Upon reaching Isabela City port in Basilan, I was fetch by my host Ludwig and was asked to stay first in the passenger terminal. His team of volunteers has an emergency to attend to and had to bring a patient aboard the fast craft going to Zamboanga City to seek urgent medical attention. After the patient has been settled in the boat, we rode the ambulance and proceeded to their group's home base, which is a few meters away from the port.
From there, I hopped into his motorcycle and we started the road trip to the rubber plantations - Basilan's prime agricultural industry.
The national hi-way of Basilan is well paved. If not for some isolated insurgencies, I could say that it's relatively peaceful and quiet here. With this hi-way, I could feel that this province is rich, even richer than other provinces I've been to.
After about a 20 minute-ride, passing through some barangays, agricultural lands and several military checkpoints, we reached the rubber plantation.
I was stunned by the huge number of rubber trees in the area and how they were beautifully lined up. The canopy of rubber trees in front of me is definitely a feast to my eyes.
History says that the victory of the Americans over the Spaniards and gaining possession of the Philippines, gave them the opportunity to clear large expanses of land and establish plantations in Basilan to mainly produce rubber and copra. It is said that the Philippines' first commercial rubber plantation, the American Rubber Co. was established in the province by Dr. James Strong in the early 1900s.
When I was younger, I only know that rubber comes from a tree. I've never seen how this tree looks like. Since then, I wondered how a rubber would come from a tree? Hehehe!!!
So, how these trees produce rubber? The trunk of the trees was cut then each tree has a small plastic cup that collect latex sap dripping from it. These glue-like sap are collected and processed into rubber.
More than 50,000 hectares of the island produce these latex saps, mostly managed by cooperatives, making Basilan the leading rubber producer in the country.
This is one of my recommended places to visit in the province. Learn how rubber is produced and enjoy the sights with a road trip to the rubber plantations! Enjoy!
My Basilan trip is one of the most "nerve-wracking" journeys I've had so far. Known as one of the most dangerous provinces in the Philippines, I bravely set foot on this island province last July 2, 2011. This series narrates the experiences I had in pursuing with my goal of setting foot in Basilan, definitely a one hell of an adventure! To date, this is my 5th solo trip and the 29th province on my list. | |
 Maps By: Wikipedia |
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so good that you were able to reach those areas. the rubber trees are really picturesque even from the road.
ReplyDeleteThose trees look like they're bleeding white blood. I'd put this place on my must-see list!
ReplyDeleteHanggang Zamboanga City pa lang ang narating ko, but if given the right opportunity I would also like to set foot in Basilan and also in Patikul, Sulu. I have read that the beaches there are awesome. Thanks for sharing these glimpses of Basilan mervs!
ReplyDeletewow... hindi ba nakakatakot dyan??? pero ang ganda ng lugar... at I'm sure very fresh ang air dyan... very nice trip :)
ReplyDeleteMay tanim kami dati na "Rubber Tree", pero nung inayos yung bahay, isa ito sa mga nabunot... Ang ganda pala ng rubber tree kapag marami, you are lucky to reach places like this! Ito rin yung ginagawang bubble gum, hehehe! =)
ReplyDeleteastig...sana next year pagpunta ko rin ng zamboanga, makapunta ako ng basilan, pwede din ba maging contact person/host/travel guide/etc.....^_^ un ngescort sayo sa trip mo nato...
ReplyDeleteparang ang presko ng hangin dyan no... di ka ba natatakot dyan? :D
ReplyDeleteempi
@dong ho - yeah, sarap pagmasdan... at sa ganda ng road, ang sarap talaga mag road trip... thanks to your brother talaga... :)
ReplyDelete@IndieEscape - it's a must-see talaga... thanks po! :)
ReplyDelete@Earl E. Bolivar - would love to set foot in Sulu soon! sana makahanap ng host... hehehe! thanks Earl! Tara na! Byahe tayo! :)
ReplyDelete@Good Filipino - as i've always said po, Basilan si relatively peaceful, just that there wer isolated bombing incidents that happens... basta kalangan lang may host ka dun... para di mahirap to move around... :)
ReplyDeleteHi po we are planning to go there with my daughter Sept 14. And I've read that it is safe to do diy backpacking. But how can we go in rubber plantation. Pls reply.
DeleteIf ever can you pls help me to have a contact person in Basilan
Delete@isp101 - ah, i didn't know na ginagawa din itong bubble gum.. thanks for sharing! yup, ganda talaga nya pag madami at naka-ayos talaga cya... hehehe!!! thanks po! :)
ReplyDelete@lakwatserong tatay - my host is the brother of a fellow PTB member... post ka sa group... hehehe!!! i would love to read your stories about it pag nagpunta ka na next year... thanks Brian! :)
ReplyDeletehmmmnnn...what a trip indeed! Never had a chance to set foot on that island though been to Zamboanga City twice. Probably next time. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that this place has gotten a bad rap--rightly or wrongly--among our countrymen and foreigners. Which is why I admire folks like you who have visited the place and returned with great stories to tell. :)
ReplyDelete@joelmag - punta na sir! Basilan is so beautiful... i wish i had more time to explore the beaches... maybe on my next visit nalang... thanks Joelmag! :)
ReplyDelete@Cedric - that's the sad reality... it's been tainted with too much bad news, which in my opinion are isolated cases only... hope to see more people visiting the island... Thanks Cedric! :)
ReplyDeletei like those trees, i mean how were they planted along the road..nice..
ReplyDeletemaganda tlga ang basilan.problema lng takot ang mga tao na pumunta hir dhil sa security concern.my surfing point sa matata tuburan.bin der n ang laki ng mga waves prang bali indo.
ReplyDeletemas delikado tumira ibang lugar kesa sa basilan
ReplyDelete