Tuesday, April 10, 2007 Ledesma: Eden By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
IT'S a weeklong respite from the vagaries of politics. We come out of this weeklong emersion in spirituality although not a few opted for the white sands of Boracay, the chilly climate of Baguio City or lacking in funds sought the much cheaper Paradise Island in IGaCoS. Eden Nature Park (ENP) of course is a lot closer to nirvana.
I should have written about ENP earlier even as I already did a countless time. But this mountain paradise ought to be discovered and explored especially by those who have not set foot there or had been there but have not discovered the grandeur and beauty of nature.
A glimpse of what to expect from this vast expanse of preserved, conserved and reforested nature resource is all that takes to start a journey in this God's little acre.
This is a manifestation of what man can do the restore what had been ravaged by loggers and then by kaingineros. After them only the pesky cogon and hardly surviving saplings remained in the parched ground. The stream had ran dried because the vegetation had disappeared along with the robust mahogany trees that once lined up the banks.
Then came along Chito and Fe Ayala. They are the different breed of Adam and Eve. The couple nurtured back the trees and the river to life. They replanted nearly every inch of barren land. They brought in from nowhere varied species of pines, ornamental plants, more mahogany seedlings, fruit trees and flowers of various kinds that bloom all year round.
Today the stream has come back to life. The ripples of cascading waters can be heard along with the cicadas call for their mates.
The air is cool even during the noonday sun. And if that is not enough, take a dip in a bean shape pool that hangs precariously by the hillside. The entire Davao Gulf and the little islands surrounding IGaCoS are visible from the pool.
Fishing, by hook and line, never stops delighting even the young tykes. Your catch can be cooked for you by a chef that prepares the humble tilapia into mouth-watering cuisine. Try "pinaputok" or "sinugba." The smaller ones can be deep-fried. I don't know how they do it but something there is that makes the tilapia dish at Eden impeccably delectable. Believe me.
There is a long walk path that winds under the sweet-smelling pines. I love it there because it's cool and the pines sing at a gentle kiss of breeze. The pines, thousands of them, have matured and are reaching for the skies. They tell you a story of how man can destroy and another capable of restoring back what God has created. Be there any day.
BTW, we have more than 50 bar passers from Davao schools mostly from Ateneo and some from the University of Mindanao. I have mentioned Karlo Bello, the council bet of Hugpong in the Third District who was among those who hurdled the exams. I doff my hat too to Al dela Victoria Jr. for passing the bar. It's a big harvest for Ateneo de Davao which has among the highest percentage of passers. They are all under the tutelage of Hilde Inigo, Ateneo dean of the college of law, and of course lawyer-priest Gus Nazareno and the entire caboodle of topnotch law professors. Nazareno is said to be the heir apparent of Hilde, a topnotch reporter and ace columnist during his time, who is said to be retiring soon. Also cheers to the University of Mindanao college of law whose 13 graduates also hurdled the 2006 exams. The last couple of years has seen UM's law school being nurtured back to its glorious days when it used to produce the biggest number of bar test passers. I think the administrators already saw what went wrong -they hired too many politicians either as deans or professors.
