Mount Kitanglad
Definition
Mount Kitanglad is a dormant volcano in Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao, rising about 2,899 meters above sea level, making it the fourth-highest mountain in the Philippines. Together with Mount Dulang-dulang and other peaks, it forms the Mount Kitanglad Range, a protected area and ASEAN Heritage Park that shelters one of the largest remaining montane and mossy forests on the island.
Identities (Wikipedia/Wikidata/DBpedia)
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kitanglad
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1586619
- DBpedia: N/A
Also Known As
Mount Kitanglad Range; Kitanglad; Mount Kitanglad Range Protected Area.
Examples and Analogies
The mountain functions like a natural water tower for Bukidnon: its forested slopes feed rivers that irrigate the province’s pineapple and sugarcane lands. Birdwatchers compare a dawn walk on its trails to visiting a living museum, because the range hosts the Philippine eagle and other high-elevation species found nowhere else.
Usage Scenarios
The protected area is used for biodiversity research, conservation education, and controlled ecotourism, including guided climbs that usually begin from Barangay Songco in Lantapan. Indigenous communities, including the Talaandig and Higaonon, regard the range as sacred ancestral domain and participate in its protected area management board.
Strategies
Visitors coordinate with the protected area office and local guides, schedule climbs outside the heavy rainy months, and camp at designated sites to reduce impact on the mossy forest. Park managers enforce carrying-capacity limits and collect conservation fees that support community livelihoods.
Security and Safety Measures
The trail passes through remote, cold, and frequently fog-covered terrain, so climbers register at the checkpoint, hire accredited guides, and carry provisions for sudden weather changes. Leeches and slippery root sections require proper footwear and first-aid readiness.
Historical Context
The range was proclaimed a protected area in 1990, became a component of the National Integrated Protected Areas System, and was declared an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2009 in recognition of its biodiversity. Its name is linked to a local legend about a great flood, from which people survived by tying themselves to tall grass on the summit.
Challenges and Controversies
Encroachment of agriculture into forest margins, illegal logging, and wildlife poaching remain persistent threats. Conservationists have also raised concerns about the impact of communication towers and road projects on fragile summit habitats.