Magangab Cave: One of the Many Subterranean Marvels in Balbalan, Kalinga

Magangab Cave in Tawang, Balbalan, Kalinga, an underground marvel with a subterranean river, teeming with below ground fauna, and with marvelous speleothem formations, is poised to attract more visitors to this town blessed with Karst topography.

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Location of Magangab Cave

Address: Tawang, Balbalan, Kalinga, Philippines

Coordinates: 17°36’35.900″N 121°16’46.800″E

Google Map:

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Magangab Cave DENR Cave Classification

Class II ^[1], though not yet officially published in the DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau site. Class II are caves with areas or portions which have hazardous conditions and contain sensitive geological, archeological, cultural, historical, and biological values or high quality ecosystem ^[2]. It may be necessary to close sections of these caves seasonally or permanently.

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Magangab Cave Characteristics

• Measurements: two entrance with surveyed distance of 82.7 meters; average width of 2.404 meters; average height of 3.2 meters; elevation of 251 meters above sea level ^{[2] [6]}.
• Spelunking duration: More or less an hour, depending on your pace
• Mineral deposit formations: Abundant
• Is underground river present?: Yes
• Bat population: Few to numerous
• Multichamber: Yes
• Human artefacts: None
• Cave floor fill: Mud, water, some guano
• Depth: Unknown
• Length: Approx. 891 meters ^[7]

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Spelunking in Magangab Cave

Magangab Cave in Tawang, Balbalan, Kalinga, an underground marvel with a subterranean river, teeming with below ground fauna, and with marvelous speleothem formations, is poised to attract more visitors to this town blessed with Karst topography.

Magangab Cave is located in Barangay Tawang, Balbalan, Kalinga. The community has a small population of 857, grossly 7% of the total Balbalan’s population of 12,195 per 2015 Philippine Statistics Authority data ^[3]. Historically, Balabalan was under the Province of Kalinga-Apayao. Later, Kalinga became a separate province by virtue of RA 7878 in 1992 ^[4].

Magangab Cave is found under the community’s karst topography. Barangay Tawang, where the cave is found, is a landscape of sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, and springs. This topography is usually a result from the excavating effects of underground water on massive soluble limestone ^[5].

According to the locals, the name of the cave is probably from one of their vernacular word “aggab”. This term describes the sound of moving boulders beneath the earth being carried by strong current of running water, commonly during heavy rains ^[6]. Some elders recounted that this sound was heard long ago by people living in the vicinity of the cave during their early settlement in the area ^[6].

Stone formations are abundant inside the cave. Like any other caves, speleothems in the form of flow stones, columns, canopies, shields, draperies, stalactites, stalagmites, among others are everywhere. In an image uploaded by a visitor in social media, microgours are also seen in some sloping surfaces.

Since the cave has a subterranean river, expect to be muddied along the way. Thus be prepared to remove your shoes if you don’t want them to get dirty and soaked during spelunking. Fortunately, it is not as knee deep muddy as the passages of San Carlos Cave in Penablanca, Cagayan. In parts of the subterranean river where there is no mud, the water is crystal clear, like in Aran Cave in Benguet and Capisaan Cave in Nueva Vizcaya. The water also is freezing, like in most underground rivers. Just make sure to get extra set of clothing, including under wears and socks to change to after your spelunking session.

Not far from the cave at a lower elevation is the Timod River ^[2]. Possibly, some water from the cave drains to this body of water, which in turn joins the Cal-owan River of the neighboring community. You can have your picnic or take a quick dip here after exploring the cave.

Fauna of the Cave

The inhabitants of Magangab Cave are massively trogloxenes in the entrance and twilight zones of the cave, though there might be unreported troglobites in the deeper dark zone.

Want to know more of troglobites, trogloxenes, and cave zones? Read the following articles:
Troglobites: The Caves’ Permanent Dwellers
Trogloxenes: the Part-time Cave Residents
Cave Zones: Entrance, Twilight and Dark Zones

The location of Magangab Cave in a forested area easily entices part-time cave residents. Spiders, crickets, swiflets, and bats ^[6] are known to dwell in the entrance and twilight zones of the cave. Moreover, accidental residents like monkeys, python, birds, cloud rats, lizard, civet, fruit bats, wild pigs, and wild chicken ^[6] might also seek sanctuary at the entrance of the cave as these are the fauna of the surrounding forest.

LGU, DENR, and Landowners Agreement for Joint Cave Management Plan

As the cave is luring more and more local visitors, threat to its ecology as well as physical defacement have been observed. In 2019, a cave management plan and a tripartite memorandum of agreement between LGU, DENR and the surface claimant have been initiated.

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Included in the provisions of the agreement and management plan are 1) DENR will provide training and technical service to the locals, 2) LGU to fund the development and promotion of the cave, as well as appoint a Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) to oversee the implementation of the cave management plan, and 3) the landowner will assist the DENR and LGU in protecting the cave, as well as to ensure that all authorized persons entering the cave have complied with necessary requirements ^[2].

The DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau has published in their accomplishment in the first quarter of 2020 that they have reviewed and evaluated the reports on implementation of cave management plan.

The following embeds are from those who visited the cave:

In summary, Magangab Cave is one of the uncharted underground wonders with a subterranean river in the Karst-topographic town of Balbalan, Kalinga. It is highly recommended as a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. You could also take a picnic and swim in the river just outside its entrance. The town itself could fill days worth of nature trips.

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Contact Person/Group/Page

• Social Media (Balbalan Tourism Facebook Page)

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Registration/Guide Fees

• As of last quarter of 2019: Php1,000.00 per guide for a day.
• Will be updated once data are available

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How to Get to Magangab Cave

By land:

• Get to Tabuk, Kalinga
  • From Manila (approx 12 hours travel time): Take a bus bound to Tabuk, Kalinga. Victory Liner has a direct route from Sampaloc to Tabuk; or take their bus from Pasay to Tuguegarao, then take a PUJ to Tabuk. Florida Bus also has a Sampaloc to Tabuk and Cagayan route.
  • From Baguio City (approx 9 hours travel time): Dangwa Bus, Auto Bus, and GL lines have buses to Tabuk.
  • From Bontoc (approx 6 hour travel time): PUJs and buses are available to Tabuk via Kalinga Highway and Tinglayan. First trip is at 7 AM and last trip at 11AM.
• Tabuk to Balbalan
  • There are PUJs from Tabuk to Poblacion, Balbalan; their terminal is located at Block 3, Purok 5, Bulanao, Tabuk. Schedule of trips are 7am, 10am and 1pm. fare is around Php180.00
  • Magangab Cave is within the Tabuk-Pinukpuk-Wagud route. It is also 30 minutes’ walk somewhere in a forested zone from the center of Barangay Tawang.

By air:

• Get to Tabuk, Kalinga by air
  • From Manila, there are Philippine Airline flights direct to Tuguegarao. From Tuguegarao, take a PUJ to Tabuk.
• Tabuk to Balbalan
  • There are PUJs from Tabuk to Poblacion, Balbalan; their terminal is located at Block 3, Purok 5, Bulanao, Tabuk. Schedule of trips are 7am, 10am and 1pm. fare is around Php180.00
  • Magangab Cave is within the Tabuk-Pinukpuk-Wagud route. It is also 30 minutes’ walk somewhere in a forested zone from the center of Barangay Tawang.

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Nearby Notable Caves/Underground Rivers

• Uguid Underground River, Maling
• Maanus Cave, Tawang
• Banig Cave, Tawang
• Maaya-Ayas Cave, Buaya
• Uta Cave, Gawaan
• Dinugdugan Cave, Tawang

Non-cave places of interest:

• Banao Protected Landscape
• Balbalasang National Park
• Waterfalls: Tawang Waterfalls, Bagawat Waterfalls, Lultoan Waterfalls, Ligayan Waterfalls
• Giant Bathtub Pool of Ligayan Waterfall (Battong Allan”)
• Palit Lake
• Bolo-Nawoy rice terraces
• Giant Serpent, Gawaan

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Reminders

• Always practice leave-no-trace principle. I have to highlight to please not leave anything inside, do not vandalize, and do not take any physical memento from the cave. Whether it is under the protection of the DENR or not, treat nature with respect.
• If you plan to go there during dry season, please bring enough water to quench your thirst on the way to the cave and during the spelunking activity.
• It is highly advisable to contact your guide a day before and arrange transportation in advance if you are not commuting or using private car.
• Wear a comfortable non-slip, close-toed rubber shoes for the hike to the cave.
• Do not remove your socks [remove only your shoes or sandals] when you reach the muddy passageways because there are sharp-edged stones and pebbles at the bottom of the mud [THANK ME LATER IF YOU HEED MY ADVISE]. Thus, it is advisable to wear thick ones to protect your toes and feet.
• Get a complete extra set of clothes to change to after you get out of the cave.
• Since there is a subterranean river inside, bring zip bags for your gadgets. Also, consider re-scheduling your activity if there had been a continuous heavy rain in the area.

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References

[1] Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2007. DENR Memorandum Circular No. 2007-04: Procedure in Cave Classification [PDF file]. Available at <http://www.bmb.gov.ph/index.php/e-library/laws-and-policies/denr-memorandum-circular-order/dmc-dmo-2007-2016> [Accessed 21 July 2020].

[2] Balocnit, P., 2019. Balbalan To Open Its Cave To Tourists. [online] Pia.gov.ph. Available at: <https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1031760> [Accessed 21 July 2020].

[3] Philippine Statistics Authority-Cordillera Administrative Region. 2020. 2019 Registered Births Marriages And Deaths In Kalinga. [online] Available at: <http://rssocar.psa.gov.ph/Kalinga/releases/2019%20Registered%20Births%20Marriages%20and%20Deaths%20in%20Kalinga> [Accessed 27 July 2020].

[4] Donqui-is, J., n.d. The Kalinga – National Commission For Culture And The Arts. [online] National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Available at: <https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-communities-and-traditional-arts-sccta/northern-cultural-communities/the-kalinga/> [Accessed 27 July 2020].

[5] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d. Karst. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/science/karst-geology> [Accessed 24 August 2020].

[6] Balbalanlink.blogspot.com. 2019. The Tawang Magangab Cave Of Balbalan. [online] Available at: <http://balbalanlink.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-tawang-magangab-cave-of-balbalan.html> [Accessed 24 August 2020].

[7] Camargo, R. & Cordeiro, L. 2015. Expedição espeleológica internacional à região norte de Luzon, Filipinas. [online] Available at <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309286334_Expedicao_espeleologica_internacional_a_regiao_norte_de_Luzon_Filipinas_2015> [Accessed 27 August 2020].

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[8] Balbalan Tourism, 2019. At the entrance of Magangab Cave [Facebook Page status]. Available at: <https://www.facebook.com/balbalantourism/photos/a.324554591278053/467350726998438/?type=1&theater> [Accessed 24 August 2020].

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Dongui-is Munda Cruz, R. F. 2019. Going abroad? Pinas Muna Tayo! [Facebook Page status]. Available at: <https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4034879163193956&set=pb.100000157369372.-2207520000..&type=3&theater> [Accessed 24 August 2020].

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Disclaimer: As much as we want to give the most accurate information for the readers, change will always occur (e.g., contact number, transportation, fees, etc.). With this, please do comment below any updates as well as corrections on the content, anything amiss, or any information that you think is crucial to the readers. Iyaman!