I now confess, I made the Final Challenge for Juandering in Manila 2.0 Filipino Chinese Friendship Arch Station. Unlike the first Juandering that has 10 stations, now we have only 9 stations.

I designed the final station challenge to be as time consuming (worth 2 stations): wide coverage area and hard challenge. But I think only 5 teams got this far.

First Row: Art Noveau

Second Row: Filipino Hispanic

Third Row: Modern - COntemporary

I now confess, I made the Final Challenge for Juandering in Manila 2.0 Filipino Chinese Friendship Arch Station. Unlike the first Juandering that has 10 stations, now we have only 9 stations.

I designed the final station challenge to be as time consuming (worth 2 stations): wide coverage area and hard challenge. But I think only 5 teams got this far.

Escolta’s Modern - International Style (1950s - 1970s)

Archive Photos of PNB and Commercial Trust Building are from www.arkitektura.ph

I now confess, I made the Final Challenge for Juandering in Manila 2.0 Filipino Chinese Friendship Arch Station. Unlike the first Juandering that has 10 stations, now we have only 9 stations.

I designed the final station challenge to be as time consuming (worth 2 stations): wide coverage area and hard challenge. But I think only 5 teams got this far.

First Row: Beaux Arts

Second Row: Art Deco

Third Row: Neoclassical

4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition,
Mall of Asia, Pasay City,
Philippines

This happened last March 2, 2013. This is the photoset of United Kingdom’s performance with the theme: “Burn the Sky”. This features several contemporary pop music background where along the music, fireworks explode in the sky. I kinda expected (as the people around me also expected) that Adele’s Skyfall and Set Fire to the Rain is included.

The Sentinel of Freedom and the Valencia Circle, Rizal Park, Manila Rizal Park after the war is still envisioned to become a cultural center (still reeks of the Burnham Plan) with a National Theater, National Library and other government buildings to be built in the vast empty space in time for the Rizal Centennial. Manilenos objected to this plan: obviously they want it to remain as a parkland. Civic leader and Journalist Teodoro Valencia remedied this by instituting a fund raising for the rehabilitation and further beautification of the park. Support was overwhelming that funds were raised easily. The roundabout island in the middle of the Agrifina Circle was named after him. In 2004, then DOT Secretary Richard Gordon installed Lapu Lapu’s statue in the circle, called the Sentinel of Freedom. NHI objected to this since Luneta is supposed to be for People who fought in the Revolution.
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The Sentinel of Freedom and the Valencia Circle, Rizal Park, Manila

Rizal Park after the war is still envisioned to become a cultural center (still reeks of the Burnham Plan) with a National Theater, National Library and other government buildings to be built in the vast empty space in time for the Rizal Centennial. Manilenos objected to this plan: obviously they want it to remain as a parkland.

Civic leader and Journalist Teodoro Valencia remedied this by instituting a fund raising for the rehabilitation and further beautification of the park. Support was overwhelming that funds were raised easily.

The roundabout island in the middle of the Agrifina Circle was named after him. In 2004, then DOT Secretary Richard Gordon installed Lapu Lapu’s statue in the circle, called the Sentinel of Freedom. NHI objected to this since Luneta is supposed to be for People who fought in the Revolution.

Paoay, Ilocos Norte

Located on the southern coast of Laoag, Paoay Town boasts of two things: The Paoay Church and Paoay Lake.

The Paoay Church one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is an outstanding example of the Philippine Earthquake Baroque Architecture, adapting to our seismicity. The church structure has huge buttresses in its sides and the rear of the church to protect it from earthquakes. The facade is richly made with Philippine Symbols. The facade just had a recent limestone retouch but give it time to be exposed to the elements, the facade will look battered again.

The church dates from the establishment of a separate Paoay town in the early 18th century. The church is dedicated after St. Augustine, the church is officially named St. Augustine Church but is more popularly known as the Paoay Church. (San Agustin in Manila is dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle, but being the Augustinian Mother Church made San Agustin stick more.)

The Paoay town is also famous for its lake, which is subject to a very popular legend surrounding its origin. They say, that the site of the lake was once a site of an advanced and prosperous town, but they turned greedy and evil so that God submerged the town in deep floods. After the deluge, the old town is no more, it was already deep in the lake. Until now, locals in Paoay claim they see houses deep in the lake and fishes with “gold earrings” with them. At the Laoag City side of the lake is the Malacanang of the North.

Travelling to Paoay isn’t easy as it is not aligned with the National Highway. When communting to it, the best way is to travel from Laoag City through a jeep in the Batac City Highway Junction.

The Sunshine City and the Capitol

Laoag City is the capital of the Province of Ilocos Norte. The name of the city was derived from the Ilocano word meaning, light or bright, earning it the monicker, The Sunshine City.

The City actually sits on junction of the sea and the River, thus it can only be reached through the bridge built to connect San Nicolas and Laoag City. Actually San Nicolas was once part of Laoag City.

The first thing that you see in the City is the City Plaza and the imposing Provincial Capitol of Ilocos Norte. Designed in the Neoclassical Style and houses the provincial government of Ilocos Norte.

One interesting thing in the capitol building is the bust of Rizal with an eagle above it and a Filipina (judging from her dress) holding a quill while looking up to Rizal and the eagle as if she is looking for something. Looks like some Manifest Destiny symbolism, but that’s for me.

Rural Landscapes

Nothing beats hitting the Rural Landscapes when escaping the congestion and the concrete chaos that is an Urban Jungle. Such a treat for weary urban roamers like you and me. Internet is very limited in the rural areas so be sure to enjoy an internet deprived moment when traveling in the provinces.

Some photos of greens to sooth our weary eyes.

Sinait, Ilocos Sur

The last town in Ilocos Sur along the National Highway is Sinait, the town prides itself as the Garlic Capital of the North. Okay, due to the one town one product approach, you can tell that the condiment is the town’s most common agricultural product. And yes, no rumors of vampire existence in our town.

The Church of Sinait is called Iglesia de San Nicolas de Tolentino, named after the Saint whose the Manila district San Nicolas was called. The church is famous for being the shrine of Santo Cristo Milagroso which is the partner image of La Virgen Milagrosa of Badoc, Ilocos Norte. The image is famous for a story on how it got to Sinait in the early 1600’s. That story was painted in the walls of the church until a recent repainting of the church, and that story bound generations of Sinait folk together. Everybody knows the story of the images of Sinait and Badoc. The story goes like this:

The images originally were enshrined in Japan but due to the persecution of Christians in Japan, the Japanese Christians encased them in a box and let it drift in the sea until it reached the shores Sinait and Badoc (Badoc was once a part of Sinait until it became a separate town). The locals of Sinait and Badoc called the priests and the priests instructed them to bring the image of the Virgin to Sinait and the image of the Crucifix to Badoc. The locals did so, but at any rate, they can’t carry the images to their respective barrios. The locals then changed images, and the images were easily carried towards Sinait and Badoc, then becoming the official images of the towns.

From oral tradition, it has been said that the image of Santo Cristo has been stolen numerous times already but is always returned to the town, they say that the town is being punished with a drought that only they experienced that harmed harvests during that year it was stolen.

Sinait is 7 towns away from Vigan City and it takes an hour to travel to Sinait from Vigan through the Manila North Road.

Be Bagnetized by Bagnet

One of the most popular dishes from the Ilocos Region that have gained a national following is their very crispy pork meal we call Bagnet. Actually, other regions also have their crispy pork meal, crispy pata, chicaron among others.

Bagnet is actually made by a process we call Oil Drying. The pork skin and meat is deep fried in hot oil until all water from the meat is separated from it. Actually this is both a cooking and a food preservation technique aimed to give crispiness to the pork and enabling the pork to have a longer shelf life… even without a refrigerator.

You can eat Bagnet by itself, with a dip or it is a perfect meat topping for pinakbet or any dish with a need for ginisang baboy.

Eating bagnet by itself? My personal favorite dips are patis or Bagoong with tomatoes.

Juan Luna’s Shrine, Badoc, Ilocos Norte

Those who have guessed it right, the man on the town seal and the statue on the Town Hall of Badoc Ilocos Norte is Juan Luna. Juan Luna is from Badoc, Ilocos Norte. Near the Church of Badoc is the exact birthplace of Juan Luna. Juan Luna is even baptized in the church of Badoc. Seeing it from the material of the house, it can be deduced the Lunas and the Novicios are a prominent family in the town.

The house as oral town traditions say got burned in 1861, and the Lunas based themselves in Manila to continue the studies of the Luna children in Manila. The house is a two story building, made up of bricks and contains some  personal memorabilia of Juan Luna: his palettes, his bed and some other personal things of the Luna Family and as well as the family tree of the Luna clan. Displayed in the house is the reproductions of all Juan Luna paintings. The house was reconstructed during the 1970s.

This generation of Lunas will become all prominent figures in Philippine History. His brothers are equally prominent like him in other fields Manuel is a musician, Jose a politician, his younger brother Antonio a pharmacist and a general.

All Lunas until Juan are all born in Badoc, Ilocos Norte except for Antonio, the youngest. Antonio was born in Binondo, Manila. Highlighting his very Manila boy upbringing, his pseudonym in the propaganda is Taga-Ilog (Tagalog).

Going here is a bit tricky and the shine is a bit hidden in plain view as it is not at the bus stops or at the Highway. Find first the Luna Park in the middle of the town proper and is near the diversion road from the Highway. For me, I asked the locals to help me locate it.