Minasa Festival 2016, Bustos, Bulacan

“Minasa” is the name of the locally produced version of the ubiquitous uraro cookies, but this one is marked by a more toasted less sugary but tasteful flavor that sets it apart from the usual uraro fare, and which endears it to locals and visitors alike.

The Tagalog word “Minasa” is the past tense of the root word “Masa” which means to knead and/or mix together in a rolling and pressing manner, as in rolling dough. “Masa” is also the Tagalog word for the masses or general human population. 



This year’s Festival inspired by the Minasa and the Masa, was celebrated from January 9 to 17, 2016, early in the year while the Southwest winds or “Amihan” still chills the morning air of the countryside. The events of the Festival celebrate the artistic and civic mindedness of the taga-Bustos, with art competition, cookfests, senior citizen “showdowns”. The Festival is capped by a street dancing parade and competition, where local students and residents join in carefully choreographed and executed dance routines showcased around the town last January 16, 2016, with the participants garbed in colorful and traditionally inspired dress. Rich local food, drinks and of course, “Minasa” delicacies were in full show around the town plaza for the week long celebration.

 

Bustos, Bulacan is a quiet town of mainly residential and commercial interests, lying just North of the Metropolitan Manila area, beside the Municipalities of Baliwag and Bocaue. The town features several lovely houses with rich heritage value, although some have suffered through minimal maintenance, but surely losing none of their timeless beauty. The mighty Angat River also passes through the town, and is sluiced through the Bustos Dam, one of the oldest rubber dams in Luzon. It’s residents enjoy traditionally simple lifestyle, which Manila residents crave and have access too fortunately, just forty kilometers northward.

(Ms. Ophelia Genabe, owner and proprietor of the Cafe Apolonio,

a lovely cafe built around the Family’s ancestral house and compound)

Here’s to more Minasa Fests to be enjoyed in the years to come.




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Artful Angono

(Part of Mural by Mr. Nemesio Miranda, Jr. at his Art Gallery)

Coming to the town of Angono in the Province of Rizal, you'll know that the metropolitan feel of Manila and its environs are slowly being shed in favor of the more rustic and provincial climate of the countryside. Bordered by the towns of Taytay, Binangonan, Teresa and the Laguna de Bai, Angono is close enough geographically to the Metropolitan Manila area to share the latter's buzz of urban life, yet far enough to maintain the town's rural charm. And for the weekend tripper, it's a welcome and refreshing sensation.

Angono enjoys the reputation among pundits as the art capital of the Philippines for many reasons. It is the birthplace of National Artists Carlos "Botong" V. Francisco (for visual arts [http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/org-awards/viual-arts/botong_francisco.php]) and Lucio San Pedro (for music [http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/org-awards/music/lucio_sanpedro.php]), and other notable artists.

Angono prides itself as the home of many prominent artists, and artists' groups, galleries, museums and events. Notable galleries include the Blanco Family Museum, which as its name implies is the gallery of the works of visual artist Jose "Pitok" V. Blanco and his family, and, the Nemiranda Art Gallery and Cafe owned by National Center for Culture and the Arts stalwart, Nemesio Miranda, Jr.

Here, you can also find the remarkable Angono Petroglyphs, which is maintained by the National Museum and declared by it as a National Cultural Treasure. The Petroglyphs are ancient carvings on a rock wall/shelter, probably made by ancient residents, depicting human, animal and other figures. They were discovered in 1965 by National Artist Carlos V. Francisco, during a field trip together with several boy scouts.

The Higantes Festival held every 22nd and 23rd of the month of November likewise showcases Angono's visual artistry in its culture. The yearly parade of Giants were said to be originally meant to mock of unsavory heritage of hacienderos and Spanish rule, but now is but a colorful celebration of local culture.






Note: The author takes no credit for the beautiful artworks depicted in the photos included in this article. They are the artists' own, (referring to Mr. Nemesio V. Miranda, Jr., the Atelier Artists, and the ancient Angonoans), and are displayed here with reverence only for information and journalistic purposes.

You can find more of AttyMaj's photography at https://www.flickr.com/photos/attymaj 
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A Taste of Batanes

Why is coming to Batanes for the first time such an eagerly anticipated and exciting moment? Perhaps it's the fantastic stories you've always heard about the place, or the prohibitive airfare that had you scrimping and saving for a long time to afford, or the fact that getting there is like playing a hard game of patintero or chicken with the twenty plus storms that visit the country every year, all of which seemingly Batanes bound. A beauty so mysterious and requiring tests of will so difficult to pass must surely promise grand rewards to the eyes and senses.

Honestly, just setting foot on the tarmac of Basco Airport, with the view of Mount Iraya bathed in morning sunlight and the air so cool and soothing to breathe because of the geography of the place, you'll feel nothing but thankfulness that you made the choice and sacrifices to come, and excitement for everything that this small province in Northern Luzon, Philippines has to offer.

Actually, other than the cost of airfare and the dodging game with the typhoons, Batanes is a piece of cake to enjoy. Move towards any direction from where you are, and you'll be someplace magical or exciting or at the very least, interesting. Lodging can be had, if you're not the picky type of traveller, for a song. A good meal costs no more than what you need to pay in Metro Manila. And getting around is as easy as walking, riding a bike, or taking a tricycle. There are also vans for rent for the larger group, or for those that require or prefer some comfort. And oh yes, (you've heard of this, I'm sure), you don't need to be clutching you're bag or wallet all the time for fear of losing something. Honesty is indeed, the usual policy here.

 

Travel tours and guides will have you know that there are three principal islands to go to when you're on holiday in Batanes. First, there's Batan, where the capital, Basco is. Here you'll find your fill of rolling hills, fantastic cliffs, shorelines and boulder beaches that, to your mind, belong, not in Pinas, but in some New Zealand or Scottish province or Middle Earth country of filmdom. There's also the Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion Church and the San Jose de Obrero Church for you to visit and give thanks for a safe journey. Just across the street from San Jose de Obrero is the famous Honesty Store, which, in turn, is just beside the wharf where plastic hulled boats await to take you to the next island of interest.

Once you've done Batan, the next usual island of destination is Sabtang, famous for its heritage towns, where the houses are still fashioned the traditional way with corals, thatch and apog. Though relatively undisturbed, the island nonetheless has a growing tourist trade. It also has its own courthouse, which is more than can be said for most Philippine Islands. Quite difficult to miss is the island's Lighthouse which stands regal atop a cliff with the churning sea in the background. Speaking of the churning sea, that should be the only gut-wrenching adventure you need to endure when coming to Sabtang. The boats that take you to this island have plastic hulls, and do not have the usual bamboo katig or stabilizers of traditional pump boats, precisely due to the churning action of the sea between the islands which the bamboo katigs could simply not endure. This churning action is caused by the interaction of strong ocean currents, just like a big pot of stew being stirred by a firmly held ladle.

A third mentionable island, Itbayat, unfortunately, was not reachable during my brief stay, because of the foreboding weather and sea conditions.

Nonetheless, the memory of sights like the Vayang Rolling hills, Marlboro Country, the Honesty Store, the women wearing authentic bakul or headdress made from local palm leaves, the friendly and engaging people, Fundacion Pacita in Tukon, the heritage villages in Sabtang, and esoteric food like adobong Batanes, Coconut crab, turmeric rice and the dried Dorado fish, have left me wanting a return encounter, a trip I will surely undertake when weather, schedules and budget come together again.

Of Taal, St. Martin de Tours, and the Virgin of Caysasay

Heritage, History, Legend and Faith. These four elements come to a head when you take that southern trek towards the the town of Taal in the Valiant Province of Batangas. Taal is located beside the town of Lemery, just a few minutes past Alfonso, Cavite detouring along Diokno Avenue. Once there, you'll immediately feel as if you're transported back into a cul de sac of time and place.

Taal trekkers are usually in it for that jolt of nostalgia for the historical, and of things which remind you of life, society, or culture during the time of our not too distant forefathers. Easiest to remember from our Elementary history, Taal is the birthplace of Marcela Agoncillo, credited as the principal seamstress of the first and official Flag of the Philippines, earning her the title of Mother of the Philippine Flag. However, Taal is also home to a rich plethora of houses enshrined as museums, as abodes of memory and national heritage. A walk along Calle Marcela M. Agoncillo will have you fully satisfied with glimpses of such places.

Impossible to miss is the Imposing Taal Church, regarded as the largest one in the Philippines and Asia. The church is actually a minor Basilica dedicated to Saint Martin de Tours, of whom locals will recount varied legends of the saint as their savior from various calamities. St. Martin of Tours is also the legendary owner of a cloak, which he at one time gladly sacrificed and shared with a street beggar (who later turns out as actually the Christ saviour).

If you're in church visiting mode, a few steps downward from Taal chuch is the church dedicated to our Lady Virgin of Caysasay, known to grant miracles if devoutly prayed for and especially if entreated while you partake or wash of the nearby spring water. 

Any of the loitering children will gladly tell you, in exchange for you buying a few pesos worth of candles or panutsa (Batangas' version of caramelized peanuts), the Legend of the Lady and Juan Maningkad. It seems that serendipitous Juan was fortunate to fish out of the local Pansipit river (known for its tasty Maliputo and Tawilis fish) the image of the Virgin Mary, so radiant and lustruous that it can only be described as heavenly. Legend will also have it that descendants of the ten Bornean Datus (Chieftains) led by the intrepid Datu Puti who landed in Panay Island also settled along the Pansipit River.

Whether you suspend disbelief for these legends or not, you may surrender to inspiration and amazement by the mystery, or the history, of the town of Taal, St. Martin and our Lady of Caysasay. Taal is also known for its Balisong (fan knife) and cutlery industry, as well as its famed Tapang Taal (preserved pork dish), both of which offer interesting attractions if you decide to visit.

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