Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook (LTP) - Cabatangan,ZC

i grew up knowing this place is called only as "Lupong". Since this is somehow near our house before, my family would usually go to this place very early in the morning to jog...and even during times we have relatives visiting us here in Zamboanga City, as far as i can remember this seems to be one of the "tourist spots" we would usually take them...

when you're somewhere near the city, you'll easily notice this white mosque-looking building sitting on the mountain ranges of the city....

i never bothered to know what this building's for before... the only impression i have is that this is a tourist spot... even during the time that i've heard Misuari and his ARMM government had taken their office here, my only reaction was that sayang, the place was really nice as far as i can remember and the thought of having them there would mean no one can just go there anytime... so when the news spread that there had been some clashes between Misuari's armed men from Lupong and the AFP i was a bit happy knowing that Lupong will be controlled again by the national government and may be opened to the public.... but i never get to find out if it had been as i've expected until our Cabatangan trip... :-)



right now it's being watched by the AFP... no more details as i've promised them hehe. good thing Ma'am June knew their CO so we were allowed to go inside and to the roofdeck... :-)



this part of the roofdeck is what's visible downtown and what's making the whole place really look like a mosque. :-) this is where you'll find the painting below...


Note: it was during our Cabatangan trip that i've found out why it was called Lupong. Mam June was telling us about LTP (Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook).... new info for me for a place that's just around my neighborhood while growing up! :-) i immediately tried to google about LTP when i got home... sadly though i didnt get much information... only the following:
1) LTP was created during Marcos' administration through Presidential Decree 1618 sometime in the later part of 1970s.
2) The Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook was established for Regions IX and XII.
3) The 2 LTPs were later abolished through P.D.No.1843 of April 5,1982. But in a way was merged into one LTP which had its office in Zamboanga City beginning May1982.

There's so much history pala about the place... and sooo much things connected to that place that were decided before which still impacts us people of Zamboanga today... our current concerns including the issue before of including Zamboanga City in the ARMM region, the almost selling of Zamboanga City and other places in Mindanao by GMA's government through that Bangsamoro Juridical Entity(BJE)...all of these, including the purpose of LTP, all boils down to setting up an autonomous southern Philippines. Our Lupong visit made me want to understand better the tag-of-war happening down here...



we had a deal with the Marines in Lupong that we wont be taking photos of their stuff inside the building... but i asked permission to take photos of this painting... i was awed now as much as when i first saw this years ago... for whatever reason i'm not sure... it's not a really great painting... but probably seeing something like this inside a very bland building is already a treat for me... specially now since the building looks so wasted from the outside and even inside due to very poor maintenance.

but one thing i find intriguing here are the characters included in the painting...the LTP was created during Marcos's time...that would most likely explain his and Imelda's presence in the painting... but i'm a bit curious with Cory's and Ninoy's... i've tried to google some more hoping to find some explanation... but sadly there's nothing i can dig about the building nor about the painting (probably i might need to check out if there's any info with DOT or our local public libary - another assignment for me hehe)... or probably there's not much explaining needed because it was just a painting about Philippine's history... but why would it be placed there, in a building that's meant to create an autonomous muslim mindanao? am just curious... :-)



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ok... the visit to Lupong just created a lot of questions for me... but i have to park those thoughts for now... here's some of our fun photos during the trip!


hike from Ma'am June's place, we passed through the Civil Service Office. :-) i love how the almost setting sun made this photo look nice. :D



Joel on P-Noy's sanga-sangang daan campaign ad. hehehe perfect timing that he was wearing a yellow shirt too! :D the left road leads to Lupong, i'm not so sure about the right road...



kaladkarins on Joel's sanga-sangang daan. :-)



it's all dirt road after the sanga-sangang daan...



comfort in the middle of nowhere! :-)



firing range...



finally... in Lupong again after years... :-)



juvee at ang blue payong



our best jump shot! there's a big lawn in front of the LTP building which gave us a place to do a lot of jumpshots! :-)



more jumpshot photos!



photo with that painting on the ceiling... there's actually a spiral staircase (which is dangerously maintained already) below that painting... the group gotta have a photo there too..i want to post the one where i was in it but it was badly taken, the painting was not included hehehe so gotta post theirs na lang... :D



i gotta have this shot! hehehe i had a similar shot when i was a kid... so i really asked juvee to help me make sure i got this... :D i climbed over the ledge which made the soldiers panic hehehe, just told them i wont go near the edge... i just gotta have this hehehe ;D



you'll get a good view of the city from up here.... this is one of the reasons why i love this place... im just simply glad i was able to come up here again... i though i would never get the chance to before... :-) thanks mam june and mga kaladkarins!



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Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook Compound
Cabatangan, Zamboanga City
12 June 2010