Xmas fiesta in the mountains

joined fellow Lakays (UP Lakay Kalikasan Mountaineers) and new friends last weekend and visited the ancestral lands of Dumagat in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range of Rizal province. our activity: to provide a simple, fun activites (and gifts) to children of Purok Libis, San Ysiro

dubbed as “Paskong Fiesta”, this annual event was started by a group of friends who wanted to provide brief moments of joy during Xmas season to children living in marginalized communities

the Dumagat are indigenous groups living in Sierra Madre Range of Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. the term come from the word “taga-dagat” or sea gypsies. but today, lots of Dumagat tribes have already established their communities in the mountains.

located at the foot of rolling mountains of Sierra Madre, the visit to San Ysiro will involved at least an hour of trekking in the muddy road (especially during rainy season), traversing rice fields and an occasional picking of bayabas :-)

some activities for kids include traditional Pinoy games such as karera sa sako,

alupihan race,

hilahan,

hampas - palayok

distribution of Christmas gifts and finally, salu-salo of pansit and orange juice

thanks to my friend Rick for inviting us and birthday greetings to Tata Leo

have plenty of plans still in the area, e.g. documentation of a reported gold panning activities and mapping the CADCI boundaries. will be back soon...

San Ysiro, Antipolo City, Rizal

12.10-11.11