pagnapagna: LIANG BENGAG (via Lon-oy)

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"This cave, if not the longest and biggest

then it is one of the longest and biggest known caves in La Union"

-pagnapagna

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Please, let us practice the "LEAVE NO TRACE" (LNT) outdoor ethics.

Let us not vandalize, etch or write on its natural surfaces such as rocks and bark of trees.

Manage our waste products properly. Do not leave your garbage behind, bring it with you

when there is no proper disposal in the area. Do not litter!

Respect wildlife, "nature" and the local culture.

Minimize our impact!

Safety should be our priority!

-my pagnapagna-

March 26, 2019 a Tuesday

At San Gabriel, La Union town proper, I rode a passenger motorcycle going to the upland Barangay of Lon-oy and I was glad that they now have an extra helmet for their passenger.

The driver drinks.
Now an extra helmet for the passenger
as seen here placed at the rear end of the motorcycle seat.

It was around 30 to 40 minutes ride (with 300 pesos fare) and I was at Barangay Lon-oy proper.

I went to the nearby store and bought some sweets as snacks for my hike. The store owner still remembers me from my previous visit back in 2018.

Afterwards, I continued walking on that eastward road going to see Manong Benjamin. Off-road to a trail going up to the mountainside. After almost an hour of walking (from the Barangay Hall area), I arrived at Manong Benjamin's house.

His wife was there and his son was there too.

A coffee was served while I told Manong Benjamin about my intention to go to "Liang Bengag" and asked for his assistance.

Fast-forward, we started walking along some dried farmlands and into the mountainside.

At a one-lane footbridge, he told me that that was the boundary of the Municipality of San Gabriel and the Municipality of Santol. So, we were leaving San Gabriel and arriving at Santol.

We continued walking going uphill passing by some vegetable gardens that were dried down as summer takes its toll. We also passed by a plantation patch of "sayote".
We've almost got there at the mountain peak when we went sideways down to a to a gully and went further up. It is a waterway during rainy season.

After a few minutes, there it was the west side opening of the "Liang Bengag".

Liang Bengag

Located at Sitio Bay-o, barangay Sasaba in the municipality of Santol and near with the boundary of the municipality of San Gabriel. This cave, if not the longest and biggest then it is one of the longest and biggest known caves in La Union.

It's west side opening has the height of around 4 meters. Few meters inside and there is a small opening above. Going farther deep inside (more or less 50 meters) and there is this wider opening (slantly irregular) that still opens to a open-air gully with a small forest at the eastern side.

Obviously, the cave was carved by running waters that drains down to the western side opening.

The cave was named after the animals that roost inside which are the "Bengag" or bats.

"Liang" is the local term for cave.

The much wider-bigger eastern opening of the cave (as seen from the outside)

Eastern opening as seen from the inside

Mang Benjamin poses for the camera

Mang Benjamin recalled that the last time he went to the cave was when he was still young. The mountains were their playgrounds and they lived in that area of Santol but now got married and lived at the San Gabriel side of the mountain.

Looking around, we found some few trash around... applied the "Pick It Up And Don't Add Up".

Yes, "Pick it up and don't add up"

After eating some corn and taking some videos and photographs, we left and went back to Mang Benjamin's house.

Lunch was served and as I looked inside the casserole, to my surprise, it is "Kini-ing" meat with potatoes.

"Kini-ing", our lunch at Mang Benjamin's

Fascinated, we went inside the kitchen to see the "Kini-ing" being smoked with firewood.

After we have eaten lunch and few stories, it's time to leave.

I said my thank you's to the husband and wife and left going down the mountainside trail, into the road and eventually got back at the Barangay Hall area.

Waited at the store for a few minutes but there seemed to be no available passenger motorbike around. I continued walking going downhill on that one-lane concrete road until I reached the nearby barangay of Balballayang and there I got to hitch ride at the back of an elf going to downtown San Gabriel.

It was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon when I got to ride again at downtown San Gabriel, this time on a passenger jeep bound for Home Sweet Home.

-end of pagnapagna-

Thanks to:

Mang Benjamin Dayao and wife

Sari-sari Store near the Lon-oy Barangay Hall Area

4S Lumber and Hardware, San Gabriel for the ride

For other posts:
Liang Digo
Liang Labaan

Note:

The story was via Lon-oy, San Gabriel, La Union. The cave is within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Santol and they said that it is much easier if from downtown Santol (to be verified).