One could easily spot an old pueblo in the Philippines based on the age of the main parish church in the town. It was so since during the stretch of the 333 years that the Philippines was under colonial Spain, the establishment of a town is dependent on the establishment of a parish. The town of Kiangan, however, old as it is as a settlement, did not have its own parish until the Spanish have already left and the Americans have taken over. Such is a telling testament to how hard it was for the Spanish to subdue the highlands who had to setup their pueblos in the neighboring province of Nueva Vizcaya.

What is hence considered as the oldest parish in one of the oldest towns is relatively young. The Mission Parish of St. Joseph was established by Rev. Fr. Jerome Moerman of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1910. The original church building was destroyed during World War II. The second and current church was built in 1956.

St. Joseph Mission Parish in Kiangan, Ifugao.

The current church, dedicated to St. Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is in Baroque style. Aesthetically superior for its relatively small size, the church prominently stands with its two towers and a central dome. The mission parish is located within the grounds of St. Joseph School of Kiangan.

It was just a little past 07:00 AM when we arrived in the mission parish church. It seemed to us that the morning Mass has just finished as church ladies were just about finished sweeping the church floor. The timing was just perfect as we were able to go inside.

The interior of the church is in no way less beautiful. The touches of wood and other elements traditional to the Ifugao perfectly incorporated to the church interior design complements the overall serenity of the sacred space.

As it is in all the churches that we visit, we offered our prayers and some moments in silence, just appreciating the solemn atmosphere that the church embraced us with. On our way out, Mama exchanged some pleasantries with the church ladies who kindly asked where we hail from. They welcomed us with warmth upon learning that we came all the way from Bulacan and are exploring their province as a family.

Having given our thanks in prayer in the mission parish church, we headed for a quick stop at Ambuwaya Lake which was just around six minutes away from the mission parish. The small lake, famously named so because of a fabled legend of a crocodile which used to inhabit the waters, is usually described as a beautiful place of nature where one may spend time in relaxation. Such description was enough for us to check the place. Unfortunately, it was not as good as it was described anymore, at least visually speaking.

Ambuwaya Lake and what was left of its fabled beauty.

The thing with Ambuwaya Lake is that for some reasons, the lakeshore were surrounded by concrete platforms, as if building a flood control dike all around the lake. It does not make any sense. The lake is not massive and it is located in a place of considerable height—a mountain no less. What damage could occasional increase in depth of a tiny lake potentially do?

Rather disappointed that the lake we saw was nowhere near the way it was described in travel accounts, it was just me who went out of the car to take photos of the lake. While not particularly fond of what I saw, the lake somehow still mirrors the placid beauty that it was, keeping in its stillness the past of its fabled glory.

From a place of faith to a lake of fabled beauty, we headed on to continue our Ifugao journey. It was still early in the morning and our spirits have already been filled with excitement as to what more was in store for us. Eventually we would realize that there was still more to what we expected. Way too much more.