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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How I Got My Student Driver's License from LTO

I finally started my “driving journey” last month when I started the process of obtaining a Student Driver’s License from the Land Transportation Office.

Starting my journey was never easy since I am not that motivated to buy my own vehicle. That is until I gave in to Mrs. Ahab’s persistent pestering, and also after seeing her and the kids being exhausted after a long commute to my parents’ home.

I was able to obtain the Student Driver’s License (a.k.a. student permit) around one month after I applied for classes in a driving school.

So how was I able to do it? Here is my step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Apply for a Driving Class (Theoretical)

The very first step is searching for a good driving school in our area. The first driving school that I talked with is not OK as their fees are quite expensive. Even their practical driving course is priced over 15 thousand pesos for a 7-seater automatic vehicle.

Good thing that I found a better driving school that offers a theoretical driving course (TDC) for 1 thousand pesos. Their practical driving course is more affordable at around 6 thousand pesos for a 7-seater automatic vehicle.

What’s better is that this driving school offers online classes, which is perfect for busy people like me.

So for this step, I suggest that you check out more than one driving school to see which has a better offer or package.

Step 2: Finish the Online Theoretical Driving Class

The LTO requires all driver’s license applicants to attend a 15-hour theoretical driving class. The driving lessons can be face-to-face or online through SafeRoads.PH.

I opted for the online driving class since I cannot afford being absent from work. Also, the online class is flexible enough that I can finish each module at my own pace as long as I finish the whole class within 30 days after I applied for a theoretical driving course in the Driving School.

The topics covered in the online class include traffic laws and regulations, safe driving principles, road signs, and more. The class is just composed of videos for every topic. There was no live or recorded lecture. I had to answer a quiz at the end of each module to prove that I understood the lesson. Also, SafeRoads.PH asks for webcam photos from time-to-time to ensure that I am actually present during the online class.

I took and passed the final exam at the end of the SafeRoads.PH online class before I was given the Certificate of Completion by SafeRoads.PH.

Step 3: Pass the Theoretical Driving Exam

Next, I went to the Driving School to take the Theoretical Driving Exam.

The exam is relatively easy because most of the questions have answers that are just common sense or practical. The exam is also multiple choices, so I just guessed if I really did not know the answer.

The total number of items is 120 and the passing grade is 80% or 96 correct answers. I think “aced” the test by getting 102 correct answers ;-)

The Driving School awarded me the certificate of completion of the theoretical part of the driving course, which finally made me eligible to apply for the Student Driver’s License.

Step 4: Register in LTO’s LTMS Portal

The Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) Portal is the online system developed by LTO to make its service modern and digital.

All Driver’s License applicants are required to register to the LTMS Portal. Make sure that you have a working email address before registering.

The importance of having an LTMS account is the client ID, which is a requirement for application for Student Driver’s License.

The Driving School assisted me in registering to the LTMS Portal.

Step 5: Apply for Student Driver’s License at LTO

This is the final step!

To get your Student Driver’s License you must have the following:

1. Duly accomplished Application for Permits and Licensing (APL) Form, which can be downloaded from the LTO website.
2. Electronically transmitted medical certificate issued by LTO-accredited medical clinic
3. LTO client ID, which can be seen in your LTMS account
4. Original and photocopy of any government issued ID - in my case my passport is sufficient for this requirement.
5. Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TIN) for employed applicants - this info will be written in the APL form.
6. Original and photocopy of any of the following:

Birth certificate issued by the PSA or local civil registry (for areas without PSA)

Philippine ID

Philippine passport

Marriage certificate issued by PSA

My application for a Student Driver’s License was very easy and fast. I went to a satellite LTO office in a shopping mall in our area. The LTO-accredited medical clinic is just beside the LTO-satellite office, so it was very convenient.

So, the very thing that I do is go to the LTO-accredited medical clinic for a medical exam which just consists of an interview and then an eye check-up to see if I have good eyesight and is not color blind. The clinic then electronically transmitted my medical certificate to LTO.

The next step is I went to the LTO satellite office to submit all the requirements, read the Filipino Driver’s Oath loudly, and take my photo and biometrics. I then paid 250 pesos for the Student Driver’s License.

Finally, I got my Student Driver’s License printed on paper just within one hour from the time I took my medical exam. It is so surprisingly fast because I expected government services to be slow. 

So that’s the story on how I got my Student Driver’s License! I will now move to the next phase of my Driving Journey, which is the practical driving lessons.

Well, see you in the next post where I will talk about how my practical driving lessons go.

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If you want more details on the process and requirements on getting a Driver’s License, I suggest that you visit the LTO website.