Achieving our bucket list in an island in Leyte

Last Wednesday it was another beautiful reunion with my classmates in University of San Carlos Boy’s High School Class ‘66 after we already celebrated our Golden Jubilee two years back. This time, we did something unique, something that was on our bucket lists as we rode in the yacht of one of our classmates to the fabled island of Kalanggaman right across Palompon.

The yacht only took a little over an hour to a beach in Camotes Island, and it took more than an hour to reach the Island of Kalanggaman. As we expected Kalanggaman is an uninhabited island that is only 750 meters long, which is a par five for active golfers. It’s blessed with a very long stretch of white beach and a long sandbar that beats what Boracay has to offer. As written by travel writers “Kalanggaman Island is flat and surrounded with white sand made from crushed corals. The eastern and western tips are sandbars that blend well with the azure water. During broad daylight, the sandbars shine like a pearl… beautifully inviting!”

Indeed, this is true. It is perhaps one of the up-and-coming tourist destinations in Leyte. Upon our arrival in the island, we were greeted by two men who worked for Mayor Georgina Arrevalo of Palompon to collect their P150 entrance fee. Of course I haggled with them, as most of us on the yacht were senior citizens, hence a senior’s discount was given. Mind you, Kalanggaman Island has no-smoking and smoking areas.

Best of all, Kalanggaman has a policy whereby visitors are asked that if they have trash with them, they must bring it back with them. This is why the island is very clean. But best of all, on July 9 to 15th the whole island is closed to visitors as it is the island’s annual clean up time.

Incidentally, while in Kalanggaman Island, I came up with two beautiful women and heard them speak a strange language. I mean, they weren’t French or German, however it turned out that they were Greek women. So I asked them why two Greek girls were in the Philippines when the Greek islands are one of the best in the world. I told them I have been to Mykonos and Santorini and, lo and behold, one girl came from Mykonos while her friend comes from Santorini. They were both Cabin crew of Malta Airlines. Their answer was they loved diving and most of the Greek Isles are not suited for diving. That’s why they were in Cebu staying at the White Sands Resort in Mactan. So we invited them to the yacht on our trip back to Cebu. What a great way to add to your bucket list!

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The breaking news of the day was that Philippine National Police chief Gen. Archie Gamboa was rushed to the hospital yesterday morning after the helicopter he was riding crashed in San Pedro, Laguna. Gamboa, along with PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, two pilots, and other passengers, were immediately brought to Westlake Medical City in San Pedro.

Gamboa was conscious when he was taken out of the helicopter which caught fire after the crash. The helicopter was just taking off when it got caught in a power line. Authorities said the area was dusty and had zero visibility. Shades of Kobe Bryant, we can only hope Gamboa wasn’t gravely injured in this accident. So prayers for him are in order.

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Incidentally, during a Social Weather Stations survey conducted on December 13 to 16 last year, Filipinos gave the AFP a net satisfaction rating of +74, based on their knowledge of the military. This was based on a 79% satisfaction rating and 5% dissatisfaction rating given by 1,200 respondents from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. At this point, it seems that the general public gave the AFP a significantly low confidence level in its handling of the country’s sovereignty and maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

The survey was weighted according to affiliation of the areas: 14% of samples came from NCR, 45% from balance Luzon, 19% from the Visayas, and 22% percent from Mindanao. As for me, the only reason I give the AFP a lower confidence level is the reality that up to now we still have the communist insurgency when in fact the AFP has better weapons and tactics after the Marawi City siege.