Sambawan island, Biliran
Beating the heat in Sambawan Island is one of the best things to do to have a real summer fun.
Its turquoise crystal clear waters, golden rolling cliffs, stunning corals, endless dive sites, swaying talisay trees at the impeccable shorelines, karst formation and its pristine beauty not spoilt by commercialism, attracts visitors all year round.
Sambawan is an emerging gem and the anchor destination of Biliran province, according to Eastern Visayas Department of Tourism Regional Director Karen Tiopes. It is under the jurisdiction of the island town of Maripipi in Biliran.
For tourist Mike Amor, he never gets tired of visiting Sambawan. He was first in Sambawan when it was still a virgin destination, when people are still afraid to cross the choppy seas towards the island from Naval, the provincial capital or from the town center of Maripipi.
He said that the exhilarating panoramic view from the hills in the stretch of the island is what sets Sambawan apart from the other islands he had been to.
“I can sit on top of the hill for hours and marvel in its idyllic beauty, a utopia of sort. It is like a miniature Batanes in this eastern part,” said Amor, a medical doctor from Tacloban City.
He noted that the sand is not powdery, but it is alabaster anyway.
A portion had boulders and rock formations but short of Biri, Northern Samar’s rock formation grandeur. The place is perfect for photo ops just the same he said.
Biliran province is 1,150 kilometers south of Manila. It is located between Leyte and Samar, and used to belong geographically to the province of Leyte.
It became an independent province on May 11, 1992 and was subdivided into eight towns. It is the fourth smallest island province in the Philippines.
Known to be the biggest shipyard during the Acapulco galleon trade, the lone district of Biliran has Naval as its capital and trade center.
There are 14 flights daily from Manila to Tacloban, the commercial hub of Eastern Visayas.
From there, you can charter a van for P4,000 for a round-trip from Tacloban to Naval or to Kawayan town. Or you can go to the Tacloban terminal and ride-a van for hire that would take you three hours to Naval for P250.
From Naval port, there are three pumpboats that take visitors to Maripipi. Each boat can accommodate about a hundred passengers and leave at noontime, according to Patrick Steven Buena, tourism development manager for Biliran.
The boat ride would take two hours to Maripipi at P80 fare per person. For a shorter sea trip, he said one can go to Kawayan town, which is a 30-minute single motorcycle ride from Naval.
At Kawayan port, which is 20 minutes drive from Naval town, one can take a boat going to Maripipi. The rates range from P4,000-P6,000 for a big group, to and from the island. The boat will wait for you, if you plan to stay overnight to truly enjoy what the island could offer.
The sea trip is only 45-minutes crossing Biliran Strait and the Samar Seas.
From Maripipi port you can take a smaller boat to Sambawan that would take another 30 minutes.
According to Buena, others prefer going to the village of Ol-og in Maripipi as another jump-off point to Sambawan, which is only 20 minutes.
Maripipi Mayor Uldarico Macorol said that Maripipi local government unit has inked a partnership with the developer of Sambawan Island Beach Resort and Diving Camp that offers very affordable accommodation.
Starting January this year, entrance fees are pegged at P80 plus P20 as environment fees for the maintenance of the island, including proper waste management.
Sambawan island, Biliran
Sambawan, as a top destination of Biliran, was launched last week dubbed as Biliran Summer Fun, with fanfare attended by tourism stakeholders, local officials and members of the media, travel bloggers and tour operators at the gymnasium of Maripipi municipality.
The launching was followed by a familiarization tour of Maripipi island and an overnight stay at Sambawan resort.
Maripipi is a 3,030 feet volcanic island with Maripipi volcano located at the center of the island.
Waray-Waray vernacular is spoken by most of its residents, some speaks Cebuano vernacular too, the island being near the Cebuano speaking islands in the Visayas and only 30km to Masbate.
Sambawan is not overcrowded, just a few rooms built for the comfort of tourists, the inviting blue-green waters and scenery can leave you speechless.
The island is a declared marine sanctuary to preserve its underwater world.
Divers often come back to explore the famous dive sites they called “Sunken City,” Buga I&II and the black forest.
There are eight newly discovered dive sites in the eight hectare island that includes the volcanic rocky portions.
Divers coming from nearby Masbate and Malapascua, Cebu, come in droves. Aside from diving, you can snorkel, trek, swim or just laze around.
One pays a measly P5 to get to the view deck at the hilltop and get a 360-degree breathtaking view around its surroundings and as far as your eyes can see.
One can see different corals, rock walls, rock formations and schools of fish. He said that the beauty of the corals is more prominent at night when light flashes unto them.
This new found tourism gem has created jobs for boat operators, boatmen, motorcycle drivers, stewards, local fishermen, sari-sari stores in mainland Maripipi according to Dionisio Oliva, Biliran tourism officer.
The women doing laundry also increase their income because of tourism activity, Oliva added. The few enterprising individuals that are cooking and selling streetfood and construction workers of the beach resort takes home more income because of tourism.
Sambawan island, Biliran
According to Nestor Macorol, the developer of the Sambawan diving camp, for a kiosk or an open cottage (no walls) that can accommodate 5 persons, they charge P500 for a 12-hours stay and the bigger kiosks they call kamalig for P1,000 per night.
There are only six available kiosks.
The three-beach cottages with three large beds, has own comfort rooms and attic are pegged at P2,500 to PHP3,000 that can accommodate 10 persons.
For the budget conscious, your P100 will go a long way in pitching tent under the billions starry-night.
Macorol advised bringing food as no stores are available in the island. A common grilling area is available.
For those pitching in tents, bringing blankets is a must as the “dumagsa winds” (northeast winds) brings chilly breeze even this summer.
Drinking water is available for free for all taken from the fresh spring water of the famous Viga Water Springs in Maripipi.
They have a generator that runs from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. and solar lamps.
Macorol cannot help but recall with pride how the island became a tourist destination from being a haven of dynamite fishing, fish poisoning, poaching of red sea fan corals, illegal extraction of white sand for the touristy high end hotels in other developed provinces.
Tourists came by word of mouth.
They have a dozen of stewards, they call the Sambawan stewards, working 24 hours a day and seven days a week that take care of the island.
They also partnered with the Visayas State University in order to maintain the island’s biodiversity and the four marine sanctuaries established in Maripipi.
The black tip shark was first spotted in this island years back.
When tides are high, Sambawan can be seen from afar as beautiful 3-islets jutting out from the seas as the causeway connecting the 3 islets are submerged in the waters.
Sightings of dolphins for the last three years have been recorded.