ILOCANDIA RUMBLINGS

Today, September 27, the world celebrates World Tourism Day. Tourist destinations across Ilocos prepared different treats and come-ons for local and international tourists. Vigan City in Ilocos Sur leads the celebration in the province, and probably in the whole region being one of the world’s New Seven Wonder Cities. The place boasts of well-preserved Spanish houses and mouth-watering foods like empanada, bagnet, longganisa, and sinanglaw . Calle Crisologo, where most of the famed Spanish houses are located is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Vigan, a small city with limited resources found its niche in the tourism world by banking on its rich cultural heritage. Policies and facilities reflect its inclination to keep this sector afloat and running to boost its economy. Looking at the industry in a wider-scale, tourism came early as a must commodity for industrialized countries. But it was only during the 80’s that the industry got a stable foothold in developing economies like the Phi...

(The original article was published by Northern Dispatch in September 2015. Photo grab from http://planetphilippines.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/headline.jpg) My mother and father have not yet bumped  to each other when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, so I can never claim firsthand experience on the matter. I rarely tell my friends that I grew in family who are fervent Marcos loyalist (especially my mother’s side), usually eaves dropping with conversations regarding the benefits from the declaration – the order it brought, the supposed development, and many more. In high school, I even choose to be part of the group who favored the declaration of martial law during a classroom discussion on the issue. This is the only instance that I can remember where the topic was deliberated with a certain degree of importance. I learned the extent and depth of martial law’s meaning and result when I attended a forum organized by the student council in a university I once attended....

(This is Ilocandia Rumblings’ maiden piece and before we enjoy reading, let me give you a short introduction.) Ilocandia Rumblings was conceived to bring to the readership of Northern Dispatch some insights on and analyses of the issues and events in the Ilocos Region – mainly the provinces of La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte from the point of view and standpoint of the oppressed and exploited. This blog aims to expand its reach and readers, and make the aspirations of the hardworking people west of the Cordillera; the rumblings in the peasant communities, workplaces, coastal areas and slums, reverberate in the web. In order to get to the bottom of every issue and event that will be written here, this writer will immerse in the communities and the different sectors in the Ilocos region, listen to the roars and whispers of people, and witness the transformation of society. It shall dissect Ilocos society and expound on It shall express the ideas and thoughts of the...