I often say, just like true love, you looking for until you find it. Such thoughts kept recurring in my mind as I stumbled across the most scintillating gem of a place tucked away in Currimao, Ilocos Norte. Welcome to Sitio Remedios. The surreal surroundings are as black as ebony. Only the moonbeams skimming across the calm ocean water and a few sparkling stars illumine the northern sky. Nightingale voices of precocious children, garbed in their red- and-white choir ensemble as they sing Ilocano love songs, fill the air with magic.

The villas are named after the towns from which the ancestral homes originated. A dear family friend stayed with me at the largest villa called Balay Batac. Batac is popularly known for its famous sons Gen. Artemio Ricarte, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, and Ferdinand Marcos. A major highlight here is the wedding portrait of Mariano and Remedios Cuanang created by National Artist Bencab in his inimitable “Larawan” style. A huge mural by artist Manny Garibay, honoring the bravery of Gen. Ricarte (“El Vibora”), and splendid portraits of Bishop Aglipay and the Luna brothers Juan and Antonio, born in the neighboring town of Badoc, are also featured.

The villas are named after the towns from which the ancestral homes originated. A dear family friend stayed with me at the largest villa called Balay Batac. Batac is popularly known or its famous sons Gen. Artemio Ricarte, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, and Ferdinand Marcos. A major highlight here is the wedding portrait of Mariano and Remedios Cuanang created by National Artist Bencab in his inimitable “Larawan” style. A huge mural by artist Manny Garibay, honoring the bravery of Gen. Ricarte (“El Vibora”), and splendid portraits of Bishop Aglipay and the Luna brothers Juan and Antonio, born in the neighboring town of Badoc, are also featured.