Category Archives: Isabela

Balai na Ilagan (Isabela)

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Balai na Ilagan (“House of Ilagan”), also known as Friendship Hall and Balai na Maguili, is located beside St. Ferdinand Parish Church and Rizal Park.  Brimming with art in every nook, it was built in 2009 and is a testament to the vibrant arts, culture, music and literature scene in the province. Here, artists can learn from workshops, hold concerts or just find solace in the peaceful surroundings.

 

This multi-purpose hall and former convent and town clinic, within the grounds of the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in, was set up by Stewards and Friends of Ilagan Inc. (the corporate social responsibility arm of the S.M. Lazo Group of Companies based in Malate, Manila) to give Ilagueños a communal space to nurture the artistic talents of Ilagan’s residents. They also conduct youth development activities and livelihood training courses for the less fortunate, and ties up with institutions that promote productive skills such as TESDA to enrich the lives of the locals.

 

Balai ni Ilagan promotes culture and the arts by showcasing audio-visual presentations of native and international literature, music, arts and sciences; inviting speakers for cross-cultural learning; and holding competitions related to music, as well as painting and photography contests.

 

Adorning the interiors are wall-to-wall murals, painted by local artists, of forest scenes and jungle foliage interspersed with bright flowers, wildlife, mythical creatures, waterfalls, and birds in flight.  On one side of the hall is a grand piano for aspiring musicians.  There’s also a well-preserved 18th century chapel in the compound.

 

At the main entrance is an ornate, restored wooden door, from the old convent, carved with flowers and intricate details. The clean and orderly grounds are used by students, to practice plays, presentations and musical numbers.

 

The library, offering a wide range of reading materials, also displays promising artwork by students from workshops.

 

Balai na Ilagan: Sta. Ana cor. Rizal St., Brgy. Bagumbayan, 3300 Cityof 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.

City of Ilagan Museum (Isabela)

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City of Ilagan Museum

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

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

Irraya 1521 Diorama

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

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

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

Sara (Carabao Horn)

A 1958 Yashica 635 twin lens reflex camera and theodolite

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

Butaka

Old religious statuary

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

Office equipment such as typewriters and adding machines

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

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

Old Philippine paper currency

Old Philippine Coins

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

Portrait of Antonio Lopez y Lopez

Artwork by Ilagueno artists

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

Local Chief Executives, past and present

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

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

Bambanti Festival King and Queen costumes

Queen Isabela Costume

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

Rizal Park and St. Ferdinand Parish Church

City of Ilagan Sports Complex and Casa San Antonio

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

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

City of Ilagan Tourist Information and Assistance Center: Bonifacio Park, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 324-7769.  E-mail: ilaganinfocenter@gmail.com.

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

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

How to Get There: The City of Ilagan is located 429.3 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cauayan City.

Abuan River Adventure and Eco Park (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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The author at the Abuan River Adventure and Eco Park

On the morning of our fifth day of our stay in the City of Ilagan, we visited one of the gems of Isabela – the newly-rehabilitated Abuan River Adventure and Eco Park.

The Abuan River as seen from the viewpoint

Located at the eastern part of the city, it is a favorite place for villagers and tourists who do picnicking, whitewater rafting (it is said to be the nation’s next big whitewater destination), rappelling, waterfalls trekking, hiking, scaling cliffs and falls, swimming, rafting, kayaking and other water activities. It is part of the vision of the City Government of Ilagan to be a livable city by 2030.

Media group at Abuan River Adventure and Eco Park (photos: Azrael Coladilla)

The beautiful, crowd-drawing, 65 km. long  and pristine Abuan River, the clearest river in the province, is located 82 m. above sea level, at the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (considered one of the most important of the protected areas system of the Philippines), where one of the widest remaining tropical rainforest, rich in flora and fauna (like Philippine hawks, crocodiles and eagles), in the island of Luzon, can be found.

Its cold, crystal clear water is an essential conduit channel inside the 50,625-hectare Abuan Watershed and the water from the stream is used in water irrigation for the crops and rice fields in the province..

A standing pedalboard and plastic kayaks and a boat

A number of pedal boats, a plastic kayak and and a crystal-clear kayak

In the past, it was once regarded, by the Department of Interior and Local Government, as the “cleanest river” in Cagayan Valley in the 1990s but deforestation, due to illegal logging, poaching, charcoal production activities and land conversion, has led to the loss of ecosystem services in the Abuan watershed which could displace almost 130,000 families living near the river.

It now provides a wellspring of work and alternative livelihood to past loggers and timber haulers, otherwise called bugadores in layman’s term.  Local people such as some Agtas living near the tourist spot were also hired as life guards and tourist guides while others maintain the cleanliness around the park.

The big all-terrain vehicle (ATV) we rode getting up to the viewpoint

The viewpoint

Periodic cleanup and rehabilitation is done, the last starting on January 9, 2024, when the river was closed, as many people, who have flocked to the area, have been polluting the river with garbage and other waste.  For almost a month, it was rehabilitated by City Mayor Josemarie L. Diaz who had the river dredged and installed riprapping along the river banks.  Additional facilities for water adventure rides like kayaks, boats, pedalboats, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were also provided.  The park was reopened on March 11, 2024.

The wind farm

View of the Ilagan countryside

The local government-funded resettlement area for the Agta

Using one of the big ATVs, we were brought up, along a dirt road, up to the viewpoint where we had a bird’s eye view of the Abuan River, the 23 blue-colored houses of the local government-funded resettlement area for the Agta, and the rest of the Ilagan countryside. Further up, at the highest point of the hill, is a wind farm with another view deck.

Boat ride along the Abuan River

The swimming area

Back at the river, we boarded boats, piloted by former bugadores, and bought, past rock formations, to a shallow swimming area with a quite strong current.  Here, we dipped our bodies in the cool, crystal-clears waters. Later, Cris, Mich, Sydney, Lea and Ann tried out jetskiing.

Mich, Elvie, the author, Ann and Leony cooling down (photo: Nicole Paler)

Back at the cool shade underneath the Abuan Bridge, we feasted on sweet corn, sandwiches, sliced watermelon  and halo-halo (Php20 each) before returning to our hotel for a late lunch.

Lea enjoying her jetski ride (photo: George Buid)

Abuan River Adventure and Eco Park:Sitio Bintacan, Brgy. Cabisera 10, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Admission: Php45.

Rates:

  • Cottages: Php500 for 3 x 3 m., Php300 for 2.5 x 2 m.
  • Canopy (280 x 480): Php500
  • Umbrella: Php150
  • Pedal boating: Php150 for 30 mins.
  • Boating: Php200 for 45 mins., maximum of 8 pax
  • Kayaking: Php150 for 30 mins.
  • Crystal-clear kayaking: Php150
  • Paragliding (15 mins.): Php2,500
  • Paramotor (15 mins.): Php2,500
  • Jetski (15 mins.): Php1,200
  • Motorboat (15 mins., maximum of 6 pax): Php500
  • Water tubing (maximum of 6 pax): Php500
  • All-terrain vehicles (ATV): Php250 (small, 15 mins.), Php400 (small, 30 mins.), Php300 (big, 15 mins.) and Php500 (big, 30 mins.)

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.

City of Ilagan Medical Center (Isabela)

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City of Ilagan Medical Center (CIMC)

The Landbank-financed City of Ilagan Medical Center (CIMC), an enhanced 100-bed capacity hospital with a 2-level classification, is operated by the City Government of Ilagan and has been integral to the health of Ilagueños.  Due to its geographical location, it also caters to patients from neighboring towns and cities.

Hospital Lobby

Serving Ilagueños at the western part of the city, the construction of the City of Ilagan Medical Center started in August 2018. Initially intended to serve as a community isolation facility for Covid 19 patients, after its soft opening on April 4, 2021, when all the referral hospitals in the region have reached their 100% utilization, it accepted patients in critical condition when cases surged on March 2021.  Even its aisles were filled with Covid patients.  In one day alone, 780 patients suspected with Covid were admitted into the facility.

Farmers mural above hospital lobby

On August 11, 2021, the CIMC was formally opened by City Mayor Josemarie L. Diaz as one of the highlights during the celebration of the 9th Cityhood Anniversary of Ilagan and, on May 4, 2022, during the 336th Aggaw sa Ilagan celebration, the groundbreaking of the City of Ilagan Medical Arts Building, beside the CIMC, was held.  It will house medical clinics, for consultations, and stalls for Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).  Exactly one year later, the groundbreaking of the Physical Rehabilitation and Infectious Diseases Building, also beside the CIMC, was also held.

Inauguration plaque

For two years now, Mayor Diaz has been lobbying for the swift establishment of a Malasakit Center in the facility to lessen the burden of its indigent constituents, its opening and operations being dependent upon the approval of the Department of Health (DOH) which is the lead implementing agency.  Currently, doctor’s fees at the CIMC is being shouldered by the city government, with laboratory fees, medicine, among others, are paid for by patients.

Stairway

The CIMC hospital is the first health facility in the Cagayan Valley Region to received a triple International Standardization Organization (ISO) Certification – Quality Management System, Environmental Management System  and Occupational Health and Management System.

CT Scan Room

Laboratory

Now equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities and equipment, it now provides advanced medical services such as reconstructive surgery, pulmonary, endoscopy, radiology and hemodialysis. It also has an intensive care unit and a blood bank.

Dental clinic

Treatment Room 1

The CIMC currently has 136 doctors, including neurologists, cardiologists, gastro encologists and infectious control specialists. Its current hospital director is Dr. Herbie M. Barrios.

Hemodialysis Department

Physical Therapy Room

City of Ilagan Medical Center: Delfin Albano-Mallig Rd., Brgy. Lullutan, 3300 City of Ilagan Isabela.  Mobile number: (0999) 993-2534.  E-mail: cimc_admin@cityofilagan.go.ph.

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.

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.

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.

Philippine Crocodile Conservation Center (San Mariano, Isabela)

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The Visitors Center of the Philippine Crocodile Conservation Center

After our second visit to Meraki Garden in Reina Mercedes, a 29-km. (45-min.) drive brought us  to the Isabela State University campus in San Mariano where we were to visit the Philippine Crocodile Conservation Center (PCCC).  From the entrance, it was still a 750 m. walk to the center.  Inaugurated last April 19, 2022, the PCCC is a joint project of Isabela State University, the local government of San Mariano and the Mabuwaya Foundation, and supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) which plays an important role in sustaining and promoting the project as a tourism destination.

Check out “Meraki Garden”

Isabela State University

The remote rivers and wetlands of the town hosts one of only two viable wild sub-populations (the other is in Southwest Mindanao), of the endemic, Luzon-origin Philippine freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis or burakot in the Ilocano tongue) which is classified as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and is not found anywhere else in the world. Close to extinction, less than 100 mature individuals remain in the wild, making the animal even more endangered than the Philippine eagle.

Philippine freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)

The Mabuwaya Foundation, a Filipino-Dutch non-government organization, works with local communities to conserve the remnant wild populations of the Philippine crocodile and its habitat. Apart from dedicated conservation and outreach programs (supported by luxury fashion brand Lacoste, founder Michel Lacoste even visited the park in 2012), they train community volunteers/sanctuary guards in Philippine crocodile monitoring activities and environmental law enforcement, thus becoming their partners in the field. Together with our community volunteers, they also assist in the recovery of the population of the Philippine crocodile by searching and protecting nests.

Holding pens

The PCCC was made possible through donations to the Mabuwaya Foundation and financial support from international zoos in Australia (Zoos Victoria) and Europe (ZSL London Zoo, Crocodiles of the World and Wild Discovery in the United Kingdom; La Ferme aux Crocodiles in France; Koln Zoo in Germany; Bergen Aquarium in Norway; The Blue Planet, Krokodille Zoo and Terrariet – Reptile Zoo in Denmark; Zagreb Zoo in Croatia; and Protivin Crocodile Zoo in the Czech Republic) that have the Philippine crocodile in their collection.

Hatchling crocodiles in the holding pens

The center consists of a Visitors Building and crocodile holding pens used to house adult crocodiles for the first conservation breeding program for the critically small population of Philippine crocodiles, and for wild-born hatchling crocodiles. Larger juvenile crocodiles raised in the center are then transferred to enclosures before they are released back into the wild to augment the critically small wild population of the rarest crocodile in the world and one of the rarest animals on the planet. The PCCC will play an important role in sustaining crocodile conservation activities in San Mariano and in generating income for communities conserving crocodiles.

Media team at the Visitors Center

The Visitors Building will be used for environmental education and as the gateway for visitors who want to explore the wilderness areas, of San Mariano and the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, to see Philippine crocodiles and many other rare endemic species in the wild.  A municipal rearing station, near the Pinacanauan River, was also established in Brgy. Mananga, where a significant population was discovered in 1999.

Dutch biologist Merlijn van Weerd (CEO of Mabuwaya Foundation)

During a briefing held at the Visitors Building, Dutch biologist Mr. Merlijn Van Weerd, Chief Executive Officer of Mabuwaya Foundation, highlighted that the area is not a zoo, but a conservation center and that Mabuwaya Foundation looks forward to make it a self-sustaining conservation center.  He also shared how the conservation of the Philippine Crocodile came into being. It started in 1999 but it was in 2001 when the sanctuary in San Mariano, Isabela was declared as the first Philippine Crocodile Sanctuary in the Philippines and the first community crocodile sanctuary in the world.

Ms. Marites Gatan-Balbas

Ms. Marites “Tess” Gatan-Balbas, Chief Operating Officer of the Mabuwaya Foundation, said that this reclusive and nonaggressive endemic species is nationally protected and because of its relatively small size (most adults measure five feet in length, with some known to reach maximum lengths of 10 feet), it does not pose a threat to people, as compared to the more common and larger Indo-Pacific saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), the other crocodile species in the Philippines, which most people are familiar with.

The author with a juvenile croc

According to Tess, even though Philippine crocodiles are too small to be man-eaters, they have a very bad image in the Philippines as they were regarded as pests and a threat to livestock and humans. They are even associated with corrupt politicians. The population of this species is very small due to habitat loss, hunting and killing out of fear. However, the Philippine crocodile was not always hated as indigenous communities revered, and sometimes still do, this species as a protector of forest spirits or even as their ancestors or twins. Philippine folklore has lots of stories about mythical crocodiles, often portraying the species in a positive way. The general message of many of these stories is: if you don’t harm the crocodile, the crocodile will not harm you.

Hatchling crocodiles

 

The Philippine crocodile, the key predator in wetland ecosystems and an indicator of healthy natural river systems, is as much part of the natural and cultural heritage of the Philippines as the Philippine eagle or the Philippine tarsier. Though nationally protected by virtue of the Republic Act 9147 (the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001), enforcement of this law is, however, very weak, and Philippine crocodiles remain severely threatened in the Philippines.

Skeleton of a Philippine crocodile

After the briefing, we proceeded to the holding pens to observe the actual crocodiles, seeing one mature crocodile and a number of hatchlings.   With the supervision of the caretakers, some of us handled the crocodile hatchlings.

 

Philippine Crocodile Conservation Center: Isabela State University-San Mariano Campus, San Mariano, Isabela.  Mobile numbers (0917) 50-0558 (Ms. Corazon M. Pua – Community Affairs Officer) and (0920) 974-2379 (Ms. Marites Gatan-Balbas).  Visits to the rearing staion or the crocodile sanctuarieswithin the park must be arrange at the municipal hall.

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: San Mariano is located 432.8 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila, 35 kms. (a 45-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan and 40.6 kms. (a 55-min. drive) from Cauayan City.  The junction to San Mariano lies between the cities of Cauayan and Ilagan and the town of Naguilian. Alight at the junction, and hail a passing jeepney (from Ilagan or Cauayan) for the final 20-km. stretch to San Mariano, via Benito Soliven.

Museo de San Luis (Cauayan City, Isabela)

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Museo de San Luis

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

 Check out “Hacienda San Luis Eco-Tourism Park” 

Museum porch

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

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

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

Traditional wooden press for cigar making and a tobacco hogshead

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

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

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

Different kinds of cigars produced

Wooden relief carving of an Itaois male and female

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

 

La Flor de Isabela posters

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

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

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

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

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

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Hacienda de San Luis Eco-Tourism Park

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

La Flor de Isabela Function Hall (forner tabacalera warehouse)

 

Function hall interior

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

 

Here is the historical timeline of the hacienda:

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

Museo de San Luis

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

Check out “Museo de San Luis”

Gawa-Gawayan Museum

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

Bamboo de Cauayan

2019 Bambanti Festival King and Queen Costumes

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

Cagayan Valley Regional Science Centrum

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

Zipline Towe

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

Horseriding Stables

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

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

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

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

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

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Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort

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

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

Ms. Librada Gatan-Africano

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

Events Center

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

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

The Farmhouse

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

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

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

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

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

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

The author at Konnichiwa Flower Garden

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

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

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

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