A new hiking site in Sta. Cruz is a work in progress and will be the first official minor mountain attraction in the North District of this town. Locals call it Buntod Ta Laya and is situated within an Ancestral Domain of the Bagobo-Tagabawa. In Bagobo term Buntod means mountain and Laya means Buho, a species of bamboo which is in abundance at the peak. And during our maiden exploration last May 28 we were in unison to call this mountain The Bamboo Peak of Sta. Cruz.
Buntod Ta Laya stands 1,106 MASL and is located at the mountain ranges of sitio Upper Batuno, barangay Jose Rizal. Its peak is a ridge with open plains which could cater for small group camping. The ridge connects to forested areas of Sibulan and Tibolo and forms part of the track off Mt. Libodon. On a clear day a panoramic sites of Coronon, Sibulan and Davao City can be seen. The most dominant scenery though is the huge sugarcane plantation of Astorga, the national highway, the structures of Therma South, Inc. and other companies and the vast Davao Gulf.
The jump off point measures 249 MASL, around 1 kilometer from Barangay Hall of Jose Rizal. The trail measure 4.6 kilometers made up of single tracks and some concrete tire path. Farmlands of fruit trees, coconut and vegetables made up the vegetation mostly. Some settlements along the trails are also noticed and definitely could become a support-community when tourism takes off here. In a glance Buntod Ta Laya resembles Mt. Loay in terms of topography. This could be another heap for trail running or chill day hikes, a thing that is in during these times of pandemic.
As noticed, the tourism program of Sta. Cruz is geared towards opening new mountain for trekking. First, this town is blessed with a stretch of really good trails, peaks and waterfalls. Second, the Great Outdoors fit well with what is required in the new normal tourism activities. Third, we have good support coming from the locals who fully understood the dynamic of outdoor tourism. And fourth, we have local leaders who have been very supportive to ecotourism program.
Again, I would like to thank my friends in LOGSAC for joining me, together with the Tribal Council of Jose Rizal headed by Matanam Marquez Gunda, in this exploration and documentation climb. Together we have scaled so much sites in this town already and I am more than happy to witness all of them now growing as tourist attractions in their respective barangays. Our continuous search for other sites is still part of decongesting existing areas such as Sinoron, Mt. Loay and Mt. Apo.
As of this writing, Matanam Marquez Gunda and his IPS is already seeking action from the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples to validate the site and to secure Usufruct Agreement in order to formalize ecotourism activity in Buntod Ta Laya.
