Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Hiking Destination In La Trinidad Gets Official Name. It's Mt. Yangbew, Not Jumbo, Or Jambo, Or Yangbo

The confusion ends here. That popular grassy mountain overlooking the La Trinidad Valley now has an official name. Often referred to as the Little Pulag of La Trinidad, the mountain is a popular destination for hikers looking for an easy hike that's very accessible from Baguio City. And it was called by many names - Jumbo, Jambo, Yangbaw, Yangbo. Well, all these turned out to be misnomers. In a consultation held last month, it was agreed upon that the right name for the mountain should be Mt. Yangbew.

Here's a statement from Valred Olsim, the town's tourism officer: "It's official. In a consultation held last Feb. 29, 2016 by the Brgy. Tawang officials with many old-timers and community leaders, the "Little Pulag" of La Trinidad should be called "MT. YANGBEW", not Jumbo, not Jambo, not Yangbo, as voted upon majority of its elders and local historians. "Bew/Beo" came from the kankana-ey "Le-beew" or fog (Apparently, although the Ibaloys originally inhabited the valley plains, the mountain areas are mostly occupied by the kankanaeys and kalanguyas). The name means "where fog/cloud resides", as opposed to the other suggestion of "Jambo" for Jamboree. We apologize for our earlier inadvertence." [Source: Facebook]
Young people setting up a tent at the peak of Mt. Yangbew. Photo by Daniel Feliciano/The Cordilleran Sun