CALASIAO: OF COMMERCE, RELIGION AND POLITICS
The scorching heat of the sun directed towards the perspiring and nearly
dehydrated me, was the scenario as I stood on one corner of the road. The landscape was comprised of a park, a number
of stalls aligned, a municipal hall and a church. All came in unison to give a warm welcome.
This is Calasiao, Pangasinan’s landmark.
PUTO CALASIAO
“Don’t forget to buy Puto Calasiao.” This was a constant reminder from friends
as my whereabouts were revealed through the various postings of photos on my
social media accounts.
And so I heed to their request - a part for personal consumption and the
other as a ‘mandatory’ gift for those who requested.
Puto Calasiao is a destination in itself. The ‘melt-in-the
mouth’ rice cake, as their slogan suggests, is the selling point for this local
delicacy. My taste buds may differ from
the others but the one I purchased seemed as normal as with other provinces.
Involuntarily comparing it to the one I bought at the Alaminos bus stop en
route to Manila after our recent Patar trip, the puto Calasiao at the latter was even tastier and in adherence to
their slogan.
MUNICIPAL HALL AND THE PARK
The shade of the trees with benches aligned, surrounding the municipal
hall comforted me. As local residents loiter and feast on street foods, we were
busy locating for vantage points on how to capture their lives amidst the
landmarks on photographs.
It was a weekend, a family day in the Philippines. The park has been occupied by a number of
residents and visitors which purposes of stay are varied.
Standing witness to both religious and commercial activities, the church
and the puto stalls to be specific,
the town’s seat of government stood at the center. A typical rural setting it is.
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL PARISH CHURCH
A church that stands across a municipal hall and a park is the usual
setting of a rural landscape. And
Calasiao, Pangasinan is no exception.
 |
| statue of Sts. Peter and Paul |
The Parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul commonly known as the Calasiao Church is a baroque heritage
church. On account of age and history,
this Spanish-colonial era church is declared a National Treasure by the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts. The
church is further declared a national shrine.
As the midday sun exposes, we have to leave the area, an area in the
province of Pangasinan where the fusion of religion, commerce and politics comes
hand in hand to give each visitor a warm welcome.
1 comments
my hometown!
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