Letters from the Agno
March L. Fianza
Mt.Clitoris? Even the attention of Human Rights lawyer and news columnist Pablito Sanidad was caught that he passed through Bessang Pass to see for himself how Mogao Mountain got a new name. He eventually wrote about it.
The touristic mountain was so christened following wild but not so clear imaginations of men and women, who, after looking at the earth mound proudly towering over Tadian in Mt. Province and Cervantes in Ilocos Sur, started showing distorted facial expressions. Whatever, I have yet to confirm if the name of the weird-shaped mountain has been officially changed. History reverses itself as in the case of Tadian that was then a barrio of Kayan.
Today, it is the opposite as the latter has become the barangay. The municipality has been reported as the main hub for high school education of Western Mountain Province as it hosts Mt. Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC); Tadian School of Arts and Trades, the first trade school that absorbed enrollees from neighboring towns; and the Holy Rosary High School in Kayan, one of the first high schools established in the province with its first batch of graduates coming from the towns of Bontoc, Bauko, Sabangan, Besao and Sagada.
Not only is Tadian branded as the education center of Western Mt. Province, it also serves as an alternative gateway to and from the Cordillera through Ilocos Sur, thus becoming the market center for the nearby towns of Cervantes and Quirino. One day, it can boast of becoming the livestock, vegetable and banana supplier for the neighboring municipalities of Bauko, and Buguias and Mankayan in Benguet, and the towns of Ilocos Sur.
Last week, Mayor Anthony Wooden extended an open invitation to all to the “5th Ayyoweng di lambak ed Tadian” from March 1 to 4, 2013. Along with mayor Wooden were Tadian community leader Regina Velasco, councilors Jun Laminta, John Ngade and Alfonso Polan, and board secretary Melchor Micklay who helped identify and promote other places of interest.
In far-flung communities in the Cordillera where the assistance from national line agencies are hard to come-by unless prodded and elbowed incessantly, promotion of tourism potential areas is not easy as it is costly and time-consuming for LGUs that have to double their efforts in seeking funding and resources, if only to shout to the world “hey, we have a beautiful paradise here.”
It is in tourism promotion that LGU efforts are laudable, while tourism bosses do nothing more than travel around the country to attend ineffectual and pathetic tourism seminars or relax in their comfortable offices and wait for the local tourism event to unfold so that the office can just “ride on” and do the honors in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and later include the occasion as their own in their accomplishment report.
By the way, a number of tourism sports events in Baguio and Benguet are lined up for summer, one of which is the 3rd Rock Climbing trip to be held in Ambongdolan, Tublay; and Lamtang and Lubas in La Trinidad. It was organized by locally-based rock climbers to promote sports tourism in the Philippines, particularly to advance rock-climbing as a viable sport in Benguet and the Cordillera.
Just like last year, the organizers invited rock climbers from Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, Davao, Singapore, Guam and the US of A, not only to rock-climb but do other outdoor activities such as hiking, spelunking, mountain climbing or simply appreciating the nature that the region offers, or visiting unexplored and unlisted tourism spots. The other events that are barely monitored by the tourism offices are motocrossing and mountain-biking. Such events that are being organized to support the tourism industry are not supported by government because it is prevented from doing so by the PhilGEPS or the government electronic procurement system.
Now I understand why tourism in the Cordillera does not record an impressive move because the more smaller events that take place in a flash that simply require just a few thousands of financial assistance as compared to the bigger events that need hundreds of thousands of pesos to organize are not assisted by government, even while we know that there are so many other tourism-related functions that are implemented but do not come under the nose of PhilGEPS. My favorite caterer told me so. And I have yet to see a genuine process where an amount less than P5,000.00 goes thru electronic or on-line canvass, bidding and purchase.
Aside from Mt. Clitoris that rises above the enchanted eels of Barangay Cagubatan, hikers and backpackers in Tadian can visit Bessang Pass where Gen. Yamashita’s Japanese Imperial Army soldiers were killed and defeated by a combination of American forces and Filipino guerilla fighters in 1945, an incident that eventually ended a terrifying Japanese occupation.
The enchanted eels, Mayor Wooden said, are claimed to be sacred and may not be eaten. Although I believe that I am exempted from that taboo. Below Mt. Clitoris, one can find Gawaan Lake, a safe picnic and camping site within Barangay Poblacion. The mayor admitted reports of sightings of suspected NPA cadres but these are harmless “nice people around” who may just be passing through, he said. The other “must visit” sites are the Ub-ubanan Pool and Falls found in Brgy. Sumadel, the “Singing Jar” in Brgy. Kayan West that produces musical sounds when its mouth is rubbed and the Am-am rock observatory in Brgy. Cadad-anan. The rock offers a wide panoramic view of the town, as well as municipalities of Mankayan in Benguet and Cervantes, Ilocos Sur.
When coming from Manila or Central Luzon, Tadian may now be reached faster through Cervantes, Ilocos Sur; no longer through Kennon Road and Halsema Highway. Hence, according to Mayor Wooden, latest developments such as the recently finished projects along the Tadian-Cervantes road has prompted Mt. Province officials and Congressman Max Dalog to schedule a fun-ride and drive-through from the historic Bessang Shrine to the Aluling Bridge on the first day of March. The Cervantes road artery was the original access road from the lowlands to the Cordillera, particularly Mt. Province that was built during the Spanish occupation. Only during the American era did Engr. Eusebius Halsema, the first and last American mayor of Baguio, punch through mountain rocks and ridges and constructed a rugged trail that was later named after him.
***
By seven in the morning of February 17, around 23 girls and boys left Sagada on foot to express their support to the protest against the intended cutting and earth-balling of close to 200 trees by SM at Luneta Hill in Baguio. The Sagada-Baguio walk dubbed “Challenge 160” was also intended to promote the boycott of SM; and further educate people about the value of trees. Dr. Mike Bengwayan who led the 160-km. walk said, Sagada was chosen because of its “symbolism of people taking care of forests and trees, and the trees taking care of the people… something no longer true to many people, even among leaders in Baguio City. Sagada has a sustainable indigenous forestry practice called “lakon.” These were printed on flyers that Sly Q delivered to Gids Omero in Sayangan, who in turn distributed them to people they met on their way.
On the last leg of the hike last Friday, 13 of the remaining hikers who slept in Tublay, were joined by supporters and walked all the way to BSU in La Trinidad, and with “fellow earth and nature warriors,” according to Doc Mike, “march to Baguio City to once again remind our leaders of the importance of trees and forests for the generations to come in view of the worsening climate changes.” The Sagada-Baguio Challlenge 160 ended with a mass at the Baguio Cathedral.
George “Pok” Chan’s son, Marc, who joined the walk all the way from Sagada said, they also slept and revived their energies, stopping overnight at Mt. Data, Abatan, Sayangan, Camp 30 and finally Tublay. He said, kind people along the way gave them water and sometimes food. Aside from the sunburn and blisters, they felt they were always hungry especially when it was about time for lunch or dinner.
Reading Doc Mike’s social network page, he said and I quote: “The 160-km walk took the hikers over beautiful and breath-taking valleys, rivers and mountains in Mountain Province and Benguet that are now being destroyed. The hikers endured extreme tiredness, pain, cramps, swelling blisters, the cold, hot sun and smoldering concrete highways, dust and pollution and a few reckless drivers…. It is nice to be back... but it was also very beautiful to be out there. Sometimes, it is when we experience pain and suffering that our minds are opened.”
Now, while the hikers were in the middle of Challenge 160, I was told that SM Baguio invited a select group of media who were asked to cover the tree-planting activity at Busol by the notorious earth-baller. What is hurting is that they intended to plant their seedlings in an area that has already been adopted as a planting site by school children. Later in the day, the same informant told me that he saw Pine Tree saplings displayed at SM that were to be given away free on the condition that the person who wants to have a tree must purchase goods worth P1,500 from SM stores. I agree, SM’s spin doctors are doing great things for their masters, trying very hard to present to the public a pseudo-environmentalist image by organizing a tree-planting event during an off-planting season to make it appear in public that they are performing their corporate social responsibility, and by giving away free Pine tree saplings to people who buy from their stores. Indeed, “here, we get it all from you!” – marchfianza777@yahoo.com
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