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.
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.
