Mount Sungay, also known as Mount Gonzales, is a mountain in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Located in eastern

Tagaytay Tagaytay, officially the City of Tagaytay ( fil, Lungsod ng Tagaytay), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,330 people. It is one of the country's most pop ...

, the inactive

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

is the highest point in the province of Cavite, at ."Mount Sungay elevation"
Google maps. Retrieved on 2013-10-21. The slopes of the mountain are the

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

of the

San Cristobal River The San Cristobal River ( tl, Ilog ng San Cristobal) commonly known as Matang Tubig River is a river system in the cities of Calamba and Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines. The river is one of 21 major tributaries of Laguna de Bay. Hydrology The ...

that flows from the mountain to

Silang, Cavite Silang, officially the Municipality of Silang ( tgl, Bayan ng Silang), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 295,644 people. Silang is located in the eastern ...

down to its mouth at

Laguna de Bay Laguna de Bay (Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon/Lake of Bay, Laguna, Bay"; tl, Lawa ng Bay, ), also known as Laguna Lake, is the List of lakes of the Philippines, largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, b ...

Calamba, Laguna Calamba, officially the City of Calamba ( fil, Lungsod ng Calamba), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Laguna (province), Laguna, Philippines. According ...

. The mountain's former sharp peak and readily distinguishable shape made it a reliable

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

for bearing checks when sailing in and around

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phili ...

during the early days of navigation.

Tagaytay Ridge

Mount Sungay is the eastern end of the Tagaytay Range, or more commonly known as the Tagaytay Ridge, a

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

located at the southern part of the province with elevations averaging about above sea level. The ridge stretches west-southwest from Mount Sungay to

Mount Batulao Mount Batulao is an inactive stratovolcano in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines, located in northwest Batangas province along its border with Cavite. It is a dissected andesitic stratovolcano at the northwestern rim of the Taal Caldera w ...

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...

province. The ridge, which overlooks

Taal Lake Taal Lake ( tl, Lawa ng Taal, ), formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a freshwater caldera lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volcanic caldera formed by very large ...

province, is actually the northern rim of

Taal Caldera Taal Lake ( tl, Lawa ng Taal, ), formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a freshwater caldera lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volcanic caldera formed by very large ...

. The wide cavity of the ancient volcano is partially filled by

with Taal Volcano, the second most active volcano in the country, situated near the middle of the lake. The northern slope of the ridge is gently rolling down slope till it reaches the sea level at Manila Bay, in contrast to the rapid drop in its southern slopes and east of Mount Sungay. At some places on the lakeside appear great escarpments of and more of altitude, that are almost vertical, as at Mahabangato, in Barangay Banga, and at Balitbiring, in Barangay Caloocan in

Talisay, Batangas Talisay, officially the Municipality of Talisay ( tgl, Bayan ng Talisay), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,238 people. Geography Talisay is located at ...

. Tagaytay Ridge is part of the ''upland mountainous area'' of the province of

, which include the communities of

, Silang, Amadeo,

Mendez Méndez is a common Spanish language, Spanish surname, originally a patronymic, meaning ''Son of Mendo'', ''Menendo'', or ''Mem''. A longer form sharing the same root is Menendez (disambiguation), Menéndez, while the Portuguese language, Portugues ...

Alfonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

Indang Indang, officially the Municipality of Indang ( tgl, Bayan ng Indang), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,699 people. The municipality is situated in the c ...

and southern part of

Maragondon Maragondon, officially the Municipality of Maragondon ( tgl, Bayan ng Maragondon), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,687 people. The town is famous for its ...

. The municipalities are situated at elevations above with slopes of more than 2%."Physical and Natural Resources"
Province of Cavite Official Website. Retrieved on 2013-10-22. The Tagaytay ridge also contains the Matang Tubig (Eye of the Water) spring which is used for irrigation and for powering a small hydroelectric plant. The 19th century artesian spring produces around 3000 gallons of water per minute.

Destruction

The mountain peak was previously much higher with an elevation of , Its former profile, "a sharp peak at the eastern end of a table of land (Tagaytay Ridge)", was one of the visible

s used by early navigators when sailing to and around Manila Bay.Coast and Geodetic Survey (1906)
"Philippine Island Sailing Directions, Third Edition, 1906"
pg. 72. Bureau of Printing, Manila (from Google Books). It was conical in shape with steep sides deemed "inaccessible", topped by distinct rock formations that resembled horns, ( Tagalog: ''sungay''), hence the name. Mount Sungay was destroyed with the 1979 construction of

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictator ...

's Palace in the Sky, a

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

originally intended as a guesthouse for former

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Governor

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

(who never arrived). This drastically changed the landscape of the Cavite highland, as the mountain was leveled to about half of its former prominence to accommodate the structure. The mansion remained unfinished after the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

in 1986 that toppled the

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship are ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

. The new government renamed it the

People's Park in the Sky The People's Park in the Sky, often simply called People's Park and originally named Palace in the Sky, is a historical urban park in Tagaytay, Cavite, Philippines. The park was converted from an incomplete mansion, known as the Palace in the Sk ...

, to show the excesses of the ousted regime.Cruz, Sarah (2011-06-03)
"Palace in the Sky in Tagaytay"
. Tagaytay Hotels. Retrieved on 2013-10-22.

People's Park in the Sky

The ''People's Park in the Sky'', in now poised at the top of Mount Sungay, the highest point of the Province of Cavite. The park stands on a of solid ground and provides a 360-degree view of Cavite and the bordering provinces of Batangas and

Laguna Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to: People * Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay * Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist * Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...

, to as far as

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

with a straight-line distance of about . It overlooks four bodies of water –

, Balayan Bay,

and

. Nearby mountains visible from Mount Sungay include

Mount Makiling Mount Makiling (also known as Mount Maquiling), is an inactive stratovolcano located in the provinces of Laguna and Batangas on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The mountain rises to an elevation of above mean sea level and is the highest fe ...

border; Mount Malepunyo and

Mount Macolod Mount Macolod (other spelling: Maculot) is a dormant stratovolcano located in the municipality of Cuenca, Batangas in the Philippines. Popular with mountain climbers and campers, it is the main tourist attraction of Cuenca. The mountain is sa ...

; and

Mount Banahaw Mount Banahaw (; also spelled as Banahao and Banájao) is an active complex volcano on Luzon in the Philippines. The three-peaked volcano is located at the boundary of Laguna and Quezon provinces. It is the highest mountain in both provinces an ...

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of th ...

. Mount Sungay is located at

Barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

s Dapdap West and Dapdap East in

, approximately east from the Tagaytay City Circle. A narrow road takes visitors near the top to the parking lot and entrance of the park. The mansion can be reached by a hike or by a

jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become ...

.(2012-03-19)
"Tagaytay City - People's Park in the Sky (Palace in the Sky). Pinas Hangouts. Retrieved on 2013-10-22.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sungay Mountains of the Philippines Tagaytay Landforms of Cavite Stratovolcanoes of the Philippines