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DECONSTRUCTING THE ARINGAY MYTH : AN ANALYSIS

by Rolando Q. Mallari, MD

The Myth

It was said that Aringay was named after a beautiful daugther of Datu who ruled the southern settlement.  The girl called “Aring”, was the subject of a near tragic courtship by the only son (bugbugtong) of the Datu from the northern settlement.  One dark night of December both son and daugther met secretly near the bank of Carayan Lucsin (now Aringay river) and planned their elopement.  Anticipating that something would go wrong with their plan.  Aring wanted to end her life and suddenly jumped into the river.  The young man however, was quick to rescue “Aring…! Aring…! Ay…!  

This incident resulted in the marriage of the daughter of the Datu from the northern settlement to the young lad who is from the southern settlement. The enlarged communities were then called Aringay.

The Analysis

Historians say that before the Spaniards came, the Philippines had communities around the archipelago that are already well-developed. They said that the datu, timawa, bagani and alipin are not terms to depict social classes. The datu is the head of the community. If he is not apt for his job, he is replaced by other well-abled persons in the village. The timawas are the warriors, while the baganis are the people that maintain the peace and order of the village. The uripons are groups of  people who are serfs, laborers and household helpers. But unlike that of India where there is a caste system and people can not transfer from one caste to the other, there are evidences that the pre-Spanish occupants of the islands do not have a social class strata. Although this is still open to a big debate, people during those times can freely move from one work to another as long as they have the skills or means to do so. Even “queers” were very much respected and were given stature in the community where they acted as the babaylans. They are the bringers of good and bad fortune. And it was through them that incantations were made to ward off evil and bad intents in the community. 

We also have 'foreign' relations. We have intermingled with the Chinese, Malaysians, Indians, Japanese, Indonesians and Polynesians through trade. Traders from the Middle East also came and traded their goods. Barter was the name of the game until money evolved in the form of gold, silver and semi-precious stones. All of these were already happening in our so distant past. 

When I was young, the Aringay River was just high and mighty. The river banks were high. Young people like me were forbidden to take a dip in the water as the possibility of drowning is very high. The river’s depth was from 12 to 15 feet, a far cry of what it is today. I can imagine the north and south enclaves of the story in the legend. And since there were no bridges to facilitate movement, they use boats in travelling  from one bank to another. I am visualizing that the trading boats all the way came from Pangasinan, then they have a stop over to do trade with  Sto. Tomas;  then they set their anchor at the port in Agoo where some traders do business while the other refill their food and water and  sail northward and upon reaching the mouth of Lucsin river (the old name of the Aringay).  The traders follow the river upstream and trade goods with local communities. You can easily visualize a very active market system through trading with the foreigners. I highly suspect that the Aringay area during the olden times was very rich with root crops such as sweet potatoes, yams, rhizomes, garlic and onions which the Aringay forests are rich of. 

Apart from hunting and minimal agricultural activities our ancestors were said to be fishermen. It was said that the Spaniards brought and taught agriculture to the natives and even brought the carabao which had become the beast of burden in the farms.

Having said that, I clearly visualize our ancestor greatly fishing in the Lucsin river which was teeming with giant carps(carpa) , murrel (dalag), ox-eyed tarpon (bulan bulan), crabs, shrimps, araro and freshwater mullet (purong). They also venture into the great sea to catch big fishes which they sell in the markets. 

courtesy of https://ferdzdecena.com/lifestyle/dispatches/art-valdez-voyage-of-balangay/

Sometime in the ‘70s, the treasure hunting activities on the proverbial Yamashita gold became heightened. They dug in the Anteng mountain somewhere in Sta. Rita East and found something more than gold. They found Chinese jars, pots and plates. This is a historic find. This is an archeological finding of magnitude for Aringay. The find were said to be dated 3 BC and they are now in display at the La Union Provincial Museum. It was a pity that there were no formal archeological searches done after that. A whole gamut of Aringay history should have been unfolded. 

Not the real find. This is a picture of a similar jar unearthed

Are these artifacts historical? Or are these artifacts stolen and were buried in the Anteng area to be uncovered through digging in the deep recesses of the mountain? Or are these indications of the early history of Aringay? 

If I am to dissect my treatise further, I am of the belief that this is an indication of the early history of Aringay. There are two main settlements along the river. The Northern settlement and the Southern Settlement. The ancient jars were found in Anteng, Sta. Rita East, found in the southern embankment of the Aringay River. If it were so, the northern settlement would be in Salapac? Or would it be in Central Poblacion? 

Picture courtesy of PGLU. If you want to visit the Chinese jars and plates, the Museo de La Union houses it and it is located just at the back of the Provincial Government of La Union

In my treatise, the early inhabitants of Aringay traded freely with other nationalities. They might have traded these jars for wine storage. And the plates were used for food container and as to when eating. I can visualize that our ancestors had an affinity for good food and thus love to eat and party - a characteristic which we still have until today. Another possibility on this matter is that some of our ancestors were married with the foreigners and had established their residence in the area.

Some of you might say that this maybe be more recent. These might have been acquired during the Spanish period. But the greatest evidence that in the early history of Aringay, we have been interacting with other “nationalities” is the results of the DNA ancestral studies on some Aringayenos. The results came out that there ancestors were East Asian, South Asian , Central Asian  and Polynesian. Interpreting it further these are people from Middle East, India, China and of course Polynesia. My theory fits findings on Aringay ‘archeologically’ or genealogically. 

On the other hand, the story  on the Aring-ay phenomenon remains to be a myth. Aringay was Alingay or Alinguey. It refers to the boat used in the mighty Lucsin river. It is relatively a large boat that can be used for marine transport. The Japanese and the Spaniards are known to speak words with a heavy “r” pronounced Alingay as "Arringay" or "Arringuay" and the name was pronounced as such and eventually evolved to the name Aringay. 

I believe Aringay has an honored past and its present inhabitants should look at findings like to look into the past. We are in an era where things new, innovative and highly technological are always in our midst. May these technology lead us to our past. And I quote, "The past can not be changed. The future is not yet in your power. Learn from the lessons of the past."

OH, BUYOS FROM MY BEAUTIFUL HOMETOWN

My cellphone rang. It was a messenger call from a cousin in California. She is asking me to send her 100 pcs of buyos to them through someone who just had their vacation lately. I asked, can’t you make it there? The last time, I was abroad, I cooked my buyos and it turned out just like the good old buyos of the town of Aringay. 

And of course, the answer would always travel back to the good old days where buyos made the town famous. The town of Aringay is around 240 kms north of Manila. It is in the province of La Union. It is mountainous in the eastern side and had long blacky sandy beaches in the west. The province of Pangasinan is at the southern border of La Union while the eastern portion is Benguet and the northern border is Ilocos Sur. It is abutted by the Lingayen gulf in the west.

Buyos had been a dessert fare in Aringay and had become popular in other towns. It originated in one sitio of San Benito Sur  now more known as SUNBEAMS due to the neighborhood association. The original Makers were from the Dulatre family and had diverged among its descendants as well as neighbors. Sioning’s buyos was so popular during the 60’s. My mother used to send me to Auntie Sioning’s house. There were three reasons I fear going to the place. First, you pass by the cemetery before you reach their house. Second, you pass by a foot trail beside a bamboo forest. And thirdly, they have dogs which looked ferocious enough to bite you. But once you reached their house you calm down because of the waft of the buyos aroma. It was heavenly so to speak. Sioning’s buyos is so greatly popular that sometimes, it does not reach the market place anymore. All Auntie Sioning does in the market is to buy her viand and ready to take tomorrow’s life grinds again. 

The buyos is so popular that according to one narrative, another seller that of Banan’s buyos was peddled around the houses in Poblacion. The buyos is such a sell-out that it does not reach the market place for selling anymore. There is so-called branding with the buyos. If it is from Auntie Sioning or from the Banan’s it must be good and it is for abroad. 

As with time, the buyos characters have also changed. As with Auntie Sioning, her daughter took the helm when she had aged. However, since most of Auntie Sioning’s kids graduated with professional courses and even the daughter who continued the trade became a teacher, their once source of income have changed. Some relatives like Manang Linda Soriano and the Garcia brood followed suit. The same story, once their kids graduated from college, they slowly drifted from the trade. 

Now the buyos makers of Aringay belong to the 6th or 7th generation from the Dulatre clan of San Benito Sur. The daughter of Manang Linda continued the trade while Jovelyn Garcia Tudayan who is a 7th generation Dulatre buyos maker are the well-known buyos makers of Aringay. Tudayan diverged to other ‘kakanins’ aside from her famous buyos. There is also a buyos maker in Sta. Rita West and I am glad their kind has not disappeared from the map of the town. 

There is always a heated discussion as to the nomenclature of the buyos. It has been labeled as the tupig. But for an Aringayeno, the tupig refers to the steamed grated cassava rolled in banana leaves. Tupig for other places like Pangasinan and Tarlac refers to the combination of rice and sticky dough, grated coconut together with sugar and rolled in banana leaves. It is cooked over hot burning coals. It has a sweet aroma that usually fills the air. 

There is a great difference between the Aringay buyos and the Pangasinan and Tarlac tupig. For one, in consistency. The Pangasinan and Tarlac tupig are good to eat when warm and are just taken out  from the coals. It is coconut in taste and sweet. But when cold, it becomes gritty, tenacious and hard. Even if it was reheated, it does not give out the freshness that it had. The Aringay buyos is different. It is made from select glutinous rice, churned in a rice mixer until very fine and mixed  with coconut strips and sugar. It maintains its freshness and taste even as long for one month as long as it is frozen. What we usually do is to put the buyos at the microwave oven and one buyos softens to its delicious state in 30 seconds. 

In recent months, a feature by a popular TV journalist featured the best buyos in La Union. And surprisingly, she featured the buyos from Agoo, La Union. Imagine the consternation of the Aringayenos who almost took up in arms just to say the buyos is a native of Aringay and now can’t even claim that they had the best buyos in the province. 

Buyos has not been given the proper promotion as an industry in the town. Unlike for example the tupig in Villasis, it is being promoted in “pasalubong” counters, properly placed in a gift box. When the One Town One Product project of the DTI was launched, Aringay’s product that was promoted was the bangus. But when the Ong administration came into fore, the Uong Festival (Mushroom) was promoted, then when the Sibuma administration came, initially, it was Gamal Festival and was subsequently replaced by the Kilawen Festival. The lowly buyos that the town was popular from was lost in the grand ideas of promoting the mushroom from Sta. Rita East and the bangus from Dulao and Sto. Rosario. The buyos has lost center stage and was relegated into a booth during the festival with the booth manager making a remark that they sold more in the market than in the festival because of poor festival logistics and marketing. The “buyos” industry is losing ground from its area of origin because of social change as well as lack of government support and promotion. It’s demise is clearly in the works. 

As we grapple with the problems faced by the buyos in its area of origin, meanwhile, the Municipal Tourism Council of Aringay is looking into possible ways to promote Aringay as a tourism center. We hope the buyos will find its niche in the tourism program. On the other hand, overseas Aringayenos continue to bring along with them buyos into their foreign homes. Some are rejected by strict customs officers but in general, the great majority of them are able to savor its aroma in their kitchens. And once the aroma pervades inside the house, they feel and sense that they are in their beautiful hometown called Aringay once again.

VILLA DE QUIROS: HISTORY SAYS NO. 5 IT IS

I was born in this sleepy and quaint town of Aringay, La Union in the 60’s where almost everyone knew of one another. Wednesdays and Sundays were market days and people converge in the market site to buy their goods, exchange pleasantries, chat and gossip, debate and discuss political happenings as well as see friends from other towns. Folks from Caba, Agoo and Tubao as well as merchants from Pangasinan and Pampanga join the throngs of Aringayenos doing business on market days.

Villa de Quiros in 1960s

Our house was a little more than 100 meters away from the market. It was always Number 5 since then. I forgot what the street was before but upon President Marcos’ entry to office, it became Marcos Avenue through an enabling ordinance. It became Number 5 Marcos Avenue. Now the number changed to 593 to my consternation. I asked if the Municipal Council passed an ordinance to renumber houses in the town and I got a resounding no. I realized it was a barangay initiative. I was to contest that change as I have to provide documents to prove the change of my address every now and then, but I got exasperated, I just maintained the previous number with some funny results. Since the present number is 593, some delivery men look for number 5 on the other end of the road. It is good there are cellphone numbers indicated in the delivery slip, they can call us and tell the direction to our house, to which now I call Villa de Quiros. Anent to this. During the Spanish period 1820s, they have allocated house numbers too. In the Baptismal record of my grandfather, the barangay was called, Don Diego Padilla and the old address is referred to as No. 5 Barangay Don Diego Padilla. By historical records, this is always Number 5 in this street. It is already an old house. It was constructed after the war. It is now 73 years old and is a mute testimony of what had happened through those years. It is even a mute spectator of the joys, pain and laughter of my 57 years in life. It is also a hodge-podge product of repair due to the tears and weakening it had through the years. But it remained its form as it fought through the years of bounty, scarcity, joys and laughter, pains, misery and loneliness. My dear little home of 73 years may now be declared a national treasury for surviving more than 50 years. I am also wondering if the big mango tree in front of the house is as old as our house since it was already a mature plant when I was a toddler.

1950s infront of the house

I saw an old picture of my cousins posing in-front of the house. The fence was made of bamboo. I noted that a coconut tree grew in-front of the house as well as a jasmin (rosal) plant and a guyabano (soursop). Back in my younger days, the front yard as well as the backyard are basically orchards. At the side of an enlarged kalapaw (bamboo nipa hut), was a coffee tree orchard. The orchard took a beating when my maternal aunt built her house in the area. Now the house had a concrete fence with an orange steel gate. There are still plants - ornamental and fruit bearing trees like the jack fruit, indian mango, atis and the citrus trees. The houses in front of the big house gave way during the 1991 big earthquake but the old house stood tall. All through the years, old folks went beyond, no one ever thought of dismantling it and erecting a modern house befitting the times. Repairs were only made on it.

Why the sudden nostalgia? Well, change is change. It is inevitable. It maybe difficult but we have to grow from it for the better. Writing memories and correlating it to what we have read about the distant past is both a travelogue and a mind exerciser. We become historians ourselves.

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

Epilogue

The 31 Years After

Sunrise at Balbalan. Taken from Sheena Tangdol FB

When we left Balbalan, I have kept my contact with my foster family. The younger sisters of Manang Andi, Noreen and Roner stayed with us in La Union for some time. Noreen is now a full-pledged teacher. Nanang Remy died of stroke and so is Chief. We call Manang Andi, the chief as she is the eldest in the family. She died recently because of hemorrhagic stroke. We reconnected with her niece who is now a married lady and has a family of her own. I have also reconnected also with Noreen and Nico. The advances in communications through social media had really made the re-connection easier. Our midwife assistant Lucy whom we have called Bilib also had passed on and we remember her for the laughter and joy that we had shared together when we did our work there. Dr. Olidan died of cancer and her husband also followed suit. I was told that their beautiful house on a hill was left empty. 

 

An overview of the present Salegseg
Photo taken from Balbalan.com

Ampy passed her NCLEX and is now with her husband in Texas and she now has a family. Her daughter is also a nurse like her. I was told they had a short visit last April. Manong Karyo, the village chieftain I was told had also passed on. He died just two years after we have left. I can always remember his goodness. Ka Batiti took advantage of the amnesty for the rebels. He had a very beautiful family together with Sanja. He works with government now. Father Balweg was assassinated and later on his other priest comrade was reportedly killed also by fellow revolutionaries. I have no news about Ka Niogan. 

The Catholic Church in Salegseg, Balbalan

As to the doctors involved in my story, Rocco became a well-known surgeon in the Visayas. Chita worked with the World Health organization. Rizel became a pediatrician and went into community and school health. I met Dr. KZ Tan when we were both awarded the European Union - ASEAN Scholarship and had advanced studies in Italy. Dr. Tan went to Public Health Specialization while I did my fellowship in Hepatobiliary Surgery at the University of Bologna. We met and travelled Italy on several occasions. He is now connected with NGO work related to public health. We do get in touch with one another through FB. I learned from Dr. Tan that there were other younger people than us that went into medicine and they are doing well in their chosen specialties. 

On a EU-ASEAN Scholarship in Italy

 I went to developmental work as well as in clinical surgery. I worked in Kosrae, Micronesia for 10 years until I got sick of an autoimmune disease – a disease that is ravaging my physical body. I also had diabetes mellitus Type 2 and hypertension. Due to the complications of the diseases that beset me, I was bedridden for two years and was slowly recovering from the onslaught of illness.

The Citrus tristeza virus effects. The leaves undergo chlorosis and the trunks starts drying and dying

The tasty Kalinga orange was almost wiped out by the Citrus virus. Only a few trees survived the onslaught of the viral disease. New technology was being adopted to increase the resistance of the plant to the plant viruses. Coffee is having a second life. Kalinga coffee is now being promoted and marketed in a wider sphere. Hopefully, these efforts will revive the fledgling source of economy of the Kalingas. Pottery, weaving and tribal accessories are still not a focus for promoting Kalinga, unlike in the Mountain Province and Benguet where this is already an industry.  

The Kalinga Blend being marketed as a high end coffee brew

The municipal hall has become a beautiful building - big and strong. There is also a hostel that would be visitors could use to stay. The church has become very beautiful. It is now made of concrete. The plaza had been improved for the yearly celebrations. The lonely pathway to Gawaan was widened and paved until the hanging bridge. The hanging bridge almost gave way during the last strong typhoon recently. There are so many two story houses made of concrete in Gawaan now. I failed to ask if there are still thatched roof houses. Buaya can be reached through the Pinukpok side with a better road and vehicles reaching the place. The national roads may have improved a bit but there are still areas which are unpaved and become muddy during the rainy season. I am not privy about the peace and order situation in the area now. But it might have changed too. Many bloggers have written about how beautiful Kalinga in general. Tourism is increasing because of the popularity of Apo Whang-od of Buscalan, Tinglayan. Time had changed. But the sturdy Kalinga had shown they can weather the years. 

The present Balbalan Municipal hall
Photo taken from Balbalan.com

Our planned reunion which had been postponed for so many times may not materialize anymore. I am too weak to walk and scale the mountains of Balbalan. These memoirs of Balbalan would be etched in my mind all the rest of my life. If dementia would set in, at least I have written it and have memorialized it here.

The Balbalan Hostel
Photo from Balbalan.com

I recently talked to one of the boys who used to join and guide us in our treks. I was so happy to learn he is now in Canada. I had connected with the girl we used to carry on our back. He was not a year-old before. Now she is married and had two beautiful children. She is inviting us to join them on April. Social media is really such a wonder since it connected people from our past. 

I have a lot of stories to tell. But every time I narrate them, I realiize that it is not just my story alone. It is their story too. My story had become OUR story. 

(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.)

THE STORY OF FIVE MONTHS - A PERSPECTIVE AFTER 31 YEARS (10)

Chapter 10

We Made It...

A Citrus reticulata tree

I realized that there was no time to sulk in Balbalan. Every day is another day and there are so many things to be done. It was gayunan orange picking time and Manong Karyo plans to buy the fruits from the tree owners and bring it to Baguio. He loaded two jeepneys full of oranges. You can just imagine how many oranges one jeep can contain. I joined the “gayunan” team to Baguio for the simple reason that I can go down to La Union and visit my parents. The gayunan orange is a Mandarin type of orange. The skin is pebbly without deep grooves. It is initially green when mature but the skin turns orange when fully matured. The mandarin orange is usually sweet with a sour taste but leaves a tangy after taste. The clementine and ponkan are among the well-known mandarin oranges The clementine is smaller and had thin skin while the ponkan has thick but smooth skin had a much sweeter taste than its piquant characteristics. The Kalinga orange more commonly known as “gayunan” exhibits a more moderate sweetness and less sour taste. The tartness that is almost absent. Its shelf life is longer as long as it is kept in an airy and dry atmosphere. They even turn out to be sweeter. Among the oranges I have tasted, it is the “gayunan” that suited my taste buds best. During its season, I go to Baguio to buy them. But after 31 years, the 1 peso/piece gayunan price had skyrocketed to 12 to 15 pesos/piece depending on the size and its availability. 

Long stretch of unpaved roads in 1986

Our trip followed the Kalinga Highway that passed through Lubuagan and Tinglayan and connects with the road to Sadanga and Bontoc, Mountain Province. The highway is long stretch mountain roads, dusty, bumpy and dangerous as it runs parallel to the Chico River. A miscalculation would send you deep into a ravine towards the Chico River. On the other side are rugged mountain terrains and one wonders why these areas were not developed when you have pure unadulterated rustic and unblemished charm of the countryside. 

Rustic but beautiful countryside

We traveled early morning in Balbalan. At 5 AM we were on the road. We were caught by the rising sun at the Lubuagan area. The Lubuagan countryside is both a combination of highland communities and breathtaking villages in a valley. The blending of the view to the Chico River with the mountains and greeneries was exhilarating. But there was a tinge of fright within me because of the stories of the fierce locals and the threat of tribal wars. Along the stretch of unpaved and gravelly road, we had felt so much serenity.  From Lubuagan to Tinglayan, the road slope downward till Sadanga. Sadanga is now part of  the Mountain Province. The whole stretch of the Tinglayan road was also unpaved and gravelly sometimes a half or a kilometer of paved roads can be seen. But the beauty of the mountain ranges as it played with the lights of the rising sun was truly remarkable. I felt a deep sense of sadness why the highway was not even developed. Deep inside, I praised the Kalingas for their strength and fervor as they go through the grinds of daily life without complaints. As we passed by Sadanga I found that its grandeur was due to the beautiful rice terraces seen along the roadside. Then we had reached Bontoc where we had our stopover breakfast. We had a breakfast of Bontoc coffee and a soup from a goat’s stew at a midtown restaurant. Some of the group who joined us ordered dog’s meat and was offered to me but I refused to have a taste of it. In Bontoc, I was surprised how the children would address us. If you were a male elder, they would call you as uncle regardless of blood relations and auntie if you were a female. The term of endearment was music to the ears for me. 

The juicy and sweet gayunan oranges of Kalinga fame.

The Balbalan orange farms 

Video courtesy of and uploaded by JR Garcia in youtube.

Manong Karyo saw some friends and acquaintances in Bontoc and asked us where we were heading. He told them we were heading to Baguio and were going to sell gayunan oranges. They got interested an in a few minutes, there was a line of people in front of the vehicle and we began selling the oranges there. When the last person bought his share of oranges, we had sold worth of  five thousand pesos of oranges. That perked Manong Karyo up and off we went our way to Baguio. We passed by Sabangan, Mountain province and what a beautiful sight of the river. Nineteen years after, I was back in Sabangan and Bontoc on a legislative tour. That is another story to tell. Manong Karyo decided to detour to Mankayan and visit some relatives working in Lepanto and sell oranges in the place. Almost all of the one jeep was sold. Then we proceeded to Buguias, Benguet. Buguias is the vegetable granary of the Cordilleras. Patches of land are planted with vegetables only seen in the temperate areas. We had our luncheon in one of the roadside stores. And after our meal, we continued selling oranges. Old and young alike formed a line and just like in Bontoc and Mankayan, the children refer to me as uncle. 

In Baguio, we went directly to the city market. And surprisingly, a buyer bought the Kalinga oranges from Manong Karyo at once. I would have gone home at once to La Union but he invited me to meet the Balbalan students in Baguio first. Manong Karyo distributed the allowances of the students sent by their parents to them. There was a tinge of deja vu in what Manong Karyo did. I suddenly missed home. I told Manong Karyo, it was time for me to go home and see my parents. I told him I would meet him the next day to join them back to Balbalan. 

Coffea arabica seedling

I brought a lot of coffee seedlings from Balbalan and brought them to La Union. What made me interested with the coffee plants is that when I was still a child, there was a coffee plantation in front of the house. But they have to go when my aunt had her house constructed on the very land where the coffee plants grew. I was thinking that I would be able to replace the plants and had very robust coffee plants grow in the backyard. Years later the coffee plants grew but when they flower, they turn black. If the flowers turn into fruits, the fruits turn black. It was then I realized that the coffee plants I planted in the backyard were not suited to my terrain and the climate. The plants suited for lowlands were the liberia and robusta. I planted the arabica which were much suited to mountainous and forest like areas. 

Kalinga heirlooms

I was happy to see my parents even for the little time. It wasn’t really the distance that sets us apart but the absence of communications.  My father helped me plant the coffee seedlings I brought with me. I was very happy for the Kalinga jar and the Kalinga woven cloth given to me by Manang Andi. I only realized now that the jar had a certain meaning into it. The jar was actually a pottery vessel which were used in rice ceremonies offered to deities to give them good harvest. I would have wanted a sample of the Kalinga beads but these are considered heirlooms for them. They were handed from generation to generation. 

Even with a little time at home, I felt recharged and went back to Baguio the next day. If the vehicles were full of oranges when we went to Baguio, this time , it was full of the needs of the people in Balbalan. Manong Karyo bought merchandise to stock his store in Salegseg. I remembered buying for Manang Leonor some clothes, brassiere and T-shirts for her to sell. Our trip was a wonderful one as it provided me a glimpse of the different places that comprised the Cordilleras. 

We passed through small bridges made of bamboo, trekked mountains and passed through villages and entered the forest

Back in Gawaan, we had Chestcore outreach volunteers going to Buaya. Chestcore is a non-government organization that aims to render health services to far-flung areas. Since our Public Health Nurse Ampy who was assigned to us was from Buaya and she extended her invitation to us, we gladly accepted the invitation to join them. From Gawaan, we passed through Sitio Obel. I had been to Obel already and the climb to the village is very steep and it is already a challenge. But it is a farther challenge to enter the forest at thr Mabaca area. Along the way from Obel and Mabaca, we pass by houses whose inhabitants would ask us to stop by and would offer us water and a little food. In some we obliged but in some our guide will tell us to forge ahead. 

During the hike, I would ask the guide how long would the trek be and he would answer me, not long. We had been walking for around two hours already and yet we seem to have not gone far yet. We had been walking and walking. Then I asked again, how long would it be? We are going into that forest and once we get out of it, we are already there, he countered. And I answered back, how long would the walk into the forest? He quipped, not long and he smiled and continued to lead the pack. 

The Mabaca rainforest that we traversed and a leech sucking into an arm of one of the hikers

The forest was a tropical rain forest. It was wet inside the forest; hence, you don’t feel the heat. The forest was a beauty. Tall big trees abound with beautiful canopies. There were awesome orchids and flowering wild plants. We were lucky to see wild deer and a group of wild pigs. We were advised before the walk that we would be passing by areas where there are so many leeches. We were on long sleeves and pants where the long ends were covered by two layers of thick sacks. Our encounter with the leeches was that of annoyance but our guide had leech sucks every now and then. He seemed used to it. There were still leeches that accumulated in our clothes and they were moving a lot for the absence of flesh to suck on. The guide took his stick and placed it in our pants and the leeches fell off one by one from our pants. We were amazed and he answered us that he rubbed it with cigarette soaked with oil. The leeches were repulsed by the combination.

The people from Buaya who who hosted us

I asked if the walk will still be a long way out of the forest, and our guide, said, “it’s there with matching use of his lips to show the way as he moves his head towards the pathway. Despite the wet pathway, and some slippages, we were out of the forest in due time. We saw a village on a hill and I asked if that was already Buaya and the guide smiled and said that’s still part of Mabaca. We were nearing, the guide told us. We contented ourselves with enjoying the view of the pine forest we saw. We were told; some parts of Mabaca had pine forests while Talalang and Balbalasang are predominantly coniferous. As a biologist in my pre-medical years, my interest in these types of forests was again rekindled. I was mentally identifying the plants I saw in my surroundings as we were treading into narrow and muddy foot paths. After another couple of hours walking, we noted that the foot trail was becoming dry, larger and paved. After a grueling 6 hours walk, we reached Buaya, the barangay that borders Pinukpuk town. We were received by the people with their warm smiles. We took our rest and I asked our guide why did he keep on telling us that we are nearing the place and he answered me, “If I will tell you it is far, you might not even think of going this far. If I tell you that it is just near, you will continue walking and forge ahead because you think that the place is just around the bend or the corner.” I heaved a deep sigh and gave out a hearty smile. I made it through the mountains and the forests. 

Eating with the VHW trainees during a lunch break

Back in Gawaan, Rizel went home ahead of us. Our VHW training has come to an end and we held a graduation day to mark this affair. We hope that we were able to answer a felt need on the community. On one beautiful December 2 afternoon, Mary Rose a teacher and a health worker trainee came from Tabuk. She met us in front of the house. She was holding a newspaper and showed us that we were able to hurdle the physician’s licensure examination. Pandemonium erupted and the whole village was disturbed. They thought something happened to us in the house. When they came to the house, they saw us rejoicing and they realized all of us passed our licensure examination. They joined us in our merriment. The gaiety and fun continued in the evening when Kalinga dances were done to celebrate the joyous day. The affair finished till the late evening. We were so thankful to them for sharing with us the joys and merriment of our triumph. We can’t forget these people who once shared their lives with us. 

Handing out the certificates of completion to the VHW graduates

We were soon called for a national convention of all those who participated in the program. We had to leave. It was a painful parting. There were a lot of tears that had fallen from our eyes. Hugs and handshakes were not enough but we had to go. 

The Gawaan, Balbalan Team

We did not leave the memories behind. It was with us until this very day. 

Note:

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.