An afternoon at the B’laan Village in Lamlifew

During my first day in General Santos City, I decided to travel to the town of Malungon in the province of Sarangani. Malungon is only 45 minutes away from General Santos via comfortable bus ride.

You might wonder what made me decide to go to Malungon. I just read about it in Lonely Planet Philipine Magazine’s maiden issue about their feature about Sarangani.

Right in the middle of Barangay Datal Tampal is a small sitio named Lamlifew (pronounced by the locals as Lam-Leeh-Faw). It is in this small village that the ethnic tribe B’laan settled.

The B’laan women gathered ans worked together to put up the School of Living Tradition. It is through this school that the traditional ways of B’laan way of life is continued and teached to the younger generation.

Everyday the women would gather at the school and weave B’laan fabrics, make baskets, or create jewelries and accessories made of beads.

cotton fiber used for weaving

Another feature of the School of Living tradition is a vernacular house which was used as a house by a B’laan tribe Datu before.

The road leading to Lamlifew is not completely paved. There are still rough roads, and out motorcycle have to literally cross asmall river just to go there, but the lessons i learned from the B’laan is priceless.

Blaan Vernacular House

The B’laan Museum curator, ate Helen, explained to me that while the women would weave and make jewelries, or would take care of their kids, the men would normally go out farming. They’d usually plant corn, bananas, and rice.

She also explained to me basically everything about the Blaan way of life. I also asked her about their burial practices. She said that long before, they also hang their dead loved ones in mountaintops. Just like in Sagada, Mountain Province. But a modernity set in, they no longer practice this ritual, instead, they now bury their dead the way we do it today: 6ft below the ground.

Ate Helen also added that today, there are a lof of B’laan kids that were born out of mixed marriage. Their culture do not prohibit intermarriage between other ethnic groups. That’s why a lot of kids there are just half B’laan.

Ate Helen, who is a B’laan herself has married an Ilonggo. that is why she is fluent in their dialect, as well as Cebuano and Hiligaynon.

It was an afternoon full of learning. I have learned so much. A lot of things that I did not learn from the four walls of the classroom.

How to go to the Lamlifew B’laan village:

Take a bus from Bulaong Bus Terminal in general Suntos City. Tell the driver or conductor that you’ll br dropped at MALANDAG in Malungon, Sarangani. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes. Road is very well paved. I would always suggest you take the Yellow Bus Line, as he seats are comfortable, and it looks like its one of the best transport line that passes by Malungon.

Upon arrival at Malandag, take a habal habal (motorcycle). Tell the driver to bring you to Lamlifew. Lamlifew is around 6.7kilometers away from the highway. Going rate for habal habal is PHP40 one way. Arrange with the driver to wait for you. As there are no other habal habal at the Lamlifew that going to the highway. some parts of the road leading to Lamlifew is still unpaved. We even got to cross a small river to go to the School of Living Tradition.

upon arrival at the place, look for Ate Helen to bring you to the museum. There’s also a small store where the local products are sold as pasalubong.