[PHNO-tl] SARIAYA, A QUEZON TOWN FROZEN IN TIME
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Sariaya, Quezon Province, May 31, 2000 - Only two hours from Manila is a town seemingly trapped in time, assuming a world reminiscent of the old Philippines molded by its colonial past.
Sariaya, Quezon is a small town of 106,000 people, engaging mainly in coconut and vegetable farming. It is located 125 kilometers south of Manila bordered by the towns of Candelaria and Tiaong to the west and Tayabas to the east.
To the south is the Tayabas Bay where the sun rises every morning, a spectacle that made the Sariaya beaches popular. The residents claim that its beauty is comparable to the famous sunset of Manila Bay.
To the north is Mount Banahaw, which nurtures various natural resources to provide Sariaya with food, water and livelihood that people need for everyday living. With its strategic location, the towering earth giant with its massive bulk shields Sariaya from storms and floods coming from neighboring provinces.
|From the mountain leading to the town is the Lagnas River, formerly known as Sadiaia, where the name Sariaya is believed to have come from. The river usually flows with rampaging waters from the mountain especially during the rainy season. But during summer, the river is often dry.
Sariaya is most visited by tourists when the town celebrates the Agawan Festival, which coincides with Lucban’s Pahiyas Festival in May.
Unlike the Pahiyas, Sariayahins decorate their houses and trees with vegetables, which passersby grab or in Tagalog “aagawin,” later on. People wear vegetable costumes called bagakay as the parade around town.
In October last year, Sariaya celebrated the 400th year of their parish community with activities that purposely involved the townspeople. They are the ones that shaped the town into a simple, quiet and peaceful place that it is today.
The bellringer sounded the church bell 400 times and jumpstarted the procession and dance parade around town.
A commemorative stamp Sariaya’s history was launched after Mass.
During the festival and special occasions like these, every household in town invites everybody to their homes to share their family’s feast.
On a regular day, there are restaurants in town offering R30-40 budget meals like the Inang-Amang Restaurant.
The town proper does not have hotels and hostels for tourists to stay in, but there are resorts along the beaches of the Tayabas Bay. Local businessmen have taken advantage of the sunrise view and constructed a number of resorts here. They are located about an hour from the town proper with rooms which cost R600 a night.
Sariaya is home to a 400-year-old Christian community and 251-year-old church. Since the arrival of Spaniards four centuries ago, religion has played a major role in the lives of the Sariayahins.
The massive structure of the St. Francis of Assisi Church is found at the heart of the town. It is so huge that from Mount Banahaw, one can actually see its belfry. Spanish friars built and rebuilt the church within the 300 years of Spanish rule. The foundation of the first church was made from fragile materials that were easily toppled by the strong typhoons and earthquakes that hit the town.
The second church was built higher than the first, but Muslim pirates invaded the town and destroyed it. Friars were forced to build a sturdier one made of concrete in Barangay Tumbagan. Its construction lasted for four years.
Unfortunately, it did not survive the wrath of yet another destructive earthquake. The calamity left only ruins of the church, which until today, remains untouched. Old bricks and melted candles are found in the area. Sariaya’s parish priest occasionally held Mass there.
Months after the earthquake, a stronger and bigger church was built in 1748. Its limestone walls were constructed one-meter thick and the floor fastened by sand and molasses. It has since withstood all natural and manmade disasters.
Its interior decorations are antique. The ambience is exquisitely European with altarpieces, decorations and icons coming from Spain, courtesy of King Philip.
Sariaya was the king’s encomienda (favored town) and he gave explicit instructions to adorn it as lavishly as possible to be the envy of non-Christians. Amidst the expensive ornaments placed in the church, Sariayahins, then and now, find the miraculous Sto. Cristo de Burgos as the most significant image the king contributed to their church.
Devotees claim that it was the miracles that He performed that led to construction of the church and saved the town from numerous disasters, calamities, plagues and wars over the centuries. It was because of Him that the locals have kept their belief and faith strong. The image now stands at the altar where people wait in queues to wipe and kiss His feet.
At the church’s courtyard is a 120-year-old acacia tree that greets parishioners as they enter the basilica. The sturdy branches and leaves have extended their reach that they now virtually cover the facade of the church. Because of its age and immensity, the tree has become a popular landmark among locals. The courtyard is a favorite playground for children and a park for elders out on a stroll.
A historical marker was installed at its foot to remind people how much of their past has been preserved.
The American period left Sariaya prosperous. The Quezon province is the country’s coconut capital. Because of the several eruptions of Mount Banahaw in the past. Sariaya’s soil has become rich in potassium and phosphorous, making coconuts grow by the hectares.
|From the 1900’s until the 1970’s, coconuts and rice were the main produce. Between 1919 and 1930, the town’s coconut industry prospered. It was the coconut oil that actually became in demand in the world market. The Germans used it as one of the main ingredients to make glycerine in order to produce explosives.
Families who owned vast coconut plantations profited most in this venture. These are the prominent families of the Rodriguezes, Galas, Castros, Obordos, Ramas and Lunas. They were a handful, but nevertheless, led Sariaya to flourish.
These landed families flaunted their wealth by building big, almost palatial mansions constructed by first-class craftsmen and carpenters from Batangas and Pampanga. They used modern plumbing fixtures, tiles, interior decorations and furniture flown in from the United States. These houses are all clustered along Rizal Street, which at that time was the town’s commercial center and considered the most prestigious. It was the status symbol of the nouveau riche.
Through time, many of these houses burned down, although there are some that still stand until today. The oldest of these structures is located behind the church and is owned by Juanito Alvares who inherited the house from his grandfather, Don Ramon Luna.
Right beside it is the mansion many find striking with its red roof riles and a typical American-style facade.
Quezon’s former governor, Natalio Enriquez, owned and lived in this house, but later sold it to Bienvenido Marquez.
The most affluent of the Rodriguez clan and Sariaya’s wealthiest in history is Doña Margarita who died in the 1950s an old maid, leaving hectares and hectares of coconut plantations that reach up to Candelaria. Nobody lives in her mansion anymore and it has been locked up since her death.
While they continue to serve as Sariaya’s historical landmarks, these ancestral homes are now unoccupied with only caretakers to clean them. the descendants of those who develop Sariaya in the early 1920’s migrated, either to expand their businesses in Manila or to study abroad.
Since these are private homes, they are not open to the public. Tourists, however, have made these mansions their favorite picture-taking backgrounds.
The local government has been in negotiations with the owners to turn them into museums. Officials plan to manage the restoration, maintenance and upkeep of these houses, while their owners in return will receive a sum for its use.
Owners will be able to preserve the only remaining remembrance of their family’s history, while the Sariayahins will be able to retain the relics of their rich and colorful past.
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