#288 Palan-ah Falls

                                                       

Palan-ah Falls and Hot Springs is located in Tinglayan, Kalinga, northern Philippines.

Palan-ah is derived from the native term Pinalpallang-ah which means chair. The falls sprays down from approximately 100 meters high forming a pool where, during a sunny day, one feels like swimming in a rainbow of colors. Hot springs are also found in the area, making Tinglayan an ideal place for adventure travellers and nature visitors. From Tabuk, there are buses and jeepneys going to the municipality of Tinglayan. The usual way to reach Tabuk on the other hand is via Tuguegarao in Cagayan Province which is about 10 hours by bus or one hour by plane from Manila.

Mabuhay ang Kalinga!

#238 Mt. Mating-Oy Dinayao

Mt. Mating-Oy Dinayao

Mt. Mating-Oy Dinayao (also locally known as ‘Sleeping Beauty’) are the fabled mountain ranges that border the municipalities of Tinglayan and Tanudan in Kalinga province, northern Philippines. From a distance this lush forest mountain range take the form of a sleeping lady supinely lying its back, giving its popular name ‘Sleeping Beauty.

A vantage view of the profile can be seen from the Sungang view or from Basao. Mt, Mating-oy is a renowned destination for professional mountaineers, hikers and adventure travellers for its maze of jungle, ravines, small creeks, rocky mountain faces, dense forests, wild flora and fauna. Sleeping Beauty was named Mating-Oy Dinayao by the native Kalingas based on a tale about an enchanting lady called Dinayao from the village of Dacalan and her enduring love for her dead lover.

Mabuhay ang Mt. Mating-Oy Dinayao!

#176 Chico River

The Chico River, seen from above

The Chico River is considered the umbilical cord or River of Life for the Kalingas ethnic group in northern Luzon island, Philippines. Its headwaters emanate from Mt. Data and span the whole of Central Kalinga.

The Chico River is one of the longest rivers in the Philippines running along mountainsides of centuries-old rice terraces, rustic villages and lush green foliage.  The length of the river from Tinglayan to Tabuk (approx. 72 kilometers) takes about six to eight hours of rafting time depending on water levels.

The Chico River has a rich political and cultural history in the Kalingas and has united the whole of the Cordilleras in opposition to development aggression. In the early 1970s the Marcos regime has planned one of the biggest hydroelectric dams in Southeast Asia and chose the Chico River as the site drawing protests from the Kalingas who successfully opposed the project.

The opposition to the hydroelectric dam dramatized the struggle of the indigenous people in the Philippines to be free from development aggression and for self determination. To the Kalingas the river was popularly called “Kayakayam” which means crawl. The Spanish colonizers called it Chico Rio to differentiate it from the “Rio Grande” in Cagayan province.

Today the Chico River is one of the Philippines’ premier white-water rafting destination. But ethnic tribes still struggle against mining proposals and other destructive environmental projects.

Mabuhay ang Chico River!