Glan escapade

OVER the weekend, we travelled to Glan in Sarangani.

According to https://www.sarangani.gov.ph/, Glan is located at the southernmost tip of the Philippines. It boasts of pristine shorelines dotted with strips of powdery white-sand beach resorts facing the Celebes Sea.

Among the earliest Christian towns in Mindanao, Glan has heaps to offer both for tourists and investors. Colonial-era structures make Glan even more interesting to visitors.

Website literature further said, visitors can take a quick walk around the quaint town center and experience idyllic life which has not really changed through the years.

I agree with the description of the place: idyllic. My son Hezekiah was astonished by the tranquility of Glan. Having been born in the city, the “town feel” was something novel to him.

I grew up in the city myself, but I always visited the hometown of my mother – this is in the island-paradise of Bohol – each summer break and Christmas vacation, so it didn’t strike me as something new. I just relived the memory of my young life. That’s the perk of land trips. You get to relish the feel of the place you explore and even the towns you pass by. What could be more fascinating!
Our main purpose to visit Glan was really to check the joint of my former MBA classmate Joseph A. Hulguin, a retired banker, and now an entrepreneur in Glan, Sarangani. He owns Chef Nico’s Choco Puro. I have promised to visit his place.

Finally, I did with Hezekiah Kit and Shiloh Ruthie last Sunday. It was a fun trip. The roads were good except for the perennial construction, here and there, that usually mars an otherwise leisurely trip.

Apart from the food, the best part of the visit was the conversation about all and sundry. Conversation topics ranged from Glan history, business, governance, and naturally politics. What would a meaningful discussion be without a sprinkle of politics, huh! Joseph and I share the same wavelengths, so the exchange was practically uninterrupted, haha!

We asked Joseph about the Port of Glan since I have seen it in some of his posts. He gladly gave us information. Thus, we decided to explore the area. I checked the website of the Philippine Ports Authority as I write this column. According to the website, construction by phases, is ongoing. It was refreshing to see the place near-ready for operation. It’s not a large port unlike the huge ports we see in major cities like General Santos City, Cebu City, or Cagayan de Oro City. However, it can serve as an alternative port or extension port to the existing General Santos Port. I wonder when the Glan Port will become fully operational. I look forward to it!

In the meantime, it is used as terminal for local tourists proceeding to a nearby resort, so says the fisherman who happened to be in the area when we checked the port.

I had to ask. It’s part and parcel of my never-ending curiosity. I was wondering about the number of handsome vehicles parked inside the port area. When I asked the fisherman about the vehicles, he explained that the owners are at a nearby resort.

When pressed, he added that resort goers leave their vehicles inside the port and take the motorized banca to and from the resort. Not bad, huh! Very convenient, if you ask me. True enough, before we left the port, a motorized banca carrying resort goers was returning.

We left the port after savoring the pristine beauty of the sea and the healthy Mangrove forest. We then drove around the Población where we saw old Hispanic houses that truly reflect the history of this quaint town.

Then to my pleasant surprise, I saw a group of statues standing by a small Plaza with the inscription, “Glan 1914”. That for me, is totally awesome! It’s priceless! That captures it all – the history, culture, and age of Glan as a municipality. No wonder the municipality has Spanish-inspired houses. Glan, according to the website of Sarangani, is one of the oldest towns of Mindanao. With the old houses as proof, I don’t think anyone can debate it!

I am hoping that a replica of those statues, with the same historical value, be placed somewhere conspicuous for people to see, appreciate, and get inspiration from.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Sometimes it only takes an hour of travel to be totally surprised. No big budget. No huge preparation. Just a big heart, an open mind, and plenty of curiosity.

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For comments, you may reach the writer at belca.87@gmail.com./PN