“Support local”

“Support local”. Maybe you’re tired of hearing this but these past few days, after countless of blogs written to promote local, I’ve realized and I’ve learned to patronize locality. 

Supporting local is not just about loving the country or the region where you are in, it’s about loving every bit of it, it’s uniqueness, the people, the art, the literature, the music or anything it produces. At some point, we might have ignored local and went international but locality is what we are here for. These past few days of exploring the locality, I’ve seen and discovered a lot of talented local artists, delicious local delicacies and even lovely places to go to.  

Bottom-line is, never ever ignore local. “I somehow believe it’s my civic duty to write songs for the Filipinos to consume, but for the world to also discover and update their ideas about us Filipinos and our culture.” (Armi Millare of UDD). I hope that just like Armi, we would continue to love and embrace local (not only through music but in every way we can think of) not only for us Filipinos, but also to share it to the world.

Here

here, right here

where I find comfort

where I find peace

is a place I call home

a place called Dagupan

Vigan

Growing up, I loved history. I fancy exploring what transpired during the Spanish colonization and how our heroes fought for our freedom.

Vigan is a city in Ilocos Sur. It is known for its preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture. For someone who loves architecture & history at the same time, I admired Vigan so much.

I remember back in elementary, our field trip was in Vigan. I was ecstatic when I knew about it but unfortunately my parents didn’t allow me to join but rather promised me that we would go during the summer. The day came, and I was so pumped to get there. 

I was in awe when arriving the place. Most of the old structures remained intact. Aside from that, it is well known for its cobblestone streets and a unique architecture of the Philippine colonial era which fuses Native Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial Spanish architecture. Also, most still use kalesa as a way of transportation. 

If you love history, vintage or preserved architecture, then Vigan is a place to go to. The place does not only showcase preserved architecture but it also displays the tradition & culture of Filipinos that somehow is forgotten.

Sunflower

I instantly think of sunflowers whenever I hear Tayug. Tayug is one of the municipalities in Pangasinan. It is known for tupig, baga burger and sunflower maze.

Sunflower maze is owned by Allied Botanical Corporation. The sunflower maze exhibits large sunflowers, oversized fruits and other plants. The entrance of the maze has a spectacular display of walls decorated with ornamental and edible plants. Some of the flowers include celosia, marigold, petunia, and torenia. 

The sunflower maze is located at Barangay C. Lichauco, Tayug, Pangasinan. Why you should visit it—because it is the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Kalesa

Kalesa is a horse-drawn calash used in the Philippines. It was popular during the Spanish colonization. 

Today, we barely see kalesas anymore because of advanced technology. In order to experience riding a kalesa, some visit Vigan to do it. But you don’t really have to go to Vigan to witness it because Dagupan can also provide the same experience.

Occasionally, there would be kalesas in Dagupan at night. It would give you a tour around the city with a payment aroung 30-40 pesos per ride. Though the experience would probably be so much different. 

“Mi Ultimo Adios”

My tito and I used to hang out in the Dagupan City Plaza every afternoon. I was four or five years old then.

I remembered it being quiet, peaceful and calming which is why I loved that place so much. I also adored the statue of Jose Rizal where underneath it was his last literary piece “Mi Ultimo Adios” in Spanish, English & Filipino.

Every time we would go there, I always read that piece even though the five-year-old me couldn’t comprehend it. I think that literary piece is what sparked me to love literature, even so appreciate local literature.

source: google images

When in Dagupan

Dagupan—the milkfish capital of the Philippines. When is the best time to visit Dagupan? What should I do when I go there?

I think, the best time to visit Dagupan is in the month of April during Bangus Festival. It is a month where Dagupeños celebrate by throwing parades, inviting local artists to perform and even conducting a competition on “101 ways to cook bangus”. 

Things to do in Dagupan are visiting Bonuan Tondaligan Beach and watching the sun set (if you want to be away from the busy city). Another is riding a kalesa during the night if you wanted to tour around the city. Last is eating pigar-pigar and bibingka. 

If you love bangus, beaches and summer you should definitely visit Dagupan. 

1990 quake

Dagupan circa 1980s

The 1990 Luzon Earthquake damaged Dagupan massively. Buildings sunk & tilted. Number of schools, houses & cinemas were destroyed. There were also a lot of casualties and injuries. 

Walking down the streets of Dagupan today made me wonder what was it like living before the earthquake occured and damaged the city. I had questions in mind that wanted to find answers. “Was it always like this?” or “What was it like experiencing the earthquake?”. 

I’ve heard of stories of people who experienced the earthquake. Most of them were at school during that time and some were at cinema houses, injured, because of stampede. 

This month, the city conducts an earthquake drill which is done annually. I always hope & pray that we never get to experience such a massive destruction.  

The Bolinao Skull

Bolinao is the one of the forty four municipalities in Pangasinan. It is known for Patar Beach, which exhibits clear blue water & white sand. It is not only known for its white beaches but it is also known for artifacts excavated there. 

source: google images

source: google images

An artifact known as The Bolinao Skull was recovered from Balingasay Archaeological Site in Bolinao, Pangasinan. Teeth with gold ornaments was found in 67 skulls which is associated with tradeware ceramics attributed to Early Ming Dynasty (15th century AD). The gold scales were observed to be on the buccal surface of the upper and lower incisor and canine teeth. The skull is now located at the National Museum of the Philippines. 

Milkfish

Dagupan City is the Milkfish Capital of the Philippines. Its source of milkfish is Pugaro, one of the island villages of the city. 

Annually, Dagupan celebrates Bangus (Milkfish) Festival. What’s astonishing is that, during the celebration, I see people coming from different municipalities visiting Dagupan just to celebrate.