the stone houses of Savidug, Sabtang Island, Batanes

Exploring Sabtang Island, Batanes, part 1

In Sabtang, one of the three islands in Batanes that are lived in by men, life is pretty much traditional. The Ivatans, the indigenous group of Filipinos who are native to this least populated and most isolated province in the Philippines, still follow the culture of self-reliance, frugality and simplicity. Numbering only in the few thousands, the Ivatans in Sabtang are spread over 6 villages or barangays in such exotic names such as Chavayan, Sumnanga, Nakanmuan, Malakdang, Sinakan and Savidug.


the Savidug Barrio School in Savidug, Batanes, the Philippines


stone house construction in Batanes is simple, as shown here in Savidug


Each town has different attractions. Malakdang is known for the Nakabuang beach with the natural stone arch. Chavayan is renowned as a center of weaving the vacul, the grass raingear often used as a symbol of Batanes. For Savidug in the Midwestern shores, the cluster of old stone houses stands out, not just for their number but also for the traditional authenticity.


an old sugarcane crusher in Savidug


Representative to the Ivatan’s way of life are these domiciles. The houses are short and squat, obviously designed to withstand the typhoons frequenting the islands. Constructed from the available stones quarried from the lime cliff or coral reef floor, they are thick-walled. Roofs are cogon grass, thatched in several layers to withstand water and insulate from heat. There’s one thing unique too in Ivatan houses- there are still no locked doors and fences.


a boy looking out of a typical stone house in Savidug


a pretty Ivatan girl


Does this mean that everyone trust each other in Sabtang? Perhaps. Trust definitely reigns. Agricultural fields are hedged only with trees and bushes. Cattle roam free. The sense of community is definitely strong. Crime rate they say, is close to zero. Perhaps they are doing something right in Batanes and we, in the cosmopolitan word, should take heed.


a stone house in Savidug, unlocked and open


a stone house that is common in Savidug


To go. Sabtang can be accessed from Basco, Batanes via the port connection between Ivana (Batan) and Malakdang (Sabtang). Arrangements may be done via the Batanes Eco Cultural Tourism cooperative. Entry into Sabtang needs a permit from the DENR regional office which can be arranged by your hotel.

Philippine Summer Destinations, part 4

Never a surfeit of summer destinations in the Philippines! My bucket list of places to visit runs endless. Fortunately for the peripatetic me, I’ve been to quite a few. Now that is summer, these holiday retreats beckon any soul.

Here are a three more choiced spots in the Philippines which I highly recommend.

Hilutungan Island, Cordova, Cebu

This small speck of an island in the central eastern seaboard of Cebu sports wide stretches of shifting sugar-fine white sand and clear clean warm waters. But Hilutungan Island’s claim to fame is its marine sanctuary which rapidly becoming as one of the most popular in central Philippines. The no-take haven boasts of tens of thousands of fishes of various sizes, from the elusive barracudas to meter-size bat fishes and the small anemone fishes, most of which literally would feed off your hands (travel tip: bring bread!). The island is also a renowned diving spot with a steep wall of corrals. It can be accessed by boat from any point in Mactan (a day’s rent goes from $25 to $75, depending on boat size). Snorkeling fee at anchor bays around the sanctuary is about $1.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100s, f/14, 18mm, ISO 100
approaching Hilutungan Island, Cordova, Cebu, the Philippines


Batanes

Semi-tropical and semi-temperate, Batanes is the most isolated province in the country. It is accessible only by plane as there are no passenger ferries between mainland Luzon and Batanes. A ticket from Manila via Tuguegarao (Cagayan) is about $100 one way. Relatively uninfluenced by the outside world, the islands evoke of pastoral and rocky vistas associated Ireland or even New Zealand. Of course, there are still the requisite white beaches like the famous swimming hole of Nakabuang in Sabtang Island. Now this is unmistakably tropical Philippines.


the Nakabuang beach in Sabtang island, Batanes, Northern Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1250s, f/4.5, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


Baguio, Benguet

Baguio is the original summer capital of the Philippines. Established in the early 1900s by the Americans, the city is synonymous to mountain retreat- verdant, foggy and cool. Sitting some 1,500 meters above sea level, the temperature can be some 8 degrees (centigrade) lower than the lowlands’ in the day. At night, the air can be downright chilly. A bounty of pine trees, orchards of strawberry, tracts of flower farms and dramatic panoramic mine views awaits the city traveler. And wait, Baguio is itself a highly urbanized city so easy comforts are never far away. Metropolitan convenience is definitely part of its charm.


an Ifugao hut in the Botanical Gardens, Baguio, Benguet, the Philippines (picture taken by my wife)
Canon PowerShot Pro1, 1/250s, f/8, 7.2mm


part of an ongoing series on Philippine summer destinations:
part 1 - Alegre (Cebu), Pandanon Island (Bohol), Siquijor Island
part 2 (the isolation series) - the sandbar of Bais (Negros Oriental), Inampulugan Island (Guimaras), Mambucal (Negros Occidental)
part 3 - (Pagudpud, Bantayan, Dakak)

the oldest stone house of Batanes

By local lore, the oldest stone house in Batanes is in the town of Ivana. Already a popular tourist stop, the traditional stone house called “sinandumparan” in Ivatan language is currently the home of octogenarian Florestida Estrella. Quite spritely for her age and accommodating to visitors, she is a mainstay in magazine articles, internet features, postcards and even calendars.


Florestida Estrella

The house dates back to 1887 and is built by her grandfather Jose Dacay. Squat and solid, the house could not be anymore than 8 feet tall at its highest point. The door is only about 5 feet tall. The walls are three feet thick and are made of corals and boulders hauled from the nearby beach. For mortar, lime paste was used.


my mom posing inside the Dacay house

If I remembered right, the house has only one window, which like the door at the front, is covered by a traditional panel of capiz. The interior floor is made of thick hardwood, some as wide as 20 inches.




The roof is the customary thatch of cogon. The grass is bound tightly to provide waterproof protection during rain but cool comfort in the hot streak of summer.




How the house would fare in the coming years would depend on the heirs but having been identified by the government as a historical marker, it may remain the survivor that it is.

Marine abstraction- a series

I confess. I must have a love affair with the sea. The colors, the tropical warmth and the splash never fail to bring me to a different place. Whenever I am on a boat, I easily stray and work with my camera in creating images of abstraction. It is an ongoing series that I visit all too often.

#1

I don't know what speed the boat was traversing. It was fast. I wanted to capture the seemingly effortless slice in the water. The sun was too bright this morning and proper exposure in a wide aperture can only be done in fast speed which will only freeze the splash too sharp for my taste. I wanted the waves to be as dreamy as I saw them. The solution was to make the aperture narrow enough so that I can get to take a shot at 1/50s- the slowest speed possible with my incorrigibly shaky pulse.


at the Hilutungan Channel, Cebu, the Philippines, January 12, 2006
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/50s, f/13, 55mm, ISO 100


#2

For several weeks at times, my life could be a series of overtime work, weekend report writeups and tense meetings. In our own way in this modern world, we are fast becoming experts in handling stress by default. When one set of visitors in the office requested that they wanted to go to a seaweed farm, I obliged. Occasionally, I get reminded that when things go rough, I still could get to visit the sea, on a weekday no less. Not bad at all.


on the way to Hilutungan Island, Cordova, Cebu, the Philippines, February 17, 2006
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/80s, f/22, 55mm, ISO 100


#3

On occasion, the sea can be royally blue. It was not just the depth of the waters which created this hue but the sun was bright beneath slightly cloudy skies. I willed myself to teeter half-out of the bouncing falowa to get a clear shot of the ribbed side of the boat against the wild waves. I held on tight to my camera, with the strap secured around my neck, with my other hand holding on the boat for balance. As a warning, I need to admonish people that this stunt is not for everyone.


on a boat from Sabtang island to Ivana, Batan Island, Batanes, the Philippines, April 22, 2006
Camera: Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/4, 25mm, ISO 100


#4

This was in the same trip in Batanes. I remembered the waves were about to become more serious with us. The waters were still shallow though and the boat was trudging slow, trying to build up momentum. Always a captive to the sea, I was hypnotized. Well, almost.


in the falowa ride from on a boat from Sabtang island to Ivana, Batan Island, Batanes, the Philippines, April 22, 2006
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100

going organic in Batanes

When in a small archipelago almost three hundred kilometers from the nearest point of mainland Luzon, bound by almost violent seas, people are served with a few scattered choices. In this kind of isolation, Batanes, the northernmost province in the Philippines, is both blessed and cursed.


the hills of Chadpidan, town of Basco, Batanes islands, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


Just on pure distance, traveling in and out of the province is severely limited. Immensely unapproachable by ordinary boats due to the treacherous currents of the Pacific and the South China Sea, the province depends on a few cargo boats that ferry merchandise to and from Manila twice a month. In the absence of definite domestic ship connections, the only way out or in is by air and plane fare is horrendous. With air freight cost approaching $2/kg and refrigerated cargo a lot more, perishable comestibles like potato from the mainland can even triple in price.


vegetables at a sari-sari convenience stall in Abad St, Basco, Batanes
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 8.0s, f/7.1, 34mm, ISO 100


With the scarcity of economic opportunities, limitation in market (Batanes after all is sparsely populated) and dearth of infrastructure, Batanes has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the Philippines. But in a delightful irony, Batanes boasts of an enviable quality of life that frequently lands it as among the top provinces with the best Human Development Index. While consumption and income remain poor, Batanes is a rarity in that it has no beggars in the streets and hunger is not a chronic problem.

The key is self-sufficiency. Due to the challenges posed by the mountainous topography, semi-temperate climate and frequent typhoons, farming is not most easy in Batanes. However, people intransigently cope up. At the time when rice was not yet readily available from the mainland, the staples have been root crops like ube, white yam, camote (sweet potato) or gabi (taro). For spices, communities grow turmeric, onions and garlic. No food is also too exotic. Ivatans, the native people of Batanes, take to the exotic like banana trunk uvud and paku fiddlehead fern (interestingly, the fern is called the same name in Bali!).


paku ferns and stringbeans at a stall in Abad St, basco, Batanes
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/50s, f/5.6, 43mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


Ivatans are industrious. They work hard to save for the rainy days literally. Most households in Basco, for instance, own at least one head of cattle. It is typical for men to rise up early to shepherd their cows to pasture before heading for work. Late in the afternoon, after getting off from their jobs, they pass by the hills once more and make sure that their precious animals are herded back to a safe place for the night.


at Naidi Hills, Basco, the capital of Batanes, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 100


Probably the only regular “export” from Batanes is organic beef. Coveted as gourmet fare in Manila, the meat is certified free from fertilizers, pesticides and animal feed which are practically nonexistent in Batanes. Cattle typically roam free on the undulating hills and mountains, living off only on the natural pasturelands and watering holes. There are even wild cattle deep in the interior in a place dubbed as Marlboro country. It is illegal to bring in meat and meat products into Batanes to prevent contamination and disease introduction. Only male cattle can be butcherered legally. Females are given a free pass for population propagation.


the hills of Chadpidan, town of Basco, Batanes islands, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/5.6, 120mm, ISO 100


Menfolk pride themselves in venturing out to the sea to fish for dibang, tuna or the dorado or the dolphin fish (no relation to the real dolphin). As fishing season is only open for 3-4 months of summer in February/March to May, fishing became intrinsically linked with superstition.

For instance, in the case of dorado, the fish is not sold to anyone for fear of jinxing the season. People will just have to go out and catch their own. Any extra dorado they fish is dried and smoked above the kitchen hearth. Selling the preserved dorado off-season may be permissible but only after much ceremony.


dorado (Coryphaena hippurus) or dolphin fish (no relation to the real dolphin) being dried at Diura, Mahatao town, Batan island, Batanes
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/6.3, 38mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


The economics of paucity forces Ivatans to hoard. A typical family have food supplies that can last a month or more. And what people do not have, they share or barter.


typical Ivatan kitchen at Chavayan, Sabtang island, Batanes, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 2.0s, f/8, 18mm, ISO 100


For this reason, there are no public markets even in the capital town of Basco. As late as the 1980s, there were even no storefronts. As concession to modernity and tourism, , some homes have opened up small sari-sari (convenience) stores of assorted goods in short strip of Abad Street leading to the National Road, Here, some locals set up carts or stools to sell their fish catch of the day or on occasion, their butchered cattle or pig.


fishes for sale at a sari-sari convenience stall in Abad St, Basco, Batanes
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 13s, f/18, 37mm. ISO 100


Simplicity is a prevailing feature in Ivatan culture. Electricity is a recent development and refrigeration is still a luxury. Perishables are consumed immediately. What can be dried is desiccated under the sun and stored in cool cellars. What can be eaten raw or without condiment is done so.


a view of hedged farms in Basco, as seen from Radar Tukon, Batanes, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/50s, f/5.6, 55mm. ISO 100, -1/3EV


In Batanes it seems, good virtues come by default.

what I brought back from Batanes

Batanes, the Philippines’ northernmost province, is also the country’s least populated and smallest in land area. To an ordinary Filipino, Batanes is foreign. I already have the fortune to be an occasional visitor of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines' southernmost province, even reaching far down to the island of Sitangkai, so my eyes were more than set for Batanes.


the Baluarte, Bay of Basco, Batan Island, Batanes, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 30s, f/32, 55mm, ISO 100, +2/3 EV


My vision of Batanes were of windswept coastline, rolling hills, stone houses, cool and wet weather– each stereotype borne from watching too many TV travelogues and I admit, a bit of a serendipitously surfed Aawitan Kita special one insomniac night and of course the Richard Gomez-Dawn Zulueta movie Hihintayin Kita sa Langit.

Getting to Batanes, I found out WAS expensive. From Cebu, I had to take three flights, with the next flight getting more costly than the next. All that travel stole time as well. When I did visit Batanes two summers ago in April 2006, I found out that everything was worth the aggravation.

In reminiscing my Batanes visit, I can look back at the memorabilia I brought back with me from my trip. They are not the usual candy fare for unsurprisingly, the Ivatans don’t have a tradition of sugary sweets. There were no known local cakes either although I always thought every region always has a rice or corn or cassava specialty. Luxury in food was not born to the hardy nature of the land.

Instead, I got myself some unusual fare. I bought bottles of turmeric which the Ivatans of Batan island use in cooking their yellow rice.

I skipped the usual magnets and t-shirts although I seemed to remember only the few resorts and hotels (there were about 3 or 4 only in 2006) carried these touristy articles. I did buy my mom a P200 (4 USD) hand-woven reed hat. My mom developed an affection for it in one of the provincial craft center stores and buying it is a way of supporting a cottage industry that doesn’t get much coverage in the overcrowded Philippine handicraft market.


my Mom, enjoying her hat in Batanes, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/40s, f/5, 42mm, ISO 200, -1/3 EV


One of my regrets in my visit was missing out on buying the only finished inventory of Ireneo Hornedo. Already 99 years old, he is the oldest of the living artists of Sabtang Island which is south of Batan "mainland". He is the last remaining maker of native woven conical reed hats (called salakot in most Filipino dialects) in Chavayan town. One piece takes about 7 days to finish and only goes for $8. Although this is expensive by Philippine standard, there is no shortage of buyers, often tourists like me. He regularly participates in government-organized training programs that aim to develop younger apprentices in the making of salakot, the vacul (a rain head gear that resembles a wig made of leaf fiber) and fiber coats. Incidentally, his finished piece that week was bought by Ms. Blessida Diwa, the director of the Department of Tourism of Region 2 where Batanes is a part of. She beat me to it by a minute. At least I know it is in good hands.


at the Hornado house in the town of Chavayan, Sabtang Island, Batanes, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/30s, f/3.5, 21mm, ISO 400


If there was one thing that I promised myself to bring back from Batanes, it is vacul, the unique headgear of the Ivatans. Its use is still common among women for it can be cape-like in length and when worn over the head, leaves their hands free to till the farms. The vacul is made of shredded leaves of a unique palm in Sabtang island. Woven tightly, hairlike, naturally straw in color, it is effectively waterproof.

This time, I did not fail to grab one of the remaining stocks at a weaver’s house in Chavayan. At P400 or 8 USD, it was a steal.

There was no way we could check the fragile piece so we handcarried the vacul all the way to Cebu. How I remember the stares we got at the airports of Tuguegarao, Manila and Cebu. You wouldn’t know what a vacul truly is until you see it!


the vacul and the tatu crab, Sabtang Island, Batanes, the Philippines
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/5, 21mm, ISO 100


coming up: more of the Batanes adventure

Sunrise Moments

People can either be night owls or early birds. I’m definitely the latter. In high school, I did my schoolwork only at dawn as I preferred to sleep early in the evening. Waking up at 4AM never has been a problem. I never was one who had to be dragged by my parents to get up on my haunches. My own wakeup jolt was simply the cold bath. Like most Filipinos, we do not have heated plumbing!

The glory of muscle memory is that like clockwork, I still wake up around 5:30 AM. I even arranged for my work hours to start at 7AM so that I can leave early as well, at 3PM. When I took up photography, this habit turns out to be an advantage. Sunrises, like sunsets, are a natural draw to hobbyists. Colors could not be more spectacular and light could not be more soft.

Here are some of my sunrise moments I would like to share to you.

May 6, 2006, 6:15AM

Sunrises can be surreal. An overexposed long exposure shot can create dreamlike seascapes. Warmified to pink, the water appears like fog where the hut floats on.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 25.0s, f/32, 38mm, ISO 100, +4/3EV (cropped)
huts on the sandbar of Manhuyod/Bais, Negros Oriental


April 21, 2006, 5:50AM

Occasionally, it is a daunting task to head out early for dawn shots. Places would generally be isolated so safety can be an issue. Not in Batanes though. It is a truly peaceful place. A backwater in terms of development but there lies its appeal too- it is a rustic idyll settled in its own pace and time.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 0.50s, f/22, 22mm, ISO 100
Basco port, Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines


Oct 21, 2006, 5:39AM

The photo was taken when sunrise was still about 20 minutes away. The beach was dark, empty but no less hospitable. I already took a picture of this lifeguard station with my point and shoot several years ago with my point and shoot and I just felt like retaking it with my dSLR. In the latest version, the hut came out like a lamp in the absence of scale reference. I think, my wife – then my girlfriend – captured a better version with her prosumer camera!


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1.00s, f/14.0, 30mm, ISO 100
Geger Beach, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia- my version



my wife’s version



an old 2004 point and shoot version


Oct 23, 2006, 5:40AM

Two days later, I was at it again and of course, I dragged my wife with me too. We went to Pura Bias Tugel in an isthmus like projection in Nusa Dua Beach. In the runners’ promenade, I lurked around to catch silhouettes of joggers but I my timing was shot. As the sunrise was fast approaching, I had my wife walk in front of me and produced this sexy shot. Yes, I am biased!


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/5.6, 46mm, ISO 200, -2/3 EV
my wife at Pura Bias Tugel, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia


March 19, 2007, 5:25AM

Sunrises offer unbelievable colors, even without any post-processing. Here is an early morning shot of the eastward facing bay in Maria, Siquijor, straight out of the camera. I had to bump up the exposure to enhance the mirror quality of the still waters.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 2.5s, f/22, 55mm, ISO 100, +4/3EV (as-is, no post-processing)
Maria, Siquijor, the Philippines


November 11, 2007, 5:28AM

One time in 2006, I was spending a lazy dawn photoshoot in Geger Beach when I noticed that a lot of people were flocking in the beach rather early. I belatedly learn that it was the celebration of Banyu Pinaruh, an auspicious date to cast away offerings and ritually bathe in the sea. As I failed to capture the rites in 2006, I made it a point to catch it last year. It must have been so cold to take a dip in the beach that early in the morning!


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 8.0s, f/13, 18mm, ISO 200, +2/3EV
the Banyu Pinaruh ritual, Geger Beach, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia