What's On & Expat - Philippines

Sta. Rosa... from page 2

ride down Bikini Bottom with Spongebob Squareapants at the Rialto Theater, breathtaking diving stunts from the Oliver’s High Dive Show at the Space Port, or adrenaline-pumping action at the Triassic Tag Arena at the Boulderville Zone, there is something to make everyone’s Christmas merry.

                 A Little Bit of History
   But there is more to Sta. Rosa then all the expansion and to economic growth. It has its share in politics as it hosted deposed leaders, albeit temporarily. Former President Joseph Estrada and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao former governor Nur Misuari were once detained here. More importantly, Sta. Rosa’s rich heritage is manifested in its historic structures.
   Even before subdivisions came to Sta. Rosa, palatial ancestral houses once reigned in this old town. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, I was only able to visit the Tiongco house. The house’s facade and interiors showed the grandeur of the bygone Spanish era with its polished wooden floors, wide windows, meticulous details. In this house, the blue room in the azotea was said to be used by the friars their little casino.
    Another must-see is the Sta. Rosa Church, named such because of the city’s patroness, Saint Rose of Lima. It was siesta time when we visited the church and it left us no chance to peek into the sealed doors of the parish. But some did get the chance to buy souvenirs in the church’s office. Its belfry, which has withstood earthquakes and other natural calamities for the past 90 years, has remained one of Sta. Rosa’s historical landmarks.
    Close to the church is the city’s museum. The museum called Gusaling Museo of the City of Santa Rosa used to be the municipio or the municipal hall of Sta. Rosa. Built in 1828, the museum houses artifacts and antique furniture owned by the city’s residents. A photo gallery of Sta. Rosa’s ancestral houses, its old and present infrastructure and its people, are mounted on the walls. Everything in the museum reflects the city’s rich heritage and its place in the country’s history.
   As we left Sta. Rosa’s main district or bayan, we passed through its welcoming arch. The arch, called Bantayan, was constructed between 1859 and 1860. In 1931, during the American period, the old Bantayan was demolished and replaced by the new arch patterned after the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysee in Paris. It was relocated near the market site but farther away from the plaza to give way to vehicular traffic going in and out of the city.
    The arch is witness to the town’s history and all its successes--from being separated from Biñan (another town in Laguna) in 1792 to what it is today. With its rich

history and dynamic culture, not to mention a booming economy that has made it the “investment capital of the south,” Sta. Rosa is one destination worth visiting.


 

How To Get There

Santa Rosa is just an hour ride away from Manila. From Cubao, Lawton (Manila Central Terminal), Makati (Ayala Terminal) take a bus going to Balibago, Santa Rosa’s terminal.
 

Officers and members of the SKAL Club of Manila with the writer (seated left front) in front of the Santa Rosa Museum