TUBA, Benguet – The local government decided to temporarily close the scenic and historic Aran cave between barangays Camp 3 and Twin Peaks for spelunking activities of residents and visitors because of the rising level of water inside some critical portions of the cave that could pose a serious threat to the safety of those wanting to explore the cave.
Mayor Ignacio Rivera said municipal officials reached a decision to temporarily close the Aran cave to interested spelunkers and cave explorers during the rainy season to prevent the occurrence of any untoward incident that poses a serious threat to the safety of residents and visitors alike.
“We do not want to compromise the safety of our residents and visitors alike that is why we immediately ordered the temporary closure of the Aran cave as soon as we learned that water level in some critical portions of the cave started to rise because of the continuous heavy downpour that has prevailed over our region for several number of days now,” Mayor Rivera stressed.
He underscored the priority of the local government is the safety of the residents and visitors because local officials do not want any untoward incident happening on those going inside the cave at the height of the rainy season which could affect tourist arrivals, one of the major economic drivers in the locality.
Earlier, the Aran cave was opened by the barangay councils of Camp 3 and Twin Peaks in coordination with the local government to serve as an added tourist attraction along the scenic and historic Kennon road for interested visitors wanting to have alternative tourist destinations outside Baguio City.
Rivera claimed that the decision to temporarily close the Aran cave to visitors was done in consultation with stakeholders to serve as a preventive measure to avert any untoward incident that will affect the image of the whole municipality.
He appealed to those eager to visit the Aran cave to reset their planned visit to the new caving destination in the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area to understand the decision of stakeholders on temporarily closing the tourist site because what matters to the local officials and the town’s private sector is the safety of those wanting to do spelunking activities and cave exploration.
The Aran cave can be explored for a maximum of 3 hours, depending on the pace of the visitor, on the over a kilometer stretch of rock formations that served as a haven for an alleged giant person that allegedly victimized thousands of foreign and local workers who were hired to help in opening the scenic zigzag road, formerly known as the Benguet Road, now Kennon Road, to open up the accessibility to what the Americans described in the past as a city on a hill.
By HENT
