A Mother’s Stuff

Manaoag: “man-taoag”

When the missionaries arrived in Manaoag, the place was not yet called by its present name. The place was referred to as “Sapang“. But an important religious even occurred as related by PP Baceta and Bravo in their joint work, Dictionario, and the Story of the Early Pangasinanes, which caused people from all parts of the province to come to Sapang on religious pilgrimages. So, almost all the people were called to the place as if duty-bound to perform and/or partake in religious obligations.

The event, as related in the above named accounts, refers to the story of a man who was walking in a woody place above the Baloking Creek. It related that the man had heard a sweet voice, and as he turned his head toward the direction from which he had herd it, he saw the image of the Virgin and her Son on her left arm standing on the branch of a tall molave tree.

The image appeared in rich and brilliant attire, and after long moments during which the man stood numb and speechless, the apparition disappeared. After this, other miraculous events occurred; word of these spread like wildfire among the nearby places, and then, in the entire province. Thus the name, “Manaoag” which is “man” meaning “to” prefixed to “taoag” meaning “to call” is given to the place where the apparition of the Virgin Mary occurred.

Agoo Apparition Site

The Agoo Apparition Site is the much publicized divine visitations of the Virgin Mary in San Antonio that established Agoo as a destination for Marian devotees.

Apparition Story:

An estimated one million people gathered in a small Philippine town north of Manila on 6 March to witness a visitation of the Virgin Mary. Many people in the crowd, including top Philippine government officials, journalists, and the local Catholic bishop - acting as a representative of the Pope - attested to seeing a silhouette resembling the Virgin Mary appear above a guava tree for approximately five seconds. This was followed several minutes later by flashes of red, yellow and blue lights moving towards a “dancing sun”.

The events took place at Apparition Hill in the small town of Agoo, in La Union province. A visionary boy, 16-year-old Judiel Nieva, says that the Virgin Mary has been appearing to him, and giving him messages, on the first Saturday of every month and on special religious feasts since 1989. The pilgrims gathered in Agoo on 6 March because the boy said the Virgin would appear at that particular place and time.

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