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ON New
Year’s Eve of 2005, a humble and full-blooded Ilocano
doctor, who collects Spanish-Filipino antiques and art
pieces, envisioned of a heritage village by the sea.
Dr.
Joven R. Cuanang—Harvard Medical School graduate,
neurologist and medical director of St. Luke’s Medical
Center—made a wish on that fateful day, which also
happened to be his birthday, to build his own field of
dreams.
Dr.
Cuanang asked his friend, Rex Hofileña, a renowned
architect from Bacolod, to construct Sitio Remedios
(named after Dr. Cuanang’s mother) on a 1.8-hectare
tract of land along the coastline of Currimao, barangay
Victoria
in Ilocos Norte. Just four months after making that
wish, his dream became reality.
Today
Sitio Remedios is a breathtaking snapshot of what life
was like during Spanish colonial times. It also serves
as a testament to Dr. Cuanang’s family legacy, which he
cherishes so much.
Doc, or
Manong Joven, as he is called by his friends and
kababayan, was born in Batac, located in the
mid-southwestern portion of Ilocos Norte. He is the
youngest child in a brood of three. His father Mariano
died when he was seven and was orphaned at 15. When
asked why he chose Currimao as the site of his resort,
Dr. Cuanang said: “This is where we used to go swimming
and hold family picnics. I also remember seeing a lot of
turtles here when I was a young boy.”
Currimao
was well-known during the Spanish regime, when Galleon
Trade was still flourishing. It is where two watchtowers
were built by the Spaniards as a means of detecting the
Moro pirates who often attacked the coastal areas in the
1800s.
After
graduating from Harvard, Dr. Cuanang was saddened to
find his ancestral home obliterated and replaced with
contemporary structures. He said it was proof that most
of the young generation no longer appreciate and value
the old traditional houses. Some are even embarrassed to
live in an old home, especially when it is decaying.
This is one reason why the doctor is preserving what he
inherited and exhibits them alongside Ilocos’s
architectural heritage, which people can now find at
Sitio Remedios.
Entering
the resort, one will go through a duplicate of an
ancient bridge named Avenida de Azucao, which is made
from antique bricks. There are 14 Stations of the Cross
which are placed on cement pedestals in the shape of
lotus flowers with a water feature on each side, an
array of cactus on the pond, kalachuchi and other plants
cording both sides of the avenue that is just both
stirring and stunning.
Sitio
Remedios maintains a distinctive Ilocos look that has
seven beautifully refurbished houses, which are all
dedicated to Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, the
patron of Dr. Cuanang’s mother. Guests stay at the
houses shaded by old blissful trees that surround a big
cobblestone plaza, called Plaza Manzanilla, right at the
center. Each house was named after the famous towns in
Ilocos Norte, where one will discover collectors’ items
and fine Ilocano furniture.
A cool
breeze caresses Sitio in the evenings that most guests
don’t have to turn on the air conditioners in their
rooms. All king-sized beds inside the rooms are covered
with crocheted bedspreads and fabrics made of abel Iloko,
which are also now used by famous Filipino fashion
designers. “I remember my mother used to come home from
the cotton fields and people were in our living room
spinning cotton yarn and making layers of mantles,” Dr.
Cuanang reminisced.
The
biggest house is called the Balay Batac (Batac House),
the favorite house of Dr. Cuanang’s beloved friend and
one of his favorite guests, “Tita” Ethel Timbol, who
invited journalists Christine Dayrit, Mike Mina, Raoul
Chikki, Nancy Reyes Lumen and this writer to visit Sitio
Remedios. The group was graciously hosted by the doctor,
who also heads Silangan, a foundation for art, culture,
ecology and healing. The paintings of Manny Garibay’s El
Vibora, as well as the wedding portrait of Dr. Cuanang’s
parents Larawan (series of sepia-toned acrylic images)
painted by National Artist Bencab, adorn the walls of
Balay Batac.
Balay
Piddig is a one-bedroom chalet featuring portraits of
women, crocheted collections and glass light fixtures.
In honor of its first occupant, the famous pianist
Cecile Licad, the bedroom is named “Kuarto ni Cecile.”
Balay
Dingras is a two-bedroom bungalow which has a big front
balcony with finished tiles that came from an eastern
town called San Nicolas. The living-dining room windows
look out to a secret garden dedicated to San Francisco,
the saint. Balay Bacarra is a one-bedroom house made
from wood with exceptional diamond-shaped etchings
recovered from a Bacarra house. The bedroom is called
“Kuarto ni Antonia,” in honor of its first occupant
Antonia Bersola-Babao. Balay Radrillo is a two-story,
two-bedroom house which is highlighted by a red-bricked
veranda. A small patio on the second floor views the
plaza and the chapel.
Balay
Puraw, meanwhile, is also a two-story house with two
bedrooms inspired by American-style at the turn of the
20th century, the cement, balusters and iron grillwork
in dazzling white, thus the name puraw, means white in
Ilocano. Balay Pasuquin is a one-bedroom bungalow with
its own garden that stretches from the bedroom to the
bathroom. An outdoor shower gives a unique combination
of old and modern living.
Sitio
Remedios features a conference hall (Centro Iloco de
Juan Luna), an outdoor stage, a dormitory-type house,
souvenir shop, watch tower, restaurant, outdoor Jacuzzi,
swimming pool and the capilla (chapel), a replica of the
world-renowned Paoay Church that was built in 1704 and
is now on the heritage list of Unesco. In this chapel,
named Iglesia de San Miguel (the patron saint of
Currimao), guests can listen to a symphony of Filipino
music played during the day and in the evening. At
night, the steps in front of the chapel are festooned
with innumerable candles, a sight that never fails to
enthrall visitors.
After a
hearty banquet or candlelit dinner at the Abrao (dining
area), guests may unwind with a hilot (massage) at the
Ablon Spa (ablon is an Ilocano term for healing massage)
right by the Jacuzzi and the infinity pool fronting the
calm beach.
Even the
most ravenous diners will be satisfied with the
authentic Ilocano dishes served at Sitio Remedios, such
as the pinakbet, igado, saluyot, diningding,
sinkutsar (pork meat and liver sinigang sa kamias),
bagnet with KBL (kamatis—tomato, bagoong—anchovy
and lasuna—shallot), inabrao (vegetables
in beef broth), longganisa, poque-poque (eggplant
salad), ipon (tiny white fish wrapped in banana
leaves), grilled seafood and fresh fruits. An afternoon
or midnight snack like miki and gipang
(chips), biscocho (Ilocano biscuit) and
impaltao (rice cake wrapped in coconut leaves) with
Ilocano coffee or hot chocolate is exquisite.
For
those who wish to relieve the days gone by, go to
Currimao, which is not just famous for its coral
formations, joyful fishermen and the alluring waves of
South China Sea; it is now where the glorious Sitio
Remedios lies.
For
information, visit www.sitioremedios.com. |
