Destination Kalinga, Philippines : Amazing Things to See

Destination Kalinga: Amazing Things to See!

Photos and text by: Nonnette C. Bennett

If you are driving to Tabuk from Tuguegarao or Cagayan, the first map stop should be Rizal, Kalinga for a quick stop at the municipal hall mini-museum for a view of the Rhino fossils. The archeological fossils on display date back to 709,000 years, according to the international team of archeologists led by John de Vos and Thomas Ingicco.  Called Elephant Hill, the archeological site is only open during the one month that the archeological team are present. This year, the site will open from July to August. At the municipal hall, one can also find the largest gangza or gong with 1.6 m. diameter and the longest g-string with a length of 1,000 meters. Contact : Maila Depalog MTO – +639557297266 or Mayor Melchor dela Cruz – +639778064407.

If you want to see the relics from Tabuk, take a Tabuk-Tuguegarao public transportation and get off at the Romualdez Police Station and take a tricycle ride from the intersection to the municipal hall. Commuting the 37 kms. should cost P100 or P50 for each the van or tricycle.

From here, one should drive towards Bulanao, Tabuk, the next stop should be wine tasting at Ryan’s Farm. Although wine tasting is not a Filipino kind of thing, Corazon Kub-ao Ryan welcomes guests with an entry fee of P75 per person for a taste of Bugnay wine or juice which is fermented at the Ryan and Son’s Winery. Azon, as she is fondly called, tells of how bugnay or Antidesma bunius can be fermented to three kinds of wines – dry, medium dry and medium sweet that compare to the best wines in the world. She prides herself in the expanding orchard of bugnay trees and her garden with fish ponds that is reminiscent of her Gawad Saka award in the fishery category in 1997. But her bugnay or currant juice is as delightful. Her wine is sold at P380 for 700 ml. This is located some 11 kms. from Bulanao Poblacion and has a gravel path some 500 meters from the main road. Call : +639167557078 for inquiries.

The wine appetizer prepares one for a meal beside the Chico River at the Ethnic Boutique Grill Café and Restaurant at Barangay Malin-awa along the Tabuk – Bontoc Road. A charming and breezy patio café, the restaurant offers regular Filipino fare and Kalinga specialties. Meal sizes are for big appetites. This is accessible from the main road and is some 7-8 kms from Bulanao Poblacion.

The municipality of Lubuagan is the most popular destination among Kalinga’s municipalities because it is the most accessible by any kind of vehicle. Traversed by the Tabuk- Bontoc road, it is cement paved and located some 45 kms. away from Bulanao, Tabuk. The weavers of Mabilong are the most popular among tourists because a hike up a series of stairs that may stretch to less than a kilometer opens to several weaver’s backstrap loom weaving workshops. This should be a slow hike for the middle - aged urbanites towards the house of the local historian of loom weaving, Mr. Cirilo Bawer. One can shop for hand crafted bags and trinkets. Homestay at Ma K at P300 per head with coffee and hot and cold shower is also available here for tourists who would like to experience the cool nights of Lubuagan and explore it for another day or two. Ma K reservations with Malikay Paat is +639355268809.

The San Francisco Restaurant is some two kilometers away from the Mabilong weavers to bring an appetite for local tilapia and meat fare courtesy of Elsie Adangi Oddoc. But the 20 - minute walk or stroll gives one a view of the rice fields below the road and the jutting mountains kissed by clouds on certain times of the day. For a meal of P250, one gets a bonus of riding the local wooden cart or "Taltallac" on the downward slopes of the Tabuk-Bontoc road. There is also a Baptist Church set atop a hill across where one could get a view of distant Tinglayan villages where the Sleeping Beauty Mountain is a tourist stop.

The Tiwon Fertility Spring is located at the heart of the Poblacion, a few meters away from the Saint Theresita’s School.  The fertility spring is said to bless childless couples with a child, twins or triplets. This is the reason for couples to take a trip to Lubuagan. Manuela Guilay, 74, says that the legend of the fertility spring began when a woman with long hair and wearing a white dress was seen at the spring at dawn and those who are childless and hope to receive the blessings from the “goddess” or “diwata” must drink and bathe in the spring water. Although, stories say that observations of twins among families located within 50 to 100 meters of the spring and whose households drew drinking water from the source brought the attention to the fertility spring, including Mayor Johnny Dickpus who has twins. “It is their belief and faith,” Guilay says that will give the couples a child if they will dare bathe between 3:00 – 4:00 a.m. at the spring.

Lubuagan in itself has the Aguinaldo Shrine and prides itself in being the seat of the Philippine government for some three months in the early 1900s. “Geronimo Alunday, 84, Lubuagan’s informal historian, relates that from March 16 to May 17, 1900, Aguinaldo with around 200 men who were then being pursued by the Americans stayed in Lubuagan, “writes Estanislao Albano. Apart from this, the catholic church also brought education to these parts.

If one wants to learn how to play indigenous instruments and stay in a typical octagonal Kalinga hut complete with a hearth, the Awichon Cultural Village located atop the hill some seven kilometers away from Lubuagan Poblacion is the place to go. For now, the rough roads only permit 4WD vehicles access to the six traditional huts constructed by 2000 Gawad Manlilikha awardee of National Commission for Culture and Arts, Alonzo Saclag Sr. Saclag, 77, the living treasure of Kalinga, welcomes visitors to his cultural village with stories and experiences of Kalinga lifeways. There is a P50 charge per head for entrance to the village and a P500/head charge for overnight stay. The village also offers a one-hour trek to and from the center that traces Aguinaldo’s Freedom Trail to a vantage point in the 50 - hectare property. One looks over the rice terraces of Uma, Lubuagan and Balatoc, Pasil. The view of the mountains continually shrouded by clouds is also breathtaking. Food is served for P150/head or one can bring their own food and are welcome to cook using their facilities for a minimal fee. Contact number for the reservation is Rebecca Saclag – +639554226403.

Arrangements for this one-day trip to Lubuagan is available at P4,000 for the vehicle and driver. Contact number is Dennis Anniban of the Kalinga Provincial Office – +639164887618.

Otherwise, visit M Hotel along the Provincial Road in Barangay Appas, Tabuk, Kalinga for arrangements. M Hotel prides itself as a facility for meetings, conferences, parties, KTV private rooms, swimming, and other private customized gatherings. Contact numbers are: +639178131423 or +639359316982 or visit FB MHotel Tabuk for more information.

The "Taltallac" wooden cart that is an additional thrill at San Francisco Restaurant in Lubuagan.

Mabilong Weaver's Village of Lubuangan entrance and the Ma K homestay place at P300 per person.

Alonzo Saclag Sr., owner of Awichon Cultural Village is a Philippine Living Treasure for preserving the arts and music of Kalinga.

Traditional octagonal hut accommodations at the Awichon Cultural Village for P500 per head.

The Rhino mini-museum of Rizal, Kalinga that displays the 709,000 year old fossils of animals and tools.

A bone sample from the rhinoceros found at the archeological site called Elephant Hill in Rizal, Kalinga.

The largest gong in the Philippines measuring 1.6m that is among Rizal, Kalinga's treasures.

Nambaran Cemetery with unusual tombs along the Tabuk-Tuguegarao Road.

Tiwon Fertility Springs that are said to gift childless couples children after bathing and drinking the spring water.

World Class Bugnay wine and juices at the Ryan and Sons Winery in Bulanao, Tabuk, Kalinga.

Corazon Kub-ao Ryan is wine brewer and heirloom bead designer. She is story teller to visitors and tourists.

A late afternoon sample of wine and fruits at Ryan's Farm.

Ethnic Boutique Café Grill and Restaurant that has a view of the Chico River from the dining area.

Playing gongs and bamboo instruments of the Awichon Cultural Village are part of the experience.