REQUIEM TO A FRIEND

 

 

She was there as a silent witness to the century past,

Long before Bienvenido N. Santos’s “Volcano”.

 

 

She was there when records for Guinness was made;

To shield proud parents from the heat of the summer sun,

Sharing the joy of college days coming to an end.

 

 

 

 

She was there for the last moment but nobody noticed,

Perhaps sharing the President’s emotions

in announcing her term to end.

 

 

She was there, she was there … with the times well spent in the University.

 

 

Now she had been there.

 

 

“She had been there…” old timers of Bicol’s premier university may nostalgically point to freshmen or visitors where an icon, a friend, a legacy once stood.

Perhaps next to the four pillars (scholarship, leadership, character and service) which are the core values of the Bicol University, it is the 113 years Acacia Tree (Samanea saman) that unofficially symbolizes the University, rather than the carousel and ice cream cart inspired steel and concrete monument.

It is fondly referred to as the “Centree” of the Bicol University main campus located in Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines.

The ground where the tree is located used to be the sprawling site of the Albay High Schools, adjacent to the Bicol Teachers College (formerly the Albay Normal School), which had become the central of the Bicol University, merging with the Bicol Regional School of Arts and Trades, College of Fisheries, College Agriculture and other local public educational institutions.

Who is the student from Albay High School to the present University status that has no story to tell or his academic life not impressed on by the Centree?

Memories have been fashioned in many ways by the tree that it has been endeared in the hearts of many, like an assuring friend in all times.

The tree may have been witness to many college romantic relations, sweet promises as well as broken ones. It has shaded tired bodies after a soccer game, a  hectic P.E. class or just a break between classes.

My fond memory of the tree is viewing it from a distance, from the classroom windows of the Bicol Teachers College Laboratory School.  Its embracing crown gives comfort even from a distance during those quieter and simpler times.  Walking home from school in the afternoon the tree looks resplendent in the setting sun.

Too bad that my student teacher in Grade 5 has disapproved of my crayon drawing of the tree when he asked us to draw a sunset.  He had seen only the tree in my drawing but not its interplay with the setting sun. Ah, my first frustration in the graphic art world, maybe a prelude to one of my acrylic on canvas paintings being taken out from an art exhibit because some conservative religious are to view the exhibit.

Trees gives comfort as a friend would in one’s academic life that  I immensely enjoyed early morning walks in the University of the Philippines underneath the acacia tree lined Osmena and Roxas Avenues.

I would usually get off the bus at Quezon Hall and walk to the National Center for Transportation Studies to enjoy the cool air and be cheered by the dew laden grass glistening in the morning sun.

The trees has inspired me in my design for a bicycle lane for the Diliman Campus.

This routine I do even during my previous stints at the National Engineering Center or Bocobo Hall, but not so for almost three years at NCPAG when I preferred to sleep before my 9 o’clock Saturday classes.

Now we may cease to wonder why school campuses are not without any tree, though in my entire stay at MLQ University I saw no tree to really speak of.

The Centennial Tree at the Bicol University has finally said goodbye after enduring more powerful storms.  It has been uprooted by Typhoon Glenda (Typhoon Rammasun) on July 15, 2014.

Many have been saddened by the bowing out of a true friend that an alumni may have.  But as a song goes, “nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky”.

 

 

TRAVELLING TO CEBU – ASIA’S CRADLE OF CHRISTIANITY

Sugbu, known as Cebu in contemporary times is the Philippine’s oldest City and where Christianity in Asia started with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in April 1521 during his voyage to find a westward route to the Indies.

So many have been written on the Province or the City but mostly in historical, cultural and tourism perspectives.

 

Cebu nights at Fuente Osmena Rotunda

 

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Cebu and its neighboring places on vacation, rather than on business that I was able to appreciate the simple implications of the trip which was full of surprises and new insights.

Night life is alive, and Cebuanos are good singers

Visiting places on official business are oftentimes impersonal that may dwell on inconveniences given the constraints of time, while personal travels may give a different angle on the deeper or intimate side of places and events while on travel, as one is not bothered by official concerns and budget limitations.

The constraints encountered though all add up to the experience, like three hours before the flight I was still down to my last 500 pesos and a check still waiting to be encashed.

Our group were supposed to take the direct flight to Mactan-Cebu International Airport from Legazpi City, which would only take a mere 35 minutes of flying time.  But due to delays and that the plane would leave at 6:00 o’clock in the evening, we were accommodated (without extra costs) to the Legazpi – Manila flight, which after a several hours of delay and partly turbulent flight, we have to take another plane to Cebu at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, with barely having time to pee between boarding gates.

Rainy take off from Ninoy Aquino International Airport

The airline’s sales pitch is “Now every Juan can fly”, referring to its budget fares and promotional sale seats hitting as low as 1.00 Php excluding some charges.  We were not on promo fare but the airline did extended our travel time to over two (2) hours from the direct flight of 35 minutes.  What an experience rather than an inconvenience, as Guy K. Chesterton may put it, especially if you’re travelling with first timers.

The flight to Cebu from Manila was relatively tranquil until before thirty minutes from our destination.  There was nothing but dark clouds that visibility was limited to a few hundred meters.

It was interesting though that before the dark clouds the plane first passed by a small rainbow on immaculately white clouds, and later into a huge rainbow, almost circular, on dark clouds.

Rainbow over the island of Masbate

 

Huge rainbow before the dark clouds

 

Mactan - Cebu International Airport

The plane landed at dusk.

Sunsets always bring back some kind of melancholia, particularly landing in an airport after some rain.  But using the jet bridge, that service tube from the plane to the terminal, is some kind of exciting after repeatedly having to take a bus, climb stairs, ramps and all at the Philippine’s premier airport.

Cebu, compared to many cities, is unique by itself.  It has the amenities of highly urbanized metropolis but still tempered by rural personal life. Some centers may remind one of Ayala developed commercial complexes in Makati and Alabang but minus the monstrous traffic congestions and excessive pollution.

Tricycles are noticeably absent in the City proper, all motorcycle riders wear the prescribed helmet, and jeepney drivers won’t pick nor drop passengers outside of the designated places. 

At a mall I hailed a cab but the driver refused to take me as “non- citizens” are to take a ride from a designated taxi bay. The driver mistook me to be a foreigner, a Malaysian perhaps, but I was amused as in other urban centers public utility drivers won’t hesitate to “victimize” foreigners for extra dollars in fare or tips. Call it self- discipline and assertive governance.

Cebu is a gastronomic haven to those who are not afraid of rising cholesterol and blood pressure levels.  I’m referring to the “sinugba” or grilled delicacies, including the “Zubuchon” roast pig that are conveniently pre-packaged frozen or fresh for travelers.

I swear to its tastiness and relative “freshness” even after reheating.  At 650.00 per kilo it’s more expensive though than the regular lechon sold at roadside stalls.

As I’ve learned, one can pay about 50.00 Php cheaper in downtown Cebu outlets and pick up the merchandise at the airport’s pre-departure area.  Zebuchon also ships for pick-up at the airport of destination, which an FB user says costs 4,500.00 Php to Singapore. For how many kilos he didn’t specify.

There is a place near Fuente Osmena Rotunda, adjacent to the Chong Hua Hospital, called Larsian where food stalls serve grilled fish, squid, pork belly, pork bar-b-q, seafoods and the trademark “puso” – rice steamed in heart-shaped vessels made of coconut frond.

Traditional Pinuso



A bowl of hot shell fish soup

There are many customers on any given night, drawn by good food and reasonable cost.

Cebuanos are less inclined to the traditional rice, but are more on the corn grits that tastes just the same.  They say it’s a better source of energy than the regular rice.

As a first timer in Cebu in 1980, initially I was served pure rice which later was gradually replaced with corn to enable my digestive system to gradually adopt.

 

LARSIAN food stalls

The concept of Larsian should be replicated in other local government units if sanitation and orderliness are to be assured, provide business opportunities and as local revenue source. It is a big improvised hall with a common grill at the center, to reduce smoke pollutants than stalls having their individual grills. Tenants have their stalls around the common grill and provides some tables and chairs for their customers. 

At a rental rate of 8,000.00 pesos for a 1 meter by 11/2 stall and space for two to three tables may be high, but tenants are assured of regular customers even on rainy days because of the facility’s covered design.

In Legazpi City for example, food stalls have become eyesores and even add up to traffic congestion because they are not organized and uses portions of public roads that it seems there is less government control.  Much more, there are less customers during the rainy season.

The only constraint though would be the regular source of sea foods at lower price.

There are also other regular delicacies that Cebu is known for which are basic “pasalubongs” like the Krispy Cream or J-Co doughnuts when leaving Manila.

Perhaps top in the list is Otap, the flaky crisp sugar coated biscuit under the famous brand names Shamrock or Titay’s.

This golden, slipper-shaped delicacy is daintily wrapped in wax paper to seal its oven freshness and crispiness. Made from flour, sugar, and shortening, each delicate layer crackles into tiny flakes in every nibble.   I call it Mille-Feuille (thousand leaves) de Cebu, referring to the French puff pastry.

Both companies also have other baked take-home delicacies like  the hojaldres, galletas de huevo, baked polvoron, lady’s finger, patatas, rosquillos and other baked specialties such as raisin bread,  potato bread,  pan de sal and meatroll.  The list could be endless, not to include the candied peanuts or durian.

Chorizo or longaniza de Cebu, candied dried mangoes, danggit (dried boneless rabbit fish), and the chicharon (crispy pork rind) of Carcar City are included in the list of presents that may be brought from Cebu.

Cebu also boast of its guitars, made in Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan island, or even the handguns at Danao. Carcar City has also its thriving footwear manufacturing industry that may one day compete with Marikina City in Metro Manila.

Oldest guitar made

Footwear made in Carcar on display

Guitars of Lapu-Lapu City

                                              

Old Town Plaza in Carcar City





Plantation Bay Resort & Spa, Mactan, Cebu

Of course visitors should not forget the resorts like Plantation Bay Resort and Spa or Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa.  There are so many of them.

The author at Plantation Bay Resort

Travelling to Cebu, particularly for the Roman Catholics, is not complete without visiting the Basilica Minore of Sto. Nino,  where the centuries old image of the Holy Child Jesus is enshrined and venerated by Filipino Catholics who believe it to be miraculous.  

They say that the Sto. Niño will pout or sulk if one ignores Him.  This explains why residents and devotees who merely pass by the open church would wave to the image.  The gesture may be associated with the Christ portrayed as a child hence with child-like characteristics, but I have fondly assimilated the custom.

 

Centuries old miraculous image of the child Jesus venerated in Cebu

 

Devotees lining up to touch the image

The Basilica Minore of Sto. Nino de Cebu
with its damaged belfry

The image of the Holy Child of Jesus is carved from wood and stood 30 centimeters high.  A golden sphere, a replica of the world, is in the left hand, and the right hand is slightly raised in benediction.

It is claimed to be the oldest religious icon in the country, having been originally given as a baptismal gift by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in April 1521 to the wife of Raja Humabon, Humamay, that given the Christian name Juana after Joanna of Castile.

From history books, Antonio Pigafetta, the Italian chronicler to the Spanish expedition, personally presented the Santo Niño to the newly baptized Queen Juana as a symbol of the alliance, and her newly baptized husband King Carlos.

Forty-four years after Magellan's soldiers left, on April 27, 1565 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived.   He found the natives hostile and fearing reprisal for Magellan's death, an armed conflict ensued and the village caught fire.

The next day Spanish mariner Juan de Camus found the image of the Sto. Nino  among the ruins of a burnt house.

The Minor Basilica of Santo Niño was built on the spot where the image was found by Juan de Camus. The parish was originally made out of bamboo and mangrove palm and claims to be the oldest parish in the Philippines. Pope Paul VI elevated its rank as Minor Basilica on its 400th year anniversary.

 

 The Basilica Minore

Main altar of the Basilica which is temporarily closed to the public

During the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on October 15, 2013 the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño lost its coral stone belfry. It is however set to be restored by 2015, in time for the celebration of 450th year of the finding of the image of the Senor Sto. Nino,



Cross of Magellan, undergoing repairs
after being damaged by a strong earthquake

Adjacent to the Basilica is the cross which Magellan planted upon landing in the island.  A sign says that the original cross is encased inside the wooden cross that is found in the center of the chapel to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross for souvenir or in the belief that the cross possesses miraculous powers.

Some people, however, believe that the original cross had been destroyed or had disappeared after Magellan's death, and the cross is a replica that was planted there by the Spaniards after they successfully colonized the Philippines.  Whatever is true, the fact remains that it was there that Europeans first set foot in the archipelago and Christianity began.

Another interesting religious site is the national shrine Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Regla in Opon, Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan island, Cebu, where the original image of the Virgin de la Regla is venerated.

Façade of the church

I’ve not heard of the black image of Virgen de la Regla before, until one of our officemates suggested that we visit the shrine in the town of Opon (the local name of cogon grass) in Mactan island of Cebu. But I have learned that in terms of local devotees, Virgen de la Regla, whose feast day is celebrated from November 12 -20,  is among the most popular pilgrimage destination, together with the Sto. Niño of Cebu City.

Replica of the image venerated at the back of the main altar

The people of Opon first saw a picture of the Virgen de la Regla in 1735, when the first parish priest, Francisco Avalle, an Augustinian monk, showed it to them.

Many visitors would ask why “Regla”, since it’s the Filipino word for menstrual period.  This, according to write-ups, was based in Spanish, because menstrual period follows a “rule” of dates.

The word  “sa Regla” actually refers to “of the order” or “ of rules”, so the English name is the Virgin of the Rule but since locals refers to it as Birhen sa Regla, most tourist are left wondering what’s with the name.

The second common question is why is it black? The concept of a brown Virgin came from Hippo, where St. Augustine purposely made the Virgin dark because he was evangelizing Africans.

The venerated statue of the Virgin in Opon church is said to be almost 300 years old and was formed after the likeness of the Saint’s “Virgin of the Rule”.  It was canonically crowned by the late Julio Cardinal Rosales on November 27, 1954 (almost on my birthdate) at the conclusion of the First Archdiocesan Marian Congress of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

Original image at the main altar

The canonical coronation, the crowns for the Virgen and for the child Jesus were earlier blessed by Pope Pius XII in Rome, was attended by an estimated 300,000 people at the Capitol Site.

The devotion of the Opon locals to the Virgin is truly inspiring, a testament to the endearing power and love of the Virgin Mother of Opon to those who seeks her help.

We also had the chance of visiting the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist,  also known as “Birhen sa Simala“, that is not just well known for miracles and divine favors granted,  but also of the shrine’s wonderful architecture .

It’s located at the southern part of Cebu, specifically, Marian Hills, Lindogon, Simala, Sibonga, Cebu,  a 2-hour drive from the city.

One from our group had said that the image of the Blessed Virgin is miraculous that no visitor of Cebu should fail to visit the shrine.

Our concern however was that since dinnertime the coordinator for  the bus that we borrowed to take us to Talisay City, and later to Carcar and Simala in Sibonga town, has not texted back to confirm on its availability.

While we were having breakfast at the hotel, Tomas, not the doubting apostle nor the saint, worriedly informed me that still there is no news of the accommodation and the trip might be cancelled.

Without missing a bite on the sumptuous food from the breakfast buffet, I merely answered “they say that the Virgin is miraculous, then a miracle will happen.”  Before the appointed time for our departure he exclaimed “Sir Jimmy, the bus is on the way!  The coordinator has already texted!”

Not one of us know what to expect, not even the one who was there some years before.   The site was far off from the main road and was almost barren and hot under the summer sun.  But the shrine beacons like a sanctuary for a weary traveler.

 

The Sanctuary Castle of Mama Mary

I was expecting an unassuming chapel like that in Opon, or a modest cathedral-like complex.  But it was different, it was awesome, it was unlike other shrines on a weekday with so many pilgrims.

 

Endless line of pilgrims waiting their turn to touch the image

Walking with a limp due to a sprained right foot that hurts with every step, I was appalled by the prospect of walking under the hot midday sun on a dusty road to the monastery, and climb a stairway several stories high. With a DSLR and a bag of cellular phones I started up.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and Evangelization

Image venerated at the back of the main altar

Account of the miracles on Mama Mary's birthday

Hall filled with images of the Blessed Virgin in her many titles

The guards at the gate would politely ask visitors on sleeveless or those dressed scantily and in shorts not to enter in reverence to the sacred place.

I just forgot about my foot and was practically running all the way up.  I later found out that it was the same with the others, those with rheumatism and heart condition that the task is not advisable.

Non-Catholics are also welcome, says a sign, but they have to observe protocol.  I saw several muslim women with the pilgrimage, and one of our co-employees is a Baptist.  He asked if it’s is okay for him to come.  He entered the sanctuary but he didn’t burn and turned into ashes.

St. Thomas Aquinas has said that “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

Just a few of the petitions and prayers granted through the intercession of Our Lady.
Several hallways are filled with framed testimonies of prayers granted

   

The place may be holy yet there are people who prey on visitors as a sign warns.  “If God builds a Holy Cathedral,  the devil also builds a small chapel around”.

“Look not on our sins but on the faith of Your Church”,  thus we pray in celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist.  The endless rows of letters of petition, letters of thanksgiving, and offering of crutches, wheelchairs, and signs of illness were framed as a testimony of God’s endless goodness through the intercession of Mama Mary of Lindogon.  These, together with the endless line of barefoot devotees brings goose bumps and inner knowledge of God’s goodness and Mary’s powerful intercession that has touched so many lives, more than the write up on the miracles of the Lady of the Holy Rosary and Evangelization.  

In so short a time from February 27, 1997 when the Religious Marian Monks of the Eucharistic Adoration settled in the barren and abandoned hills of Upper Lindogon and enshrined Mama Mary’s miraculous image from Pampanga the Lady has become widely known.



Ornate wooden railings leading to the Holy Image

The sanctuary's dome, depicting the Blessed Virgin's life

Sanctuary chapel of the Monastery

   

It was also so short a time from 2006 that the Sanctuary Castle of  Mama Mary that the Holy structure miraculously and beautifully rises to the sky, as a solemn place for prayer, conversion, supplication and pilgrimages.  It is a testament that God is with us and He gave us His own Mother to be our Mother.

Truly the prediction many years ago of Ireneo Villamor, or “Ingko Niyong” came true, that "Here will come a time that the hill of Lindogon will turn to be Holy (Balaan).  A white woman will stand and she will be the center of many people and will be in the care of a group of pious men.”

The rainbows that “greeted” us on the plane’s approach to Cebu airspace?  I should say that the first small rainbow was the church of Nuestra Senora de Regla at Opon, and the big circular one was the Shrine of Lindogon.

We, whose lives were touched, have promised to be back and the Lady be made known to others who thirst for God and the maternal love of Mary.