I"Byaheng Langit" (Dokumentaryo ni Sandra Aguinaldo) 4

"Biyaheng Langit"


Kung handa kang suungin ang peligrosong daan, mararating mo ang lugar kung saan ang mga residente ay namumuhay sa alapaap.

Pero paano nga ba ang mamuhay sa bingit ng mga bangin... kung ang daan pa lang patungo rito ay binansagang nakamamatay?

This Monday, Sandra Aguinaldo braves the treacherous mountain road up to Benguet to visit a place that residents believe is the closest place to God. Sandra comes face to face with families living literally on the edge.

Halsema Highway is considered one of the most dangerous highways in the world. Everyday, commuters, transporters, tourists, and residents coming from Baguio or Mt. Province ply this route, braving steep crags, narrow, unpaved roads and sheer drop offs, some more than 1000 feet, without a safety guard rail. Known as the "main artery" of the Cordillera's road system, the 150-mile Halsema Highway links Baguio and Benguet province to the rest of Northern Luzon. In this national highway, you can find what is called the Highest Point in the Philippine Highway System--the municipality of Atok .

Though it may seem that life on this mountaintop is a "walk in the clouds," at 7400 ft. above sea level things always seem to hang in the balance. There is the constant threat of landslides, rockslides and mud slides during the rainy season. Inevitable road accidents due to thick fog are recorded on a yearly basis along its cliffs. Last year, typhoon Pepeng caused a landslide that ravaged barangay pasdong that claimed 4 lives. Two survivors recall the nightmare as they brace themselves again because the rainy season has arrived.

Here in Atok, many still live along the mountain's edge, for this is where their farms are. A father insists on keeping his children inside the confines of his property at all times for his house is perched along a cliff. Playing outside for kids could be fatal. Thick fog often engulfs the already treacherous place. Residents and farmers who live among the clouds face the challenge of low visibility, landslides and frost. Danger is already part of their daily lives but residents have learned to accept their fate... believing that their prayers to keep them safe are only a whisper away from the ears of God.

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Salamat po sa panalangin ninyo.Salamat din po sa pagpapakita sa Mundo sa Buhay namin