Bontoc, Southern Leyte
This was the next stop on the second day of my two-day joyride, Bontoc! Oh, I am still in Southern Leyte, by the way! Not at its more popular namesake way up in the Cordilleras!
Bontoc's town center is only about 3kms from Sogod poblacion, via a nice paved road with wonderful Sogod Bay views and the peninsula across where the town of Libagon is.
Did I say Libagon? Oh yes, did you know? Bontoc was once part of Libagon - which is some 7kms or so (by sea) if you go straight across the deep waters of Sogod Bay! But if you travel by land from poblacion to poblacion, it takes some 22kms passing by Sogod, and there's no other way! Ah, the ways of our forebears are sometimes perplexing to our recent version of 'logic' hehehe. Maybe they had a political whatever reason, who knows!
Anyway, maybe they realized the distance issue, Bontoc soon became rightfully a barrio of Sogod, until it was declared a separate town in 1950 - so says my friend from Bontoc!
And by the way too, on this short ride from Sogod to Bontoc, I didn't notice where the boundary was between them. This breezy coastal stretch is dotted with residences and some other establishments, but no BIG welcome or thank you signs. So I did not notice.
In my traveling experience though, town boundaries are mostly rivers. So, I am guessing, their boundary would have been that bridge over at Brgy Sta. Cruz - about 3kms to their municipal hall, and just about 2kms or less from Sogod town hall. They're like one town!
Aha, speaking of bridges...
Bontoc bridge. Here starts the more populated center of this town. Immediately to the left after crossing this bridge (below that coconut tree), is this town's public market.
Further left after the 'palengke' and parallel to this highway starts a street that is like a seaside boulevard with scenic views. It goes almost the town's length up to their pier.
So you thought I already forgot? The old wooden house proclivity is still in me! And in this town, you can see some of them to the right of this bridge and deeper into the next streets near the university. I most especially like that house at the foot of the telco tower, and their neighbors all the way on that street to the gate of the national high school and the university. Yes, me ganun, two distinct educational institutions, one gate!
Mind you, some 500 meters before this bridge is an intersection where the other way is to a circumferential road avoiding the town center so you emerge instead at Divisoria, already near the road intersection going to Tutuban. Ay ano ba, I mean to Bato, Leyte!
Still from the bridge above, only about 300 meters and you arrive at this...
Their multi-purpose sports something! Note, this is beside (right side of) the highway from Sogod and the bridge above - which is somewhere to upper right edge of this pic.
I took that pic as the car was turning right going up to the municipal hall back there!
Eto si 'back there'... the municipal hall of Bontoc which looks rather new...
My friend who has insider information tells me it's not even finished yet. That there is still supposed to be a (coming) foyer that will be above those front stairs behind Rizal.
Hmm, speaking of Jose Rizal, here's a close-up where he is part of the view...
His face here looks like someone I know, who definitely is not Jose Rizal hahaha! Ewan!
Dear National Historical Commission of the Philippines, hindi nyo ba saklaw ang pag-dibuho at pag-lilok ng mukha at/o katawan ni Gat Jose Rizal bago ito itanghal o ihayag sa lahat ng sangkatauhan? Why does his monument bear a different face in every town?
Haha, ewan ko na talaga hehehe!
Anyway, after ogling at that monument, I wondered... there are 3 books beside Rizal, one must be El Filibusterismo, another must be Noli Mi Tangere. What could be the title of the 3rd book? And which of the three titles is he holding? Do you know? Tell me please!
Okay, enough with the munisipyo and Rizal. Just comment below if you know the answer to my question. We next drove via the national highway to the town's church just nearby.
Yan! On a gloomy day, from afar, litaw na litaw! The Sto. Niño Parish Church of Bontoc...
I keep trying to recall if I have seen something to compare this with. I guess this must be one of a few, if not the only church I have seen where the bell tower is not up front. Who cares anyway, right? I am sure it does not matter other than just for aesthetic purposes.
Besides, just like at St. Bernard, they also don't have a bell! Here's a closer look...
I waited a bit as service was in progress. Though I thought that was already communion.
And this is the inside look of this Holy Child Jesus (aka Sto Nino) Parish Church...
What can I say... modernistic, airy, bright and uncluttered. Simple even. And I like it! Teka, why was there few people on a Sunday? This was a little past 10AM, so I'm guessing this was the 9AM mass where we the youth and young ones are encouraged to attend! We!
Pit Senyor!
Off we went southwards to Tomas Oppus on this other peninsula of Southern Leyte...
This is the Divisoria Bridge leading to Brgy. Divisoria still of this town. Yeah, the Divisoria I mentioned above - but don't look for Ilaya or Arranque Market or CM Recto hanggang Mendiola. They are far from here. Very far! We are still in the province of Southern Leyte.
This is the intersection I mentioned before, the shortcut to Bato, Leyte...
It only takes about half an hour (27 or so kms) to Bato, the other side of this peninsula and the western side of this big island of Leyte, if you turn right at this corner. But if you go straight like what we were about to do at this junction, it is almost 100 kilometers!
That was because we were going to Tomas Oppus and all the other southern towns.
Okay, in fact, let's go there - in my next story!
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Bontoc's town center is only about 3kms from Sogod poblacion, via a nice paved road with wonderful Sogod Bay views and the peninsula across where the town of Libagon is.
Did I say Libagon? Oh yes, did you know? Bontoc was once part of Libagon - which is some 7kms or so (by sea) if you go straight across the deep waters of Sogod Bay! But if you travel by land from poblacion to poblacion, it takes some 22kms passing by Sogod, and there's no other way! Ah, the ways of our forebears are sometimes perplexing to our recent version of 'logic' hehehe. Maybe they had a political whatever reason, who knows!
Anyway, maybe they realized the distance issue, Bontoc soon became rightfully a barrio of Sogod, until it was declared a separate town in 1950 - so says my friend from Bontoc!
And by the way too, on this short ride from Sogod to Bontoc, I didn't notice where the boundary was between them. This breezy coastal stretch is dotted with residences and some other establishments, but no BIG welcome or thank you signs. So I did not notice.
In my traveling experience though, town boundaries are mostly rivers. So, I am guessing, their boundary would have been that bridge over at Brgy Sta. Cruz - about 3kms to their municipal hall, and just about 2kms or less from Sogod town hall. They're like one town!
Aha, speaking of bridges...
Further left after the 'palengke' and parallel to this highway starts a street that is like a seaside boulevard with scenic views. It goes almost the town's length up to their pier.
So you thought I already forgot? The old wooden house proclivity is still in me! And in this town, you can see some of them to the right of this bridge and deeper into the next streets near the university. I most especially like that house at the foot of the telco tower, and their neighbors all the way on that street to the gate of the national high school and the university. Yes, me ganun, two distinct educational institutions, one gate!
Mind you, some 500 meters before this bridge is an intersection where the other way is to a circumferential road avoiding the town center so you emerge instead at Divisoria, already near the road intersection going to Tutuban. Ay ano ba, I mean to Bato, Leyte!
Still from the bridge above, only about 300 meters and you arrive at this...
I took that pic as the car was turning right going up to the municipal hall back there!
Eto si 'back there'... the municipal hall of Bontoc which looks rather new...
Hmm, speaking of Jose Rizal, here's a close-up where he is part of the view...
Dear National Historical Commission of the Philippines, hindi nyo ba saklaw ang pag-dibuho at pag-lilok ng mukha at/o katawan ni Gat Jose Rizal bago ito itanghal o ihayag sa lahat ng sangkatauhan? Why does his monument bear a different face in every town?
Haha, ewan ko na talaga hehehe!
Anyway, after ogling at that monument, I wondered... there are 3 books beside Rizal, one must be El Filibusterismo, another must be Noli Mi Tangere. What could be the title of the 3rd book? And which of the three titles is he holding? Do you know? Tell me please!
Okay, enough with the munisipyo and Rizal. Just comment below if you know the answer to my question. We next drove via the national highway to the town's church just nearby.
Yan! On a gloomy day, from afar, litaw na litaw! The Sto. Niño Parish Church of Bontoc...
Besides, just like at St. Bernard, they also don't have a bell! Here's a closer look...
And this is the inside look of this Holy Child Jesus (aka Sto Nino) Parish Church...
Pit Senyor!
Off we went southwards to Tomas Oppus on this other peninsula of Southern Leyte...
This is the intersection I mentioned before, the shortcut to Bato, Leyte...
That was because we were going to Tomas Oppus and all the other southern towns.
Okay, in fact, let's go there - in my next story!
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