By Leilanie G. Adriano (Staff Reporter)
LAOAG CITY—An idyllic cove with crystal clear waters at Sitio Pagetpet, Brgy. La Milagrosa in Badoc, Ilocos Norte is gearing up for a much-needed facility improvement while tourists are not yet allowed to visit here due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent years, the town of Badoc that hosts the La Milagrosa Cove and the Minor Basilica of Saint John the Baptist had drawn foreign and local tourists for devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To keep up with a growing interest in faith tourism under the new normal, the Ilocos Norte government through members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has approved a total of PHP5 million as additional funds for tourism facility improvement.
According to provincial tourism officer Ianree Raquel, "part of the improvement includes the establishment if at least five comfort rooms for female and four for male.” In addition, there will also be three urinals for male.
"Both male and female comfort rooms will also be made accessible for persons with disabilities including two lavatories with three faucets each for hand washing,” Mr. Raquel explained in an interview.
As the cove is also an ideal site for swimming, the provincial government will also construct at least eight shower units in the area.
Following the approval of the budget sourced from the realigned funds supposedly for the improvement of the convent ruins in Paoay and the allocated budget from the Provincial Tourism Office for the improvement of government-owned tourism facilities, Mr. Raquel said the construction will start anytime soon.
History has it that Badoc fishers retrieved the image of La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc from the sea of Badoc, Ilocos Norte and Sinait, Ilocos Sur in 1620.
Accounts say it was found in a box together with the revered image of “Santo Cristo Milagroso de Sinait” or the “Crucified Christ”. Historians later learned that the people of Badoc wanted the Crucified Christ brought to their chapel, while the ones from Sinait wanted the Lady for the Sinait church.
But when the people of Sinait tried to carry the Lady image, they could not. The same is true when the people of Badoc wanted to take home the Crucified Christ. They eventually exchanged images and surprisingly, they were able to lift the images easily.
For them, this indicated that the Crucified Christ is meant for Sinait and the Lady is for Badoc.
Inspired by the La Virgen Milagrosa folk tale, the provincial government initiated the annual conduct of the La Virgen Milagrosa Festival in 2012 as a tribute to La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc and later on adopted as a provincial patron of the province.