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.

Batanes ARBO flies high with flying fish VLPCEP

Itbud, Uyugan,Batanes – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) recently launched the Village Level Processing Center Enhancement Project (VLPCEP) for the Milagrosa Multi-Purpose Cooperative, an agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) cooperative engaged in the processing of flying fish into bottled Spanish sardines.

Milagrosa MPC received a grant from the DAR amounting to P180,000.00 for the construction their fish processing center consisting of a 3.33m X 5.0m corrugated GI sheet building under the VLPCEP. The VLPCEP project is designed primarily to enhance the existing processing center with development support initiative for ARB cooperatives and other ARB organizations (ARBO), improve their capability to produce quality processed products that are highly competitive in the mainstream market including services to its members.

Further, it helps develop market-competitive Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization (ARBO) products through product development (labelling and packaging designs) and enrich enterprise and livelihood activities at the community level in the selected agrarian reform areas. The VLPCEP is also intended to develop homegrown products for better opportunities and linkage to potential markets.

Aside from processing flying fish into bottled Spanish sardines, the Milagrosa MPC also processes one-day old flying fish, a popular delicacy only found in Batanes, so called because the flying fish is set to dry for one day on hot stones under the sun. Also, they process the flying fish into fish balls and fish lumpia (lumpiang Dibang).

DAR will continue to provide capability building and skills enhancement including monitoring to sustain the project. It has also coordinated with other CARP implementing agencies such as the: Bureau of Food and Drugs for quality assurance and for Milagrosa MPC to be duly registered with BFAD and avail a license; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will also conduct trainings for cooperators and assists in the marketing aspect. Other agencies such as DOLE and DOST are likewise involved in the project. 

Congratulations to the all-women officers and members of Milagrosa MPC, may your tribe increase. 

Message from Dir. Homer P. Tobias, CESO III, Regional Director of DAR Region 02. 

Uyugan MARO Flor Come introducing the guests and participants. 

Representatives from DTI, DOST, etc. 

DAREA officers, Coop members and residents of barangay Itbud in Uyugan town, Batanes. 

Guests from other government offices.

Guests from the mainland. 

DARPO-Batanes personnel. 

Director Rene Colocar, CESO IV from DAR Central Office led the ground breaking.

The future fish processing center of Milagrosa MPC. 

Flying fish bottled Spanish sardines (ready to eat). 

Flying fish frozen bola-bola and lumpia (yellow). 

When in Batanes, GOTO the Mahatao Wind Mills

The three wind mills in Mahatao in the island province of Batanes – considered as the first wind farm of Southeast Asia, continue to draw tourists despite their present condition, that is, they have been folded down and not currently used because it is in dire need of major repairs. The spare parts for the same however, are not readily available in the country as they are imported machineries. The site of the three wind mills itself is frequently visited by tourist as one of their must see destinations in their itinerary.

The wind mills are hybrid power source and specially designed for Batanes consisting of three 600-kilowatt wind turbines meant to supply Batanes with 24/7 electricity. Because Batanes is frequently visited by Typhoons, the wind mills bend to avoid being toppled down by strong wilds. The towers were designed to be tilted-down and the turbines can be lowered and then raised again after the typhoon has passed over the island. When the wind is not strong enough to run the turbines, it automatically runs the two 500-kw diesel generators to ensure that the island continues to have electricity.

The renewable wind mill energy project was started in 1997 when electricity in Batanes was provided by the National Power Corporation (subsidized by the government) which provided electricity from six o’clock in the morning up to midnight only.

The power plant was especially designed for Batanes with First Philippine Energy Corporation (FPEC), a subsidiary of contractor First Generation Holdings Corporation which is dedicated to the development of renewable energy projects. FPEC interconnected with a French firm, Vergnet, to design three 600-kilowatt wind turbines and with the Australian company Advanced Energy System for the integration of the whole system. It is the result of a partnership by the private sector with the government. This project is one of its kind because it was never done before. The wind mills have ceased to operate after several strong typhoons passed through the Batanes causing serious damage to the wind mills.

NAPOCOR have since provided electricity on a 24-hour daily basis through large diesel generators. Today, there is 24/7 electricity which have sustained the trade, industry and hospitality sectors, also ushered the increased influx of tourists. 

Two of the three wind mills of Mahatao. 

The wind mills remain tilted down for need of repairs. 

The towers are designed to be tilted-down and the turbines can be lowered during typhoons. 

Site visit and brief history of the wind mills.