Category Archives: PLACES OF INTEREST

St. Ferdinand Parish Church (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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St. Ferdinand Parish Church

The St. Ferdinand Parish Proto-Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in Isabela, is located beside St. Ferdinand College and Rizal Park.  The present foundations of the present church was built, from 1696 to 1700, by Fr. Miguel Matos, O.P.,  as a mamposteria and brick church.

In 1777, the solid belfry (existing up to present) was started by Fr. Pedro de San Pedro, O.P., and finished, in 1783, by Fr. Joaquin Sancho, O.P.. In 1786, the bell of the church was forged.  On December 20, 1803, the church became the final resting place of Nueva Segovia Bishop Agustin Pedro Blaquer, OSA, who died in Ilagan on December 19, 1803 after he got sick during his visit to Cauayan. He was interred at the Epistle side of the church.

Old photo of the church probably showing the 1930 facade (St. Ferdinand Official Facebook account)

In 1829, Fr. Luis Garcia, O.P., constructed the sacristy  of ladrillo and finished in 1833. The 1866 typhoon destroyed the church dome and Fr. Pablo Almazan, O.P., demolished major portions of the church’s solid walls in order to build a bigger one.  In 1892, Fr. Isidro Martinena, O.P., established a campo santo (cemetery) in Barangay Santo Tomas, located outside of Ilagan poblacion.

Another old photo of the church, probably showing the 1960s renovation as the buttresses are now more prominent and entrance and stained glass windows have been modified. (photo: hiSTORYA)

The present façade and major parts of the church were constructed in the 1930s. It was renovated in the 1960s. The bell tower, sanctuary, sacristy, parish hall and the old campo santo are the remaining traces of the Spanish-era church.

The present Baroque facade. The buttresses  are now rounded and the stained glass windows and blind arches have also been modified.

During a recent renovation, the ladrillo details of the sanctuary, the Epistle side and Gospel side of the church were once again revealed after the cement were chipped-off.  The ladrillo fence of the campo santo could still be recognized.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The church’s single level Baroque façade has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by massive circular buttresses (in turn topped by urn-like finials) and semicircular blind arches (with two smaller semicircular arches within).

Above  the main entrance is a corbelled cornice with a blind semicircular arch enclosing three (one big flanked by two small) semicircular arch stained glass windows.  The triangular pediment, with broken curves along the top, has a centrally located blind rose window.

On the church’s left is the original four-storey square bell tower.  It has narrow semicircular windows, paired Solomonic columns (topped by urn-like finials) at the corners and is topped by a pyramidal roof. 

 

In 1973, the church became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan, a suffragan diocese (founded on January 31, 1979) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuguegarao. However, in 2003, the diocese was transferred to the new Cathedral Church (and Bishops’ Residence) in Barangay Upi, in Gamu, Isabela.  In 2013, the present cathedral was placed under the patronage of St. Michael the Archangel. Despite the transfer, both city and diocese still remain under the patronage of St. Ferdinand III of Castile, whose feast day is celebrated on May 30. At present, the centuries-old structure is designated as a proto-cathedral by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan.

The 4-storey bell tower is all that remained of the original Spanish-era church

On October 29, 2023, a mass was held for the celebration of the first Holy Rosary Festival wherein the pilgrim image of the St. Ferdinand Parish – Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary was episcopally crowned by Most Rev. David William V. Antonio, D.D., STHD., bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan.

The April 22, 2024 fire that engulfed the church (photo: Rappler)

On April 22, 2024, Monday, at around 11:40 AM, a devastating fire started from the roof of the church while workers were installing steel trusses on the church’s ceiling,  It was extinguished after an hour but most of its interior was destroyed. The final investigation report of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) identified the total cost of the damages is estimated to be around P35-40 million which include antique religious items among others. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Ilagan City Engineering Office conducted a series of tests and studies which revealed that only around 20-30% of the structural integrity of the church remained after the fire took down most of its interior.

The burnt out interior of the church (photo: Philippine News Agency)

Just days after the fire that destroyed the proto-cathedral, the City Government of Ilagan, in coordination with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan, were able to put up a temporary altar and steel benches covered with aluminum roofing sheets and steel trusses in the church-front courtyard (often referred by locals as the Family Park). Since April 28, 2024, while the clearing and restoration of the church is still ongoing, all regular masses of the parish were temporarily being held, by parish priest Fr. Ric-Zeus Angobang (he became parish priest in August 2023), in the make-shift altar.

St. Ferdinand Parish Church: Centro Poblacion, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 624-2467.  Mobile number: (0997) 068-9967.

City Tourism Office: 2/F, City Hall Bldg., 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 624-1511. E-mail: tourism@cityofilagan.gov.ph.

City of Ilagan Tourist Information and Assistance Center: Bonifacio Park, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 324-7769.  E-mail: ilaganinfocenter@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: The City of Ilagan is located 429.3 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cauayan City.

Ilagan Sanctuary: Tree Top Adventure and Sta. Victoria Caves (Isabela)

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George Buid, John Louie Abrina, guide Reggie Lou Mendiola, Cris Gadion, the author and Mia Zamora at Sta. Victoria Caves (photo: Azrael Coladilla)

The highlight of our visit to the 200-hectare Ilagan Sanctuary was our exploration of the natural lattices, sparkling rocks, underground waterfalls and unusual rock formations of the nine-chambered, 400 m. long Santa Victoria Caves.

Mia, Cris and Azrael crossing a hanging bridge

Located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, they are comprised of more than 12 limestone caves known for their unusual but beautiful rock formations, subterranean waterfalls and their sparkling white calcite clusters. They form about a 25% of the 819-hectare Fuyot Springs National Park (FNSP).

The author at Tree Top Adventure

Aside from the caves, the FNSP, now protected as a sanctuary covering four barangays, includes several rivers and creeks (Kabiran, Pasa, Nabulluan and Marabatbat) and forests. These caves also have archaeological significance, as they are believed to have once, in the past, housed the nomadic Dumagat or Agta people.

Check out “Ilagan Sanctuary”

One of the platform stations attached to a tree

At the pavilion at Prayer Mountain, we were assigned a required accredited tour guide by the name of Reggie Lou A. Mendiola.  Aside from providing security, the knowledgeable guides also protect the beauty of the natural elements (stalagmites, stalactites, etc.) inside these subterranean geological marvels.

We finally arrived at the Main Cave…..

Joining me was Azrael Coladilla, Cris Gadion, Mia Zamora and photographers John Louie Abrina and George Buid.

Our tour guide Mr. Reggie Lou A. Mendiola

From the pavilion, we boarded a golf cart that brought us to the jump-off point which is the Tree Top Adventure, an ecologically friendly Canopy Walk. Also within the area is the cable car station, the climbing wall and the convention hall.   Before our hike, Reggie gave us a short orientation talk about the site and the trail we were about to take. 

The entrance to the Main Cave

The entrance to Altar Cave

At the Tree Top Adventure we conquered our fear of heights, while navigating a series of seven wobbly wooden hanging bridges (below which is an obstacle course for kids), supported by steel cables 100 ft. high above the forest floor, between platform stations at endemic tree species.

A stalactite

Flowstone/dripstone rock formations – sheetlike deposits of calcite and other carbonate materials, formed when water flows down the walls

This lead us to the 89 m. long, three-chambered Main Cave, the largest of the four Class III caves of Sta. Victoria Caves that can be explored (the others are Adventure Cave, Moon Cave and Altar Cave).  Except for Adventure Cave (you will have to kick it up a notch here), we explored the other three.

The chapel-like interior of Main Cave

Class III caves are generally safe for inexperienced visitors.  Only this cave type as well as certain parts of Class II caves may be available for ecotourism.  As fruit bats inhabit these caves, flash photography was not allowed so as not to startle the creatures.

A column – a union of stalactite and stalagmite

The dry, walk-through caverns were very easy to explore.  Still, we had to watch our heads at some passages. The sparking rocks, of various shapes and sizes, glowed like crystals in the dark.

The sparkling white calcite clusters that glowed like crystals when lit

A stalagmite – a massive, upward-growing calcite mound deposited from drip water

Moon Cave has a hole in the center where light enters. The 69 m. long Altar Cave has an altar-shaped fissure where a stolen religious ivory statue of the Virgin Mary was previously placed.

This you could imagine as a frog

We imagined some of the peculiarly-shaped rock formations inside as a face, Casper, the Sto. Nino, a frog and cucumbers. 

Here I could imagine a face with a mouth, nose and eyes

Sta. Victoria Caves: Ilagan Sanctuary, National Highway, Brgy. San Andres, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Open 8 AM to 6 PM (Mondays to Thursdays) and 8 AM to 10 PM (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).  Admission: Php150 (adults), Php135 (sister municipalities), Php130 (Ilaguenos  and solo parents), Php120 (senior citizens and children) and Php250 (child with guardian).

City Tourism Office: 2/F, City Hall Bldg., 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 624-1511. E-mail: tourism@cityofilagan.gov.ph.

City of Ilagan Tourist Information and Assistance Center: Bonifacio Park, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 324-7769.  E-mail: ilaganinfocenter@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: The City of Ilagan is located 429.3 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cauayan City. The park is located 9.3 kms. from the City of Ilagan. Take a ride on a northbound bus, a jeepney or a van and alight at the junction, where you can then hire a tricycle to take you to the sanctuary.

Ilagan Sanctuary (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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Members of media at Ilagan Sanctuary (photo: George Buid)

From Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc., it was just a short 4.7-km. (6-min.) drive to the the 200-hectare Ilagan Sanctuary which we were to explore and have lunch.

Check out “Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc.”

The author at Serenity Hill Calvary.  Behind is the giant steel cross

Part of 819-hectare Fuyot Springs National Park (which extends from the City of Ilagan to Tumauini), it is the most visited spot in the City of Ilagan.  Located along the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range, it was developed in 2004 and offers every ecotourism activity imaginable.

The pavilion

Most of these developments were completed in the early 2009 through the initiative of Ilagan Mayor Jose Marie L. Diaz.

Chinese Temple

Capilla de la Serenidad

Muslim Mosque

Under the program, 28 locally-based, non-government organizations signed a memorandum of agreement, where they pledged to take responsibility for the sanctuary’s protection, maintenance and preservation.

The giant concrete rosary laid on the grass

Grotto of the Virgin Mary

Other government and national agencies were also rallied to help with the place’s conservation.

Choo Choo Train

Golf Cart

At the parking area, located just outside the gate, we proceeded to the pavilion near Serenity Hill Calvary (Prayer Mountain), with its serene views and peaceful surroundings. Serenity Hill has 14 Stations of the Cross, a Grotto of the Virgin Mary, a giant steel cross and a large rosary, made of concrete, laid on the grass.

Elvie, Amadis, Ann and Mich on board an open-sided cable car

It also has places of worship such as a quaint chapel (Capilla de la Serenidad) for Catholics, a mosque for Muslims and an ornate temple offering a glimpse into traditions and beliefs of Chinese Buddhists.

Ilagan Sanctuary Map

Other attractions inside the Ilagan Sanctuary include a number of natural parks (Willow Brookside Park, Scented Gardens Park, Rain Forest Park and Hidden Springs Falls Park), Butterfly Park, Animal Kingdom (a mini zoo), fish pond (with Nile tilapia), swimming pools, picnic huts, Sta. Victoria Caves and a natural spring pool.

Exploring Sta.Victoria Caves

Aside from these things, the sanctuary also offers an environmental school (where you can listen to lectures, receive certificates and get seedlings to plant), a botanical garden and a herbal plantation.

Convention Hall

Members of our media group tried out a number of the activities offered.  Azrael, Cris, Mia and photographers John and George, and I tried out the Tree Top Adventure and did some spelunking at Sta. Victoria Caves; Nicole tried out horseback riding within a horse trail; Lea and Minerva braved the bike zip at the boating area, beside the swimming pool; and Rosary, Elvira, Amadis, Ann, Mich, Roel and Minerva did some sightseeing on board a cable car.

Gazebos

After spelunking, Azrael and Mia cooled off at the swimming pool while Minerva, George and John went go carting.  After all these activities, we had our lunch, al fresco style, at picnic tables near the fish pond.

Check out “Ilagan Sanctuary: Tree Top Adventure and Sta. Victoria Caves”

Climbing Wall and Cable Car Station

Other activities inside the sanctuary include bird viewing, wall climbing & rappelling on a 50-ft. high wall, boating or kayaking (in a man-made lake), ziplining, and biking. Some activities in the sanctuary will require you to ride on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at a clearing, at the edge of the park. A 1.5-km. hike, open for guests, to Pinzal Falls, takes about half an hour.

Fish Pond

Two 350 m. long, 700 ft. high, thrilling ziplines, said to be the fastest (you travel at 80 kms. per hour) in the country, were inaugurated last May 2012 (the 326th founding anniversary of the province). You have to climb 250 steps up a hill and the ride takes about a minute long. Participants have to don a helmet and harness.

Swimming Pool

Animal Kingdom, a zoo, houses a variety of animals such as two Bengal tigers (brought here when they were cubs), wild boar (locally called alingo), ostriches, exotic birds, an eagle, graceful deer, snakes, playful long-tailed macaques, an Asian palm civet (locally called mutit or musang in Ilocano), sheep and three Philippine freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus mindorensis). A 120-kg., 17-year old female reticulated python (the world’s longest snake) named Maria Jesusa can be caressed and carried by 10 people.

 

Bengal Tiger at Animal Kingdom

For those who want to stay overnight, there’s a Family Cottage (Php4,000, for 8 pax) and a Couple Cottage (Php3,000 for 5 pax). Extra Bed is Php500/pax.  You can also rent the Administration Building,  with 2 airconditioned rooms, conference table, toilet  and living area, for Php5,000.

Lea and Minerva bike zipping

Rates:

  • Zipbike – Php150/pax
  • Zipline and Cable Car – Php250/pax
  • Horseback Riding – Php300/30 mins.
  • E-Bike – Php250/30 mins.
  • E-Scooter – Php250/30 mins.
  • Kiddie Bikes Php150/10 mins.
  • Kiddie Scooter – Php20/30 mins.
  • Cable Car – Php100/pax
  • Tiger Petting – Php150/pax
  • Fish/Pigeon Feeding – Php10
  • Bouncing Animals – Php10/30 mins.
  • Swan Boat – Php200/boat for 30 mins.
  • Motorized Boat – Php300/boat for 30 mins.
  • Fishing Rod (red tilapia) – Php50 (unlimited time)
  • Go Cart – Php150/10 mins., Php200/20 mins.
  • Golf Cart – Php350/30 mins.

Minerva on a Go Cart

Packages (inclusive of entrance fee):

  • All Rides – Php1,200
  • Adventure Rides – Php500 (cable car, zipline, zip bike, horseback riding)
  • Water Adventure – Php500 (swan boat, motorized boat)
  • Land Rides – Php600 (E-Bike, E-Scooter, Golf Cart, Go Cart)

Boating Lagoon

Rental Fees:

  • Gazebo (2 x 2 m.) – Php200
  • Gazebo (2.5 5 m.) – Php250
  • Gazebo (2 x 3 m.) – Php300
  • Gazebo (3 x 3 m.) – Php500
  • Bulwagan (near zipline are) – Php3,000
  • Pavilion(near Prayer Mountain) – Php3,000
  • Sound System – Php2,000
  • Tables – Php60/piece
  • Chairs – Php20/piece
  • Exclusive use of Children’s Playground – Php4,000
  • Function Hall (near Children’s Playground) – Php3,000/day 

Nicole on horseback

Filming Fees

  • Movie/Video Documentary – Php3,000 (8 hours)
  • Pictorial (Rentals) – Php1,500 (pre-nup and other pictorials with 4-hour use of 1 cottage, additional Php100 for every succeeding hour, couple entrance is free)

Mia and Cris crossing a hanging bridge at Treetop Adventure

Ilagan Sanctuary: Junction National Highway/Sta. Victoria Rd., Brgy. San Andres, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Open 8 AM to 6 PM (Mondays to Thursdays) and 8 AM to 10 PM (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).  Admission: Php150 (adults), Php135 (sister municipalities), Php130 (Ilaguenos  and solo parents), Php120 (senior citizens and children) and Php250 (child with guardian). The parking area is located just outside the gate and golf cart and trains brings you, from the gate, to any point in the sanctuary.  A choo-choo train carries passengers from the zipline  area into the Animal Kingdom, passing through flowering shrubs.

City Tourism Office: 2/F, City Hall Bldg., 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 624-1511. E-mail: tourism@cityofilagan.gov.ph.

City of Ilagan Tourist Information and Assistance Center: Bonifacio Park, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 324-7769.  E-mail: ilaganinfocenter@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: The City of Ilagan is located 429.3 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cauayan City. The park is located 9.3 kms. from the City of Ilagan. Take a ride on a northbound bus, a jeepney or a van and alight at the junction, where you can then hire a tricycle to take you to the sanctuary.

City of Ilagan Museum (Isabela)

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City of Ilagan Museum

The morning of our fourth day in the City of Ilagan, after breakfast at the hotel, we visited the City of Ilagan Museum, located near the Ilagan City Hall and the GSO Office in a building inaugurated last September 2, 2020.  Managed by the city’s Tourism Office, it provides information on the history, culture and heritage of the City of Ilagan.

The museum is divided into two wings, the left wing devoted to Ilagan in the 20th and 21st century, while the right wing delves on the early history and culture and traditions of Ilagan.

The museum’s right wing

The left wing

 

At the entrance of the wing to the right of the stairs is a diorama of Irraya, 1521.  Interesting  displays include a bell used to call teachers and students of the Isabela National High School to flag raising ceremonies; and a sara (carabao horn) used to call Ilaguenos to meetings or festivals or to warn people of inbound calamities or disasters.

Irraya 1521 Diorama

A fishing boat, a threshing board, an Ilagan carison wheel and a wooden plow

At one prominent corner are actual farming implements such as a wooden plow, threshing board, etc., an original Ilagan carison wheel, and a fishing boat.

A bell used to call teachers and students of the Isabela National High School to flag raising ceremonies

Sara (Carabao Horn)

A 1958 Yashica 635 twin lens reflex camera and a surveyor’s theodolite

There’s also a butaka (a handcrafted chair with a long “armrest”), old religious statuary; a numismatic display of old Philippine coins and paper currency; mannequins dressed in native Filipino attire (barong tagalog and baro’t saya); old missals and prayer books; World War II helmets; and old photos.

Butaka

Old religious statuary

Another corner displays old appliances such a console television, phonograph players, transistor radios, and cassette players while mounted on the wall above them are 7-inch single and 12-inch long playing records.

Office equipment such as typewriters and adding machines

Old phonograph players and console TV.  Hanging on the walls are 7-inch single and 12-inch long playing records. On the right is an old violin

There’s also office equipment such as typewriters and adding machines; a violin as well as charcoal flat irons, cutlery, oil lamps, bauls (wooden chests), banga (clay jars) and porcelain china.

Old Philippine paper currency

Old Philippine coins

There are two oil on canvas portraits including one of Antonio Lopez y Lopez (1817-1883), the first Marques de Comillas, who formed the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas, S.A.

Portrait of Antonio Lopez y Lopez, the first Marquess de Comillas

Artwork by Ilagueno artists

Prominently mounted on a wall, at the other wing of the museum, are photos of local chief executives, from the past to the present, while shelves display the numerous local and international awards conferred on the city.

Local Chief Executives, past and present

Scaled model of the City of Ilagan Medical Center and the City Hall

Also on display are scaled models of the City of Ilagan Medical Center and the City Hall; Bambanti Festival King and Queen costumes; a Queen Isabela gown, and paintings done by Ilagueno artists.

Bambanti Festival King and Queen costumes

Gown, for the 2023 Bambanti Festival Search for Queen Isabela, designed by Laoag City (Ilocos Norte)-based fashion designer Amor Albano

Modular display stands also feature the City of Ilagan’s notable tourist attractions such as Bonifacio Park, Rizal Park, Ilagan Sanctuary, Pinzal Falls, City of Ilagan Sports Complex, Sta. Victoria Caves, St. Ferdinand Parish Church, etc. 

Rizal Park and St. Ferdinand Parish Church

City of Ilagan Sports Complex and Casa San Antonio

City of Ilagan Museum: 2/F, City Library Bldg., City Hall Complex, Brgy. San Vicente, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Mobile number: (0935) 673-3590.

City Tourism Office: 2/F, City Hall Bldg., 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 624-1511. E-mail: tourism@cityofilagan.gov.ph.

City of Ilagan Tourist Information and Assistance Center: Bonifacio Park, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 324-7769.  E-mail: ilaganinfocenter@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: The City of Ilagan is located 429.3 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cauayan City.

Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Manila)

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Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Church of St. Vincent de Paul)

The airy and relatively cool Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (the original and established center for the propagation of the Miraculous Medal and the Vista Domiciliaria), formerly the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, had its beginning in 1872 when the Vincentians bought a piece of land in the barrio of San Marcelino (a part of the Parish of San Fernando de Dilao in Paco) which was a rice field near the Pasig River.

Plaque installed by the Historical Research and Markers Committee in 1935

The house they built served as refuge to the seminarians and Vincentians housed in the San Carlos Seminary which was destroyed, together with most buildings in Intramuros, by the July 1880 earthquake.

The church portico

A chapel, adjacent to the Vincentian Central House, was built in 1883.  Later, the chapel was used as a church, from 1898 to 1909, when the church and convent of Paco were destroyed by the American forces in retaliation for their initial defeat by the Filipino forces following the declaration of war against the Americans in 1899. The parish was canonically established on December 6 1909 by Archbishop Jeremiah Harty (an alumnus of the Diocesan Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri which was under the direction of the Vincentians).

Historical plaque installed by the National Museum in 2018 declaring the church as an Important Cultural Property

The present concrete church was designed by Architect Andres Luna de San Pedro (son of the great Filipino painter Juan N. Luna) and built in 1912 (the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Vincentians and the Sisters of Charity in the Philippines) by Belgian missionaries.

Decree of Erection

During World War II, the Japanese occupied the church for almost 7 months and, during the Battle of Manila in February 1945, was badly damaged when the Japanese burned the interior of the church, massacring scholars, professors and Vincentian Fathers who were living there.

Dedication of the archdiocesan shrine

From 1946, the dome, belfries and roof were restored and fitted with a stained glass windows. From 2007 to 2010, the pillars and walls were retrofitted; the galvanized iron of the roof was replaced with long-span, blue-colored sheets; the wooden trusses were replaced with steel trusses; and the entire exterior and interior walls of the church were repainted.

Interior of the church

On September 10, 2022, seismic base isolators (acting like wheels to stabilize the building during earthquakes) were mounted, by RBRA Consulting Firm, on the pillars of the church, making it the first earthquake-resistant church in the Philippines.

Painting of St. Vincent de Paul flanked by stained glass windows

On December 5, 2018, the church was declared as an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum of the Philippines and, on July 16, 2023, it was elevated into an archdiocesan shrine by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula.  On that same date, the newly-renovated retablo (altar backpiece) was also blessed.

 

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church has a Latin Cross layout and a dome.  Its two-level Baroque façade has balustraded portico with semicircular arched main entrance flanked by flat pilasters (with Corinthian capitals) and two smaller, semicircular arched entrances (topped by festoons) at the first level.  Above the main entrance, at the second level, is a rose window flanked by two semicircular arched windows.  

The triangular pediment, topped by a statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, has a centrally located bas relief also of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Flanking the façade are two four-storey, square bell towers with semicircular arched windows. The receding fourth level has a balustrade.

The main altar with its newly-renovated retablo (altar backpiece)

Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: 959 San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila.  Telefax: 2525-7853 and 2524-2022 local 101.  Feast of St. Vincent de Paul: September 27.  Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: November 27.

How to Get There: The church is located within Adamson University (the church is commonly called Adamson Church), beside the university’s CS Walkway and SV Building.  The nearest bus stop to Adamson University is D. Romualdez Sr./United Nations Ave..

Baguio Museum (Benguet)

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Baguio Museum

The Baguio Museum is a great introduction to the Igorot (“mountain people”) of the Cordillera. Its collections date back as far as 1947 when then first woman councilor, Vice-Mayor and acting Mayor Virginia Oteyza de Guia collected them from friends in the Cordilleras.

The author at the museum entrance

First named the Baguio- Mountain Province Museum, the collections were first displayed at the City Hall and, later, transferred to the University of the Philippines before finding its home at its present site.

Commemorative plaques

Here’s the historical timeline of the museum:

  • In 1916, a small exhibit was installed in a small public school to serve as a teaching tool for the students.
  • In 1934, the museum was moved to its current location in the Civic Center and was expanded and renovated several times over the years.
  • In 1940, the Baguio Museum was established by American archaeologist Henry Otley Beyer.
  • In 1975, the museum was built by the Philippine Tourism Authority (under the chairmanship of Minister of Tourism Jose Aspiras) and Mayor Luis Lardizabal.
  • On May 1977, the museum was opened to the public.
  • On August 4, 1977, the museum was incorporated by government leaders, leaders and concerned citizens of Baguio City, and the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga-Apayao and Mountain Province.
  • On July 16, 1990, a major earthquake heavily damaged the old structure and the collection travelled from the old Camp John Hay Library to the basement of the Baguio Convention Center.
  • In 1998, the rebuilding of the museum was started.
  • In 2010, it was renamed as the Baguio Museum.
  • In March 2020, the museum was temporarily closed, for seven months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • In September 2020, the rehabilitation and beautification of its galleries continued after stringent protocol requirements were complied with.
  • On October 2021, the museum was partially opened.
  • In January 2022, after almost two years with strict protocols, the museum was opened.
  • On July 4, 2022, after three years of improvements via a grant from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) of the United States Embassy Manila, the renovated Baguio Museum was inaugurated.

Abra Gallery

Apayao Gallery

Benguet Gallery

Inspired by Ifugao architecture, this time-honored museum was designed by Architect Ignacio Estipona and built with of stone and wood and features a striking pyramidal roof and two huge concrete poles, at the stair entrance, that resembles a traditional Ifugao home with an elevated floor supported by posts.

Ifugao Gallery

Kalinga Gallery

Mountain Province Gallery.  In the foreground is a kulog (food container)

At the entrance are artworks donated by Joey Divina Bautista and Virginia Oteyza De Guia.

Conservation Room

Museum Shop

The museum has four floors.  The first floor houses the Conservation Room, Museum Shop and the NCCA Gallery which is used for training and lectures and exhibits.

So Above, So Below (Maela Liwanag Jose)

During our visit, the captivating “As Above, So Below” Exhibit (opened last February 16, 2024), a celebration of Baguio-based artist Maela Liwanag Jose’s Tinatik Arts, which extends to a total of 96 ft., was ongoing.  The fourth floor houses the library and research center.

Third Floor (Baguio City Gallery).  On the floor are the three miniature architectural models

Fourth Floor (Library and Research Area)

The second floor, the main floor of the building, houses the permanent Ethnological Exhibit.

Scaled models of the traditional houses of Apayao, Abra and Ifugao

Scaled models of the traditional houses of Kalinga, Mountain Province and Benguet

It has an extensive display of various tribal artifacts from the six provinces of the Cordillera region: Abra, Apayao, Benguet (of which Baguio City is a part), Kalinga, Ifugao and Mountain Province.

Botit (locust baskets)

Kubo (fish baskets)

Focusing on an indigenous group, here you’ll see spears, bolos (machetes), shields of Kalinga headhunters; gongs; bags; baskets; fish traps; wood sculptures depicting life in the mountains; colorful traditional clothes (ba-ag or g-string for men and tapis for the women); accounts of Ibaloi mummification practices; furniture and other artifacts.

Pasiking (hunting baskets)

An array of spears

The most unique collection in this museum – the real-life Kabayan mummy, glass encased in its wooden casket a mummy in its coffin, which visitors are not allowed to take a photo of in respect of the dead.

Tupil (storage baskets for cooked rice)

Ulbong (storage for rice crop)

The Benguet Exhibit features the following artifacts:

  • Bango– A rain gear made by woven rattan, nito fiber, and pine needles.
  • Bangew– a bag made of the same material as bango.
  • Kuval– a red-colored G-string that symbolizes power.
  • Latok– a set of serving plates.
  • Kayabang– baskets carried by Ibaloi women over their heads.
  • Duli– a necklace made of a snake’s vertebrae, which women wore during childbirth to ensure safe delivery.

Hagabi (rich man’s bench)

The Abra Exhibit features the following artifacts:

  • Kalugong– cone-shaped, bamboo hat worn by men.
  • Badu– white jacket made of cotton.
  • Ukken/Kimona– blouse made of Rengue textile.
  • Piningitan– wrap-around skirt.

Imbayah Diorama

Bodong Diorama

There are also two miniature dioramas that give you a better picture of their communities. An offshoot of the tourism field offices being regionalized in 1988, they were donated by DOT Undersecretary Narzalina Lim.  The first diorama, the “Bodong Diorama,” was donated in 1988 through DOT-CAR and Region I Director Stella Ma. De Guia, and the second, the “Imbayah Diorama,” was donated through DOT-CAR Director Carmelita Mondiguing.

Baguio: A Melting Pot Exhibit

The Colonial Hillstation Exhibit

The third floor, the Baguio City Gallery, features a compelling exhibition on the historical development of Baguio, from the 1900s to the present.  The exhibits include:

  • Baguio: A Melting Pot – features Baguio’s two National Artists (Benedicto “Bencab”” Cabrera, National Artist for the Visual Arts in 2006; and Kidlat Tahimik, National Artist for Film in 2018) and Baguio’s art scene.
  • Baguio: A Miniature Early History – features three architectural models, one of which shows Baguio as an untouched green land, a stark contrast to its current state. Here, you can see and read, in detail, the discovery of Baguio as a land of pine trees and its development into a civilized land.
  • Mayors of the Century: 1909 to the Present – a tribute to the 31 (including one woman mayor) mayors of the city, honoring their numerous achievements and contributions to Baguio’s growth.
  • The Old Versus the New – then and now photos of Baguio landmarks.
  • The Colonial Hillstation: From Health Resort to City of Pines – a timeline showcasing photographs and information on how the City of Pines started as a colonial hill station.
  • War Occupation and Liberation – features Japanese Occupation and American Liberation photos and war relics.

The Old Versus the New

War Occupation and Liberation

War Relics Display

Outside the museum are a bale (ifugao traditional house), a dap-ayan (a gathering place of village leaders) and totem poles.

Totem poles

Bale and dap-ayan

Baguio Museum: Dot-PTA Complex, cor. Governor Pack Rd. and Harrison Rd., Baguio City, 2600 Benguet.  Tel: (074) 248-1147 and (063) 444 7451.  E-mail: baguio_museum@yahoo.com.  Open daily (except Mondays), 9 AM to 5 PM. Admission:  Php100 (adults), Php70 (college students), Php60 (high school students), Php40 (elementary students) and Php50 (senior citizens and PWD).

Baguio Botanical Garden (Benguet)

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Baguio Botanical Garden

The laid-back, 16-hectare Baguio Botanical Garden, a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, is home to a vast array of plants, including a variety of flowering plants, trees, and shrubs. You’ll find everything from blooming azaleas to towering pine trees.

The author in front of a topiary of a Care Bear

Additionally, the gardens are home to a number of wildlife species, such as squirrels and birds, that call the area home.  Visitors can enjoy leisurely strolls along the garden paths, have a picnic under the trees, or simply sit and relax on one of the many benches scattered throughout the gardens.

Main Entrance – Exit

The garden went by a few different names.  It was formerly the Botanical & Zoological Garden when the park was a zoo.  It was also called the Igorot Village due to the culture-inspired carvings, sculptures, and huts scattered around the park.

Tala Garden

In the 1970s, it was renamed Imelda Park by Ferdinand Marcos for the former first lady Imelda R. Marcos.  In 2009, it was renamed Centennial Park in honor of Baguio being “the Summer Capital” of the Philippines for 100 years.

Dahlia Garden

Sunflower Garden

In 2021, the park closed for ten months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, it underwent a renovation which made the park more aesthetic and added ramps. Since its reopening, at least 100,000 people have visited the park each month.

Arbor

In November 2022, after learning that few Baguio gardens have been growing the iconic everlasting plant (Xerochrysum bracteatum), the city’s official flower, members of the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) developed the PMSEA Botanic Garden, a small everlasting farm inside a portion of the Baguio Botanical Garden.

PMSEA Botanic Garden

Garlands, made with these dried strawflowers, were among Baguio’s top-selling souvenirs as far back as the 1960s and 1970s.

The Builders (Ben-Hur Villanueva)

The park has art galleries provided by the Baguio Arts Guild, and sculptures displaying the culture of the Igorot people. “The Builders,” a four-figure bronze statue by the late Filipino sculptor Ben Hur G. Villanueva (1938-2020), assisted by his sons Bumbo and Jik, commemorates the people (the Igorots, Americans, Chinese and Japanese) who built Baguio.  Located near the entrance, it was unveiled last September 2009 during the centennial of Baguio.

Wishing Well

The park is divided into two different sections.  It contains a number of friendship pocket gardens developed and maintained by Baguio’s sister cities in the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Thailand.  Each contains elements of the country’s culture, such as temples and statues.

Friendship Pavilion

The 1,600 sq. m. Filipino-Chinese Friendship Garden has a Friendship Pavilion, dedicated on June 9, 2015, that commemorates the relationship of Baguio City with Hangzhou City in the People’s Republic of China. Welcoming visitors to this garden is a life-size statue of Po, the lovable panda from the movie Kung Fu Panda.

Po of Kung Fu Panda

There are also 12 four-foot high, concrete likenesses of the 12 mythical creatures of the Chinese zodiac – Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.  Each animal has a marker which explains what they symbolize.

Filipino-Overseas Chinese Leader Friendship Tree

Also within is a pond (home to lotus plants) and the Filipino-Overseas Chinese Leader Friendship Tree, a Norfolk island pine tree (Araucaria heterophylla) planted on April 29, 2019, by the 49th Tsinghua University Overseas Chinese Leadership Class of 2017, headed by Mr. Fernando S. Tiong.

Baguio Filipino-Chinese Friendship Garden View Deck

The Baguio Filipino-Chinese Friendship View Deck, a three-storey, pagoda-like structure beside the City of Vaughan Friendship Garden, was donated by the Consulate of People’s Republic of China in Laoag City (Ilocos Norte).  It serves as a view deck for the park.

Thai Elephants in Baguio

The Philippine-Thailand Friendship Park has statues of an elephant family (“Thai Elephants in Baguio”), surrounded by yellow marguerite (Argyranthenum frutescens) flowers and towering trees, which were designed and crafted by three famous Thai craftsmen – Somphong Boonthip, Prasan Prasatketkam and Nitithivat Khantharankham.

Commemorating 70 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand, they were erected on December 18, 2017 in collaboration with the Royal Thai Embassy, Baguio City government, Philippine-Thai Cultural Organization, and the SCG Mariwasa Inc..

City of Vaughan Friendship Garden

The City of Vaughan Friendship Garden has a gazebo, amid color-coded, well-tended rows of flower beds (Dwarf Cosmos, etc.) under pine trees, representing the relationship of Baguio with the City of Vaughn in Ontario, Canada.

Taebaek Park

The small Taebaek Park has a pavilion representing the relationship of Baguio with Taebaek in South Korea.

Miniature of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge

The miniature replica of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, within Milflores Garden, represents the relationship of Baguio with the City of Vallejo in California, USA.

The bright-red torii leading to the Japanese Tunnel

The Japanese Tunnel, in the Japanese-Filipino Peace Memorial Park (representing the sisterhood of Baguio with the Japan cities of Karuizawa and Wakkanai), is one of the garden’s main attractions and a must-see for history buffs.  This 150 m. (490 ft.) long tunnel which was dug out, between 1942 and 1945, by Japanese Imperial Army soldiers during World War II for use as storage of war materials and supplies, treatment center, and a bunker.

The Buddha statue-lined path leading up to the tunnel.

It stretched to parts of Outlook Drive, Pacdal and Cabinet Hill, but these areas have been closed off to prevent people from wandering and getting lost. Along the walkway are 30 cubicles high and deep enough to hold several people at one time. The path leading up to the tunnel, its entrance marked by a huge red torii, is lined by small Buddha figures and a bamboo grove.

The Orchidarium

The park also contains a sunflower farm and gardens spotlighting dahlia, marguerites, etc.

Cactus and Succulents

The orchids are housed in an Orchidarium with benches while the cacti and succulents are housed in a greenhouse.

Cordillera Village

The Cordillera Village, a community of huts, showcases indigenous art, traditions and products of the region.  Offering a glimpse into the rich culture and heritage of the Cordillera region, you can see weaving and woodcarving demonstrations, as well as exhibitions of indigenous clothing and jewelry, and also dress as an Igorot.  At the park entrance, you can also take photos (for a fee) with traditionally dressed Igorotas.

Cafe de Fleur

Also within the park are public toilets, a coffee shop (Café de Fleur) and an arbor filled with colorful vines such as Spanish Moss and Scarlet Clock Vines.

La Bella Espina

On your way out of the park, you will pass a number of souvenir stalls selling t-shirts, tote bags, woodcarvings, sweets, scarves, etc.

Path leading up to the Souvenir Shops

Throughout the year, the vibrant and lively Botanical Garden plays host to a number of events and festivals. From flower shows to music festivals, the most popular of which are the Panagbenga Festival, the Flower Festival, and the Baguio Arts Festival.

Souvenir shops

Baguio Botanical Garden:  37 Leonard Wood  Rd., Baguio City, Benguet.  Open daily, 6AM – 6PM.  Admission: Php100 (adults), Php50 (Baguio residents, 13 years old and above) and Php0 (Baguio residents, 12 years old and below).  Coordinates: 16°24′52.42381″N 120°36′47.49145″E.

How to Get There: located between Wright Park and Teacher’s CampWright Park and Teachers Camp, one kilometer from Session Rd., commuter jeepneys, from the Central Business District, bound for Mines View Park, Pacdal Navy Base, Bekkel, Country Club and Tuding in Itogon, pass by this place.

Mirador Heritage and Eco-Spirituality Park (Baguio City, Benguet)

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The 5-hectare, multi-tiered  and enchanting Mirador Heritage and Eco-Spirituality Park, one of the newest tourist attractions in Baguio, is located on top of the Jesuit-managed Mirador Hill, near the famed Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. It houses one of two bamboo plantation sites in Baguio City (the other is the Baguio Bamboo Educational Demo Farm, within St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Purok Liteng, Brgy. Pacdal).

Check out “Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto” and “Baguio Bamboo Educational Demo Farm”

 

During the peak of the Covid 19 pandemic, the Jesuits managing the hill and the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto started developing the heritage and eco-park around the rest of Mirador Hill and the park was opened in late November 2020.  It has different sections and attractions and has a commanding panoramic view of the hills and valleys of the western section of Baguio City.

 

The park has several hiking trails that lead to different areas, with lots of signages, many Instagrammable spots and several benches and gazebos along the trail where you could sit down whenever you get too tired from walking.  The walkways are paved, not with concrete, but with carefully cut blocks of rock and furnished with metal handrails on the more difficult ascents.

 

Some parts of the park are based on known tourist destinations in Kyoto, Japan, including the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (its namesake is near the Tenryu-ji Temple) and the iconic red Torii Gate at the Mirador Peace Memorial (inaugurated on December 14, 2020).

 

The former, near the park entrance, is a gift of Caesar and Melissa Wongchuking Family. This dense bamboo forest was laid out amidst the landscaped rock gardens, providing a good shade from the piercing heat of the late morning and afternoon sun.

 

Here, you pass through rows of tortoise shell bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis “Heterocycla”), so called  because the lower part of the bamboo, from the root to about 60 centimeters, can display the habit of shortened internodes, alternately facing each other, so that the internodes resemble a tortoise shell. In Japan, it is called kikko (Japanese word meaning “tortoise”) and is related to the edible Moso bamboo.

 

The latter has a hanging bell made from an unexploded and neutralized front end of a World War II bomb.  The gate faces west toward the lowland and Lingayen Gulf, in nearby Pangasinan province, where American troops landed in 1945. On a clear day it is even possible to see as far as the gulf.

 

Here, you will encounter lots of couples and families lining up just to get a photo with the famous Japanese Torii gate. Walking further to the right side, you can see an exit gate going to the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto.

 

Gardens include:

  • La Storta Gardens – named after the vision of St. Ignatius de Loyola at the Chapel of La Storta, near Rome, is a gift the Christian Life Community in the Philippines and was inaugurated last May 20, 2021, the anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius de Loyola.
  • Garden of God’s Reign, donated by Raymond and Marrot Moreno, features the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary and was inaugurated last October 27, 2021.
  • Garden of St. Therese of the Child Jesus – donated by Wilfredo “Ike” and Evelyn Eslao and Lucio and Sylvia de Ayre.
  • Gardens of the First Companions – donated by the Ateneo High School Class of 1976, it has statues of St. Peter Savre, St. Francis Xavier, St. Ignatius de Loyola, St. Dominic Guzman and St. Theresa of Avila.
  • Garden Shrine of Our Lady of Peace

 

Rock gardens include:

  • Loyola Rock Garden
  • Manresa Rock Garden – donated by Manuel and Juanita Tiankiansee, it was inaugurated last May 20, 2021, the anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius de Loyola.
  • Our Lady of Montserrat Rock Garden
  • Our Lady of Aranzazu Rock Gardens – donated by the Banez Family

 

The park also houses the Jesuit Villa, native Ifugao huts, vantage points, Beatitudes arches, pandemic healing memorial, prayer houses, Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing Park), Jesus Apostles Dap-ayan, Blue Moon Gate, Kapilya Nina Jesus at Maria, Cordillera Heritage Garden, Marian Salubong View Deck and Christ the Redeemer, and the Retreat House.

 

The tiny Cafe Inigo by Ebai, offering al fresco dining (cakes, pastries, specialty drinks, etc.) with great views, was once a long distance station of PLDT and a caretaker’s house before being repurposed.

 

Mirador Heritage and Eco-Spirituality Park: 15 St. Theresa Extn., Barangay Dominican Hill-Mirador, Baguio, Benguet. Tel: (074) 300-4789.  Mobile number: (0906) 570-1634 (Ms. Fatima Castillo). E-mail; miradorjesuitvilla@gmail.com. Website: www.miradorjesuitvilla.com. Open daily, 6 AM to 6 PM. Admission: Php100 (adults), Php80 (senior citizens and persons with disability) and free for children below 12 years old.  Pets and the bringing of food is not allowed.

How to Get There: In the city proper, take a jeepney at Kayang Street and ask to be dropped off at the Mirador Jesuit Villa Retreat House near the barangay hall of Dominican Hill-Mirador and the jeepney terminal area.  Near the registration area is a parking lot (parking fee: Php25).

Laperal White House (Baguio City, Benguet)

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Laperal White House

The Laperal White House, also known as  Laperal Guesthouse, is known today as the “White House” due to its noticeable white exterior paint.  It was built by Filipino businessman Roberto Laperal, Sr. (1890-1966, he also built the Arlegui Guest House in 1929) in the 1930s. He and his wife Victorina (nee Guizon) Laperal made the house as their summer vacation home.

The narrow and elongated house, made with narra and yakal wood, was designed in Victorian style with its wooden planks and gables and steep roof. Inside are four rooms and a narrow, winding staircase.  The house withstood many natural and man-made disasters, such as the July 16, 1990 Luzon earthquake.

In 2007, the house was sold, by Roberto Laperal Jr. and his wife, Purificacion Manotok Laperal, to  Chinese Filipino billionaire tycoon Lucio Tan who had it renovated and refurbished, with proper maintenance, then made it into a tourist attraction. From then on, the house was opened to the public.

In 2013, the tycoon’s Tan Yan Kee Foundation transformed the ground floor of the house into a Philippine Bamboo Foundation (PBFI) museum (Ifugao Bamboo Carving Gallery) which houses Filipino artworks made of bamboo and wood. Today, it is the home of a new, upscale fine-dining restaurant called Joseph’s (owned by the older brother of ABS-CBN News broadcast journalist, Bernadette Sembrano) which was opened in December 2022 and serves Continental and contemporary French cuisine.

According to believers, the house is haunted, with stories of sightings of a little girl (said to be the three-and-a-half year old child of the owner who was killed while running, across the street, towards her nanny) standing motionless on the third step of the staircase fronting the house; a woman (said to be the nanny who killed herself in one of the bedrooms) looking out the third floor glass windows; and a white figure coming down, from the attic, down to the front entrance.

During World War II, the basement of the house was used by the Japanese as a garrison where, if stories are to believed, many were brutally tortured and executed, including members of the Laperal family.  Don Roberto survived the war but accidentally slipped, and fell to his death, from the stairs in front of the house.  He, as well as ghosts of family members, the torture and execution victims, as well as Japanese soldiers (seen in the upper bedrooms), still haunt the house.  These spirits are believed to violently push and scratch visitors to the place.

The front porch of the house. Don Roberto died here and the ghost of a little girl also appears here

Lucio Tan never stayed in the place during his trips to Baguio.   The 2010 horror movie White House, starring Gabby Concepcion, Lovi Poe, Iza Calzado and Maricar Reyes, was shot inside the building.

Laperal White House: 14 Leonard Wood Rd., Baguio City, 2600 Benguet. Coordinates: 16°24′40″N 120°36′17″E.

Baguio Bamboo Educational Demo Farm (Baguio City, Benguet)

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Baguio Bamboo Educational Demo Farm

The tranquil, 3-hectare and very Instagrammable Baguio Bamboo Educational Demo Farm (also called the “Little Kyoto” and the “Kawayan Ecopark”), a nature reserve within St. Francis Xavier Seminary, stands on the former site of the Irisan (Baguio City’s largest barangay) open dumpsite.

St. Francis Xavier Senior-High Seminary

Entrance to bamboo sanctuary

The bamboo farm, part of the legacy environment program of the late Bishop Carlito Joaquin Cenzon (1939 – 2019), C.I.C.M., D.D., was established in 2011.

Alphonse Karr Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa multiplex “Alphonse Karr”) is a strikingly beautiful clumping bamboo variety noted for its vibrant and uniquely colored culms.

Arrow Bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica) is a vigorous bamboo that forms thickets up to 6 m. (20 ft.) tall, with shiny leaves up to 25 cms. (9.8 in.) long.The culms are typically yellow-brown and it has palm-like leaves.

The legendary Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra), the first hardy oriental bamboo, was introduced to the world in 1827, A true masterpiece of nature, it embodies grace and sophistication in every aspect.

The Kawayanihan sa Benguet is an environmental project of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation, Inc. (headed by Pres. Edgardo Manda), in collaboration with the Diocese of Baguio’s Commission of Environment.

The author at the Baguio Bamboo Educational Demo Farm

 

Bamboo Nursery

Jandy at the Cardio Trail.  Here, bamboo gives way to pine trees.

This popular tourist destination, where people can relax and enjoy nature, has paved trails, a bamboo nursery, a bamboo bridge and a meditation garden.

Castillon Bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides), bright yellow at sheath fall, is one of our most beautiful bamboos. This bamboo flowered, along with Phyllostachys bambusoides, in the 1960s. It was saved in China and Japan, from where it was re-imported to Germany and then, into the United States, by The American Bamboo Society. It is slower spreading than most other Phyllostachys.

Female Bamboo (Bambusa balcooa), a tropical clumping bamboo originating from Northeast India, is often used as a food source, in scaffolding, for paper pulp or wood chips.

One of two bamboo plantation sites in Baguio City (the other is the Mirador Heritage and Eco-Park at Dominican Hill), it was opened in late 2019 but was gaining traction with local tourists in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started and the park had to be closed.

Check out “Mirador Heritage and Eco-Park”

Fernleaf Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa multiplex) is, because of its thick nature, is highly prized as a short, thick, deer-resistant hedge.

Fishpole Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) is a strong but graceful evergreen bamboo with tall, upright, bright green canes changing to yellow-green with age.

In November that same year, a few months after its reopening, it was temporarily closed due to vandals engraving their names and words on various bamboo culms (or poles) as well as urinating along the pathways.

Giant Sour Bamboo (Acidosasa gigantea), found primarily in Southern China, with 1 species in Vietnam, its name is formed from Latin acidum (“sour”) and Sasa (another bamboo genus), referring to its edible shoots.

Golden Chinese Timber Bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax), one of the hardiest timber bamboo is, in most circumstances, will mature to 45 feet in height, with 3-4 inch diameter canes.

To showcase the beauty and diversity of bamboo, there are a number of walking trails (Aurea Trail, Vivax Trail, Cardio Trail, Dulcis Trail, etc.) that you can follow where pathways are lined with lush bamboos trees and bordered by vibrant red bamboo fences.

Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla), the most common source of bamboo timber in China for manufacturing and bamboo textiles, grows best in temperate climates, or cool sub-tropical regions.

Oldham’s Bamboo (Dendrcalamopsis atrovirens), a large species of bamboo, has been introduced into cultivation around the world. It is densely foliated, growing up to 20 m. (65 ft.) tall in good conditions, and can have a diameter of up to 10 cms. (4 in.).

The farm is home to 21 different species of bamboos, with 17 temperate (monopodial) and 4 tropical (sympodial) varieties from China, some towering over 15 m. in height, that were planted in the park.  They include:

  • Alphone Karr Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa multiplex)
  • Arrow Bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica)
  • Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra)
  • Castillon Bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides)
  • Female Bamboo (Bambusa balcooa)
  • Fernleaf Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa multiplex)
  • Fishpole Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea)
  • Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper)
  • Giant Sour Bamboo (Acidosasa gigantea)
  • Golden Chinese Timber Bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax)
  • Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa glaucescens)
  • Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens)
  • Oldham’s Bamboo (Dendrcalamopsis atrovirens)
  • Purple Bamboo (Chimonobambusa neopurpurea)
  • Screen Bamboo (Plelobiastus chino)
  • Spiraled Grass Bamboo (Plebobiastus gramineus)
  • Sweet-Shoot Bamboo (Phyllostachys dulcis)
  • Vivax Bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax)
  • Yellow Striated Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris)

Screen Bamboo (Plelobiastus chino), an excellent screen or hedge about 10 ft. tall, becomes very thick with leaves, and the canes grow close together. It is vigorous and tough.

Spiraled Grass Bamboo (Plebobiastus gramineus), desirable for a thick screen, grows many canes in close proximity so that nothing can be seen through a hedge merely a foot or two thick. The long graceful leaves are distinctive.

Part of the National Greening Program, the bamboo plantation is located behind the seminary just past the basketball court. This is part of the 1 million hectare project of the ASEAN commitment of reforestation of 20 million hectares by year 2020.

A forum was conducted before and it was decided that this is the feasible area to put up a plantation. These bamboos were fit for tropical and high elevation places like Baguio and Benguet.

Cardio Trail

There are many benefits derived from bamboo, such as for climate change mitigation and livelihood generation.  Bamboos, an erosion control mechanism in the Cordillera, are known to hold the soil because of its roots’ long reach as far as 20 kms. which is effective for erosion prevention and they multiply quickly. They also help in carbon sequestration and, in turn, releasing oxygen to the environment.

As you walk along the bamboos, you can feel that positive, refreshing feeling that the trees are providing. There are multi-levels, but the main walkway has the most beautiful view. Up the Cardio Trail, the bamboos were slowly replaced by large pine trees and led us into an open overlooking spot. There’s public restrooms and bamboo benches, available by the exit, where you can rest.

Baguio Bamboo Educational Demo Farm: St. Francis Xavier Senior-High Seminary, Purok Liteng, Brgy. Pacdal, Baguio City, 2600 Benguet.  Mobile number: 0921 877 6655.  Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  Entrance is free but donations, for the upkeep of the sanctuary, are accepted.  Pre-nuptial pictorials are not allowed on Saturdays and Sundays to avoid overcrowding.  No drones are allowed.

How to Get There:  the farm is a 15 to 20-min. drive from Burnham Park.  They have a wide parking space.  By public transportation, take a jeepney conveniently situated behind the Patriotic School along Harrison Road.  The road leading to it is narrow and steep and the drop-off point for the park is right at the turning point.