MAGUINDANAO. The sheer utterance of the name of this province in the Bangsamoro autonomous region of southern Mindanao leads to all kinds of pre-judgements and supposals.

I am not trying to downplay the situation in Maguindanao with my title; it is just a truthful description of what I did a few days ago. Maguindanao is not a place where tourists, especially foreigners, can just show up. You should have contacts and connections. You should liaise with locals before coming. I know the risk that I took, I measured it, and I took it. This kind of travel is not for everyone. Some will call me brave, others will call me stupid. I am neither. I am only daot.

But the road through Maguindanao, the Lebak-Upi-Cotabato City road, is the main way in and out of the two Sultan Kudarat coastal towns, and is the only fully concreted one. I was cleared to take it, and so I took the opportunity for a rare glimpse into one of the Philippines’ most misunderstood provinces.

I started where I left off, in Lebak, by going to the world-class Katunggan Coastal Eco Park, a 237 hectare mangrove park separating the beaches and ocean from the fishponds behind them. Of course I’d think about fishponds.

Then I went on to Maguindanao, specifically the Municipality of Upi (Nuro), a town that surprised me – it was not the stereotypical Maguindanao I’d heard of. And the food was of course, fantastic, as it is in this part of Mindanao.

Delicious beef sinina – and we won’t mention the papaitan!

Before leaving though, I couldn’t miss a visit to the Grand Mosque in Cotabato City. I just wish I had more time to explore and understand the province fully, but my trip provided a great introduction.

I will be back.

NB: Please respect the people of these provinces in your comments. Respect the Islamic faith in your comments. Do not make sarcastic comments about someone kidnapping me. It is not funny and will be deleted. Don’t be Daot.

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00:00 Intro
01:14 Lebak
01:35 Lebak Katunggan Eco Park
05:55 Lebak Coast
08:28 The Road to Maguindanao
10:04 Entering Maguindanao
11:12 Upi (Nuro)
12:50 Maguindanaoan Lunch
16:28 Leaving Upi for Cotabato City
18:45 Cotabato City - Going to the Grand Mosque