Jiabong Town Proper

Pronounce that as "hya-bong". Well okay, some folks make it easier by saying "ya-bong". Both are fine, but it has never been "dya-bong" or "jiya-bong"! It's Hispanized, remember? 300 years of Spanish rule!

This town is next to Catbalogan, just some 9 or 10 kilometers away, on your way to Tacloban. And this is that town they call the "Tahong (Mussel) Capital" of the province, even of the whole region 8, I think.

I've been passing thru this town since exactly 50 years ago ('wag na magtanong paano nangyari yan)! But it had always been just by the highway that passes through this town. I remember I even passed this way on a morning jog during my highschool years! Yet, never have I seen Jiabong's central area.

This time, this thing called "work" needed me to check on something 'in there'. An opportunity, yeah!

That red-roofed thing is their municipal hall. I first went to see it up close! Mamaya na yung tarbaho!

You can actually see this even from the highway, though it's about 80 to 90 meters far, and on a curve!

Oops and OMG! I forgot to take a pic of that famous tahong monument! It's on the center of this park at right - almost but not captured by this shot. Argh! Sige, next time I'll go walk in that park. Promise!

A closer look of their municipal hall. Clean surroundings and their other office buildings are nearby.

Like I understood why their ambulance is parked here - their RHU is still being repaired a block away!

After taking that picture of the municipal hall, I still stood there turning around, looking at neighboring places. My driver smilingly said "I already asked people, it's far from here, sir"! He knew I was looking where this town's church might be hehe! He learned it's at the edge of town, so we drove going there.

After about 5 blocks to the east, we found it. I happened to have glanced at this, a reclamation...

So before looking at their church, I looked at this wide "new" land of Jiabong. Some people there told me that is a "reclamation" project of their municipal government. I saw signage indicating indeed it is.

The above reclamation is at the right end of this "pader", and this is the left end...

St. Paschal Baylon Parish Church of Jiabong Samar. Something new to my lowly brain again! That the "San Pascual" that I usually hear is "St. Paschal" in English. I thought "Paschal" was a unit of measure!

This is the church interior as I stood at the main entrance...

This is a rather small church compared to many (if not all) I have seen in other towns of this country. But I like that wall at left! It's full of holes to let the cool air in. No doors on that side though. It's a hill.

And this is the altar...

I could not go any further as there was that group having a meeting or some kind of a choir practice.

The main entrance and choir loft...

This is not the "priest's view", I took this photo from somewhere halfway - dahil nga me grupo sa front!

I was really surprised about the size and location of this church. Not very typical of Samar (or even the entire country's) catholic churches that are big and grandiose and are located in the middle of everything, sometimes even more imposing than the municipal halls, right? Here it is totally different.

Because of the 'surprise', driver and I asked people near this chapel, ah I mean church, and yes, they confirmed, this is the catholic parish church of Jiabong. Well, maybe majority of residents here are not Catholics. Or if they are majority Catholics, they're not fond of the usual lavish gigantic grand!

Alright, nothing much else to see at center of town. So we proceeded on our way.

And this one also surprised me. Their "public market". Yes they have, and yes this is it!

I was also very much surprised that it is so bleak, there is virtually nothing in there but darkness hehe!

That "public market" is even located on the side of the national highway, at the corner just across the municipal hall, yet, it looks like it has nothing in there! I know some folks who live in this town, and now I don't wonder why they buy their stuff at the Catbalogan public markets or the big groceries and supermarkets there. And yes, now I also remember.., they also usually attend church in Catbalogan!

But, when it is about "tahong" (mussels), its a totally different matter! That area by the bridge always teems with people and business is usually brisk at those many stalls that sell tahong! Trapik nga eh!

Oh well, let's proceed to Motiong?! That's my next story.