Malacañang of the North

Introduction

Malacañang of the North is a famous two-story presidential museum located in the municipality of Paoay in the province of Ilocos Norte. It is just seven kilometers away from Laoag City proper and ten kilometers away from the historical Paoay Church. Malacañang of the North has a size of five hectares or 50,000 square meters that provides tourists with a wonderful view of Paoay Lake. Also, it consists of seven rooms namely the study room, diplomacy room, Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) room, agricultural room, cultural room, family room, and nation-building room illustrating to visitors some of the significant events during the presidential term of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

According to its history, Malacañang of the North was built by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) in the year 1977 as a birthday gift by the former First Lady Imelda Marcos during the presidential term and the sixtieth birthday of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. It is named after the official residence and office of the President of the Philippines (the Malacañang Palace) in the city of Manila. As the years goes by, it served as the official residence of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. family when they visit the province of Ilocos Norte. However, after Ferdinand Marcos Sr. has removed from his power and position in the year 1986, Malacañang of the North was handed over to the government.

Nevertheless, after two decades have passed it was handed over to the Government of Ilocos Norte by the former late President Benigno Aquino III during the year 2010. As a result, Malacañang of the North was renovated and re-established with the help of Filipina politician Imee Marcos and the University of Santo Tomas Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics. Then it was later opened for public viewing as a museum and major historical attraction that exhibits collections and items of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Imelda Marcos as well as his project and public program during his lengthy presidential term in the Philippines. Presently, Malacañang of the North is well known for displaying and reflecting the achievements of the Marcos family during the Marcos administration and it’s one of the most visited museums in the Philippines.

Name: Malacañang of the North
Location: Barangay Suba, Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Features: antique furniture and rooms showcasing the achievements of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. administration

My trip to Malacañang of the North

After we’ve taken our early lunch around 11 am at the Centro Mart food house in Barangay Suba in Paoay, our group decided to enter the Malacañang of the North. At first, we need to pay the entrance fee amounting to 10 pesos each and after that, we started to explore the place. While walking I found out that there were a lot of visitors side by side and the place is so wide that I feel like I’m in a national park.

Then we go inside the two-story museum and I found out that the design is like a combination of Ilocano and Spanish architecture. The ground floor features a huge hall polished with several rustic pieces of furniture. Also, the ceiling is built high, the columns were large and the floors and hallways were so shiny with a lot of rooms, wooden chairs, and tables. Definitely, the museum is bigger on the inside than on the outside view earlier.

After a few moments, we see an enticing veranda surrounded by lush greenery with an overlooking view of the serene Paoay Lake. Then it came into my mind that this Malacañang of the North facing the Paoay Lake is very akin to Malacañáng Palace in Manila facing the Pasig River. For this reason, we stay there for a few minutes to take impressive photos.

Afterward, we go to the second floor and we find out that there were a lot of paintings, posters, furniture, and antiques inside the vast open spaces and rooms portraying the rich history of the place. Also, we see the official master bedroom and several gowns of Imelda Marcos that gave importance to the brilliant Filipino designers and embroiderers. Moreover, we see several pieces of memorabilia with a family photograph of Marcos and I feel like I was transported back in time.

Without a doubt, we have a short glance at the lifestyle of one of the most prominent families in the Philippines. From my perspective, this is a superb place for students and teachers who loves history. Anyway, after a few minutes of roaming around, I fell in love with the cleanliness and well preserve of the place as well as every corner remind me of the history of the Philippines during the Marcos regime. I really learned a lot about the golden era of the Philippines when we were still considered the top five countries in Asia in terms of economy during those times. Regardless we had another group picture taken on the left side of the museum with a big painting of Paoay Church.

I feel satisfied that this kind of museum is open for public viewing and there’s no one guarding the equipment inside. The caretaker or the management of this museum did a good job to have a warning sign for the visitors or tourists to not sit on the chair and bed as well as not to touch anything because the antique items might get damaged.

Anyway before we left the Malacañang of the North, we have sightseeing in the beautiful surrounding of the museum which includes the mesmerizing Paoay Lake, clear blue skies, and a boat racing exhibition. Then we have our group picture taken on the second floor and on the stairs by our tour coordinator on the ground floor. After that, we go down and walked toward the well-established Chinese Garden which is just beside the museum.

Reminders and Tips

• The entrance fee or admission fee in Malacañang of the North is 10 pesos per head.

• Malacañang of the North is open daily for public viewing from 8 am in the morning up to 5 pm in the afternoon.

• It is not allowed to touch any exhibit inside the Malacañang of the North.

• Visitors must bring a handkerchief, especially during the dry season because it gets really hot inside as there is no ventilation.

• Bringing food, drinks, and pets is not allowed and please observe silence all the time while exploring.

• Last but not least, there are stores in front of the Malacañang of the North that serve all-day meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and merienda) including home-cooked Ilocano food such as empanada, bagnet, and Dinengdeng.
  
  
  

There you have it, history lovers. Travel is a never-ending learning experience and we live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. Comprehensively, I hope this blog made you want to visit Ilocos Norte and see the well-preserved Malacañang of the North.