BREAKING
Showing posts with label Visita Iglesia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visita Iglesia. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Early Visita Iglesia with Zooper Cruise of Zoomanity Foundation


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Visita Iglesia is an annual tradition my wife and I do but this time (with apologies to her) I get to experience it alone  with other people (twice) and break the tradition since I got an invite to do an early Visita Iglesia with Zooper Cruise (part of the Zoomanity Group but advertised as under Zoomanity Foundation) of the Yupangco Group of Companies, a few days before the actual day, and another invite with another group who are members of the Miata Club of the Philippines. We did the early Visita Iglesia on a Holy Tuesday (March 27), and the other on a Maundy Thursday (March 29) but it got extended until Good Friday (March 30) when we visited another member's luxurious condominium unit at Tagaytay Highlands. To tell the long story short, my wife and I had to cancel our own Visita Iglesia for this year.

This blog, as the title implies, is all about the early Visita Iglesia with the Zooper Cruise (Though I am a bit confused why they used "zoo" in the name but probably just to indicate that it is operated under the Zoomanity group.

As they advertised, you can get to try a Visita Iglesia like no other for only P1,399 per person. But since I am among the media, the tour was offered to us for free so we could help promote it to our readers, or viewers since I also captured the activity on video of which I will alternate showing on our official Facebook page and official YouTube channel.

The Lenten Week activity (normally done on a Maundy Thursday or like us who do it every Good Friday to avoid the same crowd practicing the activity) is just an example of how we could appreciate a tour via the ferry boat that cruises via the Pasig river. There are actually several options to take advantage of how traffic-free the Pasig river cruise is. Minus the seasonal smell of the Pasig river, the ferry cruise could be a great option to travel and tour aroun the Metro especially if the LGUs of each city would participate in rehabilitating not only the Pasig river but also the sights or locations that we passed by.



 


This is not my first time doing a Pasig river cruise as I have been with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Council twice already, and I could say that there has been a lot of improvement already. This means they are actually doing a great job.

Visionary businessman and agriculture & animal theme-park owner Robert Yupangco sees the potential of the Pasig river cruise so he invested on it. We need more people like him who would take the risk just to prove that there is a visible tourism potential. Some people may call him crazy, but we should rather call him a hero for such an act. We need to emulate his practice because in the long run we will all benefit from the same vision. We need not look far for a solution to the traffic because it is right under our noses. Not to make fun of the pun, but making the Pasig river less smelly is a nationwide task. Each of us should cooperate. From the big businesses to the informal settlers along the rivers, a lot of great possibilities can happen if we all take part in the noble goal.

We are tourists in our own country" says Robert Yupangco, the main man behind the Yupangco Group of Companies which includes the Zoomanity theme-parks.

The Zooper Cruise took us to 7 churches around Makati and Manila. Meeting place was at UnliCity (located at the 3rd floor of Century City Mall) which is also part of the Yupangco Group of Companies.  The tour is actually a combination of a by road and river travel (transport by shuttle and cruise) so it involved going to the different ferry ports in Makati and Manila and some travelling by road to a few of the churches.

St. Andrew the Apostle Parish Church

St. Andrew the Apostle Parish Church

Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church

Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church

Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church

Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church

Sta. Cruz Paris Church

Sta. Cruz Paris Church

Binondo Church

Binondo Church

Manila Cathedral

Manila Cathedral

San Agustin Church

San Agustin Church

The churches we visited were St. Andrew the Apostle Parish Church located in Bel-Air Village in Makati, Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church (also known as Guadalupe Church) located in Guadalupe, Makati, Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church in Sta. Ana, Manila, Sta. Cruz Paris Church in Sta. Cruz, Manila, Binondo Church (also known as the Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish) in Binondo, Manila, San Agustin Church (also known as the Immaculate Conception Parish) in Intramuros, Manila, and the Manila Cathedral (also known as the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception) which is also in Intramuros, Manila.

Below are some of the sights you'll see along the Pasig river:





It took almost the entire day for the Visita Iglesia since we got back to our origin at around 4pm already. Registration for the tour started at 8am and we got down from UnliCity at around 8:30am, and to a shuttle sometime after a few minutes.

They let us stay at a church for around 20 minutes which includes time for prayer and photo ops. For a media like me who takes both photos and videos, it was enough. But I was also documenting the attendees so I am rarely in the official photos and videos. However, I never forget to do my own selfies (posted on our social media pages) though you will notice I am a bit haggard due to that tedious task. I guess I need to find a way to always bring at least one team member with me for travel-related events like these so we could divide or alternate the tasks.




The rewarding part is seeing how the attendees appreciate the tour. I could see that they are somewhat tired and exhausted sometime in between and especially at the latter part, but I could also see that it seems worth the effort for these people. After all, we should be doing a form of sacrifice (all those bits of walking and boat transfers) including fasting (the merienda of macaroni salad was not enough to satisfy) but I heard during one of the interviews that it was intentionally meant that way for this particular tour since it was Visita Iglesia.

Thank you Zooper Cruise for another unique and memorable experience.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Visiting Caleruega Church of Nasugbu, Batangas


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Over at Barangay Caylaway (Kaylaway) of Batulao at Nasugbu, Batangas lies the Caleruega church and all its glory. Some people spell its name as Calaruega and is often mistaken as located in Tagaytay, Cavite. Just as how we mistaken the Taal Volcano as part of Tagaytay, but in reality it is part of Batangas.

Regardless of where this church is located, it probably ranks lower than the many splendid architectural masterpieces because of its simplicity. But I believe there is greatness in being simple since too much complexity may become too "noisy" or complicated to the eye.

Many have said that the church is "a peaceful sanctuary to meditate and pray. You don't only commune with God but also with nature Albeit going there is an uphill climb with rough and rugged roads, but once you get there, it's all worth it!"

The church is small, but you will feel the solemnity and serenity of the area. However, it becomes crowded when mass is going on since not too many people can fit inside.

There's a Php 20 environment fee collected on our way to the church and an entrance fee Php 30 at the gate. Parking is small and majority of which are along the road prior to the entrance. You can rent a trike from the highway to go there. The fare is around Php 50 going in, and would become Php 60 when going out.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Visita Iglesia 2016: Pasig Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral


Wazzup Pilipinas!

It was a tiring but blessed day. We do a Visita Iglesia every year and always during Good Friday. This time it was very special since all seven churches we visited had special and significant meanings in our lives that will forever be a part of our "unforgettable" memories.

Yes, there are memories that are slowly fading away that they are almost forgotten, but there are still those that remain strongly immortalized into our minds because they also have an intimate place in our hearts. I believe that when both mind and heart are in unison, everything else follows and become a lifelong rhythm or melody that will forever be reverberating in our ears like soothing or vibrant music.

Our first visit was of course starting with the main church of Pasig, formally known as the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral located at Plaza Rizal of Barangay Malinao. It was not only because we live in Pasig, but this is also the church where I was christened. I was born in Pasig and my parents first lived in this city before we transferred to Pateros where my parents built a house. I was very young when we left Pasig, and I was destined to return and live here with my wife and kids again. This is where my eldest child was christened too, but that happened when we were still living in Pateros where my eldest was also born.

I've included the Pasig church which we already visited from a previous Visita Iglesia way back 2014 so you can just refer to the article we wrote about it. We often visit this church aside from the Santa Clara de Montefalco Parish located at C. Raymundo Avenue Barangay Caniogan and the San Antonio Abad Parish located at Stella Maris Avenue Barangay Maybunga which are nearer our home.

This is Part 1 of 7 since we visited 7 churches from different locations starting with Pasig and ending in Paranaque where we visited the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help of more popularly known as the Baclaran church.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Kung Ikaw Ay Masaya, Tumawa Ka ... Ha Ha Ha!!!


Wazzup Pilipinas!

It was a tiring but blessed day. We do this every year during Good Friday, and this time it was very special since all seven churches we visited had special and significant meanings in our lives that will forever be a part of our "unforgettable" memories.

Yes, there are memories that are slowly fading away that they are almost forgotten, but there are still those that remain strongly immortalized into our minds because they also have an intimate place in our hearts. I believe that when both mind and heart are in unison, everything else follows and become a lifelong rhythm or melody that will forever be reverberating in our ears like soothing or vibrant music.

Nakaka-LSS naman talaga. Kapag kasi ikaw ay masaya, lagi kang mapapakanta sa tuwa. Lahat ng pangyayari sa iyomg buhay ay may halaga, may katuturan, may natatanging katangian, na dapat ipagmalaki at ipangalandakan dahil nais mong ibalita rin sa iba ang iyong kasiyahan. Hindi upang ipagyabang, kundi para ipadama na dumarating talaga ang grasya sa mga taong nabubuhay ng marangal at tunay na walang itinatago, walang halong pagkukunwari, walang pakitang-tao lang.

Ngayong Semana Santa, sana ay makilala natin ang mga "pretentious" sa paligid-ligid. Ngunit imbes na sila ay talikuran, ipagtabuyan, pagtawanan, at kamuhian, mas nararapat na sila ay ating yayaing sumama upang magkaroon sila ng pagkakataong magbagong buhay tungo sa wastong landas - hindi sa daang matuwid dahil wala naman talagang ganoon - kundi sa daang lubak-lubak pero sama-sama naman nating tinatahak. Kalokohan ang magyaya sa daang matuwid dahil ang buhay ay kailanman hindi magiging perpekto hanggat mayroong nais mangibabaw sa iba.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Visita Iglesia: Visiting The Most Outstanding Churches in Manila



Wazzup Pilipinas!

Aside from Palm Sunday and Easter, the Visita Iglesia is another festive occasion often practiced by faithful Catholics who consider it as a sacrifice similar to how the pilgrims visited the seven basilicas of Rome as penance on a Maundy Thursday.

More than just a religious practice, the Visita Iglesia is also a chance for us to imbibe culture and history, as many of these churches are redolent of our colonial past.

Many have even made the practice socially fun by organizing group tours to the many churches of the country. It also becomes an ideal photo session for photographers who adore street photography, taking photos of mainly the churches, but also including everything else that strikes their fancy, while they visit the churches.

The Visita Iglesia evolved into another well-appreciated art form and tourism event where both photography newbies and oldies can travel together and even teach each other the art. Most would shoot as many images as possible while others would prefer to be selective and take their time identifying the best angle, and lighting.

The Visita Iglesia tradition usually calls for a visit to seven churches on Holy Thursday where the faithful will pray seven repetitions each of Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, However, others visit 14 churches to correspond with the 14 Stations of the Cross, and prays at one Station in each church.
Ang Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas Wazzup Pilipinas and the Umalohokans. Ang Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas celebrating 10th year of online presence
 
Copyright © 2013 Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events
Design by FBTemplates | BTT