First, the nice stuff...
BATAC CHURCH
As one of my commenters have observed, North Luzon has more to offer that what it is known for. And that holds true for it numerous wonderful ancient churches. Batac Church is no exception, it was built in 1587 and although lots of renovations were made in the church' four centuries, still, remnants of the old church can still be seen through its walls. Sadly, the Church suffers by comparison to undoubtedly more fascinating Paoay Church. But nevertheless, this church is still worth visiting when you are touring the Ilocos loop.
Then, the eerie stuff...
The embalmed body of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos at the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum has put Batac on a tourist map. The body is laid out in a mattress, air-sealed in a glass coffin and lit by floodlights. I find the place really creepy thanks to the two high powered air conditioning units providing the chills and the choral background music providing that extra eerie feel.
The thing is, the body of the late president seem so smooth and so tall and we know for a fact the the Marcos Family is full of crap so it may also be possible that the body is simply a wax figure. Who knows?
Lastly, the eye-catching stuff...
Apo Marcos, as he is popularly called in those times, is depicted in lots of cartoons and ads as a pinoy wearing a salakot. His continued political influence and the lingering ambivalence his legacy is still very much evident anywhere in Batac. I took a shot at this Outpost to prove that fact. This outpost's roof resembled that of salakot and it was painted red - the color of Marcos.
astig mga napupuntahan mo kuya ha.
ReplyDeletekamusta naman ang peanut butter sandwich mo?
yummy ba? ahehehe
ingats po=]
i share your feelings. i find the museleum creepy, but made extra creepy by the look of the supposedly Marcos remains. who are they fooling? it is obviously a wax figure. no dead person can look that "neat". only saints who have uncorrupted bodies till now. And we all know he is and never will be a saint.
ReplyDeleteI know about Marcos. what I heard from tv. And my opinion is not good at all. and i understand your feeling. as for the photos, very beautiful. it was a very interesting tour
ReplyDeletenever been there. kakatakot pala. wala ka bang close up shot?
ReplyDelete@ my-so-called-quest - ok naman doc, yummy pa rin lols.
ReplyDelete@ random ramblings - the funny thing is, i have spoken to several peddlers there and they are indeed very fanatical and they sincerely believe that it was the body of the deposed president.
ReplyDelete@ evlahos - he was very infamous alright. politics and governance in my country really suck big time.
ReplyDelete@ the dong - actually, bawal camera sa loob kaya wala ako kuha. buti na lang may internet. tnx to www.daylife.com for the picture.
ReplyDeleteGanon? akala ko tutuong body nya.. Wax lang pala... Salamat for sharing the pictures at information na wax lang pala yun.
ReplyDeletedi pa ako nakakapunta sa Ilocos pero masarap dyan ang cornik! =)
ReplyDeletei guess it's really just wax...
ReplyDeletetravel blog ka pala kuya. :D
ReplyDeletenag eenjoy ako sa pagpunta sa mga ganitong klaseng blog. ang pinakamalayong lugar na napuntahan ko kasi eh ang subic. tapos no wala na. ahahaha...
sa pamamagitan ng mga larawang ito, nagiging pamilyar ako sa mga lugar sa pinas na hindi ko pa napupuntahan.
salamat po sa pagdaan sa blog ko. :D
On the way to Ilocos a few years ago, I met a family of 8 from mindanao who made a trip just to see Marcos' "remains" in Batac. They were quite a Marcos fan. So after my stay in Vigan, my friends and I went to Batac. What makes the mausoleum creepy is the gregorian chant in the background, not to mention the dark interiors. Remember the time when the mausoleum's electric bill reached millions of pesos and power was cut? Buti na lang di nag-melt si Apo---his face looks like a doll's.:D
ReplyDeleteBaka nga hindi yan ang totoong katawan ni Marcos. Buti by group yung tour. kakatakot ang music sa background. haha
ReplyDeletesalakot? parang uncircumsized thingy...
ReplyDeletegood one!
ReplyDeleteeverytym na napapadpad ako d2 sa blog mo, mas lalo akong naiinggit. haay. sana makapunta din sa mga napupuntahan mo. hehe
ReplyDeleteoftentimes, tourists just pass by batac on their way to paoay or just to view the marcos remains. i have heard that the batac empanada is one of ilocos' best.
ReplyDeleteas for the church, it should be noted that 1587 is the founding of the town. the present church came much more later probably in the 18th century. too bad that they renovated the facade.
@ belen - i can't help to think na wax lang yun pero who knows baka nga totoo yun. nag-base lang ako sa history ng mga marcoses na mahilig sa gimmicks.
ReplyDelete@ coldman - yup. chichacorn in various flavors. nag-uwi nga ako kaya lang yung galing sa vigan.
ReplyDelete@ r-yo - panyero, i guess so too.
ReplyDelete@ kingdaddyrich - nadadalas lang ang travels kaya mukhang travel blog na pero i like to think na this is a personal blog or blog that accounts my personal journey.
ReplyDeletesalamat din sa pagdaan.
@ luna miranda - sabi ng mga tindera sa paligid, si apo daw talaga yun. pag daw binuksa yung air-tight na coffin, bigla daw yun maaagnas.
ReplyDeletecreepy talaga yung sounds. mukha bang babangon si apo at hahabulin ka.
@ redlan - pag-pasok mo pa lang sa loob, ang makikita mo agad ay istatwa ni marcos na half-body lang, tapos pag pasok mo sa loob yung supposed corpse nya makikita mo. parang yung horror ride sa perya ang dating without the howling and the screams.
ReplyDelete@ kris jasper - hanep sa imagination lols.
ReplyDelete@ ash - thanks.
ReplyDelete@ vanny - mapupuntahan mo din to pag nahilig ka sa travel. ako kasi wag mo bibigyan ng three day window kasi tyak i'll pack my bag and go.
ReplyDelete@ estan - thanks for the info. i tried to google much info on batac church pero halos wala ako makita. yung founding ng church eh nag-base lang ako sa sign in front of the church.
ReplyDeletesalamat uli sa pagbisita.
Lawstude...
ReplyDeleteI envy you...!
How much u travel...!
so many beautiful places..!
you are really lucky.
and thanks for sharing all these beautiful pictures..!
Nice history and photos. I saw China's late leader Mao Zedong in the glass coffin in Beijing when I visited China in 1986. It looked exactly like the one of your late president.
ReplyDeleteThe mausoleum is interesting. I'd visit it given a chance. Pero, no offence but I find the embalmed body of President Marcos too good to be true. Somehow the color of the skin looked a little light as it's more of the color of wax ... You're right too, the Marcos(es) were full of crap so anything can be done, di ba?
ReplyDeleteas usual,gumala ka na naman.
ReplyDeleteHi dude.... Kindly add my blog into your blogroll...
ReplyDeletehuwaw. ang ganda! galing galing po ng mga shots mo.
ReplyDeletehindi namin pinuntahan yan ah. ang daya. ang ganda pa sana.
amf!!
add po kita sa links ko ha. ganda kasi talaag ng shots!
@ shades - thank you very much. i really like traveling and experiencing new things and seeing new places. i guess i am lucky to have a job that enables me to travel.
ReplyDelete@ alicesg - i bet that one is authentic. our president's remain is quite questionable.
ReplyDelete@ kyels - i couldn't agree more. many suspects this to be one last-ditch con by the marcoses.
ReplyDelete@ kurisujae - hehehe. continuation ng ilocos trip. madami pa ko popost about it, natatambakan na nga ako eh.
ReplyDelete@ selerines - linked u dude.
ReplyDelete@ eloiski - sure. mas maganda sana kung maaraw but i guess ok na rin yung gloomy weather para mas luma ang dating. salamat sa link.
ReplyDeletesayang di ba wala na yung malaking bust ni marcos sa bundok? siyanga pala bro, may tag ako sa iyo tungkol sa travel. tamang-tama para sa mga lugar na napuntahan mo na. kung may time ka lang bossing
ReplyDeletealways enjoy viewing these old churches..almost every town may at least isang lumang church at parang pinaka main attraction n.
ReplyDeleteWhat I noticed in Batac, it hasn't change much When I first went there when I was in grade 6, and more rcently last year. It look the same though a few new structures here and there.
ReplyDeleteNice takes Oman, di rin nakakasawa balik balikan ang North Luzon
First one is really nice... Superb view... I really appreciate your work dude....
ReplyDeletevery interesting ang mausoleum ni Marcos. You have a point - how do we know that it is really him ? hmmm. Tks for the coverage bro :)
ReplyDeleteIt's always been kind of weird to me to see a dead body. As you can imagine, I don't do well at funerals!! I likes all the other pics though! Cool!
ReplyDelete@ madbong - yup wala. kaya lang sa marcos highway yun papuntang baguio nakikita eh. sayang nga eh.
ReplyDeletetnx sa tag.
@ dakilang islander - so true, kaya talagang mahilig magdasal mga pinoy.
ReplyDelete@ ferdz - i agree. the first i was there was a couple of decades ago noong jamboree pa sa boyscout and nothing much has changed as far as i can recall.
ReplyDelete@ selerines - thank you very much sir.
ReplyDelete@ bw - it may take a while before we know the answer because there is no move from the present government to grant the wishes of the Marcos to bury his remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
ReplyDelete@ rochelle - same here. i don't look at the corpse in the funeral. i dunno, it kinda scare me or maybe i just don't wanna remember their dead face.
ReplyDelete