Backpacking Philippines: Banaue Rice Terraces, Manunggul Jar, Langgal : Philippine National Treasures on the 1000 Peso Bill

Banaue Rice Terraces, Manunggul Jar, Langgal : Philippine National Treasures on the 1000 Peso Bill

A few weeks ago, Tutubi was asked by a friend, while holding a crisp 1000 peso bill, if he's been to the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. Tutubi replied affirmatively, reached for the P1000 bill, not to pocket it but to explain the other pictures on the reverse side of the Philippine bank note.

He went on to explain the meaning and significance of the Banaue Rice Terraces, the langgal and manunggul jar in Philippine culture and national pride.

photos of the three national treasures of the Philippines on the P1000 bank note: the rice terraces on the left, manunggul jar at the upper right and the langgal on the lower right.

Hagdan-Hagdang Palayan ng Banawe (Rice Terraces of Banaue) is estimated to have been in existence for two thousand years. Tutubi was able to see this "wonderful staircase to the heavens" in 2004 after his tour of breathtaking Sagada and Bontoc Museum with Ferdz as guide. It was raining that time that hindered picture taking. The rice terraces, together with local customs and traditions tied to it, is enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and made it to the list of "1000 places to see before you die."

Manunggul Jar, excavated in Manunggul Cave near the famous Tabon Caves in Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan by US Peace Corps volunteers, is a burial jar with a cover portraying a boat-of-the-dead with souls sailing into the next world (quite similar to, but not copied from, Charon in Greek Mythology ferrying dead across the river Acheron or Styx). Now exhibited at the National Museum of the Filipino People in Manila, it dates back to the Neolithic period of Philippine history. Note the boat even has a face that denotes the makers belief in the anito of yore where inanimate objects possess spirits and therefore should be respected. The manunggul jar is one of those exhibits displayed at the National Museum that Tutubi never fails to miss every time he goes there.

The langgal, sometimes called ranggar by the Maranao people of Mindanao, is a Muslim place of worship in the Sulu Archipelago (particularly the Yakans) headed by an imam, and assisted by two helpers, the habib and the bilal, as prescribed by Islam.

These three vignettes project a new cultural image of the greatness of the Filipino people here and abroad but, sadly, only the rice terraces seem to be well-known and won't even show up for list of common Filipiniana list of most Filipinos.

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How to go to National Museum, Manila:

Commuting there is easy with jeepneys from Quezon City with signboards Kalaw, Mabini, Harrison Plaza, Taft, Herran, PGH all pass by Rizal Park (Luneta) where the museum is located. It's also within walking distance from LRT UN Avenue station. Driving there is no problem also as it's fairly popular. Parking space, however, is a problem.

How to get to Banaue Rice Terraces:

Commute to Banaue by bus: Autobus, with terminal at Espana corner Cataluna St in Manila, has the Manila to Banaue daily trip that takes about 8 hours. Its terminal is mere walking distance from the rice terraces view deck and Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel for cheap accommodations.

Travel Tip: In Banaue, you may also visit Sagada and Bontoc Museum to complete your itinerary.

Further Reading:
Artes Filipinas on Manunggul Jar

BSP: Know Your Currency

NOTES: The only other place in the Philippines that made it to the "1000 Places to See Before You Die" list is the über-exclusive and pricey Amanpulo Resort in Palawan (though Tutubi sort of looks at the book as trivializing travel to just a mere shopping list)

Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim, and Josefa Llanes Escoda featured on the obverse side of the bill are three heroes/martyrs during the second world war.

If you're interested in Paleolithic Pre-history of the Philippines, go to the museum in Tuguegarao where excavations in Cagayan Valley proved the presence of paleolithic life in these islands.

If you're a treasure hunter hunting for treasures in the Philippines, just follow directions on how to "discover" the treasures discussed above. No details and maps will lead you to the lost treasure of Yamashita or the golden buddha.

Related Post:
How to Get to Banaue

Labels: 1000 Places To See Before You Die, Bank Notes, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ifugao, National Cultural Treasures

posted by GingGoy @ 8:56 PM,

25 Comments:

At Jan 12, 2008, 8:44:00 AM, Sidney said...: I am amazed by your knowledge...
I am ashamed to admit that I never looked closely at the images printed on the 1000 Peso Bill. Shows you how critic less people are (me included).
At Jan 12, 2008, 10:19:00 AM, GingGoy said...: sidney, thank you for the compliment but why be ashamed? you often get hold of that bill most filipinos don't being the highest peso denomination there is. you've traveled these islands more than most locals did. btw, remember salibanda in paete on the last sunday of january.you may get in touch with Kap. Hensol :P
At Jan 12, 2008, 1:16:00 PM, pieterbie said...: Hey, thanks for this! So interesting. I really find this stuff worthwhile decorations for a bill. We could learn from that.
At Jan 12, 2008, 4:05:00 PM, exskindiver said...: hi tutubi,
finally i am liking you up.
i don't know why it has taken this long.
i have always have to click on your through other sites. parang scavenger hunt.
pweh.

happy new year.
At Jan 12, 2008, 5:52:00 PM, GingGoy said...: pieterbie, interesting! the first 2 commenters here are europeans

cheska, thanks for the link
At Jan 12, 2008, 11:54:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Have to plan a visit to Philippines some time. This is one of the few Asian countries I haven't yet had the pleasure visiting.
At Jan 13, 2008, 12:11:00 AM, Anonymous said...: The images printed on the bills varies and they are amazing. I've been wanting to go to Banaue since I saw the coverage on National Geographic.

(:
At Jan 13, 2008, 12:14:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Hi. I would like to share with you some new readings that somehow expounded on this Jar.

Dr Katrin de Guia, PhD, author of the book "KAPWA: The Self in the Other (World Views of Seven Filipino Culture-Bearers)," published by Anvil Publishing, touched on the symbolism of this manunggul jar, taking it up from the a similar image depicted by National Artist NVM Gonzales in one of his novels.
At Jan 13, 2008, 4:57:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Just like sidney I also never looked closely at any images printed on the bills.It's a great piece of infos indeed.Thanks for sharing!
At Jan 13, 2008, 12:49:00 PM, exskindiver said...: ako rin, i never looked closely at the 1000.00 bill, i was just amazed at how little it bought considering it was the highest denomination.
grabe!
hi tutubi!
i have never been to any of those exotic places you mentioned like sagada or amanpulo.

maybe one day.
happy new year!
At Jan 13, 2008, 1:20:00 PM, tin-tin said...: i've always wanted to visit banaue rice terraces but still no chance.

ey! can i go with you and ferdz in one of your travels? :)
At Jan 13, 2008, 1:51:00 PM, GingGoy said...: shantanu, you're welcome anytime to my country. I've been to yours but only in Mumbaiin 2004.

kyels, i,too, want a return trip there butmore interested in Battad and to witness/takepart in theirrice planting rituals for an authentic cultural immersion not just the usual touristy stuff

chi from the cool clouds, thanks for the new info onthe jar.alsolove your multiply site. a re-visit to baguio maybe for me next year.

cheh, it's usual we take things for granted but i'm really afflicted with hyper-curiosity. good thing curiosity can't kill the tutubi :P

cheska, dati tin kasipag nakahawak ako ng P1000, gastos agad wala na tingin-tingin hehe

tin-tin, you're always welcome to join pero bihira lang kami mag-travel nun tapos usually wala matagal na plano. The San Miguel trip took shape only the night before. Dapat mahilig ka rin sa lakaran kasi puro lakad lang kami lagi tapos matagal kami sa kodakan :P
At Jan 13, 2008, 6:56:00 PM, x said...: and i didn't even know most of the things in our P1,ooo bill... thank you for educating us, tutubi. i love it!
At Jan 14, 2008, 9:10:00 AM, carlotta1924 said...: naalala ko the only time na tinignan ko ang likod ng pera ay nung elementary para hanapin yung pusa sa bubong ng malacañang sa P20bill lol ;-P

seriously now, that is one very interesting info about our P1000 bill. thanks for sharing! =)
At Jan 14, 2008, 11:02:00 AM, Anonymous said...: wow, that's great info :) Never been to the rice terraces in my life - what a pity to see other places but miss a magnificent and historical place in the motherland .
At Jan 14, 2008, 2:48:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Tutubi, pengeng 1000 peso bill para ma inspect kong mabuti. Very nice inof. I wonder kung sino yung mga designer ng notes natin.
At Jan 14, 2008, 4:27:00 PM, Anonymous said...: thanks foe sharing the infos... matingnan ko nga pag-uwi ko..
At Jan 14, 2008, 4:32:00 PM, Mari said...: Although I haven't seen a 1000-peso bill, it's interesting to know the story behind the note.

If ever I go back to the mountain provinces, my first stop would be the rice terraces.

Thanks for all the information you have shared with us.
At Jan 14, 2008, 8:38:00 PM, Anonymous said...: baguio city and the banaue rice terraces are two of my dream destinations in RP. I haven't explored much about Luzon.

Thanks for the info on the 1000 bills.
At Jan 14, 2008, 8:57:00 PM, GingGoy said...: acey, you're welcome

carlotta1924, naku i remember that info on malacanang and the pusa too. di ka nag-iisa

bw, there's always a chance to visit the places someday

ferdz, from what i know the BSP holds contests on some bills and coins or totally outsource them. all i was able to dig was how to identify fake peso bills

kneeko, bigyan mo akong malutong ha?

mari, ako rin gusto bumalik doon

lazarus, baguio and banaue on top of places iwant to return to.only of fewof them in my list
At Jan 15, 2008, 3:22:00 PM, Nini said...: hi tutubi, thanks for visiting my site and sharing this info with us. too bad, i didn't get to see our ifugao rice terraces. and the P1k bill:-)
At Jan 12, 2009, 7:28:00 PM, Unknown said...: what about the people in the front portion of the 1000 bill, why were they chosen as the people to be on the bill?
At Jan 12, 2009, 9:56:00 PM, GingGoy said...: carmencita, they're all martyrs during during WWII, killed by the japanese. i don't know why if you're asking why they're chosen but they're all war heroes
At Jun 2, 2010, 8:05:00 AM, pete lagunda said...: very interesting indeed. one can't help but be amazed at the rich culture and history we have in our bills. i promise to visit the Banaue Rice Terraces in my next visit to Luzon. Thanks again for the wonderful info. Will share this to my other Cebuano friends.
At Sep 8, 2011, 4:22:00 PM, constance said...: yep very interesting and for sure will include the place in my list of places to visit...thanks for the info

Banaue Rice Terraces, Manunggul Jar, Langgal : Philippine National Treasures on the 1000 Peso Bill

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