Sagada caves deteriorating; DPWH urged: Fix dug area

By: Francis B. Degay  

SAGADA, Mountain Province – Caves of this tourist town are deteriorating as rock formations and biodiversity inside and outside are being destroyed, said a team from the government Environment office which assessed these.

The burial caves have been also vandalized even as the top of a cave bulldozed by the Dept. of Public Works and Highways has not yet been backfilled, the team said.

Barangay officials of Taccong, Suyo and Ambasing, municipal tourism officer and staff of the Provincial Tourism Office attended a presentation by the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources of the result of cave appraisal.

Facilitators from the regional Cordillera office of DENR represented by mining engineer Wrexton Afidchao and forester Cristopher Bosaing of CENRO- Sabangan urged barangay officials and stakeholders of caves to unite and cooperate for  preservation of caves.

Afidchao presented his team’s assessment on the two caves being frequented by tourists in Sagada, particularly Balangagan and Lumiyang.

He urged the barangay officials to follow up with the DPWH backfilling of the top of the cave that was leveled for the proposed construction of government building.

The DPWH stopped construction of the building following opposition from local folks who said the environment should be preserved considering the proposed building would sit atop a cave.

Bosaing said the “head” of the cave must be planted with trees and shrubs.

“Trees hold water,” he said. “As water sips into the cave, it is essential in forming stalactites and stalagmites.”         

Afidchao said Balangagan Cave has nine chambers and one had been a burial ground as manifested by presence of old coffins.

He urged barangay officials of Suyo and Taccong to put a fence so vandals will not destroy coffins and skeletons.

Lumiyang, once a famous burial ground, is the entrance of the  renowned cave connection to the “big” cave, which is called Sumaguing.

According to Afidchao, it is the 2nd longest cave in Cordillera at 800 meters.

Vanessa Pineda of the National Museum office urged barangay officials to include in their ordinances preservation of cultural values of caves.

DENR staff also discussed features of Republic Act 9072 (An Act to manage and protect caves and cave resources and classification of caves.)

Class I are caves with delicate and fragile geological formations with presence of threatened species and archeological and paleontological values and conditions are extremely hazardous. 

Caves under class II are those with sections that have hazardous conditions and contain sensitive geological, biological, archeological, cultural, historical, and biological values or high quality ecosystem.

They can be visited by well-experienced cavers and visitors but with experienced guides.  

Class 3 are those considered generally safe to inexperienced visitor with no known threatened species, archeological, geological, natural history, cultural and historical values.

These caves may also be utilized for economic purposes such as guano extraction and edible birds nest collection.