Serene Laiya of San Juan, Batangas

A very close friend and college classmate sent me a private message on Facebook, and was bugging for me to decide and choose a very nice destination for her and her husband coming from Michigan. I suggested many places, Fortune Island, Calatagan, Vigan or anywhere in Ilocos. They went to Cebu and Bohol instead. And for us her good friends? We stayed in Batangas, another close friend suggested Laiya. I thought of rejecting the idea, since Laiya is quite popular and expensive when it comes to accommodations.

She said she can manage... Oh well...

We scouted several resorts and of course chose the good ones if not the best. I don't want to quote the prices here since it was an off-peak season, but for us it was still expensive. Nonetheless, our room was very, very cozy like in a five-star hotel and the views... oh! so breathtaking that the pictures I took below will pass for some very good post cards.

Savor the views of Laiya... you would always want to come back at the soonest possible time.

Gothic San Sebastian Church, Manila

Another dream church of mine to visit, always slipping from my memory and recall, most probably because of its location now that I reside in the south of Manila. The notion that when a beautiful place is just near your residence, you ignore it most of the time that leads more to forgetfulness.

What is striking with this church is the structure. Built out of solid steel and IMPORTED and SHIPPED from Belgium! Doubling my amazement are its stained-glass windows that were made in Germany.

Each gaze that my eyes took around the interiors of the church made me smile. You wont think you are in Asia. Having a Gothic-designed church in the Philippines is a rarity. We usually have baroque, either neo-baroque or rococo styles.

The Basilica Minore de San Sebastián and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at the same time, was  completed in 1891.  It is the only all-steel church or basilica in Asia, and claimed as the only prefabricated steel church in the world.
 

The joy was replaced with sadness when I took close-up pictures of the walls, it revealed to me the pressing problem of the church. The steel structure has been beset by rust and corrosion, to which the sea breezes from nearby Manila Bay contribute.

San Sebastián Church was declared a National Historical Landmark by the late President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 260 in 1973. The Church is now under the care of The Order of the Augustinian Recollects.

Neolithic Angono Petroglyphs, Rizal

It's a shame that I myself as a Lecturer of History only visited this site early this year of 2012. I teach Anthropology too as a major subject, I even have a modest collection of books related to Archaeology and that Oscar-winning movie entitled Quest for Fire, I show to my students every time I touch the subject on the Stone Ages.

A Filipino student of History, Sociology or Anthropology doesn't have to spend much to see the sites of Africa or the great museums of London and Europe just to see a spectacular site, or to witness some stone or cave carvings. We have it right here in the Philippines!

The site was discovered by no less than the pioneer UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts Professor and National Artist for Painting, Carlos "Botong"  Francisco in 1969.

The Angono Petroglyphs is reputed to be the oldest known work of art in the Philippines. On the rockwall, you can find 127 human and animal figures dating back to 3000 B.C. The use of radiocarbon dating among the stones and flints recovered in the area, led to the idea and comparison with the period of existence of the wall carvings.

To properly acknowledge the location, these petroglyphs sits along the boundaries of Angono, Binangonan and Antipolo, Rizal. It's only a few minutes away from the Antipolo Church via the Thunderbird Resort and Casino.

Visiting the site with your good friends will double the fun and excitement upon seeing this place, the same way I did.

In 1973, it was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government.