Memories of ‘Overlooking’

AFEW Sundays ago, we mentioned the “old” Sumulong Highway in our column. We compared the experience of Antipoleños of many decades past with those who live in our city today and who have to commute or motor to their respective places of work. We noted how hard the drive and the commute have been lately, considering that there are major construction work going on along Marcos Highway. Adding to the challenge is the fact that hundreds of thousands of families have opted to make Antipolo and the nearby Rizal towns their home, multiplying the population in significant geometric proportion in the process.

It looks like that particular piece made many of our regulars nostalgic. The mere mention of Sumulong Highway’s famous “Overlooking” triggered sentimental memories. Some of our regular readers wrote and emailed to share with us the happy moments of the “olden days” when life was relatively more carefree and traffic was not a daily fare in that part of town. Bing Chavez of Kingsville, Antipolo wrote:

“We frequented the ‘Overlooking’ in the late 80s and very early 90s. We were usually there on the evening of Fridays and Saturdays. My friends and I would drive up to that place, park our cars along the road, buy our beer from the small stalls, and sip our ice-cold Pale Pilsen while chatting and looking at the bright lights of Metro Manila. There were no restaurants, no business establishments along the side of Sumulong that provided the spectacular view of Metro Manila in the evening.

“Hardly any vehicle passed by Sumulong in the evening. The place was usually very quiet that we could hear ourselves laugh. It was also dark with only the stars, the moon, the lights of Metro Manila and the kerosene lamps of the beer stalls providing just enough light for us to appreciate the beauty of nature. Despite that, we and the other groups that used to regularly hang out at the Overlooking felt very, very safe.

“During those years, we could drive from Quezon City to Sumulong in less than an hour. Maybe, even in less than half an hour after the evening rush.

“I also remember that Sumulong’s “overlooking” was the alternative to Tagaytay. Tagaytay offered a similar view then from similar beer stalls. But Sumulong was much, much closer. How I wish those days could be back.

“Thank you for helping me remember those days.” Rosario Ocampo-Diwa of Maia Alta, Antipolo emailed:

“We moved to Antipolo in 1999. Before that, we lived in Quezon City. Occasionally, we would go the mass at the Antipolo Cathedral. We passed by Sumulong Highway many times. We went up to Antipolo on regular days because the traffic along Marcos was very, very light. We could reach the Cathedral from Teachers’ Village in Quezon City in less than one hour during the day.

It was the climate and scenery of Antipolo that made us decide to leave our QC home and buy a piece of property here. I remember that even during the summer, the heat was not as terrible as in Metro Manila. The pace of life was slow. The air was clean so we walked as much as we could in our subdivision and nearby areas.

In the early part of 2000, we could drive to work every day. I was working at the DENR in Quezon City. If I left Maia Alta at 6 am, I could be at the office just a little past 7 am. If I left my place of work by 5 pm, I could be back in Antipolo before 7 pm to enjoy the cool, quiet evening.”

Archie Inlong, whom we have occasionally mentioned in our column, shared:

“I first saw Sumulong Highway in 1968, the year I entered the Redemptorist Minor Seminary located a stone’s throw away from the Lopez rest house and just beside Sarmiento Farms. I was just 12 years old then and I was not sure if I had a calling to become a Redemptorist priest and missionary. But one thing I knew then – I wanted to live in that Seminary because it was situated on a hill that provided one of the most spectacular views of the metropolis.

“At that time, after dinner, we had 45 minutes free before we said our community night prayers and retired to our dormitories. The other minor seminarians and I – numbering about 54 kids all in all – would spend those precious 45 minutes sitting along the ledge of the seminary grounds and just enjoy the view that people later on referred to as “Overlooking.”

“I clearly recall that there was no smog to block our view. Today, a thick blanket of black-and-orange smog can be seen from “Overlooking” covering the metropolis.

“At that time, the only vehicle that rolled along the then-dustymuddy Sumulong Highway was the old JD bus which was converted into our school bus, and a rickety old owner-type keep which the tough and rugged Redemptorist Fathers used to go to the market and to mission areas in nearby Mayamot.

“I dropped out of the seminary. The Redemptorist Fathers decided I was not cut out for priesthood. But I did get to make Antipolo my home.

“The seminary is no longer there, having given way to a modern subdivision. I believe the old site of Sarmiento Farms is where a school now stands.

“Sumulong is now a busy thoroughfare, with thousands of vehicles traversing the highway every day. “Overlooking” has also changed. Now, I will have to pay for an expensive dinner in order to have a good view inside one of the many restaurants that now occupy that stretch of Sumulong Highway which once served as a free lookout point.

“Well, I guess I have enough memories of the old Antipolo, Sumulong Highway, and the “Overlooking” to last me for a lifetime. Thank you for writing that piece.”

What’s are your memories of the Overlooking? Do share with our readers.