This lighthouse was first erected on Bajo Apo Island in Apo Reef Natural Park in 1903 as part of the Maritime Lighting Plan of Spain. Design planning for the original section began in 1896, though construction was halted during the Philippine Revolution and Spanish-American War before being completed by American and Filipino engineers. The lighthouse first illuminated the Mindoro Strait in 1906, warning incoming vessels of the shallow coral reefs surrounding the atoll.

I imagined waking up to a dream where I was a junky man in my past life. My veins stabbed with abandon by thin needles. In time's and my own passing, my earthly body reduced to ash—and grew to become a forest. That surreal scenario I played in my mind a long time ago vividly reminded me of the dense mangrove forest at Apo Reef.

"I clambered over mounds and mounds
Of polystyrene foam
And fell into a swimming pool
Filled with fairy snow
And watched the world turn day-glo
you know you know
The world turned day-glo you know"

— The World Turned Day-glo by X-Ray Spex

The 5th Mountain of Balakayo Adventure Park is located in the mountainous region of Barangay Olympog in General Santos City. I was able to visit this as part of the SEX Tour (Soccsksargen Experience Tour) held last February, where we visited several breathtaking places across Sarangani, General Santos City, and South Cotabato.

T'daan Kini Falls is located at Barangay Lamlahak in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Reaching this remote place will take you about forty-five minutes of brisk walking from the main pit stop at Sitio Talubek, passing straight through the rural village at the foothills of a scenic, rolling hillside. In the local dialect, "T'daan" literally means the "meeting of cold and hot water."

As I rested my head on the window of the van, half-tired from a lack of sleep, I caught a glimpse of the scenic Lake Sebu. Although my view was slightly distorted by a smudgy glass, it didn't matter, as the scene of a thick forest snaking around a tranquil body of water was hard to ignore. Soon, my weary body started to jolt with pure anticipation. The thought finally rested and crested solidly in my head: I was finally in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

One of the places we visited during the Soccsargen Experience Tour II was the Alsons Aquaculture fishery in Sarangani Bay. In this pristine water and scenic location, Alsons produces "Bangus" or milkfish by the millions, selectively breeding and culturing them to an almost perfect quality and size that is incomparable to other bangus caught in different regions.