Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Digyo Island, Inopacan, Leyte

On my second visit to Digyo, I found that the island has very good coral growth. The corals come in different sizes and colors which I failed to discover in my first visit. The corals are located in the western part of the island facing the island of Apid. There are no corals in the part facing the mainland of Leyte. This time, we were with our convent personnel and parochial vicars. We also stayed overnight camping at the beach.





The island above is Apid just across Digyo. There is an existing barangay in this island.











The panoramic view of the island of Digyo.




I have heard of Digyo Island (pronounced as Dijo) for sometime already but I never thought it would be that beautiful. It is a gem of an island that awaits to be discovered. It is the smallest among four neighboring islands popularly known as Quatro Islas which includes Apid (there are settlers here and is already a barangay), Mahaba, Digyo and Himukilan. The first three islands belong to the town of Inopacan, Leyte while the last belongs to the neighboring town of Hindang. Digyo with its white sandy beaches is a nesting site of sea turtles. An information board on the beach announces it. The island is so small that one can leisurely walk around it in fifteen minutes. At present there are some people residing on the island who are its caretakers. As the island is privately owned, they charge ten pesos a day per person and a hundred pesos for the use of the kiosk. There is a good place for snorkeling as there are vegetations and some corals teeming with small colored fishes and on another part just nearby a good place for swimming as the water is so clear and shallow.


Last October 30, 2006 together with 12 members of the Sts. Peter & Paul parish youth, Frs. John Paul and Aaron and a seminarian, we camped overnight at the island. The timing was so perfect and we had such a wonderful stay. The sea was so calm in spite of the typhoon that was raging in the north of the Philippines and in the evening the moon was shining brightly with plenty of stars to gaze at.

From the main town of Inopacan, Digyo was forty minutes away by pumpboat. The travel would surely have been cut into half if the boat was a little faster.

The parish youth enjoying their outing on an island away from the parish, which is a first after several years. Tres Marias inside one of the tents that we used for the night.


Fr. Aaron enjoying the sand of Digyo by the hammock.


Fr. John Paul who can hardly swim loses his fear of the water and enjoys the clear waters of Digyo.

The sunset in Digyo was lovely, but the sunrise on the island as shown above was just spectacular. And to think that was my birthday. What an amazing gift that was!


The picture above was taken from the white sand beach of Mahaba. The island at the background is Himukilan. There is a coral reef just a few meters away from the beach of Mahaba. The sea drops off suddenly and on the wall one can see the corals and fishes.
The youth frolicking at the waters of Mahaba




Tuesday, October 10, 2006

THE PROVINCE OF ABRA


Got a chance to visit the province of Abra when one day after a meeting with the Execom of the Canon Law Society of the Philippines I joined Msgr. Nilo Peig who was also a member of the Execom  in going back to his home province of  Abra.  He had an open invitation for me to come to the province and I got this opportunity. Tagging along one of my assistant priest we joined Msgr. Nilo in about a nine hour drive to Bangued.  Along the way, we made a short  stop at the S.O.U.L. Cafe in La Union to taste the world famous Coffee Alamid, a coffee made from the droppings of the civet cat.

The entrance to the province of Abra is short tunnel with the monument of Gabriela Silang on a horseback.  In Bangued,  one very good vantage point where one can see the whole town is found at the Victoria Park.  It is also called as the Cassamata Hill National Park. One can have a panoramic view of Bangued and the whole surrounding areas like the Abra river and the Cordillera and Ilocos mountain ranges.

Aside from the Cathedral of Bangued which we visited, we visited also the old town of Tayum with its old church. 


            We just had an overnight stay in Bangued as on the following day, Msgr. Nilo gave us also a tour of Vigan where he would usually go every week to teach Canon law at their school of theology. We passed by Magsingal where the diocese of Bangued was constructing a retirement home for the clergy by the beach.  

Being served the coffee Alamid at the S.O.U.L. Cafe in La Union. 






Entrance to the province of Abra is this monument of Gariela Silang which is also situated at the mouth of the short tunnel leading to the province. 

Gabriela Silang on a horseback. 










The Abra River. 

THE CATHEDRAL OF BANGUED
ST. JAMES THE ELDER PARISH
Founded: 1612



The altar retablo. 

Stations of the Cross. 












At the school museum is found  a map showing the different dialects of Abra. 

View of the town of Bangued from the Victoria Park. 

Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Victoria Park. 


Holy Spirit Catholic School in Bangued. 


Bishop's Residence of Bangued. 



ST. CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA PARISH CHURCH
TAYUM, ABRA
Founded: 1803









Church altar of  Tayum.


A miniature replica of the church of Tayum found by the church plaza. 

Teodoro Brillantes ancestral house in Tayum. 



An unfinished bridge in Abra.