Fiesta time

We’re still waiting for the official statistics, but the global downturn does not seem to have made a substantial dent in the Holy Week vacation habits of Filipinos. Some foreign trips were probably canceled in favor of domestic destinations, which was good for local tourism.

Traffic going out of Manila still crawled until late Wednesday night. By Saturday noon people started returning home. Two of my relatives left Quezon province at 11:30 a.m. and reached Metro Manila at 8 p.m.

On Maundy Thursday when I drove to nearby Tagaytay for a visit to Talisay and Taal Lake, traffic was still crawling.

In Talisay’s top resort, Balai Isabel, all the 140 rooms, with accommodations for about 400, were fully booked for the week, and 70 percent pre-booked until the end of summer.

An emphasis on eco-tourism is starting to catch on in the town, with developers and owners of waterfront properties cleaning up their own areas and supporting environmental projects that preserve the unique ecological balance in the volcano lake. Even jet skis, increasingly popular in the lake, have been limited to less-polluting four-stroke types.

The environmentally conscious property owners are worried about the impact on the lake ecosystem of fish pens that are spreading in one area of the lake, with government permission.

Talisay, a center for seedlings and ornamental plants in Batangas, has not yet acquired the popularity of Tagaytay as a tourism destination, though it is only a 15-minute drive from the Tagaytay ridge.

Traffic on Maundy Thursday in Tagaytay was horrid, especially going to the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit or the Pink Sisters. But the crowds were of course good for tourism, and the narrow street leading to the church was lined with stalls selling fruits, vegetables, local delicacies and religious souvenirs.

The faithful behaved in the church, quietly watching a lone nun in a bright pink habit and white veil praying before the altar.

But outside the mood was festive, as Holy Week has always been in this predominantly Catholic country. The fiesta atmosphere is in fact strongest in the areas where there are Lenten rituals re-enacting the passion and death of Christ.

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In the town of Sasmuan in Pampanga, Lenten fasting can be a challenge.

The town, dotted with fishponds, rivers and streams, is home to mouth-watering tamales and polvoron, and also to fresh water fish, prawns and crabs oozing with fat. Those without cholesterol problems can feast on crabs sautéed in baby crab fat or taba ng talangka.

The town proper is home to Pampanga’s oldest church built by the Spanish Augustinians, the Sta. Lucia parish church. The Spaniards were also the ones who misspelled the name of the town, which became officially known as Sexmoan for several centuries until it was changed to the current spelling in 1987.

The previous name probably attracted more tourist interest, but Sasmuan need not rely on an intriguing name to draw visitors.

On Good Friday the streets of Sasmuan were full of penitents, their faces covered, flogging their bare bloodied backs. Others wore white frocks as they bore wooden crosses or logs fashioned out of old lampposts. Occasionally someone bearing a cross would lie face down on the pavement in the scorching afternoon heat and his companions would flog him.

To reach the fish and crab ponds from the town center you have to take a batulu – a narrow motorized wooden boat without outriggers and with a sloping hull that makes for a pretty unstable ride, especially when getting on and off, so be sure you know how to swim just in case you fall into the river.

Fortunately for visitors, locals swear there are no crocodiles in the water. What you will see as you leave the town proper are egrets surveying the fishponds for food, and flocks of smaller birds.

In some Asian countries, rivers are turned into showcases of local crops, cuisine and handicraft that are hawked on boats. Riverbanks are developed into commercial areas. Some Thai tourism brochures even pitch the special appeal of the country’s brown rivers, without mentioning that the color is due to mud and silt buildup.

There is no such aggressive marketing for Sasmuan, whose riverbanks leading to the fishponds are dotted mainly with huts. The entire province, in fact, could use more tourism marketing, considering its attractions, its distinctive cuisine, and its unique history, which includes one of the world’s worst volcanic eruptions ever.

Traces of Mt. Pinatubo’s lahar can still be seen in various parts of Pampanga, but much of the volcanic debris is gone. Sasmuan residents say the lahar worsened flooding in their town. During the rainy season, all the bodies of water overflow and floodwaters up to six feet deep force residents to move to the second floor of their homes. The batulu and makeshift rafts become the principal modes of transportation. Since this happens only during the typhoon season, the town cannot even be developed into a seasonal Venice for tourists.

Even neighboring Lubao does not look like it has benefited much in terms of development from being the hometown of a former Philippine president and his daughter the incumbent.

Locals have probably benefited more from alliances with the political kingpin, Bong Pineda. Accused of being one of the country’s biggest jueteng operators, Pineda now operates the state-run small-town lottery in Lubao. His relatives have entered the most lucrative business in this country, politics.

Bad government stunts tourism, although there are visitors who will probably appreciate Pampanga’s slow tourism development. Relaxing in a hut in Sasmuan, surrounded by fishponds as far as the eye can see, you feel like you have left your worries behind on another planet.

A similar feeling is experienced in the towns around scenic Taal Lake. The annual recollection of the suffering of Christ also serves as an opportunity for us to explore the beauty of our country.