discovering baliwag

a few days ago , I was informed by my friend, walk with Chan founder, Lawrence 

that there will be an occular inspection in the town of Baliwag, and its strictly for

bloggers only, so I was reminded not to bring any plus one.

with this instruction, I did not bring my travel companion this time.

I know this will be another day of experience and learning. a new set of

friends, so I signed up.

In the early morning yesterday I met NissanUrvan Club member Gian at 711

then we met up with Lawrence & food / travel blogger Vance Madrid at 

Mcdonals trinoma, and then off we go. its a working weekday, so a few

bloggers attended.

We met photograher blogger Gerry Suva and Mister D at Bustos.

we missed Roy, Jhon, Axl, Rona this time sayang...

while my other Heritage lover friends went to AHP'S underground cemetery in

Nagcarlan., we were at Bustos to watch Minasa festival...

Our next stop was the baliwag town plaza.in this tour,  I learned that  Baliwag is 

home to the original Buntal, the buntal hat festival, we met the young mayor, a very

 

friendly person, accomodating. here in Baliwag, we also learned the story regarding

the official logo of Baliwag Transit, and its home to  the original Baliwag Lechon

(before it was as a franchise) and the location to the only self-supporting clock tower 

in Bulacan. and the place where the first elections in the Far East were held in 1899.

ENTRANCE TO THE MUNICIPAL HALL photo credits Gerry Suva

photo credits Gerry Suva

here are pictures and videos I took inside the Baliwag museum.

more pics inside the museum

this town is  famous for its Semana Santa processions. Boasting 116 carros with

life-size Santos showcasing events from the life and passion of Christ.its also home 

to the greenery, .one of the most sought after places for weddings and special 

functions complete with pools, venues, gardens and a lagoon.

the facade

facade of the baliwag museum, a must see facade  at night!

Upon arrival,  we were introduced to the the very very friendly tourism department 

Giovanni Labao, Edwin bautista, Jose Rizaldy Tomacruz and Cloud trinidad. where 

they toured us around the municipal hall and introduced us to the town mayor aftewards.

Attractions  in Baliwag include the clock tower, as well as the Lumang 

Municipio  which is  now the Baliwag Museum and Library just a few steps 

away from the church.

what is unique about the town? of course the  unique foods the serkele

the buntal hats, Greenery, ancestral houses, and  rabbit meat farming which will

be shown later.

A video inside the museum for those who wants to have a look inside

After this, we went around town using an electronic golf cart

we were toured around town in one of the 7 electronic golf carts  provided
by the mayor.

Credits to  Gerry Suva

and I was amazed by the unique design of their tricycle

the young town mayor Ferdie V. Estrella provided this mode of transport for the
elders pwd in his town, he is always committed to help and provide good public
service to his people.

he told us his story, how he became a public servant at a young age while still
studying from being an S.K. to becoming mayor.
one of his main project before 2019 is to aim for Baliwag's cityhood

the rest of the tour is by foot just almost beside one another,
we went to this church which is beside the convent

Across Baliwag Transit Bus Station in Baliuag town proper is
St. Augustine Parish Church

here you can see the convent is attached to the church

this monument was 3rd place if I remember it right, the one chosen at Rizal
Park was 2nd place.
and below.. is the Glorietta...FREE WIFI. haha.

Beside the glorieta stand the Baliwag clock tower which is the only self-supporting clock
tower in the area.

here is the picture of the baliwag clock tower.

we had  mirienda at  ALING LURING's for their famous all original serkele
since 1972. this has been copied in Cauayan Isabela.

 I discovered why the logo of Baliwag Bus Terminal is a hat, it's because 

Baliwag is famous for its buntal hat, even the official seal of Baliwag includes 

a buntal hat. we went to the home of Ate Rossie

Tita Rosie is the manager-owner of Baliwag Buntal Enterprises, that popularizes
buntal hat industry in Baliwag. She proudly told us that  she took on this industry
from the couple who adopted her.

I got one from maam Rose Bautista, owner of Baliwag Buntal Enterprises one of
her buntal hat that I proudly wore the whole day.

group photo with Rosie Bautista photo by: Gerry Suva

here are their assorment of buntal hats for the haciendero in you.
only 1000.00 each very affordable, considering how long and how tedious it
takes to make one. I hope this tradition will live on for a long time.

ate Rose during her younger years

take a look, the hat that police men use cost 700.00
don't bother to buy the fakes that cost 150.00 each.

Watch this video as the owner shares how it is done.

a video demonstrates how its done

ANOTHER ANCESTRAL HOUSE  found inside a school

and another one, this time bought by an 98 yr old doctor from the family
of Charo Santos last 1982 for 400k

this is our final destination. AVEN Nature farm and Rabbitry of Art Veneracion.
wherein, aside from rare trees, plants, and livestock, you could look into
and consider investing in a new business with just a minimal capital.

did i mention rabbit soup no. 43? ask misterD

Raising rabbits is one of the simplest things you can do on your homestead. Not
only do they require little attention, but they also provide a great amount of meat.
ive learned that they produced excellent tasting meat at little cost.

the most economical, labor efficient, and practical way to produce protein, less
cholesterol less fat, I also learned that Rabbits produce manure that is the best for
the gardeners' purposes. It is ready for use for your plants. more information will be
taught when you attend the next LAKAD PAMANA HERITAGE TOUR this feb 18.

I did some research because I'm interested in this as a sideline business, I found out
that Rabbit meat has nearly 1 gram more protein per ounce than chicken, one gram
less fat. It has 15 calories less per pound, and here's the important one for lots of
people: the cholesterol is much lower, even than chicken white meat.
if this information gets learned by investors, we will have an abundance of
rabbit meat in the market.

currently rabbit meat is 400 pesos per kilo. a rich man's chicken, low in fats, less
cholesterol but lean on the protein. a good source of income.

come to ANNI this week til sunday. at the QCMC to know more about this.
to know about soup number 43, ask misterD or visit the next tour of lakad pamana
thgis coming Feb 1.

then for our last stop? we tried rabbit meat. it taste like chicken. depends 

on the cooking and serving of course. I was told that one full grown rabbit 

could give you 10 servings of 100.00 each plate.

Baliwag is rich in history, and car culture, not to mention pretty ladies!

so if you have time come visit Baliwag, discover things you dont learn

from school.  you wont regret it!

till our next tour after valentines day mark the date, this feb 18. LAKAD 

PAMANA. see you!

ONE LOVE. this is your LOVERBOY Dennis signing out

JAN212017