Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines, which is a part of the Cordillera Administrative Region located up north in the Luzon island of the Philippines.
With eleven municipalities tucked under its fold, it showcases loads of tourism potential especially for outdoor enthusiasts, which has yet to be discovered, since, as most tourists could attest, only the world-famous Banaue Rice Terraces, the so-called "Eighth Wonder of the World", is the only place-to-be in this underrated province.
Last May 12-13, 2018, my friends and I went to a non-famous, but very historical town called Kiangan, the oldest town in the province and the birthplace of Ifugao culture.
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| Location of Kiangan in the province of Ifugao |
DAY 0: May 11, 2018 (Friday)
Our Sagada-bound CODA Lines tourist bus departed in the evening. The terminal of CODA Lines is located at HM Transport Inc. Monte de Piedad, Corner Maryland, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila. Yes, HM Transport and CODA Lines share the same bus terminal. In addition, all trips going to Sagada passes through the Ifugao province, which explains why our bus' signage indicates SAGADA. Advanced ticket reservation purchase is highly recommended since Sagada is a very popular tourist destination.
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| CODA Lines at HM Transport bus terminal |
DAY 1: May 12, 2018 (Saturday)
After around eight hours of travel time, we alighted at the town of Lagawe, Ifugao in the early morning and rode tricycles going to Kiangan. Our accommodation venue of choice was the Kiangan Viewpoint Homestay. It was named as such due to the beautiful view based on its strategic location.
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| Kiangan Viewpoint Homestay |
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| Majestic view from the homestay |
After eating breakfast, we strolled around town going towards Barangay Ambabag, where we could view the Bae Rice Terraces. You could even view Mount Kapugan from this area.
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| Breakfast time |
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| Bae Rice Terraces as seen on the road |
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| Mount Kapugan |
We then strolled back to the town proper, visited the market, and went to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), which features the architectural style of the American missionaries who built them. They were the ones who spread Protestantism here. This structure is located along the Rafael Bulayungan Road.
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| Market shopping |
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| UCCP - Kiangan |
Right beside the UCCP is the Ifugao Academy, which same as the UCCP, was established in 1926 by its founder, Myrthle Metzger, an American Missionary.
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| Ifugao Academy |
Next stop was the Kiangan National Shrine, which is a war memorial, commemorating the surrender of the supreme commander of the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines, General Tomoyuki Yamashita to the Allied forces, which led to the end of the Japanese occupation during World War II.
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| Entering the Kiangan National Shrine |
Inside the shrine is a huge steel-and-concrete pyramidal structure, built in 1974, which has a view deck where one could view the whole Poblacion and the town of Lagawe. It was created in memory of the heroism of the soldiers who died in defense of peace.
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| Pyramidal structure |
A few walks from this structure is the Ifugao Museum, which serves as a repository of Ifugao traditonal and cultural material.
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| Ifugao Museum |
Returning back to the Rafael Bulayungan Road, we dropped by the Yamashita Surrender Site near the Kiangan Central School. It is a wooden structure where General Yamashita actually and physically surrendered to the Allied Forces on September 2, 1945, ending World War II.
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| Yamashita Surrender Site |
We then proceeded to the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED) Center building where students and heritage students interact and engage with each other to learn their history and culture. There is also a store inside selling weaved products.
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| Showing the weaving process |
Departing the IPED, we passed by a house where there was a traditional Ifugao wedding reception ongoing. A member of the clan saw us and gamely invited us to "maki-hamul", wherein the word "Hamul" is an Ifugao term for "feast" or "free meal" during special occasions called for such as weddings, thanksgivings, funerals, and the like. Yes, even total strangers can be invited, meaning in a "Hamul", everyone is invited.
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| Traditional Ifugao dance |
Since this was a special celebration, the only viands provided were all-meat, served on an Ifugao traditional plate called "Togwak", made from the bulk of a banana, since during the olden times, there were no plates then.
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