal. I have taken so many pictures of these houses and I would love to upload these on Wikipedia and on the Philippine Heritage Map. I was also surprised that the famous Our Lady of Caysasay is housed in a chapel a few kilometers from the Basilica (on the way to Lemery, Batangas). I also saw the ancestral house of Marcela Agoncillo now converted into a public museum. Unfortunately it's close during my visit.

I also tried the famous Lomi Batangas and Tapang Batangas. The price is very affordable and the quality of the food is great. It's really delicious.

I’ll post more pictures of Taal, Batangas soon.

Technorati Tags: Taal,Batangas,Heritage Town

Church of San Juan, Batangas

Last May 22, 2016 our photography club visited the town of San Juan in Batangas. It’s famous for its beaches. No other than Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) chief Noelito M Pasco toured us to this wonderful, quiet town of San Juan.

We toured almost all the famous landmarks of San Juan and it’s local industries as well as the famous beaches of Laiya. I learned that the current Church of San Juan was originally built in Pinagbayanan before it was transferred in its present location at the heart of the town. We visited both sites.

There are two markers on the façade of the San Juan Church (in Batangas) and one of it reads:

Simbahan ng San Juan

Unang ipinatayong yari sa pawid at kawayan sa Pinagbayanan, 1843. Nahiwalay sa Rosario, 1848. Ipinagawa ang simbahang bato ni Padre Damaso Mojica, unang Kura Paroko sa tulong ng mga Principales ng Bayan sa pamumuno ng Gobernador-Silyong si Felipe Salud, 1845. Inilipat sa kasalukuyang pook, 1890: at pinasinayaan ang ngayo’y simbahang bato, sa tangkilik ni Padre Celestino Yoldi, Rekoletos, 1894. Pansamantalang pinamahalaan ng mga Paring Kaputsino, 1904. Pinalitan ang San Juan de Bocboc ng Bolboc sa pamamagitan ng Batas Bilang 2390, 1914. Naging San Juan de Nepomuceno ng mga Unang Taon ng 1920.

Here’s my rough translation:

San Juan Church

Originally made from nipa and bamboo in Pinagbayanan,1843. It was separated from Rosario, 1848. The stone church was commissioned to build by Father Damaso Mojica, first Parish Priest, with the help of the town’s Principales under the leadership of Gobernadorcillo Felipe Salud, 1845. It was transferred to the present location in 189 and inaugurated the present stone church, under the sponsorship of Father Celestino Yoldi, Recollects, 1894. Temporarily administered by the Capuchin Priests, 1904. San Juan de Bocboc was changed to Bolboc by means of Law Number 2390, 1914. It became San Juan de Nepomuceno in the early years of 1920.

San Juan de Nepomuceno, the town’s Patron Saint.

There’s a museum besides the church and here are the things you can find there.

Simbahan ng Pinagbayanan

Sa pook na ito na tinawag na Pinagbayanan unang itinayo ang Simbahan ng San Juan na yari sa kawayan at nipa, 1843. Dahil sa madalas na pagbaha rito, isang simbahang yari sa bato ang pinasimulan ng unang Kura Paroko na si Padre Damaso Mojica, sa pakikipagtulungan ng mga Prinsipales ng Bayan sa pamumuno ni Gobernadorsilyon Juan Dimayuga. Ang paggawa ng simbahan at kumbento ay pinagtibay ng Superior Decreto, Agosto 10, 1855. Ang mga guhong matatagpuan sa pook na ito ay mga labi ng naturang simbahan. Isang bagong simbahan ang ipinatayo sa kasalukuyang Bayan ng San Juan, 1890.

Ang palatandaang ito ay sinangayunan sa bisa ng Resolusyon Bilang 2 s. 1994 ng Lupon ng Pambansang Suriang Pangkasaysayan.

Church of Pinagbayanan

In this location called Pinagbayanan, the Church of San Juan was first built, which is made of bamboo and nipa, 1843. Due to frequent flooding, a church made of stone was initiated by the first Parish Priest Father Damaso Mojica, in cooperation of the town’s Prinsipales under the leadership of Gobernadorcillo Juan Dimayuga. The building of the church and convent was enforced by Superor Decree, August 10, 1855. The ruins found in this place are the remains of that said church. A new church was built in the current Town of San Juan, 1890.

This marker was agreed upon by Resolution Number 2 Series of 1994 by the National Historical Commission.

The ruins of the original Church of San Juan in Pinagbayanan.

Technorati Tags: San Juan,Batangas,Church of San Juan

The Mangroves of San Juan, Batangas

Last May 22, 2016 our photography club had the chance to visit the quiet town of San Juan, Batangas. This is in line with their photography contest that aims to showcase the best of what the town can offer.

One of the highlights of our trip to San Juan is a visit to their vast Mangroves area. According to the website of San Juan, there are 496 hectares of mangroves and swamp area. Of this area, over 100 hectares of intact mangroves forest is located along the coasts of Imelda, Bataan, Nagsaulay and Subukin. This is the largest mangroves area in all of Batangas Province.

No other than Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) chief Noelito M Pasco accompanied us to this natural wonder. These mangroves are classified as a finger type of mangrove as it is a strip located along the coast and is covered by daily tides. The predominant groups are Bakauan, Bungalon and Pagatpat (Source).

We were amazed at the pristine water and there are really very few residents leaving these mangroves. Navigating it via a small boat is like navigating a river that has not been commercialized. We do hope that the Municipal Government of San Juan, Batangas will do everything to protect these mangroves and at the same time, develop eco-tourism so that citizens will be aware on how important these mangroves are to our marine life and the environment.

Thank you again MENRO Officer Noelito M. Pasco for this wonderful trip.

Technorati Tags: Noelito M Pasco,MENRO,San Juan,Batangas,Mangroves

Maryland Beach Resort, Nasugbu, Batangas

We finally had our much-awaited Team Building last January 6-7, 2015 at Maryland Beach Resort in Nasugbu, Batangas. We originally planned for this team building last December but we postponed it due to typhoon Ruby, which had its eye on Batangas, on the supposed day of our team building in December.

After our shift last Tuesday (4AM-1PM), we waited for our van, which arrived around 4PM, and went to Nasugbu, Batangas. I was half-asleep the whole trip, but was aware that we missed our turn at Sta. Rosa Exit but managed to be on-track. We passed by Tagaytay City and finally arrived at Maryland Beach Resort in Nasugbu around 7 or 8PM. Access to the beachfront was already closed by the time we arrived at the venue but their main swimming pool is open for us.

Our team mates brought food (I guess from Nasugbu Public Market) and we had our dinner of lechong manok. After the festive dinner, we dipped in the pool, played Charades, and had a drinking session afterwards. We had a fun game while drinking and I ended up being totally drunk. I slept around 1 or 2AM and woke up the next morning around 7 AM.

The beachfront was amazing and has nice, fine, black sand. It was so fine that we can go to the water without getting our feet hurt. No corals or any living marine life – just the ocean and the fine, black, sand. I was surprised that the temperature was not freezing cold – it was warm in the ocean and the sun’s ray doesn’t hurt much.

Maryland Beach Resort is a nice place, although the shower room and the comfort room have a lot to improve. We got two rooms – and it’s spacious with its own toilet and bath. I don’t know how much exactly our team leader paid for these two rooms but it’s close to P6,000. It’s value for money I believe since we stayed here for 24 hours. The kitchen and dining area is spacious and we’re lucky that the resort is not fully-booked during our stay. Unfortunately, there is no videoke machine available (I guess they have a strong restriction on it).

It was a nice team building. I enjoyed it a lot. If given the chance to be back at the beach this summer in Batangas, we’ll probably choose Maryland Beach Resort again.

BuzzNet Tags: Team Building,Nasugbu,Batangas,Maryland Beach Resort