Morong, Rizal : A Place To Remember

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This year’s summer vacation is over. Probably, most of us we’re not yet ready to accept it and I, personally, won’t deny it because I’ve really enjoyed mine with my family and other relatives. We went to Morong, Rizal to visit my cousins there. Too bad we just stayed there for a day but for me, it was the most unforgettable day during my entire vacation.

Every 15th of May, Morong celebrates its fiesta and the people there use to prepare a lot of foods for this occasion. My aunt invited us to visit their place. It took us almost 2 hours in reaching Morong, Rizal. Well, it was a very tiring trip because there’s a need for us to surpass those rocky roads before we reach their place but it doesn’t matter because their place is really good and we’re enjoying it, nonetheless.

Morong is a first class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. A popular attraction is Spanish-era St. Jerome's Parish Church. The town is also known for featuring the balaw-balaw side dish.

In the early years before Spaniards came, Morong was predominantly a Muslim area; that is why it is called Morong, because it was coined from the word moro.

During the Spanish Era, Morong played a big part in Philippine history. Before it became a small town of Rizal, Morong was considered the province before it was called Rizal, Its original name was Politico Militar Distrito de Morong, which included Manila, Makati, Cainta, Taytay, Pasig, Angono etc.. Morong is even included in the eight rays of the sun of the Philippine flag which represents the eight provinces that fought for freedom, listed are: Morong (now Manila), Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna, and Batangas

Morong is also known for its "Kayas Kawayan". The town is the first and is known to make beautiful Baluwartes, an art made of bamboo, with intricate designs. Usually used during special events such as weddings, cordero, and fiestas, its usually found in the entrance gate of the event. During cordero, the lamb- which is made of cake, sweet potatoes and potatoes, is placed and processioned around the town until the church in a small kayas kawayan, carried by men, adorned with flowers. Now this art is being copied by the nearby towns..

There are lots of “sineguelas” trees everywhere and most of the houses there have their own gardens with different kinds of flowers. Furthermore, their place is really clean because there’s a policy there which states “tapat mo, linis mo”. It means that every resident has an obligation to clean his or her own area. It may sound funny but you can’t deny that those people are really responsible. How I wish I live there to experience some fresh air unlike here in Metro Manila.

After grabbing our lunch, my uncle challenged us to climb the mountain beyond their house. Almost all of us, including me of course, accepted the challenge although we’re aware that it’s going to be difficult for us to reach the top of the mountain. It was really amusing because we don’t have a map or what and we don’t even know what way we are suppose to pass.
 
In the end, we failed to reach thee top of the mountain because it’s getting late so we decided to come back to my aunt’s house.

Unluckily, we’re not allowed to spend the rest of the night there. Still, I will never forget this day. It was my very first time to climb a mountain. It was a very fun and exciting experience. You may call it simple but the happiness that I felt that day could never be explain and for me, it was a day to remember.

Contributed by Mary Joyce Eliang