Gat Tayaw St., Liliw, Laguna
1 May 2018
Siya ang naghawan ng daan, sa mga ilog ay naglagay ng tulayan,
binungkal ang kabukiran, at nagtatag ng bayan (taong 1570)
I was strolling along Liliw's busiest street during the town's Tsinelas Festival when I stumbled upon this monument that stands in a garden beside the colonial municipal building. Its metaphoric epitaph implies that the man clad in shirt and trousers common to farmers — his aura brimming with pride and sense of leadership — was the one behind the town's existence since 1570.
An anecdote narrates that Gat Tayaw and his men erected a bamboo pole to attract birds with which they would derive their town's name from. A beautiful, unnamed bird hummed "liw liw liw" as it landed on the pole; hence the present name of Laguna's footwear capital.
Gat Tayaw's monument stands along Liliw's eponymous thoroughfare where most of the tsinelas stores stand abreast. Officially called Liliw Gat Tayaw Tsinelas Festival, the townspeople celebrates this annual festivity that highlights Liliw's signature product in honor of the Liliweño craftsmanship and the town's founding father. ▣
Like a postcard, but digital: SNAPSHOTS features a random photograph from the road and a short story behind it. See the blog's SNAPSHOTS gallery.
RELATED STORIES: Liliw Gat Tayaw Tsinelas Festival | Liliw Food Finds
About the Author
DJ Rivera is an I.T. professional, entrepreneur, blogger and travel writer based in Manila and Rizal. After he left his corporate job of 10 years, he focused his time managing his small businesses and teaching I.T. part-time at a university in his hometown. He also contributes travel-related write-ups for several publications and websites and narrates his experiences traveling around the Philippines in his own blog, PinoyTravelogue.com. He loves chasing hidden waterfalls and rummaging through the history, arts and culture of the places he's been to. Click here to know more.
