Rediscovering Pasil Freedom Trail

Geraldine Dumallig

PASIL, Kalinga -- As potential  eco-tourism destination of Kalinga, the Department of Tourism with officials from the provincial and local government,  recently explored  the 43 km trail in this remote town that once served as a safe passage for General Emilio Aguinaldo and his men during the Filipino-American war in the 1900s.

Dubbed as the “Freedom Trail” tour, the eco-tour along the historical patch takes at least eight hours of walking, sightseeing, picnic, village visits and refreshing dips in the cool and hot springs dotted along the way.

Depending on where the visitors are coming from,  jump-off area could be from Tabuk City to Balenciagao or Cagaluan Gate to Balenciagao

From Balenciagao where the eight-hour adventure hiking starts, trekkers on Among the first sites to appreciate are the Kabunian Bridge, Ginaang Village, Kabunian spring, and the camp site of Aguinaldo.

According to history, Gen. Aguinaldo,  the first president of the Philippines from 1899-1901,  once established his office in Lubuagan, an adjacent municipality,  that served as the seat of the Philippine National Government from March 6 to May 17 in 1900.

In BatongBuhay, trekkers won’t miss the unusual sulphur canyons as a clear spring water breezes through brightly colored mountainside of rustic browns, patches of white and yellow. Along the way is the Clitoris Falls named for its shape,  and the Cadamayan mysterious fall.

Pass through the upland rice fields like the Bummag Rice Terraces, producers of the unoy rice, a popular heirloom organic rice now being exported  to the USA.

Part of Batong Buhay’s charm is its hot springs being the nest of a potential thermal energy.Take time to also explore the historical BatongBuhay Mines Ruins.In Colayo, admire the Binasalan Falls, Calwitan Rice Terraces, Mt. Mosimos,  andPalikyo Eco-tourism Park.

The Butilao Blue Falls is one of awesome sites as reflections of the semi-precious stone malachite and copper creates a breathtaking bluish hue of the fall and the clear spring below.

The Binanug Echo Cave during the ancient times was known to be a hideaway of unknown spirits because of the echoes it created. It was later found out that due to the structure of the cave, a sound created near the opening bounces back, but in some mysterious reasons would take some time before the echo is heard, thus making an eerie sound.

After a few hours of walking, the Colayo Hot Spring could be a soothing place to rest and take a dip. And before the journey ends trekkers will get to see the old American camp and the majestic Tumuyoc Falls.

The day’s journey will wind up with an overnight camping at the Sokyo Camp Site.  

Pasil is a 5th class municipality in the south western part of the Kalinga. It  is bounded on the north by the municipality of Balbalan, on the south by the municipality of Tinglayan, on the east by Tabuk  City ,  and on the west by the province of Abra and south-western part of the municipality of Sadanga, Mountain Province.

Folklore   has it that during the olden times, Kabunian, the greatest of the gods of the Kalingas, left in one of his travels a drop of water upon an ancient tree. This drop trickled down and like a metal of great magnetic force, attracted brooks and rivulets to form a river called the Pasil River.

As the years passed, patches of villages were established along the banks of the river. Settlers in these villages were  called as “I-Pasil”, meaning “people along the Pasil River.”