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Sitio Balagbag in Barangay San Isidro, Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal is currently the site of a land dispute between the municipal government and other groups. All of them are claiming legal rights to use the land.

I tagged along with some friends who went up there to survey the area. The mountains in Sitio Balagbag are part of the Sierra Madre range of mountains, stretching from this part of Montalban, all the way past Quezon province. Sitio Balagbag is situated near the border of Bulacan and Rizal. Similar to Baguio, Antipolo or Tagaytay, the uphill winding road leads one to the peak, from which one can view the mountains and valleys below. Makati and Ortigas are tiny buildings jutting out from the horizon, and Manila Bay is a vast expanse of gray in the horizon. The Angat Dam watershed is an elongated lake, and one can see tiny houses dotting the mountainside.

In the distance, clouds bring heavy rain to the business district.

The area itself is still being developed. Roads are still being paved, occupants are still being forced out, court cases are still going on as to who is the rightful owner of the lands. There is still no electricity up the mountain, and strangely, no cell signal when you're somewhere in the middle of the mountain. Up at the peak, you get a signal, coming from the Bulacan area cellsite. Entrance to the area is being guarded by the military, and if you have no rights to the land, you have no business going into this area. "No registration, no entry", the sign at the entrance said. Registration here refers to registering for land ownership.

The place is idyllic, the view fantastic. But the place reeks of political tension. In my opinion, this is not a place for a naive stranger to get lost in.