Despite modern civilization, the Garaña brothers, Jayson and Juan Jr, have been living inside a cave in Camarines Sur for years.
The grade school students from Manangle Elementary School in Sipocot, Camarines Sur first caught the attention of netizens after photos of their “home” were shared by their teacher Luningning Bagatua on Facebook. Her post quickly spread like wildfire on social media amassing over 16,000 shares on Facebook as of press time.
Apparently, the family started living inside the cave after their house was destroyed by typhoon Glenda in 2014.
With a small bedroom, a cooking area and a dining place, the cave located at the peak of a hill serves as the home of the brothers and their father for years. With no electricity, the family has to rely on a small lamp to light their home. With no nearby playmates, the boys have to entertain themselves by playing with marbles.
Although the brothers don’t live in an ideal house, Bagatua revealed that the two manage to come to school everyday despite the long journey as well as the lack of food and school materials.
“Sa kabila ng kalagayan nila… ay nagsisikap na mabuhay sa marangal na paraan. Ang mga bata ay araw-araw pumapasok, ang ama responsableng magulang na parating present pag may (activity) sa school.”
(Despite their living condition, they struggle to live in a noble way. The children go to school everyday and the father is a responsible parent who is always present whenever there’s an activity at school.)
Luckily, several anonymous sponsors volunteered to provide snacks for the boys everyday after reading Bagatua’s viral post.
Watch their incredible story below.
What is a Cave?
According to Wikipedia, cave or cavern refers to a hollow place in the ground large enough for a human to enter. They naturally form through weathering of rock and usually extend deep underground. Their formation involves a combination of various chemical processes, tectonic forces, erosion from water, pressure, atmospheric influences and action of microorganisms.