| Salinas Natural Monument | |
|---|---|
 The mountains of Salinas in Bambang | |
.svg)  Location in Luzon Show map of Luzon.svg) Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines | |
| Location | Nueva Vizcaya,Philippines |
| Nearest city | Santiago |
| Coordinates | 16°22′14″N121°1′5″E / 16.37056°N 121.01806°E /16.37056; 121.01806 |
| Area | 6,675.56 hectares (16,495.7 acres) |
| Established | May 18, 1914 (Forest reserve) November 29, 1926 (Deer refuge) April 23, 2000 (Natural monument) |
| Governing body | Department of Environment and Natural Resources |
TheSalinas Natural Monument is anatural monument comprising saline springs and forested mountains in southernCagayan Valley in thePhilippines. It is one of fourprotected areas in the landlocked province ofNueva Vizcaya spanning an area of 6,675.56 hectares (16,495.7 acres) in the municipalities ofBambang,Kayapa andAritao.[1] The park was established on May 18, 1914, as theSalinas Forest Reserve covering the Salinas Salt Springs and surrounding forest through Executive Order No. 44 signed by Governor-GeneralFrancis Burton Harrison.[2] In 1926, through amendments made in Proclamation No. 53 by Governor-GeneralLeonard Wood, the forest reserve was re-established as theSalinas Deer Refuge.[3] Salinas was finally declared a natural monument in 2000 under the National Integrated Protected Areas System through Proclamation No. 275 by PresidentJoseph Estrada.[4]
The natural monument is centered on the mountain of salt mines (Spanish:salinas) in thebarangay of the same name in Bambang municipality near the confluence ofMagat River and Santa Cruz River in the Upper Magat River Basin. This once snow-white mountain oftravertine situated on the southeastern slopes of theCordillera Central contains the Salinas Salt Springs, a popular attraction in the province during the early days ofSpanish andAmerican colonial periods.[5] The mountain of salt was formed through the continuous flow of a natural spring containing sulfate and carbonate salts over millions of years. When the1990 Luzon earthquake hit the area, tectonic movements caused the underground water to be diverted leaving the whitish mounds dry and causing them to turn gray.[6] At present, this mountain at Sitio Bansing once known for its salt industry is being utilized as fishponds arranged in terraces on the mountainside for freshwater fish such astilapia andAfrican sharptooth catfish, including thegiant freshwater prawn.[6]
The surrounding forest inhabited by numerousPhilippine deers spreads over the villages of Salinas and Barat in Bambang, Mapayao, Acacia and San Fabian in Kayapa, and Baan in Aritao just north ofCaraballo Sur. It is located approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of the region's commercial center ofSantiago and some 120 kilometres (75 mi) from theCauayan Airport. It is accessible via a 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) road from thePan-Philippine Highway (AH26) in Bambang.
On June 22, 2018, the Salinas Natural Monument was designated a national park through the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act or Republic Act No. 11038 which was signed by PresidentRodrigo Duterte.[7]