🇵🇭 SAN FERNANDO • (La Union) Pindangan Ruins and the Ghost Story Finale

"I was actually afraid and I asked manong driver to rush going out of the place immediately."

So what about these ruins? For view seekers and sunset chasers, this is not the place for you! It is absolutely not! Because if you try to figure out, what's very beautiful to see in these mossy old ruined structures? A beautiful background for wedding photos? A perfect background for jump shots? Nah! I will not recommend it because for sure it is not for you! But for heritage conservation advocates, history freaks, researchers and ghost hunters (Uh? Yes ghost hunters), this place I am going to feature today is the right place for you. It is called the Pindangan Ruins located in the city of San Fernando, La Union.

Maps by Wikipedia

Location Highlighted in Red

Ok, before proceeding to the ghost finale, there must be always an introduction and let us start with the etiology of Pindangan.

The word Pindangan  is an Ilocano term for "a place where meat is sun-dried with salt for preservation." Because this place is abundant with this Pindang, the place was called Pindangan. 

Pindangan Ruins is the remnant of an old church built in May 6, 1786. That old church was the symbol of the union of 2 (two) sitios called San Vicente de Balanac, a coastal village and San Guillermo de Dalangdang, a village at the foothills of the mountain.

There was a need for union for the reason of mutual protection against their assailants, the pirates and even headhunters.

At the present day, the ruins is located in Brgy Parian.

Now, the reason why I am here is to see the ruins without expecting to see a panoramic view, lels!

Pindangan Ruins is located outside the central business district of the city and I reached this place through hiring a tricycle driver that toured me around the city.

As I entered the premises, it was quiet and the sound of the tricycle I was riding was considerably a noise pollution in the area.

I told manong driver to turn off the tricycle engine as we are approaching the place because there was a service going on inside the monastery called Carmelite Monastery and the noise of the tricycle is such a disturbance to the solemnity of the activity.

There were nuns quietly sitting at the elongated wooden chair in uniform as a priest is delivering his sermon and I can see them inside while keeping my eyes directed to the glass window.

At the ruins, the only remaining structures are the walls that used to confine the faith of people into one religious structure for unity and harmony.

Now, it remains to be just walls and the ceiling which I believe to have amazing architectural design is long gone.

If the Old Daraga Church was destroyed by the Mayon Volcano, this old church in San Fernando, La Union was demolished by an earthquake.

So could you just imagine how destructive that earthquake was that it has made this church now into a ruin and that the people in this place no longer restored it.

It was in 1892 that the church was destroyed and that was 133 years after it's completion.

The church has united the community for more than a century into one house of worship until the earthquake came.

The old walls were just the remaining witnesses of the how this church played its role to the people.

It was about to go dark when I visited this place at about 5:45 in the afternoon.

As I entered the ruined structure the rays of the sun are no longer enough to provide light in the area and it was quite darker to note.

The tricycle driver stayed outside and I entered the area alone. I was just enjoying capturing the walls and doing a self-capture to myself but as I set the timer of my camera in flash mode, surprisingly, the camera didn't flash.

I repeat the procedure and still put on the flash but it didn't work again until for the third time, the flash worked.

As I left the ruins and about to ride to the tricycle, manong driver told me that people in the place are actually afraid of entering the ruins because they have been seeing unusual things there - a priest without a head (they call it pugot in Ilocano) and the priest carries his head with his hands and a nun dressed in white that also appear inside the ruins.

Whooahhh!!! Goosebumps instantly! Could that be the reason why my camera flash didn't work? I was actually afraid and I asked manong driver to rush going out of the place immediately.

I am personally not so afraid of ghosts (ok, not so, meaning I can still be afraid anytime), but with manong's story, it blew my mind away that gave me adrenaline rush.

Important things to know about Pindangan Ruins.

1. Pindangan Ruins is located 500 meters from the National Highway.

2. Pindagan Ruins is just near Camp Oscar Florendo, the Regional Headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP), just in case you are lost in your direction.

3. The Carmelite Sisters, whose monastery is situated behind the ruins take care of the landmark.

4. For people with third eye, please do come here and email me immediately whenever you see the priest and the nun for verification, lol!

------------