Before the rise of Baguio City, Bontoc is believed to be the center of Cordillera Region, a melting pot of culture and tradition as it sits near the boundaries of the the old Mountain’s sub-provinces of Abra, Kalinga and Ifugao. Bontoc today is a town making its own name and carving its own proud identity as the bustling capital of the present day Mountain Province.

As with the other towns in Mountain Province and Cordillera, Bontoc is dotted with panoramic rice terraces. One of which is situated in the hinterland barangay of Maligcong, eight kilometers away from Bontoc town proper.

“Paradise found, forgotten and reborn” is the story of Maligcong, a small and quaint barangay of Bontoc. It used to be the show window of the town but it went into a deep lull until its recent reborn.

Literally translated as “surrounded by rice paddies”, Maligcong’s greatest asset is the picturesque rice terraces that surround the main village. Maligcong Rice Terraces dates back over 2,000 years but still in their healthy state and said to be one of the well-preserved in all of Cordillera. They are best viewed from the village’s two higher vantage points – Mount Fato and Mount Kufafey.

Maligcong is just a thirty-minute jeepney ride or 1.5-hour trek from Bontoc town proper. Jeepneys depart at 8AM, 12NN, 2PM, 4PM and 5PM daily. Planting season usually starts in April so the rice paddies are beautifully green from May to July before the harvest season in August.

Let’s have a tour of Maligcong with this slideshow.