Minalungao National Park : One of Nature's Many Wonders

Penaranda River and two great walls on either side

Nature has a way of surprising us. And surprised I was when I saw Minalungao National Park, and immediately understood why it is the most prized tourist destination of the province of Nueva Ecija. It definitely is beautiful and it was such a great experience appreciating this wonderful work of nature.

General Tinio (Papaya) : From Sitio to Barrio to a Beautiful Town

In the south-easternmost part of the province of Nueva Ecija lies a rustic albeit peaceful and beautiful town of General Tinio, or Papaya for most of the people who live or has lived there. It is home to the famous Minalungao National Park, one of the gems the province of Nueva Ecija is very proud of.

General Tinio (Papaya) Welcome Arch

Penaranda, Nueva Ecija

The town of Penaranda is one of the more historical towns of the eastern Nueva Ecija where an old church still stands, a monument to a revolutionary built and historical markers are present. It still exudes the aura of an old town and still is practicing an old tradition going back to the Spanish era, the Arakyo (Araquio).

Spanish Era Penaranda Church

The Araquio Tradition of Penaranda, Nueva Ecija

The town of Penaranda in Nueva Ecija has a very historic and religious tradition that shows how Filipinos adapted to and embraced the Catholicism brought by the Spanish colonizers to the country - the ARAQUIO. The very same tradition also shows Penaranda people's craft and artistry as well as their loyalty to the Philippines' past and culture for it was actually practiced there even during the Spanish times!

Araquio Performers

Araquio is traditionally and religiously held during the month of May in the town of Penaranda where local wealthy families take turns in sponsoring different Araquio groups to perform it. A presentation similar to Spanish zarzuelas, it depicts the crusade made by Queen Helen and King Constantine (and later, Emperor Heraclius from where the name "Araquio" purportedly came from) to recover the True Cross where Jesus was crucified. 

Unexpected Beauty : Talavera

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

Talavera is a Nueva Ecija town found at the center of the province. It was formerly part of Cabanatuan during the Spanish period but separated and became a new town in 1852 (talavera.gov.ph). It was then known as Barrio Katugian (place where many "tugue" or mung beans sprouts) but where joined by barrio La Torre, Pulong Buli, Conception and Valle when it separated from Cabanatuan to form the new town.

Talavera Town Church. Nueva Ecija.

My last destination for my one day Nueva Ecija tour is the town of Talavera. I have never been to Talavera before and I just heard the town through some of my friends but there’s not a mention of anything special about the town. One of my friends, Ma’am Lynniel Carbonel lives in Talavera but she hasn’t told me anything interesting about it because maybe we were preoccupied with some other things related to our jobs because we are both in the academe. So I wasn’t really expecting something while I am on my way to Talavera from Muñoz.

San Jose and Munoz : Visiting Nueva Ecija's Northern Cities

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

Nueva Ecija has five cities and two of them can be found north of the province : San Jose City and the Science City of Muñoz. Because visiting all the Philippine cities is also part of my quest, I seized the opportunity to visit these two cities during my one day Nueva Ecija tour.

From Rizal, Nueva Ecija, I rented a tricycle for Php 120.00 to San Jose City. There are public utility vehicles plying the route Rizal-San Jose but they are available only during afternoon and it was just 1:30 PM so I've got no choice but to take the tricycle.

Upon arriving at San Jose, the most dominant structure you will see is the San Jose Cathedral, the house of the Diocese of San Jose which oversees Roman Catholics of the Northern part of Nueva Ecija. The Cathedral is huge though the architecture is modern. Nevertheless, the church still exudes elegance and the mere size of it makes it a noticeable edifice.

San Jose Cathedral. Nueva Ecija.

Exploring three Eastern Nueva Ecija towns: Bongabon, Rizal, Pantabangan

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

Bongabon, Rizal and Pantabangan weren't originally included in my itinerary. For one, I thought they are so far from the center (Cabanatuan) and it would be very difficult for me to get there because of the lack of public transportation. But the truth is, I would really like to go see Pantabangan because I read from a website that it has a Spanish-old Church. So when the opportunity to visit the town presented itself, I immediately grabbed it.

From Palayan, there are plenty of jeepneys plying the road going to Bongabon so all I had to do is to get into one. Upon reaching Bongabon, I rode a tricycle to bring me to the town center where the town church and hall must be located. The town church is located just beside the tricycle terminal so I noticed it immediately.

Bongabon Church. Nueva Ecija.

A short visit to Palayan City

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

The newly built Nueva Ecija Provincial Capitol

From Cabanatuan, my next destination was Nueva Ecija's official capital: Palayan City. Palayan has been the province's capital from 1965, when it was decided that a new government center be built in an otherwise virgin and sparsely populated area. The area between Cabanatuan and Bongabon was chosen and it was here where the planned city was built according to an urban design which allows for continuous development without much problem when it comes to space.

A walking tour on Historic Cabanatuan

(This is part of my Nueva Ecija townhopping last June 12, 2013)

I have been fascinated by historic places since I was in high school, and it is actually evident in most of my posts. Well, that was one reason why I decided to do a walking tour around Cabanatuan, even though most travel blogs and website dedicated to tourism doesn't have Cabanatuan at the top of their list of Philippine tourist spots. 

But, the very reason for this post is to expose the simple beauty of the city to many people. For me, the main source of Cabanatuan's beauty is its historicity and its silent way of preserving that history, many of which are starting to fade away from the new generation's memory.

I arrived at Cabanatuan City at around 8am that day. I first visited the city hall, which is just a walking distance from Jolibee Circumferential (along Maharlika Highway). There was a simple program that day to commemorate the Independence day so the place was teeming with people, city hall employees and students alike. 

Cabanatuan City Hall facade. 

I was not too impressed by the city hall's design because one cannot see a distinctive facade of the hall, and it seems the building needs some maintenance work. Nevertheless, I still took a photo of the city hall's front side for souvenir. Just in front of the city hall is a Rizal monument, full of wreath that day as well as people taking pictures with the monument. It's as if that was the first time people took notice of the monument. I have to wait for a chance to take a picture of the monument without anyone obstructing it... :)

My one day affair with Nueva Ecija

I live in Nueva Ecija, specifically Gapan, during the weekdays but I’ll have to admit that I have already toured other provinces before I’ve got the chance to know Nueva Ecija more. It happened one Philippine Independence Day (June 12, 2013), when I have decided to have a historical tour around one of the provinces represented by the 8 rays of the sun in the Philippine flag.

Because 2013 Independence Day happened to be Wednesday, the middle of the week, I decided not to go home in San Jose del Monte and just spend my holiday in Nueva Ecija. I woke up very early that day so that my Nueva Ecija town hopping may cover as many towns as possible.

My original Nueva Ecija itinerary (from GoogleMaps)

My initial itinerary for the day is (as shown above, from Gapan City) : Cabanatuan City, Palayan City, San Jose City, Science City of Munoz, Talavera and San Isidro. I did not include Gapan because I have already toured it and will be posting a separate post for it.