Once upon a time a hunter named Mantac went hunting to the forest with his dog. He was from Kallasan or known to be the Kallanguya tribe’s abode. He started hunting from Mt. Kalawitan of Sabangan, Mt. Province, to Cada then down to a place which has no name yet.
The hunter’s hunting journey was guided by his well trained dog. They seemed to be unlucky that day.
They kept hunting around the forest but no animal was hunted. That day was so exhausting. The hunter felt so hungry and thirsty that he felt his body weakening. He searched for water around but of no avail. Soon Mantac collapsed.
The hunter’s dog seemed to have felt the need to do emergency moves. With the dog’s initiative it used its claws to dig a hole in a certain portion of that forest. Then in that hole dug, a water came out.
The dog dipped its tail to the water and ran to where the unconscious hunter was lying. The hunter’s dried mouth was touched by the dog’s wet tail. It did repeatedly until the hunter gained consciousness. He gained strength to get up. The dog directed him to the spring location where he satisfied his thirst. Later they went home.
When the folks in that community heard of the hunter’s story, they named that place Cotcot Aso in commemoration to the wonderful story of the hunter and the dog.
Today, the spring still exists. The water remains even during dry seasons. The spring is always filled but doesn’t overflow. People nearby fetch water from it and the water taken out is always replaced after few minutes making the spring basin filled again.
At present, the spring supplies the nearby households for their domestic use. Cotcot Aso is located at upper Cotcot, Bangao, Buguias, Benguet. Philippines. It is about 50 meters from the national highway.
