A uniquely Malabon resort - Villa Vicencio Garden Resort

It was a discovery I was not expecting.  A balikbayan couple invited us over to VILLA VICENCIO GARDEN RESORT in Barangay Dampalit owned by a relative, and I was just expecting to go to an ordinary resort with a swimming pool.  I was in for a very pleasant surprise.

At first it was just like entering a typical resort one would find in Antipolo or Los Banos. There's a big swimming pool with eating areas beside it. And then there are clusters of small bamboo huts with a much bigger one (a gazebo) in the middle.

But wait. This was not like your typical Antipolo or Los Banos resort ...because the huts are all built on a fishpond. And the fishpond is vast.

Now that's one of the most welcome sights ever for anyone who calls Malabon his or her hometown!  

Just your typical resort entrance....

...until you get to the huts built into the fishpond.  And then you realize you're in a uniquely Malabon resort!

Picnic huts where you get to sit and relax and enjoy the breeze.

VILLA VICENCIO GARDEN RESORT was opened in 1996 by Lucio and Lily Vicencio.   It started out with two smaller swimming pools in a garden setting.  Five years later, according to their son Jing, they bought the adjoining lot where they built a much bigger pool and added the bamboo huts built into the fishponds at the back.  Now, it's the bigger swimming pool that's used the whole year round, and the two smaller pools are used only during summer when there are more guests.  Guests bring their own picnic food;  snacks and soft drinks are available at the resort only during the summer.

With such surroundings, I could sit in this hut all day...

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The netting that serves to compartmentalize the ponds make an interesting accent in the water along with the caretaker's house in the distance.

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Another place where it still feels like Malabon -- once you get past the typical resort sights and sounds of laughter and fun in the swimming pool area.

Thanks to balikbayan couple Mr. and Mrs. Andre Salvador for this wonderful discovery! 

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Andre' Salvador for this wonderful discovery!



VILLA VICENCIO GARDEN RESORT
303 M. Sioson Street
Barangay Dampalit
Malabon City
Tel. No. 351.5197

Open everyday for swimming and picnics.  (9:00am - 10:00pm)

To get there from Monumento:
Take Governor Pascual Avenue, turn right to General Luna Street.
Go straight on Gen. Luna, then turn right at Don Basilio Bautista Blvd. in Barangay Hulong Duhat.
Go past Dampalit Bridge.  Before you reach the Dampalit Church, turn left at M. Sioson Street.
Go straight on M. Sioson.  Villa Vicencio will be on your right.
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Sunset over Malabon fishponds immortalized by Amorsolo

I had a rare opportunity to view Fernando Amorsolo's SUNSET OVER MALABON FISHPONDS recently with my husband.  We were so thrilled!  Wouldn't you be, if you could hold the frame at arm's length, take in every masterful stroke, and admire every hue and texture of an Amorsolo masterpiece?

I've long admired Amorsolo for his beautiful depiction of Philippine rural life and landscapes, but I always thought those were all of some rustic far-off province.  Imagine how excited I was when I discovered that once upon a time, Amorsolo actually sat down and painted our very own fishponds in Malabon!

SUNSET OVER MALABON FISHPONDS by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.  From the Adamson University Collection.  Photo taken by Mar Bustamante of Adamson University during our visit.

In the painting, the explosion of color in the sky as the sun is about to set on Malabon's fishponds provides a vibrant backdrop to an otherwise peaceful scene. This is classic Amorsolo, combining skillful technique and emotion.  Note the familiar outline of San Bartolome Church in the distance. As I admired the painting, I couldn't help but feel a little emotional; I was viewing a scene once familiar and comforting, memorialized on canvas by one of the masters. 


THE PAINTING

Fernando Amorsolo painted SUNSET OVER MALABON FISHPONDS in 1950.  It was bought by Sofia Adamson, wife of George Athos Adamson (whose original Greek surname was Adamopoulos).  The latter worked at Adamson University to help his first cousin, George Lucas Adamson, founder of Adamson University. 

After the war, Sofia went to live in the U.S., bringing the painting with her.  She died of a heart attack on May 19, 2007 in Pasadena, California.  Sofia wrote of her experience in the Philippines in her book "Gods, Angels, Pearls and Roses," on the back cover of which appears her portrait done by Amorsolo.  The original portrait, around 4 ft. x 3 ft., was bequeathed to Adamson University together with the two smaller Amorsolo paintings "SUNSET OVER MALABON FISHPONDS" and "Fruit Harvesting."

The paintings now form part of the Adamson University collection.


THE ARTIST

Self-portrait of Amorsolo taken from Wikipedia.

Amorsolo was born on May 30, 1892 in Paco, Manila, to Pedro Amorsolo and Bonifacia Cueto.  However, he spent most of his childhood in Daet, Camarines Norte, where he learned to love the simple rural life that would be reflected in most of his paintings.  At eleven, after his father died, he and his family moved back to Manila and lived with Don Fabian dela Rosa, his mother's cousin and a painter.  It was  Don Fabian who mentored Amorsolo in painting.

Amorsolo first studied in the Art School of the Liceo de Manila, then earned his degree from the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts.

The artist became a professor in his early 20s and was already establishing himself in the art world.  At 25, he married Salud Jorge.  It was then that Don Enrique Zobel de Ayala was so impressed by his work that he offered to send Amorsolo to the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid for further studies with a generous stipend for himself and his family.  The artist took the entrance exam at the Academia, and to his surprise, after evaluating his work, the school informed him that they would accept him not as a student but as a professor at the school.

Amorsolo spent seven months in Madrid where he was able to observe the works of the masters such as Diego Velasquez, El Greco, Goya, Monet, Manet, Van Dyck, Sargent, and Joaquin Sorolla.  Afterwards he returned to the Philippines and set up his own studio.

His first wife Salud passed away in 1931 leaving him with six children.  He had six more children by a common-law wife.  In 1935 he married Maria del Carmen who gave him eight more children.  Fortunately, his reputation was growing as fast as his brood and his work was more than enough to provide for his rather large family.

It is believed that the oil paintings Amorsolo produced number into the thousands.  If his drawings, sketches, and studies are added, his total output was in excess of ten thousand pieces.  At one point, he was able to finish no less than ten paintings in a typical month.

He reached the peak of his popularity in the late 1940s and 1950s garnering numerous awards and citations along the way.

Amorsolo died of heart failure on April 24, 1972.

Four days after his death, he was posthumously honored as the first National Artist of the Philippines.


AMORSOLO'S LEGACY TO MALABON

It is believed that at some point in his life, Malabon held a special place in Amorsolo's heart as he was said to have courted a lady from Malabon.  And the lady who was the object of his affection back then had a legacy from the artist, because the ceiling of this lady's house has a painting by Amorsolo.

Amorsolo's legacy to Malabon is not so much the actual painting; it is that he immortalized on canvas something that is part of Malabon's heritage -- its fishponds. 

Fishponds have been a part of our landscape for a very long time - going as far back as the 1800s when Domingo Coronel of Barrio Concepcion was said to have started a method that soon became popular and spawned the fish farming industry in Malabon.  Through the years, these fishponds helped define the lives of those who made a living out of them, and somehow also affected the lives of those who lived near them or passed them everyday.

Those fishponds made us feel a greater connection with Nature, making us realize how much we depend on Nature and how taking care of it brings balance and beauty into our lives.  These emotions, these values are fast vanishing, it seems, vanishing as quickly as the fishponds we used to see around us. A sad realization... yet I'm hoping against hope that somehow somewhere, a few fishponds will still make it through to the next century and beyond as proud reminders of Malabon's heritage.

But should that dreaded day come when Malabon's fishponds are just a thing of the past, we can be comforted by our memories... and maybe a few pictures retrieved from the baul...

...and most of all, by a a beautiful, memorable painting by Fernando Amorsolo.

My profound thanks to Fr. Greg Banaga, Jr., C.M., President of Adamson University for graciously letting us view the Amorsolos, and to Mr. Raul Agner, Head, IDEA Office and his staff Mar and Jonathan, for assisting us during our visit.  



Sources 
1)    The Painting:   Mr. Raul Agner, Head, IDEA Office, Adamson University 
2)    The Artist:  Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation website

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More photos of Malabon and its fishponds

Photo taken by Andre' Salvador

Friends, if you want to see some amazingly beautiful photos of Malabon, especially its fishponds, check out the following site by Andre' Salvador:

.Andre' Salvador FISHPONDS OF MALABON




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Mang Abet's fishpond: where it still feels like Malabon

Malabon has changed so much over the years, that there are only a few places left in it that really lets me feel like I'm still in Malabon.  One of these places is ABET'S FISHPOND.

Located at the end of Rodriguez Street, it's near enough and yet it feels like you're somewhere far away -- because once you're inside, the ambience is so different. It feels like you stepped into simple rustic Malabon... the Malabon that our parents and grandparents (and some of us who are old enough) grew up in...

On the day that I took pictures of the fishponds along Muzon Road, we also dropped by ABET'S FISHPOND. Visiting with Abet was like taking a trip down memory lane for me because we've been there countless times during my younger years and on occasion in recent times. Abet is a second-degree relative, and the clan used to have its reunions there when Abet's father was still alive.  When his father died, the fishpond fell into disrepair.  But Abet fixed it up years ago and he now opens up the place during weekends to those who want to do some fishing or have gatherings.

In recent years my siblings and I sometimes have our own family get-togethers at Abet's.  We love the peaceful and relaxed setting that gives us the chance to catch up on each other's lives, enjoy a comforting "inihaw" (grilled) lunch, and at the same time experience the rustic simplicity of Malabon.

We bring the pork and chicken to be barbecued.  Then while the adults begin grilling, the children catch the fish that will become part of our inihaw medley.  How the kids love fishing!

One of the wonders of fishing:  teaching kids focus and patience... and appreciating the simple joys in life.

You never would have thought it possible:  four-to-twelve year old kids patiently -- yes, patiently -- sitting or standing out in the sun waiting for the fish to bite. Amazing. I myself tried once, but after close to an hour of keeping still and not being able to entice any fish to take the bait, I gave up. But the kids, well, to the adults' astonishment, they would sit or stand there for hours. And soon enough, the fish took the bait, and their bags would start filling up with their catch.

Every catch stirs up excitement among the kids.  This picture was taken in 2004. The kids are tweens and teens now, but they still enjoy fishing at Abet's.  In this day and age of malling, the Internet, and all sorts of high-tech gadgetry and distractions, it's a refreshing change!

Unusual sight nowadays in Malabon - a river free from floating garbage and still seemingly untouched, no encroachments.  And where bakawan, kalapinay, and other trees can be found growing on the embankment. Or is it just this portion of the Dampalit-Muzon River behind Abet's fishpond that has so far been lucky?

A new concrete house in the neighboring lot shows modern times creeping up on Malabon's fishponds. 

I'm already looking forward to our next visit to Abet's.  Every now and then, even if it's just for a few hours, it's so good to be where it really still feels like Malabon...




MANG ABET'S FISHPOND
Rodriguez Street
Barangay Hulo, Malabon City
(Rodriguez Street is right before Bayantel Malabon branch)

(Please call or text first)
Mang Abet Rodriguez
0915.531.1323

Notice:  As of mid-May 2011, I learned that Mang Abet's fishpond is closed.  It's undergoing some changes and may re-open by year-end. 



Note:    Pictures with kids were taken in February 2004 by my son. The rest by me in September 2010.

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The Fishponds of Malabon

There was a time when the bangus (milkfish) fishponds of Malabon nearly dominated its landscape.

So much so that some long-time residents even think, at some point, the area covered by fishponds might have been almost the same or perhaps even a little more than the non-fishpond area.  This may just be perception, of course, or a belief based on a flawed or biased memory.

But no one could dispute the fact that back then, up to perhaps the 1960s -- a wide expanse of fishponds existed in Malabon, as far as the eye could see.  In fact, of the four major roads going out of Malabon, three used to be flanked on both sides by fishponds:  Letre Road and Governor Pascual Avenue, both going to Caloocan City, and Dampalit Road going to Obando, Bulacan.

Dagat-Dagatan fishponds along Letre Road in 1966  (Photo from S. T. Cajucom)

What made Malabon a natural environment for fishponds?  The first and most important reason is obvious:  proximity to Manila Bay with its rivers going inland, gives Malabon access to saltwater that could be used in fishponds.

Another is that the pond soil found in Malabon is fertile and suitable for the growth of natural fish food.  It is also the right kind of muddy soil called "labon" (thus, "Malabon" denoted a place of soft mud 1/) that could be made into fishpond dikes and at the same time was a natural habitat for mangrove trees (bakawan) with its spread-out roots serving to reinforce the dikes.


A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON WHAT USED TO BE ONE OF MALABON'S PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

The first fishpond was established in 1863 in Barrio Concepcion, Malabon, Rizal, by one Domingo Cornel.  His method became successful, that it was eventually followed not just by his townmates, but by neighboring towns and provinces as well:  Caloocan, Navotas, Obando, Polo, Bulacan, Hagonoy, and later in other coastal towns of Luzon.  Fishponds were constructed in all the municipalities bordering Manila and Lingayen Gulf. 2/

In the old days, local fishpond operators followed the traditional way of culturing bangus, where they would feed their stocks with natural food known as lablab (a type of algae). However, it was a tedious process.

To prepare a pond for growing the algae, water is drained first from the pond, then tobacco dust is scattered on the pond bottom in order to purge it of fish predators. The pond is then sun dried, and afterwards scattered with chicken manure with a little water let in from the river to moisten it.

When the algae growth is already satisfactory, more water is let in and the bangus fry or fingerlings are then transferred to that pond.  There are usually three kinds of divisions within a fishpond - nursery pond, formation pond and rearing pond - which is why you will see that most fishponds have divisions or boxes within them.

The bangus are transferred from one pond to the next, as they grow in size.  When the bangus have reached the desired size, they are harvested and sold through brokers at the fish market in Bayan or years ago, also in Hulo. 3/


At present, most fishpond operators (the few left in Malabon and those from Bulacan, Pangasinan and other areas involved in bangus farming) use commercial feeds for their stock, thus skipping the long and laborious pond preparation for growing algae.  It is said, however, that milkfish that grew on natural food is better-tasting.


WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE FISHPONDS OF MALABON?

You don't even need to go around Malabon nowadays to know that the bangus farming industry in Malabon is a dying industry.  A simple ride through either Letre Road or Governor Pascual Avenue alone will tell you so.  I can only think of one reason, which is the usual reason why a business closes down or does not thrive:  bangus fishpond farming is no longer as profitable.  After all, what businessman would give up a business if it were profitable?

But why is it happening in Malabon, and not to the many other fishpond operations in  Bulacan, Laguna, or Pangasinan?  Pollution is believed to be a likely major factor.  Because of the pollution in Manila Bay and the rivers of Malabon, the quality of the saltwater coming from them is no longer suitable for growing bangus.

Another likely reason we could think of is that, because of Malabon's proximity to Manila, the increase in the value of land now makes it more viable to turn fishponds into residential or commercial land.

There may be other factors unique to the individual fishpond operators that might have brought about the near-disappearance of the industry. But the result is the same: there are now only a few fishponds left in Malabon.  And I expect that it is only a matter of time before those fishponds also go the way of the many vanished fishponds before them.



A VANISHING SIGHT: MALABON FISHPOND AT DUSK

One late afternoon I decided to find myself some fishponds and take pictures.  Yes, find.  Unlike before when we used to see fishponds left and right whenever we headed out through Letre Road or Governor Pascual Avenue, now we have to go to some out-of-the-way place.

And yes, take pictures.  You see, I'm afraid that time will come when these pictures are all that our great grandchildren will ever get to see of the fishponds of Malabon...

Fishpond along Muzon road.  The sky at day's end and birds in flight combine with the fishpond to create a  stunning scene. 

What a peaceful scene.  Just one of the many reasons why I grew up loving Malabon.

Short stretch of road in Muzon with fishponds on both sides - one of the remaining few...  (I wanted to take the picture from the middle of the road so I could show the fishpond on the right side as well.  But I was afraid of getting run over!)

1/    From Tambobong to City of Malabon by Nonoy Marcelo, 2004
2/    History of Malabon-Navotas by Salvador Sevilla, Santos Tiangco, 1976 (quoting Census of the Phil. 1918, Vol. IV, 
       Part 1, page 588).
3/    Info on pond preparation procedures provided by my husband.

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