A journey to San Nicolas

CEBU, Philippines - The journey to San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, was not an easy one, especially if one came from Cebu. But love for dance and thirst for adventure made this personal travel possible. I was invited there as one of the judges for the Damili street dance festival.

I met Mr. Jes de Paz, director of Leyte Dance Theater, at the airport terminal four on Christmas day last year. He was to arrive from Tacloban fifteen minutes behind my Cebu-Manila flight schedule, but his flight was delayed by an hour. Upon arrival, we scampered towards the first block from the airport for breakfast at Seven Eleven as we had to catch the 9 a.m. Partas bus at Taft Avenue for Ilocos. Unfortunately, we were not able to catch the ride on time. So we opted for the Florida buses near the University of Sto. Tomas. We had to travel by LRT to Tayuman to get there.

It was noontime when the bus left and we settled for a quick lunch of siopao and diet soda inside the bus. We weren’t quite sure where the first stopover would be so I dozed off.

When I woke up, we were in Tarlac for a stopover. It was now two in the afternoon and I had a hunch that it would take us another six hours to get to San Nicolas. That hunch did not prove to be true. Passing Pangasinan with the constant texts from my father, made me discover that his father’s family came from Urbiztondo and that our relatives were still living there. It was past four in the afternoon when we passed by La Union, stretching three and a half hours’ bus ride. But each town made me look forward to the next one with expectant hope of seeing magnificent Christmas lights display and busy townsfolk at the public plaza. By the time we passed by Ilocos Sur, it was pitch dark. It seemed that every turn of the tires took us further into the far-flung areas of northern Luzon. The road was dark and excitement came over me as lighted areas emerged into view. Even the brief stopover was quite a relief, although the winds blew a little above normal.

The long wait (and sore butt) finally ended as we entered the Municipality of San Nicolas by 11pm. We were then graciously received at the Municipal Hall by our hosts Dr. Leoniel C. Obien, municipal health officer/Damili festival streetdance chairperson and Bobby L. Valdez, Damili festival coordinator. They formally introduced us to Mayor Alfredo P. Valdez Jr., MD, who spoke a little Cebuano because his wife hailed from Cagayan de Oro. By then, we were famished and I longed for a barbeque-“puso” stand nearby. There was none! Instead, we ate an Ilocano version of noodles and soup and taco that actually tasted like crunchy lumpia. After a late meal, we were brought to Laoag, the city adjacent to San Nicolas. We had a good night-out there, thanks to our two hosts.

The following day, we were up on our feet to celebrate the festival. The street dance competition commenced at Dingras Road/ Aglipay Street. This proceeded to the municipal hall and ended up at the open grounds fronting Robinson’s Ilocos Norte Mall. Twenty-four contingents representing each barangay vied for the top prize. Interestingly, barangays were named after Roman Catholic saints - San Francisco, San Ildefonso, San Agustin, San Baltazar, San Bartolome, San Cayetano, San Eugenio, San Fernando, San Gregorio, San Guillermo, San Jose, San Juan Bautista, San Lorenzo, San Lucas, San Marcos, San Miguel, San Pablo, San Paulo, San Pedro, San Rufino, San Silvestre, Santa Asuncion, Santa Cecilia and Santa Monica. Thousands watched the competition unravel. Even Ilocos Governor Imee Marcos graced the occasion. Barangay San Pablo contingent, with head-to-toe dance movement perfection and vivacity, wowed the crowd and emerged as the over-all victor. Contingents San Bartolome and San Ildefonso finished second and third place, respectively. The competition concluded with a colorful fireworks display, compliments of the mall.

Damili festival was an occupational festival celebrated annually on the last week of December, in great pride and thanksgiving for their town’s product, clay pots. Damili is the local term for pot. The song “agdamdamili” was sung from time to time during their performance. And although contingents were cautioned to project reductive costumes exemplifying the Ilocano’s simple lifestyle, grandiose costumes graced the event. The stationary showdown at the mall was nothing short of the ordinary as San Nicolenos culture and traditions interposed during their contemporary dance routine. They showed how Ilocanos manifest their style and artform through a thanksgiving dance to San Nicolas. Their jingle sounded familiar (as we Cebuanos were bombarded with dozens of festival jingles) – a mixture of traditional folk, latin drumbeat and tribal folk. The Damili festival was truly a laborious and grand work of art.

Having a scheduled trip back home the following day, Mr. de Paz and I skipped dinner and went straight to the terminal for the 10:30pm bus ride to Manila. The trip was cozy but the occasional stopovers and sitting upright position made sleeping a little bit difficult. Stopovers were made too often that I thought they caused too much delay. We arrived at GMA Kamuning by 10am the following day and headed straight to Baclaran via MRT where we were supposed to check in. The next thing I knew, we parted ways. He was heading for the Baclaran mall, while I was heading for Quiapo to visit the Nazareno.

The invitation may have been very brief, but the road trip was as exciting as the avant garde performances of the contingents. The companions I had were tremendously heart-warming. I think I left my heart in San Nicolas. The antique shops, the old Spanish houses, the architectural design of the municipal hall, the warmth and hospitality of the people there, the food, the scenery – everything felt like home. Dr. Obien was like a father I never knew. Bobby was like a very old friend. I discovered a very good and warm side of Sir de Paz during the travel. And then I realized that it was not just the festival that made my visit overwhelmingly satisfying; it was meeting friends who, albeit the distance, became much closer for a brief moment. And that’s how I recall all those pleasant thoughts – of having true friends. 

Viva, San Nicolas! Kudos to the Ilocanos.