Siquijor has magic - it's true!

#SNEAQUIJOR IS THE ISLAND THAT SNEAKS UP ON YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND THEN BLOWS YOU AWAY. AND IT MAKES YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COUNTRY AGAIN

SHARES: 148

VIEW COMMENTS

Philippine Daily Inquirer

By: Raf C. Sobrepeña 

PreviousNext

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Next

Previous ImageNext Image

DON’T go chasing waterfalls, jump off them! PHOTOS BY RAF C. SOBREPEÑA

Having heard many good things about the beauty of Siquijor and seeing photos of what it offers, I arranged a trip to the so-called “Island of Black Magic.”

It wasn’t so much about the mystical stories of witchcraft surrounding the island, as an excuse to travel and appreciate the country’s beauty one island at a time, that set us off.

Maldives of the Philippines

ADVERTISEMENT

Before heading to Siquijor itself, my friends and I took a detour to Majuyod sandbar, an hour’s drive in a van from Dumaguete airport where we landed. There’s a video on social media that hails it as the “Maldives of the Philippines.”  We wanted to see it for ourselves.

It was only 15 minutes by boat from the drop-off point in Bais. There was a cottage waiting for us in the middle of the sea at the edge of the sandbar.

Since we made prior arrangements, lunch was ready the moment we got there.

After lunch, it was time to bring out our inflatables and float on the tide to enjoy the water surrounding the cottage.

Once the low tide came in at around midday, the sandbar emerged. Immediately we grabbed our drinks, hung out on the newly surfaced area and buried our feet in the sand. It was just like having a pool in the morning and a beach in the afternoon—only way better.

When the sun was about to set, we headed back to Dumaguete to spend the night and prepare ourselves for the main attraction.

Getting there

Getting to Siquijor was not as easy as I thought it would be. There were less boat trips on weekends, so we took the earliest departing ferry at 7 a.m.

An hour and a half into the two-hour ride, the water turned into a rich, clear blue—all the way to the port.

It heightened our excitement of exploring the majesty of Siquijor.

Cambugahay Falls

We rented a coaster and headed straight to our first stop on the island, the Cambugahay Falls.

When we got there, some went straight to the top of the falls and plunged into the lake. The others took their time, dipped in the water and positioned themselves right under the waterfalls to shower. Who wouldn’t want to start their day with a cold and refreshing swim by a waterfall?

After everyone was revved up and endorphins were high, we took a crack at the famous swing set up by the locals. This is probably one of the most known sites of Siquijor posted on social media.

We wasted no time in trying it and released the inner Tarzan in all of us. Successful and unsuccessful summersaults or backflips were attempted repeatedly.

It was an exhilarating experience to catapult up into the air and land in the water;  twice or thrice of doing this was simply not enough. Really, everyone must try this at least once!

Salagdoong Beach

Less than an hour away is a public beach called Salagdoong where locals and tourists can enjoy the crystal-clear and blue water. There are numerous cabanas along the shoreline, which was the setting for our lunch.

Adding to the beach’s charm were the 20-to 30-feet-high platforms for cliff-diving created by the locals. Confronting one’s fear of heights and plunging into the sea is a great way to build up an appetite for lunch.

Coco Grove Siquijor

Accommodations were at Coco Grove which was only an hour away. This developed resort has one of the best beaches in Siquijor. A large stretch of white sand is surrounded by turquoise water. There are also hundreds of coconut trees planted around the resort.

This was the place to revel or reflect, depending on one’s inclination.

It was hard to leave and our journey back to Manila came with a heavy heart. Still, the experience created many happy memories of an enchanting  island.

There were plenty of stories and photographs to bring back and share. That, I believe, is the true “magic” of Siquijor. It allows us to discover, and rediscover, and ultimately fall in love with our country—again and again.

Read more: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/235652/235652#ixzz4HqpqmPsr
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Summer Beach Sports Fest Highlights Drive to Mitigate Climate Change Impact

 

 

NABUNTURAN, Compostela Valley (May 11) -- The province’s Summer Beach Sports Festival this year, will center on the contribution of its tourism program to the campaign to mitigate the future impact of climate change on the eco-tourism resources of Compostela Valley.

 

The province’s beach sports festival is held all weekends of May along the coasts of Mabini and Pantukan at the northern edge of ecologically fragile Davao gulf, a key biodiversity area (KBA) in the Philippines listed as one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots.

 

In 2014, the MPLS Protected Area  Management Board conducted a coral reef assessment at the site. Based on the assessment, 53.40% of the seascape’s live coral cover percentage is in good condition. It also identified 46 scleractinian coral genera.  Only 110 genera of scleractinian coral have been identified worldwide, 72 of which are found in the Philippines.

 

Christine Dompor, provincial tourism officer, explained the annual summer beach sports festival was conceptualized in 2008 as a tourism promotion campaign and a mechanism to raise awareness on protecting, preserving, and conserving the endangered marine ecosystem of the gulf particularly within the 3,433-hectare Mabini Protected Landscape and Seascape (MPLS).

 

Dompor said the twin objectives may not be enough now because of climate change. In 2014, she noted, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its fifth Assessment Report that predicted that oceans would rise more than three feet by 2100, a little less than 90 years from now.

 

“What would happen then to our coastal areas … to our ecotourism industry if the waters of Davao gulf rise? We will never know if this, in fact, will happen but it is better to be prepared. It is better to contribute to minimizing the impacts of climate change,” the provincial tourism officer said.

 

She thanked the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Maco and MPLS Protected Area Supervisor Julie Español for the 150 mangrove seedlings and the Month of the Ocean tarpaulin that will be displayed on different festival sites.

 

The tourism officer said on May 21, a Saturday, students, soldiers from the 10^th Infantry Division of the province, beach resorts owners and workers, and coastal villagers among others will dozumba at Omandac Beach View Resort in Brgy. Pindasan, Mabini at 5:00 a.m. then proceed to nearby Sitio Casilac in Brgy. San Antonio for the mangrove planting at 6:30 a.m. to be followed by a clean-up of the coastal area. 

 

Mangrove planting is a regular activity of the beach festival to augment the existing mangrove forests of the seascape.

 

Mabini, approximately 70 kilometers away from Davao City, is located in the southeastern section of the province of Compostela Valley.  The Protected Landscape and Seascape includes Kopiat island and Lunod island.

 

Kopiat island, host of the multi-million peso international standard resort Lubi Plantation of Lapanday Properties Inc., is the staging point of the region-wide almost a kilometer Kopiat swimming challenge. This year’s challenge finishes at Omandac Beach View Resort and falls on Sunday morning of May 22.

 

All of the five marine turtle species in the Philippines found in Davao Gulf are the Hawksbill, Oliver Ridley, Green Sea, Loggerhead, and the Leatherback turtles. Two – the hawksbill and the leatherback turtles – lay their eggs on the coasts of  Kopiat island.

 

The Philippine Environmental Governance Project 2 (EcoGov),   a technical assistance project in the Philippines funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), identified Davao Gulf as a feeding ground to 11 species of cetaceans including sperm whales, killer whales, and bottle-nose dolphins.

 

A number of these species regularly swims the channels between the islands and mainland Mabini to feed on the seascape’s seagrasses, rich planktons and krill. But sightings of these endangered marine mammals have become rare in the last years.

 

Beach sports line-up

 

The lined-up beach sports of the festival are: beach volleyball for male and Black Light Party on May 14 and beach volleyball for female on May 15 at Beach View Resort; fire dance, reggae band competitions, and zumba also at Beach View on May 21;

 

Mangrove planting and coastal clean-up at Sitio Casilac in Brgy. San Antonio, Mabini also on May 21; Cheer dance competition, Kopiat Swimming Challenge from Kopiat Island to Beach View Resort, and kite flying in Pantukan on May 22; 

 

On May 28, Water volleyball and Amazing Beach Race at Welborn Beach Resort, Body Painting at Seaworld Oasis, Hip Hop Grand Prix at Jeinos Beach Resort all in Pantukan;  and Frisbee competition at Magnaga Waters Beach Resort. (jpa/pgo-tss/ids)

 

 

 

Photo Caption:

 

Flying, sexy but fierce. Beach volley belles perfectly described last Sunday's Beachfest event. The event is part of the Summer Beachfest Event sponsored by the Provincial Tourism Office of Comval. Other fun activities  are scheduled all weekends of May.(Photo Credits: Comval Tourism/ids comval)