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Friday, February 19, 2016

Catanduanes : Luyang Cave

A cave located in San Andres is full of history. 
It was used by the natives as a refuge against their Moro attackers during the 18th century. 






According to the history, the town had villagers called "Binanhawan."  
The settlers were Christians and were usually attacked by the Moros. 
They have assigned lookouts near the shores to give them a high sign of possible danger by tolling the bell and building smoke. 


The Moros arrived one day and was surprised that the village was empty.  
They stopped and waited patiently there for any inhabitants to show up until
a woman went to shore to catch fish. 
The Moros, on her return, followed her route and discovered their hiding place. 

The villagers tried concealing themselves by putting dried leaves and twigs along the entrances. 
They also planted "sili" and other fruits to discourage their enemies. 

The invaders tried to get in the cave so the inhabitants burnt the dried leaves and twigs
thinking that it would drive them away. 
Unfortunately, the wind blew inside the caves thus suffocated them. 


Now a grotto stands in the middle of the cave, and 
a yearly mass is celebrated (28 April) to commemorate what happened. 

*By the way, we tried to get inside the cave but it was too dark, and the ground was a bit wet.
We didn't have our spotlight.  We only had our phones. 
We also didn't have any guide inside or sorts, so we didn't push through. 
Safety is our priority although adventure is fun. :) 

Maybe next time.  

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