Philippine Travel Notes

I like this thing I saw while browsing through the website of Thunderbird Resorts before I made my booking... It says 'Coffee and TEAM Making Facilities'! Of course I know its just an 'inadvertent' typographical error caused by a very fast 'righthand forefinger'!. Everyone on earth is on a rush everytime everywhere, right? Well, the careless signs of our times...

Just passing by from our Carcar and Sibonga visit, San Fernando’s church and municipal hall attracted us so we got off and roamed the area a bit. The church looks beautifully ancient with a spacious frontage garden. Sunday afternoon service was in progress but we still went in – and in the process attended mass too! See?! We were just by the main entrance as the church was very full (all Sunday afternoon masses in this country are, right?) and we were admiring things of and around the church. Suddenly a voice whispered unto my left ear saying “ang kapal mo coming here in shorts and naka-tsinelas”. That was a familiar voice so I immediately turned. OMG, a long lost friend, an ex-workmate. I was about to exclaim my surprise loudly but he placed his forefinger on his lips to tell me keep quiet hehe. We went a bit farther out of the entrance to talk more and reconnect. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? That was first the question. My reply: how would I, I didn’t know you come from t...

Okay, I didn’t quite understand every word that it says. But taking it from “basura” and “multa”, I guess I would be safe to assume this is telling us ‘dispose of your garbage properly otherwise you’ll be fined five pesos'. Five Pesos? ONLY?! I suggest they make it P500 or even P5000 so people will heed. Thankfully though, this place (Hilaga Philippines a.k.a. Paskuhan Village) in San Fernando City is normally clean and orderly. Our kapampangan brothers and sisters are known for that anyway, right? Aside from being great cooks, of course! Oh well, there are still signs of ‘cheap offenses’ in these our times!

Have you seen a purple chick, blue chick or pink chick? Well, I did! And here they are! Even in every color you can imagine! Those are live chicks. Yes live, as in alive! And they are all for sale to excited kids who visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando City in Pampanga. We all know no chicken on earth can come in such "wonderful" colors, right? Thus, the poor little dears must have been spray-painted or submerged in dye, whatever. In any case, how cruel. Why color them? Obviously to make them more attarctive to kids who will want them as "pets" (a.k.a "toys"). Who is selling these poor little chicks? A woman who even sleeps at the very facade of said historic cathedral! Why is she there? Beats me! She is Sick (in the head, that is)! And parents who buy those chicks for their children are no better. Hmm, the business of doing business in these our times...

...and you'll already know where I took this photo, right?! HRP means Holy Rosary Parish. You know where? Yep, mekeni country! Oh well, the Hinteresting signs Hof Hour times, e e e!

This topic started with this article There are 5 towns and 2 cities – so that’s a total of 7 local governments named San Fernando in this archipelago! We can start with the City of San Fernando in the province of La Union (Region 1 – Ilocos) and as we would all know that is the northernmost place named San Fernando. It’s just the capital of the province so there are many literature and information that you can have about the place. The nearby beaches and surfing camps are good enough. Next is the other City of San Fernando which is also in a northern province (Pampanga, Region 3 – Central Luzon). This one is also a provincial capital and your destination for the famed Giant Lantern Festival and those morbid Holy Week ceremonies where people have themselves nailed to the cross. Of course there is also the Sinukwan Festival. Still in Luzon, the 3rd San Fernando in our list is a town in the province of Romblon (Region 4B – MIMAROPA) and yes, it is dubbed as the resort town of the province...

As promised to myself… and to you… I returned to watch the 2007 version of this spectacular spectacle. And I was happy I did! This was my 3rd witnessing of the festival and anyone can kill me for being a fan… but I will surely return next year! I have thus seen the 2005, 2006 and 2007 rendition of those giant lanterns. My verdict… I can’t seem to get enough of them giant lanterns! Ah they are just so gloriously beautiful – especially if you think of and have an idea on how those things come to be! I am ready to declare that this must be one of the most amazing labors-of-love in this country! How else do we want to call it anyway… 18 feet in diameter, thousands of light-bulbs, kilometers of electrical wire, thousands of sheets of paper and transparent plastic, kilometers of masking tape, thousands of hair-clips, rehearsals, kilograms worth of starch made into paste, a truck, rehearsals, music, metal-sheets, layouts, artworks, rehearsals, electric bills, and many things else… all for the...

Have you heard about it before? Well, if you say “no”, that would be fair enough. This is a lesser known festival as of yet but slowly gaining a following from festival watchers. Fact is, I separately asked four of my workmates who hail from the province of Pampanga, and all of them reverted with “what is that?”, is that Kapampangan?”. These four souls come from Guagua (goes to her home once a month); from Angeles (goes home every weekend); from Arayat (goes home every week) and; from the city of San Fernando (drives from his home there to our office in Makati everyday)! Gosh! Anyway… How did I know about this festival? I came across it on the Wow Philippines website while browsing along for festivals and events in December. Where is it celebrated? Just over near the end of the NLEX at San Fernando, Pampanga – an hour away from the metropolis. This year, the 10th of such a celebration was held at the Robinsons Starmills Mall – just by the side of the NLEX and across SM City Pampanga....

Aha! This is a topic exactly a year overdue! For whatever reason/s (there were a whole lot hehehe) I failed to post my 2005 notes on this festival. And the 2006 version just happened last night and I was also there! So, let me aggregate my notes and probably even make comparisons of last year’s versus yesterday’s event! How did/do I know about this event? Though not (yet) very much publicized on various media, this festival is mentioned (at least) on the government’s “Wow Philippines” tourism website. And I have learned by asking around that this festival usually happens on a Saturday and usually the first weekend of the “simbang gabi” series of nights! So last year it was December 17, this year it was yesterday (16th – ok, a few hours ago), and next year it will probably be on December 15 (Saturday) – although simbang gabi starts on the 16th! Going there As with last year, we stood out along EDSA to catch a bus that would be going to, or passing by San Fernando City (Pampanga that is…...