I went with some buddies on an overnight road trip to Pozorrubio in Pangasinan, a little over 200 kilometers north of where I live in Quezon City, Metro Manila, from July 2-3, 2022.
We had a staycation in the family property of one of our friends and just swam and chilled there, only venturing out briefly to buy some food supplies for grilling for dinner.
The property is surrounded by farmland such as this bucolic scene:
I took some photos of the Pozorrubio Public Market while the others were buying food to grill later that evening:
This is hito, Philippine catfish.
This is shrimp cooked with some Sprite soda, freshly purchased hours before at the public wet and dry market I showed above. I photographed this with my 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 manual focus lens.
Five pieces of our grilled chicken were stolen by this guy:
The next day, we checked out the town of Manaoag, a half hour or so drive from Pozorrubio, also in Pangasinan.
The town is where you can find the world renowned Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag Church.
The church is named after the “Our Lady of Manaoag” Virgin Mary figure.
The statue of Our Lady of Manaoag is a 17th-century ivory and silver image of the Virgin Mary with The Child Jesus enshrined at the high altar of the Basilica. It was brought to the Philippines from Spain via the Manila galleon trade from Acapulco, Mexico, in the early 17th century by Padre Juan de San Jacinto.
Our Lady of Manaoag (formal title: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag; Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario de Manaoag) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in Manaoag, Pangasinan, the Philippines.
The ivory and silver image which bears its title dates from the 16th century and is presently enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag. The shrine is a major pilgrimage site in the country and is administered by the Order of Preachers within the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.
Pope Pius XI granted a Canonical Coronation to the image on 25 August 1925. The rite of coronation was executed on 21 April 1926, while Pope Benedict XVI raised her sanctuary in equal indulgences to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on 21 June 2011. Under this Marian title, the Blessed Virgin Mary is invoked as patroness of the sick, helpless and needy,[1] The of the image is celebrated twice a year: the third Wednesday after Easter and first Sunday of October.
from Wikipedia
There were many pilgrims that day.
The church complex is large, there’s a park and many open areas where a live feed of the mass will show on screens for people who can’t fit inside the actual church building, and also for social distancing purposes.
Afterwards, some of my friends purchased tupig, a glutinous rice based street food snack wrapped in banana leaf from some vendors outside the church. I didn’t buy as I’m not fond of hot pastries on a hot sunny day, and also not super into glutinous rice based pastries.
This snack is a delicacy unique to Pangasinan, or so I was told.
I really liked the vibe of this house I spotted somewhere between the tupig vendors and the church complex:
Aside from the typical souvenir stalls selling Manaoag merch, there were also many itinerant knife vendors selling anything from short to long blades:
Here’s a compilation album of all the photos I took on this overnight road trip:
