For 18 years, volunteers from Trails to Empower Kids (TREK) have reached out to remote communities to provide essential support. To mark this milestone anniversary, we returned to Loccong, the farthest and highest community in Tinglayan, Kalinga.
TREK first visited Loccong in 2014, a trip I was unable to join as I was recovering from surgery after a mountain climbing accident. My first visit came three years later, in 2017, during TREK’s 10th anniversary, when we returned to ten communities we had previously served to reconnect and see how they were doing.
Over time, our continued presence and sustained efforts proved meaningful to the community, especially our willingness to respond to needs beyond the usual school supplies, hygiene kits, and other gifts. In 2017, TREK helped purchase construction materials for a makeshift school facility. This year, as Loccong continues to rebuild after the damage caused by Typhoon Uwan, we once again extended support by providing funds for additional construction materials and monoblock chairs for students, with the help of our friends from Camou.
We conducted the outreach during a long weekend. Our volunteers left Manila on the evening of December 5 and, slowed by heavy traffic, reached the expressway at midnight. By mid-morning, we arrived in Tabuc, and by mid-afternoon, we reached Tinglayan. Yet the most challenging part of the journey was still ahead.
Due to the typhoon, the road became difficult to navigate, stalling our vehicles several times. It was almost midnight when we finally reached the community. All fatigue melted away when we were welcomed by the familiar hospitality of Loccong, with warm coffee, hot meals, and even warmer smiles.
The following morning, we spent the day preparing for the outreach. Some volunteers repacked items and set up a mini dental mission, while others prepared meals for the school children.
I anticipated the usual turnover program: the community’s cultural performances, followed by the distribution of the items we brought for the children, including TREK backpacks filled with school supplies, loot bags with toys and candies, and Christmas gifts from our generous ninongs and ninangs.
What happened next, however, was beyond anything I could have imagined.
The activities began with the serving of pasing, a piece of boiled, unseasoned meat on a bamboo stick, traditionally offered during rituals or community gatherings. Its simplicity is intentional, symbolizing purity, and each portion was enough to feed an entire family.
This was followed by welcome messages and traditional performances. Then came the unexpected announcement: I would be adopted into the Butbut community.
The adoption ceremony was a moment of great honor. I was wrapped in a tapis, symbolizing gratitude, sharing, and unity, each pattern representing the Kalinga homeland, its traditions, and way of life. A belt followed, signifying wholeness, strength, and resilience, and then a necklace, representing cultural identity, social standing, and connection to ancestors.
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Finally, I was given the name Lagkunawa, which means “a beautiful and strong daughter of a tribal chieftain.” In Butbut folklore, Lagkunawa appears in ullalim, sacred stories, and legends. According to legend, she was the beloved of Banna, a hero-god from Lubo, who transformed into a python to cross mountains and rivers to reach her. As a gift, he magically embedded python scales on her legs, a symbol of beauty and wealth that became the earliest motif for batok, the traditional hand-tapped tattoo.
A ceremonial pledge followed, affirming that I would be treated as a true child of the Butbut.
Since we began with TREK, we have received recognitions for our work, but nothing compares to being embraced by a community. The Butbut people did not just recognize TREK; they welcomed me into their lives, their culture, and their lineage.
I could not believe that I had become part of a community so rich in culture, a former warrior people famous for their batok tattoos, speaking their own language, Whinuthut, and preserving traditions passed down through generations.
A family was also chosen for me, the Dugay and Buyagan families, which includes Teacher Janet, who helped us a lot in coordinating this outreach, so I could have relatives to visit, talk to, and treat as my own in Loccong.
After the ceremonies, the Kalipis, an organization of parents and grandparents, performed to express their gratitude to TREK and appeal for support in improving school facilities. The students also performed a Christmas song and a traditional dance, while the teachers surprised us with a special song featuring original lyrics.
We then carried out our mission, distributing gifts to the students, and later celebrated over dinner and drinks. Slowly, I grew used to being called Lagkunawa by the community.
The next day, on a crisp morning, we danced around a bonfire and planted trees, which was very symbolic for me, representing the roots I was putting down as a new member of the Butbut community.
I am forever grateful for this bond with the Butbut. As Lagkunawa, I hope to honor their traditions, live by their values, and make the community proud. Their trust, warmth, and generosity have left an imprint on my heart that will guide me for the rest of my life.
