page_title: Pamitinan Protected Landscape
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Pamitinan Protected Landscape / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Wawa Dam[1] is located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre (Philippines)[2] is a mountain range in the Philippines. It is located along the north-eastern coast of Luzon Island, running north/south. Quezon National Forest Park is situated in the range.[3]Wawa Dam (also known as Montalban Dam) is a gravity dam constructed over the Marikina River [4] in Sitio Wawa, Barangay San Rafael, municipality of Rodriguez in Rizal province, Philippines.Cooling off at Wawa Dam wawa-dam [5] Coordinates: 14°43'40"N 121°11'30"E The slightly arched dam is situated in the 360-metre (1,180 ft) high Montalban Gorge or Wawa Gorge, Montalban Gorge, Rodriguez, Rizal[6] a water gap in the Sierra Madre Mountains, east of Manila. It was built in 1909. Wawa Dam pushed as alternative water source People flock to Wawa Dam to beat the summer heat [7] Wawa Dam is located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains. It supplies water to Novaliches with four caves and tunnels are said to have been inhabited by the Japanese soldiers during the Second World War. [8] [9] --- Rodriguez, Rizal[10] is a first-class, urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines, located on the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range, the largest town in Rizal province with an area of 312.70 km². The town's old name, Montalban, refers to its mountainous topography. It was also the town's official name from 1909, until Batas Pambansa Blg. 275 was passed in September 1982, which officially renamed the town. The town's official name is taken from the family name of Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr., [11] one of the most prominent Montalbeños. Rodriguez is politically subdivided into 11 barangays (7 urban, 4 rural).---------[N.B. June 4, Tuesday day, 2013 Photography of - From Bulacan at 11 a.m., I took photo at Santolan LRT Station, Marikina City[12], [13] Metro Manila, the National Capital Region[14] - 12:09 p.m. and SM City Marikina, San Mateo, Rizal[15] - 2:02 pm and Rodriguez, Rizal[16], at 4:10 pm: 20% cloudy and 80% sunny weather using my Nikon AW 100 waterproof shockproof camera.; I finished Wawa Dam[17]Rodriguez, Rizal photography at 6:03 p.m., and arrived at Bulacan at 9:30 pm after 3+ hours of travel by bus, and started uploading via slow internet at 9:50 pm - I hereby certify that these rarest, raw, original and unedited photos are exclusive for Commons and Wikipedia never uploaded in any Internet or any site, and for the public domain without any condition.]
context_page_description: The Pamitinan Protected Landscape is a Philippine protected area of approximately 608 hectares in the Sierra Madre mountain range, just 34 kilometres northeast of Manila. It contains and protects the Montalban Gorge formed by the Marikina River that separates Mount Pamitinan and Mount Binacayan in the municipality of Rodriguez in Rizal. Established in 1996 through Proclamation No. 901 issued by President Fidel Ramos, the park is originally a component of the Mariquina Reserve founded in 1904 to protect the watershed of the Marikina River that supplied water to the city of Manila from the Wawa Dam located just above the Montalban Gorge in the early 1900s.
  The park is visited for its scenic views, as well as for recreational activities as hiking, mountain climbing, spelunking and historical sightseeing. It includes the Pamitinan Cave which played a role during the Philippine Revolution and World War II, and is the setting of a popular local legend called Bernardo Carpio. The picturesque Montalban Gorge was declared a national monument and reserved area in 1983 by the National Committee on Geological Sciences of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
context_section_description: The Pamitinan Protected Landscape is situated in the sitio of Wawa within the jurisdiction of the barangay of San Rafael in the mountainous eastern section of Rodriguez, formerly the municipality of Montalban. It is centered on the 1,180-foot (360 m) high water gap carved by the Marikina River in the southern Sierra Madre of northern Rizal province. The Montalban Gorge, also known as Wawa Gorge, has been a popular tourist destination since the Colonial Era and was widely regarded as one of the most remarkable natural features of Oriental scenery in the early 1900s. It is ringed by a series of marble boulders, limestone crags and up to 160-foot (49 m) tall white rock walls. The gorge separates the 426-metre (1,398 ft) high Mount Pamitinan on the north from the 424 metres (1,391 ft) high Mount Binacayan on the south with the Wawa Dam and Marikina River running between them.
  Mounts Pamitinan and Binacayan are two limestone mountains formed around 20-25 million years ago during the Miocene epoch. They create a dramatic backdrop to the "Wawa" Dam, so named for its resemblance to a portal or "entrance" in the local Dumagat language. The karst topography of the mountains is due to the continuous passage of water along their cracks and fractures over millions of years. Mount Pamitinan, the 22nd tallest mountain in Rizal, is a popular hiking destination for beginners from Metro Manila. It has designated hiking trails consisting of a muddy and slippery assault part and a rock climbing bouldering trail. It requires only two hours to reach its summit from the sitio of Wawa. Its twin mountain to the south, Mount Binacayan, has a more agricultural terrain consisting of less explored rock and bamboo trails.
  The Pamitinan Cave in Mount Pamitinan is a declared National Geological Monument. It is notable for its rich stalactites and stalagmites with rimstone pools and cave coral. The multichamber cave was used as a secret headquarters of the Katipunan where Andrés Bonifacio and his fellow revolutionaries first declared Philippine independence from Spain on April 12, 1895. It also figured during World War II when it was turned into an armory by the Japanese invading forces. Many Japanese were killed here during a three-month-long battle with American forces in 1945. A cavern which measures 50 feet (15 m) in height and radius called Bulwagan ("Hall") is located about 500 metres (1,600 ft) from its mouth through a narrow passageway. It has the inscription Viva la Independencia written on its wall which dates back to the Philippine Revolution era. The cave is accessible via a hanging bridge from the Montalban gorge.
  The focal point of the protected area is the Wawa Dam, a decommissioned arch-gravity dam that is 12 metres (39 ft) tall and 85 metres (279 ft) long situated in this gorge portion of the Upper Marikina River. It was built in 1904 by the American colonial government and was the only source of water supply for Manila at the time until it was replaced by the Angat Dam in the 1960s. It is now a recreational and picnic spot where tourists ride bamboo rafts and swim in its reservoir that has an average depth of 3 metres (9.8 ft). The artificial waterfall over the dam was turned into a tourist spot where cottages and shops selling locals' fruit and vegetable produce have also been developed. It is accessible via a 500-metre (1,600 ft) trek from the sitio of Wawa.
  The park also includes the 517-metre (1,696 ft) high Mount Hapunang Banoi located just north of Mount Pamitinan. The mountain is the location of Mascap Spring. Another limestone cave known as Bat Cave which is only accessible during summer when the water level drops at Wawa Dam is also found within the protected area.
caption: Mount Pamitinan as seen from the Marikina River
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