Ilocos Noirte, Philippines

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Secured a mighty place on the map during the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos, Batac, a quaint town in Ilocos Norte has indeed produced some of the country’s leaders—former President Fidel Ramos, Sen. Leticia Ramos-Shahani, Gen. Ricarte, Gen. Fabian Ver, Msgr. Gregorio Aglipay, and Gen. Rodolfo Biazon, among others. In our two-day visit to Batac, we had the privilege of meeting Mayor Jesus R. Nalupta, the town’s chief executive for 10 years. We had an appointment with him for an interview and photo session. But instead of meeting with him at the municipal hall, we were led to the town’s public market, where we found the mayor in rugged get-up, giving instructions to construction workers in the area. The humble mayor is obviously well loved in his town, that after having served for three terms in a row; the people still chose him to be their leader. And surprisingly, he doesn’t have bodyguards and goes around town riding in a scooter. Mayor Nalupta explains that the major source of livelihood in their town is farming, but because of the diversity and abundance of their crops, opportunities are widespread and poverty level is marginal. After the interview, the good mayor provided us with the convenience of a tour guide who not only showed us around town, but also brought us to places of interest in the neighboring municipalities. Our guide, JR, also told us stories about the Marcoses and the significant places in their lives. Although Batac is not the capital of the province, it is indeed a premier town, flourishing and progressive, and is also growing as a center of trade, finance, and education. The abundance of different agricultural products, like garlic, tomato, corn, mangoes, tobacco, and cotton, paved the way for the establishment of five national research and training centers in Batac; namely, Philippine Rice Research Institute, National Tobacco Administration, Cotton Development Authority, Ilocos Integrated Agricultural Research Center, and the Agricultural Training Institute. As we toured the town, long stretches of green on our left and right embrace the highway. Three times we stopped along the road and snapped pictures of maturing tobacco, blossoming cotton plants, and basket after basket filled with freshly picked ripe tomatoes. On our way back to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing, we passed by a tomato processing plant where truckloads of ripe tomatoes are being dumped in the mouth of a giant processor. Never have we seen so many tomatoes at one time! The next day, we had an Ilocano breakfast—a different version of pinakbet (which is predominantly made from malunggay pods, seeds, and flowers), bagnet (crispy, deep-fried pork belly), and of course, a salad of fresh tomatoes seasoned with bagoong. A hearty breakfast for a long drive back to Manila! One delicacy that makes Batac famous is their empanada, for which a “plaza,” or an empanada center is now being developed to institutionalize this marketable treat. A day and a half is not enough to explore the many facets of this town. Among the other snapshot stops are the Balay ti Amianan Marcos Museum, Msgr. Gregorio Aglipay Shrine, Ricarte National Shrine, and Batac mini-park. There’s more to Batac than meets the eye. This place is rich in culture, history, and the people’s attitude toward life. Their lifestyle may be rural ease, but their outlook is very progressive—probably the combination that produced some of our country’s leaders. Would you visit this place after reading my story?:-)