Here’s a video I took of our Callao Cave guide who explained about the history of Callao Cave and additional information about Cagayan in general.
I also added a quick video of Calgary Hills in Iguig, Cagayan.
From Tuguegarao, Cagayan we travelled north via van to the town of Iguig. Our relative is kind enough to drove us there. Calvary Hills is a very nice place specially for Catholics who wanted to see the Stations of the Cross as depicted using life-size statues.
The huge signage of Calvary Hills in the town of Iguig, north of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
The whole place is huge and gives you a vantage point to the mighty Cagayan River. The place is really a hill and it takes time before you visit all the stations of the cross.
Calvary Hills is located behind the St James the Apostle Parish Church in Iguig. There’s a small gate at the left side of the church. I can’t remember if we paid an entrance fee. It was cloudy and raining when we visited last February 5, 2020 thus the pictures posted here all have dark, cloudy sky.
Too bad the church is closed during our visit so I don’t have a shot of the interior of the church.
View of the Cagayan River
St James the Apostle Parish Church, Iguig, Cagayan
I love Iguig signage besides the church
Image of the risen Christ
St James the Apostle Parish Catholic Rectory located besides the Iguig Church.
The side of St James the Apostle Parish Church, Iguig, Cagayan
The rear part of St James the Apostle Parish Church in Iguig, Cagayan
The crucifixion of Christ
The area of Calvary Hills is huge. It will take time for visitors to visit all the stations of the cross
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Fourth Station: Jesus meets his afflicted mother
Third station: Jesus falls the first time under his cross
Second station
Jesus and Pilate
A huge image of the blessed sacrament
The statues at Calvary Hills are really life-size
One of the most famous tourist spots in Cagayan is the Basilica of Our Lady of Piat, in Piat town, Cagayan. July 2 is the feast of Our Lady of Piat. My aunt from the US and I visited this famous image of the Virgin Mary last February 4, 2020.
The famous Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat in the town of Piat, Cagayan Province
I know little about the history of the image or why they say it’s miraculous, but based on Business Mirror:
Known as the Black Virgin Mary, the Our Lady of Piat was sculptured in Macau, then a colony of Portugal, upon the request of Dominican missionaries and was eventually brought to the Philippines in 1604 and placed in Lal-lo, Cagayan, then the Episcopal See of Nueva Segovia.
You could read the entire article here.
Additional information appeared on Ivan About Town:
The venerated image is erroneously referred to as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (that was the original title) when it is in fact the Nuestra Señora de Visitacion (Our Lady of the Visitation). The Church of Piat became the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat in 1997
You could read the entire article here.
Lastly, there’s an article published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer:
It has been known to happen that Our Lady of Piat has interceded for women having difficulty conceiving a baby. This happened to Ella Aglipay Delio and her sister-in-law Ginger Aglipay (wife of her brother Michael Aglipay).
After two and a half years of not getting pregnant after their wedding in 2001, Michael and Ginger made a pilgrimage to Piat, Cagayan Valley, where the Shrine of the Virgin is located. Ginger immediately conceived afterward and gave birth in 2003 to a baby boy whom they named Miguel.
Then, Ella came home with husband David Delio to make a pilgrimage to Piat. She immediately conceived and gave birth in May 2009 to a baby girl they named Naomi. David Delio, a devout Catholic who’s taking up doctorate studies in Theology, was overjoyed, to say the least. The family lives in Maryland.
You could read the entire article here.
A huge bas relief depicting the arrival of Our Lady of Piat from Nueva Segovia (an archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the province of Ilocos Sur. The see of the archdiocese is the city of Vigan. Wikipedia)
Entrance to the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Piat (Our Lady of Piat)
As you enter the compound, you will see this rear part of the church first
Adoration Chapel at the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat
Side elevation of the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat, Cagayan
A statue of Our Lady of Piat
Similar to churches in Pangasinan, the compound of the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat is adored with statues of saints
Interior shot of the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat, Cagayan
The main retablo or altar
Interior shot of the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat, Cagayan
Looking outside the Basilica from inside
One of the several statues you could find around the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat, Cagayan
The belltower of the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat is being repaired/restored during our visit last February 4, 2020.
My balikbayan aunt from the US of A asked me if I can accompany her to Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. It’s where my other aunt (her old sister) resides. I’ve been to Tuguegarao City when I was Grade 2 and it’s been so long since that time. I said yes hoping that she would ask me to visit some tourist spots in Cagayan.
My aunt paid for the two-way fare for both of us and it cost P9,757.92. We left Manila on February 4, 2020 and returned February 6, 2020.
By 6:19 AM of February 4, 2020 we were already at the Domestic Departure Area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Our plane is Cebu Pacific. By 7:38 AM we were already boarded and by 8:44 AM we were already at the Tuguegarao Airport. That’s a little over 1-hour trip by plane. If we took the bus, it will be a grueling 12 hours trip on land.
The Tuguegarao Cathedral
After meeting my Cagayan-based aunt and all her relatives, my US-based aunt and I decided to tour Tuguegarao City. We visited the famous Tuguegarao Cathedral, the Cagayan Museum and Rizal’s Monument. In the afternoon of our Day 1 in Cagayan, we went to the famous Our Lady of Piat Church in Piat – a town west of Tuguegarao.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Piat, Cagayan
We left Tuguegarao around 3PM via van. Waiting time look about 30 minutes because there’s a certain number of people required before the van would start the travel. The trip between Piat and Tuguegarao is not 24/7. Public transportation is scarce in this province. The last trip to Piat from Tuguegarao is about 3:30 PM and the last trip from Piat back to Tuguegarao is about 5:30 PM.
Here’s more information about Our Lady of Piat Church.
Day 2
We left Tuguegarao City early in the morning to the town of Peñablanca. It’s where the famous Callao Cave is located. I’m not fond of visiting caves and other natural wonders because it requires trekking and lots of walking. Good thing the Callao Cave is walking distance from the parking lot of the National Park.
Callao Cave is a seven-chamber, limestone cave in Peñablanca and is one among many in the area. It’s part of the town’s protected landscape. Recently, the National Museum declared the place as an “important cultural property” of the country. Last year, scientist confirmed the discovery of a new human species that lived there. The inquirer has an article about it that you can view here.
I’ve seen a lot of pictures of Callao Cave on the Internet but the feeling of visiting the place is way better. It’s so huge that a chapel is located in one of the chambers. Before you reach the cave by the way, you have to climb about a hundred steps.
I was impressed by the tourist guides in Callao Cave. They have a very nice presentation on the history of the cave and of Cagayan in general. They are also well verse on how to take good pictures and videos using smartphones. The guide asked us to do certain poses that brought up amazing pictures of Callao Cave.
In the afternoon of February 5, 2020 (our Day 2), we visited the town of Iguig, Cagayan. The famous tourist spot there is the Calvary Hills. It features life-size statues from the Passion of the Christ (The Way of the Cross). If you’re Catholic and religious, you would really appreciate this place.
During out time in Tuguegarao City, we stayed at the Casa Angela in Aguinaldo corner Taft St, Downtown Tuguegarao. It’s not the best hotel in the area but the staff were friendly and accommodating.
Day 3
February 6, 2020
We spent the morning with my Cagayan-based aunt and our other relatives. We had lunch at Kusina Cagayana which is near the Cagayan Airport. We also had the time to visit the Tuguegarao City Hall. The capital of Cagayan Province is Tuguegarao City, and the capitol is located a few kilometers away from the town center.
By 2:30 PM we were already boarding the Cebu Pacific plane that will take us back to Manila. By 4:19 PM we were at the NAIA. That’s about 1.5 hours trip. My US-based aunt attended her college reunion and some other events. About a week after our trip in Cagayan, she went back to the US.
About a month after our Cagayan Adventure, the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was declared in Metro Manila. I haven’t gone outside of Metro Manila ever since. It’s been 8 months.
Callao Cave in Peñablanca, Cagayan
Calvary Hills in Iguig, Cagayan
Tuguegarao City Hall, Cagayan
I will be posting more pictures of each destinations we visited. Please stay tune.
After returning to Kalibo from New Washington, I saw a signage of a jeepney trip to Balete, Aklan. I always travel by jeep as much as possible because it’s more economical. So I rode a jeep and dropped off at the municipal hall compound.
The Town Hall of Balete, Aklan
They have a Quick Response Center, which serves also a waiting shed because it’s along the main highway. There’s a nice church dedicated to St Raphael the Archangel near the Balete Town Hall. There’s also a monument dedicated to Jose Rizal.
Balete is a nice small town. There isn’t much business establishments nearby and the market is nowhere to be found. This is a new town. I investigated Google Maps and found a museum nearby called Basura Garden. It’s a museum for works of arts made from recycle materials. I’ll made a separate blog post about it.
Here’s more information about it from PhilAtlas:
Balete is a landlocked municipality in the coastal province of Aklan.
The municipality has a land area of 118.93 square kilometers or 45.92 square miles which constitutes 6.53% of Aklan's total area. Its population as determined by the 2015 Census was 28,920. This represented 5.03% of the total population of Aklan province, or 0.38% of the overall population of the Western Visayas region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 243 inhabitants per square kilometer or 630 inhabitants per square mile.
That concludes my 3 Days Trip to Mindor0 and Aklan. After visiting Balete, Aklan I returned to Kalibo and waited for my flight back to Manila.
Balete Quick Response Center, Aklan
St Raphael the Archangel Church, Balete, Aklan
Barangay Poblacion Multi-Purpose Building, Balete, Aklan
Mayor Miguel Calizo Multi-Purpose Building, Balete, Aklan
Jose Rizal Monument in Balete, Aklan
Balete Playing Field
St Raphael the Archangel Parish Church, Balete, Aklan
