Vigan City (n7w)
Patrimony enshrined
By Nico Erle Ciriaco
“Let us be united
nationally whatever may be our personal differences . . .”
-
Pres.
Elpidio Quirino
Perched
at the crossroads of its well-preserved cultural heritage and the vestiges of
thriving 21st century modernity, Vigan was enshrined, recently, as
one of the world’s seven wonders cities (n7w). “From 1,200 cities worldwide, we
were fortunate to have landed in the Top 28. From there on the number was
trimmed down to 16, which included four cities from the Philippines. It was a
tough elimination process because the awards committee was seeking for one city
per country and then one per geographical region. During our campaign, it was
the CBCP who first signified to help us. Fortunately, their prayers were heard
and we made it to the Final 7,” shared local chief executive, Mayor Eva Marie
Singson Medina.
During
the inauguration and unveiling of the n7w monument in front of the city hall,
the marquee was bequeathed to seven young Bigueno kids who were tasked tol
protect and perpetuate the city’s posterity.
The
spellbinding glow of its nightly Bellaggio-inspired fountain show coupled with
the click-clocking sounds of the horse-drawn kalesas on the cobblestones, that seems to be tirelessly turning
its many narrow avenues like some clockwork mechanism from yore, can leave even
the most jaded tourist dazed and dazzled.
History hub
“Vigan
is the only city with a massive fusion of Eastern and Western edifices. From our
food, buildings, and monuments can be seen these international imprints;
painstakingly preserved by our forefathers. And now, we use it as a tool for
development so as to afford the privilege to the next generation,” added Mayor
Medina.
Once the
capital of the entire Ylokos region that encompassed the provinces of La Union,
Ilocos Norte, Abra, Ilocos Sur, and the Cordilleras, Vigan is the only World
Heritage City in the Philippines; it was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage
List of Sites and Monuments on Dec. 2, 1999. Ciudad Fernandina, as it was known
before, represents a unique fusion of Asian building design and construction
with European colonial architecture and planning. It is an exceptionally intact
and well-preserved example of a European trading town in the Far East and
Southeast Asia; one of the few stopovers of the bustling Acapulco galleon trade
in the 19th century. Vigan
derived its name from the lush Bigaa
tuber, a species of the taro family.
“While
we may not pass the stringent guidelines of cityhood, which require population
size, territorial area, and income, Vigan is however mandated by a royal decree
which states that as long as the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia and its church
stand, it will forever remain a city. This same decree has been validated by an
act of Congress,” explained third-time mayor, Hon. Eva Marie Singson-Medina,
the only unopposed mayoralty candidate of Vigan. She has served her previous
two tenures to its full nine-year periods.
The
capital city of the province of Ilocos Sur, measuring 28.8 square-kilometers in
size, it is located in the northwestern coast of the Philippines. A former
island surrounded by three bodies of water (the rivers Bantay, Mestizo and
Vantes), Vigan is now connected to the Luzon mainland by bridges. Its river
cruises point to the significance of waterways throughout its colorful history.
The river cruises trace the Galleon route around the region as it shows how the
riverways played a pivotal role in this important trading post.
“Our
conservation efforts continue despite changes in governance. We are fortunate
to have the support of our local residents. These efforts are our very tools
for development. Everything is embodied in the Homeowners Preservation Manual,
a guideline published by UNESCO and the University of the Philippines,”
continued Mayor Medina.
The city’s
Heritage Village is a treasure throve of numerous historic sites like the
Syquia Mansion, Plaza Salcedo, St. Paul Cathedral, Hotel Felicidad, the Burgos
Museum, and Casa Caridad, a beautifully preserved 1872 dwelling that was made
as a tavern set in the Oliver Stone movie “Born on the Fourth of July” that
starred Tome Cruise. Also nearby is the Vigan Convention Center, a modern
facility set in the country’s only world heritage city that sits 3,000 covers
on a theater-type sitting and 2,000 on a banquet setting. Baluarte, fomer
governor Chavit Singson’s sprawling estate, is the highest elevation in the
entire Vigan. It used to be called El Pueblo de Salcedo, named after the city’s
founder.
“V igan
is a small city with big dreams. It has grown in leaps and bounds; a meteoric
rise from what it once was, actualizing its dreams. Vignettes of its colorful
history – how the church started, how the city evolved, and how the houses were
compartmentalized – are all showcased inside the Casa Bigueno,” pointed out
historian Prof. Eric Saludo.
A
variety of entertainment, shopping opportunities, local delicacy peddlers, as
well as tourist attractions are close by. Noteworthy of these places is the burnayan. The Bantug clay used to make
the tapayan (jars) is sourced from a
non-arable farm lot in Brgy. Bulala, and which was awarded to the Go family in
1954 as ceramic molders. Surviving heir Fidel Antiporda Go continues the trade
and was honored as National Folk Artist by the NCCA in 1990.
“The
dragon kiln for our burnay is the
only remaining one in the country that cooks the air-dried, formed clay. It is
patterned after the pasotes from
Mexico. Our cuisine, on the other hand, is rich and flavorful. These include
staples like bagnet, longganisa, dinengdeng, igado, puqui-puqui, pusi, mara-utong,buridibud
and pippian to name some.
“As to
festivals, we celebrate our city/charter day and Longganisa Fest in January. We
even produced a book-cum-guide on the ‘101 Ways to Cook Longganisa.’ Holy Week
is the peak of our tourism related undertakings. Soon, we will put up park
facilities with bath and CR facilities for those on day tours. Sept. 8 is the solidarity celebration of all
World Heritage Sites globally. We are seeing a marked increase in our tourism
traffic each year. Our day tourists have reached 450,000 in 2014.
“The
Twilight Festival is our homecoming feast as well as the remembrance of our
beloved-departed. Lighted wish lanterns waft to the air from the cemetery plots
below. This culminates in a lantern and torch parade,” shared Mayor Medina.
Today,
Vigan remains to be the home of proud Biguenos who welcome everyone with warm
smiles to the city. Performed by employees of the city, the Tres Patrimonio (Three Patrimonies)
musicale chronicles the legacy of its most famous sons & daughters: Diego
& Gabriela Silang, Leona Florentino and Padre Jose Burgos. Diego Silang is
considered the precursor of the Philippines’ stand against Spain, albeit
briefly.
Patrimony protected
Images
and sounds of modernity, like the impressive Dancing Fountain show that plays
nightly at the town square, have established their marked presence in the age
of digital technology. Inspired by Las Vegas’ Bellaggio, the waterworks display
is a gift of former Gov. Chavit Singson to the city’s townsfolk. Yet, dazzling
as the images and colored lights may be, including its fantastic soundtrack,
they are, however, unable to drown the stillness and elegance of the past. All
you need to do is simply walk the entire stretch of Calle Crisologo to have a
virtual ‘trek into the days of yore.’ Or hie off to any of its museums and be
transported back in time.
“We have
identical advocacies, Vigan and Las Pinas, and share ideas and learning with
each other. We should take care of our history and culture. May is National
Heritage Month as mandated by Proc. No. 439. The consciousness to love our
legacy includes the protection of both tangible and intangible heritage. We
engage the youth in these conservation efforts especially in this age of
digital technology and social media. Our actions should be sustainable so our
legacy continues and live on long after we’re gone,” encouraged Sen. Cynthia
Villar, who formally opened the city’s new conservation complex.
At the
Arce Mansion, you can don traditional outfits and have your portrait taken
amidst well-preserved fixtures and furnishings. At the sprawling conservation
complex, the Casa Bigueno Museum traces the city’s history, church involvement,
as well as sections on Pres. Elpidio Quirino
and the parts of a Vigan house.
“The
poverty incidence of Vigan in 1995 rose up to 45.5 per cent. It was a tough act
regaining the city’s pride from the stigma wrought by the ‘guns, goons and gold’
reputation of the 1980s. To date, that figure has plummeted to a measly 7 per
cent, as shown in our baseline study. To curb unemployment, the city went on a
massive skills training program. Then a lending project for capitalization,
with 97 per cent collection efficiency, followed through. Everyone is given a
chance to improve their lives,” enthused Mayor Medina.
Vigan
has opened itself to change but has not sacrificed the bountiful wealth of its
heritage. It is exactly the ability of coping with the needs of the present,
despite the bounds set by centuries-old legacy that makes it a Living Historic
City. “The core and buffer zones follow architectural guidelines and blueprints
are first approved by a committee prior to construction. Edifices should not
rise higher than the bell tower except those erected prior to the issuance of
the guidelines,” continued Mayor Medina.
Vigan is
one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Philippines; together with Cebu,
Zamboanga and Intramuros de Manila. Through the years, it has received numerous
accolades from different institutions. It has been recently hailed as a Lakbay Aral community of learning, as
the most child-friendly component city in the entire archipelago. Vigan is also
the first awardee of the Pamana ng Lahi
honors for good governance and fiscal management. UNESCO also highlighted its
sustainable importance as a heritage city. “It was in 1995 when we first
attempted to be inscribed as a UNESCO Heritage Site. We were named as such in
1999. And in 2012, we were awarded with the Best Management Practices
distinction from among 23 other UNESCO heritage sites in the region. In the
pipeline is a 3-hectare Ylokos Theme Park like Nayong Filipino and Villa
Escudero. Also, a four-storey ancestral building in Crisologo St. will be
devoted to research. One of the rooms will be dedicated for teachers in honor
of former Pres. Elpidio Quirino who was an educator before he became chief
executive. This year marks the 125th natal anniversary of Pres.
Quirino, the sixth Philippine head of state who served from April 17, 1946 to
Dec. 30, 1953,” apprized mayor Medina.
“Tolerance
and love is the legacy that my grandfather left behind,” quipped granddaughter Ruby
Quirino-Gonzales, chairperson of the Quirino Foundation, who also graced the
unveiling rites.
And being
named as one of the seven New Wonders Cities of the World, Vigan, has once
again, cinched another distinction for the city and the entire country; adding
another laurel to its growing list of achievements. “Prosperity is not measured
by skylines. World wonders are monuments of greatness of the human mind. They
remain models of dedication of the people and that of their leaders throughout
time. From the past, we can see our future. Our heritage is our future. It
shows us how we were and directs us to the path of tomorrow. The way of life
may still the same but Vigan’s heritage is open for all to savor. The
metropolitan planning to usher in the urban changes remain. It is a balance of
development and culture.
‘Monuments
are made by man, thus, can be destroyed by man as well. Conservationists are at
a race with time. This is because those that are lost forever remain as
stories. Let us all do our bit in preserving our communities and the Earth in
general. Enduring structures are showcases of excellent workmanship,” declared
guest of honor, Vice-President Jejomar Binay, during his keynote speech.
The six other cities that were honored alongside
Vigan as the New 7 Wonders Cities are Beirut (Lebanon), Doha (Qatar), Durban
(South Africa), Havana (Cuba), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), and La Paz (Bolivia).
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