Batangas

In the hills of Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas, about 80 kilometers from Manila, stands the Transfiguration Chapel of Caleruega, one of the country's most loved places for prayer and for weddings.

The chapel was built in 1994 by the Dominican Order as a retreat for prayer and meditation. It is named after Caleruega in Spain, the birthplace of St. Dominic de Guzman, who founded the order.

The design blends Spanish, Moorish, and Filipino styles. White walls, square columns, round stained-glass windows, and slender bell towers rise above the hills. Above the altar, a stained-glass window shows the Transfiguration of Christ.

The chapel sits on an eight-hectare Dominican property, with a cloister, landscaped gardens, and quiet walkways. From its hilltop you look out over Mount Batulao and the rolling country around it. It is a place made for stillness.

Apolinario Mabini, the Sublime Paralytic and the Brains of the Revolution, was born on 23 July 1864 in the barrio of Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas.

A bright student, he won a scholarship to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and studied law at the University of Santo Tomas. In 1896, polio left him paralyzed from the waist down, but it did not slow his mind.

When the revolution gave way to the first Philippine Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo, Mabini became its first Prime Minister and its foreign minister. He guided policy and negotiated with foreign powers, including the United States during the Philippine-American War.

One point is often confused. Mabini did not write the Malolos Constitution; that was drafted by Felipe Calderon, and Mabini in fact argued against framing it as it was done. His own writings, El Verdadero Decalogo and his constitutional program, set out his vision of a self-reliant nation ruled by law.

After the capture of Aguinaldo in 1901, Mabini was exiled to Guam. He returned in 1903 and died soon after, on 13 May 1903, of cholera. His life is a reminder that leadership is a matter of the mind and the will.

On a hill above the coast of Batangas City stands the Montemaria shrine, a place of faith with a wide view of Batangas Bay.

The site holds two Marian statues, both by the sculptor Eduardo Castrillo. The first, Our Lady of the Assumption, was completed in 2004. The second is the reason Montemaria is now famous: Mary, Mother of All Asia, the Tower of Peace, which opened on 7 December 2021. At about 98 meters, it is the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in the world.

Around the shrine are meditation gardens, walking paths, and an eco-park. Thousands of pilgrims come each year, especially during the Marian feasts, for both the faith and the quiet.

The Basilica of St. Martin of Tours in Taal, Batangas, is often called the largest Catholic church in Asia. That claim is widely repeated; what is measured is that at 88.6 meters long and 48 meters wide it is the largest church in the Philippines.

The town and its first church were founded in 1572 by Augustinian missionaries, near Taal Lake. The great eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754 destroyed the old town and church, and the community moved to the present site.

Work on the church you see today began in 1856; it was inaugurated unfinished in 1865 and completed in 1878. It is grand Spanish-colonial architecture, with Baroque detail, a vast interior, frescoes, and a richly carved altar. It remains an active place of worship and draws visitors from across the country.

Punta Fuego is an exclusive beach community on the coast of Nasugbu, Batangas, one of the nearest coastal escapes to Manila.

It is a private village of resorts and homes, so you cannot walk in; you need a reservation to stay. Club Punta Fuego has an infinity pool that seems to spill into the sea, and a calm that makes it a good place for quiet time, alone or with family.

There is history in these waters. Off the coast lies Fortune Island, near where the Spanish galleon San Diego sank on 14 December 1600 while fighting the Dutch warship Mauritius. From Punta Fuego you can look out toward the waters where that story ended.

You do not need to travel far from Manila to breathe and rest. Laiya, in San Juan, Batangas, is close enough for a weekend and far enough to feel away.

Its beaches are made for snorkeling in clear water, for swimming among the fish, and for doing nothing at all. In the evening you can watch the sunset and, later, the stars, with the sound of the waves for company.

Off the coast of Calatagan, Batangas, lies a white sandbar so bright it is nicknamed Little Boracay.

It is only three to four hours from Manila, and boats from the Calatagan resorts reach it in minutes. The sandbar and the nearby Starfish Island offer snorkeling, kayaking, jet ski, and banana boat rides.

Our team tried the banana boat, and it is the one ride you should not miss. Hold tight, scream, and feel the waves and the sun. The moments with friends on that sandbar are worth the trip.