Epol Falls

Last updated
Epol Falls
Epol Falls.jpg
Location Barangay Baganihan, Marilog District, Davao City
Coordinates 7°27′13″N125°14′15″E / 7.45361°N 125.23750°E / 7.45361; 125.23750 (Epol Water Falls) Coordinates: 7°27′13″N125°14′15″E / 7.45361°N 125.23750°E / 7.45361; 125.23750 (Epol Water Falls)

Epol Falls is a waterfall in Davao City on the southern Philippine Island of Mindanao.

Waterfall Place where water flows over a vertical drop in the course of a river

A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.

Davao City Highly Urbanized City in Davao Region, Philippines

Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. The city has a total land area of 2,443.61 km2 (943.48 sq mi), making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area. It is the third-most populous city in the Philippines after Quezon City and Manila, the most populous city in the country outside Metro Manila, and the most populous in Mindanao. As of the 2015 census, the city had a population of 1,632,991.

Island Any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be called an eyot or ait, and a small island off the coast may be called a holm. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago, such as the Philippines.

Contents

Description

Epol is an acronym which stands for Everlasting Power of Love Waterfalls. [1] It was formerly known as the Green Valley waterfalls. It is one of the natural tourist attractions of the mountainous area of Marilog District Davao City which is approximately three hundred (300) meters away from the highway. The falls are cascades of cold water that plunges into a natural pool. It is surrounded by tropical plants and trees that provide a habitat for wildlife.

The Epol falls have bamboo huts that provide shade and a place to prepare foods.

Location

Epol Falls is located at Marilog District, Davao City, Philippines in the mountainous area of Barangay Baganihan, homeland of the Matigsalug tribe and is adjacent to Bukidnon and North Cotabato provinces. It is high altitude with some parts reaching 4,000 feet above sea level, cool and pleasant weather where many go for treks, vegetables and just to escape the humid and punishing heat in the lowlands. [2] Barangay Baganihan, Marilog District, Philippines is a place located latitude 7.524850 and longitude 125.224655 on the map of the Philippines. [3]

Philippines Republic in Southeast Asia

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Situated in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of about 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City, both part of Metro Manila. Bounded by the South China Sea on the west, the Philippine Sea on the east and the Celebes Sea on the southwest, the Philippines shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Vietnam to the west, Palau to the east, and Malaysia and Indonesia to the south.

The Matigsalug are the Bukidnon groups who are found in the Tigwa-Salug Valley in San Fernando in Bukidnon province, Philippines. "Matigsalug" is a term, which means "people along the Salug River ". Although often classified under the Manobo ethnolinguistic group, the Matigsalug is a distinct sub-group of indigenous peoples from the Manobos.

Bukidnon Province in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Bukidnon is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is the city of Malaybalay. The province borders, clockwise starting from the north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte. According to the 2015 census, the province is inhabited by 1,415,226 residents. It is the third largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction behind Palawan and Isabela respectively.

Access to the falls

From Davao City, Marilog District is approximately 100 kilometers, and almost three hours travel by bus via Cagayan Buda (Bukidnon-Davao). Bus terminal is located at Ecoland, Davao City. Ask the conductor or driver to drop off at Epol Waterfall.

Legend

According to the Matigsalug tribe ancestor, long time ago the falls has been the witness of forbidden relationship of a lover. It was a rendezvous for their secret affair. One day the father of the girl found out their relationship and took her away to a faraway place. From then on, nobody knows what happen to the girl. Every day the man visited the falls, hopelessly hoping that the girl will come back.

One day when he was very old, he noticed an old woman sitting beside the falls. It was his long lost girlfriend. They both cried and hug each other and hold on to the Everlasting power of love.

From ancestor to ancestors, this legend had been passed down. One day, a tourist visited the place which was formerly called “Green Valley” – a name after the green background of the falls. After he heard the love story from one of the native guide he exclaimed: "Oh! this place is not a green valley, it is a place of Everlasting power of love. From then on, they called the place Epol.

The trail

To reach the Epol waterfalls, there is a hike of 30 minutes on a forest trail. The trail going down to the falls is interesting due to the huge forest trees, rare plants, wild flowers and colourful butterflies and insects. The trail is usually slippery due to the cold weather condition of the place and it is recommended to wear hiking shoes.

Management

Epol waterfall is maintained and managed by Marilog locals who collect an entrance fee. Marilog locals belong to the Matigsalug tribe.

Related Research Articles

Mindanao second largest island of the Philippines

Mindanao or still commonly known as Southern Philippines, is the second largest island in the Philippines. Mindanao and the smaller islands surrounding it make up the island group of the same name. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, as of the 2010 census, the main island was inhabited by 20,281,545 people, while the entire Mindanao island group had an estimated total of 25,537,691 (2018) residents.

Mount Apo highest mountain in the Philippines

Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially active stratovolcano on the island of Mindanao, Philippines. With an elevation of 2,954 meters (9,692 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the Philippine Archipelago and is located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato in Region XII. The peak overlooks Davao City 45 kilometers (28 mi) to the northeast, Digos 25 kilometers (16 mi) to the southeast, and Kidapawan 20 kilometers (12 mi) to the west.

Davao del Sur Province in Davao Region, Philippines

Davao del Sur is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital and largest city is Digos. The province is bordered by Davao City to the north, Davao Occidental to the south and Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani to the west. To the east lies the Davao Gulf.

Agusan del Sur Province in Caraga, Philippines

Agusan del Sur is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is Prosperidad and borders, from the north clockwise, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte and Bukidnon.

Compostela Valley Province in Davao Region, Philippines

Compostela Valley, or ComVal, is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. The province, called ComVal for short, used to be part of Davao del Norte until it was made independent in 1998.

Malaybalay Component City in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Malaybalay, officially the City of Malaybalay or simply referred to as Malaybalay City, is a 1st class city and capital of the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 174,625 people.

Lantapan, Bukidnon Municipality in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Lantapan, officially the Municipality of Lantapan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 61,776 people.

Bislig Component City in Caraga, Philippines

Bislig, officially the City of Bislig, and often referred to as Bislig City, is a 3rd class city in the province of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 94,535 people.

Don Carlos, Bukidnon Municipality in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Don Carlos, officially the Municipality of Don Carlos, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 66,959 people.

Kibawe, Bukidnon Municipality in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Kibawe, officially the Municipality of Kibawe, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 39,612 people.

Kitaotao, Bukidnon Municipality in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Kitaotao, officially the Municipality of Kitaotao, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 50,260 people.

Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon Municipality in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Manolo Fortich, officially the Municipality of Manolo Fortich, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 100,210 people.

Quezon, Bukidnon Municipality in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Quezon, officially the Municipality of Quezon, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 104,116 people.

San Fernando, Bukidnon Municipality in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

San Fernando, officially the Municipality of San Fernando, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 56,138 people.

Limunsudan Falls waterfall

Limunsudan Falls is a two-tiered waterfall located in Sitio Limunsudan, Barangay Rogongon, 55 kilometers (34 mi) from Iligan city-proper in the Philippines. It is said to be the Philippines' second highest waterfall, second only to Aliwagwag Falls in Cateel, Davao Oriental.

Lumad indigenous ethnic groups of Mindanao, Philippines

The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous people in the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term meaning "native" or "indigenous". The term is short for Katawhang Lumad, the autonym officially adopted by the delegates of the Lumad Mindanao Peoples Federation (LMPF) founding assembly on 26 June 1986 at the Guadalupe Formation Center, Balindog, Kidapawan, Cotabato, Philippines. It is the self-ascription and collective identity of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao.

Indigenous peoples of the Philippines

The Philippines consist of a large number of upland and lowland ethnolinguistic groups living in the country. The highland ethnic nations have co-existed with the lowland Austronesian ethnic groups for thousands of years in the Philippine archipelago. The primary difference is that they were not absorbed by centuries of Spanish and United States colonization of the Philippines, and in the process have retained their customs and traditions. This is mainly due to the rugged inaccessibility of the mountains, which discouraged Spanish and American colonizers from coming into contact with the highlanders. The indigenous peoples of northern Philippines are collectively called as Igorot, while the non-Muslim indigenous groups of mainland Mindanao are collectively called as Lumad. Numerous indigenous groups also live outside these two indigenous corridors.

Giangan is an Austronesian language of the southern Philippines. It is spoken on the eastern slopes of Mount Apo in Davao del Sur Province, as well as in Davao City (Ethnologue). They occupy a very small territory stretching from Catalunan to Calinan within Davao City.

Calbayog Pan-as–Hayiban Protected Landscape

The Calbayog Pan-as–Hayiban Protected Landscape, also known as the Calbayog Watershed, is a watershed and protected area located northwest of the city of Calbayog, Province of Samar in Oquendo District between Tinambacan District and San Isidro, Northern Samar in the Philippines. It is a mountainous region in the Tanaoan Ridge within the Mount Zamal Range that divides the three provinces of Samar. The protected area extends along the valley of the Hayiban River, the primary source of water for the Calbayog Water District. It consists of old growth trees and a system of rivers, waterfalls and streams capable of generating 2,279 liters per day. It also contains the Pan-as Falls and surrounding landscape which also supplies hydroelectric power to the city. The area was declared a forest reserve in 1967 known as the Pan-as Falls–Hayiban Watershed Forest Reserve with a total area of 7,832 hectares. In 1998, through Proclamation No. 1158 issued by President Fidel Ramos, the watershed was reclassified as a protected landscape. It is one of four protected areas in the island of Samar.

References

  1. ↑ thetravelingnomad.com
  2. ↑ langyaw.com
  3. ↑ nearbyph.com
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.