|
TIRAD PASS
Declared as a National Shrine,
it is located in the Municipality of Gregorio Del Pilar. 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.
BESSANG PASS
A monument stands on this
strategic gap, 5,250 feet above sea level. Transversed 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.
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.
SULVEC WATCHTOWER
This sturdy, magnificent
structur was built by the Spaniards as lookout points for
impending pirates.
MORO WATCHTOWER
This is perhaps the oldest
landmark in San Esteban, 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. The old folks say that this was a
vanguard against approaching pirates during the Spanish times.
SUNDIALS
Built by the Spaniards in 1841
and 1948, these two sundials, one in front of the Tagudin
Municipal Hall and the other at the courtyard of the church,
are still in use.
PLAZA SALCEDO
Located in between St. Paul
Metropolitan Cathedral and the Provincial Capitol, in this
elevated elliptical plaza highlights the Salcedo Monument in
honor of Don Juan de Salcedo, the founder of Vigan.
PLAZA BURGOS
Another plaza in Vigan City is
named in honor of the Ilocano martyr-priest Father Jose P.
Burgos. Nearby are food stalls selling native delicacies and
famous of which is the empanada.
LAPOG BAY
San Juan
Saoang in San Juan, Ilocos Sur,
being a part of Lapog Bay, had its share ofthe 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.
 St.
JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH
San Juan
Constructed in 1799 through
voluntary labor from residents, 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.
 
NORTHERN LUZON HEROES HILL
NATIONAL PARK
Located in the town of Santa, it
was the stronghold of Gabriela Silang who continued the
struggle for freedom from the Spaniards started by her slain
husband, Diego Silang. A historical marker in her honor stands
nearby.
 |
