The Legend Of Mount Banahaw

Another popular destination, especially during the Lenten season is Mount Banahaw, an extinct volcano which rises 2,100 meters above sea level.

The three-peaked volcano complex is located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon and is the tallest mountain in the CALABARZON region dominating the landscape for miles around.

The mountain is considered by many as a “Holy mountain” and is popular among pilgrims along with mountain climbers. Banahaw is a national park and a protected area in the Philippines since 1941, and is now called Mts. Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape covering 10,901 hectares (26,940 acres) of land.

Mount Banahaw is a traditional pilgrimage site for locals, believed by many as a “Holy mountain,” a spiritually-charged location. The mountain and its environs are considered sacred by local residents; the water from its sacred springs is deemed “holy water” for allegedly having beneficial qualities, issuing forth from locations called “puestos” or “holy sites.” These sites are unique natural features composed not only of springs, but also caves, streams and boulders; with names with biblical allusions, and shrines erected in, on or around them. These locations were allegedly revealed to a man named Agripino Lontoc by the “Santas Voices” or the “Holy Voices,” which also gave the names to these place’s way back during the Spanish Colonial Era. Another one of this mountain is the adjacent Mount Banahaw de Lucbán.

Hiking activity on Banahaw

The mountain is popular not only to pilgrims but also among mountain climbers being the closest over 2,000-metre (6,600 ft) mountain from Manila. Hiking activity peaks during Holy Week each year, with climbers numbering to the thousands. At least, four trails to exist from Dolores, Sariaya, and other towns of Quezon located on its foothills. The most frequently used trails are the Cristalino and Tatlong Tangke, taking an average of 9 and 5 hours respectively. These two trials to originate from Barangay Kinabuhayan in Dolores, and meet near the summit, which is actually the rim of the Banahaw caldera. On the summit are viewpoints, labeled as Durungawan I, II, and III, which are the usual destination for pilgrims and hikers. Other points of interest include the “Kuweba ng Diyos Ama” (Tagalog: Cave of God the Father) and the spring at Brgy. Kinabuhayan, said to have curative powers.

Pollution

Due to incessant climbing activity, and litterbugs, which have no regard to the environment, the mountain trails to have become littered with trash. In March 2004, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered a 5-year suspension of hiking activity in the mountains, covering the Dolores and Sariaya trails. Reopening was delayed and is now scheduled in March 2012.

Etymology

The term Banahaw is not known to many people, but some beliefs attribute it to the description of a holy being. This mountain has a rock with the footprint of an unknown being and supposedly; this was the origin of the name of the mountain. Banahaw is very close to the modern Tagalog words banal (holy, sacred, divine) and daw (a word used in quoting another speaker; when appended to sentences, daw indicates slight disbelief or uncertainty in the veracity of the quotation’s content). Combined, the two words mean “[it is] probably/supposedly sacred.” The way the phrase was transcribed in Baybayin, the ancient syllabaris used in writing Tagalog prior to the introduction of the Latin alphabet, finally produced the term “Banahaw.” Article source: wikipedia