Baguio Trail Runner Finishes UTMB for the 2nd Time

This is Miguel Carranza after finishing one of the toughest mountain races on the planet. Carranza, a police officer born, raised, and based in Baguio City was one of the nearly 2,500 runners who ran the UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) in Chamonix, France this past weekend. 

Often described as the Super Bowl of trail running, the UTMB is a mountain ultramarathon that takes runners through three countries in Europe. Sections of the race loop through France, Italy, and Switzerland. The race route is 100 miles long (more than 171 kilometers).

With a total elevation gain of 10,040 meters (32,940 ft), the UTMB is one of the most difficult races in the world. While the fastest runners complete the loop in slightly less than 20 hours, most runners take 30 to 46 hours to reach the finish line. Many runners will have to run through two days and two nights in order to complete the race.

Many don't finish the race at all. These are called DNFs (did not finish). The DNF rate for UTMB is quite high. In 2024, the DNF rate was 36%. Out of the 2761 runners at the start line, 1001 of them did not finish the race. 

This is Carranza's second time to run the UTMB. He ran it the first time in 2017.

"It’s a humbling and rewarding experience to have finished twice one of the most iconic and mythic trail running races in the world—the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB)," Carranza wrote in an update on Facebook after completing the race. 

UTMB 2025 was won by Tom Evans of the United Kingdom (male division) and Ruth Croft of New Zealand (female division). 

📷 Miguel Carranza

Philippine False Coral Snake Spotted in Itogon, Benguet

This is a Philippine False Coral Snake (𝘏𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳). I came across it on the trail going up to Mt. Cotcot in Itogon, Benguet. It's also known as the barred coral snake. It's endemic to the Philippines and it's venomous. 

It's called a false coral snake because it's not a true coral snake. It's mimicking the banding patterns of true coral snakes as a form of self-defense against predators. 

#cordillerabiodiversity #benguetbiodiversity

It's World Lake Day So Here Are Photos Of Kabayan's Mystical Lakes

Today is the first ever World Lake Day as declared by the United Nations. So here's a few photos of the "mystical mountain lakes" of Kabayan in Benguet. I took these images during past hikes to Mt. Tabayoc and surrounding mountains in Ballay, Kabayan and Tinoc (Ifugao).

For many communities in the Cordillera region, lakes like the ones in Kabayan, are life itself. 

According to the UN, our planet is home to over 117 million lakes. They cover nearly 4% of Earth's land area. Not only are lakes sources of freshwater, they also play vital roles in supporting and nurturing biodiversity. 

The Story of Macli-ing Dulag in Comic Format

This is a short comic strip about Macli-ing Dulag that appeared in the pages of the New Internationalist magazine in their March/April 2019 issue. The New Internationalist is a United Kingdom-based independent magazine. The piece was credited as the work of ILYA and Yohann Koshy.

This made me further realize the power of visual arts in presenting a story (historical or otherwise). I wish more of these could be done about the most important milestones and figures in Cordillera history. 

You can read the whole comic strip here:

https://newint.org/features/2019/04/12/cartoon-history-incorruptible-macli-ing-dulag

It's quite short. Just four pages long.

[Paper] Takba: Culture, History and the Sacred in a Basket by Roland Erwin P. Rabang

📖 Takba: Culture, History, and the Sacred in a Basket

✍️ Roland Erwin P. Rabang

*Published in "The Cordillera Review: Journal of Philippine Culture and Society"; Volume VI, Number 2, September 2016

ABSTRACT: 

"The takba is a ubiquitous object used during rituals such as the begnas and the dangtey both held in Sagada, Mt. Province. No different from the sangi or pasiking, it is a woven pack basket for general utility, a kind of “carry-all” container. It is when used in rituals that the object becomes the takba. It is transformed into a representation of a family’s adherence to the beliefs and practices of the community and their commitment to observe and perpetuate a “way of life” through the transference of this local knowledge to fitting members of the family. Thus, from a utilitarian perspective, the takba, transformed in rituals, assumes requisite characteristics such as: (1) it has been a part of the family for generations, thus becoming an heirloom or even a family legacy; (2) the family takba is utilized as a receptacle for ritual offerings and sacrifices (tapey and etag) to specific pinteng or spirits of firewood, water, or war-fare; and (3) the families who are owners of the takba are members of a dap-ay (council). When a dap-ay hosts a community ritual such as the begnas, the member families will bring with them their takba (which will remain in the dap-ay for the duration of the ritual) because it is an integral component of the renewal of the families’ and the community’s relationship with the spirits, as manifested in prayers (sabusab, palls, sus-uwa) uttered by elders of the community. These prayers recall the myths transferred through generations by way of oral tradition. This paper will look into the relevance of the takba in the community’s world views and values, as an object embodied in these myths."

P.S. - To find full paper/document, Google the title of the paper.

Mountain Camping in Kabayan, Benguet

Somewhere in Kabayan; sometime in a distant past. First camping trip to the Benguet town that describes itself as "mystical". 

And if you've seen its mossy forests, mountain lakes, and diverse flora/fauna, you would agree. 

Why I Censor Photos of Igorot Women I Post on Facebook

When I post historical photos or illustrations featuring Igorot women in states of undress, I censor/cover them. I also often get comments and messages from readers calling me out for doing it. Like the one I included in this post. I've received a good number of these comments/messages so I think it merits a public explanation. 

First of all, I agree with the readers who keep on calling me out on this. They are right. I shouldn't be censoring or covering these for the reasons they mention. 

My explanation is simple: I'm only adhering to Facebook's rules and policies. If Facebook allows me to post these photos uncensored, I'll do it. But that's not the case. 

In the past, I've posted photos like these uncensored. But Facebook keeps flagging and penalizing my page for it. When this happens, the post gets deleted. Also, they decrease the reach of the page. I already incurred several strikes from them. Who knows, they might delete this page altogether if I keep breaking their rules. 

This is the only reason why I censor photos I post here. It's to play by the rules of the platform. There is no intention to desecrate or disrespect a people or a culture. 

Here's an analogy. You are free to post undressed photos of yourself on Facebook. But Facebook has rules and policies against it. They'll flag you, suspend you, or even ban you altogether. 

That's the harsh reality. We all have ideals and principles we want to adhere to. But at the end of the day, Facebook has rules and policies. If we want to use their platform, we have to follow their rules.