Follow The Yellow Brick Road, Part 2

The second leg of our trip to the north was the Aquino Center in Luisita. Out of President Cory Aquino's sense of propriety, the centre was built after her term. It houses memorabilia from the life of her husband Ninoy, from the time he became Mayor of Concepcion to the time of his assassination. A quarter of the exhibit are photographs and gifts from world leaders during her presidency.

The museum is open to the public for a minimal fee of P100. We were given a guided tour by Karen Carrera and she shared with us interesting trivias about Ninoy Aquino. Much has been written about his life as a politician and a hero, but what inspired me the most was how he became a better man during his incarceration under Martial Law. He questioned God why he had to go through much suffering, yet it was during those lonely days and nights that he realised how blessed he was to be the youngest Mayor, Governor and Senator of his time. That dark period in his life has brought him closer to God and he learned to pray the Rosary. He came out a selfless man.

The beautiful acacia lined avenue from the SCTEX Luisita exit to Aquino Center.

The Aquino Center

Group shot.

The atrium of the Aquino Center.

Karen Carrera, center, gave us a guided tour of the museum.

After our tour of the centre, we headed to the hills of San Jose to visit the Monasterio de Tarlac. I've visited the shrine of the relic of the Holy Cross a couple of times before but it was the first time my friends were able to see it.

My previous post about the Monasterio de Tarlac - http://myrefrigeratordoor.blogspot.com/2011/03/do-you-know-way-to-san-jose.html

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The House Of Dr. Luis Santos

Our tour of Malolos continues, from the Cojuangco ancestral house http://myrefrigeratordoor.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-cojuangco-ancestral-house.html , our gracious host Melecio Cojuangco brought us to the house of Dr. Luis Santos. Mel arranged the visit with one of the heirs of Dr. Santos, George Imperial . From the outside, one would already be in awe of the sheer size of the house. The house was built in 1933, according to the marker by the gate. Upon entering, you will marvel at the grand staircase, the expansive receiving room and the foyer filled with hard bound medical books and mementos of Dr. Santos' career as a well loved doctor in this town. The second floor was something else, as our group slowly ascended the magnificent staircase, my heart literally skipped a beat at the sight of the ceiling mural and Art Deco details. We found out later that the mural was painted by the great Fernando Amorsolo himself. There was a private chapel in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes

The Cojuangco Ancestral House

Our next journey takes us to a historic town in Bulacan, thirty minutes north of Manila. My road trip buddies, my college friends who all share with me the same fascination for heritage houses were privileged by an invitation from Melecio Cojuangco to visit their ancestral house in Malolos. Mel, his cousin in law Marissa Lopa, Rima Datuin and Evelyn Bautista and I discovered each other's funny bone because of our love for the ice cream served in a huge bowl at Peninsula Manila's lobby. One evening, to justify our appetite, we pretended it was my birthday and we had the string quartet play happy birthday for me, from then on, we became good friends. Mel's grandfather, Jose Cojuangco was born at the Malolos house, very near the Barasoain Church. Jose's mother traded rice from Nueva Ecija, sacks transported by boat via the river at the back of the kamalig to Binondo, Manila. Like most turn of the century houses, the Cojuangco house uses piedra china stones f

Her Name Means Peace

I started blogging five years ago after reading the book Life On The Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers. So touched was I from the story, I named my blog My Refrigerator Door . Ms. Kuipers wonderfully weaved a story about a daughter and her mother who battled with breast cancer in a series of notes posted on the refrigerator door. Last Sunday, at the funeral of Tita Passy, Paz Cojuangco-Teopaco, I was reminded of that beautiful book. She too fought a long battle with the disease, but in her suffering, she has brought her family back together. I met the Teopacos through my good friend Kris Aquino . In one of Kris's anniversary specials on TV, I was introduced by Kris' mother, President Cory to her youngest sister, Passy. After that, I got to bond with Kris's cousins, Tita Passy's daughters, Marla and Rina in a summer trip to Mindoro. Sharing the same love for sentimental music, and deep affection for Kris's son Joshua , Rina and I became the b

My Refrigerator Door

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