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Sunday December 28, 2008
Batac is a historic landlocked city in Ilocos Norte, famously known as the hometown of significant political figures—including former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Philippine Independent Church founder Gregorio Aglipay, and Katipunan General Artemio Ricarte.
Batac City features several historical and cultural landmarks that include the Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Center, Gregorio Aglipay National Shrine, General Artemio Ricarte National Shrine and Museum, and the Immaculate Conception Parish Church, commonly known as the Batac Church.
Again, due to time constraints, I had planned to visit only the Marcos Museum and Batac Church, with the hope of exploring the rest on a subsequent journey.
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| The Marcos Museum, now known as the Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Center, housed in the ancestral home of the late former president. |
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| The Batac Church, founded by Augustinian friars in 1587, is the second oldest town parish established in the province of Ilocos Norte. |
Batac is located roughly 17km south of the provincial capital in Laoag, and around 25km from Santa Monica Church in Sarrat, where we departed from.
We left Santa Monica Church at about 8:30am, and it took us just under an hour to reach Batac by trike, traveling at a leisurely pace. The ride was fairly pleasant, as most of the route from Sarrat to Batac is smoothly paved.
Google Street View Visual Directions
Below are some scenes we passed by along the way.
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| A truck loaded with bundles of dried sugarcane stalks, parked next to a rustic shed likely used for storing the sugarcane. |
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| A row of traditional Filipino nipa huts with built-in benches, likely intended for sale to travelers or visitors. |
Eventually, we arrived at our first destination in Batac, the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum, at around 9:20am.
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