As American as I look, I am Filipino through and through. A couple of years ago, our incomplete clan (a little under 100 people? Haha) went to Taal in Batangas to learn about our roots. My second visit here was for Appetite Magazine’s Food Tour in 2009 when we covered the event for the TV show I was part of.
 

 
DO NOT expect empty interior photos. I was on tour with my whole first degree family (all 50 ++ of us) which is why most of my photos have people in them. Even if I wanted to stay and wait for the halls to be empty, I couldn’t – I risked getting left behind. Haha

St. Martin de Tours Basilica also known as the Taal Basilica
True to the Spaniards urban planning, the Basilica sits in the heart of the town fronting the plaza. It is the largest Church in Asia and on January 16, 1974, St. Martin de Tours Basilica was pronounced as a national shrine.

Gregorio Agoncillo Museum 
Gregorio Agoncillo married Marquita Villavicencio who is the daughter of our matriarch, my great great grandmother, Gliceria Marella Villavicencio.  The ancestral house turned museum contains an abundance of family memorabilia and items from the 1800 and 1900s.


Doña Marcela Agoncillo Museum
Doña Marcela is known as the Mother of the Philippine Flag for having sewn the first ever Philippine flag. She found herself in Hong Kong during the revolution because her husband Don Felipe was exiled there. It was in Hong Kong where Emilio Aguinaldo requested her to create the flag.
 
Exiled Filipinos sought refuge in their home in Hong Kong. The couple opened their home to revolutionary meetings and activities. The couple also used their riches to help fund the revolution.

Villavicencio Residences
Gliceria Marella married Eulalio Villavicencio in October 1871. Eulalio grew up in a stunning house in Taal. As his wedding gift to Gliceria, he built a house for her next to it. 


Like Doña Marcela and Don Felipe, Gliceria and Eulalio used their fortune and resources to support the revolution. Eulalio was incarcerated because of his connections to the revolution. The Spaniards offered her Eulalio’s freedom is she disclosed information about the Katipuneros. She refused the offer and Eulalio was eventually released a year after. After his death, Gliceria continued to give financial and moral to the soldiers. The Villavicencio houses were used for meetings and on occasion hide members of the revolution.

After our tour, we were all melting. We had lunch at the clubhouse of Villas del Pueblo Subdivision. (Note, our clan brought the food with us.) The pool was a welcome sight after the morning of sweating it out. 


Like our first trip, we had the Balisong presentation again. Unfortunately, the art of making the Balisong is a dying art like a lot of customs in our country. These beautiful knives range from P150 – 950 depending on their size and material. I bought one as a souvenir for P250. They also sell training balisongs which has a fake blade to help you master the moves. 


Taal brings back food memories too! Growing up, we would have the famous tapang – taal and rich hot chocolate for breakfast. Suman salehiya and panutsa are 2 other sweet treats from this town that I adore. You also connote Taal with tawilis, adobong dilaw, tinidag na saging, puto and a lot of kakanin (sweet rice delicacies). 

If you want to spend more time in Taal, the Villavicencio Gift House has rooms you can book for a stay. The family room for 6 to 8 pax costs P6500/night. The small room upstairs with a double bed costs P2500/night. It is best to take the guided tours to truly have an authentic experience.


We were only able to visit part of the historic town. There are more houses and museums that you can visit in a day. You can check out more about Taal by watching this video by my cousin, JM Quiblat.




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Book at room at the Gift House
Tita Baby Quiblat at 0917-8970363

Book a tour in Taal
Bennet at 0918-3155634
 
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Past Photo Walks:
2011
January - Manila Ocean Park 
February - Sablayan and San Jose, Mindoro
March - Siem Reap
April - UP Photo Walk turned Food Trip
May - NKOTBSB Concert