Doon Po Sa Amin Maglakbay kayo…
Introduction :
Ilagan is the capital town of Isabela, the 2nd largest province in the Philippines. It is in this town where a great masterpiece of God’s creation is found. The Sta. Victoria caves and the magnificent Pinzal Falls.
(One of the caves there) (photo from my friend)
(Pinzal Falls) (photo from Ilagan Isabela Philippines FB Group)
Methodology :
The best way to gather first hand information about the place is through personal sight-seeing or visiting of the place itself. An interview from the people dwelling in that particular barangay is also of great help to gather factual and reliable information on how the place was discovered and developed by the local government of Ilagan and eventually made it a tourist spot.
Expected Outputs :
This blogsite is our own way of proclaiming to the world how proud the Ilagueños are and inviting everyone to see the hidden wonders of the town of Ilagan.
(PINZAL FALLS) (Photo from my friend)
(another cave) (photo from Lakbay Pilipinas)
History of Sta. Victoria
The local indigenous people known as the Agtas or Dumagats, a nomadic people, are believed to have used the Sta. Victoria Caves as shelter at one time. In modern times, the area came to be frequented by small game hunters as well as by spelunkers. In addition, kaingin grew rampant in the area surrounding the caves.
In recent times, the Sta. Victoria Caves and the area surrounding it have been undergoing improvement under the supervision of the local government of Isabela. This zone within the Fuyot Springs National Park, which includes forests and rivers as well as the caves, is now called the Isabela Sanctuary.
Brand new facilities have been constructed in the Isabela Sanctuary for the comfort and pleasure of tourists. Aside from simply exploring the Sta. Victoria Caves, there are opportunities for other activities in the Isabela Sanctuary. For one, it now features a sanctuary for endangered species and a botanical garden in addition to the caves. Tourists may also go white-water rafting, cycling, and horse-back riding here as well as trekking, spelunking, and mountain climbing throughout the area. Visitors can also go swimming in the basin of the Pinzal Falls within the sanctuary. There is also an Environmental School in the sanctuary where visitors may listen to lectures, get seedlings to plant, and receive certificates.
Most of these improvements were completed early in 2009.Under the initiative of Ilagan mayor Jose Marie L. Diaz, 28 non-government organizations that are based in the area signed a memorandum of agreement in 2009 in which they pledged to take responsibility for the maintenance, protection, preservation, and nurture of the environment covered by the Isabela Sanctuary. National and government agencies have also been rallied to aid in the conservation of the site.
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