Enchanting Lake Sebu and the T’bolis

CEBU, Philippines - When I found out that the General Santos City familiarization tour sponsored by Microtel and Cebu Pacific Air included a side trip to Lake Sebu, I got super excited. This was because aside from the fact that it was my first trip back to Mindanao as an adult (I was born in Butuan but left the place when I was two years old and have never been back since), I will also get to see the land of one of the famous tribes of the Philippines, the T’boli (tee-bo-lee).

You see, when I was in high school, one of my teachers, Ms. Ligaya Rabago (now Prof. Ligaya RabagoVisaya) got us hooked on T’boli crafts like the tubao and lmimot, necklaces made of intricate beadwork that have tiny hawkbells called Tnoyong. The Lake Sebu trip made my Mindanao homecoming exciting and interesting.

Lake Sebu is a natural lake located in the Municipality of Lake Sebu, in the Allah Valley region in South Cotabato. The municipality is a three-hour drive from General Santos City by private transportation.

The lake, considered as the ancestral domain of the T’boli and another tribe, the Ubo, is actually composed of three magnificent mountain lakes – Lake Sebu, the largest; Lake Siluton, the deepest; and Lake Lahit, the smallest. The local tribesmen rely on the lake for their food, as evidenced by the many fish pensused to grow tilapia, hito and freshwater shrimps.

While touring the lake on a motorized banca (P500 per trip for a maximum of 15 persons), our guide, a T’boli woman, said the water level in the lake has been constant and has never experienced “high tide or low tide.” This, she explained, is due to the springs and waterfalls within the lake area that constantly provide water. 

There are 12 islands in Lake Sebu, all of which have no electricity but are home to the local tribesmen and a variety of flora and fauna. “We do not have crocodiles here in the lake but we do have a Crocodile Island,” our guide pointed out, referring to the biggest island that is shaped like a crocodile.

According to our guide, the T’boli in Lake Sebu have kept their culture alive but have also adapted modern practices. She explained that their ancestors used to hang the dead in trees in one of the islands in the lake.  This practice, however, has been stopped and now the T’boli bury their dead in a cemetery.  Several of the islands in the lake have also been bought by private individuals, who have made vacation houses in the area.

Lunch was at Punta Isla Lake Resort, one of the popular resorts in the area, where we were treated to local dishes of tinolang manok bisaya, grilled tilapia, vegetables and local fruits. Punta Isla actually offers 50 different tilapia dishes to showcase the most popular product in the area, the tilapia (more popularly known as St. Peter’s fish).

While feasting on local fare, we were also treated to T’boli dances such as the courtship dance and the kadaliwas (monkey dance) accompanied by their traditional musical instruments - the tnonggong (deerskin drum), and thesloli (bamboo flute). One of the performers explained that the T’bolis consider monkeys as one of their ancestors, thus the dance, and also the reason why monkeys roam freely in the area.

For the adventurous travelers, Lake Sebu also boasts of hot springs accessible by trekking, as well as the longest zipline in Southeast Asia. The zipline gives one a glimpse of some of the waterfalls, as well as the lush vegetation in the area.

Various shops that sell T’boli crafts such as T’nalak cloth, decorative combs, earrings, bracelets and other trinkets are scattered in the different resorts and activity areas in Lake Sebu.

Urbanization may be slowly creeping into Lake Sebu and the lives of the T’boli (our guide said there are plans to put up a cable car service for tourists), but it cannot be denied that the tribesmen are able to maintain the enchanting charm of Lake Sebu.