UNKNOWN to many, but Sarangani, a province located in the Southern part of Mindanao, has a big part of our country’s history.
On April 27, 1521, when the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan was defeated by Mactan ruler Lapu-Lapu after the latter refused to be converted to Christianity, the surviving crew of Magellan, led by the expedition chronicler Antonio Fegafetta, boarded the Victoria.
The Victoria was the only remaining ship from a fleet of five. It sailed to Spice Islands, more commonly known as Maluku Islands, an archipelago found within Indonesia.
However, even before the crew arrived at the site, they were stopped by a furious storm.
Forcing them to drop anchor on October 26, 1521 at the “Biraham Batolach,” known today as Batulaki, a coastal village located in Glan, Sarangani.
As a remembrance of the passage, a historical landmark was unveiled exactly 500 years ago on October 26, 2021 in the area which was now being visited by tourists and locals.
Another destination where you can revisit the past of Glan is the ancestral house of the Ruiz Family. They were among the first families to settle in Glan during the early 1900s, hence, they have numerous collections of antiques, old photos of their family, to name a few of early occupancy in the area.
A member of the family who is also a historian, Dr. Jose Tranquilino Ruiz II, said that the reason for preserving their house is to maintain the history of their family as his grandfather, Don Tranquilino Ruiz of Algeria, Cebu, used to be the Agricultural Colony Superintendent in 1914 and was the sole architect that shaped the foundation of Glan.
“My grandfather used to be the Agricultural Colony Superintendent who arrived in 1914 so we have to maintain that history of the family kay kung wala na na, wala nay kasaysayan ang lungsod (because if we don’t do it, there will be no history of this city). So, the only way to preserve our history is to have that memorabilia. So that when people come, naa tay ikapakita (we will have something to show),” he said.
The ancestral house-turned-museum was opened in the early 90s and it is open every day with P100 as entrance fee.
Sarangani is not only a historical site where you can learn and explore, but also a haven of fun as Sarangani Bay (Sar-Bay) Festival came back after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Tagged as Mindanao’s "biggest summer beach party," the returning festival was celebrated last May 27-29, 2022 with the theme, "Wake up Sarbay." Only this time, it was more focused on environmental activities and tourism recovery.
Aside from coastal cleanup and tree-planting activities, the province of Sarangani and its local government units, with the help of non-government organizations, launched a simultaneous Crown-of-Thorns (COT) Community Collection activity to counter the COT infestation that has been one of the biggest problems of the Sarangani Bay recently.
The COT is a large starfish that preys upon hard, or stony, coral polyps. Covered in long poisonous spines, they range in color from purplish-blue to reddish-grey and green.
COTs are well-known coral predators. When severe outbreaks occur, COTs are capable of destroying an entire reef system in a matter of weeks.
Still, the fun remains during night parties!
Local bands entertained the tourists and locals during the first night of the festival at Coco Beach Resort which was sponsored by San Miguel Brewery (SMB) Inc. The company also installed a number of huge trash cans for the partygoers to responsibly throw their scraps and ensure that the area will be clean as it should be.
Sarbay may have halted for a while, yet it came back even bigger and more significant as it bears this time the goal not only to bring fun through parties but also to preserve Mother Earth.