The Highlands of Lantad

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.