THE new shrine honoring the late President Marcos Sr. now stands proudly in front of his family’s ancestral home in Batac, Ilocos Norte. His bronze statue gazes toward the town plaza and the Catholic Church. Inscribed on the façade of the town’s community center are the words, “Batac: Home of Great Leaders.”
In his home province, Mr. Marcos is revered as a hero, and he shares this prestige with revolutionary clergy leader Bishop Gregorio Aglipay and Gen. Artemio Ricarte, the leader of the Philippine Revolutionary Army under the First Philippine Republic who eventually led Filipino soldiers in the war against Americans.
After the remains of the late president was brought home from Hawaii, tourists flocked to Batac to pay homage to the late president whose body was encased inside a mausoleum in their wooden ancestral home. It was finally laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani eight years ago.
In nearby Paoay town is the Malacañang of the North, a museum highlighting the Marcos legacy. A “Bahay na Bato” structure, it used to be the residence of the late President Marcos and his family.
Exploring its old grandeur
TODAY, local authorizes are promoting not only the Marcos legacy. The entire province has become a favorite destination for heritage tourism and its old grandeur.
In Laoag, the Pamulinawen Festival draws thousands of tourists and balikbayans during the whole month of February. Coinciding with the foundation day of Ilocos Norte, it was named after a popular Ilocano folk song which was believed to have originated in the pre-Hispanic era.
Paoay, although a fourth-class municipality, boasts of the most number of “must-visit” destinations, ranging from its scenic lake and sand dunes to its old Spanish baroque churches.
The Saint Augustin Church, which was built in 1710, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the collective group of Baroque Churches of the Philippines in 1993.
The Paoay sand dunes have become a popular tourist stop for its 4×4 adventure ride and sandboarding on a portion of the 88-square kilometers of the geological site along the eastern coast of the province.
“We are really blessed with many tourist destinations. But we want to preserve it so that our future generations will continue to appreciate Paoay,” Mayor Sheilla A. Galano declared.
Like their neighboring towns, Paoay continues to hold traditional festivals, which they have been celebrating since Spanish colonial years, she said.
On the day before Ash Wednesday, they hold the “Guiling-guiling,” a Mardi Gras introduced by the Spanish friars in the 16th century, to remind townsfolk that it is the last day of merry-making before the start of the Lenten season.
Then, every November 1, as they commemorate All Saints Day, the villages set up tumba—or catafalques—with inabel tapestry for the Tumba Festival During the celebration, they offer an “atang,” a ritual of leaving a plate of food for the dead or the spirits.
The Inabel is a traditional handwoven fabric which is distinctly Ilocano in origin. According to the Department of Science and Technology, “in the rhythmic clatter of looms and the intricate patterns of their deeply rooted significance, Inabel weaves stories of the Philippines’ rich and diverse cultural heritage.”
In the town of Pinili, Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba recently inaugurated the Magdalena Gamayo Center in honor of the centenarian weaver and lead practitioner of the tradition of inabel.
Lorna Cabugon, 66, Inabel weaver, said the “ kundiman” is the most popular Inabel, but to create its patterned designs, the weaver synchronizes the movement of her hands and feet using the five-pedaled wooden handloom, or abel.
“We consider our designs timeless, but our customers really prefer the traditional rather than machine made,” said Cabugon, who was only 12 when her mother taught her the traditional loom weaving, which she later handed down to her three children.
The other side of the province
RAFFY MENDOZA said he was impressed with the beaches when he agreed to lead the Sta. Sta Clara International team which now manages the government-owned Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center in Laoag City.
Singling out Pagudpud in the northern tip of the province, he said its coastal white sands are on a par with other popular beach destinations of foreign tourists in recent years.
”We already saw the potential, although the problem here really is that it’s quite far. An increase of our international flights will boost tourism.”
According to Bangui Mayor Fidel A. Cimatu Jr., while they do not have white sand beaches and tourists merely pass through their town on their way to Cape Bojeador and Pagudpod, his town has the most popular “free” destination: the Bangui Wind Farm, the first power-generating windmill farm in Southeast Asia which helped put Ilocos Norte among the top 10 tourist destinations in country.
Although there are now bigger windmills in Burgos and Pagudpud towns, the visitors still prefer to walk along the shoreline of Bangui Bay housing the 26 wind turbines which can generate capacity of 31 mw of sustainable energy.
The recent influx of tourism in the north only shows how people appreciate the Ilocanos’ determination to preserve their unique identity while embracing modern technologies and opportunities.
Image credits: PHOTO FROM ILOCOS NORTE PROVINCIAL GOVT.