Pandoraspace

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Tagaytay, which is now about an hour and a half away from Makati.   From the ridge of the mountain upon which Tagaytay sits, I saw Taal volcano.  Having seen the massive volcanoes of Java, I realized that the Taal volcano is tiny compared to them.  Nevertheless, no matter how many times I have seen Taal volcano (more than twenty times), its beauty never ceases to amaze me.  Taal is of course a volcano within a lake within a volcano within a lake.  Confusing, right?  But, you will understand once you see it.

I had difficulty photographing Taal volcano because a carabao was tied in the area where one could get the best view of the volcano.  I suppose the carabao and I were mutually wary of one other.  

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Even if he knew I was extremely busy, my friend Monk provoked me into doing research about a place I came across sometime ago. To get back at him, I am writing this article to prove Monk wrong.

It all started when I posted pictures about a monument I accidentally stumbled upon. I had absolutely no idea of the significance of the monument or the place where it was located. At that time, I thought it would be interesting to find out how many people actually knew of the monument.

My little sister knew about the place where the monument is located because she is a nerd. Monk knew about the monument and the place as he lives in the area.  According to Monk, the monument, which stands in Pinaglabanan, San Juan, “[i]s a story of a death match between three men for the love and loin of a woman. Unfortunately for the woman, the man she loved was one of the vanquished men.” Of course, the unsuspecting me thought this was all true. I later realized that Monk was pulling my leg when I asked him this question: “What does this monument have to do with Pinaglabanan?” and his answer was this – “Referring to the woman, ‘Pinaglabanan’ siya ng tatlong lalake. (Three men fought over her.) Duh!” As Monk refused to tell me the real story of the place and the monument, I had to find out about it on my own. (Thanks, Monk. Some friend you are.) (more…)

I was sent to attend a meeting of sorts in a place in Metro Manila where I had never been.  When I asked one of the kanto boys (guys hanging out in the streets) where I could park the car, he directed me to a side-street that led to a dead-end.  While parking, I was surprised to see this monument on the huge empty lot on the left side of the street.

The monument showed a woman weeping, a man standing triumphantly beside her and two men sprawled on on their feet.  I did not have time to inquire about who created the monument or why it was placed there.  I only had time to take a few pictures.

Can anyone guess where in Metro Manila this monument stands?