VIEWPOINT. Two
tourists from Pangasinan pose at the viewpoint overlooking Pangasinan although
sometimes covered with fog at Barangay Malico on January 17. Tourists go to
Malico to enjoy the cold weather and the scenery. (PNA photo by Hilda
Austria)
By Hilda Austria
SAN NICOLAS,
Pangasinan – The mountain village of Malico is drawing more tourists
for its cold weather, mountain range view, waterfalls, and sometimes a sea of
clouds -- plus its historical value in World War II -- making the unresolved
decade-long dispute over the ownership between Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya to
resurface anew.
The village
situated on top of the Caraballo Mountain at 1,675 meters above sea level
greets tourists with a cold breeze with the fresh scent of pine trees
especially in the months of December to February and sometimes extends up to
the first week of March.
During
summertime, although the residents experience scorching heat at noon hours, the
summer nights until dawn are still cold.
Residents
mostly have their own backyard gardens planting highland vegetables which they
sell to the nearby public market and to tourists as well.
A strawberry
offering pick-and-pay is already available in the village to accommodate
tourists.
Based on the
data of the Malico Tourism Assistance Center, most tourists visit the place
during holidays, especially during the Holy Week.
Malico, Sta.
Fe barangay chairman Bony Ligmayo said the income derived from the PHP20 per
person fee that would give access to tourists in most of the sites is divided
into the three localities of Malico, San Nicolas (Pangasinan), Sta. Fe and Sta.
Cruz, Bagabag towns (Nueva Vizcaya).
The tourist
arrivals peak at 500 or more on holidays and 100 or more on regular days. The
highest recorded number of tourists so far was 1,000 on Jan. 2 this year.
In an
interview on Tuesday, Gabriela Laquias, a vendor and resident of Malico, said
more tourists are coming since the road (Villa Verde trail) was completed.
The trail
connected San Nicolas town, Pangasinan to Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, which is an
alternative and shorter route from Pangasinan to Cagayan Valley and vice versa.
“Dumami na
yung mga turista kahit mga taga-Baguio nagpupunta dito para matignan ano ba
itong Malico (More tourists are coming even those from Baguio City come
here to check what Malico is all about),” she said as people likened the place
to Baguio City, although it is more windy as compared to the City of Pines.
Laquias has
recently opened her stall near the famous tourist spot in Malico wherein she
sells vegetables, cooked meals and snacks, among other possible needs of the tourists.
Among the
attractions in Malico are viewpoints that offer aerial views of the nearby
towns and cities in Pangasinan, Kiyang Di Duntog, Salacsac Pass, or the
Japanese Shrine where a monument in honor of fallen Filipino, Japanese and
American soldiers who have died in the area during the WWII was built,
historical nature parks and camping sites and the Hingi Falls.
Christian
Frias, a tourist from Malasiqui town in Pangasinan, said he was in awe as he
did not expect the place to have such a picturesque view and cool climate.
Dan Frias,
however, said he struggled with dizziness due to the zigzag road going to
Malico.
Aside from
its attractions and the presence of Indigenous People’s tribes whose traditions
are still very much alive, Malico has a unique story.
The village
and its name are shared by the towns of San Nicolas in Pangasinan and the towns
of Sta. Fe and Sta. Cruz, Bagabag in Nueva Vizcaya.
Malico Sta.
Fe barangay councilman Roy Bitgan, in an interview, said he was already born
with this unique set-up even prior to becoming a member of the council village.
He said they
are living harmoniously despite the fact that there was no demarcation between
the three towns in their village.
Malico Sta.
Fe’s barangay hall was just beside the Malico San Nicolas high school.
“Yung
kapitbahay ko nga ay registered voter ng San Nicolas (My neighbor is
actually a registered voter of San Nicolas,” he said.
Nonetheless,
Bitgan believed that the dispute should already be resolved in order to set
things in order in their locality.
“Importante
yon kasi paano maimplement isang ordinance na hindi alam saan ang sakop like
solid waste management (It is important [for it to be resolved] because
for instance in implementing an ordinance, we don’t exactly know who is covered
by it like the solid waste management),” he said.
The
officials of the three barangay councils, however, found a way to solve this
scenario.
Bitgan said
they consult each other in every ordinance they wanted to pass and enforce it
to the people.
Malico Sta.
Fe barangay chairman Bony Ligmayo, on the other hand, shared a different
sentiment.
“Mas okay
yong ganyan kasi tatlong bayan din ang nagbibigay ng proyekto sa aming
barangay (It is better this way because three towns are giving projects to
our barangay),” he said.
Malico San
Nicolas barangay chairman Jaime Segundo agreed with Ligmayo and added that
whatever the result of the dispute should be beneficial to the residents.
The mountain
village has almost a thousand population in total according to the Tourism
Assistance Center’s data.
Meanwhile,
Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Guico III on many occasions has asserted that the
province will continue to fight for what belongs to Pangasinan in relation to
the boundary dispute with Nueva Vizcaya. -- PNA
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