One of the country’s foremost authority on colonial churches (Catholic), Regalado Trota Jose, Ricky for short, has crisscrossed the country documenting the Philippines’ rich religious colonial heritage. He has also written and published several books on the subject including the very informative Simbahan.

Ever since I have read that book, I have always looked upon the author as someone that I should meet personally and that wish finally materialized during a workshop on Paletada of the San Agustin Museum.

Last Sunday, upon the invitation of a friend, I joined his UST class on cultural heritage in a walk around historic Intramuros which he personally conducted. The amount of information was just overwhelming as we toured Fort Santiago, San Agustin, Manila Cathedral and visited the original sites of UST and the major churches as well as climbed the walls of this ancient enclave.

A softspoken (but can sometimes be direct and sharp to drive home a point) man, I find him easy to talk with and gels cooly with his students. Later this year or early next year, he will be releasing his book on church bells.

Related posts

• Intramuros walk tour
• Poon
• Fr. Pedro Galende’s new book
• Slideshow of works produced in the Peter Bialobrzeski workshop
• Before the procession

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