Playing travel show host

(Second of two parts)

The Maundy Thursday trip I made last week to the lakeshore towns of Rizal and Laguna allowed me to immerse myself in the Lenten traditions of old.

For instance, I thought all along that the practice of wrapping religious icons in purple fabric had already been dropped completely by the Catholic Church. Here in Metro Manila, I don’t think they have done that in the past 30 years. Even in Iloilo where I spent Holy Week two years ago, not one of the churches I visited – no, not even in the remote areas like Tigbauan and San Joaquin – carried out this tradition. But to my surprise, a few churches I visited in Laguna still had some statues of saints wrapped in purple cloth (supposedly to signify the death of Christ).

What I missed in Morong (maybe because our group arrived a little bit late) was the procession of the cordero – actually a mixture of mashed potatoes and camote formed in the shape of a lamb. Placed on a platter, it is brought out in a procession from the hermano’s house to the church (for blessing) at 3 p.m. of Holy Thursday. After the church rites, the cordero is brought back to the hermano’s house where it is consumed, except for the head, which is turned over to the new hermano.

Of course, very much alive in those old towns was the visita iglesia tradition. Even our group made sure that on Maundy Thursday, we went to at least seven churches: in Morong, Baras, Mabitac, Siniloan, Pangil, Paete and Pakil.

Of the seven churches we visited, I was most impressed with the Baras Parish dedicated to Saint Joseph. It may not be as big and as grand as the other churches, but it has retained its old charm and antiquity. Baras also reminded me of an early 1990s Eddie Garcia movie about this former town mayor who used a whip (he was known as Mayor Latigo) to reform unlawful elements.

The Pakil Church is also lovely, especially with its central altar lined with gold-painted ornate woodcarvings. The church honors as its patron saint San Pedro de Alcantara, a Spanish father confessor who once even counseled St. Teresa de Avila. Known to have spent endless nights praying, he is regarded as the patron saint of night watchmen.

The image more popularly venerated in Pakil Church, however, is the Virgin of Turumba. When our group visited Pakil on Maundy Thursday, in fact, the Turumba festival was already in full swing.

While in Pakil, it was Angie Maulawin who made arrangements for our overnight stay there. (We stayed in a lodging house that was just a spit away from the town cemetery that assured us of a very peaceful stay).

Meals, however, were at the Maulawin home – all prepared by Ka Fely – a wonderful cook who introduced me to this exciting dish of tagunton hipon (with fresh pineapples and kamias, too) bathed in thick coconut milk.

A confection I discovered – also through Angie Maulawin – was this bucayo (coconut candy) that is soft and so different from the jaw-breaking variety from Pangasinan. It is available along the highway – and oddly enough – sold side by side with stainless steel products.

On the way back to Manila, we passed by a long, but orderly Good Friday procession in the Rizal town of Teresa. What struck me as strange there was the fact that instead of the Mater Dolorosa at the end of the procession, it was St. Jude Thaddeus who was given that place of honor.

That Holy Week trip down the lakeshore towns of Rizal and Laguna may not have been my most memorable break, but it certainly was the most economical. (The overnight stay in that lodging house fronting the cemetery was cheap and again, peaceful).

Local authorities in Rizal and Laguna, however, may want to take a look into some of my observatins during my drive down to those rustic towns. For one thing, the very few road signs are not motorist-friendly – unlike those going up to Baguio. Fortunately, the people of Rizal and Laguna are all very helpful except for one roadside squire who gave us the wrong directions maybe because we caught him at the wrong time. He seemed like he was about to profess his love and devotion to his young inamorata when we barged in and rolled down our car window to ask him the way to Mabitac.

At night, the roads are poorly-lit and quite dangerous to traverse especially in the zigzag strip.

Then, there is also the absence of rest areas where travelers can at least pass water after a long drive. This is particularly difficult for women who have to look for a Jollibee outlet (way down in far Siniloan) to relieve bulging bladders.

But overall, that was a truly enjoyable trip down the lakeshore towns of Rizal and Laguna.

I plan to return there someday – hopefully as part of the fulfillment of my dream of one day becoming a travel show host. (Dreams are free, aren’t they?)

But meanwhile, it’s back to reality for me as I return this Saturday (after a week’s absence) to the Startalk set where I will give you a guided tour of the maddening world of showbusiness.