Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Bangui Windmills

Bangui Windmills

The Bangui Windmills are located in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. The windmills, officially referred to as the NorthWind Bangui Bay Project, were a project by the NorthWind Development Corporation as a practice renewable energy sources and to help reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The project is the first “Wind Farm” in the Philippines consisting of wind turbines on-shore facing the South China Sea and considered to be the biggest in Southeast Asia. The project sells electricity to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) and provides 40% of the power requirements of Ilocos Norte via Transco Laoag.

How To Get There-

From Laoag, take the Laoag - Cagayan route towards Burgos. After reaching Burgos, watch out for the directional marker on the left side of the road that leads to the Bangui Bay. Follow the dirt road leading to the bay. Some wind mills will already be visible from this point then make a right turn to the bay. Travel time from Laoag will approximately be an hour and a half.

Burgos, Ilocos Norte, Bojeador Lighthouse

Bojeador Lighthouse

Burgos is the last town in the northwest corner of the island of Luzon. It was named after the martyred priest Jose Burgos who, together with two other clergymen, were accused of mutiny and later executed in Manila. He was born in the Ilocos Region.

Burgos is a 5th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte

Places of interest: Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as Burgos Lighthouse, is a cultural heritage structure in Burgos established during the Spanish Colonial times.

Burgos lighthouse. To this day, the over a century-old Burgos lighthouse remains a mute beacon to seafarers.

It is also a source of provincial pride after the National Museum declared it a national cultural treasure in December 2005.

Perched on Vigia de Nagpartian hill in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, the lighthouse, is composed of a 160-m tall light tower, living and office quarters and a courtyard.

Completed on March 30, 1892, the lighthouse was built by Guillermo Brockman from a design by Magin Pers y Pers. It is made of locally fabricated bricks and accented with cast metal grillwork.

Motorists driving north through the province of Ilocos Norte can catch sight of the lighthouse which dominates the Burgos skyline. From its top, one can easily take in the sweeping panorama of the sea and the surrounding countryside.

Suba, Ilocos Norte

Suba Beach

Suba Beach in Paoay has extensive sand dunes up to 800 meters wide in certain places and exciting surf. It is a favorite of movie makers for location shooting. Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July and Temptation Island was shot at the sand dunes of Suba.

The most exotic beach in the Ilocos region, Suba Beach in Paoay, is famous for its extensive sand dunes and exciting surf. The Suba Beach offers an unforgettable view of the setting sun.

Suba Sand Dunes

Stretching 800 meters wide, the sand dunes of Suba is the only place where you can find a desert in this tropical country. The place was the setting for memorable movies like Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July and Temptation Island, that famously campy 1980s film by Joey Gosiengfiao. It is also where Nora Aunor uttered the now-immortal line “Walang Himala!” in the Ishmael Bernal classic Himala.

Ilocos Norte’s unique sand dunes and stretches from the municipality of Currimao in the north and winds it’s way to La Paz in Laoag City then to Suba in Paoay and finally in Pasuquin in the south.

Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Malacañang of the North

Malacañang of the North

Malacañang of the North "Malacanang ti Amianan" is the other term used by Ilocanos to describe Malacañang of the North. This is the official residence of the former President Ferdinand Marcos in Ilocos Norte, built on a high point of land projecting into the sea right beyond the coastline of the legendary Paoay Lake, this enduring structure is now a museum.

The Malacañang of the North is one of the 29 houses that the Marcos regime was able to build during its two decades of power. As it name suggests, this house served as the official residence of the First Family during that time whenever they are in Ilocos. The Marcos extended their reception for their guests both local and foreign in this house.

This palace in northern Ilocos overlooks Paoay Lake

Marcos must have found solitude and stillness as he gaze upon this lake

Malacañang of the North is within a 5-hectare property and it overlooks the calm waters of Paoay Lake. The main lobby and terraces of the house faces this famous lake in Ilocos where guests can do some watersports during their visit.

It combines both the Ilocano and Spanish architectural designs. Like other structure in Ilocos, one of the main materials are baked bricks along with hardwood from its staircase to its floors. Its sliding windows are of capiz shells and it has the a terraces or azoteas in each floor that overlooks the lake.

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.