Simala, Sibonga, Cebu - Part 2

I have a lot of unfinished articles. Most of these I started writing during or right after a trip. This is a continuation of an article about Simala Shrine or, more formally, the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist, or Our Lady of Lindogon Shrine. The shrine is a pilgrimage church and very popular as many people's prayers have been granted after going there. More about the latter below:

The main altar of the church

Looking up is an impressive fresco

Another photo of the main altar, ceiling and balconies of the church

We lit some candles as we prayed for loved ones including those who have passed away.

There were supposed to be different meanings to the colors of the candles. I forget what they meant so I will just leave it up to my readers to do their research on this. :)

Other candles lit by devotees, pilgrims and visitors to the shrine.

Image of Mother Mary venerated at the shrine

Visitors offer their flowers, usually roses, when they go up to touch the image.

Religious items and other paraphernalia like candles are bought or brought to be blessed at the shrine.

Long queue of visitors including pilgrims and devotees. Some receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Some pray in another, a bit more private way, as shown in the photo. Some plead for healing. Some beg for mercy. Many go there for thanksgiving. Most probably pray to ask for something, usually material or financial rather than health or wisdom or something intangible.

Proof of prayers granted - there are so many documentation of prayers being granted. Some send letters relating how they have been healed or how their lives have changed (for the better, of course).

Many leave items as proof of healing such as crutches, canes and even wheelchairs.

Others leave calculators, notes and reviewers after passing licensure or board exams.

The buildings and grounds are quite spacious and I assume on most days would not be too crowded. But on Sundays or feast days, the place will probably be overflowing with people.

The halls are lined up with religious figures and more displays of prayers (or wishes?) granted.

Crutches, walkers, canes and wheelchairs, each with the stories of their former users attached and relaing how they have been blessed.

Calculators, pencils and pens. Examination IDs for various licensure exams. There are even copies or actual employment IDs for those who landed jobs, many abroad.

Rows and rows of candle holders, all having many candles lit and offered as part of people's prayers.

I can only imagine how many people flock to Simala on Sundays and during the Holy Week. It is certainly a special place for so many people especially those whose lives have changed so much or transformed. These are people who still believe in miracles and perhaps have the faith that enables such miracles to come true.

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Comfy shoes

A new discovery for us from our recent trip to Tagaytay was the outlet or shopping depot in Silang, Cavite. We found many familiar stores there including a Florsheim store. While looking at some casual leathers for my daily use, I ended up buying a pair of rubber shoes or sneakers.

The first time I wore the shoes with the exception of fitting them before I bought them.

These were Florsheims and featured their Comfortech soles

The shoes the first time I wore them to the office. They definitely go well with blue jeans. They also go well with khakis and slacks.

I got the shoes at a bargain price. They're very comfortable to wear and I've worn them while walking along Iloilo's Esplanade and while paying my respects to our departed loved ones in Cabatuan. 

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Cabatuan Church and Mortuary Chapel, Iloilo

I was two churches short of a Visita Iglesia in Iloilo as of Saturday last week. Sunday concluded my travel with a stop at my father's hometown of Cabatuan and completing the 7 churches visited with the Cabatuan Church and Mortuary Chapel. I heard Mass in Cabatuan and entering the church brought back a lot memories mostly from my childhood days vacationing in the town.

Cabatuan Church also dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino was built in 1834. It survived the 1948 earthquake though 4 of what were 6 belfries were destroyed by the quake. The church has 3 facades with the signature red bricks that distinguishes it from other heritage churches in the province. As time was limited and it was already raining, I didn't get a chance to take photos of the sides of the church.

Main gate of the cemetery leading to the mortuary chapel. The view of the chapel from this gate used to be blocked by the tomb of former Sen. Tomas Confesor, who is arguably the most prominent son of Cabatuan.

Mortuary Chapel of Cabatuan, Iloilo. The chapel is of baroque style and octagonal shape. This was completed in 1894.

I wrote about the mortuary chapel many years ago. The article may be found here. I will post more photos of the church and chapel in future posts.

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Five heritage churches along the Southeast of Iloilo

A highlight of this trip to Iloilo are the

San Joaquin Church was constructed in 1869.

Miag-ao Church or Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish. Church was completed in 1797. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

Another view of Miag-ao Church showing the buttressed walls along its side.

Guimbal Church or San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish was first built in 1774 and also survived many events that damaged it. The current church's last major repairs were after the earthquake of 1948.

 

Tigbauan Church or St. John of Sahagun Parish was established in 1575. It also survived the 1948 earthquake.

Molo Church or Sta. Ana de Molo was completed in 1888 is said to be a feminist church as it only features images of female saints.

There was supposed to be an old church in Oton. Unfortunately, that church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception was destroyed in the 1948 earthquake. The current church dates to 1972. I will write about these churches individually.

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Local delicacies - dugos (wild honey)

Our first meal back in Iloilo was at the Tatoy's at Villa, in the Arevalo District of the city. Before I post about that and its environs, I wanted to write about a local delicacy that's actually quite common elsewhere in the country - wild honey. Dugos as they call it in Ilonggo is sold by ambulant vendors though you may also find them in bottles in some shops. The ones by the vendors might actually be better and collected by the vendors or their kin themselves.

Vendor selling dugos or wild unpasteurized honey for 50 pesos per container. He approached our group as we waited for our order of lunch from Tatoy's.

What the honey looks like - dark and viscous.

The taste brought me back to childhood days when we dipped pandesal, suman sa ibos or puto manapla during breakfasts at Tatay's home in Cabatuan. Those are happy memories I will cherish. The container for the dugos while usually (maybe traditionally) using bamboo, would have banana leaf as a lid rather than the Manila paper used here as shown in the photos. There was actually another vendor who passed by with his dugos covered by banana leaves rather than paper. The paper tends to absorb the honey and so now I have to get a container if I am to bring home some for later consumption.

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Back at Buto't Balat, Pison Avenue, Iloilo City

I'm back in Iloilo City but before I write about our most recent meals here, I'm posting a late one from the trip last July. This one is about our dinner at Buto't Balat, which is located in the middle of the Plazuela buildings near the Diversion Road. Friends here made the reservation.

Entrance to the restaurant

Steamed lapu-lapu in soy sauce

Grilled tanguigue

Their version of the popular molo

Shrimp sauteed in garlic

Lechon kawali

Native design lamps

Another native inspired lamp at the restaurant

We have not eaten at this restaurant for over a decade so it was a welcome alternative to Tatoy's and Breakthrough. The ambience was still good and many families and groups of friends or officemates patronize the restaurant. It should be no surprise because the food is good and priced right.  Buto't Balat is definitely a place you would like to come back to for a nice meal.

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Chocolate review: TCHO Toffee Time

There is actually a detailed description of the chocolate on the packaging: "Creamy oat milk chocolate with bits of plant based toffee and sea salt".

Toffee Time from TCHO

Details about the chocolate at the back of the box

The chocolate is organic, non-GMO, 100% plant-based, and using fare trade ingredients

Nutrition information on the chocolate. The ingredients are also stated but does not provide the % of cacao for this chocolate.

Inside the box are 3 individually wrapped bars of chocolate

There is also a print inside the box showing what the chocolate bars look like before you open one.

I don't remember exactly how this chocolate was acquired. I assume this was among the chocolates brought home by the Clairvoyant from her most recent trip to the US. In that trip, she went to Las Vegas and San Francisco. This most probably was from San Francisco as she wasn't able to go around Vegas except the vicinity of the venue of the conference she attended.

 

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Baha na naman! (There's a flood again!)

The rains brought about by tropical storm Enteng yesterday brought misery to a lot of people due to the floods in many places particularly in the greater Metro Manila area (or NCR plus as some people now call it). I am not stranger to floods. My parents' home in Cainta has experienced frequent flooding during the wet season since the 1980s. We endured this with only a few years since then when floods weren't so severe. People actually welcomed the typhoons that brought strong winds than those with torrential rains because homes were sturdy enough to withstand the winds. The floods were more undesirable and led to more damage and health risks.

Fast forward to the present and the floods are still there and seem to be more frequent considering the heavier rainfalls we are experiencing even without storms or typhoons. Habagat or the monsoon rains now regularly pour more than enough water to lead to flash floods. Clearly, the drainage cannot handle the runoff and the more intense rains from storms or typhoons often mean deeper floods that take time to subside. National and local governments have failed to address this with engineering solutions and turn a blind eye or are just plain ignorant about the impacts of developments such as residential subdivisions and commercial establishments that tend to reduce waterways and increase runoff (sementado na lahat!)

Resident wading in knee-deep floodwaters - photo from my brother from the balcony of his room at the 2F of our parents' home in Cainta

There's a buzz again about flood control projects considering the floods we've experienced this wet season. If you're on social media, I'm sure there's also a flood (pun intended) of opinions on the matter. Suddenly, we have all these experts (or maybe influencers?) posting here and there about their ideas, many bordering on pseudo science or perhaps some sort of conspiracy theory type. How can we move forward on this issue that affects a lot of people (e.g., classes and government work have been suspended in Metro Manila and CALABARZON for two days now)?

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Paalam Papa Luis

We lost a good uncle last Saturday. Luis Salamera or Papa Luis was the husband of my mother's younger sister Esperanza or Mama Panse as we call her. He had a stroke a while back before the pandemic and though he survived it was slow to recover. He was not as mobile as he used to and needed to be attended to. As such, he was not able to attend to many family events the past decade.

I cannot say or remember anything but good about Papa Luis. He was a good provider for his family including the 2 daughters from the first husband of my aunt that he practically considered his own. He made so many sacrifices including going overseas as a seaman. He was a radio operator in the 1980s and 1990s on ships that now don't require his skills. He helped the husband of my cousin to become employed as a seaman. The latter didn't have any formal training and was an auto mechanic before being able to board a ship. I am told that he also helped many others become OFWs. They have comfortable lives now with their children (my nephew and nieces) all graduates and with good jobs. That could not have been possible without him giving a recommendation and vouching for my cousin-in-law.

My fond memories of Papa Luis though were of playing chess with him. After my first cousin Manong Edgar, I thought Papa Luis was another very strong chess player. Being out at sea for long periods probably contributed to this. No, they didn't have gadgets or computers to play with that I assume now are the pastimes of seamen. So playing chess was probably one of the games they played and those who played well helped others become good players as well. Another pastime he had was reading. He read a lot of books, mostly the bestsellers, and took many of them home. Unfortunately, many of those perished in a fire that gutted their community many years ago. Still, many survived and I was able to borrow a few that I read back when I was in high school and college.

Papa Luis was a generous soul. Hindi siya madamot considering how people thought about seamen or OFWs as being infinite sources of money back then (I think that's how many perceive them even now.). If someone approached them for help, he would lend money even if he knew that money will not be repaid. His generosity extended to me and my siblings as well as my parents. He knew Tatay played tennis so one time he was on a break and came home, he gifted him with a nice racket. It was the same for other nieces and nephews and in-laws. He didn't need to be generous but I guess he was happy when he saw people happy with his pasalubong. 

Here's a heartfelt farewell to a good man. His life is well-lived and certainly touched the lives of many. Rest in peace in the eternal embrace of Our Maker.

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