This month of April we got a chance to visit Pampanga again and join in a tour with local travel operators and the agenda of the tour is to have a familiarization about the province and help promote it by organizing a tour package for travel agencies and also for us bloggers – we create a digital word of mouth to have an awareness that there’s so much to see here in Pampanga.
It’s a year long travel awareness for Pampanga, and for the campaign and awareness, they created the VISIT PAMPANGA YEAR, a monthly tour and promotion anything about Pampanga.
I’m with the #EATgetaway blogger team and we will experience the music and culture of Pampanga through travel and tour.
ST AUGUSTINE PARISH CHURCH
San Augustine Church in Lubao, Pampanga
Our first stop is here at the San Augustine Church in Lubao, Pampanga, we didn’t got a chance to tour around but I was hoping to drop by and take some photos and tour around the church, we arrived late for the luncheon event at PGMA house, we got caught by the Manila traffic and we arrived 1 hour late.
Sayang! but Im including this church to my list and I will visit it next time I go to Lubao.
PGMA ANCESTRAL HOME
We’re now here at the ancestral home of former PH President and now elected Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
She invited all media, blogger media and travel operators to have a lunch in one of their function room.
I also learned that she’s celebrating her birthday, she turned 71 years old this April 2018. I was there at the buffet area and then I noticed this birthday cake brought by her politician guest at the event.
During our lunch, we got a chance to have a sit down talk with our former President and she’s excited that Lubao and Pampaga will be promoted. I also noticed that she’s very “maasikaso” and hospitable for their guest. I was surprised that she’s the one who took out the dirty plates away from our table and she told us that she’s annoyed when there’s dirty plates on our table.
Our talk with her got cut off when she took out the plates and the other media followed her for an interview.
Sayang! bitin ako dun, its so rare when you get a chat with former PH Presidents, and it was last month that we got a chat too with former PH President Fidel V. Ramos. Wow! I think the March and April are the month we met some of our Presidents.
Before we leave the venue for the start of our tour, we invited PGMA to have a selfie. She immediately removed the cover mask and smiled infront of my smartphone.
Thank you PGMA for supporting this tour and helped in promoting Pampanga.
Also present at the luncheon at PGMA’s house – PCOO Assistant Secretary Mcoha Uson. The trad media enjoyed interviewing her and then during the luncheon it was revealed by her that she’s running for SENATOR this coming 2019 and was endorsed by PGMA.. Wow!!! that was a big surprised.
We also met Mocha that day (will call her Mocha, because we know her as Mocha the sexy-dancer-singer-celeb ) and we revealed to her that we we are bloggers from Manila. She’s surprised that we are there and just told us we can have a “chill lang” talk, but we got to move out of the venue for the start of the tour.
THE GUITAR STREET OF GUAGUA
Our first tour is here is at the Guitar Street in San Antonio, Guagua, Pampanga. According to historians, the first ever wooden guitar was built here in Guagua, and its not in Cebu City. I heard from the tour that some of the locals here inherited the crafting of guitars during the Spanish colonization, and then local men learned how to make it when they base the design from the Spanish made guitars.
We are here at BANDILA guitar store to check out the finest guitars created by their guitar makers. They say that BANDILA is one of the best guitar makers here in Guagua.
BANDILA store owner showed to us the same ukelele guitar that James Reid bought and later on used in one of his movies.
Ukelele guitars are a hit today, they are small and has a high pitch tune. Their chords are a bit different from the 6 string guitar. I tried learning some songs and music via Youtube and it was easy.
Lumanog Guitars is a well known guitar maker because they have a lots of store in Sta Mesa and I remember that my first guitar was bought in a Lumanog store in Sta Mesa.
Here in the Guitar street of Guagua, Pampanga, we visited Dante Lumanog guitar store. I believe that he is one of the Lumanog clan member who put up its own store after their grand father who owns the first Lumanog guitar store back in the 40’s.
Their guitar design is a big throw back to me, that pinkish guitar looks similar to my black guitar during my college years.
My dad bought if after I told him that I want to learn how to play the guitar.
Thanks to my cousins who also taught me the how-to and also my college classmates for the jamming.
PGMA tour is inside the store and then Mocha played some songs for us.
Meeting Mr. Dante Lumanog in person, he was in tears with joy because the media and celebs visited his store, he also revealed that PGMA is a big customer and he is thankful for the surprise visit.
A photo of Dante Lumanog and PGMA displayed inside the store. Mr. Dante showed this to me when I was left alone inside the store to shoot some B-roll footages.
Thank you sir Dante! I will buy my next guitar soon for my next visit.
LA CONSOLACION PARISH CHURCH
Next tour is at the La Consolacion Parish Church also in Guagua, Pampanga.
It’s a few meters away from the guitar street. We went there to visit the church and also meet some guitar players.
I loved the etched glass window of the chuch, they are so colorful and they cover almost all corner and side of the church. The sun light outside adds more color and drama to the window and it shows the life and death of Christ.
Thanks to the church’s staff for opening the 2nd floor to me. I always love to climb and see the beauty of the church at the choir area.
I also noticed that the church’s ventilation goes modern, they installed a giant ceiling fan, the firs time I saw those kind of giant fan are in some malls, but now they are also used for church and chapels.
EZEE CHILDREN CHOIR
Ezee Children Choir's guitar and violin group performed that day for us, they played some church songs and mainstream music.
After their performance, PGMA talked to them and then…
I learned that they practiced the song overnight!!! wow!!! these kids are amazing!
RAZON'S OF GUAGUA
Our tour ended here in Razon’s of Guagua restaurant, we always visit this resto and it was the original and first branch of Razons.
Sympre the food is always good – all are Pampangeno’s flavor
Featuring:
Razon’s Pancit Palabok
and Razon’s Halo Halo
It’s a different from the local halo halo we have here in Manila. I can say that Razon’s halo halo has a sweet creamy taste because of the different ingredients they used – crushed beans.
Galit galit moment! all of us are enjoying the snacks!! Thanks to our travel and tour organizer -- Jeoff Solas and also Creative Travel and Tours International for the travel arrangements.
HUGOT BATTLE OF ENZO AND MOCHAHere’s the funny many faces of Mocha and Enzo Luna who are doing a “hugot” battle infront of my camera. It was so funny that Enzo got nailed down by Mocha’s hugot moments hahaha.
I will post soon a VLOG about this trip and insert the hugot battle.
And here’s our chill lang and good vibes with PCCO asst. sec. Mocha – tungkol lang sa halo halo ang topic namin and nothing else. Setting aside our political affiliation and just be a normal Filipino having a good time over a halo halo from Razon’s.
The sun starts to take a rest, and we too need to take a rest, Our journey is not yet over and there are more tour for that evening and also next day.
So watch out for my next blog post – Visit Pampanga blog series just started.
ROYCE HOTEL AND CASINO
Our home for two days for the VISIT PAMPANGA is the Royce Hotel and Casino in Clark, Pampanga. This will be our 2nd time to stay and our first was last month’s Lubao Balloons and Music Festival.
Meeting up again with Ms Camylle Abylene Salunga, Royce Hotel’s manager. She welcomed us when we arrived for our hotel check in.
Oh I miss this bed!!!! Our stay here at Royce Hotel is always comfy, I love the temp of their AC, even if its full blast, I can still rest well and not wake up for the night to turn off the AC.
Royce Hotel’s welcome gift.. oh thank you!
Time to rest…. More VISIT PAMPANGA story in my next blog post.
