The Rust Connection: Calauan, Laguna

* the church of Calauan

* the interior of the church

* part of Liceo de Calauan

* a marker in memory of the USAFFE soldiers and guerillas who fought during the World War II

* the famous Piña at the center of its plaza

* the municipal building built in 1957 during the term of Juan V. Brion

* view of a mountain (which I failed to identify) from a road leading to Victoria, Laguna

* view of the strong Mount Kalisungan (Bundok ng Tikew) from barangay Imok

The town of Calauan lies on the plains on the central part of Laguna, a town that is as close to my heart as Los Baños, for I had to pass through it every day during my undergraduate days.

On high days of May, the aroma of fresh pineapples shall fill the air. The Pineapple Festival is at hand and the fruits are overflowing on the streets, being sold to the general public.

I still hear people say to drivers “Kalawang” which has its own basis more or less. Stories have it that there was once a spring called Makalawang where rusts gushed forth. It seems ironic for there are vast lands for rice farming. The smell of the rice fields is a treat also as one travels through the main highway that traverses these fields.

The town church which is strategically located at the very heart of the town has San Isidro Labrador as its patron saint. It was built in 1860 through the efforts of a Don Andres Roxas and his wife. The ground where the church stands was later donated in 1925 by Andres Soriano. Its belfry, on the other hands, was made in 1961. When the Diocese of San Pablo was created, the first bishop resided in Calauan.

Similar to San Pablo, there’s this observable absence of bahay-na-bato near the town plaza. I am wondering if it suffered the same fate as our city – that those precious houses were either destroyed by some natural disaster or fire; or they were forced to the ground by the Second World War.

If one enjoys watching lightning, Calauan is the place to be. Especially during the rainy seasons, when just looking up the skies, one can behold the feats of the clouds, rains, lightning, and thunders.