By: Mielyne B. Rayos
Photos by: Karlo G. Custodio
I am a frequent passerby in Bacoor. Because it is the municipality that connects Manila to Cavite, it serves as my link to several points in the South. Bacoor used to strike me as simply a place with very important roads. But after a Bacoor tour, I can convincingly say that it is an amazing confluence of everything interesting, colorful, catchy, and yummy!
Do you know Spanish houses still stand in Bacoor? Some are still being inhabited by “commoners” while others are intentionally preserved to keep the traces of their glorious history. Just like Bahay na Tisa. It is called that way because its roof is made of tisa or baked clay. Marveling at it from afar, I told myself that Cavite is really historic. There in front of me stands a house more than a century old! It was in this historic house that General Emilio Aguinaldo relocated the revolutionary government on July 15, 1898, after the declaration of Independence on June 12 in Kawit.
Also, Cavite is one of the provinces represented by the eight rays of the sun in the Philippine flag. In Cavite, Bacoor was the frontliner against the enemies coming from Manila. A proof was the Battle of Zapote Bridge, also known as the Battle of Zapote River. With its location, Bacoor could just always be the first recipient of the waves of attacks in the uprisings during the colonial era.
Can you recall why the surname Gomes occurred in some pages of your history book? Yes. It’s because he was one of the famous three martyr priests who were sentenced to death for fighting for justice. Do you know that the church where Fr. Mariano Gomes served was near the Bacoor municipal hall? It’s the San Miguel Arcangel Parochial church. And to add more ohh’s or ahh’s to that information, you must know that he served there for 48 long years!
While Bacoor has many reasons to be proud of its colorful past, it also has a variety of reasons to be proud of its present.
Bacoor has 73 barangays and is run by Mayor Strike Revilla. It is one of the local governments that takes pride in eco-friendly practices. Its Barangay Molino III effectively practices waste segregation. I was given the chance to gaze thru the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), a sorting machinery for recycling, and learned how it helped the barangay in maintaining cleanliness. Barangay Captain Jun Advincula explained that the facility helped them not only in garbage segregation but also in Vermi composting, which is composting using earthworms.
Bacoor has two festivals: Bakood Festival and Marching Band Festival.
The main one which Bacoor celebrates annually is the Bakood (Bamboo) festival. This festival started only in 2008 and is celebrated most often during the second half of the year. Just this year, Bacoor added a new festival in their annual merry-making schedule. It’s known as the Marching Band Festival which was first celebrated last May 6-8. As the name suggests, the festival shows marching bands performing at their best in a competition.
Another feat that Bacoor gave me during my Bacoor tour was the local tongue treats. Tahong (mussels) is the major product of Bacoor. It is the source of income for many residents. The locals culture mussels and sell them either fresh or processed. For the fresh ones, Bacoor residents harvest their products very early in the morning and send them to the main port, Sineguelasan. You must wonder how tahong may be processed. Ever heard about tahong chips? Quite odd? Well, Mrs. Virginia “Virgie” Reyes tested the market and started her business on tahong chips, Ocean Fresh. Her courage rewarded her; today, her tahong chips is recognized by the Department of Tourism as Bacoor’s One Town One Product (OTOP).
Talking about the product, ate Virgie’s husband said that the final output came from fried ground tahong flesh mixed with flour. The crispy tahong chips are more appetizing when dipped in vinegar.
The other products that Ocean Fresh produces are malunggay chips, ampalaya chips, kalabasa chips, onion chips, carrot chips, ginger chips, saluyot chips, alamang chips, yellow ginger chips, lagundi chips and banaba chips.
Giving my Bacoor tour a sweet end is Digman’s famous halo-halo. Named after the barangay where the halo-halo hub is, Digman halo-halo is known for the great taste of its numerous ingredients.
Kuya Boy, son of the original halo-halo maker, told me of the humble beginnings of the family business. He told me that his mother started selling the halo-halo and eventually passed the business to them. Kuya Boy bragged about the affordability of the halo-halo despite the long list of its ingredients. Want to know how long the list is? As he enumerated, here it goes: ube, leche flan, macapuno, langka, garbanzos, nata de coco, kaong, mongo beans, sago, banana, gulaman, avocado, kondol and beans. Sounds appetizing, huh?! Yet priced affordably! A tall tower of halo-halo from Digman costs only P50.
But if you feel like grabbing a glass of Digman halo-halo, you need to go to Bacoor because they have not branched out yet.
With Digmaan halo-halo capping my Bacoor tour, I thought of the entire Bacoor experience as like eating a yummy-licious halo halo! Just like Digman halo-halo’s long list of yummy ingredients, Bacoor has a long list of pleasures to offer visitors. From its rich history to its industries, to its unique tongue treats, Bacoor is one big halo-halo to crave for!
Bacoor’s official website: www.bacoor.gov.ph
Acknowledgments:
Ms. Kay Sanchez, Bacoor Tourism Officer
Brgy. Capt. Jun Advincula, Brgy. Molino III
Ocean Fresh Tahong Chips
Digman’s Halo-halo
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The Jesus is Lord Church Worship Service in Bacoor is at 430 Molino 3, Bacoor Cavite with the following schedule:
First Service 5am to 7am
Second Service 8am to 10am
Third Service 10am to 12nn
Fourth Service 1pm to 3pm
Fifth Service 3pm to 6pm