Morning came, well…early m0rning…after that long exhausting journey from Manila. We reached Vigan at around midnight with almost all of the hotels and inns fully booked! Talk about vacation during Christmas season! Anyway, we’ve managed to find a roadside hotel in the outskirts of Vigan City, in the town of Bantay.
And yes, the cocks crowed and that rustic Cordilleras dominate the landscape that is distinctly Ilocandia! First stop, Bantay Church…Oh well, before you enter the cabisera of Ilocos Sur province, you’ll have to pass by Bantay…pero kung tutuusin parang kabilang barangay lang ng Vigan ang Bantay, both town/city centers are so near each other!
Anyway, one thing that really attracts me with Ilocos so much are those antiquated Catholic churches which dates back when Don Quixote ruled the islands. Mostly made of red bricks and stone, it stood the elements of time and nature. And before you enter the UNESCO’s World Heritage City of Vigan, Bantay, as the town’s name suggest, seems to be a vanguard of these centuries-old heritage houses of Vigan and the rest of Ilocandia.
Nag-bantay Ditoy! Bantay Church and Belfry
The Lady of Charity (or La Nuestra Señora de la Caridad) forever guards the citizens of this town as the legend says. Only the Bantayeños can carry the said image and forever it’ll stay, therefore the name Bantay. That morning, we head on to Bantay Church with its trademark gothic architecture in its main church and the landmark stand-alone belfry situated on top of a hill overlooking the town proper and the city of Vigan. Like the rest of the campanarios in Ilocos, one of the major reasons why it was build separate from the church is to prevent collateral damage to the place of worship since the belfries usually fall first before the rest of the establishment.
Just at the foot of the belfry hill, the Church of San Agustin is one of Ilocandia’s oldest. Built sometime in late 16th Century by Agustinian friars, it managed to survived several earthquakes in the region but was damaged during World War II and the damaged facade was later restored in the 1950′s. Distinctively made mostly of red bricks and lime, the church and even the beflry exhibits gothic, romaneque and baroque features with the fromer dominating in both interiors and the facade f the main church.
In January 1956, the Papal Nuncio crowned the legendary image of La Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, the guardian and the patron saint of Bantay.
Guarding the River: Quirino Bridge
Somehow I’ve seen Juday’s movie together with the late Rico Yan being shot in this overly-dramatic yet somehow magnificent bridge. The Quirino Bridge itself os not an engineering marvel like that of Brooklyn Bridge or Millau Viaduct of France but its setting and awesomely serene landscape makes the said infra a landmark in its own right.
Before approaching the bridge, you’ll marvel the ruggedness of northern Luzon’s coastline, with dramatic and rustic mountains kissing the South China Sea before endering a valley seemingly dwarfed by the gargantuan hills.
Built in steel-arch type, it sits guard dwarfed by the mountain guardians of the land of the Tinggians and of Abra River. named after former president of the Philippines Elpidio Quirino.
A portion of it was destroyed by Typhoon Feria in 2001 which made hard for the Ilocanos and tourists to access Vigan and Laoag to the rest of Luzon, putting the importance of this bridge to commerce and every lives of Ilocanos. A few months later it was later restored, but the section that was destroyed didn’t regained its former arched glory. However, life went back to normal at Apo Singson’s land.
Just a few meters downstream of Abra River, the so-called under-construction Singson Bridge, which is higher than the Quirino Bridge, would be the new link of Ilocos yet the Quirino Bridge would still remain its grand old charm.
Its a remarkable welcome sign for weary visitors to the heart of the rugged yet beautiful Ilocandia, shared by the towns of Bantay in the northern banks and Santa in the south.
Just as these two landmarks in Bantay, Ilocos Sur would run out of words in describing it, what more for the rest of Ilocandia. Her rugged beauty is really alluring and her strength is her people. More to come in Ilocandia.
Pictures of Bantay Church and Belfry, click here or view the slideshow:
Pictures of Quirino Bridge, click here or view the slideshow below:
