THE 31ST INTERNATIONAL BAMBOO ORGAN FESTIVAL

I have been a resident of this beautiful city for over 4 years now and yet I haven't posted anything about Las Piñas since this blog is about the City of Manila, and not as Metro Manila as a whole. However, with the impending rebranding of the metro as MANILA, proper attention must now be given to this wonderful place tucked between the cities of Bacoor (Cavite) and Muntinlupa.

And what better way to start this tribute than by featuring the opening night of the traditional International Bamboo Organ Festival, now on its 31st year. I attended the second night, the first night being a command performance for her H.E. President GMA. Forgive me for the bad photos (bad camera, slow shutter speed, etc). At any rate, welcome to my home city!

Welcome to Las Piñas City's pride and joy. Established in 1795 (the historical plate mentions a different date though), it is home to the world's one and only mostly-bamboo chamber organ

The facade of the Parish of Saint Joseph the Worker, more known to cab drivers and locals simply as the 'bamboo organ church.'

The commemorative plate by the National Historical Institute (NHI). Click on photo to read inscription. If you need an English translation, do let me know. I'd be glad to provide you one.

UPDATE: An English translation is now available in the comments section below, as per Sidney's request. Cheers!

The belfry tower's bells ring to signal the start of the performance. The statue of Fray Diego Cera, a Spaniard and the first curate of this parish, can be seen on the lower left side.

Detail of the statue showing a Filipino assistant working on bamboos used to build the organ

Guests, both local and foreign, wait for the church's side door to open

The festival souvenir booklet at Ps 60.00 each (Why is it called a "souvenir" if we have to buy it?)

A view of some of the posters used through the years for the festival

The empty stage before the performance

A festival banner near the ceiling

Guests milling infront of the old convento (now a museum and gift shop) during the ten-minute break

Parols - hold-over decor from last Christmas - sway in the night wind

A view of the stage (built behind the main entrance rendering the latter unusable). Notice THE bamboo organ on the top right, the bamboo ceiling. and the choir loft on top of the stage

Curtain call of the performers (taking photos during the performance is forbidden)

2nd curtain call

Some members of the choir which sings during daily Mass give way for the Festival Choir and instead serve as ushers for the 5-night event. That's Irene Marcos, by the way, posing with the ushers.

Dazed, tired after a looong day but uplifted nonetheless. I hope you enjoyed our recent trip! T'will be a great honor to see you around Las Piñas soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Luck cat on a taxi dashboard
Photo by Dylan Yap Gozum, c. 2006

LIVES, LOVES, AND LIVING: 2006 SERIES

Subject: Carlo Cruz, chef.
Starbucks Muralla, Intramuros by Dylan Yap Gozum, s. 2005

FLASHBACK: 1966

Teruhiko Kikuchi ©Stars and Stripes

Tokyo, Japan, September 28, 1966: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and wife Imelda stand with Japan's Emperor Hirohito during a Tokyo International Airport welcoming ceremony for the Marcoses, who were starting a five-day state visit to Japan. This was made on the occassion of the 10th anniversary of Philippine-Japan relations.

MABUHAY!

You may not be aware of it but we are commemorating this year the 50th anniversary of formal relations between Japan and the Philippines. Yes, we also did the same for China last year and like China, our relationship with Japan - albeit remembered best because of the war - goes a long, long way back.

Activities are being sponsored by the Japan Foundation. These include the Japanese Doll Exhibit, J Pop concert which will bring together some of the best Japanese and Filipino peformers and musicians, and the traditional twice-a-year Eiga Sai, the much-awaited film festival. Because of budgetary constraints (*gasp*), at least three of the films featured a year ago, including the crowd favorite WATERBOYS, will be returned to grace the screens of CCP, UP's Cine Adarna, and Shangri-la Mall's Cineplex.

The opening activity featuring drummers was held early last week although you can still catch the film festival because it runs until March in CCP. Check out the schedule here.

NATIONAL ARTS MONTH 2006

February is National Arts Month in the Philippines. Begun in 1991 through Presidential Proclamation No. 683, the National Arts Month activities are spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, or NCCA, which is the country's premier government institution for arts and culture.

This year, the theme is ANI NG SINING: Celebrating a bountiful harvest in the arts. You can visit the NCCA website and download the schedule for 2006.

TEAM MANILA TEES!

Anyone claiming to be a son or daughter of the City of our Affections should be willing to wear their Mother City's name on their sleeves, or in this case, their shirts. Funky, very contemporary and definitely novel without being kitsch, Team Manila has launched its tees (at Php 350 each, ain't it a steal?!) under the Graphic Designed Lifestyle label. Here are my picks from the men's tees collection:

For women's tees, accessories and artworks, visit Team Manila here.

MISSING ELIZA

My Manila discovery tour partner, Eliza, is currently in New York as a student. I've kinda stopped going to Binondo and Divisioria after she left January of this year. Missing her oh-so badly. Doesn't this photo looks like it was taken somewhere in Europe? The clincher would be the coco trees in the corner. Sigh.

SURVIVING PHILIPPINE AIRPORTS

For us mere mortals who do not have cars to bring and fetch us to and from the airport, it can be an experience that can elicit dismay and confusion.

Here are tips on how to survive our airports.

Posting soon.

A 3RD LEASE ON LIFE

Work on the Grand Old Dame of Philippine Theatres, the Met, has finally started. Located across Plaza Arocerros (which is now nowehere to be found because of the flyovers), it was built in 1926 using the design of Juan Arellano (later National Artist) and recognised as a significant historical and architectural building, the structure being a unique blend of American Art Deco and Philippine design which included floral motifs and stucco patination

The President issued a directive in 2002 paving the way to the revival of the Metropolitan Theater to give the masses access to cultural activities. This is in line with her plans of making art "folksy". Hmmm...i certainly have heard that before.

Philippine Night at The Met, September 12, 1934 (From the collection of the USS Henderson, US Navy) . Notice the distinct art deco details of the walls and the chandelier

WHAT ONCE WAS

Pasig River, circa 1899. Do you know that Pasig River's floating market antedated Bangkok's version by several decades? Because even if Bangkok's canals were dug in 1866 on the orders of the King, the floating markets started only in 1967.


Pasig River today. Don't be blinded by the lovely sunset.

Photos from Skyscrapercity.com Archives

THE UNAPOLOGETIC BRYANBOY.COM

"We do not have the same Dior, darling. Mine is Dior. Yours is eBay." - Bryanboy

Manila's denizens are quite an interesting lot, but once in a while someone really entertaining (or hateful, depending on your persuasions) comes along to liven up what could be a boring metropolis.

And God created (wo)man. And the (wo)man's name is Bryan: Le Superstar Fabuleux.

With a blog that claims to chronicle the "Adventures of the new-moneyed classess (sic) bitch from hell. Vulgarity is the new discreet. Trash is the new exclusivity. Third world has never been this *burp* chic. You just have to scroll down as in down!", Bryanboy.com has risen to stellar status via this famous pose copied the world over.

Indeed, if anything, we can always look forward to a good laugh once in a while. And this I say in an unapologetic and irreverent manner worthy of Manila characters like Bryanboy.

(I have this weird feeling I'm going to be stoned to death by doing this post...)

REALITY TV BECOMES REAL

It has come to this. Reality TV has invaded the streets, a sure sign of its popularity. This is located along Tandang Sora, Q.C. according to Stepping on Poop.

Photo courtesy of The Mcvie Show Live!

MANILA CARNIVAL, c. 1952

We are a country obsessed with beauty and what better way to show this obsession than the holding of annual - and several - beauty pageants! While recent pageants already include men, the pageants for women still capture the imagination of oh-so-many female wannabes all over the islands. Of course many still couldn't get over the Philippines' recent win in the Miss International pageant. After all, we waited for this for 26 years!

But before we had Bb. Pilipinas, Miss Earth and what have you, there only was one beauty pageant held in the Philippines way back decades ago - the search for the the one and only Manila Carnival Queen!

Here are the photos of the winners during the 1952 Manila Carnival.


Her Majesty, The 1952 Manila Carnival Queen (What's with the Thai-inspired outfit?)


Ms. Roalinda Lim, Miss Luzon


Miss Visayas


Ms. V. Lopez, Miss Mindanao

OLONGAPO, c. 1971

For us who have the faintest memory of the Marcos years, the closest thing to say would be that it's just like going back to Cory's time when the Americans were still here. With the spectre of a US-RP crisis looming on the horizon that will definitely come along with the trial of 5 or 6 (depending on the source of info) US Marines for the rape of a young girl from Zamboanga, one cannot just sit back and ignore it all.

By the way, I came across this photo during my search of something relevant to my topic today. This is a scene in Olongapo City. You can click on it to enlarge. This was taken in 1971. Heck, I wasn't even born yet!

THE RAFFLESIA HAS LANDED

A new specie of Rafflesia has been discovered in Compostela Valley in Mindanao. Aside from the excitement this flower is creating among botanists, it also (in a way) speaks well of the status of our remaining forests.

If confirmed, it will be named Rafflesia magnifica owing to its large diameter, perhaps the largest among the many species known to exist today.

More of the story here.

Here are some of the photos of Rafflesia species mentioned in the article. Special thanks to Dan Nickrent of the Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.


R. manillana


R. speciosa

Sorry, no photos of R. schadenbergiana as it may already be extinct.


The lifecyle of a Rafflesia. Diagram courtesy of www.haribon.org.ph

WHAT'S IT CALLED?

Located on El Fraile island off the shore of Manila Bay, it was more known to Americans and Filipino soldiers as the Island Battleship. Ít was part of the War Plan Orange, where 4 islands were to be fortified to defend Manila. Corregidor was the largest of these islands, and El Fraile was the smallest and the most unique. It took 11 years to complete, from 1909 to 1919.

It surrendered in 1942 to the Japanese army but remains to this day as the only unsinkable battleship in the world.

Question: What is its official name?

WHERE CAN YOU FIND THE BEST HOPIA IN MANILA?

LET THE CHALLENGE BEGIN!

Okay, so my blog isn't named GUTS. GRIT. GUMPTION. for nothing. Here's a challenge for Manila denizens:

Let me know how you'd spend a day in Manila with only Php 500 (this would entail a entire day of gimmick with friends). I'd be doing my own with photos and cost breakdown to boot.

Contributors (Your own experience!) to this challenge are welcome.

ARTIFACT QUIZ # 1

You've all heard and read about it. Do you recall the significance of this particular alcohol cooking stove?

LANDMARK QUIZ # 5

Originally built by the Rocha family in 1802, it was purchased by the Spanish government to house the Governor General after the offical residence was leveled by an earthquake in 1869.

This photo was taken two years before William Howard Taft, who became the first American Civil Governor of the Philippines, became a resident of this building in 1900.

LANDMARK QUIZ # 4

This church, whose construction started in 1587 and was completed in 1604, has been described as a permanent miracle in stone since it withstood the strong earth tremors that shook Manila after it was built. Manila was hit by strong earthquakes in 1645, 1863 and 1880 and this was among the only ones left standing.

This church follows the severe baroque style, but incorporates Herrera and Vignolesque influences which reached the archipelago from the Viceroyalty of Mexico. It was the only building left intact in Intramuros during the Liberation of Manila in 1945.

It was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993.

LANDMARK QUIZ # 3

BEFORE...


AND AFTER!

This photo was taken while it was being constructed in 1897. When it was over, it brought fame to the Philippines as being the first and only all-steel structure in all of Asia, and second in the world. Not only the main structure of this building, but also its walls and even the intersecting vaulting, were of metal construction. This was the fruit of neogothic tendencies and the Industrial Revolution then ongoing in Europe. The steel was shipped to Manila from Belgium - truly a pioneer in prefabricated construction.

Located in Quiapo, the construction was done under the supervision of Engineer Genaro Palacios y Guerra, who also did the design.

LANDMARK QUIZ # 2

Photo taken in the 1900s. The church, however, still stands BUT it hardly looks like this today. Destroyed several times by earthquakes, fire and finally war, it is said that this cathedral is the only one in the world to have been rebuilt 7 times.

Where is this located, and what is it popularly known as?

LANDMARK QUIZ # 1

This photo was taken in the year 1900. The monument, however, still stands. Click to enlarge photo.

Questions:
1.) What does it commemorate?
2.) Where is it located?