A Town Atop a Ridge - Diplahan!

One of the towns that really exhibited impressive transformation is the small town of Diplahan in Zamboanga Sibugay's first district. The town's topography is characterized by extremes,  wide plains and rolling terrain. Its Poblacion is located at the top of a mountain range elevated approximately three hundred (300) meters above sea level. From there, you can majestically behold the green fields of rice paddies which made the town the top rice-producer municipality in the province. 

The town was converted into a Municipality in 1981 by virtue of Batas Pambansa 48 signed into law by the then President Ferdinand Marcos from being a barrio of the Municipality of Malangas.

The town's economy started to bloom during the height of the PNOC-sponsored coal operation in the Diplahan soil. Miners from all over the country flocked to work for higher wages. Unfortunately during the early 90's, a tragedy occurred, an explosion rocked the mine's tunnel killing almost a hundred. After the said occurrence, the mines' administration decided to cease the operation and together with the closure the once lively town of Diplahan became quaint and silent.

From that point, most of the town's economic activity were already based on small-medium industries and the thriving rice production in the town's plains. However, the agony was just temporal as several years later, private company ventured in the rich coal sites of Diplahan and started its operation there. This opened new opportunities in employment and business. Today, the town boasts to host the largest underground tunnel in the Philippines courtesy of a Taiwanese mining firm.

After the 2007 Election, under a new administration, the Local Government Unit started to revive the town's thrive. The new mayor laid a new architectural plan for Diplahan. He started to demolish the old public market and transferred it in a more strategic site. He built a covered court, a food court, commercial buildings and a new state of the art bus terminal. It can also be noted that there is a sufficient effort from the administration to boost the town's tourism potentials. He built a Municipal Hostel, Municipal Swimming Pool and the famed Diplahan Bamboo House. Sitting on this edifice while sipping a cold beverage reminds me of Baguio's Mines View Park as it offers a breathtaking view of the plains.

Due to its high elevation, fogs dominates the town's skyline during early morning and dusk. Driving along the town's paved streets can be challenging as you need to constantly open your headlights and offer a generous horn blow to announce you passage, or less you will end up bumping to something. The temperature as well, sends shivers and chills to your body during night time and will extremely sweat you during day time.

The town's elevation is also credited for the unending water problem of the town. Although level three in classification as households has individual connection, it is still in the rationing basis. That's is why, deep wells are normal sights in the backyards of the townspeople.

Today, Diplahan slowly transformed itself into a major center of commerce and business to rival its neighbors like Buug and Imelda. Diplahan, indeed is a manifestation that a responsive local government is an essential ingredient to prepare a town's economic success.

Ipil: Zamboanga Sibugay's Economic Pump

Much has changed in this capital town in the central part of the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay. From a sleepy agricultural town in the late 80's the town transformed into a bustling commercial center in the present years. Thanks to the thriving rubber industry that was instrumental for this remarkable changes and for putting the name of the town in the agricultural map being the "Rubber Capital of the Philippines."

In a bus ride from Zamboanga City, Ipil offers a very hostile welcome, couple of choke and check points are blocking driveways inspecting every vehicle traversing the National Highway. However, in a bird's eye view from the bus, you can already see a breathtaking view of the famous Buluan Island, famous for its white and pristine sand beaches. From that vantage, the view completely offers not only a spectacular sight but an inviting one as well.

As you can notice, the town has an organize traffic system. Bus stops are installed in various points of the town to ensure that no unloading will be done in the town center. The terminal is in Taway, some two kilometers north of the town proper. The newly built edifice has two parts, the Right Wing is exclusively for Rural Transit Buses accommodating around eight (8) buses at a time mostly bound for Pagadian, Dipolog, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro. The Left Wing on the other hand is used for Public Utility Vans. It's second level houses the food court and some supply stores which offer necessities for long travel.

From the bus terminal, you can already see from a far an architectural breakthrough - the Provincial Capitol of Zamboanga Sibugay. The huge structure sits atop Capitol Hill together with several other government offices. I just can't understand why the Provincial Government chose to build there, it seems like climbing to Mount Calvary with a cross on your shoulder. Suppose, the government, through its capitol or whatsoever must be nearer for the people to access.

A Php 10.00- trike ride will transport you from the terminal to the town center. The town center offers generous availability of hotels, restaurants, banks and recreation facilities. Several multi-national companies are already venturing in the town's economy (i.e. Jollibee, Chicken Ati-Atihan, Mercury Drug etc).

If you happen to arrive in the town on either Friday or Saturday, never fail to visit the famed TABUAN which gathers all vendors from all over Zamboanga Sibugay bringing fruits, vegetables, RTW, clothing gears and the famous Ukay-Ukay.

Travelling eastward, you will find the village of Sanito, a Galik Pook Awardee for innovations in the local government. You can notice that the village has its own Bagsakan Center, PUV/PUJ Terminal and Livelihood Centers. Just can't help as well to commend the well-organized display of campaign materials in the locality. The Barangay duly designates common posting areas in conspicous parts of the place, the good thing is, candidates are following it. Also in Sanito, you can find the province's largest hotel - The Sibugay Grand Plaza which is equipped with a disco house and restaurants; the Ipil Airport, which was recently concreted without renovating first its dilapidated terminal and now serves as a hub for joggers and other figure conscious individuals; the Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Hospital, the largest medical facility in the Province; the Ipil Municipal Cemetery; the PNP Provincial Command and the Western Mindanao Agricultural Research Center (WESMIARC), the largest agricultural  research facility in the region.

Further eastward is the village of Pangi. A mid-sized barangay which also houses several important installations like the Zamboanga Sibugay National High School, Department of Education Division Office and the Main Office of the Zamboanga del Sur II Electric Cooperative.

Today, as i passed over Ipil, adoring its majestic infrastructures and establishments, I can already conclude that Ipil already fully recovered after the bloody siege in 1995 which claimed hundreds of lives and ashed millions worth of properties.

As of the moment, as a first class municipality tallying an income of more than a hundred million, Ipil is already qualified to join the ranks of Philippine cities. We just need to wait until the election is over, and wait who will file Ipil's city hood bill and claim the prestigious title "Father of the City of Ipil".

Way to go Ipil.

Lakewood: Where Beauty Blends with Mystery

Lakewood is my hometown's neighbor with an approximate distance of 15 kilometers from my town's center of economic activity traversing towering mountain ranges and long and winding rock-dirt covered roads which is more identical to a dried up river bed. However, despite the proximity, I was not able to behold the towns mystic beauty, not until I'm nineteen.

A close relative decided to celebrate her birthday in a resort situated in the coast of the serene and quaint Lake Wood - The Alindahaw Lakeview Resort. The facility is owned wholly by the powerful Cerilles clan of Zamboanga del Sur. My attendance to the said celebration is not just devoted to give tribute to the birthday celebrant, but also to personally witness the so-called ZamSur's hidden paradise.

The resort offers lots of enjoyable trek to adventurers including a boat ride in the lake's surface. However, as I was about to give my decision on taking a ride, my vocal expression was overtaken by a suggestion of a local which send shivers to my spine and hold me aback. The lake's mysticism was affirmed by local's folktales about it.

They related that, the lake attracts divers all over the country to explore its underneath and finally divulge to the the scientific world what's about this body of water. However, it seems the lake has its own mind and prevents the realization of these things. Many divers, can't anymore manage to resurface and are just found floating two or three days after, lifeless. Many attributes this occurrences to the unusual depth of the lake. They call the yearly loss of lives in the lakes vicinity as BUHIS. In history, accordingly, not a single year had passed without claiming some two or three lives, mostly stranger to the place.

Locals who tried to measure the depth of the lake tied a stone at the end of a 300-meter string but the stone failed to reach the bottom as the string reached its maximum. Some legends would say, that there's a hole at the bottom of the lake that connects it to another dimension. I wonder if its true. I wonder if there's someone who was able to swam to reach the bottom and told to the local community regarding such. One local claimed, that once a year a giant boat traverse the Sibougey River sailing upstream and terminates at the lake submerging itself in the lake's bottom. This boat are told to be carrying tons of golds, silver and treasure of all sorts.

Adding to the place's mysticism is the SLEEPING LADY MOUNTAIN along the western front of the lake. From afar and during dawn and dusk when it converts into a silhouette, you can see it as a lady with her hair spread at the tip and in a sleeping position. This was told to be a fairy who use to be the lake's guardian against evil forces which are imposing dominion over the lake. Due to an extravagant and excessive use of dark power, the fairy was defeated by the evil forces. They cursed the lake, send heavy rains and blocked the lake's spillway. The water level rose drowning a sizable number of the population. The fairy was crushed and buried into mounds of clay. The area of which he was buried rose into a figure of a woman which is now called as the SLEEPING LADY MOUNTAIN.

This are lovely folktales that maybe at some point are believable but can also be easily dismissed as ordinary city folk can claim to be just a product of the wild and creative imagination of man.

Whatever is the truth behind these stories,I am still fascinated by the the place's tranquility, serenity and picturesque panorama. And for sure, i'll keep coming back to the place with a new zeal of exploring new things.

Genesis: Why Omnia Vencit Veritas?

Why Omnia Vencit Veritas?

The Latin phrase simply means "the truth conquers all" in English. This phrase reverberated in ancient Roman Forum before during sessions and assemblies while deliberating on pressing issues concerning the public. This becomes a forceful challenge to the people to speak of the truth by all means, as this liberates man's conscience from lies and all evil.

This blog will be an online commentary on general and local issues that surrounds us using truth as a powerful weapon to divulge what the public ought to know.

Common! Join me in this discourse and exchange ideas with me to produce a useful outcome.

Muchchisimas Gracias y Buenas Diaz!

Alvin Rex M. Lucero
Blogger