Friday, November 16, 2007 Delightful paradise in Davao's Paquibato By Marissa S. Te Eng Fo
SITIO Paraiso in Paquibato District in Davao City is a delightful paradise, a playing ground for the more or less 18,000 population who reside in this district.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Sonia V. Garcia invited this writer to take the trek sometime last week to this bliss. Unknown to me, it was going to prove a very challenging climb of uphill and downhill.
Believe me, I am no longer a spring chicken and very proud to be one at that without qualms about my being 53 years of age as only the trying hard keep their true meaning. I am not because I dare say my piece and quite hardnosed about it.
In veracity, that day proved very unflinching in terrain, reliably muddy, as it rained the night before. I was so hot with the sun brightly shining so I had to use my bottled water to drench my head and loosen the temperature.
The persistency of National Broadcasting Network cameraman Cesar Tuazon and his assistant Adonis Ventura kept me going. Finally I found myself on horseback. That was a relief even if I almost had the hibbie jibbies looking down the natural features of the environs! I believe I have now passed the test of becoming a true equestrian.
When we finally arrived, students in uniform with Datu Ruben of the Ata tribe came to greet us. There was a nice program all set for us to see from basketry to song and dance and definitely one that is close to my heart bamboo cooking serving us fresh catch tilapia from the lake that is the product of three cascading waterfalls, highland rice wrapped in alik-ik, gabi in coconut milk and more food cooked inside bamboo receptacles.
Those who came with the group continue to discover other areas in the region to become a future tourism destination were Maricel Arrelano, Angela Mae Alcala and Krisa Mae Llorca, all DOT Region 11 staff; a group of UP-Mindanao architects whose objective was to study Ata architecture and assist in future cultural village design in the sitio were Ronald Dizon, Ryan Songcayuon, Jun Presores, Dennis Sumaylo; media practitioner Nef Luczon, Deputy Mayor Ali and barrio captain Warlito Pandia.
This trip was a memorable one. We have seen a gem, an unspoiled area of good people, waterfalls, lake of bountiful harvest of fish and a place that is a part of a metropolis.
Hopefully infrastructure programs will reach the sitio as it is the clamor of all who reside in the area.
