Meeting Mati

Mati, Davao Oriental- We spent our holy week break at this south-eastern part of the Philippine archipelago facing the Philippine Sea and the vast Pacific Ocean. Not coincidentally, this family trip was literally a trip down memory lane, at least for the oldies in the group, since Mati had been part of our family history, my folks having met there and three of us brothers were born in Mati. Unfortunately, we moved to Cotabato City before I would have turned three years old that explains why I don’t have any memory at all of this quaint little town (now city) which I write down as my birthplace whenever I fill out a form that asks for it. This trip to Mati was long overdue, especially for me who have not been back since the day we moved out in the early 80s.

A screenshot of Dahican Beach in google Maps showing its long stretch of white powdery sand, the inviting torquiose sea and the coconut plantations guarding the Dahican Beach

Online Check

Like meeting someone for the first time, I did all the background check on Mati online. Logically, most of the travel preparations were also made through the internet. In this digital age, travel has really become a bliss. Mati government’s official website was not very helpful. It is a literal bulletin board, no more no less. It is not interactive, it does not offer helpful travel information and its directory of restaurants and resorts does not link users to a particular establishment’s website. Fail.

Luckily, bloggers and online travel magazines rescued the otherwise scant information about Mati on the web. This article by Nina Tirol-Zialcita gives not only an exciting and exacting narrative of her travel to Mati but also a montage of great photos. Then there is the soulfully romantic travel story by Nathalie Tomada published in PhilStar.com giving both historical tidbits and future prospects of this faraway paradise. And when it rains, it pours! I stumbled on Travels & Interests, Amazing Davao, and tons of tips and tricks to Mati from my award-winning and prolific travel blogger-friend and Davao Oriental-born Olan. Thanks to Google, and to our local bloggers, I found a wealth of travel information about Mati. I also received a long email from my local friend listing all the things I can do- eat, visit, drink- while in Mati. Now these are the kind of links that should be featured in a local government tourism website!

Booking

I did my reservations after checking out the most interesting places written about Mati. Considering that we will be traveling as a big group with kids in tow, I deliberately skipped the island camping trips and kept a mental note of where to go next when I will be back in Mati. Belatedly, I discovered (online of course!) Joji Alcantara’s breathtaking photos of and Journeying James’ journey to Waniban Island, a truly secret paradise that attracts a wanderer like a magnet to a steel.

For accommodations, I chose the quiet Tropical Kanakbai that promises a secluded and pampered vacation like no other. Unfortunately, all other days are taken so I just decided to stay here for a day and move to Botona Dahican Beach Resort the next day. I called both resorts, placed my reservations and paid reservation fees through BPI and BDO online. Sweet and no sweat! For our vehicle requirement, Davao has plenty of car rental providers but this one I found to be the cheapest and thankfully reliable.

Eye Ball

Finally the big day arrived. Our driver came 30 minutes before the appointed time. It is a new Grandia, sparklingly clean inside and out. That gives me a sort of assurance that we have a responsible driver with us.

Some three hours later, we were welcomed by the sight of Pujada Bay, and a geological formation popularly known as the Sleeping Dinosaur. After a hearty lunch at my aunt’s place, we proceeded to Tropical Kanakbai, our home for the night.

Kanakbai delivered on its promise. It is located at the far beach end of a coconut plantation. It is quiet (before we arrived), there are plenty of lounge chairs and hammocks hanging between tall trees, the beach is just a few steps away from the guest house, and there’s plenty of space for kids to run around.

There are only 2 guest houses with each guest house having two big bedrooms with large king-sized beds and toilets complete with the usual toiletries found in respectable hotels. The rooms are on the second floor, with a veranda that offers a good view of the landscaped garden, the white sand beach and the deep blue sea beyond. At the ground floor is an open air (minimal walls), open space (no dividers) living room cum kitchen cum dining area. The living room has comfortable couches and satellite TV while the kitchen is equipped with cooking and dining utensils, a coffeemaker (bring your own ground beans though but flowing instant coffee is available all day all night), hot and cold water dispenser, refrigerator- all the works! The biggest surprise was each guest house is assigned with one all-around helper who can cook your meals, do the dishes and keep the place tidy. There is also a billiard table and some gym weights, perhaps for a last minute work-out to get that beach body tone. For kids, a wading pool can be had. It is a good enough diversion to keep the kids happy and wet especially when parents shy away from the heat of the midday sun. Kanakbai is a perfect place for couples in honeymoon, solo travelers on a retreat and big families like ours.

The Botona Dahican Beach Resort on the other hand is a stark contrast. I’m sure Botona had its heyday as a charming little resort but poor maintenance of its existing facilities has deterioted the whole place. But Botona is also sky apart from Kanakbai in terms of fees. So I guess we get what we paid for.

And the Dahican Beach? Wow, the photos can tell you more than the words that I can put in.

All in all, it was a memorable trip down Mati, my birthplace, my home once. In this age of the Internet, travel has become more convenient and people have become more trustful. We trust that the websites we visit are real and not hacks, we trust our bank system that payments will reach the faraway resorts, we trust the van rental service and the designated driver, we trust Google Maps and the mapmakers, we trust the the bloggers and their stories.

The Internet has admittedly changed the way we travel. But some things remain the same, maybe better – we still have trust in humanity.

This is our epiphany.

Silence does not give us Peace

Letters To Mindanao condemn the merciless murder of Cris Bual, land acquisition superindentent of Sagittarius Mines, Inc. who was killed on Friday, 16 September 2011 in Davao City.

The senseless act of taking another person’s life is never ever acceptable- for whatever reason except by legitimate authority and based on a judicial decision of a duly constituted authority.

Violence in any form should be condemned. Barbarism has no place in a civilized society, not in Asia’s most livable city most especially. I am however appalled by the silence from almost all fronts of civil society. No one seems to care anymore. Have we been desensitized by gruesome murders that we are no longer affected when another gunman hits a helpless victim? Is it already an acceptable thing to die violently in front of your own backyard, some few meters away from your family, and in full view of your spouse? If not, then why are you not making any noise? It is one thing to mourn because someone had died. It is another thing to be indignant in mourning because someone was subjected to a violent and senseless death.

In the end, we the living are the ultimate victims. Anyone of us can be the next target. Anyone of us can be gunned down. Anyone can just take our life, and walk away like nothing has happened- without remorse, without conscience. I know because my family had been there. The gunman just walked away, just like  that, as Cris’ gunman did, when my father was shot dead, in broad daylight. In Mindanao.

Silence does not give us peace. It emboldens the evil. It creates a murderous world. It breeds impunity.

Once you’ve been struck by violence, you acquire companions that never leave you entirely: Suspicion, Fear, Anxiety, Despair, Joylessness. The natural smile is taken from you and the natural pleasures you once enjoyed lose their appeal. The citywas ruined…and he would leave it soon. Only, where would they settle now? Where would they find happiness? Where would he feel safe?

- Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel, 2010

Condemn the killings. Make noise so that the law enforcers can hear us and will have sleepless nights solving all crimes. Make noise so loud that it can turn the wheels of Justice. Or loud  enough that the perpetrator may be bothered by his conscience. Break the silence so that the mastermind will not feel victorious.

Make noise that our leaders may finally find it in their hearts to listen and protect its people.

In Search of 100 Pioneering Women in Mining

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) and the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) together with Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) spearhead this year’s “Search for 100 Women in Minerals Development | 100 Special Stories”. The search is in line with the Centennial Celebration of International Women’s Month that marks 100 years of celebrating the economic, social, cultural and political achievements of women. It will give recognition to women who have shown excellence in their fields and who have contributed outstanding accomplishments in developing the mining sector and made significant impacts in the lives of people living in the host and neighboring communities of mining projects. The search will also document the success stories of the honorees and their role as catalysts in community and national development.

 

 

The Search for 100 Women in Minerals Development, 100 Special Stories will cover 8 major categories that honors outstanding Community Leaders, Women Entrepreneurs, Environment Stewards, Government Leaders, Safety and Health  Practitioners, Information, Advocacy and Media Practitioners, Educators, and Young Leaders.

Criteria for the search will be based on leadership and pioneering spirit, creative solutions and approaches, impact to the community/company/industry and country and ethical leadership. All nominees must be Filipino citizens directly or indirectly involved in the development of the mining sector, must not be a member of the Project Steering Committee or Board of Jurors of the 100 Women in Minerals Development Project and must be of good moral character. Posthumous nominations are also accepted.

For information and nominations, visit www.chamberofmines.com.ph. Queries may also be directed to the secretariat at 635-4123 or email 100women@chamberofmines.com.ph. Nominations will end midnight of 30 September 2011.

Back to Kindergarten

Allow me to share Robert Fulghum’s classic All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindargarten to our embattled MitsuBishops who are now embroiled in the PCSO SUV controversy, and to Davao City mayor Inday Sara Duterte, for assaulting a court official.

There really are valuable lessons from our younger years that must remain in our consciousness. These are simple rules that molded our being when we were impressionably young. Whatever happens after that, well, your guess is as good as mine. It could be the long years spent in the seminary or the voluminous law books that one has to read to pass the bar exams. It is a regrettable fact that most of these indiscretions are done by people who we otherwise refer to us learned and illustrious.

So here it is:

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

I hope the bishops allow the rural poor a free ride once in a while.

Play fair.

Do not demand for a special treatment- mayor or bishops if you break the law, face the consequence.

Don’t hit people.

Need I say more, Sara?

Put things back where you found them.

Do we expect the bishops to return their precious SUVs to the government?

Clean up your own mess.

Not Daddy. Not your brother. Definitely not the Pope.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

PCSO money is for the poor indigents who are medically ill. Not for you and your extravagant lifestyle.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

I am sorry. At least La Gloria said it.

I’ll stop here as most of the succeeding lessons are no longer relevant to the current issue. But if you wish to see more of it, click on this link.

No amount of righteousness can undo what has been done – or made public. Perhaps the best thing to do is to remember the lessons we learned from kindergarten- and never forget any of them, again.

Mining Conversations Continue

DIPOLOG CITY – Almost 100 mining stakeholders composed of local government officials, local business chamber officers, community members and church leaders are gathered here today for a one-day Fundamentals of Minerals Development (FMD) seminar.

Said forum is the fourth of a series of conversations with mining stakeholders in Mindanao spearheaded by the Coalition for Responsible Mining in Mindanao (COREMin2) in partnership with the University of the Philippines Department of Mining, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.  The first FMD was held late last year in Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur. Davao City and Koronadal, South Cotabato hosted the FMD in January and February 2011, respectively.

Topics covered are meant to introduce the concept and applications of responsible mining in the Philippines.  It also aims to dispel unfounded accusations about large scale mining that have been perpetrated by the wittingly misinformed anti mining groups.  The FMD serves as a venue for the public to raise their concerns and/ or ask questions about mining and get the reliable answers straight from competent learned professionals.

Below is the list of topics and their respective resource persons:

Minerals and Industrial Development/ Minerals and Metals in our Daily Lives – Engr. Louie Sarmiento, Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association President

Understanding the Geological Wealth of the Philippines – Engr. James Jun Hernando, District Geologist, TVIRD

The Philippine Mining Act of 1995 – Engr. Larry Heradez, Chief, Mining Tenements Division, MGB Central Office

Mining and Metallurgy – Engr. Ramil Mundo, Site Manager, Sibutad Project of Philex Gold Philippines

Mining Benefits – Engr. Rodolfo Velasco, Chief, Mining Environment and Safety Division, MGB Central Office

Environmental Management and Protection – Virna Baguio, Sr. Science Research Specialist, MGB Region IX

Two representatives from mining communities in Sibutad (President of the Parish Pastoral Council) and Siocon (member of the Subanon Tribe) gave first hand testimonials of the impact of mining operations in their lives, debunking common impressions that large scale minerals development is dirty, destructive and dangerous.  From what they have shared, they see the mining companies as genuine partners of their communities.

The next mining conversations (FMD) will be held in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay next month.  Interested?  Leave a comment and your contact details.

Ang Mapusok at Maanghang na Cotabateno

Thanks to Hannah Corpuz for sharing this article to Letters to Mindanao.  Loosely translated as The Reckless and Fiery Cotabateno, she writes about how growing up in Cotabato City has made her typically cocky, adventurous, domineering and loud to a fault. 

True enough, we grew up in Cotabato amidst the backdrop of unrelenting kidnappings, extrajudicial killings, indiscriminate bombings, gang wars cum clan wars, and really dirty politicking.  But surprisingly, we survived all these as many others who have stayed in the city, seemingly unscathed physically but jaded and desensitized in our collective psyche.

Read through and understand how soul food like the spicy Sinina, a local Maguindanaoan favorite has made Cotabatenos cope with a life that is “nasty, brutish and short”.

Ang Lungsod ng Cotabato ay isa sa mga sinasabing high security risk na lugar sa buong Pilipinas. Normal dito ang makasalubong ng checkpoint, military base camp, o maya’t maya makakita ng high-powered fire arms na nakasugbit sa mga balikat ng mga sundalo at private army na kadalasan nama’y bitbit ng mga politiko. Madalas naisasalarawang matapang at matigas ang mga taga rito.

Madalas din napapagtawanan ang punto ng mga Cotabateno. Kasing tigas daw ng bala ang salita na kahit matagal nang babad sa tagalog Maynila ay ipinipilit pa rin ang pananalita nya. Ito kasi ang melting pot sa Kalagitnaang Mindanao kung kaya’t ang salita ay bagamat Tagalog, hinahaluan ng mga salitang Cebuano at Ilonggo sinamahan pa ng matigas na punto ng Bisayang Davao at Maguindanaoaon. Lumabas na kakaiba ang tunog ng mga salita na sadyang sa Cotabato lang naririnig — matigas at malakas.

Ngunit, kahit anong tapang ng dating ng mga tao rito ay sya rin namang hilig nya sa pagkain. Dito makikita ang pinagmamalaking sugpong malalaki at matatamis, bagong huling mga isda at alimangong mas marami ang taba kaysa sa laman. Nilalagyan ng gata at sili ang mga ito para labis ang gana ng lahat kumain. Dahil sa kakulangan ng mga mapasyalan lugar, sa mga hapag kainan dinadala ng bawat isa ang pagkahilig nya sa good food at the good life.

Malimit na nauugnay ang anghang at gata sa pagkaing ng Bicolandia. Lingid sa kaalaman ng nga taga-Luzon na sa kanayunan ng Gitnaang Mindanao at sa Lungsod ng Cotabato ay sagana sa punong niyog.  Ang mga taga Cotabato ay may angking hilig din sa sili. Marahil dahil na rin sa matinding pagkagusto ng Cotabateno sa anghang kaya’t nilalarawang mapusok ang damdamin ng mga taga rito.

Nananatiling negatibo ang imahe ng aking mahal na lupang sinilangan kahit sa mga kapwa nyang Pilipino. Nung isang araw lang, tinanong ako ng taxi driver kung anong probinsya ko. Cotabato po, sagot ko.  Magulo sa inyo, deklara nya.  Tinanong ako kung Muslim ako at kung ilang beses binobomba ang lungsod. Gusto ko mang sabihin na hindi nagtitinikling sa bala ang mga tao roon, ako’y ngumiti na lang.

Negatibo man ang tingin nila, hinding hindi ko kinakahiyang maanghang ang kinakain ko at mapusok ang damdamin ko dahil ako’y isang Cotabateno.

Sininang Kambing
Lutong Cotabateno

Mga Sangkap:

Kalahating Kilong Kambing
Nahalong palapa (pinatuyong niyog na
may halong pinatuyong sili. Ito’y nabibili
sa mga palengke ng Cotabato at karatig
na bayan)
Kalawag o Luyang Dilaw
Gata
Tanglad
Siling Haba
Asin (naayon sa panlasa)

Sa isang lalagyan, haluin ang kalahating palapa sa kambing.
Gisahin ang kalawag, tanglad at natitirang kalahating palapa sa kawali upang palabasin ang lasa at aroma nito.
Ilagay ang hinalong kambing at palapa.
Sa malakas na apoy, haluin sa kawali ng isang minuto.
Ilagay ang gata at pakuluin.
Hinaan ang apoy kapag kumulo.
Lagyan ng asin at siling haba naayon sa panlasa.
Malakalipas ang 15-20 minuto, lalabas
ang langis ng katas ng gata. Luto na ito.

Tandaan: Mas masarap ang pagkaing hinaluan ng pagmamahal.

Follow Hannah in Twitter @AkoToSiPhoebeC

IMPEACHED

As I write this, our representatives in Congress are voting for the articles of impeachment versus Ombudsman Merciditas Gutierrez.  On TV, I see former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in red dress holding her mobile phone up to her ear as if calling for Garci while waiting for her turn to cast her vote.

I am optimistic that the Ombudsman will be impeached by the 15th Congress, and hopeful that the impeachment of the Ombudsman will usher a renaissance in our public administration and poltical systems.  We need the impeachment in order to repair the dismal condition of our nation’s polity, to bring back decency in government, to reclaim our people’s trust in our democratic project, to regain the lost morale of the honest and hardworking people in the government, and of course, to give Merci the opportunity to defend herself and for the Filipino people to decide on whether the Ombudsman had been remissed in her sworn duty of protecting the Filipino people. 

More importantly, impeaching the Ombudsman raises the bar of public service to new heights.  In light of our recent political history, where Congress seemed to be blocking all roads towards transparency and accountability and the executive department acted with impunity in covering up the alleged sins it had and have been commiting, impeaching the Ombudsman is a breath of fresh air to say the least.

Now it can be told.  The Ombudsman have just been impeached by the 15th Congress with an overwhelming 210 votes.  Forty seven representatives, including the 3 Macapagal- Arroyos voted against the impeachment. 

The supermoon might have been behind all these.  Technically known as the Vernal Equinox, it marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and fall in the southern hemisphere.  It signals the changing of seasons. It also symbolizes balance, as the word equinox means ”equal night” because the sun shines directly on the equator, and the length of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world.  

As I wish for the dating gawi (old ways) to go away with the new season of daang matuwid (righteous path), I hope just the same that the Ombudsman be given a fair and balanced trial. 

May the Congressmen acting as prosecutors prove us right – that Merci has indeed violated her constitutional duties.

Post script:  My representative, Hon. Bai Sandra Sema voted in favor of impeacing the Ombudsman.  How did your congressman vote?  Click here to know.

Gina’s Grief

It is unfortunate that the grieving friend of murdered Palawan-based journalist Gerry Ortega has misdirected her wrath to the mining industry. I refer of course to ABS-CBN Foundation’s managing director Gina Lopez.

Letters to Mindanao joins the rest of the Filipino community in condemning the brutal slaying of Gerry Ortega and calls for the immediate resolution of this crime so that justice be meted out to those who have committed this gruesome act.

On the hand, Letters to Mindanao calls for sobriety and discernment. Let us not be quick to judge and pass blame to the mining industry, battered as it is already by the many misplaced criticisms hurled agains it in recent times.

We forgive Gina for succumbing too soon to the official line of the anti-mining groups. Even the Philippine mainstream media has for some time bought the propaganda of labeling the killing as another attack against anti-mining activists. Thankfully, the mainstream media rectified itself and now describes Ortega as an environmentalist and journalist who staunchly opposes graft and corruption in the Palawan government. We hope that Gina also gain her senses and see the real picture very soon.

Lest we forget that the Lopez empire was built on products or results of minerals extraction – the steel for the railways, the pipes for its water utilities, the bricks and mortars of its properties, the power lines of its power and energy generation and distribution business, the machines for its factories, and even its media conglomerate is highly dependent on mined materials used in cameras, computers, cellular phones, transmission lines, cable wires, television sets and many others.

Gina’s radical action that demonizes mining requires a radical response, using her own skewed logic. Should we call for the abolition of elections for the many election-related violence it has caused, and for the failure of the Comelec to administer a free and clean elections? Should we ban the use of motorized vehicles to solve carnapping? Should we abolish our military in view of the corruption scandals it is now embroiled in?

The rational mind in me says that if Gina’s contention that the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) is being negligent with its duty to protect Palawan’s biodiversity, then we should take the PCSD to task and make it accountable for its actions. We should allow our institutions to mature and be made accountable for all its decisions. If fraud, graft or corruption has tainted its decisions to allow mining companies to operate within any of the protected areas, then the officials of PCSD should be made to explain. In the same way, mining companies that received its permit through fraudulent means should also face the brute force of law. Our call for justice for the death of Gerry Ortega should not be at the expense of legitimate industries. Our call for justice should not cause another injustice to anyone.

The sustainability equation gives equal concern for planet, profit and people. Our hope is that Gina Lopez, heir to the Lopez wealth and instrumental for rewarding us the likes of Noli de Castro, Willie Revillame and the mindless telenovelas (and extended TV watching habits that contributes to increase in power consumption and higher power rates) would find the time to grieve for the idiotization of the Filipino masses.

Wanted: Social Entrepreneurs

Today’s Philippine revolutionary left has failed because it has not captured the people’s imagination to be self-reliant, self-respecting and empowered Filipinos who can take charge of themselves.  These leftist organizations often complain about every little thing without offering a concrete alternative.  It incubates a culture of dependency and of entitlement.  It does not empower the people it vowed to serve.  It has in its own dirty ways, impoverished the poor- making the poor poorer by not giving them respect, dignity and hope.

Fortunately, social activism is now transformed to a more palatable, more positive, genuinely pro-people and pro-environment mold.  This type of activism is called Social Entrepreneurship, and the activists the social entrepreneurs. 

A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial (meaning game-changing, novel, innovative and sometimes risky) principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change. Whereas a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur focuses on creating social capital. The aim of social entrepreneurship is to further social and environmental goals. 

“Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they’re serving.”

David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

If you believe you can make a difference in this world, then maybe social entrepreneuership is the way to go.  There are many ways to boost your social entreprenurial spirit and here is a shortlist of organizations that I currently find useful and interesting:

1. Foundation for Youth Social Entreprenuership.  FYSE hosts the Social Venture Academy, an international bootcamp on social entreprenuership that focuses on Asia.    Asian Social Venture Academy recruits the 200 brightest and most daring young leaders (ages 20-35 years old) from around Asia and globally to work alongside social entrepreneurs on their challenges and ventures during a powerful four-day social entrepreneurship education program.  This event will happen in Hongkong on 19-22 May 2011.  Registration fee is USD 350 not including meals and accommodation.  Deadline for application is on 15 February 2011.  If you find the registration fee prohibitive, then tap on your entreprenurial skills to raise the fund.  Here is a helpful link that can help you get started.  Remember:  social entrepreneurs do not believe in free lunch.  We need to earn our keep and not depend on dole outs or entitlements.

2.  Students In Free Enterprise.  SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.  It hosts the annual SIFE World Cup where SIFE teams from all over the world shares their project’s impact to their communities.  This year’s SIFE World Cup will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 3-5 October 2011.  If you are a student, a teacher or an entrepreneur and you want to work with your community, visit Pilipinas SIFE and learn how you can get involved.

3.  Lastly, I just signed up  for the 2011 Social Entrepreneur Empowerment Series. It has a fantastic lineup of bestselling authors, visionary leaders and conscious business experts, all sharing their key insights for FREE.  Their mission is to inspire and empower at least 20,000 social entrepreneurs with the mindset shifts and tangible business skills needed to make a truly remarkable positive impact in the world.

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Undersea*

Have you done something new for the first time lately? I had mine and it was my first open water dive experience last Saturday and it was AWESOME!  Armed with nothing but courage and a little craziness that I carry all the time, I joined high school friend Mong to take the big dive into the bluewaters of Davao Gulf.

We went to two dive sites - Coral Garden and Angel’s Cove in the Island Garden of Samal (IGACOS).  Both sites were incredibly beautiful although Balicasag in Panglao Island, Bohol remains my favorite (even if I was there only for a little snorkeling).

Here are some thoughts that ran through my mind during and after I took that first dive.  I hope these words can entice you to take the leap of faith.

1. Take a plunge.  I gave my full trust to my diving master and the crew.  When they said that I had to take the big leap forward, I held on to my respirator on one hand and on my mask on the other.  I moved my left foot forward and moments later, I found myself submerged in the open sea.
2. It is beautiful inside.  Nothing can compare with the landscape of the ocean floor.  Life under the sea is abundant and extraordinarily different from that of terrestrial animals like us.  Looking at them makes you appreciate the greatness of this Earth and the miracle of life on this planet.
3. Man conquers all.  Going under makes me feel like leaving the Earth for the outer space.  I imagined myself as an astronaut, an alien in a different dimension breathing compressed air through my mouth, masked and clothed with a wet suit.  Suddenly my body grew itself a pair of fins and I can’t find a use for my nose.  I didn’t have full control of my body, I felt weightlessness despite the air tank strapped on my back.  It was simply exhilarating.   Diving makes one marvel at the ingenuity of man.  We have conquered the space above us and under us.  We have invented ways to survive the conditions of an otherwise merciless ocean.  Man is a genius.
4. Go further.  What’s next after surviving one’s first dive?  I guess there is nowhere else to go but deeper and deeper.  There is so much out there that I need to see.  As I fell asleep the night after diving, I thought of the glittering seawater above me.  The rays of the sun shines like a silver ceiling- moving gently as it tries to reach the depths of the sea.   I thought of the creatures that I’ve never seen before.  I thought of the dark blue sea beyond me.  Everything feels like magic.  It was Narnia meets Harry Potter with Nemo and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
5. Be responsible.  Diving is considered both a sports and a recreation.  It requires physical and mental exertions.  It subjects the human body to unnatural stress as the body goes further away from its natural environment.  Therefore, a good diver must take good care of his physical health.  Most importantly, we should take care of our oceans and seas.  It would not be the same enchanting experience diving under a murky and dirty dead sea.    

 

For diving inquiries in Davao City, contact the Carabao Dive Center at (082) 300 1092/ (0928) 514 7642 or visit them at the dive shop in Sta. Ana wharf.  they offer Open Water Dive (Intro Package) for only P850++.  Meals are not included so you better bring your own or you can buy lunch at the pit stop at Babu Santa Beach. Underwater photos are free!

*Apologies to Douglas Adams