Rough Groove

Zambales Churches: Masinloc and Iba

Last Tuesday, I was in Zambales to cover Masinloc church for the book project. Its the second time I have come to Zambales. The first one was during our climb in Mt. Tapulao. The trip was quite long. Instead of the 5 hours that I expected it to be, I was on the road for 6.5 hours! And that’s just the one way trip. The buses that I took (Pasay - Olongapo & Olongapo - Iba - Masinloc) just had many stops that time just stretched.

Anyway, upon arriving in the town of Masinloc (founded 1607 and is the first town to be established in the province of Zambales and by next year, the towns quadricentennial –> 400 years, will be celebrated), I was just awed by the beauty of the church of San Andres. Except for the belfry that was just added later, its antiquity just overwhelms the senses. The facade is simple and a relief as well as a saint’s niche adorns the pediment. Unfortunately, this church was hit by a strong earthquake December 1999 and is now undergoing restoration partially funded by the NCCA which listed this as one of the 26 colonial churches, national treasures, of the country.

For those who would want to help in the funding for the completion of the restoration, you can visit the website http://www.sanandres1607.org/. Financial support is really needed to bring back the church’s old glory.

It was already late in the afternoon that I proceeded to Iba to catch the return trip to Olongapo and then to Manila. On the way, I stopped first at this old cathedral established by the Recollects. Like most churches in the country, this was repainted and has already gone a facelift. However, the orignal coral stones that made up the walls can still be seen at the sides. The belfry is a new addition since originally, the bells were attached to the church’s espadana at the top (right). Unfortunately, to reasons unknown to me, the bells were no longer hanging at the espadana and its back was covered with cement and people who don’t know this would think that these are saints’ niches.

1800H and I was already on my way to Olongapo. When I reached the terminal, the last trip for the bus bound for Pasay was already ready to go and I just have to catch it and bought a small piece of siopao for my dinner. I arrived 2300H tired and weary.