All roads lead to Antipolo, Part 1

The title of this post is based on a saying referring to the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage that is located in what is now the City of Antipolo in the Province of Rizal, to the east of Metro Manila. The saying is based on observations during May when the feast of Our Lady is celebrated the entire month. While people flock to the shrine throughout the year often to pray for safe travel, many devotees go up the city on top of a mountain of the Sierra Madre range to pray the novena to Our Lady, hear Mass, or simply to partake of the other attractions of the city, including, of course, the food. 

 

Leaving the village to fetch the Clairvoyant at the airport late last night, I was reminded of just how many people flock to Antipolo during the Lenten Season. The eve of Good Friday is usually the time when devotees walk from all over Metro Manila and the nearby towns of Rizal to the Shrine of Our Lady in what is commonly termed as "alay lakad" or literally "walk of offering." It is actually a pilgrimage of sorts for most people. I mention "of sorts" here as a form of reservation, a hesitation on my part to call it a pilgrimage like what people did in the old times. My reason is that there are now many temptations along the way to Antipolo and many people usually succumb to these temptations, usually arriving at the Shrine with full stomachs that betray the sacrifice they claim to have made in order to reach their destination. It is better, I think, that one should take a vehicle (even a bicycle) straight to the Shrine and say an honest prayer than walking and feasting along the way. The only difference perhaps is the exercise. Call it a sour grape, but I am still somewhat a purist in these things so I must apologize to any reader who would not share my view. 

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Maundy Thursday

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary has an entry for Maundy Thursday. Its origins are traced to the Middle English maunde ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on the Thursday before Good Friday. The word "maundy" is supposedly taken from the Anglo-French mandet, from the Latin mandatum command. 

 

The Mass celebrating the Last Supper and the washing of the feet of the Apostles is held on Maundy Thursday. My memories of these Masses are mostly of those in Cabatuan, Iloilo, the hometown of my father, which I also consider my own hometown. It is usually a High Mass and in the province I appreciate that it is celebrated in a grand but still solemn fashion. A former mayor friend of my father's used to refer to these Masses as "misang Batman," a humorous allusion to the comic book superhero for the cape used by the parish priest during the Mass. 

 

I have good memories of many parts of the Mass being sung by the celebrant (back in the 80's and the 90's, that was Rev. Fr. Amado Escanan) who had an excellent baritone. The choir was also usually good but I remember a couple of soloists who had operatic voices (and clearly showed they had professional training to hone their talents), whom I was told were music teachers or professors from one of the older families of the town. One can really feel the essence of the Mass when it is sung and sung well. And I get it from the comments of the churchgoers that they too are appreciative of the efforts of the Parish Priest, the choir and the musicians to make this and other Masses a wonderful experience of faith. 

 

The Mass in Cabatuan usually started from 5:00 PM and ended around 7:00 PM depending on the length of the sermon, the ceremony of the washing of the feet, and the rites and procession for the Holy Sacrament after the Mass. The sermon may drag on depending on the message the priest would want to impart on the parishioners. There was one Maundy Thursday during an election period when the priest delivered a scathing sermon over 30 minutes (it felt even longer than that) admonishing politicians and candidates about their shortcomings and controversies they were involved in, and reminding everyone about responsibilities in the context of the season and mentioning the ceremony of the washing of the feet. There were even ceremonies of the washing when those whose feet were washed were not only those of the "Apostoles" but included candidates for local elections. 

 

I usually went with my Nanay Nene (Enriqueta Regidor), an elder sister of my father, and Manang Maya (Rebecca Brey) to the Mass and we usually entered the church by the side entrance near the altar. From there, we had a good vantage of the altar and the choir during the Mass and I can remember the strong smell of incense used throughout various stages of the celebration. This scent is embedded in my memory and I associate it with the High Masses in Cabatuan. After the Mass and the procession for the Holy Sacrament, we always walked back together with other relatives and friends (neighbors) to our house along Serrano Street. 

 

Passing through the plaza and other streets before reaching home, we see the preparations for Good Friday activities including the many still unfinished chapels for the stations of the cross that were set up at the intersections of streets surrounding the plaza. These chapels will be competing the following day when they will be all lighted up and choirs singing the pabasa beside them. It is a recent tradition (from the late 1980's) that has become an attraction not just for those who resided in Cabatuan but also from neighboring towns and even tourists from abroad. Once back at home, we usually shared a simple dinner and exchange stories well until late at night. Eventually, we go to our respective rooms to get some sleep in preparation for waking up early the following day for activities for Good Friday. 

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Back in Manila: Quick Comparisons

I couldn't help but make a few quick comparisons of Manila and Singapore upon my return to my country and write about these while they are still quite fresh in my mind. Being in the field of transportation, the first thing I noticed when we drove from the airport was that the roads were so bumpy with potholes here and there. In most sections where asphalt is used, the overlay is poorly executed, resulting in an uneven ride. The impacts of such not only to the passengers but to the vehicle itself are often unappreciated and drivers do not realize the effects of such "quality" of roads on their fuel consumption, emissions and yes, vehicle suspensions.

Another comparison dawned upon me when we negotiated the short tunnel as we ascended the C5 section from E. Rodriguez to Katipunan. The tunnel was still poorly lighted though there was a slight improvement from the old lighting installed when the tunnel became operational many years ago. The tunnel walls were dirty, and this was clear to any observer because of the white tiles used for the walls that were supposed to be low maintenance (assuming of course, that regular maintenance was performed by whoever was in-charge). It seems to me that most, if not all, our tunnels are just that - poorly lighted and dirty. These are the equivalent of poor maintenance of what was already a poorly designed infrastructure.

These are a stark contrast to the very impressive road infrastructure in Singapore, where the highway pavements are of excellent quality and the tunnels very clean and well lighted. Is it because they are a wealthy city-state that they can afford to have these and we can't? Or is it just a matter of those responsible for our infrastructure not being able to deliver the quality we desire and we deserve considering the taxes we pay?

While some people might consider my quick comparisons as perhaps something that led to hasty conclusions, I would like to remind the reader that what I just wrote about are pretty much established facts that anyone can plainly see and experience going around either Manila or Singapore. It seems that when it comes to the quality of our infrastructure, we accept these as something we would have to endure for the rest of our lives when it does not have to be like that. Are our taxes really working for us or are they working for our inconvenience ( an obvious spin to the signs we commonly see when there is road construction - "Sorry for the inconvenience. Your taxes are working for you." )? Or maybe some people aren't paying their taxes or the right taxes? These are quite serious questions regarding our taxes but the point probably isn't just whether our taxes are enough but if these revenues are actually used wisely and efficiently. What kind of leaders have we had and do we have now that we still have poor road infrastructure and in the capital city at that?

I will write about this more in future blogs here and in my other account. I think it is my way of reflecting during this Holy Week that I feel obliged to document these stuff and offer my humble yet scathing opinions not just as a civil servant but as a citizen of this country who has not given up (yet) in as far as putting an honest effort to improve quality of life in our beloved country.