Some Sparks of Palawan Beauty

Palawan may be the final frontier to some but it is far too inaccessible as most people thought it could be.  Geographically, the island group is far from the Visayan island cluster, separated by the vast Sulu Sea and the flanked by several groups of reefs. But Palawan itself is opening its doors for sojourners to come and be enchanted by its natural beauty.

Of the several jewels that the island has, the St. Paul Subterranean River is its priced possession. Renamed as Puerto Princesa Subterranean National River National Park, it is a Natural World Heritage Site that is in contention for the new 7 natural wonders of the world.

The underground river is found within the limits of Puerto Princesa City. Before we embarked on a long drive to the central west coast of Palawan, our dear friend had already secured a permit for us to visit the heritage site.

Unique in Palawan, tourists who want to visit the underground river must secure the permit as part of the LGU’s objective to limit the the number of visitors to 700 a day. Boats getting in and coming out of the cave is limited.

Tourists may avail of shuttle or vans going to and leaving Barangay Sabang. The road going to St. Paul Bay is good in most part of the stretch. A portion of the road going to the Sabang shoreline is currently under repair.

It took us more than an hour to reach Sabang. Several view decks could be found along the way.

This is taken from view deck at Buenavista. It offered a scenic view of the bay. This is fronting the South China Sea and is at the opposite side of Puerto Princesa City. The long road trip to Barangay Sabang offered a view of Palawan’s vast forest cover. The hills and the mountains slopes are still covered with green but save for a few portions of the highway where one could still see some stone quarrying.

From Buenavista to Sabang, the road slopes down and winds for several stretches until the coast that is dotted with restaurants and resorts. To get to the mouth of the cave,  we took a motorized banca (boat) and crossed to the other side of the bay. We passed by several huge limestone formations and went around some majestic limestone cliffs before the boat beached on a short stretch of white sand.

From the beach, we took the short wooden trail toward the entrance of the cave. The trail ends up to the wooden hut where the eco-tour staff gave instructions for the underground river cruise.

This is the entrance to the undergound river. The mouth of the cave releases the brackish water into the aquamarine pool. The pool itself feeds a short river that joins the small bay.

This is what I needed to visit Puerto Princesa: the underground river cruise.

We were instructed to don our life vests and to wear hard hats for the cruise. The site staff advised us not to leave things in plastics bags because they would find their ways in the hands of the monkeys. Primates abound in the area and they are notorious for stealing food from tourists, most especially if the food are placed in poly ethylene bags.

It was time for us to enter the bat cave.

The natural beauty of the cave system was unfolded as we passed through the underground river. The boatman cum tour guide informed us that we would only reach 1/8 of the entire lenght of the river or roughly 1.2km in and another 1.2 km back. This section is from the mouth of the cave system and stretched to the portion that resembles a long mine tunnel.

The long stretch of the cave system offers some of the most beautiful stalactite and stalagmite formations. Some take the form of animals, vegetables, biblical figures, and whatnot.

The resident bats were taking their naps but a lot of the “balinsasayaw” or those species of birds whose nests were harvested to make bird’s nest soup, come to play near the spotlight.

  

Inside the cave, the only source of light is from the spotlight of the boat. It’s pitch dark and cold inside. Water drops on some part of the cave. Some of this water continue to feed the stalactites where minerals are deposited. These minerals provide the color and the sparkle in most of the the formations.

We  were told that the caves were discovered in the 19th century. Several speleologists and cave adventure seekers have already checked the entire system. I suspect that during the second world war, people might have sought shelter here.

Of course the most famous discovery ever in a Philippine cave was the skull of a man, though not in the cave where the undergound river flows but it’s found in a cave at the west side. Palawan has the oldest fossilized remains of a human being, which was called the “Tabon” man. The remains are showcased at the Palawan museum.

The subterranean river cruise has made me appreciate the beauty of nature when it is not disturbed or destroyed. Palawan itself still has vast forest cover and undeveloped shorelines.

Maybe the local government had its hands in keeping everything in its original state. As in the case of the underground river, efforts have been made to keep it the way it should be.

So it took us about 3 hours to explore the allowed length of the river. When we returned to the station, we were pretty much happy about the one of a kind experience.

We went back to Sabang Beach and had a brief stop at a resort for a late afternoon lunch. From Sabang, it’s another 2 hours drive to Puerto Princesa City proper.

The following day,  my dear friend toured me around Puerto Princesa City. At one end of the main road, Rizal Avenue is the city cathedral. The blue gothic church is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

   

The iglesia sits on an elevated spot overlooking the shores of Puerto Princesa. The first mass in Palawan was celebrated in 1872. The church was built several decades later. The church has two tall gothic spires. The blue hues homogenizes the blue Puerto Princesa sky.

To the southwest of the church, facing Rizal Park is the Plaza Cuartel. This spot is an old garrison that was severely damaged during world war II. A small marker was erected inside the park to remember the 143 american soldiers who were burned by the Japanese forces inside the tunnel.

Two blocks away from the churchyard is the Mendoza Park. The Palawan Museum sits on one side of the park, it is being housed inside the old Puerto Princesa City Hall.

The museum was not open on Sundays. I did not have the opportunity to see the remains of the Tabon Man. The museum has a collection of artifacts and relics from the Tabon Cave. Reputedly, these remains are from the early Filipino ancestors.

The museum is now managed by the National History Foundation of Palawan and the City of Puerto Princesa. The collection includes ethnological and archaelogical artifacts. Most importantly, the museum showcases the artifacts from the Tabon Cave.

North of Mendoza Park and a few blocks from the Holy Trinity College is the bayside promenade. Most of the residents refer to this promenade as Sa Baybay. It is patterned after Manila’s Baywalk, with colorful lamposts and reddish brick paths and modern sheds.

 

Sa Baybay is adorned with colorful fish figures and Puerto Princesa’s emblem –the peacock. It faces the little cove that cradles several small fishing boats. The promenade is a bit long, one end connects to the port area.

Then there’s this bronze statue of a maiden found off the promenade. It faces the open sea, one hand is raised palm open to let the birds feed on some morsel. She may be the princess, the symbol of someone ready to embrace tomorrow.

Puerto de la Princesa. Puerto Princesa. It is sparkling in its natural beauty. I am pretty much sure that I would be coming back Palawan and explore the rest of the natural gems.

Fascinated by the Churches – Part Trois

I’ve been to Boljoon several times now. But each visit is definitely different. This time Bro Bear and I got the chance to visit the museum and took pictures of the watch tower and the adjacent cemetery.

The church’s roof was replaced with galvanized sheets. The shingles (tisa in local term) were taken out and down as part of the restoration program. According to the villagers, the parish is still gathering funds to buy the shingles that would be placed on top of the existing roof.

With the roof in place, the wooden ceiling has finally given protection. We were able to get near the altar and took pictures of the old wooden retablo and the images.

Looking at the retablo made me remember Bro Bear’s explanation of the words horror vaccui. It’s made of hardwood that were probably taken nearby. The retablo is painted in white and gold but were made colorful by several small patterns and in-lays.  The people of Boljoon should be thankful that in spite of several raids and attacks, their beautiful church was spared.

Boljoon now has the oldest remaining original stone church in Cebu. The church is more like a baroque-rococo style, with thick walls made of local stones and lime. Possibly because it served as a fortress during the Spanish colonization, and with the efforts of Fr. Julian Bermejo who ordered a dozen or so watchtowers built as a defense network, the church of Patrocinio de Maria survived.

We had a glimpse of Boljoon’s historical and cultural significance when we visited the museum at the ground floor of the church’s convent. Bro Bear had great accounts and thoughts on the musuem and the church complex in his site. Click Bro Bear.

From Boljoon, we travelled back to the town of Alcoy and visited the church of Sta. Rosa de Lima. Alcoy is known for its  dolomite and reputedly it claims to have one of the biggest dolomite deposits in the world. Dolomite is a sedimentary carbonate rock containing calcium magnesium carbonate with several industrial uses.

The church is found a block away from the highway, slightly elevated and hidden by rows of trees. It looked modern now but traces of the old church remained such as the clover-like window at the pediment, the decorative pillars and its gothic style.  The convent still retains its old form.

We did not linger much in Alcoy for we moved on to the neighboring town of Dalaguete. It was long known before that the St. William Parish church resembles the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Argao. Dalaguete’s church was newer (built in 1802), but that of Argao is better-planned.

The form and structure of the church (a pseudo-rococo) is much like the Argao church with the facade divided only by four ornately-carved vertical lines that extend up to the pediment. A small niche could be found atop the main arch flanked by windows on both sides. It also has a camarin delos campaneros or the bell-ringer’s quarter, that low structure connecting the church and the bell tower.

And just like Argao church, it has a striking painted ceiling and wooden retablo. It was painted in the 1930’s by Canuto Avila. In and around the church complex are old structures like the watchtower that looks like an elevated gazebo, the old church perimeter wall, the mortuary chapel  (osarium) with some stone carvings and the huge convento.

 Our visit to St. William the Hermit Church (San Guillermo el Ermitano or St. William the Great) was the last stop before we returned to the city. In two days, we rounded up 14 churches in 13 different southern towns.

Driving back to city and passing several town, I realized that Cebu has several jewels still scattered in several areas down south. These gems may have been preserved and protected under the cloaks of faith and the religion that primarily served as a front for the island to kneel in front of Spain, Cebu’s old churches are living reminders of how life was centered on this faith, centuries and centuries ago.

Personally, it was a visita iglesia a bit of spiritual undertaking but mainly it was more for cultural and historical appreciation and awareness, a re-trace of my roots and beginnings as a Cebuano, an acceptance of the past and an enlightenment or understanding of what I have become.

I fully accept the fact that I would never be allowed to get hitched in any of these old churches. But knowing that the people before us had put in hard labor, blood, sweat and life to erect these structures of worship that protected my ancestors against attacks, raids, storms and wars, it is but fitting that at the very least I should come and visit these churches and express my heartfelt gratitude for the life I have now.

Fascinated by the Churches – Part Deux

I was supposed to wake up early Saturday morning of June 13. But I decided to let go of the chance to seize the sunrise in Alcoy. I needed time to rest from the long drive through the southern towns of Cebu.

Of course I was not alone. Bro Bear was in town to share this experience with me. We spent the previous night here at Bodo’s Bamboo Bar Resort. It’s relatively new, built a few meters off from the national highway and located on a hill overlooking the sea that separates Cebu from Bohol.

There may be some parts of the services that the resort may have to polish but I must say it was generally good. The resort has free wi-fi, the food was great but it was served way too long. And the place really is good ”pit stop” from a long drive.

As we left the resort at 10am, I recalled the churches we visited after the destroyed church of Moalboal.

Before one reaches the public market of Badian, one has to make a full left turn to an inclined road leading to the municipio, the district hospital and the old church.

This is the Church of St. James the Apostle. Compared to the churches in other towns, Badian’s own is a bit small. But researchers find resemblance of the now-destroyed Moalboal church to this one. The pediment was supported by four massive columns, two of which have intricate floral carvings.

Except for the tiles of the roof, much of this church’s upper section was preserved.  It has no transept but the nave is clearly divided into three parts by two rows of columns that support a loft and the pulpit. The intricate design of the canopy of the pulpit, still remains at the right side of the nave.

We headed down to Alegria. A mass was being held for the dead so Bro Bear and I had to be content in taking a couple of pictures from outside. The structure seemed to be as old as that of Badian or of Dumanjug, having built in 1857 but nonetheless interesting.

 

It had a single central tower as the church’s facade. There are three arches from the base of the belfry itself plus the three arches that serve as the entrance to the church. It has no transept, only a long and lofty nave.

This photo was taken from a seaside restaurant in Alegria. Across this strait is Negros Island. We took a break from our church visits and we found this eating place across the church of St. Francis of Assisi that served us with carbonara, calamares and pancit.

Malabuyoc’s church is also a jewel in the south. The facade is still intact with a simple pediment and one single arched door. A six-sided belfry is attached to the 19th century church of San Nicolas de Tolentino.

After the idle town of Malabuyoc is Ginatilan. As we reached the poblacion, the sky had brought in the rain clouds and it started to cover Ginatilan with darkness and swift breeze. Bro Bear took photos of the church’s unique tower.

San Gregorio Magno Church is almost 180 years old. Its bell tower continues to dominate the town’s skyline. Unmindful of the impending shower, Bro Bear and I walked around the church and found a green corner behind the belfry.

The church served as a marker of a town that has yet to start its journey towards development. Ginatilan holds the late pre-hispanic burial grounds in Brgy. Guinaran. It also hosts several old structures and ancestral house which the local government listed and declared as cultural treasures. A block away from the church is the Puerta del Marina.

The church of San Gregorio Magno is still the primary spot to be visited in Ginatilan.

Its tower is 4-sided, made up of five levels with at least an arch window in each side except on the topmost level where circular windows were placed. The single spire pierced this southern town’s skyline.

Bro Bear and I decided to retreat to the car and leave the town before the rain was about to fall. From Ginatilan to Samboan, we drove through several kilometers under the downpour and crooked roads.

Similar to the churches of Moalboal and Badian, the Churh of St. Michael the Archangel sits on a hill overlooking the coastline of Samboan.

This church was built by people from Alegria thru forced labor. Until in 1880, Alegria along with Oslob was pert of Samboan. Several meters from the church and convent is the watchtower, found at the landing of Escalon (Jacob’s Ladder). The old grotto can also be found at the opposite corner.

Part of my roots is in Samboan. It’s the birthplace of my dad. In this very church, dad was christened and given a name which I am also carrying now. Seeing the interior of this neo-classical church, with its huge wooden retablo, the old choir loft and the pulpit, made me think of the days when dad wished and prayed for a better life. His intentions may have been heard here and I thank the heavens for the roots that were anchored and always will be anchored in Samboan.

From Samboan we sped down and up to Alcoy where we had our  ’pit stop’ at Bodo’s Bamboo Bar.

 

(to be concluded)

Fascinated by the Churches – Part Un

I finally had the time to take photos of the old churches in Southern Cebu. While most people decided to celebrate Independence Day with family and friends, I drove down to the southern towns and marvel at the churches that I visited.

Several months ago, I stood in front of the churches in Carcar, Argao, Boljoon and Oslob and I walked around these places of worship to see if there were old buildings and houses as well. 

Some of the old stone houses and buildings have been brought down and were replaced with newer structures.  Churches on the other hand could not be easily replaced.  Thankfully, in almost all the southern towns of Cebu, much of the old forms of these worship sites have been retained.

This is the old church of San Fernando, Cebu. It is dedicated to St. Isidore the Laborer. The parish recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. The church is gothic in style and it made me remember the Sta. Ana church of Molo, Iloilo.

Like most gothic-styled churches,  this church has lancet arches, grouped in three with the center being the main door and two small arches that have steep and pointed openings on the side that traced the niches of the missing religious stone figures.

The San Fernando Church being gothic-styled had its version of the rose windows. The most intricate window could be found at the center of the facade. The church interior on the other hand had been altered, save for the high-pointed arched windows and doors which allowed the light to penetrate and strike the transept and the nave.

I moved on, more than a dozen kilometers away, beyond Carcar and into the poblacion of Sibonga. A typical Spanish colonial set-up, the town center is the plaza that is surrounded with the presidencia (town hall), the escuela, the iglesia and of course the convento.

The town’s church wasbuilt in honor of  La Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragoza. Just like the San Fernando Church, it is gothic-inspired. It’s high and massive; the facade is flanked by two bell towers with plain spires. The facade is rather plain with a rose window being the only detail at its pediment. There were three arches with the center being the main door. At the tip of this arch is a crown of leaves.

The facade may be simple compared to its interior. The church was built according to the design of Fr. Maranon. As the town flourished as the tobacco center in the island, male residents were forced to work on the church’s structure. Several interruptions in the construction were either caused by natural calamities or the revolution.

But in 1907, the church was finally restored. Personally, the most beautiful part of the church is its ceiling. A certain Raymund Francia painted the wooden ceiling in themes of red and brown.  Looking upwards, I remembered similar ceilings in Argao, Carcar and Boljoon.

Supporting the ceiling are several wooden arches.  The two rows of pointed arches cut the nave into 3 parts.  It may not have a transept but the altar and the retablo are crowned with the painting on creation.

In the same compound as the church, a huge convent was constructed like a stone house. It was built in similar way as the church: through forced labor or polo.

The structure has seen better days. The rooms and the halls were emptied of its colonial past. Nothing could be seen at the ground floor, except for the semi-circular wooden details on some of its walls. The office of the parish is in one of the rooms in the ground floor.

Near the side entrance of the convent are flights of stairs leading to the second floor where the priests live.  Lights entering the 3 windows at the landing hit on the wooden floors of the convento’s sala. Huge grilled square windows come face to face with 4 old paintings that were framed in gothic arches. One huge painting on the wall may have been the focal ornament of what used to be the dining hall of the friars.

In Sibonga, the popularity of Simala as a pilgrim site has grown so fast for several years now. It is found at the town’s interior, at Lindogon Hills where the church sits on a huge complex that houses the Marian Monks.

I have made a couple of visits to Simala before and I have seen how the church is continuously constructed and expanded. Even up to now, the church remains unfinished. Several infrastructure and amenities like decent comfort rooms and covered walkways are yet to be installed.

From Sibonga, I drove back to Carcar to re-fuel and hit the road leading to the southwestern towns. The first stop was the Santa Ana Church in Barili.

Barili used to be the biggest parish in the south. It is also one of two secular parishes outside of the Cebu City. Near the main entrance of the church, a billboard of  Santa Ana Shrine Museum was placed at the left side. It showed how huge the structure was. 

The present state of the church is a little different from what it was before. The detached bell tower was gone. A new tower is now attached to the church. One could still see the old stone layers at its base but everything else are plastered with cement.

I thought at first that Barili, being one of the most interesting towns in the island, holds a cluster of old buildings and houses. The encomienda started way before the 17th century. The parish was established in 1614.  Barili used to have a thriving tobacco industry. Somehow, tobacco was replaced now by their most famous product: Shamrock delicacies. Much of its past are reflected though on a dozen or so ancestral houses. A long pre-war building still stands today: the Hospicio de San Jose de Barili was founded by Don Pedro Cui and his sister Benigna.

It was said that the Japanese forces landed in these very shore of Japitan on April 10, 1942. The troops then captured the town and established their Barracks in Barili.

A little down south is the town of Dumanjug. At the poblacion across the public elementary school is the St. Francis of Assisi Church. A lot of visitors claimed that this is one of the most beautiful churches in southwest Cebu and I could see why.

They say that it’s style is neo-classical. The bell tower is almost cylindrical. Taking a closer look, the belfry actually has 12 sides. The pale coral stones add to the aesthetics of the church.

The church was said to be designed and built by local inhabitants. The colonial structure was made of local stones, limestone and native wood.

The founding fathers were said to be Capitan Municipal Pedro Ricamora and the town curate, Father Agustin Melgar.

The town’s name is a story in itself. Dumanjug was a contraction of “Duman” and “nahulog”. Duman was the most famous ”tuba” gatherer in the village. He has had several coconut trees. On the day that the spanish civil guards visited the place, Duman died from a fall from one of the trees.

The Spanish guards asked for the name of the village but the natives could not understand what the visitors were asking. For the lack of answers, they merely responded “si Duman nahulog” (Duman fell).

The visitors thought that it’s the name of the place. Hence, the village was called Dumanjug. A statue near the town’s agora was erected as a marker of the origin of the town’s name.

I was very excited to drop by the poblacion of Moalboal, a town known for its Panagsama Beach, Pescador Island and of course its dive sites. I wanted to see their old church.

Back when I was still young, I remembered how the church looked. It was made of coral stones that were darkened by the salty breeze and moss. The old wooden doors were huge. The church sits on top of hill which was just a few meters from the highway.

This particular visit to Moalboal church made my heart sink. It is quite difficult to understand why the parish priest insisted on bringing the church down. A lot of people say that the church must have to go because the columns and the support are already weak.

The priest opted to build a new church beside the old one with the money collected from the parishioners, not considering the historical and cultural value that the old church has.

The parish priest left the town and was assigned somewhere else, but he would always be remembered for leaving the old church in ruins. From the rubbles of stupidity, only the facade and the altar remained standing. The church floor was still intact.

No one could say what the parish plan to do with what’s left of the church. But there’s an unofficial moratorium on any further demolition of the place of worship. It’s disheartening to take pictures of the destroyed church, knowing fully well that its destruction was not caused by a natural calamity.

Moalboal is left with a marker similar to Macau’s St. Paul Church ruins but it was done in poor taste. The priest may have been possessed by some weird and unheavenly spirit that eventually consumed him in shame. It’s the first time I’ve seen an old Cebu church in this sad state.

(to be continued)

IDK, But IMO It’s AFD

Monkeyshines and tomfooleries rise like the tides comes the first of April. I would be wondering what pranks I would have to suffer or what embarassment I have to endure when the clock strikes 12 to mark April Fool’s Day.

I wish that I would not receive any news that the 3 hostaged ICRC workers  still under the claws of the Abu Sayyaf group are already beheaded. Or that former President Erap Estrada would team up with Loren Legarda and run for the presidency once more.

Or that the April Fool bug that would be unleashed today would wreak havoc and scare the hell out of the netizens and the slaves of information technology. I would not try to validate possible news that fuel prices would go down because in the first place, it’s been rising like crazy.

Could we have a version of the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest? Would the local giant networks broadcast something about trees in the Cordilleras that bear pancit noodles and are being harvested by the Igorots in similar fashion as picking strawberries in La Trinidad?

Or would there be any news that The Philippines would be qualified to compete in the World Cup in South Africa next year? Or that fast-food giant Jollibee would be bought by McDonalds and the Regular Yum with cheese would be renamed Burger McJolly with yummy keso?

 Hmmm. There’s so much material for April Fool’s stories. I bet cellphones would be busy with prank calls and text messages.  Meantime, here in Northern Mindanao, my work continues as the jokes and shenanigans of the day work on those who were made to believe that they are true.

A BirthDay at the National Museum & at the Park

It’s Brother Bear’s Birthday. We spent the day with our friend Apo at the National Museum.

The National Museum of the Philippines was used to be the old Congress Building. Once it was white but now it was painted cantaloupe melon. Found at the Rizal Park, at the Teodoro Valencia Circle, the museum is now the repository of some of the most important treasures of the country. Housed in this building are the works of Juan Luna, Felix Hidalgo and a host of national artists.

The main display at the National Museum is the Spoliarium.

It’s such a different experience when I saw the Spoliarium with my bare eyes. Juan Luna painted a huge painting; it almost filled up the entire wall. With its sheer size, the painting is the centerpiece of the entire collection of paintings in the museum.

I remembered Badoc, Ilocos Norte. Bro Bear and I insisted that the hotel driver should bring us to Juan Luna’s Birthplace. At the Juan Luna Shrine, I came to realize that the painter was from a wealthy family, him being sent to Ateneo de Manila and eventually to Madrid to finish his studies at a colegio de bellas artes.

Looking at the painting that brought recognition to the Philippines, I thought about the huge amount of money that was needed to buy oil paints and brushes and the canvass made of poplar to come up with such a huge artistic undertaking.

Bro Bear discussed about the life of Juan Luna and how interesting and shocking his life was, especially at the time when he murdered his wife and his mother-in-law.

Many has provided reference to The Spoliarium as a representation of the condition of the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era where abuses, maltreatment and discrimination were deeply felt and observed. Juan Luna’s use of warm colors such as red and green may have some relation to his observation of the Filipino society. The colors have deeper meaning than its aesthetic value.

Apo, Bro Bear and I may have stood in front of the painting for a long time. I believed that the masterpiece had been rightfully placed in the museum. This painting had caused quite a stir in Rome, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona. Some recorded accounts state that it is “the largest work, the most frightful, the most discussed work in the Exposition, more than a painting, it is a book, a poem; something more than mere mechanism of a genius, of the art composition..”

Juan Luna’s Spoliarium is just one of the many treasures of great importance to the Filipino people. At the old Finance Building where the Museum of the Filipino People has currently taken residence, another great treasure is the Manunggul Jar.

This burial jar was found in a cave in Palawan by Robert Fox and Miguel Santiago and is believed to be at least 2800 years old. Our ancestors used to keep the bones of dead relatives in these jars.

What is remarkable about this jar is its cover. On top of the lid is an anthropomorphic set of figures that represents the soul of the the dead that is believed to be transported to the next world or afterworld. Two figures sat on a boat, the dead on the front while the other holds the paddle that would steer the death boat.

Bro Bear and Apo discussed extensively what anthropomorphism is all about. I tried to understand why this pre-historic jar is considered a national treasure. It may be generally because the artifact greatly described how our ancestors practiced their belief on death and the afterdeath. It painted the way our forebearers communicate with the souls of those who died before them. That indeed during those era, the early Filipinos already have the concept of afterlife.

Anthropomorphic indeed. Seeing or envisioning the activities after life as counterpart of man’s current behavior and belief. Our ancestors really have the capacity to think beyond their life, giving qualities to inanimate objects or representations thereof.

I came to realize that the it’s not only in Palawan that the burial jars were practiced. Similar practice was noticed in Maitum, Sarangani where anthropomorphic jars were also found. Our ancestors had their own way of dealing with death and dying.

From the National Museum, Apo, Bro Bear and I proceeded to a Campo Santo in Manila.

This is the Paco Park, a circular shaped cemetery built in 1700s for the wealthy aristocratic families in Manila. A huge mortuary chapel (the chapel of St. Pancratius) could be found at one section of the inner circle.

Also found inside the park is the Shrine of Dr. Jose Rizal. The national hero was interred here after his execution in Bagumbayan.

The inner circle that houses several layers of niches was added with another concentric wall to accomodate additional remains.  On top of the new wall, a promende or pathway was built.

We loitered at the circular promenade. Within the inner circle, students were having rehearsals for a Noli Me Tangere scenes. Paco Park has been the venue for several outdoor weddings, concerts and plays. Apo, Bro Bear and I decided to make it the venue for camwhoring.

The park was also used by the Japanese forces as a fortification against the 148th Infrantry battalion of the US army. Paco Park ceased to be a burial ground since 1912 but decades after, the campo santo was converted into a park by President Diosdado Macapagal.

With the restoration already placed, Paco Park has provided the public with quiet times and shelter from the hustle and bustle of Manila.

And Bro Bear had the wonderful time of spending his birthday thru art and history and his closest friends.

Kankabatok Tacloban – Part deux

I looked up to the tiled ceiling and traced the outline of the rusty hexagon that was fixed on the varied hues of brown. It held the less ornate chandelier that had lit the main door of the Sto. Nino Shrine for several years.

It used to be the presidential house, built by President Marcos, along with 28 other rest houses. This one was specifically erected in Tacloban City because it’s his wife Imelda’s hometown.

Tacloban City’s patron saint is the holy child – the Sto. Nino. The reason for the transformation of the presidential rest house into a museum for religious items had not come into being. My perception is that there was an attempt to erase the ugly face of the martial law or the Marcos regime on that house. Those who were close to the dictator’s family had hidden that gloomy decade of political unrest and disgust on the government by changing this house at Rizal Avenue into a showroom for the devotees of the Sto. Nino.

I am still not convinced with the idea of trying to infuse religious theme into a house that showcased the lavishness and the misappropriation of wealth during that regime. The house was not built for the devotees. It was erected for those who were devoted to power and wealth.

Looking at the house now, I noticed its sullen atmosphere that would sometimes create a feeling of peace and tranquility. The silence was brought about by sheer misconstrued purpose of the Sto Nino Museum.

I asked people around and checked on how they would describe the museum and what’s inside. Most of them answered that it’s Imelda’s house filled with her shoes and stuff. A few people mentioned about the Sto. Nino and other religious items. 

Tacloban can be identified with Imelda and the Sto. Nino. Imelda and the devotion to the Sto Nino are two exclusively different events. Before I reached the Sto Nino Shrine and Heritage Museum, I had passed by the coral-colored church.

Sto Nino Church is located several blocks away at the corner of Rizal and Zamora streets. The church’s belfry dominates the skyline of Tacloban. The bell tower is attached to the church facade.I

It is also called the Church of Liberation. Some websites mentioned that the Sto. Nino icon that is still housed in this church was the same icon that was lost in January 1899 in the boat SS Luzon when it was supposed to be brought to Manila. The image was said to be discovered by fishermen in Semirara Island several months after. An article by Agnesdv in Bananacue Republic had made mention that the the ship had caught fire when it was on its way to Manila for vestment change and retouching for a fiesta. To save the ship, the crew had to unload the vessel by throwing off the heavy wooden crates to the sea. One these boxes contained the image.

The crate labeled “Tacloban” had drifted to the islands near Mindoro. A tribe had found the crate and in the records,  people from the tribe began to idolize the beautiful icon.  Negotiations were made to return the image to Tacloban and in June of the same year, about six months since it was deemed lost, the Sto. Nino returned home.

The devotion was strengthened when on June 30, 1899, the day of His return to Tacloban, the image was paraded on the streets of Kankabatok with people believed to be healed and the cholera outbeak that was believed to be stopped thru prayers to the holy child.

Facing the church is the Rizal Park and Kanhuraw Hill that houses Tacloban City Hall. Tacloban was chartered as a city in 1953 but its history could be traced back as far as the time when it was still a barrio of Basey, Samar. From that time until the first cornerstone  for the city hall was laid in 1954, Tacloban grew in economic and historical importance.

Balyuhan (Balyuan) Park is in front of the city hall. This green patch is overlooking Cancabato Bay. It slopes down the hill crossing Magsaysay Avenue. A bit down the hill is the Tacloban amphitheater.

It’s recently rehabilitated with a brand new cover installed not only for the June festivities but also for activities scheduled year-round. The steel and tarp cover was damaged during typhoon Frank in 2008. There used to be a Balyuan Tower that stood in the middle of the amphitheater.

It has become the latest symbol of Tacloban since its elevation as a highly urbanized city. At night the site is well-lit. Even when viewed from afar, the structure commands wonder and awe.

It’s looking out to the sea, towards the east where the sun would rise. Tacloban, just like the Balyuan Amphitheater, looks out to the Cancabato Bay, facing its future every single sunrise.

Kankabatok Tacloban – Part Un

I could have posted a story about my re-visit to Tacloban a few days prior yet there’s such a thing called memory collapse or data file corruption and it was too late when I realized that I lost a lot of my articles and office files from such disaster.

Now I am trying to reconstruct what I’ve written about this main commercial hub in Eastern Visayas. Tacloban City has always been subjected to unpredictable weather, often by-passed and left to grow on its own. But Tacloban has its certain place in the annals of history, the essence of liberation through the period structures and monuments constantly reminds not only those who witnessed the Second World War but also those who only knew about the certain moments of the past in the pages of history books.

Tacloban City, now elevated to the status of a Highly Urbanized City (HUC), is the most important center in Eastern Visayas. It is the regional center for trade and commerce, health, education, tourism and government. The significance of the city is not only observed and noticed at the present time. It’s importance could be traced way back when Tacloban was still Kankabatok. The official seal of the Province of Leyte reflects two important events in the island. One is the first Catholic Mass held in the Philippines by the Spanish conquistadores and priests in the 16th century. The other event is the Leyte Landing in 1944 at Palo with the return of the American troops led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to liberate the country from Japanese occupation.

I have been presented with a wonderful opportunity to explore Kankabatok. While the new Merck distributor for Samar-Leyte area is being trained, I made time to visit some interesting city spots after the training hours.

I started with the beautiful San Juanico Bridge. This is still the country’s longest bridge of any kind at 2.16 kilometers. It connects the islands of Leyte and Samar, spanning the narrow San Juanico Strait.

 

One end of the long bridge is in Tacloban City, at least 20 km from the city center. It rises to a height of 41 meters above sea level, forming the letter ‘L’ for the Province of Leyte. After the highest portion of the span, the bridge snakes down to the other side, with the foot anchored in the town of Sta. Rita. It forms the letter ‘S’ to represent the island of Samar.

I used to believe that bridges could spur economic growth to the places they serve. Ferdinand Marcos may have dreamt about the progress when he had this bridge built as a gift to his wife Imelda. But 3 decades after, progress was contained only at one foot.  Economic growth came to Tacloban City but progress never crossed through Samar.

I must say, that the bridge has aesthetic value. The huge arc at the steel-framed section of the bridge reminds me of at least half of the logo of MacDonald’s. South of the bridge and through the arch, it would lead you to the protected waterfront of Tacloban City. The city’s lifeblood is attached with its port. From the waterfront, the daily buzz and economic activities spread inland to the city’s 138 barangays or local units. And in these many units, Waray – the tongue of the land – came into use.

At MacDonald’s I planned out my own city tour the morning after my visit to San Juanico Bridge. The training would end early in the afternoon and it would provide me much time to explore the city on foot.

I decided to make the provincial capitol as the start of my hike. Tacloban, being the capital of the province of Leyte, was at some point the seat of government of the Philippines. The capitol was a witness to that historic event when Sergio Osmena was sworn in as the president of Philippine Commonwealth Government in 1944.

Leyte Capitol is a white building that sits across Plaza Libertad. The structure was built from 1917 to 1924. The charming and imposing capitol underwent renovation and expansion during the term of Governor Norberto Romualdez Jr. in 1964.

  

Just like the Official Seal of the Province of Leyte, the capitol is adorned with two huge bas reliefs at its expanded wing. One depicts the scene of the first mass held in the islands, that which was believed to be celebrated in the island of Limasawa. The other bas relief is of course about the Leyte Landing. In between the the wall carvings is a fountain at the steps of the building. Huge neoclassical columns stood guard of the entrance to the capitol.

Across the provincial capitol is Plaza Libertad. It is at the corner of Trece Martirez Street and Magsaysay Boulevard. At the the center of the park is a tall white concrete tripod topped by a symbol of freedom in the form a woman with a torch.

Nothing much is said about the park. Its historical importance is still a point to ponder upon. If I google this park, it would lead me to the site bearing the plans for its improvement and landscaping, at a cost of almost one million.

The symbol of freedom is as white as the capitol. But the park needs to be improved and maintained. Compared to other parks in the city, like the Family Park, RTR Plaza and Plaza Rizal, this plaza is devoid of people.

Underneath the tripod is a seal or logo of one of the many international civic organizations. Maybe this group had something to do with the pair of lion figures resting in front of the provincial capitol. I looked up and saw how Filipino the statue of liberty was. I envisioned Imelda Romualdez Marcos on that tri-legged tower, holding a flaming torch under the rays of Kankabatok’s sun.

I walked a couple of blocks along Magsaysay Boulevard and reached the campus of the University of the Philippines. My next destination is the Family Park. For only six pesos, I hailed a tricycle and asked the driver to bring me to the seaside park.

Judging from the set up the park, its an irregularly shaped sloping lawn that connects with two other parks that may comprise the  Philippine-Japan Commemorative Monument.  The entire greenery faces Cancabato Bay.

 From the Family Park, I crossed Magsaysay Boulevard and climbed up the steps and reached the peak of Kanhuraw Hill. Here the wonderful crafted scrulpture of the crucified Christ was erected.

The structure was based on the form of the island of Leyte. One side of the landmark is a map Leyte. On the other side is the Crucified Christ without arms and feet. It’s an artisitic interpretation of the artist Nemesio R. Miranda Jr. The basic materials for this carto-religious landmark were concrete, fiberglass and steel.  The sun was almost down when looked up and stared at the crucified saviour. I took pictures of both sides of the sculpture.  It is said to be 45 feet tall. The base was a good viewpoint of the bay.

South of the crucified Christ is the garden of Maria Kannon. I went down the steps and levelled with Magsaysay Boulevard. I entered the half-open rusty gates of the garden. Maria Kannon was a carved figure, a Goddess of Peace that was a gift from the people of Japan. Maria Kannon or Madonna of Japan to some, was a symbol of peace and friendship.

It was to be my second time to see this gift from Japan. Back then, the sculpture was surrounded with lush greenery and colorful plants. Now the madonna was obviously neglected. What was once a colorful and lush garden has now lost its vibrance. The sacred garden has gone down to wilt.

As I exited the Garden of the Madonna of Japan, I almost stepped on a carved wooden wheel. It was lying on the path that led to the half open gates.

Comparing the wheel to the cycle that is the state of Tacloban, I tried to believe that the city had found itself at the lowest point for such a long time, I guess I was hoping that after all these slumber and flat growth, the city would be pushing itself out of the lows and it to the highs of progress.

Vingt-cinque (25) Encore: My Sci Hi

Off-shoot from the notes-tagging activity over at my facebook account, here are 25 random experiences and facts about me and my Science High School Life.

1. Five (5) Oplimo siblings got in and studied at Cebu City National Science High School:  Beverly, Myself, Karen, Ellen and Lester. Yes, we helped our parents save a bit of moolah.

2. I was a non-commissioned officer.  I was ambitious in spite of my height.  CAT officers gave me the MP post. I think I was the shortest MP ever.  I was cadet of the year and I didn’t ask why.

 

3. I belonged to Sections I- Earth (Ms. Conrada B. Guia); II-Jupiter (Mrs. Severina B. Chin); III-Pluto (Ms. Rebecca Langomes) and IV-Aldrin (Mrs. Canindo).

 

4. I made Mrs. Chin cry. She mispronounced the word Stretch as “STREEEEETCH” and I echoed what she uttered. She left the class, hid inside her office which she shared with Mrs. Conejos and wept like crazy. From then on, I called her “the Bride of Chucky.” And oh, I would never forget her CCNS “eeeech” S when she hosted the BB. Agham. It was classic.

 

5. I sported a moustache. Mrs. Creus, the principal, called my attention and demanded that I should shave and take off my moustache. I was in first year when I used the razor for the first time. I shaved both my moustache and my pubes that time.

 

6. The requisite SAYAWIT for Linggo ng Wika or Nutrition Month were hell times. We once represented the batch for the Sayawit contest and we were all dressed like kids, and we sang “Eh Kasi Healthy.” It was horrible.

 

7. Batch 95 was the last batch to organize the JS Prom and held it at the school grounds. We were also the first Batch to experience the PROM outside of CCNSHS at the Social Hall of the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

 

8. “It’s a shame to break TRADITIONS”: The frequently used excuse by the principal.

 

9. Foot mops were useless. We brought in dirt and dust inside the classroom all the time.

 

10. I never brought coleman jugs to school.  Ice cold water scavengers were rampant that time. I was one of them.

 

11. Diorama, scrap books and home reading reports rendered everyone sleepless, especially days before the periodical exams.

 

12. Nang Mely’s , Doria’s Kitchenette and the isaw-tongol-pungko-pungko had a lucrative food business. The school canteen was insignificant.

 

13. Foundation day was fun. But I was sure Kathy Talatala was hapless when she and I won the popularity contest for the King and Queen of Hearts. I guess it was nullified. Both winners were queens. The price was a dinner date or something, and an ube roll from goldilocks.

 

14. Mrs. Lumayno was a diva who could not even say SEWING MACHINE properly. She was a saddist. She takes pleasure in screaming and banging too. Her cleavage was visible even if you’re seated at the last row.

 

15. Mrs. Cabrera, the nurse was a non-entity in high school. I am quite unsure if she ever administered first aid or assistance to the students. Mrs. Josefina Paler, the librarian was significant only during clearance period.  The geese at the soccer field were far more interesting and visible.

 

16. Science Investigatory projects were taxing and costly. Felt papers and display boards and set-ups were done in a rush, in time for the Science Fair. Our projects were mostly about how to put an end to cockroaches and garden slugs.  We studied on organic pesticides. We wanted to eradicate some pests in the faculty too, and we failed.

 

17. They said the intelligence and the mental abilities of the graduating batch could be measured by the results of the NCEE or the NSAT. We were told that most of the batch got 98 and above grades in NSAT. Most of us were elated and the admin was very glad. Some who didn’t get 98 were devastated.  But we were misinformed. It turned out that the grades that were announced were from one subject only. The batch wanted to cut off the heads of the principal and the guidance counselor.

 

18. The “Prayer for the Nation” worked for and against our advantage. But most of the times it’s a great way to kill the time.

 

19. Most of our classmates did not bring any intermediate papers to school. So when the teacher announced spot examinations, classmates transform into vampires and monsters for a ½ lengthwise or crosswise paper.  After the exams, the teacher would say “finished or not finished pass your papers clockwise or counter clockwise . . . ready 1 2 3 4 5?”

 

20. The popular sports in high school were Sepak Takraw, Football, Soccer Baseball, basketball and volleyball. I am quite certain that I played football in my freshmen years but I stopped because I hated being baked by the sun. The school yard, the oval grounds especially, was not encouraging.

 

21. The Plutonians were responsible for the horrible plant box under the stairs of the science building (the one facing the school gymnasium). The whole class cut off the old bamboo and built the ugly concrete enclosure. We were not able to kill the vast network of bamboo roots. Ms. Langomes, the troll, was not amused.  By nature, trolls are unpredictable and hard to please.

 

22. Certain teachers sold reference books to their student’s parents. Some conducted sales of “ice candy”, blank composition sheets (sulating pangwakas), ballpens, snack items and even sanitary napkins in class.

 

23. Ask me to sing the school hymn and for sure I’ve forgotten the lyrics. But the song starts with “Oh School of Wisdom dear and great, to thee we bid adieu!” Sing the rest of the lines please.

 

24. I realized the DEPLETION and DEFLATION could sound the same, especially in the ECONOMICS CLASS of Mrs. Serundo. “ Am I right Wen (Wayne)? No, not you Wen (Wayne Seguerra), I men (mean) ahh you Wen (Rowena Mesola). You get the stek and you bet et, okeh?”

 

25. Classes on Fridays are often shortened for first Friday mass, Sayawit contests, Bb. Agham, and other school programs. Those were opportunities to leave school early.

 

Rounding Cotabato

Sometimes, stories heard in the news or in national broadsheets were exaggerated and over hyped. News on how unsafe or how dangerous the places in Central Mindanao were just ‘misdescription’ of the actual condition of the areas which are predominantly populated by our brothers of the Moslem faith.

Through the years, media may have delivered horror stories of strife and crimes in Maguindanao, Cotabato and ARMM. The news caused fear in us and the rest of the Filipinos. We were frightened that such troubles may fan out to nearby land and eventually spread out to the Visayas and Luzon.

The events of Mindanao’s past continued to dwell in the minds of those who were informed through the broadsheets and broadcasts. These have caused us to form judgments on how this part of Mindanao would never rise up from its sunken state.

Neneng (GLODIA) and Takeshi

Of course my personal safety and security is foremost in my mind. This is my primary concern when the dealer rep and I decided to take the road to Cotabato City for the very first time. It’s another first in my 2-year stint in my company. We took the less popular route that connects Koronadal City in South Cotabato to the seat of ARMM for a time, Cotabato City. The road was very good, except for the portions after a fork that leads to either the Awang Airport or the city center of Cotabato. 

After a day of covering hospitals and laboratories in General Santos City, we drove to South Cotabato’s capital Koronadal City and spent a night at a pension house. The capital is also known as Marbel and it started out as a town in 1947 and had progressed and made into a city in the year 2000.

Koronadal had its share of horrible stories. In May 2003, 10 people were killed while several others were wounded when a bomb exploded at the city market. People believed that the carnage was the result of the fallout of the peace talk between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (which was a rebel group).

In August of 2007, a twin explosion happened in a Yellow Bus Line Terminal in Koronadal killing 12 people. It was said to be an extortion attempt but eventually it was described as an attempt to terrorize the people of Marbel. But stories were revealed later on that the bombing was for the extortion, as the bus owner admitted that the extortion group Al-Khobar demanded 2 million pesos from him.

The present-day Koronadal is a grown city which was dubbed as one of the most competitive and business-friendly cities of the Philippines. With its prime location in the valley between the Roxas and Quezon mountain ranges enriched with resources from the surrounding rivers and lakes, the agri-based city had overcome the horrors of bomb explosions. Spending the night in Koronadal was a sound decision. The city is after all ready to grow a little bit further.

We left the city of Koronadal at 7am. A long stretch of highway commenced at the city rotunda that led to the adjacent province of Sultan Kudarat. The road, concrete and wide, cuts through fields of corns, rice paddies and pineapple plantation. Then a break from the tracts of crops we passed minutes after we reached the boundary of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. From then on, there were no more crops. The untilled lands were dotted with small houses made of palm leaves, bamboo and local lumber.

We reached the city of Tacurong in Sultan Kudarat. I made several visits to this city before to cover clients in the academe and in the water treatment industry. It used to be called as ‘Pamansang’ then later changed to ‘Talakudong’ in reference to the Maguindanaoan head covering.  Finally, the place was called Tacurong and was made into a component city of Sultan Kudarat in 2000.

Just like Koronadal, the city of Tacurong had an awful history of bomb explosions, Five people were killed in a blast in 2007. Seemed that the bomb was intended for the politicians and the policemen who were having a meeting at the nearby building. The bomb went off in a billiard hall and at the passenger terminal building. This carnage was traced to the Jemaah Islamiyah group.

A year earlier, 4 people were killed from a blast in a crowded public market in Tacurong. Explosions also happened in the town of Makilala, North Cotabato and the city of Cotabato on the same day that brought the number of fatalities to 33. Jemaah Islamiyah was said to be responsible for both butcheries.

Passing through Tacurong’s vast plantation of palm trees, I could not help but ponder on the terror that the bombings had caused the people of Tacurong.  The city has suffered from the disturbance. But just like after any storm, lives had continued and Tacurong had shown how it could rise up above its suffering.

Tacurong is just a few kilometres away from Sultan Kudrat’s capital Isulan. The first class municipality boasts of its stunning capitol complex, a huge building that looked like a mosque. The imposing structure of the provincial capitol had a gold-painted dome and white arches. Taking a photo with the capitol as background makes one think that you travelled to countries such as Brunei Darrusalam or peninsular Malaysia.

Provincial Capitol of Sultan Kudarat

 

The province of Sultan Kudarat was formed when the rich-province of Cotabato was divided into 3 provinces in 1973. Out of the division emerged the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. President Marcos signed the decree to divide the huge province of Cotabato for the intention of handling political, economic and social concerns and to establish safe, stable and economically viable local units.

The province of Sultan Kudarat was named after Sultan Mohammed Dipatuan Kudarat who ruled over the Sultanate of Maguindanao in the 17^th century. Sultan Kudarat was deemed as the anchor for unity and freedom among various tribes and inhabitants in Maguindanao. A concrete statue of the ruler of the sultanate stood atop a round ball several meters away from the capitol.

Rotunda of Sultan Kudarat

 

Isulan was not spared from the troubles that plagued the rest of Cotabato. Last June 2008, 10 people were injured when a bomb went off at a drugstore and at an Iglesia ni Cristo complex.  Sultan Kudarat is one of the most ‘bombed’ provinces in the country. Six months after, an explosion happened at the town’s public market near the previously bombed Mercury drugstore, injuring more than 10 people.

Then we exited the province of Sultan Kudarat and entered the heart of Cotabato which is the province of Maguindanao. Most people would think that the road condition going to Datu Odin is poor and rough. We were surprised to see how smooth and good the highway was until the part when we reached Awang in Cotabato City.

Passing through a couple of towns in Maguindanao, one would be reminded of how the province was severely ravaged from the political, religious and cultural clashes of decades past. You would see several abandoned buildings, destroyed houses and empty shops. The province had huge empty lands that were not cultivated, contrary to fields of crops in Koronadal and Sultan Kudarat.

Passing through Maguindanao makes one think how the people missed the opportunity to grow crops on these lands. Maybe the Maguindanaoans were traumatized by the troubles from the past. Instead of crops growing from their lands, evacuation sites sprout like fungi which grow in colonies. The evacuees were the people of Moslem faith.

The displaced people live in makeshift houses and tents donated by the government and various international organizations like the International Red Cross, the United Nations and Japan-BIRD.  The evacuation sites had become a semi-permanent as the evacuees chose to remain in the sites out of fear that trouble may strike anytime they would return to their homes.

The portions before the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat had been the focal point of several military operations against terrorist groups. But after years and years of under the shadow of fear, hatred and trouble, Maguindanao has yet to start the road to recovery and healing.

Travelling through the towns of Maguindanao, fear became my companion. We passed by several checkpoints and military detachments and we’d seen several military armoured tanks and trucks loaded with soldiers and men in tropical camouflage uniforms. The presence of these elements could paint a picture of a land as a hot spot for operations and insurgent activities. Seeing these elements made me think that peace has not yet arrived in Maguindanao.

The Maguindanaoans had a passion for music of the Kulintang. A lot of records state that the fascinating culture of these ethnic group revolves around the music from the special type of gong that is used my both Muslim and non-Muslim groups in southern Philippines. After all, the Maguindanaoans are said to be the sixth largest ethnic group in the country. Their kulintang may be the symbol of their culture.

The music of the Kulintang may have been replaced with the sounds of war. Music from the rapid machine guns and mortars may have drowned the ears of many. The visions of military operations have driven them to temporary shelters and camps secured with wire fences and bamboo posts.

Maguindanao has then reduced in size when the 80th province was formed in 2006. The new province was called Shariff Kabunsuan, named after Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan from Johore, Malaysia who introduced Islam to the Cotabato Valley in the 15th century. The new province was short-lived as it was dissolved a few years after by the supreme court and the towns under the nullified province was returned to Maguindanao.

We passed by the town of Shariff Aguak. The road passing through this capital town is one of the less-travelled highways. It was once called Maganoy. Neneng of GLODIA told me that her parents were from this place. They used to have hectares of land here but they sold it and moved to Bukidnon to escape from the horrors of fighting. A couple of years ago, the highway was being avoided by motorist because of series of attacks done to civilians.

Shariff Aguak (Maganoy)

 

Five were killed and fourteen people were wounded in 2006 when a car bomb exploded at a roadside in Shariff Aguak . The bombing was aimed at the convoy of vehicles led by Gov. Ampatuan. The act led  to the military operations in the area in the attempt to capture the leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The heavy fightings in Shariff Aguak had displaced at least 2,000 people. Aside from the capital town, there were also heavy fighting in Datu Piang, Datu Unsay and Mamasapano towns. MILF had Camp Omar as their base. The militia had zeroed in on Camp Omar and had undertaken tactics to seize the camp and arrest the major rebel leaders of MILF namely Jamil Ombra and Sajid Pakiladatu.

The government and the MILF made several attempt to open peace talks to end the years of strife and heavy fighting in the ravaged Cotabato basin. Part of the peace process or the restoration thereof are the road projects that would open Maguindanao to the rest of island. Part of this road network is the stretch from Shariff Aguak to Datu Odin Sinsuat.

Datu Odin Sinsuat is the last town before one reaches Cotabato City from the Koronadal City. The town functions more as a major checkpoint that intercepts any plans to bomb Cotabato.

A commuter van was stopped in the town when the military discovered the bomb. Last month, an improvised explosive device was discovered in one barangay while two bombs were also discovered in another barangay of Datu Odin. These explosives were defused.

We passed by several checkpoints in Datu Odin. Several kilometres more and the road had gradually changed from excellent to poor condition. At Awang, traffic began to build up as we enter Cotabatao City via Sinsuat Avenue. This is the major road that passes through the heart of Kuta Wato.

We reached the city of Cotabato at past 10 am. It was once the regional capital of Central Mindanao. Back in the ‘70s, Cotabato City was at the forefront of economic development in southern Philippines. People from Luzon and Visayas migrated to Cotabato. This region is blessed with the a generally pleasant climate, away from the typhoon belt and protected by the mountain ranges in the north and in the southwest.

Cotabato had seen better days. Datus and sultans used to rule the land where people recognize their authority. Spain took a long time to penetrate this predominantly Muslim place. The Christian arm was able to put hold on the soils of Cotabato in the 19th century.  But it was only when a civil government was established in 1914 when Christians from Luzon and Visayas migrated to Cotabato City.

Cotabato Regional Medical Center

 

Progress came to the city after its liberation from Japanese occupation in 1945. Cotabato became a hodgepodge or melting pot of all ethnic, socio-cultural and religious groups. It had risen as a commercial and industrial center of Mindanao.

Now Cotabato serves as a seat of two regions: Region XII and ARMM. Eventually, government offices for Region 12 would be moved to either Koronadal or General Santos City in South Cotabato while the administrative offices of ARMM might either remain in Cotabato or in Lanao.

The Cathedral's Bell Tower Vs McDonald's Arches

 

Cotabato City will be celebrating its 50th or golden anniversary in June. With the 50 years as a city, the people of Cotabato had seen the ups and downs of growth and progress. It has its first mall, a couple of national fast food outlets, a new city hall. According to the author, Thomas Mackenna, Cotabato City remains the principal commercial center for the Cotabato basin.

A common sighting

He said that ethnic diversity is a noted feature of Cotabato City. There’s a strong migration activity that happened centuries before that resulted to a mix of Chinese, Cebuanos, Ilonggos, Tagalogs, Ilocano and the Maguindanaoan inhabitants. Because of the diversity, “Tagalog” is the primary tongue in use.

The Polangui or the Rio Grande de Mindanao that runs through the city is the only witness to how the city faced the passing of time. Some years in the past the city was plagued with bombings and fighting between the military and the MILF as well as other extortionist groups.

Last year, a bomb in a WEENA bus was exploded when the owner refused to give money to extortionists. Bus operations were suspended because of the incident that injured several people.

Cotabato was put to the limelight when a kidnapped Korean national was released in 2002 at the time when President Arroyo was in the city. Kidnapping and abduction activities in the early 2000 had been major discouragement for Cotabato’s road to progress and glory.

We spent the night in the city, at a hotel across the South Seas Mall. Contrary to what others thought about Cotabato, visitors could find peace and safety at night. I was able to get sleep without worries.

Old Steel Bridge

We left the city before lunch. We exited thru the dilapidated Quezon Bridge that spanned the mighty Polangui River. We passed by the strife torns town of Pigcawayan and Libungan as well as the deceivingly tranquil waters of Lake Labas.

Pigcawayan and Libungan, Along with the towns of Midsayap, Aleosan and Pikit were the sites of heavy clashes last year between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the military. The Moro rebels occupied these towns displacing over 100,000 people who fled for the lives and moved out to safer places. Several evacuation sites were put up for the displaces people of North Cotabato.

We drove as fast as we could and reached Midsayap at lunch time. Midsayap is one of the progressive towns of North Cotabato with a couple of big hospitals located at the center. We covered these two important hospitals and made a quick stop for a lunch of vegetables and ice cold coke ‘litro’.

Empty Coke Litro

We hurried a bit as we passed by the towns of Aleosan, Pikit, Kabacan and Matalam before we made a detour to the town of Mlang. We decided to skip the capital city of Kidapawan since the city was on a holiday to celebrate its charter day.

Mlang is an old town of Cotabato having been inhabited by the Bagobos hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spaniards. The town’s name was derived from the word “tamlang” which means “bamboo.”  A first class municipality backed by its agricultural foundation, Mlang is a major producer of rice in Mindanao.

Mlang, North Cotabato

We made a brief stop to the Mlang to visit my dealer’s clients. Mlang was heavily affected by flood and pests in 2007 which placed it under the state of calamity. In August of last year, a bomb was discovered in a public swimming pool and was detonated. Several others were found at a nearby school and a bakery. These bombs were believed to be planted by MILF elements in their objectives to wreak fear and disorder in North Cotabato.

Soon as we were done with our field work, we hurriedly left the town and hit the road again at 3pm. We took the east road towards the town of Makilala and bypassed the capital city of Kidapawan. Before dusk, we were already out of the woods of Cotabato.

Before we even made a right turn towards Bansalan, Davao del Sur, a convoy of SUVs, police cars and military trucks were behind us. Neneng and I were engulfed with fear as we pulled to the road side and allow the convoy to pass. We do not want to get near to any convoy of this type for they could make the convoy an easy target for rebel and extortion groups.

Them Soldiers

We allowed the string of government vehicles to proceed a hundred meters further before we went back to the road again. It was dusk when we emerged from the outskirts of Digos City, Davao del Sur.

We spent 3 days in rounding up Cotabato. In those 3 days, I came to the point of accepting that Cotabato has been trying its best to move on in spite the awful events of its past. I definitely agree that Cotabato was painted differently in the newspapers and by media as whole. The negative articles about these places had caused setbacks in their hopes of ever rising from the horrible events of fighting, of strife and of disorder.

In rounding Cotabato, I came to the point of hoping for an end to terrorism, to displacement of innocent people, to the suffering and fear caused by worthless fighting. The valley needs to experience peace and order once again.

I realized how lucky I was to live in a place where I could sleep peacefully at night; where I could go to public places without the fear of any explosions; where I could hit the higgway without fearing for ambushes or attacks.

In rounding Cotabato,  I began to believe that it still had chances to be better in the days to come.