MUCH TO SEE IN NEGROS ORIENTAL
Apo
Island, Negros Oriental, July 6, 2003 By Julie Cabatit-Alegre (STAR) Apo
Island, south of Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, is said to be one of Asia’s
most successful marine life conservation areas with its rich variety of large
corals, groupers, surgeonfish, jacks, clownfish, anemones, and giant clams,
among others. The island, with its distinct rock formations, surrounded by a
crystal-clear, azure sea, is also internationally famous as an ideal site for
scuba diving and snorkeling.
Motorized outriggers will take you there from any one of several take-off points. If it happens to be a Wednesday, you might choose to get your ride from Malatapay in the coastal town of Zamboangita, where the weekly open-air market, the only one of its kind in Negros, is held. The locals from Apo and the surrounding mountains congregate here every Wednesday to trade their livestock, fish, fruits and vegetables, as well as household items and handicrafts like hand-woven mats and native bags. It is a unique experience, to mingle with the locals as they go about their marketing chores, either as sellers or buyers.
The first things you notice as your boat approaches Apo Island are the huge boulders and rock formations that stand like welcome markers just off the island’s shore.
You also notice the graffiti. At the top of one tall pile of large boulders, someone managed to etch his sobriquet, "Thunder". The beach has creamy white sand with finely crushed shells and tiny white pebbles, a handful of which, when gently rubbed on the skin, could make a perfect natural exfoliating agent. You could find a recess underneath one of the boulders near the shore, park yourself in the shade and, with the sandy body scrub and salty sea water, enjoy an instant natural spa treatment. But the real beauty of Apo Island is not so much what you find above it but rather, its treasures under the sea – its rich coral gardens and diverse marine life. It’s a thrilling experience to swim with a small school of fish seemingly unmindful of the human intrusion.
While eco-tourism is being developed on the island, environmental awareness and protection is also promoted. The barangay administration would like to limit organized dives on the island to eight per day, and in the marine sanctuary, managed by Silliman University in cooperation with the local community, to only about 15 divers per day.
As you walk through the barrios, you notice that there are no motorized vehicles, although the pavement is cemented. In the vicinity of a public school, large garbage bins are clearly marked for waste segregation. There is no air-conditioning in the cottages and rooms for rent, relying on natural ventilation instead, while beds are protected by mosquito nets which add to the island’s quaint and rustic charm.
The ride to and from Apo Island normally takes about 30 to 45 minutes. But it can happen that the propeller of your motorized boat crashes into some rocks as it maneuvers to a docking spot on the island. Then on the way back, you will have to drift with the current and it can take you as long as three hours to reach your destination. This was our experience, which was totally unplanned and unexpected. It gave us more than enough time to enjoy the sea breeze, fall into a long siesta, catch a glimpse of some dolphins at a distance, and feel the sunset as its rays stretched and warmed our wet side of the boat. By the time we reached Atlantis Dive Resort in Dumaguete, where we were to spend the night, there was just enough time to change and get ready for a hosted dinner at Lab-as, a popular fresh seafood restaurant in the city, where members of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa) from Manila had a lively interaction with the local tour operators and tour guides.
Dumaguete City, the provincial capital, is known as the "City of Gentle People", which adequately conveys an image of the local folks’ unhurried lifestyle. To many from Manila, Dumaguete is better known as a university town, with Silliman University as the centerpiece, where the prestigious Writers Workshop is held annually. Founded in 1901 the first university outside Manila and the first Protestant school in the Philippines occupies a 37-hectare area within the city along the sea. Its library is the biggest in Asia, with an extensive Filipiniana section. The Luce Auditorium is architecturally patterned after the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila. The Silliman campus is also one of the few places in the country where a good number of buildings representing American colonial architecture have survived. With its majestic acacia trees dotting the expansive campus, the entire site has been declared a bird sanctuary. Its modern and fully equipped marine laboratory houses the second largest collection of marine mammal (whales and dolphins) bone skeletons in the world. A variety of marine specimens and live organisms are on display. Giant clams are cultured in water tanks and there are breeding areas for groupers as well as crocodiles.
Dumaguete’s first fast food is said to be Silliman Cafeteria, opened in 1920, where the students enjoyed Dumaguete’s favorite snack, budbud kabug, a suman look-alike made of bird seed or dawa, a kind of millet. Today, Greenwich has arrived in Dumaguete and so has Chowking; Jollibee can’t be too far behind.
A brisk tour of Dumaguete City should include stops at the historic Cathedral Bell Tower, circa 1811, which was used to warn natives of marauding pirates centuries ago; the bustling Public Market with its well-stocked wet and dry sections; as well as the pottery and piña-weaving cooperatives for their handcrafted piña cloth and earthenware. The Ecological Park and Aviary, a model dumpsite, has won for the city the "Galing Pook" award.
South of Dumaguete City is the town of Bacong where you’ll find the oldest church in Negros Oriental, the century-old Bacong Church, and the Bacong pipe organ.
A perpetual adoration chapel of more recent vintage was added at the side of the church. Just a stone’s throw away is the Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage (NOAH) stone craft factory and showroom where exquisite Philippine jade and other semi-precious stone products such as necklaces and bracelets, jewelry boxes, coasters and hotplates as well as wind chimes are on sale. A drive southwest and upland through tree-lined highways brings you to the interior town of Valencia and Forest Camp, a picnic and camp site with natural and man-made springs, river-fed pools and waterslides, a hanging bridge and tree house, set amidst a lush forest setting.
North of Dumaguete City is the municipality of Sibulan where its young mayor, Antonio D. Renacia, has initiated a character-building program patterned after its twin city, Tagaytay. Different virtues are assigned to each month, such as dependability for June and cleanliness for July, which the local residents are encouraged to observe. Sibulan is where the "beauty of nature and people complement," the tourism leaflet claims.
Twenty kilometers west of the municipality of Sibulan, in barangay Villanueva, are the twin lakes of Balinsasayao and Danao. Situated 1,000 meters above sea level, the inland bodies of water nestled amidst thick virgin forests are accessible only with a 4WD vehicle which the mayor’s office graciously made available for our use. Cementing of the road is ongoing and there is a short stretch of dirt road that you have to trek to get to the site. Your reward is a breathtaking view of the placid lake, Balinsasayao, which is separated from its twin, Danao, by a ridge. What is it about a land-locked body of water that is so captivating? Is it the stillness that allows you to catch up with yourself? Or is it the sense of inner calm which you walk away with, the lake’s offering and gift of itself?
We spend the night at the Bahia-Days Hotel in Bais, north of Sibulan. We await the next day with great expectations since we are scheduled to go dolphin-watching in the deep waters of Tanon Strait, between Negros Oriental and Cebu. Commonly found in these waters are the bottlenose, melon-head, and spotted dolphins.
An overcast sky ushers in the morning and we set off to the open sea with much trepidation. Dolphins appear only when the water is calm, we were told, as we cruised the choppy sea. We stop at the Talabong Island Mangrove Forest, which covers an area of about 217 hectares. Although a cement walk had replaced the former bamboo boardwalk, the mangrove appears neglected. The wild monkeys have abandoned the place since the deterioration of their natural habitat. The rehabilitation of the mangrove will surely be a boon not only to visitors but more importantly to its natural inhabitants.
It starts to drizzle and the spray from the sea is a bit chilly. Then, we’re surprised with our first sighting. Dolphins at a distance leaping out and then back into the water. Then, dolphins nearer the boat. A dolphin swimming alongside and then under the boat. Dolphins to the left of the boat. Dolphins to the right.
Dolphins straight ahead. They seem to be responding to our whistles, our clapping and squeals of delight. They respond by giving us a show. Someone, who starts counting the sightings, stops at 15. Many more follow. The dolphins caress the sea, ride the waves, glide and cruise the water. Finally, just as we’re about to leave, a trio glide one more time alongside the boat while another dolphin crosses from one side to the other, passing underneath the boat. They are so close, you can almost touch them. Such gentle creatures of the sea. You sense a connection and you send a telepathic message of thanks. You’re not disappointed.
One more surprise awaits you at Bais Bay where the Campuyo White Sandbar is said to stretch out to a couple of kilometers at low tide. Your boat drops anchor and the group enjoys a barbecue picnic lunch on board, but the sandbar is nowhere in sight. No matter, this does not discourage you from taking a dip in the shallow waters. Someone ventures farther away from the boat and we are delighted to see that the water reaches only way below his knees the farther he goes. Soon, the sandbar reveals itself. What else is there to do but to find your spot where you can stretch out on the sand, feel the sea run its fingers along your back while the noonday sun warms your face. This is life. A couple of starfish makes an appearance. Welcome to our home, they seem to say.
Negros Oriental occupies the southeastern portion of Negros Island in the Visayas, with Negros Occidental occupying the other half of the island. Currently, a one-Negros policy is being encouraged. Culturally, Negros Oriental appears closer to Cebu, with most of the people who inhabit the coastal towns speaking Cebuano. With its rich marine resources, fishing is the main source of livelihood in the coastal areas. Also, since the whole eastern part enjoys a mild climate that is typhoon-free year-round, agriculture is the main activity of the people with rice, corn, coconut, and sugarcane as principal products. Interesting would be a tour of an old hacienda where archaic trains still run on ancient rail tracks, as well as an annotated tour of a sugar central such as the Universal Robina Sugar Milling Co. in Manjuyod north of Bais, where you learn all about the different stages of sugar refining.
Tanjay, which lies south of Bais, is one of five component cities of Negros Oriental, the others being Canlaon, Bais, Bayawan, and the capital, Dumaguete. What do people do on a Friday night in Tanjay? Congregate at the plaza for some ballroom dancing, what else? When they learned that we were coming that Friday night, they moved the venue to the Sports and Cultural Center, since they did not want their visitors from Manila to get wet in case it rained.
The Sergio S. Salma Jr. Sports and Cultural Center is impressive in its size by provincial standards. When we arrived, there was a basketball game going on between the home team and a guest team from a neighboring town. The electronic scoreboard showed the home team winning by a ten points margin. The Friday night we were there was also the night the seven finalists for the Miss Tanjay City 2003 title were presented. And of course, there was the ballroom dancing which went on until the wee hours of midnight, with the city mayor, Baltazar T. Salma, and his gracious wife watching, pleased as punch, in the sidelines.
If dancing is not your idea of a Friday night out, there is always the night market, right outside the cultural and sports center, where you can find a cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables for sale at prices unheard of in Manila, such as the sweetest mangoes for P10 a kilo and garlic for P28 a kilo. They also have their version of the ubiquitous ukay-ukay. You can take a snack at a bakeshop named Birdie’s where you can get your hopia, baboy or mongo, still hot from the oven. And you know you are getting more than your money’s worth with the generous filling of coco jam in your pan de coco.
It’s past midnight by the time we check in at the Baybayon Beach Resort in Cangmating in Sibulan. It does not take too long for us to fall into deep slumber, with the lullaby of raindrops on the roof. The next morning, we drive back to Dumaguete City. Our Air Philippines flight back to Manila is scheduled past noon, leaving us with just enough time to do a bit of what the locals like to do – enjoy the city’s waterfront promenade.
Rizal Boulevard, the picture-perfect tree-lined promenade along the bay, is popular among the residents of Dumaguete as a safe place where they can jog, take leisurely walks, or simply relax and enjoy their tempura bought from rolling carts, their own version of Manila’s ubiquitous fishballs vendors. The boulevard was named after our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, who is said to have strolled along its 780 m. stretch during a stopover on his way to Manila from his exile in Dapitan. He also stayed in a two-story house at the corner of Legaspi St. and the boulevard which later became the first building occupied by the Silliman Institute. The house was set on fire by the Japanese during Liberation.
A number of hotels and restaurants now line the boulevard, such as the Coco Amigos Restaurant and La Residencia Al Mar. With its charming Hispanic architecture, La Residencia, a pioneer hotel owned by the Escanos, is said to have housed the governor of Negros Oriental at one time in the past. The "Gates of Opportunity" of Silliman University’s oldest building face the boulevard, and on their far end is the port of Dumaguete. RORO operations ply the nautical highway from Cagayan de Oro to Manila via Dumaguete.
Some would like to see Negros Oriental as the next Bohol – whose success story in its promotion as a tourist destination is something to emulate– or the next Boracay or the next Cebu. But Negros Oriental is a place like no other. It has its own provincial charm that you cannot begin to appreciate unless you’ve been there. When you visit Negros Oriental, it is best to leave your expectations behind. Instead, be prepared to be surprised.