Location: Sitio Lantad, Barangay
Kibanban within the Balatukan
Mountain Ranges, Balingasag, Misamis
Oriental, Mindanao, Philippines.
General Overview:
Lantad was once a prosperous valley in
the Balatukan Mountains, but due to arm conflict in the early 1980’s between
the Government and the New People’s Army, the place was abandoned by its
inhabitants to the safety of the lowlands. Thus, it was alienated from
development for so many long years; its logging roads, which Vulcan Logging and
Mining Exploration built in 1968 was destroyed. Due to its extreme ruggedness,
Lantad can be accessed only by trekking along the lonely backwoods trail.
Certainly, sometime ago, this was a
place of belligerence. This was a place, too, of unquestioned bravery for both
the fighting men, as they sweated and even painted red the battlegrounds,
ultimate colors and marks of courage and sacrifice, as they gasped for dear
life and faded suddenly like passing winds in the battlefields in this far away
land.
The buddies and comrades would always
remember them as heroes.
Fortunately, the EDSA Revolution in 1986
brought forth significant changes to a nation once ruled by a strongman, as
national and local leaders initiated some Peace Awards. The daybreak for peace
appeared, so those that left the highlands returned home at the close of the
decade and new settlers came in the early 1990’s to till the fertile lands.
Lantad is once again an inhabited place
.
Nowadays, the Provincial Government of
Misamis Oriental is on the helm of developing Lantad in coordination with the
Local Government of Balingasag, and this of course includes the involvement of
the different line agencies of the national government.
The old log roads that once connected
Lantad to civilization was reopened widely by Hon. Oscar S. Moreno, Governor of
Misamis Oriental in December 18, 2007. It signifies Peace and Reconciliation.
It denotes accessibility for commerce and trade. For the simple of Lantad, it
meant one thing, a giant leap towards development.
Despite it is 28 kilometers away from
Balingasag, it has electricity from solar energy. The Community Center has an
Internet access, Dream Satellite TV, Video K’s and a Refrigerator, some sort of
things that the hinterlands seldom have, which today are available in this
majestic valley of the Balatukan Mountain Range.
ROAD NETWORK:
By mountain bikes or motorcycles, or by
4x4 vehicles, Lantad can be reached.
The Routes are as follows:
First Route:
From Poblacion via Lingangao-San Isidro,
all flatlands;
San Isidro-Quezon, uphill;
Quezon-Nabuongan-Araay, 4 kilometers
downhill;
River-cross the Dodiongan, a tributary
of the Balatukan River, some 15 meters wide and enough to wet the bottom of the
bike’s engine during sunny days;
Assault the Mimbutay Mountains passing
along Hill 508, something like the Taguanao Climbs in Cagayan de Oro City or
the Sipaka Heights on the degree of difficulty;
The 11th Series Areas, on ascending and
descending terrain in sharp curves along side-cut passes; and Approximately, a
kilometer of flatlands before reaching Lantad proper.
Second Route: Ideal for Motorcycle Trail
Riding
Napaliran via Kihao-as-Kawali-Lantaka
and Araay Trail on flatlands, however the Balatukan River has to be crossed for
eight (8) times;
From Araay to Lantad, the Dodiongan
River again has to be crossed; and
Similar climb routes to the Mimbutay
Mountains passing Hill 508 and the 11th Series.
EXPEDITIONS MADE:
DECEMBER 30, 2007 – Preluded by a minute
of prayer before the group started, the BALINGASAG UNDISTINGUISHED LAST LEGION
OF EXTREME TREKKERS (BULLETS) on their MTB’S and motorcycles using 100-110
& 125 cc XRM, SYM, Wave, Crypton, DesireSkygo and Lipan, and by 4x4 back up
vehicle reached Lantad.
The MTB’s arrived late but they proved
that it could be biked.
We were joined by the motorcycle group,
BALINGASAG MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION (BMA) later in the mountains of Quezon. They
caught us though we started earlier in our lonesome.
Motorcycles returned home at 3:00PM. The
MTB’s left an hour earlier.
BULLETS Expedition Party composed the
following:
Darwin Emata, Wally Veronilla, Salvador
Co, Rex Valmores, Aldren Zambrano, Valeriano Tabamo, Karlo Briccio Valmores,
Caleb Lagarto, Conrado Valmorida, Joseph Mirandilla, Clemente Sabuero, Jose
Virtudazo, Loloy Acut, Richard Occiones, Bryan Tabamo, Gil Oyangoren, Rodrigo
Emanel, David Camocamo, Boy Pronto, Dodong Lindahay and Etching Valmores.
BMA group was headed by Bambam Pabelonio
with Bryan Saudsa, Efren Dadang, Insik, Yoyong and other riders.
JANUARY 6, 2008 – BULLETS & BMA
again returned to Lantad.
This time the Dodiongan River rouse for
it rained hard couple of days before, nevertheless they crossed it successfully. The
motorcycles endured the punishments.
Gas consumption amounted to more or less
P100.00 for the round trip on these small machines.
PROJECT RIDE FOR PEACE AND
RECONCILIATION:
Hopefully, the neighboring bike groups
mechanized or otherwise, and the off-road clubs may come one day without any
apprehension, as there is nothing to fear now; to see this awesome valley in
the Balatukan that Governor Moreno painstakingly reopened to showcase its
potentials, as truly one of the gems of Misamis Oriental; a logging area
sometime ago, and a once a place of belligerence that momentarily keeps rising
slowly but steadily from the rubbles of war into brighter prospects of
development.
Henceforth, we leave this message to the
tough breed of men, like us; “what if this summer the Mountain Bikes and their
cousins, the Motorcycle Clubs will have a GRAND TOURING ADVENTURE TO LANTAD,
perhaps as a Ride for sustained Peace and Adventure?”
If there would be one, this will not be
competitive race, but as a Fun Ride. Those that cannot endure will ride the
back-up vehicles, which the organizers will provide.
It will be surely a nerve-rocking
experience to conquer the series of mountain side-cut passes, some in rock
walls; see the winding Balatukan River and Kawali areas hundreds of feet below
us, and to feel as if we are indeed mountaineers with the backgrounds of the
surrounding mountains of Minlapones, Kamanse, Panalsalan, Minlangit and Palo in
our journey along the historic passes in the 80’s like Hill 508 and the 11th
Series.
The Lingon-lingon Mountain is nearby and
the Anahaw is a bit farther, but the Balatukan looms beyond majestically.
Well, these are just a dreamer’s
thoughts unworthy even to bloom as a Grand Tour proposal. But no one know, if
we bikers will conquer Lantad and have a closer glimpse of the blue skies above
it, one day soon.
If the Grand Tour shall come, then
perhaps we would be the blessed guys to tell the tales that once in our
lifetime we had been there on our simple machines, in a place where countless
brave young men died in battles for their principles and cause, they cherished
forevermore.
