The goal is to find your neutral buoyancy – neither float nor sink. That was Alfie, our dive instructor, telling us. “But the way I look at you,” he added in jest, “you [are] positive buoyancy.” Gets, Richie and I are fat! Or I think we are just horizontally challenged.

Biliran will soon now be a diving spot. Crossing my fingers. Sambawan Island in the town of Maripipi of Biliran Province offers a world class diving area, I heard the SeaKnights (www.seaknights.com) saying that. I went one time to Moalboal in Cebu and found corals of many kinds, of many colors, and I thought that was my end. I’ve seen the wonders of the world under. When I got this opportunity to join the team of divers in Sambawan, I was expecting to see the same. But I didn’t see the colors. For one, I couldn’t dive facing the south china sea, that was scary. Second, Sambawan offers not the corals I look for but unique and awesome various structures under water. Rock formations. Gorge. Rock walls. Sunken garden. Species of many kinds. 

With horizontal visibility of 7-10 feet in the 5 or more reefs they identified as diving sites, I got a time of my life underwater. I contented myself diving only up to 16 feet and only by the beach side. But blame the schedule for this. I was already praying that I dive into the open sea, with heart pumping faster than I could contain, but the Mayor was already on his way for the closing ceremony of a 4-day buoy installation and diving lessons, my dive attempt got aborted. Ok, back to the beach side dive.

Here’s my story why I got into this.

I was in town for an official business when I heard that a group of divers from SeaKnights who are based in Cebu and goodhearted enough to offer their technical services to explore diving potentials in Sambawan for the love of it were coming. The move is to promote tourism in the locality. While their intention was only to install markers of the diving sites, the LGU took advantage of their presence to hit two birds with one stone and requested them if they could offer diving lessons to 6 local dive guides for tourists. And I also took advantage of the opportunity. Richie Penaflor, a colleague in the organization and now really is my very good friend, is the brainchild for this tourism boost in this once unknown town of Maripipi. I requested him if I could join, er, actually pressured him to let me in. Before he could say he was busy, I was already listening to instructions from the dive instructor. Special we were, I could say. There was only us in the class.

At this point, let me acknowledge the generosity of  the Municipal Mayor of Maripipi, Uldarico Macorol, and the Sangguniang Bayan Tourism Committee Chair, Nitoy Atiga, for including me in the  list. Not just the diving I took part, my food during my stay was also served with kindness. My personal salute to Richie. One item in the bucket list down. 

The diving seemed easy. Or my diving master made it easy for me. He was easy on me, he was encouraging, he was demonstrative. His name is Phedias of SeaKnights. He pulled me down if I floated. Pushed me up if I sank. I did struggle with my buoyancy, and that was difficult to control. My BCD – buoyancy control device – that inflate-deflate thing was not actually easy. Deflating was more difficult. You do this to go near the corals, but not that close. Once down on seabed, you inflate to float. But you have to have the control in order to kneel down or stand up underwater as you wish. 

The only rule given to us once underwater was simple but terrible: don’t forget to breathe. I did learn to locate my breathing apparatus underwater and to wash out the water inside my goggles. And EQUALIZE, equalize, equalize. That term I couldn’t actually perfectly do. Once down to 8 feet, you need that. Let’s reserve the explanation to YOUR registration to a diving class. Please contact SeaKnights. I owe them this diving experience.

The experience down was exhilarating to my eardrums  but who cared, I was already diving. I was looking at the sea creatures, however, I couldn’t see much. Blame that on first times. My eyes were open, but my mind was preoccupied on the 8kg tank at my back which actually is weightless underwater. I was amused of the bubbles, the inflator/deflator, the flippers and the depth indicator. That alone was exciting. It was new, it was different. It was wow. Looking forward to second times.

Sambawan is an ideal diving site for both openwater divers and professional drivers. It is also friendly to divers wannabe. The beach side offers corals and fishes at 8 to 16 feet. The reefs to the south china sea at the back of the island offer wonderful and exciting underwater structures for hard core drivers.

I have always been a believer that the land and the sea are God-given gifts to man. I don’t own it. I am only a steward. After that diving experience, with some painful lessons learned from the past illegal fishing practices that destroyed most life underwater, I am now saying that I would be one best steward in the world. So help me God.

When I thought that most creatures on earth - or at least in Region 8 - have unscrupulously disregarded the integrity of our environment, I was brought to Macrohon Community-Based Marine Park , not once but thrice, to prove me wrong. This fish sanctuary is located in Barangays Molopolo and Sta. Cruz, Macrohon, Southern Leyte (thus it is officially called Molopolo-Sta. Cruz Marine Park), 15 minutes away from Maasin City, the provincial commercial center.

 I went there once as off itinerary when our office had this team building activity in Kuting Reef, also in Macrohon. That first time I was there, I was rekindled in my belief that in this part of the world, there are still people who care for clean seas. The second time I visited was when we validated this community-based fish sanctuary for Gawad Pamana ng Lahi: An Award for Exemplary Performance in Local Governance (this is an award system of the Department of the Interior and Local Government) as innovation introduced by the local government unit that contributed to better employment opportunities, improved participation of the civil society, and the preservation and protection of the ecosystems. And recently, I went back to assist the Commission on Population in the documentation of what and how this marine park came to be as one of the  best practices in the Philippines in integrating population and development. And I promise, I shall be back to this place again.

This is a sanctuary for fish of different species and some migratory birds, protected and rehabilitated.  The area is now off limit for fishing activities. This is also a park where you and I can feed the fish with bread you have to buy exclusively from the Park’s Canteen – bread baked by an accredited local bakeshop. 

You can also do the SAKYAW (in the vernacular, Sakayanong Lulinghayaw) – I really can’t literally translate it but can be loosely interpreted as strolling by a paddled boat. SAKYAW is an organized group of fishermen, trained and accredited, so that for only 50 pesos and in about 30 minutes, you can stroll the area comprising 10 stations where you see table corals, giant twin clams, sea urchins, without necessarily diving but aided by an open box with  a see-through glass bottom.

If you opt to swim, snorkel and flippers are available for a fee. You will also be provided with a life jacket made of flour sack (sourced from the local bakeshop) and empty 1.5L cola bottles hand tailored by a group of women in the community. The marine sanctuary has just been recently awarded first place in the search for 2012 Champion of the Seas (Best Marine Protected Areas and Fish Sanctuaries and Best Fisheries Aquatic Resource Management Council) by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office. It almost got the 2012 Regional Gawad Pamana ng Lahi Award Municipal Category had it been that their award on governance qualified for this competition (GAWAD requires that the award on governance conferred to LGU must be in 2011).

When God said let the water teem with living creatures according to their kinds, God saw that it was good. He blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas…” Isn’t just that exactly what we have to do?

I wish Macrohon’s fish sanctuary be multiplied a hundredfold, not just in Region 8, but in the whole homeland called The Philippines. After all, this is our homeland for the rest of our lives and the homeland of our generations to come.


(with special acknowledgement to maureen b., a friend from macrohon and a selfless public servant)