When it was built in 1997 by Arnold Mendiola and his friends, the area was still covered with bushes and vines — a typical “jungle.”
“Nobody cared about it,” he said.
One day, while he was cleaning the area a man approached him and offered help.
That was the first time he met Luis Reyes, now his best friend.
Reyes wanted a “new” life after serving a jail term. He gave Mendiola a small statue of the Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción, or the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
That’s how their friendship started.
Mendiola began the construction of the shrine with his bare hands. Reyes, their children and other friends also extended their helping hands.
Shaped like the interior of a chalice, the shrine has an inscription which states “Dedicated to the fishermen and those who lost their lives at sea.”
Mendiola, an artist and a craftsman, said the shrine stands on a rock preserved since the Japanese era.
In the past, residents from Tinian used Sugar Dock as their wharf. When they arrived there, they usually stopped at the shrine to offer some prayers, Mendiola said.
Now, tourists and locals alike offer prayers before the shrine for their deliverance, guidance and protection before going to the sea, he said.
Many people have died in the area, he added. “People didn’t feel good when they came here, and the shrine is supposed to drive away bad spirits.”
Mendiola said he didn’t want recognition for the shrine.
“I just want people to appreciate and know the strong message of this shrine,” he added.
He said the shrine symbolizes unity, friendship, honor, respect, deliverance and devotion regardless of ethnicity.
Ben Basa, a friend of Mendiola who frequents the place, said since the construction of the shrine and the beautification of the area, the place has become a favorite hangout of community members.
“I believe that somebody up there have told him and inspired him to make that,” Basa said, referring to the shrine.
“The good spirits are here. Locals, guest workers, tourists and other visitors come here to relax,” he added.
The area, he said, has become a meeting place of old friends and new faces.
