Mindanao—the second largest island in, down south of the republic…very far yet so close to my heart. For most of the urbanites, it is a place that most should avoid because of adjectives associated with it: war-torn, poverty-stricken and home of the “terrorists.” Indeed, the notion of the island has evaded so many people to visit this great island in the south. However, in my own perspective, we have to take a second look onto this island. Mindanao has so much to offer, so much to see, so much to experience yet so neglected and feared by many.

Mindanao was (and for some, still is) “The Wild West” of the Philippines, as what they said-a tapestry of stories of three seemingly opposite cultures, vastly still unexplored and full of potential.

Read the rest of this entry »