Daily Archives: 15 April, 2000

Tongonan Hot Spring National Park (Ormoc City, Leyte)

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From Lake Danao, we again boarded our AUV and proceeded to Tongonan Hot Spring National Park.  Located at an elevation of 2,000 ft. amid densely forested hills, this 272-hectare park is at the west end of the Leyte Mountain Trail, 18 kms. (a 45-min. drive) northeast of Ormoc City.  It also has a cool climate, lush tropical vegetation and underbrush, a warm medicinal pool, a cavernous hillside geyser that spouts boiling water and steam hourly and formations exuding sulfuric vapors.  It is also home to wild pig, monkeys, deer and birds.  Its 112.5 MW Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant is the first geothermal power plant to operate in the Philippines. It supplies the region’s less than 100 MW consumption as well as that of the Luzon and Visayas grid.  A little farther off is the 5-hectare Lake Kasudsuran, located in a virgin forest at Brgy. Ga-as and Mt. Hanagdan, 1,000 ft. above sea level.

Tongonan Hot Spring National Park

After the Tongonan tour, we returned to Ormoc City for lunch, switched to Roy’s car and next paid a visit to the house of our host, Mr. Sabin Larrazabal.  We were greeted by his widowed daughter-in-law, Daya and his son Dr. Mario “Butch” Larrazabal who served us coffee and snacks.  Mr. Larrazabal arrived after a few minutes.  Already in his 70s, his still very active lifestyle belies his actual age.  Roy introduced us, but due to Mr. Larrazabal’s hectic schedule, could only talk to us for a short while.  After saying farewell, we proceeded back to the resort to check out our luggage.

Back at the city proper

Before we were brought to the bus terminal, Roy showed us around the city.  We also visited the Philippine-Japan Peace Memorial on Carlota Hills (a marker overlooking Ormoc Bay put up by the relatives of Japanese war veterans from the Nagoya and Gifu Prefectures) and the nearby cross-shaped common burial vault of the unknown victims of the Ormoc tragedy.

Near the port, we visited the marker showing plaques of the city’s achievements, the remnants of the old Spanish-era Fuente de la Reina bridge and the 7,000-person capacity Ormoc City Superdome (where the PBA provincial games are played). Ending our city tour, Roy dropped us off at the city’s bus terminal where we took a PhP100 per person Hi-Ace van for the 2-hr. trip back to Tacloban City.

Lake Danao Natural Park (Ormoc City, Leyte)

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From Kananga, we again boarded the AUV for the 2,193-hectare Lake Danao Natural Park.  Declared as such on June 2, 1972, this outstanding trekking area is part of the 40-km. Leyte Mountain Trail which starts from the 365-hectare Mahagnao National Park (established in 1937), between Burauen and La Paz, to Lake Danao and Tongonan National Park.  The trek offers a rain forest tour, beautiful Lakes Mahagnao, Malagsum, Kasudsuran and Danao, the spectacular Guinaniban Falls and breathtaking views of the mountains, forest, plains and the islands of Samar and Leyte from the crest of the central Amandiwing Mountain Range with its near-virginal tropical rainforest.

Lake Danao

Located 25 kms. from Tacloban City and 15 kms. (a 30-min. drive) northeast of Ormoc City, the violin-shaped, 148-hectare Lake Danao, formerly called Lake Imelda, is situated at an elevation of 1,600 ft. above sea level and is hemmed in by the cloud-capped Amandiwing mountain range.  Considered to be one of the most beautiful and cleanest lakes in the country, it is 3 kms. long, 200 m. deep and has a cool and invigorating climate.  We parked our vehicle near the Ranger Station and went up the nearby wooden viewing tower for a beautiful view of the lake.

We were greeted by Mr. Antonio Elias, station utility man, who offered to row me and Jandy in his small banca to the middle of the lake.  Upon our return, we paid a visit to the lone ranger (any similarity to a fictional character is purely coincidental) assigned to the station, Mr. Quinciano C. Abiertas, Jr., who gave us additional information about the lake.

Me and Jandy at the viewing tower

The lake is home to giant and native tilapia, shrimp (awang), mudfish (bul-a), shellfish (kaykay and taab) and is also said to be the habitat for giant eels  (igat or kasili).  The 2,045-hectare surrounding cloud-capped mountains has a dense secondary rain forest and a mossy forest on top.  It is planted with narra, agoho, lauan, nato and gmelina trees plus wild ferns, pitcher plants and wild orchids.  It is also home to much wildlife including monkeys, wild pigs (baboy damo), monitor lizards (bayawak), deer and iguanas (ibid).  Birds include wild chicken, hornbill, kingfisher, hanging parakeet, parrots, serpent eagle, kite eagle and wild ducks.  The park is ideal for swimming (near the river’s mouth), picnicking, hiking and horseback riding.  Hunting is prohibited but can hardly be enforced due to Mr. Abiertas’ lack of personnel. Kaingin (slash and burn) farming is also a problem.  The lake can be reached by jeepneys from Ormoc City’s jetty.

The Pineapples of Kananga (Leyte)

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The following day, Jandy and I woke up at 7 A.M..  Mr. Roy Perez, a medical representative of Astra Zeneca and an Ormoc resident,  picked us up at 9 A.M. and we traveled on board an open-sided AUV.  First item on our itinerary was a tour of Mr. Sabin Larrazabal’s 60-hectare pineapple plantation in Brgy. Toril in nearby Kananga town. 

Rows of pineapples

Kananga, as well as Ormoc City, is famous for its pineapples, its leading fruit product.  Not just any pineapple, but the distinct queen or formosa variety, acclaimed as the sweetest pineapple in the land and grown only here and the Bicol province of Camarines Norte. Ranging from 0.45 to 1.3 kilograms in weight, it has deep eyes and a yellow to deep yellow flesh color.  The plantation grows one crop in 15 months and our arrival was timely as some of the pineapples were being harvested.

Roy, Jandy and I trying some pineapples
Our driver chose about five pieces for us to sample. After returning to the caretaker’s house, one fruit was pared and divided for me and Roy.  It was indeed sweet and succulent and so crispy that even the core could be eaten.  According to Roy, canning these pineapples is not feasible as less juice can be derived from one fruit unlike the other variety.  It is best eaten in its natural state, without preservatives.  Fruits here are sold around Leyte and Samar as well as shipped to nearby Cebu.