Lakbay Norte 3: Spelunking in Bulacan, fishing in Nueva Ecija, whitewater rafting in Cagayan & Kalinga

Lake Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija

Victory Liner bus for Lakbay Norte 3

Lakbay Norte 3, the media familiarization tour of the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), got underway last Sunday. Day 1 included a visit to Pinagrealan Cave in Norzagaray, Bulacan, a lunch stop in Microtel Cabanatuan and fishing in Lake Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija.

Whitewater rafting in the Chico River, Tabuk, Kalinga

We then drove to Tugugarao, Cagayan and checked-in at Las Palmas de San Jose Hotel early in the morning. For Day 2, we proceeded to the Chico River in Tabuk, Kalinga for whitewater rafting and capped the night with dinner at Las Palmas. Check out the video of Day 1 and 2 edited by Carlo Cruise. Also check out the photos of Lakbay Norte 3 in the Ivan About Town Facebook page.

Microtel Inn Cabanatuan
Sta. Arcadia, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija
Tel No. +63 (44) 4647777 / Fax +63 (44) 4647778 / Mobile +63 (927) 8042929
cabanatuan@microtel.ph

Las Palmas de San Jose Hotel
San Jose Village, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
Tel Nos. +63 (78) 8441661 / 8468115 / Fax +63 (78) 8448091
info@laspalmas.com.ph

Adventures and Expeditions Philippines Inc. (AEPI)
c/o Anton Carag, 29 Burgos St., Tuguegarao City
Mobile +63 (917) 5327480 / Tel No. +63 (78) 8441298

Cagayan: Visita iglesia in Cagayan

Aside from spelunking and other adventure activities, Cagayan also has several centuries-old churches. On our first day, we had breakfast right beside the Tuguegarao Cathedral.


After breakfast, we proceeded to the Basilica Minore de Piat which is about an hour away from Tuguegarao. It's a popular pilgrimage destination with the miraculous image of Our Lady of Piat enshrined in the church. For more on the basilica, read Basilica of Our Lady of Piat in Piat, Cagayan.

The next day, we made the long trip from Tuguegarao to Laoag. Along the way, we stopped over at the churches of Iguig, Alcala, Lal-lo, Camalaniugan and Pamplona.


Iguig Church, while the facade has already been renovated, is relatively intact inside. But more importantly, right beside the church is the Iguig Calvary Hills which has life-size tableau of the Stations of the Cross.



Alcala Church, dedicated to Saint Philomene, is the widest church in the Cagayan Valley. The town is also known for its carabao milk candies.

Lal-lo was once known as the Ciudad de Nueva Segovia before it was transferred to Vigan. Thus, the Lal-lo Church was the once the cathedral and seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia.



Camalaniugan Church has the oldest Catholic bell in the Far East which was created in 1595. Sadly, the old church was burned some yeas back and I find it sad that the priest chose to flatten the ruins and build a totally new church. Talk about appreciation for heritage! Behind the church, right by the river, are ruins of an even older church.


Close to Ilocos Norte, was the last church stop, the Pamplona Church.

The old Malaueg Church in Rizal, Cagayan is a National Cultural Treasure. But it's really hard to get to. I personally have not seen it myself. But I hope to visit it when I can.

There are also some interesting church ruins in the towns of Gattaran, Sanchez Mira and the island of Fuga.

Thanks to Bikoy for the photos!

Cagayan: Sierra Cave spelunking and kayaking in the Pinacanauan River

Cagayan is positioning itself as the Caving Capital of the Philippines. And it has great spelunking options for beginners and serious cave enthusiasts.

The most popular of course are the caves in the Peñablanca Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, particularly Callao Cave. But a better-preserved and less-visited cave also within the Callao Ecotourism Zone is nearby Sierra Cave. It's a 20-meter steep climb to get to the entrance. But navigating inside is manageable.



The crystal and limestone formations inside are still continuously forming. Which is why they take extra care in protecting the cave by limiting people inside. In fact, they only take in a maximum of twelve people at a time.

It's cool near the entrance. But as you get deeper inside the cave, it gets really warm. I really enjoyed the spectacular formations and observing the animal life inside the cave. It's a surprise how they survive in such harsh conditions since we experienced it even just for a few seconds. We turned off all our lights and kept quiet for a few seconds just to find out the feeling of silence in total darkness.

Anyway, since we had cameras, we decided to exit through the entrance. There's a popular exit but this entails crawling in the mud.



After lunch on the opposite side of the banks, we took a boat further upstream for kayaking activities. Sadly, no thanks to our weird weather, it started to drizzle. And when in drizzles or rains in the Pinacanauan River area, it means the bats won't come out.

So we decided to proceed back to our bus rather than wait in vain for the circadian flight of bats. Another unfortunate incident was I lost all my Sierra Cave photos when my memory card crashed. So thanks to Bikoy for these photos!

Adventures and Expeditions Philippines, Inc.
Anton Carag
(078) 8441298 / (0917) 5327480
anton@whitewater.ph

Cagayan: Basilica of Our Lady of Piat in Piat, Cagayan

The Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat is a major pilgrimage site of Cagayan Valley. I've been to Cagayan Valley several times but not to Piat since it's quite a distance from Tuguegarao City, 41 kilometers to be exact. So when I found out we were visiting during this trip, I immediately obliged.

Every June and July, Piat comes alive with two festivals. From June 23 to 30, the Piat Sambali Festival is held, centered on the sambali, a war dance of the tribes that were united and converted to Christianity through the intercession of the Nuestra Senora de Piat. The festivities don't stop since on July 1 and 2, the feast of Nuestra Señora de Piat is celebrated.

The venerated image is erroneously referred to as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (that was the original title) when it is in fact the Nuestra Señora de Visitacion (Our Lady of the Visitation). The Church of Piat became the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat in 1997.

Outside the church is one big flea market where you can find rows of stalls and vendors selling religious images, tobacco and native kakanin among other items you can find in the usual provincial tiangge. You don't see tobacco sold in Manila that way. They're usually in reams, flip top packs or sold by the stick. Don't worry, I still don't smoke. I just wanted to try the tobacco for the fun of it.

The Piat Basilica is actually a great place to sample the local delicacies. Of all the kakanin they sold in the area, the best is the pawa, a kakanin made from ground sticky rice with sweetened ground peanut filling inside. While most vendors sell it for PHP20, I was not quite satisfied with them since they were not freshly-cooked. Later did I find out that the pawa sold in the Piat Basilica are of varying quality. There are some which make it really good and I recommend V. C. Pasinca's Pawa. A pack of this yummy treat costs PHP25. Make sure you also buy it warm to ensure the same heavenly experience I had munching on them.

V. C. Pasinca's Pawa
(0916) 7207180

Part 1: Marian Voyage of Peace in Tuguegarao, Cagayan
Part 2: Cagayan: Callao Cave, Pinacanauan River and Iguig Calvary Hills

Cagayan: Callao Cave, Pinacanauan River and Iguig Calvary Hills

Cagayan is known for its many caves, Callao Cave being the most popular. Many of the caves can be found in the town of Penablanca, which is just a short drive from Tuguegarao City. From the entrance of the Callao Eco-Tourism Zone, it's just a few dozen steps up to Callao Cave

Callao is most known for the natural cathedral in one of its chambers that was converted into a chapel by the locals. The cave actually has seven chambers which you can explore, several with natural openings on top from which the sunlight illuminates the chambers.


Another attraction of the area is the Pinacanauan River which is perfect for a boat trip. There are boats for hire below Callao Cave. There's an area a few minutes by boat from Callao where you can have a picnic. Which is what we did.

And we came prepared with meats and fish to grill. Just make sure, if you do plan to barbeque in the area, to clean up after and not leave any trash. After relaxing a bit and taking a cat nap, we went back to the jump-off point. And just in the nick of time since the moment we got in our vehicle, it started to rain really hard.

An attraction during sundown is the gargantuan flight of bats which leaves the various caves in the area. I was told that the place used to have a several eagles which would feast on the bats as they flew out. That was a regular sight before. But for some reason, when a military camp was constructed and located in the area, the eagles suddenly disappeared. I hope they didn't have a tinola feast!

Anyway, before going back to Tuguegarao, the group decided to visit one of the Marian images which was housed in the Iguig Chuch as part of the Marian Voyage of Peace. Of course, the major attration of the town is the Iguig Calvary Hills, life-size tableaus from the Stations of the Cross scattered behind the centuires-old church building. Notice the flying buttressess behind the church, a good example of earthquake Baroque architecture.

After resting a bit, I decided to try out the local Pancit Batil-Patung for merienda. For dinner, we were served Pancit Cabagan.

Part 1: Marian Voyage of Peace in Tuguegarao, Cagayan
Part 3: Basilica of Our Lady of Piat in Piat, Cagayan

Cagayan: Marian Voyage of Peace in Tuguegarao, Cagayan

The Marian Voyage of Peace was held in Tuguegarao, Cagayan last month which I attended to represent the North Philippines Visitors Bureau. The event was organized by the Cagayan North Convention and Visitors Bureau among others.

As part of the three-day Marian Voyage of Peace from June 26 to 28, ten Marian images from all over North Philippines were brought to Tuguegarao, Cagayan and some neighboring towns for public veneration. These included the Our Lady of Piat from Piat, Cagayan; Our Lady of Badoc from Badoc, Ilocos Norte; Our Lady of Guibang from Gamu, Isabela; Our Lady of Charity from Agoo, La Union; Our Lady of Namacpacan from Luna, La Union; Our Lady of Fatima from Valenzuela City, Metro Manila; Nuestra Senora de Caridad from Bantay, Ilocos Sur; Our Lady of Manaoag from Manaoag, Pangasinan; Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion from Malolos, Bulacan; and Nuestra Senora del Mar de Cautiva from Sto. Tomas, La Union.

Part 2: Cagayan: Callao Cave, Pinacanauan River and Iguig Calvary Hills
Part 3: Basilica of Our Lady of Piat in Piat, Cagayan

Pancit Batil Patung of Tuguegarao, Cagayan

Pancit Batil Patung or Batil Patong is a noodle dish unique to Tuguegarao, Cagayan. It's something you have to try if ever you get to visit the warmest city in the country.

I got to try the one at Paul Louis in front of the old city hall. I asked if I could see the pancit being made in the kitchen. I guess the reason behind the name is that the sahog is simply placed on top of the noodles.

The meats include ground pork, beef or possibly even carabeef. They also add sauteed vegetables, crushed chicharon and fried egg. If you get the mega or jumbo size, they throw in liver and hotdogs. It's PHP40 for the super size which I had, and the mega and jumbo are PHP50 and PHP60 respectively.

They usually serve chopped onions and calamansi with the pancit. Make sure to ask the servers how to mix the onions, calamansi, vinegar and soy sauce with the pancit.

Gretchen's is another pancitan in front of the old city hall. Another suggested pancitan is Long Life in Barangay Tanza in front of Panacal Village. In many of these restaurants, they also sell Pancit Cabagan, which is the native pancit of Cabagan, Isabela but very popular in Tuguegarao.

Main article: Pancit, mami and other noodles dishes of the Philippines

Speaking engagement in Tuguegarao City

I'm in Tuguegarao City to speak at the 2nd Regional Youth Leadership Congress in St. Paul University. I took an Air Philippines flight which was two hours delayed! When I got here, we rushed to the Callao Caves to watch the bats fly out but since it was raining, they didn't. Maybe next time.

The congress was today. I slept early last night and also slept the entire morning since I wasn't feeling well. For the sights in Cagayan, just check out my older Cagayan entries. For this trip, I just visited the Ermita of San Jacinto which is in front of the campus.

Now I'm just waiting for my bus ride back to Manila. I could have opted for a plane but there is no flight which would allow me to make it to my flight to Cotabato tomorrow. This Tuguegarao to Cotabato journey would be my personal record for the farthest distance traveled in the Philippines in a 24-hour period.

Cagayan & Isabela: Church heritage in Cagayan and Isabela

We were up quite early yesterday. Although our itinerary started with breakfast at 7 a.m., Karlo and I got up at 5 a.m. to check out the provincial capitol of Cagayan and take photos for possible inclusion in the 2007 HCS calendar.

One thing which surprised me was its distance from the town center since the tricycle ride took about ten minutes. It was actually at the border of Tuguegarao and Peñablanca and in the middle of nowhere. In fact, you first had to cross the welcome arch of Peñablanca to get to it. From the gates, we could already see that we were not going to be disappointed.

The capitol building may be the last untouched piece of heritage in Tuguegarao. It is in the center of a gated compound that is very well-maintained. In front of it is a large landscaped lawn which contains a relief map of Cagayan and an old fountain among others.

After taking photos, we went back to the hotel for breakfast. The group left the hotel at 8 p.m. for visits to the Cagayan towns further up north. First on the list was the town of Iguig which was famous for its Calvary Hills, a collection of life-sized tableaus of the Stations of the Cross scattered across the sprawling grounds of the church.

Sad to say, the façade of this old church was badly-altered. But the sides remained relatively intact. What is unique about this church are the “flying buttresses” found at the back of the church which are the only one of its kind in the country. I hope the priests realize that and do not touch it.

From Iguig, we proceeded to Alcala where an unpleasant surprise greeted us. In front of the red brick church was a billboard showing a modern interior in the works. Damage had already been done to the interior. The original wooden ceiling had already been replaced by galvanized iron sheets. You could also see that there were elements such as a choirloft which had already been demolished.

I immediately looked for the parish priest to talk to him before more damage was done. In fairness, the priest was quite receptive. He said they had been trying to contact the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for help but to no avail.

Now we see an oversight on the part of the government. The stakeholders do not have a direct line to the technical support that they need. I think it’s about time that the NCCA reaches out to these stakeholders by simply writing all custodians of heritage churches all over the country to let them know that technical assistance is available if you contact the NCCA, National Museum or National Historical Institute; and that they could get advice from the experts before they make any plans to renovate or restore a church. Writing letters to everyone to let them know that they're there to help is the least they could do.

You could also see that the priests lacked basic knowledge of what restoration was. The parish priest mentioned to us that the proposed altar design was done by another priest who was also into restoration. But obviously, the altar was not restoration. It was a modern replacement that did not match the age of the church. Priests really have to be educated, especially those who make these designs and claim that they are restorations.

Our next stop was the town of Gattaran. But we weren’t going to the town church which was equally quaint. If only we weren’t pressed for time, I would have wanted to stop at the town church as well. Instead, we visited the Nassiping Church ruins which was the church of Nassiping town before it was merged with Gattaran.

The stone side altars were quite intact. But a sad note was one of its bells was stolen last year, most probably by an antique dealer. I wish stealing these relics could be considered a heinous crime! These unscrupulous antique dealers should be shot by the towsfolk if they are caught carting away priceless pieces of heritage, to teach them a lesson. Check out the article in the PDI.

Our next stop was the town of Lal-lo which was also known as Nueva Segovia. It was the former seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia before it was transferred to Vigan in 1758. The story of the transfer is in the Vigan website.

But before visiting the old church, we passed by the Magapit Suspension Bridge which spans the Cagayan River. It was one of the most modern in Asia during its time. Another monumental Marcos project which lessened the travel time between Cagayan and Ilocos, it shows us how much Philippine infrastructure has deteriorated today. The DPWH should let architects and not engineers design bridges. That's if they want to rid themselves of the reputation of churning out the ugliest infrastructure in the world! The only recently constructed bridge worth praising is the Bamban Bridge linking Mabalacat and Bamban. But then again, that was a Japanese financed project. Hehe!

Anyway, the facade of the Lal-lo Church was similar to that of Alcala. In front of the church was an wooden cross encased in glass. According to the marker, it was planted there over 300 years ago by the Dominican missionaries who evangelized Cagayan.

From Lal-lo, we moved on to the next town Camalaniugan which housed the oldest Catholic bell in the Far East. Before visiting the church, we passed by another horno. Unlike the one in Tuguegarao which was obviously neglected, this horno was well-cared for by the local community. In fact, there were even signages pointing to the place.

When we got there, we were greeted by an horno which was close to 100 percent intact. Makeshift fences around plants in the area showed that this piece of heritage was very important to the local government and the townsfolk. Two thumbs up to them!

Next stop was the church. But we received a shock since there was a totally new church being constructed right beside the old belfry. I learned from Jojo that the one it replaced wasn't old either and the original church was lost maybe in the 1970s.

Anyway, we were disappointed when we saw the belfry since there was a big tarpaulin streamer covering the structure just like in Alcala. We were saying that the priest should have placed the streamer in front of the construction rather than on the belfry. I hope Fr. Camilo Castillejo removes his billboard from the belfry which is on the side of the oldest bell which dates back to 1595.

That was the end of our morning itinerary and it was time to move back to Tuguegarao. Again, if we weren't pressed for time, I would have wanted to visit the next town which was Aparri and find out for myself what this town, made famous by the Eat Bulaga jingle, is all about. Hehe!

We stopped by Alcala again to buy some milk candies made from carabao's milk. These flat candies are Alcala's version of the pastillas. Along the way, I think it was in Iguig, we also bought corn from vendors along the highway.

Back at the hotel, we packed our stuff and went down for a quick lunch before checking out. From there, it was a long drive to Isabela along the old highway to the town of San Pablo where ruins of an old church could be found. What is peculiar about this church is its size since it is unusually large for the community it currently serves.

According to accounts, San Pablo was a very prosperous town before which explains the large church. But as the years passed, people left and fortunes changed. And the church as well as other structures were left to decay. Today, only half the church is in use, having been covered by a makeshift roof and walls. It would just be too costly to restore the church entirely. But from the intricate brick designs, one could imagine its past grandeur as a center of life in Isabela.

From there, we went further south to Tumauini to visit the Church of San Matias, a national cultural treasure. Just like the Callao Caves, this was another famous image in books. And finally, I got to see it for myself. I was not disappointed.

The facade is said to be Pampanga's greatest contribution to Cagayan Valley heritage since it is said that Kapampangan woodcarvers were imported to create the moulds for the intricate and ornate brick tiles that adorned Tumauini and many other churches in the Cagayan Valley.

It's a pity Pampanga did not have an abundance of bricks because Tumauini was just breathtaking, each brick carefully planned and numbered to create this mosaic of ornate clay tiles.

Even the walls that surrounded the church plaza was generously decorated with designed brick tiles! Indeed, Tumauini deserves its declaration as a national cultural treasure.

Another unique feature is the cylindrical belfry which is designed like a wedding cake. It's the only cylindrical belfry left in the country today, the other one in Leyte having been demolished by you know who. Sigh! I wonder why Tumauini, and many other deserving churches, weren't included in the original UNESCO declaration which sadly only includes Augustinian churches. Hope they make it to the expansion.

Anyway, from there, it was off to Cauayan again for dinner at the Jambalaya Grill. But we stopped over in the provincial capital Ilagan to check out the biggest butaca or armchair which is on display along the national highway. After some fun shots on the giant wooden chair, we left for Cauayan.

We were there at about 5:30 p.m. just in time for early dinner. After dinner, Jojo made a synthesis lecture of the learnings from the past two days. Then it was off to Manila at about 7:30 p.m. We made a number of stopovers to make sure the drivers were awake. And one of them was near Balete Pass where I bought some perantes, the citrus fruit of Nueva Vizcaya. Although the best place to buy them is along the highway somewhere near Bambang if I'm not mistaken. We arrived in U.P. at about 5 a.m. Lucky for the students, classes were suspended in anticipation of the heavy traffic due to today's SONA. So I'm sure everyone went straight to bed. Hehe!

The rest of the photos are at http://photos.yahoo.com/ivanhenares and http://ivanhenares.multiply.com/photos as well as in Karlo de Leon's blog.

Isabela & Cagayan: Nature at its finest in Cagayan Valley

Finally, I've reached the last two provinces of northeastern Luzon Island! Yes, we visited Cagayan and Isabela today. Just like the Ilocos trip in July last year, I joined the Arch 17 class of Prof. Jojo Mata for the semestral study tour organized by the UP College of Architecture HTC Lab.

We left UP at 10 p.m yesterday and arrived in Cauayan, Isabela at 6 a.m. just in time for breakfast at the Jambalaya Grill. After a hearty breakfast, we went to the Magat Dam in Ramon. Although I was surprised to see a sign along the road a few meters from the dam that we were in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao.

It was a massive structure which reminded me of the Marcosian-era of the Philippines, the last time when the Philippine government thought big. If there was one thing I would hand to Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda, they left their legacies in architectural monuments such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and massive infrastructure projects such as the Magat Dam. No other president after them left monumental legacies not including of course Ramos' white elephant known as Expo Filipino.

From the Magat Dam, we went straight to our hotel in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan to freshen up, get some rest and have lunch. After lunch, we went to the Tuguegarao Cathedral, a heritage horror which Jojo calls a "good example of a bad example!"

Imagine, they demolished the old brick convento right beside the church and replaced it with this horrible commercial structure and multi-purpose hall which is still under construction at this moment. Now you see why we can't entrust heritage decisions to some bishops because they themselves are at times the culprits.

That also happened in Lingayen, Pangasinan just recently. Instead of demolishing these centuries-old conventos and replacing them with horrible new buildings, the bishops could have contacted the NCCA or a conservation architect to consult them on how to do adaptive reuse of the conventos, meaning tranforming the interior of the conventos in order for them to serve the purpose intended for new buildings. In that manner, heritage is preserved and the bishops get the income they want.

Yes, the bottomline was income for the bishops since commercial stalls replaced the old conventos when the said stalls could have been integrated properly with the old conventos had they consulted. Notice also the water tank on top of the demolished part of the convento. You can really see how some priests and bishops treat our national heritage.

Tuguegarao is actually an urban planning disaster having transformed itself into another nondescript Philippine city without character. Not much of its heritage is left since Church and State seemed to have formed a perfect tandem in eradicating its rich past. Add to the fact that the roads are literally congested with tricycles. Yes people! After Cabanatuan, Tuguegarao follows with the most number of tricycle franchises issued. Driving in the city streets is a nightmare since the drivers treat the roads as if they were theirs.

We then visited a horno, an oven for baking bricks, in some forgotten corner of the city. I guess the city government has no plans of caring for the site since it's already hidden in a rundown residential area right beside a basketball court which is obviously more important to the people than this relic of the past.

But these depressing episodes would soon be forgotten as we crossed into the next town Peñablanca to visit the Peñablanca Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, in particular, the famous Callao Caves. The image of the caves is so popular owing to the little chapel inside a large cavern which receives sunlight from a natural opening above. Finally, I get to visit the famous caves. But the signature ray of sunlight wasn't there since it enters the cave only at a particular time of the day.

Getting up to the caves can be exhausting thanks to the 183 steps you have to climb to get to the top! But you will be rewarded with surreal rock formations that are very easy to explore.

After the caves, we went down to the banks of the Pinacanauan River for a boat trip that offered us spectacular views of limestone cliffs covered with lush forests. Indeed, this was a reminder that the Philippines had a lot to offer and if we let all of this go by neglecting our natural heritage, it's the next generation of Filipinos that would suffer.

I really hope illegal logging in this part of the country, particularly Cagayan and Isabela, is stopped. But we all know why it still goes on. If politicians in the area can't curb illegal logging, it's either they are weak and don't have the political will, or more plausible is that they are earning from it as well!

We went back to Tuguegarao to get our long-needed rest and for dinner of course. The next day's itinerary was mostly church heritage. I'm quite excited since I rarely visit the Cagayan Valley owing to its distance from Manila. Last time I visited was in 2002 during a conference in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. As part of the conference we visited the church in Dupax del Sur which is a national cultural treasure.

It looks like I'm close to completing the provinces of Luzon Island soon. With my visits to Isabela and Cagayan today, that leaves seven namely Quirino, Kalinga, Apayao, Abra, Aurora, Camarines Norte, and Sorsogon; plus of course six island provinces of Luzon which are Batanes, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Marinduque, Masbate and Catanduanes which I hope to visit in the near future. Hehe!