2024: MANAPLA IS MORE THAN JUST PUTO AND PINASUGBO

Manapla Is More Than Just Puto and Pinasugbo

By Henry Libo-on 

Copyright photos by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre. 

Manapla has been popular because of its Manapla Puto.  

But is there any possibility that you can connect Manapla to anything other than "puto"?

Let us see.

In 1982, a movie directed by Negrense Peque Gallaga was released and for the first time, a part of Manapla's rich heritage was shown to the public. The film was Oro, Plata, Mata. (Reference: The Wikipedia)

Balulan Beach, Manapla. 

This refers to the place where the movie was shot, the Hacienda Santa Rosalia.  

The Ancestral House of the Gaston was the main setting of the movie where the characters of Inday Lorenzo (Fides Asensio), Nena Ojeda (Liza Lorena) and their children Trining Ojeda (Cherrie Gil) and Miguel Lorenzo (Joel Torre) lived at the height of World War II. 

The road leading to Punta Salong and Hacienda Santa Rosalia. 

The movie was a hit and received the 1982 Gawad Urian Awards for Best Picture, Direction for Peque Gallaga, Cinematography, Production Design and Musical Score.  It also won the Best Supporting Actress Award for Liza Lorena. Screenplay was written by Jose Javier Reyes. 

From the popularity that Oro, Plata, Mata received from the public, the Gaston Mansion, once more, became a hot tourist destination.  It was a popular heritage site to shoot wedding pictorials.

By the way, is this a new resort hotel that is being developed?  It looks like one but during TP's tour of the town, no one can tell him if this is a resort hotel that is being developed on this side of the town.  We will make a follow up blog on this.

The roads and sceneries leading to the Gaston Estate or Hacienda Santa Rosalia.

The road that leads to the Gaston Mansion and the Church of the Cartwheels.

 

Photo shows the Church of the Cartwheels.

This is the inside of the church. The materials used are those that can be found in the hacienda. For example, the altar that is made of stone was taken from the nearby coast. The windows are made of cartwheels. 

The Altar. Take note of the stained glass and the crucifix.  The candle holder are pestles locally known as "hal-u". 

The roof and the skylight.

TP was surprised to know that his Tricycle Driver entered this church for the very first time and he is from Manapla. Nevertheless, TP was happy that through him, another person was exposed to the religious tourism aspect of his town. 

The table is used to place flowers and offerings during Mass.  The wooden Mortar, locally known as "lusong" is used as a Holy Water Font.

The Fountain on the foreground and the Grotto of Mary on the background.

The flooring on the porch of the mansion. 

The Family Wheel showing several generations of Yves Germain Gaston.

Huge "kawa" are now used as decorative basins in this garden.  At the height of the sugar industry, these "kawa" were used in the cooking of muscovado sugar which is locally produced by the family of Yves Germaine Gaston, a known pioneer of the Muscovado Sugar Industry in Negros Island during his time. 

Finally, Manapla is not just "puto".  It is more than that.  It has beaches Balulan and Ceferina Beach.  The latter became famous because of the Beach Volleyball Tournaments that were held there before.  

As a former writer of What's On, In the Visayas and Mindanao, TP had been to Ceferina's Beach Volleyball Tournaments to cover the events for What's On.  Both Balulan and Ceferina, however, failed to catch more visitors because the sea was not really good for swimming. The facilities like cottages, shed houses, open spaces, seminar halls, and others augment what the sea or swimming in the sea failed to do.  

 However, there is a winning factor here and that is the hospitality of the local entrepreneurs, their ability to market the place among friends, and "kasimanwa".  

Manapla remains as a quiet town.  Yes, there are new structures and facilities that were constructed to offer services to the residents of the town and nearby communities, but the town still needs a little more dynamism in economic and tourism activities. 

The photo shows the Tricycles waiting for passengers going to Balulan and the neighboring villages. 

A few years ago, there were new housing projects that were constructed too. More improvements can be seen in the local church, schools, and parks.  All of these resulted to an added vigor in the town's way of life. 

The facade of St. Roch Church reminds me of Sydney Opera House, one of the tourist spots I visited in Australia during my one-month work-study grant at Queanbeyan City and the University of Canberra in 2000.  

 Inside the St. Roch Church.

In the meantime, Balulan Beach and Ceferina Beach offer an alternative place to gather family and friends.  However, their facilities are not enough to cater to the growing needs of the population and neighboring communities for entertainment and relaxation. 

 Balulan Beach. At a far distance is the island of Panay.  TP and cousins. 
(Photo was taken by Cousin Edgar Teneso, using TP's camera).

Now, Does Manapla have hidden potentials for tourism?  It is by searching on these potentials that the locals may find business opportunities and thus market Manapla as a Tourist Destination.

TP learned that there are areas that could be improved such as that place known as "Little Baguio", that Hanging Footbridge at Hacienda Lourdes, and others. 

Manapla may also need to put energy into its Information Campaign so that Negrenses and travelers will know what to see and do once they decide to visit Manapla.  

As far as TP is concerned, the Tricycles and the Driver is a good medium to inform their riders, visitors to the town about what to see and do while in Manapla. So, I guess, it would be better if the town's tourism office can conduct training on tourism to their tricycle drivers so that they can be a super-duper tourist ambassador of Manapla to the tourists and visitors.  

Perhaps it may take a few more decades when enterprising locals will find new ways to move Manapla to a new level in terms of tourism and other services that will cater to the tourists, residents, and the neighboring towns and cities in Negros Occidental. 

Things To Do?

• Cultural Tour of heritage sites and places:
• 1. Jose Gaston Ancestral House
• 2. The Church of the Cartwheels
• Climb to the Tower of the Gaston Mansion to see the vast sugarcane plantations, the neighboring towns, cities, and islands as well as Guimaras Strait. I have been to the tower before together with my Australian friends John Stimson and his family. Our friend Mons. G. G. facilitated our teaching the tower, lol.
• Beach Volleyball at Ceferina Beach Resort. Also, hold your seminars and training at CBR. 
• Family gathering and other events at  Balulan Beach Resort.
• Make a religious pilgrimage to St. Roch Church during the "Fiesta ni San Roque" and the Manapula Festival beginning the third week of August.
• Check on the newest tourist facility at Manapla Seaside Resort.
• Consult the local tourism coordinator if you wish to explore the Hanging Footbridge at Hacienda Lourdes and the "Little Baguio".
• Visit the local schools or walk around town and observe the locals' way of life. 
• Buy the town's specialty, the Manapla Puto and Pinasugbo, and other pastries that are available at the stores at the Rotunda.
• Visit your relatives and old friends and have a walking tour of the town to update yourself on the recent development Manapla is experiencing.
• And have your Arthroscopic Knee Surgery and Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery at Gustilo Clinic and Ambulatory Surgery Center of Dr. Ramon Gustilo.

How To Get There?

Manapla is accessible by private car and Ceres Tours Buses from Bacolod City and San Carlos City.  Upon your arrival at the junction of Gustilo Town Center, look for a Tricycle and negotiate the price of going on a tour of the town.  A tour of the town that will include your visit to Balulan Beach, the Gaston Mansion, and the Church of the Cartwheels, may cost you around P200.00 including waiting time.  This price is good for only two (2) hours, the length of time I toured the town. Just make an arrangement with the Tricycle Driver and agree on the price before you begin your itinerary. 

If you have a car, just proceed to Hacienda Santa Rosalia and talk to the caretaker regarding your visit.  Or, you can drive to Balulan and other points of interest in the town. 

At the Gustilo Town Center, you can have your meals in the hotel or restaurants nearby. 

This tour is designed for a day only. 

It is assumed that you will be going back to your hometown or stay in Bacolod City after this visit to Manapla.  Perhaps, you may also want to rent a cottage at Balulan Beach where you can have lunch.  Please bring your own food.  The Canteen at Balulan has limited supply and sells soda or soft drinks, among a few others.

If you will stay for a night or two at Manapla, the Gustilo Town Center has a hotel to cater to your needs, the Northland Resort Hotel. 

If you will decide to go back to Bacolod City, there are many hotels, bars and restaurants, facilities and services like shopping malls, including bus, taxi, and van for hire services that will connect you to other destinations in the Visayas such as Iloilo, Cebu, Dumaguete, Bohol, and Mindanao. So, have a nice trip and enjoy your one day adventure of Manapla.

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Now, after reading this, do you still think that the town of Manapla is just confined to Manapla Puto? Of course not.  With the construction of a new hotel and the seaside resort, the town of Manapla is slowly rising as a tourist destination in this part of the province. 

Gustilo Clinic and Ambulatory Center of Manapla

Is it also true that Manapla is becoming a Medical Hub as far as Ambulatory Surgery is concerned? Yes, it is true.  Dr. Ramon Gustilo is at the helm of the Gustilo Clinic and Ambulatory Center at Manapla.  He has a three (3) story medical facility that does surgery like Arthroscopic Knee Surgery and Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery, among others. In fact, he accepts On-Line Orthopedic and Trauma Consultations from Monday to Saturday from 2 pm - 4 pm.  You can visit his Facebook page - Gustilo Clinic and Ambulatory Surgery Center. Please update yourself through their website before visiting the facility. (I had the chance to chat with Dr. Gustilo, I guess, or was it his representative? and he was thankful that his facility was featured here.)  

Wow, I am excited to share this information with the readers of TP about the newest and latest development in the town. "Newest" and "latest" because it is possible that many peps are not updated about this development in the town of Manapla. So, here it is..."indi lang Manapla Puto ang Manapla" because the town is becoming as a hub for Ambulatory Surgery.  

Finally, the Gaston Mansion was recently visited by Nico Bolzico, a businessman from Argentina, South America, who got married to a Filipino-French VJ Actress, Solenn Heussaff.  Solenn is a model, singer, TV host, fashion designer, painter and professional make-up artist.  She was one of the official castaways of Survivor Philippines. (Wikipedia). Here's the video of that visit.  (Source: YouTube).

: Source: YouTube.

Oops, before you turn to the next blog, please LIKE my Facebook Page and SHARE this story with your awesome friends.  If you do not like it, just like and share it anyway...haha...thank you.

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All text and photos by Henry C. Libo-on of Touristang Pobre. 

Updated on July 12, 2018.
Updated on June 11, 2020. 

Reviewed on May 6, 2024.

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Manapla 

"Pulaw bugtaw nga pangabudlay 

Ulan kag init gina sulay

Pero sa pihak sini ara man ang kasulhay

May kahadlok man nga ginaatubang

Pero may Diyos nga gina saligan

Sanyog Manapla para sa kauswagan." 

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Author unknown, from - I Love Manapla Facebook.