the Church of Santiago in Dapitan

The Spaniards reigned over the Philippines for 333 years so it is expected that Spanish vestiges endure in Philippine society to this very day. However, no influence appears stronger than the Roman Catholic religion which today is still practiced by about 80% of the population. All throughout the archipelago, the Spanish occupation left behind hundreds of churches. Not surprisingly, Spanish era churches are densely crammed in Luzon and the Visayas, where Spanish administration was largely uninterrupted. However, only a few are scattered in most of Mindanao, especially deep in the south, which hitherto, was dominated by Islam.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1.0s, f/8.0, 37mm, ISO 100


One of the handful of churches in Mindanao is the Church of Saint James in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. Located in the outlying shores of northwestern Mindanao, Dapitan originally was and appendage of the Diocese of Cebu that was given to the Jesuits to administer in >1598. They took the mission of converting the Subanen, the original inhabitants at the time in Dapitan. When the Jesuits were expelled from Spanish lands in 1768, the Augustinian Recollects took over the parish of Dapitan but the Jesuits eventually were allowed to return to the Philippines. In 1870, they came back to Dapitan and in 1883, a stone church was built in the southeastern corner of the town plaza.


the façade of the Church of Santiago, Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/8.0, 18mm, ISO 100


Because of its proximity to the Muslim stronghold of Sulu, Dapitan was raided frequently by pirates so the the Jesuit missionaries chose James the Apostle as their patron saint. It was the saint’s apparition who helped the Spanish won over the Moors in the Battle of Covadonga so the >belief was that Dapitan would be so protected.



the statue of St James (Santiago) in the church of Dapitan
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 0.6s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/20s, f/5.6, 18mm, ISO 400


Less than a decade after the church was erected, Dapitan inadvertently figured out in Philippine history when Dr. Jose Rizal, the leader of the progandist movement against Spain was exiled to the sleepy town.


the town plaza fronting the church features the famous cut-grass relief map of Mindanao made by Jose Rizal
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/4.0, 22mm, ISO 100


Ever the quintessential Renaissance Man, Rizal spent his four years modernizing Dapitan. He opened a school for children and a hospital, built a water system, helped in the town planning, made a relief map of Mindanao for the plaza and pursued studies in entomology, botany, linguistics, agriculture and engineering. Oral mythology has it that he even designed the altar of the Jesuit church of Santiago although there is no prove or disprove this belief.


the altar of the Church of Santiago, Dapitan City
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1.3s, f/8.0, 21mm, ISO 100


As stone churches go, the Church of St. James is of typical 19th century Baroque design. There are two bell towers at the side, joined and accessible through a choir loft at the second level over the main entrance. Construction is mainly of hardwood, mortared stone and sand, with statuaries and glasses imported from Europe. The church is also laid out like a cross.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/25s, f/5.6, 54mm, ISO 800


But the ceiling is unusual. The nave, transept and chancel have arched ceilings that are painted with a swirling pink and white checkered patterns. Try as you might, your eyes are just drawn upwards. From any angle, the domed ceiling design seems to be one flashy mesmerizing device, as if it came out of a page of an Escher sketchbook. Maybe this is how the church has been envisioned right from the start- to move, to captivate, to convince.


the ceiling, as shot from the choir loft
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 6.0s, f/16, 50mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV

Philippine Summer Destinations, part 3

Is there cause for alarm? Early weather forecasts report that in the Philippines, La Nina has started and that it will extend into mid-2009. And everyone, me included, are so looking forward to summer. The predictability of sunshine I’ve craved most of all after a long protracted rainy season that seems to have stretched endlessly since last May.

But weather is fickle. Perhaps enough fervent prayers and eggs offered to the Carmelites would make the heavens break into a warm sun-shiny smile.

To continue on my series of choice summer destinations, I offer three more special places that I truly would not mind going back for seconds. Or thirds.


Saud Beach, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

So you’ve traveled more than 550km from Manila to visit Ilocos for a tour of its numerous UNESCO World heritage sites of Vigan and the churches of Paoay and Sta Maria. Thinking of a beach to spend some downtime? Then top on the shortlist should be Saud Beach in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. The lagoon is vast, the sand is powdery, waters are crystal clean and the surrounding capes are a killer view (enjoy the famous Bangui windmills at the southend!). Several resorts already dot the area to make your stay comfortable and provide snorkeling, surfing and boating recreation. Still, the best part is Saud’s hugging silence far from the madding crown.

fishermen mending nets at Saud Beach, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, the Philippines


Santa Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu

Every Holy Week, the young and the hip trek to Bantayan Island in Cebu as if they were pilgrims to holy land. For some five days, the beach of Sta Fe is transformed to one giant fiesta place where tent cities sprout, concerts erupt and parties collide. Irreverent to the abstinent call of Lent? Definitely. You can even eat pork freely, thanks to a unique 19th century papal dispensation. But once you set foot on the fine powdery white sand, immerse in the cool blue waters, and zone out from the chattering din, you too can be a convert. Otherwise, you just make a vow to come back some other time to revel in the real rustic and peaceful Bantayan.


that’s me and my wife, with my mom at the center and my two good friends Gary and Nitzi, the Holy Week of 2006 at Sta Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D, 1/60s, f/8.0, 18mm, ISO 100, +1.0EV



a girl at the Sta Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D, 1/100s, f/13, 110mm, ISO 100


Dakak Resort, Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte

Tucked in Zamboanga del Norte in Northwestern Mindanao is the resort of Dakak. While Dakak may not be as stellar as it once was in the 1990s during my first visit – it once hosted a party for the 1994 Miss Universe beauty pageant – the location of the resort is difficult to beat. Boasting about 15 hectares of woodland, thickets, karst hills and springs, Dakak seamlessly integrated its cottages in the gentle slopes of the hills surrounding a stunning lagoon with a 750 meter arc of a beach with white powder-fine sand. For it is 9 kilometers away from the city of Dapitan, Dakak is practically a world of its own, with restaurants, water sports, world class diving spots and stores.


sunrise at Dakak, Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines

part of an ongoing series on Philippine summer destinations:
part 1 - Alegre (Cebu), Pandanon Island (Bohol), Siquijor Island
part 2 (the isolation series) - the sandbar of Bais (Negros Oriental), Inampulugan Island (Guimaras), Mambucal (Negros Occidental)
part 3 - (Pagudpud, Bantayan, Dakak)

Flower Shots for the Non-Flower Person

I have nothing against flowers but it is just not my style to populate and sow my flickr photostream with blooms. But today, in one of those rarefied moments called for by the occasion, I am posting a flower in flickr. This is in dedication to my mean sister, whom I and my meaner brother affectionately call Lall.


0.013s, f/5.6, 55 mm, ISO 200, +1/3 EV
Dakak, Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines

Chemist that I am, I always approach photography like a laboratory experiment. This is not to say that I don’t succumb blissfully to the occasional stock photo syndrome. Case in point is the I-can-take-that-kinda-photo above. There is always something universally pleasing with a direct vertical-drop shot to isolate the starburst form of the lotus and frame it with an unblemished leaf floating on the lush moss-laden evergreen pond.

Colors and shapes will always be your friend. Here are a few more phototips.

Be aware of subject-background distance to create the DOF blur
Even with regular dSLR kit equipment – and I don’t have a macro lens – you can create the beautiful background blur by using the widest aperture. In terms of “f” value, the number must be at its lowest. The blur is visually most attractive, if the background is sufficiently far from the object. If too near, the background will be too sharp and distracting. If too far, the background will be just an indistinguishable haze. In the image below, I shot the flower with the purpose of making the pink makopa flowers on the ground blurry. The orange flower, the subject, was only secondary, and was chosen precisely because it was some distance from the ground, about 3 feet I guess.


0.067 s, f/5.6, 41 mm, ISO 400, -1/3 EV
Talisay City, Cebu, the Philippines

There is actually an optics formula to calculate the desired distance of subject from background to create those little diamond-like compression spots or bokeh blur. I probably could improve the blur to make the spots more classically circular, but I was not in any mood to climb on a chair to photograph another flower more distant from the ground. In the real world, you take what you get.

Create varying background and foreground layers
Again, set the camera at its widest aperture to create the narrowest DOF (depth of field). For the kit lens of my Canon 350D rebel camera at 50mm, this would be f/1.8. Then, choose a flower subject that is crowded with other elements (other flowers, leaves, shrubs, whatever) that are several feet deep. The different layers behind (background) and before the subject (foreground) would then appear in varying levels of blur, from just unsharp near the point of focus to a complete blur at the field’s most distant end. The shot below is from a corner patch in Kobe where pansies were planted to form the word K-O-B-E. I have to bend and shoot along the direction of the row that is more than eight feet long. This is easier said than done without stepping into the flower patch. In this shot, the red pansy is in sharp focus and the others behind it blur out until they disappear completely.


0.005s, f/1.8, 50 mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV
Kobe, Japan

Incorporate motion and use slow shutter speed
In my travels, me and my tripod are a happy pair. Even if flowers are my subject, I try to capture them in slow shutter speed and capture motion. If there is no movement, create it! One time after having breakfast in my hotel in Bali, I passed by a stairwell landing with standing basin of water strewn with rose petals. I could pictured it flat but the image would just be like a commercial spot for a spa. Then it came into me that I can create a whirlpool with my hand. I varied both the speed of manual swirling and the time of exposure and shot photos of various combinations. I found the shot at 2.5s taken at the top speed of the swirl to be quite fascinating - a vortex in red and pink.


2.5s, f/9, 28 mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV
Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

I still thought that there is one thing missing above. The whirl may resemble like a dreamlike giant rose but it lacks an anchor to deliver context. What, where and how the photo was taken? I then realized that the human element I can add is me. So I whipped the water aggressively, dipped my left hand to interrupt the water revolution and frame the shot. So here is my hand, as guilty as can be.


0.6s, f/5, 27 mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV
Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

Now, while I was doing this, passersby must have thought of me mad. But I’ve done worst things other than playing with water. Like calling my brother and sister mean for instance.