More than its tourist spots, Antique is more known for its legendary folklore of aswangs. Most likely, those legends have kept tourists from visiting the province, making Antique one of the most unexplored places in the Philippines. But during my visit to this province, I found places, culture and eco-activities that are at par with any famous tourist spots in the country.

Sira-an Hot Spring

        Moving through the coastline leading to Anini-y, the first coastal town of Antique from Iloilo and the capital town of Antique, our Manggad Kang Antique or The Treasures of Antique Heritage Tour began.

        First stop was at the well-known spring of the province with a quite memorable tale of how it came to be. It was a legend that tells about the forbidden love affair between Anini, a beautiful daughter of a Malayan chieftain in Hamtic, who fell in love with a former slave and farmer’s son, Nogas. Their love affair did not end up happily ever after for it was forbidden in the past. Nogas was killed and his body was thrown into the sea where an island appeared, while Anini died of a broken heart and on her burial site emerged a hot spring and a small volcano. The place is currently called the Sira-an Hot Spring and Health Resort.

        The resort has warm and refreshing sulfurous water that flows from crevices of boulders into a junior-size tiled swimming pool and jacuzzi-like tubs.

Church of St. John Nepomuceno

Church of St. John Nepomuceno

        From Sira-an Hot Spring and Health Resort, we were driven at the town’s Church of St. John  Nepomuceno, the only preserved Spanish-era church in the province. Their saint, San Juan Nepomuceno or St John, is the first martyr of the seal of confession. He is the patron saint against slander and a protector against floods. First built around 1845, it was replaced with masonry by Augustinian Fr. Jeronimo Vaquerin in 1878. The church was seized by the Aglipayans in 1902 and occupied for six years until it was turned over to the Mill Hill Fathers from England.

        When the Lady Caycay earthquake occurred in 1948, it is the only one that survived in Antique. It is believed by many as a miracle, which is a symbol of their faith - strong and founded just like their church. However, the church’s roof and back wall were destroyed during the 1973 typhoon but it was restored by Mill Hill Fr. William Erinkweld.

        The refreshing sight outside of the church and trees hovering gave me a calming feeling of how this pristine air I am breathing is the same with what the Antiquenos had enjoyed during the colonial times.

Buri Handicraft Making (Tobias Fornier, Antique)

        We arrived at one of the highlights of our tour, the buri handicraft making. This craft became popular because the main material they use, buri leaf, is readily available in this town.

        Here, the Buri Handicraft Association, Inc. (BUHAI) were waiting for our arrival. BUHAI, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since 2001, has around 60 members. Because of BUHAI’s active participation, buri production was selected as the “One Town One Product (OTOP).” The BUHAI weavers, mostly women and plain housewives, learned the techniques of buri weaving, ever since they were young, by observing their mothers at work.

Buri handicraft finished products

        Buri is the largest palm found in the Philippines. It is one of the most important palms in terms of economic and industrial significance. The buri leaf is the most versatile material used in the handicraft business. It can be used to make a hat, a bag, or other items one can think of. Some are even dyed before weaving, thus, the colorful feature that you can see on other items. Also, the weavers have different weaving patterns to create various products.

        A short demonstration by the local crafts women was done and then the activity was next for us students to create our own buri handicraft through process we learned from the local women.

Gen. Leandro Fullon National Shrine

The equestrian statue of Gen. Leandro Fullon

        From Tobias Fornier to Hamtic, Antique, we arrived at its plaza where the center piece showcases the statue of Gen. Leandro Fullon on top of his horse.

        Gen. Fullon, born in this town on March 13, 1877, was a student at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila when the Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896. With the sudden appearance of the Philippine Revolution, Gen. Fullon joined the Katipunan movement under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Gen. Fullon was appointed commanding general of the expeditionary force to Panay Island, mainly to Antique.

        He was known to be the courageous leader of the revolution in Antique, contributing on his high knowledge with strategies of warfare, and liberating the province from the two colonizers of our country, Spaniards and Americans. Although, for the latter, the country was not altogether successful in doing so.


Spanish-Era Structures of Patnongon

St. Augustine Academy of Patnongon

        From the Gen. Leandro Fullon National Shrine in Hamtic, we moved on to the town of Patnongon.  Along the National Highway are the ruins of the parish of St. Augustine, once considered the best church in the province.

Main entrance

National Historical Institute (NHI) plaque

       Started in 1860 by Fr. Manuel Asensio, it was finished in 1895 by Fr. Eustaquio Heria. Damaged during the Philippine Revolution, it was repaired from 1896 to 1899 and, in 1906, it was transferred to the Mill Hill Fathers of England.  Destroyed during World War II, it was converted to the St. Augustine Academy of Patnongon in 1962.

Ruins of Spanish-era municipal hall

        Nearby are the ruins of the town’s former 2-storey, Spanish-era municipal building.  This roofless structure is now fenced off, its gray walls slowly deteriorating, local government neglect and indifference, and the strangling presence of a balete tree. I was saddened by the sight of this graphic memorial to our Spanish past being left to rot.  In my opinion, it could still be restored, either as a government office or a museum.

Patadyong Weaving

        During our tour, from Patnongon to Bugasong, we visited a place in Barangay Bagtason where we were to observe the very intricate and beautiful art of patadyong weaving.

        The art of patadyong weaving was developed in 1960’s when many high class products were made, using cotton and abaca as raw materials.  During the 1980’s, with polyester as their raw material, the production of hand woven textile increased and more quality products were produced featuring various designs.

        Seeing the economic potential of this weaving activity, the weavers of Brgy. Bagtason organized themselves into the Bagtason Loomweavers Association (BLWA), registered it with SEC and the organization was incorporated on 2008.  It is currently headed by Mr. Mario Manzano.

        Patadyong weaving is done by interlacing the different colors of threads through a wooden handloom. Weaving follows many steps. At the first stage, called the pagsab-ong, weavers have to find out how many meters and pieces of cloth can be made. The second stage is the paglikis, the arrangement of the thread. The third stage is the pagbinting, the insertion of the thread in the binting in an upward and downward movement. The fourth stage is the pagsulod where the thread is inserted in the reed. The fifth stage is the pagtalingyas, the transfer of the thread from the cone to the talingyasan.  The last stage is the pagpanara, when the actual weaving starts.

Pottery and Brick Making at Bandoja

        After our patadyong weaving, we headed to Bandoja to try pottery and brick making. In the past, the pottery designs used were usually geometric, with stylized nature motif.  Later, it became more practical. Their finished products include bricks, ornamental jars, and other useful products.

        We were invited to try their hand in pottery. Pottery, though fun, doesn’t look as easy as the process we have seen.  It takes a lot of patience to mold the wet clay and learn the basics of the potter’s wheel much less create a decent looking vase, jar or pot.

        The potter’s wheels were turned by hand. As the wheel is rotated, the soft clay is pressed, squeezed and pulled gently upward and outward into a hollow shape.

        In brick making, the raw clay is mixed with 25-30% sand to reduce shrinkage, then grounded and mixed with water to produce the desired consistency. It is then pressed into steel molds to form the clay into its final shape.

Tibiao Fish Spa

        One of the highlights of our Antique Heritage Tour was our visit to Tibiao Fish Spa, opened in 2009 by Flord Calawag, a 2008 Marine Fisheries graduate of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences of the University of the Philippines Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo.

        This fish spa, formerly located at Calawag’s residence, was transferred about 1,500 meters away from his residence after the Typhoon Yolanda hit Tibiao, severely damaging his residence and the rest of the town. Before I indulged at this experience, I had to wash my feet before dipping in the pool.

        While most Asian fish spas use “doctor fish“ (Garra rufa) from Turkey, which are expensive and difficult to maintain, Tibiao Fish Spa uses native fish species called Therafish from Antique. The unique feature of the fish is its sandpaper texture teeth, which can effectively remove our dead skin.

         The fish spa offers three different tanks that houses levels 1, 2 and 3 therapy fish.  As the stage goes higher, the fish get bigger. 

        At first, I was quite uncomfortable having my feet pecked or nibbled by these fish.  But after a few minutes, I found it to my liking and got the hang of it, learning to just relax and letting these fish exfoliate the dead skin cells of my feet. At the same time, they stimulate pressure points to relax the body and release stress. Truly, an exciting, exfoliating and soothing sensation that’s worth a try as it is safe and pain-free.

Istorya-Kanta Kinaray-a

        Our tour’s highlight is the Istorya-Kanta Kinaray-a, a showcase of original Kinaray-a music (OKM). Kinaray-a is the language mainly spoken in Antique and some parts in Iloilo.

From left: Dante Beriong and Sammy Rubido

        On hand to perform were OKM pillars Dante Beriong and Sammy Rubido, multi-awarded Kinaray-a music composers and artists. Their performance and enthusiasm during the Istorya-Kanta Kinaray-a Night easily won us as they sang songs including Katahum Kang Antique, Araguy Inday, and Pangabuhi sa Uma.

        Kinaray-a music, heard not only in Antique but also in Iloilo, has grown to a proportion that Antiquenos have learned to appreciate and enjoy.  By emphasizing the importance of love of Antiqueno culture and its people, Beriong and Rubido have lifted OKM to the next level.

Lambaklad Fishing

        On the second day of our tour, we woke up at 4:30 in the morning to try lambaklad fishing, a one-of-a-kind experience. The lambaklad, one of the largest stationary fish trap in the country, is derived from the Filipino words lambat, meaning “net”, and baklad, meaning “cage”.

        The raft, which can accommodate 100 people, consists of four main parts – the leader, the playground, the inner and outer slopes, and the bag. The leader, which blocks the path of the school of migratory fish, leads them to the playground. From the playground, the fish enter the outer slope through pointed nettings and as the fish pass through the slope, they enter to the inner slope, dropping into the bag where they are trapped and hauled for the catch.

Malumpati Health Spring and Tourist Resort

        After our lambaklad fishing, we went to Malumpati Health Spring and Tourist Resort. Part of the Bugang River System, it is called Malumpati to differentiate it from the crystal-clear, blue waters of the Bugang River, adjudged as the cleanest inland body of water in the Western Visayas by the Gawad Pangulo ng Kapaligiran (GPK) in 1996, which is a long stretch of river from Brgys. Sto. Rosario, Guia and Zaldivar.  The word malumpati was derived from the words malukso, meaning “to jump”, and talumpati, meaning “to announce”.

The Butong-Butong and Bandi of Laua-an

        From Tibiao, we went to Laua-an, the muscovado sugar capital of Antique. Here, we were dropped off at a gym where we were to observe a demonstration of the making of famous specialty delicacies bandi (peanut brittle) and butong-butong (muscovado candy). Bandi is made with peanuts covered in muscovado sugar.

        The muscovado making industry has declined through the years when the white sugar was introduced. But today, there is an ever-growing demand, since people now prefer to have an alternative supply aside from the white sugar.

The melted muscovado sugar is simmered

Muscovado syrup on banana tree stalks

        When we arrived, the ingredients and the kawa (cauldron) were already made ready for the demonstration. In making butong-butong, muscovado sugar is melted in the kawa, and the kalamansi is added into the mix. After cooking time, the kalamansi is removed from the mix and the crystallized muscovado syrup is poured into banana tree stalks and allowed to cool down for a few minutes. The hot, melted muscovado sugar is then pulled until it becomes whitish in color and then hardens to create a solid, soft and chewy candy.  It is sometimes stretched to create different designs.

        The process in making bandi is almost the same, with peanuts added into the mix.  The mixture, when ready, is poured in sawali mats, spread out and allowed to harden.