SARRAT, ILOCOS NORTE

STA MONICA CHURCH IN SARRAT

Sarrat in the province of Ilocos Norte is the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos and also the hometown of military leader Fabian Ver. The Sta. Monica Parish Church, built in 1779, is the biggest church in the Ilocos Region. It became famous not only because it is Ferdinand Marcos’ birthplace but also because of  the Sta. Monica Church where Irene, the daughter of Ferdinand Marcos, had a grand wedding in 1983.  This wedding was called the “wedding of the century” in the Philippines comparable to that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding. 

STA. MONICA PARISH MUSEUM

There is a marker of the Museum which reads: “The Sta. Monica Parish Museum is a repository of artifacts and memorabilia that dates back to the construction of the Church edifice in 1779, was established in 1993 on the initiative of then the parish priest, dedicated to the Bishop of Laoag. It was completed in 1997 through the generosity of the Kannawidan Foundation, Inc. – The Iloko Foundation for Arts and Culture, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the cultural and historical heritage of the people of Ilocos Norte.”

Sarrat is the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. 

PRES. FERDINAND MARCOS MUSEUM

THE "CALEZA", A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION IN ILOCOS

BRIEF HISTORY OF SARRAT

Sarrat was settled in 1721. Before this year, during the late part of the 16th Century, Minangel (Maingel) Bang’at, a civilized Malay, his wife Sarrah and more than a dozen families reached  Sarrat. Bang’at was the bravest and most influential man, so he was chosen chief. There were many clumps of bamboos in the settlement; hence, they called the place Cabayugan. The people built crude houses, cleared the land and planted rice and some root crops.

The Padsan River afforded them a good fishing place. Bang’at and Sarrah had two children named Banet and Garo. When Bang’at died, Garo succeeded his father. He changed the name Cabayugan to  Sarrat in honor of his mother Sarrah and the last two letters “ah” were changed to “at” which was taken from the last two letters of the name of his father Bang’at. During the early days of April 1721, the Spaniards reachedSarrat. Chief Garo ordered that he wanted to meet his men. No sooner had they gathered than the Spaniards arrived at their meeting place. They greeted each other by signs. One of the Spaniards asked the name of the place, and as he was asking he touched a carabao horn.

Banet said, “Sarra’t Nuang”, meaning carabao’s horn, and so the Spaniards wrote the name  Sarrat. Three years later, Augustinians erected their parish over the place and changed Sarrat’s name to San Miguel. Coincidentally, it gained its township’s status on September 29, 1724. In 1916, in accordance with a bill filed by Senators Santiago Fonacier and Isabelo delos Reyes, the name San Miguel was changed to what is now known as SARRAT.

The town’s history is largely written in blood. Sarrateños actively participated during the wine controversy of 1807 which let to a revolt. In 1815, the town rose in arms again during the  Sarrat Rebellion. This was by the nullification of the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812 by the reactionary King Ferdinand VII. When the Filipino war of independence against the American’s broke out, 500 Sarrateño men braved the strongly fortified town of Laoag to denounce American sovereignty. This event is immortalized in a colorful Sarrat Heroes Monument erected by the Mayor Gabriel Jesus Bello Ruiz symbolizing the heroism of the Sarrateños in 1899 during their struggle against the Americans led by Capitan Jose Ver using bamboos and bolos while the enemies were using Remington rifles.

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MABUHAY VINYL CORPORATION AT BATAAN WHITE CORALS

This year March 27 and 28, 2010 the annual outing of  Mabuhay Vinyl Corporation is at Bataan White Corals in Morong Bataan. There were about 40 people who joined the outing, together with families and friends of Mabuhay Vinyl employees. My wife, Evelyn, two children, Leni and Arnie, my grandaughters, Gela and 6-month old Elaine joined me. A private bus was rented for the occassion -- the Crystal Bus. We left early morning from Makati and travelled for about more than 3 hours to Morong, Bataan.

Upon arrival taken outside our designated rooms

It was almost lunchtime when we arrived at the Bataan White Corals resort. Because it wasn't checkout time yet, most of the group waited outside the rooms until the other guests have checked out and for the staffs to clean the area. Lucky enough, the room assigned to us is already available and we occupied the room 1 of the Tatay building. The aircon in our room is working perfectly well. There are two beds, and because we are six of us (including the infant) we asked for additional mattress. There were enough blankets and towels for us. We were also provided with soap and shampoo. There is a small cabinet to store two of our travelling bags. However, We kept the other bags on the floor.  Well, the bathroom was small and without hot water (there's no use for it anyway in summer). There is no shower curtain but there is a hook and towel rack to hang our clothes after taking the shower. The problem is, there is no clothes line to hang our wet clothes. We also have to keep most of our toiletries outside the bathroom because unfortunately there was no space inside the bathroom to place them.

Leni and Elaine outside our room

The Mabuhay Vinyl group

After we dropped our bags and freshened up a bit we proceed to one of the Pavillons assigned to us for our two-day stay. Our lunch, dinner, breakfast and 2 mirienda were served here. The food was generally ok but not so good. Its frustrating that the fried rice served for breakfast on our day 2 was spoiled and they replaced it with white rice after somebody complained about it.

Breakfast at the pavillon

Bataan White Coral Resort is appropriate for our team building activities because of its spacious playground area covered by green grass. Our main activity there was the mini sportsfest. There was so much fun and camaraderie among us. There are two teams competing, the red and blue teams. The social & sports commitee prepared various games such as the cheering competition, baloon relay, pinoy henyo, eating contest, the great obstacle relay and finally the water filling contest. Tents were set up in front of Fernando's restaurant to cover us from the summer heat.

Most of Mabuhay Vinyl's guest under the tent during the mini sports fest

The red and blue teams

The hardest to eat during the contest - spaghetti without the sauce

The great obstacle contest

The competing red and blue teams took a respite after the great obstacle relay to prepare for the final contest,
the water filling contest.

Taking a break after the obstacle relay 

 
The red team emerged winner in this competition. But the blue team put up a good fight. The cash reward for the winning team is P4,500 and to us the blue team got P2,500!!!

And the winner is the RED team

The 1st runner-up, the Blue team! Yeheeey

After the mini sportsfest we explored the whole Bataan White Corals Resort. There are 3 nice pools to enjoy with, the salt water pool, the fresh water pool,  and the kiddie pool. The salt water pool is nearer the beach and the kiddie and fresh water pool are nearer the rooms. There is also a nice, big public shower area located a little distance before the salt water pool.

The salt water pool

The fresh water and kiddie pools

The public shower area

The Bataan White Corals beach is good and clean. There is always a lifeguard. Not so many people though are swimming maybe because of the heat of the sun. One can enjoy kayaking and boat riding. There is a floating cottage where you can take a break if you grow tired of swimming and still enjoy the water. There is a beach volleyball suitable for group activity.

Bataan White Corals beach

Floating Cottage

The lifeguard

Beach volleyball

The other amenities of Bataan White Corals: the Fernando Restaurant, a billiard table, basketball court, 73 guest rooms, and free WIFI connection.

Fernando Restaurant

The guest rooms buildings

The basketball court above and the billiard table below

National Geographic: RP one of best new travel destinations in the world

The National Geographic Magazine had named the Philippines as “One of 25 Best New Travel Destinations in the World in 2010” and the country’s ancient cultures, structures and biodiversity were cited as key reasons to visit the archipelago.

The magazine said in its November 2009 Adventure issue that the Philippines has “as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet,” adding that travel organizations have “finally gotten wise.”

National Geographic presented the “25 brand new adventures, all of them just right for right now.” The list is directed at “travelers who want their dollars to do more – for others, for the planet and for themselves.”

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy Gaa said the inclusion of the Philippines in the list shows the global community is “taking note of the natural and cultural wonders in the country as well as the efforts to protect and preserve them.”

According to the article, Wilderness Travel is organizing a trip to the Philippines in May 2010 which will “lead clients high into the 5,000-foot Cordillera Central then deep into the world’s most biodiverse marine environment.”

Wilderness Travel members are mostly travelers who got reviews of tourist spots from other members that include naturalists, authors, ecologists, archeologists, art historians, teachers and mountaineers.

The 12-day trip to the Philippines costs $3,300.

The group’s website www.wildernesstravel. com described the Philippines as a country, which boasts of breathtaking hiking routes through ancient rice terraces and scenic mountain landscapes, cultural encounters with the Ifugao people, and world-class snorkeling in the “Coral Triangle.”

Wilderness Travel said the Philippine journey explores “the emerald world” of the Ifugao tribe who have transformed the precipitous mountainsides of their homeland into steeply contoured rice terraces, complete with 2,000-year-old indigenous irrigation system.

The trip will take travelers to Cabilao Island in the Visayas to view stunning coral reefs that are part of the famed “Coral Triangle,” the world’s greatest concentration of marine biodiversity.

The Philippines has been promoting its cultural and natural wonders as preferred travel destinations for global tourists. The Philippine embassy in Washington works closely with the National Geographic in raising awareness on the importance of sustainable development and ecological protection.

President Arroyo spoke at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington last August and appealed for international support for preserving, promoting and protecting biodiversity in the Coral Triangle.
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Bataan White Coral Beach Resort

The Way to Paradise..

Grant the family an unforgettable reward this summer— a summer that serves up amazing for everybody!

Bataan White Corals Beach Resort is the typical, family-friendly resort. It is serenely nestled between the hills of Morong, Bataan and the pristine water of the South China Sea.Enjoy spacious family-style suites and hotel accommodation with convenient features as brilliant and warm as the Bataan sun. Unwind by three pools: the salt water pool, fresh water pool and the kiddie’s pool. Unwind at the newly hotel building. Welcome the day with morning dew, stretch your day in the sun and experience relaxation at its fullest.
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The Location

We are located in the North Manila Philippines Morong, Bataan. About 150 kilometers from Manila and 2 to 3 hours travel. White Corals provides a very relaxing experience with a tropical atmosphere and greenish ambiance. This full service resort offers many recreational facilities and friendly professional service. We have more than 73 guest rooms most with balconies and some are overlooking the beach resort and pools.
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How To Go There


Take NLEX (North Luzon EXpressway) and EXIT to San Fernando. After the Exit, turn right going to Bataan until you reach Dinalupihan, Bataan where you see the intersection going to Olongapo (Take the Right turn). In a few minutes, you will see the intersection again going to SUBIC expressway (Turn Left) going to Subic. At the End of the Expressway you will see a Traffic light (you must Turn Left) Going to Morong Gate, go straight and follow the road to Anvaya Cove or Morong Gate. A signage will then guide you all the way to Bataan White Corals.
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Facilities:
    * 73 Guest Room
    * Salt Water Pool
    * Fresh Water Pool
    * Basketball Court
    * Beach Volleyball
    * Conference Hall
    * Free Wifi Internet Access
    * Playground Area
    * 24 hour Security Service
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Daytour Accomodation

Entrance Fee
    * Adult - Php. 300
    * Kid - Php. 200

Cottage Rate
    * Small cabana - PhP 2,500 (good for 10-12 pax)
    * Regular Cabana - PhP 3,500 (good for 15-20 pax)
    * Pavilion - PhP 6,000 (good for 50-60 pax)

Overnight Accomodation
Check-in time: 2:00 PM Check-out time: 12:00 PM

Standard Rooms
    40Rooms
    2Beds/Room
Beach Front Rooms
    6Rooms
    2Beds/Room
Dormitory Rooms
    4Rooms
    16Beds/Room
Tyang 1
    4Rooms
    2Beds/Room
Tyang 2
    5Rooms
    2Beds/Room
Tyong 1
    8Rooms
    2Beds/Room
Tyong 2
    5Rooms
    3Beds/Room
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Fernando's Restaurant

A culinary expression of all things local, celebrates the bounties that BWC has to offer, offers simple and seasonal food in an intimate atmosphere of rural sophistication.
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REVIEWS

georgette  09.13.08 / 7pm  
must try! the place is awesome!
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rose  02.25.09 / 2pm 
This beach resort is one of the best, very relaxing, reasonable rates, the staffs are very accomodating. My friends and I enjoyed our stayed in this beautiful resort. I am highly recommending this place and next time I am back in the Philippines, I will definitely be back
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Joyce  04.06.09 / 8am 
My family and I just got back from white corals resort yesterday. It was nice..but it could have been better. I have been to different resorts here and abroad, and for the P6800 beach front room we paid for, it was not worth it. The pool was nice, but because there were a lot of people, it was not clean. The salt water pool was okay though. The beach itself was also alright but I was not excited about the little guppy sized fishes that kept kissing on my legs which was sooo annoying. There were seaweeds that looked like rubber and didnt feel right when you stepped on them. The rooms would have been okay if the matress were thicker and if they provided more blankets and towels. other rooms that were the same prices had a bed side table with lamps, cabinets and full sized mirrors, but our room unfortunately didnt have that, but we were paying for the same thing. The bathrooms didnt even have a shower curtain and a place to put my change of clothes so i had to put them on top of the toilet and unfortunately, because there was no shower curtain, my clothes got wet. Food was okay, we had pancit for a reasonable price but there was one item on the menu that caught me off guard. they were selling whole chicken, fried, for P450 pesos. And the breakfast, i dont even wanna go into detail about that.
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myhoneybaby, california
Jul 1, 2009
“Fantastic”
 I had great time with my friends vacationing in the Philippines because of this awesome resort. Highly recommended.
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traveler0625, Angeles City
Apr 5, 2009
“Not for the folks who are OCD”
My Family and I just gor back from White Corals yesterday, April 5th for an overnight Stay. At first glance the place is beaultiful with manicured lawns. We got there earlier than the check in time but since no one was occupying our room at that time they let us have and early check-in which was just perfect because it was so hot and we couldnt wait to be in an air conditioned room. We were going to stay at an apartment room which was Jonathan but decided we wanted an upgrade to a beach front room. We were given the Madrid Room which was definitely not beach front. It was actually beach back. There was a small dining table, refrigerator and two double beds which were about 5 inch thick matresses. The floor looked clean and everything seemed okay until i checked out the bathroom. It wasn't that small but there was no division between the shower and the toilet. No shower curtain at all and no place to put your clean clothes to chang into after showering. After swimming I had to place my clean clothes on top of the toilet's lid and unfortunately it still got wet because again, there was no shower curtain. No place to put the toiletries and it was just too frustrating. I checked out the other so called beach front rooms which should have been called beach side, because it still wasnt facing the beach. they had a cabinet, a bed side table with a lamp a full sized mirror, thicker matress and better bed frames but it was the same price we were paying. So that was also frustrating. I shrugged it off to go enjoy the water but the fresh water pool was not very clean. My husband saw snot floating on the side and there were bubbles everywhere so we decided to go to the salt water pool which was much better. The Beach water itself was okay but i didnt jump in because I saw a small jelly fish floating and Jellyfishes and I are not friends. There were seaweeds on some parts but not that plenty. They did although have a nice slide and swing set which my 2 year old enjoyed.The restaurant was okay but, one item on the menu was just plain absurd. One Whole Fried Chicken for P450. The pancit was reasonable though. On the other hand the staff was okay, they panick a lot though and they double book rooms. Over all the place was not a two thumbs up. The place outside the rooms were nice except for the fresh water pool, but the rooms were just not quite what they should have been.
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lotiskie, Manila, Philippines
May 26, 2008
“Morong Beach” 
We recently had this trip To Morong, Bataan. We stayed at BATAAN WHITE CORAL BEACH RESORT. The place is good for the budgeted family, PhP4,800 for the apartment rooms and PhP6,400 for their so called beach front rooms. The price includes PhP1,000 food consumable. You can also bring your own food. They also accept day trippers. This place is perfect for company’s outing like Team building because the place is really big and their lawn is covered with blue grass that makes it so nice to walk even barefoot. The place is also clean. During our stay, there were about 3 or 4 companys doing their team building so we witnessed how fast and good their housekeeping was. After some group showered flowers all over the place their housekeepers are already cleaning the place and fixing all the tables and chairs. Conference rooms are also available. In the morning some are cleaning the beachfront of the resort. The restaurant is nice and clean. Food is good but not that good. They also clean their swimming pools in the morning. And there’s always a lifeguard present in the beach and by the pool sides. The staff are courteous some are even excellent. But there’s also some staff that are not so good with people skills like this tall skinny woman that I talked to. What’s so nice is that the owner of this resort is always around checking on the whole operation of the resort. Now here comes the bad part. I have noticed that the bathroom was small. We stayed in the Tatay apartment and the bathroom is so small that you really have to squeeze your way just to go to the shower area. But the next day we transferred to the Nanay apartment where the bathroom is a bit bigger. I think they had a mistake with the first apartment building so they change it to a bigger space for the bathroom. They also lack clothes line to hang your wet clothes and even in the bathroom you can’t hang your towels because there’s hook or towel rack attached to the bathroom walls. So I recommend you guys bring hangers for your towels and clothes. Unless you are staying in the 2nd floor you can use the railings. There is a side that they call beachfront rooms but really there’s only two beachfront rooms there as for the others it should be called Swimming pool Front rooms because it does not face the beach and its located at the back side of the only 2 beachfront rooms. Now about the food, I think they should make a variety or a wide range of food selection. And don’t forget to bring Soap coz they don’t give free soap. All in all I like the beach. I like this place and will definitely be back at this place, in fact we have already booked our stay for June 2008. This beach is also budget friendly.
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kimtinsy, Manila
Mar 17, 2008
“Loved it, though more improvements could be made”
Bataan White Corals Beach Resort is a leisurely 3 hrs drive or a quick 2.5 hrs drive if you're in a hurry to escape the chaos of Manila. You will go past SBMA, so you can make a stop at the duty free shops there for food stuffs and other stuffs. Going to the resort, you follow the signs to Anvaya Cove, go past that and when you get to Morong town proper, make a right then turn left at the municipal hall. White Corals is the first resort you see in front of you, beside which there may be at least a half dozen others from which you could choose from. First the bad part, rooms and bathroom are small but clean. No bath tub and no hot water. But that's about it. We got 1 Apartment Room (good for 4), costs P4,800 net w/c includes a P1,000 meal voucher. There were a lot of us in the room, 5 adults, 2 kids and 1 infant so we had to pay extra... The resort is small, everything is within a short walk away. The fresh water pool (they also have salt water pool nearer the beach) is beside the rooms and the beach is just a little further away. The sand is very fine (like Boracay's) but dark gray in color. The resort staff cleans the beach every morning. There is also a natural breakwater (made of rocks or corals) just in front of the resort so the water was mostly calm with little waves when we went (March15-16). You can rent an outrigger boat at P100/person to go to a Sea Turtle Reserve (a station with captive sea turtles with hatchlings and a male and female full grown turtles you can touch and show your little ones. The kids absolutely loved it. By the way, you could drive to the Reserve, but where's the fun in that? And they will also take you to a very small beach area with fine white sand which we avoided as the beach was very small and we saw other tourists just standing or sitting crowded in the shade trying to escape the heat. The food is ok, not great but not bad either, prices are reasonable. We looked at the restaurant in the resort beside White Corals and they almost had identical menu and prices......You could bring in your own food and cook it by grilling (saw someone do this), maybe you can buy fresh fish from the market in the nearby town, just remember to bring your own supplies (griller, charcoal etc) and the rooms don't have a refrigerator also. Overall, I had a great time with the kids, although the wife swears never to go back there again (because of the small bathroom and having no hot water) and made verbal threats to that effect. But for the price I paid, I couldn't ask for anything more.
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Mount Batulao

By Paul Sarmiento
Photos by Zaide Uy

The name Batulao was derived from an occurrence that happens every year between December 22 and December 28. When the sun situates between the two peaks, it creates a scene described by the natives as “ilaw sa dalawang bato” (light between two rocks) or “bato sa ilaw” (light in a rock) from where the term Batulao was derived.  From Balayan, Batangas the view of the twin mountains to the east appears quite distant or afar from each other. More fascinating is that same scene if viewed from Batulao is different. Those same twin mountains seem to move closer to each other.

Batulao is located outside the town of Nasugbu, Batangas far away from the beautiful beaches of Nasugbu. Batulao is also near the national tourist destination, Tagaytay City. Mount Batulao looks different from the usual mountains in the Philippines. Mount Batulao does not have trees in its peak but cogon grass instead making it look more like a snow-capped mountain.

 Mount Batulao with its tree-less peak

To go to Batulao from Manila, one can take a bus going to Nasugbu, Batangas. A bit off after Tagaytay City you will pass by a junction and a few minutes later the Evercrest golf course, which is the jump-off point.  Nearby this place is the Don Bosco Spiritual Center, a retreat house run by the Salesians. We stopped by and took pictures at the Caleruega Church, a famous church venue for weddings. A church seated at the top of a hill with a fantastic and panoramic view of greenery hills in all directions.

Me & Nix at Caleruega

At one of the reception halls of Caleruega

This is my second experience in mountain trekking, Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas. I do not exactly have any training in mountain climbing so good luck na lang sa akin. My first climb is Mt. Makulot also in Batangas in the town of Cuenca. Like Mt. Maculot you will also fulfill your visual senses with the view of the Taal Lake, Taal Volcano, the Batangas province, the South China Sea and the surrounding mountains of Talamitam and Pico de Loro.

Start of the long walk

 Time out for fresh buko juice

Batulao trails are exposed with no protective covering

From the jump off point at Evercrest Golf Course, we started walking and hiking for hours like there was no end to it. We passed by some houses and quenched our thirst with fresh buko juice in one of the houses. Batulao trails are exposed that we have to wear protective clothing. Water sources are not available so there is a need to bring water. We took the old trail going to the summit.  We reached the first campsite at the lower slope of Mt. Batulao.

   

 Campsite 1

There are several campsites established. These campsites are small and are marked with flags. Some campsites have toilet within the area though most of them doesn’t have. It took us more than two hours hike from drop-off point to campsite 1.

 We had lunch at campsite 1

A view of typical campsite at Mt. Batulao from afar

Nicole at campsite 6

 View from Campsite 8

  

Taken at Campsite 9

Me at Campsite 9

The temperature in Batulao is cold like the coldness in Tagaytay. It is advisable to wear long sleeves shirt throughout the climb not because of the cold breeze alone but also because of the summer heat.  There is no tree cover throughout the climb.  There is this blending of heat and cold winds, the winds make the cogon grass dance forming beautiful waveforms across the slopes.  That is why Batulao earns the distinction of being the most spectacular of the mountains in Batangas.

The beautiful waveforms of cogon grass

The climb literally called "romancing the stone"

The summit assault started after the first campsite.  I was very careful because the climb to the summit is a very steep trail. After the 9th campsite is the stony climb. You have to somewhat crawl because of the steep parts of the trail. The climb here is literally like romancing the stone. For me, from the sixth campsite to campsite 10 (the summit) the hardest climb. You will need a lot of stamina and sturdy knees. The upper part of Batulao resembles more of Mt. Guiting Guiting with its jagged saw-toothed peaks.

The jagged saw-toothed peaks of Mt. Batulao

Our group at the summit

View at the summit of Mt. Batulao

Although the hike is only a day hike, I enjoyed the climb to the summit.  After walking forever, reaching the summit is such an achievement. I suddenly forget about what I have gone through with the “oooooh’s and aaaaaah’s”.  The view of the summit was so wonderful and rewarding. What an awesome view of green pasture and hills entertaining my eyes as far as I could see.  Thank God for the beautiful nature given to us to enjoy.

At the new trail going down

At campsite 8 going down the trail

 Trekkers call this path the "mountain blade"

Going down we took the new trail and at about 7pm we reward ourselves with food and cold drinks at the Mushroom Burger along the highway in Tagaytay.  Wow!  I have conquered another mountain this year.

Dinner at "Mushroom Burger "

See you at my next mountain trekking!!!