All throughout my trips going Cagayan de Oro City, I always get amazed by the beauty of the canyons in the eastern side of Bukidnon specially in the Municipality of Manolo Fortich. Through the internet, I saw a picture of a woman sitting on the ground while facing a majestic view of a certain river along side the marvelous canyon. It was a dream destination! Last March 15, it came to me that I should go there the next day, which is a Saturday. I invited some friends who could come with me but as usual, I will be traveling alone.
The Municipality of Manolo Fortich, a 1st class municipality, is the first place a traveler would see when he/she would go to Malaybalay City from Cagayan de Oro City. Named after former Bukidnon Governor Manuel "Manolo" Fortich, the original name of the municipality is "Maluko", which at present is the last barangay if traveling from Cagayan de Oro City. It has 22 barangays in which Barangay Tankulan is designated as the municipal administrative center (such barangays are known in the Philippines as Barangay Poblacion, although Tankulan residents wanted to retain the barangay name.)
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The Map of the Municipality of Manolo Fortich showing its 22 barangays and neighboring municipalities.
(Reference: www.google.com) |
During nighttime, I searched for the illusive sight. I checked the Facebook page of the person who shared her photo and there the location was given, LAWIS, LUNOCAN, MANOLO FORTICH. Finally! A reference! I can pursue my adventure the following day!
Saturday came and the weather reports display a cloudy prediction. I was disappointed because I wanted to go but the weather won't cooperate. My planned time to leave Malaybalay was at 7am so that I would reach Manolo Fortich by 9am in which the sun won't be too harsh. The weather is delaying my time to travel. Suddenly, by 7:45am, the sun shone so bright! I was excited!I hurriedly took a bath and went straight to the bus stop to pursue my adventure. At first, I'm nervous because the location of the sight is far from the Sayre Highway but for the love of exploring, I've took the risk.
The bus left by 8:30am, a 1 and a half hour delay on my plans, yet I'm still optimistic to see and take pictures of the wonderful canyon. As the bus travels through Bukidnon all the way to Cagayan de Oro, the sun was very bright, giving me more excitement. I could not resist such kind of adrenaline rush!
By 10:32am, I finally reached Barangay Lunocan, which is close to Barangay Alae, a famous place because of the Provincial Welcome Marker. The sun is almost halfway in the sky. I asked for directions on where could I find Lawis. After asking several residents, I met some "habal habal" drivers and because of desperation, I asked them. Luckily, a driver knew the way and insisted that I should rent his motorcycle because Lawis is far away from the highway. I agreed and we started a 30 minute rough trip to Lawis.
Lawis is approxmately 7-8 kilometers away from the highway and Lunocan proper. On the way, we traversed an unpaved road, passing 3 sitios; Sitio San Isidro, Sitio Awol and Sitio Kitam-is, each with different elementary schools. I don't know if Lawis is a sitio or a name given by the locals to the majestic view, but I consider it as a sitio.
Finally, we reached Lawis! And the sight took my breath away! The majestic Tagoloan River and the canyon it had formed while on the route to meet the Macalajar Bay at Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental (hence, the river's name is Tagoloan.) No words can explain the beauty God has exhibited while forming such wonder!
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| The Tagoloan River Canyon in Sitio Lawis, Barangay Lunocan. |
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| The side facing the Municipality of Malitbog. |
I stayed at Lawis for 3 hours, making sure I document and captured its beauty and share it to others. Lawis proved to me that there are still unknown wonders in Bukidnon and I'm determined to find others. Of all my travels, so far this was the BEST!
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| The local government of Barangay Lunocan made a viewing deck for tourists's convenience. |
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| Posing right at the edge of the canyon. |
By 1:30pm, me and my hired habal habal driver packed and started our travel back to Lunocan proper. During the trip, the driver, which is a teenager, shared that there are other spots in his barangay where tourists can explore and visit. One of them is the Lunocan Hill in which during Holy Week, several people would climb it as their sacrifice. I might go there this year but I'm still not sure.
Upon reaching the highway, I bid goodbye to the driver and a new found friend. I thanked him for guiding me and showing me how proud he was of his barangay. This goes to show that the habal habal drivers are very great local guides.
Exploring new sites always give me joy and happiness. I'm thankful for the presence of the habal habal drivers for without them, who would take travelers like me to wonderful places? This proves that we should not look down at them. I salute all habal habal drivers who dedicated their lives to bring their passengers at the desired destination.
The Tagoloan River Canyon view in Lawis, Lunocan was a very great scenery! God's miracle? Yes it is! So if you're looking for a great scenery like this? visit Barangay Lunocan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
ESTIMATED BUDGET:
Malaybalay City - Lunocan - P80 (estimated price, depending on what public vehicle you rode)
Cagayan de Oro City - Lunocan - P 20-30 (estimated price, depending on what public vehicle you rode)
Habal habal fee - P130 (negotiable)
Food - it depends on you! Bring your own is advisable.
WHAT TO BRING:
1. Water
2. Food/Snacks
3. Sun protection clothings (e.g. jacket, caps, etc.)
4. of course, CAMERA!!
The Tagoloan River Canyon Adventures
Sitio Lawis, Barangay Lunocan, Manolo Fortich
March 16, 2013
