South Cotabato

T’boli, South Cotabato: A Festive T’boli Welcome at Lemsnolon Cultural Village

Posted on August 13, 2013

A festive welcome of T’boli dance and music at Lemsnolon village in T’boli, South Cotabato Before climbing Mt. Melibingoy and Lake Holon, we dropped by the T’boli village of Lemsnolon where the Ehek Lemsnolon Community Group demonstrated hand-loom weaving and showcased their meticulously handcrafted beaded jewelry. They also sell books and pamphlets on T’boli literature and culture, including the Holy Bible in T’boli. I purchased a softbound book on T’boli musical instruments and bought several copies of a storybook onRead More→

T’boli, South Cotabato: Hiking Mt. Melibingoy (Mt. Parker) & Lake Holon (Lake Maughan)

Posted on August 9, 2013

Lake Holon, the crater lake of Mt. Melibingoy,  in South Cotabato was once declared the country’s cleanest lake. While researching about Lake Sebu in South Cotabato some years ago, I chanced upon a mountain lake in the same province on Google Maps which I later learned was Lake Holon – formerly Lake Maughan – the ancient crater of a dormant stratovolcano, Mt. Melibingoy (formerly Mt. Parker). I’ve always been intrigued by this lesser known lake located in the municipality ofRead More→

Lake Sebu: Support the Newly Rebuilt T’boli School of Living Traditions (SLT)!

Posted on February 5, 2013

My T’boli family at the new School of Living Traditions (SLT) The T’boli School of Living Traditions (SLT) in Lake Sebu I helped raised funds for was finished late last year. Nearly 50 donors made financial contributions to the project, amounting to PHP 60,000. Solar News Network also pitched in to help, donating PHP 50,000. As I was in the USA for more than three months, I unfortunately missed the reopening of the school, run by T’boli cultural worker Maria “Oyog”Read More→

T’boli School Fundraiser: Bong Salamat (Thank you)!

Posted on September 19, 2012

Last September 13, I deposited all the donations to the Kesetifun Cultural Care Foundation, Inc. (KCCFI) for the Lake Sebu School of Living Traditions (SLT) I started raising money for, starting last June 30.  From the very beginning, this endeavor was born out of bayanihan, of working together in whatever way possible. A couple of days after posting my project on my blog, the fundraiser website, www.lakesebuschool.com, was created pro bono by an Australian graphic designer friend. The project also reached a broader audienceRead More→

Amigotel Hotel & Suites: Friendliest Hotel in General Santos! [SP]

Posted on July 20, 2012

Affordable and spacious matrimonial room at Amigotel – General Santos’ friendliest hotel! My stay in General Santos – en route to Lake Sebu to visit the site of the T’boli school I’m raising funds for – was sponsored by Amigotel Hotel & Suites (formerly Anchor Hotel). I spent the night in their A/C matrimonial room – it was clean and spacious, and had “backpacker luxuries” like cable TV and hot shower. There’s free wifi in the lobby, too!Located near theRead More→

Let’s Help Rebuild a T’boli School in Lake Sebu!

Posted on June 30, 2012

T’boli homestay with cultural worker Maria Todi-Arroz and her daughter, last September 2011 Maria’s tribal house, photographed last September 2011, serves as a School for Living Traditions (SLT) During my visit to Lake Sebu, South Cotabato last September, I stayed in a traditional T’boli house located in Barangay Lambanig that also served as a School for Living Traditions (SLT), run by T’boli cultural worker Oyog “Maria” Todi-Arroz. Since 1994, Maria – or Ate Mayang, as she is fondly called – hasRead More→