Mount Bernacci (locally known as Tangcong Vaca) is a mountain in Camarines Sur, Philippines, characterized by its mesa-like profile.[4][5] It rises to 756 metres (2,480 ft) above sea level.[3] The mountain served as the base of operations for the Tangcong Vaca Guerilla Unit during the Japanese occupation, taking name from the massif.[6]
| Mount Bernacci | |
|---|---|
 Mount Bernacci seen from Pasacao | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 756 m (2,480 ft)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 694 m (2,277 ft)[3] |
| Parent peak | Mount Labo |
| Isolation | 21.2 mi (34.1 km)[3] |
| Listing | Mountains in the Philippines |
| Coordinates | 13°36′36.36″N 122°58′9.76″E / 13.6101000°N 122.9693778°E |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Tangcong Vaca (Central Bikol) |
| English translation | Cow's hump |
| Geography | |
.svg)  Mount Bernacci .svg) Mount Bernacci | |
 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Bicol Region |
| Province | Camarines Sur |
| Municipality | |
| Parent range | Ragay Hills |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Unknown |
In local folklore, the mountain is linked with the nearby Libmanan Caves National Park, and were collectively referred to as Mount Hantu or Amtig.[7][page needed][8]
Etymology
editMount Bernacci, locally known as Tangcong Vaca, which translates to “cow’s hump,” is named for its resemblance to the hump of a Brahman cattle.
The mountain and the nearby Libmanan caves are collectively referred to as Hantik in the local folklore. The origin of its current name, however, remains unknown.
Geography and watersheds
editMount Bernacci rises to 756 metres (2,480 ft) and is located on the between Libmanan and Pasacao, covering an area of 29.75 square kilometres (11.49 sq mi).[9] The mountain is notable for its mesa-like shape with a steep slope on its eastern side. Its geological structure consists of sedimentary strata, including massive limestone formations.[5][9][10]
The mountain serves as an important watershed for the region, with its forests feeding several bodies nearby. Notable water features include the Caranan, Tinalmud and Itulan rivers, Caliryuhan Lake, and the Herodes and Tinandayagan waterfalls.[11] The mountain forms part of the larger Libmanan-Pulantana Watershed, one of the major basins of the Bicol River, covering about 71,000 hectares.[12][13]
Climate
editMount Bernacci has a tropical rainforest climate.[14]
| Climate data for Mount Bernacci | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
22 (72) |
24 (75) |
26 (79) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 17 (63) |
17 (63) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
19 (66) |
19 (66) |
18 (64) |
17 (63) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 133 (5.2) |
70 (2.8) |
65 (2.6) |
53 (2.1) |
116 (4.6) |
176 (6.9) |
216 (8.5) |
179 (7.0) |
210 (8.3) |
206 (8.1) |
200 (7.9) |
176 (6.9) |
1,800 (70.9) |
| Source: meteoblue.com[15] | |||||||||||||
Biodiversity
editBirds
editSightings of several bird species, majority of which are endemic to the Philippines and northern Luzon, have been recorded on the mountain, this includes rufous coucal (Centropus unirufus), Philippine trogon (Harpactes ardens), coppersmith barbet (Psilopogon haemacephalus), Philippine hanging parrot (Loriculus philippensis), yellow-bellied whistler (Pachycephala philippinensis), blue-headed fantail (Rhipidura cyaniceps), black-naped monarch (Hypothymis azurea), yellow-wattled bulbul (Poliolophus urostictus), white-browed shama (Copsychus luzoniensis), bicolored flowerpecker (Dicaeum bicolor), grey-throated sunbird (Anthreptes griseigularis), and flaming sunbird (Aethopyga flagrans).[16]
Infrastructure
editA wind farm project has also been announced for construction on top of the mountain, which is estimated to generate 71.40 megawatts of electricity.[9][17]
Mythology
editThe mountain, along with the nearby cave system, was referred to as Mount Hantik in the Bikolano epic Ibalong. The name derives from a large species of ants, the Oecophylla smaragdina inhabiting the caves, where Handyong drove and buried alive the cunning serpents that disguised themselves as maidens. The epic also recounts that Mount Hantik, together with Mount Kulasi (now Colasi Peak) and Isarog, erupted around 4,500 years ago.[18]
According to oral folklore, the summit of the mountain was thought to contain a massive lagoon, which fed tributaries and helped sustain the flow of the Bicol River, underscoring the mountain’s cultural and ecological significance.[19]
Incidents
editOn March 8, 1965, a Filipinas Orient Airways Douglas DC-3A crashed and burned in the slope of Mount Bernacci, as it was approaching Naga Airport. The total fatalities were 10, including 3 crew members.[20]
On December 15, 1993, a Philippine Air Force C-130H Hercules crashed on Mount Bernacci. The plane left Manila at 2:17 pm to deliver relief supplies to an area devastated by Typhoon Lola.[21] The total fatalities were 30, including 6 crewmembers[22]
References
edit- ^ "Mount Bernacci". PeakVisor. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ Philippines 1:50,000, Pasacao (ND 51-10, Series S701) (Map). Washington, D.C.: United States Army Map Service. 1963. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Mount Bernacci". PeakVisor. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ Gregory, John Walter; Guillemard, Francis Henry Hill (1908). Australasia: Malaysia and the Pacific Archipelagos, by Guillemard. E. Stanford.
- ^ a b The Philippine Journal of Science. Bureau of Science. 1911.
- ^ Reyes, Jose Calleja (1992). Bikol Maharlika. JMC Press.
- ^ United States Office of Geography (1953). Philippine Islands: Official Standard Names Approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Central Intelligence Agency.
- ^ "The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes - Chapter XV (by Fedor Jagor et al)". www.authorama.com. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ a b c "CSW-R-000-GN-0006-0 Geohazard Report | PDF | Earthquakes | Sinkhole". Scribd. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ World Bank. (2006). Community‑based forest management: A Philippine case study. Retrieved from https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/582921468107361525/pdf/38670main.pdf
- ^ "DENR reforests 210 hectares of watershed areas in Bicol". archives.pia.gov.ph. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Libmanan-Pulantuna Watershed: Replicating Integrated Ecosystem Management for Socioeconomic Development: an IEM Story | DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES FOREIGN-ASSISTED AND SPECIAL PROJECTS SERVICE eLibrary". faspselib.denr.gov.ph. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ "Libmanan-Pulantana Watershed" (PDF). Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ "Mindat.org". www.mindat.org. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "Climate: Modelled Mount Bernacci – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Camarines Sur, Philippines - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ "P5-B wind energy farm takes shape in Camarines Sur". Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 12, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Dery, Luis Camara (1991). From Ibalon to Sorsogon: A Historical Survey of Sorsogon Province to 1905. New Day Publishers. ISBN 978-971-10-1423-0.
- ^ Ibalon, Dateline (June 20, 2025). "The Story of Libmanan is the Story of the River | Pepe San Miguel Umali". DATELINE IBALON. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3A PI-C948 Mt Tangcong Vaca". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "Military Cargo Plane Crashes in Philippines". Associated Press. December 16, 1993. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed C-130H Hercules 4761 Tanag, Libmanan, Camarines Sur". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
External links
edit
Media related to Mount Bernacci at Wikimedia Commons
