Sa Duyan ng Malabon

Indulging in a little nostalgia.  ...And dreaming, as well. 

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Then and now: The view from Tonsuya Bridge

Many of us are already familiar with this popular vintage photo of a street scene in Malabon:

Street scene - the view from Tonsuya Bridge, c. mid-1890s to early 1900s

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Most every one recognizes that, with the San Bartolome Church in the background, this must have been the view from Tonsuya Bridge probably in the mid-1890s to early 1900s when electricity was already available in the Philippines.  

Those were the times when the horse-drawn calesa was the primary means of transport around town... the tranvia was still operating from Manila to Malabon (the tranvia was in use until World War II)... houses typically had steep roofs like the original "bahay kubo" (nipa hut) ... and trees were all around the place giving shade and fresh air to residents. 

I couldn't resist the temptation, of course, to "update" this image, by taking a shot from Tonsuya bridge today - although not from the middle of the road like the vintage photo, for obvious reasons.

Street scene - the view from Tonsuya Bridge today.

If the "kutsero" (calesa driver) in the vintage photo had the ability to time-travel from the 1900s to today like Michael J. Fox did in the movie "Back to the Future" - I'm sure he would have been shocked at how immensely this street scene has changed!  

Nothing, it seems, has been left untouched by time and the vicissitudes of man.  Certainly not Tonsuya bridge itself, nor the houses and the means of transport.  Nor the people on the street that animate what would otherwise have been a still-life of our hometown.  

And not even San Bartolome Church - mute witness and would-have-been/could-have-been sentinel of this gracious town's proud heritage, having been in existence itself for nearly four centuries.

In the end, there is only one element in both pictures that has not changed at all, and thankfully, never will in this world's lifetime. 

The only thing that did not change was the sky.

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Barangay Bayan-Bayanan and Maysilo

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Still on my Malabon fiesta tour....



BARANGAY BAYAN-BAYANAN
Feast of San Roque

Bayan-Bayanan Chapel at Celia II Street, Barangay Bayan-Bayanan.

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BARANGAY MAYSILO
Feast of Nuestra Sra. dela Paz Y Buenviaje

Maysilo Chapel at Yanga Street, Barangay Maysilo.   I went to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Church on M.H. del Pilar, thinking it was also their fiesta.  But I was told that it was the barangay of Maysilo and this chapel celebrating their fiesta today.

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Again, it's three fiestas in a day: Barangay Catmon, Niugan and Panghulo

As far as I'm concerned, it's official:  May is fiesta month in Malabon!

Including today's fiestas, seven barangays in Malabon have had their fiestas so far this month.  And between today and the end of May, another three barangays will be celebrating.

Skies were a little overcast this morning when I left the house to make my rounds - but I was determined to take a peek at all the barangay fiestas this year. And those grey skies were not enough, either, to dampen the festive mood in each of the barangays I visited!  All three barangays were celebrating the Feast of Sta. Cruz (Feast of the Holy Cross), but based on the streamers I saw, each had their own way of calling their feast day in the vernacular.


BARANGAY CATMON
Pista ng Mahal na Poong Krus

Catmon Chapel on Dulong Hernandez Street, Barangay Catmon.  Holy Mass must have been scheduled at around 9:00am because when the ladies saw me get down from the car at around that time, one of them asked me if the priest was already with me.  The streamer nearby mentions the fiesta dates as May  7-8, 2011.

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Street dancers going through their moves at the other end of Hernandez Street.

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BARANGAY NIUGAN
Pista ng Banal na Krus

Niugan Chapel on N. Vicencio Street, Barangay Niugan.  Participating in the parade were at least three marching bands and some barangay officials.  A streamer nearby announced the holding of a "Serenata "by the Cardona 8 Band in front of the chapel the night before.

BARANGAY PANGHULO
Pista ng Mahal na Senor Sta. Cruz

Panghulo Chapel on Panghulo Road, Barangay Panghulo.

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Barangay Hulong Duhat's turn to fiesta

It was Hulong Duhat's turn to fiesta yesterday.

I was able to to visit the place only this afternoon -- the buntings ("banderitas") were still up, so there was still a bit of the fiesta feeling.  An improvised stage was still set up, too. 

Fiesta activities included a pagoda (fluvial procession) on the Malabon River at 10:00am yesterday.  A "sagalahan" (procession of models) was also held on Saturday evening.  It would have been nice to watch the pagoda.  After watching my first-ever pagoda last December at the Barangay Concepcion fiesta, I suddenly feel like I've been missing out on something special all these years that I've been a Malabon resident.  So now I want to watch more pagodas!


BARANGAY HULONG DUHAT
Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Exaltation of the Holy Cross Parish Church on Gervacio Street, Barangay Hulong Duhat.  I was told that Bishop Deogracias Iniguez was to celebrate Mass at the chapel at 5:30pm yesterday.

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Three Fiestas in a Day: Barangays Acacia, Longos and Santulan

The merry month of May begins with three fiestas today in Malabon.

Since fiestas are commonly associated with the feast day of a patron saint, I went to the three barangays' chapels to take a quick look.  Except for the Longos chapel which is familiar to me because an old friend of mine used to live in that barangay, I didn't even know there were chapels located in barangay Acacia and Santulan.  We had to stop and ask around in order to find them.

And when we did find the chapel, there was no doubt that a fiesta was going on because of the festive buntings that decorated both the chapel and the street.


BARANGAY ACACIA
Feast of St. Joseph the Worker (San Jose)

Chapel located on Flerida Street, Barangay Acacia.  The image of St. Joseph is obviously being readied for a procession.

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BARANGAY LONGOS
Feast of Senor de Longos

Chapel located on Borromeo Street, Barangay Longos.  There were banners located on Rizal Avenue announcing activities for the fiesta such as a walkathon, fireworks and procession.

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BARANGAY SANTULAN
Feast of Mahal na Senor Sta. Cruz

Chapel located on Custodio Street, Barangay Santulan.  There was a small stage set up at the corner of the street, so there must be activities lined up for their fiesta as well. 

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