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| Mouth of Pinagrealan Cave in Bigte, Norzagaray, Bulacan |
There seems to be a renewed interest in a cave within the land own
by our family, the Pinagrealan. I do not know if it's a good or bad thing that
local officials of Norzagaray are promoting it as a tourist spot. I'm hoping,
though, that the advantages will far outweigh the disadvantages. The cave had
been threatened with destruction due to attempts by enterprising individuals,
corporations and politicians to quarry its system of limestones so many a
times, that we are willing to negotiate with the local government about opening up a
part of our land to the public in order to protect Pinagrealan. The land
surrounding the cave has been with our family for more than a century now. My
lola Oniang (my father's mom) inherited the land from her father, the late
Ambrosio dela Cruz, one of the leaders of the Katipunan in Bulacan during the
Spanish period. With the land, came the responsibility to ensure that the cave
will be preserved. Not that my great grandfather made it a requisite, my
Lolo Jose, the husband of my lola, took it upon himself to see that the
events that took place in that site will not be forgotten. The cave
serves as a reminder of the greatness of our local heroes. He
wanted the future generation to appreciate the sacrifices the Katipuneros made
in order for us to be free from foreign domination.
Pinagrealan bears witness to the many heroic deeds of ordinary
people born under extraordinary circumstances, of folks with unfailing
nationalism and patriotism during times of war and subjugation, and of
perservering mortals' desiring abundance for the land surrounding it. My childhood
was filled with stories about my father's maternal grandfather's experiences
during the Spanish era and my dad's childhood during the Japanese occupation.
The cave play a large part in it. Somehow, it seemed to have save
people's lives directly or indirectly. Although lives have been lost,
too.
According to my father, his grandfather, Ambrosio dela Cruz was
known as "Cabezang Ambon" because he held the position of Cabeza (chief of a Barangay) during Spanish reign. Cabezang Ambon, however, was also a member of the secret
society of Masons as well as the Katipunan. In the latter, he held the title of
adviser in the local chapter and also one of the financiers of the Katipunan's
movement. Pinagrealan Cave was a favorite venue for their secret meetings.
There was also an account that says Aguinaldo once stayed there for days
before proceeding to San Miguel (they came from Montalban) to go to Biak na
Bato to replenish forces and to let their tired and sick bodies recuperate from illnesses brought about by encounters with Spanish Soldiers, to which they were often at a losing end. According to my father, my great grandfather
did not really like Aguinaldo for he was, like the rest of the Katipuneros of
Norzagaray and Pandi (I am not sure about Angat), supported the aspirations of
Bonifacio. Maybe he aided him because personal feelings must not interfere with
his duty as one of the leaders of the KKK in his town. In fact, when it was time for Aguinaldo and his men to leave, he along with Sinforoso dela Cruz and the youngest Katipunero in their town (his surname was Policarpio, I have yet to research about his first name), escorted him to San Miguel, Bulacan. [I have reasons to believe that he was indeed a Bonifacio man because like
Bonifacio, he arranged secret meetings in caves. Bonifacio, in some of
historical articles I read, had this thing about caves and a belief about
Bernardo Carpio.] Anyway, around this cave blood had been shed, but it was not
from our ancestors' but that of the enemy. The Katipuneros were able to
lure the Spaniards there and during the battle, the latter were eventually killed.
This incident was one of the few battles that Katipuneros won over the
Spaniards according to oral history in Garay .
When Spanish rule ended, the cave had been relatively quiet.
People no longer used it for secret meetings, only for ceremonies
of some religious cults that mushroomed during the American period. There
was a story, though, that I recall about a man that hid in that cave for
years. He was not a local; he was a stranger who went there to evade authorities. The man was a fugitive. He killed his wife when he caught her in bed
with another man. For a long time, he was the community’s open secret. The
locals knew that he was hiding in the cave but everybody kept quiet about it. The folks probably sympathized with him or maybe he was able to capture the hearts of the townsmen. To them, he was known as “Dr. Piping
Panaguan" because he was a doctor. He was "Piping Panaguan" to them to differentiate him from the local doctor whose name was also Piping (Dr. Jose "Piping" Paguia, Sr.). He was well-loved by the locals because he had helped a lot of people. Even in hiding, he remained a
doctor and from time to time he treated the folks with
ailments. According to oral history, Dr. Piping Panaguan whose actual name
was "Jose Rivera" remained in the cave for years that when he came out he was sporting a very long beard. He came out after the PC's (Philippine Constabulary) was abolished, so there was no need for him to hide anymore[I have yet to determine the year when this story happen because there were periods in the history of Philippine Police and Armed Forces when they were merged, dissolved or revived] .
During the Japanese occupation, Pinagrealan became a hideaway by both sides of the camp--the Filipinos and the Japanese. You must be
wondering how on earth could Pinagrealan be a hideway when the opening is so
visible from afar. Well, again, according to my dad, that was not the
case before. There was a boulder covering its opening. The rock
fell later on, when it was bombed by the Japanese (or was it the Americans?). I
am not sure of the events around here during this time. What I know is
that somewhere near the cave, on a road called "daang Hapon,"
hundreds of Japanese were massacred. It was a triumphant event for the Filipino
and American soldiers that time.
My respect for the cave was probably born when I came across a
1949 law created by the Municipal Council of Norzagaray declaring Pinagrealan a
local shrine. It was my grandfather, Jose Castro, Sr., who lobbied for
its preservation and declaration as a shrine, because of its significance in
local and national history as indicated in that "Kapasyahan."
My lolo was a rational and practical man and if someone like him acted in
order to protect this site, then it was my belief that it was really worth
preserving. If only people could read that "Kapasyahan," I think they
would be moved, too, like I was. The wordings carried a nationalistic tone, and
I couldn't help but admire the councilors and mayor that time. They were
honorable men who cared about their past and wanted to preserve the reminder of
their ancestors' sacrifices.
I haven't been inside the cave for years, and my old pictures won't do justice to the real beauty of what's inside. There are bloggers, however, who recently went to Pinagrealan and I must say, their pictures of the cave are amazing. The links below would take you to their experiences.
http://journeyingjames.com/2012/07/spelunking-adventure-pinagrealan-cave-norzagaray-bulacan/
http://www.ambot-ah.com/pinagrealan-cave-underground-springs-norzagaray-bulacan/
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