Negros Occidental is one province I haven't really explored. Except that trip to Mambucal when I was still a kid, and a more
recent visit to Silay City some years back, I've only really been to Bacolod City. So I decided to explore Negros Occidental before our family reunion in Bacolod.
Since I only had a few hours after the welcome breakfast prepared by our relatives, I decided to rent a car to speed up things. We drove down south as far as Himamaylan and made our way north to look for some interesting stuff. Along the National Highway was this continuous stream of sugar cane trucks. Negros is one big sugar plantation and all you see on both sides of the road is sugar cane.
The first old church we passed by was
Binalbagan Church built in 1937. Except for the
retablo, most of the church has been renovated. And it was such a hassle to get to it no thanks to a presidential visit. I was shocked that they stopped traffic on the National Highway just to let her convoy pass. So we had to make a lot of detours. In fact, she arrived in town exactly when I was standing in front of the church.
Anyway, from Binalbagan, we went to the next town which is Hinigaran. The
Hinigaran Church, completed in 1858, is one of the best-preserved Spanish colonial churches in Negros Occidental. I was quite impressed with its well-preserved exterior. But inside was a different story.
While most of the interior was intact, I was surprised that they were doing some renovations, trying to mimic some European church since they had a large tarpaulin of a church interior they were trying to imitate. These priests really need to realize that our churches are not European! They are Philippine Baroque to be exact, a folksy style only found in the Philippines. Let's keep our churches Filipino please!
Hinigaran is a favorite stop as well thanks to
Mila's royal bibingka which you could buy from
Mila's Restaurant along the National Highway. Another favorite is the
creamy buko pie which is quite different from the ones in Laguna and the rest of the Southern Tagalog since they really put in a lot of cream.
While we were having lunch at Mila's Restaurant, the presidential convoy passed by again. And there she was in a coaster with windows open, waving to everyone like a queen.
From there, we proceeded to Valladolid. The
Valladolid Church is also of Spanish colonial vintage. It was twin bell towers. But just like many of our heritage churches, the interior has been modernized.
Bago City still has a few of its grand old mansions. One of those homes is the
Gen. Juan Anacleto Araneta Mansion which is a
National Historical Landmark. The grand ancestral house is now home to the local museum.
The
Bago Church has a very unusual Neo-Gothic facade, built by the Augustinian Recollects in 1891. But again, the interiors have been modernized. The city plaza was the site of the historic proclamation of the
Republica de Negros on November 5, 1898. This event is commemorated annually with the
Al Cinco de Noviembre.
From Bago, we crossed Bacolod to get to Talisay City. There are two houses worth visiting there. One is the
Lizares Mansion or the
Balay ni Tana Dicang which is now a beautiful period museum and art gallery.
The other is the ruins of the grand mansion of
Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson which is simply known as
The Ruins. They have a restaurant there as well so if you like to have lunch or dinner amidst its old walls, that would be a great option. It's actually hard to get to and the roads are a bit bad. But see what proper conservation and marketing can do to promote the shell of an old house?
Anyway, since it was getting dark, I skipped
Silay as well. Besides, you need a full day to explore this wonderful heritage city. And I've done it before. I'll try to visit Silay again when I get back.
Our last stop for the day was the
Chapel of the Angry Christ inside the compound of the
Victorias Milling Corporation. Did you know that the
UP Chapel was originally designed for the Ossorio family? But I guess it doesn't matter now since the current chapel is itself a work of art.
The central figure of the vibrant altar murals is an image of Christ with a burning heart, standing on skulls and a serpent. It's that image from which the chapel gets its moniker since the church is actually dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker. These murals were painted by Alfonso Ossorio. Around the church are mosaics that were made using broken soda bottles.
I rushed back to Talisay City to attend an event at Balay ni Tana Dicang. But I decided to take that photo of The Ruins before it got really dark.
George Town in Penang is a living testament to the multicultural heritage of Asia as well as European colonial influences. As I stood in front of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy Temple, I noticed a small Hindu shrine and stalls of garland makers. Just a few meters away was a joss stick maker. Down the same street as the temple is the Anglican St. George's Church. As I walked towards the church, a call to prayer echoed from the minaret of a centuries-old mosque.
As soon as I found a place to stay for the night and dropped my bags, I was off. Before you start, make sure you have a street map of George Town. There is a really good free map published by Areca Books which not only marks important architectural landmarks, but also some recommended food outlets, local crafts and trades, and places to shop for things that are uniquely Penang.
Among the sites I got to visit were religious structures of various faiths. There's the Goddess of Mercy Temple (Buddhist & Taoist) which is Penang's foremost Chinese temple established in 1800; and the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple (Hindu) consecrated in 1833.
St. George's Church built in 1818 is Southeast Asia's first Anglican church. While the Church of the Assumption (Catholic) dates back to 1787. The current structure was built in 1860 and was elevated to a Cathedral in 1955.
Nagore Shrine is a Tamil Muslim shrine to the Saint of Nagore. While the Kapitan Keling Mosque (also Tamil Muslim) was founded in 1801. The Malay Mosque in Lebuh Aceh was founded in 1808.
