After Carmel, after much debate about where to go next, me and my barkada went to the “Cattle Trading Capital of the Philippines.” Well, minalas because it was Black Saturday, so nothing much to do for that day except for some people who are practicing for the upcoming Easter rituals the day after. Sayang, I wanted to see the action of cattle trade in this place. May next time naman.
The old name of the said town was “Lumang Bayan” where it was once the seat of power of its neighboring town Rosario. Later, the town was renamed in honor of one of Batangas’ prominent sons, Padre Vicente Garcia.
So we went to the church of Padre Garcia. Officially called the Church of the Holy Rosary (Iglesia de Santo Rosario), it is grey and squat, it looks like as if it was covered by concrete yet still manifest its Baroque influence. Some say it pre-dates the establishment of Batangas Basilica by several years.
Also managed to inspect the convent which has some of its original parts still standing along with the new convent.
As we entered the church, it was coloured pastel orange of some sorts. Quite dark but it was cool enough inside to protect us from the searing summer heat. Kasi nga Abril. The parish priest was kind enough (and a kababayan from Panay Island) to let us climb the belfry…
Well, the belfry is where Bruce Wayne and Quasimodo meet. As you enter the narrow and dark stairs going up, the stench of pee-pee is so strong, I wasn’t able to breathe until I reached the top. Once there, you’ll get a magnificent view of the town and nearby Lipa. The floor was full of bat droppings! Talk about guano (but seriously, the bellboy said that they sell belfry guano at the market for farmer fertilizer).
As noon is nearing, we decided to go back to Lipa City, another 15 minute jeep ride back.
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