Rocky mountain high

MANILA, Philippines - Not among the items on my bucket list are getting stranded because of a landslide (make that two landslides), getting stuck in mud, and walking along a narrow mountain road strewn with fallen rocks  all at about 8,000 feet.

Even if these are not on my bucket list, I can cross them off after a recent adventure-filled trip to Kabayan town in Benguet province to validate one of the finalists in the Lead PNP Award, a program of the Philippine National Police to search for and honor outstanding chiefs of police and station commanders.

We had completed a two-day validation in Bauang, La Union, and headed up to Baguio for the night. Typhoon “Falcon” brought torrential rains and gusty winds, and it was wet and dreary when we set out from Baguio City before dawn. The 85-kilometer drive would take between four and five hours, we were told, since part of the way was through very rough roads. An advance vehicle left half an hour ahead to check on road conditions, considering that it had rained non-stop through the night. The advance party had radioed in that the roads were clear, debris from previous slides and rock falls had been cleared.

The road was long and winding, with hairpin turns and sharp curves as the road hugged the mountain, the sheerness of the drop obscured by mist and the lack of light. But we were driving through some of the most beautiful scenery, with the thick pre-dawn mist shrouding stately pine trees, which cast eerie shapes in the faint light.

Away from the congestion of Baguio, the mountains were verdant, and the air crisp, clean and clear. At that early hour our convoy did not have to share the narrow but well-paved road with any other vehicle, which was a good thing. We traveled at a safe speed, since the roads were wet and there was danger of encountering rocks on the road at any bend.

How far is it to Kabayan (left)?

And there were bends  and more bends, and even more as we drove up and then down and then up again. After a long while we reached Ambuklao, the recently recommissioned dam and power generation facility, and a bit further on we stopped for breakfast  a most sumptuous feast consisting of an invigorating broth of pinikpikan chicken (I think I will refrain from explaining this other than saying that it is a delicacy of native chicken prepared as only mountain people can), native rice cakes, fried chicken (of the normal variety), longganisa, fried eggs, steamed rice, a relish of chopped tomatoes and onions, and delicious mountain coffee.

Thus fortified, we set out on the last 35 kms of the journey, with the warning that the rough roads would now begin  and indeed they did. It is a big mystery why roads are arbitrarily concreted in sections of a couple of meters, followed by longer stretches of unpaved roads, with no apparent rhyme or reason to the pattern.

As we bumped and bounced along, we were confronted with what could be considered the “highlight” of the journey for us city slickers  a fresh landslide had dumped a huge pile of mud and rocks on the road. And that wasn’t all  further down the road huge boulders had fallen and were blocking passage. The four of us in the National Selection Committee  Prof. Pepe Navarro, Fr. Tony Labiao, Albert Escalona and myself   thought for sure the validation mission would be aborted, but our escorts from the Benguet Provincial Police Command would have none of that.

Members of the Benguet Provincial Police Command get our convoy through mud and rocks putting in action their pledge “to serve and protect.”

The men of provincial director Sr. Supt. Ben Lusad literally jumped into action, shedding their shirts and boots and, in the rain and the cold, picked up shovels  some worked with their bare hands  and began clearing the mud and rocks. For the lifesavers that they were, I must put on record their names  Supt. Mario Mayames, PCI Darnell Dulnuan, PSI Ferdinand Oydoc, SPO2 Marlon Ganasi, PO3 Depayso Mondero and Richard Binayan, PO2 Duane Likigan, Briteyn Curugan, Ericton Imado, Fabian Limbawan and Ronald Poquiz.

We got out of our vehicles and were told to walk past the debris, which was easier said than done as we had to skirt the road, walking on the very edge to avoid the mud and muck. The poor officer who guided me across must have had circulation cut off in his arm as I literally clung on to him for dear life, ever mindful of the sheer drop into the verdant ravine.

A payloader was on its way to clear the mud and the rocks, we were told, and a vehicle from Kabayan was on its way from the other end to pick us up should our vehicles  a Grandia, a Hi-Ace and a Hi-Luxe FX, wonderful machines that did not give out despite everything  not make it across. We decided to begin walking  how far we had no idea, but it had stopped raining, the air was invigorating and the scenery was breathtaking. I cannot begin to describe the grandeur of the mountains, their tops covered by cloud and mist, the terraced plots planted to vegetables tracing fancy patterns on the mountainsides. Two hills away smoke curled up from a village; some fellow strandees told us that was where they were headed, to a wedding.

We were mesmerized by our surroundings, and we had no idea how far we had walked or how long it had been when we heard our convoy rumbling up behind us. Our police escorts had literally moved mountains  a particularly huge boulder took 15 men to push out of the road. We weren’t going to walk all the way to Kabayan after all.

We reached Kabayan past noon, in the rain, three hours later than expected, but the welcome from the townspeople was as warm as the day was cold, their smiles  especially of the school children  brightening up the dreary day like a noonday sun.

Kabayan is home to the fabled mummies, and the gateway to Mount Pulag. We were told that money has been earmarked to pave the entire stretch of road to encourage tourism. This would be a very good thing, because the beauty of Benguet and its people are treasures we can be so proud of  worth every bump and rock along the way. 

The Kabayan police force and high school children extend a traditional welcome for us after a gruelling seven-hour trip. The welcome ritual included our having to join the dance, slaughtering a black pig, which we later feasted on with the townspeople.