In the watchful eyes of a traveler, the province of Nueva Ecija has always been seen as an area in the northern plains that has everything to do about the country’s agriculture.
Being the largest province in Central Luzon and contributing the largest portion in the nation’s rice produce, Nueva Ecija has been dubbed as the “Rice Bowl of the Philippines.” It is also known as the “Dairy Capital of the Philippines,” mainly due to the Philippine Carabao Center headquartered in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. And, the province remains to be the top producer of onions in the whole country.
Zooming in on one of its municipalities, we take a look at Pantabangan town which has moved from one location to another, and its people continuing to thrive amid its move in the 1970s.
In 1973, Pantabangan’s original location was submerged underwater and became part of the Pantabangan lake due to the construction and eventual operation of the irrigation dam, also named after the town.
The water collected at the Pantabangan Dam became pivotal for Nueva Ecija becoming and continuing to be the country’s main rice producer.
We must not discount the fact that the people of Pantabangan sacrificed their hard-earned land and houses, and their livelihood, to give way for such a mega infrastructure project.
For heritage advocates and most especially those who once lived in the now submerged location of the town, the nostalgic feeling brought by seeing the old community reappear during several days of severe low rainfall and scorching heat, is so true.
The jump-off point towards this destination is found at the Intang View of Pantabangan reservoir, located more than 200 km from Manila, interested visitors can check out Pantabangan Dam’s updated water level on PAGASA’s website. The generally recommended reservoir water level for a worthwhile visit would be 175m or less.
Upon arriving at the registration area in Barangay Intang, the entrance fee is PhP30 per head, and the 3-person capacity boat ride towards the old town would have a rental cost of PhP300. One could also visit the Pantabangan Viewing deck.
Alighting the boat, visitors can also see the remnants of the 1825 Saint Andrew Parish Church, the Jose Rizal Monument Town Marker, stage ruins of Norma’s Auditorium, and the old Municipal Hall steps.
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