Victorias City Visit

From EB Magalona town center, I hopped on a non-aircon Ceres Bus for a short ride to Victorias City.

Note: the city name is really 'Victorias' with an 's' at the end, and it's a singular name. Note further that there is no apostrophe between the 'a' and the 's' (for those used to reading/hearing Victoria's Secret)!

This city is just 11kms (12 pesos on Ceres non-aircon bus) from EB Magalona, so my bus ticket said.

Thus, if Silay to EB Magalona was just 9kms and EB Mags to Victorias is 11kms, that therefore means this city is something like just 20kms from the Bacolod Silay Airport which is in Silay City. Not that far!

The short ride was amidst endless stretches of sugarcane fields. Yes, as far as the eyes can see!

This reminded me of the vast rice fields of Cagayan Province. Syempre pa, this also reminded me that when monsoon rains come, the "Rice Bowl of the Philippines" gets flooded like an endless brown sea!

Oh, my friend Mahar says it does not (yet) happen here. These sugarcane fields aren't prone to floods (yet). But his use of the word "yet" seem to tell me something like that is coming in the future anyway.

Kulba!

Anyway, 5kms from city center, I saw Victorias Sports and Amusement Center that puzzled me a bit.

Why was I puzzled? Well, I thought "ang social naman ng sabungan na 'yan, a closed-type building, the whole area must be air-conditioned"! Good I asked a fellow passenger to learn it's not a sabungan. Da!

It's a real sports center for people, and not roosters pala! But I can't blame my self. Kasi naman, in this country.., if you see big edifices on the outskirts of town, that bear the name "sports center" "complex" "stadium" "amusement center" "arena" and the likes, eh.., they are usually 'cockpit areas' or 'sabungan'!

In fact, beside it, just across a nice little road is a resort that has an olympic-size swimming pool!

I could see snippets of the pool from where I sat on the bus. But we were moving fast, so I wasn't able to click a shot. Hmm, I think there's even more than just one pool. Looks like there is/are other pool/s!

And then I reached the city center. Isn't it apt that there is this City Mall as you enter the city proper?!

I was tempted to get off here and browse the mall for lunch - I know what sort of food to grab in there, since there is such a mall near my place at V&G Consolacion, but I had a quick meetup at the city hall!

So I got off right at the corner by the city hall - yes, buses stop at both ends, either the plaza or park!

Oh, there's a unique feature at this public park. Something that I think I haven't seen in any other public park of this country! Can you see that widescreen TV, where everyone's looking at? It is some kind of a video wall, broadcasting live national TV, not AVPs nor propaganda materials of the local government!

Interesting! Tanghaling tapat, many people are gathered at this park to watch mere pubic television!

Good that the trees scattered around the park provide ample shade at this open-air facility! They were watching TV 5's Tagalog Movies. Disclaimer: 'di ako 'iyang nakaupo sa tabi, kasing-hugis lang, pramis!

In addition to the first picture above, here's a closer look at the façade of the "City Hall of Victorias".

If you are thinking the building looks like a bigger version of EB Magalona's Municipal Hall, you're right in thinking so. That smaller version was modelled after this one by the same architect Agustin Jereza.

Hey, did you notice the patterns on the pavement of the plaza? It took me a while, but I think I am now sure what it's meant to be - the wooden wheels of carts used to haul sugarcane during the early years.

Teka lang, while I think that city hall looks neat in white and green, I am not sure I have seen imposing building pillars painted green heheh! Ah, maybe those are the politician's political party colors. Walang basagan ng trip! Although I think it looks rather dumb, because, in the past, pillars were finished with a material (of natural color) that made buildings look commandingly regal - at di mukhang RHU hahaha!

Trivia: Victorias became a town in 1898, and became a city a century later, in 1998.

Anyway, I looked around [360°] for the Catholic Church, as am used to finding them near a munisipyo. Aba wala! All I saw (across the park) was a Mormon Church. So I asked around - they told me to keep walking north along the main road. Hmm, not near, yet not far too! Maybe 200 meters from the plaza!

Found! Here it is, the OLVP or Our Lady of Victory Parish Church of Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

Even from afar, I already noticed there is something unique in this church's structure, though I couldn't pinpoint what. Not really weird, but something I thought was 'kakaiba'. Maybe the frontage? Maybe so.

Ah yes, the 'steeple' or bell tower that is part of the building's facade. It is, of course, big as it has to fit the church bell/s. So it makes the church look like a boat or airplane that is nose-heavy. Kakaiba nga!

But not to say that it looks bad, right? It's just unique. Parang bang unicorn, isa lang ang sungay, diba?

Ha ha ha what an analogy! I am so... Anyway..,

Inside this church is airy spacious and bright. Thanks to those mostly white/colorless glass above.

As I have said somewhere, I may not be religious, but that's just what I like in churches.., no clutter, no intersecting structures nor decors. Wherever we start looking, the focus shifts to nothing but the altar. Try it! Start looking anywhere on that picture.., eventually you'll be looking at the middle of the retablo!

Mind you, I didn't just pray in this church. I also sat a while, and caught my self smiling, watching and listening as the ceremonies were in progress. It was a mass baptism. Aheheh, some of the little ones were crying, others were shrieking, while still others were just being noisily themselves. Entertaining!

Well, look at the ceiling.., a good wide portion (almost all of it, actually) is already decayed and rotting.

Maybe it is time for the Catholic community of Victorias City to once again dig deep into their pockets and contribute to have it refurbished. Hmmn, looking at that wide expanse of plywood, aba mahal yan!

Anyway, I think I spent too much time sitting in this church watching the 'binyag' activities. Aliw eh!

Lunchtime caught up with me, and I thought it was already inconvenient backtracking to City Mall. So,

Lunch was at a nearby eatery I can't even remember the name of. Basta, that is a combo meal of fried pork (lechon kawali?) with a 'siding' of 'pancit bijon'. That sauce went well even with the pancit. Namit!

I was happy na! This was a nice-enough fly-by, if only to see the city center of Victorias. The plan was: after the meal, I would hop on another bus to the next town, Manapla. But, something else happened!

Why? What happened? Ah, a travel-friend, who knew where I was at that time, called to insist that I go find and see the "Angry Christ", so I could tell him and you my dear readers, all about it. So okay, I did!

Thus, that's my next story!

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