Six down. One more to go. Here, I list down the churches that I have, so far, visited in fulfillment of one of my to do’s for this visit to Ilocos.
St. William Cathedral, Laoag City. One might wrongly dismiss this church as negligible in a visit to Ilocos Norte. A person may conclude that its importance lays solely in the fact that it is the chief edifice of Roman Catholicism in this province. At least that was how I regarded it in the past. It looked as if a three year-old child had designed its disproportionate façade. It appeared small, even squat and thus pales in comparison to its majestic, albeit sinking, bell tower. This week, however, I get to visit this church two times in as many days not as a tourist but as a pilgrim. I went to the place as a worshipper. And because of this, I saw more than a building. I saw a magnificent monument of faith.
St. Nicholas Church, San Nicolas, I.N. I had neglected this church in the past. Maybe it was a case of “being so near yet so far“ or of anyone of those expressions that I love to use yet fail to fully understand. It seemed to me that it is a minor church, even ordinary, compared to the other big churches of Ilocos Norte. It appeared that way every time I would pass it by on my way to Laoag. Its pragmatic importance lies on the fact that it is near my destination city and thus serves as a mere landmark.
So, this week, I resolved to visit the church. It will be one of the seven churches I will visit this holy week. And the resolution came to pass last Holy Wednesday. And what impression do I have of this church now? Let us just say, “First impressions do last.” The church have been too dolled up.
St. Augustine Church, Paoay, I. N. Woe it is to anyone who fails to visit this glorious breathtaking testament to Catholic Filipino faith! I just had to visit it for the nth time. What is new is that I resolved to relish its beauty. I will not have companions tugging at my sleeves complaining about the heat of the sun or the many other sites we have yet to visit. I went to Paoay alone and via public transport. It’s easy since so many jeepneys are plying the Laoag-Batac-Paoay route.
This church never fails to amaze me. It just sits there in the middle of the plain and it appears as if it will do so till eternity ends. Its interior is a big disappointment though. It’s ceiling is not that of the Sarrat Church which can be likened to an intricate lattice of giant woods suspended fifty feet from the ground. Its floor tiles are not as well preserved as that of the Baccarra Church and it does not anymore preserve the sanctity that even the busy St. William has.
St. Roch and St. Gabriel Churches. In Banna and Nueva Era, respectively. These churches are not among the major catholic churches in Ilocos Norte. In other words, they are not tourist sites. I decided to get out of my way to visit them anyway. First, I have my planned visit to seven churches; my personal version of the visita iglesia. I had a mere glance of the Immaculate Concepcion Church in Batac for I was too lazy to get off the jeep. The Sarratt Church, for its part, I have seen so many times. So I need two churches to give me the numbers. Secondly, Banna and Nueva Era are important places to me. It’s my Uncle Victor who facilitated the completion of the new St. Roch Church when he was yet a young priest. I spent a summer vacation there when I was in high school and I just have to see how it turned out. Nueva Era is where the paternal cousins of my mother live. I have grown up knowing one of them merely by name and that is my Tito Boy. And they were supposedly six brothers and sisters! And so I injected into my visit to them a tour of the church.
The two churches are the size of a regular chapel in Central Luzon or Manila. Seven or eight of them could have fitted easily inside the St. William Cathedral. Obviously they have not been constructed with an overflow of funds. Nevertheless, they are beautiful to me. Like the cathedral, they had people in them. Not tourists, but locals. Worshipping. To think that I was in Banna on Good Friday night and Nueva Era on Sabado de Gloria afternoon. People were guarding the Santo Enterio in one and preparing for the Easter Vigil and the Salubong in the other. They too are testaments of a faith that is pulsing with life.
St. Joseph Church, Dingras, I. N. This church has made this particular Ilocos visit uniquely special. It is a newly discovered wonder.
I do not know if I have seen this church in the past but did not pay it too much attention. Or maybe I have not really seen it though it’s on the road going to Banna given that it is hidden behind gigantic acacia trees. But what I have seen this week has left me awestruck. The reason is that the St. Joseph Church is actually a “Rurog.”
My cousin said that it’s Ilocano for “skull”, but, given the church’s context, I surmise that this word can also mean “ruins” for that is how the Dingras Church is and a historical marker from the national government describes it so. The church has been that way since a 1913 earthquake practically destroyed it save for its walls. But the people did not give up on the edifice; their dream was and still is to rebuild it.
It is a large church. Perhaps it is the largest in Northern Luzon and therefore to repair it requires tremendous sacrifice and generosity on the part of the faithful. The past fifteen years, they have been able to put up a new roof over it, and there were minor repairs performed but there is so much work to be done. Time seems to be finally catching up on the church since the top of its façade is leaning towards the interior threatening to crumble anytime. The people of Dingras both here and abroad seem to know this for they are taking action to save the beloved “Rurog.”
My hope and prayer is that they achieve this goal and that other people from other places help them. For then it shows that this particular church belongs not so much in the past but in the very present; that this structure is not only an expression of their ancestors’ faith but more importantly of theirs.
St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Baccarra, I. N. I hope to visit this church tomorrow, Easter Sunday.
Adobong Sili. Dinardaraan. Via Crucis. With a meal and a prayer—that was how my first day here ended.
To begin, a definition of terms is in order.
Adobong Sili is one of the Ilocano sidaen my brother, Jay and I crave for when we would visit Lolo. Green silis that, strangely, are not maanghang are used along with sukang iloko and native bawang—two other things that I love about Ilocos, to prepare this dish. Toyo is used sparingly perhaps so as not overpower the taste and color of the sili.
Dinardaraan, the Ilocano version of dinuguan is rather new to me. I discovered it several years back when Uncle Vic took me and several other people to eat at a diner in San Nicholas. I do not remember where that mini restaurant was exactly located but it was just along the highway between Laoag and the nearest neighboring town. It appears that to prepare the dinardaraan, the pork is fried first before being mixed with the other ingredients. I remember being amazed by its crispiness that was perfectly complemented the slight saltiness of cooked pig’s blood.
I enjoyed these two dishes at an “Ylocano Restaurant” called Saramsam. It’s a quaint, charming place that I discovered by accident at the corner of Rizal Avenue and a minor street whose name I did not care to find out. The price was rather expensive given that I am in Ilocos and Ilocano food is supposed to come from here and not transported from somewhere else. But, I am tired from walking so eating here is worth it.
Via Crucis is, of course, the Stations of the Cross in Latin.
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Speaking of walking. I walked around the center of Laoag yesterday. Why? Because I am in Laoag, that’s why. It is perhaps one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the Philippines because it has sidewalks that can actually be walked upon. Besides, my grandparents’ house is relatively near the city center. I remember walking from the house to the cathedral for my Uncle Vic’s ordination close to three decades ago and also for the funeral mass of my Lolo.
I went out of the house a few minutes after four o’clock in the afternoon. The world around me had turned bright orange. I slept the first part of the day after spending some time chatting with two of my cousins here, Tina and Arnold. The other one is Christian, their kuya, but he was in school or asleep, it depends on who you asked, when I arrived.
I visited Lola in her room just before lunch. She’s very thin and appeared to be sleeping. Later, just to let the heat of the day pass, I watched on my laptop the film “Stand by Me,” which I found in the film collection of my cousin, Tina. I have seen the film in bits and pieces but not, it goes without saying, in its entirety.
I walked to the center of the city soon after. I secured a bus ticket back to Manila, first. To reserve a seat is the safest thing to do if one has an appointment in Manila a day after a holiday. Partas would be too risky, if that is the case. So, I headed to the Maria de Leon terminal but, surprise!, they were fully booked for Sunday night. I went to Farinas, but with the way their buses look from the outside, they were not really an option. I thought to myself, “RCJ Liner is better.” They might not have the De Luxe buses of Partas and, I found out today, the Super De Luxe buses of Maria de Leon, but they were trustworthy too. Well, at least the last time I rode them, they were.
I went to the RCJ Liner terminal after walking around the city center. I passed by the capitol building and then made my way to the market and then back to the cathedral. From the cathedral grounds, I took a picture of the sinking bell tower and the church’s facade. After taking a picture of the underbelly of the bridge, I crossed the main street to the plaza in front of the city hall. It was from there that I walked to the RCJ terminal.
It was already six o’clock and I was tired and hungry. McDonald’s was temptingly close but I have my convictions. I decided to head for Lorreine’s Eatery where I had my breakfast that morning. It was on my way there that I discovered Saramsam.
