PIDDIG MARCH (Piddig, Ili A Nadayag)

Harmonica Solo Performed by: Melchor Jaramilla

THE SAINT ANNE PARISH CHURCH FORMALLY CLOSED

 

  The Saint Anne Parish Church of Piddig was formally closed to the public last September 14, 2014. Earlier, engineers from the National Commission for the Culture and Arts (NCCA), Provincial government of Ilocos Norte, Municipality of Piddig and the Department of Public Works and Highways declared the building  "unfit for human occupancy".  This prompted the Sanguniang Bayan of Piddig to pass Resolution 2014-09-138 declaring the building unfit for human occupancy and must be closed.

The Church after World War 2

       Founded in 1810, The Saint Anne Parish Church is the only church in Ilocos Norte to be built on top of a hill. It is also the only old church in the country that does not front the west.  Experts say the facade is inspired by the baroque Jesuit Church in Il Gisu, Rome that was built in 1568.

Post War Photo

       The Saint Anne Church had been a part in our country's struggle for independence.  It became the headquarters of General Manuel Tinio and his guerrillas while they were repelling advancing American soldiers in August of 1898. The parish priest at that time, Fr, Jose Castro joined the revolution and later became the first priest to join the Philippine Independent Church founded by General Gregorio Aglipay in 1902.

Picture taken before World War 2 (1937)

     The upper portion of the bell tower was toppled in a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in March of 1931. In the picture above taken in 1937, the bell tower was not yet repaired.

Sumken Lattan' Laguip photo

 (The Sain Anne Parish convent after the war, became the Saint Anne Academy in 1965)

       During World War Two, the group of  Captain Perfecto Doña and Captain John P. O'Day whom they called the 121st Infantry Regiment camped in the church and convent buildings. This was  a guerrilla group who just picked up the regiment's name to give credence to it. The guerilla group however was locally known as "pilpilmi" because they called themselves as "pilpilmi a soldado ti Pilipinas" (real soldiers of the Philippines).  O'Day's leautenant, certain Sgt. Manuel Bumatnong also known as Sgt. "Sagad" (broom) was known as the executioner. The goup before coming to Piddig had killed a lot of people in La Union, Ilocos Sur and Abra on the suspicion that they were collaborators of the enemy.  Not long after their arrival in the town, they summoned all the residents to the town plaza and executed the mayor, the former mayor with his two sons and four more other individuals.  They executed more the coming days including a group of farmers who were harvesting rice in Barangay Tangaoan. For some locals, the guerilla group did more cruelty when compared to the Japanese Imperial Army. O'Day ordered the locals to supply them rice, firewood, animal meat, fish and other foodstuffs  and grass for their horses. They even conducted dances and parties where local girls were used as entertainers. Failure of the residents to please them always meant severe punishment or death.

        O'Day's cruelty ended only when General McArtur's forces headed by Captain Valera landed in Ilocos Norte.  O'Days' 121st Infantry Regiment was put under the Command of General Russel Volkman's USAFNL based in Luna, La Union. As more guerillas were assembled in Piddig for the final assault on the remaining strongholds of the Japanese Imperial Army in northern Luzon, the 15th Infantry Regiment was born. The 15th Infantry Regiment Memorial was erected at the town plaza (see picture below) just in front of the Saint Anne Church. This serves as a reminder of the role of Piddig and the Church in the liberation of the country during the Second World War.

The USAFNL 15th infantry Memorial

Sumken Lattan' Laguip photo

     The 15th Infantry fought side by side with the other guerilla groups  under Col. Volkman in hunting the remaining Japanese forces in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union,  Bessang Pass and Benguet where they captured General Yamashita. In return, the Saint Anne Church suffered severe damages caused by bullets from caliber 50 machine guns and bombs from Japanese Army planes. The enemy soldiers on the ground torched the whole of Piddig. After the onslaugh, only the church ruins were left of Piddig. The rest were just ashes. Piddig was the only town in Ilocos Norte to suffer this much because it was the resistance capital of Ilocos Norte and Northern Luzon.

       The church was finally restored in 1965. The convent ruins was made the Saint Anne Academy.

(L-R): Rev. Erickson M. Josue. Diocese Historian; Most Rev. Renato P. Mayugba, Bishop Diocese of Laoag; Mario Tejada, SB Secretary; Mrs. Delia Bayag; ABC Pres. Georgina Guillen; PPC President Edward Pascua; Antonio Ventura; Mayor Eddie G. Guillen; Rev. Lawrence Torreflores and ex-District Engr. Leonardo Foronda.

       The fate of the Saint Anne Church is still hanging. The engineers from the NCCA has yet to decide if the building is fit for renovation or not and if it is qualified to become a historical site. Once qualified a historical site, the government can help in the restoration. But the process will be a long one.

NAMES OF PARISH PRIESTS STATIONED IN PIDDIG

(Thanks to: Piddig Ili a Nadayag)

Rev. Antonio Veytia 1720-1721

Rev. Francisco Xav Cordova 1721-1722

Rev. Josef Cortez 1722-1724

Rev. Tomas Torres 1724-1747

Rev. Antonio Mariano Perez 1747-1748

Rev. Matias Echev 1748

Rev. Guillermo Pimentel 1748

Rev. Manuel Gomez 1748-1789

Rev. Sebastian Delarea 1750

Rev. Agustin Nabarro 1751

Rev. Manuel Ortez 1751

Rev. Juan Solasano 1752

Rev. Nicolas Pardes 1753-1755

Rev. Manuel Pinto 1755-1759

Rev. Gabriel Santos 1760-1761

Rev. Pedro Moslanes 1762-1764

Rev. Manuel Albarez 1765

Rev. Santiago Jovar 1766

Rev. Basilio Marcos 1767

Rev. Venancio Fernandez 1768

Rev. Jose Cuadrado 1769

Rev. Juan Garcia 1770-1781

Rev. Diego Saiar 1781-1782

Rev. Agustin Sasamendi 1782-1783

Rev. Diego Saiar 1783-1787

Rev. Gregorio Rivera 1788

Rev. Jose Gallego 1789-1795

Rev. Vicente Febaez 1796-1801

Rev. Agustin Diez 1801

Rev. Lazaro Teaño 1802-1803

Rev. Juan Antonio Fernandez 1807

Rev. Antonio Nuñez Garcia 1808-1809

Rev. Juan Duquenay 1810-1811

Rev. Juan Victoriano 1811-1816

Rev. Juan Lippo 1817-1821

Rev. Estanislao Bumatay 1822-1823

Rev. Isidro Champaner 1823

Rev. Agustin Diez 1823     

Rev. Isidro Champaner 1824-1840

Rev. Gelacio Salez 1841-1846

Rev. Felipe Fernandez 1847-1859

Rev. Ruperto Rodriguez 1860-1863

Rev. Cecilio Diaz 1863-1864

Rev. Ruperto Rodriguez 1865-1867

Rev. Mariano Fabricas 1868

Rev. Felipe Fernandez 1868

Rev. Melecio dela Cruz 1868

Rev. Victoriano Alonzo 1869-1871

Rev. Juan Tallo         1872-1874

Rev. Lizardo Villanueva 1875

Rev. Juan Tallo         1875

Rev. Mariano Ortez 1875-1878

Rev. Roque Erraste 1879-1885

Rev. Agustin Garcia 1885-1886

Rev. Manuel Fox 1886-1888

Rev. Juan Callejo 1889-1898

Rev. Jose Castro 1898-1909

Rev. Pablo Evangelista 1910-1913

Rev. Teodicio Agcaoili 1914-1917

Rev. Juan Velo         1919

Rev. Arsenio Pacis 1932?

Rev. Manuel Aspiras 1961

Rev. Domingo Ll. Albano ------ - 1977

Rev. Ananias Bonoan 1977-1980

Rev. Pedro A. Acoba

Rev. Teodoro Remigio

Rev. Roberto Batoon

Rev. Agusto T. Acob

Rev. Romualde Batoon 2003 - 2007

Rev. Joel Reynold P. Castillo 2007 -2014

Rev Lawrence Torreflores 2014-

Augustinian Rev Manuel Madriaga – first resident priest

PIDDIG WANTS TO REVIVE DALLOT

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=678327075571725&set=vb.350346495036453&type=2&theater