At one time, while Dennis was in the US, before he came home for a vacation, he sent me a screen shot of a map of Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal. I heard about the place but I have never been there. Neither was I familiar of Pamitinan Cave, the place he wanted us to see. He mentioned to me the significance of the cave as it was where Andres Bonifacio, together with a few Katipuneros, declared independence against Spain in 1895. Indeed, a historic site. He told me that we would be hiking in order to reach the cave. He also showed me pictures of Wawa Dam, which seemed so enticing to have a dip especially on summer. He prepared for this adventure, hence, even bought us spelunking shoes to prepare us for the trip.
It was midday, literally, when we reached the end of the paved road, meaning we were already in our destination. As I am a lover of nature, the excitement began when we were approaching the scenic beauty of the mountains of Sierra Madre. We tried talking to a few men who assisted us in looking for a tourist guide who can assist us to the Pamitinan Cave. We met Joni who was kind enough to assist us on our trek.
Looking at the mountain where the Pamitinan Cave can be found seemed to be a challenging trek.
I thought it was fun and easy as I was used
to mountain hiking as a kid. However, it did not seem as easy as it
appeared. We started our walk towards the river through small make-shift
bamboo bridges. Along the riverside, you would find small nipa huts
where people would stay while going on a picnic. Under the scorching
heat of the sun, we started our trek. I was enjoying the beginning of
our trek however, after we have crossed the river, we started walking
over rocks and boulders. There seemed to be no path created to reach
the cave. We should know how to balance our body as, with just one
mistake, you could just slide, fall and bump your head.
We were told that the cave was locked because there is a plan for its improvement. Moreover, since it has been declared as a National Historic Site (Resolution), they would want to preserve the site from vandals. Sad to say that some of us do not value the significance of our history. In spite of what we have learned, we still pushed through because we wanted to really see what the cave looked like. When we reached the cave, it was saddening to note the presence of graffiti on the wall. Dennis and I were disappointed because we were not able to get inside the cave. Dennis said that we have to go back and see what was inside the cave. As of the moment, we just contented ourselves with what we saw.
As a backgrounder, it was on April 12, 1895 when Andres Bonifacio first declared Philippine independence inside a cave called Pamitinan in Montalban (now Rodriguez town) in Rizal. Earlier, together with Emilio Jacinto, Restituto Javier, Guillermo
Masangkay, Aurelio Tolentino, Faustino Manalak, Pedro Zabala and few
others, Bonifacio went to the interior parts of Morong (now Rizal
province) to find a place to hide in case of the discovery of the
Katipunan by the Spanish authorities.
They reached San Mateo and Montalban and found the caves of Makarok and
Pamitinan safe places for refuge. In one of these two caves, they held
initiation rites for new members. The Katipuneros, old and new members,
went inside the cave. After the induction, Bonifacio, using a piece of charcoal, wrote on the walls of the cave: "Long live Philippine independence!". (Pamitinan Cave)
Related Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodriguez,_Rizal
http://traveleronfoot.wordpress.com/tag/pamitinan-cave/
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=pamitinan+cave+montalban&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=IGWvUbniAc3llAWwsoDQCQ&ved=0CDAQsAQ&biw=1093&bih=471
