TRIP UP NORTH DURING THE UNDAS BREAK: Part Three - CHURCHES OF QUIRINO PROVINCE

        On the third day of our road trip during the recent Undas break, we traveled from Dilasag, Aurora, where we had stayed overnight, through Quirino province. Along the way, we visited the churches in Nagtipunan and Saguday, which had not yet been established as parishes when I first visited the province nine years ago—one reason I hadn’t visited these two towns before. The parishes are now under the care of different religious orders: PACEM in Nagtipunan and the Augustinians from Cebu province in Saguday. Since we had to pass through Maddela on our way to Saguday, we stopped briefly to take some photos of the parish church.

The province of Quirino is composed only of six municipalities: Aglipay, Cabarroguis, Diffun,  Maddela, Nagtipunan and Saguday. The province is within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Bayombong. With this, I completed visiting all the towns of the province of Quirino. 

 ST. PADRE PIO PARISH
Nagtipunan, Quirino

The parish is being administered by a priest belonging to the PACEM congregation. The parish priest was saying a mass in the barangay when we visited the church. 

We passed by some settlement of  the Aetas on the way to Nagtipunan. 

ST. VINCENT FERRER PARISH
Maddela, Quirino

ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO PARISH
Saguday, Quirino

Frs. Eugene and Alfonso invited me for coffee at the convento when I passed by the church of Saguday. They were telling me that Nagtipunan and Saguday were being offered to their community to take care. They chose Saguday since it was nearer to a city. These Agustinians belong to the province of Cebu. 

For the previous post on the churches of Quirino click here.

QUIRINO PROVINCE

The province of Quirino is composed of only six municipalities: Aglipay, Cabarroguis, Diffun,  Maddela, Nagtipunan and Saguday.  It formally became a province on February 10, 1972.  Ecclesiastically, Quirino belongs to the Diocese of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya forming one vicariate. There are, however,  only four parishes in the province as the parish of Cabarroguis includes the town of Saguday and Maddela includes the municipality of Nagtipunan which ironically has the largest land area of all the municipalities.

During the long labor weekend of May, together with some office workers, we explored this landlocked province in the north. We left Manila very early in the morning and arrived in  the first town of Quirino in Diffun at past four in the afternoon after about twelve hours of drive with a few stops along the way. We visited first the parish church.  Our next stop was the parish of Cabarroquis where we were warmly welcomed by Fr. Ronnie Flores, the parish priest who prepared sumptuous dinner for us for two nights.  Fr. Ronnie was saying that, however much as he wanted us to stay at the parish but they don’t just have enough water supply, which is a problem in the main town. They depended only on the rain for their water supply which they gather and keep at the tank beneath the church. With proper water use, their supply would usually last till the next rainy season. We stayed at the Abrasa MPC Hotel which was just a barangay away from the main town of Cabarroguis.

The following day we visited the churches of Aglipay and Maddela. Then we explored the sights that the province offered which was caving in Aglipay and a river tubing along the Siitan river in Nagtipunan. On our way back to Manila we went eastward by way of Aurora passing by the Junuan waterfalls in Brgy. Disimungal, Nagtipunan.

SAINT JOSEPH PARISH
Diffun, Quirino
Founded: 1963

ST. MARK THE EVANGELIST PARISH CHURCH
Cabarroguis, Qurino
Founded: 1979

Fr. Ronnie (second from right) had an exhibit of the Paper tole prints he made. Paper tole art is a paper craft which involves cutting, shaping, sculpturing and gluing cutouts obtained from identical prints and building these components up using silicon to create a 3D picture. 

Some of the paper tole prints Fr. Ronnie made.  

Food personally prepared by Fr. Ronnie.

ST. VINCENT FERRER PARISH CHURCH
Maddela, Quirino

 OUR LADY OF LOURDES PARISH CHURCH
Aglipay, Quirino

AGLIPAY CAVES

Had lunch at MJ Snack and Pancit Cabagan Restaurant in Brgy. Ponggo, Nagtipunan before going  tubing at the Siitan River. 

We had their specialty, Pancit cabagan  which is a stir-fried noodle with vegetables and bits of lechon kawali and hard boiled eggs with thick soy-sause based broth. 

Tubing at the Siitan River in Nagtipunan. 

Nagtipunan has also scenic views of rolling hills and mountains. 

 Junuan Falls in Brgy. Disimungal, Nagtipunan,Quirino. 

 The road from Nagtipunan connecting to Aurora was still being widened and concretized at that time. 

 We had to pass through this shallow river

 Once we reached the east coast, the road was already cemented passing through Dipaculao and Baler with scenic views of the sea along the way. 

Map of the Parishes of Quirino Province