Features: Rebuilding a house in the mountain of gold

Diwalwal
Originally uploaded by waltzib.

The trip from Davao City to Mt. Diwata was not the best trip. Gigi drove with his usual suave driving. But that did not help as the car trekked the rise and fall of elevation on the road to gold mining haven, Diwalwal.

I have to stay at the rear so I could put weight to that part of the vehicle and give Gigi ease in maneuvering the unfriendly terrain. The MindaNews vehicle, a Crosswind, is quite, steady, but I could almost feel its sighs everytime we settle at a flat portion.

Finally, we arrived in Mt. Diwata and entered the narrow streets of the "gold city". Up to the barangay hall, we passed by several people doing various things.

I couldn't proceed if I could not take this photo of Roger, 35, who lost his house to a fire, together with at least 50 others a day before.

The fogs partly conceal the imagery of Diwalwal-- shaky, crowded and crawling dwellings above tunnels that lead to no-where.