Category Archives: SPECIAL TOPICS

Balay San Jose (Santa Maria, Isabela)

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Rancho Agripino

After our pottery tour at Brgy. Poblacion 3, we again boarded our bus for the short 7.1-km. (20-min.) drive, via the Enrile-Santa Maria Rd., to Balay San Jose within Rancho Agripina, owned by Santa Maria Mayor Hilario “Larry G. Pagauitan, whose Sanctaurio de San Jose (a favorite wedding venue) and Casa di Spiritualita di San Giuseppe (a retreat center) are visited by tourists and religious pilgrims.

Entrance

Upon entering the gate, our bus drove along a dirt road lined with life-side statues depicting the Stations of the Cross (Via Crusis).

One of the Stations of the Cross along the road

Upon arrival, we first dropped by the Sanctuario de San Jose, a chapel was built in memory of Maria Lourdes Gatan Pagauitan (November 19, 1988 – June 12, 2008), the mayor’s and his wife Sofie’s late daughter who died in a car accident. It was solemnly blest and its altar dedicated on November 19, 2015 (Maria’s birthday) by Most Rev. Sergio L. Utleg, D.D., Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuguegarao.

Sanctuario de San Jose

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The chapel has a two-level Baroque-style façade topped by a triangular pediment and flanked by three-storey, square bell towers topped by a dome and cross.  The first level has an entrance portico (topped by angel statues) which has a statue of St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and is flanked by, flat pilasters, 3 semicircular arch stained glass windows and a semicircular arch statued niche.

The second level has a similar set up, the only difference being the statued niche above the entrance portico.  The triangular pediment has a circular, stained glass rose window within a bas-relief of a Jerusalem Cross, a cross potent (or crutch cross) with four Greek crosses.

The first two storeys of the flanking bell towers have semicircular arch blind windows while the receding third storey, housing the church bell, has open, semicircular arch windows.

Statue of St. Joseph and the Child Jesus

The left bell tower has the sign of “Banal na Pag-aaral Center, Area 11, Northern Luzon.”

The chapel interior

The main altar and its retablo

Inside the chapel are three altars (main and two side altars) with exquisitely carved retablos (altar backdrop), a painted barrel vaulted ceiling, colorful stained glass windows, religious statuary and a triforium (interior gallery)

Casa di Spiritualita di San Giuseppe

Main entrance

Connected to the chapel, on it’s left, is the Casa di Spiritualita di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph House of Spirituality), which was solemnly blest on September 19, 2014 by Bishop Joseph A. Nacua, O.F.M., Cap. D.D. of the Diocese of Ilagan.  This retreat house has has 42 airconditioned rooms with private bath, four dormitories (two large and two small), refectories, conference hall, lunch room, chapels and a beautifully landscaped garden.  In front is an open air lanai topped by a view deck which is accessed by stairs.

The author at the viewdeck

Open-air lanai

In front of the chapel are statues of Christ Resurrected, St. Michael the Archangel and Tablets of the Ten Commandments.   On the right side of the chapel is a tableau depicting Christ Appearing Before his Disciples.

Statue of St.Michael the Archangel

Tableau of Christ Appears to His Disciples

We also dropped by its museum which is filled with reiligous statuary of all sizes, paintings, photos  and other religious artifacts such as monstrances, chalices, crucifixes, etc..

Museum of relious statuary,paintings, photos and artifacts

Also within Rancho Agripino is St. Joseph Library, Lourdes Chapel, Casa di Marello (for visiting priests and brothers of the Oblates of St. Joseph founded by St. Joseph Marello), Galilee (a cluster of airconditioned huts in the middle of a lake), Chapel of the Santo Sepulchro and the Risen Lord (a chapel with the image of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Risen Christ), The Hermitage (a solitary place for those who want to be alone with the Lord), a helipad  and a medical center (MLGP Medical Center).

MLGP Medical Center

Helipad

Balay San Jose: Rancho Agripino, Brgy. Calamagui West, Santa Maria 3330, Isabela.

How to Get There: Santa Maria is located 451.1 kms. (an 8.5-hour drive) from Manila and 67.8 kms. (a 1.5-hour drive) from the City of Ilagan.

The Potters of Santa Maria (Isabela)

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The pottery of the Ybanags of Santa Maria, Isabela

On our fifth day in Isabela, we boarded our tour bus for the long 85-km. (2-hour) drive to Santa Maria where we were to observe the indigenous Ybanag method of producing pots and earthen ware.  Along the way, we crossed the Cagayan River via the Cabagan – Santa Maria Overflow Bridge (usually impassable during heavy rains) which will soon be replaced by the still unfinished, 720 m. long, 12-span, P639.6 million Santa Maria-Cabagan Landmark Bridge.

Santa Maria-Cabagan Landmark Bridge

Upon arrival at Brgy.Poblacion 3, one of four barangays engaged in pottery making (the others are Poblacion 2, San Rafael West and Quinagabian) located in the interior northwestern part of the province, we were welcomed by Santa Maria Vice-Mayor Michael Abraham G. Pagauitan and Municipal Tourism Officer Rex T. Arao.  After registering ourselves at the barangay hall, both toured us around the center of pottery making in the community.

Municipal Tourism Officer Rex T. Arao (center) with members of national media

The unique indigenous pottery traditions of the Madweng inan Ybanag community showcase the Ybanag (or Ibanag) culture as a whole. Their pottery products differ from other ethnographic people with the way they make this earthenware which they call dweng, an Ybanag term derived from Madweng, referring to an Ybanag  potter who makes and sells pottery products made from clay and other indigenous materials.

Members of national media

Santa Maria boasts huge non -metallic deposit of clay (davvun) or mud containing minerals and other organic materials which are similar to those plant and animal remains which is the basically the main ingredient of the dweng (pot). The dweng products of Santa Maria include pots for cooking purposes, vases, storage jars, garden and home decorations and bricks.

Since 1954, save for a minimal technological advancement in manufacturing pots using the hurmaan ( molder), there have been no major changes in the method of manufacture from the teachings of the Kalingas. Like other tribes of the Cordillera Central as well as the Bukidnon, Tausug, Pampango, and Cebuano, they use a technique called “paddle and anvil.”

Finished products for viewing

However, the Pampango, Cebuano, and Tausug use an anvil made of stone while the Mandukayan Kalinga use their hands to shape the pot and press its walls thin, then the inside is smoothened by a curved piece of bamboo.  The Ybanag pottery tradition was introduced by the Kalingas.  Forming the dweng products of Santa Maria does not happen in single hour or day. To assure its quality upon utilization, it involves various stages and processes in their pottery making.

Scrap wood, garani (rice straw)and carabao/cow manure is inserted in spaces between the pots in preparation for the baking process

First, the davvun, from vast lands nearby, are delivered to their community via a careta, carts pulled by tamed animals. The soft davvun (clay) is first manually pounded and then stored in a humid place covered with plastic ready for the Madweng to mammakkal, the process where the clay is being formed in round balls ready to be hollowed.

Ms. Ruby Canceran, a more than 20-year veteran of pottery making, hollowing out the clay

The molded clay is then wrapped individually with plastic to maintain its moisture, ready for the next stage – the matuvugan (from a root word tuvug meaning “in addition”). In this process, davvun is being added to increase its height and width. Gradually, as it widen, a pempel (a rectangular, flat wooden paddle) is used to paddle the pot while inside is an adadamma (a flat stone) which supports the appepe (a flat wooden paddle used to give shape).  All the while, the Madweng paddles to ensure the right shape of the earthen jar. They then need to be dried and covered again for some hours to form the lid of the pot.

A Madweng woman using a pempel (a flat, wooden paddle) to ensure the right shape of the jar

In the mabibigan (from the root word bibig meaning “mouth) stage, the lid of the pot is formed with the appepe on the outside, opposite a smooth batu (stone anvil to hollow pre-molded round balls) held inside.

Using a potters wheel

Likewise, a kingkil, an inch wide bamboo stick, is used to scrape and smoothen the rough portion of the pot. The walls of the pot are systematically and carefully made thin, smooth and even with the aid of a lupedas or gami, a soft wet cloth used for trimming the edges of the rim of the pot during the finishing stage. It takes an hour to dry.

Using a bamboo stick

After it dries, the pot is ready for the matumpo stage where the pot is turned upside down. As the pot does not yet have a foot to stand up on its own, the base needs to be leveled or flattened using the appepe and the batu to stand.

The next stage is the matakyang (from the Ybanag term meddan tu takki na meaning “to add support”). In this process, a tȁgang (a pre-formed clay patterned from the lid of an aluminum pot) is designed to hold the pot in place until it dries.

Maffulang (painting) stage

After this process is systematically done, the pots are now ready for the maffulang (painting) stage.  A kind of davvun is used to color or paint the pots red.  For a while, the davvun is soaked in water to soften the soil, ready to be kneaded, until it becomes fine.  The residue is strained to ensure the finest quality. In this stage, a commercial paint brush is used to paint the pot to its natural look. To facilitate the painting faster, a potter’s wheel, manually operated by the foot, is used to yield more than a hand does.

After mafulla stage, the pots will be dried for a while.  They proceed to makkili stage where uneven or rugged parts of the pots are scraped and a lupedas used for the finishing touches. Next is the akkingki , another step to keep the pots shiny.

Garani (rice straw)

When this is done, the pots are now ready for the last stage for all kinds or types of dweng – the magabba or maluttu (firing, baking or cooking) stage.  Magabba is an Ibanag term which means to cook or “mallutu.”  This stage is usually done in the their own workshop or within an open area adjacent to their houses. This busy and laborious day for the potters, done with so much prudence and caution during the hottest ray of sunshine, takes a whole day, from the preparation down to cooking and cooling.

Carabao/cow manure

In the cooking area, the dweng is arranged on top of the evenly scattered pieces of dried wood or the carabao/cow manure and evenly covered by garani (rice straw) as each side is protected by unused or rejected dwengs, in anticipation of a possible collapse happening. Then the firing begins. Depending on the products and its volume, cooking hours ranges from a minimum of 3 to 5 hours. This indigenous way of cooking has been introduced and practiced for a long time and until the present.

Magabba (baking stage)

How to Get There: Santa Maria is located 451.2 kms. (a 10-hr. drive), via the Pan Philippine Highway, AH26, to Manila and 7.8 kms. (a 1.5-hr. drive) from the City of Ilagan.

Municipal Tourism, Culture and Arts Office: mobile number: (0905) 692-1342.

Church of Our Lady of the Pillar (Cauayan City, Isabela)

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Church of Our Lady of the Pillar

Come morning of our fourth day in Isabela, we toured the nearby (3-km.) Church of Our Lady of the Pillar.  This church, built with stone, mortar and bricks, was begun in 1825 by Dominican Fr.  Juan Prieto and finished in 1830.

The Baroque facade

During World War II, the church was heavily damaged (parts of the church, the sides of the presbytery were hit) and the convent was destroyed. This church, as well as the Church of St. Rose of Lima in Gamu, and the Church of Our Lady of Atocha in Alicia, are examples of what is called as the “Cagayan Style” of Spanish churches that was inspired by the Tuguegarao church.

Check out “Church of Our Lady of Atocha” and “Church of St. Rose of Lima“

Bas-reliefs featuring curlicues

The left side of the church

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The church’s two-level, Baroque brick (portions of the bricks have bas-reliefs and numbers and symbols etched on it) façade, similar to the Church of Our Lady of Atocha in Alicia, has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by semicircular arched windows.

The second level has a centrally located statued niche flank by semicircular arched windows. The undulating pediment, with its centrally located rose window, is topped by finials.

 

Check out “Church of Our Lady of Atocha”

The modern church interior

The rear of the church

The modern interior of the church has a fresco (The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) above the altar.

The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The top level of its beautiful five-storey bell tower on the right was later destroyed during the violent December 27, 1949 Intensity 7 earthquake, leaving only the base, and the upper level is a modern addition.

The old church bells and a plaque narrating the history of the parish

During our visit, we were allowed to climb to the very top of the tower where we had a panoramic bird’s eye view of the city and the surrounding countryside.

The Parish PastoralCenter

Candle house with a huge statue of Our Lady of the Pillar above it

Displayed on the right side of the church, between a plaque detailing the history of the parish, are two old church bells, dated 1792 and 1843 respectively.  Around the church are huge statues of the Pieta and Jesus Christ, a Candle House (above which is a huge statue of Our Lady of the Pillar) and a 2-storey Parish Pastoral Center (inaugurated on April 12, 2014) with function rooms and a parish museum.

Statue of the Pieta

At the rear are bas-reliefs of The Last Supper, The Holy Face of Jesus and The Sorrowful Mother.

Bas-reliefs of The Holy Face of Jesus, The Sorrowful Mother and The Last Supper

Church of Our Lady of the Pillar: Mabini St., Cauayan City, Isabela. Tel: (078) 652-2014 and (078) 634-5049. Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar: October 12.

How to Get There: Cauayan City is located 374 kms. (a 9-hour drive) from Manila and 33 kms. from Ilagan City.

Isabela Museum and Library (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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Isabela Museum and Library

On our third day in Isabela, a break in the Bambanti Festival proceedings brought us to the Isabela Museum and Library. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Mr. Jesus Fernandez Ordonez, Museum Researcher II who was to tour us around the museum.

The Neo-Classical facade

The two-storey museum showcases Isabela’s history and cultural heritage. Among the museum’s collections are antique furniture, fossils, ethnographic items, heirloom pieces, visual arts (photographs, paintings, sculpture, and graphic arts), artworks, historical and cultural dioramas and miniature models of provincial landmarks, among others.

Display at museum lobby

The building where the museum is located, built in 1946, once housed the province’s old capitol until 1991.  When a provincial capitol buiding was built in Brgy. Alibagu, Gov. Benjamin G. Dy decided to convert the old building into a museum and library.

Bambantii Festival Exhibit

Architect Baltazar Gigantone was commissioned to redesign the building into a museum.  On May 11, 1991, the new museum was inaugurated during the 143rd founding anniversary of the province.  In 2019, the museum was rehabilitated by Gov. Faustino G. Dy III.

Diorama of the Capture of Emilio Aguinaldo

Upon entry, one of the first exhibit we noticed was the diorama of the March 23, 1901 capture of Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo in Palanan by American Gen. Frederick Funston. One by one, we toured the museum’s numerous galleries.

Farming Implements

The Cultural Heritage/Antiques Gallery, on the right wing, is the first gallery we visited.  It displays, as its name implies, antique furniture, religious artifacts (monstrances, statuary, chalices, candle holders, etc.), relics from old structures (St. Matthias Church, Bungad Bridge, San Vicente Ferrer Chapel, San Pablo Church Ruins, Casa Real, etc.), burnay pottery, ceramic water filter (ca. 1930 – 1960), World War II memorabilia (M1 helmets, canteens, mess kits, Japanese rifle, nesting cups, etc.)and Scouting Jamboree memorabilia.

Check out “Church of St.Matthias“

Sewing machines, typewriters, etc.

Old appliances, office equipment and everyday items on display include typewriters (Underwood, Royal, etc.), gas-operated flat irons, single-burner mini gas stoves, Singer sewing machines, prinsa (old style metal pan filled with hot coals), Gramophone records, an abacus, ash trays, case gin bottles (cuatro cantos), a Mansfield automatic film projector, Canon cameras, an  Olympia adding machine,  Paymaster check writer/printer, Gramophone, farming implements and a dadapilan (sugar cane crusher) and old wooden storage chests.

Cooking Implements and Wooden Chests

Burnay Pottery

The adjoining gallery houses the memorabilia of the late Sen. Heherson Alvarez (clothes, books, photos, etc.), the Governors’ Memorabilia and the Portraits of Power Gallery.

Portraits of Power Gallery

Memorabilia of Sen. Heherson Alvarez

On the left wing are the Awards and Bambanti Festival Gallery (gowns, photos, etc.), the Selyo Gallery (displays first day of issue Philippine stamps), Revolving Exhibit Gallery and Numismatics Gallery (displays coins and paper currency).

Selyo Gallery (Philippine stamps, first day of issue)

Numismatics Gallery (coins and paper currency)

Awards and Bambanti Festival Gallery

Another room houses the Contemporary Arts Gallery (Art Capital of the North Gallery, Visual Arts and Scaled Models).

Contemporary Arts Gallery

Scaled models

The Tilamsik ng Liwanag (Splash of Light”) Gallery displays replicas of Katipunan flags and photos of historical events (the Propaganda Movement, Katipunan Movement, Philippine Revolution, the Malolos Constitution, Philippine-American War, World War II, the Japanese Occupation, Martial Law years, People Power Revolution, etc.) and personalities (Jose Rizal, Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, etc.).

Tilamsik ng Liwanag (Splash of Light”) Gallery

The library has 21,793 books (including the minutes of session of the Provincial Board, from 1909 to 2011, the oldest in the country).

Library

Minutes of Session of the Provincial Board, the oldest in the country

Isabela Museum and Library: Arranz St., Brgy. Osmena, City of Ilagan, Isabela.  Tel: (078) 307-3004 and (078) 323-3146.  E-mail: isabelamuseumandlibrary@gmail.com and isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com. Open Mondays to Fridays, 8 AM – 5PM.

Mangi Food Hauz and Pasalubong Center (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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Mangi Food Hauz and Pasalubong Center

On the afternoon of our second day in Isabela, we were driven to the Mangi Food Hauz and Pasalubong Center which is run by the Department of Agriculture-Cagayan Valley Research Center (DA-CVRC)   Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative.  Mangi is the Ybanag word for “corn.”

Ms. Elizabet Allam

Located just adjacent to the Isabela Police Provincial Office and the Ilagan Public Market, the food house is an innovative breakthrough of the DA-CVRC, promoting corn and its products.  The City of Ilagan is the country’s Corn Capital (with 80% of the population being corn farmers) and this restaurant offers corn fare such as corn coffee, energy ball, puto, nachos, inandappel,  corn shake, pansi de mangi, pastillas de mangi, all made with corn.

Corn-based food products

Here, we were welcomed by its manager Ms. Elizabeth S. Allam.  Ms. Allam has developed various corn recipes such as creamy cornbonara (with flat noodles made of purple corn), pinataro (its take on ginatan where the galapong is corn-based), cornganisa (a vegan sausage composed of mushrooms, malunggay, tofu and, of course, corn), and creamy corn pizza (corn is used for the topping, sauce and dough).

During our visit, Elizabeth introduced to us their decadent soft-serve ice cream – cornbetes. This corn-based product was launched by DA-CVRC Chairman William Contillo on October 12, 2019, the second day of the “Kain Na” Food and Travel Festival, North Luzon Edition at the Ayala Technohub in Baguio City. We each tasted the pure flavors of corn with crunchy corn kernels.

Cornbetes

Mangi Food Hauz and Pasalubong Center: Acacia St., Brgy. Baligatan, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela.  Mobile number: (0977) 213-1136, (0915)902-5266 and (0939) 115-6879.  E-mail: dacviarcempc@yahoo.com.

Montano Sardines Pasalubong Center (Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte)

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Prior to returning from Dipolog to Manila, we made a stopover at the Montano Sardines Pasalubong Center for the  now-famous, Spanish-style Montaño Sardines, one of the sought-after and bought pasalubong item in Dipolog City (the “Bottled Sardines Capital of the Philippines”).

Montano Sardines Pasalubong Center

Montaño Sardines, cooked in either vegetable (olive or corn) oil or in tomato sauce, with salt, peppercorns and slices of pickles and carrots, are packed and sold, in regular and spicy flavors, in clear glass jars weighing 228 gms, or 8.05 oz. Best eaten with still hot steamed rice along with any viand you fancy taking it with, it is also available in some of the leading grocery stores or supermarkets in major cities nationwide. Other than their famous sardines, they also have different types of products such as milkfish (bangus) variety in olive oil and white wine, Spanish chorizo, beef tapa, pork tocino, ginisang bagoong, fruit preserves, chicharon, fried peanuts and empanada.

It had its beginnings back in 1970 when Mr. Nicasio “Nick” Macias Montaño, then handling a budding construction business started, with the encouragement of her mother Doña Concepcion Macias Montaño, a single proprietorship that produces bottled sardines in different variants. In 1995, after the family-owned firm was incorporated, it was named Montaño Foods Corporation (MFC), the first manufacturer of bottled sardines in the country. In 1998, the firm bagged the Outstanding Countryside Investor of the Year, small-scale industries category, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Philippine Business Conference

Before the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) intervention, MFC only produced 10 to 20 cases of bottled sardines every month. But, after availing of the first phase of interventions, MFC significantly increased its production capacity.

With a SETUP-ISSF assistance amounting to Php 985,899, plus technology training and consultancies, MFC became a popular pasalubong brand in Dipolog City.  On the second phase of interventions, another Php 1.9 million worth of financial assistance enabled the firm to acquire new technologies that further improved production efficiency and product quality.

Since then, the firm has generated a total of 75 local employments and, especially for the peak season, maintains a pool of on-call workers. Being a European Union (EU) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP, a product control system for the food industry)-certified company, it was also able to penetrate the export market and, today, is now a multi-million enterprise.

In 2014, the firm produced 1,253 cases of sardines, recording a total gross sales of Php 2,025,420.  Nicasion “Nick” Montano,his son, now serves as MFC’s president and manager.  Lourdes Montaño -Madlambayan, Nick’s daughter, set up satellite offices in Manila.  MFC supports the livelihood of local fishermen. Though there are now about 15 bottled sardines manufacturers in the city, MFC still commands 80% share of the local market.

Montaño Sardines Pasalubong Center: Martinez Village, Turno, Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte.  Tel: (+63-65) 212 2737. Fax: (+63-65) 212-4376. E-mail: sardines_mfc@yahoo.com.

Bateria (San Esteban, Ilocos Sur)

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Moro Watchtower (Bateria)

Part of Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant-sponsored tour

This old but very pretty, 10.4-m. high, circular Spanish-era watchtower, located on a park at the headland of the sandy cove, is one of four Spanish-era watchtowers in Ilocos Sur (the others are located in Santiago, Narvacan and Bantay).  Visible from Villa Quirino Point, it is the oldest landmark of San Esteban (Ilocos Sur).

Built by Augustinian Fr. Damaso Vieytez OSA (who became the first parish priest of San Esteban in 1848), Don Agustin Santiago and Don Domingo Sumabas, it has a diameter of approximately 8.5 m. and was built with sandstone, lime and mortar.

Historical marker. In my opinion, the 16th century date of construction is wrong. Should be the 19th century

A major landmark of the town, it was also called the Moro Watchtower and is one of the most intact Spanish-era watchtowers in the country.

The free standing concrete platform supported by concrete columns. In the middle is a skylight to illuminate the lower level. The platform is accessed by s steel stairway.

Accessed by a steel stairway, it has one entrance and a crenellated top where a row of cannons were once installed (hence the name bacteria, the Spanish word for “battery”).  Today, only tower viewer binoculars are installed.

View of the lower level from the skylight

The Philippine Tourism Authority ((now the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority or TIEZA) has declared it as a Tourism Site and it has been registered in the National Historical Institute (NHI), now the National Historical Commission  of the Philippines (NHCP).   In December 2015 , the National Museum of the Philippines declared it as a National Cultural Treasure (Category I).

The concrete platform with stainless steel railings

In 2016, it was renovated by the National Historical Commission  of the Philippines (NHCP) who, together with the local government, also made improvements of the park including the addition of concrete picnic tables.  The banyan tree which once grew around the tower is now gone.

View of the sea from the watchtower

View of the shoreline and the park

Bateria: Brgy. Bateria, San Esteban, 2706 Ilocos Sur. Admission is free.

Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant: Sabangan Beach, Brgy. Sabangan, Santiago 2707, Ilocos Sur.  Mobile number: (0917) 115-4495 (Globe), (0917) 654-2078 (Globe), (0968) 851-5446 (Smart) and (0955) 773-9793 (Rodrigo’s).  E-mail: hsantiagocovehotel@gmail.com.

The Inabel Weavers of Sabangan (Santiago, Ilocos Sur)

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Corazon C. Agosto Ethnic Handloom Weaving

Part of Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant-sponsored tour

Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant organizes educational tours for guests and one of their tours includes a visit to the nearby Corazon C. Agosto Ethnic Handloom Weaving which manufactures the strong and colorful inabel (sometimes referred to as abel iloko or simply abel) cloth, one of the many known textiles that come from the weavers of Santiago. The traditional woven product of the Ilocos region, abel  weaving is one of the richest weaving practices in the Philippines.

Abel garments and textiles, characterized by their vivid colors, precisely woven geometric patterns, different variations and the accuracy of the grid designs (woven without any specialized equipment), are some of the most well known in the Philippines. We were welcomed by the 82 year old Ms. Corazon Campilla Agosto (fondly called Manang Cora or Coring) who heads the Sabangan Original Loom Weavers Association, an accredited non-government organization of the proud coastal community that continues to practice weaving traditions passed down from generations of Ilokano weavers.

All the weaving knowledge of Manang Cora dates back to 1941 when, as a little girl, she watched her mother and grandmother working the loom.  She began weaving in 1961 (earning P5 per output at most). In 1975, she decided to independently pursue this business (selling her two pigs for money to use as capital), selling her woven blankets to traders in Vigan.

 

Struggling to make ends meet, she tried out working as a domestic helper in Manila for a year before eventually returning home to continue weaving. To keep the production going, she passed down her knowledge to her own daughter Logelin Quional along with the other female weavers she works with. Even her son-in-law as well as her grandchildren (Aliyah and Aldrix) knows how to weave.

Ms. Corazon “Manang Cora” Agosto

In 1990, Sabangan’s weaving industry experienced an economic boost when former Philippine senator Anna Dominique “Nikki” Coseteng, who had a passion for local weaves, saw the works of Manang Cora and brought them to a wider market. Partnering with the Itneg/Tingguian, she and the Sabangan weavers continues to use their weaving motifs in her products today.

She describes her laborious and technical weaving practice (like many traditional Philippine weaving practices) as tawid-tawid (from the Filipino word tawid meaning “to cross”), showing us just how precise the hand of an inabel weaver is. The process begins with the stage called aggan-ay wherein her loom is readied by placing her warp threads vertically across the structure, allowing her to determine the colors and size of her final cloth.

The next stage, called agpulipol, is where the weaver rolls the thread up using a wooden spindle (called a pulipol) which readies the warp threads for weaving. During the design setting phase (agpili), the weaver inserts the horizontal weft threads into the base so she may start plotting the design. During agabel, the final weaving process, the weaver uses a boat-shaped sikwan (heddle bar) that moves back and forth across the cotton cloth, the swift hands rhythmically pulling the reed toward the beam that adds another row to the design which slowly comes to life.

Kusikus pattern

On display are the expertly crafted final woven products of Mang Cora and the Sabangan weavers, a testament to their skill in mastering the tawid-tawid.  Two of the inabel cloths feature the kusikus, a common pattern created by a weaving process known as binakol (also known as binakel or binakael, from the Ilocano word meaning “twill”) characterized by undulating square grids meant to mimic whirlpool patterns. Sailors use kusikus cloths as masts for their ships, believing the patterns would appease the gods of the sea and protect them from whirlpools.

Kusikus pattern

Another inabel cloth featured the pinilian pattern, a brocade weave (often with different colors of threads) which usually has different motifs woven into its warp, from the tao-tao (human figures), to animals, to sinanbaggak (stars) and mata-mata (eye symbols).

Pinilian pattern featuring sinanbaggak (stars)

Today, there is great appreciation, both locally and globally, for the inabel of Manang Cora and the weavers of the Sabangan Original Loom Weavers Association in Santiago and their weaves have become recognized for their beauty and skill..

Corazon C. Agosto Ethnic Handloom Weaving: Brgy. Sabangan, Santiago, Ilocos Sur.

Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant: Sabangan Beach, Brgy. Sabangan, Santiago 2707, Ilocos Sur.  Mobile number: (0917) 115-4495 (Globe), (0917) 654-2078 (Globe), (0968) 851-5446 (Smart) and (0955) 773-9793 (Rodrigo’s).  E-mail: hsantiagocovehotel@gmail.com.

Casa Byzantina (Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Bagac, Bataan)

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Casa Byzantina

Our land tour, via coaster, of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Spanish for “Acuzar’s Philippine Houses”) ended at Casa Byzantina .  Also known as the “Don Lorenzo del Rosario (a signer of the Malolos Constitution and one of the numerous building contractors in Binondo) House,” it is a three-storey, intricately designed mixed-used “floral” bahay na bato (stone house) originally located at the corner of Madrid and Penarrubia Streets at San Nicolas, Binondo, Manila.

Designed in 1890 by Catalan architect Joan Josep Jose Hervas y Arizmendi , it is the only existing building designed by him in the Philippines.

Born in Barcelona, Spain in 1851, architect Joan Josep Jose Hervas y Arizmendi got his degree in 1879 and, from 1892 to 1898, became the municipal architect (or arquitecto municipal) of Sitges and Tortosa in Spain and in Manila, Philippines. Some of his works were private residences such as Casa Perez Samanillo (Circulo Ecuestre at present), owned by the Perez-Samanillos, former Manila residents (they owned the Perez Samanillo building at Escolta, Manila), in 1910, for which he was awarded the 1911 Barcelona City Council Prize.   His other works include Hotel de Oriente and La Insular Fabrica de Tabacos y Cigarillos.  He died in 1912.

The Moorish door transom at the exterior

So called  because of its Byzantine ornamentation, it has a half-moon opening above the large entrance with grill works, arches above the windows of the third floor, engaged columns, and appliqued carvings. However, the house reflects more of the Neo-Mudejar (Spanish-Moorish) architectural style  as seen by its Moorish door transom on the exterior, which is echoed in the interior wooden arches and transom traceries.  A mirador (balcony) crowns the roof above the interior’s stairs with turned balusters. The stairs, leading up to the second and third floors, provides access to both wings of the house.

Media group posing in front of Casa Byzantina

In 1869, as the streets at the commercial concentrations at Binondo and San Nicolas districts in Manila were narrow, corner buildings were mandated to be built with a chamfer (or chaflan) and, in compliance with this municipal building regulation (which also led to the creation of eight-sided open spaces, or plazoletas, at every street corner), the house was built with a chamfered corner.

Historical plaque

Its first storey (which served as commercial spaces) was made of adobe stones and bricks while the two upper storeys (which served as residential spaces) were built with various sturdy Philippine hard woods.  Galvanized iron sheets were used for roofing.

Used as commercial and residential space, during the 20th century, the house was occupied by a succession of tenants. In 1914, it was the first home of the the Instituto de Manila which rented it for elementary and high school classes until 1919 when the institute moved to Sampaloc, Manila, eventually becoming the University of Manila. In 1939, despite its neglected state, it was cited by Tribune magazine.

The hotel lobby

After World War II, the nearby community decayed and the land reclamation for the North Harbor. The old houses became tenements and some were torn down to make way for commercial buildings. Casa Byzantina was leased to various tenants.

By 2000, it was in a miserable condition. After eight years, the house was declared structurally unsound. Yet, despite its condition, more than 50 informal, urban poor families were still occupying the house. In 2009, the house was sold, dismantled, and brought to Bagac, Bataan.

Grand staircase

Now transformed into an elegant first class hotel, it is now considered as the most expensive hotel in the resort. This luxurious six-bedroom accommodation, complete with luxurious amenities, 24/7 butler service and free cocktails, has 7 bathrooms and sleeps 16.

Casa Byzantina: La Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Brgy. Ibaba, Bagac, 2107 Bataan. Tel: (632) 8833-3333 local 116-117.  Mobile number: (0917) 872-9361. E-mail: reserve@lascasasfilipinas.com. Website: www.lascasasfilipinas.com. Coordinates:  14°36′09.6″N 120°23′06.9″E

How to Get There: It is a three-hour drive from Manila via NLEx and SCTEx. There is a shuttle service plying the Manila-Bataan route daily with New World Hotel Makati and Astoria Plaza as pickup and drop off points. For inquiries, call (63-2) 332-5338 and (63-2) 332-5286. The resort is accessible from the southeast through a two-lane road from the poblacion of Bagac.

Arrival at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Bagac, Bataan)

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Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

From Le Charme Suites, we all boarded our coaster for the 68-km. (1 hour and 45-min. drive), via the Gov. J.J. Linao National Rd., to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Spanish for “Acuzar’s Philippine Houses”) in Bagac, Bataan province’s newest and certainly most upscale beachside resort.  This beach resort, hotel, convention center and heritage destination rolled into one was designed to resemble a historic Filipino town, was to offer us a taste of the Philippine’s past come to life.

The gated stone entrance, with its keystone jauntily carrying the resort’s elaborate coat-of-arms, welcomed us. The resort, covering an area of around 40 hectares (99 acres), lies in a vast sand-filled estuary bisected near the beach by a small river, with seaside farms stretching off to the north.

Casa Maranao

From the driveway, we espied, across the Umagol River, Casa Maranao, a torogan (a Maranao royal clan house) from Lanao in Mindanao. Built in 1873, it was owned by Sabino Lakowa and its last owner was Dimaawan, the second child of Sabino.  It features panolong, wing-like carvings that flare out from its floor beams, symbolizing the wealth and importance of its occupants.  There are also okir, beautiful carvings that depict the naga (serpent or dragon from Sanskrit literature), and pako rabong amarilis (asymmetrical growing ferns).

Arrival at Casa New Manila

This resort was painstakingly built up in over ten years of intermittent construction.  It has a vast, open-air depository of planks, stone blocks, and tiles salvaged from their original owners or bought from junk shops in Manila.  From these materials, future houses and structures in the complex will be constructed.

Comprised of a collection of several dozen “heritage houses” and buildings, each representing an aspect of national Filipino history, they are an outcome of an organic process of selecting and emplacing salvaged ancestral houses from all over Luzon that were specifically evaluated and chosen based on their individual cultural, historical and architectural value and features.

The buildings at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar range in style from mansions to wooden stilt houses. With its rear ringed by the forests of nearby Mt. Natib and its front splashed by the South China Sea, these ancient wood, tile and stone structures were given a new lease in life, reincarnated as vacation houses, offices, restaurants, and hotel suites and facilities in Las Casas.

It had its beginnings in 2003 when real estate magnate and architect Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar, the owner of New San Jose Builders, Inc., decided to open an estate just outside of his hometown of Balanga.  Ultimately settling upon a 400-hectacre tract of land near the fishing village of Bagac, he built a quaint manor home and a series of small cottages.

When he was young, Jerry, on his way to school, had memories of passing by the decaying mansions along F.R. Hidalgo Street in Quiapo.   In 2008, he was fatefully offered parts of a historic home from the Cagayan Valley. Subsequently, in an effort to restore it back to its former glory, he dismantled and reconstructed the building on his estate.

Our raft ((balsa) awaits ….

Later on, he was offered heritage homes that were being sold and he decided to transplant these endangered specimens of colonial heritage architecture to his beachfront property. Acquired and transported from varying locations across the country, each historic structure was meticulously dismantled from their original location before being reassembled and carefully restored inside the premises of the Las Casas Filipinas by a skilled group of architects. In cases where an authentic reconstruction was not possible, materials that were as close to the original were used to complete the project. Needless to say, each building’s legacy is as unique as its architecture.

However, this method of heritage conservation has been contentious among conservationists since they believed that their original communities could have benefitted from the structures had they been restored on site. The heritage park’s proponent Gerry Acuzar claimed that he went with the method in order to save the structures from decay and neglect.

While the estate remained private, many heard about what he was doing and wanted to see his reconstructed heritage houses. Seein an opportunity to make the location accessible to the public, Acuzar continued financing his work in restoring the heritage houses. As Acuzar’s team of artisans grew, the destination gradually expanded into 63 heritage homes and 34 structures built in the style of the historic houses on-site.

In March 2010, Acuzar debuted his private estate as a beach resort, opening it to the public as the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar and placing it under the management of Genesis Hotels and Resorts Corporation.  It has since established itself as one of the most luxurious holiday destinations in the world, every year hosting hundreds of enthusiastic cultural heritage visitors. In early 2020, due to community quarantine measures imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Las Casas Filipinas temporarily closed but eventually reopened in July 2020.

The Umangol River

The work accomplished by Acuzar and his team had earned the resort great praise. In 2021, the heritage park was lauded and recognized for its preservation efforts and their continued stewardship by the Department of Tourism, under Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.  That same year, Historic Hotels Worldwide also bestowed the resort with its Award of Excellence for “Best Historic Hotel in Asia/Pacific.” Since 2017, this fantastic historic resort has been a member of Historic Hotels of America.

View of Casa New Manila across the Umangol River

We first registered ourselves at Casa New Manila, an American-era house built in 1926 by Italian-American Joseph Francisco.  It once stood at Balete Drive for 90 years and was bounded by Espana Extn. (now E. Rodriguez Ave.) and Campanilla, Sampaguita and Ilang-Ilang Sts..  It was later bought by Manuel Alcuas y Tuazon and Rosario Araneta y Zaragoza, scions from two prominent families in Manila. It had wide open verandas (where we had scenic views of the Umagol River and parts of the resort), extended eaves and its original fireplace.  From here, we were to tour the resort by raft.

La Casas Filipinas de Acuzar: Brgy. Ibaba, Bagac, 2107 Bataan. Tel: (632) 8833-3333 local 116-117.  Mobile number: (0917) 872-9361. E-mail: reserve@lascasasfilipinas.com. Website: www.lascasasfilipinas.com. Coordinates:  14°36′09.6″N 120°23′06.9″E.

How to Get There: It is a three-hour drive from Manila via NLEx and SCTEx. There is a shuttle service plying the Manila-Bataan route daily with New World Hotel Makati and Astoria Plaza as pickup and drop off points. For inquiries, call (63-2) 332-5338 and (63-2) 332-5286. The resort is accessible from the southeast through a two-lane road from the poblacion of Bagac.