| Iriga has changed – for the better |
| DirectLine by Boy Abunda | |||
| Wednesday, 12 March 2008 00:00 | |||
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If you could see me now, could be a line spoken by Iriga since Nora Aunor left her hometown. Iriga was thrown into the world stage when Nora Aunor became a superstar. To someone who has not been in that part of the Bicol region, Iriga is the place where Nora was born. It is a place where Nora peddled water when water was not yet sold in plastic bottles commercially. Iriga, that picturesque town at the foot of the mountain where it got its name has changed. And if superstar Nora Aunor could only see it now. Mount Iriga is a favorite spot for mountain climbers. Rising some 4,823 feet above sea level, the mountain is a challenging climb and offers a panoramic view of the entire Bicol river basin area. A crater and a gully were formed during the mountain’s last recorded eruption in Jan. 4, 1614. The crater drops some 500 feet depth from the summit. Its cold surrounding makes it a fitting habitat for wild berries and local specie of a pine tree, agoho, which abundantly grows in the area. Regular mountain climbing activities are undertaken yearly. For devotees of Our Lady of Lourdes, Iriga has its Emerald Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, a shrine built atop the historic Calvario Hill. It provides a bird’s-eye view of the City’s Central Business District. This is where the Tinagba Festival culminates with the offering of the first and freshest harvest. During Lent, the Crucifixion scene of the Street Passion Play is often recreated at its ground. If you want to see how Aetas live you can visit the Ilian Tribal Settlement. It is a tribal village located at the foot of Ilian Hill and Mt. Iriga, which provides a glimpse of some aspects of life of the Aetas, like the rinampo, a war dance or the Lancero de Iriga; a modified French Quadrille interestingly preserved by the natives. Inorogan Shrine is built on top of a hill at Brgy. Sto. Domingo to commemorate the miraculous escape from death and destruction of its original inhabitants from the 1614 eruption of Mt. Iriga. An image of the Virgin Mary was believed to have been found by three Aeta hunters at the present site of the shrine. Iriga is also home to the first organized bus transport in the country the A.L. Ammen Transportation Company (ALATCO). It was started in 1914 by former US serviceman, Albert Luis Ammen. It is now the Philtranco and a national historical site. And most important of all, Iriga will always be home of the one and only superstar, Nora Aunor.
Source: DIRECTLINE By Boy Abunda Watch Your Favorite Movies, Tv Shows, News And Sports Anytime You Want Here!
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