Today we visited Ando Island called Puro Hilaba off the northeastern coast of the City of Borongan. I was with friends. This trip was not a simple “barakasyon” or excursion. We went there to accompany a French girl named Melody who was having her two-month immersion in the City as part of her thesis writing for her masteral course on an Environment concern related degree. She wanted to see the Island, and even to go around the other barangays of Borongan. She will be staying in Divinubo Island (Puro Halipot) for a month being the main locality for her study which will touch in environment management, disaster management, tourism development and other environment-related activities.
While we were at Ando we showed her how to climb coconut trees, how to open the coconut with just a small hole just to be able to drink its milk, and invited her to eat and taste how delicious the young coconuts are. She even played with the matured coconuts as if playing volleyball while a companion takes a picture of her using her digital camera. Perhaps she misses volleyball so much because she is a member of the French National Team and she works with one of the Volleyball Clubs in Switzerland for a living just like men work in the Soccer clubs.
One of her comments was that people were always looking at her. I told her that it is because they seldom see foreigners visiting the island and added that even fellow Filipinos who have different complexion become instant celebrities the first time they visit the island. “I guess it’s always like that when you visit a place and you look different from the people living there,” I said. Then when we were at table, we noticed that the small ants were crowding on her side of the table. We teased her that even the ants were curious about her. I told her to bring the ants to France because they might want to see their French cousins.
During lunch she saw that we were using our hands in eating and she put back into her bag the utensils she brought. We prepared sinugba nga isda and invited her to try the soy sauce spiced with lemon and sili nga kutikot. We also had pansit, bilanghoy, and of course luto. After eating we, the boys, had two bottles of cheap brandy with softdrinks as chaser.
It was low tide so she strolled upon the rocks (kaigangan) under the heat of the sun. She wanted to take a walk around the island but since our time was limited we were not able to do so. We wanted to show her the big bats of Ando inside the Sangat Cave. Before we went home she took a dip on the warm waters of Ando which was beginning to rise. Three of our companions joined her while three of us went to the hall for karaoke moments.
She has taken so many pictures including that of a spider taking its rest on the roof of the hall because it was her first time to see that kind of spider. She took pictures of the coconuts being opened, our companions drinking the coco milk and eating the young coco flesh, and more. And of course she had a picture of her climbing the coconut tree (up to the third tanga).
She told us that she likes the Filipinos because she experienced that we are really hospitable. We invited her to sing with us the song Pinoy Ako (PBB Theme Song) and she said she will try in two weeks time. When I told her that Filipinos are like bamboos because we are resilient and we can withstand the troubles of life including typhoons, she got interested and said she would use the idea as the opening statement of her thesis regarding the Philippines and the Filipinos.
We went home at about 3:30 pm. She hopes that the next time we visit the island we will be able to make a tour of the entire place, including the marine sanctuary at Monbon Island.
Lance AC Acampado is Presently a columnist - sugob ni longino - in the local paper, ES Reporter, and a blogger - http://sugobnilongino.blogspot.com . Also works at the City Government of Borongan, a family man, and a former cadet, seminarian and youth minister.
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I feel so sorry that I happen to learn and appreciate our natural treasures from the eyes of foreigners. Honestly, there are several places in Eastern Samar that fare better than the famed spots in Bohol, Puerto Galera, La Union, Samal and even Palawan. Our rivers are fantastic! We also have one for white water rafting. Some shores offer majestic surfing experience. We also have caves good for spelunking.
My friend don’t believe that tarsier is as endemic in Eastern Samar as in Bohol. He also refutes that we have plenty of sightings and even unwarranted captivity of Philippine Eagle. The mountain-boring “saliksik” is declared extinct but we still have plenty of these. Some upstream barangays still cultivate “dawa”, an extinct edible grain like whey… and many other common “wonders”!
All these make me proud as Estehanon!
We do hope that when the increase in IRA due to the cityhood of Borongan will be realized next year, all the programs and projects of the City Government which has been shelved due to lack of funds including that for Tourism and the Environment will be implemented already and then we shall be able to develop our potential tourist destinations and promote our virgin forest as one of the remaining rain forests worthy of becoming an eco-tour park!
Eastern Samar is indeed rich of exotic animals including the “tarsier” which they say that can only be found in Bohol, in fact i even had a close encounter and took pictures with it, “MAGU” this is the local name of the tarsier..it was caught from the mountains of Sabang North, Borongan Eastern Samar. you can even see some owls, eagles and falcons nest there…
Hi, Dx7. Yes, I read about the presence of tarsiers in provinces outside of Bohol. If you want, you can share the picture of the mago you have taken to info @ sinirangan.com and we’ll put it up here. Credit goes to you of course. Thanks for dropping by!
Lance, please don’t make us believe that the lack of funds was the cause of “shelving” those projects. It goes beyond that… If we will believe in such/your assertion it like limiting our cranial capacity. Well, it’s a matter of perspective.
Well, we have that saying that any explanation is not enough to those who does not believe, while no explanation is necessary to those who do so. I can’t understand why people don’t see the relationship between projects, programs, activities and funding. It may be true that some things are “free” but most of the things in this world are not. Anyway, we do hope that all these programs, projects and activities will be implemented when the IRA increase is already realized because if not, then it would be a great disappointment because we supported the cityhood bid of Borongan for this purpose among others.
Would like to extend a happy birthday greeting to Melody, the French girl we accompanied to Ando Island. This day she will be turning 27.