UTE-GANDANG HAVEN: DE-STRESSING IN DINGALAN

panoramic view of the UTE-GANDANG HAVEN shoreline

If you ever need to de-stress, I just discovered a new spot to do it in. Dingalan, Aurora is the place to be! I would have to give credit to the Titos N' Titas group who tagged me along upon the invite of Atty. Toppie Torres, who is also a member of the Titos N' Titas facebook group. Hold on... it's not open to the public yet... they have barely done the finishing touches. Hopefully, by the time this blog entry gets out there in the cyber universe all the little details would have been put in place.

Those familiar with the topography of Aurora know for a fact that there are only a few stretches of white sand in the entire province. However, the Pacific has a lot of surprises in store for those who seek the ocean's curative powers. My main motive was to get out of Manila before the summer even starts. I got a head-start to summer at UTE-GANDANG HAVEN that's under the management of MAPOLCOM Incorporated, a corporation run by the Policarpio siblings. Nestled in the center of the cove of the Barangay Matawe shoreline, the two thousand square meter resort is still undergoing its final stages of construction. It is, however, already equipped with ten rooms fashioned from re-purposed container vans with built in double beds. Think Tiny House Nation and you get a pretty good picture.

Dingalan cove

UTE-GANDANG HAVEN takes its name from the parents of the Policarpio siblings. UTE is a diminutive for their dear departed father Eutoquio Policarpio while GANDANG refers to their mother Bernarda Torres Avendano. Our group met at the corner of Sen Gil Puyat and EDSA while the other group met at EDSA Centris. Another vehicle had all the necessary supplies and snacks. We headed north east past midnight and grateful for the easy flow of traffic towards our destination. The roads were pretty dark so we made a couple of miscues and had to make u-turns a couple of times. But we made it to UTE-GANDANG HAVEN at daybreak. What we thought would be a wet weekend eventually turned out for the better.

early morning mist in Dingalan, Aurora

Upon arrival, the resort was pelted with rain and the Sierra Madre mountains that frames the resort was covered in mist.  We had breakfast of steamed eggplant and okra, tomato-salted egg salad, hotdogs, paksiw (vinegar based fish stew, white rice and fish sauce and sunny-side eggs. The brewed coffee was strong and hot and a perfect foil for the cold easterly winds blowing that morning. By mid-day, the sun started to peek out of the gray clouds and that was the cue to don the swim shorts. The Titas in their Hawaiian inspired outfits took the 4x4 dune buggy for a spin as some of the other members tried to settle in in their accommodations. Pretty soon it was lunchtime.

Bhel Esquierdo Asinas at the wheel, Maria Lilibeth Benosa
backseat L-R:  Fritzie Ramos, Yohann Moises

Paksiw

Can seafood get any fresher? We had grilled tuna, seaweed salad (lato), edible fern salad (pako), grilled pork belly, baby squid in its own ink. Then the karaoke made its appearance! As some of the ladies started the singing some of us made our way to the beach. It was getting hot by now. I saw a few craggy rocks on the left side and made my way towards it to explore. There was also a cave by the rocks. The waves were churning like a washing machine. It may not be suitable for a leisurely swim but it would be perfect for surfing or body boarding. The resort also would be ideal for team-building activities, yearly planning activities for companies, weddings, conferences, events or just simply soul seaarching... I made my way towards the point where the waves break over the rocks and climbed up to the cave for a while for a few photos. then it was swim time. Well... I didn't swim! I stayed in between the rocks and waited for the waves to come rushing in after it breaks over the rocks. I was all alone in that spot! Nirvana!!!

moon's out at 3p.m.

By mid-afternoon, I started to make my way back to the resort so I had more time to choose a path avoiding the sharp coral and limestone strewn all over the beach. I even marveled at the moon that had shown itself by a little after three in the afternoon... and I have photos to prove it! It didn't take long before I had showered and changed and gotten ready for dinner. A boodle fight was set up for the evening meal. Again we had a variety of sea food starting off with huge crawfish (ulang), grilled yellow fin tuna, steamed rice, and baby squid in ink and we even had fresh coconut water straight off the nut. Dinner was an event in itself! the rest of the evening was spent in a huddle as we enjoyed the strong gusts of wind hitting the shoreline. It was as if the easterlies was lulling us to sleep.  We wrapped ourselves in our malongs (tubular cloth wraps) and made an effort to try to spend the night under the stars...I had actually drifted off to Lalaland, when a strong gust chilled my spine and I had to go back to my room.  Can't take the wind chill factor... and it's supposed to be the start of summer!

Woke up while it was still dark to find out I wasn't alone. There were other people who had been up early too. So I decided to do my morning prayers while waiting for daybreak. It was already Sunday! Little by little, the sun started to filter through the dark clouds and a glorious morning broke through. This was evidence of God's glorious creation! The clouds hung so low, it seemed one could reach out to touch it. The sun's golden rays spread out gradually to light up the cove. It was nearly time to leave. Brunch was steamed rice and fried fish and Spanish omelette and the surprise viand was left over tuna that was reconstituted into tuna sisig. I downed it with lots of water and started to load my stuff into the van. Can't help but be grateful for the kindness and generosity of our host Mr. Miguel  Policarpio. "Boss Mike" and his siblings were the most gracious hosts. Thank you!


We left UTE-GANDANG HAVEN to have lunch at the ancestral home of Atty. Toppie's forbearers. From Barangay Matawe, we stopped by the market for last minute souvenir shopping and to buy snacks. The fish was fresh off the sea and some species were so cheaply priced I was aghast that some fish species cost ten pesos per kilo. Ten pesos?!? We couldn't do without the obligatory group photos at the boundary markers some even taking turns for memorable selfies.

Don Isidoro Torres' ancestral home

The Torres cousins

Dingalan is so unbelievably close to the Torres ancestral home that we simply went through a few municipalities in Aurora and then the municipalities of Gapan, Jaen and finally to  view Gobernador Heneral Isidoro "Matanglawin" Torres' (of Malolos Bulacan) Antillean - style Bahay na Bato. The more than a century old home stands as a mute witness to waves of colonizers, wars and perhaps even natural calamities. Unfortunately, the house needs special attention and restoration as it has become quite precarious over a century. Time, weather and pollution can weaken certain areas of a storied home. But we marveled at the detailing of the exterior structure.They really should apply for a historical marker to highlight the historical significance of the property. The home is located at 300 Gallego Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Nueva Ecija.  Atty. Toppie also unfurled the  proverbial "welcome mat" with a late lunch of spaghetti and puto (rice cake) at cuchinta (brown gelatinous cakes with shredded coconut) and soda. Then it was time to bid goodbye to the Torres clan who had gone out of their way to welcome us. We were even invited to the town fiesta on the first week of January; St. Anthony's feast day.

Daybreak at Dingalan photo by Tim Delez*

Finally, we decided to have an early dinner at Arki's Grill in San Miguel, Bulacan. It's a nondescript cafe that serves great food at affordable prices. A solo serving of Samgyupsal would set one back at P290.00! I'm glad I opted out of that as I was still pretty full at the time. I decided to try their seafood pasta and a lemon cucumber cooler. The pasta came in a size-able serving with garlic cooked the right way and the seafood tender and not overcooked. The pasta was swimming in butter so we had to request for bread slices to eat a la scarpetta ("the shoe") in which the bread is used to scrape off the little bits and the oleo off the plate. By the end of my meal my plate looked like it had been washed clean. That was really good! Those who ordered the samgyupsal had to doggie bag their meal. Obviously, they couldn't finish the whole lot.  Some of us shared an order of Shabu- shabu. The rest ordered Clubhouse sandwiches and smoothies. It was getting dark so we bid our goodbyes at Arki's Grill so the vans could go separate ways to their pick up points. 

L-R Front row: Corazon Victoria, Bhel Esquierdo Asinas, Maria Lilibeth Benosa, Locel AnnTumlos, Annie  Obeya
L-R Back row: Willy Bas, Miguel and Lourdes Legaspi, Del Nuqui, Arlene Arguel Cejar, myself, Mabelle Tenorio
at Arki's Grill

Seafood Pasta and lemon cucumber cooler at Arki's Grill

We all were pretty sated with food and good camaraderie to make a promise to do it again. Dingalan, after all is not too far from Manila. A four to five hour drive from Manila is all it takes. If you have to go by public transport, there are buses that leave the 5th Ave. depot in Caloocan that goes directly to Dingalan. Or one may opt to ride a bus to Cabanatuan City and transfer to a Dingalan bound bus from there. The UTE-GANDANG HAVEN staff will be more than willing to answer your queries. They are courteous and friendly and more than willing to provide our smallest needs. You may have to book in advance as this early before we left the resort, families in their vans and jeepneys  were driving up to the resort to get to the beach. Or you may check out their Facebook page and get your messages across. 

Yours truly. photo by Maria Lilibeth Benosa*

Thank you, Atty. Toppie Torres made our stay so delightful, it was difficult to leave. And thank you Titos N' Titas for for a week-end well spent!

L-R: Miguel and Lourdes Legaspi, Jorge Ferrer, Willy Bas, Locel Ann Tumlos, Pheeyah Salones, Arlene Arguel Cejar, Lea Mina Caliboso, Del Nuqui, Toppie Torres, myself (partly hidden), Amy Cristobal, Fritzie Ramos, Lilibeth Benosa, Yohan Moises, Corazon Victoria, Bhel Esquierdo Asinas, MabelleTenorio, Edwin de Guzman, Allan Pardilla Martinez, Annie Grace Nicandro Obeya

PALACIO DE MEMORIA (Part II)

The Titos N Titas: L-R, Ferdi Bolislis, Pheeyah Salones, Tim Delez
Arlene Cejar, Myself, Bhel Asinas
Mabelle Tenorio, Lilibeth Benosa, Dodi Escartin
Febe Sevilla, Leah Caliboso, Del Nuqui, Pie Burwell
Dennis Roland Castanos, Yohann Moises, Fritzie Ramos, Amy Cristobal

This visit was planned by the Titos N Titas of Manila... We call ourselves that for no apparent reason except for the fact that we like visiting interesting areas that catch our fancy.  Annie Grace Nicandro Obeya made the arrangements for our tour of the mansion. So on top of that we decided to make a whole day of it visiting Baclaran Church, St. Andrew Church, St. Joseph Church, Sarao Jeepney, San Ezekiel Moreno Church. 

Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Baclaran

Since the Casa de Memoria doesn't open till ten in the morning, and since it was a first Saturday of the month, the group made the Baclaran Church our first stop. The first order of the day was Mass in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help . Originally dedicated to St. Therese of Lisieux,  whose grotto is in the patio, the veneration of the saint was eventually given second importance when the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was ensconced in the main altar upon the request of the Ynchausti family of Malate as a condition of their donation of a  high altar in 1932. The icon form Germany made it's way to Baclaran  through Ireland and, Australia .  The devotion to the Lady was celebrated on a Wednesday at the new church designed by Arch. Cesar Concio and it caught on. The popularity of the Novena was strengthened when people observed the devotion regularly since. Then Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla celebrated the Eucharist when he made an unofficial visit to Baclaran in the 1970s and then made it part of his Apostolic visit in 1981 as  Pope John Paul II. On a secular note, during the snap elections in 1986 the thirty five tabulators who walked out of the Philippine International Convention Center claiming the election was being rigged sought refuge in Baclaran Church despite the  fact that Imelda Romualdez Marcos was a known supporter of the church.

Needing sustenance, our lunch was at a non-descript carinderia along Quirino Highway in Paranaque called Gracia's. The food was exceptionally cheap and very tasty. I opted to order cantina style as I couldn't wait for them to cook my tapsilog. I ordered a bowl of monggo guisado (mung bean soup) and okoy na alamang (shrimp fry fritters). The combination was perfect! The fritter was really fresh and one could taste the briny shrimp that was crunchy and savory. The soup was hearty and thick. All that with a cup of rice an a small bottle of soda set me back around seventy pesos. Not bad at all!

We then motored to St. Andrew Church which wasn't too far. The church of St. Andrew is one of the oldest churches in Manila dating back to 11 May, 1580. Established in an area known then as Palanyag ( a derivative of the Filipino term Paglalayag meaning to set sail). It was a small fishing village of a few houses which were clumped along the Paranaque river and Manila Bay. Agustinian priest Fr, Juan de Orto was tasked with spreading the word of God in the area which he started doing around 1578. By 1580, they community had become a visita where Fr. Diego de Espinal had built a mission house and appointed as its superior. Being a fishing village, the community was dedicated to St. Andrew who was the patron of fishermen. The parish thrived under the Patronato Real in which King Felipe II provided 200 pesos and 200 bushels of rice to the religious in the area periodically because the mission had no funds. By August 10, 1625 the shrine to honor the Nstra. Sra, del Buen Suceso. The Chinese Pirate Koxinga threatened to invade Manila in 1625. Gov. Manrique de Lara had all the churches outside Manila demolished in order to fortify the city. St. Andrew was not spared. In 1762, when the British conquered Manila, Fr. Eusebio Polo and Fr. Manuel de Sto. Tomas Garcia were exiled in Goa, India..Eventually, the church was rebuilt and declared a shrine. Some of the visitas in and around the area like Sta. Monica and San Dionisio are built facing the Cathedral.

St. Andrew Cathedral

The next site we visited was the St. Joseph Church. Arguably, the most photographed church during the Christmas season, St. Joseph is also the home of the world famous Bamboo Organ. Built under the initiative of Fr. Diego Cera, O.S.A, the church is done in the Philippine earthquake baroque style from 1797 - 1819. The adjacent convent, now a museum, is done in the manner of a Spanish Antillan house. Damaged by strong earthquakes in 1828 and 1863, and wars from the British invasion and the Japanese occupation, the church was restored and structurally reinforced to its present condition. The church gets a lot of attention for its historic, aesthetic, cultural contributions. It is virtually impossible to talk about the St. Joseph church without at least viewing the Bamboo Organ.

St. Joseph Church

The Bamboo Organ

On our afternoon visit, our guide brought us into the church to listen to the pure tones that it produces. Fr. Diego Cera built the organ from 1816-1824. The organ has 1,031 pieces, 902 of which are bamboo pipes.  It was destroyed in the earthquake oh 1828 and laid unused until 1917. In 1972 , Johannes Klais Orgelbau won a contract to restore the organ in Bonn, Germany and by 1975, the organ  restoration was completed and the Bamboo Organ Festival was celebrated since. That merited a trip up to the choir loft to view the organ's inner mechanisms that ingeniously have been partially encased in glass so one can see how it operates. A go-see of the museum revealed that the cost of restoration during the 1970s at approximately P1.5M. It was money well spent, if you ask me.

Bamboo Organ pipes

Bhel Asinas touring us around her high school campus

Tita Bhel Asinas took us on a sentimental tour of her high school, St. James. We were allowed into the campus to see the still existing Spanish era conventos and campus plus the "improvements" made that included new school buildings and gym that brought back many funny stories to tell. Then we were off to Sarao Motors to see how the iconic mode of transport - the Jeepney is constructed. It also offered us a glimpse of  history since the time the jeeps were conceptualized and produced to its evolution up to the present. I am of an age when the jeepney fare for kids was ten centavos. The regular fare at the moment is nine pesos... that's inflation for you, folks! From war transport, our beloved jeeps are now subject to high technology. E-jeepneys are now in vogue as a concession to environment friendly practices.

Ness Sembrero and Piolo Panaligan at the Sarao Jeepney factory

San Exequiel Moreno Church

Finally, we visited San Exequiel Moreno Church on the outskirts of Las Pinas along the C5 route. San Exequiel was born in  Alfaro, La Rioja, Spain on the 9th of April, 1898. Twenty years later, on September 22, 1868 he took his vows in Navarra, Spain.  By the 10th of February,  1848 San Exequiel Moreno was sent to Intramuros, Manila where he stayed at the San Nicolas convent, a.k.a Recoletos. By mid 1870 he was sent off to Jaro, Iloilo.  He was also sent off to Palawan , Mindoro and Las Pinas His religious zeal and love for the poor are traits endeared him to his parishioners. He stood by their sickbed to minister to them and shared personal funds to provide for their needs in times of calamity. As proof of fact, the parishioners petitioned for his continued stay in Las Pinas when they learned he was to be assigned to Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  He was also assigned to the parish in Sta. Cruz, Manila and Imus, Cavite. Subsequent postings merited petitions for the suspension of his transfer, but St. Exequiel Moreno always obeyed the orders of his superiors. This paved the way for his return to Spain and then he was assigned to Colombia. In mid 1905, he was diagnosed with cancer of the palate and retired to spend his days in Monteagudo, Spain. On August 19, 1906, San Exequiel Moreno succumbed to his illness. His remains were exhumed in 1915 and 1975 and found to be incorrupt. The church dedicated to him is spanking new, reminiscent of  Neo Romanesque design on a massive scale. Everything was an obvious match to the new development in the area. I particularly liked the relic of St. Exequiel Moreno displayed near the left transept of the altar.  I'd give it a few more years to display more character. I even climbed up the choir loft to view the shiny  pipe organ that's a definite feature of the church.

San Exequiel Moreno relic

By sundown all of us had boarded our way to the vans headed for Manila. That was epic!

PALACIO DE MEMORIA (Part 1)

For many years, I have always wondered about that house at the southwestern end of the Roxas Boulevard that seems to have been forgotten by time. It stood desolate for many years as far as I can remember. But I have always dreamed of  climbing up to the mirador of that house and look out towards the sea. That area of Tambo, Paranaque and further down towards Cavite was the resort area of yore. The "irasan" salt beds were located there as well as "baklad" (make-shift bamboo rafts with extended poles where fishing nets were attached) could be seen along the shoreline and estuaries.

And then after a few years the reclamation happened. The ocean was pushed back a few hundred hectares more and urban development came up in that area. It spurred more recreational activities of a different kind. Casinos, hotels, shopping malls mushroomed in Baclaran (a derivative of baklad) and Paranaque while an expressway was built towards Cavite. No one knows exactly who owned the two-storey  Spanish colonial revival house that sits on a three hectare plot of land. It had miraculously survived World War II.  After the war, the house was acquired by the Villaroman Family.

The Villaroman's patriarch was Don Francisco who was a physician, surgeon, and professor at the University of Sto. Tomas' College of Medicine. It was at this time when the home was renovated and added upon. Washrooms were added near the foyer on the ground floor. Another staircase was installed for Dr Villaroman's patients. And an elevator was installed much later for Dr. Villaroman who had suffered a stroke in his later years. All in all, five more floors rose up over the original house to accommodate the children and their families including a mirador (view tower). The interiors were given a fresh touch with Filipiniana motiff. The terrazzo tiles of tinikling dancers are outstanding! And supporting pillars were included for added support of the upper floors.

I met a former occupant of the house through my good friend, June Recto, who had this very sociable matron client. She was a very gracious lady... very generous with praise and quite unassuming despite her stature. I called her Tita Cora. It never occurred to me that she was a Villaroman. In any case, I lost contact with her over the years. I have no clue as to her whereabouts But I remembered her on a recent visit to Palacio de Memoria (Palace of Memories) which they once owned.

Eventually this jewel of a mansion was acquired by the Lhuiller Family who lovingly restored the mansion to its former glory (if not better; as no one exactly knows how it looked like prior to its acquisition). Plans are afoot to make Palacio de Memoria an art hub/events place/swank cafe. For now, it is home to Casa de Memoria - an auction house of select objects' art. The glorious Murano chandelier at the foyer with blooming roses is an eye-catcher. Even the toilets had valuable antiques. 

We marveled at the collection to be auctioned off on the 9th of March, 2019. It is a motley collection of silver ware, religious statuary,  furniture, fine china, paintings and curios. The Titos N Titas group took  time poring over each and every item; taking selfies and groufies at certain spots and posing for pictures whenever we felt the urge to just click the shutters of our cameras. We were at 95 Bayview Drive, Tamarao Village at ten in the morning. By the time we loaded up for our lunch stop, it was way past lunch time.

One word describes the collection - astounding! I fell in love with a few choice pieces which I would have wanted to acquire. But guess what? If you have to ask... You can't afford it!

my favorite pieces