“Hindi pala kami nakahiwalay sa mundo, kasi nakarating kayo dito” (We are not cut-off from the rest of the world, because you are able to come here)
These words left an imprint on me and the hearts and minds of 35 other good souls who joined us on an outreach program in Apayao.
TREK Pudtol is Trails to Empower Kids’ 4th Outreach Program.
Why Pudtol?
When we were deciding on the next site for our outreach it was Mimay, one of the group’s founders, who suggested Apayao. We all haven’t been to Apayao so we agreed and immediately arranged for our recon.
It was my longest bus ride. Mimay and I were joined by fellow TREK founder Noel, plus Boy Bayhon, one of our most active volunteers. We took the evening bus and woke up just in time to appreciate Ilocos Norte. We caught a glimpse of the windmills of Bangui, the picturesque Patapat Viaduct that connects the Maharlika from Ilocos Norte to the Cagayan Valley Region, and the beautiful coastline of Ilocos Norte.
The tourism officer of Pudtol, Apayao arranged for transportation from the bus station to Pudtol. We left the bus station immediately after tasting Apayao's variation of pansit, the one with fried egg on top, which was our breakfast. We paid a courtesy call to the mayor of Pudtol, Apayao, Mayor Batara P. Laoat. That is when we introduced our group Trails to Empower Kids or TREK.
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| At the Mayor's House |
Pudtol is a 4th class
municipality in the province of Apayao and is divided into 22 barangays, which
includes Malibang, Cacallagan, Aurora, and Lydia. Mayor Laoat
and his staff already plotted our itinerary, so after freshening up, we left.
It was another hour-long trip to the jump off point.
Malibang, Cacalaggan, and Aurora
Our jump off site is a
church ruin built in 1684 by the Dominicans and was abandoned in 1815 due to the Isneg attacks. From here, it is only a
five-minute walk to the picturesque Apayao River, one of the five biggest
rivers in the Philippines, which passes through Cordillera Administrative Region
and the Cagayan Valley Region to the Pacific Ocean. The Isneg or Apayao people
are riverbank dwellers.
Our ability to balance was
tested on these bancas we used to cross
the river to Malibang.
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| Crossing Apayao River |
Here, we saw how the people
cope when the river unleashes its fury. Most of the houses have second floors
to keep the people from harm when the river overflows.
We met some of the locals
and we inquired about their schools. Lack of school supplies and books were our
expected replies from them, and we guessed
right. We visited what looked like oversized chicken cages, which turned out to
be one of the school's classrooms.
Next on our itinerary were
Cacallagan and Aurora, which were 30 minutes walk from Malibang. The locals discouraged us from
pursuing our plan. They worried the walk would be too difficult for us. They looked at
another option, which is cruising Abulug River, Apayao River's twin river located at
the other side of Malibang, but the tide was
too low. So, we decided to walk.
Time was not on our side so
we decided to go straight to Aurora. We passed by the school of Cacallagan
along the way. There was no school in
Aurora. The teacher and students, mostly Agtas, used the barangay hall as their
classroom.
Most of the students reside
in the mountains and walk hours to go to school. Their teacher is a passionate
Christian who made it his mission to help these students.
After our ocular inspections,
we went back to Mayor Laoat's place, and he had the most sumptuous dinner
waiting for us, all from the bounty of their land and sea.
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| Our dinner courtesy of the mayor |
Lydia and Mt. Magpulto
The following day, we went
to Mt. Magpulto. Aside from looking for
project sites, we also try to look for tourist attractions our participants can
visit. We add this to make the
experience of joining TREK more fun and memorable. Mt. Magpulto seemed ideal for our mountaineer friends.
We were told that we were the first tourists who attempted to climb Magpulto. We started our ascent early in the morning. By mid-afternoon, it rained. We
were warned about the spirits of the mountains. They said that the mountain does not always welcome new faces. We were
saddened but we decided to just stay there for the night and forego the
summit.
We may have missed the peak
but we got to enjoy freshwater delights and the company of the locals who live
there in the mountain. We slept in their house.
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| With the community members |
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| Playtime at Mt. Magpulto |
The following day, our guides checked the river early. It rained that night so if the water didn't settle, meaning if it still looked muddy, we cannot river trek back to the jump-off point. Good thing the heavens smiled on us that day so we were able to take another ultimate adventure in what Apayao is known for -- its rivers.
We started early morning river trekking. Some portions were just too good for swimming so we dived.
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| River trekking, rather swimming |
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| River trekking |
Lunchtime came and we were
out of food. We rested in the waterfalls and the guides went up to the falls and
came back with greens. That was one of the tastiest vegetable dishes I ever tried. We reached the jump-off site after around
five hours.
The following day was Palm
Sunday so we heard mass and thanked God for keeping us safe and helping us find
our next TREK site. We took a different route back home. We rode a van to
Tuguegarao where we rode the bus back to Manila.
The Outreach
A month later, we were back in Apayao.
We almost didn't make it because of the incessant rains in Manila. The task of spreading goodness almost always comes with difficulties.
The trip involved more than 15 hours of land, plus more than an hour on foot, including
a short banca ride traversing the Apayao River. The trek was made more
difficult by very muddy terrain that went up to mid-thigh high.
The first school the group visited was Malibang Elementary School. Then, the volunteers walked to Cacalagan Elementary School.
I joined the advance party to Aurora, and didn't join the visit to Cacalagan Elementary School anymore. Aurora was where we decided to hold our main program. We loaded all our donations in a banca.
It was a totally different river cruising experience. The Apayao River's view was vast and wide. This time, the waters were dark green and not much light found its way in the thicket that surrounds the river. The river would easily pass as a location shoot for those creepy movies, but being that close to nature's embrace, I found it really relaxing and serene.
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| Malibang Elementary School |
I joined the advance party to Aurora, and didn't join the visit to Cacalagan Elementary School anymore. Aurora was where we decided to hold our main program. We loaded all our donations in a banca.
It was a totally different river cruising experience. The Apayao River's view was vast and wide. This time, the waters were dark green and not much light found its way in the thicket that surrounds the river. The river would easily pass as a location shoot for those creepy movies, but being that close to nature's embrace, I found it really relaxing and serene.
When we arrived at the
barangay hall in Aurora, some of our school children were already there with
their families. Because most of them
have to walk for hours to reach the school, they went there early. Students
from Aurora Primary are from the Agta and Isneg
Tribes, with some coming from former NPA families.
We already finished setting
up the turnover area and the meal preparations when the participants started
arriving, most of them covered with mud.
I wanted to tell them so much about the river cruise but held myself
after their muddy experience.
After they finished pitching
their tents and cleaning up, we started with the program. It was already dark when we started. I worried about the children who had to go
home that night but I was told that most of them decided to stay there for the
night with us.
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| Aurora Primary School |
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| Playing with the children |
The Barangay hall was big
anyway, and most of us also bought our tents.
We started with games, then
turned over the gifts, and finally served dinner.
The short program we
prepared for them followed traditional dances, which lasted until most of
us were already so tired from the day's adventure. Some of the participants chose to cap the
night by having a few drinks with the locals, while the rest just went inside
their tents to get much-needed sleep.
The following day, after
breakfast, we traveled to Lydia, which is located at the foot of Mt. Magpulto. We reached the site around lunchtime. Mayor Laoat met us there and he led the
program, which was also a simple exchange
of gifts and games.
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| The volunteers |
The community also prepared
our lunch. After enjoying the local
dishes, Mayor Laoat led members of the community and the rest of the
participants in an afternoon of traditional dances.
Great Rewards
The returns were certainly
far greater than the effort.
Gratitude overflowed at
every school we made donations to. There were
endless thank you’s and other displays of appreciation made through their dances
and songs. As a bonus, we also had a nice trip at a man-made lake near our
site.
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