There is one thing that keeps me thinking—the more that I travel globally the more that I appreciate the beauty of the Philippines. It gives me pride to see the charming islands of the country with its bountiful flora and fauna. I feel good telling friends from abroad that I come from the islands and a rural area of the country. My view of rural Philippines is more of a wonderful sight rather than a sight of poverty. This feeling is probably a result of being able to compare what I see in other countries. Yes, my dear friends, Philippines still has a lot to offer to the world. Whenever I take domestic flights, I see to it that I sit by the window and shoot lots of pictures of the archipelago. It is always a wonderful experience—I feel I am in heaven when I see the islands spread on the glimmering sea. We are one lucky people who still have these bountiful resources.

It was no surprise that I was ecstatic to show off the beauty of Samar to nine students—seven from London and two from Manila (see related article) when they visited the island. The award-winning Balud Project which you have read about in previous issues received university students from Imperial College London, University College London and De La Salle University to teach science and mathematics to pupils of Balud Elementary School. They were five British, one Indian, one Swedish and two Filipinos. They have been ardent supporters of the Project. We checked them in at Kaluwayan Beach Resort which was near the school. It is a small obscure resort which boasts five-star accommodations. Their swimming pool was a relief from the sweltering heat.

After one week of teaching, the Project together with the Balud SK, the school teachers, the University of the Philippines Tacloban Balud Organization (yes, Balud has been expanding in different areas, I am amazed) gave the visitors a great time of their life. We brought them to the nearby Sohoton National Park of Basey, Samar. I have been there before, probably a decade ago and it was worthwhile to make a return visit. The weather was great. It was a good time to venture into the caves.

The trip to Sohoton was courtesy of the amiable Mayor of Basey, Wilfredo Estorninos who was with us during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement of the Adopt-a-School Program for Balud at the Residence of the British Ambassador at Forbes Park in Makati City a few days back. The students were also received by the Mayor in his office in Basey during the week of their stay. Basey, Samar is a third class municipality and one hour from Tacloban City via the San Juanico Bridge. It is famous for being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest banig (mat). The mayor waived the entrance fee for all the guests. Foreigners normally pay more to enter the national park.

The excursionists converged at Basey Wharf where the BFAR pump boat was waiting. We brought with us food and drinks. Rice was cooked in coconut leaves which are shaped into hearts thus the name puso. We also had iraid made of palawan, a root crop endemic in the region and which I loved to eat when I was a kid. We had raw tulingan ready for broiling, and of course adobo. Ahhh, I just love Pinoy barakasyon complete with local food.

It took us one-and-a-half hour by boat to reach Rawis of Barangay Guirang where Sohoton National Park is located. We passed by the port of Balud to pick up other Balud supporters from the village on our way. Pump boats navigate the Golden River. The river itself is already a sight to to see. It is lined by nipa palm trees. As you go deeper into the river, you will see the remote barrios with house clusters, beautiful rock formations and wild trees. Upon arrival at the park, there were tourist guides waiting for us. They are employed by the municipality. There were also DENR employees guarding the national park.

I was amazed of how advance the staff were and the tour itself in terms of health and safety. They provided helmets of striking colours to all the guests. The tourist guides were in jumpers in similar striking colours to attract attention. They were well trained in the English language and in the scientific knowledge of caves, rock formation and the inhabitants inside. The guides and guards use modern and powerful flash lights (a far cry from the old Petromax). The tour guards remain alert at the back of the crowd so that nobody would be left behind nor get lost in the dark caves. They also see to it that all garbage are brought back to the town.

The caves are part of the Sohoton National Park which covers almost 840 hectares. There are limestones, rockholes, weather-formed rocks and underground rivers aside from forests and wild animals. In the previous decades, the park used to be a loggers' paradise where huge trees were cut and sold for lumber to the gain of big companies and individuals. Enrile through his Basswood logging company used to profit much from his rampant logging here. The logs caused the enlargement of the Golden River since long trunks make their way to the open sea. It pains me when I think of how such companies profited at the expense of local inhabitants and nature. It is good that this has stopped.

The park has a number of rock formations. The more prominent assemblage are the cathedral-like caves of Panhulugan I and II, Sohoton and Bugosan. These caves are endogen caves in angular limestone cliff. They support the base of other crack systems. There are many flowstones and dripstones in the formations.

We first ventured into Panhulugan Cave. This cave frames itself in an angular limestone cliff forming a letter “H”. It's three main cracks serve to wit its form. Its two parallel legs lying 50 meters apart and connected at the entrance by a perpendicular crosspiece provide the said formation. The cracks serve to be the hub opening for internal hallways and the internal cave chambers measure some 49.2 feet high at the end of its leg. Its cathedral immensity contains an interior that branch out into many multi-levelled chambers and tunnels. We were stupid to say 'yes' to the guide when he asked us if it is alright for us to crawl. Yes, we went through crevices which exactly fit our bodies in crawling position! Not a good idea for people with claustrophobia (in a dark place). Inside the cave were an infinite variety of flowstones and rock formations which resembled familiar images of the outside world. The cave is geologically active as evidenced by the constant drips of water from stalactites. These caves were used as burial sites during the 13th century.

The nearby Sohoton Cave is another cathedral-like dome with a parabolic arch-type entrance of about fifty-meters high. Its entrance is a flat door about twenty meters in width and fifty-meters in length. On its ceiling hang spike-shaped crystalline stalactites and rustic and cavernous walls and with stalagmites on the its floor. At the far end of the cave is an opening with a balcony overlooking the natural swimming pool below.

Another formation to see is the Sohoton Natural Bridge. It is a huge arch-shaped rock that connects two mountain ridges spanning the Sohoton River with a vertical clearance of 23 feet, about 8 meters in width and 40 meters in length. The Stone Bridge is forested at its upper portion while on its underside hang heavy karst formations of giant stalactites forming like swords and rockets.


After the cave adventures, we dared the waters of the river below the Panhulugan Cliff, a high and steep rock formation directly across Panhulugan Cave I. We swam under this towering cliff which is a narrow curve of the Sohoton River wherein passing bancas are dragged during low tide. We also went boating. Fortunately the river was quite calm since the week was not rainy. The name Panhulugan is from the Waray-Waray word “hulug” which means to drop from atop. Filipino rebels used this cliff as an ambush point during the Filipino-American war.

We headed home exhausted yet happy after a day of venturing caves, swimming, boating and eating. Sohoton caves provided a glimpse of the beautiful natural wonders of the Philippines the locals and the rest of the world still have to discover and experience. I just hope when visitors start to flock to this place it will remain pristine. One of my European guests summed up the whole adventure—it is one experience that money can't buy.