BALER, the provincial capital and center for trade and industry of Aurora province, found itself back in the radar recently when a namesake movie won as Best Picture and a host of other awards in last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival, its plot based on the 337-day (June 27, 1898-June 2, 1899) siege of its Spanish garrison by Filipino rebels.

When the garrison finally surrendered (the last to do so in the country), Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, in admiration, declared, on June 30 (now Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day), that the remaining 33 Spanish soldiers were not to be imprisoned but honored as friends. Me and my family watched the movie and, being actually filmed on location, I was also impressed by its rugged scenery and decided to visit it. I did so on Holy Week. With me were my two kids, Jandy and Cheska, plus lady friends Lourdes “Lulu” Siguenza and Rosevie “Vi” Sevilla.

As we left Manila in the evening, we decided to stay overnight at San Leonardo (Nueva Ecija). From Cabanatuan City (where we visited Camp Pangatian, a World War II prisoner-of-war camp), Baler can be reached via the Baler-Bongabon (Nueva Ecija) Road and the longer Pantabangan-Canili Road. As the former was impassable during the rainy season, we opted for the latter.  Along this route, we made photo-op stopovers at Pantabangan Lake and the Canili-Diayo Dam. Upon entering Aurora and Maria Aurora town, we visited Balete Park and its 500-year-old, 49-meter-high balete tree, Southeast Asia’s largest (it takes 40 people to encircle it) and oldest (dubbed by locals as the “Millennium Tree”).  One can also enter the hollow interior of the tree where once another tree clung to and killed by the balete tree.

We arrived in Baler at about 3 pm of Holy Thursday and decided to visit its Museo de Baler and the small but venerable San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Church, the site of the siege. Baler also happens to be the birthplace (August 19, 1878) of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon (his sitting bronze statue and a replica of his house prominently located in the plaza), his wife Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon (February 19, 1888), after whom the province was named, and UP president and Sen. Edgardo J. Angara (September 24, 1934). On the left side of the church is a marker, installed in 1931, to commemorate the capture of Lt. Cmdr. James C. Gilmore and 16 American Marines of the US gunboat Yorktown who attempted to relieve the Spanish garrison.

As it was the holidays, Baler was packed with tourists. Anticipating this, I brought along my new Coleman five-person tent and we just camped beside a rented picnic hut along Sabang Beach. Long before the movie, Baler was already known as one of the country’s top five surfing areas, its tall waves “artificially” created when the town’s engineers opened the mouth of Baler Bay to the town’s river to prevent flooding during the rainy season. The clashing waters coming from the river and the Pacific formed strong, sharp break waves that now provide an exhilarating high among experienced surfers. The best waves come in from October to March when the northeast monsoon blows down from China but surfing waves are present all year-round, even during our visit. My kids, as well as Lulu, opted to take some surfing lessons (P350/pax) while Vi, an avid photographer, took pictures. I stayed behind to watch the fort.

The next day, after breakfast, we packed up our tent and belongings and decided to do some sightseeing. First on our itinerary was the Ermita Park in barangay Zabal. It has a huge cross (lit at night), picnic huts and an excellent view of Baler, the Sierra Madre Mountains, Cemento and Sabang Beach, Lukso-Lukso (a rock formation), and the offshore islands of Dimadimalangat and Aniao. We next visited the islands. Dimadimalangat Island, off the reef shore, is a rock formation approachable during low tide. It serves as a point identifying the southernmost tip of Baler Bay. During the calm months of April to June, the place becomes a haven for wall divers. It is also a good dive and snorkeling site.  The Aniao Islands, located further south, are two small but imposing islands that are a habitat for kingfishers, gulls and even hawks. Its peaks are a challenge for rock climbers.

After sightseeing, we went back to the town proper to look for proper accommodation. Luck was with us as the spanking-new Carlito’s Inn had a vacant air-con room which we promptly took. Soon after, I got a call from Senator Angara’s secretary approving our request to visit his resthouse along Dicasalarin Cove in nearby San Luis town. Come morning and after breakfast, we proceeded to the Fish Port at Cemento, our pick-up point. Normally, it would be a rough 45-minute outrigger boat ride to Dicasalarin from Sabang. However, we got there in less than half the time via the senator’s speedboat. The resthouse was a short hike from the beach and, upon arrival, we were billeted in one of the cottages. We were later welcomed by the senator himself. After a delicious lunch with him at the cabana, we decided to explore the grounds (including its quaint Ifugao-themed cottage). Then, with some guides, we explored the cove itself, its beauty as rough as the crashing waves of the Pacific. On the right side of a peninsula is a sea-sculpted cave while offshore is Birhen Island, a rock formation sculpted by natural erosion to resemble the figure of the Blessed Virgin praying amid the waves.

On our way back, we climbed a steep imposing hill, site of a future lighthouse. After this exhausting climb, we capped our visit with a frolic at the beach.