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JEEP TRIPS
By jade pangilinan
My High Regard for Magalang
One of the trendy things to do on weekends is to go on out-of-town trips to places off the beaten path. With the rising gas prices nowadays, the only thing I could afford lately is a road trip to towns in Pampanga that I have not or have rarely visited. On a drizzly Sunday afternoon I found myself on the road to Magalang.
Nestled at the foot on majestic Mount Arayat, the quaint and bucolic town of Magalang is home to the Pampanga Agricultural Colleges -- our answer to the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna or Central Luzon State University in Munoz, Nueva Ecija in terms of having an idyllic and verdant campus and an academe that specializes in the fields of agriculture, forestry or agronomy. PAC is one of the nicer places to study in Pampanga, given its ambiance and the fact that it is a state college.
Magalang is also becoming increasingly famous for Abe's Farm in Barangay Ayala that offers not only great food but relaxation as it has a branch of Nurture Spa in its compound.
This particular afternoon's trip was a feast for my eyes. From the main highway I saw Mount Arayat with a misty veil that lent it a mysterious air. I could not help but notice that Magalang lives up to its reputation as a clean and green municipality (at one point the province's best) with its tree-lined roads and still mainly agricultural economic activities.
One of the charms of Magalang lies in its plaza, one of the better preserved ones in the province, with a public square in the midst of the old municipal building and the St. Bartholomew church.
On the day of my visit, the plaza was surrounded by Tiangge stalls selling everything imaginable and affordable for the town's folk. The church parking lot was deserted for the Sunday afternoon and the church itself was not open at that hour. However, from the outside the church fa¨ade itself will satisfy a tourist's picture frenzy or a heritage enthusiast's curiosity. A marker notes that the church had celebrated its quadricentennial in 2005, a testament to its historicity and strengthens the church's place at the heart of the townspeople's religious activities.
Not in a condescending sense really but Magalang has retained a small town feel that San Fernando lacks with its speedy pace of urbanization. Near the town's public market are old houses, which could qualify as heritage structures, that have been developed for adaptive re-use, whether for commercial or professional purposes.
Even the municipal hall itself, while unpretentious and austere, is elegant in its old age. The fa¨ade would have been picture-perfect save for the usual streamer that loudly bears the name of local politicians.
A stone's throw away from the munisipyo is an iconic Magalang tradition -- Pabalan's Delicacies. Started in 1963 by the Pabalan Family and passed on through generations from their matriarch Apung Isang to her son Mariano's children who are presently running the business, their pastillas de leche is possibly the best in Pampanga. Made from fresh carabao's milk and the finest white sugar, cooked under slow fire the traditional way, the pastillas melts heavenly in one's mouth and makes one forget of the calories it brings.
I am reminded that even if Magalang of late has been the subject of squabbles for power among its petty plutocracy, it is also the hometown of great and talented men and women of recent past -- writer and artist E. Aguilar Cruz, restaurateur Larry J. Cruz, Kapampangan author and scholar Dr. Evangelina Hilario Lacson to name a few. Among the best leaders that the Kapampangan youth has produced, who happens to hail from Magalang, is Dennis Cunanan, former UP student leader and now Deputy Director General for Technology and Livelihood Resource Center.
There is so much to Magalang that gives me such high regard for it, whether it's the people, the food, or just the simply pleasurable experience of driving to the town on a seemingly uneventful Sunday.
Crucifixions in San Pedro Cutud
Throughout the year, the community of San Pedro Cutud in the
City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines is quiet and bucolic. But
during the Holy Week, it comes alive and all eyes are on the community
as it takes centerstage - welcome to the Crucifixion Capital of
the Philippines.
Highly Christianized because of its colonial history, the Philippines
has persisting traditions in observance of the Holy Week during which
the passion and death of Jesus Christ is remembered by the Catholics.
However, the observance of Christian faith is given an extreme
interpretation by some people in the community of San Pedro Cutud as
they have themselves crucified – literally nailed on a wooden cross –
as expressions of their devotion, to ask for penitence or indulgences
for special requests, or to fulfill a vow.
It all starts with a street play in Kapampangan entitled “Via Crucis”,
which translates into way of the cross, written by an amateur
playwright named Ricardo Navarro (the only one he wrote in his
lifetime) in the early 1950s. This performance depicts the passion of
Christ and is staged in the streets of San Pedro Cutud, culminating in
with the crucifixion in a man-made hill to denote Calvary within the
community.
It was in 1962 when the first actual crucifixion took place when a
quack doctor named Artemio Anoza had himself nailed to fulfill his
dream of becoming a healer. Since then, the crucifixions have gained
international fame and began to draw huge crowds every year.
The number of penitents who pledge themselves for this seemingly gory
act has been increasing. Last year alone, there were 16 penitents who
were nailed and stayed on the cross for about two to three minutes each
under the horrible heat of noon. A few years back there were also
female penitents who had themselves crucified, while a British national
made an attempt to join the other year but backed out at the last
minute.
In recent times, last Holy Week included, Ruben Enaje who hails from
the community has been playing the role of Christ for more than a
decade. Sporting long curly locks reminiscent of Jesus himself, Enaje
keeps his nails which he uses every year in a jar filled with ordinary
isopropyl alcohol. Interestingly, to date not one among those who have
been nailed complains of suffering from infections but to keep them
safe the City Government has been giving anti-tetanus shots to
penitents and sterilizing the nails which they utilized.
Locals and tourists alike who flock to witness this Holy Week ritual
are filled with awe or a simply shocked on this practice of the people
of San Pedro Cutud. Where else in the world can you find people who go
to the extent of imitating Christ’s pain at the cross as an expression
of their beliefs.
While the Catholic Church in the Philippines has kept mum on this
practice, the people in that community persistently uphold the
spectacle that has become a vital part of their local tradition and way
of life.
The Genial Town of Glan
The image of the gleaming stretch of powdery white sand in
Gumasa remains vividly etched in my mind up to this time, but it has
been months since I went there for the first time. This is not Boracay
I am talking about but a destination off the beaten track – Glan in the
province of Saranggani, Philippines.
Saranggani is becoming famous for its marine products, processed or
otherwise. Tuna that is caught in its bountiful bay is being exported
to European countries and our Asian neighbors.
I have always been fascinated by the south, Mindanao and its realm,
since my family moved to Cotabato in the late nineties but the province
of Saranggani used to be a mere part of my elusive dream. This changed
when I met a friend in the person of Board Member Art Lawa of the
Provincial Government of Saranggani who was gushing with pride about
his home province and its wealth of wonders.
I visited Saranggani last year with my cousins since it is quite
accessible, a mere 15 – minute drive from General Santos City, if you
go as far as Alabel where the massively impressive provincial capitol
is situated and one could enjoy the fresh offerings of Isla Parilla
Resort.
However, the real gem of Saranggani lies in the quaint and genial town
called Glan, standing like a silent but resounding fortress at the edge
of southwestern Mindanao.
I learned from the accommodating Tourism Focal Person of the Local
Government Unit of Glan Joel Toledo that the town is home to a
conglomeration of various ethno-linguistic groups: B’laan, Cebuano,
Ilonggo, and even Indonesians to cite a few, an odd assortment of
culture that give the town a charming ambiance that is distinctly its
own. The people are warm and friendly, and easily approachable.
The lure of Glan is also eminent in the ancestral houses lined up along
Alegado Street in the Poblacion area. Some of the houses are century –
old while others were built in the post-war years, with characteristic
elements of style not found elsewhere in the Philippines, as
exemplified by the intricately done callado details. Sadly though,
according to some locals some of the houses have been demolished and
several are in a state of disrepair.
Paradise for sun worshippers starts a few minutes from the poblacion
area, in the coastal barangays of the town such as Gumasa and Ilaya.
Gumasa reminds me so much of Boracay, sans the crowd and the garbage.
Imagine having the beach all to yourself and your friends.
Walking along the shore, my feet sink in the carpet of sand. Sand
effortlessly slips through one’s fingers, in almost radiant milkiness,
in my attempt to grasp it. It got me thinking wistfully that it
must the same particles that fill an hourglass.
The only fear I had while beaching in Glan dwelled on the possibility
that in the near future the unspoiled natural beauty will be pockmarked
with destructive blemishes. If any development is to be implemented at
all in the area which has been identified as a priority area for
investment, it must be comprehensive and sustainable at the same
time.
In the meantime, the still unpolished gem that is Glan gently waits to be rediscovered and treasured.
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The Giant Lanterns of
San Fernando, Pampanga
Experiencing Christmas in the Philippines will not be complete without
the colorful blinking lanterns that adorn homes and commercial
buildings. Indeed one of the most striking images of the Paskong Pinoy
tradition aside from the “belen” and “simbang gabi” is the parol that
finds its roots in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
The lantern industry in the city is an offshoot of the Giant Lantern
Festival, locally known as the Ligligan Parul (“lantern showdown”),
which in turn is said to be intensely rooted in the religious
procession known today as the “lubenas” (a corruption of the Spanish
term “novena”) which usually took place during the nine-day novena
before Christmas which coincided with the dawn masses known as the
Simbang Gabi. After the midnight mass, the people from the different
barrios gathered at the town plaza to watch the lanterns pit against
each other for the lantern showdown which objective was to see the
lantern that would outlast all others. The people from the barangays
would watch to see the last lantern standing.
Through the years, the size of the lanterns brought out during the last
nights of the lubenas grew bigger and bigger, with the designs becoming
more intricate and colorful. By means of concerted community effort,
each barrio began creating one big lantern that became a symbol of the
community, serving as an emotional anchor for each person who
contributed to making it. According to veteran lantern makers such as
Erning Quiwa and Roland Quiambao, when electricity was introduced in
San Fernando by 1931, lantern makers began creating work of arts that
now featured the dancing interplay of lights controlled by individual
switches. These switches were later replaced by steel barrels
called rotors which control the lighting of the bulbs in tune to the
music, creating the illusion that the lights dance to the Christmas
songs or band marches. From the traditional rice paper (papel de
japon), lantern makers also started utilizing colored plastic while the
bamboo frames were replaced by steel ones. Since the dawn of the new
millennium, the giant lanterns of San Fernando have taken the standard
size of 18 feet in diameter, composed of 2000 to 3000 bulbs. Such a
gargantuan work of art takes several months to finish, in preparation
for the most awaited part of the holidays when the lanterns take center
stage.
This year, ten barangays of the city will participate anew in the Giant
Lantern Festival competition on December 15, 2007, striving to continue
an extravagant Christmas tradition that finds its home in San Fernando,
the Christmas Capital of the Philippines.
For more details you may email citytourism@cityofsanfernando.gov.ph or
call the city tourism office of san fernando, pampanga at +6345 9615684.
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