St. Pedro Calungsod Received a Welcome in Daraga

On October 21, 2012, the Philippines was given it's second saint to honor and revere.  Pedro Calungsod was canonized by Pope Benedict the XVI and the Filipino people have been celebrating ever since. In church last Sunday, the parish priest asked all of the school children to line the National Highway on Monday, November 12th, because a relic of the new saint would be passing by at 2:00 PM.  So approximately 500 students from Impact Learning Center left their classes and lined the highway.  At 3:15, a caravan of cars, motorcycles and trucks drove by with a relic of the saint.  They were bound for St. Gregory's Cathedral in Legaspi. The children had handkerchiefs that they waved and they were excited to witness such a momentous event and to be out of class midday. The secondary students were also out in force and their bright colored umbrellas could be seen up the road. Pedro Calungsod was only 17 years old when he was martyred in Guam in the year 1672.  Because of his age, he is considered to be the patron saint of youth and the youth came out to herald him.

Saturday Market in Daraga

octopus meat

The butcher's daughters work on Saturday.

The butcher using his knife and block with skill and agility.

There is no wasted space.

The spices and seasonings are as important as the meat and vegetables.

The fish was caught that morning.  It is now 6:45AM.

Pumpkin that I purchased for my soup.

gisantes

Everything is weighed.

The fishmonger's job is to descale and fillet the fish.

dried fish

grinding the coconut

coconut flakes

coconut milk

It is early on a Saturday morning and Ely and I board a jeepney and head down to the Daraga Market.  We are joined along the way by the women of the town. This is an outdoor market that expands and contracts depending on the day of the week.  Saturday morning, all of the vendors and merchants are present.  You can get any seasonal vegetable or fruit within its confines.  You can also get meat, fish and household goods.  There are baked goods, bread and bags of rice.  I was able to purchase spices in small quantities and cream for my pumpkin soup.  The key is knowing where to find the things that you need.  I could never have accomplished that without Ely.  She grew up in Daraga and knows the merchants and has shopped in the aisles her whole life.  There are hidden places in the recesses of the building.  We jumped over a water trough and walked behind the coconut vendor and found a whole new section of the building. When Ely was a young girl, she contemplated becoming a chef and judging the freshness of the food and its quality are part of her lifelong training.  Now, she is training me and I will take all the advice and help that she has to offer. This market with its hanging light bulbs and metal corrugated roof, is a good place to start.

Daraga, Albay

Daraga, Albay

Our Lady of the Gate Church AKA Daraga Church 1773

Lignon Hill

View of Legaspi Airport, Albay Gulf and Legaspi Embarcadaro from Lignon Hill

Mt. Mayon Volcano

Jeepney on National Highway

Weaver/Cottage Industry

Church Tower and Mt. Mayon Volcano at Cagsawa Ruin

The city of Daraga, Albay is in the Philippines on the island of Bicol. It can be reached by a 40 minute plane ride or a 12 hour bus trip from Manilla. It is a fast growing municipality that caters to tourists and Filipinos on holiday. The attractions in the area make it a popular distination. Visitors come to see: Cagsawa Ruins, Lignon Hill Nature Park, Albay Park and Wildlife Center, Nabasan and/or Bigao Caves and the Church of Daraga. 

The Daraga area was settled in the 12 century as the result of migrating Malasians from the Sri Vasayan Empire. The conquistadors, led by Juan Salceda, arrived later and established the town of Budiao. The Spanish built the Cagsawa Church that was destroyed when Mt. Mayon volcano erupted in 1814.  After the eruption, the Daraguenos moved their community and established Daraga as the main town. Budiao became a barrio of Daraga. The main industy in Daraga is farming.  Rice and coconuts are grown. The handicrafts of the area also generate income.  17.71% of the economy comes from cottage industries. Samples of the handicrafts can be found in the marketplace next to Cagsawa Ruins. Examples of the products are abaca bags, anahaw fans and sculptures made out of volcanic rock. Pili sweets and nuts are grown and sold in the region as well.

The literacy rate in the area is 96.08% and the ratio of teachers to students in a classroom is the national average of 50:1. All the public schools in the area are in need of repair.  Typhoons, heavy rains and lack of maintenance have contributed to the current state of the structures. The current population of 115,804 is growing and the economy is strong in the area. An international airport at Alobo is expected to be completed in 2013. This will bring many people and income to the area.

Mt. Mayon Volcano

Mt. Mayon from my bedroom window

Mt. Mayon from Impact Learning Center

Mt. Mayon from Daraga

Mt. Mayon Volcano is located in the province of Albay on the island of Luzon.  Its shape is a perfect cone and this is achieved by only one other volvano, Mt. Fuji in Japan.  Mt. Mayon is spectacular.  It dominates the landscape and the smoke that billows out of the top often obscures the mountain but when you are lucky enough to see the slopes, it is a beautiful sight. The mountain has been a national park since 2000. It is protected landscape and as such you need to get a permit to climb.  The starting off point is in Tabaco and the climb to the summit takes three days and 10 to 12 hours.  At the present time, the summit is off limits.  The last volcanic activity on the mountain was in January 2011 when it weakly erupted but scientists feel that it may be building up to a larger more hazardous eruption.  There are monitoring devices on the mountain. To the best of the experts' knowledge, the mountain has had 49 eruptions.  The last known deaths were in 1993 but 77,000 people were evacuated in 1984 and lava flowed when the volcano erupted in 2008. Mt. Mayon is part of the Ring of Fire.  It is the most active volcano in the Philippines and it is just outside my window.

The legend that has been told regarding the mountain is as follows:

Legend of Mayon Volcano

Once there was a princess named Daragang Magayon (Daraga means lady, Magayon is beautiful) who lived in Bicol. She’s so beautiful. She came from the family that reigns over the entire Bicol.
Because of her beauty and influence, warriors, princes and datus from different parts of the country desired to have her as their wife. But Magayon fell in love with a warrior named Handiong, a prince who came from a tribe that was, unfortunately, the rival of Magayon’s tribe. The two suffered so much from their respective family’s attempts to separate them that they finally decided to flee. Unfortunately their families found out and fought a bloody tribal war. This caused the young couple so much pain they decided together to commit suicide.
The tribes buried the lovers separately. Months passed when Magayon’s tribe saw a volcano growing in the place where Magayon was buried. They named it for Daragang Magayon. “Bulkang Magayon” describing its perfect shape likes their beautiful Daraga.

First Communion

Monday was not a normal school day.  It was First Communion Day for the third graders.  The students at the elementary school in Salvacion had learned their prayers and had studied their catechism and were ready to receive the host for the first time.  At 8:00, they began to come to the neighborhood church and their teachers and spiritual instructors were their to orchestrate the ceremony for their big day.  Not all the parents could attend because it was a work day but all of the celebrants had at least one person to walk them up the aisle for their first Communion.  Before that moment happened, each of the children went up to Father Mendoza and made their first confession. This was a private time and it was not rushed or hurried. After the last child had returned to their seat, the children lined up with their lit candles and walked in procession up the main aisle.  Then mass started.  The children were the lectors and they did a wonderful job.  Each read their part with clarity and calm.  It was uplifting.  Songs were sung and after an hour a few heads were whirling and veils were slipping but the boys did not fish any toys out of their pockets or throw any spit wads, so the solemn moment was just that, solemn. Those children who brought an offering, took it forward.  There was fruit, pesos and a few bottles of rum.  The families gave what they had to give. Each child came forward with a parent and each received their host. In the children's hands were lit candles.  The candles remained lit for the rest of the mass and I watched each and every one as they flickered close to the netting of the veils and the rayon of the boys' shirts.  All went well. It was truly a privilege to be invited to this monumental event in these children's lives.