SAVING SAN SEBASTIAN

church and convento

Mention the word "Quiapo" to anybody and immediately what comes to mind are:  a) The Black Nazarene, b) Plaza Miranda, c) Quinta Market. A close fourth would be the Muslim Mosque. Sadly, no one seems to remember that Quiapo was once an enclave of prominent Filipino Spanish families that have lived there after WWII. The Hidalgos, Paternos, Iturraldes, and Garchitorenas once lorded it over the Indios in that area. 

gothic facade

True,  Quiapo has a seedy (C-D?) side. But there is also the part that is more stately and more genteel. So, tourists go to Quiapo to experience the rawness of the community that live and thrive in the midst of unruly street vendors, muddy puddles in the street and trash littered by the uncontrollable Nazarene devotees.

the chandelier were a later addition to the church

rich interiors without the lights

San Sebastian Church is hardly ever top of mind when one goes to Quiapo. So on a random invitation by AHP founder Tito Encarnacion, I went to visit San Sebastian , just to take advantage of photographing a near empty church on a sunny Saturday morning. there's only one word that describes San Sebastian - MAJESTIC!

gravestone

Holy water font

Here's a brief history of the church by architect and author Benjamin Locsin Layug*:

Nstra. Sra. del Carmen

    "Located at Plaza del Carmen at the eastern end of C.M. Recto Avenue in Quiapo, this church was originally founded by Fr Rodrigo de San Miguel as a nipa and bamboo church in 1621. It was burned by the Chinese in 1651, rebuilt with bricks and a single tower and was destroyed by the earthquakes of 1859, 3 Juune 1863, and 19 July 1880.Recollect Father Esteban Martinez proposed construction of a new church and they asked Engineer Don Genaro Palacios y Guerra to design the present earthquake -proof, Neo-Gothic church. Palacios' design , a variation of Earthquake Baroque, was said to have been inspired by the fourteenth century Gothic Cathedral of Burgos in Spain.

     The church was started by Father Gregorio Serma while the 52 tons of prefabricated steel sections from Belgium were ordered by Father Toribio Mingella, imported piece by piece in eight separate shipments (total load:50,000 tons)** and erected by Belgian engineers. To achieve greater stability and regulate the church's exterior temperature, the walls were filled with mixed sand, gravel and cement. The first column was erected on 11 September, 1890 under the supervision of Father Bernardo Muros and the church was finally completed by Father Francisco Moreno. It was granted Basilica status by Pope Leo XIII on 24 June 1890, blessed on 16 August 1891 by Bernardo Nozaleda, O.P., archbishop of Manila declared a histoprical landmark in 1973 and was listed as "endangered" by the World Monuments Watch, a global program of the World Monuments Fund.

     The basilica is the first and only aall-steel church in Asia, the second in the world after the Eiffel Tower of Paris (French engineer Alexandre Gustav Eiffel himself is also rumored to have been involved in the basilica's construction)***  and probably the first pre-fabricated building in the world. It has two open work towers, steel vaulting, an interior repainted to make it appear like faux marble and beautiful stained glass windows. Sitting on a 704-square meter site, the basilica has a central nave 12 meters from the floor to the springing dome and 32 meters to the tip of the spires.

     Inside, on a prominent place above the altar, is the image of Our Lady of  Mount Carmel (Nuestra Senora del Carmen), a gift of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters from the San Jose Monastery in Mexico City, it was brought here in 1617 by Recollect Reverend Father Provincial Rodrigo de San Miguel. The image survived all the earthquakes but unfortunately, it's ivory head was stolen in 1975. Devotion of this image (feast day on 16 July) was propagated in conjiunction with the wearing of the scapular which promised the wearer quich deliverance from purgatory. The sculptures were done by Eusebio Garcia and the paintings by Lorenzo Rocha and Lorenzo Guerrero.

cleverly disguised washer for a rivet

Vaulted ceiling with faux marble glaze

I could stop here, but that would give you an incomplete picture of the massive restoration process that the San Sebastian Foundation is currently undertaking. MASSIVE! According to Ms Tina Paterno, who is knowledgeable in its minutae, it will take at least 10 years to completely restore the San Sebastian church. The tests are currently being undertaken to assess the damages incurred over time by improper upkeep, corrosion and pollution. If you're thinking in terms of longevity, you probably are getting an idea of the time, labor and cost of materials it would need to give San Sebastian a fighting chance for survival. Fortunately, experts in building restoration, engineers, architects, metallurgists, scientists and art restorers have contributed their time pro bono at different stages in the testing. And fortunately, the Kraut stain glass makers of Germany (now headed by a sixth generation family member) are still in operations. 

the dome

dome art work

It was ingenious of the Augustinian Recollects and Don Genaro Palacios to rebuild a church in place of a stone church destroyed by earthquakes. It also came at an opportune time to take advantage of the strides happening during the Industrial Revolution in Europe where steel was used for almost everything, machines, et.al. Belgium was next to England in terms of  industrial development. Ergo, it was cheaper to source the materials from there. It made more sense! It made it easier for them to build higher and taller given the limitations of adobe and mortar. However, on hindsight, they probably did not factor in the amount of precipitation and rainfall a tropical country like ours gets during the monsoon season.

cast iron railing for choir loft

finial detail of cast iron pulpit that was recovered. Stairs are still missing

Once a crack or fissure makes itself evident in its double steel walls, moisture and dampness will set in and oxidation takes place. Rust starts to form and, as we all know, corrosion is irreversible... unstoppable. And this is what took place in San Sebastian's case. There are about 120 plus columns that hold up the church, some exposed as in the fluted interior columns and the exterior where the spires reach up to the sky. There are more columns that are hidden within the double walls. The exterior walls are usually covered in paint and protected from the elements. The portions where the iron sheets meet have a sealant (which probably over time have not been replenished). Over  a period of time rain began to seep in and started the corrosion process. Palliative measures taken to assuage the leaks proved more damaging than curative. Putting cement on a hole on steel spires do not prevent water from seeping in. So some of the buttresses hidden from plain view have accumulated water without notice from anyone. At the same time, the interior walls that have been exposed to rain water and moisture have started corroding; displacing metal sheets out of the bolts that have held them in place for more than a century.

sacrificial lamb painting on the apse

cast iron Pulpit detail

detail of Purgatory vignette band on rosette window in choir loft

Add to that, the artwork that went into decorating the church which were painted on the interior walls. 

The vaulted ceiling was cleverly glazed in paint resembling green marble and the walls with painted images of saints and biblical vignettes are beginning to deteriorate with rust. Tina Paterno points to a figure on the wall and says, she can scrape off the guy's face with a toothbrush! Ooooh, that's how bad it is. There are 173 paintings on the walls... all of them needing immediate attention. Parts of the interior ceilings that have concealed rivets with washers designed as flowers and fluting that hide the rivets in the interior columns are closely being watched for leaks. Some of the glazing from the faux marble have begun to expose the coding of metal sheets that determine which part goes where.

metal sheet coding exposed by corrosion

pulpit detail

the most well-preserved painting

And when I mention this, I did not include the maintenance of the stained glass windows. Despite the dirt and grime accumulated in the past century, the windows have retained its vivid colors. Amazing detailing on the artwork shows facets of mood and emotion of each character. Whimsical features like a Santa hat and clues to the year the church was started show up on some vignettes. Rosette windows remain awe inspiring while the band of frescoes on the choir loft are almost indistinguishable from afar because of dust and dirt.

the yellow band on the hat indicates 1888

rosette window on the choir loft

scourging at the pilar scene on stained glass

As I told my companion Tito Encarnacion,  I will never look at San Sebastian the same way again after learning all of this... It is totally a global undertaking in the latter part of our Spanish colonization: spearheaded by Spanish priests, designed by a Spanish Engineer, Steel from Belgium, technicians stained glass from Germany, artwork and hard labor from Filipinnos. Truly a masterpiece in design and engineering, it is definitely worth saving... Won't you help?

It's not a bridge... it's San Sebastian Church

in honor of  Don Genaro Palacios y Guerra

* A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches

** Tina Paterno has records to show a total of 1,500 tons of steel wer ordered from the foundry in Belgium.

***Communications with a surviving grandson of Eiffel doubts that Gustav Eiffel had anything to do with the design/construction. So ends the myth!

AHP VISITA IGLESIA 2

Boso Boso Church

Trust AHP founder Tito Encarnacion to think up interesting jaunts in oft ignored places. Part 2 of our Visita Iglesia still happened in Rizal but it included some surprises for the other members who have never been to these places and for those who joined the fun for the first time. We continued with the other churches of the province of Rizal and a few postcard perfect sites that are mentioned below:

Belfry of  Boso Boso

BOSO BOSO CHURCH

The Nuestra Señora de la Annunciata Parish Church, also known as Boso-Boso Church, is a Roman Catholic Church located in Old Boso-Boso, Barangay San Jose in Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines.

The first church was built as a mission church by the Franciscan missionaries sometime in the late 16th to early 17th century. The Jesuits eventually took over the mission there in the 17th century who began constructing a new church made of stone and brick,^[1] It was turned over to the seculars in 1768 when the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines.

Boso Boso knave with exposed rafters

In 1880, an earthquake caused significant damage to the church. Owing to the dwindling population in the area, the damaged portions of the church were not rebuilt.^[1]

In 1930, the Americans planned to build a dam in Boso Boso, Thus, the remaining inhabitants were ordered to resettle elsewhere.^[2] The dam project was eventually abandoned due to a discovered earthquake fault line, yet the people did not return until the time of the Japanese occupation. Even then, whatever that was left of the church was subsequently burned down by the Japanese, leaving only the lower portion of the original church facade intact.

side entry with Febe Sevilla and Esquierdo Bhel Asinas (photo by Kukoni Mengay Luray)

As the area was eventually resettled, administration of the parish was taken over by the Camillian order in 1986 who helped organize the restoration of the church. Restoration was completed in 1995,^[3] preserving the original remaining façade of the old church with the rebuilt portions built as close as possible to the simple, sparse architecture of the old structure.*

Pililia windmills

PILILIA WINDMILL FARM

The "Pililla, Rizal" Wind Energy Service Contract granted to Alternergy Philippine Holdings Corporation (APHC) covers an area of 4,515 hectares^[1]under Department of Energy WESC NO. 2009-09-018. This Wind Energy Service Contract (WESC) has two phases, Pililla Wind Power Project under WESC NO. 2009-09-018-AF1 and the Mt. Sembrano Wind Power Project under WESC NO. 2009-09-018-AP2.^[2]

In December 2008, Alternergy Philippine Holdings Corporation (APHC) was awarded by the Department of Energy (DOE) the exclusive right to develop wind power projects in 3 locations: Pililla in Rizal, Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro, and Kalayaan, Laguna. These locations were among those identified under the Philippine Wind Atlas as potential sites for wind farms due to good to excellent wind resources. APHC was subsequently awarded additional wind energy service contracts in 3 other locations in 2009. APHC is committed to implement the wind projects if the wind measurements and site specific studies demonstrate that the power plants are commercially viable.^[3]

AHP members enjoying the site

Phase 1 of this project is a wind farm in Barangay Halayhayin in Pililla, Rizal,Philippines. The wind farm is being undertaken by Alternergy Wind One Corporation.^[4] The total cost for the construction of the wind farm is US$177.9 million.^[5]

The project consists of 27 wind turbine generators grouped into three clusters with aggregate capacity of 67.5 megawatts (MW). The said project, after completion will interconnect to Meralco’s Malaya-Teresa 115 kilovolts (KV) transmission line located just 10 kilometers from the project site.^[6]

AHP ladies all in a row

Phase 2 located in Pililla, Rizal and Mabitac, Laguna was not initially included by Alternergy Philippine Holdings Corporation (APHC) in the Technical Assistance (TA) from the Asian Development Bank. A minor change in the ADB TA implementation was approved in February 2013 to prioritize the development of the Pililla, Rizal wind farm site and expand the study to Pililla Stage 2, which covers the southern portion of the area, as initial findings showed certain limitations in wind resource and constructability in the Laguna and Occidental Mindoro sites. Construction of a wind power project in Abra de Ilog,Occidental Mindoro, in particular, is not feasible until either the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines or the Philippine government has installed a submarine cable connecting Mindoro and Luzon. Based on the initial findings, further studies on the Laguna and Mindoro sites were discontinued; unutilized TA budget for these sites were reallocated instead to fund the study for Pililla Stage 2.^[7] The projected cost for Phase 2 is Php 7.056 Billion and its planned output is 72 megawatts (MW).^[8]D FARM*

BALAW BALAW RESTAURANT AND ART GALLERY/ NEMIRANDA ART GALLERY AND CAFE

AHP family portrait at Balaw Balaw Restaurant and art Gallery

My earlier visits to Angono led me to discover this quaint restaurant which used to be a little smaller than I can recall. Owned and operated by husband and wife tandem Perdigon  (an Angono painter) and Luzvimin (former school teacher) Vocalan, they serve exotic dishes like sinabawang balut (duck embryo) and ginataang kuhol (escargot in coconut cream) The Angono hills were lush with forests and sourcing these ingredients was a breeze. TV newscaster Julius Babao ( an avid art collector) and wife  Christine Bersola had their wedding reception here.

waiting for our food (photo by Kukoni Mengay Luray)

Two Higantes are positioned a the entrance and the restaurant area is decorated with masks on the wall and shelves of the restaurant's bottled top selling dishes. as well as native knick knacks in the restaurant area. Feel free to roam the exhibit areas at the back portion and  follow the spiral staircase to more art pieces from the second floor up to the sundeck.

To whet our appetite, we were serenaded by young musicians from the Angono Chamber Orchestra that traces its roots way back to Maestro Lucio San Pedro. AHP member, photographer, artist and Angono tour coordinator  Giovanni Miranda Roan upped the ante by handing out CDs of the works of Lucio San Pedro covered by various Filipino artists and awarded prizes of local resin craft to lucky AHP members.

AHP member Pheeyah Salones taking a groupie with me and Vica Tigno

The Nemiranda Art Gallery used to be a Bali style home with wide open areas for displaying his own pieces as well as places where his young students in the visual arts can take inspiration from the gentle Angono breeze that flows through each area. They now operate a cafe and souvenir shop onsite. AHP members just went gaga over the art pieces elegantly displayed in both establishments, with some AHP members vowing to return on their own little jaunts.

Art appreciation at Nemiranda Gallery and Cafe (photo by  Pheeyah Salones)

ANGONO CHURCH

The Angono Church is not particularly old like the rest of the Rizal churches. It is however, distinguishable due to art work on its walls by Angono Artists that have made a stamp of excellence in the world of visual art. The facade is characterized by a composite of art influences namely neo Romanesque and neo Byzantine as seen on the beveled arched door. Simple columns divide the pediment and section panels with  arched niches on the sides for images of  Jesus and Mary. The tympanum has tall beveled arches while the belfry on the right side is rather plain looking and resembles a minaret. The interior is characterized by a knave with barrel arches and flourescent chandeliers.

ANGONO PETROGLYPHS

Dating back as early as 3,000 years ago, these amazing rock etchings were discovered by Angono artist and well renowned painter Carlos "Botong" Francisco who was a resident of the area. there are several groupings of pre-historic cave paintings depicting a slice of life of the country's early inhabitants. 

The new boardwalk

(Please refer to an earlier posting on this site re. the cave paintings.)

Madonna and child

Visiting the site again with the AHP family after a few years, some changes have taken place since the area is now under protective jursdiction of the National Museum. Unfortunately, some of the artifacts displayed in the micro museum onsite have been removed and will be displayed in the new Museum of Natural History, formerly the Department of Agriculture building and converted into the Department of Tourism. The building has been renovated and improved to incorporate a dome covering the inner courtyard of the American colonial style building. Sources say a ribbon cutting ceremony led by outgoing President Noynoy Aquino (whose project it is) will be held to coincide with our Independence Day celebrations on June 12, 2016. The museum will be formally opened by October of this year barring any further delays.

community

TAYTAY CHURCH

San Juan facade

The Taytay Chrch was first built by Jesuit priest Juan de Salazar but was transferred to its current site due to frequent flooding.** It currently sits on a high promontory overlooking the entire Taytay area save for some buildings that now block its line of sight. the church has access points from all directions via stairways that lead to different points of the church patio.

The early renaissance facade has three levels of superpositioned columns (the first level is Doric and the other two are Ionic), a semicircular  main door with a canopy ( a later addition), a statued niche above it and walls decorated with huge carvings. On the right side of the church is the bell tower. Taytay is located 23.4 km from Manila.**

CAINTA CHURCH

Cainta is located 29.1 km from Manila. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Light. The original church has been destroyed many times over during the Fil-American war and in WWII when the Japanese forces actually burned it down.

It was restored from original plans c.1715 when it was originally built by Jesuits with its simple Early Renaissance facade with superpositioned paired columns, statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the pediment. The attached bell tower has semi circular arched windows.**

Our Lady of Light by Amorsolo

The left transept of the church has a special altar displaying a copy of the image of Our Lady of Light recreated by no less than Fernando Amorsolo for public veneration.

KIKA'S AND LOURDES BIBINGKA (RICE CAKES)

After the visits to these churches, I was enticed by AHP founder Tito Encarnacion to try the specialty of Cainta. Bibingka is made of glutinous rice which is steamed in coconut cream and topped with a thick layer of  sugary, caramelized coconut cream and brown sugar. Alice de Vera Vasquez urged me to try it to see how good it was. and on the way to Kika's, Onil Azneita sent me to another rice cake store not located on the main road (Lourdes) which is a competitor  I'd have purchased from Kika's as well (if only to compare which was better) had I not been turned off by the long line of customers waiting for their orders.

Let's say my standards on Bibingka is a lot higher than most. I swear by the Bibingka of La Tasca, which is buttery soft, melt in your mouth creamy goodness without the oiliness from too much gata (coconut cream). Lourdes Bibingka, however, did not disappoint! considering the price points in both brands, this one was good until two days after purchase. It was surprising since my brother, who doesn't really like native snacks ate a lot of it. 

At 170.00 pesos for a small round cake, it was not a bad purchase. It would have lasted longer in my fridge if I had been allowed to eat all of it alone...

Our next AHP trip will take us to Pampanga. I'm so looking forward to that one. too!

*Info from Wikipedia

**Info lifted from A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches; Benjamin Locsin Layug, New Day Publishers, 2007

BP SUMMER DANCE RECITAL 2016

This year's Ballet Philippines Dance School- Summer Dance Workshop Recital will be held on Saturday (21, May) and Sunday (22 May) at 2:00p.m. at the CCP Main Theater. 

The usual recitals revolve around a particular theme. This year is interesting as it focuses on different divertisements of the established classical ballets namely: Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake. The next half of the show will  feature contemporary dance, hip hop and choreographic studies of the company members/dance educators of Ballet Philippines.

On a side note, this year marks the formal conferment of the National Artist Award on Ballet Philippines' Founder and Director Emeritus Alice Reyes. So you see, This is the only dance school in the Philippines that has a long and glorious history of nearly half a century that has produced most of the country's best and brightest artists. Some of these dancers have ventured on to become dance educators, Pilates instructors, and professionals in other disciplines when they hung up their ballet shoes.

The lead roles will be performed by Ballet Philippines company members. Gia Gequinto, Sarah Alejabdro, Rita Winder  essay the roles of Coppelia, Princess Aurora and Odette respectively. Earl Sorilla portrays Dr. Coppelius while Timothy Cabrera portrays the role of Prince Florimund. Jean Marc Cordero is in charge of over all direction and Aries Acayaga is stage manager. I watched technical and dress rehearsals for two days and the  children were adorable.

Kudos to all the teachers and dance mentors of BPDS (Ballet Philippines Dance School) and our hard working Production staff of seamstresses and production crew for a job well done. As I left the Production Room this evenening the "manangs" had to stay overnight to continue the minute details of repairing and refurbishing  the costumes for our future prima ballerinas and premiere danseus.

Just viewing the photos I took makes me smile that dance as  a performing art and as a career will go on forever... simply brilliant!!!