When in Tuguegarao GOTO the Billy Jack’s Panciteria

Tuguegarao City is famous for its Pancit-Batil-Patung as the city is swarming with panciterias of various sizes, it is served from the smallest food shack/turo-turo to the high-end tourist hotels and restaurants with dozens of variations. One such popular panciteria is Billy Jack’s Panciteria along the Tuguegarao-Santiago Road in barangay Buntun, Tuguegarao City.  It has lots of variations of the original Tuguegarao Pancit Batil-Patung, the place has a unique ambiance which transports you back to the 80’s and some great music too. An important tip is to come early as it is teeming with pancit batil-patung lovers during the dinning rush hours.

Billy Jack’s Panciteria along the Tuguegarao-Santiago Road in barangay Buntun, Tuguegarao City

Filipinos easily understand that pancit or pansit means noodles. The truth is, it is not of Filipino origin but comes from the Hokkien (language family of Fujian, China) word “pian i sit” which actually means “convenient food” or “conveniently cooked food” like today’s fast food. It has become one of the standard food fare of Filipinos and establishments that specialize in noodles are simply called panciterias.  It also commonly served during special occasions due its association by the early Chinese settlers as birthday dish as according to folklore, noodles symbolize long life.

The unique ambiance of the panciteria brings you back to the 80's of Metro Manila discos and watering holes. 

The original Pancit Batil-Patung (or patong) in Tuguegarao simply consisted of sautéed minced carabao meat (carabeef) and poached egg on top of the cooked miki noodles, accompanied with a cup of soup made from carabeef stock complemented with another egg cracked and stirred in the soup. Thus, the term Batil-Patung, batil because of the stirred egg in the soup and patung because another egg, pouched, that is, is placed on top of the cooked miki noodles (with the sautéed ground carabeef).

The place is also popular among foreign and local tourists for a taste of the Ybanag delicacy.

 

Today, there are a lot of Pancit Batil-Patung topping variations in Tuguegarao panciterias such as ground pork chicharon (cracklings), sautéed chopped cabbage with carrots, sautéed sprouted mongo, sausage (Chinese Chorizo) toppings, sautéed liver, chopped lechon carajay, etc. Condiments such as the traditional chopped onions, calamansi, soy sauce, vinegar with chili, etc. are also served alongside every serving of Pancit Batil-Patung.

Left photo: The many variations of the Tuguegarao Pancit Batil-Patung. 

Other popular variations of the pancit-batil patung at Billy Jack’s Panciteria comes by simply adding on some of the available toppings such as: balut, the Tuguegarao longganisa, tapa, chorizo, sisig, etc. People from Metro Manila and other places, specially returning college students after the semestral break and summer break flock to the panciteria  for some bouts of the famed pancit with their own variations of choice. The place is also popular among foreign tourists who want a tang of the Ibanag delicacy  in Tuguegarao City. 

Your choice of one or more variations of the Tuguegarao Pancit Batil-Patung. 

When in Batanes GOTO Fundacion Pacita

Your visit to Batanes is not complete without visiting one of the Philippines’ best Boutique hotels, the Fundacion Pacita  Batanes Nature Lodge. It lies on top of a hill with perfect views of mountains, the Pacific Ocean and the clear blue skies.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the Fundacion Pacita Batanes Nature Lodge.

It was once the home of the internationally acclaimed artist Pacita Abad, in whose memory the lodge was named after. Pacita Abad was born in Basco, Batanes on October 5, 1946 and later became an globally recognized Ivatan gypsy artist who left behind some 3,500 works of art prior to her death in Singapore due to cancer. She was buried on the Tukon Hill adjacent to the Fundacion Pacita. Some of her work adorn the corridors of the hotel.

A sculpture of the Abad Patriarch and Matriarch in one of many gardens at Fundacion Pacita. 

The rooms in the hotel carry a distinct interior design and its architecture mirror the traditional stone and wood houses of the Ivatan with a remarkable window view of natural landscapes. It is said that no two rooms have the same views in the hotel. The rooms are fully air-conditioned with its own private toilet and bath. Accommodations include breakfast and airport transfers are also available.

Artwork at the fireplace before the dinning room. 

Fundacion Pacita Batanes Nature Lodge continues to promote the unique culture of the Ivatans through its cuisine served at the adjacent Café du Tukon. It also supports projects that benefit the Ivatan artists and it regularly undertakes some projects for Batanes’ heritage conservation.

Some of the many artworks adorn the corridors. Its like having an art gallery right in your home. 

The Fundacion Pacita Batanes Nature Lodge is an icon of the people’s struggle to adapt with Batanes’ harsh weather and how they thrive with their own endemic flora and fauna. There are at least fifty (50) varieties of root crops on the islands of Batanes. The landscape is also teeming with mountain goats, organically grown pigs and large cattle who freely roam and graze along the mountain slopes. The seasonal flying fish locally called Dibang abounds in the waters around Btanes. It is usually processed as Spanish sardines and some are dried for the lean season. 

When in Batanes GOTO Mahatao Church (AD 1789)

Facing the West Philippine Sea in Batan Island in Batanes lies the Spanish colonial Mahatao Church, also known as the Church of San Carlos Borromeo.  It was declared by the National Museum as a national cultural treasure on July 31, 2001 and is under the conservation program of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts(NCCA).

The Mahatao Church faces the West Philippine Sea. 

The church was built by the Dominicans in 1789 and in 1873, originally a wooden structure, it was improved with limestone walls and cogon roofing. Like the traditional houses in the typhoon frequented islands in Batanes, the church is made of stone and lime (common building materials in Batanes) to withstand the typhoons.  

The San Carlos Borromeo Church is one of 26 Spanish colonial churches recognized as a cultural icon in the Philippines. 

On top is a belfry with old bells dating back to 1874. Its baroque interiors is adorned with flowers and image of the patron Saint CharlesBorromeo, also Saint Joseph, Saints Dominic de Guzman and Saint Rose of Lima.

The Baroque interior of the Mahatao Church. 

The church was also the place were Ivatan Katipunan revolutionaries raised the flag of the Katipunan on the bell tower on September 19, 1898. The Katipunan (KKK) was a Filipino revolutionary movement founded by Andress Bonifacio and revolutionary Filipinos in Manila in 1892 to fight for indenpendence from Spain.