Sta.Cruz Davao del Sur

Our destination was the series of gorgeous waterfalls situated in Mailum River and is exactly nestled in sitio Kibasanga, a western tip of Barangay Coronon Sta. Cruz Davao del Sur leading to forested portions of sitio Binuangon, southern portion of Mt. Barira and Mt. Loay and northern part of Tubison where the towering Mt. Leong can be seen. There are approximately 8 waterfalls along the river, all of them good reasons of a stopover for bathing and cooling. The waters are really cold and pristine because the entire surrounding of the river is covered with green sceneries. For those who are familiar with the Kiblan waterfalls, the Mailum waterfalls series are at the upper base. River trekking accounts for more or less 2 kilometers of the whole trek which starts at the Kiblan hanging bridge. Upon reaching sitio Kibarangan I met our former Upland Development Programme (UDP) sitio leader Nong Sulpicio Dulay in his farm house. It was a quick sort of a reunion for me and Nong S...

Some leaders are plain stuffs. Some are emergence from politics and popularity and everything somewhere in between. Some lived up to their billing as champions of political dynamism while others illustrate to total fakery. So, most leaders are molded by the staggering impetus fuelled by dynasties, financial wealth and mass fanaticism. But every once in a while a special leader comes along who appears to carry out an impending change most people thought of as impossible to happen. His existence does not come across to reward those who already occupied the throne of prosperity in a world or country. His existence comes across to launch a paradigm in favour of the deprived and underprivileged. He seems like a man on a mission armed with determination, bravery and love. I see no other leaders in this country have ever been more inclined to be like that than Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. This former Director General of the Philippine National Police, who once invigorated the war o...

Aside from being the oldest town in Davao del Sur, We have known very few literature and equally few interest about my hometown’s history. We look for tourism products to give alternative reasons for people to visit to this place other than climbing the highest mountain in the country. As we gained curiosity with the history of Sta. Cruz based on further readings and personal interactions with some key informants in the town, We learned that ours is perhaps one of the most colorful in the entire Mindanao. The municipality of Sta. Cruz was an active participant in the making of Mindanao’s and Philippines’ histories. From the Spanish rule, to American regime, to Japanese occupation, to Philippine Independence, to Martial Law, to EDSA Revolution, Sta. Cruz’ story was intricately interwoven into the country’s saga. This gulf town was originally called “Labo,” a Bagobo word which means “marshland”. Labo is situated between a confluence of two mountain streams where water were ...