Miagao Church: Views from the Bell Towers

For the first part of this post, kindly read this: The Church and Fortress of Miagao

The Miagao Church Fortress has two bell towers that in the olden days doubled as watchtowers to look out into the sea for incoming vessels of Muslim pirates. During the 18th and 19th century, the Miagao town--as well as other coastal towns of Iloilo--was being terrorized by the Muslim pirates.



The Muslim pirates came from as far as Mindanao, spread terror unto the Visayan seas and looted and burned the coastal towns. To defend the towns against these Muslim marauders, the townspeople built churches that also served as fortresses. In the neighboring town of San Joaquin (some 13 kilometers from Miagao), the townspeople even went as far as to build their church with coral stones.



I was fortunate that I had been given permission by the Parish Priest of Miagao--the Reverend Father Amadeo Escanan, H. P.--to climb inside the bell towers and photograph views from within. Normally, the parish no longer allowed the public to climb the bell towers to avoid vandalism, and also for safety reasons: the belfries' windows do not have safety screens, and the towers have already become a nest of bats. The belfries' gates therefore are always locked and the keys personally kept by Father Escanan*.

The left bell tower







The right bell tower







Sacristan Franz Montalban led me to the bell towers. The passageway was steep and narrow.

An 1839 bell. A bell such as this was usually made of old coins donated by the parishioners to the church. The coins were then melted, smithed, and fashioned into a huge bell, such as this one.

The ceiling became the nestling place for hundreds of bats. Many were flying around my head but didn't touch me. Under my feet, I felt some very soft ground. They were piles of bat droppings covering the entire floor. The repelling stench of bat droppings--from the 18th century to the present--is overpowering. Bat droppings are known to carry diseases, so don't do this at home ;)

1882 bell. This is no longer being used. Bat droppings can be seen on top.







Newer mechanically operated bells. These are the ones presently being used by the church.

The Igbaras mountains viewed from the right bell tower. These mountains were the source of the limestones that built the Miagao Church. It was a dizzying height up there in the right bell tower, and I have to be careful of my every step as there was a real danger of falling from it.

The bell towers offer a commanding view of the sea, a perfect lookout post to view the incoming pirate vessels

The entire experience of climbing the Miagao bell towers was something I could not explain beyond words. From the towers, I could visualize the town of Miagao from hundreds of years ago--when the Miagaonons were living a simple rustic life, and their church offered a solid protection from the pirates. The experience with bats flying overhead and making little noises, the flapping of their wings-made me feel being transported back to the olden times of Miagao. The beauty of it all is that the Miagao town is still the same quiet, lovely, rustic town it had always been for centuries--less the marauding pirates of the past two hundred years.

*Very special word of thanks and appreciation to Reverend Father Amadeo E. Escanan, H.P., the Parish Priest of Miagao; Reverend Father Randy G. Doromal, Parish Vicar of Miagao; Parish Secretaries Mss. Ruby Monteclaro, Geneline Felicio, and Joy Marie Nogra; and Sacristan Franz Montalban. They have all been very hospitable and helpful during my brief stay in Miagao.