View from outside: Let new blood flow in the heart of the country, Marinduque

 Mother and son (Carmencita and Edmundo) are now facing graft charges in connection with the fertilizer fund scam. Carmencita is likewise facing another graft complaint for the alleged illegal purchase of agricultural equipment. Another case was also recently filed against her for allegedly delaying the construction of the airport runway in the municipality of Gasan.

But I don’t think these cases will have much effect on the political career of the Reyeses. We can expect lack of development in Marinduque even in the years to come. And unless younger blood flow and replace the dirty old blood in the heart (of the country), the rich potentials of the province in terms of tourism and natural resources will just be like an old man with a weak heart.

Let new blood flow in the heart of the country, Marinduque

by Nino Bonito Padilla, The Manila Times

My wife, Rhina, celebrated her birthday yesterday. As a romantic husband, I planned of surprising her by either bringing her back to her hometown in Marinduque or fetching her parents.

But to my dismay, I could not materialize my plan— there have been no airline services in Marinduque since May 2013 while land travel is just next to impossible with her parents too old for long travel and our busy schedule.

The first time I visited Marinduque was in 2006. Since then, I have frequented the province to visit my in-laws in Buenavista. But nothing has changed since then except that there are no more airline services now, of course.

Marinduque is not a popular province. I didn’t know about it until I met my Rhina, who was born and raised in a mountainous barangay in Buenavista, called Bagtingon.

View of Bagtingon. Photo: EJO/Marinduque Rising

Like me, most of you probably have not heard about the province.

Marinduque, the heart of the Philippine archipelago, is an island province in Region IV-B, the MIMAROPA region. It is a small province with an area of around 95,000 hectares and population of less than 230,000. It has six municipalities— Mogpog, Gasan, Buenavista, Torrijos, Sta. Cruz, and its capital, Boac.

Unknown to many, archeology in the country is said to have started in Marinduque with Antoine-Alfred Marche’s exploration of the province as early as 1881. Marche was said to have uncovered 40 crates and found Chinese urns, vases, gold ornaments, skulls and other ornaments of pre-Spanish origin which he brought back to France. Some of these artifacts, including the wooden image of the Marinduque anito called ‘Pastores’, are now housed at the Musée de l’Homme in France.

Marinduqueños are hospitable and warm people. They welcome guests with putong or tubong, a ritual where guests are honored and crowned with flowers while locals dance and sing for them as other well-wishers throw coins and flower petals for health, wealth and long life.

Besides being warm and welcoming people, Marinduqueños have a lot to be proud of. The province is home to big caves, white sand beaches and untouched wilderness trails. In 2013, the province was ranked number 1 by the Philippine National Police and Philippine Security Forces as the Most Peaceful Province of the country because of its low crime rate statistics. This makes the province a perfect getaway especially during Holy Week, in time for the oldest religious festivals of the country: the unique and colorful Moriones Festival.

Unfortunately, despite its richness in tradition and natural resources, Marinduque remains poor and undeveloped. In fact, it is classified as a 4th class province in terms of income.

The province’s top government posts are controlled by the Reyeses. Damian Reyes was the provincial governor from 1925 to 1929. Luisito was the provincial governor from 1988 to 1995. Carmencita, wife of former Immigration Commissioner Edmundo, Luisito’s sister-in-law, has been transferring from one major post to another since 1978: assemblywoman from 1978 to 1986, representative from 1987 to 1998 and 2007 to 2010, governor from 1998 to 2007 and 2010 to present. Carmencita’s son, Edmundo, Jr., now TRB head, served as the province’s lone representative from 1998 to 2007. He was preceded by his sister Regina.

Mother and son (Carmencita and Edmundo) are now facing graft charges in connection with the fertilizer fund scam. Carmencita is likewise facing another graft complaint for the alleged illegal purchase of agricultural equipment. Another case was also recently filed against her for allegedly delaying the construction of the airport runway in the municipality of Gasan.

But I don’t think these cases will have much effect on the political career of the Reyeses. We can expect lack of development in Marinduque even in the years to come. And unless younger blood flow and replace the dirty old blood in the heart (of the country), the rich potentials of the province in terms of tourism and natural resources will just be like an old man with a weak heart.

Bulusukan Falls in Bagtingon, Buenavista, Marinduque. Photo: EJO/Marinduque Rising

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The owl that got away

One of the three monkey-faced owls that Bennie of Bagtingon kept as pets decided to try gliding to lower grounds and other trees further away, away from Bennie's house while they were out on Sunday mass. It took some time for Bennie to find the one that got away when she realized that one was missing at feeding time for the birds with some fish from the market.






She found it perched atop a fruitless mango tree in a neighbor's backyard. But the owl instantly recognized her sweet amo, boss, flew right into the woman's waiting arms after some playful prodding. The poor owl got some gibberish scolding from Bennie that only the two of them understood.



Reunited and it feels so good
Reunited 'cause we understood
There's one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited
'Cause we're reunited, hey, hey

- Reunited, Peaches and Herb

Bagtingon: That realm of mystery.

Road to Tina's house

Who amongst us has a clear idea of those underground realms and golden cities that our ancestors in their days, freely talked about? How could we know if they really existed or still exist today in our Planet Earth? Fact, however, is that almost anywhere else in the world there are a huge number of people who believe in the existence of a world unseen and beings who have the capacity to make themselves manifest from thin air, before the very eyes of any mortal they might choose.

They are not unlike the engkanto kings, queens, princes and princesses who dwell in that other world that glistens with gold, so they say. Since we do not know enough about that intriguing world, we’re just left seeing in our own minds the enigmatic stories detailed by those imaginative visionaries in our midst. Not knowing much about that strange world, how could we then dismiss those stories entirely?

In the mid 90s I remember there was Lady Lacion of Bagtingon. She who tirelessly attended to jeeploads and jeeploads of people who came for treatment daily, or to seek advice on how the desires of their heart could be had, or to just plainly listen to details of her fabulous encounters. For unknown reasons Lacion disappeared into the big city, far away from her original underground empires that stretched from this quiet valleys of Bagtingon to the top of Malindig mountain and beyond.



But that shining other world is apparently back, at one’s reach again. (On second thought, it really has always been here quietly lived by many old folks who’ve lived there all their lives). The immortal spirits apparently have found Tina this time. She, her husband and children live on the side of a mountain you’d pass by when going to Bulusukan Falls, about thirty more minutes of walk away. It was Julio, a common friend, who introduced me to Tina as a 'researcher'. But she had been warned, she said, by her main spirit guide because the temptation to be famous must be resisted, and fame, she said, is the last thing on her mind.

Tina claims this is an illustration of the colossal palace many storeys high right where Malindig mountain is nestled


Tina, nevertheless, shared with us the coveted world she now enters into – at will, every single day. The world of kings and queens, princes and princesses in all their regalia, living in a palace many storeys high, with a thousand or so rooms and hallways you’d simply lose your way if you didn’t know how to utter the magic word - a world of flying carpets, golden caruajes and golden ships, a world of tropical forests with golden deer grazing undisturbed, fanciful birds singing, an inner world existing just yonder, vast as ours, coexisting wherever all unknowing mortals do their thing. There, various religious prophets move about, alongside saints, alongside people who have passed away mysteriously to take on special missions there.

Flowers that bloom in her garden

It is a marvelous dreamworld and, it seems, it would not be possible to piece together the many spellbinding bits and fragments you hear about and make sense of them by using one’s plain, normal reasoning, But maybe if one is a serious seeker ready to spend a whole lifetime seeking after some esoteric knowledge, he or she might arrive at something. But that’s just a thought.










Sometimes Tina returns home, she says, with small souvenirs from her fantastic trips such as a stone that sweats non-stop it could fill a jar with liquid, some pictures, illustrations and writings on small pieces of paper to remind her of her encounters and for further study, reliquaries (like a softly fragrant Rosary and miniature photo sent from Padre Pio).






















Tina is a devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mother whose image she takes care of. So devout she is, like the old mysterious woman, her principal spirit guide, who visits her every three years with a new gift of power and knowledge for Tina each time. It was that saintly old woman - whom many departed Marinduque souls considered blessed when she once walked with mortals on this island - who, according to Tina, introduced her to this inexplicable realm of mystery, mysticism or maybe just magic and melancholic mayhem.

Even after drinking a cup of coffee she graciously served us late in the afternoon, I could hardly keep my eyes open and was lost in momentary sleep when she ended her story. Almost ended her story, anyway, because she started talking anew about brief episodes in the many unfamiliar places she had to find to practice her gift of healing upon orders from ‘them’. To places far away as Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon. Who pays for her transport then? “They do”, with thousand peso notes materializing from thin air, she says. A longer story really.




Unmindful carabaos near her home













Tina's bird, "Verde"

Bagtingon, Buenavista

In The Hamlet of Bagtingon Slideshow: Eli’s trip from Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines to Buenavista (near Calapan, Luzon) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Calapan slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Bulusukan Falls' clear soothing water

Some rain brought by tropical storms Chedeng, that did not hit, as predicted by PAGASA, but instead merely grazed the east coast of Luzon, and Dodong, now outside the Philippine area of responsibility, did cause the local rivers to turn murky. Prior to the coming of the storms, however, I managed to check how Bulusukan Falls in Buenavista looked at this time of the year, and lo and behold, the two distinctly tiered falls appeared to be at its best with absolutely clear water gliding over the rocky embankment down into the wading pool you could see the rocks and sand at the bottom.




Bulusukan is not the tallest nor loudest waterfall in Marinduque, but in harmony with bird calls and floating endemic butterflies around, it's enough to soothe your nerves before heading back to the frenzy of life.








Going up to the upper tier you could still fall off the cliff.











Bulusukan's lower tier, a good dive with sufficient time for simple acrobatics.

Bagtingon Monkey-faced Owls

I was so amazed to find these birds in Bagtingon last weekend. It was my first time to see these species of owls found in the diminishing forest cover south of this island.

Owls are supposed to be nocturnal but these domesticated trio were active at the time I saw them, which was around 3:00 pm, now and then flapping their wings then gliding between the trees and showing off their seemingly-knowing stares at anyone.

These owls have a heart-shaped facial disc, brown eyes, pinkish beak, dark brown and grey feathers and off-white front with tiny speckles in their body. They would gobble up whole fishes, spit out the fins still intact after digesting the meat and organs, and would only accept a different type of fish for food the next day, so said their owner.

Surely, these birds must have felt the combined pressure from development, fires and logging and appear happy to consider the bird-loving owner’s small property their exclusive territory.

Kulasisi for you

(Male kulasisi eager to do a backflip before the female kulasisi)


The Philippine Hanging Parrot (Loriculus philippensis), is a small, colorful and lively parrot indigenous to the Philippines. The Filipino name for this bird is Kulasisi, and they are mainly colored green with areas of red, orange, yellow and blue that varies between subspecies. Even the different subspecies are native to different islands, and some subspecies are already too rare or almost extinct.

In Marinduque, hanging-parrots are mostly found in the moist montane or bamboo forests of Bagtingon in Buenavista south of the small island-province where quite a few households keep them for pets such as those shown in these photos from sitio Maksan. Their diet is composed of nectar, flowers and soft fruits.

Males appear eager to show off to the female and any onlooker even in captivity and will do startling backflips one after another to prove it.










Kulasisi has become a common term in the Filipino household but used somewhat endearingly to refer to a concubine or a third party but that’s maybe beneficial for the bird’s survival.

BULUSUKAN FALLS: Marinduque Adventure Series

Bulusukan Falls flows from the remaining forests of Bagtingon, in Buenavista, Marinduque, Philippines. The place has been identified through a study conducted by Prof. Panchito Labay of MSC as the biggest natural habitat of butterflies in this island-province. With more than 300 endemic butterfly species found in this area alone - apparently attracted by the high volume of negative ions in said place - the butterfly industry here have found a few followers.

Other endemic species of animals found here are monkeys, wild cats, deer and boas. Unique tropical flora also abound. The Falls remain a popular picnic place for young people from Buenavista, Gasan and nearby towns.

BULUSUKAN FALLS, BAGTINGON, BUENAVISTA

BULUSUKAN FALLS - About 45-min hike from the Bagtingon barangay proper. Hidden falls with cool, clean water from the mountains. The home of reddish tiny crabs that serve as 'ulam' for lunch, and of eerie creatures according to them locals. A small pasyondula group camped out last week to sample the crabs and find out about the tales of ghastly ghouls and rocks falling from nowhere.

At 6:30 pm when it was already too dark and too quiet, the group decided to pack up finding a place where there was more 'free space to feel the air', settling at the top of Buyabod hills, down sitio Maxan, an hour's trekk away.