Cabanatuan City and its Neighboring Towns

I could recall only one time when I got to see the beauty of Nueva Ecija. It was a fleeting moment as our bus heading to Baler, Aurora passed by the bucolic sceneries of rural landscape that dominated the area. Apparently, there’s more to Cabanatuan City than rice fields.

Our home on this side of the country, Microtel by Wyndham – Cabanatuan,   assisted us during our three-day tour around Nueva Ecija.

Fort Magsaysay

The tormenting heat welcomed us on our very first day of exploration, but as I always say, it’s better to have the sun on our side than being drenched in rainwater. We were headed to the 35,000-hectare property of Fort Magsaysay which is the largest existing military reservation in the Philippines (located at the towns of Laur and Palayan City).

Aquino - Diokno Memorial

First stop was the Aquino–Diokno Memorial. It was as if we were transported back in time as we entered the heavily-secured compound where two of the brightest minds in the history of Philippine politics were held in captive. Walls made from sawali mats and barbed wires surrounded the area. We were then led to a small room where a documentary about the confinement of then senators Ninoy Aquino and Jose W. Diokno during Marcos' era was shown. The short film was moving; we really felt the anguish from the families and supporters of the captives.

Visiting booth

Ninoy Aquino's cell

Jose Diokno's cell

Afterwards, we were guided to the actual cells. They endured thirty days of total solitary confinement in this undisclosed place during Martial Law. The rooms were small and bare, plus, the scorching heat will totally drain you out. They were held there with nothing to do but endure the days knowing nothing about why, where and how long their stay will be. Christmas songs being played all day was also torturing them. It was as if the mission was to torment them, physically and mentally.

Ninoy's way of counting the days

Secret calendar of Jose Diokno using soap packaging

It was a truly heartbreaking and shattering experience to visit their actual confinement spaces.

Moving on, we went to a man-made lake, still inside the fort. Pahingahan Complex is for the rest and relaxation activities of the military personnel. The fresh air and nice scenery was the perfect backdrop for a quiet retreat.

Gapan City

It took us almost two hours from our hotel in Cabanatuan to reach the city of Gapan. Founded in 1595, it is one of the oldest towns in Nueva Ecija. With that in mind, we knew that we were in for a historical tour around town.

Three Kings Parish Church

We first went to the Three Kings Parish Church along Delos Reyes Street that was built during the 1800’s. Being the biggest and oldest church in the province, it truly withstood the ultimate test of time (from earthquakes to the 1896 Philippine Revolution) which was quite observable from the intricate designs and old belfry.

We walked further to where the ancestral houses were located. Built during the Spanish era, the structures survived countless natural catastrophes. The noticeably quiet street added to the drama. I wish we could’ve visited one of the houses though to complete the whole experience.

Gapan City ancestral houses

Camp Pangatian War Memorial Shrine

Going back to Cabanatuan City, we passed by the seemingly deserted park that is, the Camp Pangatian War Memorial Shrine along Cabanatuan–Palayan Road. Around twenty years before World War II, this served as a military training camp. But the Japanese soldiers used it as the largest prisoners-of-war camp during World War II (1942-1945), some of which were survivors of the Death March.

The memorial is dedicated to the American soldiers and Filipino guerillas that died on camp during the war.

Camp Pangatian War Memorial Shrine

Minalungao National Park

Dragging our sluggish bods inside the van, thanks to our one-hour sleep (read:beer sesh), we continued our slumber on the way to Minalungao National Park. We were warned at the entrance gate that the water wasn’t in its pristine emerald green condition. The heavy downpour the past night resulted to a muddy river, but we still continued.

The Minalungao on my mind

Located at General Tinio, still in Nueva Ecija, this park is a protected area that covers 2,018 hectares with Peñaranda River and the 16-meter high limestone walls at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range as the focal point.

This ecotourism destination offers some breathtaking adventures of cave explorations inside the numerous rock formations and the fun activities at the supposedly emerald green waters from the river.

Minalungao National Park during rainy season

The group settled on a hut that was rented out for a few hundred bucks and made it as our base camp for the day.

It was such a downer to see a muddy river as compared to what we’re expecting. It was also notable that a signage indicated that almost eighty persons already died in the river. Certain improvements like the paved walkway along the rock formations and some ongoing constructions that looked like hotels were also a disappointment.

The young group of Team RH proceeded with their cave explorations while the oldies preferred to rest on one of the limestone walls (I was one of the oldies, for clarification. haha). We were totally drained by the heat and last night’s alcohol intoxication and didn’t have much energy to walk some more. We feasted our eyes on excited tourists as they went on with their death-defying rock climbing stunts. Some were also enjoying their floating raft tour alonng the river.

We had a hearty lunch on our base camp and ended our trip with laughter as we reminisced on our three-day jaunt at Nueva Ecija. And I must say, really, that there’s more to Cabanatuan City than rice fields and paddies. 

Aquino – Diokno Memorial

Fort Magsaysay, Laur, Nueva Ecija

Open Hours: Mondays to Fridays | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Entrance Fee: Donations only

Minalungao National Park

General Tinio, Nueva Ecija

Entrance Fee: 30 pesos per person | 50 pesos per vehicle

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