Enchanting Siquijor

I have always been fascinated with Siquijor. I have a classmate in law school who hailed from the place and his stories about its natural and supernatural wonders were the highlights of my criminal law class. I have done a lot of traveling around the area several years later, but somehow I never had the chance to visit the place where as they say, witchcraft is an art, that is, until two weeks ago, on my son's 10th birthday,  when I finally set foot in Siquijor with my eldest son and some friends. It was indeed enchanting, very rustic and serene. I did not get to buy potions and rag dolls with pins but neither did I ate at Mc Donalds nor have instant noodles during the trip. My son who lives on hotdogs and ice cream, man-made attractions and 24/7 power supply was thoroughly impressed despite the absence or short supply of all the things he thinks are necessary. In fact, he had the best birthday ever in beautiful Siquijor.  

Swimming with the Gentle Giants of Oslob

I first heard about the whale sharks of Oslob Cebu about two years ago. The pictures I saw on the internet were pretty amazing. The whales were very near the shore and seemed to be coming by appointment as people who flock to the area were never disappointed and always gets to see several whale sharks in any given day. Some, it seems, didn't just get to see them but rode on them as well. I thought then that surely, this will not last long.

I have been whale watching in Pamilacan, Bohol   before and it was definitely unlike what was happening in Oslob. Back then we had to hire a boat, leave in the wee hours of the morning and spend practically the whole day pursuing the gentle giants in their natural environment. When we finally spot them, we watch in awe from afar as they do their thing.

In Oslob, all you have to do is hop on a banca where you are paddled off just a few minutes from the shore. Local fishermen will then feed the whale sharks and lure them right next to your banca. you can then get down and swim with them.

To me then, this sounds too good to be true. I'm sure environmentalists will be screaming their lungs off. I wanted to see it for myself anyway so I bundled my eldest son and off we went with some of my friends. The whale sharks must have sensed that a skeptic was coming because the whale sharks never appeared that day. The locals said that was a first. Although I was disappointed, having traveled by bus for four hours or so, I also felt glad that for the whale sharks. It seems that they are finally back in the wild, where they truly belong.

But I guess I was wrong. The whale sharks kept coming back up to this day. I finally had a chance to swim with them a year or more after my first attempt and I was truly awed by the experience. It was eerie at first, its hard to imagine swimming with these gentle giants right next to you. I felt so small and insignificant. I felt like i didn't belong. The ocean is theirs and not mine.I have no right to mess up their home. People have no right to mess up the ocean.

I was glad though that Oslob has new rules for whale shark watching. This might not be perfect but it is a good beginning.

Lina, 39

Being a mother of three and a full time employee has compelled me to hire yayas to take care of the kids while I'm at work (and yes, while I'm at home too). I am totally dependent on these women and had a succession of them already. Every time one leaves, I develop separation anxiety, the kids sometimes gets it too but lately, since the kids are bigger now and are asserting their independence, its mostly just me who is affected.

I am compelled to write about the lives of these women who has graciously shared their time and affection with my family. Some for several years, and some for several hours only. It does not really matter how long they have stayed though, they have all become a part of me and my family's lives.

Here is the story of Lina, 39.

Lina has seven children. The two youngest are only five and three years old but she has to leave them home. Home is an island barangay somewhere in Bohol. They get to and from it on board their ka-barangay's fishing boats. If the water proves too rough for the small fishing boats, nobody gets off or on the island. She risked leaving her children anyway, she still believes that they are better off separated than together but hungry. She just can't stand it when the small kids ask for a little snack and she can't buy them any. It breaks her heart every time she says no especially so that she probably was unable to feed them with a decent breakfast either.

Lina's husband is a fisherman who works for a commercial fishing vessel locally known as pa-aling. Pa-aling fishing was stopped in the Philippines but some local fishermen are still doing it due to sheer poverty. Lina's husband, as compressor diver, would be away for a year or more to pay off his debt taken prior to boarding. The divers would usually get a "bale" from the operators, for Lina's husband, it was P20,000.00, before they board the fishing vessel. The said amount will then be deducted from their salaries and to pay off the P20,000.00-debt, Lina's husband has to work for more than a year or even two.

Lina is not expecting money from his husband for the next year or so. She has to make do with the P5,000.00 left from the P20,000.00 his husband left for the family. Only P5,000.00 because the P15,000.00 was already used to pay off their mortgage. A few months back, one of their daughters had dengue and they had to mortgage their house to pay off the hospital bills.

The P5,000.00 did not last long, of course. Lina had to find work.

She stayed with us for exactly 30 hours. She said her children called her sister who also lives in the city looking for their mother. It was only then that Lina admitted that she left without leaving any money to her children and they are surely hungry now. She said her sister is willing to take the young ones inn rather than fend for themselves in the island. Lina then asked for salary advance and immediately left for home. She promised to come back as she was only getting her kids and take them to her sister in the city.

She never came back. I guess she decided to stay with her kids after all. I guess this is the best thing that ever happened to these kids lives.

Meanwhile, I am again left with only one yaya and is looking for another one. Looking for another story to tell. A better story, I hope..