Cavinti Things to Do

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We saw the Bumbungan Eco Park as we passed the new Cavinti Bridge. We stopped to explore the place, but there was a block to the driveway and nobody was around, just a worker who was cleaning the river spillway below.

I took some shots to remind me to check out the place the next time we go to Cavinti. I saw some picnic huts and water cascading from the river spillway that looked like a small waterfalls.

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The first time I saw the Cavinti Church, I was still in my grade school, when my childhood bestfriend invited me to their town fiesta. In my recent visit, I noticed that there was very little change in the church exterior, although the interior seems to have undergone renovation jobs.

I fondly remember the story related to us by my best friend's grandma regarding how the site of the church was chosen. She said that it was the Lord Jesus who chose the place. Her story begins when Cavinti was just a forest clearing long time ago, inhabited by Aetas. Since they were a nomadic tribe, they left to look for another settlement. Sometime 1606, the Puhawan brothers ( baptized by Spanish missionaries as Antonio, Dionisio, and Gabriel) came to Cavinti to become the first Tagalog settlers. They widened the forest clearing left by the Aetas and cultivated the soil for farming. Soon, locals from nearby villages also came to make their own farms until the clearings widened to become the place that is now Cavinti.

One day, while clearing the forest, the brothers found an icon beneath a "Binayuyu" tree. Suddenly, there was a glow of light. They got so scared that they knelt and prayed, and asked who it was. An undescribable voice replied, "Salvador del Mundo". Not knowing what to do, they decided to take the image home. Out of excitement, they told other farmers what they found. Naturally, they became curious and asked to see it at the Puhawan home, but when they arrived, the image was nowhere to be found. Everybody looked for it until the next morning; it was found on the same place where it was originally discovered. The people then thought it didn't want to be brought elsewhere, so they decided to put up a shed over the religious icon to protect it from the weather. In no time, they built a make-shift chapel. Meantime, the Puhawan brothers, believing that what happened was a miracle, reported the matter to the "cura paroco" (parish priest) of Lumban (Cavinti was part of Lumban before), who immediately went with them to investigate. The priest was surprised to see that the icon was that of “Our Lord of the Transfiguration,” whom they had chosen as protector of the village. A mass was celebrated in the newly finished chapel. That day was August 6; villagers celebrated and considered it the first town fiesta of Cavinti.

The small chapel made by the villagers became the site of the first Catholic Church built in 1621. The church was dedicated to “Our Lord of the Transfiguration” lovingly called San Salvador del Mundo by the devotees .

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Despite the present state of the Japanese Garden today, you will still see some interesting subjects for photography. In fact, it is a nice challenge for the photographer to capture the beauty and/or uniqueness of various subjects seen around.

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Lumot Lake is less known to the passersby who probably think it is still Caliraya Lake. Personally, I think it is more beautiful than Caliraya Lake. Like the latter, Lumot is also surrounded by lush vegetation and tall trees. I don't know if the weather had something to do with it, but when we paused by the road to take some pictures, I noticed that the water seemed cleaner and clearer than that of Caliraya Lake. I watched with amusement the "changing" colors of the water; it changed as often as the sky changed its condition.

The surroundings of Lumot Lake were much cleaner, too; no trash at all. "No Littering" signs were conspicously posted on the banks; perhaps that helped to remind people to preserve the beauty of the place.

Just looking at Lumot Lake gives me renewed energy and serene feeling.

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In Cavinti, there are so many beautiful things that interest me. I always delight in stopping at even the oddest places just to watch the cows, horse and other farm animals graze; to pause, take pictures, and sometimes, even smell the flowers; to shoot sights that I want to share with friends and/or family.

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As tribute to General Yamashita, a shrine in his honor was put up within the Japanese Garden compound. When we went there, I noticed some fresh flowers, glasses of wine and burnt incense. The gardener told me, many Japanese tourists dropp by to pay homage to Gen. Yamashita.

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Not an ordinary Japanese-inspired garden, this place is actually a shrine created by Philippine-Japan Friendship Society in memory of the Japanese soldiers who died during an encounter between the Japanese and Filipino-American troops in the World War II. The Japanese Garden is also a symbol of the amity agreement that now exist between the Philippines and Japan.

It's been years since I last went to the Japanese Garden. Whenever we visited my parents in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, we always went for a joy ride to Cavinti. My children's favorite destination was the Japanese Garden. There, they were able to run, hike and play before we had a picnic at the cottages.

As nature lovers, my hubby and I enjoyed walking through the tree-lined paths; we examined the ornamental flowers and watched the birds that flew from one tree to another, until we reached the top. .After the ardous climb to the top, we rested at the benches in the Japanese tea gardens overlooking the beautiful Cavinti valley, nearby towns and Caliraya Lake.

In our recent visit, I was saddened to see that the Japanese Garden wasn't well-maintained. There were gardeners who swept the dried leaves, but the grass, shrubs and trees were obviously not regularly pruned and maintained for that peculiar Japanese Garden look. There were very few flowering shrubs, though the lotus and some ornamental trees were in bloom. I'm very sorry to say, but the place looked more like an ecopark with overgrown plants and moss-covered rocks, very far from the simple, neat but reinvigorating Japanese gardens.

The facilities (picnic cottages and comfort rooms) were also in dismal condition. I hope the local government or whoever is in charge gives more attention to the maintenance of the Japanese Garden.

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The Americans who created Caliraya Lake seeded the lake with imported Largemouth Black Bass, one of the top freshwater gamefish of the United States of America. The fish continue to proliferate, to the excitement of game fishers who frequent the place on weekends all year-round. Aside from skilled anglers, father-son tandems are a common sight on weekends, too. Fishing has proven to be a good bonding time. My husband used to go there for fishing with my nephew, since we don't have a son. On weekdays, it is usually the locals who go there to fish early in the morning.