This Week in Batangas (August 1 to 7, 2016)

The Information and Communications Technology Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-ICTO), together with other industry association firms, has identified Lipa City of Batangas and other nine cities as the New Wave Cities for 2016. These prime cities can serve as alternative locations for IT-business processing companies seeking to expand outside Manila because of their capability to provide ample and appropriate talent, infrastructure, and business environment. The latest administration is expected to provide more infrastructure projects and other needed support in the New Wave Cities to further attract more investors and boost the economic growth of the said cities.

This week, when the sun goes up, it’s going to feel like a really hot oven even for a just a few hours. But when the clouds take over, there will be rain showers and thunderstorms. The whole week will be cloudy with light showers in the morning while thunderstorms will persist in the late afternoons and evenings. The temperature for the week will range between 22°C and 29°C.

On a weekday, perennial chokepoints are JP Laurel National Highway (main highway of inter-town route to Batangas City and Lemery); the Ayala Highway rotunda; and the intersections in Fiesta Mall and manufacturing company Pilipinas Kyohritsu, Inc. (PKI). The city proper with its one-way routes is also another traffic hub, be it weekday or weekend.

Contributing to the traffic jam are the government projects along the national highway in Marawoy, Lipa City. Casa de Segunda, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and San Sebastian Cathedral, a few of the city’s must-see places, are either located in the city proper or en route to the city so it is best to go during off-peak traffic hours or endure the slow-moving phase of traffic.

One of the latest restaurants to open and serve the famous kapeng barako (brewed coffee) of Batangas is Café de ALPS, which is literally a bus towed from the highway and turned into a café. The café is a sight to behold with its pristine white paint with touches of green and blue.

The food at the Café de ALPS are the usual repertoire for any café: pasta and sandwiches, frozen coffee beverages, hot coffee, fruit tea, and smoothies but are unique as these are served in a bus-themed café in Metro Event Zone, the most happening place Lipa City. Must-try items in their menu are pasta caldereta, aligue (crab fat) pasta, carbonara, java chip frappe, and hazel nut frappe.

Located in 4420 Ayala Highway (also known as JP Laurel Highway), Metro Event is the newest hangout place in Lipa, Batangas for a wide selection of comfort food. The food park has stalls and restaurants selling burgers (Brand X Burgers) and grilled pizzas (Toppify); sisig (Sisig El Juego) and boneless lechon (Chef Mong’s); smoked ribs (Twins Smoked Ribs) and tapa (Tapa Town); and Mexican food (El Papito). The place has also a restobar (D Cube Restobar) and a hookah lounge (Exhale). It is comparable to Manila’s Mercato Centrale, Maginhawa Z Compound, StrEat Maginhawa, Food Hub, Box Park, and Gastro Park Kapitolyo.