Callao Cave reopens after three years

                                                       The Callao Cave in Peñablanca town, Cagayan province. ( DENR photo)

By Leander C. Domingo

PEÑABLANCA, Cagayan -- For the first time in three years, the historical Callao Cave opened its doors to tourists on Monday.
Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) executive director Gwendolyn Bambalan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said the reopening of the cave was agreed upon through a resolution approved on Thursday, October 12.
    The resolution was approved by the members of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape (PPLS).
    Also the PAMB chairman, Bambalan said reviving the ecotourism industry in this town through its cave and river systems will also benefit the vendors or stall owners, tourist guides, boat operators, and even the local government unit (LGU).
    "It is high time for us to reopen the Callao Cave for the appreciation of the public, especially during long vacations, as well as to bring back the livelihood of the locals here in Peñablanca," she said.
    Bambalan encouraged members of the board to help in the preservation of the cave and other natural resources within the protected area and "to strictly enforce national policies in managing natural parks."
    She also cited the directive of DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones "to be stern in allowing the construction of development projects within protected areas, especially in strict protection zones."
Carolyn Tumamao, DENR Region 2 information officer, said a resolution was also approved regarding the membership of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) to the PPLS management board.

Tumamao said the membership of the NMP is to help preserve the historical and archeological value of the Callao Cave including other natural landscapes.

She said the resolution was passed during the meeting on Thursday, which was also attended by representatives of the provincial local government of Cagayan, municipal and barangay LGUs of Peñablanca, and the Philippine National Police.

While tourists visiting from October 16 to 27 are given free entrance to the cave, those who will arrive on October 28 and onwards shall be charged an entrance fee of P100.

However, students, local residents, senior citizens and persons with disabilities shall be charged P50 less. Foreign visitors shall be charged P200 while children seven years old and below shall be free of charge.

Tumamao said other fees for car parking, birthday or wedding photo shoots, and other purposes shall also be collected with rates currently being finalized by the PAMB.

Fossils of archaic humans, that lived during the late Pleistocene were first discovered in the cave and documented in 2007 by a team led by Armand Salvador Mijares from the University of the Philippines and eventually confirmed in 2019 as to belong to a previously unknown and now extinct human subspecies, the Callao Man.

A legislated protected area under Republic Act (RA) 11038, the PPLS has a total area of 118,781.58 hectares. It is known for its limestone forest comprising more than 200 cave systems which include the Callao Cave, known for its archaeological and aesthetic features.