Miag-ao What!?

Miag-ao Church - UNESCO World Heritage Site

The sound of the word is not even heard of in my elementary and high school days.  Miag-ao is not so common a word in Luzon and Mindanao area that pronouncing it is even a more difficult task.  But Miag-ao rings a bell to artists both here and abroad.  Why?, because it is home to a UNESCO World Heritage structure - a church constructed in 1797 in Baroque-Romanesque style courtesy of the Spanish conquistadores.  Its imposing and beautiful facade is testament to a merger of indigent and colonial influences.  It is said that the foundations of the church sink six meters to the ground and its walls are one and a half meters thick while the buttresses are twice as thick.  The church endured a number of strong earthquakes and the intermittent attacks from pirates and Moro marauders.  These features make Miag-ao Church an architectural gem of the country and a must-see tourist destination.

Facade of Miag-ao Church

Seven years ago, I would not have paid attention to this remarkable international accolade this Ilonggo town has received, had we not received a proposal to put up a beautiful memorial park in the area.  A great cloud of hesitation to embark onto this venture was initially felt by the management team as Miag-ao is definitely an "uncharted territory".  Sitting almost at the center of the archipelago, Miag-ao posed a great logistics challenge to the Head Office of Mt. Zion Memorial, Inc.  At that time, the proposal will push the company at least 400 miles farther away from Pasig City.  But the heavens had its own way of contriving circumstances that will bring about the proposal into fruition.  As the time proven chinese adage says, "a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."  And so stepped on Mr. Johnny Fajarillo did, and took with him in his journey Ms. Delia Collado, a Senior Vice President for Sales of Mt. Zion Memorial, Inc.  Together, they talked to Mrs. Erlinda Britannico, former Town Mayor and the representative of the Familia Noble, landowner of the future site of Mt. Zion Memorial Park - Miag-ao. And the rest was history.  The beautiful park now stands proud as a monument to that pioneering spirit 

Now, Miag-ao is not just about UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is as vibrant and as alluring as any of the fast developing municipalities in the Western Visayas Region.  It has Salakayan Festival which rivals the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City and the Sinulog Festival of Cebu City. Miag-aoanons from around the globe fly back to Miag-ao just to see this annual festivity. And if Malong is for Mindanao, Hablon is for Miag-ao.  This legendary hand-woven cloth is one of the most sought after materials by top fashion designers of the country and is slowly etching its mark in the international market.

Now, Miag-ao what!?