The hidden gems of Mindanao

There’s a man beside me on the plane to General Santos City. After 13 months of being away from his home in Mindanao working as a seaman, he is finally returning home for his children’s graduation. We talk about my trip to the region, and my purpose. I’m traveling to write about it, I tell him, thanks to an effort by Bonamine and the Department of Tourism. After which he tells me, in a humble and nostalgic manner, the many wonderful sights of his home. He speaks of his hometown with a kind, convivial spirit. As the plane readies to land, he looks to me and says, “Next time, you should take the window seat so that you can see the view.” In his eyes there’s a solemn tired expression, perhaps glad to be back at home, however uncertain of the changes that have occurred while he was out venturing the sea.

Upon alighting in the General Santos airport, we immediately begin our road trip. We move northwards, up towards South Cotabato in search of South Cotabato’s summer capital, Lake Sebu.

6°12¢55≤ North, and 124°42¢5≤ East: Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

A majestic fall: Fall number one of the Seven Falls found in Lake Sebu, which tourists can zipline over to see. The zipline is a staggering 200 meters high, the highest in Asia.

Lake Sebu is a natural lake nestled around lush mountains and fauna, located almost 3,000 feet above sea level, and home to the T’boli tribe who continually strive to keep their heritage alive. Housing the amazing Seven Falls, a majestic view where the seven natural falls rush through the Lake Sebu’s mountainous terrain and valleys, Lake Sebu is really quite a fascinating place. The best way to see their splendid seven falls is 200 meters off the ground, flying, Superman-style, via zipline. It is the most exhilarating and breath-taking zipline ride, dubbed the highest in Asia, costing P250 per person. If you’re a virgin zip-liner like me, you must save the experience for the zipline in Lake Sebu. The adrenaline of the ride and the spectacular view is a different kind of empowering. Naturally, for an emotional person like me, that zipline ride made me realize the powerful splendor of nature. Try flying 200 meters of the ground, fearing death, and screaming at the top of your lungs, “HOLY SH*T! OH WOW! HOW BEAUTIFUL!” I’m sure that moment of disbelief and amazement at what you’re looking at will come roughly around the same time.

Our tour guide in Lake Sebu, Oyog, is an eloquent and intelligent modern woman that places great value on her T’boli heritage. The T’boli people love the arts, and have a deep respect for nature. Oyog guides us around Lake Sebu, passionately speaking about her culture, and disappointedly tackling some political issues. After recovering from our heart-stopping zipline ride, she says we should proceed to learn more about the t’nalak. The T’boli are infamous for weaving the t’nalak, a fabric woven painstakingly, whose artful patterns are inspired by their dreams.

Lake Sebu: A natural lake nestled around lush mountains and fauna, located almost 3,000 feet above sea level, and one of the most important watersheds in the country.

As the sun begins its descent and darkness begins to creep in, we go deeper into the charming villages, into rocky dirt roads, and into homes absent of electricity at night. In a small, remote community, we enter the home of Lang Dulay, recognized by the NCAA (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) as a Gawad ng Manlilikha sa Bayan awardee (National Living Treasure awardee) for her dreamweaving.

In one of their traditional T’boli houses, her pictures and handicrafts hang inside, shadow-lit by the small amount of sunlight peeping in through the bamboo windows. Lang is a soft-spoken woman, courteous, and patient at the age of 90-something (the T’boli, quite amusingly, do not place importance on birthdays or age). Lang is not irked when we barrage her with questions. Our tour guide and translator, Jerson, says we have to show her the pictures we take of her afterwards. After sitting with a cooperative calmness, she takes a look at our shots and even jokes that she doesn’t look too flattering in some of them.

The process of dreamweaving the t’nalak is a complex and spiritual one. It is an art where women, and only the most passionate and dedicated of the T’boli women, are involved. From the finest of abaca fibers, to the dying process, up to the finished pattern on the woven fabrics, none of which are stenciled or hand-drawn as a guide, the process is arduous, complicated, and beautiful, creating an intricate yet minimalist weave in red, black and white. When we ask Lang about what her weaves are about, she points to one and says it is about bubbles. In terms of content, the t’nalak are usually patterns of simple things, such as hair bangs or butterflies. Nothing pretentious in subject matter, really, and nothing for art critics to overanalyze.

What does she dream about: Lang Dulay, the 90-something year old t’nalak weaver in Lake Sebu, is a National Living Treasure Awardee for her art in dreamweaving.

As the sunlight begins to fade, we take it as our signal to leave the home of Lang. We say our goodbyes to Lake Sebu, as the next morning presents more road trips. Our road trips, from one province to the next, are really like an adventure slowly unfurling. From South Cotabato, we move down and back past General Santos City, and onto the very end of Region 12, to the white sandy beaches of Glan, Sarangani.

5°49¢0≤ North, and 125°12¢0≤ East: Glan, Sarangani

The beaches in Glan, Sarangani encompass stretches of undisturbed white sand and have a number of developed and reasonably priced resorts. The province of Sarangani, having only existed since 1992, has achieved a lot in a short time. Their celebration of the Sarangani Bay Festival is already marketed to attract more tourists. It applies the usual formula that most beach festivals subscribe to: celebrities playing sports, a bikini contest, some hundred-plus advertisement banners, and a profusion of brand marketing. However, for a peaceful afternoon, and in order to catch some sun, we quickly go to a neighboring resort with fewer crowds. The beach is beautiful and clean, the blue waters stretch until the horizon and glitters under the sun showing different shades of sea blue. Being that Sarangani is at the tip of the south of the Philippines, I must be looking at international seas.

Hundred ways to eat tilapia: At the Punta Isla resort in Lake Sebu, an availability of the tilapia dish served in a variety of ways: chicharon tilapia, sinigang na tilapia, and nilasing na tilapia while in a floating restaurant in the lake with a view.

On the last day before we head back home, we stop by the fishing port complex of General Santos city, where most of the Philippines’ tuna supply comes from. It is one of the largest and most modern fish ports in the country, covering a vast 11 hectares and costing to around P600 million to build. Is it totally ignorant of me to have ever thought tuna was a small fish? Coming from the city, the only image of tuna I had came in little tin cans, braised in oil or salty water. It’s an interesting trip to the port, and the local fishermen show us the ins and outs of a regular morning in the harbor.

For a region so big, commonly misrepresented in the media to be unfriendly to tourists, Mindanao is incredibly rich in culture. The people are aware, of course, of the unspoken apprehensions visitors from other regions might have. However, the locals are more than welcoming and friendly, and proud of the hidden gems their homes provide.

The innocence of a little T’boli girl in Lake Sebu broke my heart when she asked if I knew Raymond, because I told her I was from Manila. I thought she was referring to the Raymond Gutierrez, someone she had seen on television, perhaps. I was only surprised and a little saddened to hear that Raymond was actually her brother, who moved to Manila a long time ago to get married. Her innocence was disheartening, as I did not have to courage to tell her that, really, Manila is a mean place, where injustice rules the streets concomitant to the hungry and the powerful who stick their noses up in the air to avoid seeing reality. How could I tell this girl that Manila is not as dreamy as you think it is? And in that moment I comprehended how ironic things were. Here is a largely misrepresented region, in truth is so innocent and humble, hopeful and gleaming with nature’s beauty, and it’s really quite peaceful — meanwhile Manila’s grimy streets glisten from afar as a city of hopes and dreams.

An indigenous fighter: Oyog, an eloquent, intelligent and kind woman who strives to keep her T’boli culture and heritage alive. Oyog is involved in setting up SIKAT (School of Indigenous Knowledge and Tradition) a school for indigenous children, which teaches the basics of T’boli culture, and translates subjects like Math and English into T’boli for the children to understand.

Mindanao has a hidden beauty that needs to be buffed and appreciated. Really, the Philippines has so many places left to visit — so many more mountains to be trekked, virgin beaches to camp out on, indigenous cultures to learn about and histories to study.

Before planning your worldwide trip, try assessing how many places in the Philippines you have been to first. Not too many, huh? Look again. We have quite a lot of reasons for the world to be envious of our country. 

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Basta Pinas is a travel advocacy campaign, which Bonamine, in partnership with The Department of Tourism have come up with, in hopes of encouraging more Filipinos to explore the hidden treasures of the Philippines. Check out their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BastaPinas.