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| Old Capitolyo |
Our City Tour was slightly altered in order to maximize the sites to be visited for the participants who had flights back to Manila in the morning and after lunch. It was Roy Gatpatan who was again on duty for our bus tour. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to enjoy his humorous punchlines. This time, The organizers thought it best for us to experience a staple meal of Ilonggos for breakfast. The bus stopped at the La Paz Public Market and we disembarked for a hearty meal of La Paz Batchoy and also Madge Cafe's local brew.We navigated around the stalls and alleyways of the market until we reached the carinderia area. I'm glad I had breakfast ahead of everyone! The stalls were full of customers on their way to work for the day. Breakfast is, after all, the most important meal for the day.
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| Madge Cafe |
What's so special about La Paz Bachoy, you ask? It's a bowl of beefy noodle goodness that's good for any time of the day. The broth is salty, meaty and flavored with copious amounts of fried garlic, chives, slices of liver, slivers of boiled eggs, pork fat and chunks of beef falling off its bone and crushed chicharon. Just describing it makes my mouth water! Meanwhile, the local version of Starbucks is Madge Cafe. They have different strengths of coffee depending on how strong you want your cuppa. They also serve coffee iced and in different preparations. This morning that we visited Madge Cafe, it was full at seven a.m.! We congregated in one table and made do by borrowing chairs from other customers. In this cafe, one has to line up to have your order filled and then you wait for it to be served. We were having so much fun taking selfies and we-fies of the establishment people were becoming curious at the very least because we were mostly in yellow tees. We were getting curious glances from the other diners there. Across Madge Cafe was a smoothie shop whose come-on was an acoustic duo dishing out reggae tunes.So there was so much going on in the area to perk everyone up aside form the local delicacies of puto, bandi, pinasugbo, piayaya and what not. Knowing everyone had eaten the fill, we all boarded the bus and made our way for the rest of the city.
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| Lopez-Vito heritage house |
There was so much to see, really. Familiar names of prominent families peppered the commentaries as we viewed different styles of heritage houses: Antillean, bahay-na-bato, neo colonial, Spanish colonial, bavarian, swiss chalet would describe these styles of architecture. The family names of sugar barons kept ringing in our ears as we passed palatial homes on the bus: Lopez, Locsin, Lacson, Lizares, Ledesma, Lopez-Vito, Araneta, Montinola, Sarabia, Hofilena, Pison and the list goes on. It doesn't matter that the homes are beside decrepit, decaying neighborhoods or blooming new development. The houses remain as elegant reminders of Iloilo's genteel past.
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| Nelly's Garden |
Nelly's Garden in Iloilo City would have been our first site visit for the day. Unfortunately, it was a weekend which means the house is usually reserved for its occupants. Sadly no visit was allowed for this day. It doesn't mean we couldn't admire the home from our bus, right? We parked a few minutes along the road so we could take obligatory photos of this lovely home. Nelly's Garden was built in 1928 by Don Vicente Lopez who was married to Dona Elena Hofilena. The property was named after their eldest daughter Nelly Lopez y Hofilena. The property sits on a four hectare lot and is approximately a kilometer away from the Jaro Cathedral. The story goes that the couple decided to move away from the cathedral to a quieter area. Apparently the Spanish canons that were exploding on special occasions bothered the couple. The house was nearly burned to the ground in WWII when guerrillas wanted to burn down the mansions to prevent the Japanese from using them as headquarters. The mansion was spared from destruction when the Japanese retaliated with guns blazing preventing the house from getting razed by fire. The house is said to have precious paintings and objets' art which the Japanese appreciated. The Beaux Arts style mansion with its colonnaded front porch and fifteen foot high ceilings have welcomed diplomats and royalty in its cavernous halls, the likes of: Imelda Romualdez Marcos, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, Gov. Gen Frank Murphy, Teddy Roosevelt Jr., Thailand's Prince Chupra were received here. Nelly's Garden is also now open for wedding receptions and events.
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| Lizares Mansion |
The Lizares Mansion is another heritage home that has been spared from destruction. Languishing in neglect for decades, this palatial home was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife Dona Concepcion Gamboa his three sons and two daughters. The mansion has three floors, a basement and an attic. Done in a combination of Spanish and early American architectural style, it has a wooden winding staircase and 59 wooden doors. The home was commandeered by the Japanese as their headquarters and purportedly used the basement to keep their tortured prisoners. At this time, the Lizares family had left for Pototan, Iloilo for their personal safety. After the war, the family returned to the mansion but their lives were never the same. Don Emilio died in 1950 and the rest of the family moved to Manila. The house was leased to a businessman who turned it into a casino. This was closed by the mayor who felt that gambling was corrupting the locals. It was then left to the care of a certain Tio Doroy Finolan who kept the mansion intact. It was acquired by the Angelicum School in 1962. The mansion was turned into a formation house for young Dominicans in 1963. By 1978, the property became the home of the Angelicum School in Iloilo. On our visit, we were allowed into the compound. Unfortunately since there was a formation going on for that weekend, we were not able to go inside the mansion.
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| Casa Mariquit |
Casa Mariquit is one of the oldest heritage homes in the Jaro district. Built by Fernando Lopez for his wife Maria Javellana Lopez. The more than a century old home is done in traditional Bahay-na-Bato style with a balcony on the facade of the second level framed by waist-high wrought iron scroll work. The lower level served as recibidor for guests and clients since the lower floor was used as a bank. A wide staircase welcomes guests into the caida which showcases memorabilia of the Lopez Family and its prominence in Philippine affairs. Fernando Lopez has the distinction of serving as Vice President of the Philippines for three terms: !949-1953, under President Elpidio Quirino; 1965-1969 and 1969-1972 under President Ferdinand Marcos. He was also chairman of ABS-CBN from 1986 until his death in 1993. Portraits of the couple are displayed in the caida. Receptions with foreign dignitaries and royalty and official seals of the Office of the Vice-President are lovingly displayed. A Grandfather's clock with its melodious hourly chimes dominates a corner of the room. The large veranda can accommodate a large coterie of guests. the expansive sala with wide planks of hardwood floors and groupings of seating evokes a long lost time of grand parties where conversation skills were paramount. The master's bedroom with its four poster bed actually has a trap door that leads to the vault. Near the large kitchen is the formal dining room and a small oratorio with an adjacent room. Behind that is an azotea that leads to the servants quarters. We were fortunate on this visit to see the vault and the tunnel that was said to lead to the Jaro cathedral (now closed). The museum is now owned and operated by Robert Pena Puckett started restoration of the house and museum in 1993. He is the great grandson of Mariquit and is president of the Solar Electric Co. The solar panels on the roof of Casa Mariquit is his concession to modernity.
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| Jaro Cathedral |
We then drove to the Jaro Cathedral prior to lunch. the Jaro Cathedral is done in Gothic style and is the seat of the Jaro Archbishopric. Dedicated to Nstra. Sra. de la Candelaria, the church was established in 1826 by Fr. Bernardino Alisen. It was damaged in the great earthquake of Iloilo in July 13, 1824 and repaired by Fr. Jose Alvarez from 1833 to 1835. Graciano Lopez Jaena was baptized in the church in 1856. The present church was built upon the initiative of Archbishop Mariano Cuartero, O.P. , first Bishop of Jaro, in 1874. Again it was damaged during the Jan 15, 1948 earthquake and was reconstructed and restored by Archbishop Jose Ma. Cuenco. The belfry made of brick is separate from the church and situated right across the street. It was constructed under Fr. Juan Aguado and restored by Fr. Jose Alvarez from 1833-1835. It was ruined in 1948.
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| Jaro Belfry |
Our guide had a funny anecdote in which he says that people requesting for a partner should light a pink candle at the shrine as pink represent love. After a year, if their wish had still not been granted then they should return to the Jaro Cathedral and go up the belfry. After which they should light up a mosquito coil to prevent mosquitoes from biting them.
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| Megaworld development |
We drove around the new development in the city of Iloilo marvelling at the large tract of land owned by certain Pison, a self-made millionaire whose business was the production of salt. At least 2,000 hectares of salt beds near the coastal area of Iloilo has been bought by real estate developers. New buildings for residential and recreational areas have sprung up in the area to rival posh environs in Metro-Manila. Finally, we reached the lunch venue. Tatoy's Manukan and Seafood started out as a small shack with three tables by the seashore at Villa de Arrevalo. Owned by Honorato Tiburan Espinosa (ergo, Tatoy's) who has parlayed his earnings into more restaurants. Fresh seafood and luscious juicy chicken inasal are his best sellers. That was exactly what we tried. We had calamares, lumpiand shanghai, tuna belly and shrimp with rice. Then Tita Dodi ordered their famous chicken inasal for us to experience.
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| Sta. Barbara |
Lunch over, I had to get my luggage from the bus so we could proceed to the airport to catch my flight for the afternoon. Only to find out en route to the airport that my flight had been delayed and that I was allowed to re-book my flight to a later schedule. Taking the cue, we had my flight back to Manila re-booked at nine in the evening. This gave me the opportunity to visit the Santa Barbara Church in Sta. Barbara district. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity. Sta. Barbara is another jewel of Iloilo's heritage churches. Made of hewn sandstone and coralline limestone quarried from Alimondian, the huge blocks of stone were delivered by carabao-drawn carts to the area of Sta. Barbara. The church, though started in 1849 by Fr. Francisco Agueria, was not completed after Fr. Mateo Rodriguez 1855-1873 continued construction and Fr. Calixto Fernandez completed it until 1878. It was here where local hero Gen. Martin Delgado declared a military junta to fight the Spaniards on 17 November, 1898. Both church and convent were spared from destruction during the Philippine-American War, WWII and the earthquake of 1948. Sta. Barbara is the patron saint for policemen, artillery men and soldiers. The church has a neo-classical facade with a semi-circular arched entryway with cut-away doors. Statued niches flank the entryway on each side. Coupled pilasters divide the main facade into three levels. The pediment has urn-like finials as decorative touch. The interior has a long knave with spacious transept has touches of restoration with some tiles introduced into the crown molding.
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| Iloilo Golf Club |
Fellow AHP member, Tita Dodi Escartin ushered us back into her car and drove us to , arguably, the oldest golf club in the country - the Iloilo Golf Club. We didn't have membership but were allowed to drive in with permission from the security. We went in to the club house and walked into a mini museum on golf out at the back where they have the veranda with Tony Chan's name on it. He is the father of Jose Mari Chan who was an esteemed member of the club. Manicured lawns and lots of polished wood on the structures smell old money. The kind that only sugar barons could afford to dispose of on their down time. It was late in the afternoon so we stopped by a coffee shop where we had fresh lumpia and soda and cake and coffee for some. After that Tita Dodi dropped us off at our hotel where we waited a little to get to the airport and catch our flight.
Iloilo has a strong cultural anchor that goes well with its history. Its storied past regales us with unlimited trappings of wealth and power... Of privilege and pedigree... No matter how you look at it, it will show a great divide among the rich and the very, very rich. But what unifies its gentle people is the food and a knack for the sweet life... La Dolce Vita!
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| Elizalde Mansion |
Thank you Tito Encarnacion, Emman dela Pena, Dodi Escartin Fines Sumerigido, Roy Gatpatan, Raymond Alunan, Cidni Mapa, Mr. Ramon Hofilena; the AHP participants, AHP Manila, AHP Bacolod, AHP Iloilo, AHP San Joaquin, the Tourism officers and staff of Bacolod and Iloilo, the Mayors of the towns we visited, our coach captains
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