Manong Philip

On our way out of the Nagcarlan underground cemetery we met Mr. Philip, or simply Philip as he insisted, or “Manong Philip” as most Filipinos would probably call him. He was a just a random but friendly stranger, who happened to have lots of stories to tell.

A son of a sepulturero for the cemetery, he had quite some knowledge about Nagcarlan’s history. He sure told us about it, and he had a little extras. He said there was once an extremely rich woman named Ana Kalang. He related to us the story from his grandfathers, saying that mass wouldn’t start unless she wasn’t there, and she was a rich and generous benefactress that people often called him “Nanang Clara”. Later translations corrupted her name into “Nang Carla” and then later to the name of this town, Nagcarlan.

He said this was the burial place of some Philippine heroes, and the meeting place of the revolutionaries of Laguna (of course, when they were alive). He let us in on a little conspiracy theory of his, which he insisted was pretty much common knowledge among the people there – that there was a secret passage way or tunnel network, that opened in one of the underground niches and led to the Nagcarlan church. He said this was used by the katipuneros many decades ago. He told us of many ghost stories about the place, and admitting that he had felt them too. He relates to us stories of pictures taken with him, and beside him were figures or silhouettes of the dead.

Once the cemetery was made public, and many people’s remains, especially during the second world war, were brought there. So many dead bodies couldn’t be identified anymore, and since nobody claimed them, they remained there in that cemetery to this day – casualties from the second world war.

History class inside the cemetery

Inside the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery’s small chapel, the Shrine guide by the name Cecile Sumague tells the story of its history. The cemetery was built during the Spanish times by a Franciscan, a certain Fr. Vicente Velloc. She said that about a hundred years before, Katipunan (a group of revolutionary Filipinos fighting against the colonial Spaniards) used the underground cemetery as a meeting place. Indeed when you go down there you could still vividly imagine the Katipuneros meeting there clandestinely, with candles lit, with oaths sworn and reports of the war given.

The cemetery was built in consideration of the people’s health and of the laws of the church, which means it should be built more or less two kilometers south of the poblacion or settlement. According to the brochure given by Ms. Sumague, the cemetery faces the road that leads to the poblacion, having an entrance of about 18 feet high and having two-winged iron gate grills. The cemetery chapel is directly opposite the gate, with a tower like structure, a niche atop, and an iron-cross. The cemetery walls holds about 240 niches, 120 on each side, surrounding the place, while a vast grassy plane occupies what is inside. Once there was a Spanish Inscription (now illegible) translated: 

Go forth, Mortal man, full of life 

Today, you visit happily this shelter,

But after you have gone out, 

Remember, you have a resting place here 

Prepared for you.

Ms. Sumague says only very important people in society were buried underground.

Liliw: Shoe Capital of Laguna

After stopping by the beautiful Liliw church, walk on down the street until you find a giant slipper. No joke, a giant slipper, displayed atop a tower – a signal to all people that you have just entered THE place for people who could just be thinking about buying a new pair of shoes. Liliw. This is, without exaggeration, more than a street-ful of shoe stores. Shoes, slippers, sandals, anything you put on your feet. And not just any shoes, these are quality shoes sold at low, low prices. Our group, maybe more especially the girls, had a grand time shopping.

Men, watch out. This could be the female-shoe-shopper’s heaven, or the there-she-goes-again site for the boys. This is Liliw, the shoe capital of Laguna. Bring her for a walk and you’d know seeing her walk in a straight line down that shoe store-filled street is close to impossible. Every few meters she’ll snatch you off the road into one of those shops, and in no time she’d be trying out one of those shoes or slippers asking you “how does it look? Does it look good on me?” and before you could open your mouth to answer she’s over on the other side trying a new one, or looking at the mirror turning round and round or twisting her legs this way and that to see every angle of her feet. No worries, it does look good. That’s what we saw anyway.
For most females this could be great. But for the males, there’s no reason to be scared of this so-called shoe capital. There are lots of stores for the boys. I was surprised to know the shoes here are just as good as the shoes you’d find anywhere, even better. But that’s not what caught my attention most. Not the volume of the shoe stores all stuffed in this part of the Philippines for the shoe-shopper’s ultimate fancy. It’s the prices. Tremendously low, and in our group of seven (five were girls) even the boys couldn’t help looking around. You’d see that special smile you see on a girl’s face – the kind of smile that could only be seen if she just came from the mall shopping on a super sale.

When you stop by Laguna, or anywhere near Liliw, drop by here. This is one way to make anyone’s tour extra special – a tour that brought you cool new shoes. Sure us, we just don’t get it. Shopping has just been one of those things about the opposite sex that we just don’t, or dare not, comment or think about. But like I said, bring that special smile on a special girl’s face (they’re all special) and if you haven’t seen what I’m talking about yet (the smile and/or the shoes) more reason to bring them here. Shoes everywhere, bargains everywhere, an ultimate shoe-shopper’s heaven especially for bargain-hunters. Tip for the boys, grab a random shoe… no, make sure it at least looks good – then tell her “try this one.” Just to show you’re paying attention. But she probably doesn’t care - so many shoes to deliberate on buying, so little (there are still other places in your trip itinerary) time! Make the shoe-shoppers happy, bring them here. Don’t worry, if you’re not a fan of shopping there’s always that one part of the shoe store (way inside) they probably made especially for people like you – the seats.

Plates, Cups and Slices of Success

Before we ate at Arabela, we took some time first for a short chit-chat with Bobbie Camello, the owner of the restaurant, to tell us about the story of how Arabela came to be. Who would think that this small elegant restaurant that serves the best Italian foods and beautiful cakes was just a bodega (stockroom) before?

Some years ago, he and his wife Tonette Camello owned a garments factory for almost 12 years also in Liliw until the year 2000 when they had to shut down because of the increasing cost of labor of exported products. Shutting their business was a big loss to them and they had to find other ways to earn again immediately.

Because of this they decided to create a small restaurant where they would sell brownies which their family has been doing for almost 50 years to some people in Liliw. However, since they do not have much money they decided to sell their garments machine for P120,000. With this amount they started by buying just 6 tables with chairs, a refrigerator, a stove, an oven, and the employees were only Bobbie, his wife and one hired person to do the dishwashing. They used the small bodega of bananas and palay of Bobbie’s parents and they called their restaurant Arabela, from the names of their two daughters Ara who is 14 years old now, and Bela who is 12 years old now.

Bobbie recalled that their first day of opening was frightening because he thinks that people might not enter and try their food. There were also many people discouraging him from having hope and here he learned that he must have courage coming mostly from himself because as he quoted “hindi ka bubuhayin ng Liliw”.

Fortunately, many people went to Arabela. It was a sign of success that continued until now. Bobby then told us about a poor woman who went in to try their food but she was not able to pay because she did not have money, however Bobbie still felt so happy that she went into their restaurant so he just made her eat for free. Now, Bobby thinks that this woman could have been the lucky charm that led to the success of Arabela.

Today, Arabela still stands very successfully--now with a very wonderful interior, with more than 6 tables and 13 employees. They also now have pasta, coffee and more cakes in their menu. They have really reached so much success. Now, tourists from other towns, from Manila and other countries are making it a must to have a stop in Arabela. Also, they had been featured in many newspapers and magazines such as Star, Inquirer and Metro.

While Bobbie was telling this story, he was not able to stop from tearing because of joy from this success they had reached and did not expect at all. Before ending up our conversation with him, he left us with some inspiring words “basta kapag gusto ni Lord mangyayari at mangyayari ang mga iyon”. I believe that Arabela was really destined to reach this far. They have worked hard so much for this. Every customer there would really be full not only by the plates, slices and cups of their tasty foods but also by its very sweet story of success.

Liliw and Nagcarlan in Broad Strokes

The towns of Liliw and Nagcarlan are perfect weekend getaways. You can do so much for a family vacation on a Sunday: head towards Liliw or Nagcarlan Church to attend a mass, go to Arabela for a delicious lunch (or brunch), stroll down the shoes lane of Gat Tayaw Street to buy shoes and pasalubong for the family, and take a dip at the unique and peaceful Liliw resort. For some flavor of mystery or excitement, there is the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery.

For both of these towns, cost is not something to get worried about. The only things that you can splurge on are the food in Arabela and the oh-so-cheap shoes in Gat Tayaw. Liliw Resort’s entrance fee is only 50 pesos where people can swim at the very natural flowing water and cook own food for a picnic. With only 500 pesos, I was able to eat Arabela’s good food and buy all the pasalubong that I want. The rest, I just freely savoured the history, grandeur and antiquity of the centuries-old churches and houses. The best thing about this trip is on never having to worry about expenses while having the ultimate bonding experience with family or friends.

For both of these towns, cost is not something to get worried about. The only things that you can splurge on are the food in Arabela and the oh-so-cheap shoes in Gat Tayaw. Liliw Resort’s entrance fee is only 50 pesos where people can swim at the very natural flowing water and cook own food for a picnic. With only 500 pesos, I was able to eat Arabela’s good food and buy all the pasalubong that I want. The rest, I just freely savoured the history, grandeur and antiquity of the centuries-old churches and houses. The best thing about this trip is on never having to worry about expenses while having the ultimate bonding experience with family or friends.  

Here are some tips: 

1. Reserve early for a table in Arabela so that while you wait, you can go to the church or shop in Gat Tayaw Street.  

2. Bring an umbrella. This might depend on the weather, but rain or shine, the tour still takes place along the streets of Liliw and Nagcarlan.

3.Wear comfortable clothes because most of the time, you will walk. If you plan to really shop in Gat Tayaw Street, wear comfortable sandals or slippers instead of rubber shoes so that you can easily try on the shoes you want to buy.

4. If you have a car, you can park it anywhere in Gat Tayaw Street, just ask permission from the establishment. From there, you can walk around to get to Arabela and Liliw Church.

5. Don’t forget your camera. Capture memories! Just a warning, flash photography is not allowed inside the underground cemetery.

A Hand to Mold: Pottery at Ugu Bigyan’s

It was the hands of a true craftsman—steady, delicate and in control. What we saw in Ugu Bigyan’s house was not only his creations, but also a real life demonstration from one of his workers. I was impressed by what he did; in a matter of seconds, he is able to mold the clay into uniform sizes and shapes. According to him, the pots would then be glazed by Ugu Bigyan. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get his name, but we were grateful enough that he let us have our first experience of molding clay pots. And thus, I wore manong’s apron, and got my hands down and dirty...

Step #1: Place the clay on the revolving pottery wheels. Dip your hands on the water, and sprinkle some on the clay itself. But not too much!

Step #2: Start molding the clay by putting your hands on both sides of the clay. Use your thumb to make a hole on top. This will serve as the opening of your pot.

Tip: Make your hands steady so that your clay won’t get out of form; too much force will ruin the shape, and when it does, it becomes harder to control and what you can only do is panic! :)

Step #3: Use your fingers to form the shape of the clay. Use your thumbs to further widen the opening of your pot. When you have achieved your desired shape, remove the clay by slowly pulling the bottom part of your pot.  

These are the three steps to making pottery, based on what we—amateurs—did. It might look easy, but really, it’s not. I was one of the last to try so I have seen what to do and what not to do from observing my friends (in their failures). But even so, observing is definitely different from really experiencing it. This task requires a lot of learning, that is, learning by doing again and again and again. It is also a task of patience—in waiting for the clay to follow the control of your hands, and also for the clay to take its shape. Truly, this is an experience not to miss in Tiaong Quezon. Visit Ugu Bigyan’s house and experience mud and pottery.

Total Gas Station – Not Your Usual Stopover

After checking in at Casa San Pablo, we were wondering what we will eat for dinner. Good thing we were advised by Mr. Alcantara, the owner, to go to a pizza store at a gas station, yes it is within Total’s, about a kilometer or two from where we are.

Coming from Casa San Pablo, we turned left. After a few minutes we arrived at Total gasoline station. No one would normally think of having a nice pizza stand within a gas station. It’s in the corner beside Total’s convenient store. This pizza store adds color to the pale food of hotdogs and junk foods offered by typical gas stations.

They offered pugon-baked thin crust pizzas with authentic Italian ingredients costing only P220. Many were ordering by the time we came. Good thing, the gas station has a nice woody place for customers to eat and wait for their orders. We ordered 2 pizzas and each one of us only paid P63.The pizza is cut into more or less eight slices, it was great for sharing.

It was “Sulit!” as most Filipinos say it on money well-spent. Do drop by when travelling south and experience San Pablo’s secret pizzeria.