Manobo Exotic Food: The Untold Story of Bibang (Varanus cumingi)

Living with the Manobos in  Sitio Inadan in San Miguel Surigao del Sur is an experience that I will treasure forever and a worthy story I am proud sharing to everyone. This is the moment in my life where I have encountered overwhelming  discoveries about cultural diversity and the true meaning of the word simplicity and  humility. I would say , working and living  in this part of Mindanao have totally altered my view in life upon experiencing first hand the difficulty of living conditions of our brothers in the mountainside.


Working in the mountains covered under the ancestral domain of the Manobos, I rely mostly on the survival strategies and advises of my local companions, from trail directions, avoiding traps, rerouting against unwanted encounters, knowing the mountain dwellers and most importantly, sourcing out for food and water.

There are just too many stories on things I have learned being with the locals  especially when it comes to food sourcing and  survival . One of which was with my very first unfortunate encounter with  an endemic yellow monitor lizard.

One time I had this troubling experience when we were caught under a heavy rain  somewhere in the middle of the forest of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur. We were all wet and tired walking for hours in the forest doing the usual routine to have my job done. We decide to take a rest and take refuge under the giant buttresses of century old trees.

Short with food supply my  assistants initiated to look for food around to stir our limited and usual  monotonous meal . I did not contest on their suggestion as I am tired as well of the usual treat for my stomach. So I rested for awhile underneath a huge Gubas tree and waited for their return. 

Lunch is ready Sir!

After an hour, one Manobo woke me up and asked me the kind of meat preparation I'd like for lunch, referring to either adobo or sugba  (roasted meat) .. I thought it was just some kind of a common wild bird or forest frogs that shall be served on  banana leaf. So I happily  replied- "Sugba!" 

When they revealed the source of meat from its cover, I was shocked to my dismay to see two lifeless yellow spotted lizards lying down on a dead Apitong trunk. It wasn't a happy first wild encounter with this unfortunate offering coming from my IP assistants. My emotion was struggling to burst out but I tried to maintain my composure as I knew by law that indigenous people have the right to silvi-cultural practices in their ancestral domain.

Foot prints of Bibang

Hunting for forest products that includes plants and animals have been part of Manobo’s culture and tradition. Forcefully changing their means of living is equivalent to dissolving their identity. 

I was simply amazed with their hunting skills that they were able to track down the elusive reptile through a set of footprints on mud we've seen along the muddy trail .

The reptile is a Mindanao endemic yellow monitor lizard (Varanus cumingi)  and is locally known as BIBANG .This lizard species survive the wild feeding carnivorously on dead frogs, chicken and other smaller animals.

I watched them skin and roast the poor reptile and served to me the meatiest part of the meal. Since saying no to their generosity is a form of disrespect, so took a bite on the poor cooked lizard . Though I was having a hard time swallowing the meat, i couldn't deny that the meat was way even better than an ordinary pork or chicken. 

After finishing our remarkable lunch I informed my assistants with firm conviction  that serving me this kind of meal would be the last. They were surprised with my request, as they thought that I was the usual lowland visitors that would always instruct and ask for something exotic from their land.  I told them that as much as possible I will protect such beauty and conserve it for the future generation. 

According to IUCN, Varanus cumingi  is endemic to the Philippines and can be found in the islands of Mindanao and provinces of eastern Visayas. Though it is listed as” Least Concern “but the population has been rapidly declining due to its continuous illegal poaching.

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