The most charming place I visited during my last trip in the Philippines is Baras Rizal. The sightseeing tour of this small town was part of the activities in the multi site APAMS meeting. It was organized by the Rizal System University in Morong Rizal which hosted the first place of this extensive meeting. The other places where the meeting was held were UPLB, Los Banos Rizal, Batangas State University and Eastern Visayas University in Tacloban, Leyte
UPLB
Batangas State University
At the end of the meeting at RSU, we were driven to the municipal building of Baras where we were met by two wonderful guides. We transferred to a bus furnished by the municipality of Baras. Our first stop was a magnificent church in the neighboring town of Morong Rizal. The church is St. Jerome Parish Church which is also known as Morong Church. Built in 1620, it is one of the oldest churches around Laguna Lake. Note the beautiful facade and bell tower and its overwhelming number of steps.
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I carefully went up the steps of the church holding to my husband Bob's hand for support. Inside, we were greeted with many religious figures that one finds in most churches in the Philippines. Among them is the statue of Jesus lying in a display case after his death. An elegantly clad Blessed Mother was in another part of the church. Beside the altar is the statue of St. Jerome himself. He is shown with a lion since it was claimed that he has tamed a lion by curing its paw.
We were then treated to a merienda (food break) consisting of Barbecued Plaintain doused with syrup and Banana egg rolls or turon. I have been hankering for these delicious sweets since I have arrived in the Philippines but those available in the streets where I stayed at my brother's place were considered not too sanitary. Too bad I did not take pictures of these awesome desserts but I obtained photos online, as shown below.
What made the break even more enjoyable was it was at the serene Kasarinlan park of this town. I love seeing children fishing with their parent in the fish pond. In the back of the fish pond you can see people fishing leisurely without any cares in the world. I actually picture these scenes on days I want to be relaxed.
The next stop was another church, St. Joseph Parish. The Franciscans started to build the church in 1595. It is one of the oldest churches in Rizal, and was completed in 1686. The Jesuits administered the parish from 1616 to 1679. The altar and lectern were constructed with stones that were unearthed from beneath the site of the church. These stones were left as they are and not plastered or painted.
Most of us went up the steps at the side of the altar that leads to the statue of St Joseph. I was too tired to climb the steps but my husband did.
When we were outside the church we saw a group of children who were eating their lunch. When I found out they were members of the children’s choir, I requested them to sing. They obliged by singing the the Our Father guided by their choir leader. I took the video of them singing and can be viewed in the link below.
We visited other places in Baras but these ones stood out the most for their serene charm. I would like to thank the two wonderful guides, RSU and the municipality of Batas Rizal.
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