Sierra Bullones

It was only a 20 minute drive from Carmen to Sierra Bullones, on a fairly good road. We arrived at this:

The Immaculate Conception Parish Church of Sierra Bullones, Bohol. Hmm, I just realized now, these churches around here seem to be generally in the same line of external architecture - yung parang me mga sungay sa harap?! Hahaha, pardon the use of that word. You might think sunod kong makikita eh buntot! Not like that. I mean they have spires, either just one like in a unicorn, or two like in... whatever!

I think experts call those kinds of façade as Gothic or Neo-Gothic? The tall and slender types - pointed (mostly) at the top. Ganun! Yes, they are of similar build (Carmen, Batuan, Hanopol, Balilihan, Corella).

Entering the church, I noticed it's not huge and wide as it looks from the outside. Just big enough..,

But like other churches of this type of build, I like the high ceiling and big side doors. Mas maaliwalas!

The altar. Simple and serene. Even the 'retablo' is appealingly simple - unlike at many churches.

Curios lang... I wonder if there's a meaning at where the priest's chair is placed. On this one, it is to the left of the 'mensa'. At other churches, it's at the very center behind the 'mensa', sometimes to the right.

But there's something I don't like that's getting too common among churches (like in that one). They're making the (otherwise blank) walls of their altars as "bulletin boards" for posting announcements, etc. I personally think it's not proper and should be stopped, howsoever 'holy' or 'noble' the announcement.

The church has a big "crossing dome" (even if you look at it from the outside), but this is unusual...

Unusual because, ceilings at crossing domes are usually open w/ glass windows to allow sunlight in.

On this one, they probably don't like anymore sunlight, so they boarded it up like that. At least there is still some semblance of the dome, even if just a round ceiling design. Oh ha? Walang basagan ng trip!

And this is the "priest's view". It's a simple and clean church without so many distracting adornments.

Good, right? Because the hollow-blocks used on the windows. serving as grills, are already decorative as themselves. Plus the "stained glass" panels above, nice na yun, for a dignified holy house of prayer.

The aisle is already colored maroon, so no need for a red carpet. But what does that logo mean?

Reminds me of a frisbee, or the shield of a cartoon superhero in my younger years! Captain America?! But I did not laugh. It might be a holy whatever emblem. O baka Wonder Woman, hindi Capt. America!

Oh, travel is also 'entertainment' di ba? We often bump into matters worth pondering or talking about! Hep, 'wag lang blasphemous, baka magalit si Padre Jose! Ah, trivia: In Region 8 (Samar, Leyte, Biliran Islands), there are so many priests named Jose, they now even have an organization, albeit 'informal'!

On the street, by the church front gate, you can see that just beside(to its left) is the Rural Health Unit.

That's another unusual thing, but who cares, right? Convenient pa! Oh, do you see the orange building?

That's their munisipyo, right after the health center, after the church. They're all beside each other!

Now that is what we should call "centrality". Not only that.., I don't have a picture, but I saw that at the end of that 'munisipyo' is the Brgy. Hall of Barangay Poblacion. Separate but 'attached' to the building.

"Separate but attached"? Something like that hehe. I'm not sure if that barangay hall was built first or was just lately added. But when you look at it, you know its not part of the municipal hall, but it looks like a protruding offspring! Just like a pearl still attached to the mother-of-pearl. Nakaka-aliw tingnan!

Still standing by the gate of the health center and church, I looked across the munisipyo and saw this:

OMG a giant school kid hehe! The child in me smiled in awe! Look at its size versus those motorbikes passing-by! It holds a banner that says "back to school", so am not sure if its a permanent installation.

Dambuhalang Grade 1 hahaha! I stood below it to shoot this frontal view of their Municipal Hall.

It looks good, right? Modern and office-like with clear name signage. I know why there's no "town hall" or "presidencia" or "bahay pamahalaan" whatever! Because the town's name is already too long heheh!

Wait... Sierra Bullones... what does that name really mean? My driver/guide says he is not so sure. We checked online and saw that there are so many interpretations - some are incredible, some unreliable!

Kesyo "big mountains" daw, kesyo "mountains of fog", one even says "mountains of gold". Really now? If it were the Spaniards who gave the name, "bullon" doesn't mean big, fog or gold in Spanish. Malayo!

Ah, "sierra" is easy - because it means 'mountains', a 'series of mountains', or 'mountain range/s'. Now what about "bullones"? Well, the Spanish Dictionary that I used in college says "bullón" means "puff" or "puffy". Yes, as in "puff the magic dragon" hehehe! Couldn't the Spaniards have meant just that? Puffy?

I'm equating that to a favorite of my Lola, "mangas de bullón" which is exactly "puff" or puffy sleeves" in Spanish. Maybe those prailes thought about the hills around the place as bullónes? Hmm, kasi they are more of like "umbok-umbok" (humpy), so the topography is 'hilly' but with no towering mountain/s.

And, is that just a coincidence or is there some historical link that, the favorite wear (the folk dress) of the Eskaya Tribe has "mangas de bullón"? Yes, the puffy sleeves! Many of them live in Brgy. Canta-ub!

Oist, if you are curious about the Eskaya People, me too. But, I'll be back soonest for that.

Meanwhile, let's return to today's Sierra Bullones town center. Aba, they have a Municipal Emporium!

Well, if other towns call theirs as the "public mall" or "shopping center", "commercial center", etc., etc., Sierra Bullones' palengke or 'mercado' is called "Municipal Emporium"! Oh ha, walang basagan ng trip!

Let's go to the next town, shall we?

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