Baguio-Sagada-Cordillera Travels

Saturday, July 22, 2017

So, What's Up In Sagada?

For almost eight months now, I have been in and out of Sagada. From these trips, I am amazed to see how much the place have changed, and still fast changing. In fact, a month you don’t visit will make you wonder if you’re visiting the same place you visited the last time.

Last March, the road widening at the entrance to the poblacion was just finished. Also, a road from Ambasing to “Alab”( I am not sure of the name of the place) is now in its last stages to complete. Before these roads, the farm to market road were also constructed from Atey to Demang near the Episcopalian Church. But the fastest that’s changing the makeup of the place are the residential houses cropping up like giant mushrooms. Anywhere you look, beginning at the entrance to Sagada, once you passed by Tetep-an, you will notice houses being constructed in almost every corner.

Well, Sagada is now booming because of its flourishing tourism. Unlike decades ago, when mostly foreigners are the clients to guide, local tourists quadrupled or increased 1000% according to the local guides I know. That’s very good for the tourist guides because their earnings also increased, and it’s very good for the businessmen because they can price their products higher which they call “Tourists’ price” and believe me it is even higher than the price found in the City of Baguio. And – whether you’re from Sagada or not – you pay the “Tourist price.”

The Problem of booming tourism

While tourism is giving instant jobs to the locals, the farmers are losing due to lack of manpower to help them in their farms.

(Note: when I say farm, I mean lands planted with vegetables, not planted with rice like in the lowlands. Although, there are few farm lands specially designated form rice.)

One of the gardeners I spoke with complained that it is very disappointing to plant vegetables nowadays because you can’t find young able men to help carry the harvest to the road accessible for loading. All the men young and some middle age men choose to work as guides because they get a better pay without working hard. In fact, my brother - in-law who used to cultivate vegetables left his garden to work as guide. Now his garden is covered with thick different kind of grasses.

Another problem, is you can’t find enough carpenters if you want to build a home or building.

So, the people of Sagada are forced hire people from the lowlands: carpenters, masons, including house helpers, and farmland helpers.

When I learned many people being hired as helpers are coming from the lowlands, I exclaimed "Wo, Sagada is the next destination for OFWs!"

What makes Sagada attractive to the lowlanders is that the salary is higher than the national standard. From what I heard, here are the salaries of people working in the different field of work: In the construction area, the salary for helpers is ranging from Php300 to Php400. Rough Carpenters Php500. Skilled Carpenters and mason Php700.

And mind you, this is with free lunch and free supper. And sometimes even breakfast is free. Not only that, expect free alcohol in the afternoon after work.

And, unless you are an engineer, a lawyer, or well high educated, one will not worry about the next job because there are lots of menial jobs where help is needed.

The road entrance in Atey just after Lemon Pie House

Atey road going to Demang. Turn to the left because the right is only about 50 meters long and it's a dead end - unless you want to see the present vice Governor. According to the people, the fund used to this road was from the "Farm to market road" project of former President GMA

Middle Continuation of the road

A little further to the left is the end of the road. Anglican Church at the background

Other source of income
Aside from tourism, Sagada is also booming in their weaving of different kinds of export quality bags, and other kinds of weaved products such as coin purse, wall decors, etc.

At the nearby places, like Namsong, Balugang(Bugang),
Suyo, and the others are still cultivating gardens, planting sugar cane, and coffee trees.

Of course, since the booming of visitors, hotels have been going up, but even home residences are being rented to tourists the hotels cannot accommodate. This is one of the ingenuity of the Igorot people, they always make sure that they have more rooms to be used for visiting friends and relatives rather than having a spacious living room with no room for visitors. Now, those extra rooms are a source of extra income.

And, an Igorot is not complete without Pigs. Although, again, these days people tending pigs are becoming scarce. If parents have works, they sometimes don’t have time to have extra work at home like feeding domesticated animals. The kids, mm, when a person finished college and the course taken was not in the field of agriculture, don’t expect that person to takeover dirty chores.

Monday, July 10, 2017

Baguio City: Remembering July 16, 1990 Earthquake

Figure 1 Damaged structures with the Baguio Cathedral at the background. Image taken from http://www.cityofpines.com/baguioquake/quake.html.

It’s just a few days and July 16 is here. Why this date is very important? Because it’s the day when a killer earthquake devastated our place Baguio city. I was still in college at that time. The memory of it is coming back to my mind each time the month of July is near until this date is finished. I had no intention to write down about the day, but when yesterday a 6.6 quake happened in Leyte, some of the pictures in the television are just like the pictures I saw in the TVs in 1990.

However, it was not the destroyed buildings that’s always coming back into my memory but the fearful sound that accompanied the quake and the different reactions of people I saw during the disaster stuck in my mind.

1) It rained then the ground shook. I was at Dangwa Bus station when the first quake happened. I went there to see if I could find a friend but there was none. It was sunny but it rained for maybe about 10-15 minutes. When the rain stopped, and, since I didn’t find even one familiar face, I started to walk to go home when felt as if I was losing my balance. I stood still and knew it was earthquake. The world was really swaying. I thought and guessed the magnitude must be around number 8 comparing it to previous quakes I experienced which was at magnitude 4.2 – 5 in the Richter scale.

2) The Hilltop Hotel collapsed. I casually walked to the Rabbit Bus Station along Magsaysay avenue where the jeepneys traveling to La Trinidad were parking. I was sitting at the front and waiting for other passengers to fill up the backside of the jeep when one young lady came in and sat next to me. As soon as she settled she started talking and telling about her recent experience and what she saw happened when the quake struck – I sensed worry and fear in her voice.

Figure 2 Baguio Public Market with collapsed Hilltop Hotel at the background. Image taken from http://www.cityofpines.com/baguioquake/quake.html.

She said she saw the Hilltop Hotel collapsed downwards and said people might have died. I said we will know it by the following day or in the evening news. She was telling me about she was buying a tray of egg in front of the New Tiongsan Grocery when it suddenly shook. She was saying “I, I, I, …. was holding the tray of egg when it quaked. I panicked so I dropped the tray of egg and when I looked at the direction of the Public Market I saw the Hilltop Hotel suddenly collapsed. OH, my… I think some people may have crushed beneath and died…” she had not yet finished talking when all of a sudden the jeepney started rocking. The lady nervously jump out of the jeep and I saw her ran away. The driver who was sitting next to me also jumped out, and all the other passengers behind us hurriedly went out. I was not supposed to get out but the quake seemed to don’t stop and what made me anxious was the sound of rolling stones. So, I also hurriedly step out of the jeep. I was afraid the earth might just open up! Whew!

When the second jolt was taking place, I believed everyone’s heart beat faster than usual because of the scary sounds of rolling stones beneath the ground. One wondered if “Is it the end of the world?”

3) Shouting lady from one of the disco pubs. When the second jolt happened, everyone went out in the street. I saw confusion, fear, worries in the faces of the people as the shaking seemed to have no end. As I was standing at the side of the street of Magsaysay avenue facing P. Burgos street I noticed a woman running and shouting out from the one of the disco pubs wearing a unbuttoned long-sleeve shirt and just an underwear/panty. When she was out hysterically, about three men followed her outside. And as the woman reach the side of P. Burgos street she collapsed but before she completely fell on the ground one of the men was able to catch her body. The other two men then helped to hold her on the legs and at the lumbar while the first man held the woman on her shoulder side. The three men then carried the unconscious woman hurriedly inside the building.

4) Old lady arranging back her vegetables in place for sale. After the strong jolt, a series of still strong aftershocks followed immediately. I remembered my cousin and a close friend who were tending dry-goods at Hilltop or known as Baguio Public Market. So, I decided to go and see if they need help. The streets were full of people walking back and forth, some shouting and calling names – it was a real chaos. When I was going up to Hilltop from Magsaysay avenue I saw an old lady(probably 60-65 years old) sitting calmly at the roadside selling cucumbers. She attracted my attention because while everyone was running or nervous of the continuous aftershock, she was there sitting like all things are okay. I slowed down my steps and fixed my eyes on her, then I stopped to watch her. Because every time the earth shook some of her cucumbers roll down to the pavement of the road but she immediately pick them up, sit down on her low stool and carefully put the cucumbers she picked up on top of the other cucumbers which were neatly arranged on top of each other being displayed for sale. After carefully placing her cucumbers on top of each other she rests her left elbow on her knees while her left palm carries her chin. While on that position she looks down on the cucumber quietly. Then about a minute or 2 the earth shook again and as if trying its best to let the cucumbers roll down to the street. However, the lady was quick enough to pick the any cucumber that rolled down from there arrangement and the process was repeated again. The incident must have happened three more times then I hurriedly walked again.

Now I am always thinking what happened to the lady and her cucumber. She was so optimistic things get to normal soon. Probably thinking that earthquakes before did not last longer than one tremor, only, that time was a different story.

5) Six kilometers walk from Baguio City to Km. 6 La Trinidad. When I went to Hilltop, only my friend who was still busy putting away her goods. After helping her we started to walk home as there were no passenger jeepney available. The ones running were overloaded and people like us who were not lucky had no choice but walk.

As we were walking down Magsaysay Avenue we saw a woman who was probably in her mid-30s running up and down calling the name of her child who must have lost from the throng of people walking up the street and going down.

And further down, as we were approaching Baguio Central High School, we saw a heap of slippers and shoes placed in the middle of the street. I was wondering if somebody made it a purpose to collect the slippers and piled it there. I guessed there were thousand single pares of slippers left by people who got shocked and didn’t mind running without one of their slippers or shoes.

And when we reach the middle of Km3 in La Trinidad(where the houses are painted by a group of artists and being visited by tourists these days) we saw in the side of the street a car with a boulder on top wrecking it. We don’t know if the passenger or passengers were safe as there was some traces of blood.

6) A stronger quake coming. When we reached home, I decided to go to the ground of BSU(Benguet Estate University) to see people I know if they’re alright. When I saw them, I saw fear they were scared. I tried to calm them down by telling stories about what transpired about me during the first and second major quake. Then they told me that some people heard from the radio that a stronger one is coming. “What?” I said. I calmed them down by saying or assuring them the world has no way or has no technology to foretell exactly when a quake is going to occur.

7) Our home was safe. Many people if not most were so afraid to sleep inside their homes because of the almost every 15-30 minutes gap of aftershocks. Every time the earth shake people hurrying to run outside their homes. And while they do that, I stayed calm the best I could because I know that the house of my aunt where I was staying was very safe. It was a little home with three rooms and is made up of wood. My aunt and my cousins were worried the two houses going to collapse. My aunt even was suggesting we also go to the school ground of BSU to be safe. I assured them we are safe.

Well, listening at the feet of the elders really is true. Because the things they said about what to do during disasters is now helping. So, I told my “family” about what I heard from my father and old people that homes made up of wood is safe during an earthquake. Well, unless of course if you have things put above your head that can fall to hit you. And be careful when cooking because fire might happen when a sudden quake happens. So, I made sure all things inside our home are not potential danger.

8) I was saved from possible death. This memory sometimes makes me shudder to my bone. That day was supposed to be a school day but students of the Saint Louis University planned to stage a demonstration in the afternoon, but the school was smart to suspend classes in the afternoon. At one pm in the afternoon, when I passed by the main gate of the school only the handful protesting student sitting in front of the gate. Since there was no classes, I decided to go watch a movie to let the afternoon passed by. Luckily, there was no movie that enticed me to get into the Aurora Theater found in Mabini street. Instead, I went to the city library found at Burnham Park(Located near UC – Cordillera College formerly known as BCF or Baguio Colleges Foundation). Then at 3:30PM I decided to go home.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Mini Igorot Dictionary

Mini Igorot Dictionary: Sagada Dialect (Kankanaey)

This mini Igorot dictionary primarily focuses on the Sagada people’s dialect, Kankanaey. While the words listed here are rooted in the Sagada variant of Kankanaey, they can also be understood in other areas. However, it is important to note that this dialect is distinct from those spoken in neighboring places like Bontok, Kalinga, Ifugao, and Ibaloi.

The Sagada dialect, Kankanaey, is also spoken in Kapangan, Buguias, and among the Bago tribes of the Ilocos region, though there are differences in intonation and the meanings of some words. Despite these variations, it remains sufficient for basic communication with speakers in these regions.

Many Sagada words have been borrowed from Ilokano, a language of the lowlands, making them relatively easy to understand for those familiar with Ilokano. The goal of this dictionary is twofold:

To enrich your visit to Sagada by encouraging the use of the local dialect.
To contribute to the preservation of Kankanaey, which faces the threat of extinction due to the increasing influence of foreign languages and dialects.

This dictionary will be updated periodically as more words are added.

Guide to Pronunciation:

Ay – Similar to the "I" or "uy" in buy.
A – Similar to the "a" in guava or "uy" in buy.
E – Similar to the "e" in mother/father
I – Similar to the "i" in bit or kit, or the "ee" in feet.
O – Similar to the "oo" in boot.
U – Similar to the "oo" in noodle or boot.

Letters in the Kankanaey Alphabet:

A B C D E G H I K L M N O P (R) S T U W Y

The Letter R:
The letter R was incorporated into the Kankanaey alphabet in the latter part of the 20th century, following the influence of Ilocano and English. Originally, words with an "R" sound were pronounced using the letter L.
For example:
Garden was pronounced as Galdin.
Over time, the pronunciation shifted to Gardin due to Ilocano influence.
Even today, many elders continue to use "L" instead of "R."

Pronunciation Notes:

Only the vowels A, E, I, O, U differ in pronunciation from English.
All other letters are pronounced the same as in English.

This guide serves as a resource to help you appreciate and engage with the Sagada dialect while preserving its unique cultural heritage.

Igorot Children Should Know Their Forefathers have Tails

We attended a wedding of a cousin’s child who married “outside the house.” It means the child married a child of another “tribe.” It is not Igorot, thus she has another belief, tradition and culture.

For us it is perfectly right because we also want to know others’ culture.

Few decades ago, marrying outside the tribe was not that easy and usually parents dictate what their child should marry. Almost everything parents and elders say were treated like it’s the law.

However, today is a different story, I believed characters and attitudes of people changed very fast that almost no one had even noticed the big change.

Back to the marriage topic, it is amazing to see and know others’ culture and tradition in celebrating their weddings. Their dances and kinds of programs are completely different from our own Igorot tradition and culture.

Theirs is with bands and singers performing. For good luck and to raise funds for the new couple to start with, the newlywed were asked to dance to a love song while their relatives, sponsors, friends, and visitors pin cash to hang on their dress; in addition, some boxes containing food(lechon manok or grilled chicken) and drinks were sold through bidding. A bidder can get a lady from one of the visitors to dance with and others will try to outbid him until the seller-announcer put a maximum price for the box then end the bidding. There were about ten boxes sold in my opinion and to show our support we bought one. There were also other side shows we didn’t notice because they were done a distance from us, and a slightly hidden from the decorations. The main part of the program everybody likes is for the visitors, especially, youth to spend the night dancing together with the music they like to play using today’s latest technology.

Well, we are normal people so we compared our native practice to theirs and we look at theirs as somewhat “Showy” specially the pinning of money in the dress.

Of course we did not want to be outdone; we also presented our own native music and dance using the gongs as our own music instrument during wedding festivities. Also, we fall in line and gave our own financial contribution to the couple while they are sitting in their chair( We don’t like to be showy so we didn’t pin the bills in their garments). This way we have a chance to know them more and congratulate them and they have the chance to see us face to face, specially, relatives whom they see for the first time.

The celebration went well to their plans, I believed, because all the scheduled programs were done before an hour before midnight, thus, it’s a free for all dancing and drinking for those who wanted to remain through the night.

But there was one thing I observed during the wedding. While our women were wearing their traditional colorful dresses, not even one of us men was using a sign of our own being an Igorot - the G-string. The reason was obvious, our own traditional native outfit is no longer “suitable” in today’s modern kind of culture, because if we use our own G-strings outside our home we might be called as “still barbarians or uncivilized” or any names that will diminish our pride. Really?

And this is what the title is all about. Because of our native attire in the old days the people in the lowlands believed Igorots have tails. I believed someone explained or probably joked to them our G-string attire as “like tails” behind our butts - and either the listeners took it literally or made joke about it until it was believed as true story.

In fact, until now there are still ignorant people who do not know how a genuine Igorot looks like. There are many of them asking people who visited Kaigorotan (specially, Baguio City) if they have seen an Igorot and how do an Igorot looks like. The irony is the person they’re asking the question is a pure blooded Igorot.

Okay, sorry for telling side stories, but what I mean in the title is that, because it is now seldom Igorot men use their traditional custom attires it will not be long and the next Igorot generation will forget one of the important piece of their history is that their forefathers was known to have tails.

For this to not happen, Igorot men should make it a point to always wear their attire on every occasion so that today’s children and the next generation know our forefathers have tails.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Badge of Honor

Figure 1 -
Two horns of carabaos and one horn of a cow. The practice of hanging horns is a way of rich Igorot families showing they have married off a child.

I took the image from a cousin’s display outside their home. Usually these horns of carabaos are displayed next to the door of a home of people who had children got married.

So, the more horns you see the more children got married.

I don’t think this is part of Igorot’s tradition but I guess it serves as a badge to show not only how many children they married off but also their status in life. Usually only the wealthy families can afford to butcher Cows, and carabaos aside from the 11 pigs for the wedding of their children.

Igorot weddings usually lasts for three days where people of the village especially friends even from distant places, and family members go to eat and congratulate the newlywed and their parents.

Well, people not only go there to eat, but most will give a cash or gifts to the married couple.

If you’re just a visitor, no problem, you can always go and fall in line or ask for food during meal time, they’re happy to give you. So, if it happens that one day you visited Sagada or other parts of Kaigorotan Country(Cordillera) don’t hesitate to partake with the wedding feast.

And more importantly, if you happened to passed by a home having horns hanging in front of their home, usually, next to their door, don’t be scared. You’re seeing a badge or badges of honor they already married off a child or more depending on the number of their children.

And, usually, when you see horns there might be pig’s skulls next to it or in other parts of the house. Don’t worry, it’s not a haunted house or home of a witch you are looking at. The skulls of pigs almost represent the same, however, it might be from doing other traditions done before, like, building a house, wedding, or other traditions where a pig is needed.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Flies Helped Rescuers found Dead Bodies, and Why the Igorot tradition Daw-es is Very Important to the Psyche of the Rescuers

How flies can help rescuers retrieve bodies of victims- days after a disaster? And the importance of dog to be used in the ritual daw-es to prevent losing one’s intellect after such kind of work?

Figure 1. Dog being used for a ritual as depicted in one of the arts found in a building along Abanao road, Baguio City

Figure 2. An image found in Burnham Park, Baguio City, showing a chicken is being killed for a ritual.

One of my patient’s now of therapeutic Ilot was one of the miners from Philex Mines in Padcal, Tuba Benguet who did a great job of rescuing victims of the July 16, 1990 Baguio city killer earthquake at collapsed Hyatt Hotel.

Well, I got thrilled when he told me he was one of those miners who were tasked to retrieved bodies from the Hyatt Hotel.

It’s still fresh in my mind that in that historic afternoon of Monday the school organization decided to boycott school due to some students-administration’s conflict…I guess about tuition fee. The school was shrewd that they suspended classes in the afternoon which saved probably major injuries and lives of its students when the earthquake struck at about 4pm(Daylight Saving time).

So, I did not bypassed the chance to asked him questions specially about news in the TV during the time about those miners using flies as their guides to find bodies still inside the collapsed building few days after the major quake. How did they know that flies can help?

He said one of the men who were rescuing with them had an experienced years back when they went to find the body of a man who was lost during a land slide in Ifugao. They only found the body, after many days of looking for it in the thick soil that covered the ground, when they noticed flies flying back and forth into a very small hole. When they dig the part the flies are going in they uncovered the body of the person they were looking for days.

That experienced, he shared with his buddies and they followed flies where they go and come from. The flies sometimes get into even very small openings and when they clean the part it’s 100% percent there was a cadaver.

Then he said about some of their companions founding money, and about three who’s minds became unstable months afterwards. The last information I got interested more so I asked what could be the reason, “They became like that because they had not done the ritual of “Daw-es” to help them cope up with the images they saw during the rescue” he explained.

I heard word many times before about daw-es being used to heal people who were sick of unknown reasons. In fact the older brother of my father(RIP) was done the ritual after he just cannot stand up to walk. There was a suspicion he was hurt by the black magic spell of one person known to have the power of inflicting sickness to a person he hate by ritual incantation using chicks. So, they tried to heal my uncle but failed even after doing it three times. Some old men said the rituals were not successful because they used the wrong animal which was dog.

What is daw-es all about?

Daw-es is a traditional Igorot’s way of sacrificing dog for the purpose of cleansing and healing the psyche of troubled individual caused by shock or trauma from an experience, like: from a war, seeing dead body alone, first time to kill, or like in the case of the 1990 earthquake when the miners were asked for their help to rescue people trapped at the collapsed Hyatt Hotel dead and alive. However, daw-es is also required by the elders that it must be done for preventing the problem to occur. The Igorot elders believed Daw-es can counteract the bad effects of such experiences. It’s also believed that it can stop a person from doing bad things like committing theft but must follow stricter guidelines for the ritual to be effective.

According to him, a chicken was first killed then followed by a dog. The dog meat is going to be eaten only by the old men who did the ritual but not the person/s who are subject of the ritual.

Though it was not the first time he rescued victims of accidents or calamities, he said that each time, when the ritual of daw-es was not yet done he cannot forget the images of and smell of dead bodies they rescued, and he cannot sleep and he cannot eat well.

After the daw-es he felt like he was released from heavy burden in his mind and chest. His thoughts were no longer filled with the images of the victims they retrieved.

But why use only dog and not other kinds of animal like pig which is being generally used for weddings and deaths?

“It’s because dog has stronger effect capability to do the job of suppressing the negative energy or bringing back the positive energy” he said. In short, it’s the only animal that when used for such purpose will do the magic and no other animal fits the ceremony than dog.

I am not so convinced, but…Maybe, because there are no other rituals where dog is being used. Chicken is used, in general, in support to all rituals. Pig is used for weddings, deaths, and all the rituals that follows them with chicken, then dog is used for treating the psyche of a person who’s mind cannot handle the shocked of being involved with killing(like warriors, soldiers), founding dead body, or involved in rescue operations during calamities, also with chicken.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

A Tourist Spot’s Golden Opportunity

The two giant disc used to be a radar in the early days

The first time I went to Mount Kabuyao was when a friend of mine invited me to join the electrical engineering students of Saint Louis University’s field-trip to Sto. Tomas where in the towers for signals of different companies who need it are located.

During that time, the roads were not cemented and it was hard for the jeepneys to travel especially when it was raining. During summer, the road was dusty, like the roads of the old cowboy movies.

Going to Santo Tomas was not easy. As part of the thrill, we walked from Green Valley going up to Santo Tomas passing by Mount Cabuyao. What is good in Mt Santo Tomas? It is like a view-deck to see an overview of Baguio City, and the surrounding places in the lowlands, like, Pangasinan and some parts of La Union. One of the things that amazed me during that time was when the thick clouds were on one side and the other side was very clear. It was like you are walking the boundary of heaven and earth. It’s very cloudy in the “Lowland’s” side and very clear in the “Highland’s” side.

(For clarification, when we say “Lowland or lowlanders” we are referring to the places or its people that are not part of Mountain Province including Baguio city. And the word “Highland or highlanders” mean the places of Mountain Province and its people including Baguio city).

From Mount Santo Tomas, we walked back to Mount Kabuyao where the remains of the two large old radars, shaped like plates, are located. There, I learned that the radars are no longer functioning. But it wasn’t dismantled to serve as a landmark and remembrance of the functions it did in history. In addition, I learned that the mountain is a dormant volcano. From there, then went to see the Baguio City water reservoir – a ten hectares pool where water is collected during rainy seasons.

That was 14-16 years ago.

Last Saturday, April 19, 2014, I went with friends lead by “Trek N Trail” FaceBook page administrator Gideon Omero who’s advocacy is to let people become aware of the degrading beauty of the environment, due to man’s mismanagement and abuse, by inviting people go visit the places.

This visit is different than before. It’s no longer free. One has to pay P25 pesos Environmental Fee, though were not charged because it was the Holy Week.

The road is no longer rough-roads and there are now many houses built and more are sprouting like mushrooms. In fact, a story was told that a big hotel will soon go up at the top of one of the high mountains of Mount Kabuyao, just a few hundred meters away from the radars.

Gardens are now all over the place and anyone familiar with the gardens in Mountain Trail can see it’s not far away behind. Pine Trees are much less though some parts are still forests.

But, what’s sad is that garbage is also all over the places. Plastics are commonly seen littering the roads. I can’t imagine any other reasons why it seems nothing is being done to solve the problem while it’s still not a major one than because the local government don’t see anything to benefit them personally in order to think about a long term remedy.

The only toilet under the view deck smells like very much like one that it’s much better to go hide behind a tree or the tall grasses to relieve yourself than gets a headache and turning your stomach inside out spending a few minutes inside those toilet cubicles.

However, the visit and hiking is still much worth it(We walked about more than 2hours from the police station to our destination where the hidden old burial mini-cave under giant boulders(rocks). The place also pride itself of its thrilling high edges where one can sit and view the thick pines trees while breathing the fresh pine-scented oxygen.

On top of the giant rocks, if it is not cloudy, one can see the old Loakan airport, and many parts of Baguio city. A telescope or a long-sighted camera is best tool to bring the areas you want to view nearer to your sight.

Of course, one can have a taste of a cave by going underneath the giant rocks(as large as one story building with 200 sq. ft. area) where it used to serve as a burial place by the residence of Mt. Cabuyao villages. Just pray no earthquakes happen while exploring under those rocks – imagine the scare it that happens! Whew! The cave is not easily visible and you will not suspect it is there unless your curiosity is high or someone who knows about it tells you.

The area is about more or less 100 square feet and about 10ft high. Inside, we saw only about less than ten coffins(some broken) made up of pine wood, and bones. I noticed the skulls are gone, so probably it was taken as souvenirs by visitors or taken by the family themselves. I saw also one that has new fresh sacks – which probably – the family put into the sacks the bones and put it back inside the coffin. There are no fresh coffins that indicate the place is still being used today. It is therefore safe to say it was already abandoned since burying the dead in the family backyard or under the home residence became a trend.

Though there are not much more to see inside the cave aside from the coffins and bones the experience makes one feel connected to an ancient practice and secret of the past.

From inside, one can see light peeping through a hole where it can be the exit instead of going back from the entrance. Just be careful not to hit your head on the low ceiling of the entrance and the exit.

Outside, we spent about an hour or a few minutes over an hour taking pictures and enjoying the natural beauty of the surroundings.

The tranquility of the place is very enticing to people who wants to have a break from the chaos of a city life which I believe is its most foremost pride that destruction on its surrounding trees can be lost forever unless people in-charge see its importance.

Though, there was a feeling of lingering longer, our time frame won’t permit us, thus we had no choice but to re-follow the trail that brought us to the place back to the radar.

Around the radar area, there are stores selling foods, like, halo-halo(hodge-podge), vegetables, home-made jams, and souvenirs.

Along the road, one can also notice the statues of three people hanging on crosses. The day before, it is told there were lots of local visitors and tourists who participated on the reliving of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Station of the Cross is made permanent at the side of the road beginning from the water reservoir which was the last part we visited.

I thought at first we were going to climb up Mt. Santo Tomas because ‘twas the quote before and during the trek – “We hike Mt. Santo Tomas” - but I was wrong - only because they confused the name of Mt Kabuyao as the Mt. Santo Tomas itself. So, to the next trekkers, be sure to distinguish Mt Kabuyao from Mt. Santo Tomas. Mt. Santo Tomas is higher and about another hour walk up.

Anyway, in order to be able to cover the two mountains, the best thing to do is walk up straight at the top of Mt. Santo Tomas then walk down to Mount Cabuyao – that is if the weather is perfect. If not, then plan for another visit.

If you have a car and a driver, you can go straight up to Santo Tomas then walk down to Mount Kabuyao.

Mount Kabuyao and Mount Santo Tomas are golden opportunities the local government should take seriously to preserve its natural beauty - NOW – before it is crowded by people who don’t care because their greed is higher than the two mountains joined together.

If you need Guides,and Information about cordillera's bests:
Contact Mr. Gideon Omero at Trek N Trail FaceBook page by sending him a message or send a message to the following e-mails:

gidsome@yahoo.com
alakdansarzce@gmail.com