Pagudpud Beach Resort

Pagudpud is a must see place that can be found in the Philippines. Many people from other country usually come to visit this wonderful white beach. You can visit this place by plane by getting a flight schedule to Laoag City in Ilocos Norte. Alternatively, you can take a long-distance road trip about 8-12 hours travelling the northern part of Luzon. This long Journey will take 540+ kilometers if you will be coming from north Manila. Let yourself enjoy the scenery while you are traveling and be amazed of the beautiful nature.
The province of Ilocos Norte is the place where in you can find the world famous historical Ancestral Houses located in Vigan, while Laoag City holds the alleged “Malacañang of the North”. Nonetheless, these are just few tourists spots that you will be passing by when you are going to Pagudpud Island that is situated about 100 kilometers from Vigan.
What does tourists can expect upon reaching Pagudpud?  This town is famous with its talc white sand and impressive crystal blue clear water. This is a perfect area for people who love scuba diving, kayaking, cave exploration as well as trekking. For those who are not adventurous there are also other activities like swimming, cruising and snorkeling. Tourists will have no problem because people living around the area are very hospitable and can communicate well using the English language. The beach is even livelier because of the bargain stores and local market vendors.

  

The typical habit of the local visitors here is to drop by the wet market to buy fresh live seafood such as crabs, lobsters, prawns and a lot more. The native in the town of Pagudpud is cooking the seafoods by grilling over heated charcoal on the beach while having a plain or java rice with an affordable price. For those people who are on a tight budget, you do not have to worry because this will definitely meet your prepared cash on hands. One of the best restaurants you can visit while on the beach is the Emohruo Resto; the place is relaxing especially in the evening. They have acoustic singers with a candle light setting the ambiance perfect for couple. The place is also located along the shore with a perfect setting to watch the waves and feel the breeze of the strong winds.

  

Some of the native dishes served in the town of Pagudpud are Igado, Inabraw, Pakbet and of course, Ilocos famous Lechon Kawali (bagnet). They also serve Pancit Guisado, Pancit Canton, Seafood Chopsuey and their best seller Chicken Corey as well as the Ilocano’s exotic food known as Dinakdakan. All of these dishes are truly flavorful at reasonable prices that everyone will surely enjoy. Not to mention, all the Filipinos waiters and servers who are serving here are accommodating and kind. Some tourists also visit Pasuquin just to buy the famous Ilocos biscuit called biscocho. This is a favorite biscuit take-home delicacy for both local and foreign visitors before they leave Pagudpud.
Come and experience the fascinating paradise of this beautiful Pagudpud white beach.

History of Albay

Mayon Volcano

Long before the Spaniards arrived, Albay had a thriving civilization. This was evident in the archeological finds dating to the middle Pleistocene age between 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. During those times, Albay was called Ibat ruled by Gat Ibal, a very old chief.

In July 1569, Luis Enriquez de Guzman, a member of the expedition led by Maestro de Cam-po Mateo de Saz and Captain Martin de Goiti, led a group who crossed from Burias and Ticao islands and landed on a coastal settlement called Ibalon in what is presently the province of Sorsogon. From this point another expedition was sent to explore the interior and founded the town of Camalig.

In 1573, Juan de Salcedo penetrated the Bicol peninsula from the north as far south as Libon and established the settlement of Santiago de Libon. Jose Maria Peñaranda, a military engineer, was made “coregidor” of the province on May 14, 1834. He constructed public buildings and built roads and bridges.

The entire Bicol peninsula was organized as one province with two divisions, Camarines in the northwest, and Ibalon in the southeast. In 1636, the two partidos were separated, and Ibalon became a separate province with Sorsogon as capital. In the 17th century the Moro slave raiders ravaged the coastal areas of the province of Albay on the northeastern coast.

Mayon Volcano, in one of the most violent eruptions, destroyed five towns surrounding its base in 1814. This eruption forced the town of Cagsawa to relocate its present site to Legazpi.

A decree was issued by Governor and Captain General Narciso de Claveria in 1846 separating Masbate, Ticao and Burias from Albay to form the comandancia of Masbate. Albay was then divided into four districts: Iraya, Cordillera or Tabaco, Sorsogon and Catanduanes.

Glicerio Delgado, a condemned “insurecto” started the revolutionary activities in the province. With headquarters in the mountain of Guinobatan, he joined the revolutionary government of Albay as lieutenant of the infantry.

A unit of the Philippine Militia was then organized by the Spanish military authorities. Mariano Riosa was appointed major of the Tabaco Zone which comprised all the towns along the seacoast from Albay to Tiwi, while Anacieto Solano was also appointed as major for the Iraya Zone which was made up of the towns from Daraga to Libon. Each town was organized into sections of fifty men under the command of a lieutenant.

History of Antique

Historians believe that the earliest people who settled on the island of Panay were tribal Negritos or Atis. Oral history, related as the legend of Maragtas, states that in 1212, ten Malay datus escaped persecution from Sri-Vishaya, a Hindu-Malay empire that existed at that time in Borneo and Sumatra. These datus, led by Datu Puti, sailed with their families and communities from Borneo northward and landed on Panay.

There they met the Negrito chieftain Marikudo and his wife Maniwantiwan. They bought the island from the chieftain for a golden saduk (headpiece or helmet), and a golden necklace, given to his wife, among other gifts. The Negritos then retreated to the mountains, while the Borneans settled in the lowlands. Today, the landing is commemorated every year in Antique during the Binirayan festival.

The island of Panay was then divided into three sakups (districts). These are Hantik, Aklan, and Irong-Irong. Aklan became the present-day Aklan and Capiz, Irong-Irong became Iloilo, and Hantik (also called Hamtik or Hamtic) became Antique. Hantik was named for the large red ants found on the island called lantik-lantik.

The sakup of Hantik was given to Datu Sumakwel, one of the ten datus, and who, according to tradition, was the oldest and wisest of them. The three sakups were later governed as a political unit called the Confederation of Madia-as, also under Datu Sumakwel.

Datu Sumakwel founded the town of Malandog, considered to be the first Malay settlement in the country. Malandog is now a barangay in the present-day municipality of Hamtic, which was named after the historic sakup.

In 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Antique and occupied the province during the Second World War.

During the Japanese Insurgencies and Occupation (1942-1944), The military general headquarters and camp bases of the 6th and 62nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was active in 1942 to 1944 and the military general headquarters and camp bases of the 6th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was re-active on 1944 to 1946 in the province of Antique. During the engagements of the Anti-Imperial Japanese military operations in Panay Island on 1942 to 1945 included the Antique province and aided the local guerrilla resistance against the Japanese Imperial forces

In 1944 to 1945, Philippine Commonwealth forces of the 6th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary and the 6th and 62nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army together with recognized local guerrillas defeated the Japanese troops and liberated the province.

History of Apayao

Apayao River

Although Apayao was among the earliest areas penetrated by the Spaniards in the Cordilleras, the region, inhabited by the Isneg tribe, remained largely outside Spanish control until late in the 19th century. As early as 1610, the Dominican friars established a mission in what is now the town of Pudtol. In 1684, the friars again made vain attempts to convert the people and established a church in what is now Kabugao. The ruins of the early churches in Pudtol and Kabugao still stand as mute testimony to the failed attempts to occupy Apayao.

The Spanish authorities were then able to establish the comandancias of Apayao and Cabugaoan in 1891, which covered the western and eastern portions of what is now Apayao. The comandancias, however, failed to bring total control and the Spanish government only maintained a loose hold over the area.

The Americans established the Mountain Province on August 13, 1908, with the enactment of Act No. 1876. Apayao, along with Amburayan, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto, became sub-provinces of this new province. Before this, Apayao had been a part of Cagayan province.

In 1942, Japanese Imperial forces entered Apayao, starting a three-year occupation of the province during the Second World War. Local Filipino troops of the 1st, 2nd, 12th, 15th and 16th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the military forces of the USAFIP-NL 11th and 66th Infantry Regiment, supported by the Cordilleran guerrillas, drove out the Japanese in 1945.

After almost 60 years, on June 18, 1966, the huge Mountain Province was split into four provinces with the enactment of Republic Act No. 4695. The four provinces were Benguet, Bontoc (renamed Mountain Province), Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao. Kalinga-Apayao, along with Ifugao, became one of the provinces of the Cagayan Valley region in 1972.

On July 15, 1987, the Cordillera Administrative Region was established and Kalinga-Apayao was made one of its provinces. Finally, on February 14, 1995, Kalinga-Apayao was split into two distinct provinces with the passage of Republic Act No. 7878.

The merged outlines of Apayao and Kalinga resemble a bust of a man akin to former President Ferdinand Marcos (looking toward his home province,Ilocos Norte) whom the media called as the "Great Profile" during the Marcos Era.

History of Aurora

Aurora Province Best Spots

In 1572, the Spanish explorer Juan de Salcedo became the first European to visit the region that would be known as Aurora while he was exploring the northern coast of Luzon. Salcedo reportedly visited the towns of Casiguran, Baler and Infanta.

In the early days of the Spanish colonial period, Aurora was ecclesiastically linked to Infanta, which today rests further south, in northern Quezon. The earliest missionaries in the province were the Franciscans, who had established missions in Baler and Casiguran in 1609. Due to lack of available personnel, the region was given to the jurisdiction of the Agustinians and Recollects in 1658, but was returned to the Friars Minor in 1703. Other early missions included Dipaculao, established in 1719, and Casiguran, in 1753.

The early history of Aurora is linked to Quezon Province, of which it formed a part until its establishment as a province, and Nueva Ecija, under which the area was governed as the District of El Principe.

Aurora became a sub-province of Quezon in 1951, and finally attained provincehood during the presidency of Ferdinand E. Marcos, by virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg.  enacted on August 13, 1979.

History of Basilan

Basilan Province Best Spots

Several waves of Negrito and ancient Chinese migration populated the Philippines. The Yakan people arrived in the area of the Sulu Archipelago, of which Basilan is a part, around 300 BCE to 200 BCE. Little is known of them before the era of Spanish colonization, but they still make up the largest ethnic group on the main island of Basilan.

As the Tausug Sultanate of Sulu grew in power, the Yakans withdrew inland, until most of the coastal communities along the island's southern, western and northwestern shores were primarily inhabited by Tausugs and their vassal tribes, the Samals and Bajaus (Tau-Laut). The only exception was the relatively prosperous Yakan communities of Lamitan.

Basilan first came to European attention when it was documented by the remnant of the Ferdinand Magellanexpedition in 1521. It was eventually colonized by the Spanish as early as 1636 and was formally ceded by the Sulu Sultanate to Spain in 1726. The withdrawal of the Yakans inland was hastened by Spanish establishment of advance bases on the island's northwestern coast, bringing in Christianized 'indios' from Zamboanga, the Visayas and Luzon. By then, even the Yakan communities of Lamitan were completely overrun. Jesuit missionaries brought Catholicism to the region. Fighting with the Sultanate, the Dutch East India Company, Moro Pirates, and the French has a place in Basilan's history over the years.

With its victory in the 1898 Spanish–American War, the United States gained possession of the Philippines. Americans cleared large expanses of land and established plantations in Basilan, mainly to produce rubber and copra.

Following the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II, in 1946, the Philippines gained its independence. Beginning around 1970, heavy fighting broke out between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front, which was determined to secede and form a new country.

Then President Marcos made Basilan a province in 1973. It joined the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 1989, the last province to do so. Its capital, Isabela City, however, opted out and remains a part of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region (formerly Western Mindanao, Region 9).

History of Bataan(World War II)

Bataan featured prominently during World War II. Prior to the 1941 Japanese invasion, the US Army stored nearly 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800 m³) of gasoline here.
Shortly after the Japanese Army invaded the country in December 1941, the combined US and Filipino forces were being gradually overrun and General Douglas MacArthur moved his troops to the Bataan Peninsula in an attempt to hold out until a relief force could be sent from the US.

Bataan Corregidor Island

Japanese forces started a siege of the peninsula on January 7, 1942, and launched an all-out assault on April 3, a few months after the Battle of the Points. The majority of the American and Filipino forces surrendered on April 9 and were forced to march more than a hundred kilometers (60 miles) from Bataan to Tarlac, which became known as the Bataan Death March.
                                           Mt. Samat Shrine Bataan