a walk around SABLAN, Benguet

"Located half-way to Baguio City, this Town has many things to showcase of its own"

-pagnapagna

If you find this story/blogpost interesting and/or had helped you in any way (in your researches, works, travels, blogs, adventures, homeworks at school, a personal project and more), I'd like to hear a word or two from wonderful people like you or simply Like "pagnapagna" in Facebook. I'd be very thankful. It gives me inspirations. Cheers!

-my pagnapagna-

In San Fernando City, La Union, I rode a Partas bus at 5:23 in the morning. The Bus came all the way from Laoag City with Baguio City as its destination. 

Riding a big bus is better as they run faster than the usual mini-buses that scouts every passenger along the way and on bus stops.

I went down at Sablan town proper at 6:14 am and walked my way up to their Municipal Hall. 

Sablan Municipal Hall

Their Municipal hall is located at the back of their Municipal Gymnasium on top of a hill. 

Since it was still too early in the morning and the Municipal Hall was still closed, there was no other person around but "Pepito Maximo" who introduced himself as a foreman, to whom i inquired about how to get to Towing Falls. He was cleaning the grounds of the Municipal Hall at that time.

I went to the falls and lingered there for a while then came back to the town proper at around 11:50 am. A little bit tired from all-walking, hungry, i went to an eatery called Mix-mix eatery. It is located just across the road where there are arrays of stalls selling mostly fruits and vegetables. 

Array of vegetable and fruits stalls. "Moma" are one of the commodities sold here. 
Can you spot the "Moma" in this photo?

At the eatery, at that time, there were only three dishes to choose from. There was a fried bangus, an all pork meat dish and the concoction of pig intestine which the owner call it as "mix-mix" and a specialty of the house. The "mix-mix" got my attention for it was a new dish for me so i ordered at half serving. 

"mix-mix" served with chili pepper on vinegar and a bottle of soy sauce for extra seasoning

It tasted quite good although we know that these are full of uric acid :-(

After eating, i went eastward along the highway to see their Catholic Church (Church of Immaculate Concepcion). 

The Church under renovation

Beside the Church is the Saint Louis School of Sablan and few meters away is the Municipal Cemetery. 

A welcome arch greets everybody at a roadside to the Municipal Hall

Their Public Market (market days are 

Wednesdays and Saturdays)

I went back near their auditorium and while waiting for the afternoon office hours (I will be inquiring at the Municipal Hall about their tourist spots), i rested at a side park where there were benches under the trees.

Country songs like "Livin' on love" & "Gone Country" by Alan Jackson where emanating from a stereo inside a car with an opened door parked just some 3 meters away from where i was resting.

It was some 3 minutes before 1 pm when i got up and had a chance to talked to the owner of the car. He was "Marlon Malig" who was waiting for his wife (a government employee). We talked about some of the tourist spots in the area. He introduced me to "Hilson  H. Busoy" the Municipal Councilor in-charged with the Town's Tourism matters.

Councilor Busoy was very accommodating. He discussed some of the tourists spots of their municipality and even extended some help that they will be contacting the Barangay Captain where some of the tourist spots are located to accommodate me when i will be coming back. After we talked, i went on the road again (1:22 pm) to see the nearby potential tourist attractions in the area particularly the old "metal thing" which Councilor Busoy had mentioned and can be found near the vicinity of the irrigation dam at Sitio Sabdang.

One of the major crops of the area is the pineapple. Seen here are young pineapples planted on a hillside.

an improvised roadside waiting shed that looks familiar :-)

a fishpond with tilapia fish

My first destination was the irrigation Dam at the river in Sitio Sabdang. 

The almost finished Irrigation Dam

The dam is not yet fully finished. The contractor was still fabricating the control gates of the irrigation dam but nevertheless it will be a must-see man-made structure on this side of the town.

Walking farther, i crossed the bridge of the irrigation dam and went up the road that leads to the mountain. The newly cemented road was short that eventually continued as a dirt road. Canals made by rain water running down the mountain were evident on the dirt road. I then met one of the locals on my way up.

One of the locals after working on his farmland in the mountains

I tried to ask for the "metal thing" but it seems we do not understand each other. She said that this is a bad road and there is even a damaged road ahead. She thought i was one of the men working on the irrigation dam as well as the concreting of the road. Anyway, she was all friendly and all smiles that made the meeting delightful.

Walking farther up, the road turned into narrow foot trails with small farm lots along the way and the forest growths at the distant. 

Forest along the trail at Barangay Pappa

I looked around but i can not see any "metal thing" so i decided to go back. 

The mountain top above and a lonesome house. I stopped and turned back

 from this trail and went back to Sitio Sabdang

On my  way down the mountain side, the same spot where i met the old lady, i met a man with machete hanging on his waist and an old baseball cap on his head. He was going to get firewood. "Good afternoon manong" (Good afternoon sir), i greeted him. "Ammo yu kadi dyay nabayagen nga dakkel nga landok nu ayan na?" (Do you know where is the old "metal thing" located?). At first, he seems to not know of any such thing. I do not also know how the "metal thing" looked liked or what is it for. All that i know about it, from the Councilor's description, it was an old  heavy "metal thing" from the early world war. So i have a hard time describing it to the man. He eventually got the idea and pointed to the location. 

a covered part of a road, it is near here where the old "metal thing"
(a war memorabilia) can be found

It is located at the residential area that i have passed by at Sitio Sabdang. I have later known that i was at barangay Pappa at that time. The man added that at some time there were people who went scrutinizing  the "metal thing" very early in the morning. Perhaps they were some fly by night treasure hunters. He told me that there was also one like that at the Municipality of Itogon. I thanked him and went to see the "metal thing".

"Mang Peter" I met along the way.
He is going to get firewoods up in the mountain forest.

The "metal thing" was rusting at some two meters along the roadside and it really looked heavy. Later on, i have known that the metal thing was a Cannon Ball Moulder. 

After getting some photos, i walked my way back to downtown and it rained along the way (2:35 pm). Nearing the National Highway, the rain finally stopped.

At the national highway (2:53 pm) in Sablan town proper, i waited for a mini-bus to take me home to San Fernando City, La Union.

-end of pagnapagna-

The Memorial Marker located in front of the Sablan Gymnasium

THIS MONUMENT IS DEDICATED IN THE MEMORY OF THE GALLANT OFFICERS AND
MEN OF THE FAMED 66TH INFANTRY, UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES IN THE
PHILIPPINES NORTH LUZON (USAFIP.NL) AND THE 129TH INFANTRY, 37TH
DIVISION U.S. ARMY WHO FOUGHT BRAVELY IN THE LIBERATION OF THIS TOWN
IN THE EARLY APRIL 1945 FROM THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY AFTER FOUR
YEARS OF THEIR OCCUPATION.
TO THOSE FILIPINOS AND AMERICANS OF THE LIBERATION FORCES WHOSE
LIVES AND BLOOD WERE SHED IN THIS HALLOWED BATTLE GROUND THE 
GATEWAY TO BAGUIO CITY, BENGUET. THEY SHALL IN THE HEART OF
THOSE REMAINING BE REMEMBERED IN THE GENERATIONS TO COME,
THAT THEY MAY IN FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY LIVE IN PEACE.
-oOo-
THE ERECTION OF THIS MEMORIAL MARKER IS IN COOPERATION JOINTLY
WITH THE USAFIP NL INC. BAGUIO-BENGUET CHAPTER, VFP, THE AMERICAN LEGION
POST AND UNIT 131, THE SABLAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION, VFP, AND THE HONORABLE
OFFICIALS OF THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF SABLAN, BENGUET
INAUGURATED THIS 11TH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
NINETEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SEVEN.

-The script on the Memorial Marker


For my hike to Aneng river CLICK HERE
For my hike to Sacdol hot springs CLICK HERE
For my hike to Agsit Falls CLICK HERE

Subject : SABLAN

Location: Municipality of Sablan

               Province of Benguet

How to get there:

From Manila you may either:

a) go up to BAGUIO CITY, then at Baguio City ride a bus going down to any of these places: San Fernando City-La Union, Candon City, Abra or Laoag City but you have to get down at Sablan, Benguet town proper.

b) go to LA UNION. From Manila take a bus bound to any of these: La Union, Candon City, Vigan City, Abra and Laoag City. But you have to get down either at San Fernando City or Bauang, La Union. Then ride another Bus or mini-bus bound for Baguio City and get down at Sablan, Benguet town proper.

© All original content copyright sparkPLUG, 2012-2013. Please ask permission for content use.