To reach the cave’s chambers, one has to wiggle, waggle, wriggle, squirm, push and pull to get to the inside. The cavern has two long, branching natural tunnels: one extending from the portal to about 130 meters horizontally lain the other descended by a vertical crevice about 10 feet deep which situates the various chambers. Some palisades have developed into walls, partitioning off the cave area into several rooms. Local lore claims it to be 'La mesa de Aguinaldo', the table on which Aguinaldo signed the historic peace treaty.Īside from the presence of stalactites and stalagmites which come in various hues and sizes, the cave also boasts of palisades or rows of columns (stalactites and stalagmites which have united in the course of time) which local residents refer to as the Cuarto-Cuarto Cave or cave of many chambers. The enemy has to literally crawl through the low portal and would run smack against the waiting defenses of Aguinaldo's men.Ī ten-minute boat ride into this underground river leads to a stalactite-accented cavern where, at its center, a smooth triangular block of marble juts above the surface of the clear emerald water. The cave has narrow but long entrance coupled with the existence of secret chambers can waylay intruders. Emilio Aguinaldo, once took refuge while leading the resistance movement against the Spanish and American colonizers. The notable Aguinaldo Cave is where the late hero, Gen. It is one of the best tourist attractions in the town of San Miguel. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination ( Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.Located within the territory of Biak-na Bato National Park, Aguinaldo Cave is one of the three prominent caves that exist along the banks of the Balaong River that circumscribe the historic barangay of Biak-na-Bato. Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library. Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012).A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010).A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007).Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006).A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005).He is also the author of the following travel books: Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is an avid reader, traveler and free-lance travel writer in his spare time, contributing articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day, Bluprint and the Business Mirror. What the heck! A number of us (including me), with or without life vests, dove in and enjoyed the cool waters.īENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. However, it was a cause of concern for those of us who wanted to swim. The presence of these bats also meant the presence of guano (bat droppings), a sure source of income for the inhabitants. Thousands of fruit bats fly in and out from dawn and dusk. Probably the largest cave in the area, it has a rather deep natural indoor swimming pool fed by an underground stream. This easy-to-explore and well-lit cave is located upstream from the river. Whatever we ate seemed to disappear as we traversed the paved, up-and-down (mostly up) trail to Bahay Paniki (“House of Bats”) Cave. Just when we felt like dozing off, a whistle blew signaling the start of more trekking.

Once at the picnic area, we pigged out, kamayan style, on a feast of pork adobo, inihaw na talong (eggplant), tokwa (tofu), rice, and a salad of diced tomatoes, onions and salted eggs, all washed down with soft drinks or bottled water.

Cave biak na bato national park