TRANSFORMATION

After our rendezvous in Salcedo Village, we headed for Anilao, Batangas via the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and the Laguna-Batangas expressway or STAR tollway which ends just before the new Batangas City port.

This Saturday, we had a new junior rockskipper joining us, Annina Nakpil. She is a high school swim team member of the Assumption College, raring to dive again after finishing her NAUI junior diver certification course. Accompanying her was her father, Dennis with buddies Ramon Nakpil, Mikko Rabat and I.

One of our more favorite pastimes on the road is recalling our past experiences in diving among other topics. And this was no better time for Annina to hear our fish stories of yesteryears. We recalled the three to four hours travel time it took to reach Anilao’s (Batangas) main dock. The Bauan road leg onwards was not very sympathetic then to visitors and residents alike. The bumpy, rut-filled pavement doubled our travel time. Once in Anilao, several boatmen waited to greet you in unison, hoping we’d choose one of them and their narrow Briggs-and-Stratton-powered bankas for our diving trip.

Early Resorts

The road along the mountainous coast of Mabini was merely cleared soil. Only sparse overloaded public jeeps or tricycles traversed this road, bringing villagers to and from their residences. During the monsoon season, landslides carrying bamboo trees would intermittently cut-off road access. The most prominent of the beach houses that hardly line this route was that of the late Col. Nerio Andolong’s beach property on the cliff of Barrio Bagalangit. Across the cove was the Aqua Tropical Resort, the first dive resort established in Anilao followed by Divemaster’s Seafari Camp. Both of these resorts catered to foreign diver groups mostly from Japan and Europe. At that time there were hardly any local divers then to profit them.

Soon to follow was Dive 7000, beside Andolong’s. A partnership between the late Dr. Tim Sevilla and a pioneer diving consortium called Aquaventure Phils., Inc., Dive 7000 became the forefront in accommodating the Filipino student divers graduates of Aquaventure’s and divers of the U.S. armed forces stationed in Clark Air Force Base, Subic Naval Station and the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) in Quezon City.   

Early Traps

Anilao’s deep and fast moving waters attracted pelagic fishes to scour its fringing shallow reefs for prey. Back then, local fishing towns built fish traps near the shore called “baklad” made of bamboo poles reaching depths of over 100 feet. Small schools of tuna would unknowingly go through its narrow opening then find themselves blocked by a bamboo screen. As the trapped tuna’s frantically swim in circles, the village watchman assigned on the trap’s watch tower would pull a long string which led to a bell near the village, alerting a team to bring in their net. The team would paddle their small banka inside the trap and lay the net halfway around in the inner side, then raise the net on one side towards the other. The panicky tunas would dart out of the water until the net is finally raised to a larger banka. One could see the tuna fins flapping hard furiously swimming out of the banka.

Over time, these baklads succumb to rotting, eventually collapsing underwater and serving as a haven for other reef fishes. Most commonly seen were huge turkey or lion fishes whose majestic dorsal and caudal fins reached over 10” long. The villagers would also lay bamboo fish basket traps or bubo at the bottom, to catch unwary groupers or lapu-lapus and other reef fishes. The same basket traps were littered all along Anilao’s reefs.

Another kind of fish trap was used called payaw. These were floating fish shelters made of nipa or coconut leaves secured on a bamboo float anchored in deep water. The leaves served as a home for thousands of fish fingerlings. At night, fishing boats would move close to the payaw, shine their kerosene powered fishing lights that attracted squid and other pelagic fishes feeding on the fries then catch them with fish hooks and nets.

Of course, there were those who preferred to shortcut their fishing time. Blast, cyanide and “moro-ami” (the practice of smashing coral reefs with large rocks to force fish out) fishing came into practice, too. These forms of destructive fishing caused irreparable damage to Anilao’s atoll and island reefs.

Schools of large surgeon fishes that once guarded the reefs are no longer there to meet visiting divers. Blasted or overturned large table corals, soft coral vases and other corals are lifeless on their bases.

Today, these traps can no longer be found. Commercial fishing is done further outside from Anilao’s adjacent bays. Numerous diving beach resorts now stand along its coastline – from Bauan’s Ligpo Point all around Maiinit Point in Mabini.

Transformation

For decades, Anilao has captured the diving industry’s eye, transforming it into Luzon’s top diving destination. Having been exposed to foreign and growing local divers, most of Anilao’s villages and resort owners have taken steps to protect and enhance its reefs. 

Over the years, the government also shared in Anilao’s conservation activities. Under the

tutelage of the Department of Tourism, the Philippine Commission for Sport Scuba Diving(PCSSD) installed several mooring buoys along Anilao’s dive sites to prevent further reef damage from boat anchors. The main road leading to the mushrooming resorts and adjacent villages are now well paved, no longer muddy and bumpy. The local communities also established the Anilao-Balayan Resort Owners Association to collectively protect their reefs and the flourishing diving industry in their localities, though internal problems forced the association to cease operation. Haribon Foundation also helped form the  Samahang Pangkaunlaran ng San Teodoro (San Teodoro’s  Association for Progress) and the Samamahn ng Mamgingisda para sa Kaunlarang Pangkapaligiran ng Barangay Solo (Fishermen’s Association for the Progressive Environment of Barrio Solo). In 1991, with the help of the Center for Empowerment and Resource Development, they succeeded in establishing marine protected areas in Batangas. During this period, Bantay Dagat (sea guardians) was also created to patrol the shoreline of each municipality and enforce the law on illegal fishers. But due to lack of funds, its mission has been limited.

The effects of such awareness and effort can be seen in the proliferation of reef fishes and flora as well. Dive and Trek, situated along Barrio San Pablo in Bauan was one of the first dive establishments to promote reef conservation and rehabilitation. With the help of the U.P. Marine Science of Bolinao, Pangasinan and diver environmentalist Louie Mencias, they transplanted giant clams in their reef frontage. Fishing directly on the reef was discouraged. Their efforts resulted to the increase in the variety of large and small fishes residing in and around the reef fronting their facility. Most popular, was a school of jacks taking residence in 15 feet deep of water.

Other resorts followed suit in clam seeding, though poachers arrived to take some of the clams.

The Dives

Today, Anilao’s busiest dive spot is Twin Rocks located in front of Planet Dive resort.  The site receives an average of 50 divers per day on a weekend. Vibrant coral formations and seeded giant clams, anchovies, snappers, large sized resident fishes have taken residence in the area and are ever present. Most notable is the school of jacks similar to those found at Dive and Trek’s a few years back. 

Since Annina had already made dives in Twin Rocks, we planned our first dive at Devil’s Point, located south-south west of Maricaban Island.

It was a pleasant 15 minutes boat ride from Planet Dive to Devil’s Point. Other than the Eagles’ Point annex resort at Sepoc Point, there were no other facilities found along this side of the island. Underwater visibility was clear 25 meters without any current. The coral reefs seem intact though they were not as inhabited as the other reefs fronting resort areas. We also noticed several village paddle boats in queue fishing along the area. 

Rockskippers

We ate our lunch on the beach fronting Meryl’s Rock (adjacent to Devil’s Point). Enjoying the balmy weather Annina strolled along the beach and for the first time saw a number of our namesake rockskippers clinging on to rocks in the breaking surf. She was amazed how these fishes manage to survive above water. After an hour of rest, we snorkeled around Meryl’s Rock and observed the same reef state as Devil’s Point.

We boarded our banka, and then proceeded to Arthur’s Rock. Though the visibility that time wasn’t as clear, the underwater reef was vibrant, opposite from the previous sites we saw. Small and large fishes congregated in and around the reef like a weekend sale in a shopping mall although there were tracks of coral degradation fronting nearby residences.

 Preservation

Although Anilao’s communities has acknowledged that the diving industry has provided their villagers work and better income compared to fishing, there is still much work to concern everyone in the preservation and protection of their shoreline. For decades, most of the shallow reefs have been cleared of corals to allow bangkas to land.  Waste discharges have suffocated corals, killing living polyps and replacing them with slimy, reddish-brown algae.  Ligpo Island for one has not been spared. The lack of vegetation and freshwater has not stopped someone from building a private house on it. The island’s north reef is dead.

Some resorts and residences too have extended their structures onto once beautiful rocky point formations, natural

hot springs and public beach frontages.

Priority should be given in preserving and taking care of the environment over profit. Bauan and Mabini’s natural treasures are not limitless, nor can altered land or seascape be brought back to its original state. It is imperative that consistent communal action be taken to save whatever is left and remedy the mistakes that have been made in order to stop further destruction and perhaps enable nature to reclaim destroyed areas.

An effective way of community environmental awareness is by showing the past-and-present state of local resources, its adverse effects, the identification of specific preserves and employing stakeholders to enforce its guardianship may be a key to lessen further land and reef destruction.

Annina with her father - Dennis

It is our hope that Annina and divers of her generation will be the future narrators of Philippine coastal adventures and become environmental guardians.