Pampanga is an unassuming province north of Manila. In this week’s destination story, Jacqueline L. Ong explores the hidden secrets of the towns of Guagua and Sta. Rita, discovering the rich heritage and culture of the localities which were once the lahar catch basin of the devastating Mount Pinatubo eruption. Above, the brick-lined steps of the Mahogany Farm.

I felt like a child privy to a secret that was whispered in my ear. A secret though, that was too nice to keep. As they say, when one finds a wonderful discovery, it would be self­ish not to share it. So here I am letting the whole world in on what I recently came across on a trip to an unassum­ing province north of the metropolis.

One fine morning, what’s On & Expat’s Murray Hertz and I went on a 180-minute drive along the North Luzon Expressway to Pampanga. Little did we know that it would lead us to a journey of new wonders not many know about.

The writer with What’s On & Expat’s Murray Hertz enjoying Razon’s pancit luglog and halo-halo under the the white-canopied mess hall of the Mahogany Farm

La Moderna Bakery’s Traditional Treats
My first secret is the La Moderna Bak­ery found in the town plaza of Guagua. For more than 60 years now, the fifth-gen­eration bakery has been selling traditional baked goodies, most of which are not sold in other bakeshops anymore.

Take for instance, my personal favorites, the masa podrida and the sampaguita. The one peso-sized masa podrida is the brown-colored Fili­pino version of the short­bread biscuit. Made with hints of coco­nut, its not-so-sweet wheat-y taste and crumbly texture make for a perfect afternoon tea or coffee companion. The sampa­guitas are white creamy cookies similar to the more common puto seko, but this time shaped to look like the Philippine national flower. These floury bite-size treats literally melt in your mouth and if you, like me, tend to pop in a handful of these in one go; you’ll most likely end up with chalky sweet teeth…which, by the way, is a deliciously good thing!

Then there’s the San Nicolas, a thin biscuit imprinted with the image of Saint Nicolas de Tolentino, the patron saint of children. Made with fresh coconut milk, these were originally introduced by the Augustinian friars during the Spanish colonial period in the 16th century. Another baked treat that would make any grandparent wax nostalgic upon taking a bite is the gorgoryas, fried dayap- (Philippine lime) glazed bread fritters.

ArtiSta. Rita Foundation’s Tess Guanzon and Wilma Panlilio serving food inside the lush forest of the Mahogany Farm

La Moderna also bakes contemporary goodies such as the staple pan de sal. Third-generation manager Butchie Lagman says that every day, from the time the bakery opens at 3am up until it closes at 8 in the evening, a total of 14 sacks with 1,500 pieces of pan de sal per sack are sold. There are also specialty merienda treats; my favorites of which are the inipit (soft chiffon cake sandwiched with custard filling) and the empanaditas. The inipit’s thin creamy lining made with milk and eggs has just the right sweetness to highlight the otherwise fluffy bland pastry. As for the empanaditas, which anyone would presume are of the typical pork or chicken stuffing, are this time filled with another Filipino dessert delicacy yema (custard).

A 1960s file photo of the La Moderna Bakery. Inset, the same bakery in its original location in front of the town plaza, several decades after.
Plates of fresh

But for the sweeter tooth, there’s the sans rival or a very sugary cake made with layers of cashew meringue and butter cream topped with more cashew slivers. For a slightly less-saccharine version, try the sylvana, a light creamy cashew tart­let with the same butter cream filling and coated with butter cake crumbs. For some, however, nothing beats old-time likings such as the mammon tostado (toasted but­ter cake) and turrones de casoy (crunchy nougats made from cashew, honey and egg whites which are all wrapped in edible paper-thin sheets—the same ones eaten during Communion) for their pasalubongs or take-aways for friends and relatives far away.

Plates of Kapampangan specialties: boiled crabs, steamed prawns, bringhe, rellenong ampalaya and bolalong were served by Butchie Lagman (center) and Angelo Songco (right). Also in photo is food columnist Mickey Fenix.

Digging up the history of La Moderna Bakery, I learned that it was originally put up as a small candy store in the quiet agricultural town of Sta. Rita by Ignacio and Maria Lansang Narciso in the early 1900s. But it was not until 1947 that their son Pablo Narciso and his wife Nar­cisa moved the store to its present site in Guagua where it prospered into a bustling commercial establishment. Since then, the bakery has never closed its doors, even supplying their freshly-baked treats to nearby towns and regions such as Dagu­pan and even as far south as Manila where they put up a stall in Salcedo Village park every Saturday.

A Rest house in the Middle of a Farmland
My second secret is the Mahogany Farm in Sta. Rita. Who would have thought that a homey bliss could be found in the middle of a farmland? With a seven-hectare property at her disposal, Wilma Panlilio transformed it into her family’s private retreat with another Filipiniana-de­signed abode she rents out to a select list of friends. Guests can check in for a night or two and the interior of the guesthouse is a well-appointed bed and bathroom fur­nished with solid kamagong (ebony-col­ored hardwood) furniture.

The hardwood furniture of the dining area inside the Mahogany Farm’s guesthouse

A hectare of the property has been planted with mahogany trees. A number of shady mango trees also line the com­pound, making it resemble a forest with brick roads leading up to the swimming pool, an authentic Igorot house (brought in from the Mountain Province) and the bahay kubo where most of the special gatherings are hosted.

It is amidst the serene forest and inside this bahay kubo (and a quick flashback of what had hap­pened earlier around noon) where I discovered my third secret: Pam­panga’s romance with food.

The Kapampangan’s Love of Food
If there is one group of people in the Philippines who are very pas­sionate about food, it is definitely the Kapampangans (the colloquial term for natives of Pampanga). Give it to the distinct Kapampan­gan hospitality where hosts would treat their guests to a sumptuous feast and say “oh, these are just ordinary meals.” Most likely, it’s regard for good company over a banquet of flavorful dishes. La Moderna’s Butchie Lagman and nephew Angelo Songco had earlier pre­pared a lunch buffet of Kampampangan cuisine for us. Plates were full of bringhe (yellow sticky rice), rellenong ampalaya (stuffed bitter gourd), bolalong (milk fish cooked in sour guava), steamed prawns and boiled crabs. That’s just for lunch, what we had for merienda is added reason to believe that when it comes to food, the Kapampangans reign supreme.

Duman Festival
Over another set of merienda, the sec­ond already for the afternoon, but this time inside the bahay kubo, we were served with the duman. Duman is a young green cereal planted in few rice paddies in this province. And harvest season is only a few months every year, particularly around late November up to early December. This rarity explains its steep market value at Php2, 500 per salop (a traditional measur­ing unit that is roughly two kilos).

Murray Hertz spooning fresh carabao’s milk to mix with the duman (foreground), a young green cereal indigenous to the town.

Served toasted, it is eaten as it is, popping handfuls into your mouth like you would potato chips. It could also be spooned into cups of tsokolate eh (rich hot chocolate) or fresh carabao’s milk to make the drink thicker and the duman softer. I prefer it with the tsokolate eh because it resembles a hot champorado or chocolate pudding, which is perfect for the cool holi­day season.

In celebration of this town specialty, local folks have organized the Duman Festival every Dec. 2. Leading the cel­ebration is the ArtiSta. Rita Foundation of La Moderna’s Butchie, Mahogany Farm’s Wilma and Tess Guanzon, who conduct performances on traditional Kapampan­gan dances and songs.

Amidst the rustling of the forested greens is a landscaped-swimming pool that
makes for a serene afternoon dip

Rising from the fetters of its unfortu­nate past and banking on what remains of its heritage, Pampanga has evolved into a developing province far from being the ash catch basin it had once been. If the force­ful Mount Pinatubo eruption more than a decade ago caused major infrastructure havoc and agricultural land devastation, it only intensified the passionate spirit of the Kapampangans to work on what they have and be zealous about it.

One has to go barefoot while inside the bahay kubo, like Tess Guanzon

With all these secrets revealed, don’t you think it’s high time to go to Pampanga and see for yourself what other surprises you might find?

The elaborate decor and setup inside the Farm’s bahay kubo

How to get there:
Drive along the North Luzon Expressway and take the San Fernando, Pampanga Exit. From there, proceed to go to the San Fernando City town proper and look for signs going to Guagua and Sta. Rita.

For more information about the La Moderna Bakery, get in touch with Angelo Songco (+639228920888) or Anne Lagman (+639178447593).

For more information about the Mahogany Farm and the ArtisSta. Rita Foundation, get in touch with Wilma Panlilio through mahogany_farm@hotmail.com or +639178218212.

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