STCS Community goes to Laguna for an insightful educational tour

February 5, 2024

by: Brent Austin Bernal

 

On January 31, 2024, Saint Therese Catholic School hosted this academic year's educational tour at Laguna. As the school's academic year 2023-2024 educational tour began, each bus did the rosary. The tour guides organized an activity to entertain everyone while also disseminating information about the destinations on our itinerary that we would be visiting. 

Each bus arrived at the first destination for the day: the Gardenia Factory located in Biñan City, Laguna. Before kicking off the tour around the factory, everyone took pictures of the factory's exterior because taking pictures of the process of making their products is strictly prohibited. The tour inside the factory started with an orientation about how the infamous Gardenia Classic White Bread is made. Once the tour concluded, everyone got their complimentary Gardenia White Bread. Most then went inside the Gardenia shop to buy the delicacies offered as a form of remembrance or to give as a pasalubong. While inside the shop, others took pictures to highlight this memory before returning to their corresponding buses.

The second destination was at Sto. Niño de Cebu Parish Church, also located in Biñan City, Laguna. Attendees took pictures around the pictures and prayed inside the church. A small church was built by Augustinian Friars in 1984. In 1988, the church was built under Rev. Fr. Pechayco, OSA. It was reconstructed in 2002 under Rev. Fr. Edgar Polotan, OSA, along with the Altar Retablo in 2003. 

The third destination is the Christening site of our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, which is the St. John the Baptist Parish Church, located at Calamba, Laguna; it is the oldest Roman Catholic Church that was established in 1779 and was built in 1859 but later got destroyed in 1945 during World War 2. After exploring the church, everyone went to the fourth destination, the Rizal Shrine, right beside the church. The Rizal Shrine was designated as a National Shrine by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on June 19, 1965, through the Republic Act no. 4368. Then, in 1949, President Elpidio Quirino passed Executive Order 145, stating the reconstruction of the Rizal Shrine after being destroyed and demolished during World War 2. Juan Nakpil was the architect of the construction, which was finished on June 19, 1950. The shrine possesses the stuff Jose Rizal once owned that is now displayed and preserved all around the place, including the hut where Teodoro Alonso Realonda, the mother of Jose Rizal, taught him how to read. 

After visiting these four cultural stops, the most anticipated part of the trip came: the Enchanted Kingdom, located at Santa Rosa, Laguna. Arriving before lunchtime, the students, teachers, and parents waited until the tour guides distributed the tickets for the theme park. Upon entering the theme park, everyone's faces lit up with excitement - they instantly queued for the park's infamous rides, the Rio Grande Rapids, EKstreme Tower, and Anchors Away. 

Overall, the educational tour was filled with memories the participants present will cherish. Reflecting on their experiences, Juan Antonio Camantigue, a grade 11 student, said, "The most interesting part I saw was the Museo ni Rizal in Calamba, Laguna. Because all of Rizal's things have already been preserved, it was also a great experience reading the different information of the timeline of his life, which further cultivates our knowledge about him." Ma. Frinzelle Azalea Bernal, a grade 10 student, stated, "I learned a lot when we went to the Gardenia Factory and learned how their bread was made. It was a great experience as we learned how safe and healthy these breads are, which is sometimes our to-go breakfast meal." 

During the educational tour, the STCS Community explored and discovered many valuable insights and created lasting memories that enriched their understanding and appreciation of the experience and history they learned throughout the day.