The Historical Laguna (Part 3): Exploring the Heritage Square of Santa Rosa

The City of Santa Rosa was recently the subject of fury of Philippine heritage enthusiasts after it was reported that the city’s oldest heritage house is being demolished to make way for a branch of McDonalds. The “news” went viral because the owner of that McDo branch is the actor and Santa Rosa resident Alden Richards. The issue eventually died down when it was cleared that what was being demolished is not the heritage house but another structure in its vicinity.

The rage of heritage enthusiasts is understandable since the old poblacion of Santa Rosa is the location of many heritage houses and historical sites. The old poblacion is a valuable heritage area that the city government declared the place as a “heritage square”.

The heritage square of Santa Rosa is not similar to Vigan or even Intramuros as many of Spanish Era houses were replaced by newer structures. The feel of “old” in the old poblacion is somewhat lost as the place is a hodgepodge of the modern and the historical.

However, as a Laguna resident, I still consider it fortunate that I can explore these remaining heritage and historical sites of Santa Rosa:

Rizal Monument and Plaza

Santa Rosa City's Rizal Monument with the tallest pylon in the Philippines.

Rizal’s monument is the most prominent historical site in the heritage square. The monument features the statue of Jose Rizal in a pose similar to that in Luneta and two pylons, which is claimed by the city government as the tallest in the whole country.

What actually caught my attention in the city plaza is the monument honoring the Santa Rosans who fought during various wars in the Philippines.

I think that this monument is common in the Philippines because I saw similar monument in Davao del Norte. The kampilan, which is the sword displayed on the monument, symbolizes Filipino bravery that were shown in the many wars that was fought in this country.

Unfortunately, the plaque that should list the names of Santa Rosa heroes is blank. It seems that the city government couldn’t find any Santa Rosan whose name could be listed in the monument. 

There are also plaques Philippine - American War, and World War II when the Japanese invaders occupied the country.

My favorite passage from these commemorative plaques is the one from the Philippine - American War about the Balangiga massacre:

Prayers for the eternal repose of souls of the unknown innocent unarmed civilian victim of Balangiga, Samar battle aftermath of 1901.

Never in the history of human conflict among civilized nations did total slaughtering of all men, women and chidren over ten years of age done in the name of VENGEANCE.

The USA still has to apologize to Filipinos for the murder that they did in Balangiga and the whole Philippines. The Americans, despite claiming to be civilized people, committed the most barbaric acts during that time.

Heritage Houses of Santa Rosa

Located in the vicinity of Rizal Park are the different heritage houses and buildings of the old Santa Rosa. One is the Gusaling Batasan, which I think was just restored since its “adobe walls” were somewhat new.

Just across Rizal Park is the heritage house occupied by Maybank.

It is good to see that the bank just adapted to the heritage structure and did not make drastic changes to the heritage building.

A few steps from Maybank is the Gusaling Museo, which houses the City Library and the Santa Rosa City Museum. It was the former municipal hall and office of the mayor from 1828 to 1954.

This building was erected in 1828 during the term of Gobernadorcillo Bernardo Zavalla in the Spanish Colonial period. It was then reconstructed in 1954, well after the Second World War. There is even a historical marker on the building that recorded the first election during the “Bagong Lipunan” of President Marcos, Sr. in 1980. Names of some of the political clans of Santa Rosa City are listed in that marker.

Located beside the Gusaling Museo is what I think is the old cuartel of the Guardia Civil.

Monument for Basilio Gonzalez

Another interesting historical spot in Santa Rosa’s Heritage Square is the monument for Col. Basilio Barroma Gonzalez that is located in front of Mercury Drug.

I will talk about this neglected monument of less known revolutionary hero of Santa Rosa in the next blog post.

The establishment of the Heritage Square in the poblacion of Santa Rosa shows that the city government knows the value of history and heritage in a centuries old town. However, I think that Santa Rosans has to do more to ensure the preservation heritage sites since these they gave local history a “face” that cannot be replicated by any photograph.

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Read my other blog posts for the Experiencing and Historical Laguna series:

The Historical Laguna (Part 1): Rizal Monument and a Peek at the History of Biñan

The Historical Laguna (Part 2): The Story of the Iconic Arch of Santa Rosa

Experiencing Laguna (Part 1): Our Overnight Stay in La Vista Pansol Resort

Experiencing Laguna (Part 2): A Healthy and Relaxing Dip in Laguna Hot Spring Resort (Pansol, Calamba)

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The Historical Laguna (Part 2): The Story of the Iconic Arch of Santa Rosa

“Bandits infested the roads and rivers, ravaged fields and farms, pillaged churches and set light to houses in an orgy of murder, robbery and rapine in which there was ‘hardly and evil deed that their rash boldness [did] not perform”

This was how the late 19th Century Philippines was described by many commentators and historians. Filipinos at that time lived in constant danger and with great fear against lawless elements that prowl the areas outside of the town centers. Aside from the threat of tulisanes or bandits, the Philippines was in turmoil that time due to the looming revolt of the Katipuneros. 

La Laguna is not exempted to that state of affairs since some of the villages around Laguna de Bay were considered as “ladrone towns” or villages inhabited by ladrones or tulisanes. The neighboring province of Cavite is known as a bandit refuge that’s why the colonial government established the Cuartel de Santo Domingo in the area that is now occupied by the training compound of the PNP Special Action Force. The cuartel served as the barracks of the guardia civil and forward base against the bandits from Cavite.

I’ve been harping on the lawlessness of 19th Century Philippines when I discovered that the Santa Rosa Arch is not just a simple welcome arch but was originally called as “Bantayang Bato”. It was a structure that was meant to protect Santa Rosa from lawless elements. 

The Arch of Santa Rosa City.

The Santa Rosa Arch is my favorite spot in the poblacion of Santa Rosa, Laguna. The arch gives the Parisian “Arc de Triomphe” vibe that are contrasted by Philippine jeepneys passing through it.

The arch is simply adorned with images of angels blowing their trumpets. At its base are lions, which announce Santa Rosa’s moniker as the “Lion City of the South”. The current form of the arch is a far cry from its old form as seen in old photos.

Evolution of Sta. Rosa Arch as displayed in the Sta. Rosa City Museum.

According to Arch. Mario C. Zavalla and Ms. Gemalin Batino-Diaz, the original structure of Bantayang Bato was built in 1817 or 5 years after the Santa Rosa de Lima Church was constructed. It was placed beside the river to serve as a lookout and a garita or checkpoint against tulisanes navigating through the Silang - Santa Rosa River. The Cavite town of Silang was a notorious haven of bandits during the Spanish Period. Bandits who wished to attack Santa Rosa possibly used the river to travel from Silang. This is the reason why Cuartel de Santo Domingo is at the Santa Rosa - Silang boundary and beside the Silang - Santa Rosa River. 

The arch was reconstructed in 1860 to make it wider for easy page. A "small treble bell" was placed in the next year to make it easier to raise alarm when tulisanes were sighted from the watch tower. The original arch was a simple one tier-masonry style, very much like the current form of Santa Rosa Arch.

The Santa Rosa Arch was refurbished in 1925. It was then dismantled and reconstructed on its current location in 1931 due to the increasing vehicular traffic. Yep, you read that right! A 71-year-old historical structure that protected the town from bandits were demolished and relocated just to make way for cars and jeeps. 

Good thing that the current Santa Rosa Arch was not demolished since it is in the way of vehicular traffic. The city government just made additional lanes around it. I guess they should have done that with Bantayang Bato.

The lion at the foot of Santa Rosa Arch.

I thought that Santa Rosa City just recently used the lion as its symbol. However, Zavalla and Batino-Diaz claimed that the lion as a symbol was already in use by Santa Rosa since the Spanish times. They said that the lion statues were already present at the foot of the Bantayang Bato. The lion statues were also displayed at government buildings such as the casa tribunal and the hacienda of the city mayor. Thus, the symbol of the lion is very apt for Santa Rosa City.

I will never see the Arch of Santa Rosa the same way again. Instead of being awed by it, the arch reminds of the destruction wrought in the name of progress. Laguna has plenty of historical sites and heritage buildings that were demolished for the sake of economy and business to the point that the towns of Laguna transformed into modern cities that lost their soul. By discarding their past, these Laguna towns just became poor copies of Makati CBD or BGC.

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Read my other blog posts for the Experiencing and Historical Laguna series:

The Historical Laguna (Part 1): Rizal Monument and a Peek at the History of Biñan

Experiencing Laguna (Part 1): Our Overnight Stay in La Vista Pansol Resort

Experiencing Laguna (Part 2): A Healthy and Relaxing Dip in Laguna Hot Spring Resort (Pansol, Calamba)

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References:

1. "Ang Bantayan" and the Four Lions by Mario C. Zavalla and Gemalin Batino-Diaz in Santa Rosa Heritage magazine (January 202 edition) retrieved from Santa Rosa Memoirs FB Page

2. Gemalin Batino FB page

3. LaChambre's Preparation for the Silang Offensive from Cuartel de Santo Domingo during the 1897 Philippine Revolution by Shine Relle Nuñez retrieved from Research Gate

4. Bandits, Banditry and Landscapes of Crime in the Nineteenth-Century Philippines by Greg Bankoff retrieved from Cambridge University Press

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Visita Iglesia: Santa Rosa de Lima Church (Santa Rosa, Laguna)

During the Second World War, when Japanese soldiers ravaged the land, residents of the lowlands of Laguna claimed that a lady in black and white appeared to them and told them to seek refuge in the town of Santa Rosa. They said that the lady told them that they will not go hungry because rice and fish are plentiful in the town of Santa Rosa. Upon reaching Santa Rosa, they realized that the lady who talked to them is Santa Rosa de Lima, who is the patron saint of the town. This story is just one of the miracles of Santa Rosa de Lima for the residents of the town named after her.

Santa Rosa de Lima Church is the oldest church in Santa Rosa City. In fact, the church’s history is intimately connected to the city's history because the church was established with the town.

Santa Rosa de Lima Church, just like in the typical old towns of the Philippines, is located at the center of the town beside the plaza and the government buildings. The church is now partially covered by Santa Rosa City’s Rizal Park.

The church started as a visita of Bucol, which is the old name of Santa Rosa when it was still a barrio of Biñan. The construction of the current church structure began in 1790 by the Spanish Dominican friars, who recruited Chinese laborers for the project. It is claimed that the old Chinese families in Santa Rosa descended from these Chinese laborers.

The construction was finished in 1792 and the Dominican friars selected Santa Rosa de Lima, also a Dominican, as the patroness of the new parish. Simultaneously, Barrio Bucol was also made a new municipio or municipality of Santa Rosa on January 18, 1792.

The first Mass honoring Santa Rosa de Lima in the new church was done on August 30, 1812 by Fray Francisco Favie, who was the first parish priest of the new town. August 30 is formerly the feast day for Santa Rosa de Lima.

I felt the centuries of history when I visited Santa Rosa de Lima Church. It is clear by just looking at its exterior that it is a very old church. The walls are of adobe blocks, which is similar to the ones used in the much older Saint Polycarp Church in Cabuyao. However, unlike the Cabuyao Church with a big bell tower, Santa Rosa de Lima Church has a smaller and less prominent bell tower.

I read that Santa Rosa de Lima Church has 8 majestic bells, with each of them having their own name.

The facade is made of gray adobe blocks, which is typical of the churches made during the Spanish period.

The facade features the four Evangelists and other saints. I think at the top is the image of the Virgin Mary.

In front of the church is the statue of Santa Rosa de Lima flanked by the statues of Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Martin de Porres, and two other saints.

The statues of Santa Rosa and other saints were erected to commemorate the visits of two ambassadors of Peru. The first Peruvian ambassador who visited was Victor Aritomi-Shinto in 1999 and the second one was Julio Cardenas in 2000.

The church’s door is simple, not as ornate as the ones in Manila Cathedral or San Agustin Church in Intramuros.

The church is cavernous and much spacious compared to Balibago Church.

What immediately caught my attention upon entrance to the church are the tombstones on the wall.

I consider tombstones on the wall as proof that a church is old. The practice of burial of the dead inside the church was a common practice during the Spanish Period. Such practice was discontinued during the American Period when the Americans instituted their health and sanitary laws that prohibited burial of the dead within the church premises.

The oldest tombstone that I saw is dated March 28, 1898.

It is Holy Week when I visited so all of the images, excluding the Crucified Jesus, are veiled. 

What’s interesting is that the parish kept the altar rails in front of the altar. The rails are used to separate the pews from the holiest part of the church.

Another purpose of the rails is this is where the faithful kneel to receive the Holy Communion. Note of the kneelers in front of the altar rails.

The painting of the four Evangelists on the ceiling reminded of the similar painting in St. Polycarp Church of Cabuyao.

On the side ceiling are the paintings of the apostles.

At the end of the ceiling is the image of Judas Iscariote. The word “Iscariote” was painted over but I can still read it. 

The image is definitely of the traitor because it is the only whose name is not preceded by an S., which is the abbreviation for the Spanish word "San" or saint in English. I guess this is the only church where Judas Iscariot was depicted positively.

The current paintings on the ceiling are not the original ones. It is said that the original paintings were great attractions from 1923 to 1960. The said paintings, which featured the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Coronation of the Apostles, San Roque, and other Biblical scenes and saints, are comparable to the ceiling paintings of Quiapo Church. The original paintings were removed because they were destroyed by old age and bats. The only original paintings that remained are those of King David and Saint Cecilia at the choir loft. I do hope that these remaining paintings will be preserved.

The old paintings were replaced by the modern giant electric fans!

At the side is the spiral staircase to the choir loft.

Sadly, the caretakers of the church did not permit to climb up the stairs to have good look of the choir loft and the remaining original paintings.

The church also has the baptistry that has a marble baptismal font, an image of Jesus holding a thurible, Santo Entierro, and the veiled replica of the Pieta.

My visit to Santa Rosa de Lima Church was just short. But in that brief time I felt the intensity of history that the church represents. The church of Santa Rosa de Lima is the witness to the birth of the town, its sufferings during wars, and its growth into a city that touts itself as the Lion City of the South.

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Visita Iglesia is a Catholic tradition of visiting seven or fourteen churches during Maundy Thursday. For each day, this Holy Week, I will feature one church as a sort of virtual Visita Iglesia.

Read about the churches that I visited this year

Palm Sunday: Immaculate Conception Church in Concepcion Uno, Marikina

Holy Monday: Santo Niño de Paz Chapel in Greenbelt, Makati

Fig Tuesday: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chapel in SM Makati

Spy Wednesday: Santa Rosa de Lima Church in Santa Rosa, Laguna

Maundy Thursday: Saint John Paul II Chapel in NAIA Terminal 3

Good Friday: Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo, Manila

Black Saturday: Quiapo Church in Manila

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References:

1. A Brief History: The Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church in the Santa Rosa de Lima Parish

2. Santa Rosa City Laguna: Lion City of the South

3. City Government of Santa Rosa, Laguna

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Alert Level 2 Adventure: Family Lunch-Out at Ramen Nagi of Nuvali Park

Going to Nuvali meant that we had to eat. So, as a birthday treat to the birthday girl, we dined in our favorite Japanese restaurant…

…Ramen Nagi!

Our family likes Ramen Nagi because of their tasty and authentic(?) Japanese noodles.

It's been ages since the last time we dined in Ramen Nagi, so we decided to order three large bowls of Wonder Chasu King and Butao King.  

Wonder Chasu King (upper right) and the others are Butao King.

The kids like them of course because they are way better than the Lucky Me noodles at home.

Chicken Karaage.

We also ordered the Chicken Karaage, which the kids didn't like that much. Well, for me, it is just OK. Maybe we will not order this again if we return to Ramen Nagi.

We also ordered this dish, the name of which I cannot remember:

Ordering three large bowls was a mistake since the kids didn't eat much because they are full already. So Daddy had to eat all the left-overs since we were not allowed to take them home.

I was so full afterwards that I had difficulty walking. I guess we overdid it since it was our first time to have a nice dine-out after more than two years of lockdown.

We bought Ramen Nagi's frozen and cook-at-home ramen once during lockdown since we missed eating their delicious noodles. It was a disappointment since it didn't taste as good as the ramen prepared in Ramen Nagi restaurant.

Now that many restrictions have been lifted, we can go to Ramen Nagi anytime and not have to content ourselves with their frozen take-home ramen.

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Alert Level 2 Adventure: Family Bonding in Nuvali Park (Santa Rosa, Laguna)

Now that the COVID restrictions are slowly being removed by the government, the Ahab Family finally got the chance to have the long-awaited family bonding outside of the house. Unfortunately, beach resorts in Nasugbu still have some restrictions and Tagaytay is too crowded during weekends.

So, we decided to have our family bonding (and birthday celebration of My Beloved Wife) in Nuvali Park of Santa Rosa, Laguna.

It has been ages since we last visited Nuvali. Then pandemonium pandemic came and we were not able to visit the place for almost three years.

And so we grabbed the chance and went to Nuvali when Laguna was placed under Alert Level 2.

This is the first time Samien, our bunso, visited Nuvali. He was very delighted by the wide open space!

Samuel, our eldest, and Samantha, our only princess, enjoyed running on the grass and then climbing up the "hill".

I envy these little ones who found happiness in simple things such as the wide open space of Nuvali.

The kids are famished after running under the sun. So for lunch, we brought them to Ramen Nagi, which is one of our favorite Nuvali restaurants.

The kids' favorite place in Nuvali is the playground. Sadly, the place was cordoned off in the name "health and safety protocols".

Our kids are persistent so they still tried the slide, monkey bars, spring horse despite the cordon.

The lockdowns shut down many shops in Nuvali. The store of expensive ice cream near the playground is gone. Other shops on the second floor are empty and were invaded by stray cats.

A few hours before dusk, our family went to the grassland for a picnic. We were not the only ones who set up a picnic in the area. There were families sitting on the grass or doing some stroll. Dog-owners were also there to walk their dogs.

Finally, before going home, we went to Nuvali Lake to look at koi fishes.

Feeding the koi fishes is the most popular activity in Nuvali. Our little ones enjoyed watching scores of kois fighting over the feed thrown at them.

This is the first time that our Bunso saw these fishes and he was delighted in watching them.

Our visit to Nuvali Park was a truly fun experience for all of us. The kids were finally freed from the lockdowns and the many restrictions. I do hope that the situation improves so that we can visit other places this summer vacation.

Read about our previous visit to Nuvali Park in 2016.

Nothing Special at Uncle Cheffy Nuvali Park

I mentioned in the previous post that we celebrated our Second Wedding Anniversary at Nuvali Park in the city of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It was a simple event. We just went on a stroll and took Little Ahab to his very first boat ride.

We also had a simple lunch date at Uncle Cheffy.

It was our first time in Uncle Cheffy so we didn’t know what to expect. What we did know was that they have rice and we entered their restaurant because we wanted to have a heavy lunch.

We ordered the Surf and Turf Platter, which is composed of chicken leg, lamb breast, beef and pork ribs, cream dory, and another fish meat – all of them roasted. The platter is accompanied with a bowl of rice at the price tag of 795 pesos.

My Beloved Wife Lei got curious when she saw the Tessie Tomas Salad in the menu. Tessie Tomas is a local comedian who is touted as the “Original Queen of Daytime TV”.

The waiter told us that Tessie Tomas is a friend of the restaurant owner that’s why he lent her name to Uncle Cheffy.

Curiosity got the better of us so we ordered a bowl of Tessie Tomas Salad at the price tag of 250 pesos.

The serving is more than enough for me, Lei, and Little Ahab. In fact, we brought home some leftovers from the platter.

Lei enjoyed Tessie’s salad. As for the platter, Lei wanted the sauce used for the roasted beef and pork ribs. As for me, I am OK with what we had from Uncle Cheffy since I’m not a picky eater unless it’s ampalaya or one of those very smelly fish dishes.

We had a good dining experience. The food is good – actually better than some of the casual dining restaurants that we’ve been. Lei’s only negative comment is that she didn’t taste anything special that will convince her to go back to Uncle Cheffy in the future.

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