VIGAN KALESA TOUR- BELL TOWER AND ST. AUGUSTINE CHURCH

VIGAN KALESA TOUR- BELL TOWER AND ST. AUGUSTINE CHURCH

St. Augustine Church

After my tour around Padre Burgos house we went to Bantay Bell Tower and St. Augustine Church.

The St. Augustine Church is the oldest church in Region 1.  It is a beautiful old church with a glorious maroon and white façade.

 

This is where the original Panday movies by the late FPJ was shot according to manong kutsero.

Manong Kutsero (carriage driver) brought me to Bantay the next town after Vigan. There you will find the Bantay Bell Tower. Towering over the town, the Bantay Bell Tower is a sight to behold, standing separately over a hilltop next to the equally beautiful St. Augustine Parish Church.

The bell tower original structure was built by Augustinian Missionaries in 1591, most likely as a part of the parish church nearby.  It was made of bricks, rocks, and a mixture of seashells and sugar cane. There are hardly any renovations done to the structure, except for the repairs of the stairs inside the tower.

The bell tower stands on the tallest point in town.  It was used as a watch tower during the Spanish colonial period.  That's the reason why the tower is named “bantay” which in Ilocano means “mountain” and “guard.”

Climbing up the second level of the belfry is no problem, but going up the third level may take a bit more guts. The wooden stairs are new, but the rickety sound and the tall open windows may trigger a heart attack to the weak. But mind you the views from both levels are absolutely breath-taking.  The bell tower provides a good view of the town and the mountain in the horizon.

The bell tower is also quite popular because according to manong kutsero because it is the  location of the film- Panday by the late Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ)

The next time you find yourself in Vigan, ride a kalesa ( horse carriage) and tour the different glorious locations of the province.

VIGAN KALESA TOUR PART THREE- FR. BURGOS MUSEUM

VIGAN KALESA TOUR PART THREE- FR. BURGOS MUSEUM

Our next kalesa stop is the nearby Padre Burgos Museum. Entrance fee is ten (Php 10) pesos. The museum is managed by staff from the National Museum. You can either explore the artifacts yourself or have a guide join you free of charge.

The Burgos Museum is open the entire week except for Mondays and holidays. Museum hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
                                                 
Fr. Burgos Museum in Vigan, Ilocos Sur is a two-storey ancestral house of the martyr-priest Padre Jose Burgos. The house was built in 1788 and owned by his grandparents Don Juan Gonzales and Doña Florentina Gascon. Despite the limited funds of the city, the museum has maintained its 19th century interior and its well-preserved kitchen.

                           

Antique collections and dioramas of local historical events can be found here along with a hall of fame for the Ilocano heroes and achievers.

                                                          Earthen Jars from yesteryears.       

                   This is their rain gears! The ever reliable salakot and rain coat with gasera.

                                

Fr. Jose Burgos museum contains his memorabilia along with an excellent collection of archaeological and ethnological finds such as a series of paintings dating back to Basi Revolt and records of the native reactions to colonialism.

The hot and cold water dispenser of Fr. Jose Burgos' Family

This is the flat iron during Fr. Jose Burgos time. It was my first time to see a round flat iron like this:-)

Where to stay?

There are numerous options for accommodation in Vigan. Prices are very reasonable, typically around P 2500 pesos for a descent accommodations. Cheaper accommodation is available. The Villa Angela Heritage Hotel offers a good antique feel, but there are numerous quality options.

How to get there?

By plane via PAL. Upon landing in Laoag City visit Fort Ilocandia and enjoy the swimming pool and amenities they offer. Take a bus or hire a vehicle to take you to Vigan city which is about two (2) hours away.

By bus from Manila (about 8 hours).

Partas Transportation Co. Inc., located at #816 Aurora Boulevard, corner Arayat, Cubao, Quezon City. Buses leave Manila every hour.

Air-conditioned Bus Fare is P600. For more info call 724-98-20/ 725-17-40.

Other buses

Tip: Go to San Fernando, La Union first and enjoy the San Juan Surf Beach then get a bus to Vigan which takes 2-3 hours. Ask a local as to where the bus station is located.

How many days should I stay?

Overnight if you arrive early is sufficient to see most of the sights.

Tips and Comments 

• Bagnet is delicious in Vigan. 
• Buy at the local market it is cheaper there! 
• I personally like the design of the shirts at Casa Rica.
• You could haggle with the kutchero so don't be afraid to make tawad hindi tuwad ha ha ha! Joke!

VIGAN KALESA TOUR PART TWO- AROUND TOWN

Plaza Salcedo Kalesa Station in front of St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral.

We passed by Vigan Municipal Hall

 

I like the McDo Building. It has a church like bell tower .

Vigan Builders Bank in front of Plaza Salcedo 

Vigan Cathedral 

 House of ex-Congressman Ronald Singson

 

 

Where to stay?

There are numerous options for accommodation in Vigan. Prices are reasonable, typically around P 2500 pesos for a descent accommodations. Cheaper accommodation is available. The Villa Angela Heritage Hotel offers a good antique feel, but there are numerous quality options. 

How to get there?
 
By plane via PAL. Upon landing visit Fort Ilocandia and enjoy the swimming pool and amenities they offer. 

By bus from Manila (about 8 hours). 

Partas Transportation Co. Inc., located at #816 Aurora Boulevard, corner Arayat, Cubao, Quezon City. Buses leave Manila every hour.
Air-conditioned Bus Fare is P 600. For more info call 724-98-20/ 725-17-40.


Tip:  Go to San Fernando, La Union first and enjoy the San Juan Surf Beach then get a bus to Vigan which takes 2-3 hours.  Ask a local as to where the bus station is located.

How many days should I stay?

Overnight if you arrive early is sufficient to see most of the sights.

Tips and Comments

Bagnet is delicious in Vigan. Buy at the local market it is cheaper there!


I like the design of the shirts at Casa Rica.

VIGAN KALESA TOUR

I was always fascinated with the old charm of Vigan. Vigan for me is the land of Bagnet and Longganisa. Omg! They make me tulo laway! Ha ha ha! Yummy yum yum!  I had a wonderful time roaming around in Vigan aboard a kalesa or horse drawn carriage which you could rent for P200 -300 per hour depending on your tawad skills. I was able to rent one for P200/ hour @ Plaza Salcedo in front of the Vigan Cathedral.

My first stop is the Vigan Cathedral.

The Vigan Cathedral also known as St. Paul's Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. During the Spanish times (1525), the Spaniards chose Vigan as their center of government. It was called the Villa Hernandina then the Spaniards built the Cathedral on this site in 1574 (by Juan de Salcedo) and was damaged in the earthquakes of 1619 and 1627. A second was built here in 1641 and the present baroque-style church was built in the 1800's.

The Cathedral withstood many earthquakes, the latest was in 1990. The church is kept beautifully by the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. They just recently painted the Cathedral and it stands great with it's fresh creamy-white  look.

 ARZOBISPADO DE NUEVA SEGOVIA

 The priest live in the convent beside the church.

 

Diocese of Nueva Segovia.

Celine Acut's Facebook Post against Sendong Victims in Mindanao

Screen capture of supposed Facebook posts have gone viral, angering Filipinos and fueling their drive to help victims of tropical storm "Sendong" (international name Washi).

 

The posts were supposedly written by a certain Celine Acut, a Filipino living in France, and a certain Van Carumba, a Cebu native living in the United Arab Emirates.

“According to the news, almost all of the victims are poor families, so its better that they all die this early…whats the point of living a life which is full of hunger, at least they are now resting with peace..they are worthless, they are unproductive and their lives has no value at al.. they are just making more problems to the society so as i said its better that they have died this early.. they don’t desserve a chance to live because they are poor, they are not VIP anyways,” Acut’s first post said.

“I even wish sendong to come back and flash away those remaining poor families over there,” said her second post.

Van Carumba, meanwhile, posted on December 19, “Buti nangyari yan sa CDO (Cagayan de Oro)…Di pa namamatay lahat ng tao jan.” One person commented on her post, saying “Wag ka naman ganyan, di lahat ng taga-Cagayan de Oro may kasalanan sayo.”

An screen capture of a post written by Van Carumba on Facebook. It has been shared almost 600 times as of press time.

Acut’s Facebook profile has since been deleted, but the page was cached by Google on December 20. Screen captures of her profile posted online show that she studied at Mindanao State University-Iligan; lives in Le Petit-Paris, France and is engaged.

Carumba’s Facebook page is still active, but all her wall posts have been hidden aside from the controversial one she posted on Monday.

Acut and Carumba are now the subject of angry posts on social networking sites such as Twitter and Tumblr, and the screen captures of their posts have been posted on several blogs as of press time. Pages have even been created on Facebook specifically to bash them. 

One page on Acut had 1,544 likes, while the other had only 138. A page dedicated to Van Carumba had 451 likes as of press time.

Neither Acut nor Carumba could be reached for comment.

It is not certain if Acut is a real person or a figure created by people seeking to involve others in efforts to help the victims of tropical storm Sendong.

According to Camama Marwah from the Registrar’s Office of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, they have no records of a Celine Acut graduating from their school.

Online searches of her name yielded only social networking site links to the screen captures of her posts, and a search in French phone directories such as Pages Blanches and 118218.fr also came up negative.

Celine Acut's Facebook page, cached December 20, 2011. The account has been deleted.

AIRPHIL EXPRESS Sale Period: December 22 to 26, 2011

Air Phil Express

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Domestic Destinations	One-Way Fare
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Zest Air

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Domestic Destinations	One-Way Fare
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Manila to Busuanga, Legazpi, Marinduque, Masbate, San Jose, Tablas and Virac or vice versa	P311
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RHIAN RAMOS AND MO MAKING OUT VIDEO CAPS?

RHIAN RAMOS AND MO MAKING OUT VIDEO CAPS?

The video is actually not a s*x video but more like a making out video. It is the first time that the public will get to see the ex-couple kiss and make out in front of the camera.


This was uploaded in you tube by a certain RockBardz on Dec 20, 2011.

Rhian seems to be so in love with Mo sa video na ito.  Kawawa naman siya nag mahal ng maling lalaki:( 


Alam siguro ni MO na crime na ngayon ang gumawa ng sex video. Dapat mag ingat po kayo sa isang kiss and tell na lalaking katulad ni Mo Twister. 


Sa mga lalaki out there. Mahabag naman kayo sa mga babae :( may nanay at kapatid din kayo na babae.

It takes two to tango pero wag kayong gagawa ng making out video o sex video. 

Sa mga bata na makakakita nito. Patnubay ng magulang ay kailangan. Huwag kayong gagaya sa mga nasa retrato. Hindi po tama ang mag video ng ganyan.

Rhian kissing Mo

 See Video here