Essays
Learning to Fall Behind on Kalatungan
“Sometimes, it feels good to get lost in an adventure—or forget about time and schedules.” I don’t remember much about the itinerary anymore. There were permits to secure, vehicles to coordinate, schedules to follow, and campsites marked on maps. Before every climb, I tend to build the trip in my head long before my boots...
What Mt. Kalatungan Taught Me About Getting Lost
The recent news of a hiker getting lost in Mt. Kalatungan is unfortunate. Yet for those who have spent time in its forests, it is not entirely surprising. More than a decade has passed since I climbed Mt. Kalatungan, but I still remember it as one of the most demanding mountains I have ever encountered. …...
Climbing Mt. Apo via Digos-Kapatagan Back trail: A Mindful Hiking Experience
“You don’t conquer the mountain. You conquer yourself.” The Trail Inward Begins For many, summiting Mt. Apo—the highest peak in the Philippines—is a bucket-list adventure. But for me, this trek via the Digos-Kapatagan Back trail was not a conquest. It was a reconnection—with nature, with people, and with myself. Planning the...
Photography for Wellness: Mindful Frames That Heal
Photography isn’t just an art—it’s a practice of presence. A tool for clarity. A bridge to others.
Seeing Siargao Through a Different Lens: An Inventure of Self and Soul
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”— Henry David Thoreau Introduction: Beyond Surfboards and Swells When most people think of Siargao, their minds drift to Cloud 9—that iconic, barreling right-hand wave that put this island on the global surfing map. But this isn’t a story about...
Tracing Footsteps in Iloilo: A Journey Through Memory and Meaning
They say you can’t go home again—but maybe that’s only true if you expect everything to stay the same. I returned to Iloilo after nearly 15 years, heart full and schedule packed, ready to rediscover the city that shaped the early days of my journey in medicine and in life. We had planned a whirlwind …...
Bone Doc and Team TAMAC goes Penek Busay!
September 22, 2007 “Maupod ko sa Penek Busay Dokie, upod ka man? (I’m going to the Digos river trek Dokie! Are you coming with us?)” These excited words of Sir Joy surprised me because a day before I never thought we’d push trough with this trek. “Cge ah! Upod ta! (Yes we’re going!) I bewilderingly...
