The mystique of Babuyan Islands

MANILA, Philippines - As with most remote places, little is known about Babuyan Islands, besides its being a typhoon-battered zone.

This frontier north of Cagayan generally makes news in relation to calamities and tragedies, such as the earthquake that struck last June and the sinking of a boat in 2008 that resulted in the death of nearly half of the 100 passengers.

So unless you’re into extreme adventures, you must have some compelling reason to go there. The locals themselves describe the trip as buwis-buhay, meaning travelers to Babuyan put their very lives at stake.

I get it. I’ve been there.

I was a member of the team that went to Babuyan to implement Project Rain Gauge, an initiative of Smart Communications Inc. (where I work), in partnership with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the Department of Education, and local government units.

Rugged coastal landscapes can be found alongside pristine beaches and coves on Calayan Island.

Our team was going to train students from four public high schools to monitor and record rainfall. With the project, started in 2007, Smart envisions to build a network of monitoring stations nationwide and to augment the rainfall monitoring of PAGASA.

From the moment I got the assignment, one of the first things that piqued my curiosity was the etymology of Babuyan. The word is Filipino for piggery, derived from the root baboy, or pig.

I figured the answer awaited at our destination, Calayan, the biggest and most populous of the five islands c

omprising the Babuyan Group. To get there, we first had to go to Claveria town in Cagayan.

From Claveria, we would cross the Babuyan Channel, which is known for rough waters, mainly due to strong winds and heavy rains that frequent the area. This is especially true somewhere between the islands of Dalupiri and Fuga, where the Pacific Ocean and the West Philippine Sea meet, causing the sea to behave like a fast flowing river.

Pig on board

Seated on cases of soft drinks and other dry goods covered with lona, I braced myself for a thrilling 20-seater chartered cargo pump boat ride. We sailed in June, the start of the rainy season — just the right time for the students and teachers to better appreciate and immediately apply what they would learn from Project Rain Gauge.

But the sky was so clear that we used our life jackets instead to protect our skin from the burning heat of the noonday sun.

The sea, like the sky, stretched from horizon to horizon. It seemed so infinite, my thoughts turned to the Creator. And the water was as placid as a lake.

They say that whenever sailors cross the channel, they bring along a pig for a safe ride. Apparently the pig is a symbol of good luck. Our boatman had one, and it swam its way to the boat. Maybe that’s how the islands got the name, I thought.

The next day, we conducted the training for students of St. Bartholomew Academy, Calayan High School main campus and its branches in Dilam and Dibay. The students learned about climatology and how to use the rain gauge, then did exercises on rainfall monitoring, data gathering and uploading to the website, www.projectraingauge.ph.

Pork for lunch

At noon, we broke up for lunch. On the menu: pork adobo.

Our lecturer, Leo Buñag, officer-in-charge of the PAGASA office in Northern Luzon, remarked that Calayan’s version of the popular dish is the best he’s ever tasted. He attributed this to the meat of the native pig that absorbs the sauce while it is being cooked. Again, it made me wonder about the name of the islands.

The day after the training, we went around Calayan. For one whole day, we had two long stretches of beach all to ourselves — as though they were our private property.

Cibang Cove, with fine white sand, and Caniwara Cove, with a slightly flat-rock floor, were pieces of paradise, untouched by modernization and tourism. Fenced off by rock formations, the coves may be reached by hiking or by riding a pump boat from the Centro.

Lunch was hosted by volunteers of the Isla Biodiversity Conservation Inc. (ISLA), a non-government organization promoting the conservation of the island’s biodiversity. It was ISLA that had coordinated with the municipal government to facilitate the Project Rain Gauge training in Calayan.

This time, instead of pork, we had fish. And it was served with a presentation that showed ISLA’s affinity with nature. Field assistant Jam Reynon put on flippers and a snorkeling mask then, armed with an improvised spear gun, disappeared into the water. A few minutes later, he emerged with his catch.

Cynthia Layusa, ISLA project manager, said Project Rain Gauge would further encourage Calayan youths to be active in environmental protection.

The rainfall data gathered by students would also help shed light on the natural habitat of a bird called the Calayan Rail. The flightless bird was discovered there in 2004 by a group of conservationists, including an ISLA member.

ISLA recommended Calayan for Project Rain Gauge because it is frequently visited by typhoons.

Pig lifesavers

In December 2008, our hosts recalled, the M/B Maejan, a cargo boat with wooden hull and balancer or katig, capsized as it crossed the Babuyan Channel on its way to Aparri from Calayan.

The boat was about to dock when a sudden change in weather caused strong winds and big waves to toss it about. More than half of the 98 passengers, that included students and teachers, drowned.

Some of the survivors later said that they stayed afloat by hanging on to tables, as well as the carabaos and pigs being transported.

Today, the people of Calayan are more vigilant about any change in the weather. Every vessel that goes to and from their island is tracked by the Philippine Coast Guard, with fishermen ready 24/7 for rescue, if needed.

Our training completed, we decided to leave Calayan a day ahead of schedule upon learning that tropical depression “Dodong” was slowly moving to the northern part of Luzon. We hired a 10-seater pump boat to ferry us across Babuyan Channel.

Thirty minutes into the trip, our roller-coaster ride began. Big waves lifted then slammed our little boat into the sea. Although we were getting wet, we found the experience exciting — that is, until one of the nylon cords holding the right katig in place suddenly came undone.

More than the name

The boatman revved the engine. Land was just 20 minutes away when the second of the three nylon cords also gave way, letting the katig loose. We had to stop.

Everyone was silent. Remembering the Maejan tragedy, I got hold of an empty styro box, in case our boat toppled over.

The boatman and one of the passengers used their bodies, outstretched on the sides of the boat, to maintain balance.

Later the boatman would tell me that once his boat overturned. He managed to turn it back up and continue sailing. However, he had lost his provisions so he went without food and water for five days until he reached Taiwan where he was rescued.

As our roller-coaster ride went on for about 10 minutes, a colleague from Smart and I started sending SOS messages on our cellphones. I realized, we had no pig on board.

Thankfully, we got to Claveria in one piece.

I still don’t know why Babuyan is named so. I suppose that’s part of the islands’ mystique. But I learned a lot more about the place and its people.