Skywatch#120 View From The Plane

The plan was to take photos of San Pablo City's seven lakes from the plane. So, with fingers crossed that I could get some clear view of Laguna Province I held on to my camera waiting for the opportunity.

 It seemed though that the clouds could won over so I just took some shots. And lo! a glimpse of the lakes suddenly came into view. I took several shots but the plane was too fast for me to get some good shots without the plane's  wings. Here is the only shot that did not include the unwanted plane wings...  

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Skywatch#119 Entrance To the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

This is the entrance to the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery, Nagcarlan, Laguna.  Both the church and the cemetery are now considered part of the national  historical sites of the Philippines.





 

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Skywatch#118 Quezon Memorial Circle

I took a chance to explore Quezon Memorial Circle on my first weekend of my study-training. We had rainy days previous to that weekend and it was just such a relief when Saturday promised to be a sunny day. While my roommates were busy lounging inside our hotel room, I explored the circle where the former Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon and his wife are buried.

I got off at the Philcoa Building and walked through the underpass to get to the circle's gate. The park was clean, green and spacious. Families were walking around and there were some brave souls who jogged under the scorching sun.  Security guards were seen around patrolling the area and to my surprise, the park has a lot of interesting nooks for people from all walks of life to enjoy in.

 

 

This monument is located at the center of the circle. Underneath it is a museum housing the memorabilia of President Quezon and also his sarcophagus. His First Lady, Dona Aurora Quezon, is also buried here. The museum is being managed by one of the daughters.

 

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Skywatch#114 Quirino Grandstand, Luneta

Quirino Grandstand is the traditional location of the swearing-in of the newly-elected President of the Philippines. It is  part of the Rizal Park or as most locals call it, Luneta Park. 

 

The grandstand is a favorite location for major religious, political, cultural and social events since it was built in 1949. 

 

But in ordinary days like this one, common people hang out in the grand stand to escape from the summer heat while some brave ones, fly these colorful kites.

 

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Skywatch#113 Villa Escudero, Tiaong, Quezon

One of several cottages inside the Villa Escudero, Tiaong, Quezon. The plantation resort is about 30 minutes ride away from San Pablo City.

The plantation resort has a lot to offer for every one. Carabao (water buffalo) cart rides, bamboo rafting, buffet lunch at the waterfalls restaurant, Philippine native dance show and a whole lot more. For me, the one day trip is not enough to explore and enjoy the place.

To get there from Manila, ride one of the buses traveling to Lucena that ply the EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Ave.) road or get to the JAC bus terminal in Taft Avenue. Travel time is about two to three hours. Tell the conductor to let you down right after the arch boundary of Quezon Province. The gate of the plantation resort is right after the arch on the left side of the highway.

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Skywatch#111 Philippine Churches#11 San Geronimo Church In The Morning Light

After doing our first station of the Way of the Cross inside Iglesia de San Geronimo (St. Jerome's Church), we made our way to the parking area which was at the back of the church. There was a shorter route by the stairway at the back of the church but we went around the area before reaching our tourist bus. En route to the parking lot, I saw this baclighted view of the church's facade. This is my entry for:

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Skywatch#110 Philippine Churches#10 San Geronimo Parish Church, Morong, Rizal

I thank God for the blessings He has given me and I just feel lucky and blessed that inspite of the hardships, I could work hard and save enough to travel. I usually learn a lot from traveling especially in my travels across my country.

I have been eyeing the Visita Iglesia travel package being offered by Illuminati tours for more than two years now but could not get synchronized with my schedule. A blessing in disguise perhaps because this year's Holy Week, I not only did the Visita Iglesia in Laguna but I also took my mother and my niece along. Aside from that, we did a sidetrip to Pagsanjan Falls but that's another story.

To start off our Laguna Visita Iglesia, we visited San Geronimo Parish Church at Morong, Rizal.

 

The baroque architecture style of the church is quite obvious in the lines of its three-story facade and its octagonal-shaped bell tower.

 

 
 San Geronimo (St. Jerome) Parish Church is the oldest church in the town of Morong, Rizal. Chinese craftsmen helped build the church which is why it has two Chinese lion sculptures at the entrance. I read somewhere that it is one of the most photographed churches in Laguna.

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Skywatch#100 We Shall Not Forget

This memorial for the fallen soldiers is located at the Corregidor Island. The island is the last stand of the Filipino and American forces against the Japanese occupation during World War II.

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My World#114 Parade of the Philippine Presidents

Located at the seafront complex of Intramuros, Old Manila is the Parade of the Philippine Presidents from Aguinaldo to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. There's a sign that says "Galeria delos Presedentes dela Republica Pilipina" which I loosely translated as the "Gallery of the Presidents of the Philippine Republic".


Each one of them was carefully done, I even tried knocking on some of them to ascertain what they were made of. If I'm not mistaken, they were made of aluminum or some kind of steel.

My favorite, of course, is that of the former President Corazon Aquino. Hers was surrounded by the images of events during her presidency, most prominently that of the EDSA Revolution.

Just beside this place is the Intramuros golf course.

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Skywatch#62 Eternal Flame Of Freedom, Corregidor

Eternal Flame of Freedom - A large steel sculpture which symbolizes the Flame of Freedom burning eternally. It is located at the rear of the Pacific War Memorial dome on a raised platform which provides visitors a breathtaking panoramic view of Manila Bay, the Bataan Peninsula, and the coastline of Cavite. Designed by Aristides Demetrios, the sculpture commemorates the sacrifices, hopes and aspirations, and the heroic struggle by the United States and the Philippines to preserve freedom for future generations. The sculpture stands as a reminder that all men will fight as one if need to be to defend a nation's liberty.
source: www.corregidorisland.com

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Skywatch#56 In Honor Of The Filipino Woman

This statue of the Filipino Woman is found at the Tail End of Corregidor Island. It is just beside Filipino Heroes Memorial. The statue also faces the memorial parks of Philippine presidents Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña.

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Skywatch#55 Spanish Lighthouse

This is the Spanish Lighthouse of Corregidor Island, Luzon. Thankfully, we were able to climb it to its top. The view was marvellous but my knees were almost wobbly due to the rickety stairs.

Wikipedia:
The lighthouse is one of the oldest landmarks in Corregidor. A lighthouse with a beam range of 33 miles (53 km). It was first built by the Spaniards in 1836 and was replaced with a better one in 1853. The second lighthouse was further improved in 1892 and was reduced to ruins during the siege of Corregidor. This rehabilitated lighthouse stands on the same spot where the second lighthouse stood before.

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Skywatch#46 Calm Waters of Caramoan

Taken from one of the isolated islands of Caramoan Peninsula, Camarines Sur. The island was one of the locations for the Survivor Europe Reality Show. For us, it was a little peace of heaven with its calm waters, beautiful landscape and the island all for ourselves.

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My World#79 (Philippine Churches: Part 7) Sta. Cruz Church, Manila

Sta. Cruz Church is located at Plaza Lacson, Sta. Cruz, Manila. It is just right off McArthur Bridge and is fronting the Greco-Roman styled Roman Santos Building (Prudential Bank Building), one of the old buildings of Manila which was built before World War II broke out.

The altar of Sta. Cruz Church, Manila

The facade of Sta. Cruz Church, Manila

The fountain fronting the church

I really wish that those obstruction fronting the church could be transferred. It is a beautiful old church and those who placed those electric post and snaking electric wires did the church such injustice and disrespect.

Wikipedia:
The Jesuits built the first Roman Catholic Church in the area where the present Santa Cruz Parish stands on June 20, 1619. The Jesuits enshrined the image of the Our Lady of Pilar in 1643 to serve the pre-dominantly Chinese residents in the area. The image drew a lot of devotees and a popular cult grew around it.

Source: philtravelcenter.com
Description: The original church of Sta. Cruz was built in 1608 for the Chinese converted to Christianity by the priests of the Society of Jesus. When the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines, the church became Dominican. The structure was damaged by the earthquake, and then during the Battle of Manila in 1945. The present structure was rebuilt in 1957.


How to get there?: From Taft Avenue, hail a PUJ bound for Sta. Cruz. Get off right infront of the church.




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Skywatch# 39 Caleruega's Cul-de-Sac

We found this breathtaking view at the Caleruega's cul-de-sac. A quiet place for meditation while taking in the view.

Caleruega is situated at Brgy. Kaylaway, Batulao, Batangas, Luzon. The place is run by the Dominican priests. Over the years, it has gotten popular for weddings because of its isolated but quite beautiful surroundings.



For more about Caleruega, the Church on the Hill, go here and here.

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My World#77 Paco Park, Manila

Paco Park is located along Gen. Luna and Padre Faura Sts., Paco, Manila. It is about a block away from United Nations Ave.

It was where the national hero was secretly interred before he was officially buried in Luneta Park.

Paco Park was once a municipal cemetery and even served as central supply and ammunition depot of the Japanese forces during World War II. It is now more well-known as venue for shows, wedding events, film locations (eg. the 2010 Filipino movie, Miss You Like Crazy, with Filipino movie stars John Lloyd and Bea Alonzo), concerts and other functions.



Paco Park Gate

Paco Park Garden and  St. Pancratius Chapel

The left side of Paco Park with the pathway above the walls with niches.

The now unused century-old niches carved within the hollowed circular walls of Paco Park. 

Source: Wikipedia
Paco Park was originally planned as a municipal cemetery for the well-off and established aristocratic Spanish families who resided in the old Manila, or the city within the walls of Intramuros during the Spanish colonial era. Most of the wealthy families interred the remains of their loved ones inside the municipal cemetery in what was once the district of Dilao (former name for Paco). The cemetery was built in the late 1700s but was completed several decades later and in 1822, the cemetery was used to inter victims of a cholera epidemic that swept across the city.


The cemetery is circular in shape, with an inner circular fort that was the original cemetery and with the niches that were placed or located within the hollow walls. As the population continued to grow, a second outer wall was built with the thick adobe walls were hollowed as niches and the top of the walls were made into pathways for promenades. A Roman Catholic chapel was built inside the walls of the Paco Park and it was dedicated to St. Pancratius.


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Skywatch#37 Paco Park, Manila

I vaguely remembered Paco Park as the place where our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, was initially interred. Only a handful knew, which included his immediately family, where he was taken after being executed by the Spanish government in 1896. But I recognized Paco Park's pathways easily in the movie entitled Miss You Like Crazy starring local actors John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo.



This is St. Pancratius Chapel inside Paco Park in Manila. Paco Park was used originally as a municipal cemetery. Built in 1700s, it is circular in shape with the inner circle as the original cemetery. The niches were placed within its hollowed walls. A second circular wall was added and more niches were placed within its hollowed adobe walls as the population grew. The top of the walls were used as pathways or promenades. Its use was stopped in the early 1900s and the niches transferred to other cemeteries by the owners.

Nowadays, the park is mostly used for different occasions like mini concerts, weddings and parties.

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