Untold stories in the city of the Seven Lakes

It is one of the oldest cities in the country yet San Pablo, Laguna and its environs remain unfamiliar to many of us who live in the metropolis. I had not heard of its attractions until Cora Relova, a native of Laguna and a culture and heritage enthusiast, enticed me to come down for an afternoon to visit Lake Sampalok, Casa San Pablo and Sulyap Restaurant. The three locations — each with a distinctive appeal — tell an uplifting story about our environment, our culture and heritage. All in an afternoon, you can get to a scenic lakeside setting, find a rustic country inn and visit a gallery café that was created from a dismantled turn-of–the-century house.

I stopped in Pila to meet Cora for lunch in her rest house set amid rice fields, fruit- and flower-bearing trees. Only a month ago, the climate seemed more hospitable as cool breezes swept through the interlinked pavilions of Cora’s home. On the day of my return visit the air stood still and the sun glaringly hot. I looked forward to getting to Lake Sampaloc to find some relief from the heat. We drove 30 minutes heading south to reach our first destination. After driving through a road flanked on both sides by lush vegetation, the road gently sloped downward until we came upon Lake Sampalok, the largest of San Pablo’s seven lakes. A four- kilometer walkway encircles the 104-hectare lake with a distant view toward Mount Cristobal. Though the heat had not abated, the vistas of clear skies and placid waters were soothing to the eye. Even in the scorching sun, it was tempting to stroll down the banks of the lake.

Mandy Marino – one of the movers behind the community-led effort to save the lake, relaxes on a seat in Café Lago.

But first we made our way to Café Lago to meet our hosts, the brothers Mandy and Tony Marino — both mild-mannered and well-spoken gentlemen who have made the lake both their home and their cause. Café Lago is surrounded by plantings and greenery that rise upwards to frame the dwellings of the Marino brothers. A small window carved out of a concrete wall at the café’s entrance reveals postcard-like views of the lake that reminded me of Italy’s Lake Como. Like Como, Lake Sampalok is picturesque from almost any angle. The mood was enhanced by the romantic Italian music piped in from a sound system. Before we sat down for merienda, Mandy Marino, Cora and I walked around the environs as he gave us a brief background on the area. Mandy Marino was an electrical engineer who worked in Chicago for 27 years. Upon retirement, he took up residence in Lake Sampalok and, along with Monsignor Jerry Bitoon and Judge Bienvenido Reyes, became key figures behind the effort to save the lake.

Before 1998, Mandy tells us, the perimeter of the lake was ringed with seedy commercial establishments, beer joints and squatter areas that turned out to be the worst polluters of the lake. In 1998, the “Save The Lake” movement began in earnest to build awareness for saving the environment. The goal, as Mandy explained, was “to return the lake back to the people.” In 2000, in a dramatic gesture known as “Yakap sa Lawa,” some 6,000 to 8,000 people stood arm in arm as though hugging the lake to demonstrate, to government and media alike, their passion for their cause. Then, the dismantling of commercial structures and squatter areas began, and with the help of Gawad Kalinga, the squatters were relocated to Unityville — one kilometer away from Lake Sampalok. Still another movement sprang up in 2001 known as “Ampon sa Lawa” with the intent of building small parks around the vicinity of the lake. Today, there are 18 small parks around the perimeter.

The façade and artistry seen in one of the casitas in Casa San Pablo.

More than a decade later, the community’s collective efforts should fill them with pride. Lake Sampalok is said to be “a new symbol of environmental advocacy that slowly emerged from exploitation in the ‘70s and the ‘80s.” The lake today is marked by small parks, a boardwalk and a neat row of food stalls hawking local fare such as barbecued meats, burgers, chips and cold refreshments in the form of the native sago and gulaman and sodas. We caught a glimpse of men engaged in some afternoon fishing, children playing near a lotus patch by the banks of the lake. We sighted fish pens and cages for tilapia cultivation and small cottages built on stilts. Altogether it is an idyllic spot for enjoying simple pleasures and wholesome recreation. We returned to Café Lago for a merienda of halo-halo and a sinfully delicious suman (glutinous rice cake) topped with a rich coconut caramel sauce.

Tony Marino, who has spent years living in New York and working as a stage actor on Broadway, tells me that of all the places he has visited in the world this spot still strikes him as the most beautiful. Waking up to a panoramic view of the lake one morning, he asked himself why it was so special to him. “It’s much more than a visual response but an emotional one — my roots are here so there is a strong connection to the land and the environment,” he explains.

The dining hall at Casa San Pablo: A rustic setting awash with art works in various media

Leaving Lake Sampaloc, Tony leads us to our next stop, Casa San Pablo. It is about a 30-minute drive from the lake passing through narrower interior roads. Advertised in its brochure as “A Country Inn at the heart of Laguna,” Casa San Pablo sits on the far end of a gated family compound punctuated with rolling hills, pine trees and bungalows. The property is owned and operated by art collector Boots Alcantara, who brims with enthusiasm as he takes you around the compound and points out the many features that await visitors to this rustic inn. The rooms vary in style and theme — one has a collection of miniature contemporary cars, collectibles from the Disney Pixar movie Cars, while another room has mint green walls to complement the foliage painting that hang on the walls, and still another holds a collection of birdhouses and birdcages. The rooms and casitas can accommodate couples, families and convention goers. Casa San Pablo has a down-home appeal — informal and a bit quirky but one that instantly makes you feel welcome and at home. In the main dining hall and in the cottages — some with duplex accommodations and verandas — are a whole host of modern and contemporary art works in different media. Tucked away in the back end of the lawn are the free-form swimming pool and a poolside conference hall. At the edge of the compound, you’ll come upon the Church of San Roque and a pavilion that are ideal venues for an intimate wedding and reception. To unwind, you can choose to have a hot-stone massage, visit the videoke lounge or get acquainted with the cultural attractions of the Laguna, Tiaong and Batangas areas in what is known as the “Viaje del Sol” tour. Some of the stops in this itinerary include visits to the workshop of brass sculptor Carlito Ortega, the pottery workshop of Ugu Bigyan and Patis Tesoro’s culinary venue, Kusina Salud, for some country-style home cooking.

The free-form swimming pool in Casa San Pablo.

 Leaving Casa San Pablo, we proceed to our final destination for the afternoon — Sulyap Gallery Café and Casa Obando. It is a 10-minute drive from Casa San Pablo but it is like stepping into another reality. Roy Empalmado and Arthur Reyes who own and operate both properties are avid art collectors who share a passion for collecting Philippine antiques from the 18th century, and works from the art nouveau, art deco and the neo-classical periods. What is today the Sulyap Gallery Café and Restaurant was once a 1907 house from Cabay, Quezon that was collapsed and rebuilt in this present site. It is here that Roy and Arthur hope visitors can glimpse Philippine history and its heritage — through the antiques, artworks and architectural details that come together in this unique site. Roy has brought together materials from old houses in Laguna and Batangas such as the wooden cutouts installed in the walls and ceiling of the restaurant’s main floor, the images of saints placed atop an authentic altar table and the black and white photographs on the walls whose subjects are some of the antiques seen on the premises. Sulyap serves traditional Filipino dishes but highlights local favorites like the ensaladang pako — a fiddlehead fern salad with salted eggs in a light vinaigrette dressing, or kulawong puso ng saging — finely chopped banana blossoms cooked in a smoked-flavored coconut milk, a hint of vinegar and finished with slices of grilled pork in a coconut husk; or try pinaete, a dish of finely chopped local shrimps from the Palakpakin Lake cooked in fresh coconut milk.

Sulyap Restaurant caters to local residents, foreign guests and those who hope to catch a glimpse of Philippine arts and culture in an intimate setting.

A few steps away from Sulyap is the Casa Obando Bed and Breakfast.Casa Obando is so named because it was rebuilt from an 1850s house in Obando, Bulacan that was dismantled and restored following the original floor layout and design details. At the far end of Casa Obando is an installation of black stone vases and old wooden cartwheels that is the work of Roy Empalmado. It may seem like a striking piece of contemporary art that stands on a corner for purely decorative purposes. But Roy tells me that he sometimes covers the artwork with a white cloth that serves as a screen for the monthly showings of documentary films, art films or slide show presentations of still life photography. It seems as though artists like Roy are constantly reinventing things or showing us new ways of looking at things. The same can be said of Mandy Marino in Sampalok Lake and Boots Alcantara in Casa San Pablo, each in their respective domains — they’re giving us a fresh look at city of San Pablo and alternative ways to appreciate our culture and spend our leisure time.  

The city of San Pablo is an hour and half from Manila but says much about the diversity of our environment and our cultural offerings. In an afternoon, you can step into three entirely different worlds, each one a part of the Filipino landscape — a scenic lake and a model of environmental preservation, a rustic inn with a contemporary edge and visit heritage structures that have been given a new life and purpose. The best part is that you don’t have to travel far to find them.

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Casa Obando bed and breakfast – its structure was formerly an 1850 house in Obando, Bulacan that was dismantled and rebuilt in this present location. it is faithful to its original layout and design details.

Your comments are welcome. Please e-mail tonettepmartel@gmail.com. For further information on these destinations, please note the websites and contact details listed below:

Sampalok Lake: e-mail Mandy Marino at mailto:mandymarino29@yahoo.com.

Casa San Pablo: visit www.casasanpablo.com.

Sulyap and Casa Obando: visit www.sulyap.net.