The School on the Hill

It was after lunch when we decided to go and give school supplies to the children at an elementary school in the hills of Mararison Island. The climb was difficult under the sweltering heat but this view of the Antique coastline was well worth it. We hired an enthusiastic guide who made sure we saw as much of the natural beauty of the hills as we possibly could and in the safest manner. She also helped us carry some of the school supplies we prepared for the children.

The elementary school used to be by the beach until a typhoon devastated the island and destroyed the classrooms. The school was then rebuilt on top of the hill. There are concrete stairs to get there which are easy on young legs. We opted to take the unpaved trail lined with roots of overhanging trees because it was an easier climb but treacherous when wet. The trees provided shade from the heat.

There are less than a hundred students at the school. Only a few kids were at school on the day we visited as some of the children had left for the mainland for a school sponsored activity. The children were happy with the notebooks and pencils that BalayniCharie Foundation gave them.

There is limited electricity on the island so it was good to see that solar panels have been installed at the school. Construction was ongoing for another building on the campus at the time of our visit in October 2018.

These giant jackstones act as breakwater and will eventually be moved farther out to sea where the other jackstones are in the background.

One of the reasons visitors hike on these hills in Mararison is to find these pitcher plants. Pitcher plants are carnivorous and as the name implies, store water.

Beautiful as they are, they trap unsuspecting insects.

Back on the powdery white sand beach, we dipped into the welcoming sea to cool down a bit. So glad we could give the kids some school supplies and also enjoy the beach. Can't wait to go back to Mararison when the season changes and the sandbar will pop up once again.

How to get there:
It's important to register at the Tourism Office located by the dock in Culasi, Antique. There is a minimal fee to be paid. The office will find a boat operator for groups of five or if you prefer a private boat. The roundtrip boat fare is P750.00 including a tour around the island. The boat operator will wait for you until you are ready to return to Culasi. For those traveling alone, there are frequent pumpboats leaving for the island and the cost of the fare is shared with the other passengers. Mararison is 20 minutes from Culasi.

You can either buy food from the public market in Culasi (which is located at the port) to take to Mararison or you can get lunch of fresh fish, rice and vegetables on the island. The local "sari-sari" stores in Mararison can refer you to someone who could prepare your meal. They can also refer you to a guide.

There are buses from Iloilo, Caticlan and Kalibo that stop in Culasi.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog