Muntiparlas

Poppy in Muntiparlas

By Poppy M

SA21 G

Parañaque and Las Piñas are right next door to each other, whilst I live in Alabang, which is in Muntinlupa. I figured I didn’t want to spend too much on tolls so I’ve decided to go to Parañaque and Las Piñas to accomplish the herculean tasks (called so for they really did demand so much effort!). As for a strategy, I was with my mother and we did the tasks as we hit them on the way.  Thank God the traffic on that day wasn’t so bad otherwise it would have taken forever.

Task 1: This Little Poppy Went to the Cemetery

I didn’t interview anyone but having buried both her parents there, my mom is quite familiar with the park. And as Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque has only been around for more or less 50 years, through logic we figured that the best way we could find names from the earlier part of the 20^th century is the crypt, where all the cremated are transferred to from wherever- could be from cemeteries abroad or the province, etc. There were quite a lot of names there and I was able to take pictures of some but from what I’ve observed from the names in MMP a lot of them passed in the 1950s, and I’m thinking it’s because of the aftermath of the second world war. Other high mortality decades are the 1960s and 1980s, and from what I can deduce from film and media in those decades it was very much a “thing” to do drugs and for kids to take on vices as the country became more liberal about such things. It’s also possible that some of them were killed in vehicular accidents as cars became a common possession as well. From the names, a lot of them from the early part of the century were more Spanish sounding, but a lot are more Chinese.  There are obviously a number of Filipino names as well. It’s expensive to bury the dead in this cemetery, and those who can afford are more in the upper-middle class and up range. As a mostly Christian population we’re more inclined to bury the death because our particular brand of beliefs regarding the afterlife, so it’s interesting that there are a lot of cremated remains in MMP. I think these are families that have moved on from traditional burial practices to a more modern, possibly practical one. In the cemetery as we drove around there’s a distinction between the upper and middle classes already- a lot of the upper classes are in mausoleums whereas the people who aren’t as well off have their dead buried in the ground with much simpler tombstones.

Task 2: This Little Poppy Had Tapsi

After our name hunting in the cemetery it was time for lunch (not that seeing tombstones was appetizing in anyway- the clock struck noon and the body needed its sustenance to continue). We went to a tapsihan. Parañaque is known not for inventing Tapsi, but for having tapsihans on pretty much every street corner of every block. There were a lot to choose from! I think this is because Parañaque locals are so relaxed in their lifestyles that they don’t need to eat anything fancy- the fanciest they can get is to add a fried egg and say how you like it cooked. These are menus comprised of everything you can eat at home, which to the locality it fits quite nicely as from what I’ve observed the people in Parañaque are a laid back bunch, compared to the fast city lives people in Makati live. Also most of the tapsihans are open 24 hours, which is good as there are a lot of bars in Parañaque, which again adds to the city’s culture as being a mostly relaxed place.

Task 3: This Little Poppy Went to Church

For this task I went to two churches in Parañaque, and one in Las Piñas. The first one is called Resurrection of our Lord Parish. Unfortunately all I was able to do there was take a photo as the Church was completely deserted. Only one side door was left unlock. There was no one to ask about the history of the parish and why it was named that. From what I’ve observed, however, and from what my sister has told me (she hears mass there with her friends), there’s a pretty good mix of people who go there. She’s seen celebrities like Christine Reyes and Raiver Cruz there, and as well as her buddies that sell sampaguitas at Starbucks with their families (my sister is always at Starbucks and she has gotten to know some of these kids), but the majority is the middle class churchgoers. The Church is really clean and it looks like it’s either newly painted or very well taken care of.

            The second church I went to see was right down the street, called the Presentation of the Child Jesus Parish. I asked the guards if they knew anything about its history, but no one really knows. There’s a plaque out by the entrance that it was dedicated in 1994. As for the demographic, when we were there there were quite a number of people praying the pews that seemed to be from more on the middle class. It’s in the middle of Aguirre Avenue in BF, and from what I’ve seen driving around the area, that particular part isn’t flashy or anything that screams “upper class”- just normal houses and normal people about.

            The final church I visited is called the Bamboo Organ church in Las Piñas. I’ve always wanted to see it as I’ve driven past it before, and now’s a good excuse as any to come and explore. I paid for a tour. It was apparently built in 1815 during the Spanish occupation, and you can really see it from the architecture. They’ve kept a lot of the original structure as there are a number of warning signs to watch where you’re stepping, etc, and some parts are actually crumbling. The stone walls of the building are kept from the time it was build. The saint the church is dedicated to is St Joseph (as in Mary’s husband), as he is the patron saint of Las Piñas. The school on the grounds is called St Joseph’s school. The churchgoers are mostly people of the lower classes, which I just assumed by looking around the area. There were hardly any tourists considering its history.

            I’m not sure if the architecture of the three churches is what really draws the people to hear mass there; it’s more of the area they are located. Bamboo Organ is an historical site and it’s really beautiful but the people who attend mass there are more on the lower classes of society, and the Resurrection parish is pretty new and a Church one would think looks to be fore the upper classes in terms of its appearance is sitting in the middle of a very middleclass area.

Task 4: This Little Poppy Looked At Art

I was most pessimistic about this task as I’m sure I wouldn’t just find a random artist whose work hangs in a museum. I didn’t even know if there are art museums in Parañaque or Las Piñas. However, while on the tour of the Bamboo Organ church, I came across a painting hanging that was signed by a Nick Aranda, a name that stood out to me cos my grandmother is an Aranda. On the way to our next destination (which would have been the haunted street), we drove past his gallery. I knocked and low and behold, the artist was at home. I got to chat with him about his art; he has been painting for 87 years and was once an apprentice of Amorsolo’s. His style is inspired by the impressionists like Monet and Degas and his paintings look like it could hang in the Louvre. His paintings are worth, at the cheapest, 20,000 pesos for a small one, and he sells a lot of them up to 80,000, but it doesn’t look like he lives comfortably at all. His house is just a step above the locations we go to for NSTP, and it’s a pity even more so when I found out he is distantly related to my grandma, who lives pretty well off. I think its because that although he sells his paintings at high prices, his income isn’t as steady as a desk job. He was able to put his children through school, though, and live relatively comfortably, but his surroundings suggest that there has been some hard times.  

Task 6: This Little Poppy Went to Market

We went to the market next but unfortunately it wasn’t very productive. Parañaque doesn’t have a product that is produced there originally, rather what they sell in the market are already “imported” from Batangas and Laguna (ie the vegetables, the livestock, etc). The market itself wasn’t as packed as I thought it would be, just a few stalls were occupied. I’m guessing it’s because Parañaque just thrives on personal businesses like restaurants and bars, they don’t have products that they can share with other places in the country.

Task 7: This Little Poppy Went Running After She Took This Photo

In Parañaque there’s a pretty long street called Concha Cruz. It’s filled with houses now but apparently until the 80s and early 90s it was just land and miles of grassy fields where it was rumoured dead bodies were discarded and any number of ghosts haunt the place. This is where we decided to go. I didn’t take a pic of myself in it because I don’t want to see anything I’m not supposed to see so I just took a picture of the street sign. The Philippines has a number of haunted places because Filipinos have it part of their beliefs that there is an afterlife, and some just haven’t crossed over, particularly those who are murdered and have unfinished business. It’s based on the faith that Filipinos have. And Concha Cruz being known as a dumping site, it’s understandable that such stories will come up.

Task 8: This Little Poppy Made Friends

For this task I was in Starbucks and already trying to piece together this blog entry. I was with my sister’s friend Lia, who’s lived in Parañaque her entire life. Another one I asked was Wilson, a barista and also a Parañaque kid born and raised. I wasn’t able to take pictures of them as Wilson was working and in uniform, and Lia just didn’t want to because she didn’t have make up on. So then I asked them where the economic, religious, political, and tourist spots are, and their answers are all pretty consistent. The busiest part of Parañaque is Aguirre Avenue and Presidents Avenue (interestingly the Starbucks we were at sits at this cross street). These two avenues stretch for miles on both directions (it’s an L shape) and are littered with different businesses, mostly restaurants and bars. The two churches I visited also lie within the intersection. The City Hall is in Sucat. And as far as they know there aren’t tourist spots in Parañaque but there are a lot of Koreans who have settled there and put up schools there, also along Aguirre. Here’s where the “South people” hang out, and there’s a distinct difference between the South (Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Las Piñas people) and North people (Makati, Ortigas, QC): people in the south are more laid back, they say. There aren’t any high-end clubs here for the kind of night life that attracts foreigners to the Fort, and the business district isn’t like that of Eastwood. Naturally in this area, there are a lot of wealthy people about but most take the trips up north to work and to party. The people in the South, apparently, can wear shorts all day and never have to see a business suit in their work days.