THE AURORA BLANCA FALLS IS OFTEN DUBBED AS THE“PAGSANJAN FALLS’ OF THE SOUTH. IT IS 50 KM. FROM CATBALOGAN AND 22 KM. FROM THE

TOWN PROPER OF GANDARA,SAMAR. CLEAR COOL WATERS FLOWS FROM THE FALLS. THE RESIDENTS OF SOME TEN HOUSES NEAR THE FALL USED THE WATER FOR DRINKING, BATHING AND WASHING

CLOTHES. TIRED AND WEARY HUNTERS COOL OFF THEIR BODIES AT NOONTIME IN THIS REFRESHING WATER FALLS. TALL TREES GUIDE THE ENTRANCE

OF THE FALLS BUT BENEATH THE COOL AND CLEAR WATER LIES THE STORY OF THE OF AN ILL-FATED LOVE AND BEHIND THE TOWERING TREES

ARE MYSTERIOUS SOUND.

The Aurora Blanca Falls

The legend

Once upon a time, The falls was simply known as Gandara, from the name of the town. It is said that one early morning, two enchanted

sisters whose beauty is Greek-liked bathed in the falls. The morning which followed were

routine for the sisters. But it didn’t take long before the Spaniards came upon the scene

and wooed the sisters. Their continues meeting at the falls blossomed into love. The

four lovers could always be seen by the natives taking a bath at dawn every other

day.

Three months after their first meeting, new spread that two Spanish Romeos had married city girls. The physical absence of two Romeos

seemed to verity the rumor. But the sisters continued to bathe in the river but with the birds as their companions. The birds would entertain the heart- broken sisters with their songs. Now

and then the sisters would laugh aloud . But behind their smiling faces were wounds of love

Falling out of Love

One week later

The news of the marriage of the Spanish playboys reached the town, the naked bodies of two women were seen floating on the falls. The bodies though were not recovered by the natives because they

sank to the bottom of the falls. Two days after the death of the pretty sisters,

mysterious trees began to grown around the falls.The native believe the trees are relatives guarding the bodies of the deceased sisters. Because of this belief the natives have spared the mysterious trees

from kaingin destruction. Without perhaps the natives knowledge, the trees serves as watershed

for the falls. No wonder the waters keep on flowing with regularity and abundance.

Soon , the natives renamed the falls Gandara to Aurora Blanca, in honor of the two enchanted sisters. Aurora Blanca which in Spanish, mean “Dawn” and “ White” respectively

AURORA BLANCA FALLS OF SAMAR