Long before the movie "That Thing Called Tadhana" influenced many from the younger generation to see Baguio City as a destination for broken-hearted people, the City of Pines has attracted a diverse range of individuals from various backgrounds for a multitude of purposes. For artists, the cool atmosphere of this mountaintop town fostered creativity, leading to a flourishing artist community over the years, which resulted in the creation of the Baguio Arts Guild, a prominent organization of artists founded by National Artists Kidlat Tahimik and Benedicto Cabrera aka BenCab, along with the late Santi Bose in 1987.

During the 1970s and the 1980s, the city became a center of psychic healing, attracting scores of people around the world, including American comedian Andy Kaufman, who in 1984 consulted with the controversial psychic healer Jun Labo during the later stages of his battle against lung cancer.

While the belief in spiritual healing waned, Baguio City remained a magnet to the creative minds, the hopeless romantics, among other types of vacationers, and more recently, the ones we call foodies, or gastronomy enthusiasts.

With art and food at the heart of Baguio City's appeal, in addition to being the "Summer Capital of the Philippines," it is fitting that this year's Ibagiw Creative Festival would serve as the city's flagship event, honoring both its established art community and emerging culinary scene.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network designated Baguio City as a City of Crafts and Folk Arts on October 31, 2017. To date, this network honors more than 300 cities from around the world in the fields of film, literature, music, crafts and folk arts, design, gastronomy, and media arts.

Under the Crafts and Folk Arts category, Baguio City is joined by a little over 50 cities; in the Philippines, it is one of the only three cities included in UNESCO's Creative Cities network, with Iloilo City for gastronomy and Cebu City for design being the other two.

Similar to the requirements of UNESCO Heritage Sites, the Creative City distinction earned by Baguio needs to be sustained thus the need for endeavors that will further spread and promote arts in the city. As a result, Marie Venus Tan, who is also the Co-Chairperson of the Creative Baguio City Council, got together with Kidlat Tahimik and Benedict Cabrera of the Baguio Arts Guild to create a yearly festival honoring the city's crafts and arts.

“Actually, even before Baguio became the first city in the Philippines to earn a UNESCO Creative City merit, the Baguio Arts Guild founded by Kidlat and BenCab was already holding yearly art festival in November” Marie Venus Tan informed us.

In the 1990s, the once a year festival organized by the Baguio Arts Guild slowly came to an end. However, the timely collaboration between Tan, Kidlat, and BenCab to revive the city’s arts festival in the form of the Creative Festival emerged as a fitting tribute to Baguio’s recognition from UNESCO.

Since its inception in 2018, the annual Creative Festival has seen figures like BenCab and Kidlat Tahimik continue their mission as the leading voices within the city's vibrant art community. In 2019, the festival adopted the name Ibagiw Creative Festival, derived from the local term "bagiw," meaning "moss." This name pays homage to what the Ibaloi people, one of the earliest settlers in the Cordillera, used to call and describe the place where Baguio is now located due to its abundance of mossy areas.

The festival, which is in its 7th year now, has provided an expansive platform for both established and emerging creatives across various disciplines, including painting, sculpture, music, film, performance art, and more.

It was only two years ago that the festival introduced the creative crawl aspect, enabling people to visit numerous museums and venues hosting art exhibitions, including art in the park installations.

This year, Marie Venus Tan envisioned a fresh approach by incorporating various players from the vibrant art and tourism ecosystem of Baguio. “Baguio City attracts a diverse crowd, and one of the key draws is its array of restaurants,” Tan remarked.

The result is an exceptional merging of gastronomy and the arts. Eleven restaurants have joined forces with artists, showcasing their works within the dining spaces while also featuring a selection of Cordilleran-inspired or fusion dishes on their menus throughout the festival.

This year's Ibagiw Creative Festival, themed "Inquisitive, Disruptive, Creative," brought a new flavor to the entire festivity, both literally and metaphorically. Foodies will now discover art, and art enthusiasts will learn about the region's rich culinary culture.

The Eleven restaurants showcasing their Cordilleran-cuisine-with-a-twist dishes at the Ibagiw Creative Baguio Festival are The Gallery by Witchcraft, Chaya, Amare la Cucina, Gypsy Baguio by Chef Waya, Canto Bogchi Joint, Oh My Gulay!, Baguio Mountain Man, Curious Coffee Company (G1 Lodge), Le Chef at the Manor, L’Atelier Du Grain, and Rebel Bakehouse.

This writer was able to visit four of the 11 restaurants in the span of two days before hurrying home to prepare for the incoming typhoon Pepito. Still, a memorable set of dining experiences, seasoned with some art appreciation, were created.

At Chaya, we feasted on Japanese cuisine infused with a Cordilleran twist, such as Silk Tofu with Mulukiyah leaves, Gunkan Sushi with Kinuday—a smoked meat delicacy concocted by the Ibaloy people in the Cordillera, Pork Curry with White Bean, Pork Chashu Kinuday, Watercress Salad, and Cordillera Arabica Coffee Jelly for dessert.

Chaya's featured local artist is Leonard Aguinaldo, whose creations depicting locals' daily lives, customs, and traditions are presented in a satirical form on carved wood and rubber.

Before we proceeded to our table at The Gallery by Witchcraft, we had the opportunity to learn about the art of the artists they’re featuring: Edgar Banasan, whose skill at restoring traditional bamboo musical instruments instills a sense of cultural heritage learning, and Claire Jaun-Torres, whose work combines modern abstract and personal symbolism.

The elevated Cordilleran fares we tried at the Gallery include Kiniing Chicken Fillet, The Gallery Beef Stew with Etag, and the dish I ordered, Benguet Coffee-Rubbed Grilled Pork. The Gallery serves all these dishes with upland rice, mashed sweet potato, and pairs them with a Kinuday or Kiniing Beer.

"Kiniing" refers to the smoking of preserved pork meat using pine wood, whereas "Etag" is essentially the same preserved meat processes, with slight preparation differences. People in Cordillera commonly interchange and accept the terms Kinuday, Kiniing, and Etag as long as it refers to the smoked pork of Cordillera.

The appetizers, Kiniing Gawid and Kiniing Carpaccio paired with Benguet Sake, set up our palate for more delicious food. The perfect-tasting dessert of Rhubarb Cheesecake & Passion Fruit Glaze, Sagada Orange Zest Crust, bookended the meal.

The Gallery by Witchcraft brews a selection of craft beers, whiskeys, and gins, which enhances the overall experience. "We named it the Gallery by Witchcraft because of our craft beer, and of course the supernatural element Baguio City is known for, so we came up with Witchcraft," owner Christina told us as she joined our dinner.

We, particularly myself, had an even better time sampling the craft beer options. Christina informed us that these beers do not contain any chemical ingredients, so even those who avoid alcohol can still enjoy a glass or two without any issues.

There's the Full Moon Belgian White Wheat, Irish Leprechaun Dry Stout, Devil Dog Pilsner, Grim Reaper Golden Ale, Potion Pale Ale, and Poltergeist Imperial Porter. Local artists design the packaging for their premium whiskies, and they also offer a Gin line called Ghost.

Another can't miss drink is the Kombucha Tea, flavored with Gipah leaves sourced from the foothills of Mt. Pulag by members of the Kalanguya IP community.

Aside from the mouthwatering food we had at Amare Cusina, which specializes in Italian pizza and pasta but was able to fuse a tasteful Cordilleran dish such as Strawberry Burrata Kinuday Salad, Cordillera Carbonara, Ibag-iw Pizza and Ube Pizza, and Ube and Strawberry Affogato, the works of Gilbert Alberto and Jordan Mang-Usan, the featured artists whose works adorn Amare Cusina's walls and comely corners, immediately grabbed my attention.

Mang-usan, the creator of the paintings, used a unique technique known as "solar painting," where he uses the sun's concentrated rays through a magnifying glass as his brush, burning through wood to form lines and patterns until he creates his desired image. Alberto's art, meanwhile, involves sculpting fascinating objects on mostly driftwood and river stones.

Hoping I could come back before December 10 when the festival ends to try out the rest of the 11 restaurants, we wrapped up our delightful yet fleeting Gastro x Art Creative Crawl at Gypsy Baguio by Chef Waya, where we met the chef herself, Mam Venus Tan, and one of the two featured artists in Gypsy, painter Joey Simsim.

Over delightfully curated Cordillera-inspired fares like the Bu-o Mushroom and Chong-ak Rice Arancini, an Italian rice ball with a local twist; the Pinikpikan Rillette with Bignay Wine Geleé, my personal favorite, especially in the cold climate of Baguio; the Kiniing and Binatog Soup; and Strawberry Tapuey Ice Cream with Green Pinipig Crisps, we listened to Chef Waya and Joey Simsim's short welcoming remarks, as Gypsy Baguio was the scheduled venue that day to host a small gathering of artists, media members, and other guests.

Simsim spoke briefly and discussed the significance of the Ibagiw Festival as a catalyst for emerging artists to break out of their shells and gain recognition from the outside world.

While we missed out on having Gypsy's other featured artist, Rovilyn Mayat-an, we caught a glimpse of some of her works displayed on the walls, which encompass woven baskets and bags crafted skillfully from staple Cordilleran materials like rattan and wild bamboo, each signifying a design narrating bits and pieces of her own Cordilleran culture.

Chef Waya discussed the connection between storytelling and storytelling through food. “Food should tell a story,” Chef Waya remarked. “Here, we are celebrating local ingredients and the people who produce them.”

Here are the other Gastro X Art Creative Crawl locations around Baguio City that I missed out on trying, but you could if you hurry now. Le Chef at The Manor showcases the works of The Mighty Bhutens, Francis Alingcayon, and Irene Bimuyag; over at Canto Bogchi Joint, Dulthe Munar, Cara Bruno, and Hermie Bruno's artworks will amaze diners.

At Curious Coffee at G1 Lounge: inquisitive coffee drinkers will have a chance to discover the creations of Roland Bay-an, Johnny Bangao, and James Mang-osan. Rebel Bakehouse collaborates with Clinton Anniversario and Robelyn Carantes-Gurang. Oh My Gulay’s vegan diners can discuss the creations of Pinsel and Julius Lumiqued, while Mountain Man features the art of Carlo Villafuerte and Perry Mamaril, and L'Atelier Du Grain displays Marlyn De Lazo Bulayo's works.

The Ibagiw Creative Festival runs until December 10, 2024, and if the interest grows as current indication points to, it's likely that all the featured restaurants, regardless of their type, will incorporate bespoke Cordilleran-inspired dishes into their regular menus and regularly showcase both established and up-and-coming musicians.

As we rolled into Kennon Road on our way back to Manila, I couldn't help but wonder how Baguio City, already one of my favorite cities in the country, became more endearing to me. As a gateway to the culturally rich Cordillera region, I used to come here for the cool weather, sights, and culture. Today, I find added reasons to love the City of Pines: its art community and culinary scene.

Pardon me for initially thinking when I first heard the phrase “Slow Food” that it was the Ayurvedic way of consuming food literally in a slow and calm manner. I have heard the term "Slow Food" numerous times since I first encountered it. While it shares similarities with the Ayurvedic approach, emphasizing a healthier approach to food consumption that maximizes the benefits of natural ingredients, it also means something else, a movement where at its heart, is the advancement of local foods, traditional gastronomy and organic food production.

The Slow Food Movement

Slow food is defined as cooking or producing food in line with regional culinary traditions, with an emphasis on using fresh, locally produced, high-quality ingredients. In short, it’s the polar opposite of a fast-food.

Carlo Petrini founded Slow Food, an organization in Italy in 1986, with the goal of championing local food and heritage cooking. The Slow Food Movement, which strives to preserve regional cuisine, cultivate agricultural produce, raise livestock, nourish community food production enterprises, and promote sustainable eating as organically as possible, has grown to include 160 member countries, including the Philippines.

The Second Terra Madre Visayas

Terra Madre, which translates to "Mother Earth" in Italian, is a vast network of food communities that the Slow Food organization launched to provide a platform for farmers, fishermen, livestock raisers, and other culinary artisans whose methods align with the philosophy of the organization.

Turin, Italy hosted the major Terra Madre event this year from September 26 to 30, while other countries, including the Philippines, hosted several smaller events. The Terra Verde Visayas took place in Bacolod City from November 19-23, 2024.

The event was held on the province's Capitol Grounds in Bacolod City and coincided with the 17th Organic Farmers Festival, providing a double dose of sustainable food activism.

The five-day event featured numerous educational talks and workshops, featuring renowned personalities from various fields such as culinary, farming, crafts-making, and food preservation. These included food writer Ige Ramos, who led a discussion on the "Legacy of Mario Orosa on Filipino Food Preservation," organic farming advocate Cherrie Atilano, members of various Slow Food communities in the country, food scientists, farmers, and more.

The Slow Food Terra Madre Visayas was made possible through the collaboration with the City Government of Bacolod, headed by Mayor Albee Benitez; the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, led by Governor Eugenio Lacson; Congressman Kiko Benitez; Senator Loren Legarda; the National Commission for Culture & Arts; the Department of Tourism; Mayor Javi Benitez; Slow Food International; and the Slow Food Community of Negros.

Slow Food Community of Negros

Nowadays, when someone mentions slow food in the culinary community, it's likely that someone will immediately associate it with Negros, as the island is home to the most active slow food organization in the country, Slow Food Negros.

One of its more prominent members comes from a direct lineage of a culinary icon in the country. Reena Gamboa, the niece of the late renowned food writer Doreen Gamboa Fernandez, recounts her first foray to slow food. "My mom, who is the president of the Negros Cultural Foundation, has always been in the arts and culture scene," Gamboa shares with BusinessMirror. "I just happened to pick up my mom in her meeting with some members of Slow Food Negros and I was invited to join." Reena Gamboa quickly assumed the role of the community's spokesperson in 2019 and has since actively championed their advocacy.

As it carves a path to become the leader of the movement throughout the entire country, Slow Food Negros is now taking the next steps, having inked a contract with the Slow Food Movement to operate an office in Bacolod City, construct an education center, and host the Terra Madre Asia-Pacific event next year.

With nearly 20,000 hectares of farmland available for organic farming, the island of Negros appears poised to spearhead the promotion of the organization's slow food philosophy, not only in the Philippines but also throughout Asia Pacific.

Asked by BusinessMirror how this development will make a positive effect on the province of Negros Occidental not only in the economy, in food security but also in tourism, Reena Gamboa believes this is a step towards attracting more tourists, from domestic and abroad, to visit Bacolod City. "We are organizing slow food community experiences for guests to appreciate the farmer, the process, and the ingredient by visiting the area, participating in the process of making something out of the ingredients, thus, making the experience memorable, enjoyable and educational. By holding the biennial Terra Madre Asia-Pacific next year, we hope to increase tourism just like how Terra Madre Salone del Gusto has achieved in Turin, Italy", Gamboa said.

What’s next for Slow Food? Slow Drink perhaps

While exploring the Terra Verde Visayas grounds, I came across a booth serving “slow food drinks.” Unable to try out something as my attention was quickly disrupted by someone grilling an eel barbecue, I quizzed Reena Gamboa later on about the slow drink scene in Negros right now.

“Slow Drink is a new concept that will allow our bartenders and chefs to discover different local ingredients that they may ferment and make into drinks, whether alcoholic or not,” Gamboa said. “For now, only Lanai by Fresh Start has drinks using fresh local ingredients. Kapipat will soon launch its own line of slow drinks, utilizing our local tuba, to encourage people to appreciate what is truly ours once again."

From the sound of it, it appears that Bacolod City and the rest of Negros Occidental are becoming prime drivers of this movement, complete with excellent food and drinks to boot.

Slow Food as part of community-based tourism

In the northern tip of Negros, the city of Sagay remains a benchmark for community-driven tourism programs that heavily involve local residents in the managing and operation of sites such as the Carbin Reef, Suyac Island Mangrove Eco-Park, Lapus-lapus Floating Cottage, and Museo Sang Bata, just to name a few. As part of its Earth-first approach to marketing its tourism draws, Sagay has also become a staunch supporter of the slow food movement that is sweeping across the island of Negros.

The city’s Tourism Officer Helen Javier Arguelles finds the idea of “clean, good, and fair food” aligning with the direction the city of Sahay has taken towards sustainable tourism and its decades-long maritime conservation program. “We share the same goals as it supports local communities, promotes sustainability and biodiversity conservation, minimizes impact, creates authentic, meaningful experiences, and promotes responsible behavior that protects natural and cultural heritage,” Arguelles said.

This writer had the chance to savor Sagay's Slow Food experience during a recent trip. I was back on the plane heading to Bacolod City barely seven days after the Terra Madre Visayas event. I arrived in Sagay City with a small group and after a whole morning of traveling, we docked on the powdery sands of Carbin Reef where we meet Chef Mark Lobaton, who was in the middle of preparing a traditional Sagay feast for us.

Laid out in front of us are plates full of kinilaw na tanigue, kinilaw na hipon, sea urchins, and grilled conch, all sourced from the bounteous waters of the Visayan Sea.

Chef Mark Lobaton inherited his cooking chops, especially in the creation of Kinilaw, from his father, Vicente Lobaton, a former fisherman who became a cook. The late food critic and historian Doreen Gamboa Fernandez referred to Vicente as the "Kinilaw Artist" of Old Sagay.

No wonder chef Mark's Kinilaw, with its special vinegar dipping, packs a flavorful punch and delivers instant delight for the palate, but more importantly, it does justice to his father's legacy—as well as being a welcome addition to Negros’ slow food movement.

As Bacolod City gears up for an even bigger event next year, the Terra Madre Asia-Pacific, Reena Gamboa admits challenges still await before Filipinos start to question the food they are taking.

"We, Filipinos, have been so accustomed to thinking cheaper is better without realizing that maybe we should question ourselves: Where does our food come from?" wonders Gamboa.

Holding activities such as community kitchens, according to Gamboa, can go a long way in spreading the word about the slow food movement. The more people realize that we can have access to good, clean, and fair food, the sooner we can also properly reward our farmers who have committed to producing high-quality ingredients. "One must be aware that the farmer needs to be paid a fair price, too. We take baby steps to be able to make people realize the realities of food systems," reminds Gamboa.

Witnessing the raw beauty of the Dinagat Islands left me completely in awe, despite being at odds with how I would perceive the backwardness of the province in terms of infrastructures. As a potential eco-tourism destination, its rugged and bare surroundings can be a boon, but they could also be a bane, as other provinces have simply left it behind in terms of development. This leaves the province in an ideal situation as it has the opportunity to opt for a development suited for sustainable tourism, which will put more emphasis on taking care of the province’s natural gifts.

Dinagat Islands, from a tourism viewpoint, is very exciting. One could liken it to what Siargao was 20–30 years ago. For tourism planners, there are numerous opportunities to learn from, including the application of tourism best practices in many places today, the chance to replicate the success, and the opportunity to learn from the tourism mistakes of Siargao, Boracay, and Palawan.

The more tourism grows in this province (with sound planning built on more community-based enterprises and ones that won't alienate or force out locals), the farther it can distance itself from its history as a mining island.

Leaving Dinagat Islands after only a few days left me wanting more. “If only I had a few more days to explore," I told myself as we hopped on a ferry boat to Surigao City enroute to our next destination, which is Siargao. Upon my return to Manila a few days later, I had assumed that my journey back to the province would take place a few months into the following year. Unbeknownst to me, the travel gods have granted my wish already.

When I received a call from the publisher of AsianTraveler Magazine regarding a writing assignment to cover this year’s Bugkosan Festival, I immediately said yes, even without knowing the dates it will fall on. As I received all the details about my trip, I quickly packed my backpack with renewed excitement as I look forward to adding to my wonderful experience of discovering more about this province, whose strangeness has now given way to familiarity.

Less than a week later, after that phone call, I found myself on a flight from Manila to Butuan. From the airport, together with two DOT Caraga staff, we motored for a couple of hours to the Port of Surigao City for a sea voyage to the Dinagat Islands.

San Jose, the capital of the Dinagat Islands, is the most accessible, having port connections with Surigao City. Unlike my first visit to the province, where we took a chartered speedboat from Hinunduyan, Southern Leyte, to Loreto, my second visit began here via a ferry boat from Surigao Port. Shortly after leaving my belongings at Vine's Bed and Breakfast, my tour guide Al and I met our two boatmen at the resort's jetty and began our day of island-hopping exploration.

Mere minutes into our boat ride, the long white sandy shores of San Jose arrested my attention. Amidst the rocky islets and lush green mountains, it's easy to overlook the province's declaration as a mineral reserve area, which allowed mining companies to operate on the islands.

Keeping that fact in mind, it instilled in me a renewed sense of hope that once the province sheds its anonymity and gains recognition among travelers, tourism revenue will increase, thereby making it possible to put the province's mining history in the past.

What better way to introduce Dinagat Islands to the world than the Blue Lagoon in Pangabangan Island, the Pygmy Forest in Loreto, among many others, and one of our destinations this morning, the mysterious Lake Bababu.

Along the course of our boat ride, we passed through the spectacular Hagakhak Rock Formation, which instantly brought to mind the rock formations of Biri, Samar. Despite being significantly smaller than the rock formations in Biri, the Hagakhak Rock Formation's outer walls bear a striking resemblance. The rocky walls, made of sedimentary rock in a variety of shapes and forms, have patterns reminiscent of the moon, carved out by the ocean waves for thousands or even a million years.

Throughout the afternoon, we made brief stops at Cabacongan and Pagkawasan Beach, both of which provide rustic accommodations suitable for an island setting. If there is one attribute that distinguishes Dinagat from different locations in the country, it is its rawness. While I want tourism to grow in the province, I don't want it to spiral out of control. Hopefully, this untouched natural beauty will continue to exist even when tourists in quest of more off-the-beaten-path locales starts visiting the province.

As the water beneath our boat became shallower, I began seeing the rich marine life and corals below, and not far ahead, the white sandy shores of Babas Cove grew more visible. After we finally docked, I wasted no time and jumped into the water. Following a few laps, I rested on the sands and met a man who introduced himself as Mr. Ricardo Langit. He told me that since there were no land titles awarded to landowners back in the day, his family lay claim to the ownership of the property, which stretches to what he tells me, "Lake Bababu." He further explained in Tagalog, "We only have a tax declaration to prove we own this land," before he briefly explained what Lake Bababu looks like.

Since Mr. Langit informed me that hiking the lake and back would take a total of 2–3 hours, I decided to use my drone camera instead to capture a glimpse of it. Following his hand directions, I flew my drone toward a clearing of tall trees until it revealed a glimmering green body of water, almost spherical in shape and oozing with a peculiar vibe, right smack in the middle of the forest.

Despite Lake Bababu's distance from Babas Cove, an underwater cave connects the two bodies of water, transforming Lake Bababu into a blend of sea and freshwater. A bill currently in the Senate advocates for the protection and promotion of Lake Bababu as a tourist destination, citing the lake's 650-meter underground tunnel as the longest known submerged cave system in the Philippines.

Coinciding with my return trip to Dinagat Islands is the celebration of this year’s Bugkosan Festival. This year’s Bugkosan, which means “to bind," celebrates the 18th founding anniversary of Dinagat as a province.

After spending my first day island-hopping, I awoke at the first light the next day, excited to join the fray. As someone who has witnessed several Philippine festivals in different places before, I hyped myself, readying to body surf among a throng of crowds. My tour guide Al drove me on a brief habal-habal ride to the gathering stage by the port of San Jose, where we were pleasantly surprised by the sight of just about the right number of people.

Given the manageable crowd, I explained to Al how I could effortlessly wiggle myself into the action to capture photographs. He responds in Tagalog, "We have a small population, just over 100,000." I nodded and explained to him the disparity in the sheer number of attendees at festivals such as Sinulog in Cebu. “I like this more laid-back festival," I told him.

The festival featured mythical characters, Princess Dina and Prince Gat, children of two warring tribes who fell in love with each other. The Princess Dina and Prince Gat from each of the province's seven municipalities formed a circle to perform a ritual dance, signaling the start of the street dancing festivities.

The street dance snaked through the winding roads of San Jose until mid-morning, when the festival took a break for a reprieve from the scorching sun. As dusk approached, the drumming beats continued until the winners were announced. Lumad Kagjawnon from the municipality of Cagdinao won the stationary dance competition, while the contingent from Loreto won the street dance category.

While Dinagat Islands may seem underdeveloped in terms of infrastructure when compared to other provinces, it is now exhibiting signs of development. Evidence can be found on a 400-hectare land atop a hill, which was previously classified in 1939 as a mineral or mining reservation and is currently being developed into a Provincial Government Center.

The new Provincial Capitol, a replica of the World War II Japanese warship the "Yamashiro," which sank on the waters near Hibosong Island in Loreto, Dinagat Islands, during the Battle of Surigao Strait on October 25, 1944, is one of the buildings currently under construction.

While architecture purists might scoff at the design, it's important to remember that just as novelty songs become huge hits, the residents of the island province might also find this unique look of the Dinagat Islands' new provincial capitol appealing, and a fascinating landmark for tourists to check out.

In my back-to-back visit to Dinagat Islands in a month’s time, I was able to transform the unfamiliarity of the province into lasting memories of the place. Having experienced exploring a whirlwind of intriguing attractions, and friendly encounters with the locals, it is clear that my exploration of the islands of Dinagat merely skimmed the surface of what it can offer to travelers.