Ecotourism can be an excellent tool for promoting sustainable
development in the Philippines. Many view ecotourism as a viable way to protect
the natural environment and create social and economic benefits for local communities. While some ecotourism endeavors can support such claims, many ecotourism
projects have failed to address some fundamental issues and do not generate the very
benefits ecotourism is intended to provide. When poorly planned and implemented,
ecotourism can quickly turn economic gains into social and environmental disasters. A good example of this is what we saw in Patar, Bolinao.
The Patar countryside stretches out over the outlying portion of Bolinao that is seldom traveled because of poor road conditions in the past. Today, the local government had paved the road up to Bani which enabled our vans to reach this beautiful stretch of powdery light brown sand that glimmers white under the glaring sun.
The Bolinao environmental field trip was a whopping midnight run from Cavite to Bolinao throughout the night. We arrived in Bolinao town proper at the time when the town was just beginning to wake up to a new day. The students were in high spirits as they anxiously await the start of the day's activities. While it was still too early to proceed to the Bolinao Marine Laboratory, I had some free time to explore the town and do some photoshoot of the place.
We parked in front of the St. James the Great Parish Church in the town pueblo. The
Saint James the Great Parish Church is a Spanish colonial church made out of
black coral stones. The church underwent series of natural and man-made
calamities, such as the 1788 earthquake, 1819 fire incident, and Typhoon Emong
in 2009.
St. James the Great, was one of
the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and traditionally considered the first apostle to
be martyred. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the
Apostle.
He is also called James the Greater or James the Great to distinguish
him from James, son of Alphaeus and James the Just. James the Greater is the
patron saint of Spain and Portugal.
The
Church tower of Bolinao measuring seventy-five (75) feet was then the tallest
in the whole Pangasinan if not in the entire Northern Luzon. However, an
earthquake in 1788 toppled about half of it. Then in 1819, the Church Convent
was also accidentally burned.
Bolinao
is a third class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines.
According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 74,545 people. Folk etymology attributes the name
"Bolinao" or this remote fishing enclave from the fish piece
"monamon" but commonly called "Bolinao" by the Tagalogs,
Bicolanos and the Visayans.
On November
18, 2007, Bolinao challenged the historical fact that the first Mass was held
on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday, at Limasawa in Southern Leyte, claiming that
in 1324, Franciscan missionaries led by an Italian priest named Odorico
celebrated a thanksgiving Mass thereat and also baptized natives. However, the National Historical Institute
recognized the historical records of Limasawa in Southern Leyte as the venue of
the first Mass, held on March 31, 1521.
Beside the church is an old stone edifice which I think is the residence of the parish priest or the previous town hall converted to a museum.
Whatever this building is, it really needs rehabilitation as it is obviously in a progressing state of deterioration. This is probably one of the few remaining historical structures around Bolinao that is worth declaring a heritage site.
Before we went on to tour the Patar countryside, we visited first the Bolinao Marine Laboratory where we had a brief lecture of the many projects about coastal marine resource management being conducted by the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute.
Next we checked-in at El Pescador Hotel which is probably the premiere hotel in Bolinao town proper. Our stay in the hotel will be featured in my other blog. After we rested briefly from a long drive from Cavite and ate a hearty lunch, we proceeded on to the Patar countryside.
The travel was relatively smooth since the roads are already paved with some few unfinished portions. We passed by Balingsay river and the Patar lighthouse. Later in the afternoon we will be visiting these places.
When we finally arrived at the beach, I didn't waste time and immediately ran to the beach while the students are stretching around the vans. What greeted me was a wide and ling stretch of fine, light-brown, powdery sand that when viewed under the glaring sun creates an optical illusion of turning white at certain angles.
I dropped my gear and proceeded to the water to see how clear it is. Some students also ran up to the water and asked me if we are going to take a swim here. I jumped into the water and that probably answered their question.
As soon as the entire group arrived, they began to enjoy themselves in the clear, cool waters of the sea knowing that this moment might be the last time they will be together. Watching these kids frolic in the beach reminds me of my youth when I also seize every moment with my classmates when we go out of town and head for the beach. This is actually the second time I visited Bolinao. The first time was also on an Ecology field trip with my classmates in the University of Santo Tomas. I was just like any average student and enjoying my life while studying. Now I'm at the helm of an Environmental Science class teaching environmental conservation to the next generation of students.
While the students were also doing their tasks in assessing the place while enjoying it, I did some exploring along the beach. Not far from where we are is a resort with a very prominent structure jutting out to sea. I learned it was the Treasures of Bolinao. It seems to be an up-scale type of resort because the owners apparently considered giving its guests the ultimate satisfaction of having to promenade around the rock formations without getting wet by the sea.
The coastline of Bolinao is well-known nationwide for its rock formations that proudly stands in front of the West Philippine Sea. Visitors marvel at the sheer ruggedness of these jagged rocks being pounded eternally by the advancing waves. A picture perfect pose among the rock formations is a must for tourists. However, posing on a rock formation with an artificial concrete walkway on the background is a photobomber in the language of social media. This is a classic example of destroying the intrinsic beauty of the seascape in exchange for providing the utmost convenience for the guests.
Managers of these resorts clearly do not understand the 7th Basic Environmental Principle- "Nature is
beautiful and we are stewards of God's creation". Apparently the owners of this resort are not stewards because they are more concerned on the profits given by a happy guest who enjoyed the luxuries of not having their feet wet. I hope that in the near future they would come to their senses and dismantle the artificial structures and restore the natural beauty of these rock formations.
A view of the other side reveals the true beauty of the Bolinao coastline, its powdery light brown sand and the crystal clear water of the sea. The new concrete road leading to this place will surely usher in a wave of tourists in large numbers and unless the local government implement sustainable management of their coastal resources, this place will sunk in despair in the coming years ahead.
I came across this simple shack in the beach front and I felt a little envy to whoever lives here because he gets to enjoy the beauty of the sea free unlike me where I had to travel far just to reach the sea and even have to pay just to stay in a simple abode such as this.
Continuing my exploration led me to this bridge on stilts that joins the mainland to the sandbar on the beach. This seems like a good natural barrier that would prevent people from bringing their vehicles close to the beach. This way the sands of the beach remains as pristinely clean and free of permanent human structures.
As I crossed the bridge back to the beach, I gazed on the sea and the immensity of its vastness left me in awe because of how God always leaves us spellbound of his creation. We should really strive hard to preserve the beauty of this ecosystem so that future generations can continue to be mesmerized by its splendor.
Going back to the beach, we encountered a local with his catch for the day. He was holding several small octopus in his hands. He will probably sell it to tourists interested to have freshly cooked mollusks for dinner or these unfortunate fellows will be on a local resident's dinner table. It was just sad that they were captured at a very young age. I hope that these guys had the opportunity to reproduce and sire many offsprings before being captured so that the balance of life in the marine ecosystem here will not be abruptly affected. That's the reality and law of nature witnessed first hand-survival of the fittest. Unfortunately they were not quick and skillful enough to evade capture.
Bolinao is also well known for its abundant population of sea urchins such that it is regularly harvested from the sea. Upon returning from my exploration and joining up with the group, I a local boy opening a sea urchin which will be used in a ritual.
I became a witness to a rite of passage being performed by the students where each one has to each to viscera of a sea urchin drenched in vinegar. Everyone was excited to get a taste of the echinoderm.
The whole afternoon was a fun and interesting experience for all of us. On the way home, we passed by Balingasay River for a groupie atop the bridge across one of the cleanest river in Luzon as our background. The Patar exploratiion is indeed one good lesson about learning first hand the environmental principles of Mother Earth.
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