Black Saturday, the whole Philippines (well except for some pockets of it) is at its somber state. Having a big Catholic population, the economy would correspond to the religious needs in this country. Because no business whatsoever will be done for the day, my barkada (peers) and I decided to visit several heritage sites in the province of coffeebeans and balisongs, Batangas.
7:00AM. Assembly time. Good thing walang traffic. The bus terminal at Buendia corner Taft Avenue in Pasay City is not filled unlike the previous days. So, off for a 2 hour sojourn for Lipa City, ate Vi’s hometown and known for the miracles at Carmel. A bus ride from Manila to Lipa would cost you more or less PhP150+/- for air conditioned trip.
Catedral de San Sebastian de Lipa. We disembarked near La Salle Lipa, the hub of transport going to downtown Lipa City. At first we were searching for Ate Vi (mga diehard fans ba? hehe!!). Our first stop is the Cathedral of Saint Sebastian.
Being the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Lipa which occupies all of Batangas, it is the center of religious activities of the said archdiocese. The current church itself was built under the supervision of an Agustinian priest named Benito Varas OSA which started from 1856 all the way to the last days of the Spanish colonial era at 1894. It’s magnificence was partially destroyed during World War II a
nd was restored after the great diluge.
The Cathedral today, featuring a very tall belfry and a baroque facade and a dome (which was not present at the original plan), it has somewhat emulated the skyline similar to that of the Vatican City. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why it has earned the title of being the “Rome of the Philippines.”
The Miraculous Rose Petals of Carmel. Who would not have remembered the miraculous falling of the rose petals in Lipa? So after a visit to our first church of the day, off we go to the Carmel Convent which according to the locals, is just a few blocks away….and a few blocks away….man, these locals are so used in walking, ang layo pala! But our walking was rewarded with refreshing veranda, chapel and atmosphere of the said convent. The story is that in the late 1940′s, a nun had received an apparition from the Blessed Virgin Mary, and as a manifestation of Her power, rose petals with her face fell from nowhere. The Batangueños believed it was a miracle. Since then, thousands of devotees seek the tranquility of the said convent.
Actually after Carmel Convent, we decided to go to Padre Garcia instead of going to Batangas City. So may part 2 pa tayo dito sa Lipa, the hometown of Ate Vi, miracles and coffee plantations. So stay tuned. 
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