Mulanay’s been invaded with Santas!

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A seating Santa is just one of several sculptures that abound in the town plaza of Mulanay, Quezon
A seating Santa is just one of several sculptures that abound in the town plaza of Mulanay, Quezon

Mulanay
Two Santas in one section of the park
At the town plaza that is!

We were ready to go in search of old houses after photographing various parts of the church of Mulanay, in Quezon’s Bondoc Peninsula when me and Jan got distracted with the red beings at the town plaza.

Another Santa sculpture
Another Santa sculpture
They were standing, seating, or suspended in the air, in various poses and sizes. These Santa Claus figures were placed in different parts of the town plaza just infront of the church with the belen, the nativity scene, built at the stage. It was rather surreal but provided comic relief to a rather hot and humid noon!

Each corner had a standing Santa. Some were suspended, like riding his sleigh and the other on a rope as if coming down. There was a pair of two Santas lazily lounging atop the makeshift structure built at the side. At the center, was the life sized Santa seated (topmost image).

Mulanay
The old church of Mulanay, built in starting 1861.

One of the few old houses in the town
One of the few old houses in the town
Mulanay, by the way, is one of the oldest town in the province of Quezon and was evangelized by the Franciscans as early as 1600. From her fold, other towns grew and separated to become new municipalities over the decades.

Elsewhere, the five level old church is one of only four Spanish colonial era churches in the Bondoc Peninsula. It has a simple facade with few embellishments. Made from coral stones, this structure was built by the Seculars starting in 1861.

Curiosly, there were quite a few old houses in the town. Most that I’ve seen are 70’s to the present with quite a few in the 50s and 60s, unlike in Unisan which has turn of the century structures.

Travel to the Bondoc Peninsula is conveniently done by bus trip from Manila to Lucena’s Grand Terminal where several minibuses and passenger vans service the different municipalities.

Stan Cabigas is freelance photographer, blogger and writer based in Makati City, the Philippines. A true blue Cebuano, he makes stunning images and meaningful photo stories. His work has been published in local and international publications including National Geographic Magazine, Geo (Germany), Sunday Times Magazine (London).

He is also a peripatetic traveler and has traveled to all 81 Philippines provinces. Open for work, collaborations and inquiries for site features.

7 thoughts on “Mulanay’s been invaded with Santas!”

  2. JR,

    I’m not really sure if there’s interest but I do hope there is. Thanx for visiting 🙂

    Estan

  3. Too bad. I see that much too often while traveling through Asia. Here in Taiwan, there are magnificent traditional courtyard houses in disrepair, and most families will just bulldoze them and build a 5 story apartment complex in it’s place.

  4. much more here where heritage issues are in the background. the philippines have had great architectural heritage. what was left in the aftermath of WWII were demolished or renovated to a way that lost its identity. What is present now are just a few. Its really a sorry state. And I guess, its also the same in other countries unless the government has the will or people are heritage aware.

  5. Good day Mr Estan,

    Thank you by the way in featuring my hometown. I am from Morales/Atevalo family (one of the remaining family who who helped in establishing Mulanay) and also who owns the old house you’re refering too in your photo. We are on the process of deliberating in restoring that ancestral house of ours. It has been there for quite sometime and we hope that it will still be there for the next generations to come. You are welcome to revisit the place again.

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