POSSIBLE TOURISTS SITE. Sangaran Ark Cave in Barangay Isugod, Quezon, southern Palawan, is being proposed as a tourism destination by 2nd Palawan District House Rep. Frederick Abueg under House Bill 5333. (Photo courtesy of Fmadrinan.photo.gallery)
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Two caves in Quezon town, southern Palawan, are being surveyed and assessed by the technical team of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) as potential tourism destinations.
Jovic Fabello, information officer of the PCSDS and also part of the technical team, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday that the caves under assessment are Modlum Cave and the Sangaran Ark Cave, which has a mini underground river and waterfalls in Barangay Isugod, Quezon.
“Nandito kami ngayon to assess and survey these caves per request of the municipal government na gustong i-open siya as tourism destinations sa Quezon. (We are here now to assess and survey these caves per request of the municipal government that wants to make these as tourism destinations in Quezon),” he said in a phone interview.
Fabello, whose team will be in Isugod until Friday, added that the survey and assessment are also in support of proposed House Bill 5333 by Palawan (2nd District) House Rep. Frederick Abueg.
According to the proposed bill, Sangaran Ark Cave is accessible to all kinds of vehicles as it is only half an hour away from Sitio Balintang, Isugod. By trekking, it is around four hours from the Isugod barangay hall building.
Fabello said Sangaran can be reached by trekkers by traversing a 45-degree climb and 10 minutes tread down to the Maritub River that cuts through it and the location of Modlum Cave.
“Pagbaba ng trekker, ang landing niya sa Maritub River tapos lalakad ng 500 meters sa gilid ng ilog papuntang Sangaran kung saan may mini underground river at waterfalls (When a trekker goes down, he will land in the Maritub River and will walk 500 meters on its side to reach Sangaran where there is a mini underground river and waterfalls),” he said.
He described the setting around the two caves as canyon-like.
Fabello said Isugod residents refer to Sangaran, which has a precipitous ark feature, as their own “mini underground river” is worthy of showing the world.
Quezon is a first class municipality in the southern part of the capital of Puerto Princesa that is home to Tabon Caves, where the remains of the “Tabon Man” was discovered at Lipuun Point in 1962 by American anthropologist Dr. Robert B. Fox.
“Ang isa pang napansin namin dito, marami rin ang caves. Hindi lang namin alam kung kasing dami ng caves sa loob ng Tabon Cave na may 225 caves pero seven lang ang may archeological diggings (What we noticed is that there are also many caves here. We just don’t know if they are as many as those in Tabon Caves that has 225 caves, but only seven with archeological diggings),” he further disclosed.
The PCSDS technical team is being assisted in the survey and assessment by a team of cave experts from the Puerto Princesa Underground River, Fabello added.
In Abueg’s proposal, he said if Sangaran Ark Cave is declared a tourist destination, the Department of Tourism can help improve it while at the same time maintain its natural beauty.
“It is certain that this wonderful gift of nature will realize improvement and be a potential source of income for its local government and the people residing within the area,” he said in his explanatory note. (PNA)
