By Benjamin Layug
FOR the second time around (the first was in Mindoro Oriental), I was invited by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) to join another of their drive tourism caravans (the 10th in AAP’s series), this time to Bulacan. The caravan is a tourism program wherein, instead of driving straight to the destination, it moves through a tourism highway or road network that allows participants to see many attractions in between the start and end destinations.
With the theme “Enjoying Bountiful Harvest and Exploring the Off Beaten Path of History and Culture,” the 57 participants (AAP directors, members, friends and the media), in 14 cars, flagged off one early morning from the Petron Marilao station where we had breakfast and availed ourselves of their clean restrooms. The event was co-organized by Petron Blaze 100 Euro 4, in partnership with the Department of Tourism Region 3, the tourism office of Bulacan under Gov. Wilhemino Sy-Alvarado, the Tourism Promotions Board, Manila North Tollways Corp. and Aeromed, the official ambulance partner.
Participants first visited the 140-hectare Ciudad de Victoria, a tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria that integrates residential and office buildings, as well as a complex dedicated to shopping, entertainment, leisure, education, business and sports. It houses the magnificent Philippine Arena (the world’s largest mixed-use indoor arena) and the Philippine Sports Stadium.
The caravan proceeded to Malolos City where we made a stopover at the historic Barasoain Church, site of the 1898 Malolos Congress. At the adjacent convent, we visited two museums: the Diocesan Museum of Malolos and the Museum of the Malolos Republic. At the latter, museum curator Jose Ruel Paguiligan narrated the highlights of the Malolos Republic via a light-and-sound presentation, with a life-size diorama of its leading figures displayed.
We next headed to the city’s Kamestizuhan District (a neighborhood of handsome ancestral houses belonging to some of Malolos’s rich and illustrious citizens), making a stopover at restored home of Alberta Uitangcoy-Santos, a national heritage house owned by a fiery feminist Impong Iding, one of the leaders of the Women of Malolos to whom Dr. Jose Rizal addressed his famous letter “Sulat sa mga Kadalagahang Taga-Malolos.” Here, we attended a lighthearted lecture on the 20 Women of Malolos delivered by Women of Malolos Foundation Inc. President Bong Enriquez. Bong also toured us around the house’s Museo ng Kababaihan ng Malolos. Of particular interest on that floor was the beautiful embossed metal ceiling
Afterward, we had a taste of the local glutinous rice cakes (sapin-sapin, kutsinta, biko, etc.) and arroz caldo (Filipino congee) outside the Bulacan Pasalubong Center. The participants next visited the East West Seed Farm, a distributor of high-quality vegetable seeds in about 60 countries worldwide from Africa to Asia, Australia to America. AAP’s drive tour caravan also highlights farm tourism, the newest trend in travel, moving around the various farms near Metro Manila to explore, immerse in and experience the culture of a farm. From the farm, the caravan headed to Daily Bread Organic Farm in Bustos for lunch at their poolside restaurant, feasting on lumpiang sariwa (fresh vegetable roll), buko pandan and corn coffee, among others. As part of AAP’s CSR, the caravan drove to Bahay at Yaman ni San Martin de Porres in Bustos, a shelter for abandoned children. In this special place, the children gave a special performance. A group played the violin while a thin but very energetic boy showed off his break-dancing moves. The children live in special stone houses just like the ones of the Ivatans of Batanes—another must-see in Bustos, Bulacan.
Our last stop, before the caravan returned to Manila, was the Municipal Office of Bustos. Here, Mayor Arnel Mendoza welcomed the participants, gave a short talk about Bustos and served them with delicious minasa (a local cookie made with cassava flour, egg yolk, coconut milk, sugar and margarine) and coconut sherbet, the town’s food specialties.