Sadanga's communal bath

It was an experience nowhere else can be tried. With breasts of all sizes, mostly of those tried by years of nurturing and less of the virgin untried ones, and with everyone’s nudity exposed, each one would sit down with a dipper and tell stories or listen to the others. Sometimes, guffaws could be heard followed by loud uncaring laughter as the gathered crowd share jokes, stories, laughter, soap, stone scrubs and sometimes even the dippers. These they did while dipping their containers on a rectangular cistern of collected hot spring water that seems to be boiling but actually can be tolerated at about 30 degrees centigrade or more. This is the usual scene at the Maatong Hotspring in Poblacion, Sadanga, Mountain Province in the late afternoons till late at night and from dawn till about 8:00 AM.

The men are separated from the women. Each has his/her own place based on his/her gender. Visitors and the local people would share the hot spring water, the view of each others’ body, the soap that one may have brought, the stone body scrubs, the latest news and gossips in town, the wisdom of the olds as they talk to the young, the guffaws, the laughter and all others. In fact, even the joy of asking somebody to scrub your back is easily and readily accepted and done.

It was a center for socialization for the young and old alike. In this place had pregnancies been diagnosed by the peering eyes of the wisdom brought about by age. Older women could tell if one is pregnant just with the looks of the breasts and other body parts. And, wonder of wonders, they were always correct, even more accurate than pregnancy test kits.

Though there are other hot springs in Mountain province, like that in Mainit, Bontoc, Sadanga’s set-up is unique. Even before the cisterns were built and enclosed, the males were already separated from the females – each has their own place to take their baths though these places are near each other. Though it was a common sight to see naked person of the opposite sex taking a bath, no records of malice or rape was ever done. But, decency took place and the bathing cisterns were enclosed. Yet, inside the enclosed bathrooms, all young and old females, take their clothes off, sit down and start splashing themselves with the hot spring water – splashes which very soon become pours.

The Maatong Hot Spring, with its sulfuring content helps keep the people of Sadanga spick and span and healthy. The water cleans and heals wounds. Women who recently give birth are brought to the hotspring to take a bath to soothe their muscles and to heal their wounds. And, as experienced by the locals who already gave birth, the women confirms that really, the water has contents that made their wounds easily dry and heal.

A proposal rejected by the local people was that this public bathing place be developed and enclosed so those who’ll come will enter for a fee. Such a proposal was taken as something absurd but the local people clearly understand that once that happens, they, the locals, cannot freely enter the place. And, so it was rejected.

But Sadanga does not only boast of its Maatong Hot Spring. It also has its rice terraces mostly hidden at the other side of the mountains. Somewhere up above Barangay Belwang is a cave with several entrances known as Angoten Cave. It was names as such because, according to stories passed for some generations, Angoten entered the cave on the pursuit of a hunting prey. But, inside the cave, he got lost among the many “doorways.” For nine days, he ventured inside the cave until he came out of an opening only to find himself in Sagada. If this be true, then adventurous spelunkers have some real place to explore.

(published in the Mountain Province Exponent, dated March 7-13)

Farewell Speech

Ohayo gusaimasu to all!

Ladies and gentlemen, in everything, give thanks for all things work together for good. What else could make this Biblical verse more meaningful than what we have all experienced? After sharing with my co-participants in this Training Program for Young Leaders – Education Sector, for the last 18 days or so, I have come to understand that nothing came easy for us all but we were able to make it. Now, we have enjoyed all the days we’ve been in this program since the start in Manila during our Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar to this very last activity.

Beyond the sessions, the sharing or exchange of ideas, the seminars and the regular programs that JICA, JOCA and the Coordinators have prepared for us, we also enjoyed so many experiences like getting lost at Ibaraki and at Yodobashi; not being understood since we can’t communicate in Japanese or we have forgotten what we learned; talking with our mouths shaking because of the cold so we came to end our statements with ho ho ho; talking with all the gestures because as if we can’t be understood anymore without all the sign languages we know and we don’t know but we have to use; the frustrations of not being able to communicate clearly; using inappropriate terms or phrases like, “kerei desu ka” to mean you are beautiful because in our language ka means you; greeting with arigato gusaimasu instead of ohayo gusaimasu or vice versa or konbanwa instead of konnichiwa; discovering the tastes of food which seems foreign to us but only to find out that it’s the very familiar rice; trying the “sushi bars” yet including in the orders the familiar French fries; walking as if all other people are racing with us; always beating the time just to be in time; withdrawing all our money at SMBC and feeling very rich but realizes that everything in Japan is so expensive that very soon we are poor again; getting noisy and loud when we forget that we are not in the Philippines then suddenly feels lonely even if we are many because we suddenly remembered the loved ones we have left behind; taking turns with the Japanese to laugh at a joke cracked in Japanese since we need to listen to the translation first; joining and watching the “Wadaiko”; playing in the snow like children; smiling to the non-ending last shot from so many cameras; cooking takoyaki through a Japanese friend of ours; buying gadgets and so many presents which we fondly call “pasalubong” and then realizing that we have exceeded the baggage weight limit; being amazed at the very systematic Japanese culture and their effective service; and so on. I can’t count all of them but all those for sure are very much a part of our experiences and they made our stay here in Japan more memorable and more enjoyable. Without even just one bit of it, our experiences will not be as complete.

We have learned so much. We were treated as kings and queens, for sure if this is our education system, then I guess, all the Filipino people would like to go to school and we will not have a problem of illiteracy and dropping out. For, in the first place, who would be out of his/her mind to drop out from such a very good programme? I’m sure no one will be crazy enough to attempt.

I would also like to thank all the people behind the success of the program like the Japanese Government, the implementing agencies as J ICA, JOCV, JOCA and JICE. Your contribution to the success of this program will be carried a long, long way. I truly believe that since you have accepted us, young leaders to this programme, then we will do something in return. That something may not really be directed to the Japanese but more for the Filipinos. What you have done for one will be multiplied to many. Just think that if we go back and help train even just five each, imagine the impact it would have – 16 x 5 would be 80 so you did not just train 16, you trained 80 and more because these will benefit more people. And, if we are to inspire and help another group of five then that would mean an additional 80 more and so on.

Our gratitude goes to all the ones whom we have met and those we have not met but helped along on the implementation of this program. Our coordinators from JICE and JICA in the Philippines and Japan, the JICA Osaka Center Administration, Briefing, Kitchen, Reception and Cleaning Staff, we really thank you. Without any of you, our stay would not have been as smooth flowing as it was.
I would also want to commend JICA-OSIC since it is really an international home away from home. It is one of the best places to stay because you get the chance to meet all kinds of people all over the world. So we were given an additional bonus of befriending and interacting with people from Bhutan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Bangladesh, Egypt, Germany, Brazil, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Pacific countries as Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, even Philippines and so many more.

And, I would like to quote Buddha, “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” To revise it, I would say, let us all rise up and be thankful for we learned a lot in this JICA Training Programme For Young Leaders – Education Sector, but if we did not learn a lot, we experienced so much, and if we didn’t experience so much, we have observed too much and if we didn’t observe too much, we were treated with all the attention befitting that of a prince or a princess. Everything, with all its lapses or gaps or problems, was perfect. After all, all things happened for a purpose. And, for all of those, we are truly grateful.
To end this speech, we would lie to sing a song dedicated to all of you entitled, Thank you.

We hardly shared a glance
And learn to know each other
And now our time is up
The time is not enough
We find another chance to dream and be together
But now the time is up
The band is packing up
But there’s one more thing before the day is done
Before the nights are gone
Before the curtain closes
Let us….
Thank you for playing our music
Thank you for singing our song
Thank you for keeping us company
Coz with you we feel we really belong
Thank you for sharing your moments
Thank you for being our friends
And if our paths should cross somewhere, someday
We’d like to sing this song again.