Batanes | The Dying Heritage of Sumnanga Village in Sabtang Island

There’s a certain excitement on visiting far-flung locations. Maybe the idea of finding authenticity in a remote location drives us to go further beyond the tourist trail. Often times we discover gems in seclusion but that is not always the case. Sumnanga Village, the farthest of the Sabtang island villages found at the west side probably has the least tourist footprint on the island. It even took me at least eight years to return to this village despite having been to the island several times already. But sadly it’s another case of tainting my good memories of the place but thankfully there’s redemption in its natural beauty.

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Misamis Occidental | Wonders of Sapang Dalaga: From Scenic Hills to Alluring Waterfalls

San po tayo papunta? Wala na po tayo sa road sa GPS map ko? Kala ko lake tong nasa kaliwa natin. Dagat na pala! (Where are we going? We’re far off the road from my GPS map. I thought this water on our left side was a lake. It turns out we’re near the sea already!)” I excitedly asked Mam Fe, the tourism officer of Sapang Dalaga in Misamis Occidental. Prior to my trip in this province, I never really did any research on the places to see here and just concerned myself with the lecture I did for the 9th Culinary Congress held in La Salle University in Ozamiz City. Since the event was over, we had a few days free to explore the province. The provincial tourism led by Sir Gain and Mam Pretzel, took us around to discover the attractions of the province. I just kept my mind open to what hidden gems they have and one municipality that clearly made a mark for me in terms of natural wonders is Sapang Dalaga. They got wonderful coastal scenery, breathtaking hills view and a beautiful waterfall that would surely attract nature lovers and adventurers.

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