General : Cebu (The Philippines)

14 nautical miles (26 kilometers) south of Cebu City, 13 miles (24 kilometers) across the Cebu Strait east of Carcar Bay and 7 miles (13 kilometers) northwest of Tubigon in Bohol, lies a five-hectare islet - 123° 55' East and 10° 20' North, known to navigators for its light house: Bagonbanua Island. This exceptional islet belongs to the group of 61 islands and islets in front of Bohol's nerthwest and northern coast.
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...unspoiled. On the southeast half of the islet is a village, home to around 80 or 100 families, with a population of 500 to 600. Water is available from a spring, but one has to boil it before drinking. Buko juice - fresh from the numerous coco palms - is an excellent refreshment.

Bagongbanua, meaning "new town", is a barangay belonging to the town of Tubigon, in the province of Bohol. It has a chapel, an elementary school, ... more

14 nautical miles (26 kilometers) south of Cebu City, 13 miles (24 kilometers) across the Cebu Strait east of Carcar Bay and 7 miles (13 kilometers) northwest of Tubigon in Bohol, lies a five-hectare islet - 123° 55' East and 10° 20' North, known to navigators for its light house: Bagonbanua Island. This exceptional islet belongs to the group of 61 islands and islets in front of Bohol's nerthwest and northern coast.

Bagongbanua is a private property, not "developed", still unspoiled. On the southeast half of the islet is a village, home to around 80 or 100 families, with a population of 500 to 600. Water is available from a spring, but one has to boil it before drinking. Buko juice - fresh from the numerous coco palms - is an excellent refreshment.

Bagongbanua, meaning "new town", is a barangay belonging to the town of Tubigon, in the province of Bohol. It has a chapel, an elementary school, and a generator for electricity. Offshore fishing is the main livelihood of the islanders. All other goods for daily existence - except coconuts - have to be "imported" from the neighboring islands.

Bagongbanua's rockbase is coral limestone. The climate is relatively dry from February to May, heaviest rainfall during November and December. The island is party sheltered by Bohol from the southeast monsoon and tradewinds.

That the islet has retain its natural beauty is due to its private owner and his environmental concern. Dynamite fishing has not been practiced by the islanders; the underwater world is intact. Visitors are rare despite the fact that Bagongbanua is near the main gateway of Central Philippines via Mactan International Airport and so only a few hours away from Osaka or Tokyo, from Hong Kong or Taiwan, from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

On the other hand, Bagongbanua Island is an ideal stop-over on trips within Visayas, to relax or to go snorkelling and diving in surrounding coral gardens or along the reefs. Flat white sandy beaches also surround the islet, 400 meters away is a sandbank, off water during low tide.

On a Sunday, a group of explorers led by DOT (Department of Tourism) Regional Director Patria "Dawnie" Roa and Lee H. Loque of The Freeman Magazine, put to sea on board of M/B "FEBAEVE", a 20-passenger outrigger owned by Virging Island Tours.

From Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort in Punta Engano (where Magellan landed 450 years ago), passing the 2-mile (4-kilometer) wide Hilutangan Channel, on a southwest course to the Cebu Strait, we passed the 954-hectare island of Olango, doubling in size during low tide. Olango is a pretected Wildlife Sanctuary, used for stop-over by thousands of migratory birds on their way from Sibiria, China or Japan to Australia or New Zealand. The birds fly southwards from July to September, northward from February to May.

Bagongbanua can become a destination jewel if the owner will nuture the islet carefully in deep harmony with nature. Priority must be in the protection of its environment and the bountiful marine life around it.

Alfred N. Bruckner
A B N C - NEWS & COMMENTARIES
Cebu City - Philippines

 

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