IT MAY not be as popular as summer capital of country but the town is surely a gem in this part of the world. Its lofty mountains and valleys, abundant natural resources, magnificent waterfalls, hot and cold springs, and generous whiffs of cool, clean air -- these are some of those that Baguio cannot offer.
Maragusan, one of the most progressive towns of Compostela Valley, has them all – and even more! This summer capital of Davao region is home to 30 majestic waterfalls and 300 cold springs and two hot springs.
Its lake is situated about 7,800 feet above sea level. Its total land area of 39,427 hectares is typhoon-free as it is surrounded by mountain ranges, home to the world's largest individual flower. Not to forget is its banana, which has an atypical kind of sweetness!
But that's going ahead of the story. My friend Jose Rey (JR for short) L. Subaldo and I visited the first class municipality recently. We left Davao City at around 8 a.m. and arrived in Tagum City, the capital of Davao del Norte two hours later. We boarded another bus that was bound for Maragusan.
The trip was not so memorable – until we departed Nabunturan, the capital of Compostela Valley. I noticed people were wearing jackets (even though it was hot!) and caps and covered their noses with handkerchief before the bus started to move. It was not until we started to ascend that I came to know the reason: the road was dusty, rough, and winding!
Maragusan is more than 50 kilometers away from Nabunturan. But it took us about three hours to reach our destination. Dennis B. Radin, our contact and the municipal tourism officer, picked us at the ultra-clean bus terminal.
He brought us to the Haven’s Peak Highland Resort, where we were billeted.
Haven's Peak is nestled on Tarago Hills facing the town with 208 beautifully landscaped steps (with three stop-over for those who are tired!) leading to its tidy but beautiful lobby. This mountain resort provides sight of the picture-perfect and picturesque view of green foggy mountains appearing like a painting and like backdrop of a stage.
"Although we opened this resort only n 2005," said June Louie Iba¤ez (he wants to be called PJ), "we have succeeded in making it as one of the town’s tourist destination." In fact, it has been featured already in the bestselling The Lonely Planet.
According to PJ, the area was sort of a vacation place for the owner, Edith Julian whenever she wanted to be away from her work in Davao City.
"Whenever she wanted to be alone or just wanted to have a peace of mind, she returned to this place," PJ said. Later on, her friends cajoled her to convert the place into a resort. She did!
After taking our lunch, we immediately rushed to Marangig Falls in barangay New Albay, about 10 kilometers away from the town proper. We walked for about eight minutes before we saw the series of breathtaking falls. The water was crystal clear and cold. We had to climb to see the other falls. In each fall, we were enthralled and mesmerized by their unique beauty.
After that, we traveled back to the town and then proceed to Barangay Coronobe, the place of the famous Tagbibinta Falls. It has a series of seven falls, the first one measuring approximately 700 feet in height.
"The falls was named as such because the place used to be the business center," Radin pointed out.
Since it was almost dark, we were not able to visit the other waterfalls, including the Pyalitan, Miyaya, Pyagabunan, Manabas, Tarago, Maputi, Lahi, Mabuganao, Kyalinawan, Kolon, Kasigpitan, Gipadpalan, and Tangcalao. "Some of these falls are too far to visit," Radin said.
We returned to the Haven's Peak, where I took a shower (we did not have the opportunity of swimming at either falls we visited since it was cold and I did not bring with me a towel!). After taking a short nap, JR and I took a tour around the resort.
The following day, I woke up early. I wanted to see how the sun rises in this part of the world. Outside, the sight was marvelous. The kaleidoscopic rays of the sun greeted me and I felt the cold air kissing my skin. The mountains are covered with clouds.
Looking down, the town was nowhere in sight. After all, fog covered the whole area. Remember what happened to a California fishing town in John Carpenter's The Fog? That was more like it. Eerie but magical, indeed!
Maragusan was derived from two native words of the first people (Mansaka tribe) who inhabited Maragusan. Mara means “dry” while agusan means "a flowing river."
Agusan is the longest river in Philippines and Maragusan Valley is located at the tip, the drier portion of the entire Agusan River.
As a town, Maragusan was separated from its mother municipality (Mabini) by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1247 on November 25, 1977. It was called “San Mariano” after Don Mariano Marcos, the father of then president, Ferdinand E. Marcos. On October 12, 1998, it was returned to its original and current name under Republic Act No. 6678.
Those who want to visit the town can contact Dennis Radin at this number: 0905-850-1162. You can email him at rad_tour@yahoo.com. If you want to stay at the Haven’s Peak Highland Resort, contact PJ Iba¤ez at these numbers: 0918-432-8865 or 0905-651-0906. Edith Julian can be reached at 0926-719-7558.
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