DUPAX DEL
SUR, NUEVA VIZCAYA
I have long wanted to visit the Cagayan Valley provinces.
Except for a short trip to Tumauini to attend an ordination thirty years ago,
the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela and Cagayan have not yet been explored.
Being assigned in Manila made this wish a proximate reality. A long
weekend gave me the opportunity to do just this. The plan was to go to Cagayan
and back to Manila by way of the Ilocos region for a trip covering 1,850
kilometers. A stop at two churches in Nueva Vizcaya was first on the itinerary.
We left Manila at two o’clock in the morning so that we could
arrive at our first stop which was Dupax, Nueva Vizcaya early in the morning.
The new expressways up north have made the trip shorter. We took the NLEX to
connect with SCTEX and TPLEX. We exited near Guimba to proceed to San Jose to
Santa Fe and to Dupax, our first stop.
The original town of Dupax is the largest municipality of the province
of Nueva Vizcaya in terms of land area. But in 1971, the
Congress passed into law Republic Act 6372 otherwise known
as "An Act Creating the Municipality of Dupax del Sur from the
Municipality of Dupax in the province of Nueva Vizcaya", sponsored by
Congressman Benjamin B. Perez in the Philippines House of
Representatives and Senator Leonardo B. Perez in
the Philippine Senate. President Ferdinand Marcos amended some
sections and signed it into law with the promulgation of Presidential
Decree 586 on November 26, 1974 which paved the way for the division of Dupax
into two municipalities: Dupax del Norte and Dupax del Sur.
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Church of Dupax del Sur
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The Parish Church of San
Vicente de Ferrer in Dupax del Sur is the best-preserved church complex in Nueva Vizcaya. Declared by the National Museum as a National Cultural
Treasure, St. Vincent Ferrer's Church is one of the oldest and biggest church
in North Luzon built through the initiative of the Dominican Fathers in 1776. It is made of brick, lime, coral or river rock and wood plastered over with stucco. The church covers an area of 7,200 square meters. It features a baptistery and narthex pillars covered with finely carved stucco. The two-storey convento, like old Spanish churches is connected to the church.
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| The pillars with finely carved stucco. |
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| Church altar |
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| A view of the church and convento from the side of the church |
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| Carved stucco at the Baptistery near the front door of the church |
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| The Blessed Sacrament Chapel |
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| A statue of St. Vincent Ferrer and an inscription 1776 at the church belfry |
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| The museum at the Convento |
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| The museum found at the convento ground floor. |
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| A grotto at the side of the church |
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| The Catholic school in Dupax just near the convento |
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| In front of the Church by the Plaza is a Spanish flagpole erected in 1873. |
BAYOMBONG, NUEVA VIZCAYA
Our next stop was the St. Dominic Cathedral of Bayombong.
Like Dupax, the church of Bayombong is also made of red bricks which is common
in the area.
Bayombong was first evangelized by
the Agustinians. In 1739 the Agustinians ceded the mission to the Dominicans.
Hence the church of St. Augustine was re-dedicated to become the church of St. Dominic. From
1773 to 1792 the Church with its octagonal tower and convent were constructed.
A fire in April 3, 1987 destroyed the convent and the church. On the 250th
anniversary of the first mass in Bayombong on April 12, 1989 the new Cathedral
was dedicated. A year later on July 16, 1990 the belltower was toppled by an
earthquake. The reconstructed belltower was blessed and inaugurated on March 4,
1995. What remains thus of the old church is only its façade.
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| Made of red bricks, the facade is what is left of the old church |
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| A wide church plaza fronting the Cathedral |
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| The Cathedra of the Bishop |
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| One enters first a vestibule before being ushered to the main church |
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| The church is spacious with no more posts inside like in old churches |
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| The People's Museum and Library is just by the side of the Cathedral |
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