From the Colorful Ducks to the Heritage Plaza: Discovering the Lakeshore Towns of Victoria and Pila

When I am going to travel in the Laguna Loop, I always made a stopover to Calamba in order to ride a jeepney, passing the towns of Los Banos and Bay via National Highway to Sta. Cruz. The travel offers a stunning view of the legendary Mount Makiling in the highways of Calamba and Los Banos up to the golden rice fields as well with the verdant trees and lush ornamental plants and trees in the corners of the streets in Bay and Calauan. In addition, you can see the mountains of San Cristobal and Banahaw as you drive in the National Highway to Santa Cruz. It is always the usual route to pass the first two towns in the loop which became popular with ducks and poultry industry as well with the century-old houses and the heritage plaza in the town proper. 

The Duck Junction in Victoria-Calauan Highway.

As you enter the loop, the first thing that welcomes you is the monumental and colorful duck statues in the town of Victoria. It is one of the lakeshore towns in Laguna de Bay, bordered by the towns of Bay in the west, Pila in the northeast, Calauan in the southwest, and Nagcarlan in the southeast. The town was formerly a barangay of Pila and became a town in 1949 as the youngest municipality in the province. 

The colorful and huge duck statues in the Victoria-Calauan Highway representing the abundance of poultry industry in the town.

As you enter the town, the huge and colorful duck statues in the junction of Victoria-Calauan road known as the Duck Junction welcomes the travelers. This landmark symbolizes the poultry industry through numerous duck farms and poultry products such as balut (boiled fertilized duck egg), itlog na maalat (salted duck egg) and kinulob na itik (deep-fried duck). In addition, the town became one of the locations of the Detour task in the fifth season of U.S. reality show "The Amazing Race" where the teams accomplished flocking ducks to the cages and plowing the rice fields with the use of carabao. Lastly, Itik Festival was also celebrated in Victoria, along with its founding anniversary, to commemorate the abundance and richness of poultry industry in Victoria, earning its moniker, "The Duck Raising Capital of the Philippines".

The golden rice fields of Victoria in harvest.

When I visited the town, I noticed the golden green rice fields of Victoria that teemed with the view of the mountains of San Cristobal and Banahaw from faraway. The people were friendly as well with the fact that every corner you can see duck farms and duck products store. Therefore, Victoria is a town which can competed with the Pateros in terms of the progressing duck industry in the town and you can enjoy the visit to this simple town because of the friendly people and the rural ambiance.

The view of the Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua from the municipal hall.

Five to ten minutes away from the town of Victoria, you can reach the town proper of Pila where you can see the heritage houses built from the Spanish era. In addition, the plaza is very extensive, and the church and the town hall were adjacent to each other which reminds me of the Spanish period society. Therefore, the houses located in the plaza represent the families who belong to the elite society.

Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua or simply called as Pila Church.

Pila Municipal Hall which was built in 1939.

The facade of Pila Municipal Hall.

Before the Spaniards arrive in the Philippines, Pila and other lake shore towns in the Laguna de Bay are the oldest settlements in the area where archaeologists gathered artifacts which was dated during the Tang Dynasty. Then, the Franciscan friars evangelized the people of Pila in 1578 and they built a church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua. In addition, the Philippines' oldest dictionary was published in this town in 1613. At the beginning of the 19th century, the church was transferred from Pagalangan to its present site because of frequent flooding in the area. Recently, the National Historical Institute declared the town plaza and the surrounding ancestral houses as a National Historical Landmark. In 2002, the Diocese of San Pablo, proclaimed the parish church of San Antonio de Padua de Pila declared as the Diocesan Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua.

The heritage houses along with the progress and urbanization of the town.

The century-old houses in the town plaza.

One example of old ancestral house in Pila Heritage Town.

Pila Delights and Plaza Delights are two of the old convenience stores in town.

Another ancestral house in the town center.

As I walked in the town plaza, I noticed the old houses which was built in the Spanish era was still standing and also, I had a chance to visit the Pila Museum where I saw artifacts from the pre-historic era as well with the town pictures from the Spanish period. According to Filipino historian Luciano Santiago, it is the only town in the Philippines which was formally recognized as a historical site by both the church and the state.

Therefore, my visit here in Pila is all worth it because of the historical time travel by taking a glimpse on the plaza which reminds me of the elite society during the Spanish colonization. In fact, the town reminds us to preserve our culture and heritage despite of the modernization and urbanization happening in our country in order to look back in our ancestral roots. After Pila, you may go ahead to the provincial capital of Santa Cruz.

How To Get There: From Calamba, you can take the National Highway passing the towns of Los Banos, Bay and Calauan which lead you to the town of Victoria and Pila.

Date of Travel: October 29, 2011