There’s summer away from Boracay -2

Nature as tourist attraction

The scenery gives you pride of place, reminding you of how rich and varied

Philippine vegetation is. It should be of interest not only to local and foreign

tourists but also to those who want to learn more about Philippine plants and

flora--a curiosity that Villegas suggested the resort can help encourage among

us Filipinos. It should reassure us that our country can still breed nature, not

only politicians.

The museum is now housed in a vast church in the estate. Even for us

second-timers, its collection continues to awe not so much for its antiquity as

for its wild variety--from religious icons to old diggings to lifestyle trappings and

fashions. Its charm lies precisely in the fact that it’s not under strict curatorship.

As Don said, his grandparents, Arsenio and Rosario Escudero, who were

clearly ahead of their era not only for their fortune but also for their far-flung

interests, collected everything. Thus it was not surprising to see among the

collection even the matriarch’s evening bags and shoes from the ’40s and ’50s,

and silver coin clips.

One item made me, with another hungry-for-learning member of the group, turn

back to give the museum a second look--a very old penis ring. A most un-Holy

Week find but we couldn’t pass up the chance.

New twist to a tradition

Of interest to young couples should be the Wedding Center--a new cluster of

pavilions, which I think gives a new twist to local flavor. A short walk away

from each other are the chapel, a cozy spread for cocktails, and a bigger area

for the reception--separate structures linked by the natural lush setting. They

make for a visual feast which, with the couple’s sophisticated handling, can

make a native wedding chic. When Patis Tesoro holds her son Joel’s wedding

here this month, we’ll see if this will start a trend in a different sort of Filipiniana

wedding.

(Speaking of weddings, Joe Salazar, who’s doing Charlene Gonzales’ bridal

gown, is pleasantly surprised to discover that his famous bride has a safe,

conservative taste. The sexy numbers she wears on her dance show do not

reflect her character at all, she insists. Instead she wants to look very classic

and simple on her wedding. So Joe’s design is clean, contemporary--no

Filipiniana for Charlene--with only a whiff of pink.)

The ancestral home is also worth a tour--an educational enjoyment especially

for the young ones in our group, Dean Santos’ post-teen daughters Monica and

Waya and Professor De Leon’s Wana who’s not even 10.

We also discovered the Villa’s coco jam, bought a bottle--the best we’ve

tasted, especially with hot pan de sal.

We hardly got to talk to Ado but we saw nonetheless how the Good Friday

procession has remained his obsession. There were 45 carrozas--enough to

draw urbanites like Katrina Legarda (who’s starting a TV show with Randy

David), Larry Leviste, Robert Borja, Offie Recto to this part of town this time

of year.

In sheer number, grandeur and ornamentation, this procession far surpassed the

Good Friday processions I grew up to in my mother’s hometown in Obando,

Bulacan. There I looked forward to seeing the family’s ancestral Pieta take its

grand place in the procession, rivaling the beauty of another clan’s Mater

Dolorosa. It was a subliminal competition I eagerly awaited as a child. Since the

carrozas and santos are family heirlooms, Good Friday processions in

traditional provinces make good indicators of each clan’s balance sheets--the

ebb and rise of family fortunes through the decades.

Such is the uniqueness and vanity of Filipino piety which you wonder if the

younger generations will experience. That was why I felt glad that De Leon’s

7-year-old Wana took her eyes off the Harry Potter she was reading to watch

Ado’s Good Friday feat. And that’s why I think businessman Bert Lina’s idea

of turning Laguna’s churches and religious traditions into a strong culture

tourism come-on, is good.

There should be salvation in the countryside even as C-5 and the rest of Metro

Manila continue to be mired in trash, literally.