Surigao City to host Caraga regional caving summit

MANILA, Philippines - Surigao City, dubbed the “City of Island Adventures”, will host the 4th Caraga Regional Caving Summit at Silop Cave on March 28-30.

A joint undertaking of the Department of Environment and Natural Reources, the Department of Tourism and the provincial government of Surigao del Norte, the three-day event will gather delegates from Caraga region which is noted for its cave systems because of its mountainous terrain. 

The region is composed of the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands, and the highly-urbanized city of Butuan. 

According to Mayor Ernesto Matugas, the city’s hosting of the regional meet of speleologists, spelunkers, conservationists and adventure enthusiasts will underscore the need to protect the country’s cave networks to maintain ecological balance and help boost the tourism industry.

The three-day summit will include talks from the DENR on approaches to cave planning and sustainable development and introduction to cave laws to ensure their protection. 

Meanwhile, the DOT will focus on the promotion of caves and the traveler’s ethics for the region’s ecotourism sector. 

Moreover, Davao-based Speleo Davao will delve on the importance of limestone habitats and flora and fauna in the country’s cave systems. 

Prior to the summit, there will be a cave guiding seminar on March 25-27. 

There will also be a series of explorations in Silop which is composed of four major caves known as Guano, Basa, Male Organ and Underwater. 

It was formed through the creation of limestone which gradually dissolved with the interaction of rainwater and groundwater, forming a tunnel, large caverns and other irregular passages. 

DOT 13 regional director Leticia Tan said that Caraga is among the country’s emerging hotspots of ecotourism, which includes caving, which can be promoted to both local and foreign markets. 

She said that the region has more than five validated sites, which include Puting Buhangin in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur and San Miguel in Surigao del Sur where a prehistoric stone axe and golden belt were excavated.

The latter is on display at the Ayala Museum, attesting to the region’s rich pre-Spanish civilization. 

She added more sites are being assessed by the DENR in Dinagat and Siargao island group before they are opened to the public. 

One of Surigao’s main tourist attractions, Silop Cave is located 15 minutes away from the city proper and boasts of extensive chambers which have lured spelunkers and outdoor enthusiasts in Mindanao. 

Surigao City, which takes pride of another cave in Buenavista island, will bid to host the National Caving Congress of the Philippine Speleological Society in 2015.