GabLabCebu

Philippines - 05-Jan-25 -

I listed the Kitanglad Range under my proposed WHS years ago, and to my surprise, it has now come up on the tentative list. I visited back in February 2019 through Dahilayan Adventure Park, Manolo Fortich; this is a few hours from Cagayan de Oro City. The adventure park is located just inside of the Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park with wonderful views of the mountain range. This is probably the easiest way to visit this site, along with driving the nearby countryside roads that also reach the edge of the natural park (which we also did). However, the best way to experience it would be to climb Mt. Dulang-dulang (2941masl., 2nd highest in the country) and/or Mt. Kitanglad (2899masl., 4th highest), or Mt Kalatungan (2860masl., 5th highest) in the neighboring Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park, with various agencies offering guided climbs. Hopefully, I can add an update when I get around to doing those climbs. 

This is mostly a natural site focused on exceptional biodiversity, endemism, ecologic processes and health, and scenery. I cannot yet comment much on anything but the scenery, but I can say the scenery alone had a profound effect on me at the time. It's the type of scenery that makes you fall in love with the mountains, with nature, as cheesy as that may seem. Don't knock 'em 'til you see 'em; these mountains are simply majestic. When it comes to the cultural aspect, I can see how this proposal is a bit more dubious. This, to me, is a classic example of a pure cultural landscape, comparable to sites like Tongariro, Khangchendzonga, John Crow Mountains, or Pimachiowin Aki. I highly doubt sites like these would be nominated on cultural value alone, but they are inherently sacred landscapes to the rare native cultures that survive in and around them. Cultural value is intertwined with the majesty of nature in these sites. I once had to do research on the Talaandig tribe native to the Kitanglad Range, and they are truly remarkable in their indigenous crafts such as soil painting, and intangible heritage. Recognition of the area as an abode of native cultural resistance to past and present increasing colonization, Westernization, and globalization is also an important goal for the site.