Rough Groove

Two exciting book finds on Philippine colonial churches and art

Two exciting finds, one in Powerbooks Greenbelt and the other at the Ayala Museum. A must read for enthusiasts of colonial church architecture and history that is both awe inspiring and makes one proud but at the same time alarm to the various state of neglect of these structures.

Fortress of Empire - Rene Javellana
The country’s colonial fortress structures are documented in this beautiful book. Ancient ones still standing, preserved, or in different state of decay and ruin and those that were supposed to be standing but lost forever due to natural and manmade calamities. Its a rich resource for understanding the somewhat violent past, the Moro raids for slaves, how the communities under the Spanish colonial government defended themselves that most often, is led by a lone Spaniard in the person of the parish priest and in the process, came up with noble structures that stand proud like those in the various forts (Santiago in Intramuros and San Pedro in Cebu), the different watchtowers, though some are crumbling that stretch from the coastlines of Ilocos, the Visayas (to cite, the ingenious alarm system developed by Fr. Bermejo of Boljoon that snakes down the southern coastline of the province).

Simbahan: Church Art in Colonial Philippines 1565 - 1898 - Regalado Trota Jose
The structure, the priests’ vestments, altar pieces, convents and history richly detailed in this fine and affordable book. Though the photos are in black and white compared to the colored ones above, its very informative. It makes me want to document more the existing churches before they are lost forever due to natural or man-made calamities.

Philippinas Incognitas - Neal Oshima

A pretty little black book by the known photographer based in the Philippines, Neal Oshima. These are not your postcard pretty Philippine scenes and sights but the unknown Philippines, thus the Incognita title. Containing 114 photographs taken nationwide, it showcases the country’s people, environment, heritage, food, clothing and traditions. The layout is superb and subscribes to the minimalist approach. While some of the pics seem just ordinary to me, but then these seeming ordinariness is its appeal and not often depicted.

This is available at MIX at Greenbelt 3 for P900.00

Its a good book except that it wrongly identified a butterfly, number 36, as Papilio benguetana from Luzon instead of the correct one, Trogonoptera trojana that can only be found in the forests of Palawan.

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents - Reporters sans frontieres

From today’s article at the Philippine Daily Inquirer website, INQ7, Reporters sans frontiers just released the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissedents. Published with the assistance of the French Governement, its a guide and how-to of blogging anonymously, especially for those in countries that are under repression and press curtailment where one post of criticism against the governement/regime can land one in jail.

Reading through the contents, its also a good guide for bloggers, both aspiring and regular, to improve their blogs, content, and how to get noticed even though if this is leaning to journalistic blogging.

Great Churches of the Philippines - Galende & Javellana

A must have book for lovers of old Philippine churches, a legacy of its Spanish colonial past. This features 29 treasures around the country that showcases its unique architecture that is bound to delight and enlighten.

Philippines, 8th Edition - Lonely Planet

A gift from my amour, this is the third lonely planet book that I have since I started travelling many years ago. Always an invaluable guide book, this is what I usually bring when going to places. Maybe too much Lonely Planet shows on cable TVs before, especially if the wacky Ian Wright is hosting. I first bought my 6th edition when I did a Cebu - Tacloban (Leyte) - Guiuan (Samar) - Homonhon (Samar) - Borongan (Samar) - Bulusan (Sorsogon) - Legazpi (Albay) - Hinunangan (Samar) - Cebu trip, all in one breath. And used it well when I roamed across the country from Luzon down to Mindanao. Had the 7th edition and used it for my first Cordillera trip and succeeding sojourns in Ilocos - Cagayan - Manila. It saw action in Marinduque, Surigao, Camiguin and a host of islands and places before getting this new edition. When I did the Bangkok - KL - Singapore trip, I was armed with another Lonely Planet: Southeast Asia on a Shoestring.

Always a reliable partner in going places. And, oh, I still have my Vietnam that was unused since bird flu struck that country and I was left to do a Batanes instead, which by the way, I haven’t regreted doing it.