TRAILS UP NORTH

Glo Abaeo Tuazon
Seminarian found innocent

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The courtroom was filled to the brim but was still and silent during the Feb, 13 promulgation case People of the Philippines versus Wilfredo Andong on two counts of criminal cases in the sala of Judge Joseph A. Patnaan.

When the verdict was read, a majority of those who attended the promulgation clapped. Andong on his part was silent but definitely the burden he had been carrying for two years finally was lifted. The complainant and her family were not present during the reading of the decision.

Andong, a seminarian towards priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church" was accused of violating Republic Act 7610 and another count for lasciviousness.

The victim, a minor, claimed Andong had done her acts contrary to said provisions of the law that had caused her shame and great prejudice. In the course of the two-year period that the case was heard, it was now ended.

The joint judgment read: "Calibrated in its entirety, the testimony of the complainant flunks the credibility test. Considering that her testimony is the single important consideration in determining the culpability of the accused and it is not credible. The prosecution has failed to demonstrate the guilt of the accused to a moral certainty.

“Wherefore, finding that the guilt of the accused has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt, the accused Wilfredo Andong is hereby acquitted in both criminal case 2142 for violation of the section 10 of Article 6, Republic Act 7610 and criminal case 2142 for acts of lasciviousness."

The judgment was read, the case closed, but life goes on for all those involved. Andong went back to his hometown after the verdict, to ponder awhile and summon the strength to pick up pieces of his life. His dream vocation which was a few moments close to his being ordained a priest went with the fall. Eight years of schooling down the drain.

In retrospect those around the courtroom who followed the progress of the proceedings have comments to say, "Punish those who erred especially in the plight of innocent children (minors) and women, but spare those who have done no faults. For in the process both suffer greatly and the consequences are greater than the cause."
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The forty-five minute drive up the rickety road to Mainit, Bontoc was the same the way I saw it last. From the high vantage point one could view the whole valley and see the clustered community of Bontoc Poblacion, Callutit, and Samoki. On the way up is Guina-ang.

It is a lonely, winding road this time of year, the cloud of dust following you after the tires disturb the slumber of the lazy, hazy day. Up above the power pole perched an eagle, like an icon on a very high pedestal. It was immobile, but intently eyeing the horizon. We left him at that only to see him winging the mighty skies with a snake dangling from its talons a few minutes up the route later. These creatures are just a few of the remaining and endangered specie in these parts of the province.

Parking the car at the elementary school grounds we alit and ascended a gently sloping “hiking trail” to the resort. It was a frequently travelled path I see, of dirt and nothing much along the side of a steep mountain side. You could see the houses below and their improvised wading pools along a much dried up river path. On one pool are naked bathers and they don’t mind being so at that.

Moving along quickly with a borrowed battered umbrella I could smell the whiff of sulphur this far. Not far away we sighted a newly constructed building and three pools simmering in the sun. The hot spring resort is indeed new, some of the shower rooms and picnic areas still under construction but operational.

I took a dip I would never forget, nor would regret either. It was more like being cooked in a cauldron and all that was missing were vegetables floating around me to make a stew. Forget the seasonings also, there’s enough salt in the water to make me tasty. Then I knew I was cooked enough and good to go when the wrinkles on my feet and hands matched those of a raisin. But the dip was good, therapeutic in a way. It sapped the fatigue from the aching limbs and weary body.

We went further up the area where the endless bubbling, hissing sound of boiling water emanates from the earth. Some were covered with loose boards to prevent accidents but the much stronger and fiercer ones were left as is. Atop the bridge, we were smothered in a sea of hot mist, the pungent sting of sulphur penetrating the nose canals to the throat. Hold it in a few seconds they say and it also cures asthma and other respiratory problems.

The areas surrounding the geysers were covered in a thick pack of white crystals. I learned later (and tasted) that it was salt. Then it dawned on me that back in the early days before Mountain Province was influenced by foreigners, salt production was one industry that sustained their barter trade with neighboring communities and the lowlands.

It was during the early 1900s that this “hot” product called salt, being a necessity, was on its peak. Salt “factories” called asigas were built around the steaming mineral hot springs to contain and condense the heat to form crusts of salt on rock surfaces. It would later be scraped and washed into cauldrons, the brine slowly evaporated by cooking and the remaining paste dried to form salt cakes. Those were the days.

This tiny place has so much story to tell, from history to these mineral hot spots, to salt making, to their fierce resistance to the big mining companies who wanted to dig the bowels of Mainit for gold. -- Email: twilight_glo@yahoo.com