In Praise of Mountains

Typhoon Paeng (international name, Cimaron) came, left a trail of destruction, and departed after 24 hours.

Each time shortly before the year ends, Benguet folk and other peoples of the Cordilleras in northern Philippines since time immemorial had been noting a one-day-one-night strong typhoon they named after a migratory bird locally called kiling. The last typhoon must have been the same as the one our elders had learned to live with when there was no weather bureau yet to inform and warn us about thunderstorms and tropical depressions.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) had warned that Paeng was a super-typhoon packing sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour. Such strength could have been more devastating than the reported destruction and lives lost. But thanks to the Sierra Madre, a series of mountain ranges in the island of Luzon, the strength of the typhoon, according to Pagasa, was reduced to 125 to 130 kph.

Besides the Sierra Madre, the Cordillera mountain ranges must have helped parry the deadly blows of Paeng before it left towards the South China Sea.

That mountains help protect people from the beatings of typhoons must have been one reason why most indigenous folk highly regard these elevated land formations as highly important, if not sacred. In my hometown of Kibungan, the center of town is well- secured and surrounded by mountains, which have long protected us from the wrath of typhoons exiting towards the South China Sea.

In Benguet, some peaks regarded as holy grounds include Mount Pulag in Kabayan and Mount Kabunian in Bakun.

The Aetas also consider their mountains, including Mount Pinatubo, as sacred. Southern Tagalog folk likewise have Mounts Makiling and Banahaw, a Mecca of some sort for some local pilgrims. Lumad folk in southern Philippines also count Mounts Apo in Davao and Kitanglad in Bukidnon as among their sacred sites.

Other peoples elsewhere in the world also regard their peaks as hallowed ground. The Himalayas, for example, has a special place for Buddhist monks and pilgrims. Those who have climbed and “conquered” the Himalayas swear that they have experienced some kind of spiritual awakenings.

The role and importance of mountains cannot be underestimated. Besides serving as windbreakers, mountains are where we can find certain plant species with medicinal values. No wonder, Mount Pulag’s mountain yew has caught the interests of bio-pirates because of the plant’s reported anti-cancer potentials.

Mountain ranges also serve as the headwaters of lowland communities. Northern Philippines’ Cordillera region, for example, has seven major river systems, which serve as the cradle of agriculture for many lowland communities.

Formed after a series of volcanic eruptions ages ago, mountains are often regarded as metaphors for challenges. The Chinese, for example, say that a person is successful in life if he has climbed mountains, fathered a son, planted trees, and wrote a book. In this regard, climbing mountains is not necessarily climbing and conquering the Himalayas as Romy Garduce and company did. Climbing mountains, according to the Chinese, also means being able to overcome challenges and difficulties in life and coming out a better person.

After typhoon Paeng came and was gone, we are thankful that the Sierra Madre and the Cordillera mountain range stood their ground, protecting us from our vulnerabilities. These mountains also continue to teach us about how to stand our ground on things we are passionate about.