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Friday, March 11, 2005
Rebollido: Sarangani, an emerging summer capital
By Rommel G. Rebollido
"ARE you nuts? You can't compare Sarangani to Boracay."
Journalist Bobby Timonera sent that SMS message to Jun Ramos, provincial information chief of Sarangani.
He followed it up with, "Kaguwapo ra sa Sarangani (Sarangani is so beautiful)!"
Jesting or not, Bobby made a point and it is worth exploring.
What is there indeed to compare between the two places except for the beach.
Boracay has its famous pristine beaches which are among the world's best, but, wait till you see the long stretch of powdery white sand beach along Gumasa in Glan town, less than an hour ride over well-paved highway from here.
Gumasa, enclosed in a cove at the eastern tip of Sarangani Bay's 230-kilometer coastline, is also blessed with tranquil emerald waters perfect for swimming, sailing and fishing and a spectacular view of the sunset.
"That is just for the beach and Sarangani still has more on the checklist," Ramos quipped as he enumerated the wonders of the province, ranging from underwater coral gardens to caves, to prehistoric artifacts and to rare animals and, of course, the food.
With that, make no mistake of missing Sarangani for a weekend adventure this summer and save yourself from spending a fortune.
Start that Sarangani vacation with a trip to Maitum, a quaint town known among archeologists as historical gateway of Southeast Asia.
The town is about 110 kilometers over asphalt highway west of this city.
A place that gained international prominence in 1991 with the discovery of anthropomorphic jars, Maitum boasts of caves that are mute witness on how ancient people lived and a rich wildlife that includes species that lived on earth 45-million years ago.
Town Mayor George Yabez said exploring Pinol Cave and Linao Cave is like getting into a time tunnel that brings one back to the past.
It is in these caves where artifacts dating back around 3,000 years were unearthed in 1991 and 2002.
Archeologists said the finds could unravel the prehistory of Southeast Asia.
Just outside the cave in Pinol village is a sanctuary of close to 200,000 golden-crowned flying foxes (Acedoron jubatus), the world's largest and heaviest bats that have dog-like features and wingspan of about five meters.
Tarsiers, known as the world's smallest monkey even if it is not actually a monkey, also thrives in the forests of this town and in most parts of Sarangani.
The tarsier, which is actually a promisian, belongs to an animal species that is 45-million years old.
Maitum's tropical forests is where about half a dozen waterfalls can be found, including the majestic Buting Fikong which is said to be higher than the famous Maria Cristina Falls.
The town has Pangi River, declared as among the country's cleanest, where a variation of white water rafting has drawn many locals and visitors to take a daring downstream run aboard an inflated tire tube.
Set in the rustic mountain-side village of New La Union, the 1.6-kilometer river tube run snakes through boulders, sudden drops and roots of trees amid a backdrop of lush greenery.
The town also has impressive beaches, portions of which are known nesting grounds of a varied species of sea turtles like the leatherback, hawksbill and the green turtle.
A good 45-minute drive from Maitum, dive enthusiast can explore what many Mindanao divers refer to as "The Wall" in Tinoto village, Maasim town.
The Wall is an undersea coral garden complex that runs about 10 kilometers and has a reported depth of about 200 meters.
Many divers who have been there describe the place as simply breathtaking.
While in Maasim, try visiting the miraculous icon of the Santo Niño that sheds oil.
The oil is said to have cured illnesses of the many among the thousands that flock to the statue at a white house by the beach owned by the Falgui family.
From Maasim, take a 40-minute trip to Isla Parilla in Alabel town, a resort surrounded by prawn and tilapia ponds and dotted by air-conditioned cottages on stilts.
The resort's restaurant offers mouth-watering dishes of rare seafood like sergeant fish, diana and pompano amid a bracing sea breeze.
One can also take a rowboat and cruise on the man-made ponds.
In Sarangani's biggest town, Glan, get a glimpse of the Spanish era with the rows of century-old houses at the town proper and admire crochet-like "kalados" walls and awnings on canopies and balconies.
Several of the houses still bear precious collections of antiques and china.
Some historians suspect that the Spanish influence in Glan may have been brought by members of the fifth Spanish expedition of six ships and 200 men led by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos that got stranded in Sarangani Island in February 1543.
Faced with lack of food and hostile natives then, Villalobos allegedly ordered some of his men to go to the nearest island, which could be Glan, where they farmed and planted corn.
That portion of history has yet to be validated, though, and what best thing to get a proof of the past than to spend time in the very place it all happened - Sarangani.
This summer, only the nuts would miss a trip to Sarangani.
For Bisaya stories from General Santos. Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(March 7, 2005 issue)
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