LEGENDARY MOUNTAIN IS CONQURED By L.M> ZULUETA (BT Correspondent) ILOILO CITY, March 16 – Legendary Mount Madja –as, all 6,946 feet of it in Culasi, Antique, Has joined the ranks of the country’s few mountain tourist attraction when a 26-man team reached its summit after a three-day climb towards noon of march 1. Climber John Fortes of PAL’s tours and promotion division, on returning to Culasipoblacion on March 2, said Madja-as was the most challenging of the seven mountains he has climbed. “We are preparing a brochure on Madja-as and wil promote it as an attraction for local and foreign tourist,” Fortes said. The party include Jose Garbanzos Jr. and Joe Cobilla of the Department of Tourism, Nelson Magalona and Francisco Meligano of the national media production center, Sammy Villagracia, naturalist and adviser Antique Mountain Climbers association; EupresitoGaluego, Barsabias Lopez and Rolando Barillo of the Antique provincial government; and Rudy Cabigon, Faustino Cadiao, and Andy Gauran of Culasi town. The others were porters. The legends that have enshrouded the mountains, until the unscaled by civilized man, are not Madja-as’ only asset. And they may not be anymore since the climbers dissipated the legends with irreverent talking and shouting wich even the pre-Spanish islander’s goddess, “Bulalakaw,” aand her court of fairy princesses wouldn’t be able to stand, if the goddesses and fairies are what they are in storybooks. Discovered by Fortes and his group , which is certain to lure tourist, were rice terraces, 11 waterfalls, a crystal clear lagoon, and blue lake fringed with tress bearing leaves of varying shapes, color, size, and texture; a bonsai forests with carpet of moss, a stand of fire tress looking like they are regularly trimmed, over a hundred species of rare orchids, wild strawberries, exotic plants, and wide rain forest patches keeping sunlight out completely and allowing heavy rain to filter slowly in through tree trunks and vines. Come-ons for the adventurous are 80-degree slopes, foot-wide ridges rising steeply hundreds of feet above boulder-strewn river beds, and swinging bamboo bridges. Minority tribes believed to be descendants of pre-Malay Indonesian live in settlements along the way but not higher than 4,000 feet from the base. Culasi Mayor FlavianoMosquera said that with the aid of the Department of Tourism , Philippine Airlines, and provincial government of Antique, his town will develop Madja-as as tourist attraction along plans to be drafted by DOT. Iloilo DOT Tourism Coordinator Rodolfo M. Claparols said he would recommend such development as soon as possible.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 05:51:58 +0000