By: Jocyl Ann B. Ejoc and Kurt Anthony Chan
Photo Credits: Kurt Anthony Chan
For more than six decades, the coffee trees lining the banks of the Itoy River have stood as silent witnesses to the changing landscape of the Malitbog highlands. Deep within the Kalanawan Ancestral Domain in Sitio Impahanong, Barangay San Luis, Malitbog, Bukidnon, these are more than ordinary coffee trees—they are living heirlooms. Across generations and changing seasons, they have continued to bear fruit, rooted not only in the fertile mountain soil but also in the enduring stewardship of the Higaonon people.
Among the guardians of this heritage is Datu “Mambungkuan” Ramil Litanon Lahayon, Vice Chairman of the Odiongan Siloo Amosig Farmers Association (OSA), an Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO) of coffee farmers. His earliest childhood memories are filled with the aroma of freshly roasted coffee. As a young boy, he accompanied his parents in tending and harvesting the locally recognized Putian variety—a Robusta coffee that has flourished in the mountains of Impahanong for generations.
According to the elders, the variety is called Putian because of its distinctly white beans and pale-colored bark. More than a coffee tree, Putian has become part of the Higaonon’s identity. Passed down through generations, Putian has sustained countless Higaonon families while strengthening their connection to their ancestral land and cultural identity. The community also values the variety for its naturally sweet, fruit-forward flavor.
“Even if coffee is harvested only once a year, it provides a good source of income because it commands a better price than many of our other farm products,” Datu Ramil shared.
Yet preserving this heirloom coffee has never been easy. For the Higaonon, every harvest is more than gathering coffee cherries—it is the continuation of a tradition their ancestors entrusted to them.
Coffee farming in Impahanong continues to be guided largely by indigenous knowledge handed down through generations. The elders teach that Putian seedlings are best planted few days after the full moon begins to wane, believing this is the most favorable time for healthy growth. Around the coffee trees, they also plant lugimit, a native fig tree whose broad canopy helps conserve soil moisture while its fallen leaves and fruits naturally enrich the soil. Instead of clearing the forest, the Higaonon cultivate coffee alongside native trees, allowing their farms to remain part of the surrounding forest ecosystem.
Despite this wealth of indigenous knowledge, the community has never received formal training on coffee production, post-harvest handling, or quality improvement. The coffee trees grow deep in the mountains and are accessible only through rugged trails, making routine farm maintenance physically demanding.
Harvest season presents an even greater challenge. Since Putian bears fruit only once a year, every harvest is crucial. Many of the trees are already several decades old, requiring farmers to climb makeshift bamboo scaffolds to reach the highest branches.
“Before we begin harvesting, we pray to the Almighty. We give thanks and ask for protection because our coffee trees have grown so tall that harvesting them is no longer easy,” Datu Ramil explained.
Throughout the harvest season, farmers make repeated trips to their coffee farms, gathering both ripe and mature coffee cherries and carrying heavy sack loads along narrow mountain trails back to the village.
Back in Sitio Impahanong, post-harvest processing remains entirely manual. The cherries are depulped by pounding them in large wooden mortars or cracking them using wooden or stone tools. They are then dried under the sun on woven mats before being pounded again to remove the parchment and finally winnowed by hand.
Without modern processing equipment, maintaining consistent quality remains difficult. In the early 1990s, Higaonon farmers sold their green coffee beans for only about ₱15 per kilogram in Barangay San Luis. Although prices have gradually improved, limited processing facilities and market access continue to prevent the community from realizing the full value of their heirloom coffee.
“If we can sell our coffee, it already helps us meet our family’s financial needs,” Datu Ramil said.
Today, however, the community sees new opportunities on the horizon.
Through the Department of Agriculture – Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (DA-MIADP), OSA members now have an opportunity to strengthen their organization, improve coffee production and processing, and receive long-awaited technical training. Rather than replacing indigenous knowledge, the Project seeks to complement generations of Higaonon farming wisdom with appropriate technologies that can improve product quality, increase productivity, and enhance the market value of their heirloom coffee.
The prospect of this support has renewed the community’s optimism.
Even as they await the implementation of their proposed enterprise, the Higaonon’s pride in Putian coffee remains unwavering. Serving a freshly brewed cup of their homegrown coffee to visitors continues to be one of their highest expressions of hospitality. Beyond its cultural significance, preserving these old coffee trees also helps protect the surrounding forests and watersheds that have sustained generations of Higaonon families. Their coffee farms stand as a testament to how Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage, and environmental stewardship can thrive together.
For Datu Ramil and the members of OSA, coffee represents far more than a source of income.
“Coffee has always been part of our history. It is one of the reasons our Higaonon community continues to thrive here in Impahanong,” he reflected.
With the support of DA-MIADP and the Municipal Government of Malitbog, the Higaonon community hopes that their treasured Putian coffee will finally receive the recognition it deserves—not only as a premium agricultural product but also as a living symbol of Higaonon culture, resilience, and their enduring relationship with their ancestral domain.
