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

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

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.