Proudly Paoayena

Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales
Justice of the Supreme Court
http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/justices/j.carpio-morales.php

Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales started her career in law in 1968 in a Manila law firm where she was Assistant Attorney up to 1971 when her former professor, then Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos, took her in as a Special Assistant at the Department of Justice.

She worked for seven years at the Justice Department as assistant
lawyer, researcher, assistant special lawyer and finally senior state counsel before she became a judge.

Three presidents recognized her public service by appointing her to the Judiciary. President Ferdinand Marcos appointed her as RTC Judge, Branch 132 in Pili, Camarines Sur. On November 4, 1986, President Corazon Aquino designated her as Pasay City RTC Judge. She was promoted Executive Judge and held that position until 1994 when President Fidel Ramos appointed her to the Court of Appeals. On the nomination of a Court of Appeals colleague and upon the unanimous endorsement of the members of the Judicial and Bar Council, she was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and was sworn to office on September 3, 2002. Until her appointment to the High Court, she headed the CA 7th Division.

Justice Carpio-Morales finished her AB (Economics, 1964) and Bachelor of Laws (1968) at the University of the Philippines. She has participated in legal conferences here and abroad and was a bar examiner in Legal Ethics in 2000.She was also conferred the Ulirang Ina Award for Law and the Judiciary by the Father’s DayMother’s Day Foundation of the Philippines,Inc.


Justice Carpio-Morales was born in Paoay, Ilocos Norte on June 19, 1941. She is married to Eugenio T. Morales, Jr. with whom she has two sons, Eugenio III and Umberto.

Message from Ilocos

Wow, I love this video. I think this was meant for the couple's child and relatives in Italy. The messages however could very well be meant for all who are toiling abroad, away from family. The old folks in the video also sing "Dungdunguen canto" for the folks abroad. This video says a lot in under nine minutes, a lot lot more than many of the pretentious short films I've seen. This video entitled 'Ilocos Norte Part1' is lifted from YouTube.com. You may watch part2 from YouTube.com

Pamulinawen

This is a version of Pamulinawen from YouTube you can sing along with. Background video courtesy of Peakproductionz. The resort featured is my favorite 'The Hidden Treasure' Resort in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

Check out this resort, literally hidden 20 minutes north of Saud Beach. From Saud, ask the locals for the dirt road that leads to there. The drive is quite bumpy but the view is gorgeous.

See more of Peakproductionz nice Ilocano videos in their channel in YouTube.

Pamulinawen

I am posting another version in my next post. Enjoy!

Pakpakatawa (Joke of the Day)

Question: Anat kababassitan nga aso?

Answer: DOGgong

Ay apo.........

Daniw

http://www.tuggot.blogspot.com/
2.20.2007

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paoay Lake iti parbangon (at dawn)

Dinamagmo Kaniak ti Ayat

Dinamagmo kaniak no ania ti ayat
Ayat?
Kasano kadi nga iladawan ti ayat?
Umanay kadi ti kimmampuso nga iyuritko a tinta
a nangmantsa iti sin-aw dagiti birhen a papel?
Wenno ti maris ti dara iti tunggal maipasak
Iti umukuok a kusilap dagiti nalabusan ti managbasol a matak…

Dinamagmo kaniak no ania ti ayat
Ayat?
Ania kadi ti ayat?
Ayat kadi ti marikriknak no kasta a pergenka
Ket umingar ti nagbaetan dagiti luppok
Ti panaas ti pus-ong a di maipapas
Ti im-imeten a rugso toy barukong…

Dinamagmo kaniak no ania ti ayat
Ayat?
Ania kadi ti ayat?
Diak ammo no ania ti ayat kunak
Manipud idi linisiam toy riknak
Diakton ammo no ania ti ayat
Ta ti ammok narsaak metten ti namnamak!

Jake Favila Ilac
Signal Village, Taguig City
February 19, 2007

Guling-Guling and the Biggest Dudol Ever

Here are some pictures taken during the 2007 Guling-guling festivities Notice the new cobbled street where the parade was held (below).
Also on parade was the biggest Dudol ever made in Paoay. Everyone partook of it after the parade.

Old Kumbento

Not many people bother to explore the ruins of the old convent in Paoay. But those who do are rewarded with a picturesque site. It is often used as the site of the annual Halloween festivities. I can imagine it as a perfect location for a cafe and some souvenir stalls.

Empanada-making Video

Nalaka laeng ken nabiit ti agluto ti empanada apo. Press the PLAY button ta buyaen tayo no kasano.

Ilocos Empanada

For those non-Ilocanos interested in how empanada is made and why it is so tasty and special, the following photoset shows you how and why.

Dough is made from rice flour.

Adda pay iplog na. Ken longganiza pay.

Yummy, maramanam pay diay cholesterol na apo.

Kayat Yo Ti Miki?

Ay nagimasen apo. Espesyal daytoy ta adda pay iplog ken sitsaron na.

Yummy. This miki (Ilocano noodles) is special with egg and crispy pork skin.

Nice Shot!

Nice Shot! This picture is by Dodong Flores. http://www.treklens.com/gallery/Asia/Philippines/photo319174.htm

Paoay Heritage House Up for Restoration

Heritage house in Paoay up for restoration
The Ilocos Times
May 14, 2006
by Cristina Arzadon

Owners of a heritage house in Paoay town are working on the restoration of a historical landmark—a bubble-topped octagonal house built by their patriarch the late Constancio Duque in the early 1940s. Locally known as the Duque house, the American period architecture was given tribute as one of three heritage homes in Paoay along with the well-preserved twin Bahay na Bato (white houses to locals) owned by the family of Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales.

Duque, a known teacher in his time, was one of the early Ilocanos who moved to the United States in the early 1900s. “He got the idea to go to the US because all his friends have left the Philippines,” recalls Constancio’s only son Estanislao Duque, now a doctor based in Mindanao.
But unlike other Ilocanos who worked on sugarcane fields, Constancio, then a 16 year-old high school student enrolled in a Vigan seminary, flew to Chicago, Illinois to continue studies. “He went there without knowing anybody. He used a one-year stipend that he had saved from the seminary for his plane ticket and start up his schooling,” Estanislao said.

Duque finished his high school and college education there before returning to his hometown Paoay in 1939 and later built the American-inspired colonial house. “It was in Chicago where my father got the design for our house,” Duquesa Duque-Dugan, Constancio’s youngest daughter who now lives in Australia, said. “He always wanted to be different. At the time when the neighborhood houses were the typical box-type wooden structure, our father built a spherical house using but his memory of the 20 years he stayed in Chicago,” Dugan said. “I remember when we were young, we would be asked where we live and we would say, idiay nagbukel (There at the round house),” Dugan said.

The old Duque is said to have hired skilled carpenters to execute the architectural design that he had kept only in his mind. The octagon-shaped American architecture is made of wooden stone-cut façade with a bonnet of a roof. His eldest daughter Rosario Duque-Pobre who visited Chicago recently said bubble-topped houses remain a landmark there.

The Duque siblings had kept all their father’s memorabilia in their house, which had become a museum of antique pieces from the old piano to a phonograph and other wooden furnishings.
Lining the walls of the Duque house are early family photos including a sketch of the heritage house that was done by Duque’s granddaughter Marissa. The family plans to replicate the sketch to small keepsakes which could be given as souvenirs to tourists on a heritage tour in Paoay.

Dugan said restoring the house was a promise she made to her father before he died.
“I wanted to bring back my father to Chicago while he was on a visit in Australia. But he never had that chance because he was in a hurry to go back to the Philippines. I have since promised to restore the house as my way of making up for him,” she said.

Mindful of the attention that their house had courted, the Duque siblings have started planning its rehabilitation keeping in mind the need to preserve the original structure. Termites have destroyed some sections of the house while wooden planks either need replacement or reinforcement Except for some sections of the facade, the original structure including its wooden floors has not been disturbed. But because Paoay has always been a catch basin of floodwaters, the Duque house had been submerged in thick mud as indicated by its original stone fences peeping out from the ground. Several flights of its stone staircase leading to the front door also presumably sank because only a section of the pillars on each side of the stairs were sticking out. Traces of hardened mud from recent floods occupy the basement, which Dugan said makes a magnet for termites.

The family had already commissioned a restoration architect to do the works on their house.
Since talks about the restoration spread, Dugan said she had already seven architects showing up in their house with their restoration designs. She had narrowed down her list to two because she did not like the designs that others presented.“I could barely recognize our house,” Dugan said playfully as she showed to two design proposals, which transformed the house into a Spanish-colonial villa capped with tiled roofing.

Dugan clarified reports that the National Historical Institute had offered to help in the restoration of the heritage house. “Nobody has come forward to help in the restoration. There has been no offer, which we don’t really mind,” she said. Dugan added: “And in case there will be an offer in the future, we would like to see the guidelines first. We don’t want to lose control of our house where we will be reduced to mere administrators.”

She clarified, however, that their house is always open to people who share their passion in taking pride of their ancestral home. At one point, Marcos daughter, Irene Marcos-Araneta surprised the household members when she invited herself at the top of the staircase and asked politely if she could have a look of the house.

“We have always opened our house to everyone who cares to take a look. We don’t mind the attention. Anytime of the day, we see people outside the house either taking shots or filming the structure. We share the pride to others who would want to make a connection and a sense of ownership to this house that our father built,” Dugan said adding that the family will keep the house and the lot where it sits probably until kingdom comes.

Duque House

The Duque House in Paoay is famous for its one of a kind, octagonal shape. It is still used as residence by the Duque family.

This picture by Constantine Agustin was lifted from his website, http://www.constantineagustin.blogspot.com/.

A short history of the Paoay church

St. Augustine Church, or more popularly called Paoay Church, in Ilocos Norte is one of the the oldest churches in the Philippines and is among the major attractions of Ilocos Norte.

Built of coral blocks and stucco-plastered bricks, the architecture is a unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental. Construction of the church was started in 1704 and completed in 1894. A few meters away is the coralstone belltower which served as observation post of the “Katipuneros” during the Philippine Revolution, Paoay Church is included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Paoay Lake

PAOAY LAKE NATIONAL PARK The landlocked lake located 3 kilometers away from the sea in Suba, Paoay has an area of 470 hectares. Declared as a National Park under Republic Act 5631 on June 21, 1969, its environs has been turned into a sports complex including a world-class golf course. Shown in picture above is the Malacanang of the North which overlooks the lake.

Malacanang of the North

MALACAÑANG OF THE NORTH, also known as Malacanang ti Amianan. Built as the official residence of then President Marcos in Ilocos Norte, on a promontory overlooking the legendary Paoay Lake, this imposing structure is now a museum. A minimal entrance fee is collected.

Inside Malacanang of the North is a very nice big painting of the Paoay Church.

A Brief History of Paoay

A Brief History of Paoay

From http://www.pasyalan.net/ilocos_norte/paoay

Paoay’s former name was Bombay. Its site was originally located in the village of Callaguip - along the coastal shores of the South China Sea - now a barrio of Paoay, which is about two kilometers west of the present town proper.

Historians say: “From the date of early settlement to 1701, little could be said about the activities of the early settlers of Paoay except that much had been done in the clearing of the forests nearby. They converted the forests into rice and sugar lands through the slash-and-burn method called ‘kaingin.’ The early settlers were of a peace-loving tribe, but their major problem was the frequent furious incursions of Sea Rovers and Moro pirates called Tirong who looted indiscriminately their agricultural produce and other valuables. To protect themselves from further incursions, the folks moved towards the nearby inland where the present town proper is now located. In the farther western inland, there were also settlers who formed the neighboring town of Batac. Sensing that the Bombay people had suffered too much from the Moro raids, the people of Batac offered the people of Bombay to live with them. But the brave and maverick folks rejected the offer and instead they uttered "Maka-paoay kami" – an Ilocano dialect jargon meaning they could live independently. The settlers from Batac were offended and it was from this incident that the name of the town came to arrive as PAOAY.”

“The first inhabitants might have come from Bombay, India because the early name of the town was Bombay and settlers in the early days usually named the land settlement they found after the name of their country and place of origin. When the settlers from Bombay arrived, they found the Indonesians already making headways in clearing the forests. Later, the more civilized Malays came and they drove the Indonesians away. Some were captured and held slaves to help improve the land settlement. Those who opted to live with the Malays stayed. The two races turned blended that it is now hard to trace the single origin of the early settlers.”

“The last two settlers established their permanent homes at the present site of the town proper because the location was best suited for their personal convenience and protection from the marauders. Hence, the site was accessible to the barrios where they cleared for farming, namely: Burit, Monte, Paratong, Tamurong, Tigui, Madamcao, Baramban, Lang -Ayan, Lioes, Tarangutong, Lubbot, Currimao, Gaang, Pias, Maglaoi, Anggapang, Comcomloong, Dalayab, Puritac, Cubol, Burayoc, Nagtriguan, Ullaleng, Buangga, Cabaruan, Tugay, Maburiac, Liliputen, and Sacritan. Most of these barrios are now adjudicated to the towns of Pinili, Currimao, and Batac which became municipalities in 1920 and 1921, respectively.”

To cite the characteristics and traits of its people, Paoayenos (called the people of Paoay) are by nature industrious, thrifty, intrepid, daring, individualistic, peace-loving, adventurous, hospitable, and religious people.”

A Brief History of Ilocos Norte

Brief History of Ilocos Norte Philippines

From http://www.pasyalan.net/ilocos_norte/

Long before the coming of the Spaniards, there already existed an extensive region (consisting of the present provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union) renowned for its gold mines. Merchants from Japan and China would often visit the area to trade gold with beads, ceramics and silk. The inhabitants of the region believed to be of Malay origin, called their place "samtoy", from "sao mi toy, which literally meant "our language".

In 1571, when the Spanish conquistadors had Manila more or less under their control, they began looking for new sites to conquer. Legaspi's grandson, Juan de Salcedo, volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with 8 armed boats and 45 men, the 22 year old voyager headed north.

On June 13, 1572, Salcedo and his men landed in Vigan and then proceeded towards Laoag, Currimao and Badoc. As they sailed along the coast, they were surprised to see numerous sheltered coves ("looc") where the locals lived in harmony. As a result, they named the region "Ylocos" and its people "Ylocanos".

As the Christianization of the region grew, so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracks of land were utilized for churches and bell towers in line with the Spanish mission of "bajo las campanas". In the town plaza, it was not uncommon to see garrisons under the church bells. The colonization process was slowly being carried out.

Ilocos Norte was created by virtue of the Spanish Royal Decree on Februray 2, 1818. At that time, the province occupied the coastal plain bordering the China Sea and guarded by the Cordilleras in the northwestern corner of Luzon.

Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south. Ilocos Norte faces the South China Sea to the west and the Luzon Strait to the north.

Ilocos Norte is noted for being the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. The Marcoses enjoy a modicum of popularity in the province. Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, an upper class beach resort famous among expatriates, and Pagudpud.

Guling-guling

‘Guling–Guling’
– mardi gras in Ilocandia!

By ETHEL S. TIMBOL

Manila Bulletin, 3/11/07

Guling–Guling, a little known tradition in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, heralds the Lenten Season just like the mardi gras of Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.

According to lore, it was the Spanish friars that introduced the Guling–Guling in the 16th century, which they celebrated on the eve of Ash Wednesday. The festivity marked the last day when the townsfolk could make merry before the start of the somber Lenten season.

Guling–Guling comes from the Ilocano word meaning "to mark, to smear, or to make a sign." In the olden days, the chieftain or mayor would mark a person’s forehead with the sign of the cross using wet white rice flour. The color white (in contrast to grey ash) signified that the person marked with "guling" was cleansed of his sins.

The Guling–Guling is basically a street dance as the townsfolk, dressed in their best native attire, went out to the streets to dance. The women would wear the abel kimona and pandiling accessorized with flowers or with the family jewels. The men wore the camisa de chino and abel trousers.

The revellers would first have their foreheads marked with a "guling" by the mayor as a sign of good luck. The ritual was made festive with snacks of "binugbug, a native delicacy made of rice flour and sugar cane cooked in the "anawang," a crude oven made from dried sugarcane pulp.
The binugbug is washed down with gulps of the potent Ilocano spirits "basi" made from sugarcane extract and samak, a plant common in the Ilocos region. The brew would be fermented in "burnays", the famous Ilocano earthen jars to which was added samak leaves, bark and fruit.

Along the route of the parade, food hawkers would entice spectators with Ilocano snacks like the famous crispy "impanada", made of rice flour dough and stuffed with beansprouts, meat morsels and egg and dipped in vinegar with shalots (lasona) and spices … patopat (or impaltao), a suman made of sticky rice and boiled in molasses for two hours! … ditto, tupig, a hard pastilllas called linga, carioca rice flour balls or tinudok dipped in syrup, atbp. The American fastfoods just don’t stand a chance with snackers in Ilocandia.

Today, choreographers would be hired to coach the dance groups (barangays) to do the Pandanggo Paoayeña, the ariquenquen, curatsa, amorosa and La Jota Paoayeña with intricate steps and hand movements (kumintang).

This year, the board of judges was led by Paoay Mayor Bobby Clemente and Michael M. Keon, the son of the sister (Elizabeth Keon) of the late "Apo" Ferdie Marcos and chairman of the Tourism Development Council of Ilocos Norte. Among the judges also were Associate Justice Ccnchita Carpio Morales with her sister Marilou C. Claudio, Marie Respicio Gonzalez of the DoT Laoag office, et al.

The dancers, mostly led by lolas who have been dancing in the guling-guling since girlhood, executed their dances in varying formations on the cobbled street in front of the historic Paoay church.

Highlight of the parade was a giant "dodol," a grayish ube rice cake, five meters in diameter on a giant bilao carried on an open truck. The dudol reportedly took one sack of rice, 60 coconuts and the juice of 500 stalks of sugarcane to make.

Having tasted and relished varying cuisines across the world and all over the Philippines, we were delighted to take lessons in Ilocano dishes on this trip. Our first stop was at La Preciosa, a restaurant in Laoag started in the ‘50s by Preciosa Ablan Ventura Palma. Our host was Michael Keon who had invited our media group to Ilocos Norte to witness the Guling Guling.

We feasted on pinakbet, the old Ilocano favorite, which literally means to "wrinkle" the vegetables by overcooking it… poki poki, an eggplant omelet mixed with tomatoes, bagnet which is a tasty version of lechon kawali, dinengdeng or inabrao which means "to boil".

Other Ilocano dishes are sinanlao which we can only describe as a watered down batchoy… higado which is similar to but less spicy than bopis, popotlo, a seaweed salad (resembling green worms) found only in the region, and the exotic adobo of frogs legs.

The Ilocanos eat a lot of fresh fish and seafoods harvested from the waters of the South China sea surrounding the region and indeed, it was the Ilocanos that actually invented bagoong although Pangasinan is better known for producing it today.

Prior to the Guling–Guling we had lunch at La Herencia, newly opened across the Paoay church, and run by Samuel Blas who also owns a pensione called "Balay da Blas" in Laoag City. Here we sampled the crispy dinuguan which is a dry dinuguan mixed with bagnet, salads of bulaklak ng katuday, kamote tops, sigarilyas, kabatiti or patola, the tiny amalaya called parya, totong (tiny stringbeans), atbp.

As soon as we arrived in the Laoag airport on a Cebu Pacific flight, we took a detour to Bangui to see the windmills of the Northwind Power Development Corp. like giant electric fans powered by winds from the sea. The wind farm produces 25 megawatts or enough to supply 40 percent of the electricity needs of Ilocos Norte. Because the windmills harness wind, they do not produce greenhouse gases. Hopefully, this method of renewable energy will be replicated all over the Philippines.

On our way back to Laoag, we dropped by Pasuquin, famous for its saltmakers and also for biscocho (crispy bread) although only one family makes it, the Salmons of Pasuquin. Here we met Mang Phil Alvarez originally of Sariaya, Quezon, whose wife brought him to Pasuquin.
It always is wonderful to return to the Ilocos. My parents, the late Assemblyman Benito T. Soliven and Pelagia (nee Villaflor) Soliven hail from Sto. Domingo and Vigan in Ilocos Sur. Land travelers always pass by a monument to my dad in Sto. Domingo.

Now also, in my adopted probinsiya, Ilocos Norte, we have discovered Sitio Remedios, a heritage village created by my dear friend Dr. Joven Cuanang, medical director of St. Luke’s Medical Center, in Currimao, a couple of towns away from the boundary of Ilocos Sur. Let me tell you about it next time!

Herencia Cafe of Paoay

March 4, 2007

THE ILOCOS TIMES - FEATURE
Herencia Café: An “Edible Landmark in Ilocos Norte”

courtesy of VIEW FROM THE BELLTOWER by Stephen T. Barreiro

Ilocos Norte is famed for the beauty and magnificence of our architectural landmarks such as the world renowned Paoay Church and the Burgos lighthouse, which have also become virtually synonymous and symbolic of their towns.

Our culinary traditions have likewise begun to attract the attention of the tourist and consumer public as well; Batac for its empanada and Pasuquin for Biscocho.

Arising in the picturesque town of Paoay is a new center for culinary tradition, the Herencia Cafe. Literally meaning “heritage,” Herencia is a restaurant which has remained faithful to classical Ilocano cuisine as in their authentic and delicious servings of pinakbet and bagnet. Also on the menu are various entrees from classical Spanish, Italian, and Indian cuisine like the Beef Salpicado, Chicken Lemon Grass and their exellent pasta collection. The Arabbiata, which is spaghetti with stewed tomatoes, herbs and olive oil is comparable as the one I have tried at Italiannis and Cibo but at a fraction of the price (only P85 per serving). For a sample of “fusion’ cuisine, try the Mango chicken with cheese curry sauce, a basic Indian dish modified with the use of Italian cheese.

Shown above are some of the antique furnishings of the cafe

Indeed, Herencia Café has also been at the forefront of the latest advances in culinary development promoting what co-owner Sammy Blas has referred to as “fusion cuisine.”

Pinakbet PizzaHerencia has taken the quintessential Ilokano dish pinakbet to a new level of culinary excellence by creating the pinakbet pizza. By combining traditional Italian pizza with local ingredients used for pinakbet, Herencia has created a unique delicacy which has begun to attract national attention.

According to Herencia co-owner Sammy Blas, the idea of using pinakbet as a topping for pizza intrigued him; for example anchovies which have been used in pizza making for ages were replaced by the similar yet uniquely native ingredient bagoong, then add okra, eggplant, and longganiza meat as toppings over mozzarella cheese, all placed on a classic hand tossed pizza crust. Voila! A dish which is both an aesthetic as well as a gastronomical pleasure.

And what better place to savor the pinakbet pizza and the art of fine dining than at the Herencia Café. The Café boasts of elegance with an Old World feel. Decorations of Florentine glass, antique wood and wrought iron furniture, vigan tiles, and a superb view of the famed Paoay Church combine to create the perfect mood. I was distinctly reminded of Café Intramuros without the hustle and bustle of the city. Indeed a visit to Herencia Café is a glimpse on our genteel past; and a taste of the famed pinakbet pizza, a glimpse into the future of Ilokano cuisine.

As the famed Paoay Church has put Paoay on the World Heritage list, the Herencia Café may also bring Paoay to the world’s culinary map as well. An “edible landmark” indeed.

Visit Herencia Café at McArthur Street, Bgy. 14, Sangladan, Paoay (in front of Paoay Church). For inquiries you may call tel. 077- 614 -0214.

Ilocos Times News Update

August 5, 2007

THE ILOCOS TIMES - NEWS UPDATES -->

Keon asks SP to declare IN under state of calamity

DA Sec Yap visits Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Norte Gov. Michael Keon has recommended the declaration of the province under a state of calamity due to the lingering effect of the dry spell. Keon sought the declaration so that the provincial government could fully use its resources in mitigating the impact of the dry spell in the agriculture sector. Keon’s declaration coincided with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap’s visit on August 2 to Ilocos Norte to personally see the extent of damage caused by the drought from the ground. Yap said Ilocos Norte is one of the worst hit provinces in Northern Luzon along with Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan compared to Central Luzon.

“We will immediately release the funds (for Ilocos Norte) as soon as we have determined the extent of damage that needs support,” he said after the briefing that the provincial agriculture office prepared. Yap asked Keon to prepare the provincial government’s counterpart fund to mitigate the effects of drought like focusing on the planting of more high-value crops and vegetables. He said he would provide cloud-seeding operations in farmlands where irrigation is needed most. “We may have to realign the funds for farm-to-market roads and channel them to the irrigation sector because that’s where funds are needed most,” he said. Yap promised Keon that he will augment the province’s P30 million budget devoted to the provincial agriculture so that they could identify alternative crops that are drought-resistant. Yap also met with members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan committee on agriculture led by Chairman Mariano “Nonong” Marcos, and members of the League of Municipal Mayors, led by Joseph de Lara of Solsona, to assess the extent of the impact the drought has had on agriculture. Yap called for a cooperative effort to mitigate the effects of the drought: calling on local officials, mayors and the provincial government to provide water pumps while promising that the government will assist in providing fuel for the operation of those pumps as well as initiate cloud seeding operations over the province. Part of the assistance from the Department would include the provision of seeds for alternative non-water intensive crops to affected farmers. As a pro-active measure, the governor has certified as urgent, the passage of the bill declaring the Province of Ilocos Norte under a state of calamity due to the prolonged dry spell. This is so that the province may avail of the calamity fund to immediately address the issue. For his part Sec. Yap made a commitment to assist the province in the effort.

The effect of the drought is reflected in the Aug 1 PAO report which states that of the total acreage devoted to rice planting, only 50.22 % has been planted as compared to an estimated 80% in normal years.

Norma Lagmay, provincial agriculturist, reported that the province’s sufficiency level in rice, corn, onion and garlic would drop significantly due to prolonged drought. Before the dry spell hit, Ilocos Norte has been enjoying high sufficiency level in the following crops: rice (280%), corn (1,642%), garlic (2,734%) and onion (11,036%). Lagmay said the province’s irrigation systems would need more than P318 million in rehabilitation funds so that the facilities could reach their highest level of efficiency. She added most dams in the province are performing below their normal efficiency after being damaged by successive typhoons since 2006.

Stephen T. Barreiro and Cristina Arzadon

More Paoay Church Pics

I am posting some of my favorite pictures of Paoay Church. The first one I like very much for its unusual angle.

Most pictures of the church I've seen are in landscape mode but this one is in portrait. Friends who've seen this pic say it reminds them of some European churches. This one I took using my Sony Ericsson phone.

This next picture has an ethereal quality to it. It was taken one summer afternoon just before sunset. I've always told friends to visit the church at this time when the setting sun is flattering both to the church and to human skin. The church seems to glow and float, as if the sky opened to light it up.

Here's another nice one. The flowering plants reverently lifts up the church.

This picture of one side of the church shows graceful lines

This time a beautiful shot from the back. The greens sprouting from the walls really add beauty to the church. Sadly, they reportedly are slowly weakening the foundation, hence, the plants are regularly pulled out from the walls.

First blog

It's August 10, 2007 and I am posting the first ever blog for paoay.blogspot.com. And it is but appropriate that I upload a picture of the world famous Paoay church.

I hope this blogspot does justice to the beautiful town of Paoay and her people.