Hagisan ng Suman and Mayohan sa Tayabas, Quezon! Viva San Isidro Labrador!

While Lucban celebrates the Pahiyas Festival, other towns in Quezon have their own celebrations for the feast of San Isidro Labrador every May 15. In Tayabas, the city holds the Mayohan sa Tayabas. Unlike Lucban, only the area of Munting Bayan in Tayabas has pahiyas or decor on the houses.

The riotous procession of San Isidro Labrador makes its way around Tayabas City on May 15. Notice the baliskog piled on both sides of the road, showcased during the Parada ng Baliskog.

Mayohan sa Tayabas actually lasts several days, usually beginning on May 7 with the Parada ng Baliskog (kog means arch) at 3 p.m. The sixty-six barangays and various organizations create arches made of indigenous materials, flowers and produce and parade them around the city.

But the main event is the Hagisan ng Suman on May 15 itself. It is actually a procession of the centuries-old image of San Isidro Labrador. It leaves the Tayabas Basilica between 2 to 3 p.m. and makes its way around the city for several hours. It ends up being a males only procession because things get really rough and riotous.

Hundreds of suman are thrown from the balcony of Tayabas City Hall

As the image of San Isidro Labrador passes by a house, its residents start throwing suman, fruits and other local produce, as well as money and other goodies (some immigrant families ship boxes of imported goods to their relatives for the hagisan). This symbolizes the sharing of wealth and prosperity to farmers and peasants. The farmers believe that the more suman you catch, the bigger the yield for the year.

Unfortunately, the crowd of catchers has changed and the catching has gotten really aggressive. Even I got caught in the frenzy while taking photos, and one can get hurt if you don't move with the crowd, especially since the procession moves really fast. But it's really fun watching. And if you know anyone from Tayabas, you should join the hagisan from their balconies since that is even more fun!

Tayabas Basilica

And since you are in Tayabas, you should visit their heritage sites. The city has several National Cultural Treasures, namely the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel and the Tayabas Historic Bridges namely Alitao, Isabel II, Francisco de Asis, Gibanga, Malagonlong, Lakawan, Mate, Ese, Despedida, and Tuloy. The Casa de la Communidad de Tayabas is a National Historical Landmark.

Santuario de las Almas

Ermita Church

Tayabas Cemetery

Tayabas Cemetery Chapel

The town also has three centuries-old chapels, namely the Santuario de las Almas on the way to Lucena, Ermita Church near the basilica, and the Tayabas Cemetry Chapel in Munting Bayan.

Here's information on the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon.

Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon! Viva San Isidro Labrador!

Quezon celebrates the feast of San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers, on May 15 every year, with colorful festivals. The Pahiyas Festival in Lucban is the most popular and no doubt, the most lively of the festivals! Here's a guide to help you experience the Pahiyas Festival.

The day starts with a Mass at 6 a.m. at the Lucban Church. It is followed by a procession of the images of San Isidro Labrador and his wife, Santa María de la Cabeza (Blessed Maria Torribia), that leaves the church at 7 a.m. It makes its way around Lucban's designated procession route for the year. There are years when a marching band accompanies the procession, announcing its arrival along the route. But there are times that there is none, which unfortunately makes the fiesta atmosphere less lively.

Not all houses in Lucban decorate for the Pahiyas Festival. Only houses along the procession route are decorated. And every year, the procession route changes. It takes about seven years before the procession passes by a house again, giving a household enough time to save resources and prepare for the colorful and ostentatious decorations that are an inherent part of the Pahiyas Festival.

In between the morning procession and the parade in the afternoon, visitors get to walk around town and look at the colorful decorations called pahiyas, thus the name of the festival. You can also go shopping at the many stalls and a tiangge featuring handicrafts from Quezon and Laguna. Some use the time to explore other towns, or visit restaurants and resorts outside Lucban.

At about 3 p.m., a lively parade makes its way around town. Unfortunately, this parade has been invaded by not so subtle commercial advertising. Some people like it. But I don't. So I usually end up in Tayabas to watch the procession and the riotous agawan of suman (glutinous rice cakes).

In the evening, there's a different atmosphere in Lucban. The same decorated homes now compete for the evening pahiyas competition. Lighting becomes an important factor. And the procession route becomes a fantastic display of color and lights.

Traveling to Lucban, Quezon
There are two routes to Lucban, the one via Los Baños and Pagsanjan, and the other via San Pablo City and Maharlika Highway. I recommend the one via Los Baños after experiencing heavy traffic along Maharlika Highway (total standstill for an hour at 4 a.m. due to a truck accident). And since there are so many buses and trucks, the route can get really dangerous.

If you're taking a private car, you have to leave Manila before 4 a.m. if you want to make it to the morning procession. That also means there are more parking slots available outside town when you arrive. It's best to park farther away (for ease when leaving) and then just take a tricycle to the drop-off point.

Those who don't want to drive can join a tour, which is more convenient than taking public transportation, especially since all roads lead to Lucban, Tayabas and Sariaya.

Things to eat in Lucban
Lucban longganisa tops the list of things to eat and take home from Lucban. You can enjoy them deep-fried served with rice and egg in restaurants and stalls, or grilled on a stick along the street.

Pancit habhab is another favorite. While it's available along the parade route and sold in small servings on banana leaves (Php10), I noticed the ones at restaurants tend to have more toppings.

Read more on the Pahiyas Festival, Agawan Festival in Sariaya and Mayohan sa Tayabas.

Batangas: Sailing for beginners at Taal Lake Yacht Club

Ivan Man Dy talks about our Lake Sailing 101 adventure at the Taal Lake Yacht Club and lunch at Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas.

I had thought that layag was just the verb and I didn't realize that layag is also Tagalog for boat sail. Just like English, layag (the sail) is root word of the verb layag (to sail). Thus maglalayag sa dagat literally translates to sailing in the sea. This was just one of the many aha moments I learned with our first sailing experience in Taal Lake in Batangas. We recently checked out the sailing activities at the Taal Lake Yacht Club (TLYC) upon invitation by their president Peter Capotosto to try out the sports activities of the club. And what a revelation it was!
             

Located in the town of Talisay just below the ridge from Tagaytay, we now add this to our list of fun things to do when visiting this highland city. Upon arrival, we signed a waiver and did a crash course on sailing. TLYC offers several options to enjoy the the waters of Taal Lake such as the Hobie 16 (feet) sail boat that is good for 3 people, kayaks, sail boards and even bangka rentals for Taal Volcano hikes. Our pick was the two-hulled Hobie 21 Sport Cruiser sailboat which was the biggest in the lot. With Peter as our captain and guide, we immediately headed off for the water.
           

Our day was perfect for sailing, with the onset of the amihan (north-east monsoon), Taal Lake was filled with endless gusts of wind that took our Hobie sail boat from a relaxing cruise to sudden bursts of speed which was very exhilarating! In between controlling the sail, determining the wind direction and guiding us as we controlled the rudder, our captain Peter explained to us the intricacies of this sport as well as discussed the environment issues currently confronting Taal Lake. In terms of sanitation standards, Taal Lake is rated class 2 which means that it is not recommend for drinking but just right for swimming and water sports like sailing.
       
For our lunch break, we made a spur of the moment decision to dock at the nearby resort of Club Balai Isabel. Good thing the resort's amiable president Nelson Terrible was there and he treated us to a sumptuous lunch buffet at the restaurant. What was once an old coconut plantation is now a nine-hectare fully-furnished resort with 228 rooms and a swimming pool, in case the lake is too big for you!
             
All in all, it was a very productive morning with fresh insights and new experiences to a tried-and-tested day-trip destination. Sailing is an individual sport as it can be a fun-group or family-oriented activity. They even allow for food and beer to carried on-board! Note that you will get very wet, so do not forget to bring extra clothes, towels and toiletries. Hobie sail boat rentals start at Php1,500 and goes up depending on the boat size and duration. Even better is that the rental fees can be charged on an hour's interval, perfect for first-timers who are initially testing the waters to this adrenaline pumping sport!

Thanks to Peter Capotosto of the Taal Lake Yacht club for hosting this trip. For sailing details, click here.

By the way, they're selling BlackBerry phones at for as much as 35% off at BlackBerry hubs in SM. If you still haven't gotten one, time to get your brand new BlackBerryBarkada smartphones at really low prices this Christmas! I'm getting one myself and I can't choose which BlackBerry I want more with everything up to 35% off! Click here for details.

Laguna: A day in charming Pila Town

Ivan Man Dy writes about our visit to the heritage town of Pila, Laguna last summer. Text by Ivan Man Dy. Photos by Ivan Henares.

One lazy weekday, I suddenly found myself itching to go out and escape the city, an impromptu day trip. A few calls here and there and I found out that my tokayo Ivan Henares is heading south to the town of Los Baños in Laguna. I hitched a ride and that's how we found ourselves in the town of Pila.

As a heritage junkie, Pila Historical Landmark has been on my list of historic towns to visit. Funny that I've been to the farther ones like Vigan, Taal, Silay, Carcar and even Sabtang (Batanes) but never to this one which is as close as it can get to the Metro.

Now, exploring a place at your own pace has its advantages but having an insider and knowledgeable host and guide is something of a treat. And it's something that I really welcomed upon meeting Cora Relova of the Pila Historical Society Foundation.

To be honest, there is not much activity happening in Pila, a quaint little town surrounded by rice fields in this lush part of Laguna. No dramatic history, grand edifices nor high-spirited fiestas here. Not even a mall or a fast food chain. What it has however, is something that an urban rat like me find refreshing: provincial innocence and countryside charm.

Over a lunch of house specialties that included pako salad, pork chops, atsarang ubod, fresh coconut juice and an amazingly savory ginataang hipon na tabang, Cora regaled us with historical tidbits and stories of a city girl growing up in the town. According to her, Pila's fortunes are linked with its surrounding agricultural lands, no surprise really. And that wealth was eventually translated to the good life best seen in the houses around the Pila's central plaza.

Any visit to the the town will ultimately lead you here, a lovely patch of green (during the heat of summer) dominated on both sides by the Church of San Antonio de Padua (1578) and the Pila Municipal Hall (1931). This traditional colonial-era pattern has sadly been disfigured in many old towns today. As I explored the latter, I saw a plaque inside that mentions one of Cora's ancestors (grandfather perhaps) as being the municipal president in the 1900s. Roots to the town go really deep for the Relovas of Pila. Surrounding the plaza is Pila's prized collection of historic homes, most dating back to the early 1900s when that generation, alas, perhaps the last of them, still adopted the traditional bahay na bato architecture for their homes.

A century hence, most of these houses are quite well maintained and still with their traditonal details like big kapis windows, intricate kalado patterns and fluted columns. As an extra treat, Cora invited us to her cute 1920s home that was built by her grandmother and regaled us with more stories.

Over a merienda of halo-halo by the verandah, we listened to the 1970s pop band VST at the recently installed speakers in the plaza. We whiled away the afternoon and watch the day end in this small town. "Pila is is not grand. It's charming," Cora says. I couldn't agree more. For a brief moment, time suddenly slowed down in this lovely town called Pila.

Tagaytay: Summit Ridge Hotel provides great views of Taal Volcano!

If you're looking for a hotel in Tagaytay City with great views of Taal Volcano, Summit Ridge Hotel is one of them. After our sumptuous food binge in the restaurants of Veranda Robinsons Galleria, our group of bloggers proceeded all the way to Tagaytay City for an overnight stay in Summit Ridge.



We got to tour the facilities including its events and convention venues. We were particularly impressed with the Summit Learning Center which is said to have been patterned after a Harvard classroom. Summit Ridge also has several recreational facilities including a wooden basketball court that doubles as badminton courts. The hotel also arranges tours.



For dinner, the group got a preview of the Summer BBQ Nights by Annie's, which will run every Saturday, 6 p.m. until May 28, 2011 (Php599/head). I suggest you rush to Summit Ridge this summer before this sumptuous barbecue buffet ends. The buffet included Spicy Pork BBQ, Chicken Skewers, Sausage Kebab, Fish Fillet with Remoulade, as well as rice, soup, salad, pasta and dessert.


Before we called it a night, we also got a preview of the hotel's newly-opened SeriAsia Spa. In the morning, breakfast was at the restaurant of Annie's and C2 Classic Cuisine.

Summit Ridge Hotel
Km 58, Maharlika West
Tagaytay City
(632) 2406888 / (0922) 8526800

Batangas: Walking tour around old Taal

After our visit to Taal Volcano, we drove all the way to the heritage town of Taal, Batangas via STAR Expressway to visit the grand old houses and other heritage structures there. I've been to Taal many times before. But the town never fails to fascinate me. In fact, we're in the process of stakeholder consultations to determine if the town wants to push for inscription in the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Unfortunately, it is not yet in the tentative list. But the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape is. To make a stronger case for UNESCO inscription, countries usually cluster sites and structures into a single inscription that together, tell a compelling story with universal value to humanity.

One idea would be to expand the Taal Volcano listing from a natural site into a cultural landscape, to include the underwater ruins in Taal Lake and the town of Taal. Together, these sites tell a story of resilience amidst volcanic eruptions and how communities rise after every eruption of the volcano.


For this trip, we got to visit to visit the Taal Basilica National Landmark and Agoncillo House, as well as the Villavicencio Houses. As always, I stopped by the Taal Market to buy piña cloth for my barongs.


It's a good thing new restaurants have opened offering several local dishes of Taal. We had Taal Longganisa and Taal Tapa among many others at Don Juan BBQ which is right beside the Taal Market.


There are several tour options in Taal. you can contact Heritage Tours and Travel through Bennet (0918) 3155634 for a guided tour of the heritage town. There are half and whole day packages with meals (see their site at heritours.multiply.com).

You can also visit Villa Tortuga for a different kind of tour experience. It includes lunch at the old house complete with colonial-period costumes for you to wear while dining. Contact Lito Perez of Camp Suki at (02) 7250819 or (0917) 8246900 for reservations.

Where to stay in Taal
Baby Joven-Quiblat and Benny Quiblat have rooms available for visitors. You can reach Baby at (0917) 8970363 for rates and avalability.

Robert Arambulo, a balikbayan architect from Sta. Rosa, Laguna, also has rooms available in his restored Taal house called Casa Severina. Contact him at (0917) 5018060.

Casa Cecilia has eight bedrooms and a restaurant that serves great tasting Taal cuisine. Specialties are bulalo (with a twist) and their maliputo. Contact numbers are (043) 4080048 or (0906) 2225339.

Batangas: Taal Volcano trek

While most only get to see Taal Volcano from the Tagaytay Ridge, a few adventurous souls venture down to Talisay, Batangas to set foot on Volcano Island and trek to the crater lake. A good number ride a horse going up to the view point, while others trek up. Even more challenging is the trail that leads all the way down to the banks of the crater lake.


Boats to Volcano Island are readily available. In fact, you'll see touts with small signs trying to get you to ride their boats around Tagaytay. But the problem with this is having to haggle with them. So I decided to take a boat from the Taal Lake Yacht Club where fees are fixed and parking is free. The boat and guide to Taal Volcano costs Php1,800 there (maximum of five passengers).


This time, I chose to trek up to the crater lake viewpoint. The trail is 1.7 kilometers and you can finish it in about an hour. It was quite funny that the horses and their caretakers followed us up, hoping that we'd get tired and decide to ride a horse the rest of the way. The horse ride should cost Php500 for the trip up and back. You can arrange this at the resort to avoid haggling when you get to the island.



Note that there is also a Php20 landing fee when you reach the island. Along the way, you get to see vents spewing out sulfuric gases. The view from the top is really stunning as you get to see the entire lake as well as the coast of Batangas.

As I mentioned, you can opt to go down the crater lake. But this would cost a bit more. I've never been down there. And too bad we didn't have time to do it since we planned to visit Taal Town after lunch.

Taal Lake Yacht Club
Talisay, Batangas, Philippines
(043) 7730192

Pahiyas, Agawan and Mayohan, Quezon festivals for San Isidro Labrador

Quezon is known for the various festivals held in celebration of the feast of San Isidro Labrador. These are the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Agawan Festival in Sariaya and Mayohan Festival in Tayabas. We got to visit these three Quezon towns plus San Pablo, Laguna.



We visited the town of Sariaya first and marveled at their grand Art Deco mansions. Three of them were declared Heritage Houses by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, namely the Natalio Enriquez House, Rodriguez House and Gala-Rodriguez House.



The Sariaya Church and the different houses were all colorfully decorated with local produce and goodies for the agawan which would happen later in the day.



From Sariaya, we visited the Tayabas Basilica, a National Cultural Treasure. At about 3 p.m., a procession of the image of San Isidro Labrador makes its way around town. As the image passes by every house, suman or glutinous rice cakes, are hurled out the balconies and windows in the hundreds, causing a mad rush among the procession participants. The more you get, the more blessings for the family and the more suman to eat!


The Pahiyas Festival in Lucban is the most popular and no doubt, the most colorful of the three festivals. The procession of the image of San Isidro Labrador usually makes its way around town first thing in the morning at about 7:30 a.m.



Every year, the procession route changes. And only houses along the procession route are decorated. Usually, it takes about seven years before the procession passes by a house again. So that gives a household enough time to save resources and prepare for the colorful and ostentatious decorations that are an inherent part of the Pahiyas.

The afternoon is reserved for a lively parade that makes its way around town. But unfortunately, this parade has been invaded by not so subtle commercial advertising. Anyway, I'll talk about the delicious Southern Tagalog food we ate in another post.