A day in heaven

I had never been to the province of Ilocos Norte, though I had been to Vigan in Ilocos Sur many years ago. Now that I found myself writing again, I thought that I should explore the north for material for my articles. I must say that I wasn’t prepared to find such a wealth of sights and sites!

The whole experience began even before we landed. I had taken Philippine Airlines, which I always enjoy as I find the crew and staff so friendly and helpful. Once more I wasn’t disappointed as the flight was quite pleasant.

While on the plane, I had the chance to read the Ilocos Norte Guidebook, which was produced by Irene Marcos Araneta with Ricky Jose and Al Valenciano. It was truly impressive and informative. There were write-ups for every town and detailed maps. Mrs. Araneta and her team truly deserve the National Book Award that they received for their work.

Something old, something new: At the Laoag Museum there are colorful murals that delight the eye. The exhibits feature different aspects of Ilocos Norte life, from crafts to music, theater and worship.

Just before we touched down, we had a glimpse of the beautiful Cordillera mountains and the wide Laoag River. This magnificent view helped put me in the mood for what was in store for us. I actually even liked the airport with its brick walls that provided a touch of local flavor. I also found the ground crew so efficient. In no time at all, we collected our luggage and were off on our van to explore the homeland of the Ilocanos.!

Our first stop was the Laoag Museum. I was quite interested to learn that the building it was housed in was connected with the tobacco industry. My late husband had worked for a tobacco company, Tabacalera. I made sure that I took pictures to show my kids. I found out later that Ilocos, along with Cagayan, still produces a lot of tobacco.

The museum was truly a joy to visit. There were colorful murals that delighted the eye. The exhibits featured different aspects of Ilocos Norte life, from crafts to music, theater and worship. Everything was so well-arranged. One could see that someone was really taking good care of the artifacts on display. My favorite part was the reconstruction of a house where everything was done with much concern for detail.

There was even a vintage radio that was actually broadcasting the local news. Decorative woven curtains with bright colors caught my eye. In the kitchen was a loom, a reminder that Ilocos was one of the few areas in the country that still had an active weaving industry. I planned to visit one of these weaving centers during this trip.

When I descended the kitchen steps, I was delighted to find the museum gift shop. What a wonderful range of items. The shelves were full of products from the region: baskets, duhat wine, vinegar, and of course fabulous blankets. The shop was managed by an able team made up of Linda, Gina, Grace and Christopher. One of them reminded me that I had actually purchased woven items from her during a bazaar in Manila. I also met the museum’s administrator, Araceli Albano Drake.

Coming out of the museum, I was impressed by a model of the tower-like structures used for drying tobacco. These structures can still be seen dotting the Ilocos countryside though many are now made of cement instead of the traditional clay.

A place to stay: Sitio Remedios is enveloped in an atmosphere of calm. I was feeling so relaxed that it was going to be difficult to pry me out when it was time for us to leave for Vigan.

Driving around, I was so impressed to see that everything was so green and lush. There was a whole range of landscapes from sandy dunes to fields that looked like Amorsolo paintings. We passed a beautiful lake and glimpsed Malacañang of the North in the distance. I had always thought of Ilocos as being very dry and hot, and was quite surprised to find that the opposite was true.

Our next stop was the town of Paoay. Before starting our explorations we first dashed into a lovely restaurant called Herencia de Paoay for a snack of empanadas. I promise to write more about this delicious Ilocano treat in another article.

Well-fortified with the empanada, we now marched off to enjoy the town’s many sights. I wasn’t so interested at first as I had seen so much of what the Agustinians had built in Bohol. But when I finally saw the town’s top attraction my jaw dropped. There is no question about it: Paoay has one of the most magnificent churches in the country. Construction of this incredible structure dedicated to St. Agustine began in the late 17th century and was completed at the close of the 19th century, just when the Philippine revolution against Spain was kicking off.

In recognition of its great beauty and historical significance, the temple was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage list in the 1990s, indicating that it is considered a treasure for all humanity.

Rich in history: I was delighted to find the museum gift shop. What a wonderful range of items. The shelves were full of products from the region: baskets, duhat wine, vine-gar, and of course fabulous blankets.

There are no other tall buildings in the area so one really has the chance to appreciate the church in all its splendor. There is a low wall enclosing the plaza at the front. I loved that someone had thought of planting white flowers including our very own national blossom, the sampaguita, in a bed that formed the perimeter.

I noted that much of the building is made up of sea stone. In fact, I had the chance later on to see at close range the pieces of coral that had been set into the wall. The facade has some interesting carved decorations including that of the sun and the moon. The interior was quite disappointing. The ceiling had been redone and the beams were now made of metal. They didn’t quite match the ancient textures of the rest of the edifice. I suppose it is now impossible to find wooden beams as large as those that had originally been used.

But it is the massive side buttresses that are truly mind-boggling. I have never seen anything like them. I laughed to myself when I realized that they reminded me of the works of Fernando Botero. Yes, this was indeed how the buttresses would have looked had they been designed by the Colombian artist famous for his plump figures!

Ilocos Norte Museum staff Linda, Gina, Grace, Christopher with Araceli Albano Drake.

One understands why other writers coming to Ilocos have made comparisons to the structures at Borobudur or even Angkor. I have had the good fortune of visiting the latter and I can easily imagine that Paoay’s church would fit in quite well with all the other buildings in Siem Reap.

The buttresses are so massive that the spaces between resemble separate rooms walled in by the monolithic partitions. In one of these bays, I came across a group of men from Vintar stringing together stalks of rice. I found out later on that they had come from a different town. They were in Paoay because they had been hired to make a Christmas tree out of rice stalks. Somehow, it was nice to know that the huge church would be softened by this structure of lighter materials that the men were busy making.

Our last stop in Ilocos Norte, was Sitio Remedios, the wonderful resort in Currimao that was the brainchild of neurologist Dr. Joven Cuanang. I had never

met Dr. Cuanang, having only spoken to him on the phone. Yet I was certain that he is a remarkable man since, aside from being the proprietor of a fabulous resort, he is also the director of St Luke’s, one of our country’s top medical centers.

Sitio Remedios was an unexpected and joyous surprise. No one had really told me what to expect. It is not even signposted so as to ensure greater privacy. No wonder the whole place was enveloped in an atmosphere of calm. I was feeling so relaxed that it was going to be difficult to pry me out when it was time for us to leave for Vigan.

This gorgeous sanctuary is made up of nine cottages salvaged from traditional Ilocos homes that had been torn down. Each cottage has at least two rooms. Some have separate entrances. Everything is so tastefully decorated. I loved seeing that they used only Ilocano blankets on the beds.

Our host was architect Rex Hofileña who actually helped the owner Dr. Joven Cuanang build Sitio Remedios. Rex explained that it is their hope that the resort will inspire other people in the area to use local materials and styles in building their houses.

The guest houses surrounded a large plaza. One side was dominated by a chapel that was like a smaller version of Paoay church. Another side had a broad view of the beach and the sea. I was told that every plant in the garden came from the Ilocos region. This was truly an example of the use of local style for a world-class establishment.

Since I came back from living abroad about 10 years ago, I have tried in my own small way to promote awareness of the beauty of our own architecture. I have tried to point out that we don’t need to copy Balinese resorts. In my own vacation house in Calatagan and in a resort I had once ran in Anilao, I have always used Philippine crafts and furniture.

Dr. Cuanang’s resort should be celebrated as a sanctuary of Philippine style. To think it was created in just four months! What is just as heartening is the idea that the setting-up of Sitio Remedios has helped revive the traditional crafts of the area. An example of this is the making of terra cotta tiles with imprinted designs.

Dr. Cuanang was unfortunately not around, so our host that afternoon was architect Rex Hofileña who helped the good doctor in building Sitio. He served us a wonderful lunch of Ilocano fare that included a memorable vegetable stew of green beans and squash blossoms. Over lunch, Rex explained to me their hope that the resort would inspire other people who were building new houses in the area to use local materials and styles. I couldn’t agree more.

As architect Rex took me around I grew more and more impressed with everything that I saw. I knew that I would have to come back to Sitio Remedios and spend more time.

I had a fantastic day and I was now a member of the Ilocos fan club. But I knew that next time I visited it would surely be for at least a whole week!