Philippine Travel Notes

This is the main campus of University of the Philippines in the Visayas, also called UP Visayas or UPV. Don't be confused, there is also a UPV Campus in the city (Iloilo), and there is even the UPV College Tacloban - yes way faaar in Eastern Visayas. This here, in Miagao, is the administrative center of UP Visayas. Oops, for the unfamiliar, they conveniently call this place UP Miagao during conversations. The one in the city they call UP Iloilo, and the one in Tacloban is UP Tacloban. All are under UP Visayas. How about UP Cebu, where does it belong? Its not part of UP Visayas. Why? Ambot! I haven't gone that far in my being inquisitive hehehe. Did you know there is even a UP in Palo, Leyte? Ah that is the School of Health Sciences under UP Manila! Anyway, back to my UP Miagao visit... Well, what can I say... kung saan pa ako nagtagal on this trip (had a quick meeting in one of the buildings), doon naman ako hindi naka-ikot masyado to take pictures or even videos. Not a

Miagao Municipal Hall was naturally my next stop. Just few steps to the back and left from the church, passing by a memorial hall (multipurpose building) and the town plaza. Got an answer to a question I was not even asking yet! At the front of this newly spruced municipal building is (labeled) a Miagos plant, where this town got its name from! Oh, for those not in the know, the name of this town is interchangeably written as either "Miagao" or "Miag - ao" (with a dash between the two syllables). But, take note, howsoever you write that name, it is always pronounced as "Myag-aw" - a full stop at your throat as you pronounce the "g". It is never pronounced as "mya-gaw". Oh ha, new learning again! Looking at this municipal hall, I caught something uniquely cute... Did you notice there are two flagpoles in front of the building? Yes, the taller one is for the Philippine Flag, while the shorter pole carries the town's flag. Oh ha?!

Moving southwards to center of town, about 2kms after the Taytay Boni site, I arrived at Miagao Chuch or Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish Church. This church, together with three others in the country are collectively registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Baroque Churches of the Philippines . What is Baroque anyway?! Hahaha, aba ewan! I know from having looked it up in dictionaries and even google, that baroque means " Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style in art and architecture developed in Europe from the early 17th to mid-18th century, emphasizing dramatic, often strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts "... Now having read that (nose bleeding!)... eh di ba lahat naman ng simbahan ganyan? Still, if I'd be earnest in reading those descriptions, I would understand baroque. But how do I differentiate it from others would be beyond my lowly brain's art vocabulary he

An olden bridge, circa the Spanish era. This as we entered the town of Miagao, Iloilo. This is not anymore in use - in fact there is no more water under the bridge. But thanks to recent attention by younger history and/or conservation enthusiasts and / or travel bloggers like yours truly, this bridge has been gaining traction on the world wide web, being identified as one of the historical remnants of old Miagao. It is nothing but an old aged bridge, designed generally for the main mode of transport in those days (1850s), horse-drawn carriages. But its form and make, though dilapidating now (even ravaged on many parts) evokes a memory of the olden years of our forebears. Thus, the need to conserve it. Taytay Boni literally means "The Bridge of Boni". Taytay is of course a visayan word for bridge, while Boni came from Bonifacio - the name of the foreman in charge of this bridge's construction. Hmm, if all constructions now would only bear the name of foremen... hahah