If you close your eyes on
the darkest night, it’s still not as gloomy as a cave. Off course, caves are
far more exciting and exhilarating than staying in a dreadful room that will just
surely increase your boredom.
Cave is the world’s
darkest corner and the largest room ever built without the intervention of man.
Even a slightest sound would echo through the doomed blackness. Time won’t even
matter when it’s totally dark.
Manukan is not just
exceptional as it seems because its name is derived from “manok” which
literally means chicken but because of its unrivaled wonders of nature.
With the perfect tropical
climate of Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte, you will enjoy its fairly warm temperature, perfect
for challenges and adventures. It offers an array of outdoor
activities. Whether you want to explore the ocean floor or dive in with their
pristine beaches, climb a mountain or a perfect venture into its glorious cave,
the Libuton Cave.
Libuton
Cave
Libuton
Cave is located in a mountainous barangay Libuton, seven kilometers away from
the town proper. Julie Ann Lafuente, focal person of LGSP-LED project in said
town, said that Libuton Cave is composed of seven interconnecting caves yet
only three are open for exploration.
The
radiance of the sun profoundly penetrating into the cavern discloses the
astounding size of the Libuton cave.
Cave is a natural
underground space large enough for a human to go through. It is formed naturally
by the weathering of rock and they often extend deep underground. It is
hollow, has an underground passage or enclosure with an opening to the surface.
The ceiling collapsed into sinkholes, illuminating the massive skylights.
Inside
the cavern one would see spectacular stalagmites unhurriedly touching and
kissing the stalactites above. Gushing water contains tiny amounts of the
mineral calcite, and when dumped, fabulous exhibit of stalactites and
stalagmites are fashioned in rings. Just like frozen popsicles, stalactites
dangle around the edges of the enormous skylight. The shaft of light from the
sun penetrating through the hole of the cavern from above reveals a tower of
calcite on the cave floor.
“The
more the tour guide narrated how stalactites and stalagmites form, it made me
realize that caves offer an analogy of the beauty and madness of the human soul
and spirituality,” commented by fanaticinformant in his blog during his cave
exploration in Libuton cave.
Bizarre
and creepy creatures dwell in the mystic and dim quarters of the cavern.
Spelunking
“Once I had worked up a
proper jungle-hile-lather, I was beginning to come to the firm understanding
that I wasn’t going for a stroll. I was actually going spelunking,” exclaimed
by fanaticinformant.
Caving is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems which is also known as spelunking in the
United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom
and Ireland.
Time
and again, spelunking is undertaken by many sports enthusiasts as an extreme
sport. They find it incredibly enjoyable, uplifting and surprisingly an answer
to their world-weariness. This exhilarating outdoor activity is an excellent physical
and mental exercise to those who are stress from their work, business and
studies. You may delve into the cavern for biological exploration but one thing
you should not miss of.
However,
never leave your cameras because cave
photography is far more exciting as you go through the maze inside the
cavern. Get pictures of time’s inexorable and persistent slow march of rock
formations connected from centuries of time.
Don’t get stuck in the
labyrinth
There
are unknown and tricky passages, getting fatally lost and injured are the
constant concerns during cave exploration.
Bring with you your flashlight if there’s no headlamp and wear a protective helmet and sturdy, flexible jeans and a few long-sleeve shirts to stay warm in the chilly cave air. As you navigate the maze with a very small passage, the Superman position (one arm forward, one at your side) would be great so you're able to wiggle and move about. When traversing through the cave, make sure your feet are well placed and secure before taking to another step.
If
you’re squeezing through pinches, there’s no way around getting dirty. It is
part of the amazing adventure inside the curve passages and claustrophobic
spaces. Stay calm. All of these are part of the electrifying challenges.
“It is pretty
freaking incredible seeing the unseen inside the cavern. Truly, this is a
mind-blowing adventure. The feeling is relieving once you see the horizon
connecting you outside the chamber of the cave,” says a cave enthusiast.
After
you scrambled your way out remember not to bring or leave anything inside the
cavern.
Continuing pursuit for excellence and
good governance
The
promotion and development of Libuton cave as tourist attraction is part of the LGSP-LED
eight-year (2008-2016) collaborative Program of the governments of the
Philippines and Canada, through the Department of the Interior and Local Government
(DILG) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
LGSP-LED
envisions vibrant, investor-friendly and tourist-attractive local economies,
and is geared towards strengthening the enabling environment for good
governance and sustainable local economic development.
“Dapitan-Dipolog-Polanco-Katipunan-Roxas-Manukan
Growth Corridor or the DDPKaRoMa Alliance is working towards increased economic
growth and an enhanced investment climate in the region,” says Ching Porlas,
Technical Staff of LGSP-LED ZN in a phone interview.
In
line with the alliance’s priority LED initiatives, LGSP-LED provided
support for consensus building workshops, community mobilization, and training
for cave guides as well as provisions on signage.
A
mapping of possible resources led to the Alliance’s further mobilizing of
support from other partners: the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) on cave protection; the Red Cross on disaster management, the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department
of Trade and Industry (DTI) on entrepreneurship and basic bookkeeping,
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the provision of massage kits,
and the Dipolog Outdoor Society on cave exploration and guiding.
The
alliance has adopted a strategy built on opportunities for eco-cultural tourism
as well as agri-industry from high value crops, mango and cassava.(FPG/MAA/PIA-Zamboanga
del Norte)