HOPPING ON ISLANDS @ HONDA BAY, PALAWAN

I was a member of a group of scientists conducting baseline studies for an environmental impact assessment study.  We have been working in the area of Sofronia, Espanola situated south of Puerto Princesa for 10 days in the jungle, coastline and the communities of different stakeholders.  We got caught right in the middle of a conflict between two competing companies but luckily came out of it in one piece.

We got the job done and now it's time for some R & R.  The different members of the team came from different disciplines consisting of air, water, land, wildlife and people.  I was the water quality consultant for the project.

Our itenerary for the day was island hopping in Honda Bay.  Our team leader  arranged for a boat in the Honda Bay Tourism Assistance Center.  The best thing here is we don't have to haggle the price for the boat as boat operations are regulated by the local government.

Honda Bay is a beautiful bay embracing the coastline of Puerto Pricencesa.  Its water is so crytal  clear that it is so enticing to jump in.  Many islands dot the bay which makes it ideal for island hopping.  Although we were not able to land in most of them because some are private while some require a certain fee upon landing.  Our destination was Snake Island. I'm not sure how the island or the bay got its name.  It was probably named after some Japanese guy.

Snake island is a marine sanctuary.  The water is crystal clear and the fishes are so carefree that they will come up to you so close you can get to touch them.  More so if you have food in your hand.  I got so excited in feeding the fishes and swimming all day that I swam the entire afternoon and got so burned.  The experience was all worth it.

 What I wasn't able to do was to explore the island's interior and get more pictures of it.  Probably what prevented me was the thought of snakes in the island were it was named after.  The intense heat of the sun was also another factor.  But overall, the island hopping experience was a great one.  Hope I can come back someday to feed the fishes again.

This is the EIA team.  We are a blend of young ones and young once with the same environmental philosophy.  Make sure that we report the true environmental condition of the place to ensure that if projects create impacts that change the ecology, stakeholders should have a concerted effort to restore and maintain the environment the way it was before so that future generations will still have the benefit of enjoying the resources in their own time.  If we will not  give accurate details of the environmental conditions at the start, then how can we implement mitigation and restoration if impacts occur?  What are the original conditions of the place?  How can you say if changes occur if you have no baseline info to compare it with?  What is the extent of the changes caused by the impacts of the project?  All these questions  can be answered by an environmental impact statement. And that is what we provided. A management tool for everyone's guide.

Of course, all work and no play makes a scientist a dull person.  So at the end of the project, we all unwinded down for some serious rest and recreation in the comfort of the beautiful islands of Honda Bay, Palawan

While cruising down the sea, we happened to pass by several islands with which seemed to be private resorts of wealthy individuals.  We were just able to admire their beautiful seaside dwellings from a distance.  Sometimes it brings back memories of the news surrounding the death of the famous actor Rico Yan, who died of mysterious causes while on vacation in Palawan with some of his friends.

Another headline news that I recalled was the abduction of several foreign tourists also in Palawan perpetrated by the notorious Abu Sayaf group, a group of Muslim terrorists who demanded ransom for the release of the hostages.  The ordeal went on for months until one of the foreigners escaped which resulted to the death of his spouse and the end of this long standing ordeal.  This incident caused a significant dent in the tourism industry in the country particularly in Palawan which was beginning to be the last frontier of Philippine forests and wildlife.

Despite the negative publicity of Palawan, visitors remain unfazed if the risks and still flock to this nature paradise.  Maybe this place has such a magnetic charm that people will risk life and limb to enjoy first hand the beauty that Palawan has to offer.  And with developments rapidly encroaching the islands, it will be no surprise that we will see the day that Palawan will become a bustling place crowded with people from all walks of life.

One thing that Palawan is proud of is the super cheap cost of lobster.  One can get the chance to savour this thousand pesos crustacean at a very cheap price.  So right after the island hopping, we immediately proceeded to the marketplace and bought ourselves several kilos of lobsters to bring back to the trip home.

Fresh fish is abundant in the island and we somehow were overfed with so much fresh fish during our 10-day expedition that I was no longer craving for it by the time we were going back to Manila.  By this time, my body was craving for hamburgers, lechon manok and liempo.  What a bummer!

That's it folks! the Palawan adventure is one for my bucket list.  This trip has provided me the needed escape from the personal problems I was experiencing during that time.  It was a soul-searching journey for me and at the same time work with leisure.  This adventure taught me many lessons on environmental conservation, and the real story behind the Palawan landscape and wildlife.  I hope that people of Palawan stand up for their right to their natural resources but they should use it sustainably otherwise their future generations of children will no longer be able to enjoy it.  Everyone gets to be the loser at the end.  Until next and the next adventure, this is DocFun saying "Travel. Live Life and have a healthier outlook in life!