Irishmae Ardines Dalipe
Mt. Capistrano Chronicles
Entry #3 Global Youth Forum 2017: Writing Contest for Sustainable Tourism
Every place has a name, and it is named according to its purpose, as mountains, lakes, and rivers were named for their own history and value.
This picture is taken at the summit of Mt. Capistrano. The view faces the rice fields of Brgy. Managok and Simaya.
As a young adventurer, I have noticed that places are named after their history, and that’s what I love most every time I go on an adventure with my ate and kuya.
My ate and kuya are a great team of adventurers. They always find time to go to places like climbing mountains, visiting tribal territories, going on river treks, and other interesting stuff. As a teenager, I always want to visit the places my elder sister and brother have visited because after every trip, they always share interesting stories about their adventures.
I got the chance last October to join them on their nth climb of the infamous Mt. Capistrano in Simaya, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.
We rode a motorcycle to Mt. Capistrano with my elder sister, brother, two cousins from Davao City, and three of my sister’s friends from Cebu City.
When we arrived at the place, we went to the barangay secretary’s house, where the secretary is in charge of the logbook for record purposes. We paid 20 pesos each. When we reached the foot of the mountain, my sister asked us to give her one peso each for “lugbak”. That day I learned that we need to “lugbak,” asking the guardians of the mountains to let us in safely. We toss a one-peso coin and ask the mountain’s guardian spirits to cleanse us and let us climb the peak.
It was already 7 a.m., and the sun was up but not too hot. It was an open trail up to the middle of the climb, and a closed canopy after that. It was a relief to get out of the sun and to be welcomed by the very cool breeze. It was an “assault trail” because it was difficult. The trail is slippery because it rained the night before our trek. We reached the top at almost 10 am. The view is just awesome! I was really happy that time to finally be at the summit. After lunch, we started a cleanup drive. We picked up all the litter left by the irresponsible trekkers.
We filled a sack with garbage. I realized that many people just climb mountains without even understanding how sacred the place is.
My sister always reminds me to always be responsible with my waste, even if it’s just a candy wrapper.
We went down the mountain with the garbage we picked up at the summit. It was very rewarding. I feel so proud that I had the chance to clean Mt. Capistrano—the mountain where Captain Capistrano hid himself and his troop during World War II. Many lives were saved because of that mountain, and many lives were also taken.
Mt. Capistrano is a sacred place. It deserves respect. It should be taken care of.
Note: Winners of this “Writing Contest for Sustainable Tourism” receive free registration and accommodation at the Global Youth Forum 2017, to be held from February 20 – 21, 2017, at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, as well as other exciting prizes.
