VIGAN FOUND TO BE IDEAL AS A VACATION; REST RESORT
By Herminio Figueras

 It is the most enjoyable vacation that which I spent last Christmas season in Vigan.  I shall always treasure in my memory the happy days I spent in that quaint little “Intramuros” of the North, proudly captioned, but with enough justification, the Capital of Ilocandia.

 Vigan, once euphoniously called, La Villa Fernandina, has that “something” which makes anyone who sees her likes her. There is some charm in her antiquated modernity, to coin a phrase, that magnetizes her beholder.  It is Vigan’s conservatism that makes her distinct from all the other places in the Ilocos region.

 Vigan is 425 kilometers away from Manila.  It could be reached by plane, by train-bus connection, by steamship, by auto, or by any other available means of transportation. By airplane, Vigan is one and one-half hours near Manila; by automobile, it is seven hours ride from the Metropolis; and by train-bus transportation, Vigan is ten to twelve hours away from the city.

 It was evening when I was ushered into Vigan.  I boarded the 8:30 A.M. train from the Tutuban station, disembarked at San Fernando, La Union in the afternoon, and rode from here in a Norlutran bus to Vigan.  Entering Vigan was just like going through P. Burgos drive to Intramuros, passing through a wide, asphalted and modern illuminated boulevard-the Govantes Dike drive.  This boulevard reclaimed the bed of a river which, when overflowed, many times caused the destruction of life and property. I took the government tens of thousands of pesos to deviate the rivers course to the benefit of the populace.

 As we drive into this quaint little city, my eyes were greeted by the magnificence of the provincial capitol, facing the beautiful provincial park, consecrated by the blood of those Ilocano heroes who fell defending their town from the occupation of the Americans in 1898.  This park, named Plaza Salcedo, in honor of the discoverer of Vigan and the first Spanish Encomendero, is surrounded by the most important public and private buildings in the community.

 On the east is the Catholic Cathedral of Vigan, the seat of the bishopric of Nueva Segovia.  Here, one will surely be deceived if one is to judge only by exterior appearances.  For the Vigan Cathedral is unattractive from the outside, but, when admired from the interior, it is one of the landmarks of Philippines Catholicism, and the pride of Northern Luzon.

 Close to the right of the Cathedral is the episcopal palace where the bishop resides.  West of this building is the Rosary Academy, the school where the daughters of the Vigan aristocrats study.

 Across the street, left of the Cathedral is the Vigan Diocesan Seminary where the cream of Ilocano manhood prepare for the priesthood.  The building of this more than a century old institution was once the headquarters of the revolutionists.  The museum of Natural History of the Seminary is one place any Vigan visitor should not miss seeing.
 Not far to the left of the Seminary is the Periculture Center, and the Vigan Municipal Hall.  Across the street, on the west is the Northern Luzon Junior College of  the University of the Philippines.

 There is an attractive beautification project under construction at Plaza Salcedo.  When finished it will be one of the subjects of admiration for Vigan visitors.  This is a big relief map of the Philippine patterned in a dug-out which will at the same time be an aquarium at the plaza.  In Dapitan, it is only a Mindanao map that Rizal made.  Down there at Leyte, it is only a Leyte map that they fashioned in a pond, but up there in Vigan, they have the Philippines at a glance.

 There is another beautiful plaza south of the Cathedral.  It is the Plaza Burgos where a monument stands to the memory of Vigan’s noblest hero, Padre Jose Apolonio Burgos, the martyr of Bagumbayan. If one from Manila is to take a walk along Vigan’s narrow streets, one will feel as if he is walking on the streets in Intramuros.  The atmosphere of the place has a close similarity to Manila’s walled city.  They have plenty of buildings there in Vigan built during Spanish era.  Massive walls, latticed windows, through which devout maids peeped are common with the houses.  Oh, yes, the Vigan Señoritas are not fond of “nightlife”.  They pay more attention to their religious obligations that they have little time to think of gay society.

 Vigan is small place.  It is so small that the cemetery is even in the town proper.  It was so constructed to remind the people of the belief that life is just a short journey from the cradle to the grave.  The Catholic cemetery is only a short walk from the cathedral.  One coming to Vigan could see the cemetery on the south as one enters the town from the Govantes Dike.

 There is a beautiful spot of Vigan which is the favorite rendezvous of the town Romeos and Juliets.  This is the famous Mira Hill Park where the huge towering reservoir of the Singson Waterworks system was built on a hill lording the town and the surrounding communities.  Visitors are always shown this park by the people there who point to the spot with pride as their distinguished landmark.

 The water supply of Vigan comes from Cañao, another place where any Vigan visitor should always strive to see.  Cañao Springs are ten kilometers from Vigan.  These Springs are on the mountains of Bantay, a suburban town north of Vigan.  There is seldom a day in which a picnic is not held in the mountains at Cañao.

 Going back to Vigan to see the sights, we had to drop into the Vigan market and buy things.  Our eyes feasted on various Ilocano textiles.  It was joy for us to select from the many different designs of cloths; to buy a saya for mother, a barong for father, and a vestida for sister.  It is more costly to buy foods in Vigan than in Manila.  Undoubtedly Vigan has a high standard of living.

 Driving through four kilometers of acasia covered road, named Quirino Boulevard, in honor of Secretary Quirino, we visited the Philippine Army barracks and Training Cadres, the Vigan Golf Club links, the Silang Hill, the Provincial Hospital, and the port of Pandan, Caoayan.  After San Ildefonso, and Sulvec, shall have been opened, Pandan will become only an insignificant port, I was told.

 Returning from Pandan we rushed to Mindoro beach where we spent the late afternoon swimming in the clear water of the sea.  Mindoro is a barrio west of Vigan.  Four kilometers of first class road connects it with the town, the provincial airfield is situated on this place near the beach.

 Vigan is humming with commerce and industry.  There are plenty of furniture factories in the town, mostly run by Chinese.  One section of Vigan is called Pagburnayan, because it is here that earthen jars are manufactured for exportation to other provinces.  Again, the Chinese monopolize this kind of business.  Another district is called Pagpandayan, where blacksmiths ply their trade.  Pagpartian is another section of the town from where the town’s unceasing meat supply comes.  There is no meat strike in Vigan.

 The surrounding barrios, besides engaging in vegetable farming, also have their own distinct industries. Mindoro is the home of fishermen; Salindeg, Bulala, and Paratong export pottery.  Capangpangan thrives on tannery, and slipper making; Bongtolan on making tabuñao and nito helmet.  The rest of the barrios weave the famous Ilocano textiles.

 In our visits to the barrios, I observed the genuine hospitality and kindheartedness of the people.  There was not a home we visited wherein we were not offered something for our palate.  It is an unforgivable insult to the host for any visitor to refuse what is offered him.  If the home-prepared delicacy offered is not consumed, the visitor is punished by carrying home some orchard puduce of his host.  The visitor must have at least an elephant’s stomach when going places in Vigan barrios so that he could please everybody he goes to by taking in everything offered him.

 As I said in the beginning of this writing, I enjoyed much my short vacation in Vigan.  My only regrets is that I have only one body to please my friends there.