Fossilized Flowers, Tilangit and Tubikoy
We came in town when there was a Paskohan at the Capitol Sports Complex ground and one of the booths there showcased these colorful flowers where we found out were Fossilized Flowers made from alibangbang leaves (or butterfly leaves). They consider these craft as the town’s OTOP (One Town One Product) which they largely export to Europe. It’s quite meticulous process as well. The smaller ones are harder to make and are more expensive. These flowers can last for more than a year. A fitting accessory for events or a simple house decor.
If you ask me, there are a couple of interesting products that could pass as OTOP. Their Tubikoy, a rice cake from a delightful mix of tupig, bibingka and tikoy. The other one is their Tilanggit, a dried tilapia danggit version of the province. It is worthwhile to look for these delicacies when in town.
Getting Into Cabarroguis Quirino
Land travel makes most of the access to Quirino province. From Manila, several bus lines like Five Star and Northern Luzon Bus line ply the Manila-Quirino route daily. An alternative is to take the aircon buses taking the Manila-Santiago (Isabela) route. From Santiago terminal there are jeeps to Cabarroguis and other towns like Diffun, Aglipay (for Aglipay Cave) and Maddela.
From Baguio, NA Liner and KMS ply the Baguio-Quirino route daily.
By Air, the nearest airport is Cauayan, Isabela which is 1.5 to 2 hours away by land.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
