Category Archives: Philippines, Republic of the

Museo de San Luis (Cauayan City, Isabela)

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Museo de San Luis

The Museo de San Luis, inaugurated last October 9, 2022, is housed in a one-storey, wooden structure with a wrap-around porch, within the Hacienda San Luis Eco-Tourism Park.  It showcases how tobaccos were made for the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade.

 Check out “Hacienda San Luis Eco-Tourism Park” 

Museum porch

Museum interior. At the center is a manual, iron tobacco bale press used in 1970

On display here is a huge sculpture of St. Louis Bertrand (San Luis  Bertran), a photo gallery of Cauayan’s 27 mayors, from 1900 to the present; a traditional wooden press for cigar making (people use the apparatus to flatten the dried tobacco leaves); wooden relief carvings of Cauayan’s indigenous people, male and female (Gaddangs, Ibanags, Yogads and Itaois) mounted on easels; a manual tobacco bale press used in 1970; a butaka (a chair with long armrests); a tobacco hogshead (a large wooden barrel used to store and transport tobacco); and framed La Flor de la Isabela posters mounted on the walls.

Statue of St. Louis Bertrand (1526-1581; Luis Beltrán). He was a Spanish Dominican priest who preached in South America during the 16th century, and is known as the “Apostle of the Americas.”

Traditional wooden press for cigar making and a tobacco hogshead

Diorama of Cauayan – The Ideal City of the North in the New Millenium

Also mounted on two glass display cases are the different kinds of cigars produced – Coronas, Corona Large, Double Robusto, Panatelas, Half Coronas, Native Coronas with Head, Higantes Double Head Small, Triple Rebusto Long, Imperiales, Higantes Double Head Long, Cortados, Higantes and Panatelas Largas.

The handcrafted butaka, usually measuring 70 cms. x 57 cms. x 118 cms. and made of narra hardwood, has long armrests that weren’t really meant for arms; they were used for legs. During the Spanish era, it was commonly called the “lazy chair” of rich families. After a day’s work in the fields, hacienderos sat on the butaka as their resting chair. It was also used as a home style birthing bed, the rests passing for the more modern stirrups we have now at birthing hospitals. The chair’s style is Luis Quince-style sillon peresoza, common among lounging chairs found in Spanish Colonial Era in the Philippines. The seat is double caned ovate-shaped back with scroll arms with extended armrest on slightly curved stumps.

Different kinds of cigars produced

Wooden relief carving of an Itaois male and female

At the center of the rooms are five dioramas, in glass showcases, depicting the history and growth of Cauayan – Calanusian – Ang Unang Cauayan, Cauayan – Isang Bayan sa Lalawigan ng Isabela, La Flor de Isabela, Cauayan sa Panahon ng Commonwealth and Cauayan – The Ideal City of the North in the New Millenium.

 

La Flor de Isabela posters

Museo San Luis: Hacienda de San Luis Eco-Tourism Park,  Brgy. San Luis, Cauayan City.  Tel: (078) 652-2017.  Mobile numbers: (0905) 390-1255 and (0926) 204-4429.  Open daily, 7 AM – 8 PM.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com. 

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com. 

How to Get There: Cauayan City is located 394.8 kms. (a 7.5-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 45-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan.

Hacienda de San Luis Eco-Tourism Park (Cauayan City, Isabela)

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Hacienda de San Luis Eco-Tourism Park

Hacienda de San Luis Eco-Tourism Park, the first eco-tourism park in Cauayan City, gives a flashback of what Cauayan City was in 1740 as well as the city’s indigenous people’s (Gaddang, Ibanag, Itaois and Yogad) culture.

La Flor de Isabela Function Hall (forner tabacalera warehouse)

 

Function hall interior

The park is home to the Museo de San Luis, the Cagayan Valley Regional Science Centrum, the La Flor de Isabela Function Hall and the Gawa-Gawayan Museum.

 

Here is the historical timeline of the hacienda:

  • In 1887, a portion of Barrio Mabantad, of about 3,940 hectares, was acquired, for 22,000 pesos, by the Compaña Casal owned by Mr. Antonio Casal. Mr. Federico Corea was appointed as the first administrator of the hacienda. Mr. Corea, named the locality as San Luis, after Saint Louis Bertrand, O.P.(1526-1581; Luis Beltrán), a Spanish Dominican who preached in South America during the 16th century, and is known as the “Apostle of the Americas.” The population of the hacienda grew and the area was converted into a formal barrio of Cauayan.
  • In 1909, the compaña expanded the area of the hacienda with the purchase of 19 hectares from Mrs. Engracia Maragun de Lacaste.
  • In 1910, another 540 hectares were bought from the government (Friar Lands Estate).
  • In 1913, the first administration building stood in the Cabeceria Especial (the poblacion of San Luis) was razed to the ground by fire. In its place, a more spacious building was constructed. In time, when the compañaacquired enormous business footing, other big buildings were constructed.
  • In 1923, the Catholic Church was erected. A school building was also constructed to provide the farmers’ children their elementary education with Mr. Pio Tominez as the first teacher.
  • During the Japanese Occupation, the headquarters of the 1st Batallion, 7th Infantry of the 34th Division Guerilla Unit, Isabela Area, was established here. Houses in Cabeceria No. 3 were burned, in punitive actions, by the Japanese.
  • On October 9, 2015, Hacienda San Luis was inaugurated as the first eco-tourism park in Cauayan City. 

Museo de San Luis

The Museo de San Luis, open last October 9, 2022, showcases how tobaccos were made for the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. The one-storey, former tabacalera (tobacco warehouse) is now the La Flor de Isabela Function Hall, an events place. 

Check out “Museo de San Luis”

Gawa-Gawayan Museum

The one-storey Gawa-Gawayan Museum exhibits Gawa-Gawayan Festival memorabilia such as the Festival King Queen costumes, designed by Bonsai Cielo, of John Paul Domingo and Sue Francesca Galingana; headdresses; hats and the 4 x 8 ft. Bamboo de Cauayan, the Bambanti Festival 20019 grand champion  in the agricultural booth category.

Bamboo de Cauayan

2019 Bambanti Festival King and Queen Costumes

Also within the grounds is the two-storey Cagayan Valley Regional Science Centrum (CVRSC), which children will find enjoyable.  Inaugurated last January 28, 2020,

Cagayan Valley Regional Science Centrum

It aims to promote awareness and appreciation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).  It houses four interactive science exhibits – Science Adventure, Science at Work, Science Sparks and Health Science.  Its exhibits include an Anti-Gravity Mirror and a Van de Graff Static Ball.

Zipline Towe

The park also has a picnic area, a rappelling and climbing wall plus a 250 m. long and 9.15 m. (30 ft.) high zipline where you can get a majestic view of Cagayan River.  Other activities offered here are biking and horseback riding.

Horseriding Stables

Hacienda de San Luis Eco-Tourism Park:  Brgy. San Luis, Cauayan City.  Tel: (078) 652-2017.  Mobile numbers: (0905) 390-1255 and (0926) 204-4429.  Open daily, 7 AM – 8 PM.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com. 

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com. 

How to Get There: Cauayan City is located 394.8 kms. (a 7.5-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 45-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan.

Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort (Cauayan City, Isabela)

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Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort

The peaceful and relaxing Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort, a botanical garden in Cauayan City, features an ever growing collection of over 300 exquisite bonsai trees, some on sewing machine stands.

Its owner, Ms. Librada Gatan-Africano, a retired school teacher, has been fascinated by bonsai, the Japanese art of growing and shaping miniature trees,  since 1986.

Ms. Librada Gatan-Africano

The grounds are also planted with colorful flowers, celosias (Konnichiwa Flower Garden), tall and graceful bamboo, fruit trees, ornamental plants, melons and strawberries. Every spot in Bonsai No Sato, is Instagram-worthy.

Events Center

It also has an events center, for weddings, birthdays, and meetings, which can accommodate 400 guests.  The Japanese Village has a kominka built using traditional Japanese architectural methods.

Its Kissaten Restaurant offers halo-halo (Php150),  fresh from the farm fruit shakes, classy yet delicious pansit bihon and their bestseller Bonsai No Sato Pizza.

The Farmhouse

The garden also has a kiosks, two swimming pools, and picnic huts (Php300).  For children, there’s also a playground, trampoline, inflatable island, bikes and electric go karts.

The long-lived and slow-growing sampalok (tamarind, Tamarindus indica) tree, a great outdoor bonsai, is prized as a bonsai due to the very attractive rough bark that it develops.

The popular Argao (or Alagao) Taiwan (Premna microphylla), one of the easiest bonsai trees to culture, was imported to the country from Taiwan, by bonsai growers from Luzon, sometime in the 1980s and 1990s.

Tugas (Vitex parviflora), also called the Smallflower Chastetree or the molave tree, is a favorite bonsai specimen inthe country due to its relatively pliant stems, ease of propagation, tolerance to harsh climatic conditions and its gnarled and twisted trunks.

Every Thursday to Sunday and holidays, eat-all-you-can grilled food (pork, chicken, fish, Php299) is offered from AM to 9 PM. A live band plays every weekend.

For overnight stays, they have a Japanese villa (standard, family, Php1,900-3,600) and farmhouse with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, dining room and a kitchen for Php10,000 (Php12,000 with exclusive pool).

The author at Konnichiwa Flower Garden

Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort: Brgy. Faustino, Cauayan City.  Mobile numbers: (0945) 572-9401, (0960) 293-2262 and (0956) 068-2101.  E-mail: klengguimbarda@yahoo.com.   Open daily (except Mondays), 9 AM – 8 PM (9 PM, Fridays to Sundays).  Admission: Php50.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.

How to Get There: Cauayan City is located 394.8 kms. (a 7.5-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 45-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan.  The park is located beside Villa Virgilia Resort.

National Shrine of Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang (Gamu, Isabela)

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National Shrine of Our Lady of Visitation of Guibang

This pilgrimage site, the Philippines’ eighth national shrine (declared as such on February 13, 1986), is the only national shrine in the northern Ecclesiastical Province of Tuguegarao, comprising the Tuguegarao archdiocese and the Diocese of Ilagan and Bayombong.

It is consecrated to the miraculous pilgrim image of Blessed Virgin Mary of Guibang which was episcopally crowned, by the Most Rev. Carmine Rocco, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, on May 26, 1973 at the former St. Ferdinand Cathedral (now St. Ferdinand Parish Church) in the City of Ilagan.

Historical Plaque

 

The original 750 sq. m. shrine, built in 1726, had a unique façade of layered bricks and stone.  In December 2018, construction of a larger, 1,100 sq. m. church, which can hold around 750 seats and a full-standing area capacity of around 1,200 people, began on the same location.

The church interior

While the construction was ongoing, liturgical services and devotional activities were held in the adjacent Poor Clare Monastery.

Main altar and retablo

The newly rebuilt and larger pilgrim church was blest and dedicated, by Papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown, on February 3, 2023. The church comes alive on July 2 of every year when religious pilgrims from all walks of life come to offer prayers of good health, peace, abundance and good voyage among many other intentions.

Miraculous image of Our Lady of Visitation of Guibang

National Shrine of Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang: National Highway, Brgy. Guibang, 3301 Gamu, Isabela.  Mobile numbers: (0920) 503-311 and (0915) 499-1058. E-mail: ourladyofguibang@gmail.com.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.

How to Get There: Gamu is located 413.4 kms. (a 7.75-hour drive) from Manila and 21.5 kms.(a 30-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan.

Camp Vizcarra Ecology Park (Ramon, Isabela)

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Camp Vizcarra Ecology Park

A short, 10-min. drive from Magat Dam, in Ramon town, is the sprawling 30-hectare, peaceful Camp Vizcarra Ecology Camp, a leisure resort and tourist spot, named after the late Angelito F. Vizcarra (the town’s first mayor), connected through the Magat River.

Check out “Magat Dam”

The raging waters, released by the power plant flow from the Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant

Here, you can observed the lush landscape and raging waters of the Magat River, released by the power plant flow from the Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant, from its enchanting, 4-ft. wide steel-wire suspension footbridge, its deck hung below suspension cables on two vertical concrete pylons. Also crossing the river is a nearby concrete bridge.

The 4-ft. wide steel-wire suspension footbridge

Azrael, Ann, Lei, Leony, Jeremae and the author at the footbridge

After crossing the footbridge , a 1,000-step concrete stairway leads up to Mary Hill.

Picnic huts along the riverbank

The two-storey Ecology Hall

Along the way is a gazebo, where you’ll have a birds-eye view of the lush surroundings and the river and, further up, a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, where one can pray.

The author (wearing green shirt) crossing the bridge with the others

The park also has cottages, an administration building, a children’s playground, picnic huts (Riverside Hall), the two-storey Ecology Hall and a campsite for Boy and Girl Scout jamborees.

Anne, Patrick, Leony, Lei and Jeremae at the he 1,000-step concrete stairway

View of the river and the Ecology Hall from the gazebo

In the future, a zipline will be built connecting Camp Vizcarra to Magat Dam.

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

Camp Vizcarra Ecology Camp: Brgy. Gen. Aguinaldo, 3319 Ramon, Isabela.  Admission: Php5.  Coordinates: 16°49’7″N 121°28’11″E.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.

How to Get There: Ramon is located 362.5 kms. (a 7.5-hour drive) from Manila, 64.8 kms. (a one hour and 25-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan and 39.9 kms. (a one-hour drive) from Cauayan City.

Magat Dam (Ramon, Isabela and Alfonso Lista, Ifugao)

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Magat Dam

The multi-purpose Magat Dam,  the second largest dam in the Philippines (after the 200-m. high, 1.2-km. long San Roque Dam along the Agno River), is a large rock-fill dam (it consists of 3.1 kms. of rock fill) located along the Magat River, the largest tributary of the Cagayan River (the longest river in the Philippines), used primarily for irrigating about 85,000 hectares (210,000 acres) of agricultural lands, flood control, and power generation through the Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant (the water stored in the reservoir is enough to supply about two months of normal energy requirements).

Magat River

The dam, located approximately 350 kms. (220 mi.) north of Metro Manila, is situated within the boundaries of Namillangan, Alfonso Lista, Ifugao and Ramon, Isabela. The Magat River has an estimated yearly water discharge of 9,808 million cu. m. and an approximate crest length of 4,160 m. (13,650 ft.), with its headwaters in the province of Nueva Vizcaya and its confluence, with the Cagayan River, in the province of Isabela. Nearby is the Camp Vizcarra Ecology Park.

Check out “Camp Vizcarra Ecology Park”

The author at Magat Dam

Here’s the historical timeline of the dam’s construction:

  • In 1973, the National Irrigation Administration(NIA), with the assistance of the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), conducted preliminary studies on this multipurpose project. Subsequent detailed and extensive dam site investigation and engineering studies further confirmed the feasibility of NIA’s most daring infrastructure project
  • On May 7, 1975, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Presidential Decree No/ 693 authorizing the construction of th dam and appurtenant structures.
  • In 1978, construction of the Magat Dam started.
  • On October 27, 1982, the dam was inaugurated by Marcos
  • In 1983, the dam started operations.
  • In 2001, after the passage of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (Republic Act 9136), the Magat hydroelectric power plant underwent a privatizationprocess.
  • On January 2006, then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyoinstructed various government agencies to create a rehabilitation plan to improve the lifespan of the dam system.
  • In 2006, SN Power, a Norwegian firm, won the bidding for the plant’s ownership and operation.
  • In April 2007, the National Power Corporation(NAPOCOR) turned over the ownership and management of the hydroelectric plant to SN Aboitiz Power-Magat, Inc. (SNAP-Magat), a joint venture of a local company, Aboitiz Power Corporation (AP), and SN Power.  The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) still owns, operates and manages the non-power components such as the dam, reservoir, and intake gates.
  • In 2009, SN Aboitiz Power-Magat, Inc.began the half-life refurbishment of the Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant  to ensure that the power plant facility remains available throughout its life span
  • In June 2014, the plant’s refurbishment was completed.
  • On November 9, 2020, prior to Typhoon Ulysses’ (internationally known as Typhoon Vamco) landfall, the National Irrigation Administration warned residents of Cagayan and Isabela of Magat Dam’s water release.
  • On November 11, 2020, Typhoon Ulysses  crossed the country, forcing the Magat Dam to release large amounts of water into their impounds. At 24 m., it neared their spilling point, and the dam opened all of its 7 gates, releasing over 5,037 cu. m. (1,331,000 US gal.) of water into the Cagayan River, resulting to numerous riverside towns experienced massive flooding. Waters under the Buntun Bridgewent up as high as 13 m., flooding the nearby barangays up to the roofs of houses.  As a result of the catastrophe, the NIA said that it will review its protocols regarding the release of water in Magat Dam and improve its watershed.
  • On June June 27, 2019, SNAP inaugurated a Php24 million floating solar project, on a 2,500 sq. m. area, consisting of 732 solar panels in a 52 m. floating ring.
  • In 2024, the power plant was augmented by a 24 MW battery.

Entrance to SN Aboitiz Power-Magat, Inc. (SNAP-Magat) compound

Southeast Asia‘s first large multipurpose dam, the 114 m. (374 ft.) high dam is also one of Asia’s biggest dams today. The dam, jointly financed by the Philippine Government and the World Bank (which extended a US$150M loan to finance the foreign exchange requirement), was part of the Magat River Multipurpose Project (MRMP) whose purpose is to improve on the existing Magat River Irrigation System (MARIS) and to triple the production of rice in the Cagayan River basin.

The Alfonso Lista (Ifugao) boundary marker

 

Industry-generated tourist boats on Magat Dam Lake

With the addition of a US$9M loan from Bahrain (obtained for the purchase of other equipment for the diversion tunnel, soil laboratory and model testing), the total project cost reached US$3.4B (6.5 billion pesos) in 1975.

Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant

The SNAP floating solar project which has the capacity to generate 200 KW of electricity for the SNAP-Magat facilities

The dam was constructed to last for 50 years but increased siltation and sedimentation in the in the Magat River system reservoir, due to slash-and-burn farming, illegal logging,  fish-caging and the July 16, 1990 Luzon earthquake, resulted in the deterioration of the dam’s watershed.

Water pipes, known as penstocks, that direct water to the hydro turbines.

 

The 500 m. (1,600 ft.) long and 164 m. (538 ft.) wide spillway has 7 sets of radial gates, 2 sets of orifice gates and a discharge capacity of 30,600 cu. m. There are 2 diversion tunnels with a diameter of 2 m. (6.6 ft.) and an average length of 630 m. (2,070 ft.).  The 11.7 sq. km. (4.5 sq. mi.) reservoir has a storage capacity, at full supply level (FSL), of 1.08 billion cu. m., an elevation, at FSL, of 193 masl, a minimum supply level at 160 masl and a maximum flood level at 193 masl.

The Magat hydroelectric power plant, a peaking power plant (it only operates when there is a high demand for electricity in the Luzon power grid, to which the plant is connected), has an installed capacity of 360 megawatts (it is designed to accommodate two more units that will allow it to generate up to 540 megawatts), four turbines ( Francis vertical shaft) and four 90 MW vertical synchronous generators. It is capable of providing ancillary services for the stability of the grid.

Media group at Magat Dam

Magat Dam:  Brgy. Namillangan, Alfonso Lista, Ifugao and Ramon, Isabela. Coordinates: 16°49′30″N 121°27′14″E.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com. 

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com. 

How to Get There: Ramon is located 362.5 kms. (a 7.5-hour drive) from Manila, 64.8 kms. (a one hour and 25-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan and 39.9 kms. (a one-hour drive) from Cauayan City. The dam is connected, by an all-weather road, to San Mateo–Santiago Road, at Oscariz, Ramon, Isabela.  Tricycles, from Ramon, can take you to the dam.

Meraki Garden (Reina Mercedes, Isabela)

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Meraki Garden

After a 10-hour trip all the way from Manila, we arrived at the beautiful and colorful Meraki Garden, one of the Isabela province’s newest attractions, where we were to have dinner.

This 4.2-hectare botanical garden, in the town of Reina Mercedes, is home to over 3,000 beautiful and colorful varieties of bougainvilleas (some enormous) from all over the country.

Bougainvilleas are a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o’ clock family, Nyctaginaceae

Ms. Lyn Marcaida

Owned by Ms. Lyn Marcaida, it was opened last September 28, 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  During the lockdown, Ms. Lyn, who was stricken with the virus herself, got into planting and grafting bougainvilleas to while the time.

The author at Meraki Garden

Soon, her collection of well-groomed bougainvilleas, in colors of white, pink, orange violet and red, grew and she decided to open up her garden to the public.

She chose to name the Greek-inspired place as Meraki, from the Greek word that literally means “to do tasks with soul, creativity and love.” Its signature color is blue and white which gives a Santorini-like feel. Going around the grounds, we found everything in the place to be Instagram-worthy.

The Events Place

Aside from picture-taking, you can also enjoy the local bands that perform every weekday from 6 to 8 PM and magicians every weekend. Kids can enjoy the children’s playground, kiddie trampoline and train rides Meraki Garden offers, and once they go hungry, they can grab a bite (pizza, coffee, etc.) at the Taverna Café near the garden.

Taverna Cafe

Train Ride

Meraki also has an events center (seating up to 150 guests, banquet style) and a swimming pool is planned in the future.  The garden also has a wide range of products for both households and gardens.  Truly, this pandemic hobby-turned botanical paradise, dedicated to bougainvilleas, is a piece of heaven on earth.

Children’s Playground

Kiddie Trampoline

Meraki Garden: Brgy. Napaaccu Pequeno, Reina Mercedes 3305, Isabela.  Open daily, 6:30 AM to 10 PM.  Mobile numbers: (0917) 512-7355 (Ms. Lyn Marcaida) and (0927) 708-3571 (Mr. Dimple Barcarse Aquino). Admission: Php50.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.

How to Get There: Reina Mercedes is located 407 kms. (a 9-hour drive) from Manila, 14.8 kms. (a 30-min. drive) from Cauayan City and 23.9 kms. (a 35-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan.  Meraki Garden is located along the highway.

16,000 Blue Roses Park (Casiguran, Sorsogon)

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16,000 Blue Roses Park

The famed 16,000 Blue Roses Park at the Pier Site in Casiguran, Sorsogon province’s newest attraction, is an open area within Plaza Escudero “planted” with 16,000, 3-foot tall artificial blossoms made up of illuminated blue LED lights.  This gorgeous and breathtaking public art installation, a dazzling nebula of cool blue lights, is best viewed from dusk to nighttime when the lights magically transform the area.

The author

This newest ecotourist attraction was opened last September 11, 2023, the 64th birthday of Sorsogon Gov. Jose Edwin “Boboy” B. Hamor, a former Casiguran mayor.  Since its opening, it became a hit with photographers and visitors have frequented the place to have their pictures taken in a different kind of setting.

This garden is reminiscent of the 25,000 LED Roses (actually just 22,550) at the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park of the famous Dongdaemum Design Plaza, a cultural center in Seoul, South Korea.  Each “rose” houses a micro LED bulb, not much bigger than the size of a thumbnail.

The park is located within the 14-hectare Casiguran Settlement, home to a monumental, multi-arched portal and the equally monumental Statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, modeled after the image of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila.

Check out “Casiguran Settlement”

The monumental image of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila in the background

16,000 Blue Roses Park: Plaza Escudero, Brgy. Central, Casiguran, Sorsogon.

Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral (Roxas City, Capiz

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Immaculate Concepcion Metropolitan Cathedral

The Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral , considered one of the most beautiful in the country, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capiz.  Fronting the city plaza, opposite the Panay River and the Capiz Bridge (built in 1910), it was first built before 1698 but was destroyed during the January 4, 1698 typhoon.

The church’s Baroque facade

The church was rebuilt by Augustinian Father Domingo Horbegozo from 1728 to 1732, was damaged during the July 13, 1787 earthquake and was rebuilt with stone and galvanized iron from 1870 to 1885 by Father Apolinar Alvarez.  Father Alvarez also built the cemetery and installed an organ in 1885.  From 1885 to 1890, Father Lesmes Perez installed a ceiling of galvanized iron and plastered the walls with stucco.  It was reconstructed in 1954.

Following the creation of the Diocese of Capiz on January 27, 1951, the parish church was elevated into a cathedral.. However, the diocese retained the old name of Capiz as it predates the change of the city name to Roxas on April 11, 1951.

The church interior

The cathedral’s Baroque facade has a simple, semicircular arched main entrance flanked by two canopied, statued niches on the lateral panels and topped by a segmental pediment atop the string cornice of the first level.  It also has pilasters (decorative engaged pillars) with floral flutings and windows with segmented arch canopies and Baroque volutes (spiral scrolls).

The choir loft

Its architrave (beam spanning columns), devoid of embellishments, has a rectangular base topped by a broken curvilinear pediment (triangular gable) decorated with a statued niche in the center.  The cathedral is also one of the few churches where the dome and the roof are not held up by a single column traversing the interior of the church.

The main altar

The four-storey, rectangular bell tower on the left has one semicircular arched window on the first level and four in the highest level.  Inside the church is a main altar and two side altars.

Left side altar

Right side altar

Immaculate Concepcion Metropolitan Cathedral: Arsobispo Street, Roxas City, Capiz.  Tel: (036) 621-0617 and (036) 621-0327.  E-mail: immaculateconcepcion1@gmail.com.  Coordinates: 11°35′01″N 122°45′11″E.  Feat of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: December 8.

 

How to Get There: Roxas City is located 110.5 kilometers (a 2.5-hour drive via the Iloilo East Coast-Capiz Road) from Iloilo City and 77.4 kilometers (a 1.75-hour drive via the Western Nautical Highway) from Kalibo (Aklan).

Church of St. Monica (Pan-ay, Capiz)

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Church of St. Monica

This church is an excellent example of Filipino Colonial Baroque style (defined by the used of attached coupled piers in the Corinthian style) that has blended well with the Neo-Classical influence.  It was first built before 1692 and rebuilt in 1774 by Augustinian Father Miguel Murguia.

The church’s Baroque facade

The church was greatly damaged by the March 5, 1874 (roof blown away) and January 17, 1875 typhoons (transept was toppled) but was rebuilt in 1878, restored by Father Jose Beloso in 1884 and beautifully repaired by Father Lesmes Perez in 1895.

In 1997, by virtue of National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) Resolution No. 3, the church was declared as a National Historical Landmark and, on July 31, 2001, was also listed as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.

NHI Plaque installed in 1997

On June 16, 2001, restoration of the church began and it was finished on May 4, 2008. The wooden trusses and the roof were replaced by a steel and galvanized iron structure.

The Augustinian emblem

This Latin cross-shaped church is 80 meters long, 25 meters wide, 18 meters high and has three-meter thick walls of white coral. Its simple but imposing Baroque facade is decorated by shallow paired pilasters (with narrow grooves in between which divide it into symmetrical and well-balanced rectangular sections.

The semicircular arch main entrance

The semicircular arched main entrance is flanked by two small niches with life-size statues of Augustinian saints St. Thomas of Villanova and St. Augustine and is topped by a rectangular carving of the Augustinian emblem.

Statue of St. Thomas of Villanova

The second level has an ornate niche of St. Monica topped by a rose window.  The curvilinear, undulating pediment has a relief sculpture in the center flanked by decorative stone blocks and topped by pineapple-shaped finials.

The church interior

Its richly decorated interior, the best-preserved in Panay, has a terra cotta tile floor (accented by colored marble and black slate tiles), and several elaborately carved, Baroque-decorated  retablos, done by Manila artisans, of silver and hardwood at the large central as well as the four lateral altars, all gorgeously decorated with various high quality, polychromed statues.

The retablo of the main altar

Jose Bergano (also called Sarhento Itak), the town’s greatest sculptor, did most of the bas-reliefs and religious statuary.     

The five-storey bell tower

The five-storey belfry, on the church’s left, has a quadrilateral base with octagonal upper stories (with two sides longer than the other).  It houses the Panay Bell which can be reached by a 63-step, independent steel stairway.  This unusually huge (affectionately called Dakong Lingganay, Hiligaynon for “Big Bell”), said to be the largest in Asia and the third biggest in the world, is 1.5 meters (five feet) high, two meters (seven feet) in diameter and weighs 10,400 kilograms (22,928 pounds).

Panay Bell

It was made from 76 sacks of gold and silver coins collected from the townspeople by Father Jose Beloso and cast in 1878 by the blacksmith and casting shop of Don Juan Reina (who settled in Iloilo City’s J.M. Basa Street in 1868).

View of the town from the bell tower

Its sound was loud enough to reach every nearby town (its echo can be heard seven kilometers away) but, after a month’s time, the bell cracked.

Panay Bell inscription

The bell’s long inscription reads: Soy la voz de Dios que lleva rey en zalzare desde el principio hasta el finde este pueblo de Panay para que los fieles de Jesus vengan a esta casa de Dios a recibir las gracias elestials.  (“I am God’s voice which I shall echo and praise from one end to the other of the town of Panay, so that the faithful followers of Christ may come to the house of God to receive the heavenly graces”).

A smaller bell cast in 1885 by Hilario Sunico

Eight small bells also surround this big bell.  One bell dates from 1721 and was cast by Benitus a Regibus, Hilario Sunico and Juan Reina.  Another was installed in 1867.

Another smaller bell cast in 1822

The L-shaped convent, also built by Father Beloso, was also destroyed by the 1874 and 1875 typhoons, elegantly reconstructed in 1892 by Father Miguel Rosales, O.S.A., finished in 1895 by Father Gregorio Hermida, O.S.A. and restored by Lesmes Perez, O.S.A..  Shortly thereafter, it was intentionally burned, along with the municipal hall, on orders of Spanish Governor-General Diego de los Rios to dislodge rebels from the town during the Philippine Revolution.

The new convent

On December 14, 2008, the modern convent (with remnants of the old convent incorporated into it) was blessed along with a replica of the Panay Bell located beside it.  Behind the church are remnants of a wall, said to have been part of a fortification.

Replica of Panay Bell

Church of St. Monica: Iloilo East Coast-Capiz Rd., Panay, Capiz.  Tel: (036) 651-9765.  E-mail: santamonicadepanay@gmail.com.  Coordinates: 11.555622°N 122.793905°E.  Feast of St. Monica: May 4.

 

How to Get There: Pan-ay is located 7.4 kilometers (a 15-minute drive) east of Roxas City.