La Union Drum and Lyre Competition

After hearing mass at Luna Church, I decided to go to San Fernando City to eat lunch. I had no definite plans of what to do, or where to go, but when I saw that people were preparing for something by the plaza, I figured I'd eat my lunch quick so I can check what was happening.

The main highway was closed for the La Union Drum and Lyre Competition, and since it was the first time that I saw something like that here in La Union, I stayed, watched, and took pictures. Here are some choice pictures from the event:







There were 14 groups of elementary students, representing their own towns. They have to perform music of their choice while dancing, and somewhere in their routine, they have to perform the La Union hymn. I was only able to watch 7 groups, because the event attracts many locals, and people from the back who wanted to see the program can get a little restless. I was a bit far from the performers, and having to use the digital zoom apart from the optical zoom my camera can come up with, I needed to have steady hands to prevent blur in the images. When people started bumping me from behind, and kids tried to make their way in front blocking my view, I decided to just leave.

Anyway, although this isn't an annual event, this competition was part of the La Union feast day celebration, which happens every last weekend of February.

*** Jenn ***

Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan

St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish
(Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan)
Luna, La Union
01 March 2009


Since I decided not to watch to the Grand Fluvial Parade of the Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City, I just decided to hear mass in St. Catherine of Alexandria parish in the town of Luna. The last time I was there was way back in 2006, and it was always a thing for me to check out places I haven’t seen yet whenever I travel, so even though I was alone, I still went. After taking a bus to the town of Balaoan, I took the tricycle to the church. Happy that I arrived just after the last mass - giving me time to take pictures before the next mass commenced.

Some pictures of the church:




The facade.


The aisle leading to the altar.


The altar, up close.


An image of the Patron Saint.

The town’s patron saint is St. Catherine of Alexandria, but this church is well known as the shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan (Namacpacan was the town’s former name before it was called Luna). According to the Province of La Union’s website, “It was in 1871 when a galleon that came all the eay from Mexico to deliver a statue of the Blessed Virgin to the Immaculate Concepcion Seminary in Vigan, Ilocos sur, stopped by Darigayos to sek cover from the stormy weather. According to traditional accounts, when the storm, is over, the galleon could not proceed to its destination because the sea became rough and unnavigable whenever the crew launched the vessel. They decided to bring the statue to Vigan by land. While making preparations, the statue was brought to the convent. The church at that time was undergoing repairs on the damaged portions brought about by a strong earthquake.

The following morning when the trip to Vigan was commenced, the men could not move the statue from the place where it stood. Fray Camilo Naves, an Augustinian priest, interpreted this as a message that the Blessed Virgin wanted her statue to remain in the parish. Negotiations were made with Church authorities who ordered the statue from Spain. It was agreed that the Catholics from Namacpacan would reimburse all expenses incurred and the parishioners contributed joyously and generously to the extent of selling portions of their fields to raise the amounts. An altar at the northern portio side of the church was constructed to house the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Namacpacan.”

Pictures of Our Lady of Namacpacan:




I wasn’t able to get the schedule of the masses in this church, but for tourists who cannot understand the Ilocano dialect, there’s a mass in english at 10AM. There’s also an adoration chapel outside the main church, and a souvenir shop, if you want to buy some religious stuffs.

*** Jenn ***

Tam-Awan Village

Tam-Awan Village
Pinsao Proper
Baguio City, Benguet
+63 (074) 4462949
28 February 2009


After the parade, I met up with my shutterbug friend Ferj to eat lunch at Zola Restaurant. While there, I texted another shutterbug friend Mike, and since he was also in Baguio City to watch the Panagbenga Festival grand street parade, we asked him if he could meet us up. When he got to the restaurant, there were chit-chats, of course, then Mike asked where we will go next. Ferj and I didn’t have anything planned, so Mike suggested we go to Tam-Awan Village. Ferj and I still haven’t seen the place, so we took his suggestion. There was a blooper while Mike was giving us directions how to get to the village, but in the end, we did find our way. Mike didn’t come with us anymore because he was with his parents and they were already waiting for him.

Taken from the website GoBaguio.Com,

Tam-awan in the local idiom means “vantage point,” an apt name for a colony of Cordillera Huts that sit on a hillside that affords visitors a magnificent view of the South China Sea on a clear day.

The Chanum Foundation, Inc., started reconstructing Ifugao houses in Baguio with the intention of recreating a native village accessible to those who have not had the opportunity to explore the different parts of the vast Cordillera region in the Philippines, laying the houses out just like a traditional Cordillera village.

A natural haven for the creative natives, Tam-awan Village became well-known as the headquarters of the famous Filipino national Artist Ben Cabrera, who is always referred to as BenCab, and become the home-base of popular local artists such as Jordan Mangosan, John Frank Sabado and Ged Alangui.

Tam-awan Village is also a venue for art exhibits, workshops and other activities that showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Cordillera people.

Other pictures I took:




The locals treat the visitors with some entertainment, and the tourists can actually go and dance with them if they want to.


The traditional Ifugao house.




The Ugnayan Bridge. "Ugnay" means "to unite" or "to connect".


A wood carving at the end of a small stairwell and some tourist taking pictures of the locals as they dance on the background.

Entrance fee for the village is priced at: 50 pesos (a little over 1USD) for adults, 30 pesos for Senior Citizens and students, and 20 pesos for kids (12 years below). The village is open from 8:00AM to 6:00PM. Aside from these attractions, people can also visit the galleries, and eat at a cafe. There are artists who can draw your picture right there and then, which is a great keepsake to take home.

My batteries died on me while in the village, so when Ferj was done with his pictures, we decided to go back to the city proper and just relax at Burnham Park. Because his camera has this very great lens, he was able to take great pictures of people at the park. At around 5PM, I decided to bid goodbye. I took the bus going to La Union, and I met my aunt Julie and cousin Nanette at the Viron Transit sub-station where I got my luggage.

The fluvial parade for the Panagbenga Festival was held the day after (01 March), but I decided not to watch it anymore and just stay in La Union.

*** Jenn ***

ps - Typhoon Pepeng, which hit the northern part of the country at the last quarter of 2009 destroyed the Tam-Awan Village. When I got back to Baguio City February of 2010, I was hoping to check on the village to see if the new look, but I wasn't able to. For sure, if you went to the village this year, it would look a little different than the pictures I had here.

My First Panagbenga Experience

Panagbenga Grand Street Parade 2009
Session Road
Baguio City, Benguet
28 February 2009


The Panagbenga Festival, formerly called the Baguio Flower Festival is an annual festival held in the Summer Capital of the Philippines every February. It was formed in 1995 as a way to rise up from the devastation of the 1990 earthquake and as a way to give tribute to one of Baguio City’s produce: flowers. In 1996, the festival’s name was changed to "Panagbenga," a Kankanaey term which means, "a season of blossoming, a time for flowering."

It is a month-long festivity, with different programs held every weekend. The highlight of the festival, is of course, the grand street parade and the fluvial parade (which is the local version of the Pasadena Tournament of the Roses), held on the last weekend of the festival. I have wanted to witness this festival ever since I have heard of it, but time and financial constraints have always hindered me to do so.

This year, even though I was still tired from my trip, I decided to still go to Baguio City to witness the grand street parade. Timing was just right, and I didn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t go. After visiting the Baguio Cathedral, I stayed at the sidewalks of Session Road to wait for the parade to start. Sadly, I positioned myself in a wrong part of the road, as the paraders only walk in front of me. Had I stayed near the intersection, I could’ve taken much better pictures as each group would perform as well.

Anyway, here are just some of the pictures I took from the parade:



Pretty faces all!



As colorful as the flowers.



The soft broom - which is a by product of a grass grown in this part of the country is used as part of the costumes.



This is the traditional costume of the Igorots, the ethnic tribe living in this part of the country.



My favorite shot.

My batteries have been acting up even while I was in Cebu and Negros Oriental, but because I wasn’t able to charge up my batteries, not only did I have problems taking pictures because of the military people blocking the way, I also had to cope up with my draining batteries. Thankful that I was able to take pictures despite the endless zoom, but I also realized that I really did find it difficult to take pictures of moving people. Still, it was a great training ground for me, and now I can already say I’ve been to a Panagbenga Festival!

*** Jenn ***

The Baguio Cathedral

Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral
Baguio City, Benguet
+63 (074) 442-4256 / +63 (074) 304-2064 (Fax)
info@baguiocathedral.com
28 February 2009

Brother and I got home from Dumaguete around 11PM of 26 February. I immediately checked my emails and blogs, and when I logged in to the forum I always go to, I read a message from an online shutterbug friend Ferj that he was going to Baguio City to watch the grand street parade of the Panagbenga Festival. I have always wanted to witness this festival, and sensing that I now have the chance to see it, too, I pondered for a moment if I will go with him, too. I sent him a message asking when will he travel, but it was already late at night and he was already offline.

The next morning, I received a text message from Ferj saying he was already in the bus station heading to Baguio City. I told him I will also be going to watch the parade, but since he was already about to leave and I wasn’t still ready, I told him I will just meet him in time for the parade the next day.


Because most of my clothes were still unwashed coming home from the trip, I didn’t have that much clothes to pack for this trip. I took some fresh clothes in my closet and together with the unwashed ones, I packed them in my luggage and just thought of washing the clothes once I reach our house in La Union (2 hours away from Baguio City). At 8PM (barely 24 hours since I got home from my last trip), I was on the road again. When I reached Cubao, I went to Viron Transit first and asked them to include my luggage in their next trip and I will just pick it up in their La Union sub-station. After doing that, I walked to Victory Liner to get myself a ticket bound to Baguio City. Good thing I decided to get my tickets early because the only bus trip left was the 10:15PM. Even though the bus company had buses leaving 5 minutes apart, all were fully booked, and if I wasn’t able to get this trip, the next trip would be in the morning already.


I reached Baguio City at 4AM. It was very cold, and for the first time in the longest time, I had to wear a jacket as my heart was beating irregularly. I stayed in the bus station for a while and by 5AM, I hailed a taxi and I asked to be dropped off at the Cathedral as I know the church opens very early. It would give me the chance to say my prayers and take pictures, of course.


The facade. This image was one of last images I took of, taken around 6:15AM


The aisle leading to the altar.


The altar.


The view from the altar.


Church goers can access the church from Session Road by climbing a hundred step stairs. The stairwell has different religious articles and pictures, and this is where I exited the church grounds going to Session Road, where the parade will be held.

According to Wikipedia:

"The site where the cathedral currently stands was a hill referred to as "Kampo" by the Ibaloi people. In 1907, a Catholic mission was established by Belgian missionaries from the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae, who named the site Mount Mary.

Construction on the cathedral itself was begun in 1920, under the leadership of the then-parish priest, Fr. Florimono Carlu. The building was completed by 1936, and consecrated that year, dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement.

During World War II, the cathedral served as an evacuation center. It withstood the carpet-bombing of Baguio City in 1945. The remains of thousands of bombing victims during the war are interred within the grounds of the cathedral."

The Baguio Cathedral is located in Mount Mary at the Cathedral Loop. It’s one of the most photographed buildings in the city, and is the only cathedral in the world that owns and operates its own shopping center - the Porta Vaga.

During weekdays, masses are held every 6:00, 6:30, and 7:00 in the morning, and in the afternoon there are masses every 12:15, 4:30, and 5:30. On Saturdays, there are same masses in the morning and lunch time, but the anticipated Sunday masses are scheduled 5:00 and 6:00PM. During Sundays, the masses are held - 5:00 AM (Ilocano), 6:00AM, 7:00AM, 8:00AM (all in English), 9:00AM (Ilocano), 10:00AM (Tagalog), 12:00NN, 4:00PM, 5:00PM, 6:00PM, and 7:00PM.

*** Jenn ***