The Falls Town: The Houses on Calle Rizal (Calle Real) 1

* statue of a fair lady; found along Rizal Street

* a house found just before you enter Puerta Real

* a classic Volkswagen

* my ideal old house – wide windows, imposing stairs,
and right along the town’s main street; this one is called Casa Antigua de Zalamea

* houses near Puerta Real

* American? (or is it post-American?) style of structure; this one houses the Pagsanjan Water District

The Spanish style of lay-outing towns during the Spanish period is still evident in Pagsanjan. The existence of Rizal Street proves this. I have read somewhere that it was then called Calle Real or Royal Street, apparently to refer to the town’s principal thoroughfare.

* old yet still resilient* what’s charming about the town are its street lights which enrich the view of the rows of old houses specifically along Rizal Street

* the office of the Anluwagi Design-Build Services

* houses found on a side street

* there’s definitely an elegant feel in this one

I would not conceal my feeling of jealousy of this town. Walking down a street decked by big, old houses of Spanish origins is one of the most fulfilling things to do. And such houses are nonexistent in San Pablo, a victim of lost art and culture. I cannot imagine someone selling a house in that place. But there was one! Although it was not a very big one, to own one in that place is a privilege already. Well, time will come that I will be able to own one. That is a resolve.

The Falls Town: The Houses in Pagsanjan

* flowers for the dead being sold on the streets;
you can now guess when we actually visited Pagsanjan

* first big house you’ll see if you walk down the street on the right side of the church; too bad I was not able to take note the name of the street

* recently built but definitely has old style/look in it

* another house; nearby is a marker for Conrado Benitez y Francia

* more houses! the upper left picture shows the headquarters of the Lahing Kayumanggi Folk Arts Association, Inc.

The houses shown here are found on the street leading to the town of Lumban. One thing we were not able to clarify was the location of the house of Pagsanjeño Conrado Benitez y Francia. A marker about him is found near a big, white house. But behind it, hidden by some trees, is a rickety house, but a big one too. And we were brainstorming which of the two is the house of Benitez. I believe it was the rickety one. If the Benitez house is the white one, they should have put the marker closer to it.

Benitez was born on November 26, 1889. He founded the Philippine Columbian Association in 1909. He was the first Filipino dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of the Philippines in 1918. He was also a co-founder and dean of the College of Business Administration of the said university. He was also the first Filipino to be appointed as editor of the Philippines Herald. Benitez was a participant too in the Constitutional Convention of 1935. He is actually an important person during his time. More can be discovered about him if one shall dig in the net.

Next: the houses of Calle Real (now Rizal Street)!

The Falls Town: Pagsanjan Church

* the façade of the Pagsanjan Church and its bell tower

* view of the retablo where the Lady of Guadalupe resides; another virgin in the foreground

* a close up of one of the virgins inside

* the usual chapel of saints

The image of the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is a common sight already on some parts of Laguna. Its images were once included in the promotional posters of the town of Pagsanjan, together with Pagsanjan Falls, found at the rear side of buses. But the visit to the church where the statue is actually found is more informative than just seeing it on posters.The church is beautifully situated, much like the church in Calauan, Laguna – close to the mountains and the wide expanse of fields. (As I continue traveling to towns once administered by the Spaniards, I cannot help but be amazed by their keenness in placing their places of worship.)

The very first church in town was built in 1687. Its first curate was Father Agustin de la Magdalena. In 1690, reconstructions [was the original one destroyed?] of the church – a chapel actually – were made using bamboo and nipa [were they also constructed through force labor like in other places?]. The reconstructions were made under the direction Miguel Guan-co and Alguacil Mayor Alfonso Garcia. Further improvement was done by Father Joaquin de Coria in 1853. And in 1872, the church’s transept was constructed led by Fathers Serafin Linares and Cipriano Bac. And just like in many other churches in Laguna, it was destroyed during the Second World War.

* view from the entrance of the Capilla del Tilma

* close up of the altar with its reredos

* graves within the capilla

* Trailer Pransis posing grimly inside the capilla

Capilla del Tilma

Anyone who plans to visit the church should not miss to enter Capilla del Tilma, a side chapel with graves on its very walls. These graves give ys an idea of the social status of those buried there. They must have been from rich families to afford places inside the chapel.

We can always talk about the dead and death, but it is a different story to be amongst the dead, literally. When we entered the capilla, the atmosphere was stifling, with no place for fresh air to come in. There were several grilled windows, but it was not enough to let breeze come in and take away the ambience. Again I was reminded of the seeming barrenness of death, if one’s death is of no significance at all. We always hear of the saying: “we only have one life and so we must make the most out of it.” I say we can only have one literal death, and so let us make it worthwhile; like dying for something worth dying for. Anyway, enough of this death talk.

* the municipal building of Pagsanjan; too bad I forgot to note the marker visible in this photo; the building must have been an old one
* our beloved Jose Rizal given a semi-elaborate place in the town’s mini-plaza

* a monument for the war veterans of the town, made less significant by its neglect and the younger generation’s vandalism of the monument

The view outside is a pleasant one, with two main streets decked by big houses on their sides. I remember visiting Pagsanjan during my high school days. The place is called Anibong. But I cannot recall how to get there.

I shall be sharing next one of finest finds in town: its houses!

The Falls Town: Pagsanjan’s Puerta Real

* behold, Puerta Real

* Trailer Pransis, striking a pose

A note as you enter the town of Pagsanjan (through the Puerta Real) summarizes the history of the place. It was once a barrio of Lumbang* (now Lumban, Laguna) and later organized into a separate municipality (or into a town?) in 1668. A certain Francisco Umali became its first gobernadorcillo. It later became La Laguna’s capital from 1688 to 1858.** 1896 brought the revolutionists to the place. By 1899, the Americans came as a result of the American occupation of the country. The Japanese occupied the town in 1942 and later reclaimed by the Filipinos towards the end of World War II in 1945.

The town gate was originally constructed between 1878 and 1880. Its inauguration was graced by the presence of Don Pedro Paterno. Restoration of the gate was done under the administration of Gregorio Zaide, the famous historian and writer.

Looking into the possible origin of the town’s name, it seems that Pagsanjan is an ‘evolution’ of the word “Pinagsangahan”, or the place where a river branches out. A survey of the bodies of water in the place would confirm this, and I hope to share it in the coming entries.

* It may be implied that Lumban was once a big place. But Pagsanjan may be larger now than Lumban. I am yet to check for this. The town of Rosario in Batangas suffered unfortunately from such similar divisions, for some important structures (such as the old Rosario church found now in Padre Garcia) were ‘given’ to the separating town. A visit to Lumban I think would be instructive regarding their subdivisions.

** Better update myself on the transfer of capitals. I initially thought that after Bay, Sta. Cruz became the capital up to the present.

[How to go to Pagsanjan, Laguna: From Manila, board a bus bound for Sta. Cruz, Laguna via College and Calamba. Buses can be found along EDSA and on Gil Puyat LRT Station. Drop off Sta. Cruz, or you can wait until the bus enters the terminal which is already within the Pagsanjan (in barangay Biñan). Then hail a jeep bound for Pagsanjan. Note that if you plan to go to Pagsanjan Falls, the road leading to it is found on the right side of the main road, before you reach the town proper.]

The Falls Town: Pagsanjan, Laguna

* a welcome arc of Pagsanjan; this can be seen as you enter barangay Biñan

* a shop with a cute roof; reminds me of the witches’ hats

* KM 89: entering the town of Pagsanjan

* this somehow gives us an idea that Pagsanjan connects to other towns in Laguna

I am not confident for this title, but this captures the main reason why this town is famous in the first place. I shall share here a few things about this old town, tucked almost on the eastern side of the province of Laguna. Let us dig in about the falls town: Pagsanjan, Laguna!