Daily Archives: 8 March, 2011

Malacanang of the North (Paoay, Ilocos Norte)

Posted on by — Leave a reply
Malacanang ti Amianan

After our short stopover at Paoay Lake in Paoay, we now proceeded to the two-storey Malacanang ti Amianan (Malacañang of the North), one of the 29 former vacation houses of the Marcoses.  This was to be our last Lakbay Norte 2 tourist destination. Located uphill, on the first road past the Maharlika Hall of Fort Ilocandia Resort Lake Golf and Country Club, this hardwood mansion was built in 1977 by former First Lady Imelda Marcos, along the edge of Paoay Lake, to commemorate the 60th birthday of the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos and as a vacation home and cabinet meeting place.

The baby grand piano beside the grand staircase

After the Marcoses lost power in 1986, the property was sequestered and the Philippine Tourism Authority was given custodianship of the property for 24 years but had neglected its upkeep.  When Imee Marcos became governor of Ilocos Norte in 2010, she had the house restored at a cost of PhP7 million and inaugurated it again on January 1, 2011. During the restoration, all the wooden furniture sets and fixtures were reupholstered or repaired. Now a museum and a venue for grand weddings, private functions and corporate and theme events, it has a photo gallery of the late president  and displays some of the personal belongings of the Marcoses, life-size Ferdinand Marcos mannequins and Congresswoman Imelda’s Cora Jacob arm candy and other clutches.

Life-size Ferdinand Marcos mannequins

The museum was supposed to be closed during our visit, it being a Monday, but our media group was given special permission to visit by the provincial government.  Ms. Letty Buduan, who served the Marcoses for over three decades, and seven others keep the museum spic and span.  The narra floors were so shiny and the furniture dust-free.  In the past, visitors here included George Hamilton, Nora Aunor, Gabby Concepcion, among others.  Nowadays, bus loads of school children and guests frequent this museum which offers a breathtaking and panoramic view of Paoay Lake, especially during sunset.

Formal dining area

This huge, 1,900 sq. m. mansion, on a  roughly 4 hectare lot, has nine luxurious bedrooms, two living rooms, two formal dining areas, two kitchens and two verandahs. Imelda Marcos’ bedroom, the largest of the nine, displays some of her handbags.  Imee and Irene shared a bedroom while Bongbong’s and the late president’s master bedroom were both located at the ground floor.  They all slept in canopied beds.  A baby grand piano is located by the staircase.

The verandah with its panoramic view of Paoay Lake

After our Malacanang ti Amianan Museum visit, we all boarded our bus as we headed back to Laoag City for our 9:30 PM return flight back to Manila.  But first, we had dinner at Texicano Hotel and there, said goodbye to our gracious hosts, the Ilocos Norte Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Malacanang ti Amianan: Brgy. Suba, Paoay, Ilocos Norte. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM-11:30 PM.  Admission fee: PhP30 for adults and PhP10 for children.

Ilocos Norte Convention and Visitors Bureau: Room 2, Balay da Blas, 10 Giron St., Brgy. 7-B, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.  Mobile number: (0920) 269-1544.  E-mail: stevebarreiro@yahoo.com.  Website: http://northphilippines.org/destinations/ilocos-norte.

Paoay Lake National Park (Ilocos Norte)

Posted on by — Leave a reply
Cattle and boats for hire line the lake shore

After our brief sojourn in Batac City, we next proceeded to the Malacanang Ti Amianan (Malacanang of the North) in Paoay.  Along the way, we made a brief stopover at the view deck of Paoay Lake National Park.  This 470-hectare, horseshoe-shaped lake, the largest in the province, was declared as a National Park on June 21, 1969 by virtue of Republic Act No. 5631.  Once known as Naguyudan, it is known to the locals as Dakkel a Danum and is a popular picnic site. The lake is artificially seeded with various species of colorful fish and is 10 m. deep, yet the surface is below sea level.  Its fresh water comes from a subterranean source.

Lakbay Norte 2 at Lake Paoay National Park

According to a charming but Sodom and Gomorrah-like legend, it is said that a once-prosperous town, San Juan de Sahagun, once stood where the lake is now.  The materialism of the town and the indolence of its people incurred God’s wrath, so he sent an earthquake and flood waters that swallowed up the town and formed the lake.   Town elders will tell you that the original townsfolk, in gaudy fiesta finery, can still be seen as colorful, transformed fishes swimming around with earrings and bracelets.  Geological studies indicate that the lake was formed by a massive earthquake that caused the ground to sink and be filled with water from underground springs.  

A barge used to cross the lake

The lake is ideal for bird watching   Common residents here include the endemic Philippine Duck (Anas luzonica), the White-Collared Kingfisher (Halcyon chloris), the White-Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smymensis), the Brahminy Kite, cattle egret and little egret. Migratory birds that linger for a while here include the Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula), the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), great egret and the osprey. Cottages (PhP50) can be rented at the viewing deck.

Paoay Lake is located north of Paoay town, 3 kms. off the main highway and 3 kms. from the sea.

Batac Empanada versus Vigan Empanada (Batac City, Ilocos Norte)

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓
Batac Riverside Empanadaan

The Ilocos empanada (a local meat and vegetable-filled pastry), which comes in two varieties, is one of my favorite local snacks and I’ve tried the Vigan variety when I was in Ilocos Sur’s Heritage Village. Back in Batac City during the Lakbay Norte 2 media tour, this time I was going to try out the Batac variety, reputably the best empanada in the region.  They are also a lot bigger than the regular empanadas sold in Metro Manila.  The Ilocos empanada, similar to a taco but closed, is actually of Spanish and Mexican origin and the basic empanada has a galapong (rice flour) crust filled with grated green papaya, chopped longanisa (pork sausage) shredded carrots, fried egg and mongo bean sprouts (togue or balatong).

The dough is prepared

The place to go for this delicacy is the Batac Riverside Empanadaan situated beside the Quiaoit River. Here, numerous food stalls sell, aside from empanada, Ilocano dishes as well as street food such as longanisa and isaw which locals curiously dip in ketchup rather than vinegar.  Unlike the colorless, crunchier and thin-crusted Vigan empanada, the crust (pinais) of the Batac empanada is a bright golden orange color because of the annatto or atsuwete (or achuete), thicker and is less crispy. The Batac empanada uses the entire egg while in the Vigan variety, the egg white is removed (the egg white was an important building material at that time).  

An egg is added

The Batac empanada also uses the saltier Laoag longanisa while the Vigan variety uses the vinegar-seasoned, small, plump and garlicky Vigan longanisa. Many Vigan empanadas also do not have the mongo bean sprouts, just the grated green papaya, and are wrapped in banana leaves.  The vinegar (sukang iloko) dip used also accentuates the differences between the two varieties. The very strong Vigan vinegar has an alcohol-like fermented taste while the sour Laoag vinegar usually has bird’s eye chili (siling labuyo) added to it.

The finished product. Yummmm!!!!

At our selected stall, we had a choice of having just an ordinary empanada with just the grated papaya, mongo bean sprouts and egg (PhP30); the ordinary eggless empanada with just the vegetables; the special empanada with longanisa and egg (PhP35); the special eggless empanada with longanisa but no egg;  the special empanada with everything minus the mongo bean sprouts; the jumbo empanada with hot dog (PhP50); the double special empanada with two longanisas and one egg; the double egg empanada with one longanisa and two eggs; and the double double empanada with two longanisas and two eggs. Estan Cabigan and I chose the last, the heaviest of them all, which we shared.  The cook first lays huge amounts of the abovementioned ingredients inside the orange dough, seals it and then deep fries it.

Batac Riverside Empanadaan: Valdez, Batac City, Ilocos Norte.