Two Celebrations

It has been a special month for me and this blog. October is the National Indigenous Peoples Month, as declared through Proclamation No. 1906, series of 2009. It is also the third anniversary of Portal to the Plateau. I must say, however, that I didn’t mark the two occasions with any special activity. For one, every month is Indigenous Peoples Rights Month for me. My research on the culture of the Dulangan Manobo is a perennial preoccupation. As to the birthday of this blog, I prefer to celebrate not the length of time this blog has been in existence but the number of times it has been useful. I prefer to count my success by the number of posts I’ve published. I celebrate my 50th post, 100th, 150th, and so on. Nonetheless, I’m pleased with myself whenever I realize that this blog is still in public space after one, two, or three years. It means that I’ve had much greater patience and passion for Portal to the Plateau than for my previous blogs. It may also mean that I’m becoming a more responsible person.

Without consciously meaning to, I’ve celebrated the two occasions by doing more for this blog. A week ago, I went to Kulaman village, the seat of government of the municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino. I spent three days only there, but I did things that were worth ten blog posts or so. The posts are coming out in the coming months. I also just got back from Manila, where, among other things, I visited two places that exhibit limestone burial jars from Kulaman Plateau. The photos I took of the jars are probably worth ten blog posts also. My calendar for this blog is filled to overflowing! I actually already have prescheduled posts for all the Mondays of the rest of the year, and for all the Mondays of January and February next year. But I’m not going to make you wait long for my posts about my recent trips. I’ll insert them between prescheduled posts or wherever suitable.

Dulangan Manobo elders, garbed in traditional clothes, sit on a tarpaulin and engage in an antang-antang (negotiation) as the younger generation, wearing shirts and jeans, look on. This is a photo of a photo displayed in Delesan Kailawan, a “cultural heritage home” maintained by the RNDM sisters in Kulaman village, Senator Ninoy Aquino town.

Isulan and Esperanza: Maps and Facts in Brief

I’m creating just one post for the towns of Isulan and Esperanza because their poblaciones are located in the plains, in Allah Valley, at least fifty kilometers away from Kulaman Plateau. Though a significant area of these two towns is in the mountainous part of Sultan Kudarat Province, the area is mostly a forest and sparsely inhabited. The only settlement that is large and concentrated enough to be a barangay is Salumping of Esperanza. The Dulangan Manobos in Isulan and Esperanza barely have any interaction with the municipal halls, which should not be the case, I believe.


Municipality of Isulan
Land area: 43,864 hectares
Population: 83,817 (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
Number of barangays: 17

Creation: August 30, 1957, Executive Order No. 266, from Datu Piang in Maguindanao and Norala in South Cotabato

Literacy rate: 87.76 % (household population 10 years old and above, 2000)
Population density: 191 persons per sq. km. (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
No. of households: 18,462 (projected for 2013, based on 2007 census)
Major industry: farming
Major crops: rice, African palm oil

Scenic spots: hot spring in Lagandang, Kamanga Cave and Falls in Laguilayan, Isla Adelina Resort in Kalawag I

Income: 152.65 (2010)
Registered voters: 47,218 (2010)

Municipality of Esperanza
Land area: 35,600 hectares
Population: 56,611 (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
Number of barangays: 20

Creation: November 22, 1973, Presidential Decree No. 339 amended by Presidential Decree No. 596, from Ampatuan, Maguindanao

Literacy rate: 91 % (household population 10 years old and above, 2000)
Population density: 159 persons per sq. km. (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
No. of households: 12,695 (projected for 2013, based on 2007 census)
Major industry: farming
Major crops: rice, corn, calamansi, coconut, mango, durian

Scenic spots: Mambucal Hot and Cold Spring in Marguez, Victory Majestic Resort in Dukay, AraRosa Resort in New Panay

Income: 90.03 million (2010)
Registered voters: 28,969 (2010)

(Blogger’s note: This post is a part of “The Other Towns” series. See my October 5 post for the overview.)

Lebak: Map and Facts in Brief

Land area: 56,270 hectares
Population: 81,758 (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
Number of barangays: 28

Creation: December 31, 1948, Executive Order No. 195, from Kiamba in South Cotabato and Dinaig in Maguindanao

Literacy rate: 85.55 % (household population 10 years old and above, 2000)
Population density: 145 persons per sq. km. (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
No. of households: 19,678 (projected for 2013, based on 2007 census)
Major industry: farming, fishing
Major crops: rice, corn, coconut, fish

Scenic spots: hot spring and Makin Falls in Nuling; Ramirez Beach Resort, Sodoy Beach Resort, and Grace Freires Beach Resort in Tibpuan; Ebi Falls in Christianuevo; cave in Salangsang; cave in Kalamongog

Income: 123 million (2010)
Registered voters: 42,452 (2010)

(Blogger’s note: This post is a part of “The Other Towns” series. See my October 5 post for the overview.)

Kalamansig: Map and Facts in Brief

Land area: 50,170 hectares
Population: 45,695 (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
Number of barangays: 15
Creation: December 29, 1961, Executive Order No. 459, from Lebak and Palimbang
Literacy rate: 70.52% (household population 10 years old and above, 2000)
Population density: 91 persons per sq. km. (projected for 2012, based on 2007 census)
No. of households: 9,592 (projected for 2013, based on 2007 census)
Major industry: farming, fishing
Major products: fish, rice, corn, coconut, coffee

Scenic spots: burial urns and at least two hot springs in Nalilidan, white sand beaches in Cadiz, Balot Island in Paril, Poral Beach in Sta. Maria, white sand beach in Dumangas Nuevo, hot spring in Pag-asa, waterfalls in Sangay, Luyong Mountain Resort Falls in Limulan, old Spanish fort and wireless tower in poblacion, Pangaun Caves and Thirteen Mountains in Sabanal, Santiac White Sand Beach in Sta. Clara

Income: 107.27 million (2010)
Registered voters: 20,060 (2010)

(Blogger’s note: This post is a part of “The Other Towns” series. See my October 5 post for the overview.)

The Other Towns

For the past several weeks, I’ve been posting data about the municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino that were culled from the “2010 Socio-Economic Profile of Sultan Kudarat Province,” compiled by the Provincial Planning Development Office. I’ll be doing the same for several weeks more, until the end of the year. My future posts, though, will be about the neighboring towns of Senator Ninoy Aquino that have Dulangan Manobos in them. Here’s the schedule:

October 12 – Kalamansig: Map and Facts in Brief
October 19 – Lebak: Map and Facts in Brief
October 26 – Isulan and Esperanza: Maps and Facts in Brief
November 2 – Bagumbayan: Map and Facts in Brief
November 9 – Palimbang: Map and Facts in Brief
November 16 – Brief Histories of Lebak and Kalamansig
November 23 – Brief Histories of Isulan and Esperanza
November 30 – Brief Histories of Bagumbayan and Palimbang
December 7 – Festivals of Lebak, Kalamansig, and Palimbang
December 14 – Festivals of Esperanza, Isulan, and Bagumbayan

Many people in the plains of Sultan Kudarat, especially those who are from Isulan and Esperanza, will be surprised to find out that there are Dulangan Manobos living in their areas. Know more starting next week. The posts in this “The Other Towns” series will appear every Monday, as listed above. In case I’m able to write other articles about Kulaman Plateau, I’ll post them on other days of the week.

SNA Barangay Chairpersons

Below are the twenty punong barangays (barangay chairpersons) of the municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino. I took the data from the program of the town’s 26th foundation anniversary celebration, last February. I made sure that the names below are spelled as how they appear in the program. Other than that, I had no way of verifying if the names are accurate, so please use this list with caution.

Again, my source is dated February 2015. Clara S. Fernando of Kapatagan died of stroke a few months ago, but I retained her name in this list because I have not verified yet who replaced her. As I know, though, the Local Government Code dictates that the kagawad (councilor) who garnered the highest number of votes in the election automatically succeeds the chairman if the latter dies. The first kagawad listed in my source is Vicente S. Sariego.

Fernando, by the way, was a relative of mine by affinity. Her husband, who died more than fifteen years ago, was my father’s first cousin. She was such a great loss in her community. She was a perfect example of a dedicated leader. She was also the only woman among the twenty punong barangays of Senator Ninoy Aquino.

The list below is dominated not just by men but Christian men. None of them are Dulangan Manobo, even if indigenous people constitute a good portion of the town’s population. (In some of the barangays, though, a few Manobo have been elected as kagawads. I will write about them in a future post.)

Banali: Alberto C. Cauton
Basag: Leonardo T. Castillon, Jr.
Buenaflores: Renato S. Ruam
Bugso: Roldan C. Marpaga
Buklod: Leopoldo E. Hernane
Gapok: Amador B. Tabujara
Kadi: Ceferino L. Lebuna
Kapatagan: Clara S. Fernando
Kiadsam: Romeo S. Difuntorum
Kuden: Ernesto L. Marzo
Lagubang: Ernesto F. Fantillaga
Langgal: Eddie F. Fabot
Limuhay: Cesario J. Esmejarda, Jr.
Malegdeg: Jesus D. Sarona
Midtungok: Mamerto B. Parong, Sr.
Nati: Filomino D. Defante
Poblacion/Kulaman: Jovito M. Jaspe
Sewod: Toribio P. Patarata
Tacupis: Joebert C. Gumayao
Tinalon: Generoso P. Gacad