A swing of Rizal province: Experiencing native foods

It is my custom to go to Antipolo when it is the month of May. I have been following this practice for the past 50 years. I go up to Antipolo at least once, sometimes twice or even three times that month.

I acquired this habit from my Tita Amparing, who took me and my brothers and sisters on this annual pilgrimage to pray to Our Lady of Antipolo, the Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage. Sometimes, we would make the trip as early as May 1. We would drive all the way from Lucena to hear Mass and, sometimes, even join the procession.

I always looked forward to these excursions with Tita Amparing. No trip to Antipolo was complete without a meal of suman and mangga. After the morning mass, we would troop to the stalls selling a variety of kakanin to buy provisions for a picnic at Hinulugang Taktak.

Hinulugang Taktak was quite popular as a resort and picnic site in the 1950s. The picnic huts then were well-kept and orderly. The water that fell from the top of the waterfall was much stronger compared to the trickle nowadays.

To this day, I have suman and mangga after paying my respects to the Virgin Mary. During a visit to Antipolo over the weekend, I had my fill of this popular snack. I consider the suman in Antipolo to be the best, and I’ve tried suman from all over the country. I also love the native fruits on sale outside the church. I am quite fond of duhat, siniguelas and chesa.

It is quite distressing that some people now make the trek to Antipolo only during the month of May. Honoring the Virgin Mary should not be confined solely to this time of the year. Travelers should make the effort to visit, seek guidance and give thanks to the Virgin of Antipolo because she is the Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage. Whenever I go abroad, I always go to Antipolo to pray for a safe journey.

After my visit to Antipolo, I went to Tanay, Rizal. I passed through the towns of Teresa, a quiet little town with factories, and Morong and Baras, with its old churches.

Tanay is more progressive than these two towns. It is very busy with its countless tricycles running around its streets. If there’s anything I don’t appreciate about this town, it is the tricycles. The smoke they make is bad for my health. I was coughing the whole time I was there. The noise also drove me crazy.

The parish church of Tanay is dedicated to San Ildefonso. As you enter the gate of the church compound, you will see two big trees that must be 200 years old. I’ve never seen trees with trunks as big as these two trees. In Sariaya, Quezon, there are some 100-year old trees, and they only have trunks that are half as wide as those in Tanay.

The Church of San Ildefonso is just as old as the town of Tanay itself. The town was founded in 1606, and its first stone church was built in 1680.

A historical marker at the church says that the town was originally an old village located at Monte Tan-ay, now known as Inalsan. It fell under the jurisdiction of the town of Pililla in 1573. It became an independent parish under the town of San Ildefonso in 1606, hence the church’s name. Its administration was moved to the town of San Antonio in 1620.When San Antonio was burned in 1639, the residents moved to the town’s present site and was officially founded as Tanay in 1640.

Much of the town’s history is tied to the old church. The existing Church of San Ildefonso was built from 1773 to 1783. Two irrigation dams were built from 1790 to 1808. Separate schools for boys and girls were opened in 1821. A stone bridge crossing Tanay River was built from 1854 to 1856, but this was destroyed by a strong typhoon and flood on Sept. 27, 1864. It was rebuilt in 1877. The town’s municipal building was erected in 1888 and a school house was established in 1893. Most of the funds used for these public improvements were gained through voluntary contributions from the town’s residents.

Of course, the reason why I go to Tanay, Rizal is the food. The town is famous for its goto and lumpiang gulay. After paying my respects to the patron saint of Tanay, I hied off with my companion to one of the tiendas to have lugaw. I would have loved to feast on goto, but my health forbids it now.

If you go to Tanay, you will not miss all the little stores selling goto and lumpia around the town. Believe me, it’s the best I’ve ever tried.

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Who doesn’t have a favorite auntie? In the Ticzon and Lovina families, the honor goes to Tabeng, the family’s nickname for Juliet Lovina Ticzon, who celebrated recently her 60th birthday in a lavish party at the Tai Pan Restaurant of the Tower Club, the exclusive businessman’s lounge at the 33rd floor of the Philamlife Tower.

Tabeng’s birthday was highlighted by an audio-visual presentation detailing milestones in her life. The presentation was made by Jimmy Teotico of Simerc Studio from photos and materials compiled by her sister Portia Ticzon Santos and niece Arlene Ticzon.

The food was very good and, after everybody had their fill, they danced until the wee hours of the night to ballroom dancing music by Lady Valerie and her orchestra.

In her speech, sister Belen Lovina Ticzon-Martel said she couldn’t possibly manage traveling abroad without her big sister Tabeng, since she handles everything they need, especially when they are in New York. In fact, when the Martel family, consisting of Don Antonio Martel Jr., Belen and their daughter Antonia, goes to Europe and the United States on their annual vacation and pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, Tabeng is sure to be with them.

Tabeng, who is the vice president for finance of Belco Marketing Inc., tells me that she counts Paris and New York as her favorite cities in the world. She is well-traveled, going to Europe and the United States during the Holy Week break and the summer months. During the rest of the year, when her schedule permits it, she travels around Asia with her friends and her sisters.

Some of the guests at Tabeng’s party were good friends Dionisio and Rosario Jao of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary parish in Binondo; New Yorkers Willie and Josie Fernandez, Quezonians Boy and Ching Sales, Don Antonio and Belen Martel with daughter Antonia and friends, Robby and Melissa Martel with their kids Paolo, Nikki and Anton, BMI executives Benny and Ophie Clemente with daughters Chinkee, Lelei and Sansan, Troy and Liza Ticzon with daughter Lala, and Ramon and Portia Santos with kids, Pauline, Pepel and Gabriel and many more.

[ Hinulugang Taktak Falls Wiki | Morong Church Wiki ]