filipino globe lakbayan
February 2007June 2008
25
Batanes goes
Building. It was built in 1887 and is
one of the five remaining structures
in the island that survived the
powerful earthquake of September
13, 1918.
Further along the coastal route
as far as you
towards the eastern side of Batan is
Imnajbu where they filmed the local
movie, “Hihintayin Kita sa Langit.”
On the way are the Songsong Ruins,
said to be the remains of a town
can imagine
hit by a tidal wave, and Payaman,
habitually dubbed as “Marlboro
Country” for its fertile pastures
where photos of grazing cows are
often taken.
Moving to the other islands
paradise to be
requires some grit and a strong
resolve, as the waters are seldom
calm. The locals use a “falowa,”
a round-bottomed motorized boat
The tip of the archipelago is the top of any
that flows with the big waves. There
are no bancas in Batanes since their
tourist destination, writes Tess Mauricio
outriggers can easily be rocked to its
breaking point by the surging tides.
Sabtang is the island municipality
T
he small aircraft’s approach wide walls and foot-thick thatched
closest to Batan, about 30 minutes
alone already bode well roofs made of cogon sparsely dot the
away. Most of the visitors to Batanes
for the short sabbatical as green topography, standing testament
assert that a trip to this province is
the mountainous terrain, majestic to the harsh winds and the extreme
not complete without seeing Sabtang
limestone cliffs, vividly green rolling summer heat that beset the province
because the sights are even more
hills and boulder-strewn shores periodically. Stones are fused
rustic and breathtaking. A tour to
came into view before touchdown. together with limestone to fortify the
this smaller island, however, is best
Alighting from the light plane, structure.
pre-booked due to the difficulty of
the fresh, salty air invades your The people are called Ivatans,
arranging transportation.
nostrils with the hint of aviation fuel descendants of the Austronesians
San Vicente Ferrer, the last of
and the usual odor of commercial who migrated during the Neolithic
the four 200-year-old churches
air carriers. The first glimpse of Period (about 4,000 years ago) and
in Batanes, greets visitors by the
Batanes is just as the write-ups the latter-day Spaniards. Most of
Sabtang docks in the port town of
describe it – breathtaking views in the inhabitants still live on root crop
the same name dubbed as “Centro.”
every direction. No wonder it is (mainly garlic, yam, sweet potato,
It is in the northeastern part of the
now a Unesco World Heritage Site cassava and gabi) farming as well
Time passes slowly for this Ivatan woman. Her home is made of
island where the local wine called
nominee. as cow and goat-raising. Due to the
limestones and has a foot-thick thatched roof.
“palek” is made from sugar cane. A
Batanes is the northernmost confluence of the Pacific Ocean and
five to 10-minute walk from the port
province of the Philippines. China Sea in its sealane shores rich
San Jose De Ivana and San Carlos magnificent vantage points. Radar
is Sabtang White Beach, site of the
Consisting of 10 islands of which with marine resources, they are also
Borromeo in Mahatao (a National Tukon (“tukon” means hill in Ivatan)
frequently photographed natural arc.
only three – Itbayat, Batan and natural seafarers, fishermen and boat-
Cultural Treasure of the National is an old weather station that offers
Indeed, Batanes is regularly
Sabtang – are inhabited, it is also builders. The rest (about 25 per cent)
Commission for Culture and a 360-degree view of Batan Island,
brushed by wind and rain. The
the smallest province and the least are employed in the government or
Arts), are situated in Batan. Other including Mt Iraya, the tallest in the
weather is generally cool and
populated. Basco, the capital, is the services sector.
impressive man-made structures in province and a 2-3 hour hike for
temperatures can reach as low as
about 162 kilometers from the Luzon Ivatans are a well educated, polite,
the capital island are the lighthouses enthusiasts. A stop at the Mahatao
seven degrees centigrade in the
mainland while the uppermost island, peaceful and hardworking folk. It
in Basco and Mahatao. The Basco Viewdeck provides travelers
winter (December to February) but
Mavudis (Yami) is closer to Taiwan is not rare for a resident to have
Lighthouse is typical with a with postcard-pretty snapshots
it can also be searing at the peak
than it is to the Philippines, verifying two or three jobs. One of the guides
cylindrical shape that tapers toward overlooking the South China Sea.
of summer. The weather is ever
the claim that Formosan radio signals works for LTO and is a farmer and
the top. Another suggestion is the Fundacion
unpredictable and many a travel
are easier to pick up here than those fisherman too. The populace boasts
Around Basco, many travel blogs de Pacita Abad, home of the late
plan have gone awry in its shores.
from its region, Cagayan Valley, or of a 95 per cent literacy rate, 2
recommend Radar Tukon and painter that now displays her works.
The islands lie in a typhoon path.
from Ilocandia. per cent higher than the national
the Mahatao Viewdeck for their Even her kitchen has cups and plates
Tropical storms hit the province
The islands’ remoteness is perhaps average. The “mano po,” a Filipino
of her designs. For those with a
its greatest draw. Its isolation from gesture of respect towards their Its isolation
fascination for archaeology, there are
quite frequently between June to
September, sometimes extending
the rest of the Philippines, separated elders, is still commonly observed
burial markers in Chadpidan in the
by kilometers of rough seas, has among young children, and crime
from the rest shape of the local boat “tataya.”
to October or November. However,
it is not true that the province is
made Batanes evolve into a unique is virtually unheard of. Save for a
of the country,
Ivana is the jump-off point to
constantly battered by typhoons as it
travel destination. Like a lost world, jeepney mishap, the present police
the other islands. The welcoming
the place looks so untouched by provincial commander had nothing
separated by
structure at the pier is the San Jose
is usually named only as a reference
point for weather disturbances being
time with its close-to-nature surreal much for his annual report last year
Church and fronting it is Honesty
sceneries that it seems like little has and is often bored with the office’s miles of rough
Café, a tourist attraction in its own
home to the country’s last weather
station in the north.
changed in a hundred years. limited activity, adding that chiefs of
right. Each item in the store is
Some say that Batanes’ landscape the past 20 years have had the same
seas, has made
individually priced and payment is
Although the province may
be deemed unsophisticated, its
is more reminiscent of the Scottish experience.
Batanes evolve
done on a box with a slot. As the
simplicity is so appealing. While
highlands or the vistas in Ireland Like Ivatan homes, the 200-year-
shop is unmanned, it is up to the
and New Zealand than our sunny old churches in Batanes share the
into a unique
customer to pay honestly, hence
there are no moviehouses, hotels,
archipelago. same lime and stone construction.
the name. A must see in town is the
shopping centers, supermarkets and
A few stone houses with meter- Three, the Santo Domingo De Basco,
travel destination House of Dakay, a Unesco Heritage
fast food, Batanes is not bereft of
some modern conveniences. Tourist
accommodations may be spartan
at best but travelers are assured of
clean, comfortable and affordable
rooms with varying amenities.
Casa Napoli, an Italian restaurant
in Basco, can rival some of the
top pizza and pasta establishments
in Metro Manila. Electricity is
available albeit on a limited basis in
some islands and often off from 12
midnight to 6am in the main island
of Batan. Smart and Globe Telecom
now have cell sites in the province
and cable TV was received with great
excitement when it was introduced a
few years ago.
Seair and Asian Spirit fly directly to
A narrow strip skirts the coastline on the South
Basco from Manila. Asian Spirit flies
China Sea. This breathtaking view could easily have
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
been straight out of Ireland or New Zeland.
Tickets for Seair’s recently introduced
Tuesday and Saturday flights may only
be obtained from BCTA.
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