Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Barlig: At the edge of Cordi's Shangri-la By Jesus Agreda
LIAS SILANGAN, Barlig, Mountain Province -- Isolated on the western side of this Cordillera province lies a beautiful eco-tourism destination oftentimes neglected by adventure seekers due to its remoteness.
Without a single network operator servicing mobile phone users in the area, one would feel this seclusion a pleasant respite ideal for mountain-trekking and communing away from the harried pace of city life.
From Baguio City, one has to endure 147 kilometers of land travel or a seven-hour trip to the Mountain Province capital of Bontoc. From the capital, wily travelers endure an arduous two and a half-hour jeepney rough-road ride to the Poblacion of Barlig which welcomes tourists with its magnificent waterfalls, mossy forests, native huts and a breathtaking view of its stone riff-ruffed rice terraces.
Another hour of rough-roads and a 15-minute hike down to the barangay of Lias Silangan and Kanluran, one could marvel at a breathtaking view of the Tanudan River snaking its way up to the province of Kalinga irrigating nearby rice paddies beside an unspoiled dipterocarp rain forest uncommon in the Cordilleras which is primarily covered by pine trees.
In Barlig, one could stay at Halfway Inn and Restaurant and Seaworld Inn in the Poblacion or try what the many homestay accommodations of nearby Kadaclan and Lias cluster of barangays has to offer. Another feature to this town is its cool climate primarily brought about by its lush forest, which is cloaked in fog and mist at dawn and in the late afternoon.
Tourism destinations
Probably the most famous destination in this town for adventure climbers is Mt. Amuyao, the highest point of Mountain Province towering at 8,863 feet (2,702 meters), the ninth highest mountain in the country (the third highest in Luzon). Here, after a six-hour trek, one could see breathtaking views of neighboring provinces of Isabela and Ifugao.
"In the first quarter of this year alone more than 200 foreign and local tourists mostly mountain climbers have been lured to climb the mountain," Tourism committee head of the Municipal Council Jeb Constancio said.
The lush forested mountains of the town are a habitat for endemic species of hardwood trees unlike the common pine tree forests in the region. The town also plays as natural habitat for endangered fauna such as the Philippine eagle, warty pigs and wild deer. Endemic plants and trees also abound and thrive in the area.
The town also has majestic waterfalls such as the Karanag and Pallad Falls in Lias barangay, which provide a serene area to meditate and a worthwhile picnic area for its residents and tourists.
With the local government under the leadership of Mayor Magdalena Lupoyon, the town has organized regular treks to Mt. Amuyao as well as local festivals like the Changyasan Festival of Lias barangay and Menaliyam Festival of nearby Kadaclan
In Kadaclan, an added hour and a half jeepney ride from the town proper lies in what the locals call "Shangri-la on the edge" because of its famous Amfitayoc waterfalls, its annual trek of Fiagking and Tupniw peaks and equally stunning Lettang cave.
During Kadaclan's Menaliyam festival every month of April the municipal government holds a contest of indigenous games like fudcheck, fiab-awat, sus-uwat, and other ball games.
"We focus first our tourism efforts on Kadaclan since if one goes to the tourist spots in the farthest barangay, visitors would also be able to pass by the cluster of barangays in Lias and the town proper," Constancio said.
Native dances are also presented during the festival by Chupac, Kaleo and Lunas cultural street dancers as well as the annual search for Ms. Kadaclan Menaliyam where the finest beauties of the town parade in their most attractive native costumes.
Town products
Aside from the scenic spots the town has to offer, the people of Barlig also take pride in their produce of native rice and oranges and Arabica coffee, which cover the mountainsides.
"We're concentrating on having our native Arabica coffee be registered and be promoted as a product similar to the fame of its Kalinga and Benguet counterparts," Constancio quipped.
The rattan furniture industry was also a major source of livelihood for the townsfolk in the past although supply of this palm specie has been scarce lately in the forests. The town also produces organic native oranges, which are sold as far as Baguio and Manila.
With its abundant supply of timber from its thriving rain forests, the furniture making industry is also being eyed by the local government.
With all these abundant natural resources and bounty which proliferate in this mountain town, the only thing people of Barlig could ask for is similar to the desire of countless of other towns in Mountain Province. And that is to solve the perennial problem of the national highway's completion, which will provide better access of their products to the capital as well as for foreign and domestic tourists to visit their beautiful town.
