Balay Lungsod Sa Tabogon
And the Ceres bus arrived at this quiet little poblacion. Very nice rural atmosphere.
A unique setup, I must say. That is the municipal hall with prison at left, while across it is the Ceres terminal! Not sure if that's private, but I was told it is exclusively Ceres.
Well, with only a glance, it isn't hard to believe this 'bus terminal' is exclusively Ceres.
Yes, just that cool little 'waiting shed' made of native materials, and an open ground amidst coconut trees where their bus/es park. That manong standing is dispatcher!
He is information center, reservations or ticketing if need be - though he clarified that tickets are usually issued on board a bus while fares are collected by the conductor.
I really like that simple cozy transport terminal setup ('wag lang umulan hehehe)! To think that this town is just next to Bogo City, probably less than 20 kilometers away.
Anyway, I looked across the street for a view of their Balay Lungsod Sa Tabogon:
Yep, that's Tabogon Municipal Hall. Modern as that pink building might be, and rural as the town may be even as of today, this municipality is 'historically old and notable'!
Ah, while it is (still and always) confusing as to how this town got its name (due to at least 3 conflicting historical claims'), Tabogon was already a settlement in late 1840s.
There's a barangay called Daantabogon ("Daan Tabogon" means "Old Tabogon"). That, by a river, some 3kms south of this new poblacion, is where Tabogon began to grow.
Half a century later (1900, yes oi nag-research ako ng konti) that old town was part of the many settlements (all the way down to Catmon) burned by the Americans, in their "pacification campaign" led by a 2Lt. Cromwell Stacey. Tungod ana, he became Capt.
O di ba?!
Incidentally, interestingly, ironically, sa pagka-karon, naa'y mga "kano" anha namuyo karon! Kama-o na pud mag-binisaya! Hey passport boys, ay'mo pang-arson diha ha?
History is interesting 'no?! It makes traveling to places more worthwhile, enjoyable.
Anyway again, I moved a bit front & center of this Balay Lungsod for a better view:
I think that broken part of the roof must have been due to ST Yolanda (coupled with being old). Minor. But for rural municipalities like this one, malaking gastosin na yan.
Yet the grounds look clean and lovely-looking at a 9AM. Well-maintained I must say.
But that old structure at left caught my attention. It's made of wood, and its form or design distinctively belongs to a bygone era. Hmm, the Old Tabogon Municipal Hall?
No one around to tell me. That fence's gate is padlocked on a Sunday. I couldn't go near, even to that newer Balay Lungsod. Ah, I called experts heheh! Okay confirmed, that old wooden structure is/was the old munisipyo of Tabogon - worth 5,000 pesos.
Wow and wheh?! Five thousand? I called up the knowledgeable history-addict friend who further educated me that "I was looking at an old municipal building, built 1951 or 1952 care of Republic Act No. 670 approved on June 16 1951 with a budget of P5,000".
While we were laughing, she clarified (mala-disclaimer) that "of course there will have been various improvements to that structure since then.., but, that P5,000 started it all".
Oo nga naman ano?
I stood on that spot for some time, marveling at that old building, appreciating what 5,000 pesos (as in singko-mil ra) could already do in 1951. Today even 5M cannot be!
Asus, kickback pa lang, parang walang DPWH boss na papayag ng 5M lang hahaha!
Sabagay in all of the 1940s to 1950s, the USD was only worth 2PHP (constant rate). Today, as in kanina 15JUN2014, it was 44PHP to a USD. So, lalabas na P110,000 na sya today. Jusko gino-o ko, impossible pa rin maka-gama ka'g ing-ana nga building!
Well, basta on 16JUN1951 (63 years na, a few hours from now as I write this), RA670 appropriated P5,000 for the construction of that now old Tabogon municipal building.
History awareness makes travel meaningful!
Let's zoom back to "today".
As I took the photos above, and as I stood on that street facing the Balay Lungsod, I could hear voices shouting greetings like Hello, Welcome to Cebu, Anyeong, Arigatoo!
I could not identify where that was coming from. Various male voices. Coming from a distance. But all I could see were humans at the terminal - they were not shouting.
Kulba oi! Was I hearing voices? Was I flipping? OMG! I walked fast back to the Ceres Terminal (as if to get a real sense kung normal pa ba ako, gino-o ko). But, it persisted.
I asked the manong dispatcher if he could hear those. He said 'ikaw to ilang gitawag, sir' pointing in the direction of the old municipal building, continuing with 'mga priso'.
Napa-buntung-hininga ako. A very long and deep sigh of relief hahaha! Eh I thought the "people from the other world" (sabi nga sa Samar: diri kinikita), were calling me!
Ha, I instinctively had to make a sign of the cross before I smiled. Mga ka-kosa pala!
Yes, mga bilanggo, preso, priso, inmates ang mga gi-ahak hahaha! For a time there, I almost believed those voices were the from the "wandering wakwaks" of Biringan!
If you are new to the place kasi, like I was, you won't readily see them, because their window is a little dark, and you won't easily think you'd see humans on that portion.
I already edited that cropped photo to reveal them from their dark sill hehehe. Look at the bigger picture above for perspective. Wall facing the side of the new building!
Hay pastilan hahaha!
Oh, furthermore, the dispatcher also told me that that old building still houses some municipal offices. Hmm, baka police, since he says that prison is only a tiny portion.
The Municipal Park with Jose Rizal (meron naman pala) and more LGU buildings are at the back daw of those pictured above. I said I will go there later. But, OMG I forgot!
It's only now as I'm writing this (930PM) that I remembered I forgot to go there. Pak!
Tara let's go elsewhere na lang!
Well, with only a glance, it isn't hard to believe this 'bus terminal' is exclusively Ceres.
He is information center, reservations or ticketing if need be - though he clarified that tickets are usually issued on board a bus while fares are collected by the conductor.
I really like that simple cozy transport terminal setup ('wag lang umulan hehehe)! To think that this town is just next to Bogo City, probably less than 20 kilometers away.
Anyway, I looked across the street for a view of their Balay Lungsod Sa Tabogon:
Ah, while it is (still and always) confusing as to how this town got its name (due to at least 3 conflicting historical claims'), Tabogon was already a settlement in late 1840s.
There's a barangay called Daantabogon ("Daan Tabogon" means "Old Tabogon"). That, by a river, some 3kms south of this new poblacion, is where Tabogon began to grow.
Half a century later (1900, yes oi nag-research ako ng konti) that old town was part of the many settlements (all the way down to Catmon) burned by the Americans, in their "pacification campaign" led by a 2Lt. Cromwell Stacey. Tungod ana, he became Capt.
O di ba?!
Incidentally, interestingly, ironically, sa pagka-karon, naa'y mga "kano" anha namuyo karon! Kama-o na pud mag-binisaya! Hey passport boys, ay'mo pang-arson diha ha?
History is interesting 'no?! It makes traveling to places more worthwhile, enjoyable.
Anyway again, I moved a bit front & center of this Balay Lungsod for a better view:
Yet the grounds look clean and lovely-looking at a 9AM. Well-maintained I must say.
But that old structure at left caught my attention. It's made of wood, and its form or design distinctively belongs to a bygone era. Hmm, the Old Tabogon Municipal Hall?
No one around to tell me. That fence's gate is padlocked on a Sunday. I couldn't go near, even to that newer Balay Lungsod. Ah, I called experts heheh! Okay confirmed, that old wooden structure is/was the old munisipyo of Tabogon - worth 5,000 pesos.
Wow and wheh?! Five thousand? I called up the knowledgeable history-addict friend who further educated me that "I was looking at an old municipal building, built 1951 or 1952 care of Republic Act No. 670 approved on June 16 1951 with a budget of P5,000".
While we were laughing, she clarified (mala-disclaimer) that "of course there will have been various improvements to that structure since then.., but, that P5,000 started it all".
Oo nga naman ano?
I stood on that spot for some time, marveling at that old building, appreciating what 5,000 pesos (as in singko-mil ra) could already do in 1951. Today even 5M cannot be!
Asus, kickback pa lang, parang walang DPWH boss na papayag ng 5M lang hahaha!
Sabagay in all of the 1940s to 1950s, the USD was only worth 2PHP (constant rate). Today, as in kanina 15JUN2014, it was 44PHP to a USD. So, lalabas na P110,000 na sya today. Jusko gino-o ko, impossible pa rin maka-gama ka'g ing-ana nga building!
Well, basta on 16JUN1951 (63 years na, a few hours from now as I write this), RA670 appropriated P5,000 for the construction of that now old Tabogon municipal building.
History awareness makes travel meaningful!
Let's zoom back to "today".
As I took the photos above, and as I stood on that street facing the Balay Lungsod, I could hear voices shouting greetings like Hello, Welcome to Cebu, Anyeong, Arigatoo!
I could not identify where that was coming from. Various male voices. Coming from a distance. But all I could see were humans at the terminal - they were not shouting.
Kulba oi! Was I hearing voices? Was I flipping? OMG! I walked fast back to the Ceres Terminal (as if to get a real sense kung normal pa ba ako, gino-o ko). But, it persisted.
I asked the manong dispatcher if he could hear those. He said 'ikaw to ilang gitawag, sir' pointing in the direction of the old municipal building, continuing with 'mga priso'.
Napa-buntung-hininga ako. A very long and deep sigh of relief hahaha! Eh I thought the "people from the other world" (sabi nga sa Samar: diri kinikita), were calling me!
Ha, I instinctively had to make a sign of the cross before I smiled. Mga ka-kosa pala!
If you are new to the place kasi, like I was, you won't readily see them, because their window is a little dark, and you won't easily think you'd see humans on that portion.
I already edited that cropped photo to reveal them from their dark sill hehehe. Look at the bigger picture above for perspective. Wall facing the side of the new building!
Hay pastilan hahaha!
Oh, furthermore, the dispatcher also told me that that old building still houses some municipal offices. Hmm, baka police, since he says that prison is only a tiny portion.
The Municipal Park with Jose Rizal (meron naman pala) and more LGU buildings are at the back daw of those pictured above. I said I will go there later. But, OMG I forgot!
It's only now as I'm writing this (930PM) that I remembered I forgot to go there. Pak!
Tara let's go elsewhere na lang!
#CentralVisayas #TravelPhilippines #Tabogon
Comments
Post a Comment