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Traversing
the Highlands of Cordillera
Roderick dela Cruz
Manila Times
March 27, 2004
 TRAVERSING
the rugged terrains of Cordillera highlands in a span
of one week is an adventure in itself and could be an
immense learning experience for someone who has the
guts to look down into the depths of mountain cliffs
to get a good view of the rice terraces.
With tall rice terraces at the backdrop and cool breeze
shuttling between mountain peaks, a journey across the
Cordillera mountain ranges exposes one to an atmosphere
strangely different from the daily offering of Manila
and its suburbs. More importantly, it provides a peek
into the ancient Philippine civilization before the
foreigners came.
A group of journalists and regional information officers
of the Department of Agriculture crossed the mountains
of Cordillera in the third week of March, thanks to
efficient vehicles that tracked what could have been
dangerous mountain trails and roads under renovation.
Twice, our vehicles stopped at Hanselma Highway, while
bulldozers were clearing the way to flatten the road.
We were lucky it didn't rain.
The tour brought this writer to interesting spots in
Cordillera - from the hybrid rice town of Tabuk in Kalinga
to the rice terraces of Banaue in Ifugao to the scenic
village of Sagada in Mountain Province to the vegetable
bowl of La Trinidad in Benguet and all the way to Baguio
City.
 Mountain
viewing for around 30 hours on travel along zigzag highways
is both rewarding and exhausting. This would have been
unbearable if not for the comfort of four remote hotels
where this writer spent six nights, thanks to the people
who made sure we had the best accommodation.
An eight-hour night trip from Manila allowed the group
to see the beautiful dawn in Tabuk. The modern Dalton
Pass at the borders of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya
significantly reduced our travel time. The national
road up to Isabela is actually impressive, except for
some bumpy sections that were being renovated.
Mang Alex, our experienced driver, was very cautious
while entering the Laya Valley in Tabuk, where tales
of midnight highway robberies hogged the headlines in
the past. Fortunately, the police have already posted
checkpoints in the area.
While driving towards Kalinga, two things would not
escape the attention of motorists, checkpoints being
the first. The other is the "Gloria sa Kalsada"
signpost at the entrance of each barangay. We thought
we could stop thinking politics while in Cordillera.
 Tabuk
is a modern agricultural town, which best exemplifies
the use of modern farming equipment and the hybrid rice
technology in improving the lot of the farmers. Who
would have thought that the Kalingas, who were known
in the past as fierce headhunters, would this day lead
the country in hybrid rice production? Hybrid rice seeds
from Kalinga reach as far as Mindanao.
Farmers interviewed by this writer claimed to have been
earning more than P100,000 from each hectare prepared
for the production of hybrid rice seeds (F1) in just
one cropping season.
The Laya Valley, for one, is a vast expanse of green
crops magnificently bordered by rolling hills that extend
up to the Cordillera peaks. This is rivaled only by
the rice farms in Roxas, another hybrid rice town in
Isabela, which is fast emerging as the food hub in Luzon.
From Tabuk, our group proceeded to Banaue the next day.
This gave us the chance to witness the agricultural
might of Isabela, which covers a total area of 10,664
square kilometers. We stopped over at Santiago City
to get some ice cream and soft drinks while observing
the economic activities in the area.
The way to Ifugao is via Bagabag in Nueva Vizcaya. From
there, the vehicle began its climb towards the capital
town of Lagawe. Although navigable, the roads to Banaue
would test the skills of even the most able drivers.
The unwritten rule there is to slow down or stop to
give way to the approaching vehicle on ascent.
 It
took us almost five hours to reach Banaue from Tabuk.
While the way to Banaue Hotel would provide partial
views of the rice terraces, our hotel room, which does
not require air-conditioning, has a full view of the
mountain peaks and the terraces below. The town center
can also be seen afar.
The Ifugaos belong to three cultural groups, namely:
Tuwali, Kalanguya and Ayangan. Many of them speak English
fluently. They are courteous to strangers, yet proud
of their identity. However, many of them live in subsistence
level, owing to the small size of their rice farms and
poor yield. An average Ifugao farmer owns one-fourth
of a hectare that produces only 500 kilos of palay (unmilled
rice) in every six to eight months of cropping season.
The famous Banaue rice terraces can be best viewed from
the viewing deck of Barangay Viewpoint, some 1,200 meters
above sea level. The area is also near souvenir shops
that sell traditional Ifugao weaved items and woodcarvings.
Another good place for sightseeing is Barangay Hapao
in Hundungan town, which provides the widest view of
the rice terraces. The spider web formation of the terraces
can also be viewed from the same town.
 After
two days in Banaue, our group embarked on another five-hour
journey to Sagada in Mountain Province. When viewed
from the mountain peak, the road is like a white thread
that measures the length of the mountain ridges. It
is hard not to have a stiff neck while marveling at
imposing mountain peaks that kiss the clouds and realizing
that the road actually leads there.
One way of knowing that we have crossed the border of
Mountain Province is the appearance of Pine Trees. American
missionaries reportedly encouraged the people to plant
Pine Trees in the area nearly a century ago. To this
day, traces of American influence remain in the capital
town of Bontoc, which is sandwiched by mountain peaks.
On the way to Sagada, our convoy could not help but
pause to get a good look at villages nestled in the
mountain, with idyllic rice terraces strategically located
nearby. With an elevation of 1,500 meters above sea
level, Sagada is like Baguio City minus the trappings
of commercialization.
 One
warning for Sagada visitors is that establishments close
shop at 9 in the evening. Visitors are also expected
to follow rules strictly in the area. Likewise, taking
a bath in the early morning is discouraged, especially
when nobody who can heat the water is already awake.
But what made our trip to Sagada is a two-hour trek
into Sumaging Cave, which showed us the beauty of natural
resources underground. The extraordinary stone formation
plus the crystal clear water that drips slowly into
the deeper parts of the cave awakened the most appreciative
senses in us.
The trip from Sagada to Baguio took all of seven hours.
During this time, we were entertained by unparalleled
mountain sceneries and cloud movements that touched
the Hanselma Highway. The rice terraces in the area
are taller, extending up to the mountain peaks. Such
terraces, however, could not be sustained by irrigation.
 We
had our lunch at the picnic area of Mount Data Hotel,
which is situated some 2,300 meters above sea level
at the border of Benguet. Mount Data is the next highest
peak to Mount Pulog, which rises around 3,000 meters
from the sea level.
The vegetable terraces in Atok, Benguet is also incomparable.
The vast expanse of the area provides a clue on how
deeply Benguet is dependent on the vegetable industry
and how many people in the province lost their livelihood
following the influx of cheaper Chinese vegetables.
Benguet vegetables are brought to La Trinidad and Baguio
City, the major trading posts in Northern Luzon. From
these areas, these vegetables are transported to other
parts of Luzon, Metro Manila in particular.
After seeing the higher parts of Cordillera, one succumbs
to the trouble of not appreciating Baguio City at all,
because it is crowded and noisy. Of course, there is
still Camp John Hay, but the area is fast becoming the
playing ground for the rich.
 As
a participant in the Economic Journalists Association
of the Philippines annual seminar, I stayed at the posh
Manor House for two nights. Yet, my mind was still in
Banaue and Sagada where the wind was purer and the song
of the night calmer.
The guest speakers in the seminar talked about banking
and monetary policies, as if they were the lifeblood
of the economy. The farmers, however, think otherwise.
"The real economy is what you see outside Manila.
It is what you see in the farms, in the mountains, in
the seas. We are hoping that the next president will
go here, so he will know our real economy," one
farmer said.
For one, Cordillera offers a glimpse of the Philippine
economy rich with opportunities waiting to be tapped.
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