Category Archive: Heritage/History

Oct
25
2011

Bittersweet Memories of Maao Sugar Central

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October 25, 2011

The old Maao Sugar Central Mill--now silent

It was MassKara weekend in Bacólod City in Negros Occidental and I was about to cover it. However, I prefer to go the other way around than the usual Talisay-Silay-Victorias route which tourists would flock before MassKara higlight. Good thing though, Rain Varela, a great friend of mine was glad to tour me in his hometown, this time down south—at Bago City. The city is the bailiwick of the Araneta clan, one of the most influential clans in the Philippines, and within it lies what was once the pulsating sugar central of Ma-ao.

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Tags: Araneta, Bago City, Balay Daku, industrial estate, Maao, Maao central, Negros Occidental, Philippines, sugar central, Torres

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/10/25/bittersweet-memories-of-maao-sugar-central/

Jul
28
2011

San Juan de Bolboc: More than Just Laiya!

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by Berniemack Arellano

July 28, 2011

When we say San Juan in Batangas, everyone would say–Laiya! Yup, this strip of cream white sand beach at this town has made this town a pilgrimage site for sun and sea lovers. From an obscure town in the southeastern portion of the province, it became an instant celebrity. Yet a lot of tourists or perhaps people in general took for granted the other San Juan, before Laiya went boom. Yes, I know it’s boring for the most, but the town center or poblacion itself is a treasure worthy of cultural recognition due to numerous heritage ancestral houses and buildings.

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Tags: ancestral homes, architecture, Batangas, Heritage Sites, Laiya, Philippine histiory, San Juan, San Juan de Bolbok, San Juan de Nepumuceno Church, town hall

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/07/28/san-juan-de-bolboc-more-than-just-laiya/

Jul
23
2011

T’nalak Festival: Celebrating 45 Years of Great Cultures and Dreams

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by Berniemack Arellano

July 23, 2011

It was serendipity that brought me back to South Cotabato this July, as the province celebrates its 45^th year as a province through street dance, merry making and other activities in the T’nalak Festival. Good thing that Enrico Dee of Byahilo gave me that idea of attending T’nalak, since it’ll be my first Mindanaoan festival to attend with. Of course, the main event was held on the 18^th of July, the province’s founding anniversary and I was expecting the street dance competition which showcases the best of the great three cultures of Mindanao: the Kristyanos (Christian migrant settlers), the Moros (the Muslims), and the Lumads (the animist indigenous peoples). The festival was named after T’nalak, the famed cloth of the T’boli women made from abaca. Strong yet durable and light, its designs were believed to have come from the dreams of the weavers, seemingly a communication between the living world and their ancestors. It became one of South Cotabato’s immortal icons.

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Tags: Blaan, Kristyano, Lumad, Mindanao, Moro, Philippine festivals, South Cotabato, Tboli, Tnalak

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/07/23/tnalak-festival-celebrating-45-years-of-great-cultures-and-dreams/

Jun
26
2011

The Halls of the People of Cotabato City

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by Berniemack Arellano

June 26, 2011

Old Cotabato City Hall

Cotabato City was and is still one of the most important political cities in the country, historically holding several edifices that handle such vast and wild land. The Stone Fortress itself was a palace-fortress—made to become a political center of Central Mindanao. I have already made an article about the Old Provincial Capitol of the “Empire” Province of Cotabato located beside PC Hill—and a lot doesn’t know that it even exist!

It was a lightning rush tour—seemingly opposing my “local integration” with just sightseeing. Kulang sa time. It’s a good thing I was accompanied by locals Chris and Jam along the way in this city that is still alien to me.

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Tags: City Hall, cotabato-city, government structures, heritage site, Mindanao, People's Palace, Philippines

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/06/26/the-halls-of-the-people-of-cotabato-city/

May
16
2011

Inside US Embassy Manila

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by Berniemack Arellano

May 16, 2011

The US Embassy Manila is the office of the United States of America government in Philippine soil, located just besides the old Dewey Boulevard, now Roxas Boulevard. The Ambassador of the United States to the Philippines makes this as his office, and at the same time this is the first gateway for Filipinos who like to see, study, work, or even live in the US. The US Embassy in Manila is more than just a diplomatic office and a visa entry; it has history to share in the formation of what is now the Philippine Republic.

US Ambassador Henry Thomas Jr at Henry Mucci Balcony at the Chancery Building

I got invited by the US Embassy to join Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. for an event celebrating Internet Freedom last March of 2009. It was my second time entering US territory…in the Philippines. My first time was when I was a kid when my dad has an engineering project. The US Embassy in Manila has one of the toughest security measures in the country, given the United States’ prominence in world affairs—no photos are allowed within the premises, nor even take photos outside the compound (reason why I have limited photos here)—except on special permission or areas that are allowed to take photos. Cellphones are also not allowed inside, except with permission coming from the upper management of the embassy.

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Tags: Chancery, consular services, diplomatic affairs, history, Manila, Philippine heritage, Philippines, United States, US Department of State, US Embassy, US visa applications

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/05/16/inside-us-embassy-manila/

May
05
2011

La Farola de la Centinela: Corregidor Lighthouse

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by Berniemack Arellano

May 5, 2011

Corregidor Lighthouse

Corregidor Island is more associated with World War 2 and the American Colonial Era, due to the development of the island as a fortress, military area, and the place where one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theatre of World War 2 happened. However, at the highest part of Corregidor, a beacon of light guides the mariners, as well as to signal impending attacks. The Corregidor Lighthouse or Faro de Corregidor is the only Spanish edifice in the entire island.

Going to where?

Just a few meters from the Topside area, Corregidor Lighthouse or Faro de Corregidor serves as the primary beacon for navigators entering and leaving Manila Bay. Perched on top of the hill more than 600 meters above the sea, it gives a complete 360 degree view of Manila Bay, Bataan, Cavite, and on a clear day—Metro Manila itself. The tall, whitewashed lighthouse sits on a red-orange plaza of souvenir shops and an office.

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Tags: Cavite, Corregidor, Corregidor Lighthouse, history, Manila, Manila Bay, Philipines, Philippine historical site, Philippines, Spanish, World War II

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/05/05/corregidor-lighthouse/

Apr
09
2011

The Crown of Valor and Glory: Corregidor’s Topside

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by Berniemack Arellano

April 9, 2011

Mile-High Barracks Corregidor

Last Christmas, I had an opportunity of visiting one of the bastions of Philippine history, Corregidor Island. As with my previous posts, from the beginning and towards the middle side area, this island has a lot of stories to tell, about valor of our forefathers who fought endlessly to defend our freedom from the invaders. Yet the highlight of that tour last December hasn’t been reached yet. As we reached high above the Manila Bay, the view of the nerve center of then-one of Asia’s best military camps, this island has still a lot to tell…from its head and all towards under its belly.

This is my tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the greater glory of freedom and for peace to prevail once more in this part of the globe. Today is April 9, Araw ng Kagitingan in the Philippines.

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