beyond Boracay- the Caluya islands, part 1

For a region so blessed with some of the best beaches in the Philippines, Western Visayas has an enviable northwestern arc from Aklan to Antique which is spoilt for choice when it comes to tourism. The headliner undoubtedly is Boracay island in Malay, Aklan which is frequently mentioned as one of the best beaches in the world. However, further west is a group of islands which boasts of the same fine sandy beaches and rugged forested terrain that have potential for development. This group of island is Caluya.


the beach of barangay Imba, Caluya island, Antique, Western Visayas, the Philippines



a glimpse of the seaweed farms on the reef of Caluya


Sibato, Sigay, Panagatan, Semirara, Sibolon, Dinago and of course Caluya, are the major islands of Caluya. Politically belonging to the province of Antique, Caluya has a total population of around 25,000.


long lines of styropor floaters being cleaned along the coast of Imba, Caluya Island



empty seaweed-farming lines being readied for seedling tying


Of late, it is probably Semirara which has gained some name recall, specifically as a rich source of coal. Notwithstanding this recent rise, coal mining is not the main industry of the Caluya group of islands. Neither is it fishing although many would have assumed this to be the case as the network of islands is on a healthy and thriving reef. Agriculture would be the next easy guess. Close but not quite. The biggest “employer” actually is seaweed.


seaweed being hang-dried immediately after harvest



seaweed lines with floaters being cleaned along Imba coast


By most estimates, some 70 to 80% of the people in the Caluya group of islands are into seaweed farming, wherein seaweed of the cottonii variety is grown in long and extensive lines in the sea covering several hundreds of hectares. Such is the success of the industry that today, the islands for the last 15 years or so could harvest several hundreds of dry tons of the produce during summer season.


typical beach scene in Caluya Island



bamboo poles for hanging freshly harvested seaweed


As is becoming obvious by now, where there is seaweed, I need to go. Coincidentally, the most convenient route to these islands is the island of Boracay so business travel cannot be more welcome.


seaweed farmer carrying seaweed for planting


Coming up: Visiting the island

To go: Caluya is 4 hours by ferry from Libertad port of Antique, which is about 4 hours by bus from Iloilo. Other public jump off points are Pandan, Antique and San Jose, Mindoro Occidental. A convenient alternative is hiring a private boat from Boracay Island, which is some two hours away.

passing through Sibato

Finally I was able to go to Caluya last week. I’ve been meaning to go there to check on their seaweed farms but never had the chance.

Caluya lies northwest of Panay and is a municipality of Antique. Appearing in the map as the Semirara Islands, Caluya is composed of several islands including Caluya, Sibato, Sigay, Panagatan and Semirara. The latter is notable for its coal pits which have given the municipality a high economic profile in the region. Caluya is the eponymous capital of the municipality. Sibato, sometimes referred to as Sibaton, is the smaller isle northeast of Caluya.


the islands of Caluya (background) and Sibato (foreground)



coconut trees lined the island of Sibato


My visit was short. Weather was a cause for worry as the the week before, a typhoon hit Luzon and waters were choppy. I was lucky though as the skies cooperated and it actually was sunny when I took the boat trip from Boracay to Caluya.


clear waters show how clean the reef is in Sibato



a local resort features a long and wide beach of fine white sand


With time a constraint, I was not able to go around the islands but I managed to pass through Sibato. Nothing much happens here it seems. The coast looks beautiful, with clean white sand and lined with coconuts. Idyllic, as tropical islands go.


the reef fronting Sibato is perfect for seaweed farming



the long lines with styropor floaters are where seaweed are grown


Most of the people in Sibato are farmers but not in the terrestrial agriculture that you would expect. What they plant is seaweed, farming them in long monolines on the reef. Upon reaching the required full maturity of 40 days, the seaweed lines are hung over poles for drying. The dried seaweed are then sorted, bagged and shipped to carrageenan factories in Cebu or Manila.


boats on dock on the beach of Sibato



Sibato, the island


They say that about 80% of the people in Caluya, including Sibato, are engaged in seaweed mariculture. And this shows in a short trip around the island and I like that. A lot.


freshly harvested seaweed are shown here being hang-dried on bamboo poles


To go: Sibato is only about 5 minutes crossing from the main island of Caluya, which is regularly serviced at least 5x/week by ferries to and from Libertad, Antique and San Jose, Mindoro Occidental. Alternatively, boats can be hired from Boracay (Malay, Aklan), which is 1.5-2 hours away.