“The Secret Lagoon”, [not its real name!] is located in Barangay San Isidro, not far from Kahulugan Falls.

Mount Balatukan is a massive compound stratovolcano in the northern island of Mindanao, Philippines. It is the highest point in the province of Misamis Oriental. The volcano has no historical eruptions but displays fumarolic activity. The 2,450-metre (8,040 ft) mountain is topped by a triangular shaped caldera 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) long and 10.6 kilometers (6.6 mi) at its widest. The Balatocan River emanates from and drains the huge crater. (Source)

Mount Balatukan Range Natural Park (MBRNP) is one of the 94 Protected Areas in the Philippines established pursuant to Republic Act No 11038 (Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018) on June 22, 2018 by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. It covers one (1) city and three (3) municipalities namely: city of Gingoog, municipalities of Claveria, Medina and Balingasag, Province of Misamis Oriental. It covers a total of 8,437.86 hectares protected zone and 2,596.51 hectares buffer zone of forested hinterland.

The highest mountain peak rises to 2,238 meters above sea level (MASL). The natural park holds 17 major rivers that drain to different areas. The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) governs the management with the Protected Area Superintendent as operation manager under the Protected Area Management Office – MBRNP (Source)

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