Dubbed as the "Pebble Town of the Province of La Union", Luna is now an emerging tourist destination in region I highlighting its natural wonders and rich culture and heritage.
Luna is located at the Northwestern tip of La Union facing the South China Sea. It is bordered by municipalities of Bangar on the northeast and Balaoan on the east and southeast.
Luna was once known as Namacpacan, which is an Ilokano word meaning "the one who feeds". It was on 18 October 1906, during the terms of Governor Joaquin Luna and Mayor Primitivo Resurrección Novicio, when the town was renamed Luna by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 1543. It was the first town that altered its name since the creation of the province in 1850. The change was to honour the famous Luna brothers: Revolutionary General Antonio and Spoliarium painterJuan; their mother, Doña Laureana Novicio Luna, was a native of Namacpacan. (Source: WIKIPEDIA)
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| Statue of General Antonio Luna at the town's central district. |
The Gift from Apo Baket
Luna is famous for its colorful and fine pebble stones of various shapes and sizes. These bountiful treasures seem to have unending manufacture along the coastal barangays despite generations of stone pickers constantly harvesting on this wonderful gift from the town's patron, Our Lady of Namacpacan.
Through the years, pebble stones that have been flourishing the shore of Luna were used for building homes, roads and bridges and even used for landscaping and home decorations. Tourist can freely pick stones for souvenir.
Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan
and St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish
Also known as Namacpacan Church, this century-old church of St.
Catherine of Alexandria or Santa Catalina de Alejandria houses the miraculous
image of Our Lady of Namacpacan. Legend has is that a strong storm forced a
ship carrying the wooden image of the Blessed Virgin Mary to find shelter at
Darigayos Cove. The said image was ordered from Spain by an Augustinian priest
for Immaculate Conception Seminary in Vigan in
1871. When the sea was calm, the ship resumed its journey but strong winds
forced them to return to the port of Darigayos. The captain of the ship
decided to send the image by land and it was temporarily placed in the church's
convent. The next morning when the trip was about to commence, men could
not lift the image from the place where it stood. Father Camilo Naves, an
Augustinian priest, interpreted the incident that the image of the Virgin Mary
wished to be enshrined in the town of Namacpacan so they requested to the Augustinian
priest who ordered it from Spain to give the image to the town. Upon agreement
of reimbursing the expenses incurred during the journey, the image of the
Blessed Virgin Mary was given to the town of Namacpacan and was venerated as
the Our Lady of Namacpacan.
The image was canonically crowned on November 24, 1959 through a special
decree issued by Pope John XXIII through Apostollic Nuncio to the Philippines Salvatore
Siino.
The image of the Our Lady of Namacpacan, standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.92 m) tall, is the tallest-known Marian image in the Philippines and is known as the patroness of Ilocano travelers. (Source: WIKIPEDIA)
The people of Luna call her "Apo Baket" because she appeared as an old woman and offered them food and invited them to be baptized. "Apo Baket" is how the people call the elderly woman as a sign of respect. The image got the name, Our Lady of Namacpacan from the town's old name and retained it even when the town's name was changed to Luna.
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| The church's interior |
Namacpacan Church was also declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2001. (Source: WIKIPEDIA)
Learn more of this, click here: OUR LADY OF NAMACPACAN: THE QUEEN FOUND HER HOME
Museo de Namacpacan
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| credits: commons.wikimedia,org |
Located beside the church is the Museo de Nuestra Senora de Namacpacan that houses the different capes and attires worn by Apo Baket since its arrival in 1871. Other artifacts and religious relics and articles are also exhibited in the museum. There is also a religious store infront of the museum were devotees and tourist can shop for religious articles and souvenirs.
Baluarte ti Luna
Built by the Spaniards in 17th century, this monumental structure served as an observation post against impending danger from the South China Sea.
Originally, Baluarte is towering at 6 meters in the coastal barangay of Victoria, with an external diameter of 11 meters. Today, the structure stands like a leaning tower, divided in two because of eroded and weaken foundation.
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| Credits to the owner, ABEL BALDEMOR, downloaded from flickr.com |
Bahay na Bato
This newly-opened attraction along the coastal area of Barangay Nalvo Norte is earning positive reviews from tourists. It is owned by the Noble Family and was opened to public last June, 2014. It is a two-storey structure made of cobble stones and pebbles of various sizes and shapes and decorated with antique woods and furniture. There are also stone carvings displayed inside and outside the house.
There is an entrance fee
of P20/head for adults while children below 4 years old can enter the site for
free. The site accepts guests from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, daily.
There is also a canteen
inside the house that serves easy to eat snacks like cup noodles, chips and
drinks. No Rice. Bringing of food inside is not allowed.
Camp Spencer USAFIP, NL -Military Shrine and Park
Named in honor of Private Grafton Spencer who was killed in action early 1943. This camp located in Darigayos was center and base of operations of the USAFIP NL during their liberation campaign of Luzon from January to September, 1945. The camp was deactivated on the orders of the Philippine Army on December 1946.
Camp Spencer, the general headquarters of the USAFIP NL was also the site where General Yamashita was held prisoner before he was executed at the Los Banos "Prisoner of War" camp.
How to Get There
Luna is approximately 297 kms away from Manila and about 6 and a half hour driving (own vehicle) via the Bacnotan-Luna-Balaoan Provincial Road.
For commuters coming from Manila, drop off point will be at Balaoan town crossing and make an arranged trip with tricycles that ply anytime of the day. Jeepneys located near the San Fernando City Public Market serve commuters as early as 6 am until 7 in the evening.
Products:
1. Pebble Stones
2. Pottery - Barangay Barrientos
3. Sukang Iloko - Barangay Sto. Domingo Sur
4. Special Bibingka - Barangay Sto. Domingo Sur
5. Suman
6. Tupig
7. Patupat
Named in honor of Private Grafton Spencer who was killed in action early 1943. This camp located in Darigayos was center and base of operations of the USAFIP NL during their liberation campaign of Luzon from January to September, 1945. The camp was deactivated on the orders of the Philippine Army on December 1946.
Camp Spencer, the general headquarters of the USAFIP NL was also the site where General Yamashita was held prisoner before he was executed at the Los Banos "Prisoner of War" camp.
How to Get There
Luna is approximately 297 kms away from Manila and about 6 and a half hour driving (own vehicle) via the Bacnotan-Luna-Balaoan Provincial Road. For commuters coming from Manila, drop off point will be at Balaoan town crossing and make an arranged trip with tricycles that ply anytime of the day. Jeepneys located near the San Fernando City Public Market serve commuters as early as 6 am until 7 in the evening.
Products:
1. Pebble Stones
2. Pottery - Barangay Barrientos
3. Sukang Iloko - Barangay Sto. Domingo Sur
4. Special Bibingka - Barangay Sto. Domingo Sur
5. Suman
6. Tupig
7. Patupat
Where to
Stay
1. Pilgrims House: (072) 607-0773
2. Morning Seven Resort Hotel: (072)
806-4563 / 0999-8792616/0917-8166251
3. Pebble Beach Resort:
0919-2827646/0920-9690626
4. Harbor Point Resort :
0908-5901568
5. Noble's Tower Resort:
0949-9030026
6. Coral Beach Resort : 0917-9239664
Luna Municipal Tourism
Office: (072) 607-0099
Luna PNP Hotline: (072)
603-0541
Credits: Luna Municipal Tourism Brochure, Wikipedia,
Wikipilipinas
Date of Experience:
March 11, 2015
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