It was the first time I was invited to attend a blogging event locally {read: in my hometown} and to say that I was excited is probably an understatement. More than the prospect of having a stress-free and convenient travel to the venue where the event was to be held, I was more excited about the opportunities of sharing more about my city in the blog.
It was the Office of the Mayor who invited the press for a little trip to our city. The event commenced with a trip to some of the landmarks and heritage houses found in Malolos. Mind you, I have lived here almost my entire life but this was the first time I have been to this part of our city and saw a number of these heritage houses.
A Tour of Malolos
I rendezvoused with the rest of the group at the Barasoain Church, where the media began their tour and exploration of our city. It is always a treat to visit here as the Church was once part of my day-to-day routine while I was attending College at the neighboring University of Regina Carmeli {which is now known as La Consolacion University of the Philippines or LCUP}. The little one was also baptized here and I am looking forward to sharing more significant milestones in my life with this Church. I will never grow tired of taking its photographs, too, in fact I sneaked in a few shots before heading for the bus and carrying off with the rest of our tour.
On our way, we also passed by a number of noteworthy buildings in the city center, including the house of Don Jose Cojuangco {kin to the President and his clan}, Casa Real, the Municipal Building, and the Malolos Cathedral, among others.
Among the highlights of our tour was the visit to the old heritage houses found in the Kameztisuhan District, which I have not set foot before. If you are familiar with our city, you will find this district just a few blocks away from the Meralco office, which, by the way, used to be an old house, itself. The old structures we visited include the Bautista House which was considered as one of the beautiful houses in the Philippines in terms of architecture, the Santos Uitangcoy House which is now the home of the Women of Malolos Museum, and the House of Dr. Luis Santos situated beside the Sto. Nino Branch of Holy Infant School.
The Presscon at Bahay Na Tisa
“Vamos A Malolos!” which translates to “Let’s go to Malolos!” in English, is a project by the local city government that proclaims the city’s glorious past, its rich cultural legacies, as well as its future thrusts for development. It also aims to project Malolos as a major historic-cultural tourism destination north of Manila. The Spanish phrase is to connote that Malolos is a historical that established its crowning glory during the Filipino-Spanish war at the time when the first democracy in the continents of Asia and Africa was founded at the Barasoain Church in Malolos.