Majayjay is a highland town in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. Situated at the northern slopes of Mount Banahaw, it is known for its waterfalls, Spanish-era bridges and Romanesque Catholic basilica.
Understand
[edit]Majayjay is one of the oldest known settlements in Laguna, having existed even before the Spanish occupation. Its name derives from the tired expression (hayhay) locals gave when traveling to the town, which involved hiking through dense woodlands and ascending the foothills of Mount Banahaw.
Majayjay’s cool weather made it a summer capital for both Spanish and American colonizers, predating Baguio. At the same time, its secluded location turned Majayjay into a bastion of anti-colonial nationalists during the Philippine wars of independence and communist rebels in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The town proper is crisscrossed by four rivers that form the Pagsanjan River system, necessitating the construction of multiple bridges in the area during the Spanish occupation.
Get in
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Majayjay is situated at a crossroads between Laguna and Quezon Province. To the east, there are roads leading to Luisiana and Lucban. To the north is the road to Santa Cruz via Magdalena and Sambat Junction in Pagsanjan. To the west is Liliw, where transfers to San Pablo can be made.
Majayjay is fairly off the beaten track, with jeepneys not as frequent as in the rest of Laguna. Case in point, jeepneys coming from Santa Cruz are regularly full upon departure, mostly packed with residents. Waiting in Magdalena for the jeep to Majayjay can take up to an hour. If you are not planning to sleep in Majayjay, make sure to leave town before the late afternoon.
- 1 Majayjay Transport Cooperative, Ordoñez Street, Poblacion (beside EcoOil gas station and in front of the municipal cemetery). Majayjay's central terminal, though crude-looking, is well-organized and offers services to Lucban, Luisiana, Santa Cruz via Magdalena, and Nagcarlan via Liliw. Be prepared to wait for the jeep to fill up.
Get around
[edit]Tricycles are the main mode of transportation between barangays.
Driving in Majayjay is not for the faint-hearted. The highways are of the two-lane variety and traverse mountainous and sometimes winding terrain, while many secondary roads are in fair to poor condition. Some roads in the town center are one-way only.
See
[edit]- 1 Minor Basilica and Parish of Saint Gregory the Great (Majayjay Church), F. Blumentritt Street, Poblacion. The only Catholic basilica in Laguna and a national cultural treasure, Majayjay's church burned several times during the Spanish era, with the last being in 1711. Instead of razing the structure, its priest instead ordered the ruins to be encased inside a 3 metres (9.8 ft)-thick layer of brick and plastered in pink, resulting the façade exuding a fortress-like aura. The interior contains an ornate altar and an upper-level catwalk that rings the space. Unlike most Spanish-era churches in the Philippines, the basilica was built in the Romanesque style.
- 2 Tulay Pigi (Puente del Capricho), Ordoñez corner Limquico Streets, Poblacion (the main entrance is at Ordoñez corner Limquico streets beside the town cemetery, but involves passing through a closed but still malodorous dumpsite and a steep descent along a narrow, secluded and overgrown trail. For a safer experience, enter through Majayjay-Magdalena Road in Barangay Talortor, on the other side of the bridge, where you can be in earshot of residents in case of an emergency). In the 19th century, a Spanish priest ordered his parishioners to build a bridge connecting Majayjay and Magdalena over the Pagsanjan River. He treated his workers badly and frequently whipped them in the buttocks, hence its name (Tulay Pigi literally means Buttocks Bridge, while Puente del Capricho literally means Bridge of Caprice). This ultimately backfired, and the bridge was left unfinished as Majayjay was depopulated by residents fleeing from the priest's abuses. The bridge's overgrown state and missing span is best admired from the bottom of the structure.
- 3 Taytay Falls (Imelda Falls), Taytay (Gagalot). The most visited waterfall in Majayjay, with a height of 15 metres (49 ft).
- 4 Dalitiwan Stream, Majayjay-Lucban Road, Ilayang Banga. A cold stream running from Mount Banahaw. At the gorge surrounding Dalitiwan Bridge are two resorts allowing access to the stream and partially channeling the waters to create man-made cascades and rock pools.
- 5 Nuestra Señora de la Porteria Chapel, Arellano corner F. Blumentritt Streets, Poblacion. An 18th-century chapel containing a venerated image of the Virgin Mary.
- 6 Old Presidencia, Calles corner Zamora Streets, Poblacion. Majayjay's colonial era municipal hall burned down sometime in the 20th century and was abandoned in favor of a new site near Majayjay Church. Nevertheless, the old building's shell remains as an imposing ruin, with the stairs and parts of its portico still intact.
- 7 Nuestra Señora de Porteria Grotto, F.E. Gozo Street, San Miguel (beside the Olla Bridge). Placed beside the Olla (Santa Cruz) river, this was where the Nuestra Señora de Porteria image was originally thought to have been placed before the chapel in the town center was built.
- 8 APA Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Park, Liliw-Majayjay Road, Coralao, ☏ +63 918 985 3258, [email protected]. Tu-Su 9AM - 4PM, closed Mondays. A privately-owned zoo with more than 900 animals in the woods outside town. Adults: ₱345, concessions: ₱295, group discounts also available.
- 9 Bukal Falls (Kilangin Falls), Bukal (from Bukal Barangay Hall, hike for 30-40 minutes). A waterfall at the boundary of Majayjay and Liliw that is claimed by both municipalities.
- 10 Sprite Falls, Piit (from Piit Barangay hall, hike for 15 minutes). Another set of waterfalls upstream from the Dalitiwan Bridge.
Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]- 1 Majayjay Public Market, Balagtas Street, Poblacion.
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]Stay safe
[edit]During typhoons and torrential rainfalls, most waterfalls may be closed due to raging torrents. In any case, visitors to the waterfalls may be dissuaded as the water becomes mud-colored due to the amount of sediment washed away during those periods.