CITY OF SAN FERNANDO —The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here has identified 53 caves in Central Luzon which it wants protected and conserved as “potential eco-tourism attractions” and for “important animal species” they host.
Paquito Moreno, Jr., regional director of DENR, said the caves have been found to be “rich in biological, historical and geological resources.”
Of the 53 caves, 27 are in Bulacan, 10 in Nueva Ecija, eight in Zambales, six in Aurora and two in Tarlac.
Moreno noted that “Central Luzon is rich in caves. These natural ecosystems are one of the wonders of nature and part of our natural heritage. They are usually hidden in the mountains and exhibit awesome rock formations of stalactites and stalagmites.”
“They must be protected and sustainably managed as they contain valuable resources which can provide numerous educational, historical, cultural, economic, scientifi c and aesthetic benefi ts to our communities.”
Arthur Salazar, DENR regional deputy director for technical services, said the caves were found to be habitats to some important species of frogs, bats, mammals, birds, reptiles, crabs and even microorganism.
“These unique ecosystems also contain specialized mineral formations, including calcite, limestone, and gypsum,” he said. Salazar said the DENR has officially classified eight caves in Aurora and Bulacan into Class 1 and 2 and are now being managed by the local government units.
The caves are known as Sinag, Tikbalang and Layang-layang caves, all in San Luis town in Aurora; Puning cave in Dona Remedios Trinidad town, Bayukbok, Pebbles and Madlum caves in San Miguel town, and Pinagrealan cave in Norzagaray town, all in Bulacan.
The DENR said Class 1 caves are those with delicate and fragile geological formations, threatened species, archeological and paleontological values, and extremely hazardous.
Allowable use may include mapping, photography, educational and scientific study.
Class 2 are those caves with areas or portions which have sections that have hazardous conditions and contain sensitive geological, biological, archeological, cultural, historical, and biological values or high-quality ecosystem.
It may be necessary to close sections of these caves seasonally or permanently.
They are open only to experienced cave explorers or guided educational tours or visits, the DENR explained.
