Iloilo: QR codes for Iloilo heritage sites

Last week, I flew to Iloilo to see how technology is now helping tourists learn more about Iloilo heritage sites with the use of a smart phone. Smart sponsored the installation of QR codes in heritage sites around Iloilo City and in other towns of the province of Iloilo as well.

First thing we did when we landed was to get a warm bowl of La Paz Batchoy at the La Paz Market. While there are many choices, one has to walk inside the market to find Netong's Lapaz Batchoy, one of the more popular brands. In fact, our hotel (in front of La Paz Market) had complimentary coupons it gives out to guests. It's a deadly concoction indeed as we watched the cook dish in innards and scoop out bone marrow to make this tasty noodle dish.

Our first stop on the #QRIloilo tour was the Jaro Metropilitan Cathedral, seat of one of the oldest dioceses in the country. The QR code is located by the gate of the church. When you scan it, it gives more detailed information on the church, including an old photo. You can try scanning the code in the photo.

The QR codes are not only for built heritage, Smart installed some at delicacy stores like Deocampo Barquillos, our next stop. I finally got to see how barquillos is made thanks to a demo they prepared for us. And rolling it was not easy as each of us got to try. Scanning the QR code at Deocampo gives a detailed history of the bakery and the process of making barquillos.

We stopped by Molo before lunch. The Arenas-Lazaro Ancestral House was among the houses Jose Rizal visited in 1896 on his way back to Manila. The Molo Church is a very famous landmark. It is often called the feminist church because almost all of the images are dedicated to female saints.

After lunch at Breakthrough Restaurant, it was nap time in the van as we proceeded to Miag-ao Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Too bad we didn't have time to visit the San Joaquin Church, a National Cultural Treasure, and the very elegant San Joaquin Cemetery.

We motored back to Iloilo City, stopping at Villa de Arevalo District to have merienda at Camina Nga Balay na Bato (Lola Rufina Heritage Curio Shop) or the Avancena House. This house and shop has a QR code too. We had really good Pancit Molo! As locals say, the best Pancit Molo in Iloilo are the ones prepared by the old families.

When you visit Iloilo heritage sites, make sure to look out for these QR codes!

Iloilo & Antique: Church overload in Iloilo and Antique

The day after the conference, we visited the towns of Southern Iloilo and Antique, my 59th province. From the hotel, we took a van and stopped by the towns of Tigbauan and Guimbal, which I was not able to visit during my previous visit, to check out their churches. We then proceeded to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Miag-ao Church and the cemetery chapel, also in the same town.

In the next town was a National Cultural Treasure, the San Joaquin Church. But equally impressive was the well-preserved cemetery which has maintained its old and uncrowded look.

From there, we drove down to Antique. But we stopped over first at the junction point called Tiolas to have lunch. I got myself an order of batchoy. From there, we took the road less traveled to the southernmost point of Panay Island, the town of Anini-y.

The Anini-y Church was very much intact and I hope that it is declared a National Cultural Treasure soon. It was most definitely worth the visit.

Our companions had to drive back to Iloilo City since they were leaving that night, but Archt. Richard Bautista and myself opted to stay behind to continue further up north to visit the other towns of Antique. Transportation was scarce and we had to wait for 30 minutes for the next jeep to arrive. Our next stop was the town of Hamtic since the cemetery chapel there was quite intact.

From Hamtic, we took another jeep to the capital of Antique, San Jose de Buenavista. After taking photos around the Antique Capitol, we rushed to get a jeep to Patnongon to check out more heritage structures there. Although in ruins, the church, casa real and an old bridge are still standing and I hope it remains that way. We had to rush back to San Jose to try to get a bus back to Iloilo City. If we got stranded in Antique, we were prepared to stay for the night. But good thing we were able to find a bus back and got back to Iloilo City.

The next day, it was raining hard so I was too lazy to get up. Our plan was to go around Central Iloilo. But we decided to continue our church and cemetery tour since it looked like the weather was improving.

From the hotel, we took a cab to La Paz for lunch. Where else to try batchoy than where it was born! We ate at Deco's. From there, we took a jeep to Jaro, where we boarded another jeep to Cabatuan. We got off at the cemetery a few kilometers from town. The walls and chapel was still intact.

We then took a tricycle to the town proper. The church was gargantuan with two exaggeratedly large belfries on either side of the facade. Its stone retablo is said to be the tallest in Iloilo after the Oton Church was destroyed during the 1948 earthquake.

From Cabatuan, we took another jeep to Janiuay. After visiting the ruins of the church, we took a tricycle to the cemetery. I've seen photos of this all the time but was quite disappointed when I got there. It was quite neglected. To me, the best cemetery I visited is the one in San Joaquin which I heard was recently restored.

From Janiuay, we took a jeep to Pototan and transferred to another jeep to Dingle to visit the church. Good thing there was English Mass.

We were planning to visit Duenas but since we had a flight to catch, we took a jeep straight to Iloilo City. They sure know how to stuff the jeepney! There were three passengers in front plus the driver, thirteen on either side, plus about eight in the middle, and even some holding on outside!

In Iloilo City, I took some photos in Jaro before we proceeded for a quick dinner in one of the chicken inasal restaurants. It was then a mad rush to the airport and we got there just in time since I got my favorite front row seat. Hehe!

Iloilo: Around Iloilo City

Welcoming us in Iloilo were a few colonial warehouses and the pre-war customs building. I decided to walk around the area to check out the buildings. Wow! Iloilo still had a lot of remnants of its past scattered all over the place. It would be nice to work on an urban renewal plan for Iloilo highlighting all this built heritage. I hope the HCS gets to work on it with Mayor Trenas ASAP since I feel we could replicate the Macau urban renewal success story in Iloilo!

A few meters away from the port was the San Jose Church in downtown Iloilo City. The city is actually composed of several districts which include Jaro, Molo (which was the Chinatown or Parian), Villa de Arevalo (a former capital of Iloilo province which today is called as Villa for short), La Paz (most known for its batchoy), and Mandurriao.

After brunch, I took a jeep to Villa and got off near the UP Visayas campus where jeeps to Miag-ao were waiting. My next destination was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Church of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva.

The trip took me about one hour passing through the towns of Oton (the old church of Oton was the pinnacle of religious architecture in the Philippines but was toppled by a strong earthquake in 1948), Tigbauan and Guimbal. Finally, I arrived in Miag-ao! The facade of the church was a work of art and every inch a testament to the craftsmanship of our Filipino ancestors.

So it was back to Iloilo City to try to visit Molo, Jaro and La Paz. The church of the town after Miag-ao, San Joaquin, was another national cultural treasure. But I didn't have the luxury of time today.

At least Molo was along the way to downtown. So I got off at Molo to check out some churches and houses. I would say that Molo Church is a symbol of feminism because it is a shrine to female saints. The Church of Sta. Ana has on nine statues of female saints on either side of the church, one on every column. At the center retablo is Sta. Ana, mother of Mary. The houses left standing around the area were stunning as well.

With Molo done, it was off to Jaro. But traffic was moving really slow. And by 4 p.m., I was still in the public market so I decided not to push through since I could be left behind by the last ferry which left at 5:30 p.m. So I checked mail to kill time.

Watching the sun set behind the customs building was just enchanting. On the way back, I took photos of Guimaras Island. Seeing the island, green and untouched, made me realize that the country still had hope if we took care of what was left of it.

I got back in Bacolod at about 6:30 p.m. Near the cathedral was an area called manukan country, which was a cluster of restaurants ans stalls which served Bacolod's famous chicken inasal. And when in Bacolod, you must try the chicken!

I leave for Manila tomorrow. But I have only last stop before going home, the Paris of Negros.

Check out this Inquirer article which came out today for my two seconds of fame! Hehe!