A YOLO Trip in Patikul, Sulu

Geloy Concepcion: Ate Carla napaka - YOLO ng trip na to noh! 

Carla: Huh? YOLO?

Geloy Concepcion: You Only Live Once! 'Di mo alam?

I salute all of you. You dared to go where others would never dare to...
Gen. De Leon, Deputy Commander, Western Mindanao

The intro part to every literary piece is a make or break thing but believe me, I didn't know how to start this series of my recent trip. With one heavy breath and a promise to objectively actualize what I had in mind, I am sharing to you our experiences in the Province of Sulu in Mindanao.

It was early May this year when I was invited by Christian to join the Help Juan Portrait / Klasrum ng Pag-Asa on a mission to Sulu (which will be featured on a separate post). Armed with our cameras and undying passion to be everywhere and experience everything, we went to Sulu and came back in one whole piece and with a different view of what war and peace really meant. 

It was gloomy when we arrived at the Zamboanga airport. We were welcomed by the Marines and escorted us to the Camp Navarro of the Western Mindanao Command. We could've taken a 10-hour commuter ferry boat to Sulu but we used the MPAC (Philippine Navy's Multi-Purpose Attack Craft) that shortened the trip to just 2 hours. The ride was not as scary as I thought it would be and the weather cooperated for us to stay on the topmost part of this amazing watercraft.

the mighty MPAC 

sleepy, cold, rain, wind, blood, sweat and tears - nah...

At 11:00 a.m., we arrived at a port in Jolo bewildered. I knew that we would have escorts but not the whole brigade of a certain battalion. There were loads of Marine armies with a tank and huge army trucks (I dunno how they are called) waiting at the port and at that time the feeling was very uncomfortable (me thinking it was overkill but then I kept on telling myself that I was in Sulu). We were asked to not let go of the group and keep an eye on each other. We were literally surrounded by the Marines. I should be feeling secured at that time but I just can't deny the fact that it felt uneasy. Too much security can mean more threats.

first look at Sulu

only a fraction of them - believe me

We scattered on different army trucks and went on a convoy to the house of the mayor of Jolo, Sulu. Jolo felt like your typical urbanized town. There were tricycles everywhere. Uniformed army men and policemen were visible around town. It felt everything and everyone were doing their normal routine when tons of army trucks and a tank convoyed. Everyone knew that there were guests. 

loaded

escort service

a peek of the town - literally

A scene from one of our trips to downtown Jolo.

Arriving at the mayor's house, there was this sigh of relief that we were in a "safe" ground. We feasted on a treat of Sulu's amazing local delicacies and the Tausug's local coffee - perfect for the weather. Of course, I tasted everything and almost finished the first serving (yes there were more than just one serving of everything). Stress eating eh?

everything was so yummy that I forgot to ask what they were called

And so we thought that it will end there. After 20 minutes, lunch was served. Amazing! We feasted on Curacha (spanner crab/red frog crab), Grilled fish and Beef sour stew (like Sinigang). All of which were Halal. And it felt like we were on a buffet restaurant. They replenished every item everytime it looked finished. Ang galing lang. 

I was so full that all I wanted to do at that time was to go to a nice spot and nap. But we were told that we were leaving in a few.  And so we headed to the Marine Battalion Landing Team - 2 in Jolo, just near the Jolo airport. I dunno what we did there but we only stayed for a few minutes and left again for the next destination.

Curacha is the bomb

And it was Patikul. Almost 1 hour away from Jolo, we finally reached our final destination for the day. I felt a laid back atmosphere there. The sight of the simple life on this side of the country erased all the fears I had when we were in Jolo. We arrived at the Marine Battalion Landing Team 6 Brgy. Buhanginan, Patikul, Sulu with a feeling of relief that this place will be our temporary home for 5 days. The only place I could roam around without escorts following my every move. 

During breakfast on our very first morning we were all so excited for the day's activities when suddenly someone broke the news that 12 men were dead from a serious gun battle between the Marines and the rebel group in the area. Just 3 kilometers away from our camp...

a heavily guarded photographer

our normal 10-minute ride

When in peace, prepare for war. When in war, prepare for peace.
Fire team leader Fernando Layugan, Marine Battalion Landing Team 6, Patikul, Sulu