Huluga Caves

Huluga Cave South end of Cagayan de Oro

Huluga Caves is a prehistoric site in the Philippines. It is located in the south end of Cagayan de Oro City, about eight kilometers away. Composed of the two main caverns, it is situated on the eastern side of Cagayan de Oro River, along the brow of a vertical limestone cliff. The skeletal fragment from these caves were found belong to a child and a woman who inhabited in 377 A.D. This was based on the acid racemization done by Scripps Institute in La Jolla, California, USA.

Primer of Huluga

Huluga is more than 80-feet high. It has an area of 50 meters across it northern and southern parts and measures 40 meters from the western edge of the precipice to the eastern slope. Cogon grass covers much of the area with big balete trees on both the northern and southern flanks. According to the Heritage Conservation Advocates, is "the home of the original native people of Cagayan de Oro City". It is considered by many people, to be a sacred site which lacks protection and guidance by the government. Inside, they have found native tools such as glass beads, spoons, pendants, bracelets, stone tools, axe tip and pieces of iron.

Huluga is a promontory overlooking Cagayan River. It's in sitio Taguanao, barangay Indahag, near Lawndale Spring -- eight kilometers from St. Augustine Cathedral. A promontory is a "high ridge of land or rock jutting out into a body of water." Is it composed only of caves?  No. Huluga is composed of two areas: Open Site and caves. The prehistoric inhabitants of Huluga used the Open Site for their village, which was fortified. The caves were used mainly as burial ground. To visualize the difference between the two, place your hand on a table. Your hand represents the caves, and the vast table area is the Huluga Open Site, where the people constructed their village. Were artifacts found in the Huluga Open Site?  Yes, even today. In June 2003, we made surface examination and discovered, potsherds, obsidian flakes, a whale harpoon, pieces of Ming and Ching Dynasty porcelain, a piece of tektite, and a Spanish coin minted between 1788 and 1808. How large is the Open Site? About two hectares, but it could be wider if artifacts show up nearby. The Huluga Open Site and other archaeological sites in Cagayan de Oro and vicinities need to undergo more research. There are other possible sites that might give us surprises. In August 2003, for instance, we discovered a midden -- an ancient garbage heap -- rich with animal bones, potsherds, river shells, and one piece of rusted metal, possibly a part of a whale harpoon. This area is in the Open Site.

Were artifacts found in the caves? Yes. One major find was a female cranium -- dated 350 AD -- with associated material culture such as boat-shaped coffin, broken pieces of earthenware, stone and metal tools, wild boar tusks, among others.

Does the National Museum consider Huluga as having cultural and archaeological significance? Yes. In 1991, the National Museum assigned accession numbers X-91-Q2 to the Huluga Open Site and X-91-R2 to the caves. These numbers indicate that the areas and their artifacts are invaluable Philippine heritage. The National Museum also assigned accession numbers to other archaeological sites in Cagayan de Oro and vicinities that year. Is there a law that guarantees protection of Huluga?  Yes: Republic Act No. 4846 as amended by the Presidential Decree 374. The former is called The Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act. There is also a law on caves. Construction projects that can adversely affect cultural sites like Huluga are required to have an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). What is the condition of Huluga today? A large part of the Huluga Open Site has been destroyed, to give way to the Taguanao-Balulang road-and-bridge project of the city government.