AI illustration
Alamat ng Mt. Matutum
Mount Matutum is the highest point in South Cotabato. The Blaan people who live on its slopes tell stories of the mountain. Written sources are thin, so we give only the setting here.
Folklore is retold; versions differ.
Sources: Wikipedia: Mount Matutum (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)
The story
Mount Matutum is the highest mountain in South Cotabato. It stands 2,286 meters above sea level, near the town of Tupi. It is about 15 kilometers north of Polomolok and about 30 kilometers from General Santos. It is an active stratovolcano on the Pacific Ring of Fire, with a base about 25 kilometers wide.
The summit has a well-kept crater, about 320 meters wide, with a forested floor. The Acmonan and Linan hot springs lie to the west. Scientists suspect a steam-driven eruption in March 1911, but this is not confirmed. The forests on the slopes shelter wildlife, including the Philippine eagle and the tarsier. The mountain is part of a protected landscape in the Soccsksargen region.
The Blaan people live on the mountain and in its foothills, and they have their own stories about it. No citable Blaan source is known.