Monday 19 March 2012

A Journey To A Heavenly Vacation

 Church of Our Lady of Carmel.
People often wonder about the possibility of hiring a car and having a self drive holiday in the Philippines. This is one suggested  four day tour including Manila – Bulacan – Pampanga – Tarlac – Pangasinan – Cagayan - Baguio - Manila.

DAY ONE - From Manila, take the North Luzon Expressway and exit via Tabang to proceed to Malolos, Bulacan for a visit to the Church of Our Lady of Carmel. Built in 1871 – 1878, the church became the seat of the short-lived Philippine Republic and site of the first constitutional convention beginning in 1898 which passed the Malolos Constitution. It houses the NHI Barasoain Lights and Sound and Ecclesiastical Museum. Also within the city is the Basilica Minore de Immaculada Concepcion whose convent became the presidential quarters of the Philippine Republic led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. The seat of the Diocese of Malolos, it was declared a basilica in 1999 by Pope John Paul II.

 Holy Rosary Parish Church
Drive back to the North Luzon Expressway via Pulilan to take the Angeles-Magalang exit. Proceed to Angeles City to visit the Holy Rosary Parish Church along Sto. Rosario St. The gothic church was built in beginning in 1877 – 1898 thru the so-called forced labor system imposed by the Spanish colonial government on the townspeople of Angeles City.

Spend a night in any of the standard-class hotel accommodation in Clark.

30-foot statue of The Risen Christ
DAY TWO - The following day, resume your journey by driving towards north via SCTex in Clark for a quick drive through Tarlac. Take the San Miguel (Hacienda Luisita) exit to proceed to Brgy. San Sebastian along MacArthur Hwy. To take a right turn to the bypass road (Tarlac - Pangasinan) toward the town of Camiling. Follow the 36-km backcountry but well-paved road to Brgy. Lubigan in San Jose, Tarlac (turns are well signposted). Spend an hour or so at the Church of the Risen Christ where a relic or particle of the Holy Cross from Germany is enshrined in a silver reliquary. The Holy Mass is celebrated daily (except Thursday) at 10:00 in the morning after which the faithful is allowed to the reliquary to pay their homage and be blessed with spirituality.

Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag.
In the afternoon, proceed to MacArthur Hwy. bound for Pangasinan to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag. An apparition and several miracles have made the Lady a famous destination for thousands of devotees of the faith from around the world.

Time permitting, swing by the 14 Stations of the Cross in Bani, or the postcard-pretty churches of Dagupan City, Binmaley, Lingayen, Labrador, Sual or Alaminos.

Spend the night in any of the accommodation facilities in the area.

 Shrine of Our Lady of Piat.
DAY THREE - The following day, proceed to the heartland of Cagayan to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Piat. The image was supposedly brought to the Philippines from Macao in 1604 by Dominican Friars. In 1954, her church was declared a National Shrine by His Excellency Most Rev. Egidio Vagnozzi, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. The image is known throughout the country as the Black Mary, making Piat the pilgrimage center of the northeast. Guests can also visit the imposing Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Tuguegarao City or the Iguig Church and Calvary Hills known for its larger-than-life statues of the Stations of the Cross.

Proceed to the Baguio Cathedral where one hurdles 100 steps before reaching the top of the hill. Optionally, one may also visit the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes – a religious shrine where about 252 steps lead to the top of the hill before one may offer sacrifices, devotion and prayers. Here, one is rewarded with a panoramic view of the city.

DAY FOUR - Spend another night in the Pine City for a well-deserved relaxing vacation. Go souvenir hunting before one drives back to Manila.

Contact Information

Department of Tourism –CAR
DOT Complex, Gov. Pack Road, Baguio City
Phone (63 74) 442-7014 / 619-1127 / 8848
Email: dotregioncar@gmail.com

Department of Tourism – Ilocos
G/F Oasis Country Resort Hotel, Sevilla, City of San Fernando, La Union
Phone (63 72) 888-2098 / 2411/2098 / 242-1656
Email: dotregion1@pldtdsl.net

Department of Tourism – Cagayan Valley
29-A Rizal Street, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
Phone (63 78) 844-1621/846-2435 / 2435
E-mail: dotr02@yahoo.com 

Department of Tourism – Central Luzon
Hilaga Village, City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Phone (63 45) 961-2612 / 5617 / 625-8525
Email: celtour@yahoo.com

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