TRAILS UP NORTH

Glo Abaeo Tuazon
Sealing Kabayan, Sagada bond with pear tree

POBLACION, Kabayan – Sagada and kabayan, two municipalities thriving mostly on tourism had for a year forged a tri-municipality sisterhood along with Banaue, Ifugao finally strengthened their bond with a pear tree.

The seedling was brought along by the Sagada entourage led by Mayor Edward Latawan when they attended Kabayan’s 2nd municipal grand canao and Bendian Festival. The seedling was planted in a ceremonial gesture right in front of the Kabayan Central School where it could grow and thrive for a long time to commemorate the friendship. Mayor Faustino Aquisan on his part passed around the famous tapuey to drink to that.

Sagada and Kabayan has had a good relationship, the officials visiting each other’s places when they had the chance, to try to learn and share the secrets and ways they could promote their tourism projects and programs better.

Sagada is known to be one of the tourists spots mostly visited by foreigners for the longest time, one because of their beautiful hiking terrains that mostly Europeans are very fond of. Two Sagada offers great spelunking or caving adventures and three the culture and traditions as shown during their indigenous rites are primary come-ons too.

Sagada also had an organized set of environmental guides that existed for many years now and for a fact had helped train other newbies in other areas such as Kapangan. Kabayan on the other hand offers a new high for climbers. There is Mt. Pulag to scale and conquer, the burial caves and mummies to appreciate and the numerous inland lakes that evokes mysteries.

With the forging of the sisterhood pact, both municipalities could help each other by passing on the information and leading visitors to try the other municipality too, that way both are exposed and both gain from the tourist influx especially during peak seasons.
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The ENCA Organic Farms of Tublay, Benguet was recently visited by two foreign journalists. Eva Lehner, a German writer for Brigitte Magazine and internaltional photojournalist Justin Jin came over to the country promoting organic food and farming. Having heard that this highland region is in the process of constantly creating and improving their organic farms, the two opted to start in Tublay, Benguet.

Lehner said they are working for WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and doing an article on organic farming in the country to be published on the women’s magazine called Brigitte and that Jin would be taking the photos to go with that. The magazine is circulated in Germany and had its base in Hamburgh.

Organic food, she said could be better appreciated and consumed if people knew the hard work that goes with its production. And for a municipality like Tublay, described as a not so progressive one and struggling to overcome the pretty much rural lifestyle, Lehner appreciated the efforts the people and the officials put into these experimental farms.

From the seed, to seedlings until it grows edible leaves and flowers, the plants are tended with extra care. The plants are prone to insect infestation and other sickness if not attended well the fact that no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers ever touches them. Asked why they chose the ENCA Farms of Tublay to start with, Lehner said the place is pretty friendly and that they heard that as foreigners they would be welcomed and fed and boarded in return for the bit of knowledge they could impart and of course the coverage the place would be getting from the article they are doing.

For more information on the organization you can log on to their Willing Workers On Organic Farms (wwoof) website at www.wwoof.com. or www.wwoof.org.