The Basilica Del Santo Niño, The Cultural Icon Of Cebu

07/27/2017 PhilLife Leave a comment

The Basilica Minor del Santo Niño (The Minor Basilica of the Holy Child in English) holds deep cultural significance for the people of Cebu due to the Catholic faith held by the majority of Cebuanos. The church represents the introduction of Christianity to the island and in turn the Christianization of The Philippines.

The Basilica Minor del Santo Niño was first constructed in 1565 by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Fr. Andres Urdaneta. It was built on the very site where the statue of the Sto. Nino de Cebu, a statue depicting the Child Jesus, was found in 1565 by Spanish explorers led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

The church still stands to this day, hundreds of years after the construction of the first structure. Despite this, the church has faced its fair share of setbacks over the years.

Rebuilding The Basilica Minor del Santo Niño

The original structure of the church, made from hardwood, mud and nipa burnt to the ground on November 1, 1568. IN 1605 the construction of the church began, again using hardwood and nipa materials. The construction lead by Fr. Pedro Torres continued up until it was finished in 1626.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the materials used in its construction, the church again burnt down in 1628.

Construction on the church almost began almost immediately. As in 1628 Fr. Juan Medina directed the construction of the church although using stones and bricks as an alternative to the previous materials. This new construction did not last long as issues with the bricks being used began to arise. The bricks began to “melt” when they came in contact with air so construction on the new church was halted.

Thanks to the efforts of Father Provincial Bergano, Governor-General Fernando Valdes, Bishop Manuel Antonio Decio Y Ocampo of Cebu and Juan de Albarran Prior of the Sto. Nino. work on the church once again was underway.

Utilising hewn stone. Fr. Antonio Lopez, the residents of Talisay, and Father Francisco Aballe, together with his parishioners began construction of the church. This work began on February 29, 1735, when Fernándo Valdés y Tamon, the Governor of Cebu, ordered the church to be constructed with hard stone. The church was also to be built on the same site as the previous structures. Construction finally came to an end in 1739.

Significance of The Santo Niño in Cebu

The Santo Niño is a roughly 12-inch high wooden statue of Jesus in his infant form. The statue is believed to have been made in Flanders, Belgium due to its similarities to the Infant Jesus of Prague. The Santo Niño is now considered the oldest religious relic in The Philippines.

The Santo Niño, a representation of Jesus as a black holy child is housed inside the Basilica to this day. The statue is believed to be the same statue given by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana back in 1521.

The Santo Niño is now seen as the patron of Cebu. Cebuanos turn to the Santo Niño for strength and guidance within their lives.

When Magellan comes to town

On September 20, 1519, a fleet of five galleons under the command of Portuguese Navigator Ferdinand Magellan at the service of the king and queen of Spain set sail from San Lucar de Barrameda in search of the Spice Islands. Their journey took them to Limasawa, a small island south of Leyte in the central region of The Philippines.

Magellan took possession of the islands and named it The Philipines after King Philip of Spain. Magellans expedition then moved on towards Cebu. Magellan found the island to be very hospitable, which motivated him to make the island his base for exploration, Christianization and conquest.

King Humabon and Queen Juana of Cebu gave him a warm reception as well as embracing the teachings of Christianity. Magellan gave to Queen Juana a gift during the baptism of King Humabon and his wife Queen Juana on April 14, 1521; this gift is believed to be the statue of the Santo Niño housed in The Basilica Minor del Santo Niño today.

“After dinner the priest and some of the others went ashore to baptize the queen, who came with forty women. We conducted her to the platform, and she was made to sit down upon a cushion, and the other women near her, until the priest should be ready.

She was shown an image of our Lady, a very beautiful wooden child Jesus, and a cross. Thereupon, she was overcome with contrition, and asked for baptism amid her tears. We named her Juana, after the emperors mothers; her daughter, the wife of the prince, Catherina; the queen of Mazua, Lisabeta; and the others, each their distinctive name. Counting men, women, and children, we baptized eight hundred souls.

The queen was young and beautiful, and was entirely covered with a white and black cloth. Her mouth and nails were very red, while on her head she wore a large hat of palm leaves in the manner of a parasol, with a crown about it of the same leaves, like the tiara of the pope; and she never goes any place without such a one. She asked us to give her the little child Jesus to keep in place of her idols; and then she went away.”

As gratitude for their hospitality, Magellan agreed to fight along side King Humabon who was at war with the neighbouring tribe in Mactan island. Magellan was killed in the battle. His men then returned to Spain, which happened to be the expedition which set the record as the first to circumnavigate the earth.

Spain sent another expedition into the South East Asian Region. An Augustinian priest, named Andres Urdaneta, a world-known cosmographer who lived inside the monastic walls of the Augustinian monastery in Mexico along with Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, Basque-Spanish navigator and a governor was summoned to lead the expedition. On November 21, a memorable expedition left Mexico for the Philippines and arrived in Cebu on April 27, 1565.

Cebuanos held suspicion that the Spaniard’s return was about bringing retribution to Magellan’s death, another battle broke out. But heavy artilleries and huge cannons forced the natives to flee to the mountain leaving behind their villages burnt to the ground.

As Spanish soldiers surveyed the debris of the village, a soldier, Juan Camus found an image of the Child Jesus under the pile of ashes unscathed inside a wooden box. The burned wooden box left behind during the 1521 Magellan expedition had preserved the Holy Child carving.

The Basilica Minor del Santo Niño in modern times

A replica of the Santo Niño is now found within a side altar at the Basilica; It is enshrined in a glass case adorned with gold and precious stones. Every third Sunday of January, millions will flock to the streets of Cebu in order to celebrate the largest festival of the year.

It is the Sinulog Festival, a colourful celebration in honour of the feast of the Santo Niño, the patron of Cebu. The main attraction of this festival is the street parade which lasts for 9 – 12 hours, with participants coming from different towns and cities across Cebu, occasionally some participants come from a different island.

Even in modern times, the church has continued to face destructive forces. During the last World War, a bomb fell on the church yet the Santo Niño remained intact. The church has also endured various earth quakes, the most significant being in 2013 were the church faced significant damage due to a major earthquake based in Bohol.

he Basilica Complex of Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is located in city block bordered by the Osmena Boulevard, D. Jakosalem Street, P. Burgos Street, and the Plaza Sugbo where the Magellan’s Cross is located. The main entrance is on the Osmena Boulevard. Two blocks to the north of the basilica is the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. It is where the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu seats.

The Basilica currently remains under the care of the Augustinians – The Order of St. Augustine.

Destination

The Underground River Tour In Palawan

07/18/2017 PhilLife Leave a comment

For those travelling to Palawan, the Underground River should almost be a mandatory stop on the itinerary. Flights going to the island will take you to Puerto Princesa; this city does have a lot to offer, though you will not see the real beauty until you travel further up the island to El Nido.

This is where the Underground River comes into the picture. The Underground River is roughly half way between Puerto Princesa and El Nido. A lot of the tour companies will pick you up in the morning, then take you to the river. Once the tour is over a van is able to take you the rest of the way to El Nido.

A lot of the tour companies do this on a daily basis so making arrangements with them is a very simple process. Puerto Princesa is full of tour companies, so it’s as simple as finding one who wants to negotiate a good price.

The van will generally pick you up from your hotel early on the morning of your tour. From there your permits to enter the underground river will be processed before commencing on the journey to Sabang. From there you have a roughly two-hour ride to Sabang.

Then you will be taken on a small boat ride to arrive at the final destination. From there you will be taken in small groups to the entrance of the underground river where the tour begins.

What will I experience on the tour?

The tour itself is an amazing experience. You are taken by a guide in a small boat towards the entrance of the cave. Once inside, it is not long until you are in complete darkness; the only source of light comes from the tour guides headlamp.

You will be taken up to 4kms into the cave; there you will see plenty of amazing rock formations as well as experience the thriving community of bats within the cave. You are handed an audio device with headphones on the tour, this will help guide you on where to look to see the more interesting rock formations within the cave.

Is the Underground River really worth a visit?

Before visiting the Underground river I had seen a few negative reviews saying it was not worth visiting. From my experience, this is far from the truth. A lot of the negative reviews were due to the amount of tourists visiting the area. A lot of people seemed to be frustrated by the crowds of tourists found around the destination.

I visited during the off season, in addition, I also made my visit on a weekday. So while I was there I was only dealing with very moderate amounts of tourists. There was also very little waiting for things like a boat to get to the Underground River entrance and the boat which took us on the tour itself.

So to avoid any frustration I suggest trying to time your visit for the off season. As like most other tourist destination in The Philippines; this place can get busy.

Destination

Malapascua My Favourite Hidden Tourist Destination In The Philippines

07/03/2017 PhilLife Leave a comment

Our journey to Malapascua began at Cebus north bus terminal. Malapascua is a small island found just off the north tip of mainland Cebu. To get to the island you need to ride a bus which will take you directly to that point. From there you will need to take a ferry across to the island.

Personally, I spend a lot of time around the major cities in the Philippines; I usually find myself often hopping between Manila and Cebu. When I venture out into the provinces like this, I get the feeling of a somewhat different lifestyle than what I experience in the cities.

It feels nice to leave the 24/7 chaos of the city and experience what the Philippines is like away from the traffic and the high-density living of the beach. The bus ride from Cebu City to the Maya ferry terminal took about 5 hours; although it went quickly as I kept myself busy eating the snacks I brought for the journey.

The bus arrived directly outside the ferry terminal so we could almost directly transfer from the bus to the ferry. We were there with the islands pastor, who was a European man who could speak fluent Cebuano. It wasn’t long until we were on our way to the island.

The boat we were on was too big to get past the reef surrounding the island so to get to the shore we had to transfer all of our luggage to a small fishing boat which would then take us to the shore. I felt a little paranoid throwing all my luggage into such a small boat, but everything made it to the shore, so I was happy.

From there we were on our own. I began to ask locals for directions to the resort I had booked. It seemed like even if the people didn’t know where the resort was, they were still willing to help us because everybody seemed to be giving us completely different directions.

I then asked a boy who looked like he was about 4-5 years old. He just gave the nod and started walking so naturally, I followed him. Minutes later we were standing outside our accommodation; I was surprised the boy even understood me, let alone take us to the resort so quickly.

Now, as for the island itself, it did not take me long to fall in love with the place. The thing about a loaf of tourist destinations in The Philippines is that everybody already knows about them. If you go to El Nido, Boracay you can expect to be surrounded by a hoard of other tourists no matter where you go.

The thing about Malapascua is it is relatively unknown on the world stage. When travel media covers The Philippines the focus is usually on the traditional tourist destinations, so Malapascua is rarely mentioned. Most of the tourists there were either from the dive community or people from other areas of Cebu. There were almost no other kinds of tourists there.

This meant that we were able to walk around the island, visit its beautiful beaches and most of the time be the only ones there. The island has an active local population, so a lot of the time you could watch fisherman putting out their nets, or you would have the local school kids approaching you to say hi.

The island offers the perfect mix of everything you want as a tourist, picturesque beaches, delicious food and friendly service along with the experience of the traditional way of life outside of the metro area of the major cities.

Malapascua resorts

Malapascua Legend Resort – This resort is the last in a line of resorts found on the main tourist strip on Malapascua. The Malapascua Legend is one of the more regularly recommended resorts as it offers relaxing private rooms surrounding a large central pool, high-quality service from professional staff, as well as breakfast daily in its fully operational restaurant. All of this comes at an affordable price compared to other resorts on the island, which makes the Malapascua Legend the go to resort for tourists on a budget.

Click here for the latest deals and prices for the Malapascua Legend Resort.

Hippocampus Beach Resort – This resort is another one of my favourites on the island. It is one of the mid-range resorts so you have access to the services you would expect from a resort. Daily housekeeping, wifi, hot water, complimentary breakfast as well as a private balcony for each room. For this particular hotel, I would pay the extra money to get a deluxe room. The ocean views, extra space and air conditioning are well worth the extra money.

Click here for the latest deals and prices for the Hippocampus Beach Resort.

Ocean Vida Resort – Although I have never stayed in this resort; from what I have seen and read, this is one of the better resorts on the island. Each room features air conditioning, wifi access as well as a private balcony or terrace. The resort has a fitness centre as well as offering spa and massage. I have dined at the resort’s restaurant and had a fantastic time on all occasions. They offer bean bags down on the beach with a small table for your food. So you can lay back enjoy a meal meters from the water.

Click here for the latest deals and prices for the Ocean Vida Resort.

Malapascua weather

Malapascua is the same as almost every other region of The Philippines, HOT. Pack for a stereotypical tropical island getaway, and you’ll be okay. Sunscreen is essential; I would put on sunscreen every 2-3 hours and still got quite burnt, so ensure you bring a good quality waterproof sunscreen.

There can also be some unexpected downfalls, I have been there on days where I have woken up to a beautiful cloudless day; then an hour or two later the island was hit with heavy rain and some intense winds. So it may be a good idea to bring along a small retractable umbrella.

Malapascua food prices

The food on the island was outstanding quality. If you are dining at one of the resorts you can expect a high-quality meal along with friendly service from all of the staff. Prices at the resorts are a little more expensive than the rest of the island as they are usually hosting the international guests who have come to dive. The prices at the resorts are still reasonable P250 – 400 per dish.

The prices at the resorts are still reasonable despite that, but if you are looking for a meal on a budget, you can find it amongst the local island community. Amongst all the houses there are a lot of smaller restaurants which offer good food at an extremely low price, you will find a lot of the locals dining in at these restaurants with you. They all offer friendly service with meals costing on average P100 – 150 per dish.

Activities and tours on Malapascua

Despite a lot of the visitors to the island being drawn in by the world class dive spots, there is still a lot on offer to those who may not be that way inclined. One of my favourite activities was taking a boat to one of the famous islands close by, Kalanggaman Island. Tour operators sit along the main walkway between the resorts looking for people to join their tours the following morning.

I approached one of the operators on the way home from a restaurant one night. All he asked for was my name and the resort I was staying at. The following morning he came directly to our room and escorted us over to the tour boat. The island itself was breathtaking. It looked like the kind of island you will see on a movie over in the Caribean.

The tour runs for the full day and is well worth the cost. You have plenty of time on the island to swim, explore and take photos. The price also includes lunch while you are there. I would not worry about trying to book anything ahead of time as there are plenty of operators on the island, so you will not struggle to find a spot on one of the boats.