Lake Seloton Foggy Morning Fishing |
At least 26 hectares of the 75-ha Lake Seloton are dotted with tilapia cages |
Before long, the lakes are alive with people in transit -- students in their uniforms, housewives carrying supplies, men on their way to work -- using the waterways as we cityslickers would traverse concrete roads. Inland, the incessant chirping of birds is disturbed only by the occasional passing of motorcycles, the rather loud blare of a not so distant karaoke and the chatter of locals. As it turns out, a growing number of "locals" here are not really locals in the strict sense of the word but rather transplants from the lowlands.
Cool Lake Sebu mornings are blessed with the incessant chirping of birds |
Mosque near the poblacion |
As with any place that hopes to attract more visitors, there are struggles with giving in to development as well as concessions being made -- the construction of an unsightly clubhouse near Falls One; the plans of adding a cable car to the zipline overlooking five of the seven falls; the proposal to add a rock climbing facility on Falls Two. The list goes on.
An invigorating roadside view of the distant mountains framed by palm trees |
Local tribesmen consider Lake Sebu as nothing short of miraculous, never drying up even with the comings and goings of droughts and El NiƱo -- an important thing to consider especially since it is a vital water source for (drinking water and irrigation) both South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. I hope and pray that even with the increasing onslaught of tourism and outside influences, the idyllic, eden-like nature of the lake along with the purity of T'boli traditions will not dry up as well.
Attribution: Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board
Recommended reading: "Losing Paradise" by Luis Francia, PDI, 2008
Recommended reading: "Losing Paradise" by Luis Francia, PDI, 2008
Read my other 2010 Lake Sebu posts:
• Zipping through five falls in (about) 60 seconds
• Meeting the master dreamweaver
• Reflections on a journey back to the land of lakes, falls and dreamweavers
4 comments:
another fantastic post.
i envy travelers like you who can get up at the crack of dawn to welcome the day. i never got to do that.
Beautiful place... I particularly love your first image !
unang picture pa lang talagang mapapapunta yata ako diyan ng wala sa oras.
ganda din nung shot na may ibon bai.
I do not know if it is good or bad but I think this is the end of Lake Sebu as the T'bolis know it.
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