Spelunking in the Philippines

By Apolinario Villalobos

Spelunking is another reference to caving or cave exploration. But to give it a challenging and curious sound, the enthusiasts of this outdoor activity, preferred to use spelunking, a word derived from “spelunca”, a Latin word which means “cave”.

Just like any other islands in the Pacific, the Philippines is also replete with caves due to the coralline character of its topography. Foremost of these caves is the cave through which the Puerto Princesa Undeground River flows, and found in Palawan. The said geological system earned for the city and of course, Palawan, a berth in the Seven Wonders of the World.

The first cave that I explored in the course of my touristic info- gathering, was an unnamed cave in Calbayog, Samar, whose entrance was neck-deep in water. It was accidentally mentioned by my guide that he regretted later. Due to my intense curiosity, I forced him to bring me to the barrio where it was located. His being an ex-convict due to cases of highway robbery and murder, failed to hide his fear when we reached the site. It took a promise of additional tip before he was convinced to go with me inside the cave.  The cave was lighted with sun rays that found their way through the holes on its ceiling. The strong stench of guano forced us to retrace our steps back to the cave’s entrance after about twenty minutes of attempt of going deeper down the chamber which was neck-deep in water.

Unknown to many, Aklan province is not only popular for its Ati-atihan festival celebrated at Ibajay and Kalibo. It also has a cave system, near Kalibo, called Tigayon, that lures spelunkers. The underground chambers are interconnected to each other by several small tunnels  that even the local guides are extra careful in negotiating them. I was able to reach only three chambers as I could no longer stand the scarcity of oxygen that I experienced as we were leaving the second chamber.

In Dumalag, Capiz, I went inside an unnamed cave whose bowels spewed cool spring water. Though not cavernous, the cool pool inside fed by a spring was just irresistible.  Dumalag is not far from Roxas City, and is recommended as an inclusion in a list of destinations for a one-day tour of the city.

An intriguing underground cave was the one at Dauis, Bohol. I went down to its cavern, eerily lighted by streaks of sunrays that illuminate the crystal clear pool. Going down to the cave was through a small hole using a ladder. When my eyes got used to the dimly lit chamber, I found it to be just fascinating. On weekends, locals flock to it for a refreshing dip.

The Callao Cave of Tuguegarao, in the province of Cagayan, is so enormous that it can be used as a gauge in sizing up other caves. Inside is a chapel where Mass is held during the fiesta in honor of the town’s patron saint. The cave is located on top of limestone hill and could be reached after negotiating several hundred steps leading to the gaping entrance. The cave is within a park where tourist facilities are available.

In Basey, Samar, a town accessible from Tacloban City by jeepney, can be found one of the most beautiful caves in the country. The locals call it Sohoton. It is fantastically set against the backdrop of lush vegetation teeming with birdlife. Multi-chambered, it is full of sparkling stalactites and stalagmites. During Holy Week, traditional folk healers venture inside the cave to look for amulets.

Not to be outdone is Albay’s Hoyop-hoyopan cave which has four entrances and four chambers interconnected to each other by slippery trails. The cave was used as a sanctuary of the locals during the WWII. According to local stories, it was also used as a venue for “benefit dances” that were planned to go beyond the curfew hours during the Martial Law.

Agusan del Norte has its Diwata Caves, so called because it is believed to be inhabited by fairies. I found out that during high tide, the only time during which the caves can be accessed, the waves that splashed against the coralline walls of the cave’s entrance, produced eerie sounds, which perhaps the locals associated with supernatural beings, fairies included.

For a really thrilling cave exploration, I tried the Bathala caves of Marinduque on a Holy Week. The cave has several chambers, one of which is the Phyton cave. At the entrance of this chamber are pythons recoiled and unmindful of the steps of intruders. I was told by my guide that they were harmless, but woe to those who would harm them even just a bit. I almost believed the story when a drunk intruder who went inside the chamber alone, killed one of the pythons. On his way back to the barrio, he suddenly fell dead. I found it out to be a case of heart attack. I did not know if his heart failed due to tipsiness or he simply got the curse of the pythons. It is suggested to make the visit to the caves after the Moriones festival, as some sort of a respite.

One cave near Manila, is the Wawa in Montalban, Rizal. The cave is precariously located on a hill of Wawa and used by a small retreating contingent of the Japanese Imperial Army  during the last days of WWII. I explored the cave in the company of the Philippine Airlines Mountaineering Club. On the way to the Wawa Cave, we passed by a smaller cave that we named “Cueva de Nerissa” in honor of a persistent member who was always assigned as cook during climbs. Some of those in the group were crazily wishing that they could find left-behind war paraphernalia, but what greeted us was eight-inch thick guano bed that soaked our sneakers. Crawling through a three-foot high tunnel, as we aimed for the “window” through which we could have a fantastic view of the river below, our backs got scraped by sharp stalactites.

The aforementioned caves were personally explored. There are still other caves that have been explored but not publicized and still many more that are still waiting to be explored, such as those in Laguna and Cavite. With the encouragement of the Department of Tourism, the local governments have initiated moves to document discoveries, relying only in words of mouth as a means to spread the information about them.

The spelunking as a sport is not expensive unlike surfing that requires an expensive board, and scuba diving and mountaineering which require equally expensive gear. For spelunking, what one needs are guts, strong fingers for gripping small crags of walls when going down and up small entrances, firm feet for support, strong lungs for the thin oxygen once inside the chambers, and most important of all, sheer determination to make it inside and back outside – alive.