Just some of Albay’s heritage churches
WHEN the Palanca awardwinning writer Niles Jordan Breis invited me to give a talk in Albay, I immediately said “yes.” I was excited because I haven’t really traveled to this province since I was a kid. Last Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, May-i and I were met at the Bicol International Airport by a group of DepEd officials: the program supervisor of the Schools Division Office Tabaco City Araling Panlipunan education program Edgar Collantes; public schools district supervisors Efren Bonza and August Bordeos; and teacher Boning Cana. For the next three days, they brought me to, among other places, some of Albay’s Catholic churches. It felt like reading Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu or Javier Galván Guijo’s Heritage Churches of the Cagayan River Basin, but done on foot.
For non-Bicolanos, perhaps the most famous church in Albay is one that doesn’t exist anymore. The Cagsawa Church, constructed in 1724 by the Franciscans, was buried by rocks and lava during Mount Mayon’s eruption of 1814. Although there were parts of the upper façade still visible in prewar photos, it remains a mystery to me why only the bell tower now remains. Eleven kilometers from the volcano, the ruins of the bell tower is the most famous view of Mayon, which amazingly fully disappeared in the rain when I visited. One thing I learned is the struggle of Bicolanos to show Mayon in its full glory to tourists for oftentimes clouds will cover its rare perfect cone known around the world. In folklore, Mayon is called Daragang Magayon (beautiful young lady), which is kissed and hugged by her boyfriend “Ulap.” You do not have a similar problem with Arayat.
Next stop was Nuestra Señora de la Porteria (Our Lady of the Gate) Parish Church in Daraga, where the faithful of Cagsawa transferred to its jurisdiction. But contrary to popular belief, it was built by the Franciscans in 1772 long before the 1814 eruption.
The hilltop church is made of volcanic stone protected by lime covering. The church was listed as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum in 2007.
After a fire in 1882, the Saint Dominic Church in Santo Domingo town was constructed. In 1959, the town’s name was changed from Libog, which was said to refer to many things other than what you are thinking (labog or unclear water, labog or jellyfish, libod or behind, or libot or roundabout or winding way). There is an unconfirmed rumor that Andres Bonifacio came to town and sired a kid here.
When it was constructed in 1660, Saints Joachim and Anne Parish in Malinao town (named after the Alinao tree) was said to be the biggest according to archival records. Buning Cana, who made archival research for his parish, said that the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary’s parents could have the longest aisle of any church in Albay. By the looks of it, Daraga Church could arguably claim that as well. More importantly, why are these churches massive? The generalization made by Teodoro Agoncillo in his book History of the Filipino People may have some truth in it: “The Bicolano is known for his even temper and religiosity. … The religiosity of the Bicolanos is somewhat justified by the numerous priests that hail from the region.”
We also visited St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in the center of Tiwi town which was built in 1827, after the old church near the seashore in Baybay was burned by raiders from southern Philippines. This was the birthplace of my mentor, and one of the greatest Filipino historians, Zeus Salazar. But this church is often overshadowed by the town’s most famous pilgrimage site enveloped by the mountains in Joroán, the small Church of the Nuestra Señora de Salvación (Our Lady of Salvation), where what is believed to be a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary made from the calpi tree has been enshrined since 1776. In 1976, Jaime Cardinal Sin canonically crowned it as Patroness of Albay province. Its yearly procession is a fluvial one. We were received there for lunch by Father Christian Bosita (the parish priest Father Joseph Salando was out of town).
Of course, we visited Saint John
the Baptist Parish Church in Tabaco town (from tabak or bolo), completed in 1879 and declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2012. Edgar Collantes pointed out some of the symbols of the church and the king of Spain around it. The bell tower was actually a former watchtower. Typhoon “Rolly” destroyed the roof in 2020 and the parishioners had to hear mass in the plaza in front of it. Under its parish priest Father Eduardo Ramin, parishioners were able to raise funds to reconstruct the roof which will be finished next week and opened in time for Christmas month.
Although constructed under Spanish supervision, these churches are the heritage of the Filipino artisans who made them and continue to preserve them.