Get to know Tanauan City and Apolinario Mabini for FREE

Meet Tanauan City! It is better known as the City of Colors and home of Parade of Lights.

Tanuan City is a first class city in the Province of Batangas. WIth the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the city is now part of Manila's conurbation which reaches Lipa City in its southernmost part. The city shares its borders with Calamba City, Laguna, to the north, Tagaytay City, Cavite, to the northwest, Talisay to the west, Sto. Tomas to the east, and the towns of Balete and Malvar to the south.

Among those born in Tanauan are revolutionary former Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini and former President Jose P. Laurel.

These are among the reasons why the city was chosen as the focal point of our technical tour during our Seminar on Tourist Reception and Guiding Techniques.

During our two-day seminar, we stayed in NDN Grand Hotel, Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

It was on our last day when we started our technical tour wherein we will be tested on the techniques we learned in tour guiding. We boarded on our coaster with our trainer/speaker/coach Dr. Reynaldo Jorda. All 36 participants were required to act as tour guides while on board and during walkabouts.

We passed by the ancestral house of former President Jose P. Laurel. The assigned tour guide did a quick briefing about the late president's life and achievements.

The first stopover was the Old Tanauan City Hall which is now a gallery cum museum. You can see everything that Tanauan City has. Even if I am a proud Batangueña, I was still in awe when I saw the museum and there I wished that Batangas province can also have a museum where tourists can stop over before going to their desired destinations.

Before the formal tour, we were given our certificates as proof of our attendance and participation during the seminar.

Across the old city hall is the St. John the Evangelist Parish where you can say your prayers and wishes after knocking three times on its door if you come there for the first time.

After that, my co-participants showed their prowess in tour guiding while we were also busy discovering the treasures of Tanauan City.

Second stop was the Mabini Shrine. According to the locals, the shrine was newly developed so they were also shocked as to how it transformed into a beautiful site as it is at present.

The Mabini Shrine is located in Barrio Talaga and is about 7 kilometers from the city proper of Tanauan. You can reach the site from the STAR Tollway by taking the Sambat, Tanauan exit and move towrds the Talisay-Tagaytay route. The shrine is 5 minutes away from the toll plaza.

You can see from the gate this structure. This symbolizes the final resting place of our hero, Apolinario Mabini.

Here is where Mabini lies.

We were instructed by Dr. Jorda that we will be tourists on that particular site. We felt that we need to absorb the information that the museum will incorporate to us not just as a Filipino but as a Batangueño.

You will see that the statue and the tomb marker give you the feels that the place hold a significant part in the Philippine history.

This is the replica of Mabini's house. Historians said that they cannot recover the actual house since tit was made of light materials that cannot survive through time.

As we enter the shrine, we were greeted by the receptionist and informed us with the dos and don'ts.

We were guided towards the Audio Visual room. Here, we chose the eight minute presentation of Mabini's life. You can opt to watch the 45 minute one also. And reminder, there is NO ENTRANCE FEE.

After the presentation, we were escorted to a different room but on the way there, we were amused on this painted glass...

and also to these cute signages for the comfort rooms.

Next room depicted the early life of Mabini.

This is the actual set-up of Mabini's study table. It was said that Mabini enjoyed reading so it was staple for him to have a place to read and write.

An interactive way was put on the museum where students or visitors may see how was Mabini as a student. And yes, all his grades were excellent from elementary up to law school.

And this is I think the highlight of Mabini Shrine, there's a whole body photo of Mabini while standing. We know that he is the Dakilang Lumpo/Paralitiko or Subime Paralitic. This room shows his life way before entering the revolution.

As a reformist, Mabini showed that he was not only a bright student but a Filipino who desired to make a change during the Philippine's colonial era.

See how legible the writing of Mabini is. It's like a computerized document today.

Mabini also held the Grand Orator position in the Grand Council of Masons during his time.

As you walk outside the room, you can also see this nice painting showing his active participation as a reformist.

Third room contained every detail known about Mabini as a revolutionary.

There was an improvised hologram of an actor who role played Mabini while reading his works,

If you closely study the timeline, the historians did a great job tracing Mabini's contributions as the brain of the revolution.

The last room we visited was that containing his legacy.

This is his actual wooden coffin containing his bones when he was transferred to the shrine.

This timeline shows everything that connects his life from an ordinary person up to someone who paved the way for the Philippine to achieve freedom from the colonizers.

This document is one of the original write-ups of Mabini that was handed by his family to National Historical Commission.

The Mabini Shrine makes it free to the public this opportunity to get to know Apolinario Mabini.

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Our next stopover was the Empress Cafe and Eco Park. You will be amazed on how this hidden place can show you the beautiful view of the Taal Lake and Napayong Island.

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There's a bonus if you afford to see the Luke's view where you can have your instagram-ready photos.

Our last stop was the Dragon Boat training area in Aplaya. This is where the Dragon Boat team of Tanauan City trains and where different teams compete during the cityhood anniversary of Tanauan city. The locals are proud to host these activities wherein the country chooses the representatives for international competitions.

But wait, this place was memorable to me since this was my assigned area where I will deliver my impromptu speech for my evaluation. I felt I was possessed by a tour guide spirit then. I was in shock when I found out that I will be the first one to talk. My immediate reaction was to stand in chair and begin with my speech. For more than five minutes I got the attention of many due to my loud voice. After that, I heard that I ranked second among the 36 participants. Thank God that my voice helps me even if I graduated from recitations and contests.

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After our evaluation, the Tanuan Tourism Office introduced the Dragon Boat team, Sagwan Tanauan. They even demonstrated how they practice.

And here's our mandatory group shot of the day!

But for me, this was it!!!

To sum it up, the whole seminar with the Tanauan City technical tour was something remarkable. I learned many things especially how I will tour around Tanauan City for FREE.

Try it also and be surprised!!!