Pangasinan hosts what is dubbed as one of the most scenic roads in the Philippines, apart from the one in the territorially disputed Malico. Daang Katutubo, which literally means indigenous road, is a modern construction that runs through the hilly town of Aguilar. Intended to connect the remote areas of Sitio Mapita in Barangay Laoag where indigenous people reside to that of the town center, the 24.22–kilometer road is also envisioned to connect to Daang Kalikasan which leads to the neighboring province of Zambales.

It took roughly an hour and 20–minute drive from our accommodation in Estanza before we reached The Mapita View Deck of Daang Katutubo. From the parking area, it was just a very quick hike up to the hilltop deck that offers a panoramic view of the hills of Aguilar.

Apart from the scenic views in the Mapita View Deck, our eyes were caught by the presence of a lot of solar panels along the slopes of a certain part of the range. Turned out it was a solar energy farm. While its presence may seem like a scar along the lush greens, it would make sense if one would view it from the higher perspective. A modern road was constructed along indigenous pathways to provide the natives an easy access to the town center. What hence could be a better way to provide electric power to such communities than sustainable energy?

The view deck in Mapita was not the only spot that we visited when we were in Daang Katutubo. After we went down from the deck, we went for a ride further into the road network. We just continued the road trip until we reached a scenic stretch on the road where we could park the car on the side and appreciate the cool mountain road afternoon.

Scenic and serene. The roadside of Daang Katutubo.

From work to road. Some shots with my colleague, friend, and gracious host and guide in Pangasinan.

Despite arriving in the afternoon in Pangasinan and as such starting our adventures rather late, we were intent to making the most out of it. Soon thereafter, the evening started to creep in. The golden orange sunset had started to dominate the backdrop of the mountains. At that point, it was time to go. As the sun started to set in the sky, we started our descent.

Given its nature as a coastal province, Pangasinan is almost always associated with the sea. Daang Katutubo showed us an often overlooked side of Pangasinan, that it has mountain ranges too. In those forested slopes live and thrive indigenous people whose culture and tradition seem to have been frozen in time. The existence of Daang Katutubo hence, if to be true to its name, is a noble undertaking to make movement easier and more convenient for the natives, effectively integrating them to modern life without having to disturb their own customs and ways of living.

As it turned out, Daang Katutubo is more than just the scenic paved concrete road. It is a paved concrete road laid over an ancient path, long treaded upon by people whose domain has been etched since time immemorial. It is a road not only for tourism but more importantly, to facilitate ease of movement of the indigenous people as they integrate to modern society through trade and social contact. It is for them, for the katutubo, and may we keep it at that.