In Matthew 6:24, Jesus himself said a person cannot serve both God and money (or mammon). NOT that money is inherently evil; but the love of it can lead people away from God.

Alas… if you look at the way faith is practiced now, money just can’t be avoided. Take religious tourism as an example.

So it’s with trepidation that we headed to Montemaria International Pilgrimage & Conference Center in Batangas.

@outragemag Eyeing for ways to express your #LGBT faith? Head to #Montemaria in #Batangas for #religioustourism ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

There are some things worth stressing here…

Una, masalimuot ang history ng Montemaria. It used to be a project of a Roman Catholic priest, Fernando Suarez, with the land donated by local politician Hermilando Mandanas. That was around 2009. But Suarez moved to Cavite, so Montemaria was put in ice in 2014. The land was eventually donated to the Archdiocese of Lipa, managed by the Montemaria Asia Pilgrims Inc. (MAPI).

Prominent buildings include the Santo Niño Chapel, a replica of the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague, built around 2010; and yeah, the “Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace” that was completed in 2021.

Ikalawa, Montemaria may be a pilgrimage site, and – as such – is filled by the faithful. But it is also a tourist spot, so expect lots of non-believers who are there for non-religious reasons. There are a lot of touristy attractions, like the glass bridge, accommodations facing the seas, and so on.

Ikatlo, too many of the offerings are still not functional, but yeah… sayang ang kita, so papasukin na ang tourists all the same.

Ika-apat, you will need money to fully appreciate this place. For instance, the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary, the “Montemaria, The Mother of All Asia”, is here. You can just appreciate it for free from afar… or cough up some cash to be allowed to go up.

In truth, publicly-accessible venues need to earn for their upkeep. I’d say Montemaria is no different. And yet… yeah, we can’t help but feel uneasy when money’s involved in promoting faith.

But off we go to the next rampa…

Montemaria is located in Barangay Pagkilatan, Batangas City.

Unless ang tibay ng resistensiya ng katawan mo and you can survive swimming in the waters of the seas of Metro Manila, we do not really have a choice but to head out of the city if we feel like getting wet. For some, that would be to head to the beaches of Cavite, which can be as dirty as Manila; the hot springs of Laguna, often overcrowded; or check the beaches of Batangas, which can be a hit-and-miss experience since some are also trashy, some can be deadly, some still not accessible due to bad infrastructure, and so on.

And yet… it is the latter that we did when we headed to Lobo, a municipality in the province of Batangas. And after a quick stop at the Malabrigo Point Lighthouse, we were led to discover the beach off the cliff.

So kumusta ang experience namin?

@outragemag Looking for new #beach #swimmingdestination? We #LGBT checked the unsafe and yet worth-checking #Malabrigo in #Lobo, #Batangas ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

While looking over the cliff housing the lighthouse, we met locals who went swimming at the Malabrigo Beach. You can access this through a… really long staircase starting from where the lighthouse is.

Some things worth stressing:

1. Locals pay the “caretaker” ₱20 per visit (they don’t pay anything if they don’t swim). Non-locals, though, are made to pay from ₱50. If you want to shower after your swim, you pay extra (from ₱20, depending on the need for soap or shampoo or conditioner). All these transactions are receipt-less.
2. The beach here doesn’t have fine white sand. Instead, you get pebbles. And sharp rock formations. Getting wounded is possible (and, yep, since we experienced it, apparently to be expected).
3. The pebbles are malumot, so the pebbles can be really slippery. Walk slowly when going swimming… or crawl (seriously) instead of walking out of the water as it could be safer.
4. There’re no safety protocols here – e.g. no lifeguards, no shark nets, no buoys, no nothing. So coming here – even if it’s actually refreshing taking a plunge there – is AYOR (at your own risk).

We’ve checked the other beaches of Lobo – e.g. by the road on the way to the lighthouse, and in Nasugbu. Too many of them are literal dumpsites. You see the garbage on the shores, and you feel how dirty the water is as soon as you take a swim. Filipinos like going to beaches, just not to look after them.

And so it is refreshing – literally and figuratively – to discover Malabrigo Beach.

Now… if only it can be properly developed, then Barangay Malabrigo or the Municipality of Lobo or the Province of Batangas will sure have a major must-visit spot. Until then, though, this is good-to-visit, though not really.

Join us as we continue with our rampa.

Malabrigo Beach is accessible from Malabrigo Point Lighthouse, located along Lobo-Malabrigo-Laiya Rd., Barangay Malabrigo, Municipality of Lobo, Batangas Province.

Bulacan may be a big province, but tourists will – admittedly – have a harder time looking for places to visit here. Unless you’re into hard-to-reach natural wonders, or churches, churches, and even more churches.

There’s something surprising in Bulacan, though: that is, there are actually a lot of not-bad dining venues there… which was what led us to discovering Project Steak.

How was the place for us?

@outragemag Lost in #Bulacan and looking for okay #food? We checked the #steak #fishandchips of @projectsteakbaliwag in #baliuagbulacan for this #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, Bulacan is a big province, so if you’re nowhere near Baliuag, you may find this place too hard to go to (particularly if you’re not driving). This is over an hour away from the City of Manila, passing through Obando, Bocaue, Guiguinto, Malolos, Pulilan, et cetera… so yeah, this isn’t the most accessible place to go to.

Ikalawa, the actual resto is actually small; seriously small. Luckily, there are two seating areas, so to speak. The resto itself has an airconditioned room that can only seat a handful; and a non-airconditioned area that it shares with Mimi’s, the café beside it. The airconditioning isn’t that cold naman, so staying outside may make sense particularly for those who are claustrophobic.

Ikatlo, keri naman ang personnel, able to explain what’s on the menu.

Ika-apat, how was the food?

• The Fish and Chips (₱300) was actually good, comparative to those from delis in – say – some suburb in Australia. The fish wasn’t malansa, was properly battered, and was well cooked. The chips – or fries – naman were of good quality, not disintegrating to the touch.
• The Meatballs Tomato (₱250) was so-so; that is, the meatballs tasted nice, but the pasta was just too sweet. Ganito: If you added more pasta, the sweetness of the sauce would still overhwlem.
• The Signature Ribeye Steak (₱550) was a bit small, though not surprising considering the asking price. Ordered MR, it was properly done, with the meat still juicy. You don’t get a lot of accompanying veggies; though the eggs we ordered in place of the potatoes were well done.
• The Surf and Turf (₱650) was basically a Ribeye Steak… with grilled shrimps. For both steaks, if there’s a major comment, it’s the lack of seasoning. Yeah, you can just add salt and pepper; but it tastes different when meat is seasoned before or during cooking since nanunuot ang lasa. The mashed potato was too margarine-y, and so was so-so. The shrimps were good even if they were somewhat small.

Is it worth to dayo, to target Project Steak? If you’re nearby and are looking for affordable steaks, perhaps. The ambiance is good, the offerings are presented well (check the plating!), and so on. But if it’s too far for you, and if there are other options for the same price wherever you may be, stay there na lang. That way, walang sisi.

Otherwise, join us as we look for more lafang venues.

Project Steak is located along Doña Remedios Trinidad Hwy, Baliuag, Bulacan. For more information, contact 0939 708 7839 or 0923 631 2559.