Conquering the Bukidnon-Davao 'high'-way

DRIVING at 1,200 meters under heavy fog was not part of the plan. My friend, a native of Bukidnon, and his family only wanted to get some Christmas tree pines. But we ended up driving farther and farther looking for the ones with the best Christmas tree shape.

We originally planned to explore the Blue Water Caves in Quezon, Bukidnon, but the rains of previous days rendered the trail to the caves muddy. «Let's drive to BuDa instead and buy some pine trees,» suggested my friend. The thought of driving through the road dubbed as the «Baguio of the south» got me excited, and I immediately replied, «let's go!»

BuDa, short for Bukidnon-Davao, is a highway that connects Maramag, Bukidnon, with Davao City. Until its opening in the 1990s, getting from Cagayan de Oro to Davao City was via the Butuan-Tagum road, which took 10 to 12 hours of driving time. The opening of the BuDa stretch shortened the driving time from Cagayan de Oro to Davao City to almost half. Unlike the Butuan-Tagum road, which is mostly flat, the BuDa road snakes through the central mountains of Bukidnon and Davao City.

Highway in the sky

BuDa Road is a 40-kilometer, two-to-four lane national primary highway that connects Maramag, Bukidnon, and McArthur Highway in Davao City. It passes through the municipalities of Maramag, Quezon, and Kitaotao in Bukidnon and the Marilog and Calinan districts in Davao City. It crosses the Pantaron Mountain Range or the Central Cordillera of Mindanao, which contains one of the last remaining old-growth forests in Mindanao. On a clear day, the majestic Mount Apo shows its peak on the southwestern side.

Bukidnon side

From Sayre Highway in Maramag, Bukidnon, the BuDa Road starts at the junction going to the municipality of Quezon, known for its limestone cliffs and blue-water caves. The road climbs to an elevation of 600 meters in Barangay Malampay, where the winding curves locally called «bitukang manok» challenge motorists with steep inclines and narrow turns. At the end of the last curve is a favorite stopover, the Overview Park, where one can get a full view of the zigzags and the surrounding mountains of Bukidnon. An interesting attraction at the park is the series of