Batac's Pride: Empanada and the Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Center

Do you ever wonder if the remains of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos is real or just a wax? And so we headed to the town of Batac in Ilocos Norte to see it for ourselves.

 We hurriedly went to the Marcos crypt because it will close at 5PM and its already 4:45pm. At the door, there were 2 securities to assist you. Picture taking is prohibited inside the crypt. 

Once inside, it was so creepy. There was a instrumental music playing and CCTV cameras and securities. Do not temp or even try to take a picture.

The mausoleum is built of adobe blocks and is stepped towards the top of the structure. The solemn interior is divided into an entry hall styled with old English standards and a bust. The family's mortician confirmed that the corpse is real, although people suspect it is a wax replica, and the real body was secretly buried in ground.

Then we went outside for the museum. There is an entrance fee of Php50.00. We didn't get inside as our minds were still full of what we learned at the Malananang of the North. And we were hungry too.

Few meter away from the presidential center, we crossed the bridge and we were at the Batac Empanada Plaza or now called Batac Riverside Empanadaan right beside the Batac churh.

There were so many stalls that sells the famous Batac's empanada. Its like a big food court. 

There are many variants of empanada. For first timers, we ordered the special. We happened to captured its preparation. 

The empanada taste delicious specially when paired with their local vinegar.

A visit to Batac will never be complete without having a bite of the empanada.

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