Journeys to a glorious past

MANILA, Philippines - The desirable month of May – when most fiestas are celebrated and the more pleasant climate makes travel around the islands more convivial and fun – is also an ideal time to embark on a journey to the past, retrace our steps to experience in concrete ways the rich fabric of our ancestors’ lives as we commemorate our cultural patrimony.

Ordained by law a decade ago as National Heritage Month, the government through its implementing arm the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and its partner in the private sector, the Filipino Heritage Festival, Inc., holds the nationwide observance in malls chosen as venues for cultural activities such as visual arts and heirloom exhibits, staging of folk dances and the harana, the balagtasan and the duplo, thematic vignettes and vintage recipes, as well as ethnic food fairs.

Dubbed as Heritage Pilgrimages, these much-awaited tours are specially designed with a local guide who gives detailed descriptions and insights about the locations, complemented by a lecturer who is an authority on tradition, arts and heritage. This allows participants to have a glimpse of the nation’s glorious past and thus understand how the legacy of our forefathers can inspire us to preserve their intangible cultural bequest and re-affirm our identity as a people in the changing face of the negative effects of globalization.

The itinerary – which includes visitations to plazas, churches, museos and ancestral homes that are opened only for the program – is an intensive course in the colonial landscape and architecture as well as the way of life of our precursors.

At the center of the poblacion was the plaza from which el municipio, la iglesia y las casas de la principalia or elite radiated. The stone benches and tall trees in the open space provided ample shade for the paseo or promenade at sundown.

The casa municipal or simply municipio, a smaller version of the ayuntamiento, had two stories and was made of stone. Constructed all over the country, it had administrative offices, archives and a hall for banquets. The town hall, which denoted the secular power of the state, stood at one end of the courtyard facing the church, the symbol of religious power.

The towering structure with its adjoining campanario or bell tower was built at an elevated portion of the square. Sauntering in these houses of worship, one is transported back in time and imagines the thousands upon thousands of islanders conscripted to build them, the untold quantity of egg whites contributed by the local population to glue together these massive walls, some as wide as 12 feet, without the use of reinforcing steel bars.

On a walk up to the belfry with its commanding view of the surrounding countryside, one can almost hear the huge iron bells as they were rung to warn the residents of pirates coming in from the sea to sack the area. These churches are also repositories of priceless relics in gold and silver such as retablos or altars, crucifixes and chalices, statues in ivory as well as lavishly embroidered ecclesiastical vestments.

The bahay na bato whose style evolved from the bahay kubo are two-story edifices of stone and hardwood. Entrance was through the zaguan, a hall on the ground floor where carriages were kept while the rest of the area was reserved for storage. The visitor ascended the escalera or grand staircase to the second floor and waited to be received at the caida or antesala where informal entertaining took place.

The sala or living room was reserved for tertulias or evening soirees. It had wide windows with tiny ventanillas underneath that could be opened to allow more air into the room in the summer. At one end was the comedor or dining room where family members took long meals together. The kusina or kitchen with its banguera for keeping plates and utensils was adjacent to the bathroom and toilet. The batalan was transformed into an azotea, an outdoor terrace where the residents and their guests retreated to on cool clear nights. The bedrooms opened to the sala. The upper part of the partitions consisting of wooden fretwork called calados provided ventilation up to the ceiling.

One of the best ways to entice travelers to experience more of their rich patrimony is to tease their palates with the flavors and textures of the many gustatory delights the regions offer. These culinary gems, in more ways than one, allow them to partake of foods they may have heard of but not tried. The Visayas itinerary, for instance, gives a sample of delicacies both familiar and unusual. In the Southern Tagalog leg of the pilgrimage, they get to dine on classic Tagalog cuisine and bring home pasalubong right from the source. The Ilocos and Abra part of the trip lets them experience both traditional Ilocano dishes and their now hugely popular avant-garde versions. A wide range of local products are likewise highlighted in the journey. This ranges from foodstuff to handicrafts, farm produce to artisanal crafts.

The museos at every stop provide a fine introduction to the lifeways of our forebears as displayed in the interesting artifacts and arcana sojourners will get to view. To complete the immersion, participants will be billeted in homegrown hotels.

The Visayas component of the Heritage Pilgrimages will encompass Iloilo, Capiz and Kalibo in Aklan. The first stop is Molo Church and Plaza, then on to Panaderia Molo for snacks. Balay na Bato is the venue for lunch followed by a lecture on Ilonggo cuisine. Next is San Joaquin Church, Miag-ao Church, Jaro Cathedral and Casa Mariquit. They will sample La Paz batchoy at Ted’s Old Timer Resto and will be billeted at Sarabia Manor. Stopovers include Roxas City where lunch will be in Espacio Verde. Then they proceed by land to Sta. Monica Church in Pan-ay, Capiz and wind up the tour in Kalibo, site of the original ati-atihan, visit the Kalibo Cathedral, the Museo It Akean and La Herminia Piña Industry to observe piňa weavers at work. Marzon Hotel will be their home in Kalibo.

The Southern Tagalog leg of the journey will take pilgrims to the charming town of Pila and bucolic Majayjay in Laguna, then to Lucban, Tayabas, Sariaya and Tiaong in Quezon province.

In Pila, they will go on a Heritage Walk to the Shrine of San Antonio de Padua, Pila Square and Museum and the Alava ancestral house. Lunch is planned for at Casa Bonini Farm Resort. In Majayjay, they will pass by the Parish Church of St. Gregory the Great.

In Lucban, Milada Dealo Valde, an authority on Quezon cuisine, will prepare a Pahiyas fiesta dinner complete with jardinera, pancit habhab, kiping and a centerpiece of fruits and vegetables. A visit to the San Miguel Arcangel Basilica Menor and the Diocesan Museum in Tayabas follows.  In Sariaya, focal point of the tour is the Gala-Rodriguez ancestral house, a National Historical Institute declared heritage house done in the art deco style by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil. The last stop will be lunch at the cool and verdant Patis Tito Gaden Café in Tiaong.

The Northern Luzon part of the program will bring the voyagers  on a four-day trip to Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Abra.

In Laoag, they will visit the Museoiloco, the public market and dine in its Saramsam Ylocano restaurant which offers avant-garde presentations of traditional Ilocano fare such as Saramsam Pasta, Poque-poque Pizza and Dinuguan Pizza. Another foodstop here will be La Preciosa restaurant for its time-tested Dinardaraan, an Ilocano version of dinuguan and Bagnet with KBL, crispy pork cutlets with a side dish of kamatis, bagoong and lasuna.

In their schedule likewise are visits to the San Andres Apostol Church in Bacarra and the Santa Monica Parish Church in Sarrat.  Accommodations will be at Balay de Blas Pensionne.

The next day’s destinations include Saud Beach in Pagudpud to frolic in stretches of white sand lined with coconut trees and take a dip in crystal-blue waters, a lightning stop at Pasuquin Bakery for the famous biscocho, the crunchy toasted pastry made from soft and tasty bread based on a well-guarded family recipe. Then it is off to the neighboring town to view the 20 awesome towering windmills at the Bangui Wind Farm, the first and largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

After lunch, they head to Burgos to see the Kapurpurawan rock formation that is known for its creamy white and streamlined limestone formations, which have been sculpted by different oceanic and weather forces. Then be awed by the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, the oldest  functioning lighthouse in the country where they can have a breathtaking view of Cape Bojeador and the West Philippine Sea.

Paoay and Batac are next on the itinerary. In Paoay, they will walk around Malacañang ti Amianan and the Church of San Agustin commonly known as Paoay Church, enjoy a late repast at the Herencia Garden restaurant famous for the Pinakbet Pizza and drive over to the Marcos Mausoleum and Museum in Batac.

In Ilocos Sur, they will marvel at the Churches of San Guillermo Ermitaño in Magsingal and Nuestra Seňora de la Asuncion in Sta. Maria, the St. Augustine Parish Church and Bell Tower in Bantay and a weaving center, the public market and a heritage village in Vigan.

In Abra, they will pray at the Church of Sta. Catalina de Alejandria in Tayum.  Reputed to be the best preserved church complex in the province, it is considered a National Cultural Treasure.  Its highlights are the palayok art motifs in its interiors and examples of early Tinguian art like the carved baptismal window.  Its belfry, a water reservoir inside the structure, gives a view of the Cordillera Mountains, the Abra Valley and the Abra River.

Bring the whole family on a voyage that provides guideposts to how our forefathers lived so you can take pride in our heritage and appreciate what makes us unique as a people.

The Heritage Pilgrimage schedules are as follows: Iloilo, Capiz and Kalibo from May 7-9, Laguna and Quezon on May 16 and 17, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Abra from May 21-24. For  details, please 0918-6204782, 0949-9388141, (02) 788 2809, (02) 330 2215 and ask for Giselle, Tonie or Judith.