Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
memorabilia, including a set of his clothes worn during infancy, but this place is really
for Marcos completists only.
Ferdinand Marcos Mausoleum and Museum
Batac, 15km south of Laoag •
Mausoleum
Daily 9am-noon & 1-4pm • Free
Museum
Wed-Mon 9am-noon & 1-4pm • P50 •
T
0917
866 5186 • Buses between Vigan and Laoag pass through Batac - ask the driver to let you off; Batac is also served by regular jeepneys
from Laoag (every 30min; 40min; P25)
Marcos spent his childhood in the pretty town of
Batac
before moving to Manila to take
up law. The chief attraction here is the
Ferdinand Marcos Mausoleum
, which contains
the former dictator's refrigerated corpse - though rumours abound that it's nothing
more than a wax model. Imelda wants to bury him in the
Libingan ng mga Bayani
(Heroes' Cemetery) in Manila, a proposal that has failed to find favour with successive
governments. he
museum
opposite the mausoleum showcases Marcos memorabilia and
traces his political career in glowing terms; there's also a section dedicated to his romance
with Imelda, who became his wife after only eleven days of courting.
3
Paoay
A few kilometres west of Batac,
PAOAY
is the location of a UNESCO-listed
church
as
well as the
Malacañang of the North
, the opulent mansion where
Ferdinand Marcos
stayed during presidential holidays.
St Augustine Church
Paoay Church Complex • Daily 6am-6pm • Buses between Vigan and Laoag pass through Paoay - ask the driver to let you off; there are
also regular jeepneys (every 30min; 50min; P34) from Laoag via Batac
St Augustine church
is perhaps the best-known “earthquake Baroque” church in the
Philippines. Begun in 1804, it took ninety years to build and has 26 immense side
buttresses designed to keep it standing. Nearby is a bell tower dating from 1793, which
you can climb for views of the area.
Malacañang of the North
Suba, Paoay • Tues-Sun 9am-noon & 1-4.30pm • P20 •
T
0906 521 1139 • Tricycles from Paoay's St Augustine Church (25min; P120) will
then take you on to the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes (see below) for P150 return
he
Malacañang of the North
is named after the presidential palace in Manila. The
mansion, set on a five-hectare estate of gentle lawns giving onto the beautiful Paoay
Lake, was the Marcoses' holiday residence between 1977 and the revolution in 1986.
The property also comprised a golf course - Marcos was an avid golfer - which is now
part of the
Fort Ilocandia
resort (see p.149). In 2012 part of the building was
transformed into a
pro-Marcos museum
, with seven galleries highlighting some of the
major reforms - but, naturally, none of the corruption or human rights abuses
- implemented during his presidency. The Agriculture Room focuses on the building
of waterways and dams - aiming for self-su
ciency, Marcos implemented irrigation
programmes in order to supply water to the entire archipelago - while the Nation
Building Room highlights the President's achievement in uniting his country by
connecting the islands via a number of ambitious highways and bridges.
Ilocos Norte sand dunes
The Laoag Eco-Adventure Development (LEAD) Movement Inc (
T
0919 873 5516,
W
leadmovement.wordpress.com) arranges trips
combining a 4WD ride and sandboarding (P2500/1hr for 4-6 people), as well as horseback riding on the dunes (P230/hr)
The coastline west of Laoag is a sight to behold. More like desert than beach, it
measures almost 1km across at some points and reaches as far as the eye can see, fringed
