Japanese Fort

JAPANESE FORT

 Now accommodates the Municipality’s Phil. Nat’l Police Headquarter. The barracks is self-sustaining with potable crystal-clear spring water where local residents flock for their drinking water, have their bath and wash their clothes.

In the Second World War, when the Japanese invaded the Philippines, the Japanese military built a big camp in Malabang, including a network of tunnels around it. It was considered a major camp of the Japanese forces. In 1942, the Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos was brought to this camp, after he was captured in Cebu while fleeing from Japanese forces. Chief Justice Abad Santos was executed in the camp and was buried in Barangay Curahab. The place was later named Barangay Jose Abad Santos.

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Tombs of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Mastura

TOMBS OF SULTAN KUDARAT AND DATU MASTURA

The tomb of Sultan Kudarat, one of the most highly hailed Maguindanao heroes and from whom the name of the municipality derived, and is located in the heart of the municipality. His eminence manifested the strong will up the early Maguindanaon for self-determination devoid of any foreign influences and also the tomb of Datu Mastura, another Maguindanao figure who contributed much of the evolvement of the present Maguindanao.

Sultan Kudarat (formerly Nuling) is a 1st class municipality in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of about 82,758 people in 27,550 households.

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Lagbasan Cave

LAGBASAN CAVE

Lagbasan Cave is one of the famous caves in the municipality of Sen. Ninoy Aquino. It is frequented by local and international cave enthusiasts due to its majestic stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, and unique rock formations. Ancient burial jars made from limestone had been discovered in Lagbasan Cave.

Lagbasan cave is the most beautiful cave in the world. Lagbasan cave fund in Barangay Kuden,Kulaman Senator Ninoy Aquino Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao, Philippines.

Barangay Kuden have many cave the must popular is the Lagbasan cave,Lagbasan have a very large place inside the cave, white stones and a nice form of stalagmite and stalactite,you will amaze of this Lagbasan cave. I could say that the people their is the nature lover, they taken care of the nature and the all the cave's that they have. I have been their last April 18-22, 2014. I was amaze in this cave. God is so grate He made this cave a very nice and beautiful..I want to see again the Lagbasan Cave and i want to share to others how beautiful it is. we are so bless to have a nice cave. let us help the people to take care of all the caves all around the world. if you want to experience the lagbasan cave just look for Barangay captain Ador L. Marzo, and i sure you will enjoy and you can share to your friends. that are you waiting for Lagbasan Cave is waiting for you to fund the beauty of this nature,. 

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Houses on Stilts

HOUSES ON STILTS

Renting a boat to go island hopping, cluster of houses on stilts by the seashore is a typical sight. The predominantly Samal tribe/ethnic group of Tawi-tawi lives in these houses on stilts an affirmation of their culture that is closely linked to the sea.

Children playing by their houses bridge platforms and diving into the water is a common scene. A boat by the houses step ladder down to the sea is ready-to-go anytime just like the typical car in the garage.

Of course, Tawi-Tawi won't look the same without the houses on stilts built by the Tausugs and the Badjaos. Tawi-Tawi is also known to be an area for migrants from Malaysia and Indonesia, though I heard most of them are not happy that they are here. Nevertheless, they put up residence on bamboo stilts on the shallow white sand beaches along the coast.

Some of the areas we passed by were entire communities that looked like a village on stilts. Some houses were abandoned though. Some even had the flags of their tribes on poles. 

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Plaza Heneral Santos

PLAZA HENERAL SANTOS

The General Paulino Santos Shrine can be found inside the Plaza Heneral Santos. The City got its name from this brave and talented General born on June 22, 1890 in Camiling, Tarlac and died on August 29, 1945 in Kiangan, Mt. Province. General Santos (the person) is the son of Remigio Santos and Rosa Torres. He graduated as a Valedictorian in the Military Academy of the Philippines in 1914. As a Governor, he improved the education, agriculture and communication in Lanao. He became a Jail Director and developed the Davao Penal Colony and responsively moved the New Bilibid Prison to Muntinlupa. He became the First Commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and made six conferences in South Cotabato. For all of his achievements in the Mindanao Area, Buayan (formerly Dadiangas) changed its name to General Santos and later on it became a City. The remains of General Paulino Santos and his wife Elisa Santos, who died in October 25, 1975, were placed inside the monument.

Its your typical city landmark. Each major city in the Philippines has this what we call " Plaza", the towns main public area or is an open urban public space, such as a city square. Here you can see the monument of General Santos which has given birth to the city's Name General Santos City. 

If you are planning to see and visit this place, a good 5-10 minute stop is good enough to get a glimpse of Plaza Heneral Santos.

The park is my type of place during my heyday high school days. At night, there are many people mostly students seating by all over. Chain of restaurants is just around the corner, or there are lots of street foods stall if you are on the budget. The music is like chants of religious songs and I would have imagined what a beautiful place this would be in Yuletide season. If you were native in GenSan, definitely this is the place of your teenager memories.

The plaza is clean and tidy , you cannot smoke there , basic but pleasing to the eyes , better at night as in the day there is few shade options due to lack of trees , i would say worth taking a look , oh and there is a statue of the general which should be bigger in my opinion.

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Pearl Farm at Marungas Island

PEARL FARM 

One of the Marungas Island’s prides is its pearl farm that is home to some of the country’s precious cultured pearls. This sanctuary can be reached by a 30-minute boat from the island of Jolo.

Sulu is an island province of the Philippines belonging in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It is located in the southernmost part of the country and consists of over 157 scattered and almost isolated islands, some of them still unnamed, stretching from the tip of Zamboanga southward towards Borneo. These islands and islets are divided into four groups: Jolo group, Pangutaran group, Tongkil-Banguingui (Samales) group and Siasi-Tupal group.

The island, located in Sulu Sea, is dotted with coral reefs and can provide probably some of the world's best dive spots for those seeking the ultimate in underwater beauty and adventure.

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The Grand Mosque in Cotabato City

GRAND MOSQUE

I only learned of this place from fellow travelers blogsites and I got curious. According to the people around it, the Grand Mosques was a gift from Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam. No wonder It resembled the great mosques I saw in Brunei.

To get to this place, find your way to the highway fronting the Husky Terminal. Hire a habal-habal (motorbike). For two people, cost would be around 80 pesos (2$) while in my case I paid 150 pesos (3.5$) for a round trip. The trip would be along a 5km well-paved road. If your driver is conversant, you can ask many questions and even ask him to be your photographer.

Upon reaching the Grand Mosque, take time to not only have photos by the front but actually go around the periphery. Do wear decent long pants when in here. Be courageous enough to talk to the people in the mosque. I was lucky to have a conversation with the caretaker who took me around the mosque and told me stories about it. He says the best time to visit here and a photo is around 4 in the afternoon.

A good place to visit when in Cotabato City, well maintained and you can feel how the people love their city. the sad part is that it is far from the hi-way thats why you need to have a vehicle or hire motorcycle to be able to go there.

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