DENR Cordillera launches 1st cave summit

IN A bid to educate the public, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Cordillera Administrative Region (DENR-CAR ) recently held a Regional Cave Congress in Apayao with 110 participants discovering the region’s last nature frontier.

The congress is in collaboration with the provincial and municipal government units of Apayao, Department of Tourism-CAR, civil society organizations and Apayao State College which educates participants calls for further protection and preservation caves embodied under Republic Act No. 9072 otherwise known as “National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act” which states that it is the policy of the State to conserve, protect and manage natural wealth and heritage which includes cave and cave resources.

The two day congress was attended by tourism officers, local tour guides, students, government employees and cave enthusiasts all-over the Cordillera and neighboring province

as participants also got a glimpse of the Dupag Rock Formation, Lussok cave, and Manacota cave and Underground River in a tour.

Gov. Elias Bulut Jr. backed the event to help protect the province’s environment and also convinced other locals to join the congress to gain more knowledge on how to take care of Cordillera’s “Last Nature Frontier.”

Henry Valleros of the DENR-CAR talked about the Philippine Laws, Rules and Regulations concerning caves, caves as ecotourism destinations, cave management planning and implementation, and survey, assessment, validation and classification of caves.

Wrexton Afidchao meanwhile discussed the conduct of surveys in caves, safe cave exploration and alos gave guidelines on how to protect and minimize disturbance of wildlife when exploring caves starting with the use of protective gears and wearing proper attire.

Cave enthusiast couple Eric Bangad of Sang-at Salve Outdoor Club and wife Prissy Bangad of Gaia Exploration Club also shared their knowledge and experiences in caving.

Robert Pangod, the Tourism Officer of Sagada, warned of the effects of tourism boom in Apayao. As observed in Sagada, tourism boom has affected them in ways such as their culture and waste management.

Anticipating more tourists for the province would have the need for extensive preparation and in as much as possible, the preservation of nature, added Pangod.

Ely Cadang of

PENRO Nueva Vizcaya emphasized if people love and care for nature, they would have that sense of protection since human is the best caretaker of the environment. He also gave the advised to make Apayao’s culture intact – not allowing foreign culture change their culture, despite tourist influx in the future.

Apayao Tourism Officer Rebecca Mamba introduced Apayao’s history and landscapes as participants toured the different caves and Dupag Rock Formation.

The Dupag or Marag Rock Formations is a naturally designed landscape. With its sharp edges, locals were able to use it as their fort during the revolutionary years.

Fishes were evident in the Manacota Underground River as well as bats and other insects that prove sustained life in its cave.

Lussok cave astounds its visitors with its numerous chambers, underground creek and served as home to several bats.

Prior to the Congress, the Regional Cave Committee held a meeting on April 19 to evaluate on the recommended classification of five caves in the Region.

Categorized as Class II are Pita Cave of Bangued, Abra; Punsian Cave of Luna, Apayao; Dukligaw Cave of Kabugao, Apayao; and Takadang Cave of Tuba, Benguet.

Pipingew Cave of La Trinidad, Benguet was sorted as Class 1 which is a delicate cave limited only for mapping, photography, educational and scientific purposes. These caves is not open for the public while Class 2 is open to the public but must be accompanied with tour guides while some areas may have hazardous conditions and sensitive biological values.

Class 3 is generally safe to inexperienced visitors with no threat to its environment. These agreements will be forwarded to the DENR Secretary for issuance of classification order. DENRCAR Release