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1. Admire the age-old Liliw Church. The old Church of Liliw, Saint John the Baptist
Parish Church, attracts its visitors with its baroque architecture adorned with brownish
red bricks. Research showed that the construction of the stone church began in 1643.
Notice the intricate designs of the church façade and the curvatures of the roof edges.
The shoe stores offer voluminous designs to choose from. Businessmen get their
wholesale products here. Even tourists endure the long travel to bring home the latest
and hottest designs. The famous store in Liliw is Badong’s Footwear Factory. I
canvassed for authentic leather shoes and saw one sold at P700.00.
3. Dine at the famous Arabella Café in Liliw. After strolling along the business district,
turn to the corner of Rizal Street and satisfy your taste buds with comfort foods from this
cozy, Italian restaurant owned by Bobby and Tonet Camello. The café opens just in time
for lunch. It offers steaks, pizzas, pastas, salads, pastries, cakes and coffee.
When we arrived, the cafe was jampacked with customers. The place exhibits a bohemian
ambience, but is rather small and ceiling is a bit low. Nevertheless, food is great.
Beside the cafe, you may buy pasalubong from a group of
vendors selling espasol, kamote chips, banana chips, macapuno balls, pastillas, and
many more native delicacies. A lady sells paco leaves and at times, talangka (small
crabs) and suso (freshwater shellfish).
4. Reconnect with history at the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery
This Spanish colonial architecture never stops to amaze me. The National Historical
Institute has declared the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery (Sementeryo sa Ilalim ng
Lupa ng Nagcarlan) as the “only one of its kind in the Philippines.” It was built by the
Franciscan missionaries led by Fr. Vicente Velloc in 1845.
History tells us that this national heritage served two functions many years back, that is,
as burial site and as secret meeting place of the Filipino revolutionaries. The chapel found
at the entrance was where the priest used to hold the funeral rites of the deceased before
the burial. The crypt, aside from being a burial site, was where the Laguna revolutionaries
planned for their battles against the Spaniards in 1896.
The cemetery is open to the public from Sundays to Tuesdays between 8:00AM to
4:00PM. Entrance is free, but donations are much welcome. Guests are encouraged to
register in the guest book provided at the entrance of the chapel.
I thought the crypt was long and wide. Its area was rather small and with few tombs… so
I suggest not to expect much
5. Visit Nagcarlan Church. The old stone church of Nagcarlan, San Bartolome Apostol
Parish Church, was built in 1752. Inside the church, a model of a classic royal balcony
(for one person) hang on the left walls.
Several review articles told that the 2005 Filipino soap opera television
series Kampanerang Kuba (starred by Anne Curtis) inspired from its movie in 1974
(starred by Vilma Santos) were both shot in this ancient church.