Category Archives: Sightseeing

Camiguin or Bust

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The island province of Camiguin

I was still deciding on where to go with my son Jandy this Holy Week when my 2 companions from a previous climb up Mt. Makulot – Ms. Lourdes “Lulu” Siguenza, a Warner Bros. advertising executive, and free-lance artist Ms. Rosevie Sevilla – invited me to join them, with some other companions, on a week-long trip to the Northern Mindanao island province of Camiguin, an invitation I simply can’t refuse.  This would be my second trip to Mindanao, the first being in Zamboanga City way back in 1976.  I promptly secured plane tickets for me and Jandy.  

On board the ferry MV Royal Princess

We left Manila on April 8, Palm Sunday, on the 5:15 AM Cebu Pacific flight.  Joining us was Mr. Henry Chua, a Pizza Hut advertising executive and Lulu’s boyfriend.  Upon arrival at Cagayan de Oro City’s Lumbia Airport (Misamis Oriental), we waited an hour for our 8 other companions arriving on the incoming Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight.  On that flight were advertising executives Mr. Carl Allen and Begonia “Goni” Gonzalez of McCann Ericksson, Mr. Jake San Diego of Ace Saatchi, Ms. Tey Abonador of Harrison Communications, Ms. Rose Pantoja and Mr. Nubbin Beldia of Aviacom, Ms. Karen Rosel of Publicis-AMA and Mr. Randy Ypon, a balikbayan from Canada.  Carl and Randy brought along their own diving equipment minus the oxygen tanks which they intend to rent on the island.

Shuttling by jeepney

From the airport, we were picked up by a hired (for PhP2,000) Nissan Urvan to take our party on a 83-km. (1-hr.) trip to the Misamis Oriental ferry port town of Balingoan, the gateway to Camiguin.  Upon arrival, we all boarded the 11 AM ferry MV Royal Princess. Fare was PhP20 per pax  for the 45-min. crossing to Brgy. Benoni in Mahinog.   The boat was filled to the brim with passengers out on holiday, many crowding on the unshaded deck.  The trip was smooth all the way until we reached sight of Benoni. Or so we thought …. We heard a loud crash and were tossed about as the ship hit the pier head-on just when we were docking.  As if it were not enough, the crash was followed by a scraping sound as the ship sideswiped the dock ala Titanic.  What an exciting way to start a vacation!   

Tongonan Hot Spring National Park (Ormoc City, Leyte)

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From Lake Danao, we again boarded our AUV and proceeded to Tongonan Hot Spring National Park.  Located at an elevation of 2,000 ft. amid densely forested hills, this 272-hectare park is at the west end of the Leyte Mountain Trail, 18 kms. (a 45-min. drive) northeast of Ormoc City.  It also has a cool climate, lush tropical vegetation and underbrush, a warm medicinal pool, a cavernous hillside geyser that spouts boiling water and steam hourly and formations exuding sulfuric vapors.  It is also home to wild pig, monkeys, deer and birds.  Its 112.5 MW Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant is the first geothermal power plant to operate in the Philippines. It supplies the region’s less than 100 MW consumption as well as that of the Luzon and Visayas grid.  A little farther off is the 5-hectare Lake Kasudsuran, located in a virgin forest at Brgy. Ga-as and Mt. Hanagdan, 1,000 ft. above sea level.

Tongonan Hot Spring National Park

After the Tongonan tour, we returned to Ormoc City for lunch, switched to Roy’s car and next paid a visit to the house of our host, Mr. Sabin Larrazabal.  We were greeted by his widowed daughter-in-law, Daya and his son Dr. Mario “Butch” Larrazabal who served us coffee and snacks.  Mr. Larrazabal arrived after a few minutes.  Already in his 70s, his still very active lifestyle belies his actual age.  Roy introduced us, but due to Mr. Larrazabal’s hectic schedule, could only talk to us for a short while.  After saying farewell, we proceeded back to the resort to check out our luggage.

Back at the city proper

Before we were brought to the bus terminal, Roy showed us around the city.  We also visited the Philippine-Japan Peace Memorial on Carlota Hills (a marker overlooking Ormoc Bay put up by the relatives of Japanese war veterans from the Nagoya and Gifu Prefectures) and the nearby cross-shaped common burial vault of the unknown victims of the Ormoc tragedy.

Near the port, we visited the marker showing plaques of the city’s achievements, the remnants of the old Spanish-era Fuente de la Reina bridge and the 7,000-person capacity Ormoc City Superdome (where the PBA provincial games are played). Ending our city tour, Roy dropped us off at the city’s bus terminal where we took a PhP100 per person Hi-Ace van for the 2-hr. trip back to Tacloban City.

Underground Cemetery (Nagcarlan, Laguna)

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Underground Cemetery

Jandy and I left San Pablo City early in the afternoon of Easter Sunday.  It was just a short 14-km. drive from the city to Nagcarlan, passing by the tuba and lambanog-producing town of Rizal (formerly a barrio of Nagcarlan called Pauli).  Along the way, you can’t help but notice bamboo scaffolding linking coconut trees used by tuba gatherers.  Nagcarlan is Laguna’s vegetable garden and is the  biggest supplier of sweet lanzones (harvested  September to November) to Manila.  

Legend has it that the town’s name was a corruption of the name of Ana Kalang, a rich and generous benefactress much love by the townspeople.  Her name was eventually corrupted by speech to the more mellifluous Nanang Clara and Nang Clara before it became Nagcarlan.  In time, the town bore that name.   

Our first stop, before reaching the poblacion, was the Underground Cemetery, the first and only one of its kind in the country.  We parked our car at the service station opposite it. From this vantage point, I couldn’t help but admire its restored scrollwork-decorated octagonal red brick walls and  elaborate wrought iron gates.  Upon entering, we were ushered into an  enclosed circular garden surrounded by 240 above-ground crypts similar to Manila’s Paco Cemetery.  At the opposite end of the red tiled walkway is a dome-like chapel atop a hillock.  Quite spooky.

Entrance to Underground Cemetery

The first thing we saw upon entering the chapel is the Sto. Entierro, the glass bier of the dead Christ, at this time enshrouded.  The planked ceiling was water-damaged and in dire need of repair.  We were welcomed by the caretaker who narrated the history of the place.

An exclusive burial ground for Spanish friars, the cemetery was built in 1845 by Franciscan Fr. Vicente Velloc (or “Belloc” as spelled by some artifacts or documents). The crypt was a secret meeting place of Katipuneros in the 1890s and the historic Pact of Biak-na-Bato was first planned here by Pedro Paterno and Gen. Severino Taino in 1897.

In 1898, Emilio Jacinto, the “Brains of the Katipunan,” was captured here after being wounded in an encounter in Mahabang-Tanaw in Majayjay.  The Underground Cemetery was made into a National Shrine on August 1, 1973 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260 and again by Exec. Order No. 1505 on June 11, 1978. 

Still in use until 1981, the chapel was built in a strange arabesque style and has blue and  white tiles.  We went down the  stairs leading down to the underground crypt which contain tombs and burial plaques. I was, however, not allowed to take pictures or videos.   According to the caretaker, Fr. Velloc  also  built an  underground passage leading to 5 underground chapels where he was said to have held solitary masses.  Very spooky indeed.  It is also said to have continued all the way to Mt. Banahaw. The passage was then sealed off and its location now unknown.  Our visit ended, we signed the customary guest book and left.

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery: open Tuesdays to Sundays. Admission is free.  Donations are needed and welcomed.

A Day Tour of Batad Rice Terraces (Banaue, Ifugao)

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Batad Rice Terraces

A stay in Banaue is never complete without visiting the Batad Rice Terraces.  Seeing it is a “must” but getting there is no picnic as I was soon to find out.  The next day, April 12, Easter Sunday, after an early morning breakfast at the inn, Jandy and I were joined by Asia, Min-Min and Tom as we proceeded to the Trade Center.  Here, we hired a jeepney for PhP1,500 and waited awhile for other hikers to join us, our intention being to split the bill even further.  There were no takers.  We decided for the 5 of us to go at it alone.  The Batad Rice Terraces are located 16 kms. from the town and 12 kms. of the distance can be traversed, over the dusty Mayoyao national road, by our jeepney. Luckily for us, there were no sudden occurrences of landslides triggered by too much heat, it being the peak of the El Nino season. We safely made it all the way to the junction at Km. 12.

From hereon it would be hiking for the rest of the 4-km. distance. Jandy and I had on our indispensable media jackets (with its many pockets) and I brought along bottled water and my Canon point and shoot camera and videocam. The 2 to 3-hr. uphill/downhill and winding hike is demanding, but rewarding for hardy and seasoned hikers in good physical condition.  I didn’t exactly fit in that category as I wasn’t in good shape.  Jandy, a specimen of good health, kept egging me on – as I was huffing, puffing and sweating profusedly (even in the cold mountain air) – so I could keep up with the group, being the frequent tailender.   Luckily, for me, there were about 6 waiting sheds offering refreshments (as well as souvenir items) to hikers.  The rugged mountain trail sometimes narrowed to footpaths where only one person at a time could pass.  Below us were treacherous ravines.  Fog sometimes blanketed these trails.

After a few hours we emerged at the Batad “Saddle” in Bohr-Bohr, a landmark station in Cordilleras used to gauge the distance stretching to Batad. After another arduous hike, we finally reached our destination – the Simon Inn Viewpoint and its breathtaking side vistas of the Batad Rice Terraces.    This stupendous amphitheater of stone and earth terraces, sculpted out of twin coalescing spurs of a steep, wooded mountain from riverbed to summit, are considered as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and, unlike the more famous Pyramids of Egypt built by slave labor, were  built in the true bayanihan spirit (system of helping each other without fees).  However, the rice terraces weren’t as green as I would have wanted them to be, again it being the height of the El Nino phenomenon.

Below the viewpoint and adjacent to the rice terraces is Cambulo Village, a typical, unspoilt Ifugao village with two lodges and pale Hershey Kisses-like roofs in the midst of terraces.  My 3 companions decided to visit this rustic cobblestoned village where the ancient craft of bark cloth weaving thrives. Going down seemed easy but I dreaded the uphill return trip so I opted to stay behind and admire the view instead.  Too bad I didn’t bring any extra clothes with me.  It would have been nice to have stayed overnight.  Maybe next time.  My 3 companions returned after 2 hrs..  After a 3-hr.  stay (including lunch at the inn), we retrace our way back, under a more comfortable late-afternoon sun, to the Km. 12 junction where our jeepney waited for us.  Unlike our previous trip, our jeepney was now filled to capacity with foreign and local hitchhikers all thankful for the free ride back to town.  They then left us to settle our bill with our driver.   The nerve!!!  Jandy and I then proceeded to the Autobus ticket office at the town center to reserve bus seats as there was only one trip back to Manila. Asia, Min-Min and Tom planned to spend an extra day in Banaue.  Afterwards, we returned to People’s Lodge for a well-deserved dinner and rest.

The next day (Monday), after a very early breakfast at the inn, we proceeded to the Trade Center where we boarded our Autobus bus for the 347-km. (10-hr.) long-haul trip back to Manila via the Dalton Pass in Nueva Vizcaya.  Although the bus was branded as “aircon,” it would have been better for us to open the bus windows as the airconditioning wasn’t working.  It was hot all the way.  However, as soon as we reached the lowlands, my mobile phone became useful again.  Thank God.

Arrival in Banaue (Ifugao)

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The 47-km. jeepney ride from Bontoc to Banaue, Ifugao province’s main tourism destination, was to take all of 2.5 hrs., the seemingly short distance made while climbing steep mountains via the dusty, narrow and bumpy Halsema Highway.  The discomfort was somehow alleviated by great views of some rice terraces that we passed.  By 4 PM, we arrived at the parking area for buses and jeepneys at the town’s Trade Center.   Banaue is the province’s transportation hub, being traversed by the one major highway leading south to Nueva Vizcaya and Manila and by a less-developed road going to Bontoc (Mountain Province), and from there, to Baguio City (Benguet).

Banaue town

This touristy area is the center of activity in the town and it has handicraft shops selling different kinds of traditional fabric like the woven bark cloth and dyed ikat cloth, wooden objets d’art  such as bowls, trays, oversized spoons and forks, antiques, entirely alien statues of American Indian chiefs and smiling, pot-bellied Chinese gods, and the traditional bul-ols (statues of rice gods).  Curio souvenirs include handwoven wall hangings, crocheted bedroom slippers and pfu-ong (traditional jewelry) representing good luck in hunting or prosperity of children.    At one end of it is the Municipal Hall and Post Office Sub-station.

Stopover at Bontoc (Ifugao)

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Bontoc Village Museum

After a 4-day stay in Sagada, Jandy and I left in a jeepney bound for Bontoc, the Ifugao provincial capital, early in the morning of April 11, Black Saturday.  The 18-km. trip took all of an hour and we arrived at the provincial capital’s municipal plaza by 11 AM. From here, we were to take another jeepney bound for Banaue (Ifugao).  The 396.1 sq. km. Bontoc, the biggest town in the Cordillera heartland and the Bontoc Igorot’s cultural center, lies 3,000 ft. above sea level in a trough formed by the eastern and central ranges of the Cordillera mountains in the Chico Valley.

With curator Sister Teresita Nieves Valdes

We still had time to spare before the jeepney leaves for Banaue, so we did some sightseeing. We walked to nearby Catholic ICM Sisters’ convent and the St. Vincent’s Elementary School and visited the Bontoc Village Museum. Also called the Ganduyan Museum, it was established by Mother Basil Gekiere and run by the Belgian ICM missionaries.  The museum presents a good overview of the differences and similarities between the mountain tribes (Bontoc, Kalinga, Kankanai and Tingguian and the Gaddang, Isneg and Ibaloi of the Ifugao).

Jandy at the outdoor museum

Its 4 well-laid out and labeled  rooms features artifacts (woven fish traps, death chair, head basket, ceremonial bowls, ritual backpack, etc.), musical instruments (jew’s harp, zither, flute, etc.), a group of miniature traditional houses, a collection of rocks and fossils from different parts of the Cordilleras and interesting old photos of the Bontocs’ colorful pre-Christian history, including some early 1900s photos of their headhunting days (one shows a beheaded person tied up in a bamboo pole and, another, a burial for such a beheaded person). At the basement is a library with a limited collection of books. There is also a carved wooden chest to put a curse on people and a basket where a chick is placed to awaken the spirits with its constant chirping. Its museum shop sells postcards, carved wood  items and other novelties.  I,  being a postcard collector,  bought a sepia-colored  postcard pack of 6 featuring pictures of the museum artifacts.  I also got to interview Sister Teresita Nieves Valdes, the museum curator.

Banny and me with our sons

We also visited the adjacent outdoor museum with its full-scale model of a traditional Bontoc village including the ulog for maidens and a pit shelter for swine.  On my way out I met my former officemate (Manosa-Zialcita Architects) Jose Bayani “Banny” Hermanos who was also travelling with his wife Carol and two sons.  An avid traveler like me, he is also a professional photographer whose colored photos were featured in The Philippines: Action Asia Adventure Travel Guide.  After our museum visit, we proceeded to the nearby Pines Hotel & Kitchenette for a quick lunch. Then, we went back to the municipal plaza where we boarded the last Banaue-bound jeepney. Here, I befriended sisters Asia and Min-Min, one of which was traveling with her German boyfriend named Tom.  We left Bontoc by 1:30 PM.

Good Friday in Sagada (Mountain Province)

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Good Friday, our last whole day in Sagada, was partly spent in prayer.  Together with my Danum Lake companions who were also staying in my inn, we made our way past the school gate and up some steps to the cemetery where Eduardo Masferre, the famous photographer (June 24, 1995), and William Henry Scott (1993), are buried.  It has a view of the northern valley.  Further up is Calvary, the highest point in the town cemetery which is marked with a huge cross.  Here, we visited and prayed at its 14 Stations of the Cross.

Sagada Cemetery

From the cemetery, a steep path took us to Echo Valley.  Halfway down, we viewed hanging coffins on large, gray limestone cliffs at the opposite side and some small burial caves.  There are still a few sangadil (“death chairs”) next to the hanging coffins, placed there for the spirits to rest on.

Hanging coffins

When a Sagadan nears old age, he is given the choice of cave burial or “hanging coffins.”  The deceased is cladded in special burial attire woven by a widow in the village.  This ensures that the spirit (anito) community would recognize them and admit them to the spirit world.

They are bound to a sangadil (death chair) and placed on the house porch for the duration of the long makibaya-o (wake period).  During the makibaya-o, pigs are sacrificed, dirges are sung and eulogies given during the all-night vigils.

The empty coffin is first taken to the burial site (cave or rock ledges).  The funeral procession follows later, preceded by torchbearers who make sure that no animals crosses its path.  When bad omens are encountered, the previously selected burial site could be changed at the last moment in the belief that the new arrival is not welcomed by the present occupants.

The deceased’s body is borne by young lads who vie with one another for the honor of carrying it the furthest distance.  In doing so, it is believed that he would gain much strength and wisdom from the deceased.  Today, these traditional rites are still being practiced, although on a smaller or revised scale, and still requested by some old people.

However, most are now buried on family land or at the Christian cemetery. The makibaya-o, whether traditional, Christian or in combination, is still significant in adult deaths.

The next day, Saturday, after breakfast at the inn, Jandy and I left Sagada on the 10 AM jeepney bound for Bontoc.

Hiking along Bontoc Road (Sagada, Mountain Province)

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We spent the whole afternoon hiking along Bontoc Road. On both sides of the road is the 34-hectare Mission Compound.  It includes St. Theodore’s Hospital (established in 1926), the Rectory, the recently restored Doctor’s Residence, the Girl’s Dormitory (established in 1912) and residence  of American historian William Henry Scott. Across St. Theodore’s Hospital  is the DOT accredited and Episcopalian parish-operated St. Joseph’s Resthouse. Further out along Bontoc Road, on the left, is Sagada Weaving & Souvenir Shop.  Established  in 1978, it produces quality products hand-woven on backstrap looms and supervised by Mrs. Andrea Bondad and daughter Rhoda.  Finished products sold at reasonable prices include backpacks, shoulder bags, tapis (Igorot skirts), wallets and blankets.

Masferre Photographs

Further out along Bontoc Road, at the Bagaan Road Junction, is the Masferre Gallery.  Here, Mrs. Nena Masferre, wife of the late photographer Eduardo Masferre, welcomed us.  In the 1930s, 40s and 50s, through his pioneering skill and sensitivity as a photographer, Eduardo took photographs of the vanishing life and culture in the villages of Mountain Province. Mrs. Masferre showed us the black and white photographs taken by her husband and a few maps and artifacts.

Eduardo, a Spanish mestizo, was born on April 18, 1909, the second of eight children.  He was the son of Jaime P. Masferre, a retired Spanish soldier from Cataluna, who settled in Sagada at the turn of the century, became a coffee farmer, married an Kankanai woman (Mercedes Cunyap Langkew), joined the Episcopal Church and became a minister.  From 1914 to 1921, Eduardo first lived with his family in Spain where he began his education.  After completing his schooling in the Philippines, he became a missionary teacher like his father and then a missionary administrator.  In addition, he took up farming.

In the 1920s, he learned photography from U.S. missionaries.  Returning to photography in 1934, his artistic focus were the mountain people of the Cordilleras with whom he shares part of his heritage.  After World War II, he opened a photographic studio in Bontoc.  In 1951, he married Nena Ogues, a nurse from Kapangan.  The union produced six children.

His grainy, high contrast monochrome photos are displayed here and around the world.  His first exhibit was held in Manila in 1982.  After a second Manila exhibit the following year, his work traveled to Copenhagen (1984) and Tokyo (1986).  In 1988, his third Manila exhibit was mounted.  A book of his work, “E. Masferre: People of the Philippine Cordillera” was also produced.  Mobil Philippines funded the work, provided 1,500 copies to Philippine schools, museums and libraries, and funded the touring exhibit of his works to the cities of Baguio, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Bacolod.

In 1989, Masferre exhibited his works at Les Recontres International de la Photographie in Arles (France), the only Filipino to be accorded such an honor.  In 1990, again with Mobil support, the Smithsonian Institute of Washington D.C. purchased 120 of his impressive original photos and exhibited them for six months at the main rotunda of the American National Museum of Natural History.  They are now carefully archived in the same museum.  He died on June 24, 1995 at the age of 86.

Jandy with Ms. Nena Masferre

Plodding on, we reached a bend opposite the Rocky Valley Inn.  Here, a path lead down to the small Matangkib Burial Cave. However, it was closed due to the recent death of a hapless Irish tourist who slipped and broke his head.  Coffins here are carefully stacked. At  the lower end of the path, to the left of Matangkib burial cave, is the unmistakable mouth of the Latang Underground River.  We didn’t bring along a good flashlight and weren’t prepared for a 15-min./500-m. spelunking hike through  cold, knee-deep waters and a scramble over rocks.  It was late in the day and we made our way back to the inn.

Latang Underground River

The night was chilly and foggy.  Tourists from Manila were beginning to arrive, all looking for places to stay and most without any success.  Even St. Theodore’s hospital beds were rented out (barring any emergencies) for PhP45 per head.  Others camped out on the Mission grounds while others just slept in their vehicles.  Poor fellows.  Sagada has a reputation as a meeting place for travelers and I also made a number of friends during my stay.  Many were guests staying at the inn while the others I met were straying in the town’s  different coffee shops.

Arrival in Sagada (Mountain Province)

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Sagada

We arrived at Sagada by 4 PM. Upon our arrival at the bus terminal near the municipal hall, Jandy and I checked in at one of the 5 double rooms with common bath at the second floor of nearby Ganduyan Inn, managed by Hanzel and Marina Biag. The inn was strategically located as it was just across the bus terminal and the municipal hall.  Rate was a very cheap PhP75 per person per day. The inn also had a restaurant.  According to Marina, her husband, as well as a significant portion of Sagada’s population, are descendants of Biag, a folk hero of the Igorots  and the most important figure in Sagada’s history.  Biag introduced new rites, prayers and customs.

Ganduyan Inn

As it was late in the afternoon, we decided to just visit the nearby Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin.  Along the winding, pine needle-paved cement lane, to the  right of the basketball court, is this massive, gray stone Anglican church,  originally built under the direction of Reverend John Staunton and consecrated on December 8, 1921.  It was  badly damaged (especially the belfry) by U.S. bombing raids during World War II and later repaired.  The oldest church in the Cordilleras outside of Baguio City, its foreign architectural design is fused with indigenous motifs.  Further down is the 30-hectare St. Mary’s High School.  Founded in 1912, it was destroyed in World War II, rebuilt in 1950, destroyed by fire in 1975 and reopened in 1983.

Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin

After this short tour we returned to the inn for supper at its coffee shop.   Food in Sagada is really cheap and the servings humongous.  Noteworthy is its tasty native red rice (kintuman), mountain tea and its aromatic and strong Arabian coffee, locally-grown, grounded and roasted.

Sagada Municipal Hall

The Road to Sagada (Mountain Province)

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From Baguio City, we left for Sagada around 9:30 AM, Tuesday, April 7, on board an ordinary Lizardo Transit bus from the Dangwa Tranco terminal, off  Magsaysay Ave..  Once outside Baguio City, my mobile phone became useless.   The 151-km. trip from Baguio City to Sagada passes through the spectacular 146-km. Halsema (named  after Engr. Eusebius Julius Halsema, American civil engineer and mayor of Baguio City, 1920-36) Mountain Highway. It was originally a foot trail used by mountain folk and was improved and widened by the Americans. The highest highway system in the country, it was formerly called the “Mountain Trail” and it links La Trinidad and Baguio City with Bontoc.  It took more than 15 years to build and was finished in 1936.

View of dried up rice terraces

The trip took all of 7 hrs. (including stops for lunch and snacks) as we cut through mountain peaks, gorges and  steep cliffs, cross deep ravines and skirted dangerous slopes.  It could have been shorter but more than half of the drive was over rough, dusty and unpaved roads.  Jandy had a case of biyahilo (travel dizziness) and threw up.  Some sections were so narrow that only one vehicle could pass at a time. A narrow section over one treacherous gorge was simply breathtaking (but I was afraid to look out the window).   It was the peak of the El Nino phenomena and a number of the terraces were dry.  Smoke from some small forest fires could also be seen in the distance. Still the drive was scenic all the way as we passed through some of the most spectacular mountain vistas found anywhere. We also passed the highest point of all Philippine highways  – at Km. 50 near Bayangan,  2,225 m. above sea level.  Here, where the road crosses 2,450-m. high Mt. Paoay, we had good views  of Mt. Pulog, Kabayan, Atok and the Agno Valley.  Too bad we didn’t  stop.