I have never been to an island as awesomely beautiful as Sibuyan. Maybe because it’s so inaccessible. And while this inaccessibility has contributed to their poverty, in a very direct way it has been a blessing because their resources are largely still pristine. The only way here is to take a plane to Tablas, Romblon. Then you take a two-hour ride on a pump boat to the island. If one wants to travel in comfort, then one takes a chopper — and that’s not a path open to everyone. There is no airstrip — and that’s the problem.
It’s also an issue I hope to address this year.
I was there for four days, three nights. I can’t even begin to express the wonder of it all. It’s an island of waterfalls, streams, and rivers. There are 38 documented large waterfalls. I figured out that the reason why it’s the world’s densest forest: because the mountains are hard to climb so the islanders can’t log. They have, however, done kaingin in the lower portions. The effect of this dense forest is waterfalls, waterfalls and more waterfalls, all of sparkling drinking water that can rival Evian any day.
The data say that only one percent of the world has potable drinking water. That means that the water I drank and tasted to my delight in the streams of Sibuyan makes up that one percent because, yes, you can really drink the water straight from the streams — better than any bottled water in Manila.
Sibuyan island has three municipalities, Magdiwang, Fernando and Cajidiocan. If the roads were properly constructed, it would take two to three hours to bike around the island. Now doesn’t that sound like an absolute treat? Biking with a mountain of forests on one side, and sparkling seas and white sand beaches on the other. And then there is the natural Jacuzzi: the waterfalls. Feeling the rhythmic pounding of the falls on my back and my arms, blue skies above: better than any commercial Jacuzzi I’ve ever been in.
I remember, during my childhood, spending many happy afternoons at the Manila Polo Club. Most of these afternoons were spent in the swimming pool, going up the diving board, jumping in and then going up again, again and again. I just never got tired of it, the thrill of jumping.
Now, can you imagine how much more thrilling it would be to climb rocks and jump, not into a chlorinated pool, but into a crystal-clear body of water so clean you can drink it? One filled with the energy of the forests and a waterfall just beside? And then not to be limited to just that one vista, but to have literally dozens and dozens of varied scenes of rocks and streams and waterfalls? And all the while hearing the chirping of birds, the deafening sound of crickets, the fresh air blowing. The experience is magnificent, to say the least.
If one is tired of the streams, then there are the mangroves and the fireflies to enjoy. There are forests with abundant biodiversity. It’s an island caught in a time warp. The only sad part I saw was the coral reefs: it pained me to imagine how splendid the reefs here must have been — at one point. The effect of cyanide fishing was all too pronounced, not just from the islanders but from nearby islands.
I commiserated with the mayors who wished that the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) would be based not only on land area and population, but also on the municipal waters they need to protect. With such a large area to preserve, areas like this should be allotted more money. To me, this makes absolute sense.
View these pictures and log on to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7hpytuipEw for a video of the splendor of my four-day trip to Sibuyan. And if you feel that Palawan and other island ecosystems should be free from mining, please sign our petition at http://no2mininginpalawan.com. We are in the process of gearing up Sibuyan to be a major tourist destination. If you are willing to rough it and take the trouble to get to a magical Shangri-la, then call Rodne Galicha at 0905-2850700 or 0928-3398721 or e-mail him at coordinator@sibuyan.com. He will give you information on all the three sites. Visit www.sibuyan.com for more details.