Mount Pulag
Municipalities
LocationLuzon
CountryPhilippines
Coordinates16°35′0.86″N 120°53′0.93″E
Elevation2928 m
Prominence2928 m
ListingWorld most prominent peaks 107th
Island highest point 26th
Philippines high peaks 3rd
Philippines Ultra peaks 2nd
Philippines Ribu peaks 2nd
Luzon highest peak
ParentCordillera Central
Volcanic arcLuzon Volcanic Arc
First ascentc. 2000 BC by the native Ibalois.
Easiest routeAmbangeg Trail

Mount Pulag (Filipino: Bundok Pulag; ilo: Bantay Pulag)[1] is Luzon's highest peak at 2,928 metres (9,606 ft) above sea level, third-highest mountain in the Philippines, and the 26th-highest peak of an island on Earth.

It is second-most prominent mountain in the Philippines. Located on the triple border of the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya, the borders meet at the mountain's peak. Mount Pulag is third highest next to Mount Apo and Mount Dulang-dulang.[2]

Mount Pulag is famous for its "sea of clouds" and its exceptional view of the Milky Way Galaxy at dawn, which has attracted many tourists who wish to see the "other-worldly" scenery.

The entire mountain is believed to be the home to the tinmongao spirits and is the sacred resting ground of the souls of the Ibaloi people and other ethnic peoples in the area.[3]

History

The Ibaloi people of Benguet mummify their dead and house them in caverns in the mountain. The Kabayan mummy burial caves, one of the main attraction of the site, are considered Philippine national cultural treasures under Presidential Decree No. 432.[4]

Mt. Pulag was proclaimed a national park through Presidential Proclamation No. 75 signed by President Corazon Aquino on February 20, 1987, covering an area of 11,550 hectares (28,500 acres).[5] It is part of the Cordillera Biogeographic Zone and is a National Integrated Protected Areas Programme (NIPAP) site.[6]

The national park is inhabited by different ethnic groups such as the Ibalois, Kalanguya, Kankana-eys, Karao, and Ifugaos.[7]

Geography

Mount Pulag stands at 2,928 metres (9,606 ft) high.[8] The peak of the mountain is located in the Municipality of Kabayan Province of Benguet.

Climate

The climate at the summit of Mount Pulag is subpolar oceanic (Köppen Cwc), bordering a subtropical highland (Köppen Cwb) climate, as its summer mean temperatures only slightly exceed 10 degrees Celsius. Rainfall on the mountain averages 4,489 millimetres (176.7 in) yearly with August being the wettest month with an average rainfall of 1,135 millimetres (44.7 in).

Snow has never fallen on its top, as snow is impossible due to lack of elevation and subzero temperatures. However, there are hailstorms that look like snow. Frost is common on the mountain due to the low temperature during those months.[9]

During the winter season, the temperature at the highest point of the mountain is known to dip into sub-freezing temperatures, making it the coldest place in the country.[10] There is no recorded instance of snow here.

Fauna and flora

Mount Pulag has a large diversity of flora and fauna, including many species that are endemic to the mountain.[11] Mount Pulag hosts 528 documented plant species. It is the natural habitat of the dwarf bamboo (Yushania niitakayamensis) and the Benguet pine (Pinus kesiya) that dominate the areas of Luzon tropical pine forests found on the mountainsides. From the 1950s to the early 1970s the more accessible tracts of Benguet pine were felled.[12] The Philippine yew tree, which contains a compound associated with cancer treatment, is found on Mount Pulag.[13] Its bark is used by indigenous Ibaloi and Kalanguya communities to make tea.[14]

At lower elevations, Mount Pulag has a mossy forest full of ferns, lichens, and moss.[11]

Among its native wildlife are 33 bird species and several threatened mammals such as the Philippine deer, giant bushy-tailed cloud rat (bowet) and the long-haired fruit bat.[6] Mount Pulag is the only place that hosts the four cloud rat species. It is one of the most biodiverse locations in the Philippines, with the newly found (since 1896) 185-grams dwarf cloud rat, Carpomys melanurus, a rare breed (endemic to the Cordillera), and the Koch pitta bird among its endangered denizens.

Conservation efforts

In April 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law declaring Mount Pulag as a protected landscape under the National Integrated Protected Areas System.[15]

Hiking activity

As the highest mountain in Luzon, Mount Pulag attracts a lot of mountain climbers.[6] Highlights of the climb include the montane forests and the grassland summit with its "sea of clouds" phenomenon. There are four major trails up the summit: the Ambangeg, Akiki, and Tawangan trails from Benguet and the Ambaguio trail from Nueva Vizcaya. These trails are managed by the Mount Pulag National Park, under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Incidents

Presidential helicopter crash

On April 7, 2009, a Philippine Air Force (PAF) Bell 412 of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing crashed at 6,900 feet (2,100 m) above sea level in the Kabayan-Pulag pass between Mount Mangingihi and Mount Pulag in thick low cloud and fog. The pilots and their passengers, who were presidential appointees, died in the crash.[16]

January 2018 forest fire

On January 20, 2018, the Mount Pulag National Park temporarily suspended trekking and hiking activities on Mount Pulag following a forest fire at a section of the mountain. According to an initial investigation, the fire started when a butane gas stove brought by a hiker allegedly exploded. Fire officers declared the fire extinguished later that day.[17][18] Lawsuits were afterwards filed against the perpetrators of the fire. Park rangers estimated it would take at least 6 months to 1 year before the area completely recovers.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Highest Mountains of the Philippines!". Tagalog Lang. July 25, 2015. Archived January 23, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  2. ^ Lasco, Gideon (January 24, 2016). "The 10 Highest Mountains in the Philippines (2016 Update)". Pinoy Mountaineer. Archived January 22, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  3. ^ "Benguet Folk to Appease Mount Pulag Spirits". The Manila Times. Archived September 21, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  4. ^ Cariño, Delmar (April 27, 2009). "Respect Mummies, Pulag Trekkers Told". Inquirer.net. Archived April 28, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  5. ^ "Proclamation No. 75; Declaring As Mount Pulag National Park Certain Parcels of Land of the Public Domain Embraced and Situated in the Municipalities of Buguias and Kabayan in Benguet, Kiangan in Ifugao and Kayapa in Nueva Viscaya, Island of Luzon.". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. February 20, 1987. Archived October 5, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  6. ^ Leprozo, Dave Jr. (December 25, 2009). "Mapping out Mount Pulag". GMA News Online. Archived October 4, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  7. ^ McShane, Thomas O. & Wells, Michael P. (eds.) (2004). Getting Biodiversity Projects to Work: Towards More Effective Conservation and Development. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-231-12764-6.
  8. ^ "Inactive Volcanoes Part 6". Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. July 30, 2008. Archived March 22, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  9. ^ Ilao, Micaella (January 19, 2017). "Mt. Pulag Temperature Drops to 1 Degree Celsius". ABS-CBN News. Archived August 6, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  10. ^ Dumlao, Artemio (December 29, 2015). "Mt. Pulag Freezes Below Zero". Philstar Global. Archived August 1, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  11. ^ "Mt. Pulag National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived February 10, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  12. ^ Hicks, Nigel (2002). The National Parks and Other Wild Places of The Philippines. New Holland Publishers. p. 31. ISBN 978 1 84330 162 2.
  13. ^ Bengwayan, Michael A. (March 5, 2019). "Companies Rush to Patent Wildlife of the Philippines" (OpEd). Eurasia Review. Archived June 26, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  14. ^ Bengwayan, Michael A. (July 29, 2018). "PHL Biodiversity Under Siege from Biopirates". Business Mirror. Archived June 28, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Aning, Jerome (April 29, 2022). "Pulag, Tirad Pass, 3 others declared protected areas". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived April 29, 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ Yagumyum, Rudy (April 16, 2009). "PAF Provides More Details on Presidential Chopper Crash". ABS-CBN. Archived August 10, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  17. ^ Comanda, Zaldy (January 21, 2018). "Mt. Pulag Closed to Hikers Due to Forest Fire". Manila Bulletin. Archived January 23, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  18. ^ "Hikers, Trekkers Barred from Mount Pulag After Forest Fire". ABS-CBN News. January 20, 2018. Archived January 21, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  19. ^ Agoot, Liza (January 20, 2018). "Activities at Mt. Pulag Suspended Due to Forest Fire". Philippine News Agency. Archived January 22, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2018.