Filipino cave guides explore Samar sinkhole; KMJS shows footage from inside for first time on nat'l TV

Last month, the world stood mesmerized at the images of “Well of Hell,” a sinkhole in Yemen, but did you know there’s also another one that lay unexplored in the Philippines?

Hidden on the mountains of Hinabangan, Samar, is another intriguing sinkhole that appears to have punctured the ground, waiting to be explored.

For the first time ever, what’s inside the sinkhole was shown on national television via “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” as local cave guides explored just how big and deep it is.

According to Joni, a cave guide in Samar, locals call vertical caves “bito” and usually refer to the sinkhole as the Bito Cave.

After hearing about the big sinkhole in Hinabangan for years, he decided to finally explore it.

After reaching Barangay Canano and hiking on the mountain for 1.5 hours, Joni’s group reached the sinkhole that is 320 feet above sea level.

They later discovered that it is 150 meters wide and 180 meters deep.

“Makikita mo siya parang cathedral siya. Kahit eroplano doon na magla-landing doon sa sinkhole pwede talaga siyang pumasok doon,” Joni said.

[It’s almost like a cathedral. Even an airplane can land inside the sinkhole.]

It took them about 30 minutes to descend to the sinkhole. Inside, they discovered trees, limestones, and an entrance to another cave.

Joni said the sinkhole could possibly be connected to the other caves that they discovered in the area, adding that it could be part of a “50-kilometer cave system.”

The Local Government Unit of Hinabangan, Samar, however, clarified that while the sinkhole in Samar was an intriguing landform, it was not a tourist attraction because it was too dangerous.

Although not many people would be able to go inside the sinkhole and see it for themselves, Joni expressed his happiness over their discovery, even though they were yet to explore the hidden cave inside.

“Masaya ako dahil nakita ko na 'yung bunganga ng cave. Nakita na natin 'yung butas, confirmed na na mayroong cave. So 'yung final natin for exploration na lang,” he said.

[I’m happy that we saw that we were able to confirm that there’s a cave inside the sinkhole. Our final task is to explore it.] – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News

—Kaela Malig/RC/MGP, GMA News