The Pawod Cave is a treasure in our midst.

Nowhere in the whole of the Philippines can you find a true freshwater dissolution cave situated within an urbanized area.

But the hands of time and of man are working against the survival of this cave for the next generation of cave divers to explore its beauty.

It is true that the Pawod spring has been a swimming pool and laundry area for the people of Sitio Malinao for as long as anyone can remember. Dr. Alfonso “Boy” Amores fondly recalls his childhood years when he used to enjoy the clean, cool waters of the spring during summertime.

My first dive in the area was a shocking experience. The place was littered with garbage. Plastic and old clothes were floating everywhere. The air stank of odors I do not want to describe and the color of the water was brown.

Yuck.

Kids were jumping into the water, all having a great time, oblivious of the filth surrounding them.

Inside the cave, there were numerous plastic stuck on the cave’s roof and crevices.

I came out of that dive exhilarated by the prospect of the exploring the cave further and at the same time I felt a deep sadness for the community’s lack of care for this place’s natural beauty.

Paul Neilsen and Scotty’s Dive Centre invested a lot of effort to clean-up the place. Subsequent dives in the area were focused on collecting debris.

Dr. Amores instituted several measures on the use of the area and he liaised with the Barangay chairman for the community’s support. A minimal sum is collected per diver for the use of the cave and the money is given back to the community to help them maintain the cleanliness of the area. Through this arrangement, the local people gain a feeling of ownership for their cave.

A greater concern hanging over the cave’s future is this thing called “progress”.

There are talks of a proposed project that will be made right beside the area. Should this happen, we can say bye-bye to this treasure in our midst.


About the Author: Bernil H. Gastardo is a Master Scuba Diver Trainer and IDC Staff Instructor at Scotty's Dive Center, located in Shangri-la's Mactan Resort. He is also a specialty instructor for Deep Diving, Multi-Level Diving, Night Diving, Underwater Photography, Wreck Diving, Peak Performance Bouyancy, Project Aware, and Aware Coral Reef Conservation. To get to know Bernil more, visit Scotty's official website .

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