Backtrack # 8: INAWAYAN BUSAY EXPLORATION

Sometime on June 2007, our group decided to delve into a small waterfalls located in sitio Lower Quinokol, Barangay Inawayan, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. The falls was situated in the border of SODACO durian plantation and Ayala Agricultural Development Corporation coconut farm.

The jump off point was at a house of LOGSAC member Dadz Ruty Moral. It was approximately a 1-hour river trekking using the Quinokol creek passing Señorita Piggery Farm. Before reaching the falls, we passed through several small tributaries. The stones making up the Quinokol creek were very slippery, and we used to cope with it although we only had a pang-videoke-inspired outfits (hehehe).

Inawayan Busay measures approximately 12 feet in height with an 8-meter diameter pool. It was fairly attractive then but due to the presence of a piggery farm nearby, bathing in the area is not a good idea for some messy reasons.

After taking pictures of the falls, we headed back to Dadz’ house for more videoke session. Our team was composed of Chickay, Papong, Dadz and Jaymar.

Three years after that, a king cobra (banakon) was caught and killed just right within the Quinokol creek. The residents there found out that the place has been an abode of king cobras. Very interesting fact, we might have met one along the way.

Environment Month 2011

The whole month of June is Environment month per Proclamation No. 237, Series of 1998. This is pronounced in order to focus public attention to the protection and conservation of the country’s natural resources.

This year’s theme; FOREST: NATURE AT YOUR SERVICE, is very timely considering that now is the highest time to act together to save our forest as a very vital piece of our natural resources.

In relation to the Environment Month 2011 and the 1st Anniversary of the Sibulan River Ridge to Reef Conservation Project, the Local Government of Sta. Cruz and the HEDCOR Aboitiz Corporation have spearheaded a tree planting and river clean up activity on June 28, 2011 at Sibulan River, Barangay Darong, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. Other private companies as stakeholders of the initiative were also present during the event such as the Ayala Corporation, CJ Toyota Tsusho Philippines, Inc., among others.

LOGSAC and other outdoor groups in Sta. Cruz like SAVERS, AMECC and TRIMMOC Sta. Cruz Chapter also showed interest by participating the event. This gigantic alliance of mountaineers in the place is a manifestation that indeed we need to closely work hand in hand to save the remaining piece of our natural heritage, the SIBULAN RIVER.

The vacant area along Sibulan River in Darong was planted with bamboo seedlings. Already saturated with such specie because there were other tree plantings conducted before this event, there is still a need to plant more trees in order to attain higher survival rate. It will also stabilize the riverbanks that will eventually prevent more floods in the future.

“This is a very commendable undertaking,” said Sta. Cruz mayor Joel Ray L. Lopez. “We hope to see more initiatives like this in the future that will protect nature.”
Adventure sidelights were conducted after the tree planting through rappelling and water tubing. These activities are maintained to further beef up ecotourism development within Sibulan River and are somehow envisioned to make the river visible in a longer period of time.

Many thanks to LOGSAC members who joined the event: Julius Paner, Jonas Florencondia, Irish Ann Palanca, Trecelyn Cabaluna, Faridah Lumpapac, Dra. Raygene Medronero and Henry Gapula.

An amazing taste of Bicol Express

We were supposed to climb Mt. Mayon on June 12-14, 2011 but with the 6-km restriction still in effect due to Mayon’s Alert Level 1, we suddenly thought of alternative destinations where we could stay for three days in Bicol region. I and Papong arrived very early in Manila on June 11 and with the luxury of time, we were brought by MTM (Mother Theresa of Mountaineering) to several unique places in the metropolis because our flight to Legaspi was scheduled on Independence Day. Our stay in Manila was remarkable as it was highlighted by a double eat-all-you-can in Malate and MOA, instant shopping at BCG Taguig and a face-to-face experience with Johny Deep on Pirates of the Caribbean at MOA Imax cinema.

From a cozy transient house in downtown Legaspi on June 12, we travelled all the way to Cagsawa Ruins; perhaps the most visible remainder of Mayon’s cruelty. This place is also a perfect place to see Mayon in all its glory although we didn’t settle for that because of the cloudy sky. We instead drove through 180 degrees to see Mayon on the other side in Mayon Rest House (MRH) located in Tabacco, but the place didn’t give a clear Mayon perspective either.

After a sumptuous and scorching lunch made of Bicol Express and laing, our next stops were Tabacco Church and Busay Falls; afterwhich we enjoyed the rest of the day at Ligñon Hill Nature Park, the 360 degrees point of Legaspi City.

On June 13, we headed to Caramoan Island, an isolated island located at the heart of Caramoan cape. It occupies the lower eastern portion of the Province of Camarines Sur. It is bounded on the north by the town of Garchitorena and the Pacific Ocean; on the northeast by the island province of Catanduanes; on the south by Lagonoy Gulf; on the east by the Maqueda Channel and on the west by the municipality of Presentasyon (courtesy of nextboracay.com). When you get there, you will really be enticed by the very fine white sand and blue waters. The group of islands is very clean and commercialization is purely inexistent. Because of its loveliness, it hosted several Survivor Series shows like Survivor Denmark and Survivor France, among others.

From Guijalo port, we navigated directly to Pili, Camarines Sur on June 14 to see and experience Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC), a world-class and unique watersports park designed for wakeboarding, wakeskating and waterskiing. For beginner riders to the professional wakeboarders and skiiers from all over the world, CWC offers a 6-point cable ski system, coupled with restaurants, sand bars, spas, pro-shops and grand stands to hold guests. From then on, Papong and MTM were instant wakeboarding addicts.

On our way back to Manila, I got the lone chance of taking picture of Mt. Mayon when I was on the plane. Mayon is indeed extremely beautiful.