Mt. Manunggal Crash Site

Mt. Manunggal marks the crash site of the plane carrying President Ramon Magsaysay, which went down here on March 17, 1957, on a flight from Cebu City to Manila. A memorial marks the site today, inside the Central Cebu Protected Landscape — the mountain range’s forest cover here also forms the watershed that feeds much of Metro Cebu’s water supply, so the protected status covers more than the historical site itself.

• The memorial and wreckage markers sit at the end of a moderate trail through the protected forest, popular with local hiking groups on weekends.
• The trail climbs through pine and native tree cover, cooler and greener than the lowland approach.
• Ridge views open up along the way, looking out over the rest of the Central Cebu highlands.

The protected landscape designation exists as much for water security as for the historical marker — Metro Cebu draws a meaningful share of its supply from watersheds like this one, which makes the forest cover here a working system rather than just scenery around a monument.

Explore More in Central Cebu Highlands and Metro Fringe

• Mt. Mauyog
• JVR Island in the Sky
• Buwakan ni Alejandra