The Gabriela Silang Monument is the centerpiece of the Abra Welcome Park. It is a park located at the foothills of the Narvacan-San Quintin mountain ranges.
» The best way to learn about the meaning of this structure is to ask the creator, but I don't know where to find the creator. So, it remained a mystery...
» My young self would react that it was not about how subjectively beautiful a place is. My purpose then was not just to talk about the great and famous places but also to write stories about random encounters in my adventures.
🇵🇭 SAN QUINTIN » ABRA
I came up with the idea that no province should be considered inferior compared to other provinces. Every place has its own beauty and identity.
There are just things that could be seen and events that could be experienced in a certain place you couldn't find anywhere else.
► Backstory
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This encounter with the Gabriela Silang Monument is part of a larger scheme of things in 2012. From
▼ VIGAN, my brother and I rode our Honda Beat 2009 model to Abra, and this monument is one of the stops of that scooter adventure.
As I entered Abra, I took time to visit the park called Abra Welcome Park in Brgy Tangadan of the town of San Quintin.
► Not a Tourist Attraction?
I think it's safe to say that this park does not have the charisma to attract tourists or travelers alike. Like any other parks or plazas in the Philippines, this one looks very usual—with a monument and picnic tables; but why do I still care to write about it?
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🇵🇭 SAN QUINTIN » I climbed the monument, and my brother took this photo. |
My young self would react that it was not about how subjectively beautiful a place is. My purpose then was not just to talk about the great and famous places but also to write travel diaries about random encounters in my adventures.
I got more excited when I blog about places that are mostly off-topic in the blogosphere. Of course, aside from the fact that I also wanted to trailblaze new search terms or topic on Google, I find it fulfilling to give my first perpective online (this was my mindset in 2012).
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🇵🇭 SAN QUINTIN » I found this silent corner of the Abra Welcome Park in 2012. |
The Gabriela Silang Monument is the centerpiece of the Abra Welcome Park. It is a park located at the foothills of the Narvacan-San Quintin mountain ranges. The nearest public facility from the park is a military detachment.
► Connecting and Digging the History
There was this feeling in me that I wanted to learn more about this park. I wanted to bring out what this park is all about, including the meaning of the things I was seeing at that time, while I trace the history of those.
In my previous post about the
▼ TANGADAN TUNNEL 🇵🇭 SAN QUINTIN » Tangadan Tunnel: Decoding the Symbolism
The construction of the tunnel started in 1934, an imperative need to divert the old road which was very steep and difficult to negotiate...
where I also investigated about its history, I still considered it to be mysterious for being unable to confirm my theories and others' theories. However, those theories are still oh-so-good to think about.
At the Abra Welcome Park, I wanted something more—discover and dig its history. Yes, it's just a usual park that people may not care at all. Having a picnic at the picnic tables or just enjoying the fresh breeze would already serve its purpose. However, that's not enough for me. I wanted to dig deeper. From the very start, I knew that this park is not ordinary if only I'd learned about the reason behind its existence.
I saw a monument of a horse with a woman riding on it. The woman must be a fighter or a heroine. I found out that she was Gabriela Silang, the brave woman who fought for the North's freedom by resisting foreign invaders. How was I able to learn that she was Gabriela Silang? Well, it really helps to read the markers you see everywhere.
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🇵🇭 SAN QUINTIN » Gabriela Silang rides a horse in this sculpture depiction. |
Here I am again, interpreting things from my lens and limited knowledge. I was wondering why she was riding on a horse here. I believe there was a meaning behind.
The best way to learn about the meaning of this structure is to ask the creator, but I don't know where to find the creator. So, it remained a mystery; though as I always say, there is no such thing as mystery because there is always a reason for everything. What made it mysterious is the fact that I couldn't explain the reason (in 2012). If I would find the reason, that's not a mystery anymore (at least on my part).
► Digging the Roots
Everytime I see a monument, I have some degree of goosebumps. Not that I am afraid of it or it is creepy, but I am so much invested in the wisdom and the craftsmanship behind these monuments and structures. Every detail has a reason.
That is also the reason why everytime I enter a place, I try to look for a museum first. If there is a museum, that would be my priority to visit. Museums paint colors on a certain portion of the gray area in my head. Museums tie the broken strings and continually stretch these strings to find great web of connections.
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🇵🇭 SAN QUINTIN » My brother posed for a photo with the Gabriela monument. |
For this monument of Gabriela Silang, there is a horse. Looking back on some of the theories I have discussed in my Tangadan Tunnel post, the province of Abra used to be the Horse Capital of the Philippines; and the horses here are the "fighter-types" with the same breed used by the Mongolians in creating a big empire (this is a theory from one of the Abrenians I have talked with online). Moreover, the horses used to freely roam around Abra those times that you could just get one and domesticate it.
This monument builds a connection with the previous status of Abra. This monument shows Gabriela Silang using a fighter-type horse used for battle or revolution. What emphasized the fight-scene of Gabriela Silang is the bolo she is handling.
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🇵🇭 SAN QUINTIN » The Tangadan tunnel is located just behind the Gabriela Silang monument. |
So why Gabriela Silang is here in Abra? The residents of Abra claim that Gabriela Silang was born in the town of
▼ PIDIGAN through her Itneg lineage coming fro her mother; although some versions of written history also say that this great Pinay hero was born in the town of
▼ SANTA in Ilocos Sur. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that Gabriela Silang is both a daughter of Abra and Ilocos Sur.
► What's Next?
Our motorbike went off-the-road. We took an unfamiliar road which was our first time to hit.
We reached the dead end of the road, and arrived at a place with a lot of pebbles, stones, and huge rocks. There are trucks that do quarrying too.
But wait, there was also a river... a great river. In here, we met local residents, and more adventures awaited us here leaving our motorbike behind. I never expected those things to happen at all. This place almost brought me to a place connected to local mythology and legends. To be continued...
This is Part 2 of the series: "My First Abra Ride Adventure in 2012"
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
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UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST
2025-August-13:
• Historical information corrected: Gabriela Silang's Abra connection arises from her Itneg mother, not her Cariño bloodline.
2025-July-31:
• The article was rewritten, proofread, and revised (injecting both 2012 and 2025 perspectives). Lay-out aligned with other pages.
2012-October-05:
• This post was published.
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.
LATEST STORIES COVERING SAN QUINTIN • SEE ALL IN A SEPARATE WINDOW 
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.
