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On Golden (Conservation) Pond
This is no ordinary pond. It is a lotus conservation pond. Lotus plants are considered sacred in many countries. They used to thrive in the Paoay Lake National Park and now they’re gone. It’s...
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Si Agimat, Si Enteng at Mi Lente
I had to be in a meeting at the Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel last night. The place was pretty busy. Only then did I find out that actor Vic Sotto and senator/actor Bong Revilla are in Ilocos Norte to...
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Mary C. Ang: The Face of Volunteerism Across Ilocos Norte
A face I could never forget. That of a popular figure at the Holy Spirit Academy of Laoag when I was a student. The parent-teacher association leader and also the doting mother to a former classmate...
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Xavier School Batch ’77 at the Laoag La Paz Sand Dunes
The normally placid desert of Laoag transmutes into a happy place just as soon as Batch ’77 of the Xavier School in Greenhills arrives. The visitors chose Ilocos for their latest reunion. Part of...
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If youth say so | John Michael Mugas
Inspired by sound bites from Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal, the blog will be featuring young emerging leaders and tender perspective in hopes of inspiring others to make a difference in this...
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Gangnam Style Invades the Laoag Sand Dunes
Exchange students from Korea are in Ilocos via the International Student Exchange Program. Some Gangnam moves… the horse trot on the desert of La Paz. They had the ultimate off-roading and...
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The 17th Pamulinawen Festival Opening Parade
The 2013 Laoag Pamulinawen Festival commenced with a civil-military parade. Rather than going west, the pink-dominated ribbon of people moved to the east, ending at the Laoag City Supermarket. Could...
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Pamulinawen Festival 2013 Parade of Faces
Glamour is back at the recent floral parade of the Pamulinawen Festival. Smiles as bright as the sunshine… modern Filipiniana regalia… gay princesses and fairies… farm animals making merry… adorned...
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Rap and Ripple: Big Turnout for #MoveIlocos
The New Media Hall of the Northwestern University was filled to the rafters for Rappler‘s #MoveIlocos, the 12th of Move.Ph‘s “Social Media for Social Change” chat series throughout the country. Same...
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Conjugal Leadership
Melanie and Alfredo Valdez Chevylle and Michael Fariñas The stark parallelism of the highly anticipated official election returns in the mallified town of San Nicolas and city of Laoag, both intense...
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Benny Arce’s Footprint in the Sands of Ilocos Norte
Before the rainy season arrived, the LEAD Movement was blessed with the opportunity to tell their humble story of pioneering the Ilocos Norte tourism mainstay in the Philippines — sandboarding and...
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La Virgen Milagrosa and Nana Leonila Arzadon of Badoc
I do believe in miracles. I also believe in goodness, humaneness, perseverance and above all, faith. Today, I paid La Virgen Milagrosa a visit. I had to ask a local where I could see the miraculous...
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FoodPrints Off-Camera in Ilocos Norte
They came, they traversed the extreme northern province. I hope the Ilocos Norte down-home food culture will leave a mark in their hearts and minds. I don’t mind repeating the solid 5-day food...
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From Benguet to Ilocos: Tartland and Baguio Sweets
At the FoodPrints shoot at REFMAD Farms in Burgos late last month, I happened to meet Angie and Emma de la Cruz and their siblings who were spending a family reunion, visiting tourist spots in Ilocos....
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Dedication to Environment: Robby P. Cereno
UP Los Baños professor and Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME) director Robby Cereno’s About in FB reads, “Earth through ecologically sustainable tourism, protected areas management,...
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Meeting the Ilocos Dragon Lady’s Mimie
Through all the four years I’ve been blogging about anything under the inspiring sun up north, special connections with people of all walks of life have been formed. I first wrote about new age farmer...
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California Dream Come True (The Wedding)
Notoriously in demand artists Ace and Kit Mandac of the well-liked Ava’s Cakes and Partyshop in Ilocos are sharing with us photos from a recent wedding at the historic bluff-top Spanish Colonial...
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Remembering Maria Teresa Carlson-Fariñas
At lunch today, a friend mentioned she’s set to run in a fun run, coinciding with the feast of St. Teresa of Avila. As if a reminder, I found myself visiting the St. Teresa de Avila Chapel in Barit in...
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In Memory of Former Laoag Mayor Cesar A. Ventura
A few days ago, Ava Ventura, daughter of Cesar Ventura, left a comment in this old post. Though Ana Ventura-Remigio is a FB friend, I think I’ve never met her sister Ava. In my lifetime, I’ve talked...
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Rule of Thumb
We brought Alexa to the the newly redone Marcos Museum in Batac (one of the elements of the Ilocos Norte government-promoted Marcos Trail tourism product). Ever since her initial experience at the...
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