Exploring Balasinon Peak in Astorga, Sta. Cruz – 918 MASL

If circumstances allow, a new hiking site in Sta. Cruz is about be unveiled. It is located in barangay Astorga, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur and locals call it Balasinon Peak. The name was derived from a type of native species of tree located near the campsite and just 400 meters to the summit. 

In an exploration hike last February 6, my team was accompanied by the tribal chieftain of Astorga Matanem Amparo Ibayan together with his council of elders and other community members. The barangay council of Astorga was also represented through Kagawad Ryan Adalim, and some volunteers from his Team ECHO who helped us technically assess the Balasinon trail. Matanem Ibayan has long been in constant conversation with our group, his enthusiasm anchored on putting up an ecotourism site as a legacy project for the indigenous community of Astorga just like what the other adjacent projects inside an ancestral domain of Sta. Cruz are handled such as Mt. Dinor, Mt. Loay, Bamboo Peak and Tomari Falls, to name a few.

The trail starts in a narrow track from sitio Tubison traversing sitio Bayongon. Just like other hiking sites in Sta. Cruz, Balasinon trail is made up of high value crops like coconut, banana, coffee and fruit trees owned by the Bagobo-Tagabawa residents. This circumferential trail is about 4.3 meters in total distance with an elevation gain of more or less 700 meters. The summit measures 918 meters above sea level, with vegetation from the campsite to the summit more of a secondary growth trees because the place was actually a settlement in mid 70s to early 90s, only to be disrupted when insurgency in Sta. Cruz was at its peak that prompted residents to relocate. The campsite was a location of a protestant church erected in 1970s but nowhere to found today.

The Balasinon mountain range is an intermediary of other notable peaks within the Astorga-Coronon border. Off south is a good view of Kaba-itan summit and in a distant site is Coronon’s Sarimoso hill. Balasinon summit is a 360-degree viewpoint, with Davao City and Samal Island being dominant in the southern stance. Connecting straight from the summit are four mighty mountains namely: Gawa-e Peak, Balabag Peak, Bamboo Peak and Langit-langit Peak.

The intention of Matanem Ibayan and the rest of the tribal council of Astorga is to replicate the successes of hiking stories of its neighboring areas, which to me a thing that can be achieved within the first semester this year.

Tibolo-Sinoron Traverse Day Hike

This is finally a fulfilled mission hike for me and the rest of the team, a traverse day hike from sitio Kidaran of Tibolo and sitio Pilan of Sinoron. Together with LOGSAC buddies Froilan, Cristine and Edoy we completed the hike in more or less six hours using a hunter's track of varied ecosystems such as tropical rainforest, farmlands and creeks and river systems. 

The total route is 14 kilometers with 500 plus meters elevation gain highlighting 2 summits namely: Buribid and Saroso. Buribid is a long stretch of mountain range within the Tibolo-Sibulan-Sinoron loop that has become major subject of conservation because of the presence rich flora and fauna. This hike also re-affirmed that Sinoron has bigger portion of a vast virgin forest occupying several sitios Saroso, Biga, Likop, Libodon and Sangay with Mt. Dinor as its ace. The presence of 47 species of birds along the trail reminded me that this mountain range is very special, and that requires special effort for conservation.  

According to our guide Abong, the trail was used by locals long time ago for hunting and as access to sitio Kapatagan of Digos City in buying needed household stuff such as rice, bulad, lamas etc., an information that defined their struggles for survival.   

Letter to a Beautiful Tagabawa

By Julius R. Paner

One year, eleven months, eleven days – that’s how long it has taken me to write about you and the indigenous peoples in general. During this period I have been contemplating about a precise comeback to express something about the Tagabawas, the tribe that has become very special to me as a cultural worker and ecotourism advocate. Yes, my engagement with Tagabawa community over the years is decorated with success and challenges. It enriches my appreciation of your existence. It underscored series of narratives.  It was a roller-coaster of emotions.

I still can recall the very first engagement I had with the Tagabawa was when we erected a cultural village project in Tibolo 19 years ago. It was sort of a baptism of fire for me, having to deal with tribal elders and the community in a place I knew very little about. At a young age I immersed myself to convince all of them that the project would be a fitting mechanism to help them improve their place and boost their cultural well-being. At first I found it very interesting to work with them, but as denser necessities arose, I realized it was a tall order. 

The iconic facade of Bagobo Long House after its renovation this year. The tribal leadership of Tibolo decided to convert it into a School of Living Tradition Center and Bagobo-Tagabawa Museum.

The first 5 years of the project gave me different experiences, some are praising while others are traumatic. Tibolo – how can I forget you when in fact you gave me the very first facial bruises when one stranger harassed us in the middle of the night while we were sleeping. It definitely takes forever to forget. But of course, what didn’t kill me made me stronger. With that I learned to put positive perspective in everything, even in death-defying moments of my life.

Then came opportunities from the national government to establish more structures in the village to complement to the growing demand of culture-based tourism. Instantly the project captured the attention of regional leaders. We made our presence felt. When the Department of Tourism XI scouted for perfect locations to showcase tribal living museum attractions, Tibolo became a hit. Right now, after 19 long years, a lot has happened. This cultural village project has established an identity as one of the most successful community-based tourism sites in the region and even in Mindanao. The effort to integrate heritage safeguarding into the mainstream of tourism development is exhibited in the project right now.

The success, however, would not have been savored without downfalls along the way. In the middle of all the ups, I witnessed how the community overcame despairs. Datu Ruben Ayoc, the father of this initiative, passed away in 2014 just few years after his wife Bai Alicia Ubad died. The ever supportive barangay captain Delfin Lanzo also perished in later years, losing another very important piece to the equation. But instead of giving up, Datu Ernido, son of Datu Ruben and now the tribal chieftain of Tibolo whom I considered a very close friend, took care of business. A young and dynamic leader emerged, paving way for more milestones during his watch. Under his leadership, he produced more IP scholars who are now professionals, established an empowered IP women association handling tourism-related enterprise, created network to access road and water system projects for the barangay, institutionalized the School of Living Tradition and launched the Bagobo-Tagabawa Museum. Datu Ernido made sure that Tibolo would become a benchmark of cultural preservation and prompted other tribal leaders in Mindanao to emulate the kind of success he employed. I pray other leaders from the IP community learn how Datu Ernido worked hard for the welfare of his constituents.

While putting together all these pieces about the place I considered second home, I realized that there is no shortcut to success. Tibolo might have given me professional struggles but to some extent this place also gave me priceless possession. The way the Tagabawas accorded me utmost respect is extra special. The moment they consider me part of the significant family gatherings is more than just monetary remuneration, even precious than mid-year and year-end bonuses in the workplace. The fact that they welcome me in their ancestral domain just like member of their clan is huge. And all these I consider products of the effort I exerted back when I was a young and lowly employee of the local government. 

Araw ng Tibolo celebrations are always exciting for me to take part with 

All of my life I craved for this kind of reception. I am glad Tibolo gave it to me. I am glad Manama offered to me this little piece of creation. And I am glad I knew you. If knowing you is the consolation of those facial bruises I succumbed, then thank you God for that incident.