Anahawan Town Center
The town of Anahawan, my next destination, is just about 9 kilometers from Hinundayan via a coastal road with picturesque views of the sea - that would (I guess) be Surigao Strait, just below Leyte Gulf.
Unfortunately, my phone was not just acting up, it went totally dead! Not just "lowbat" but "nobat"! As it re-charged, I had to make-do with a lower grade phone-camera with an attitude! When the vehicle is moving, even if slightly, everything that I take a photo of, becomes 'unreasonably' blurred. Haruy tatay!
Look..,
Yes, big and old wooden houses also abound in this town. Just believe me as I've got no proof!
Anyway, at one corner, the national highway veers left, but you can see that if you go straight up under a big tree, that would be going to the town's municipal hall and their catholic church, so we went there. But as we passed by the munisipyo I screamed STOP! - if only to make sure this photo won't be blurry!
I took that shot without getting off the vehicle! I guess it's a little bit clearer than all previous pictures I took, as we entered town - even if the sun was glistening bright behind it! Not the best, but pwede na!
So there, I got a picture of their municipal hall - fronted by flagpoles, too many of them!
Foremost of these flagpoles is that one in the middle - biggest and tallest where the Philippine Flag is waving high up there! About a meter behind it, one on each flank, are two smaller ones. About a meter more to the back, on the left side is a row of 5 flagpoles, same size as the previous ones. On the right side there is another row of 7 such flagpoles all of the same size. Ang dami naman! I wondered what those are for. But I am guessing now as I write this blog.., Anahawan town has 14 barangays. Pusta!
Behind me as I took that picture of the 'munisipyo' was/is an open basketball court that also serves as parking area for the town's ambulances (yes plural) and other "for official use only" vehicles near and behind a police station that has its own fenced parking lot! Hmm, that is not common in this country!
Haven't you noticed? In this country, almost (if not) all police stations use the street as parking lot!
Beside the basketball court is a big building that looks like a sports center, because (I peeped) there is also a basketball court in there - among others! I think there are also local government offices in there as I saw women crowded at one place that looked like an office. Hmm, this town is very well provided.
It looks like all services, including a hospital, are within this vicinity. It's a "real" town center!
Eto pa, just steps away from the municipal hall and the basketball court is their catholic church...
San Antonio De Padua (St. Anthony of Padua) Parish Church. I said I liked looking at the pastel colors of Hinundayan Church, right?! But, vivid in highly-saturated colors, I also do like looking at this church!
There is something interesting about the style of this church that you will quickly notice, if you look at it from far outside. It's almost like a Moorish Style building with all those geometric 'butingting' things!
And here is the inside, where I caught myself naka-tingalang naka-nganga hehehe
I was smilingly in awe looking up at those trusses. At my age and travel experiences, I have seen a lot of buildings, houses, stores, even libraries, sporting that modernistic style of 'exposed trusses' instead of a usual 'ceiling' - for fancy aesthetics. But what's with the seemingly chopped-off cantilever beams?
Hmm, I think I'm getting the hint: "so that the beams won't obstruct the view of/to the upper portion of the retablo" (Jesus in Ascension?). I am guessing of course, eh di naman ako architect, engineer or ID.
But wouldn't that "chopped-off-beam" undermine the roof structure's integrity? Palaisipan!
I smiled, because I could imagine.., some bright Gen X or Gen Z architect must have been at play here! Never underestimate the scientific knowledge of the modern Pinoy builder! On that kind of ceiling, we will only know 'the verdict' if and when the next Signal No. 5 or Intensity 6 hits Anahawan or its nearby confines - simba ko, ano ba pingsasasabi ko, 'wag naman sana! In any case, that ceiling is eerily cute!
Alright, alright... here is the priests' view...
Though not given justice by my low-grade phone camera, I liked looking up at that stained glass mural of San Antonio De Padua carrying El Niño Jesus. The 'streaks of heavenly light' even sharply depicted!
Oh, below that stained glass mural, do you see a big black dot on the wall? It's nothing heavenly hehe! It's a totally earthly black wall clock of our present times - and it is getting to be a common placement in many churches everywhere, not only in the Philippines but around the world! Do you also wonder as I do, what that is for? My guess is that's for the priest to know pila ka-oras na sya sige'g yawyaw hehe!
This is the foot (front panel) of the "mensa" (Latin for "altar table" - where the priest does his thing)
Just like what they have at the Hinundayan Church, that's a depiction of "the last supper". But this one is not a colored painting. That is either carved on wood, or some kind of metal impression [hard to tell as I couldn't go near- I just zoomed the phone-camera -why am I afraid getting near an altar anyway?].
And look closely or zoom that picture if you can, the red wood is actually the frame of 'the last supper' and it is as big as a real door panel just lying on its side. There is glass to reveal and protect the mural itself. Plus, that white horizontal strip at the bottom is a fluorescent tube lamp for better illumination!
Wait! Glass-encased. Valuable? Aha! Sugod mga kawatan, tikasan, tulisan, manglungkabay! Ataaaak!
Also at the altar... are these 'giant' earthen jars that serve as holy water containers...
As I took this photo, I heard my driver behind me whispering "a liwat, iniinom gad ada dinhi it bendita"! Our laughs were muffed, but I answered "Diri la wigtik-wigtik, ano? Dinhi ada hira na-alog ira bendita"!
But come to think of it, these kinds of jars are starting to be rare. I seldom see them in use nowadays - by normal regular common homes, I mean. They have been replaced by 5-gallon water dispensers. If you look closely, those two jars even have faucets! Hmm, may gripo, baka nga iniigib ang bendita dito!
All the more that we 'silently laughed' when driver said "igin-hihiram-os, igin-lilimugmog ada ini nira"!
Okay, out of the church, I really had the urge for one last look and shot of this charming façade...
Ayan, there it is, built in 1953 - oh ha, I still remember my Roman Numerals! Kakaiba. I really think this one looks like a church in some other country, I just can't recall where! Sri Lanka? India? Peru? Japan?
Anyway, lastly and finally, as I took that picture above, behind me was the big gymnasium-whatever of the town. And, uniquely for Anahawan, this church is surrounded by schools! Behind it is St. Anthony's High School of Anahawan. To the left and all the way to the back (beside St. Anthony's) is Anahawan Central School. Nice 'no? Everything is at center of this town! People don't need to go far for anything!
Exiting Anahawan to the south is like how you enter it from the north, replete with wonderful views of the sea, beaches and nicely paved treelined roads. The scenic southeast corner of the island of Leyte.
Let's go to San Juan. That's my next story!
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Unfortunately, my phone was not just acting up, it went totally dead! Not just "lowbat" but "nobat"! As it re-charged, I had to make-do with a lower grade phone-camera with an attitude! When the vehicle is moving, even if slightly, everything that I take a photo of, becomes 'unreasonably' blurred. Haruy tatay!
Look..,
Yes, big and old wooden houses also abound in this town. Just believe me as I've got no proof!
Anyway, at one corner, the national highway veers left, but you can see that if you go straight up under a big tree, that would be going to the town's municipal hall and their catholic church, so we went there. But as we passed by the munisipyo I screamed STOP! - if only to make sure this photo won't be blurry!
So there, I got a picture of their municipal hall - fronted by flagpoles, too many of them!
Foremost of these flagpoles is that one in the middle - biggest and tallest where the Philippine Flag is waving high up there! About a meter behind it, one on each flank, are two smaller ones. About a meter more to the back, on the left side is a row of 5 flagpoles, same size as the previous ones. On the right side there is another row of 7 such flagpoles all of the same size. Ang dami naman! I wondered what those are for. But I am guessing now as I write this blog.., Anahawan town has 14 barangays. Pusta!
Behind me as I took that picture of the 'munisipyo' was/is an open basketball court that also serves as parking area for the town's ambulances (yes plural) and other "for official use only" vehicles near and behind a police station that has its own fenced parking lot! Hmm, that is not common in this country!
Haven't you noticed? In this country, almost (if not) all police stations use the street as parking lot!
Beside the basketball court is a big building that looks like a sports center, because (I peeped) there is also a basketball court in there - among others! I think there are also local government offices in there as I saw women crowded at one place that looked like an office. Hmm, this town is very well provided.
It looks like all services, including a hospital, are within this vicinity. It's a "real" town center!
Eto pa, just steps away from the municipal hall and the basketball court is their catholic church...
There is something interesting about the style of this church that you will quickly notice, if you look at it from far outside. It's almost like a Moorish Style building with all those geometric 'butingting' things!
And here is the inside, where I caught myself naka-tingalang naka-nganga hehehe
Hmm, I think I'm getting the hint: "so that the beams won't obstruct the view of/to the upper portion of the retablo" (Jesus in Ascension?). I am guessing of course, eh di naman ako architect, engineer or ID.
But wouldn't that "chopped-off-beam" undermine the roof structure's integrity? Palaisipan!
I smiled, because I could imagine.., some bright Gen X or Gen Z architect must have been at play here! Never underestimate the scientific knowledge of the modern Pinoy builder! On that kind of ceiling, we will only know 'the verdict' if and when the next Signal No. 5 or Intensity 6 hits Anahawan or its nearby confines - simba ko, ano ba pingsasasabi ko, 'wag naman sana! In any case, that ceiling is eerily cute!
Alright, alright... here is the priests' view...
Oh, below that stained glass mural, do you see a big black dot on the wall? It's nothing heavenly hehe! It's a totally earthly black wall clock of our present times - and it is getting to be a common placement in many churches everywhere, not only in the Philippines but around the world! Do you also wonder as I do, what that is for? My guess is that's for the priest to know pila ka-oras na sya sige'g yawyaw hehe!
This is the foot (front panel) of the "mensa" (Latin for "altar table" - where the priest does his thing)
And look closely or zoom that picture if you can, the red wood is actually the frame of 'the last supper' and it is as big as a real door panel just lying on its side. There is glass to reveal and protect the mural itself. Plus, that white horizontal strip at the bottom is a fluorescent tube lamp for better illumination!
Wait! Glass-encased. Valuable? Aha! Sugod mga kawatan, tikasan, tulisan, manglungkabay! Ataaaak!
Also at the altar... are these 'giant' earthen jars that serve as holy water containers...
But come to think of it, these kinds of jars are starting to be rare. I seldom see them in use nowadays - by normal regular common homes, I mean. They have been replaced by 5-gallon water dispensers. If you look closely, those two jars even have faucets! Hmm, may gripo, baka nga iniigib ang bendita dito!
All the more that we 'silently laughed' when driver said "igin-hihiram-os, igin-lilimugmog ada ini nira"!
Okay, out of the church, I really had the urge for one last look and shot of this charming façade...
Anyway, lastly and finally, as I took that picture above, behind me was the big gymnasium-whatever of the town. And, uniquely for Anahawan, this church is surrounded by schools! Behind it is St. Anthony's High School of Anahawan. To the left and all the way to the back (beside St. Anthony's) is Anahawan Central School. Nice 'no? Everything is at center of this town! People don't need to go far for anything!
Exiting Anahawan to the south is like how you enter it from the north, replete with wonderful views of the sea, beaches and nicely paved treelined roads. The scenic southeast corner of the island of Leyte.
Let's go to San Juan. That's my next story!
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