Travels bring back memories.
Returning to the days of my childhood, memories still linger of the harshness of traveling way back then. It is primarily on foot.
The town where I spent numerous months of my childhood still stands by the banks of the Abra River. Dusty, dry, and situated on the foothills of the Cordillera mountain range, nothing has changed much.
At this time, heavy equipment of a construction company is deployed along the Abra River. It is in the thick of constructing one of the longest bridges in Northern Luzon.
Its mountain peaks towards the east along its borders with Mountain Province are still teeming with game and flora. It is the home of the giant honey bees, the progenitors of the rain forests.
Roots
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My maternal grandmother is from Quirino, which was once called the Anggaki Valley, when it was then a part of the sub-province of Lepanto. Predominantly settling it are the Bagos, Igorots, Ilokos, Maengs, and a sprinkling of other tribes that either trace their roots through migration or inter-marriages.
Bracketed in the province of Ilocos Sur, it is the gateway to Abra, Mountain Province, Benguet, and the Ilocos Region.
Looking at Grandma’s hardships early in life, is the means of sustenance she survived at, the rice fields of Quirino. Dispersed in the various barangays and settlements are wide rice fields. Testaments to the early Igorot‘s migration route in search of food and better living.
A third-generation settler in the valley, she was born here, after her forebears formally settled and farmed the idle lands. It was the indigenous people who first touched and tilled the lands at Quirino.
Coming back once again makes us remember our humble beginnings. Looking back in this place, that jumpstarted our travels early in life.
Quirino is a part of the oral folklore of the Ikinalis (people from western Besao and eastern Quirino). Always including it in the settlement of boundaries after tribal wars they waged with their neighbors.
The Cordillera Mountain Range is the only obstacle that separates them from the lowlands and the sea, and they made trails in those mountains. For them to trade for tobacco, fabric, earthen jars, and the most important product then, salt.
Ilocano influence
From the Ilocanos, they learned how to weave, make sugar cane mills for muscovado and sugar cane wine production. Domesticate cattle, build fishponds, and more, which gradually became to them a way of life.
In their forays to the lowlands, their chores included making rip-raps, which they have become known for, clearing mountains, and building rice fields and irrigation canals. Their wages; were cattle, salt, tobacco, earthen jars, meat, and even beads; that they happily took back to their mountain home.
Some though preferred to intermarry with other indigenous people along the way.
Up to the end of the Second World War, there are still stories of able-bodied men going to the Ilocos to work the farms.
Igorot culture
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The Igorot’s presence in most of the municipalities of southern Ilocos Sur is still prevalent to the present. Most surnames are the same as those from Sagada, Besao, and Tadian, the difference being the Hispanicized spelling of their names.
Though mixed with Ilocano to produce now the famous Bago accent, most people in these areas still have words familiar and similar to the Applai tongue.
Kankanaeys dominate the Bessang Highway as far as some parts of Tagudin. Their dialect is the same as that of the Kankanaey from southern Benguet. Residents of Sigay, San Emilio, and Del Pilar way up in the mountains, are predominantly Bago. And so are the people in towns down towards the Ilocos coast, which are Banayoyo, Lidlida, Salcedo, and, Galimuyod.
Origins
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Retelling Anggaki’s story is a long endeavor. The municipality being young, founded in 1964. The story of the first people who made it a success goes back a long, long way.
Being a melting pot of culture, there are diverse theories propagated by experts on their existence. The arguments delve primarily into the people on how they were able to evolve as a distinct tribe. A tribe that now covers much of southern Ilocos Sur, some municipalities of Abra and La Union, and even as far as Pangasinan.
The common contention though is that the first people that populated Anggaki, were the Tingguians, Imaengs, Applais, and Kankanaeys who settled peacefully and tilled the vast fields of the valley. The Ilocanos are late additions who grew in strength and number due to Christianization.
Anggaki
How it got its name? From the lowly crab, locally called gaki which was once numerous along the riverbanks, before the establishment of the Lepanto Mines. Others call it Kayan, in short for Karayan or river.
The Bago Diaspora, as of late, further dispersed their seeds across the archipelago. From the 1960s up to the present, many families decided to sell their lands and settle elsewhere.
Tracing them now will lead us to Kalinga, Apayao, Palawan, Isabela, the Mindoro provinces, and even as far as Mindanao.
Visiting Quirino takes us away from the bustles of the city and modern-day life.
Anggaki life
Existence there is simple, back to the barrio life mode. It involves catching fish, taking care of the farm animals, and gathering numerous fruits in season. Swimming in its fresh waters, gathering firewood, sightseeing, frog hunting at night, and visiting friends and relatives. It is that simple, yet it gives back freshness and vigor to a tired and battered body, mind, and soul.
Visiting with the children is a new addition. At this point, it is time for them to learn their roots, hear the stories, and see the places from where their origins emanated from. It is travel back memory lane. Seeing myself in them, when I first set foot in this place before.
Anggaki still thrives and continues to improve for the best. Its diverse culture, tradition, and ethnographic composition make it unique. In the years to come, with the improvement of the national highway crossing the town, expect it to boom.
New Backpacking routes
Lately, a mega bridge is nearing completion. Connecting the Poblacion to Patengcaleo, spanning the mighty Abra River. It is a structure that will connect the Ilocos Region to the Cordillera at a grander scale.
It is a shorter route for backpackers traversing Sagada to one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Cities, Vigan City. The road network connecting it to Sagada is undergoing concreting.
Natural wonders and festivities
Quirino has a lot of natural wonders and festivities to offer.
To start with, there is the famous Tirad Pass, the last gallant stand of the Philippine’s youngest revolutionary general, is a trekker’s paradise today. Significantly, it still stands, as a testament of the bravery of Filipinos during the Filipino – American Wars.
During the summer is the celebration of the Tilapia Festival in the Poblacion. In particular, this is is the sharing of the bounty of the river’s stock of fish for picnics and gatherings.
The Lapat System
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Traditionally practiced since time immemorial in this locality, is the Lapat System. It is a stewardship of nature.
The people are entrusted fishponds to attend to. In the same breadth, they are expected to protect the forest, mountain, and water resources that affect the survival of the fishponds.
Annually is the celebration of the Quirino Town Fiesta, in the 2nd week of December, aptly tagged as Rice Festival. People from all walks of life gather to celebrate the town’s success each year. Showing the diverse culture of Anggaki, cultural presentations and activities are included in the festivities
The Skyline view deck and the mighty Abra River
The Skyline view deck offers a great panoramic view of the mountains of Abra, Benguet, and Mountain Province. And, as far as the eyes can see, is a network of a river system with its natural beauty. It is the Abra River.
Converging at Quirino are the various river systems emanating from the Gran Cordilleras that feeds the Abra River. It then snakes its way through mountain ranges on its way to the sea.
Numerous waterfalls and the fishponds ready for the harvest each summer. Additionally, it is the shorter and more convenient route going to Candon and Vigan City, from the Mountain Province via the Cordillera Mountain Range.
Anggaki would always be there. A gem being polished; its radiance to be seen by the world.
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