LAKWATSA

One year ago, I discovered this new destination in Ilocos Norte. I wrote about and was featured in the December 2007 issue of People Asia Magazine. Here it is . . .

SITIO REMEDIOS: A STEP BACK IN TIME

“Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa kanyang paroroonan.”

(He who does not look back from where he came from will not reach his destination.) A Philippine Proverb.

Time-locked Ilocos Norte is blessed with impressive and magnificent architectural landmarks such as the world famous Burgos Lighthouse and Paoay Church, both declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These treasures from the past have also become symbols and icons of their respective towns.

During the Guling-Guling Festival in Paoay, I discovered and experienced yet another treasure amid Ilocos Norte’s bounty of rich cultural wonders.

Tucked in a small corner along the coastline of Currimao is Sitio Remedios, an 18,000-square metre sprawl of a gem in a turn-of-the-century Ilocos setting.

Sitio Remedios is a beach-front heritage village resort owned and developed by Dr. Joven Cuanang, medical director of St. Luke’s Medical Center. Opened in May 2006, this sitio has a chapel, a plaza, a restaurant, a spa, and seven old houses – all dedicated to Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage and Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, patron saint and namesake of the resort owner’s mother.

While sipping tsokolate eh and munching on scrumptious biscochos (another Ilocos Norte delicacy) on a moonlit night under the shade of a centuries-old tamarind tree, we asked why he did it. He replied, “Because they’ve taken away my childhood memories. After graduating in the States, I came home to find out that my ancestral home has been torn down and replaced with a modern structure. Since then, I vowed to rebuild, and here it is.”

Born in nearby Batac in the neighborhood of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, Dr. Cuanang graduated from the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial School and Harvard Medical School. Orphaned at age 15, he has since nurtured a passion for the art. To date he owns leading art galleries including Pinto Gallery in Antipolo. By developing and opening Sitio Remedios, Dr. Cuanang has once again re-established connections with the past.

The experience begins at the heavy wooden gates of Sitio which opens to the Avenida de Azucao, a grand walkway with a replica of an antique brick-clad bridge paved with old stones from the town of Pasuquin, famous for its salt and biscochos. The asymmetrically-laid natural stone pavers are interspersed with an abundant floral over growth and sets the mood for a memory-filled stay.

The avenida is flanked by reflecting pools with azucao lotus plants, once in great abundance in the mythical Paoay Lake. A variety of large cacti, frangipani (kalachuchi), maguey, and other local flora line both sides of the avenida. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are carved on cement plinths shaped like the buttresses of the famed Paoay Church.

Ascending up the steps at the end of the walkway, one is greeted with a sweeping and picturesque view of the entire sitio against the azure waters of South China Sea: the old stone-paved Plaza de Manzanilla flanked by rows of old Iloco houses and the rough-hewn chapel or Capillla de San Miguel, all surrounded by centuries-old trees.

Plaza de Manzanilla, named after the flowering bushes planted around the plaza, is the focal point of Sitio. Stone buttresses patterned after those of the Paoay Church accentuates low, rough concrete walls that serve as fences on either sides of the plaza that is also paved with irregularly shaped coral stones from Pasuquin.

The quaint Capilla de San Miguel dedicated to San Miguel, patron saint of Currimao, is the heart of Sitio. This chapel is a replica of Paoay Church and is made of rough concrete shaded by fruit bearing trees like sarguelas, the ancient manzanita and tamarind. Its interiors are as stark and spare as the edifice itself with the only color coming from a pair of stained glass windows by Antonio Leano. The wooden ceiling features a lone chandelier that once adorned the Quiapo Church while the side altars honor St. Anthony of Padua and Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

Dramatically lit at night, the chapel grounds, the plaza, and even the beach transform into a venue that sets you back to the days of old Ilocos where, then, with the absence of modern trappings like television and computers, friends would gather around for tête-à-têtes or play rounds of the lively game of patintero.

The seven houses, a labor of love by Dr. Cuanang and Ilonggo architect Rex Hofilena, each reflect the traditional Ilocano look of the ’50s and were built from old wood, bricks and other architectural details like old carved doors, capiz shell-inlaid windows, balusters and railings all retrieved and painstakingly preserved from torn-down old houses around Ilocos. Their namesakes come from their places of origin like Bacarra, Batac, Dingras, Piddig, and San Nicolas.

The two-storey Balay Batac - Balay nga Bato (stone house) - is the largest house in Sitio. It pays homage to Batac’s famous sons – General Artemio Ricarte, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, and President Ferdinand Marcos. Furnished in a grand but austere Ilocano manner, its wide colored glass-paneled windows provide a commanding view of the Plaza de Manzanilla and South China Sea. The focal point of the ground floor living/dining room is the wedding portrait of Mariano and Remedios Cuanang, rendered by National Artist Bencab in his inimitable Larawan style. Adding color to the room is a large mural by artist Manny Garibay, honoring the bravery of General Ricarte (El Vibora). Portraits of the Luna brothers Juan and Antonio, and Bishop Gregorio Aglipay grace other walls of the house.

Apart from air conditioning and shower-fitted en suites, the only modern conveniences you will find in the houses are water dispensers. True to their original form, the houses also come with authentic ’50s furnishings: vintage lighting fixtures; crocheted bedspreads; embroidered heirloom tablecloths; heirloom glassware, dinnerware and cutlery in antique display cabinets; the ubiquitous butaca plantation chairs with elongated armrests; and locally-woven inabel sheets, pillowcases, towels, and curtains to complete the spare and traditional Ilocano look.

A must in savoring the heritage of Ilocos in Sitio is indulging on popular delectable Ilocano fare at the resort’s Abraõ Restaurant: empanada (stuffed pastry), longganisa (sausage), pancit miki (rice noodles), biscocho (biscuit), and the unbeatable freshness of its vegetable dishes like pinakbet, dinengdeng, and abraõ that go with cholesterol-filled bagnet (deep-fried pork belly) and the ever-present exotic trio of KBL or kamatis (tomato), bagoong (anchovy paste), lasuna (shallot).

Situated by the beach is Ablon, a health and wellness spa. Ablon, an Ilocano term for healing through massage using natural oils and extracts to rub away the stresses of modern day living. Finished practically in bamboo and natural fibers, the spa provides an inimitable relaxing ambience for the weary traveler while being lulled by the waves and cooled by the gentle sea breeze.

Lakô Mi, literally “our merchandise,” is a quaint little shop selling a variety of Ilocano arts and crafts products which include colorful inabels and woven baskets, artworks of contemporary artists, and, depending on availability, local delicacies like longganisa, bagnet, and Pasuquin’s biscochos can be bought – all to take with you as part of a truly captivating Ilocano experience.

On our last night, Dr. Cuanang hosted an enchanting and fabulously romantic al fresco dinner at the plaza surrounded by 500 tea lights, and serenaded with strains of classical music emanating from the chapel. It looked as if the stars came down to join in the celebration of recreating the past.

Staying in Sitio Remedios is taking a step backward. Backward in the sense that it is visiting our roots where history returns to life.