103. SAINT AUGUSTINE CHURCH, PAOAY & VALENTIN DIAZ

SAINT AUGUSTINE CHURCH, PAOAY & VALENTIN DIAZ

Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano

05 October 2019

Yesterday is one of the most unforgettable date for the Isabela Tourism Office. The Province of Isabela under the leadership of Governor Rodolfo “Rodito” T. Albano and Vice Governor Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III was awarded grand winner for the best tourism event for its Bambanti Festival. This significant awarding ceremonies initiated by Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) transpired at the home of one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Philippines – the Saint Augustine Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte.

An official marker stands proud at the front yard of the religious edifice. To know more about the recognized heritage site, I turned to Google and it narrates that the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has designated six World Heritage Sites in the Philippines. The sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. On September 19, 1985, following its ratification of the convention, the Philippines made its historical and natural sites eligible for inclusion on the list. In 1993, Filipino architect and heritage hero Augusto F. Villalon (1945-2018) represented the Philippines in the UNESCO Committee and drafted the nomination dossiers of five heritage inscriptions. The first five sites inscribed in the UNESCO Heritage List were initiated by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)  Philippines, a non-profit heritage organization, which partnered with the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines and the Heritage Conservation Society. All the five inscriptions, which were the first five UNESCO sites in the Philippines, were declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites from 1993 to 1999. These sites include four Baroque Churches namely; Miag-ao in Iloilo, Paoay in Ilocos Norte, Santa Maria in Ilocos Sur, and San Agustin in Manila; Tubbataha Reef National Park; Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park; Historic City of Vigan and the Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras particularly in Ifugao province. After Villalon retired, the country had a 14-year drought in UNESCO World Heritage designations, which would be broken only in 2014, when Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Davao Oriental was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of those six sites, three are cultural and three natural.

Furthermore, the Philippines has a cultural inventory, called the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property or PRECUP, and a natural inventory called the National Integrated Protected Areas System or NIPAS, both of which were established by various Philippine laws: RA 10066 and RA 7586, respectively. In 2015, the 28 sites in the “Tentative List” were revised. Currently, the Tentative List for possible nomination in the future contains nineteen submissions.

Saint Augustine Church and Belfry in Paoay, Ilocos Norte or commonly known as Paoay Church is one of the famous baroque churches in the country. At the wall on the left side entrance of the majestic work of art is a historical marker issued by the Philippine Historical Committee in 1950 and it reads: PARISH FOUNDED BY AUGUSTINIAN MISSIONARIES, 1593. CORNERSTONE OF CHURCH LAID, 1704; OF CONVENT, 1707; OF TOWER, 1793. USED BEFORE COMPLETION AND KEPT IN REPAIR BY THE PEOPLE UNDER THE JOINT AUSPICES OF THE CHURCH AND THE TOWN OFFICIALS. INAUGURATION CEREMONIES, 28 FEBRUARY 1896. CHURCH DAMAGED BY EARTHQUAKE, 1706 AND 1927. TOWER USED AS OBSERVATION POST BY KATIPUNEROS DURING THE REVOLUTION. BY GUERILLAS DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION.

The historic “earthquake baroque” style church is the apple of the eye of the old pueblo of Paoay, the Ilocos region and the country as well. Behind its sturdy architecture is a unique beginning of the town located on the eastern side of Ilocos Norte province facing the West Philippine Sea. Paoay.blogspot.com narrates that Paoay’s former name was “Bombay”. Its site was originally located in the village of Callaguip, now a barrio of Paoay, along the coastal shores of the West Philippine Sea about two kilometers west of the present town proper. Local historians say: “From the date of early settlement to 1701, little could be said about the activities of the early settlers of Paoay except that much had been done in the clearing of the forests nearby. They converted the forests into rice and sugar lands through the slash-and-burn method called “kaingin”. The early settlers were of a peace-loving tribe, but their major problem was the frequent furious incursions of sea rovers and Moro pirates called Tirong who looted indiscriminately their agricultural produce and other valuables. To protect themselves from further incursions, the folks moved towards the nearby inland where the present town proper is now located. In the farther western inland, there were also settlers who formed the neighboring town of Batac. Sensing that the Bombay people had suffered too much from the Moro raids, the people of Batac offered the people of Bombay to live with them. But the brave and maverick folks rejected the offer and instead they uttered "Maka-paoay kami" – an Ilocano dialect jargon meaning they could live independently. The settlers from Batac were offended and it was from this incident that the name of the town came to arrive as PAOAY.”

“The first inhabitants might have come from Bombay, India because the early name of the town was Bombay and settlers in the early days usually named the land settlement they found after the name of their country and place of origin. When the settlers from Bombay arrived, they found the Indonesians already making headways in clearing the forests. Later, the more civilized Malays came and they drove the Indonesians away. Some were captured and held slaves to help improve the land settlement. Those who opted to live with the Malays stayed. The two races turned blended that it is now hard to trace the single origin of the early settlers. The last two settlers established their permanent homes at the present site of the town proper because the location was best suited for their personal convenience and protection from the marauders. Hence, the site was accessible to the barrios where they cleared for farming, namely: Burit, Monte, Paratong, Tamurong, Tigui, Madamcao, Baramban, Lang -Ayan, Lioes, Tarangutong, Lubbot, Currimao, Gaang, Pias, Maglaoi, Anggapang, Comcomloong, Dalayab, Puritac, Cubol, Burayoc, Nagtriguan, Ullaleng, Buangga, Cabaruan, Tugay, Maburiac, Liliputen, and Sacritan. Most of these barrios are now adjudicated to the towns of Pinili, Currimao, and Batac which became municipalities in 1920 and 1921, respectively.”

Walking around the church fence, one can see over a half century old marker recognizing the site of the birthplace of revolutionary icon, Valentin Diaz (1849-1916). A Philippine Historical Committee marker was placed at the site in 1951 which reads: HERE WAS BORN, 1 NOVEMBER 1849, PHILIPPINE REVOLUTIONARY HERO VALENTIN DIAZ, SON OF GERONIMO DIAZ AND MARIA VILLANUEVA. MOVED IN TAYUG, PANGASINAN, 1857, LATER BECAME GOBERNADORCILLO. MEMBER OF LA LIGA FILIPINA 3 JULY 1892; TREASURER OF THE KATIPUNAN, 7 JULY 1892; MAJOR IN THE ARMY OF THE REVOLUTION, 1895; EXILED TO HONG KONG, 1897, COLONEL IN THE PHILIPPINE ARMY DURING THE FILIPINO-AMERICAN WAR 1899-1902. DIED IN MANILA, 1918.

Other places to visit and see in amazing Paoay are: Malacañang of the North (Malacañang ti Amianan), the official residence of President & Mrs. Ferdinand Marcos in Ilocos Norte; the legendary Paoay Lake, originally known as Nanguyudan; Paoay Sand Dunes where adventurers could bash and surf; the Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center; two Spanish period colonial bridges; tribunal municipal (town hall); wooden Rayrao house; and the octagonal American period house. Paoay is also known as the home of the best weavers of Ilocos Norte with the famous textile called “inabel” which for centuries is woven in pedal frame looms.

Paoay, home of industrious, thrifty, intrepid, daring, individualistic, peace-loving, adventurous, hospitable, and religious people, will always be a darling not only of heritage warriors but also foreign and local travellers who wish to experience the beauty of nature and the glory of Philippine architecture.