A Mother’s Stuff

Dagupan’s dining, transportation & destinations

Dining

Charged with the existing aroma of various cuisines, the city cradles a variety of restaurants and fast foods joints, an evidence of people’s passion for food. In Bonuan-Tondaligan area alone, there are about 30 seafood diners, which serve the famed Dagupan Bangus any way one wants it: inihaw (roasted/broiled), sinigang, kilawin and daing. For those with adventurous palate, they can try the local favorites “pigar-pigar” in Galvan Street and “kaleskes” in Herrero Perez.

Special Destinations

Bonuan Blue Beach

McArthur Park

The 72-hectare Tondaligan People’s Park where the Bonuan Blue Beach is situated is ideal site for swimming, jet skiing, sailing and other relaxing activities to lift the mind out of the noise and doldrums of urban living.

Here, one may visit MacArthur Park, the landing site of the famous American General in 1945; the Japan-Philippine Friendship Garden and the Shrine of the Unknown Soldier. One may want to see the old St. John Cathedral in the busy downtown area where Leonor Rivera, Jose Rizal’s long-time girlfriend, tied the knot with British Engineer Henry Kipping.

Transportation

Five bus companies operate to transport passengers from Metro Manila to Dagupan City. These are Victory Liner, Five Star, Dagupan Bus, Fermina Express and Santrans. The nearest airport, Loakan Airport in Baguio City is only 65 kilometer away while the nearest seaport, Poro Point in San Fernando La Union is 80 kilometers of Dagupan City Boundary.

Seven Hills of San Fernando, La Union

 

 Heroes Hill & Freedom Park Stairway

Situated at the eastern portion of the Capitol Hill. To be found are Nine (9) statues of our National Heroes, signifying the people’s reverence to their works and sacrifices in attaining the freedom of our nation. There are a total of 153 steps located in Barangay II (Poblacion).

 

 Capitol Hill

Located in Barangay II (Poblacion) and serves as site of the Provincial Capitol.

 

 Pagoda Hill

It is where the Chinese-Filipino Pagoda stands, commanding a panoramic view of the city and the San Fernando City Bay located in Barangay II (Poblacion).

 Bethany Hill

Location of Bethany Hospital that was built by Protestant Missionaries in the early 1920’s and located in Barangay II (Poblacion).

Mirador Hill

 The highest point of the city where the capitol water reservoir stands located in Barangay II (Poblacion).

 Miracle Hill

The home of the New Miracle Mission chapel, atop a cliff facing the sea located in Barangay Pagdaraoan.

Mariner’s Hill

 Located in Barangay Catbangen, San Fernando City that served as a navigational reference point to guide ships and seafarers sailing the San Fernando City Harbor

St. John the Baptist Church in San Juan

St. John the Baptist Church was constructed in 1799 through voluntary labor from residents and it is “home” to the predominantly Catholic Lapogueños. This is where scores of Lapogueños were held hostages by the Japanese forces during the Second World War. Japanese soldiers detained the people inside the church and threatened to bomb the place if nobody would reveal the burial site of a comrade. The people were spared by the valiant Constante Castro who led the Japanese to the burial site.

Lapog Bay in San Juan, Ilocos Sur

Being a part of Lapog Bay, Saoang in San Juan, Ilocos Sur, had its share of the 34 Japanese warships that anchored at the Bay. Most of the warships left the Bay on October 17, 1944. Bombers came morning of the following day and bombed the four remaining warships - off Saoang, off Sabangan, off Camindoroan and the Japanese landing barges at Solotsolot beach. The bombing sorties took hours and set ablaze the whole Lapog Bay, turning it into a veritable inferno that burned overnight. In the next few days, bodies of fallen Japanese soldiers were washed ashore and were buried in the area by the locals.

Plaza Burgos of Vigan

Another plaza in Vigan City is named in honor of the Ilocano martyr-priest Father Jose P. Burgos. The other major plaza of historic Vigan, Plaza Burgos is flanked by the the cathedral and the old “seminario” (which burned down in 1968). Its ambiance and the presence of kiosks offering local delicacies make Plaza Burgos a favorite promenade for local folks and visitors alike. It is a landmark tribute to the Vigan martyr priest, Father Jose P. Burgos. On the east end of the Plaza is the newly renovated, large stage where important events are held. The Plaza has an adequate and attractive lighting system, clean surroundings and mini Children’s Park. At the northwestern portion stands the century-old Bell Tower of Vigan Cathedral. The plaza’s special attraction are the “empanada” stands which are situated at its premises in the afternoon up to late evening.

Father Jose Apolonio Burgos y Garcia was a Spanish-Filipino priest, part of the Gomburza trio who were falsely accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century. He was placed in a mock trial and summarily executed in Manila among with two other clergymen.

Plaza Salcedo of Vigan

The elevated elliptical plaza west of the cathedral features the 17th century Juan de Salcedo Monument, the oldest of its kind in northern Luzon. Located in between St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral and the Provincial Capitol that highlights the said monument as founder of Vigan. It was in Plaza Salcedo where Gabriela Silang was executed by public hanging in 1763.

Gabriela Silang - She was Maria Josefa Gabriela Cariño Silang who was the first Filipino woman to lead a revolt during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. An active member of the insurgent force of Diego Silang, her husband, she led the group for four months after his death before she was captures and executed in Plaza Salcedo.

Sundials of Tagudin

It was built by the Spaniards in 1841 and 1948. The two sundials, one in front of the Tagudin Municipal Hall and the other at the courtyard of the church, are still in use.

What are sundials?

A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style (a thin rod or a sharp, straight edge) onto a flat surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow-edge progressively aligns with different hour-lines on the plate. Such designs rely on the style being aligned with the axis of the Earth’s rotation. Hence, if such a sundial is to tell the correct time, the style must point towards true North (not the north or south magnetic pole) and the style’s angle with horizontal must equal the sundial’s geographical latitude. However, many sundials do not fit this description, and operate on different principles.

Moro Watchtower in Bateria

The Moro Watchtower is perhaps the oldest landmark in San Esteban. It is an accredited tourism site as declared by the Philippine Tourism Authority and an authentic historical structure found in the registry of the National Historical Institute.

There is no definite information on when was the exact year the tower was built but the looks of it suggest it has been in existence since the 16^th or 17^th century or during the Spanish times.

The old people say this was a vanguard against approaching pirates. It was strategically located in a cove. The guards positioned at the tower could forewarn the residents of incoming marauders. The pirates may have been Moros, thus the name Moro Watchtower. The place was named Bateria because of the tower. In military parlance, “battery” refers to a row of cannons and the tower has serrated openings where they can fit the barrel of the cannon and fire on invaders.

Aware of the importance of the landmark, residents of Bateria recently turned the adjacent area of the watchtower into an ark. They have grown ornamental plants, built benches and picnic tables for visitors and continue to maintain its surroundings. The watchtower has become a symbol of San Esteban and a permanent structure representing a rich culture and heritage.

Sulvec Watchtower

This sturdy was a magnificent structure built by the Spaniards to serve as lookout points for impending pirates.

Santa Maria Church

A World Heritage Site and a National Landmark, this centuries-old church nestled atop a hill at the town proper of Sta. Maria was used as a fortress during the 1896 Revolution.

The church is a great attraction to both the traveler and the faithful in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur. It is a unique structure with a diversified architectural design and built of heavy stones and mortar. Like other sister churches in the Ilocos Region, the Santa Maria Church is of lesser proportion, flamboyant in scale and less stunning in the façade and expresses a tightness of space. It shows also a simplified and primitive form of architectural design.

Battle of Bessang Pass

A monument stands on this strategic gap, 5,250 feet above sea level. Transverse by Highway 4, west of the town of Cervantes, the Pass served as the backdoor to General Yamashita’s last ditch defense during the last stage of World War II. The Battle of Bessang Pass was won by the USAFIP, NL on June 14, 1945. 

Last June 14, 2008 marked the 63^rd anniversary of the Battle of Bessang Pass. It is the victory of Filipino guerillas, mostly Ilocanos, where some 2,000 of them died in what is known in military annals as “The Battle of the Clouds.” It was in the Cordilleras where they fought the last stand of General Tomoiki Yamashita, “The Tiger of Malaya,” leading to his surrender.

Indeed, it was a great victory and a testimonial of the gallantry and the bravery of Filipino soldiers, Ilocanos and Igorots alike.

Tirad Pass

It is located in the municipality of Gregorio del Pilar and declared as a National Shrine. Tirad Pass was the last stand of the Filipino Revolutionary Forces under the command of General Emilio Aguinaldo. The Battle of Tirad Pass was led by the youngest Filipino General Gregorio del Pilar.