Cagsawa ruins: Slaying an urban myth aborning

A FAST circulating rumor here in Naga, in the aftermath of Supertyphoon Reming, is the alleged disappearance of the world-famous Cagsawa Ruins from the map.

A photo taken by a group of city hall personnel yesterday -- led by Public Safety Office head Lito del Rosario and Joe Perez of the Visitors Center -- should lay this aborning urban myth to rest. Encircled in the background is the Cagsawa church belfry still standing.

What were damaged were the low-lying structures, including the Cagsawa lodge and the spillway leading to the park.

Compare these with photos nicked from this article by Jenny Exconde, which includes that of the original Cagsawa Church before Mayon buried it in 1814. One gets the feeling that (1) restoring the park to its glorious days will take some time, and (2) this deadly episode will not be the last.