The Lone Authentic Ifugao of Barangay Banga-an

Our difficult trek to Banga-an, a small barangay in Banawe, Ifugao, was rewarded upon seeing this lone authentic Ifugao gentleman who we caught chewing a betel nut under one of the huts (probably his own). We were disappointed at first when we noticed that almost all people living in this barangay no longer wear their traditional clothing, so it was a pleasure for us to see this authentic Ifugao in his traditional garb. As not one of us could speak Ifugao, we could not converse with him, but according to the neighbors, he is slightly deaf.



From the Greenview Hotel where we were billeted, we could see the Banawe Rice Terraces in all its grandeur. But at that time, the vegetation was not as thick as it would be during the rainy months.



We arranged for a local jeepney with a guide whose name is Manong Johny, it cost us P2,000 and P700 for the guide. The ratio of a tour guide to the number of tourists is 7:1 or thereabouts. But if you are travelling on a budget, you may just hike going to Banga-an so that you can enjoy the sceneries from the hillsides. This is one of them.



Going down the village is quite difficult as the hill was slightly steep. Although it is quite a low hill, it can be challenging to someone like me who has no regular physical workout. The trek going up is more difficult. I had to stop quite a number of times. Upon reacing the village, we will see stalls or huts that sell souvenir items and other traditional products. We were encouraged to try on a traditional wear.



On our way to the hotel, we decided to take the backdoor in order to walk through the long hanging bridge which really scared the wits out of me. I thought it cant carry the weight of 12 big people, mostly Koreans and worst of all, it was rusty, although made of really thick steel.



One of the souvenir items that I decided to buy is this sunflower wall decor. To the Ifugaos, the sunflower plant is very valuable as they use this as fertilizers in their fields when they plant rice. It was also my little way of supporting their barangay.

When we first arrived in Banawe, the provincial capital, I finally saw what I have been hearing for a long time, that the roads and soil around Ifugao are red because of the juice of the betel nut, the palm fruit that the Ifugaos chew on.

How to get to Ifugao: Take a bus at Dangwa bus station which is located in Aurora Blvd past Cubao and Aurora intersection going towards Sta. Mesa.