Blooming Sunflowers of Pasuquin

Pasuquin is categorized as a fourth class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte with farming and fishing as its main industries. It is composed of 33 barangays that covers a land area of 210.54 square kilometers inhabited by around 26, 500 people. This town is noted for its rich history and colorful culture as the people celebrates several festivals annually. Sunflower Festival is among them. It is one of the popular festivals in town because it was made into an American film entitled Sunflowers in the year 1997. It was featured in various film exhibits and queer film festivals. The film made the festival event internationally known.

Sunflower festival is an annual drag pageant where a group of gay men organize this event. From preppies to draq queens participate in this festival. They all call themselves as sunflowers. Most of the members are professionals and businessmen. Pioneers and founders of Sunflower are already residing abroad mostly working as doctors and nurses. I was able to meet and talk to the very first Sunflower queen who is based in Canada and now a retired nurse. He only went home to attend this glamorous Sunflower festival. He said that this is a way to promote their rights and assert now equality because most of them are educated. This is also to signify their contribution to the community.

The pageantry became controversial because it was part of the Santacruzan, an event during the month of May to pay tribute to Saint Helen. A procession of images of saints was usually incorporated in the Sunflower festival. The Catholic church protested against the use of the images in the promotion of homosexuality as what I have heard. Therefore the images were no longer used today. It was even moved on a later date not to overshadow the real Santacruzan. It is now being held in the month of December.

Members of the Sunflower organization help each other put up this event. They hire their fashion clothes and escorts. They also produce lamp and lanterns to light their way on the street. They usually start the ‘royal’ procession at around 9 pm walking towards the plaza and hold a pageant show. They decorate the stage, floats and archs and create folk dances and programs.

Damili Festival at San Nicolas’ Centennial

The town of San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte recently celebrated 100 years of its reconstitution as a municipality. This town was a former part of Laoag. It is a 4th class municipality with a population of around 34,000 with an area of 60.11 square kilometers. It is composed of 24 barangays. Its name was taken from their patron, Saint Nicholas de Tolentino who was believed to have protected the people from natural disasters. It can be noted that this is the only town in Ilocos Norte with a name of a saint.

The Spaniards came for a mission in this site in which the Augustinian missionaries founded a settlement called Visita Caluntian. It was attached to pueblo of Vigan. Later, Laoag became a pueblo and the administration of Caluntian was transferred to it.

Agriculture was the main industry and the source of town’s economy. The Spaniards later introduced blacksmithing, cart and calesa making and pottery to create additional income. The pottery industry supplies Ilocos Norte and Cagayan up to this time and the town made a mark as the damili manufacturing town with banga as its symbol of trade. They celebrate the Damili Festival annually to pay tribute to pottery industry. An overlapping three-banga statue stands at the junction of the Manila, Cagayan and Nueva Era roads. Potters especially the veterans in the industry participated in the street pageantry displaying the process of damili making while young men and women showed their dancing prowess.

100 years of San Nicolas in Sarzuela

After watching the fireworks display at Robinson’s Mall, I heard from San Nicolenos that they are watching sarzuela at the cultural park. So I went there too and saw some friends and familiar faces.

The Sarzuela Ilocana was entitled San Nicolas: Ili Nagtaudak. The 100 years evolution and development of the town was depicted in the story. From the colonization of the province by the Spaniards, its evangelization by having San Nicolas as their patron saint, coming of the Japanese forces then the Americans, to gaining independence in 1909 and living the rustic life by the people, engaging in occupations such as farming and pottery to the recruitment of sacadas to work in Hawaii and to the present situation of its people.

The play has participated in by people from the different sectors of San Nicolas. There was drama, comedy, singing and dancing all rolled into one play. The theme song of the town was sung during the presentation.

Siwawer Festival at Vintar’s 100

The town of Vintar has recently celebrated its 100th year. This was a former part of the town of Bacarra until it gained independence as a new town in the year 1909. This is a 1st class municipality of the province of Ilocos Norte.

Its name was derived when an Augustinian missionary who was brought by Spanish commander Juan de Salcedo in the year 1574 to pioneer evangelization of Ylocos who visited this place. He wanted to meet the heads of the barangays and the guide let them form a line saying it in the vernacular “Ag-Intar kayo man basit,” which means “Please form a line.” Then a V shape was formed from the line. Out of these observations, the missionary then coined the name of the town.

It was a coincidence that the shape of the V seemed to form the wings of a bird or an eagle. As I observed on my recent visit to Isic-isic, there were really a number of birds that hover around the mountains and rivers. We have seen canaoay which is commonly seen in the farm, eagle and the siwawer. This town is known for these birds. They have adopted the siwawer as the symbol of their municipality.

As a tribute to this specie of bird, Siwawer Festival was conceptualized, prepared and held for the first time to coincide with their centennial celebration.

I went early to the town and they had trade fair showcasing the produce of the different barangays. I even saw “baligot” a vegetable similar to the yam. The leaves and its bulb can be cooked into inabraw. Wood carvings of siwawer were on sale. The town is abundant with watermelon so I bought and ate the yellow watermelon. It was so sweet and refreshing.

The dance parade was participated in by groups of young people dancing to the different local tunes. They were in ants’ costumes, painted their bodies of charcoal, with siwawer or bird feathers, and in fishermen and farmers’ costumes. Floats of balikbayans were also paraded around. This was followed by a dance showdown.

Ordination of a Priest in Roman Catholic

I remember that when I was a child, serving as altar boy, we attended a priest ordination in our community. The ceremony they held was no longer clear to me. This time when I heard that a deacon was soon to profess his faith, I went to Currimao church to catch a glimpse of that ceremony again. This was my second time to witness it. Fr. Lloyd was the candidate or ordinand. I already met him prior to his ordination.

Ordination is a religious process by which individuals are consecrated to become clergy in order for them to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The ceremony varies by religion and denomination. Ordination is a sacrament. It is likened to marriage of a couple. But for the priests they have to marry the Lord so they say. Once they become a priest, they will be forever priest.

The affair was well attended by the members of the clergy, guests, relatives of the ordinand and other parishioners. Bishop Utleg celebrated the mass. Then the ordinand genuflected before the bishop. Later the candidate prostrates himself before the altar. He lied down in prone position. Prostration is a way to place the body in prone position. It is an act of submissiveness to God. The ordinand donned another set of vestments or liturgical garments assisted by his parents. The bishop imposed his hand on the head of the candidate followed by all the clergymen one by one.

When the ceremony came to its end, all the members of the clergy embraced one by one the new priest to welcome him to the priesthood.

The Home of Great Filipino Painter Juan Luna

The Shrine of Juan Luna is located in the town of Badoc in Ilocos Norte. This is a two-storey building made of brick which was reconstructed in 1977 by the National Historical Institute. This house is the birthplace of two brother heroes Juan Luna and General Antonio Luna. This Luna House contains the reproductions of the masterpieces created by Juan Luna himself. The Spoliarium is his greatest work followed by the Blood Compact, La Battala de Lepanto, People and Kings and Parisian Life and many other notable works. The original artworks were placed in the museum in Manila. The Parisian Life became controversial a few years ago because it was bought by the Government Insurance System at a huge amount of money.

After attending the feast of La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc, I, with Fanny and Mai dropped by to see this historic home of the great Filipino painter Juan Luna. The staff members were so accommodating that they even extended their time to entertain us. They showed us every corner of the house. We were even allowed to lie down on the bed of Juan Luna.

Juan Luna was born in this reconstructed house on October 24, 1857 however the original house was burned down in 1861. He was the son of Joaquin Luna and Laureana Vovicio. He was instrumental in placing the Philippine art and culture on the world map. He established his reputation as a master painter in the country and in Europe for his major awards. He won a gold medal for his masterpiece “Spoliarium” at the Madrid’s National Exposition of Fine Arts in 1884. Luna died in Hong Kong in 1899 and his remains were interred at San Agustin Church, Intramuros, Manila.

The house boasts of the gallery that includes his materpieces and the vintage photographs of Luna clan including his’ son Andres. There are the portraits of his Paz Pardo de Tavera and national hero Jose Rizal. There is a living room upstairs, azotea, mini-chapel

The Badoc Church

When we attended the celebration of the Canonical Coronation of the La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc, I can’t help but went around the church. The façade is equally stunning. So I took shot in front and at its gate.

The historical significance of this church, aside from being the home of the miraculous Marian image which was washed ashore seven centuries ago to this place, this was also the church where the famous Filipino painter Juan Luna was baptized on October 27, 1857. His siblings were also baptized here. This was a place of worship for those victims in the uprising of Andres Malong in 1660-1661. I was surprised to know that this church was formerly called the Sinait Chapel in 1591. It became a parochial in 1714. This church is made of bricks and stones. It was buildt under the administration of Rev. P. Valentin Blovide.

The patron saint of the town of Badoc is San Juan Bautista. The current parish priest is Rev. Fr. Calma. The town is about 35km or 22 miles south of Laoag.