Batis ng Liliw, Taytay Falls and Majayjay, Laguna, Philippines

Laguna, Philippines
(Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan, Liliw, Nagcarlan, Majayjay and San Pablo; May 1-3, 2009)

How to get there? You can take a bus at the HM transit at their Cubao Station all the way to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. From Sta. Cruz, you can either proceed to Pagsanjan and visit the famous Pagsanjan falls. Or you can opt to take a different route and board a jeepney that would directly take you to Liliw.

From Liliw, one can ride another jeep either to Nagcarlan or Majayjay. From Nagcarlan another jeep can take you to San Pablo. From Majayjay, your on the way to Taytay Falls.

What the Bat noticed in travelling to these places is that the roads are well built and let us say “road worthy”.

Pagsanjan Falls Lodge
Pagsanjan, Laguna

From from Sta. Cruz, Laguna you can take a jeepney then a tricycle that would take you to the Pagsanjan Falls Lodge (actually a hotel) where an overnight stay fetches at P 2,500.00. Here, you can take a banca to the “shooting the rapids” experience at the Pagsanjan falls as the lodge stands very near the river bank.

The lodge offers you an unhampered view of the pagsanjan river and its hard not to notice the brownish color of the river which reminds you of the polluted waters of the Pasig. The Bat can only hope that this river would not turn out like that as of the Pasig. In fairness, however, the river appears to be without the usual trash as of yet.

This lodge was fully booked and abound with foreigners (usually Koreans) when visited by the Bat and it is suggested that reservations be made before going there. The staff at this hotel are courteous and the food is ok and without a very high price tag.

Batis ng Liliw Resort
Liliw Laguna

From Sta Cruz or Pagsanjan, you can take a jeepney to Liliw, Laguna. This place is known for its slippers and sandals. When the Bat visited the place, it was the “Tsinelas Festival”. A part of the street was closed to traffic. From the jeepney station where all passengers were told to alight, a tricycle can take you the “Batis ng Liliw” Resort.

The “Batis ng Liliw” resort boast of a pool and three smaller pools that appear to be with flowing water. But, actually only the three smaller pools have flowing water. The water at main pool, according to the caretaker, is usually drained and changed during Sundays and the water is taken from a river near the resort whose waters emanate from Mount Banahaw. The water at this resort is cold. Entrance fee is at P 60.00 for adults and the rooms are pegged at P 2,500 to P1,000 for an overnight stay. Perhaps, this is the going rate this summer season.

The Bat noticed the river near the resort and he was appalled by seeing trash on the river. When are we going to learn? The Bat hopes that the visitors at the place or the resort itself refrain from throwing their garbage or (sewage) at this river. Otherwise, it would just be a matter of time before the river dies out as well as the resort.

The Batis ng Liliw resort is a good strategic point for anyone who would like to visit Nagcarlan to San Pablo or Liliw to Majayjay as jeepneys with these routes pass by the resort.

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery
Nagcarlan, Laguna


The Nagcarlan Cemetery, as often thought of, is not located within the Nagcarlan Church. The famous cemetery is located near the “Kapitolyo” in front of a Shell Gasoline Station after a 15 minute, more or less, ride from the church.

There is a legend that an underground passageway connects the Nagcarlan Church and the underground cemetery. But, no one living now can prove its existence. It is nothing but a “legend”.

The “underground” connotation of the cemetery may frustrate a visitor as there is only a few flight of stairs going down inside a chapel of the cemetery and not those dark and eerie passageways or crypts one expects to see.

Sampaloc Lake
San Pablo, Laguna

From the underground cemetery, a jeepney takes you to San Pablo. From anywhere near the “Kapitolyo” you can ride a tricycle to the Sampaloc Lake.

The Sampaloc lake is the biggest of the 7 lakes of San Pablo. But, you can circumnavigate the lake for more or less 30 minutes by renting a bicycle for P10.00. There are informal settlers along the lake and the Bat feels that it is better for the lake and everyone that these settlers are removed. Political will…

Taytay Falls
Majayjay, Laguna

There is a jeepney that would take you to Taytay falls in Majayjay. The road to the falls are concrete and there are practically no rough road. There is an entrance fee of P 20.00 and you need to walk a kilometer, more or less, to reach the falls.

At the “entrance”, where the Barangay hall is likewise located, you can find vendors selling food items. I say the trip is worth it. The water in the falls is very clear and cold. I hope that the place is preserved and all visitors refrain from throwing their garbage into the river. I fully support the effort of the authorities in the area in maintaining the cleanliness of the place.

The Proposal to add 100 more Congressmen in the Philippines

There is a proposal by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile to increase the number of congressmen or women from 250 to 350 for - according to the good Senator, one of the reason for his proposal is the increasing number of the Philippine population and thus there is a need to add another 100 congressmen for better representation.
I say that the said proposal should be taken with a grain of salt. This country no longer needs so many lawmakers. In fact, we have so many good laws and the problem is not with the lack or inadequacy of laws or legislation but with implementation. Many of of our laws are deemed to be "dead laws" due to lack of implementation. So, why add another 100 more congressmen when we can't even properly implement our existing laws?
I say that instead of increasing the number of congressmen to 100, their number should be decreased to more than a 100. A 100 more congressmen would translate to a 100 more for their salaries, allowances, perks, bodyguards, and another 100 more funds for their pork barrel. (And perhaps but hopefully not, there would be another 100 congressmen that would dip their fingers in funds earmarked for public roads).
Instead of adding a 100 more lawmakers it would be better for this country to have more doctors, nurses, engineers, and teachers specially at this time of economic crises.

Francis Magalona (1964-2009)

I would like to say condolences to the family of Francis Magalona who died noon yesterday. I first got a glimpse of the "master rapper" when he was a very young member of Baget's 2 in the 1980's. Well, he lived a full life and no one can fill the space he left behind.

I am also saddened by the passing of the Da King, Marky Cielo, Berting Labra, Didith Reyes. I pray that their souls be with our dear Lord. Wherever they are, they left a mark, not only in show business but in the hearts of their legion of fans.

Farewell and God Bless!!!!

"Hell in September"

Law graduates describe the four successive Sundays of September as “hell” trooping to Taft avenue to take the grueling bar examinations. The bar exams is reputedly the hardest exam of the country. It is thru this exam that the mettle of bar candidates from different law schools all over the Philippines is put to a test. As they say, if a law graduate fails to pass the bar… the four or more years of law school is practically put to waste. If a law grad fails to pass the bar on the first try, the stigma of being a “bar flunker” is difficult to shrug off. It said that it is better to pass the bar on the first attempt, even if you merely made the line, than be a topnotcher on the second or more try. No violent reaction please…

Of course, there would be thousand of reasons why an examinee fails to pass the bar exams (or any other exams) at first attempt but what is more important is to keep on trying until you make it. The bar exams, I agree, is not the true and accurate measure of whether one would be a good and successful law practitioner. It is just one set of exams. Don Claro Recto failed to pass the bar at his first try but he is acknowledged to be one of the best, if not the best lawyer, this country has ever produced.

As I was reading the Manila Standard issue of 27 August 2008, Gerry Geronimo’s column entitled “From Ansky, the accidental lawyer” caught my attention. Geronimo yielded his column space to a certain Anna Patricia del Castillo. I suggest that lawyers and those who intend to be one google up and read the column in full. Allow me, however, to share some of del Castillo’s touching and insightful experience on the bar and on being a lawyer. She writes –

“Then I took the Bar. Being a born crammer, I knew I had to be serious and work like crazy all those six months before the Bar. I asked around and the usual schedule was to read at least a hundred pages a day, which meant at least ten hours of reading and listening to review lectures daily. I did all these. But when the Bar results came, my name wasn’t on the list. It was devastating.

…That working oneself to death for six months wasn’t enough. I realize that I wasted eight years of my life. Flunking the Bar made me realize that there was not clear-cut path in my life. My future suddenly became hazy and uncertain, and I started on an uncharted path. I was faced with questions like, should I continue studying and take the Bar again? Or should I just begin a new career path, a whole new life where I would be in charge?

…I studied like mad. The real world faded away, and there was me and my books. Officially, I wasn’t a crammer anymore since I studied most of this stuff the first time around…

…Then I took the Bar again. Since I didn’t pass the first time, my confidence was shady and my composure precarious… After the exams it was difficult to determine whether I would pass or not. The Bar is just like that, so uncertain, because of so many possible answers and only one of them would turn out right. So I waited for six long months. When the results were released, my classmates and friends found out before I did. It was so touching how they seemed to be more ecstatic and excited than I was! If passing for the first time means holding a congratulatory party, passing for the second time means a sigh of relief. It is reclaiming your lost confidence, beginning to trust yourself again, and finally believing that it is meant to happen.

… I also discovered that being a lawyer was my true path despite being just carried along with it. When I found myself, I began to understand the world more, be more caring but responsible and emphatic in my views. I want to help people. And being a lawyer is one of the best paths to do that. I can volunteer in non-governmental organizations that help the poor, the environment, orphans and abused people. I can venture into governmental and pioneer policies that are directed towards helping the people and the earth, or handle cases and make a direct contribution towards the betterment of the life of my client. Being a lawyer creates a sense of power and responsibility that I wouldn’t have had in another career. Now that I’m a lawyer, I thank my parents and those who helped me, and I’m excited to voyage out and begin my life of changing the world.”

Then the column ended with this very sad note – “Anne took her oath as new lawyer in April this year and passed away in June.”

Indeed, we lost a lawyer destined to be the one of the best. The Philippine judicial system lost a lawyer who realized and knows what really lawyering is all about. At this time, most lawyers (I hope not a great majority of them) and this includes judges and justices are in the profession for money’s sake. We hear of stories about “hoodlums in robes”, “justice for sale” and that decisions are only for the rich and the highest bidder.

Justice delayed is justice denied - a well entrenched and oft-repeated phrase in legal circles. Yet, we hear of cases lasting for more than 30 years. We read about convicts languishing in jail, still awaiting trial, for so long that they have already “served out” their sentence in the event of conviction.

I really hope that there are still Anna’s out there who realized that lawyering is really about helping people!