The lost church bell of Del Carmen, Siargao

Siargao Island is known for its pristine white sands, crystal-clear waters, and incredible waves. Tourists come to experience all the riches it has to offer, mostly the natural beauty of its postcard-worthy beaches.

But the locals in the town of Del Carmen have another hidden treasure: an 18th century church bell allegedly made of pure gold.

“Ang simbahan ng Del Carmen ang oldest church noon sa buong Siargao. Dito ang sentro ng mission state ng mga Recoletos. Ang mga kampana ay dala ng mga prayle o noong kasagsagan ng 1700s,” said CARAGA local historian Fernando Jun Almeda, Jr.

Unfortunately, the bell is nowhere to be found. According to residents, their ancestors said it was thrown into an open underground river to hide it from pirates.

“Noong unang araw kwento ng lola ko, napuputol ang pagrorosaryo ng mga matatanda sa tuwing pinapatunog daw ang kampana. Kasi laging nilulusob ang bayan noon ng mga Muslim pirates,” said Tatay Sinforiano, the oldest resident in Del Carmen.

Almeda said the pirates probably wanted to claim the bell for themselves because it would mean they conquered the town.

“Ang bell ay ginagamit noon sa simbahan pero may ibang purpose pa ito. It determines the jurisdiction sa isang lugar," he said. "Kung hanggang saan ang reach ng bell, meaning hanggang doon ang sakop o pinamununuan ng isang lugar.”

The townspeople grew afraid and threw the bell in the underground river so that nobody could take it, Almeda explained.

The bell was never seen again from then on.

After the bell was lost, many local legends were formed around its history. Some say that the sound of the bell's ring reached as far as Surigao City, around 200 kilometers away from Del Carmen.

Others believe it used to bring luck to their town, because their ancestors said that hearing the bell's ring would grant their wishes.

The locals want to see the bell for themselves, but they are afraid of diving in the underground river because of the legends about it.

“May engkanto na babae na may nagmamay-ari, sabi dati pag may nagtangkang lumapit sa bito kukulo ito,” said one resident.

“Alam nila kapag may sumisid doon, hindi na lulutang,” said another.

But according to Tatay Sofronio, whose family previously owned the land where the river is situated, the legends were just made up to scare people. He said he has never seen or felt anything weird in the area but he believes the bell is really below the water.

“Naniniwala ako na nandiyan pa ‘yung kampana kasi may nakapagsabi noon eh,” he said. “Isang araw mga 1970’s may nakita akong nagtangkang mag-dive doon, sabi may nakita siya na hugis bell kaso natabunan na ng bato.”

The Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho team commissioned four divers to explore the open underground river to verify this claim. Nobody knows for sure how deep the river is, so they measured it first. Their instruments estimated a depth of 20 feet.

In their next dive, they actively tried to look for any sign of the bell. They found nothing, but they discovered pieces of wood and metal stuck in what could be an entrance to a deeper part of the river.

“Sinubukan naming buhatin ‘yung mga kahoy pero ang hirap na rin para alisin ang nakabara kasi silty na ang ibaba at wala na kaming makita kahit may ilaw,” said one diver. “Hindi na siya safe kasi baka may mga mahulog nang lupa samin.”

They recommended “sinking” the area in order to make it easier for divers to remove the obstructions and access the deeper part of the river, where the bell could be located. But another resident, Inday Flor Rabelo, thinks they are not going to find any trace of the bell in the underground river after all.

“Ang lola ko kwento niya noon hinahabol sila ng mga Muslim na pirata, nakabangka lang sila papunta sa Barangay Cancohoy. Habang nasa lawa, malakas ang alon,” she said. “Iyong kampana kusa na lang nahulog sa tubig sa dagat.”

In spite of uncertainties, one thing is sure about the bell: it was definitely not gold.

“Ang reason kaya hindi ginto ang bell, kasi it doesn’t produce a good quality sound. Noong unang panahon yari sa either brass o bronze,” Almeda said.

They may be searching for the bell at the wrong place, and it may not be made of gold, but Almeda thinks finding it would be as important as bringing back the Balangiga Bells in the country.

“Maganda na mahanap ang bell kasi parte ito ng kanilang kasaysayan,” he said. “Kung makita man nila ito, for sure laking tuwa nila kasi at least masasabi nila na hindi lang ito imahinasyon.” — LA, GMA News