During Martial Law, from 1977 to 1980, San Juan, the second largest municipality of Batangas, defied President Ferdinand Marcos on the construction of a copper smelting plant. People saw the potential hazards of water pollution and acid rain on health. Thanks to the determination of the locals, San Juan is now a thriving destination for beaches—Laiya being the closest to Manila—and ecotourism.
Zaldy Marasigan, who comes from one of the prominent clans in San Juan, has made it an advocacy to promote domestic tourism.
“San Juan is just a small place, but you can do everything—from going to the beach to visiting ancestral houses, bird watching, checking out the mangroves or trekking,” he says.
He helped establish the Bolboc San Juan Batangas Heritage, a nongovernment organization which collaborates with Fundación Santiago to develop a community-based heritage tourism; he also works with environmentalist Noel Pasco to identify nature-based tours. Bolboc was the old name of San Juan.
Bolboc Heritage facilitates the training of volunteers as tour guides, accredits market vendors and recommends ancestral homes and quality, value-for-money destinations.
Depending on your interest, you can book a day tour of San Juan to experience the local culture, or plan a two- or three-night itinerary to include the mangrove tour, the beach and the nature trails (tel. 0917-525 1956).
Still under the radar, San Juan has many things to offer.
Benito Marasigan Ruins. The lot was owned by Zaldy Marasigan’s great grandfather, Francisco, a landed gentleman farmer. In 1931, Zaldy’s grandfather Benito built a three-story, neoclassical style house that reflected the province’s economy derived from the coconut industry.
Sadly, the house burned down in 2009 when the sun rays penetrated the glass, igniting the papers and other flammable items on the top floor.
But the ground floor remained intact and has since been used as the office of the Bolboc San Juan Batangas Heritage, of which Marasigan is managing director.
One day, a bird brought in a seed; today, it is a 12-foot-tall kawili tree. The Marasigans see it as a symbol of new life. It’s the point of entry for visitors who want to ask about where to go and how to get there.
San Juan Nepomuceno Parish Church. Despite the controversial renovation of San Juan’s oldest church, it is still a popular venue for weddings, the most famous of which was Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos’ nuptials.
The church is home to its patron saint, John Nepomucene, the “martyr of the confessional.” Although the museum displays relics and icons, its most striking element is a scale model of San Juan, pinned with rows of flags designating the booming resort industry along Laiya Beach. Under the historic acacia tree across the church, Batangueño General Miguel Malvar gave his sword to Captain Leon Mercado, one of the leaders of the revolutionary army.
Ang Mahal Na Señor Chapel. Owned by gobernadorcillo Don Angel Maralit, the statue of El Señor or Jesus Christ was found in a shipwreck off Tayabas Bay. This modest chapel, which houses the icon, is open on Fridays. Devotees believe that El Señor answers their prayers. During the dry spell, the icon is paraded to invoke rain.
Apolonio Marasigan House. This heritage house shows the mid-century lifestyle of Congressman Apolonio “Ka Poli” Marasigan and his wife Araceli or Celi, who was the politician’s best asset.
Entering the balcony, the visitor experiences how Ka Poli drank kapeng barako while looking over the street and garden.
The ceiling wood design resembles the woodcarved ceiling in Malacañang’s Kalayaan Hall. The house is filled with accessories such as a piano and furniture that were bartered for food during the war. Ka Poli would bring produce to Manila and was paid in goods. Among the impressive pieces are the 20-seater table built from a single trunk of a giant tree, and the antique four-poster bed by Chinese maker Ah Tay.
The silong or basement is now an art gallery that promotes local artists. In the garden, a giant, 133-year-old kawa, that was used to mix copra, is now a mini-pond. A portion of the garden is an organic herb and vegetable plot for Cafeño.
Cafeño. This quaint little restaurant in front of Apolonio Marasigan’s house is a favorite stop for travelers on their way to Laiya, as it is the only air-conditioned dining place in San Juan. Tables are adorned with old vintage sewing machines and patterned tiles.
Retired diplomat Sylvia Marasigan highlights the signature ingredients of Batangas such as adobo with turmeric, spring rolls with tulingan and bangus, and tulingan frittata. The menu includes fusion dishes such as lentil soup with pork cracklings, longganisa quesadilla and achara with dill. The homemade ice cream done in local flavors such as barako and banana cap the meal. For merienda, tamales with homemade coco jam and native barako are the best combination.
Cafeño, no. 9 Corner General Luna and Rizal Streets San Juan; tel. (043) 5755161
Panotsaan. The peanut brittle is a backyard industry for many homemakers. The gawaan or workshop shows how the peanuts are caramelized in big pots, scooped, shaped into circles, then cooled and packed in an assembly line. Entrepreneur Josephine Morales Manalo, producer of JMM Sweet Peanuts, says the gawaan produces 3,5000 packs a day and are sold as far as Laguna and Quezon.
Pottery. Traditional pottery making uses clay from Barangay Libato. Mompreneur Julia Homilla de Ramon took to pottery to spend more time with her children. Although she started producing manually, bulk orders drove her to use molders and machines. She supplies landscape shops in Laguna, Cavite and Quezon and exports pots and planters to Japan. Her products are found in gardens.
Mangrove and Bird Watching Tour. If you’re weary of the population density and pollution in the metropolis, the mangrove tour is a refreshing way to de-stress. “Mangroves knock down the pollutants and capture and hold carbon,” says environmental officer Noel Pasco. The boat ride on Malaking Ilog, one of the country’s biggest freshwater rivers, is as exciting as visiting the mangrove forests. Shark sightings, fish jumping out of the water, and migratory birds are common sights.
Mangrove (bakawan) forests provide refuge for birds, bats and plants. The shores along the mature, untouched mangroves are nesting sites for sea turtles. Pasco says you can see as much as a hundred species of birds. Egrets, doves, kingfishers and herons are visual delights. Monkeys are the first to pluck the fruits from the trees.
Pasco adds that predatory animals are a sign of an unpolluted place. The mangrove serves as fish nurseries that feed crabs in the river.
Visitors can rest at the residence of the Quizons, one of the oldest clans in San Juan.
Rosuello’s Restaurant and Acoustic Bar. This new nipa hut-style restaurant-bar is owned by a highly driven banker. At 22, Julius Rosuello is one of Wells Fargo’s top personal bankers, who transformed his passion for nightlife into a sideline.
Aside from the acoustic music, the food is an attraction. The pork bagnet is not dry and accompanied with alamang and fried eggplant.
The signature Tong’s Burger is made of Batangas beef patty with secret herbs and spices. There are also cocktails, mojitos and Harvey Wallbanger drinks.
Rosuello’s Restaurant, Marasigan St. Poblacion, San Juan, Batangas; tel. (034) 4200690 and 0977-8419930
Wet Market. It’s still the best place to eat good food at bargain prices. Dumael turo-turo is the classic carinderia which offers gindara, sinigang, pancit, sinigang na hipon, pusit, ginisang ampalaya, pork adobo, afritada, binagoonan, sinigang na baboy, mongo soup, barbecue and kanduli.
For a cool treat, Macaraig is the oldest halo-halo stall in the market at over 50 years. The shelves are a colorful lot of freshly cooked red and green agar-agar, sago, red beans, sweetened plantain and custard. The tall glass costs only P25.
Laiya. While Matabungkay has fallen to mass tourism and Calatagan, Nasugbu, Anilao and Matuod have become as exclusive as the Hamptons, Laiya Aplaya in Barangay Hugom offers a wide range of beach experiences, ranging from budget to luxury.
The cool, clear waters of Laiya are part of the Verde Island Passage, which has the richest marine biodiversity in the world—hence the 600 hectares of marine-protected areas. The 9-kilometer stretch faces a marine sanctuary for coral reefs. Fishing is banned so that fish can propagate.
La Luz is one of the oldest and most popular resorts along Laiya, run by Peter Paul Marasigan. The 41-room resort won TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice Awards 2016 not only for its facilities, but also for its hearty Filipino and continental buffet and solicitous service. The rooms exude rustic charm and the affordable rates include three buffets and one merienda.
The management and staff are strict about maintaining cleanliness and protecting the ecosystem. The resort offers new equipment and facilities for people to enjoy water sports and team building. The resort regulates the visitors to prevent accidents and prohibit them from destroying the rocks and reefs.
Tel. 726-6687, local 103, 106, 108, 109, 110, 113; Manila landlines 994-7656, 994-7667, 8067581, 8067667; mobile nos. 0916-2588309, 0927-8053484 0920-6038814, and 0998-3387111
Virgin Beach Resort. Owned by developer Federico Campos III, this upscale resort has the widest shoreline at 1.7 kilometers.
Architects Felino Palafox Jr. and Rolando Mercado created different zones for unique guest experiences, and spread out the cabanas for privacy. Foreigners prefer non-air-conditioned rooms and don’t mind sleeping under the parasol on the beach front. A picnic grove is perfect for day tours. “It’s very exclusive here, you wouldn’t think that you’re in Batangas,” says Campos.
Tel. 8152584, 8152587, 7592020, 7592828, 0917-8131301
Kabayan Beach Resort. This place understands the Filipino culture of traveling in groups that cook their own meals. The 32 cottages and dormitories are equipped with kitchens for families and big groups to prepare their meals.
The resort is adjacent to the Laiya Adventure Park, the only one in San Juan. You can enjoy zip lining, rappelling, free fall, aerial walk and swimming in the midst of the mountain view.
Tel. 709-1470, 709-0115; 0917-6279357, 0917-8963312
Buracai De Laiya. For travelers who still want modern comforts, this typical hotel features a bar, function room and restaurants. Contemporary in design, the rooms are either open to mountain or seaside views. The hotel provides tours to climb Mt. Daguldol.
Sitio Biga, Barangay Biga; tel. 8818830
Mt. Daguldol. Depending on your schedule, Noel Pasco can arrange tours that last from half a day to two days for mountaineers. “It’s relatively easy as there aren’t too many obstacles,” he says.
For day tours, Pasco arranges horses with guides. The overnight trek includes camping out, naturally, a side trip to Naambon Falls and a walk to Laiya. The trek starts from the scenic beach trail that leads to the forests and the rolling grasslands. After sleeping in the campsite, the trek ends up in the summit, which opens to views of Mt. Banahaw and Mindoro islands.
Accommodations. San Juan is still in its infancy stage in terms of the level of hospitality. Still, there are hotels that are designed to give you a sense of place.
The Old San Juan is actually a modern concrete structure dressed to look like a wooden ancestral home. It’s got that Old World Filipiniana-themed décor with modern amenities such as plasma TV, complete toiletries and WiFi.
Javier Street, Poblacion, San Juan; tel. (043) 575-5400
Bahay Marikit is a charming hotel whose layout followed the site. It snuggles under a grove of coconut trees that protects the place from the noise and pollution of the highway. The symphony of birds creates an otherworldly atmosphere. It looks like a Mexican hacienda with Mediterranean-themed rooms. The architecture is characterized by arcades that connect the rooms, curves, arches, colorful stucco walls, tiled steps, ornamental grills, decorative ledges, a courtyard and exclusive patios beside the rooms on the ground floor. The TV is still the cathode tube and the amenities consist of a modest-mini soap and dental kit. The organ-shaped pool is concealed by foliage, making it feel as if you’re swimming in a lagoon.
National Highway, Barangay Maraykit San Juan Batangas, San Juan; tel. (043) 5754745, 8934365, 7570294