Jaro Cathedral: The oldest in Panay

HINDI lamang beaches, lakes, nature parks, resorts at festivals ang dinadayo ng mga turista sa isang lugar. Madalas ding pasyalan ang mga simbahan, lalung-lalo na ang mga lumang cathedral na itinayo noon pang panahon ng Kastila.

Sa Iloilo, isa sa pinakasikat na pinupuntahan ng mga turista ang  Jaro Cathedral o Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral. Tinatawag din itong  National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles at Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.

Noong panahon ng Kastila ang tawag dito ay   Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. Matatagpuan ito malapit sa Jaro Plaza kung saan nakatayo ang lumang bell tower na isa sa mga landmarks ng Jaro.

Ang orihinal sa cathedral na ipinagawa ng unang bishop ng Jaro na si Mariano Cuartero, O.P. noong 1874. Ito ang kauna-unahang cathedral na itinayo sa Panay Island.

Nagiba ng lindol ang simbahan noong 1948 at ipinaayos ito noong  1956 ng unang Archbishop ng Jaro na Jose Maria Cuenco.
Sa harap na bahagi ng Jaro Cathedral ay may hagdan sa ibabaw ng main entrance na patungo sa shrine ng Our Lady of the Candles.

Ang 400-anyos na imahe na ito ang bida tuwing piyesta ng Jaro kada ika-2 ng Pebrero. Narito ang iba pang mahahalagang bagay tungkol sa Jaro Cathedral:

Ang orihinal na patron nito ay si Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.  Dito bininyagan ang journalist,  orator  at historian na si Graciano López Jaena noong ika-20 ng Disyembre  1856.

Noong 1976 prinoklama ng  National Historical Institute of the Philippines ang Jaro Cathedral bilang isang  historical landmark.
Enero  2012 nang inaprubahan ng  Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines ang simbahan bilang National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles.

Boss, barbeque!
BUSINESSMAN and entrepreneur John Radley Barrientos loves excellent food, good company and quality time with friends and family.

With all these in the backdrop, it is no surprise that his Barbecue Boss has become one of the most popular joints in Davao City.
Fondly called Bong by his peers and life-long friends, Barrientos recalls his humble beginnings.

“In 2002, I had a small space in downtown Davao along Duterte St. It was just a grill-and-go stand back then. There were only two employees taking turns on the grille and kitchen,” Barrientos narrated.

“My griller used to entice customers by heckling ‘Barbecue boss! Barbeque…’  I guess the name stuck and Barbeque Boss was born.”
Bong handled the day-to-day operations and his wife Banjie took care of the finance side of the business.

From a menu that featured a three-peso pork barbeque, Barbeque Boss has grown into a grill place, steak house and full service restaurant rolled into one in 2006.

“The transformation from a small barbecue eatery to a full service restaurant was not easy,” Barrientos said.  “But having a handful of close friends in the food business and food-loving kids  as food critics made the transition even more challenging but ultimately rewarding.”

Bong said that the secret of Barbeque Boss’ success is maintaining food quality, keeping prices affordable and providing better service everytime.

Aside from the classic barbecue, most of the food on the menu are inspired by the couple’s travels around the Philippines like the sisig of Pampanga and pinakbet of Ilocos.

The other best-sellers are stuffed bangus, sizzling pochero, dynamite chili cheese sticks and a variety of mouth-watering steaks.
Today, Barbeque Boss has four branches in Davao City in  Elpidio Quirino Ave.(beside Tower Inn), Tabuan Matina Town Square (fronting Ateneo de Davao University Matina campus), People’s Park (near Apo View Hotel) and Lanang (near Damosa Gateway). It also has two branches in Cebu in Banilad and Mabolo.

Mindanao Travel Trade Expo on Aug. 9-11 at Gaisano
DAVAO CITY — The   7th annual Mindanao Travel and Trade Expo (MinTTE)   is slated on August 9-11 here at the Atrium of  Gaisano Mall.

“This year’s theme is Mindanao towards ASEAN 2015, the Borderless Asia,” said Charito Aranda, president of the organizing Dabaw Tourism Operators Association (Dabtoa).

The 3-day event will be held  in partnership with AirAsia Cargo and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). “Aside from our booths featuring travel and tour, resorts, portal, airlines, transit etc., we will also feature different competitions to attract visitors,” Aranda said.

Among the early supporters of the event are AirAsia Cargo, The Royal Mandaya Hotel, D’ Leonor Hotel, Inland Resort and Adventure Park, John Group of Companies, Jewelry Express, biyahe.com.ph, Cargo King, Davao Water Taxi, Sabai-Sabai Spa and D’Bone Collector Museum.

“We want to prepare Davao for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015,” Aranda added. The AEC shall be the goal of regional economic integration by 2015. AEC envisages the following key characteristics: 1) a single market and production base, 2) a highly competitive economic region, 3) a region of equitable economic development, and 4) a region fully integrated into the global economy.

The AEC areas of cooperation include human resources development and capacity building; recognition of professional qualifications; closer consultation on macroeconomic and financial policies; trade financing measures; enhanced infrastructure and communications connectivity; development of electronic transactions through e-ASEAN; integrating industries across the region to promote regional sourcing; and enhancing private sector involvement for the building of the AEC.

“The AEC will transform ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, and freer flow of capital,” Aranda said.

The ASEAN leaders adopted the ASEAN Economic Blueprint at the 13th ASEAN Summit last Nov. 20, 2007 in Singapore to serve as a coherent master plan guiding the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015.

“There are still booths available for only P10,000 for the whole duration,” said Aranda. For more inquiry call  0917-702-4561, 0906-278-0826 or 0917-825-2754.