THE STORY OF FIVE MONTHS - A PERSPECTIVE AFTER 31 YEARS (3)

Chapter 3

The “Melicano”

Photo from makkosadventures.wordpress.com

We really had no idea what Balbalan would be. We boarded a Ford Fiera with the big Red Cross on the sides and in front, a Red Cross flag was placed. I asked why too much signs were placed on our transportation, Dr. Olidan answered that on and off wars, the Red Cross is very well respected. It is as if that she was telling us that we were entering a war zone. It was at that point that mixed feelings set on us but it was too late to back out. I said a deep and silent personal prayer when I entered the fiera. The three of us gave a wry smile to each other. Back in 1986, the road from Tabuk to Balbalan was still rough, dusty and muddy at places where natural water falls occur. Our ambivalence was temporarily wiped out when we saw the grandeur of the Chico River. Macliing Dulag's death were still fresh among us and seeing the place that he fought for will give you an inkling why he died fighting for the Chico river.

Photo from philstar.com

As we traveled longer, we appreciated the lush greenery around. Every nook and turn there were waterfalls along the way. When we passed by the first military checkpoint in between Tabuk and Pasil, I was now reminded why we were told we were entering a war zone. When the soldiers saw Dr. Olidan, they let us pass as there was prior clearance for us to enter the area.

As we were approaching the junction, we were met by armed men ready to annihilate us. I was terrified. I don't know how Chita and Rocco reacted to the situation but I guess terrified was the term. The armed men made sure who we were. It was later explained that there was a tribal war between the Pasil tribe and the Lubuagan tribe. The Pasil tribesmen made sure that there was no one coming from Lubuagan in the group. Or else, he would be part of the "eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth" law of the tribes. Now tribal wars were settled through the gun.

Picture taken Texan In the Philippines Blog

We stopped at the junction. One road turns to Pasil while the other road road turns to Lubuagan, Tinglayan and then towards Bontoc.  They replenished the water for the fiera, Some had refreshment at the junction store. We stayed inside the vehicle and Dr. Oliver narrated his experiences of community work in Balbalan. We intently listened to his story as it is a direct experience that we could make us of in living with the people. Then it dawned on me why we have to stop at the junction based on the story given us. I really didn't know if the reason of stopping by the junction is to collect enough courage after a terrifying feeling of being almost assaulted or just simply relieving yourself. Why did I say this? Well, because after the junction we were to enter a grey zone. No NPAs, CPLAs or tribal war occur in this area but unlawful elements were taking advantage of the situation. They stage hold-ups in the area. Were they scaring us? But what is this grey zone really? It is about 3 kilometers of mountain road going into a rain forest. If you had seen the secondary forest in Bohol being passed through by the road, this in Pasil is a natural forest. And what do you expect in a natural rain forest - wildlife. It is here I saw different colorful birds and with a wild rooster with long tail of feathers, flying and gliding from tree to tree, the ambivalence turns into certainty. The paradise we were looking for is slowly unfolding. At one turn, I saw small pigs running to and fro and waterfalls along the way. We were engulfed with majestic view that nature provided us. Then, as we got out of  the forest, we saw lines of orange trees. We were mesmerized but we were told that it was too early to feel like that. We were told to wait until we reached Balbalan. Our excitement was filling the brim. Along the way we saw the rapids of the Saltan river that eventually drains into the Chico river. We had our own love affair with the river but this is digressing from our straightforward narrative. 

Kalinga Children from Asiancorrespondent.com

As we entered the Balbalan boundary, our transportation moved to a slower gear. We passed by an elementary school and saw children that were just dismissed from their classes. Some children saw the fiera and run after the vehicle. Then we heard the children shouting "melicano, melicano, melicano!" They were saying, Americans, Americans, Americans. We were laughing as to who among us were Americans. We had our fair skin to boast but we suspect it was Chita they were referring to since she descended from a direct Hispanic heritage and her skin was the fairest among us. Our spirits were buoyed because of the children. 

Then after 4 to 5 hours of grueling ride in unpaved roads, we reached the Western Kalinga District Hospital. We were served our lunch in the hospital and at the hospital we met a batchmate doctor , Dr. KZ Tan, a homegrown doctor from Balbalan who would eventually land number 8 in the board examination for doctors that year. After our luncheon we were taken to Poblacion sometimes referred to as Salegseg but Salegseg refers to the tribe coming from Gawaan, Poblacion, Balantoy and Poswoy. We met our foster family and we were introduced to the leaders of the community. After these warm introduction, we were to embark on our life in Gawaan, a barrio of Balbalan for the next 5 months. 

The Gawaan Valley in Balbalan, Kalinga. Photo taken from the FB of Mr. Gerry Oribello

Gawaan is a valley. At the Poblacion view deck, you can see Gawaan village and the hanging bridge that spans the Saltan river. From Salegseg Poblacion, the walk down to the valley is about 45 minutes  while from Gawaan, since it is uphill climb and would take an inexperienced hiker more than an hour. We followed the foot path down to the valley. Before we reached the bridge, we will pass by Sitio Liglig. It is of note that whenever we pass by houses near the foot path, the house owner would invite the hiker and offer water and food to eat. I began to understand later on because the walk was long and you needed to replenish lost water and energy. After Liglig, comes the hanging bridge that connects the two sides of the Saltan river.

Photo  from Notey.com

The bridge frightened me and it was too cumbersome to walk through it. The fear of heights and the spaces between the slats on the bridge floor greatly frightened me! The children who were following us were giggling and laughing and they overtook us and ran through the whole stretch of the bridge. Doing that frightened me more because the bridge would be shaken and jarred. It was too late to quit. I have come too far and what better way to succeed but to conquer the hanging bridge. 

(P.S.: If the pictures are not attributed to a website or a person, it is mine. Those who own the pictures I have used and does not want to appear in this blog, please e-mail me at rqmallari60@gmail.com and I would be more than willing to remove them. Thank you.)