Los Baños Horticultural Society 2016 Opening Highlights

Senior Social Hall , University of the Philippines , Los Baños , Laguna province -Philippines

Los Baños Horticultural Society in partnership with University of the Philippines- Los Baños , Department of Trade and Industry- Laguna , members , invited guests were at the Senior Social Hall at around past 3:00pm where a ribbon cutting ceremony was held.

officers , invited guests during the ribbon cutting ceremony

Mrs. Charita Puentespina

The guest of honor giving an inspirational talk to the guests and public.

landscape exhibit

different types of flowering and ornamental plants

most outstanding booth

This booth had an interesting bamboo trellis with nipa roof draped with colored white, pink , violet colored cloth.  The use of animal stone carvings like turtles and frogs highlighted the landscape .  There is also a pathway with gravel and adobe stone .

landscape with water feature

landscape exhibit

Mr. Delia Pionela landscape exhibit

Ms. Delia Pionela landscape exhibit won second place and best flowering plant .

Please try to visit Ms. Ann Valenzuela , Ms. Delia Pionela commercial stalls and other booth.

For those planning to come , the show runs from April 1 to 10, 2016 and there is a minimal entrance fees .  There are  also commercial stall sellers at the show.

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MCT Event Management Media Appreciation Day

41st floor Magellan Function Room,  Floor Discovery Suites , Ortigas Cener San Miguel Avenue Pasig City -Philippines

Discovery Suites

Metro Creative Themes Inc. (Former MCT Events Management) invited selected media partners like bloggers and print media during their  Media Appreciation Day .

participants representing different online sites , media entities , organizer and partners

buffet table

The company recently changed their name from MCT event management company to Metro Creative Themes. , According to one of the board of directors -Ms. Micah Templo – She started forming the company way back in 1995 and eventually expanded into customization of characters into larger than life and studio props that are used for theme parks, malls and event.

There was a short program and an attendance raffle for the participants.

Upcoming trade shows , discount promos ,  Mega sales are also presented .

For more information ,  Please visit their FB page  MCT Events Management

Easter Postcard from McKittrick , Missouri

Happy Easter and Maligayang Pasko ng Pagkabuhay ! to my avid readers,

Easter postcard circa 1911

I was doing some clean-ups in my personal collection will take back for more than a century on April 12, 1911 when an Easter postcard was send from Montevista College from California to McKittrick, Missouri .

The town  is small according to wikipedia and US census  in 2010 the city had a 678 inhabitants per square mile (261.7/km²). There were 36 housing units at an average density of 400.0 per square mile (154.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 100.0% White .Reference: US Gazette

The Easter postcards was written on April 11, 1911 Holy Tuesday and was delivered sometime April 12, 1911 Holy Wednesday  to Mr and Mrs. Andy  Schroff from Mc Kittrick , Missouri – It was send by their cousin to congratulate them for having a daughter Lucile and greeting them Happy Easter. Easter falls on April 16, 1911 .

I got this postcard from a local bourse several years ago

 

 

Cenaculo at Barangay Pio del Pilar in Makati

Captain M Reyes Street corner Valderama Street, Barangay Pio Del Pilar , Makati City

Makati is known to be a progressive city and is also known for its Lenten tradition . I have seen a Cenaculo play / Senakulo play in different parts of Metro Manila and according to long time residents of the place . The Cenaculo is an age -old tradition spanning about 90 years.

band members

The play had been moving within Barangay Pio Del Pilar  along Captain M Reyes street  corner Valderama street , Evangelista and nearby places alternating them almost every Holy Week.

The entire street is usually closed to vehicular traffic and even tricycle .  Usually pedicabs and strictly pedestrian only on the narrow streets. There is a makeshift stage which remind people that there is something going on .  On the eve of Palm Sunday, the passion play begins starting with the Creation story. For the entire week until midnight of Easter Sunday, the Senakulo is played out nightly to local audiences accompanied by a brass band with key scenes of Christ’s life, passion and resurrection.

Jesus Christ together with his apostle walking toward the center of the stage

The local cenaculo might have been influenced by neighboring Malibay, Pasay which started in the mid -19th century and gradually spread by some residents who lived in Makati area .   They are spelled using the old Spanish way .

Jesus Christ with halo together with his apostle

The performers are local community volunteers,  Cast members range from a few veterans who have been doing specific roles for quite a number of years while majority are newbies . This year’s cenaculo had some sort of local twist,  the office of the mayor had sponsored the makeshift stage, hiring of brass band ,  food and catering services for the actors of the play .  There is also several signage which shows the mayor had sponsored the play. I must also commend the props director, the audio and lighting effect . However there are some instances that audio is not clear .

Here is a short video by my blogger friend Mr. Philip Reyes

The play is unlike the typical senakulo that i have seen in some parts of Metro Manila or provinces . Senakulo usually starts on Palm Sunday and ends by Maundy Thursday or Good Friday . Their cenaculo usually start on Palm Sunday and ends until Easter Sunday .  The phasing of the cenaculo is slow and unlike in other parts of the city of provinces .  According to Mr. Philip Reyes a long time resident of Makati , It used to last until around 11:00pm to 12midnight  several years ago and most of the people from other barangays and visitors  ( dayo ) are the ones watching  the play .

last supper

A local barangay folk told me that this year’s cenaculo would end earlier and faster compared to the previous years.  The play started around 8:35pm about 35minutes after the supposed 8:00pm call time, We spend a little over 1 hour before deciding to leave the place. Business is brisk especially among the ambulant food and drink vendors

The props use at the cenaculo were made from local materials and cheap textiles that the actors dress-up portraying the era of Jesus Christ  . There is some touch of modernity among some of the actors ( like short hair style by Judas Iscariot ) maybe their local interpretation .  I also like the stage where they change the setting . The lines are spoken in Filipino / Tagalog and are sung by the actors in a slow manner .

There were some foreign nationals which took videos and photos of the play .  I would like to return back next year and excited on what will be the next play.

Visita Iglesia of Churches in Makati

Makati City -Philippines

It was a hot Thursday afternoon when our group decided to make a historical heritage and visita iglesia  ( church visit) in several historical churches that are located in Makati city .  There was a traffic built-up along EDSA ( Cubao ) EDSA ( Ortigas ) and EDSA ( Shaw ) areas and it took almost 2 hours before i reached the Guadalupe church compound .  It can be worst during ordinary days .

Guadalupe church

 Guadalupe Church is also known as  Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church. This is known as one of the oldest churches in Makati area and made of volcanic tuff known as adobe. This church is located near MRT Guadalupe station and atop a small hill.

monastery

The church is a mixture of different architecture styles. An example of this is the façade which shows Neo-Romanesque with Gothic style.The massive buttresses create a vertical movement, stopped only by the roundness of windows, statues, niches and the semi-circular arch of the main entrance. The monastery attached to the old church is made of modern cement .

graffiti marks

There were ugly etch marks ( graffiti marks ) left maybe by the American or some say British soldiers on the adobe walls of the church. They can be visibly seen with the naked eyes .

main altar

Church images of saints ( santos) were covered with violet / purple cloth veiled which symbolizes mourning and death . The duration of such veiling varies from place to place. The custom in many places is to veil from before first vespers or the vigil Mass of the Fifth Sunday of Lent while others limit this veiling from after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday.

This is one of the favorite pre-wedding nuptial photography sites and wedding place in Makati .  The rates is cheaper compared to some historical churches in Manila or Sactuario de San Antonio. Booking the place can sometimes pose a problem because of its popularity .

Contact Details:
Address: 7440 Bernardino St. Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City
Tel No. 896-8444

San Pedro de Macati Church

The church and house were to be built in the highest hill in the area called Buenavista and were to be placed under the patronage of Saint Peter , the namesake of the donor. The facade is baroque .

historical marker

Construction of the first church commenced in 1620 under the direction of Fray Pedro delos Montes S.J. As the Jesuits began to earn at least 30,000 pesos annually from turning clay into fine earthenware, their vision of building an imposing structure began to be realized. The church known as San Pedro y Paul Viejo was made from hewn stone, pebbles and gravel mixed with mortar. Its facade is dominated with a three tiered papal tiara with the cross keys of Saint Peter.

 interior

The church was destroyed during the Brtish occupation in 1762. The church was reconstructed much later in 1849 using volcanic tuff from nearby Guadalupe in Makati and Meycauayan in Bulacan province. Other materials include used include yakal and molave as wood materials, and capiz shells for windows. This church is just located a few blocks away from the Guadalupe Church and is another favorite for weddings .

The adjacent property fronting the church is a parking space used to be part of church cemetery .

Address : P Burgos, Makati, Metro Manila

children

We were also greeted by the children and residents of the area . The barangay is alive with the reading of pasyon .

I think each barangay would host a pabasa station where a makeshift tent , or stage area . Some families would even spend money to host a pabasa.

Calvary 1

When we moved around the area , it seems that almost every street corner would host a pabasa . That also explain ‘why’ portion of streets leading to Makati is close during Holy Week.

Parish of Our Lady of Abandoned

We also walked  along J. P. Rizal street at the linear park along Pasig River , It used to be a small parish and the devotion started to increase into neighboring barangays and even people from Makati and Manila would also come. We also saw a larger church that is being constructed at Barangay Hulo , Mandaluyong City. This is under the auspices of Mission Society of the Philippines .

Address: 811 Coronado St., Hulo, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila

Contact : 532-7756

 

National Shrine for Our Lady of Guadalupe

This modern church is located near the office of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority ( MMDA) at 1923 Orense  , Guadalupe Nuevo ,  Makati .  This is a more modern church with larger sitting capacity . We headed towards the upper floor to get photo of the church facade.  Since it is Lenten season , All the church images were veiled with purple / violet cloth .  This is not my first time to visit this church , I have visited this one several times , since i took several short courses at the Technology Resource Center  (TRC ) office a few blocks away and We would eat at the small eateries ( carinderias) located near the shrine.

church facade

In the Year 2002, it was declared an Archdiocesan Shrine.  In  January 23, 2010, declared a National Shrine.  There are also station of the cross on the upper floor .

shrine marker

portion of the shrine

One can easily overlook this shrine coming from Orense street . The shrine can easily be mistaken for a large parking space or a building if not for its stained glass windows and cross . The long electric lines and electric poles are also hindrance to photography .  The shrine is also popular among its parishioners because of its sitting capacity and wide open space inside the shrine.

Address :1923 Orense street  , Guadalupe Nuevo ,  Makati

Tel No. 882-8095

Santuario de San Antonio

This church is one of the classiest church within Makati area. It is fully air-conditioned with its modern Spanish mission -style architectural features . There are paintings of national artist Fernando Amorsolo . This church is located within Forbes Park community  and Bonifacio Global City ( BGC) area .

marker

The church had a wide garden with life-sized station of the cross depicted

Address: 3117 McKinley Rd, Manila, 1220 Metro Manila

Phone:(02) 843 8830

Greenbelt chapel

We just tried to walked the stretch of EDSA on our way to Ayala near the chapel at the Greenbelt . It was past 6:00pm when we reached the chapel . I have seen a lot of improvements within the chapel and its garden, there are more flowering plants like orchids and ferns on kakawate tree stumps .

different types of blooming  vandas , mokaras and kagawaras

There were at least 3 dozens kakawate tree stumps planted with the vandaceous alliance orchids. Their blooms are long lasting  , Flowers can last for several weeks or even months. I think they started to introduce flowering orchids within the greenbelt area several years ago . This makes the area a little more lively , an ideal spot for taking photos and to commute with nature.

acacia tree with native orchids

We also saw sanggumays ( Dendrobium anosmum, Vanda lamellata , Dendrobium crumenatum ( Dove orchid ) , Aerides quinquivulnera naturalized  on the old acacia trees. I must say that it is a wise move on the part of the Ayala park management .

greenbelt chapel

History

Inspired by St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the late Fanny del Rosario-Diploma and her husband, Atty. Nordy P. Diploma, presented plan to build a chapel to Rev. Fr. Edgar Saginsin, who facilitated a meeting and consultation with the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila.

Sto. Niño de Paz Community-Greenbelt Chapel was blessed and inaugurated on July 28, 1983 First chaplains were the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB); succeeded by Msgr. Jose “Chito” Bernardo (1986); Msgr. Jaime Mora (1989) assisted by Fr. Jim Ferry, MM; Rev. Fr. Jose Mario “Jojo” B. Maximiano (mid-1991); Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual (late 1991); Msgr. Mylo Hubert C. Vergara (mid-2000); Fr. Pericles “Prex” Fajardo (2001). Present chaplain, Rev. Fr. Rufino “Jun” Sescon, Jr. assumed office in 2005.

Sto. Niño de Paz Community – Greenbelt Chapel , Ayala Center, Makati City 1228,Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone No. : 7298173 / 7298174Emails
Information Technology Group: greenbelt.chapel@gmail.com
Chaplain: greenbeltchaplain@gmail.com
Administration: administration@greenbeltchapel.org

Official FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/greenbeltchapel

For more information about their services and projects: http://greenbeltchapel.org/

Saint John Bosco  Church

The parish and church is celebrating their 40th anniversary and the church is full of people ,It is also fully air-conditioned. It was also a big relief among the visitors that there are water stations within the church grounds.

Saint John of Bosco statue

Website: http://sjbmakati.com/

Address: Arnaiz Avenue corner , Amorsolo Street, Makati City 1200 Philippines

+632-894-5932 to 34

info@sjbmakati.com

San Ildefonso Church

This is a post war modern church , The church  was built in 1951 had a nice stained glass windows and large cement image of San Ildefonso .  It is run by The Salesians of Don Bosco  .

church facade

church interior

We finished the tour around past 6:30pm and ate in one of the eatery near the church .  Our group roamed the surrounding streets of Evangelista street and within Pio del Pilar barangay .

 Address : 4963 A. Arnaiz Ave. cor. M. Reyes St., Pio del Pilar, Makati City

Contact : 843-7351 (Parish Off.) 892-3122 to 23