This was supposedly my last day in Banton. I’m bound for Bicol to catch up with my cousins for another round of beach hopping. The problem was, transportation from Banton to Marinduque is not a regular thing. It depends if there are passengers leaving Banton or if a boat from Marinduque drops commuters into the island (then you can hitch a ride back to Marinduque).
Still uncertain if there was a boat heading to Marinduque, I nevertheless packed my things and headed off to Poblacion for the ride back to Lucena via Marinduque. D accompanied me and we again plied the mountainous roads of Banton. We originally planned on riding a habal-habal (motorcycle) but every roaring bike that passed us was already full. No choice but to walk. Again.
I have been trying to catch a good sunrise ever since our first day at Banton Island in Romblon, but was constantly met with heavy morning clouds everytime. The last two ones at Sitio Malabiga was no exception. The sun kept hiding under blankets of haze and all I get are dull washed-out daybreaks.
But beggars can’t be choosers; I’d rather have pictures of the place at the crack of dawn rather than none at all. It isn’t everyday that I get to visit Romblon anyways.
So there I was for the past two days at Malabiga Beach; setting my alarms at four in the morning, having a quick coffee, and setting off for the shore under the mounting lights, cameras and tripod in hand.
The morning was waking up, the light starting to clamber ever so slowly up the eastern waters of Banton Island as crows and numerous birds awaken to its warmth.
Finally, after making the compulsory rounds at Banton’s Tabunan Beach, I laid my cameras down and put on my snorkel. Time to hit the water! The descent from the shore was modestly gradual. From the sandy beach, the bottom turned stony before finally exploding into colorful corals.
Banton’s Fish Sanctuary, a project by a certain Manong Ish, has been in operation since 2007. Four years, I suppose, is not enough time for a full recovery from Romblon’s heavy fishing of the previous years.
We arrived at Tabunan Beach at eleven in the morning. The heat was intense; the cobalt blue sky, emerald green waters, and cream-colored sand made everything seemed overly bright.
After taking a mental note to buy myself a good pair of sunglasses, it was exploring time. I actually was torn if I should hit the water first before taking pictures, but experience told me that once I don my snorkel, there was a big chance that I’d be in the water ‘til it was time to go. So I held off the lure of the sparkling sea and took my tripod and camera with me first.
There was supposedly a PHP 20.00 entrance fee to the beach, but there was no one around; we were the lone occupants of the cove.
The sand strip was really not that long, just around half a kilometer in my estimate. Boulders block both sides of the beach, and the back portion slopes steeply upward; it looks like this beach is accessible only by boat.
On our second day at Banton Island, D’s aunt suggested we visit a fish sanctuary after seeing the photos I took on their backyard, Malabiga Beach, using my little underwater camera. I was almost jumping out of my skin to go, D never mentioned there was a fish sanctuary in the area.
Everyone was excited except my lazy friend who was really on vacation mode and too lethargic to get off the sofa. While tinkering with his PSP, he says he lacks funds for the boat since we had to pay extra for the unexpected boatride to Banton from Marinduque. I offered to pay half of it, and that at last brought his lazy ass up (grudgingly hehe) and he finally consented in going.
The hike from Poblacion to Togong definitely took its toll on us. So, after a hearty lunch and a restful afternoon siesta, we took to the beach. The said beach, being just a stone’s throw away from D’s house and was practically part of their backyard.
From a distance, Malabiga looks like a typical beach; white sand and azure blue waters surrounded by lush coconut trees. But upon closer inspection, things were not as they seemed. The fine sand from afar, upon closer inspection, were hardy pebbles and broken corals.
It was hard walking with slippers on, as the ground shifts with your every step and the pesky pebbles gets into your sandals, but it was harder to walk barefoot as the rocks, which were really grounded corals, were sharp to bare skin.
Our stop at Banton’s Poblacion was really but a temporary one, our real destination was at the bukid (farm) where D’s grandparents live. And to get there, we either ride at the back of a motorbike through steep and winding roads, which is the only mode of transportation in the island, or walk. We chose to walk.
The hike looked simple enough on the map, crossing only three barangays. What the map didn’t show was the terrain we have to cross.
We started out at exactly nine in the morning, moving southwards from Poblacion. The roads were easy, just a few meters from the sea. Palms and all sorts of leafy trees line up the paved roadway.
“Masadyang Pag-Abot” reads Banton Island’s welcoming portal. Translated it means, we are glad of your arrival, and I was indeed glad to be welcomed in this quaint town in Romblon.
Banton is a 5th class municipality in the province of Romblon. It is located on the upper portion of the Romblon Group of Islands, which is at the southernmost portion of Luzon. Only Banton Island, one of the four islands of Banton, is populated. The rest, Bantoncillo, Carlota and Isabel are uninhabited.
