— A Legend the Forest Still Whispers
On a day when I managed to run away from my phone, I headed to Mount Halcon in Mindoro. The greenery of its unique landscape mesmerized me. Driving through that winding road led me to the Tamaraw Falls, stopping me in my tracks and instantly turning that place into my charging station. A small kiosk beside the vibrant waterfall was a mandatory stop, and sipping a fresh coconut felt like part of a ritual.
Resting on a vintage rattan chair, tasting that celestial nectar, was the perfect setting to receive the visit of a peculiar jade vine. Her glowing flowers, moved by a soft breeze, gave me a look only comparable to the flirtatious yet innocent gaze of a peasant Asian woman.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice said nearby.
“Gorgeous,” I replied, without taking my eyes off the goddess in front of me.
“That flower is more than a beautiful face. Do you know its legend?”
That question finally made me turn toward the speaker.
“A long time ago, even before Europeans reached these shores, there lived an indigenous Mangyan girl from Mount Halcon. She was like an angel — a humble soul who helped everyone. She loved the forest more than anything else. She often daydreamed about a waterfall with water as blue as the sea. Everyone in the village knew her wishes and fantasies; she spoke of them so often that even the birds of the forest seemed to know her dreams.
That year, the rainy season arrived earlier than expected. One evening, a malevolent spirit began stirring the clouds one by one until a typhoon grew, catching the village completely unprepared. Rain fell mercilessly as lightning and thunder shook the land, and the wind destroyed everything in its path. People ran in terror, searching for shelter. In the chaos, a child became trapped among the falling branches of a tree. Without hesitation, the young woman covered the frightened child with her own body, protecting him from falling debris.
When the typhoon finally passed, the villagers found her still embracing the child. The little boy was unharmed, speaking softly to the unresponsive body of the young woman who had sacrificed her life to give him another chance. They carried her body, crying, to the edge of a pristine waterfall, where they laid her to rest.
The Forest Spirit, moved by her act of love and sacrifice, made a vine of extraordinary beauty rise from that sacred ground. Its cascading, luminous blue-green flowers resembled the seawater waterfall their beloved protector had always dreamed of. That is how the jade vine was born.”
I stood there speechless — nostalgic, and with a renewed sense of respect for the glorious vine in front of me.
