I regularly feature most of my travel stories as  part of my work as a freelance writer but I still love visiting other blogs looking for new destinations that not are commercialized. Clicking one link to another lead me to an article of CNNGo, a collaboration of six local Asian CNN websites that covers travel and lifestyle.

Unseen Asia: 25 of Asia’s most overlooked destinations

I am a travel writer, so checked their list mostly from Vietnam and Indonesia and on the 21st place is San Joaquin Iloilo, specifically the church of this town. I was astounded for there are many unseen destination is the Philippines alone and San Joaquin is close to our current location.

San Joaquin is the southernmost part of Iloilo, it borders the province of Antique. From Iloilo City, it would more than an hour to reach this calm coastal town.

Here is what CNNGo wrote:

In a province crammed with Spanish colonial monuments, you’d hardly think that a little church tucked away in a sleepy town would cause a stir.

Wrong. The little-known San Joaquin Church in the Filipino province of Iloilo is a shocker. Instead of limestone bricks and Virgin Marys, its bass relief disquietingly depicts a bloody battle scene, complete with rifle action and men jostled off horses.

The only church in the Philippines with a “military theme,” the San Joaquin Church was erected in 1869 to commemorate how the Spanish thrashed the Moors in the Battle of Tetuan.

The church stands in the seaside town of Iloilo, which has one of the most gorgeous sea coasts in the Visayas. A flight from Manila to Iloilo takes an hour and most of the city’s destinations are accessible with a Jeepney.

The facade depicts the victorious scene of the Battle of Tetuan by the Spanish forces against the Moors. Such victory happened while this church was constructed. That is why I tilted my post as “Militaristic Church of San Joaquin”.

Here are some closer looks of  its facade. Notice the horses and the men in turbans. If you have a 20/20 vision, you can see some carved figures of men falling from their horses. Brilliant isn’t it?

San Joaquin is really “neglected” by many travelers because it is a little bit far from the capital city of Iloilo. And as I mentioned in my entry for San Joaquin Church, Miag-ao Church ( in a town just before San Joaquin) is a great “competition” for this humble work of art. Most travelers “give up” the adventure on traveling all the way south since they think that Miag-ao is already the climax of their journey.

But aside from its church, San Joaquin is also famous for its cemetery.

It lies just before the town proper, along the highway so it is easy to spot this heritage structure locally known as Campo Santo or “Holy Camp”.

You don’t have to be into architecture or arts to admire this..

Click here for my entry on San Joaquin Cemetery.

As a seaside town, its rigid coast is truly picturesque. A paradise for shutterbugs.

Reading CNNGo’s list, I felt very proud. Yes, it is something that we should be proud of. A secret place for those who truly understand travel.