Tayo na sa Antipolo

Another much-visited site used to be the Hinulugan Taktak National Park where families, during hot summer months, would visit the park to sit around, partake of their snacks and swim in the cool waters. The site became so crowded that visitors from all over the country came to the falls leaving behind their trash and stench. In no time at all, Hinulugan Taktak was abandoned to the forces of the nature. It is fortunate that a group of residents decided to get together and solve the problem. Today, visitors have returned but chastised by the realization that one has to respect nature and it will return the favor. As the motto of mountaineers goes, “Kill nothing but time; take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints.” The waterfall area has since been designated as a National Park by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and proclaimed as a National Historical Shrine.

The history of Hinulugan Taktak is as rich and colorful as that of Antipolo itself. Legend has it that sometime during the 16th century, the townsfolk of Antipolo were bothered by a church bell that produced harsh, unbearably loud sounds when rung during Angelus. They demanded that the local priest get rid of the bell. Bowing down to the clamor, the priest had it dropped in a nearby river. This explains the name, Hinulugan Taktak, which means “where the bell was dropped.”


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