MANILA, Philippines — Actresses Andi Eigenmann and Nadine Lustre are not the only ones who have been hit by the so-called Siargao curse, that is, who have fallen in love with the island and eventually made its sun, sea and sand their home.
Elaine Abonal, a mom and coach of her own surfing school, Surfista, is “livin’ la vida isla” (living the island life) together with her daughter and husband in Siargao.
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“I’ve been surfing for mga 20 years. So I started as a student in Manila. I’m from Manila. So I travel from Manila to La Union, Baler, then Siargao,” Abonal recalled in an exclusive interview with Philstar.com.
When asked what she loves about surfing, she took a deep breath and exclaimed: “Ah! Everything!”
“Surfing, it has become my life. It has become a part of me as a person. I like being close to nature, to the ocean. I like the simplicity of island life.”
Besides the usual Baler and Siargao, Abonal shared that “there's a lot of surfing spots in the Philippines,” and these include Lanao del Sur, Davao and Zambales.
“I've tried California, Bali, Indonesia, everybody goes there. Sri Lanka, Australia, Thailand, they're surfing in Thailand,” she noted, “In Spain, in France, also there.”
Of the many places she has surfed in, the Philippines and Siargao remain as her favorite.
“Well, the people are friendly. The waves are super nice! The weather is warm. I don't need to wear a wetsuit except now, medyo malamig. And of course, the people make the difference. Home, there's no place like home!” she affirmed.
“I've surfed in other spots and whenever I'm surfing there, I'm like, yeah, Philippines you've settled here already for how many years now.”
When Abonal first stepped into Siargao, it was still a small community.
“I was here when it was empty and it was hard to get students,” she shared. “So, full time I've been living here (Siargao). For 10 years, we were renting a house, but now, we have a house! I'm here with my husband.”
But Siargao is not all roses – typhoons and blackouts regularly abound the island, so if one is to live here, one has to embrace it – flaws and all, said Abonal.
“It's still a developing simple island,” she said, “So if you want to live here, you have to accept it for what it is. Just because it's where a lot of people are coming, it doesn't mean we're in Manila. There's a lot of brownouts, a lot of things are not available, floods, you know, there's a lot of inconveniences. So yeah, it's exciting!”
Amid the challenges and natural disasters, the people of Siargao come together as a community to rebuild. She gave as example how she and fellow locals immediately bounced back following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette in 2021 that wiped out the island.
“You have to really want to be here. You've mentioned Odette. Yeah, I think this (surfing) is the main livelihood here and it meant like psychologically for the people who live here, which is the reason why we're here, the reason we have fun,” she said.
“But the day after (the storm), people were surfing, so psychologically it reminded us how much we love the ocean and surfing whatever happens.”
For those thinking of also leaving everything behind to settle in Siargao, Abonal shared some pieces of advice.
“You know, if you really love something, like if you really love it, just keep doing it,” she urged.
“No matter what other people say, like surfing, when I started surfing, nobody was surfing! My dad was telling me to be a lawyer because that's, you know, the path that people are supposed to take. But I was very passionate about it. And I used what I had like my education in Ateneo, my personality as a person, to do surfing stuff. So if you really believe in what you're doing and you have, you know, enough love for yourself that you can do it, just do it! Whatever happens, even if you make a mistake, even if other people don't know what you're doing, if it's a smaller new thing, it's gonna come out good, and you're going to be happy for it,” she assured.
“Maybe in the beginning it's hard, you don't earn as much money, but in the end, you're the one who's going to be happy.”
“Yeah, it's exciting,” she said of living in the island paradise. “Life is never boring here. You really have to love the community, surfing, the ocean to stay.”
The nation’s flag carrier airlines, Philippine Airlines (PAL), now flies thrice weekly from Clark International Airport to Siargao, and vice versa. Bookings are via Philippineairlines.com. Flights are every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and departs from Clark at 11 a.m., and from Siargao at 1:35 p.m.
For hassle-free travels, Guide to the Philippines has a summer promotion to explore the country’s top destinations, including Siargao. — Video by Deni Bernardo, video editing by Anjilica Andaya
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