The Last of the Places: Rosario, Batangas

* the church at Rosario town proper

* the interior of the church; there were volunteers doing some cleaning
  

* the Virgin of Caysasay

 

* Christ on the Cross at the Chapel of the Saints

 

* Our Lady of Perpetual Help

  
I was puzzled earlier because of the absence of something ‘old’ and.or ‘historic’ in the town proper of Rosario. The church itself was a mystery for it was obviously recently constructed. This question was solved by my visit to the town of Padre Garcia. They share a common history but they are now two completely different territories. It was too bad for Rosario as it had to endure the further subdivisions into towns. 
   
But the story of Rosario, the ‘Kamalig ng Palay ng Batangas’ (Rice Basket[?] of Batangas), is worth noting both as a story and as part of local history.
  

* the town hall; this one reminds me of the building-barracks in Corregidor Island

* an Aglipay church in town

* a Rizal monument just outside the town hall

* a funny interlude – a motorcyclist just had some ‘noisy’ trouble with his horn
(his horn somehow got stuck) and it almost caused a panic in the hospital nearby
    * a statue of Christ on a hill behind the town hall, reminds me of the movie '2012'
   

The early town was formed by the first Christian settlers on the southeastern shores of Batangas. It was established by the Augustinians in 1687 with Don Nicolas Morales as its first gobernadorcillo.
   
The townsfolk experienced attacks of the Moro pirates and most of them fled to the north praying the rosary. The people temporarily stayed on the place called Hilerang Kawayan and there it was first called Rosario. But it was further moved by the Dominicans to a place called Tubig ng Bayan and was maintained there until 1902.
  
It was later placed under the administration of the Recollects during the last period of the Spanish regime and it was from this original Rosario that the places San Juan, Taysan, and Lobo came from.
  
The town was witness to the surrender of General Miguel Malvar to Gen. Bell of the American Army on April 16, 1902. The center of local government was transferred to Tombol (the poblacion of the town?) on June 9, 1902. A certain Don Antonio Luancing donated the lot for the town building. 
     
The year 1949 saw the formation of the town of Padre Garcia which comprised Lumang Bayan and seven other barrios.
  

* stair leading to a small, quaint house

 

* a house turned into a flower shop

 

* the Tan Wa-Nam Restaurant, favorite place

 

* office of the Batangas II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

 

* the building which used to house a general hospital in Rosario, just forgot the name

  
End-thoughts: I can only see the extent of the Spanish influence as well as the story adn development of the original Rosario if I will be able to visit San Juan., Lobo, and Taysan. By the way, they have their native names before: the southeastern shores - Lobo, Hilerang Kawayan - Pinagbayanan, of Taysan and up to Tubig ng Bayan.