Mati City. Davao Oriental.

I heart Mati. I was there. I survived Mati! Yes, I survived just because some people fed me, housed me, toured me. There is a friend in Mati. Thanks, bai Orle, for the invite.

The story of me visiting the place had been cooked up eons ago. Because I wanted it free, because I was poor, because opportunities are rare, because good friends are hard to find, Mati remained in the wish list until March 2015.

Yes, this post is one year overdue. I was overtaken by events. Some good. Some bad, Because Mati experience was great, I could never forget. 

I went there to serve as a resource person on community-based disaster risk reduction and management. But knowing me, the experience must include eating in native restos and beaches.

Wish list granted. And more.

First, there was balut eating along the national highway, then coffee in provincial boundaries. There were winding roads and canopies. Scenic crocodile island. And, oh well, beaches. Plus skimboarding. And the near-death struggle when I was backwashed by waves.

It pays to have good friends. But it more pays when you are a good friend.
​I love Mati!

So by now you have heard about Kalanggaman. Don't get tired, here's one more post about the island that is gaining more popularity than popcorn in cinemas.

Each visit, most vacationers expect a sunny kalanggaman. I have a different take on this. Whatever season, the sandbar offers a special scenery. I joined the team of UNDP during one of their team bonding activities. Nagbabadya ang ulan when we arrived. I was not to be dampened. Something beautiful has to come out from each season. As they say, there is a time for everything. 

In the afternoon of our arrival in the island, a rainbow showed up. And it showed up whole.

And there was sunset.

Then we slept. Then  the next day.

And the rainbow once more appeared.

And the rest of the day, I can only share with you the photos I took. 

Kalanggaman Island, Palompon, Leyte. (read previous blog here)

San Isidro in northernmost Leyte is, to me, known for 2 things: one, it is dry as water is scarce and the beach is murky, and two, this is my parents' homeland. Surprised I was to learn that our next stop meeting (you read it right, next stop meeting) was in Punod Resort, San Isidro, Leyte. A resort in a non-resort municipality. So I thought.

Admittedly, San Isidro is special. Living is comfortable. Water is now available. And the resort offers a good venue for a small group meeting. This is about 3 kilometers away from the commercial center.

Some photos I took using my phone.

much has been said about sambawan. for one, it is still in maripipi island of biliran province. for two, it still an awesome destination in the world. the island is serene and pristine. would i rather be somewhere else in the world?

so here are my photos instead. hope they impress upon you that the place is really beautiful. God bless my homeland!

Few weeks ago, the couple - TS Glenda and TS Henry - was confirmed to have a lover’s quarrel which led to TS Glenda running away. Days later, TS Henry followed her either to declare more war or to win her back – that I couldn’t say. I think they haven’t returned home yet since this week, Inday, a household member, is looking after them. The three of them passed by Biliran and they changed the landscape of my homeland. In fact, they changed the landscape of Higatangan Island.

The island, which actually comprises 2 barangays of Naval, the commercial capital of Biliran, prides itself with this sandbar which shifts with the tide, and shifts big with storms. The recent typhoon moved the sandbar to a different shape. And that exactly what makes the sandbar invitingly unique. You don’t get to see it in one same form. When I had my time in the sandbar, I wondered what shape had it been a day before.

The sandbar stretches by 200 meters, more or less. I was told the highest “high tide” never totally submerges the bar. One can enjoy swimming anytime, any tide, and it is safe. Water is crystal clear to turquoise blue. Sandbar is more of crushed corals than sand.

We went there on a gloomy day, what with the war going on in the household of Henry, Glenda and Inday. The organization which invited me to join this island visit paid around P3,500 for the boat ride -  to and back and around the island. Officials in Barangay Libertad welcomed us like good old friends. We feasted on shells, crabs, grilled fish, fried fish, oven-baked chicken, boiled rootcrops prepared for us in Hagdan Resort located on the other side of the island.. We were unfazed of the weather war. There were laughter and stories and goodwill shared even if the seas were a bit rough.

On regular days, the island can be reached from Naval by public motor boat. Fare is 45 pesos in 45 minutes. Boat leaves the port of Naval at noontime, and returns the next day.

Come to think of it, Biliran has always been teeming with natural resources. If not an island, you explore the mountain. Or simply sit idly in pantalan to watch the sunset. or the sunrise. Let me, in the quietness of this place, thank God for such natural bounty. So God bless my homeland.

We’ve had our own share of litson – whether it’s from andok’s, chooks, timo romano, or grilled from your own dirty kitchen. But this one is offered specially baked from a special homemade oven. Only in Coco Grove, Almeria, Biliran.

Yes, it is more of a baked chicken than grilled. No direct fire. Oven is pre-heated before the chicken is placed. But the oven is not the thing you buy in a commercial store. It is made at home. And I can’t tell you how it was made.

I interviewed the owner for information on how this thing is cooked. He was happy to share. I mentally noted all facts he said. Went home an inch taller on how to do litson this way.

Six months later, this blog. And the mental notes have been erased by old age, and the only thing I remember is I took pictures of the litson.

Ahh yes, I remember that this litson has no name. And so let me baptize this litson of Almeria as Litson Manok ha Pugon. Mano Nestor is proud to tell me he learned the secrets from his father. (that I presume his name is mano nestor.)

Litson pugon is shiny a minute after it is cooked. You think it tastes juicy when served. Yeah, right, it is best eaten right after it is taken from the oven. 

Coco Grove is next to the more famous resort, Agta Beach. Only  few kilometres away from Naval, Biliran.

“Iba Na Ang Panahon” – the Philippine government is saying. That’s them advocating Science for Safer Communities, for whatever it is worth. But locally, here is the literal version of iba na ang panahon.

It has always been hot in here. Doubly hot. Mainit hot. Iba ang panahon. 

Mainit is tagalog word for hot. To name the hot spring mainit, there you get it. Though I stress this has nothing to do with climate change.

Eversince I was young, I have always been curious of the place. Mainit Hot Spring. Mainit na nga, hot pa ang spring. But I got more curious of another hot spring in Quezon province. It’s called Bukal Na Mainit Hot Spring. Where can you get a name better than that? That surely deserves one click from me. Later.

Mainit Hot Spring is in Barangay Villa Vicenta in Caibiran, Biliran. Perhaps this barangay is more known as Mainit in the olden days. That explains the name of the hot spring. The place is neighbour to my hometown, around 14 kilometers. And motorcycle is the best vehicle to reach the area. Access roads are well-paved. 

Since the Philippines is a very tropic country, you don’t expect to snow [in] here. It’s hot, always been. Hot spring is not popular. How would you expect people to frolic in a hot spring with 30 degrees C outside temperature? You must really be special to find yourself enjoying the hot spring in the Philippines. So I was special when I finally got there and enjoyed.

We went there despite the temperature. Maybe this was what iba na ang panahon is all about. Perspiring while swimming. Kenot complained of breathing harder. But that was relaxing. Told him this was good for our skin, and later from hot to cold, we’d go to a river, just a few meters away. He couldn’t believe me.

In Japan, hot spring bath – or onsen – is so popular it has become part of their culture. I associated such practice to their fine skin, clear skin, smooth skin. While I am not used to such hot bath in this homeland, I thought of my skin to become Japanese skin to enjoy the dip. And that was fun. Both the dip and the imagining.

I heard the Department of Tourism is eyeing this hot spring as one of the selling tourism sites in the province. My unsolicited advice though to make this hot spring world class and encourage more locals to visit: 1) design the landscape to conform with nature, not outdo it and fail; 2) decide whether the hot spring is for people or for carabaos.

Mainit Hot Spring is the invitation, but once you visit, you hit 2 birds with one stone. Farther on, there is the Kinaraha Cascades. Pambanlaw, ika nga. It’s not fresh water. Sulphuric I think, it has bland salty sour taste – I can’t describe. Kenot observed it tasted like vinegar or panis na buko – he couldn’t even decide how to describe it. But the area is good enough for a swim. 

We are endowed with natural resources. Let the nature be. We can be good managers in protecting and preserving the resources while popularizing and promoting tourism in our homeland. 

Please do come.

Cliché perhaps, but I must tell Ken to “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time”. When you do visit Ulan Ulan waterfalls, please remind yourself so.

The water is pristine. The place is not yet “touristed”. While the irony of it all is we promote tourism in this area, we also would like to control the potential harm the undisciplined tourists would do in such a place as this. I hope this blog will remind us to respect the wisdom of nature, so to speak. “Leave nothing but footprints.”

Ken’s transfer to Biliran brought me more opportunities. That I must thank God in heaven for Yolanda. What better company do I have now. We are an extension of our Tacloban life. And this relocation brought me nearer to our home, and to the waterfalls of my homeland. Photoshoot in Ulan Ulan became a reality because of this turn of events. 

Only a motorcycle away, off we went to Almeria where this waterfalls is located. The municipality is only 7.5 kilometers away from Naval, the capital town of Biliran. Will take you about 30 minutes to Barangay Sampao, uphill, 5 pesos fare more to the skies, they say. Just ask direction when you get to the area, folks from this place are smiling and helpful, they will point you to where the waterfalls is. There are “which way” roads, so better ask. And smile back. Roads are paved. But you know barangay roads, they are unlike express ways, kaya bawal ang maarte.

In Barangay Sampao, pay a courtesy call to the Barangay Officials in the barangay hall. They will be happy to see you. They will also show you where to log your coming. Pay 5 pesos - cheap for such grandeur. If you are tempted, you can pay 500 pesos, the waterfalls is worth more than that.

At some point, nearing the falls, you will park your vehicles. Shout, instead of knock, to ask permission of whoever owns the area where you park your motorcycle or car. Somehow they will cover it with coconut leaves to protect it from too much sunlight. When you return, just leave something in the house as your gesture of gratitude.

The unofficial parking area is actually the last portion of the concreted road. From there, you take a walk, climb a road actually, walk past ravines, reach the skies, enjoy the view, slowly to Ulan Ulan falls. Maybe it would take 30 minutes for Ken, but about 2 hours for me. My! my stamina was now a thing of the past. But when you reach the waterfalls, your stamina indeed is a thing of the past. Such beauty.

There, I can interact with the waterfalls. All rocks. Shallow all parts. You can climb the rock wall, get a water massage, but never ever jump off if you care for your limbs. It’s whole lot different when you are in the waterfalls than watch the water falls. Euphoric, I must say.

When you spend more time with nature, you spend more time with God. Don’t rush, there’s no rush hour in waterfalls. Relax. Savour. Feel. 

Ken and I went there with only 2 bottles of juice and a loaf of bread bought in Naval. We also brought pinasugbo, yakult and 4 pieces of apple for stronger anti-hunger intake. I advise you bring more water as there’s a lot of walking to do. Our experience became more fun when we unexpectedly met some good friends from Naval already in the falls, having a good time eating their lunch. Without waiting to be invited, we feasted – or say I feasted, okay! Ken was too much enjoying the falls he didn’t mind any hunger, if ever he was hungry at all – on their pork menudo, pansit, rice. I drank water from the falls, it was potable.

You cap your Ulan Ulan experience by diving in the natural pool in Rocoletos Falls, few meters walk up the Ulan Ulan Waterfalls. If you are more adventurous, you can climb the tree by the pool, and jump. I tried – in my dreams! Felt some adrenaline rushes I just couldn’t do it at my age. Am I losing so much experience now as it was used to? I could even do back diving in my younger years. Here I contented myself diving from a lower platform. Wonderful! Great dive! Clap! Clap! Clap! Then I saw Ken jumping from the tree…

By mere experience, I got to know where the name Ulan Ulan came from. Ulan is Tagalog for rain. And the cascades of this falls are producing rain like drops of water it was misty.

This is Biliran. And this is just the beginning of my journey home.

Dinig ko no'ng high school pa ako na wala raw yan sa dami ng panahon na nadapa ka, nasa dami raw yan ng pagkakataon na bumangon ka. Magaling ang nagsabi nito. Nagbibigay lakas-loob sa mga taong nagkakamali rin sa pagharap sa pagsubok ng buhay habang pilit na inaabot ang pangarap.

Pero di yan totoo sa kaso ng kahoy na ito. Matatagpuan sa tabing-dagat ng Barangay Pinamihagan, Culaba, Biliran. Eto talaga hometown ko. Sa katandaan at sa dami ng unos na dumaan, di na nito nakayanang tumayo pa at ito’y bumigay na.  Hinayaan ng tao na ganito na lamang ito, nalagas ang mga dahon, natuyo ang mga balat, iniwan na parang nakatihaya na lamang sa tabi-tabi. Nasayang ba ang pagkakataon ng kahoy na ito?

Nadapa, di na nakabangon. Pero di d'yan nagtatapos ang kwento nito. Kung nagsara man ang pinto ng kahoy na ito na magbigay lilim sa mga naliligo, bumukas naman ang isang bintana ng ibang pagkakataon. Pagkakataon na makapagbigay sigla sa taong pagod at naghanap ng mauupuan. At kung dati, lublob agad ang mga taong naliligo sa dagat dito, ngayon ang tumbang-kahoy na 'to sa tabing-dagat ay naging photoshoot location, obstacle race, jumping board, scenery enhancer, landmark.

Ewan ko ba, ganito lang talaga siguro ako. Pag di pinapansin, napapansin ko. Ang eyesore sa iba, eyewitness sa kin. Nabibigyan ko ng kulay ang mga patay na kahoy. Kaya ang lugar na to ay  naging paborito naming beach resort.

Saan to banda? Mula Naval, ang capital town ng Biliran, mga 40 minutes lang sa motorsiklo, daan ng crosscountry, papuntang Culaba.  Kahit di summer, safe na maligo dito.