By Amads Ma. Guerrero Philippine Daily Inquirer <\/p>\n
ARRIVING at one of the Hundred Islands. Photo by Amads Ma. Guerrero <\/p>\n
The top tourist attractions in Pangasinan are religious, the miraculous Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine, for instance, and secular, like the Hundred Islands National Park, which the Philippine Tourism Authority has turned over administratively to the City of Alaminos headed by Mayor Hernani A. Braganza. <\/p>\n
There was a grand total of 183,000 visitors to the Hundred Islands last year, of whom 171,926 were domestic tourists and 11,077 foreigners. This compared to a total of 154,425 tourist arrivals in 2011. <\/p>\n
The Hundred Islands account for 72 percent of tourist arrivals in Pangasinan, Braganza said. So there has been a dramatic increase in the number of tourists in Alaminos and also in the number of hotels. <\/p>\n
THE VIEW from Governors Island. Photo by Amads Ma. Guerrero <\/p>\n
We were in Alaminos182 kilometers north of Manilarecently for the San Jos Gali-la Festival. Gali-la is a Pangasinense term roughly translated as come join us. St. Joseph is the patron saint of the city. The imposing parish church is named after Jesus father on earth, and around the church and plaza you still see a number of well-preserved ancestral homes. <\/p>\n
Alaminos longganisa <\/p>\n
A highlight of the festival was an Alaminos longganisa (native sausages) eating competition. These are said to be all-natural with no preservatives, and always come with two sticks (instead of the usual cord) which hold the sausage in place. Alaminos longganisa is one of the best ever, boasted the master of ceremonies, City Tourism Officer Miguel L. Sison. <\/p>\n
Majestic St. Josephs Parish church. Photo by Amads Ma. Guerrero <\/p>\n
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Native sausages and more islands<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Amads Ma. Guerrero Philippine Daily Inquirer ARRIVING at one of the Hundred Islands. Photo by Amads Ma Continue reading