Bantayan Island, Haiyan Aftermath

On board the ferry now bound for Bantayan. I have mixed feelings. I remember a similar, joyous trip taken a few years back.  My eldest, Rod, was barely a year old then.  It was a leisure trip, one we took because I've always wanted to go to Bantayan and its famed white beaches.  I was told it's a good alternative to Boracay with its powdery, white beaches sans the crowd.  I've been to Boracay twice before that and so who wouldn't be lured by the promise of tranquil in a similar paradise? There was a reference to crabs too being sold at 20 pesos a bucket.  Now, who could beat that?  And true enough, it was an ideal family trip despite the long road travel we had to take. It was worth it.

When we were approaching the island I'm filled with a trepidation I could not fully describe.  I don't know what I would be seeing.  The news and some of the aerial shots featured of the island in the aftermath of Haiyan looked bleak. It had never occurred to me that I will be taking a trip back to Bantayan under these circumstances.

It's tourism that drives the island.  Despite its being so totally off the beaten track, tourists (both international and local) go to the place.  I know we did, even brought a baby in tow.  And we're like almost from the tail end of the country as it was.

The Hagnaya port itself, which is part of the Municipality of San Remigio was not that devastated.  Only a portion of the roof got detached.  But as we moved out of the pier, I began to notice overturned boats and those that sank near the bay.  They were another testament to how mighty Haiyan was.  The ferry had to weave our way between these obstacles which was very much reminiscent of the land trip we took all the way up to Daanbantayan two days after the typhoon. 

More of the Obstacle Course.  Getting around the island is another obstacle course.  As expected, debris line and block the road.  On our way to Madridejos, deemed the most affected of the three municipalities in the island, it was heart-wrenching to see houses leveled to the ground.  What’s worse than that was finding out, upon closer look, that amidst the rubble is a family living underneath.  They are making do of what’s left of their houses.  I guess they think they’re better off that way than staying in cramped evacuation centers.  Next to these makeshift houses are clothes everywhere being dried in the sun.  It’s a sorry state to look at it makes one wish there is something you can do to change things. 

Chicken or an egg?  As we drove deeper down, we began to notice damaged poultry houses as well.  In some, they looked totally abandoned with chickens scattered everywhere.  For the others, we see hastily thrown plastics over the chicken pens to replace blown off roofs.  Damaged or not, the chickens looked cramped, it was such a pity to look at.  Then I remembered reading in a local newspaper that Bantayan Island is the egg basket of the province.  It’s something worth looking at. By the look of things, there would is a looming egg-shortage.  Price of this commodity is bound to go up. 

Bantayan Church.  One of my favorite places in the island is the Bantayan Church.  It holds fond memories for me.  We have this photo of then, still-learning-how-to-walk, Rod and his Tatay with the church as a backdrop.  It’s one of our treasured father-and-son photo.  At first glance, it would seem that nothing happened to the church.  It’s façade still look imposing but when I looked at the roof, I saw that a big portion of it was totally blown off that the beams are showing.  I entered the church and noticed a few puddles on the floor.  The altar looks majestic still it was comforting.  I just hope they will restore the roofs soon to ensure that the inside would remain preserved. 

No Water and Electricity.  Visiting the Municipality of Bantayan, which is basically the "market hub" of the island, we noticed that the stores are opened and that business seems back on its feet. We were there four days after the typhoon struck.  Since electricity was out, a lot were looking for ways to charge their mobile phones.  We spied long queues outside of stores that had generator sets and offered charging services for a fee.  In one of the resorts there we saw a sign that read, "Accepts charging @ 100 pesos."  That's like more than half already of the minimum monthly electricity fees charged by the local power company.

There were long lines as well for water.  Electricity drives the local water systems.  With that out, water distribution is basically out as well.  Water tankering is provided by the municipal LGUs and the people line up for them.

Leaving the Island.  We were able to make initial assessments and gathered data that was available at that time.  Once again we wished there were more data but we were grateful for what we were able to gather.  When we got to the port in Sta. Fe, we found out we have a hard time getting a ticket for the next available ferry ride.  There were a lot of vehicles queued up that the slot for vehicles are all taken up.  We had to resign ourselves that we had to take the last ferry out.  It meant waiting for four hours or so.  And “or so” it was.  We’re supposed to take the ferry at 6 PM but the loading took a looooong time.  We ended up boarding it at over 8 PM.  The crossing was quick.  It was the land trip back to Cebu that took longer.  We made it back at half past 1 AM.  Vincent and I were grateful for the “pause time” we had at the pier.  The sea was calm and the sea breeze heavenly.  It soothed our tired body and spirit. 

Some photos from happier days in Bantayan 7 years ago: