ALEGRIA, Cebu –Marvelous formations of stalactites and stalagmites in various sizes and designs inside the caves of Alegria town in the southwestern tip of Cebu are attracting spelunkers, mountaineers and cave enthusiasts.

Once a sleepy town, Alegria, a fourth-class municipality (annual income: P13 million-P21 million) 115 kilometers from Cebu City, is gearing up to become a top eco-tourism destination in Central Visayas, offering a wide variety of attractions, such as beautiful caves that are home to insect bats and other endemic creatures, magnificent waterfalls and lake.

The coastal town, known as Tubod in the 1800s for its flowing crystalline waters, faces the Tañon Strait, which separates Cebu and Negros islands. It is a perfect spot for divers because of a lush marine ecosystem where sting-rays, giant clams, green and table corals, and dolphins and other cetaceans abound, plus two underwater caves yet unexplored.

The municipal government, with the help of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is opening to the public two of the town’s 58 caves, Silay and Kantayong.

Mayor Raul Guisadio promises a fun and awesome adventure for those who want to explore the caves, both in Barangay Valencia. The caves, he said, had already attracted local and foreign tourists.

Guided tours
The local government has trained 25 local spelunkers to guide cave enthusiasts, Guisadio said.

“We will make Alegria known for its beautiful spots and eventually be a center for ecotourism destination in the next few years. We are glad to let everyone see our beautiful caves, waterfalls, lake and seas,” he said.

The town is allocating funds for the exploration of at least three more caves in the first quarter of next year and will soon ask help from the Department of Tourism for promotion.

Of the 58 caves, only a few have been explored and two were initially approved by the DENR as ecotourism destinations because of guaranteed safety for tourists.

Guisadio said the other caves must be explored not only for tourism but also for archeological purposes since several pottery wares and shells dating back to the Iron Age (1,000 BC-A.D. 500) had been found, particularly in the Kambulakan cave. Sometime in 1999, several earthen wares used as burial assemblage were accidentally unearthed in Kambulakan and are now displayed in the municipal hall.

A documentation made by the municipality shows the distinctive decorations on the pottery. The absence of Asian and Chinese trade ware ceramics indicates that these belonged to the Iron Age.

The presence of shells called locally as “budyong” shows that these were cut and smoothened with the use of an iron tool during the Iron Age, it said.

The display included the skull of a hunting dog inside a human burial jar in Kambulakan.

Verna Magallon, chair of the municipal council’s committee on tourism and heritage, said other caves need to be rehabilitated and roads improved.

Favorite
Valencia, l0 km from the national road, is home to 12 caves. The Silay cave draws the biggest number of visitors because of its grandiose stalactites and stalagmites, according to Ronnie Baisac, head of the spelunkers in Alegria.

It is only here that insect bats, considered the smallest species in the bat family, can be found, he said.

Reaching the mouth of Silay on top of a mountain is a breathtaking experience because of the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. The 30-minute walk from the village proper, covering 1.3 km, to reach the cave’s mouth is a good start for mountaineers, cave enthusiasts and adventure seekers, Baisac said.

Visitors are greeted by a cathedral-like dome adorned by stalactites and stalagmites as high as four meters.

The curtain wall of a stalactite, four to five meters high and six to 10 meters wide, is one of the favorites, Baisac said.

Silay also has a cave coralloid—two prominent columns formed when stalactites and stalagmites meet—and chamber-like sections that look like altars.

Several prominent local spelunkers, like the late Dr. Adolf Espina and American caver Charles Festerson, had explored the cave a year ago and were struck by its awesome beauty, Baisac said.

Alternate wartime church
Less than 100 meters from Silay is the Cambusay cave, which was used as a church and refuge of residents during World War II, he said.

Baisac, who served as the guide when the Inquirer and members of the Philippine Air Force 505 rescue team visited the caves last week, said the Cambusay, named for its once overflowing crystalline waters, must be rehabilitated before it is opened to the public.

It has giant stalagmites forming a huge altar just a few meters from the opening.

Just 30 meters from Cambusay is the Bat cave, so called because it is the habitat of at least five species of bats, Baisac said. Since the cave has yet to be explored, Baisac said he did not how many of these bats thrive in the cave.

The Kantayong is ideal for adventure seekers because of its narrow opening. One has to rappel a few meters down to get inside.

Joseph Reynan Peque, a local spelunker, said the cave had fascinating stalactites, such as rare bosom-like formations.

Tours
With the growing attraction of the caves, the barangay council has passed a resolution banning the throwing of garbage to preserve the pristine environment, especially in areas leading to the caves, said village councilor Montana Lirada.

The resolution also bans the extraction of stalactites and stalagmites.

Lirada said the barangay was promoting the caves as tourist spots and hoped to earn from them when the local government begins its ecotourism tours next year.

“We are highly dependent on farming and when tourists start to come we are hopeful that we will be able to earn from the proceeds of the package tours and help some of the residents here. We are also willing to assist tourists in their tour here,” she said.

Magallon said the local government was completing plans for packaged tours, not just to the caves but also to the town’s waterfalls, lake and dive sites.

She said she hoped that educational tours would be conducted by universities and schools so that young students would appreciate the caves and other beautiful natural spots, and learn to preserve and promote them.

Magallon said a dolphin-watching program would also be organized. Hundreds of these cetaceans, particularly the spinner and bottlenose dolphins, can be seen near the seashore.

Since Alegria is off the Tañon Strait, the seas are still abundant with marine species, including dolphins and other exotic sea mammals and corals.