Tawitawi

On the first week of November last year (2006), I was commissioned by the unmdp-act for peace programme to do an important mission with the leaders of the peace and development advocates league in the province of tawitawi.

Together with my partner, I took a medium-sized boat from Zamboanga City to Bongao town - the port of entry of the province. The slow boat waddled the Philippine Sea for almost 36 hours.

When we arrived in Barangay Pahut, we were awed by the sights and sounds of our temporary haven. Our airconditioned room was just a spit away from the clean, clear, and white beach-front. At once we forgot the head-wracking boat ride we had in the last 36 hours. Indeed, Jana's Place in Barangay Pahut, Bongao was just right for this kind of mission. I thought this place is excellent for anybody's vacation.

Tawitawi is located at the southern-most end of Mindanao, Philippines. Most of the inhabitants are Sama or Tausug, although the presence of Visayan settlers are also visible. The mother tongue is either Sama or Tausug, some Visayan language but most of the people also speak Tagalog and English.

The following days were devoted to visits to island villages of the province. Here is the weblink to view the pictures we took during our visit to the villages of simunul, sumangat, lapid lapid and Bongao: http://picasaweb.google.com/my.islandman/ImagesAndColorsTheTawitawiUprising