Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

A Trip to Tuguegarao City was an Eye-opener

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Apr 23, 2008 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Flying to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, my friend and I took another flight via Air Philippines to Tuguegarao City, up to the northernmost part of the Philippines. We were told that the flight usually takes 50 minutes, but we got to Tuguegarao 10 minutes early, thanks to the bright sun and crisp wind of March.

With a few minutes to spare, we hurriedly gathered some brochures from the counter of the Department of Tourism at the airport and quickly crammed ourselves with information about our destination. We learned that Tuguegarao City is the capital of Cagayan, the northernmost province of Luzon.

Without much knowledge of the place, we just contented ourselves to be led by our hosts. First stop was lunch at Kainang Pinoy, a restaurant that opened just three days before we arrived. After the meal, we were deposited at Pensionne Roma-our home for the next two days-a pleasant and cool refuge to the city's sweltering heat. We were told that in the summer, noontime temperature rises to as much as 39°C.

In the afternoon, we were brought to our host's farm in Iguig, a town 16 kilometers north of Tuguegarao. Iguig is known for the sacred Calvary Hills, an 11-hectare religious site trooped by many each year to commemorate Christ's passion. The devout walk via cruzis on rolling hills to pay reverence to the 14-feet-tall statues depicting the stages of our Lord's suffering until His death.

The next day, the only planned trip was a visit to the Basilica Minore in Piat, which is about 30 minutes away from Tuguegarao, to the house of the revered Miraculous Lady, or more popularly known abroad as the Black Mary. This four-century-old image of the Virgin Mary was first enshrined in Lallo-c, Cagayan. The devotees of the rosary, the Dominican friars, brought it to the Philippines in 1604. It is believed that the image brings about miracles to the faithful, not to mention the many blessings and supernatural provisions it has brought to the region under its care. For this reason, people, including politicians who are up for election, flock to this part of the country to ask for the statue's blessing, thus making Piat as the Pilgrimage center of the northeast. I was told by local folk that Erap Estrada also prayed to Lady of Piat when he ran for presidency in 1998, so you can only guess if petitions said here do really come true.

On the way home, we passed by a bridge that allowed us to cross a mighty strip of water-the Cagayan River. It is the longest and widest river in the country, with its waters stretching from Aparri to Nueva Vizcaya. During the rainy season, we were told that a different kind of salmon, locally known as lurung, abounds in the river. Lurung is so delicious that it is often bought by politicians to be given as gifts, therefore earning the name, "Presidential Fish." Due to the scarcity of and demand for lurung, market price is about P1,000/kilo.

Not-to-miss in Cagayan are their numerous caves, most of which can be found in Peñablanca-the spelunker's haven. The caves in this town number to about 300, 75 of which are recorded in the National Museum. The most famous is the Callao Cave, which features seven chambers, massive limestone formations, skylights, and surprisingly, a chapel in the second chamber. Callao Cave can be reached by climbing 187 steps up a hill. It is best explored at noontime, when the sun is high up in the sky to light up the openings.

At dusk, we took a motorized banca and we slowly drifted along the Pinacanauan River and marveled at the sunset. Despite the tiredness of scaling the steps to Callao, Nanette could not resist the cool and clear waters of the river. She took off her shoes and told the skipper to dock at a shallow point, from where she pointed her camera at every possible angle. After the photo session in the middle of the river, our guide instructed the driver to pass under what they called a mororan, an opening on the hill where water from the mountain gushes out to the river. I was told to make a wish before passing under the water, but I forgot to do so when I felt the refreshing splash of cool mountain water on my body.

Final stop is the bat cave, which was another opening high above the waters where hundreds of bats take off at around 6 o'clock every afternoon for their daily flight. We waited for them to come out until it was about 6:45 PM and the only light we can see is the brightness of a nearby lodge. But the bats never came out. Strange, they say, for the bats never miss a flight. Well, maybe they're shy of a couple of Ilongga.

Some of the more famous caves in Peñablanca are the Jackpot Cave, the second deepest cave in the country; the Sistema-Odessa Tumbali, a cave system with multiple entrances and a river; and the Sierra Cave, known for its narrow opening called, Cecilia's Passage.

For us amateur spelunkers, Callao was enough for us. We had to retire for the night, tired but happy, satisfied, and thankful to God for creating all these natural wonders in our country.

Published by posh_post

I am a freelance writer & advertising consultant based in Bacolod City. I am an avid internet user. I use the internet to earn some money on the side. I also publish a local digest. View profile

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

A Trip to Tuguegarao City was an Eye-opener

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