We did a clean-up dive of a portion fronting the eastern coast of Talikud Island, near the ferry terminal in Barangay Sta. Cruz. We split up into five teams and swept an area probably covering a square kilometer, at a maximum depth of 20 meters. At the end of the dive, we were able to remove 102kg of garbage from the sea. Collected were plastic wrappers, cellophane bags, old clothing (even shoes), bottles, discarded fishing nets, and other junk.

Here are a few underwater pictures taken yesterday, courtesy of Shauming Lo.

The Davao Reef Divers Club conducts club dives once a month. This month’s was in collaboration with Talikud Island’s Bgy. Sta. Cruz. Together with the barangay councilors, Barangay Captain Fidencio B. Matro expressed his desire to educate his constituents regarding the marine environment and the need for conservation efforts.

Post-dive at Leticia by the Sea

Davao businessman Ray de la Paz was instrumental in bridging the divers’ club and the barangay, and making more joint activities possible. Mr. & Mrs. de la Paz graciously hosted the club members, the barangay officials and members of the media for lunch at the Leticia by the Sea Resort. Divers themselves, the couple believe that keeping the marine environment clean and protected is essential for Talikud Island’s tourism industry.

Talikud Island is a favorite destination for scuba diving in the Davao Gulf. It is home to several dive sites: Coral Gardens, Angel’s Cove, Dizon Wall, Dayang Beach, among others.

The club event was sponsored in part by Casa Leticia and Carabao Dive Center.

The Davao Reef Divers Club is open to all scuba divers of any skill level. If you’re interested to join, please see our Facebook group page or call (82)300-1092.

Sadly, except for a few people, the first thing out of the lips of friends and relatives who found out about my trip to Tawi-Tawi was “Is it safe there?”

I’m no expert in national defense situations, but as a private citizen I can positively say it’s safe in Tawi-Tawi. As safe as any city or town could be, I would imagine. The moment I arrived at the airport, I could see how relaxed people were. There were military personnel outside, but then I realized it was because a ranking officer had arrived on the same plane. And during my entire stay, I didn’t sense anything untoward or unusual. All I could feel the whole time was a sense of newness, but at the same time a feeling of familiarity — I was still in the Philippines after all.

Not counting my visits to Kuala Lumpur, Tawi-Tawi was the second place I’ve been to that has a largely Muslim population (the first was Basilan). That’s what my friends and family were referring to when they cautiously asked about the safety condition in the deep south. The perception that Muslim areas in the Philippines are dangerous still prevails, even among Mindanaoans. Allow me, then, to show you what I experienced in Tawi-Tawi (or at least the parts of it that I was able to see).

Day 1

I arrived on Friday, 5 August 2011, at 8:00am from Zamboanga City via Airphil Express flight no. 2P 243. (The airline pioneered this route and now flies between Asia’s Latin City and Bongao, the municipal capital of Tawi-Tawi, four times a week.) I was already scheduled to be in Zamboanga for a speaking engagement, so I took the opportunity to visit the country’s southernmost province from there.

On the plane before touchdown, the alluring coastlines and sparkling sapphire and emerald waters were a sight to behold! The province is made up of 107 islands and islets, including the fabled Turtle Islands. I couldn’t wait to get underwater!

The people at Sanga-Sanga Airport behaved as any group of people would in any airport (although this one is small and looks more like a warehouse from the outside). There were expectant relatives and well-wishers outside and the whole setting had a business-as-usual atmosphere. I was met by my host’s driver, who then brought me to the Beachside Inn where I would stay for the next 3 days. It was about a fifteen-minute drive on cemented roads from the airport to the inn. (Most roads on Bongao and Sanga-Sanga Islands are cemented.)

The Beachside Inn is untrue to its name only because the expansive beach is actually in front of the property. It’s in a sprawling compound, with about 22 or so rooms after the owners finish constructing the new wing. They have meetings facilities and a kitchen that can whip up a mean escabeche and tinola.

The rooms, while really basic, are air-conditioned and also outfitted with electric fans for when they’re using the generator (which is super silent). Scheduled power outages are common; on the flip side, Bongao’s water is good and reliable.

When I was there, the tail-end of a storm was threatening to ruin my stay, but from the inn it was awesome to watch the waves slam into the breakwaters and spray foam into the air. I was witnessing the rage of the Celebes Sea — a far cry from even the worst weather in the Davao Gulf.

My main objective in Tawi-Tawi was to go scuba diving, so the looming bad weather was very worrisome for me. I didn’t want to have come all the way here and not be able to dive…

Long before the trip, I had myself introduced via email to Engr. Rosendo Reyes of the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club, thanks to my instructor at the Carabao Dive Center, John Neri. When I finally met Engr. Reyes and two other club members (dive master Ramon Tañgon and Mr. Lando Lim, who owns Beachside Inn), I was instantly put to ease because the first thing Ramon asked me was to see my c-card. That showed their professionalism and concern for my safety as a diver. Still, it didn’t assuage my growing fears of not being able to dive due to the inclement weather.

In the afternoon, Ramon brought me to town on his motorbike. The main mode of personal transport there is the motorcycle, and tricycles are the best way to get around if you don’t have one. Although, Japanese- and Korean-brand sedans and SUVs are also present.

Too bad I wasn’t able to take a photo, but there’s a good-sized Catholic Church (complete with belfry) sitting right across the street from a mosque. I don’t know how reliable this figure is, that Christians comprise 30% of the total population of Bongao. Judging by what I’ve seen, it could be quite accurate. What I found interesting, though, is that Christians in Tawi-Tawi observe some Muslim traditions, like touching one’s chest after a handshake. Also, they speak the Tausug dialect, even among themselves.

Near the mosque and church is a relatively new mini-mall called Midway Plaza. It’s about one-fourth the size of Gaisano South in Davao, but it’s pretty self-sufficient: it has a grocery, a pharmacy, appliance store, clothing shops, a computer sales outlet.

Other things I spotted around town: internet cafés; schools (the Notre Dame of Bongao is in this area, while the other notable tertiary school, Mindanao State University at Bongao, is on Sanga-Sanga Island); banks (I can only remember seeing Metrobank, but I’m sure there are others); dress shops; repair shops. Except maybe for the calls to Islamic prayer that can be heard early in the morning, at noon and just after sunset, Bongao felt like any other town to me.

At around 4:30pm, we went to the public market to buy fish and have it cooked at the inn. It was astounding the innumerable varieties of fish and other seafood that were being traded at the mercado! I found it really difficult choosing which fish to have for dinner that day, but I settled for a rabbitfish (a.k.a. danggit).

Locals don’t usually buy fish on a per-kilo basis — each fish or squid or what-have-you is sold at a certain price, depending on the vendor. Of course, haggling is expected. (Due to the increased entry of buyers from Zamboanga, however, more and more Tawi-Tawi traders have already started selling their goods by weight.)

Ramon also introduced me to local delicacies, which were in abundance then, thanks to the observance of Ramadhan. During this holy month of fasting, Muslims break their daily fasting with sweets and sticky-rice treats after sunset. There’s the tamparan, or the local hot cake but much bigger, served with sweetened grilled coconut meat. I also liked the pitis (looks like suman, filled with sweet toasted coconut meat) and the pasong (a cone of delicately flavored sticky-rice cake).

Back at the inn, we had the rabbitfish (about 1.5 kilos) stuffed with onion, tomatoes, garlic and other spices, and grilled in a banana leaf. I believe this preparation is called pinaputok in Tagalog. It was heavenly! (And so did the other meals prepared for me at the inn.)

Beachside Inn Hotel & Restaurant is in Barangay Pasiagan, Bongao Municipality. Tel. +63(68)268-1446. Room rates: ₱700~1,000 per night.

To contact the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club, get in touch with Ramon Tañgon via his mobile phone: +63(918)699-2822.

Next up: Day 2 & 3 in Tawi-Tawi...

House Above the Sea

What’s the one thing that Dabawenyos always boast about to their out-of-town visitors? The city’s proximity to beach resorts, for sure. The coastlines of Samal Island are dotted with various beach resorts now, but when it comes to having a range of activities on offer, very few stand out like the Maxima Beach House and Maxima Aqua Fun.

Whether you’re staying overnight or just for the day, you’ll find something to amuse yourself at Maxima. Or you can just chill out and enjoy the sun. If you love the world under the sea, take a look at some of the wonders to be seen underwater:

If you’re not a certified diver, you can instead do “intro dives” at Maxima for less than a thousand bucks. They have a full-service dive shop with four dive masters and dive guides and a complete complement of equipment. Incidentally, you can also get yourself scuba certified (SDI, PADI, or NAUI) through the Carabao Dive Center and do your check-out dives at Maxima.

Love the water but not into scuba diving? Maxima’s got a jetski and a banana boat that’ll get your hearts racing! There are also two water slides that both get you landing in the ocean! The guys at Maxima will even capture your thrilling moments on digital video for you.

Would you believe they also have a canopy walk? Above the trees, you can test your mettle by walking a rope bridge from end to end. The view of the gulf of Davao is fantastic!

But it’s not just all fun at Maxima. Environmentally-oriented businessman Sonny Dizon, who operates Maxima Beach, has embarked on several marine conservation efforts, in order to contribute to the development of Samal as a true eco-tourism destination. The transplantation (or re-seeding) of giant clam, which is endemic to the waters of Samal but has all but gone extinct due to overfishing, is one commendable endeavor by the Dizons. Diving recently at Maxima, my dive buddy took this video of a patch of transplanted Tridacna gigas, thriving at a depth of about 15 feet:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CRGGLHC1Ew&w=570&rel=0]

You can tell that the Dizons are focused on protecting the marine environment because they do their best to educate their patrons on the value of preserving coral colonies and other marine life. Sonny Dizon is also working on getting coastline communities (in Samal and in Davao) to stop dumping plastics into the sea.

Maxima Beach, which is located in Peñaplata district, is about 45 minutes away by motorized banca from Davao City’s Sta. Ana Pier (the old wharf beside Magsaysay Park). They have their own boat, which leaves the pier everyday at 9:00am. For more information, please call (82)300-8636, 286-8883. Click here for Maxima’s website.

Leticia by the Sea at night

Recently, the owners of the resort — who, by the way, also operate Casa Leticia, Tsuru Japanese Restaurant and Hanoi Vietnamese Cuisine — hosted a group of bloggers and photographers to an overnight stay, which all of us thought was close to an enchanted experience. (Disclosure: I am related to the resort owners.)

Leticia by the Sea markets itself as an exclusive resort, which groups can “own for a day,” so to speak. Their most popular package is for groups of 20 who stay for a night or two and they get to have the run of the place exclusively.

I will let the following photos tell you more about the resort:

The idea is to get your friends or your family (or your organization) to own the island resort while you’re all there, with no strangers except for the resort attendants who are there to keep you reasonably comfortable. There are modern amenities that you might expect from a resort, such as clean running water in the bathrooms, privacy when needed, air-conditioning. There’s no wi-fi (yet), but I’m happy to report that all the mobile carriers do reach the resort and broadcast 3G Internet signals.

Aside from lounging and enjoying the idyllic ambiance of Leticia by the Sea, there are plenty of other activities for everyone on the resort. There are kayaks, jet ski, thrilling inflatable rides, snorkeling gear, and even an aquatic trampoline. But the best marine pursuit for me at the resort is scuba diving.

Just in front of the resort is a vibrant undersea ecosystem. Again, I will let the photos below do the talking. The first set are photos by resort proprietor, Ray de la Paz.

This next set is by one of Davao’s best photographers, Bing Peña.

(For even more awe-inspiring photography of undersea life in Davao’s waters, you must check out Steve de Neef’s account of the recently-concluded Philippine Seafari – Davao edition. He has a breathtaking collection of macro shots that will make you want to take up scuba diving and spend all your weekends underwater!)

That day we went diving, the sun was ablaze and visibility was excellent, which made for great photography and hours’ worth of underwater wonderment. It was pure pleasure observing delightful sea creatures and schools of varicolored tropical fish. (What I’d like to be able to do next is dive at night, when the undersea environment is bound to be drastically different and mysterious.)

The resort does not have its own scuba diving facilities. However, it’s very easy to engage the services of dive shops in Davao City. The Leticia by the Sea staff can arrange this for your group if you indicate that you’d like to go diving while at the resort.

Sunset cruise

One other activity that I vigorously recommend is their Sunset Cruise. You and your pals are taken by speedboat to the mouth of Samal Strait to view the sun as it sets behind Mt. Apo, with drinks and eats and soothing music on board.

To get to this tropical paradise, you have two options: go in style by speedboat, or by commercial ferry (which takes a little more than an hour). Either way, you will have to book in advance, because the resort does not allow walk-ins. Call +63(82)224-0501 or visit the beach resort’s website for more information.

They also offer day trips… But that’s not a good idea, because once you’re on the island, you’re definitely going to want to stay!

Here are other blog posts about Leticia by the Sea Beach Resort:

• BYAHILO: Ito ang trip ko!
• Life Online
• Dabaw Pinoy
• lost… in Davao!
• Shuttered Identity
• JuanDerPul PINOY

Nestled atop a precipice overlooking Sarangani Bay in Maasim, Sarangani Province, is an alluring place called Lemlunay, which, in the B’laan and T’Boli tongues, roughly means “the good place one goes to in the afterlife”. The Lemlunay Dive Resort is a countryside getaway that will take your breath away, with its rustic ambience, relaxing surroundings, lovingly-prepared cuisine, personalized service… all encompassed by an expansive sea of unspoilt blue.

It is a paradise for nature lovers, but most especially for scuba-diving enthusiasts. The resort itself is still being developed — with only a few guest rooms available at the moment — but the diving facilities they have in place are at par with the ones I’ve seen in high-end resorts. I’m not really a scuba diver, but after an exhilarating intro dive I did there (with Chattee, Lyle, Angel and Leonard), I just might become one soon!

A short distance from the cliff’s side, the bottom of the sea drops dramatically to about 30 feet, then a coral wall presents itself with marine life all a-bustle. The variegated colors on the fish and on the coral is a delight against the backdrop of soft-hued sand and dark-toned rock that dot the seascape. I wanted so much to go deeper and check out the coral wall, but I couldn’t because I’m not yet certified. It was too bad none of us thought of bringing an underwater camera. I’ve actually gone diving twice before already, but before the dive at Lemlunay, I had never seen so many kinds of tropical fish in their natural habitat.

Our group of intrepid bloggers (6 from Davao and 2 from GenSan) were hosted by Sarangani Vice-Governor Steve Solon and his wife Michelle to a sumptuous lunch at Lemlunay, whose amiable queen of the kitchen served each a delectable plate of roasted chicken and grilled gindara peppered with heavenly golden garlic. Oh and there was also steamed pompano (also called dolphin fish and mahi-mahi), served in a rich brown sauce with olives and garnished with tomatoes and spices.

The owner of Lemlunay Dive Resort, Paul Partridge, who is also the head dive instructor, gave us a very colorful interview. He told us about how he built the resort in 2005, and his plans for expansion, which will become reality starting this year. He plans to add more cottages, a recreation room, meeting facilities, and a swimming pool. There is also a separate area that will be completed soon, and this will be for day-trippers. For people who want to get away from the city and learn scuba, Lemlunay could be the perfect destination: learn how to dive from the classroom to the pool to the open sea, all in one place. And be pampered with good food while you’re at it!

The diving operation is a separate entity, and is known as South Point Divers. Judging by the way the dive master and the staff handled our group — and to think they had other guests who were also going to dive — I am confident that they will be able to satisfy any seasoned scuba diver’s needs and whims. And I shouldn’t fail to mention, the more exciting dive spots are reportedly full of marine wonders. Michelle (who is a blogger herself) was telling us that there live a growing school of a rare species of wrasse in the waters of Sarangani Bay, which has in fact been declared a marine sanctuary. Head on over to South Point Divers’ online photo gallery to view spectacular underwater shots.

I’d like to thank Michelle and Vice-Governor Steve for giving us a grand time at Lemlunay, the paradise of Sarangani Bay. And to Paul and Joel, the dive master, for making it possible for us to have a wonderful time underwater! Most especially, in behalf of the bloggers of Davao, General Santos City’s lead blogger, Avel Manansala, deserves our gratitude and admiration for organizing that elating weekend in General Santos and Sarangani Province.

For your GPS locators, here are Lemlunay Dive Resort’s coordinates: 5° 52′ 24.00″ N, 125° 05′ 13.00″ E. From General Santos, Maasim is about half an hour’s drive. You can contact the resort via mobile phone: +63(920)914-9259.