Author Archives: Benjie Layug

Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center

The morning of our third day in the City of Ilagan, we visited the Php40 million Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center (RYPIC) within the City of Ilagan Campus of the Isabela State University.  The second of its kind in the country (the first RYPIC is located in Iloilo), it was launched on June 23, 2023 by the  Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI), the Isabela State University (ISU) – City of Ilagan Campus, the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST PCIEERD), DOST Region II, City of Ilagan, and the Province of Isabela.

InteriorThe establishment of the facility is aimed to strengthen the local textile ecosystem and bridge the gaps in textile supply chain by enabling the conversion of natural raw materials into spinnable fibers for yarns from blends of natural fibers including abaca, banana, bamboo and pineapple leaf, in combination with cotton.

The RYPIC Isabela is a micro-scale yarn-spinning facility that will aid in the development of the textile industry in Northern Luzon. The facility can produce 50 kgs. of yarn per day (8h) which translates to 270 m. of handloom woven (1 m. width) fabrics. One RYPIC may produce 13,200 kgs. of yarn per year which can be used to produce 36,000 m. of 60″ width fabrics for 24,000 pieces of a female blouse or 18,000 office barong tagalog.

Integrated Blow Card

Draw Frame

The center, under the DOST-GIA project “DOST Inclusive Innovation Textiles Empowering Lives Anew or i2TELA Program,” the first of its kind in Northern Luzon, processes the treated fibers from the Natural Textile Fiber Innovation Hub (NTFIH), in Luna, Apayao, and the Bamboo Textile Fiber Innovation Hub (BTFIH) in Cauayan City, Isabela, which are spun natural textile fiber-based yarns.

Speed Frame (Flyer Frame)

Ring Frame

The RYPIC aims to jumpstart local innovation ecosystems for the textile sector and cater to the requirements of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the fashion industry, the academe, and government institutions for yarns and fabrics using local raw materials, skills, and talents.  It serves as an innovation hub to promote textile research and development activities in a region, thus igniting economic activity in weaving communities across the country.

Single End Universal Sizing

Twisting

The center is run by the faculty and staff of the Isabela State University who underwent a five-day training, part of the capability-building component of the RYPIC north Luzon project under the “DOST–PTRI Inclusive Innovation TELA (Textile Empowering Lives Anew)” program, at the DOST-Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) in Bicutan, Taguig, learning about textile raw materials and products, the process of textile manufacture, and techniques for testing and evaluating their common properties. They also gained knowledge and skills on how fibers are converted to yarns in the cotton system.

Winding

Finished Yarns Cotton, Cotton-Pineapple, Cotton-Bamboo and Cotton-Banana

During our visit, we observed, in action, the different equipment used in the yarn production.

  • Integrated Blow Card – a combination of blow room and carding machine designed, specifically for scaled-down spinning processes. This machine can function as a blow room. Raw fibers are opened, cleaned, mixed and transported to the carding machines, where mixed fibers are individually oriented and converted into rope-like strands called “slivers.” This is done through the carding action of three major components of the machine –licker-in, main cylinder and doffer.
  • Draw Frame – carded slivers go through between the top and bottom drafting rollers; dust and fly wastes are removed by a suction tube, improving the parallelism of the fibers to produce more even yarns. The combination of several carded slivers is called “doubling,” and its output is called a “drawn sliver.”
  • Speed Frame (Flyer Frame) – drawn slivers go through between the top and bottom drafting rollers, achieving its required weight to produce the “roving.” The roving material passes through the final drafting rollers, slight twist, enough to hold in the next process stage, is imparted.
  • Ring Frame – the roving passes through between the top and bottom rollers, to achieve the required yarn count or yarn number, imparting twist suitable for weaving and knitting, and wound into a bobbin for storage, transport and further processing. The output yarns are expressed, either as weight per unit length (direct system), or length per unit weight (indirect system).
  • Single End Universal Sizing – yarns, in cones, are imparted with size (starchy substance) through bathing, drying and rewinding into cones. The purpose of introducing size is to reduce the chances of threads fraying and breaking due to the friction in the weaving process.  The size stiffens the thread and holds the fibers closely together.
  • Twisting – an intermediate process in the manufacture of fabrics, no alteration is done to the material other than to twist one or more strands of yarn, placing the twisted yarn in suitable packaged form. Twisting compresses the fibers, reducing the size of the strand and adding strength to multiple ends when they are combined.
  • Winding – this machine has the capability to function as winder. Yarns, which emerges from the ring frame, are transferred into cone packages. The idea is to obtain a long, continuous length of yarn, for nonstop operation of weaving or knitting, regulate yarn tension and remove thick and thin yarns, slubs by means of a yarn monitoring device. 

After our tour of the facilities and prior to our departure, we interviewed Dr. Freddie O. Orperia, RYPIC Focal Person.

Dr. Freddie O. Orperia, RYPIC Focal Person

Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center (RYPIC): Isabela State University, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela.

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.

Igorot Stone Kingdom (Baguio City, Benguet)

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Igorot Stone Kingdom

The 6,000 sq. m. Igorot Stone Kingdom is a man-made theme and amusement park, surrounded by tall trees, built on a mountainside, by owners Engr. Pio (also known as Ama Bag-owan) and Haiji Velasco, to showcase the indigenous culture of Cordilleras, as well as the practices, traditions, values and way of life of its people.

The author at the entrance

The newest and one of the most popular attractions in Baguio City, it is based on the legend of Sab-angan which is believed to be an Igorot Kingdom, ruled by King Alapo Baguwan, that once existed thousands of years ago.

His concept for the man-made kingdom was an “Igorot child’s castle fantasies, his childhood in Mountain Province, and a caring God and family culture brought by the Igorot’s skill of stone laying.  The stone park was also built as a tribute Velasco’s strong and patient Igorot mom, Rita C. “Rosing” Gal-Velasco (1928-2012) who taught her five children patience and strength.

Jandy seated on the King’s Throne

The attraction, though built for tourism purposes, is also a place to learn about the rich culture of the Igorot people.  Described as a “cultural revolution,” it aims to correct the misconceptions about Igorots by showing people that the Igorots are civilized and culturally advanced, and that they take pride in their skills and heritage.

Igorot Golden Bridge

Construction of the Igorot Stone Kingdom began on March 15, 2020 and it formally opened to public in May of 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming viral in social media. However, last November 9, 2022, the site was closed due to permit and safety reasons. It only reopened again this April 3, 2023 in time for Holy Week.

Igorot Gold Mine

Temple of Kabunyan

The highlight of Igorot Stone Kingdom is the stone walls, inspired by the ladder-like layout of the rice terraces of Batad in Banaue, that were built in in traditional riprap (locally called kabite) where stones or boulders are interlocked together to form a wall. Traditionally, a riprap does not involved the use of cement but for purposes of reinforcement, cement are put on top.

The White Carabao

The Igorot Stone Kingdom features different towers and monuments such as the:

  • Fertility Tower
  • Tower of the Igorot God Kabunyan
  • Tower of Gatan and Bangan – depicts their fantasy story of how this Igorot man and woman survived the great holocaust.
  • White Carabao Monument – according to Pio, this was the exact location where he had a sighting (on March 1, 2020) of a white carabao (In Igorot culture, it symbolizes good luck and prosperity) which he took as a sign to build the Stone Kingdom.
  • Igorot Gold Mine
  • Igorot Golden Bridge – a steel bridge
  • Bangan’s Dome
  • Igorot Heroes Hall – houses life-size statues of prominent Igorots.
  • King’s Throne
  • King’s CR
  • Wishing Well

Nacagang Plaza

Sabangan Plaza

There were also modern-day castles made of cement and hollow blocks, among others, all showcasing the talent and skills of the Igorot. What captured our attention was the beautiful layers of stone-formed castle structure resembling rice terraces which, from a birds-eye view, the place looks like a ruin of an old Roman castle. For photo-ops, you can rent Igorot costumes.

Bangyol’s Point

It also looks like a maze, with its concentric stone corridors, which lets you roam around and admire every nook and cranny of the entire castle. There are just so many things to see and discover in this attraction that are all picture-worthy.

The King’s CR

There’s also a coffee shop (King’s Coffee Shop), a fastfood area (Ina Rita’s Food Court), toilets and view decks.  Still a work in progress, you can expect the park to add more attractions including life-sized statues of prominent Igorots as it completes its construction.

Wishing Well

Igorot Stone Kingdom: 362 Long-Long Benguet Rd., Brgy. Pinsao Proper, Baguio City, Benguet. Mobile number: (0945) 311-2286. Open daily, 6 AM to 6PM. Admission: Php 100 (adults) and Php80 (kids). Toddlers 3 years old and below can enter free of charge. Discounts are offered for senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD).

How to Get There: Located 5 kms. from the Central Business District, you can ride a jeep bound for Tacay-Longlong in Otek St. You may also ride a taxi from CBD, which may cost you at least Php 175.  The park is 500 m. from Tam-awan Village.

Baguio Convention and Cultural Center (Benguet)

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Baguio Convention and Cultural Center

Originally built as the Baguio Convention Center (BCC), this facility, sitting on a 10,000 sq. m. lot, with over 3,000 sq. m. building footprint, was established for the holding of conventions, gatherings, and other big events in the city.

Designed in the Brutalist architectural style by Architect Jorge Y. Ramos, it was inaugurated on July 17, 1978 by the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos during the opening of the World Chess Tournament championship series between Russian grandmaster Anatoly Karpov and Russian defector Victor Korchnoi.    From 2017 to 2020, it was renovated to provide a better venue for cultural and creative endeavors and, in 2022, it was renamed as the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center (BCCC).

Entrance portico with their four huge columns with halipan ((rat guard) motif

Situated across the University of the Philippines College Baguio and flanked by the summer courthouses of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, it exudes an ethnic flavor, with its pyramidal roof and huge concrete posts, resembling a traditional Ifugao bale with its halipan (rat guard) on its four posts at the entrance.  Considered the most spacious edifice North of Manila, it continues to cater to conferences, conventions, meetings, and other social functions in the city.

Jandy at the entrance

It boasts a large, pillar-less main hall, equipped with high-definition audio-visual equipment, that can accommodate more than 2,000 persons (500 on each side), making it ideal for conferences, exhibitions, trade shows and conventions.

The lobby with its two murals

It also has several function rooms for meetings, break-out sessions and other smaller events.   The center is also the venue for the Baguio Arts Festival, housing a permanent exhibit hall where local artists may have their works displayed and showcased. The basement also houses the city’s command center.

The center’s main hall

Two murals, an interconnected diptych with a red string running through it, were painted by local Baguio artists Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera (National Artist for the Visual Arts in 2006), Leonard Aguinaldo, Roland Bay-an, Kawayan de Guia, Venazir Marinez and John Frank Subido.  Based on the quincentennial of the arrival of the Europeans in the Philippines, both are permanently displayed at the lobby.

Seating area

Baguio Convention and Cultural Center: Governor Pack Rd., 2600 Baguio City.  Tel:  (074) 446 2009. Mobile number: (0928) 193-7336. E-mail: baguiocc2022@gmail.com.

Church of St. Rose of Lima (Gamu, Isabela)

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Church of St. Rose of Lima

This church, constructed in 1738 by Fr. Martin Fernandez, OP, was, together with the convent, destroyed by the strong Intensity 6 earthquake on December 29, 1949. From 1950-1951, a wooden church was constructed, next to the ruins of the Spanish church. La Salette missionary, Fr. Maurice Cardenal, started the restoration of the Spanish church. In 1968, a new roof was constructed together with the flooring.

The Baroque-style, brick facade

In March 1978, CICM missionary Fr. John Couvreur, the 75th parish priest, completely renovated the interior of the church and, in March 1979, the ruins of the sacristy were restored and transformed into a week day chapel.  From 1950 to 1951, a new brick bell tower, in Spanish style, was built but was later dismantled and the recovered materials were used to build chapels in several barrios.  From the ruins of the convent, a multi-purpose hall and dormitory were put up for seminars and meetings.

The paired columns (round and square) flanking the main entrance

On June 24, 1993, the roof and ceiling of the church was destroyed by typhoon Goring.  It was restored, in a short time, and a beautiful ceiling was built.  The church houses a life-size image of the Peruvian nun Rose of Lima, the patron saint of embroidery, gardening, and cultivation of blooming flowers.

The National Museum historical plaque

On June 27, 2019, the National Museum of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recognized the church, and its surrounding complex, as an Important Cultural Property and, on May 12, 2023, a historical marker was installed. This church, as well as the Church of Our Lady of Atocha in Alicia, and the Church of Our Lady of the Pillar in Cauayan City, 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 Our Lady of the Pillar“

The modern interior

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The church’s Baroque-style, brick façade has a semicircular arch main entrance flanked by paired (one square and one round) pilasters, above which are semicircular arched windows, and semicircular arch niches for statues (currently empty).  The undulating pediment, capped by pinnacles, has a small, centrally located rose window.

On the church’s right is a three-storey, square bell tower, with receding storeys, semicircular arch blind window on the first storey, segmental arch open windows on the two upper storeys and a pyramidal roof.  On the church’s left is the brick convent which is now a multipurpose hall, used for seminars and meetings, and a dormitory.

The main altar and retablo

Church of St. Rose of Lima: Poblacion, 3301 Gamu, Isabela.  Mobile numbers: (0916) 680-3680 and (0936) 360-1064.   E-mail: srlgamu@zoho.com. Feast of St. Rose of Lima: August 23.

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

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

How to Get There: Gamu is located 413.4 kms. (a 7.75-hour drive) from Manila and 21.5 kms.(a 30-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan.  The church is located in front of the town’s municipal hall.