Thursday, March 24, 2016

47TH PENITENTIAL WALKING

This is my third time to join this penitential walking sponsored by the Mission De Colores founded by the late Juaning Reyes. The last time I attended was on April 5, 2007, its 38th Penitential Walking then. It is usually held every Maundy Thursday.

The Basilica Menore de San Sebastian


This penitential walking has a double purpose, namely: "Visita Iglesia" the usual term used when the Philippines was under the Spanish regime as one of its colonized country for 377 years covering the period from 1521 when European explorer, Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines and ended in 1898 with with the outbreak of the Spanish–American War. The visitation of churches totals to 14 where each church visited represents as one of the Stations of the Cross. It started from 6:00 A.M. and ended at 3:30 P.M.

Station 1: San Roque De Manila Parish

Address: Rizal Avenue (near Blumentritt Street), Sta. Cruz, Manila



Facade of San Roque De Manila Parish


The interior of San Roque De Manila Parish


Station 2: Immaculate Conception Parish

Address: 287 Tayuman Street, Tondo,Manila



The facade of the Immaculate Conception Parish


The interior of Immaculate Conception Parish


Leaving the 2nd Station to the 3rd Station


A mother carrying her baby in a crib


Station 3: Archdiocesan Shrine of Espiritu Santo (Espiritu Santo Parish Church)

Address: 1912 Rizal Avenue (near Tayuman Street) 344 Zone 35, Sta Cruz, Metro Manila



The facade of Espiritu Santo Parish


The interior of Espiritu Santo Parish


Walking along Tayuman Street heading to the Fourth Station


Station 4: Santissimo Rosario Parish Church (known as UST Chapel)

Address: Ceferino Gonzales Drive, Sampaloc, Manila, Metro Manila



The facade of the UST Chapel


A closer look of the UST Chapel


The interior of the USA Chapel


Devotees leaving UST Chapel


skyscrapers at the background of the UST spacious quadrangle


Crossing the busy street of Espana heading to the 5th Station


Station 5: Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto Parish

Address: Jose Figueras (formerly Bustillos) Street, Sampaloc, Manila, Metro Manila



The facade of Our Lady of Loreto Parish


The interior of Our Lady of Loreto Parish


Devotees leaving for the 6th Station


Station 6: San Antonio de Padua Shrine

Address: Jose Figueras (formerly Bustillos) Street, Sampaloc, Manila, Metro Manila



The facade of San Antonio de Padua Shrine


The interior of San Antonio de Padua Shrine


Station 7: Basilica Minore de San Sebastian

Address: Plaza del Carmen, Abenida Claro M. Recto, Quiapo, Manila



The facade of San Sebastian Church


The interior of San Sebastian Church


Station 8: Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat (San Beda College Chapel)

Address: 638 Mendiola St., San Miguel, Manila



The facade of San Beda College Chapel


The interior of San Beda College Chapel


Peeping thru the concrete fence of Malacanang Palace


Walking along Laurel Street fronting Malacanang Palace


Passing by San Miguel Parish Church of the Malacanang Palace


Station 9: Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (canonically known as Saint John the Baptist Parish/Quiapo Church)

Address: 910 Plaza Miranda and Quezon Boulevard, Quiapo, Manila



The facade of Quiapo Church


The interior of Quiapo Church


Station 10: Sta. Cruz Church

Address: Carriedo, Sta. Cruz, Manila



The facade of Sta. Cruz Church


The interior of Sta. Cruz


Approaching Jones Bridge heading for Intramuros


Entering the gate of Intramuros


Station 11: Immaculate Conception Parish Church of San Agustin

Address: General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila



The facade of San Agustin Church


The interior of San Agustin Church


Station 12: Cathedral – Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral)

Sto. Tomas, Intramuros, Manila



The facade of the Manila Cathedral


The interior of the Manila Cathedral


Back to Binondo financial district


Station 13: Manila Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz or Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish (Binondo Church)

Address: Paredes Street corner Ongpin Streets, Plaza Calderon de la Barca, Binondo, Manila



The facade of Binondo Church


The interior of Binondo Church


Passing thru the busy street of Manila China Town's Ongpin Street


Vegetable stalls along Benavidez Street of Chinatown


Fruit stalls along Benavidez Street of Chinatown


Station 14:San Jose de Trozo Parish

Address: 1340- G Masangkay Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila



Facade of San Jose de Trozo Parish Church


The interior of San Jose de Trozo Parish Church


Sunday, March 20, 2016

ARANETA CENTER

Location: Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines



Panoramic view of Araneta Center


Araneta Center, like any other district of Metropolitan Manila, is such a busy place, for it has so many establishments on it. Who will not know "Cubao" when it is famous for its Araneta Coliseum. Other than that, this place is the center of entertainment where Art in Island is located

Entrance to the Araneta Center thru Farmers' Plaza Mall from MRT Cubao Station


Getting inside Farmer's Plaza Cubao


The entertainment venue of the Farmer's Plaza Cubao


The interior of Farmer's Plaza Cubao


The imposing Araneta Coliseum at the center


The bridge connecting Farmers Plaza Mall and Gateway Mall trailing along Araneta Coliseum


Part of Art in Island (Picture Credit: Farm Flicker )


The busy Cubao district along Farmer's Plaza


Roads designed with greening consciousness


The 40-storey Vivaldi Residences Tower fronting Aurora Boulevard


Skyscrapers within Araneta Center


Peeping through the facade of the Gateway Mall


An entry to the World-class Gateway Mall


The Oasis Restaurant of Gateway Mall



The Oasis Restaurant - One-of-a-Kind Floating Garden Open to the Sky












Thursday, March 17, 2016

SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF MANAOAG

Location: Manaoag, Pangasinan, Philippines

The imposing approach of Our Lady of Manaog


It’s my first time to visit this place last February 23, 2016 when coming from San Fernando City of La Union where I applied for a passport, I decided to disembarked from the bus I was boarding in Binalonan of Pangasinan, a crosssing leading to the town of Manaoag for another 30 minutes.

Truly a basilica in appearance


I have been hearing a lot of testimonies from some pilgrims known to me personally for a decade already but I found no binding factor then to pursue visiting it. But personally, I really wanted to have my pilgrimage to this basilica. And this moment was its realization.

My souvenir photo in the facade of the church


Based on the accounts published by the Wikipedia, The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag is located on top of a hill in the town also called Manaoag where it has been canonically affiliated with the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome since June 2011. The parish encompassing Manaoag and the surrounding towns is administered by the Order of Preachers under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. It was officially declared a Basilica on February 17, 2015.

The basilica's interior


In addition to that, Wikipedia, published some historical facts about the church where some of the earliest miracles attributed to Our Lady of Manaoag, including the original apparition, are depicted in the murals in the church.

The basilica's altar


It has been further cited in this same source that in the early days of the Spanish era, animist mountain tribes burnt down newly-Christianised villages. The town of Manaoag was among the settlements that were burnt by the raiders, sending the locals fleeing to the thatch-roofed church. The pillagers's leader climbed over the church compound's crude fence and shot flaming arrows at all parts of the church, but the building miraculously did not catch fire.

Another angle shot of the church's interior


Furthermore, this same archive compiled that during the Second World War, enemy Japanese forces dropped several bombs within the church's vicinity. The structure was only moderately damaged. Four bombs were released above the church, with three landing on the plaza and the façade, destroying both. The last bomb fell into the sanctuary, but miraculously did not explode.



Another angle shot of the church's interior


For those who wanted to stay overnight in the place, affordable accommodations are available in the vicinity. The town itself is a progressive one that establishments which cater services to the tourists abounds like the fastfood chains (Jollibee and Chowking) just across the street. There are banks with ATM machines.

Regular bus trips (Dagupan Bus Liner) from Manila to Manaoag and vice versa is accessible to the pilgrims and tourists alike where its last trip coming from the place to Manila is at 8:00 P.M. costing P314 for one way as of this writing. While I reached the place at 5:00 P.M. coming from Binalonan, I was able to attend its 5:00 P.M. mass and the last mass is at 7:00 P.M.