22/09/2017
La Virgen Milagrosa Chapel (Badoc)
Built on the cove separating Ilocos Norte from Ilocos Sur, the La Virgen Milagrosa Chapel was built to commemorate the arrival of the La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc, believed to have come from Japan and sent floating into sea by missionaries fleeing the country. The open-air chapel, built like an upturned boat, bears bamboo fittings and maritime decorations to recall the 400-year story repeated among the locals of Ilocos Norte.
Ilocos Norte: An Affair with Miracles
Words by: Jerricho Reynaldo Images by: Marius Kenneth Buhain
“Walang himala!” (There are no miracles!) That was, at least, according to Elsa of the classic 1982 film Himala by National Artist Ishmael Bernal which, during its time, was foreseen as a low-yield production.
Twenty-six years after, however, the film carved for itself a niche in film history, especially after winning as the region’s Best Film of all Time in the 2008 CNN Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Miracles do happen, after all, though not always in the supernatural way we are accustomed to, but sometimes in entirely rational – yet equally unexpected – ways.
Miracle-making seems to come naturally to Ilocos Norte, on whose soil the movie was shot. For one, after the success of Himala and many other films shot on the arid environment of the North, the sand dunes of Paoay were never the same again. “Before, the folks in Paoay would cry over these sand dunes because they couldn’t farm there, but movie directors here and
abroad love it,” Governor Imee Marcos said during our interview. And aside from being the popular movie set that it is, the dry wasteland has also been put to use by the locals as an eco-adventure destination for tourists who want to experience sandboarding and 4×4 dune-bashing.
From the success of the dunes, the rest of Ilocos Norte followed suit, in a series of other phenomenal events. For years, the windy coastline of the province has been at the forefront of the country’s surfing portfolio, and recently, this trend has transformed the long shoreline of Pagudpud, in particular, into a kite-surfing arena for enthusiasts both here and abroad. Likewise, Paoay Lake, in which locals are afraid to swim lest the greedy fish of an old legend pull them down, saw the staging of the 1st International Paoay Regatta in January 2013.
The crafting of miracles is also made possible in tangible form by the able hands of the Ilocanos themselves. Their specialty is the resourceful concoction of dishes from humble and endemic ingredients. Dishes like empanada (filled pastry), pinakbet (mixed vegetables), poqui-poqui (eggplant and eggs), and saniata (dragon fruit) rolls fill the tables of households during feasts and festivals, which the province proudly brandishes on an almost monthly basis. Just this May, we joined the locals in celebrating the solemn La Virgen Milagrosa Provincial Fiesta, which commemorates the arrival of the patroness of Ilocos Norte on the shores of the town of Badoc.
Local artists also spin magic and marvels by producing, out of a hostile environment, a wide array of crafts and products, many of which have, unthinkably enough, reached the shores of the West after the Ilocano exodus to Hawaii in the mid-1900s. The weaving of abel (textile) remains a living pursuit, thanks to communities that dedicate themselves to bequeathing the local skill to the next generations, while the baking of damili (red clay pottery) in the town of San Nicolas has been kept afire since the turn of the 19th century.
Ilocos Norte’s capital, Laoag City, may also be construed as a piece of ‘miracle’ of sorts, at least in terms of being an auspicious converging place in the midst of all these unexpected developments. For one, it is close enough for many travelers to reach at a moment’s choice. The provincial capital is an 8-hour, 477-kilometer bus ride away from Manila. Meanwhile, the Laoag International Airport, which serves as the main gateway to the province, is a mere 45-minute plane ride away.
Ilocos Norte, put simply, is a place where miracles big and small are shot, staged, and created by both divine and earthly interventions.
The Southern Tour: An Ilocano Pilgrimage
Having been occupied by the Spaniards as early as 1572, Ilocos Norte has a rich religious history, as evidenced by the numerous churches and religious structures that dot the province. Of note is the baroque Church of Saint Augustine, commonly known as the Paoay Church, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Construction of the church was started in 1704 using a mixture of coral and stucco-plastered bricks, and was completed in 1894.
The southernmost town of Badoc, meanwhile, is home to the 400-year old image of La Virgen Milagrosa, the patroness of Ilocos Norte and believed to be the cause of countless miracles in the province. In the year 1620, fishermen found two large wooden boxes floating off the coast of Badoc and Sinait (now part of Ilocos Sur). One of the boxes contained the La Virgen Milagrosa, an image of the Blessed Virgin holding the Infant Jesus. Perhaps by divine intervention and out of the Ilocanos’ devotion to her, the image chose to dwell in the town of Badoc. A commemorative chapel now stands on the site of the miraculous arrival.
Built in memory of the founder of the Philippine Independent Church, the Aglipay Shrine in the town of Pinili houses the remains of Gregorio Aglipay, a soldier, religious reformer and patriot who sought to reform the Filipino Catholic clergy after being excommunicated by the Vatican for inciting rebellion. His Iglesia Filipina Independiente, with members numbering around six million, is a living relic of the nation’s struggle against the clutches of colonial Spain.
