Apao Rolling Hills

Posted on by Loneprowler

In 2016, I went to Abra to visit Kaparkan Falls and see the countryside as Ceenan, my lower batch in college, had suggested. To my utter amazement, I found that Abra is a beautiful place, with lots of potential for tourism.

My one week stay in Abra is productive yet insufficient because of the hassle of travelling from one municipality to another. I was not able to see Kaparkan Falls because there was a raging low pressure that time and no motorized bike would be hired because the road was almost impossible to pass because of continuous torrential rain. So I asked my guide-cum-driver if he could accompany me to Piwek Rock formation. Unfortunately, the water is so high that it is unsafe to continue the plan.

On our way to and from the river going to Piwek Rock formations, I saw verdant rolling hills and was awed by its beauty. The guide told me that it what we saw covers mostly Barangay Apao but also nearby barangays. I took some shots and I just named it Apao pastureland in my mind, because that is its main purpose. A year or two later, tourists called it Apao Rolling Hills, and it got stuck.

The hills near the municipal hall has actually a road on its base. I hoped then that it should not encroach the higher parts of the land as it will destroy the view.

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Embedded image below gives you the details of Apao Rolling Hills as seen in Google Map

When I went there in 2016, it was fortunate (though the swollen river stopped me from visiting Piwek Stone formations and Kaparkan Falls) that it is rainy season, thus the hills have that verdant green color. However, the fog has blanketed the mountains and hills that I cannot have a good view of the farther hills.

To give comparison of the place during summer time, the hills would look brownish with patches of green bushes. An example would be seen in the embedded image below from Fren Fries blog article (Tingga, 2018).

Other Notable Tourist Spots in Abra

There are a lot of tourist destinations in Abra with Kaparkan Falls at the helm. Others include Kili Falls, Tayum Church, Cassamata Hill National Park, Tayum Church, Apao Rolling Hills, Sibud-Sibud Cave, Libtec Crystal Cave, Calaba Bridge, Don Mariano Marcos Bridge, Piwek Rock Formations, Tangadan Tunnel, and many more.

References

Tingga, F. (2018). Abra. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from Frenz Fries blog site https://diytriptravel.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/30ec0-asc_003.jpg.

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Don Mariano Marcos Bridge: 3rd Longest Bridge in the Philippines

Posted on by Loneprowler

As rivers in Abra snakes around the province, the construction of bridges is but necessary to connect towns. One of which is the Don Mariano Marcos Bridge, one of the longest of its kind in the country.

The name of the bridge has a history, unlike other bridges being named to the place where it is located. The bridge was constructed in the early 1970s and when it was about to be completed in 1974, the Provincial Board and the Mayor’s League of Abra inked a resolution on 08 February 1974 to “name the new bridge, DON MARIANO MARCOS BRIDGE, in memory of the man, who, during those critical days of the Japanese Occupation saved a vanquished people from the mire of despair into which they were arbitrarily cast by their victors (PD 422, s. 1974).” This was then adopted as Presidential Decree No. 422, series of 1974 when it was signed on 27 March 1974.

The Don Mariano Marcos Bridge is the third longest of its kind in the country. Its total length is even longer than Calaba Bridge spanning 886.812 meters across the Lagben River connecting municipalities of Tayum and Dolores (The Philippine Star, 16 April 2017).

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Below is the Google Map of Don Mariano Marcos Bridge which crosses over Lagben River.

The bridge is painted with red, giving a warm aura during sunset.

To give justice to the beautiful scenery along the bridge, I have embedded a photo from Marc7travels website (Del Rosario, 2017) below.

Other Notable Tourist Spots in Abra

There are a lot of tourist destinations in Abra with Kaparkan Falls at the helm. Others include Kili Falls, Tayum Church, Cassamata Hill National Park, Tayum Church, Apao Rolling Hills, Sibud-Sibud Cave, Libtec Crystal Cave, Calaba Bridge, Piwek Rock Formations, Tangadan Tunnel, and many more.

References

Del Rosario, M. (2017). Aba! Abra! Aba! (Unlocking Abra’s landlocked beauty). Accessed on 27 June 2019 from https://www.marc7travels.com/marc7-travels-blog-entries/aba-abra-aba-unlocking-abras-landlocked-beauty.

Presidential Decree 422, series of 1974. Naming the bridge across the Abra River linking the municipalities of Tayum and Dolores, Abra, as “Don Mariano Marcos Bridge.” Accessed on 27 June 2019 from http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1974/03/27/presidential-decree-no-422-s-1974/.

The Philippine Star. (16 April 2017). Uncovering Abra. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from https://www.pressreader.com/.

Calaba Bridge: Connecting People

Posted on by Loneprowler

Bridges are primarily built to connect places with a body of water or a ravine in between. However, the case of Calaba Bridge, the longest Modular Bridge ever constructed of one Austrian company, connecting towns of Abra, has also become a tourism fixture along the Scenic Abra river.

Before its construction, the people need to cross the Abra River to go to the other side using a ferry. This, however, posed danger to the people during rainy season where the water is turbulent. Further, transporting heavy trades and goods along the river is quite expensive as well as time and effort consuming.

Project Details: Waagner-Biro

The Calaba Bridge in the Philippines is currently the longest Modular Bridge ever constructed by Waagner-Biro (2012). It measures 900 meters and covers the length of the Abra River. Further, according to the Austrian construction company, for the people of the area, the Calabra Bridge represents a great relief, because, in the past, they were restricted to using a ferry to cross the river which interrupted its service during high waters for safety reasons.

It was completed in the year 2010 under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects and now connects three municipalities across the Abra River, namely La Paz, Danglas, and Lagayan to Bangued and other parts of the province.  More importantly, the bridge serves as a primary link to the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Cagayan, and other urban centers in the region and even cuts driving hours by one hour when connecting to Laoag City International Airport (Benas, 2010) .

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Satellite image of the bridge from Google Map is seen in the embedded map below.

I took the following image as well as the header image when I visited the province in 2006. Never did I imagine that such bridge of monstrous size is connecting peoples in Abra.

The embedded image below is taken by the Austrian construction company upon its completion in 2010. (Photo source: Waagner-Biro)

To give a different view of the bridge from the two previous images, I embedded another image from Tupang Gala (2015).

Unfortunately, as the bridge has a moderate traffic when I went there, I wasn’t able to take a photo at the middle of the bridge. Here is another embedded image (Cabigas, 2014) to give justice to the allure of the bridge.

Other Notable Nearby Tourist Spots

There are a lot of tourist destinations in Abra with Kaparkan Falls at the helm. Others include Kili Falls, Tayum Church, Cassamata Hill National Park, Tayum Church, Apao Rolling Hills, Sibud-Sibud Cave, Libtec Crystal Cave, Don Mariano Marcos Bridge, Piwek Rock Formations, Tangadan Tunnel, and many more.

Reference

Benas, B. (2010). Calaba bridge links Abra, Baguio Midland Courier, 2. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from http://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/abra.asp?mode=%20archives/2010/may/5-2-2010/abra4.txt

Cabigas, E. (2014). A 900 meter bridge over stunning scenery in Abra. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from Langyaw website http://langyaw.com/2014/08/17/900-meter-bridge-stunning-scenery-abra/.

Tupang Gala. (2015). Bangued: Calaba Bridge, bridging hope for Northwestern Abra. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from Tupang gala website http://www.tupanggala.com/calaba-bridge/.

Waagner-Biro. (2012). Calaba Bridge. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from Waagner-Biro website https://www.waagner-biro.com/en/divisions/bridge-construction/references/reference/calaba-bridge.