CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is pushing for the Mount Balatukan Range Natural Park in Misamis Oriental to be recognized as the country’s first ASEAN Heritage Park in the province. 

The recommendation was made by DENR-10 Protected Area Management Superintendent Ivy Saclote to Governor Juliette Uy during a recent validation meeting attended by the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) and international guests.

“If we pursue this and pass the validation, this will be the first ASEAN Heritage Park in Misamis Oriental,” Saclote said.

Mt. Balatukan serves as a natural buffer against typhoons for towns including Balingasag, Lagonglong, Medina, Claveria and Gingoog City. The Balatukan River, which flows from the mountain, is also a major water source for communities in the province, including the Higa-onon tribes in Northern Mindanao.

According to Higa-onon tribal beliefs, when a person dies, their soul — or gimokod — travels to Mount Balatukan to reunite with departed loved ones. The mountain, rising 8,040 feet from an extinct volcano, is central to these legends, with a river flowing from the crater symbolizing the journey of the soul.

In his article The Spirit World of the Bukidnon, Fr. Vincent G. Cullen, S.J., former parish priest of Impasugong, Bukidnon, explained that the natives see a person as composed of lawa (body) and gimokod (soul). The soul is considered the “true body,” mirroring the physical form in size and shape.

The Bukidnon also believe that when a body is weak, the soul may wander, prompting a ceremony called gimokodan to invite it back. Illness is sometimes attributed to the soul being trapped by a busaw, or evil spirit. Tribal stories recount souls traveling in dreams; one tale tells of a man whose soul journeyed to Mt. Balatukan to rescue his wife’s soul, allowing her to recover from illness.

Additionally, Bukidnon tribes believe every person has a kawa, a soul companion that stays above the grave after death and is said to frighten visitors to the cemetery.

The designation of Mt. Balatukan as an ASEAN Heritage Park would not only protect its rich biodiversity but also honor the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Higa-onon and other indigenous communities.