Pakil is a town in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. The town is known for its Baroque church, the venerated Marian image of Our Lady of Turumba, and its associated Turumba Festival, one of the longest and most elaborate religious celebrations in the country.
Understand
[edit]Pakil as a settlement had existed long before the Spanish conquest. It derives its name from a local chieftain.
Orientation
[edit]Pakil town center is wedged in a narrow plain between the Sierra Madre Mountains to the east and Laguna de Bay to the west. The creek-like Pakil River passes through the center of town. Transportation-wise, Pakil is bounded to the west by the wide Manila East Road by the side of Laguna de Bay and Tavera Street, a two-lane inner road that runs northwards from Paete through the town center before rejoining Manila East Road at the boundary of Pakil and Pangil. Pakil also has an extensive highland area leading to the boundary with Quezon.
Pakil also has an exclave, Pakil West, on the other side of Laguna de Bay that has a boundary with Mabitac and Pangil and the town of Jalajala in neighboring Rizal Province. This is a less-visited rural area that is accessible from Pakil town proper by boat or a lengthy drive around Laguna de Bay via Pangil, Siniloan, Mabitac and Pangil West, an exclave of Pangil town.
While Pakil Police Station remains in front of Pakil Town Plaza, the municipal hall has moved further north along Manila East Road, near the junction with Pakil-Pangil-Mabitac Road in Barangay Tavera.
Get in
[edit]Pakil lies along the Manila East Road heading to Pagsanjan. Motorists from Manila either enter the town from the south via Pagsanjan, or from the north via Rizal province and Siniloan.
Pakil West is accessible via Pililla-Jalajala-Pakil Road, involving a detour down the length of the Jalajala Peninsula in Rizal, or through Manila East Road, taking a detour to Mabitac and then through the Pakil-Pangil-Mabitac Road.
By jeep
[edit]Pakil East lies along the Santa Cruz-Siniloan jeepney route. Check if the signage includes Paete Loob (Inner Paete for the town center), meaning that the vehicle will pass through downtown Pakil via Tavera Street, otherwise you will have to stop at the junction with Manila East Road and V. Rarela Street on the western edge of town and either walk or take a tricycle to the downtown area.
Transfers to Pakil West can be taken in Siniloan, where infrequent jeepneys to Jalajala pass through Mabitac and Pangil West.
Get around
[edit]
Tricycles are the primary means of transportation in Pakil, particularly if heading towards the upland areas and in Pakil West.
Roads in Pakil's downtown are narrow, and the inner road can get congested, especially during the Turumba Festival and when Manila East Road is closed due to flooding from Laguna de Bay.
Pakil's town center is compact and accessible on foot. The main problem is the absence of sidewalks in many streets, forcing pedestrians to share spaces with parked and approaching vehicles.
See
[edit]- 1 Saint Peter of Alcantara Parish Church (Pakil Church), Tavera Street, Baño (in front of Pakil town plaza, across the old municipal hall). Museum: Closed Sa-Su. The church was built in the 18th century and features elaborate Baroque carvings in its plastered, cream-colored exterior. Its interior consists of an ornate altar, a holy water font carved with a resemblance to a gargoyle, an old painting of the Final Judgement made by artisans from neighboring Paete, and folksy, vibrant ceiling frescoes inspired by Sistine Chapel and the town's devotion to Our Lady of Turumba, a venerated painting of the Virgin Mary that washed up in the town. The second floor of the adjacent convent houses the Turumba image itself, while the ground floor contains a museum about the Turumba and a souvenir store.
- 2 Mount Ping-as Pilgrimage Park, Baño. A hilltop Roman Catholic pilgrimage site featuring the Stations of the Cross and a Hollywood-like Pakil sign.
- 3 Turumba Spring Resort. Pakil prides itself on its pristine spring waters coming from the Sierra Madre, such that even local floods sometimes produce a blue-green rather than mud-brown color. The resort, which is supplied by natural spring water, is also said to have therapeutic and even miraculous powers, with pilgrims to the Turumba Festival also coming to bathe or drink the waters to bolster their experiences.
- 4 Estaca, V. Rarela Street. A small wharf over the Pakil River with panoramic views of Laguna de Bay and Pakil town itself.
Do
[edit]- Turumba Festival. Regarded as the longest religious festival in the Philippines, lasting from April to October, although in practice the festivities are only done on 11 occasions between those said months. It is held to honor Our Lady of Turumba, a painting of the Virgin Mary regarded as miraculous and involves participants dancing and singing as the image is taken from Pakil Church to the streets for a procession.
- 1 Clemente Campsite, Dorado, Pakil West, ☏ +63 923 484 2419. An upland resort nestled in the Mount Sembrano range.
Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]Stay safe
[edit]In the rainy season, Laguna de Bay can overflow, resulting in the blockage of Manila East Road. Likewise, flashfloods can happen within the town center due to the Pakil River, which can become a raging torrent.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Pakil |
| Pililla ← Pangil ← | N  S
|
→ Paete → Pagsanjan |