Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Paoay Church / Herencia Cafe

Paoay Church

Paoay Church,the best known earthquake Baroque church in the Philippines which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The cornerstone of the church was laid by the Augustinian missionaries in 1704 while the cornerstone of the belfry was laid in 1793. The people already used it even before completion in 1894,but it was formally inaugurated on February 28,1896. It is said that large coral stones were used for the lower level of the church structure,and bricks were used for the upper levels. The walls which were made of coral blocks,tree sap,lumber and stucco-plastered bricks are 1.67 meters (more than 3 feet) thick,and are supported by 24 massive buttresses of intricate design.The church was partially destroyed twice by earthquakes in 1706 and 1927.In the restoration,permanent columns were built to support the ceiling. Today,this uniquely beautiful church still stands, wowing tourists with its majestic structure of Oriental,Gothic and Baroque influences.

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A three-storey coral stone bell tower stands a few meters away from the church. The bell tower served as an observation post in 1896 for the Katipuneros during the Philippine revolution against the Spaniards, and again by the Filipino guerillas during the Japanese occupation in World War II.

According to historians, the bell tower also served as a status symbol for the locals. The bell would ring more loudly and more times during the wedding of a prominent clan that it would during the wedding of the poor.

Portions of the church was damaged during the earthquakes in 1865 and 1885. During an excavation inside the church in 2000, a prehistoric human skeleton and fragmented ceramics were discovered and are now in display at the National Museum. Former president Ferdinand Marcos declared Paoay Church as a national treasure and is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Church is a unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental designs. Its facade reveals Gothic affinity, its gables show Chinese elements, while the niches topping the walls suggest Javanese influence (reminiscent of the famous Boroboudur Temple).

Known as the “Earthquake Baroque” church in the Philippines, Paoay church was built of baked bricks, coral rocks, salbot (tree sap) and lumber, and has 24 carved massive buttresses for support. It is an architectural solution to the area's challenging, natural setting. Both sides of the nave are lined with the most voluminous stone buttresses seen around the islands. Large coral stones were used for the lower level while bricks were used for the upper levels of the church. The walls are 1.67 meters thick made of the same materials. Its bell tower, which is detached from its main building, is made of coral stone. It stands a safe distance away to spare the sanctuary in case of collapse. Originally, the church roof was thatched; and it is conjectured so that buttresses not only support walls but give roof access during fire and typhoon.

The rectangular facade of the church is supported by four pillasters which extend from the first to the second level outlining the arched doorway. Huge volutes or buttresses and low-relief lines are found on each side of the facade.

In Fr. Pedro Galende's book, he described the massiveness of the structure is balanced by its grace and fluidity. The church adapts the pyramidal design of the baroque style. Its details are inspired from by seal of Saint Agustine, the emblem of the king of Spain, the logo of the Pope, the “init-tao” or the sun god, and stylized Chinese clouds.

Herencia Cafe

After we visited the Paoay Church, we passed by along Herencia Café and decided to have our lunch there. Herencia Café is located at McArthur Street, Paoay (in front of Paoay Church).

In front of the Paoay Church is Herencia Cafe which first served the Pinakbet Pizza, topped with your usual pinakbet vegetables. Pinakbet Pizza, ever heard of that? We also got to try the Bagnet Pizza which is crispy bagnet or lechon kawali (chicharon as they sometimes refer to it in Ilocos) on a pizza, and the Dinuguan Pizza (dinuguan with crispy bagnet).

Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Marcos Museum

Marcos Museum

The Marcos Museum in Sarrat is one of the attractions in Ilocos Norte.

In Ilocos Norte, there are many Marcos Museum and this is just one of them.

This museum which opens everyday from 8am till 5pm is just along the highway and it is easy to spot. This museum is the ancestral house of the Edralin, which is Ferdinand Marcos’s maternal side of the family.

Renovated by Imelda Marcos for her husband’s 60th birthday, it was left abandoned during the fall of the Marcos Family.

The president was born and lived here until they moved to Batac City when he was eight years old. His parents, Mariano and Josefa Edralin Marcos were all schoolteachers. The house is a traditional bahay na bato, a 2-storey structure with the ground floor for storage while the upper level is reserved for living quarters.

There are many items on display some taken from the Malacanang Palace Museum as well as from the Malacanang of the North in Paoay. There are many old photographs of the family as well as documents and furniture.

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Ferdinand Marcos was born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte to Don Mariano Marcos, a lawyer who was an assemblyman for Ilocos Norte, and Doña Josefa Quetulio Edralín, a teacher. He was the second of four children. His siblings were Pacífico, Elizabeth and Fortuna. He was of mixed Filipino (Ilocano), Chinese, and Japanese ancestry. He started his primary education in Sarrat Central School. He was transferred to Shamrock Elementary School (Laoag), and finally to the Ermita Elementary School (Manila) when his father was elected as an Assemblyman in the Philippine Congress. He completed his primary education in 1929.

He served as 3rd lieutenant in the Philippine Constabulary Reserve in 1937. The same year, when he was still a law student at the University of the Philippines, Marcos was indicted for the assassination of Assemblyman Julio Nalundasan, one of his father's political rivals. Marcos was convicted in November 1939. He was offered a pardon by President Manuel Quezon, but he turned it down and voluntarily returned to the Laoag Provincial Jail where he spent time preparing his defense. On appeal, he argued his case before the Philippine Supreme Court and was acquitted the following year by then-Associate Justice Jose P. Laurel. In the University of the Philippines, Marcos was a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi. After graduating with cum laude honors in 1939, he became the topnotcher of the Philippine bar examinations the same year.

Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Sta. Monica Church

Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Sta. Monica Church

Sta. Monica Church is one of the most visited churches in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. It is located 8 kilometers east of Laoag City and 594 kilometers from Manila.

It was used as the venue for the wedding of Irene Marcos, eldest daughter of former President Ferdinand Marcos in June 1983 to Gregorio Araneta. Two months later, on 17 August 1983, it was damaged by an earthquake with an intensity of 7.6.

During the Spanish era, it was believed to be used as a trial or court building. Construction of the church, convent and bell tower began in 1669 and was completed in 1679. It was damaged by a fire in 1817 and again in 1882; rebuilding after the second fire was finished in 1896.

While the church edifice was constructed by the Augustinians in 1779, the Sta. Monica Parish Museum was established in 1993 supervised by its parish priest for the bishop of Laoag. It was finished in 1997 care of the Kannawidan Foundation, Inc. - The Iloko Foundation for Arts and Culture to its present state. This organization advocates the preservation of the cultural and historical heritage of Ilokanos.

The church was constructed in the Baroque and Neoclassical styles. It has buttressed walls, 3-level brick bridge and staircase that connects the church to the convent. It was the last Spanish church built in Ilocos Norte. It has a 137-meter nave which is the longest in the country. This is acknowledged by the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Encyclopedia of Philippine Art.

The church once had a clock on the dome installed by Father Jose Ruiz. The convent, known as the Casa del Palacio Real, served as the presidencia municipal and the seat of the church's civil government.

Guimod Bantay, Ilocos Sur, Fiesta Garden

Guimod Bantay, Ilocos Sur, Garden Fiesta

A nice stop over when you go to Ilocos :-)

Santa, Ilocos Sur, Quirino Bridge

Santa, Ilocos Sur, Banaoang/Quirino Bridge

This scenic bridge is named after the late former President, Elpidio Qurino and it spreads across the Abra river connecting the rocky mountain slopes of the town of Santa and the tail end of Bantay, both in Ilocos Sur.

Quirino Bridge, otherwise referred to as ‘Banaoang bridge’, is named after the late former President Elpidio Qurino who was the sixth president of the Philippines, born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur on November 16, 1890. There is no information on when the bridge was built nor its stats, but apparently it was already there as early as the Second World War (maybe during the American Era?) and it even survived the bombings of the war.

The bridge spreads across the Abra river connecting the rocky mountain slopes of the town of Santa and the tail end of Bantay. It majestically connects and separates two transcending mountains and widely praised because of its marvelous engineering and grand architectural design as glorified by its splendid panoramic beauty, strength and durability.

It is widely praised because of its marvelous engineering and grand architectural design as glorified by its splendid panoramic beauty, strength and durability when it survived the bombings of World War II.

It is considered as one of the most superior bridges built by men because of the utilization of natural endowments combined with fabricated materials.

The bridge was destroyed and damaged when one of its steel spans was washed away at the height of super typhoon Feria that devastated the province on July 4-6, 2001.

Now, there is a new bridge that started west of the river.

Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, Santa Maria Church

Home of Santa Maria Church and Belfry

The Church in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, which has been dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption (Nuestra Senora dela Asuncion), is one of the four Baroque Churches in the Philippines that has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion: Municipality of Santa Maria, Province of Ilocos Sur Built in 1765 under the direction of the Agustinian order, the ensemble resembles a citadel sited on the crest of a solitary hill rising above one side of the Santa Maria town plaza. The architectural ensemble presents its side and detached pagoda-like bell tower rather than its façade to the town. Thick contrafuetes (buttresses) are attached to the walls, reinforcing the structure against earthquake damage. In 1810, an image of the Virgin Mary image was found in a guava tree, on the day it was supposed to be enthroned in Bulala, some distance away. The present church was built on the spot where the guava tree grew, under the supervision of the Augustinian friars.

The bell tower is constructed a distance away, protecting the main church structure from possible earthquake damage. Approached on foot by ascending a long, wide flight of piedra china, steps that rising from the edge of the town plaza, the small, cramped plaza at the top of the steps is bounded by the church façade that faces the convento, enclosed by an arcaded bridge that connects both structures.

La Virginia Resort and Hotel, Batangas

Set in 6 hectares of secluded grounds yet only 2 hours from downtown Metro Manila, La Virginia offers one of the largest privately-owned natural getaways in Batangas, with the clean elegance of Philippine and modern architecture. A getaway from life's pressures in the healing tranquility of an environment that truly feels "away from it all". If you have ever spent time at a tropical plantation, you know what we mean. If not, come and discover a refreshingly different experience.

The resort boasts of several attractions that will surely keep you busy the whole day. Our infinity pool, picnic tree house, hanging bridge, pagoda, chapel and many more, all within walking distance in the resort, will definitely bring lots of fun to both young and old folks alike. Enjoy all these attractions with a scenic backdrop view of the Taal Lake and the many colorful flora all around the resort.

La Virginia Hotel and Resort has one of the most finest view of Taal Lake in the Philippines.The Lake is so refreshing and relaxing just by looking at it, but it's also so amazing that most of the time, it looks like a painting from afar.