“We have so much to offer now that summer is here,” she says. “From the white beaches of Saud and Blue Lagoon at the northern tip of Pagudpud. It’s not crowded like Boracay. We also have the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos that’s a National Historical Landmark and Treasure, the ancient churches like the Paoay Church that is a Unesco World Heritage site and the 84 square kilometre sand dunes called Sahara of the North perfect for water sports. We have the Patapat Viaduct, the one kilometre bridge that connects Maharlika Highway with Cagayan Valley, the Malacanang of the North, the house of Juan Luna and the windmills of Bangui. We have festivals in various municipalities this summer, starting with the Rampang Ganda on Tuesday as part of International Women’s Day, the Ani Harvest festival up to March 21 at Dingras, the Mannalon Festival in Marcos from March 24 to 26, the Tadek Festival in Nueva Era from March 30 to April 1, and the Panag-abuos Festival in Banna from March 31 to April 2. We also have an Araw ng Kagitingan celebration on April 9, which is also the birthday of my son Borgy, and the Earth Day Celebration. For April and May, we got the Bawang Festival in Pindi, Badoc Festival, Bagat Festival in Adams, Kangayedan Festival in Pagudpud, the Amian Festival in Bangu, Dinaklisan Festival in Currimao, the Basi Festival in Piddig, Davila Fluvial Parade in Pasququin, Binakol Festival in Sarrat, and Farmers Festivals in Batac and Bacarra. From May 2 to 8, we have the Virgen Milagrosa provincial fiesta, with the Himala sa Buhangin festival at the sand dunes on May 6 and the Flores de Mayo on May 14. From 10 to 14, we have the PBA All Stars match. Then there’s the famous local food from bagnet to exotic dishes like utong, pokpoklo, cabatiti and poqui-poqui.”
If you plan to visit Ilocos Norte, contact their provincial tourism office at 077-770-4242, 772-1211 to 20, local 119, or email them at in.tourism@yahoo.com, with website at ilocosnorte.gov.ph.
