Marabut's Sabang Cave, A Refuge

I was back in Marabut Samar, but in another place - at a seaside beach resort (oops yes, its name is incidentally Seaside Beach Resort) in Barangay Tinabanan for a meeting. During a break, the Mayor intimated to me that this and its adjoining barangay (Caluwayan) did not have as many casualties because residents sought shelter at a cave. He said I actually passed by it coming to this resort. Woa!

When I was done and gone from the meeting, I looked for the cave. Oh, just by the roadside!

No big signage (yet) but I could see the path, the stairs and the cave's entrance. So I went for it. Alone! Yes alone, as driver had to find somewhere else to park since the path, though concrete is too narrow.

There is a decent enough "stairs" made of a combination of rocks and cement...

And it is not that steep nor high a climb. I would estimate that to be somewhere at 15 to 20 feet high.

I actually kind of ran up the steps [hah hah hingal]! And this is what I saw on top of the stairs...

I recalled what the folks told me down at the resort - there are other entrances that locals know. Hmm, I noticed there is a path going right. That circular 'entrance' seem to also have hallways left and right.

Also at the meeting, someone mentioned that this cave can easily fit 500 people. Another exclaimed that it can fit even more, like a thousand or so! That, was/is what I got curious about and wanted to see. A thousand people? It must be the size of an auditorium. Hmm, I could not see anything like so just by this small and narrow entrance. Maybe it's way inside, after passing by this 'cramped' entrance.

I inched a little bit forward... just a little bit... bakit bigla akong kinabahan... bakiiit?

And call it stupid, I will agree with you... I said "maupaaaay" and even said that in Tagalog "tao poooo"! I knew I was alone in this cave, what if someone answered to my "maupay" greeting?! Da, nabuang na!

Somehow, a part of me thought (or anticipated?) that some giant mosnter or aswang wakwak agta danggab ongo dracula sigbin guban-on whatever would appear to mangle and devour me! Hiyaaay!

Well, another part of me also thought that I was standing at the mouth of this cave dressed for a human humanitarian meeting, and I was not equipped nor prepared to parry anything if any of earth's other natural dwellers like snakes, spiders, scorpions or bats and bees came to swarm or attack me!

In short, natakot ako, ba-a nahadlok ako, so I froze there unwilling to proceed any further!

But I did not scram nor scamper hehe. I instead just looked around at this mouth of Sabang Cave...

Like I found that hammock inviting.., though I did not even touch it! The owner, kinikita o diri kiinikita might get mad! And oh, there are vandal writings carved everywhere, which was worth a frown to me.

I turned back to see the vast area below and beyond this cave...

It has a nice view ha. To the left is the sea and behind that rock hill is, I think, already Brgy. Caluwayan.

As I stood there, I remembered the time I talked to the kids at Caluwayan Elementary School last March. They told me that all women children and the elderly were transferred to a cave a day before Yolanda. And they were pointing in this direction. So this was probably the cave that saved them.

Note: they told me though that sheltering in the caves was/is a "usual practice" during typhoons that they have been doing - especially for those whose houses are made of light materials - which, still is almost all anyway. Thus, whether a gigantic storm surge was coming or not, they didn't actually know!

Well, if this was not the cave those children were telling me, then, it must be interesting to see all of them. How do such caves look like from the inside? How is it like to live a la "caveman"? I am curious.

Anyway, next time perhaps. I'll plan this with some friends...

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