The Great Amianan | Ferdinand Marcos Presidential Center, Ilocos Norte
Ferdinand Marcos Presidential Center was our first stop for the tricycle tour. This is also happens to be the ancestral home of the Marcos Family.
It also houses the infamous ghostly cenotaph of the Martial Law regime, the well preserved corpse of the late president Marcos.
Batac, Ilocos Norte, is dubbed as the home of Great Leaders, with the insignia and slogan flashing loud and proud against the plaza grounds.
A Haunting Encounter with a Dictator
Picture taking is not allowed, the entrance to the mausoleum involves some strict security measures and the insides of it were equipped with CCTV cameras. The main wooden door are guarded by two wooden eagle sculptures. Upon entry, the whole place were deprived with natural light, the interiors are flushed in black paint up to the higher spans of the ceiling.
Eerie classical music filled our ears, and will warrant goosebumps as soon as we set foot into the red carpet. Then there he is, the late President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos laid in an eternal unrest.
His remains was transported back to Batac from Oahu, Hawaii in 1993 after succumbing to Lung Cancer. His frail little figure was far from the once powerful physique that I have seen in documentaries and textbooks. After the encounter with the late president, we then paid for a Php50.00 museum fee and proceeded to the second floor of the ancestral home.
Update: As of November 2016, his remains were re-interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery) in Taguig. A replica made up of wax remains to be displayed inside the coffin in Batac. This event was uncalled for and was tagged by the masses as the “Last Betrayal of the Marcoses”. Like a thief in the middle of the night, his remains were air lifted from Batac to Taguig and the processional march instantly came into life at the cemetery with his immediate family behind the funeral carriage. News spread all across mass media like wildfire, with mixed reactions varying from rage, contentions to vindication.
Memorabilias
The second floor of the Ferdinand Marcos Presidential Center houses several memorabilia of the Marcos’ family. It ranges from his stint as an official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines down to assuming the highest seat in the country as the President.
One should also not miss the Dragon Fruit flavored ice cream peddled in the streets of Batac while enjoying the view of the nearby plaza and the Church of Batac.
How To Get There
- From Manila, take any Laoag, Ilocos Norte bound buses (Partas and GV Florida), travel time takes 9-11 hours.
- Alight at Batac Junction, the Ferdinand Marcos Presidential Center is just across the Main Plaza
