Mt. Calayo and The Sleeping Dinosaur
The car was rolling towards the south eastern part of Mindanao for 2 hours already. We left Davao City even before the sun was high and up. My dealer’s car sped away to visit Davao Oriental.
The air was already a little cold. The breeze from the northwest must have arrived and lit the lights of December morn. In my mind, the cold wind is all about the yuletide season. And this wind is going to the direction of the southeasternmost province of the Philippine archipelago: Davao Oriental.
It is now becoming a very popular destination for local and foreign tourists alike which is why the roads in and out of of the province are being repaired. Stretches upon stretches of roads were used to be of poor condition, discouraging travellers for years and years but because of the national polls next year, the road network is rapidly restored and the promise of a better and smooth road trip experience is delivered.
In effect, development is so slow but steady. This is coupled by the fact that Davao Oriental has the least population growth rate which, in the Philippine context, is a negative indicator of progress. People in the area witness how gradual the progress was. They waited for years and years for progress to come and I guess, they have been dreaming for so long. Progress is slowly crawling in to spur economic activity in this part of the nation.
After passing the towns of Manaybanay and approaching the capital city of Mati, my dealer Neneng made a quick stop at a site on a cliff overlooking this wonderful sight.
Pic courtesy of slave_2_d_music
It looked like a dinosaur resting on its belly, as if taking a nap from the pre-historic life. They call this The Sleeping Dinosaur. Found at Barangay Dawan in Mati, this interesting silhouette of a giant in slumber offered a wonderful break from the landscape of mostly ricefields and coconuts.
Mati City is located at the edge of one of the natural coastlines protected by the long mountain extension in the west where Mt. Hamiquitan is located, and this small and short peninsula that borders Mayo Bay and the town of Tarragona.
Mati City has the perfect set up, I should say, to become the next tourism destination and jump-off point to adventure sports. This year, there has been an extensive campaign to promote the aquatic sports and water-related adventure trip to tourists.
Some of the places to visit and experience in Mati are Dahican Beach if you want to do wind surfing, skim boarding, etc., or you may try Masao Beach Resort in Pujada Bay.
The local government of Davao Oriental also promotes the towns of Cateel for the 84 cascades of Aliwagwag Falls, the municipality of Baganga for its white powdery beaches and islands with great archaeological finds, Caraga town for its centuries-old bell and the church of San Salvador and Pusan Point, the easternmost part of the country.
With Davao City just 165km away, the local government of Mati and Davao Oriental are making steps to invite tourists to come. And if in the years to come, tourism may fuel the economy of the province, waking the dinosaur from its too long a slumber. It is but a shame that I did not bring my cam with me. But it’s an indication enough that I should visit Davao Oriental again and marvel on the picturesque and breath-taking spots.
Neneng and I left Davao Oriental hours after lunch. We passed by the provinces of Compostela Valley (through Pantukan and Maco) and Davao Del Norte (through the cities of Tagum and Panabo) and reached Davao City by dusk.
From Davao City, I said good-bye to Neneng and hopped on a non-stop bus for Cagayan de Oro via Bu-Da (Bukidnon-Davao) highway. My destination was Valencia City, Bukidnon which is more or less, half the distance of Davao to CDO.
Mt. Calayo
I kept staring at Musuan Peak as my officemate and I drove the following day from Valencia City to the main campus of Central Mindanao University in Maramag, Bukidnon. Musuan Peak is what the locals called Mt. Calayo (fire mountain) because it is said to be a dormant volcano.
pic courtesy of kleomarlo
I had a hard time in understanding that Musuan Peak is actually a volcano. Although the rolling mountain slopes had swollen portions which may have been caused by the pressure from the earth in magma form. Looking at it, one may think that the volcano had no recorded eruption. It is only about 650 meters.
Organizers of a conference that we attended in CMU said that Mt. Calayo is dormant. It’s last eruption was in 1867. Circumstances may strengthen the fact that it’s a volcano because the fields surrounding it are fertile and have been planted with sugarcane and crops. People also believe that the nearby lake could have been the result of a big eruption.
CMU made Mt. Musuan (Mt. Calayo) as its natural landmark. The huge state-run campus is at the foot of the volcano. The Philippine Carabao Center can also be found at the slopes of Mt. Musuan.
CMU and Mt. Calayo are located in the 1st class municipality of Maramag. Being host to several agriculture-based industries, this town has seen progress in a far better pace than Mati, Davao Oriental. Not to compare the two entirely different places, but Maramag and Mati are just two of the so many places in Mindanao that could spur economic and toursim development.
I could not help but think that relatively, both places have natural sites that could “awaken” progress and development. Mati has its Sleeping Dinosaur which could draw tourists to Davao Oriental. Maramag has Mt. Calayo that which could be a magnet for tourists, researchers and investors for its agriculture-based economy.
Both natural landmarks, Mt. Calayo and the Sleeping Dinosaur could be symbols of “awakening”.
Atty. Perez shared this blog to me.
It’s good to know that a traveler has written something about Mt. Musuan, or Musuan Peak.
To add, a vast majority of the land area of Musuan is “owned” by CMU, a chartered university that’s a little over 3,000 hectares. Land has been developed to augment the budgetary requirements to run the University and keep fees to a minimum. At present, CMU has the cheapest university fees all over the Philippines. Fees range from P60-P90/unit. Way back in the late 90s our tuition was pegged at P15/unit. This gives the opportunity for poor but deserving students to get quality tertiary University Education.
I was able to talk also to a CMU teacher and learned that there are certain areas of the campus that were occupied by transients or squatters. Some of these people were allowed to utilize idle lots for farming. The problem now is that CMU could not drive the squatters away. They would not leave without being paid or something.