Lara S.

Orada TOUR 42
BSTourism 4A MWF, 4:30- 5:30 PM

UNESCO Heritage Sites in the Philippines

Baroque Churches of the Philippines
Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte
The Church of San Agustín at Paoay is the most outstanding example in the Philippines
of 'Earthquake Baroque'. Fourteen buttresses are ranged along the lines of a
giant volute supporting a smaller one and surmounted by pyramidal finials. A pair of buttresses
at the midpoint of each nave wall have stairways for access to the roof. The lower part of the
apse and most of the walls are constructed of coral stone blocks, the upper levels being finished
in brick, but this order is reversed on the facade. The massive coral stone bell tower, which was
added half a century after the church was completed, stands at some distance from the church,
again as a protection against damage during earthquakes.

Santa Maria Church in Ilocos Sur

Unlike other town churches in the Philippines, which conform to the Spanish tradition of
sitting them on the central plaza, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Santa
Maria with its convento are on a hill surrounded by a defensive wall. Also unusual are the sitting
of the convento parallel to the facade of the church and that of the separate bell tower
(characteristic of Philippine-Hispanic architecture) at the midpoint of the nave wall. This was
dictated by the hill on which it is located. The brick church follows the standard Philippine
layout, with a monumental facade masking a straight roof-line covering a long rectangular
building. It is alleged to be built on a solid raft as a precaution against earthquake damage. The
walls are devoid of ornament but have delicately carved side entrances and strong buttresses.

Miagao Church in Iloilo

The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva stands on the highest point of Miagao, its
towers serving as lookouts against Muslim raids. It is the finest surviving example of 'Fortress
Baroque'. The sumptuous facade epitomizes the Filipino transfiguration of western decorative
elements, with the figure of Saint Christopher on the pediment dressed in native clothes, carrying
the Christ Child on his back, and holding on to a coconut palm for support. The entire riotously
decorated facade is flanked by massive tapering bell towers of unequal heights.

San Agustin Church in Manila

The Church of the Immaculate Conception of San Agustín was the first church built on
the island of Luzon in 1571, immediately after the Spanish conquest of Manila. A site within the
district of Intramuros was assigned to the Augustinian Order, the first to evangelize in the
Philippines. In 1587 the impermanent earliest building in wood and palm fronds was replaced by
a stone church and monastery in stone, the latter becoming the Augustinian mother house in the
Philippines. It was the only structure in Intramuros to survive the liberation of Manila in 1945.
Miag-ao became an independent parish in 1731, when a simple church and convento were built.
However, destruction of the town by Muslim pirates in 1741 and 1754 led to the town being
rebuilt in a more secure location. The new church, constructed in 1787-97, was built as a fortress,
to withstand further incursions. It was, however, damaged severely by fire during the revolution
against Spain in 1898 and in the Second World War. Two bell towers were added in 1854, but
the northern one cracked in the 1880 earthquake and had to be demolished. In the interior of the
church the wall paintings date from the 19th century, but they overlie the original
tempera murals. As a result, the church was richly endowed, with a
fine retablo, pulpit, lectern and choir-stalls. Of special interest is the series of crypto-collateral
chapels lining both sides of the nave. The walls separating them act as buttresses. The stone
barrel vault, dome, and arched vestibule are all unique in the Philippines. A monastery complex
was formerly linked to the church by a series of cloisters, arcades, courtyards and gardens, but all
except one building were destroyed in 1945.

Historic Town of Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Established in the 16th century, Vigan is the best-preserved example of a planned
Spanish colonial town in Asia. Its architecture reflects the coming together of cultural elements
from elsewhere in the Philippines, from China and from Europe, resulting in a culture and
townscape that have no parallel anywhere in East and South-East Asia. Vigan is an exceptionally
intact and well-preserved example of a European trading town in East and South-East Asia. The
architecture is truly reflective of its roots in both materials and design, in its fusion of Asian
building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning. The town is
located in the delta of the Abra River, off the coastal plain of the China Sea, close to the north-
east tip of the island of Luzon. The present-day municipality divided into nine urban districts and
thirty rural villages. Almost half the total area is still in use for agriculture. The Historic Core
Zone is defined on two sides by the Govantes and Mestizo rivers.

Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Davao Oriental

Forming a north-south running mountain ridge along the Pujada Peninsula in the
southeastern part of the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, the Mount Hamiguitan Range
Wildlife Sanctuary has an elevation range of 75-1,637 m above sea level, and provides critical
habitat for a range of plant and animal species. The property showcases terrestrial and aquatic
habitats and the species that they host at a series of different elevations are responding to highly
dissimilar soil and climate conditions. The Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary
provides a sanctuary to a host of globally threatened and endemic flora and fauna species, eight
of which are found nowhere else except Mount Hamiguitan. These include critically endangered
trees, plants and the iconic Philippine Eagle and Philippine Cockatoo.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan

The site of the Puerto-Princesa ivSubterranean Rer National Park is located in the Saint
Paul Mountain Range. It is north-west of Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan Province. The
topography varies from flat plains to rolling hinterlands and hills to mountain peaks. Over 90%
of the park comprises sharp, karst limestone ridges around Mount Saint Paul, which is itself part
of a series of rounded, limestone peaks aligned on a north-south axis, along the western coast of
Palawan. The focus of the area is a spectacular karst landscape which features both surface karst
features (pinnacles, shafts, dolines and limestone cliffs), as well as an extensive underground
river system. The subterranean river is 8.2 kilometres (5.1 mi) long, one of the most unusual of
its type in the world and includes many speleotherms, several large chambers exist, up to 120
metres (390 ft) wide and 60 metres (200 ft) high. A distinguishing feature of the river is the fact
that it emerges directly into the sea, and that the lower portion of the river is brackish and subject
to tidal influences. The underground river (the Cabayugan River) arises approximately 2
kilometres (1.2 mi) south-west of Mount Saint Paul at an altitude of 100 metres (330 ft), and
flows underground for almost its entire length to an outflow into Saint Paul's Bay. All rivers and
associated tributaries are within the park, which is important in relation to catchments impacts on
the water quality of the Cabayugan River. It has been declared as one of the New7Wonders of
Nature.

Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Ifugao

For 2,000 years, the high rice fields of the Ifugao have followed the contours of the
mountains. The fruit of knowledge handed down from one generation to the next, and the
expression of sacred traditions and a delicate social balance, they have helped to create a
landscape of great beauty that expresses the harmony between humankind and the environment.
The rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are living cultural landscapes devoted to the
production of one of the world's most important staple crops, rice. They preserve traditional
techniques and forms dating back many centuries, still viable today. At the same time they
illustrate a remarkable degree of harmony between humankind and the natural environment of
great aesthetic appeal, as well as demonstrating sustainable farming systems in mountainous
terrain, based on a careful use of natural resources. They are the only monuments in the
Philippines that show no evidence of having been influenced by colonial cultures. Owing to the
difficult terrain, the Cordillera tribes are among the few peoples of the Philippines who have
successfully resisted foreign domination and preserved their authentic tribal culture. The history
of the terraces is intertwined with that of its people, their culture, and their traditional practices.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Sulu Sea

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park lies in a unique position in the centre of the Sulu Sea, and
includes the Tubbataha and Jessie Beazley Reefs. It protects an area of almost 100,000 hectares
(250,000 acres) of high quality marine habitats containing three atolls and a large area of deep
sea. The property is home to a great diversity of marine life. Whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles
and Napoleon wrasse are among the key species found here. The reef ecosystems support over
350 species of coral and almost 500 species of fish. The reserve also protects one of the few
remaining colonies of breeding seabirds in the region.