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| The Cebu Pacific plane that brought us to Cagayan |
I was again invited to join the second leg of the Lakbay Norte 2 media tour, this time to cover the provinces of Cagayan and Ilocos Norte. We were supposed to depart on our Cebu Pacific-sponsored flight to Tuguegarao City (Cagayan) at the NAIA 3 Terminal by 8:45 AM but rain and poor visibility at Tuguegarao Airport caused a 4-hour delay. We killed time at the airport by chatting with media colleagues and pigging out on food (we ate two meals there). We finally left Manila by 1 PM and arrived in Tuguegarao City an hour later. This would be my second visit to Tuguegarao City, though my first visit was just a short stopover at the airport on my way to Basco, Batanes.
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| Our media group with DOT Region II and CNCVB representatives |
At the airport, our media group was welcomed by representatives of Department of Tourism Region II and the Cagayan North Convention and Visitors Bureau (CNCVB). We were picked up by a CEZA (Cagayan Export Zone Authority) bus and brought to the Cagayan Museum and Historical Research Center, at the Provincial Capital Compound in Tuguegarao City. Inside our bus, we tried the dumpling-like pawa, a local delicacy made from ground sticky rice with sweetened ground peanut filling, much like the angko we tasted at Camarines Norte. Upon arrival at the museum, we were treated to a merienda of Cagayan food fare. What a merienda it was!
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| Pancit batil patong |
The food fare spread before us include pancit batil patong, rich and sweet hot chocolate, chicharabao (chicharon made with carabao fat), chichacorn and kakanin. The delicious and filling pancit batil patong, a Tuguegarao specialty, was the star of the show. It was made with miki noodles and sautéed meat (either pork, beef or carabeef) and served with a sauce of fresh, chopped onions, poached eggs and seasoned with suka (vinegar), toyo (soy sauce) and calamansi (Philippine lemon). The whole assembly was topped by a fried egg.
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Cagayan North Convention and Visitors Bureau (CNCVB): c/o 2/F, Fragrante Bldg., 1 Aguinaldo cor. Blumentritt Sts., Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. Mobile number (0917) 578-3524. E-mail: jaimetabbu@yahoo.com.