The amazing islands of Northern Samar
TACLOBAN CITY – Have you ever been to this cluster of beautiful island-towns in Northern Samar? They are simply amazing -- an undisturbed paradise.
Consider this: This cluster of islands has, among others, a rare pink-sand beach, a historic centuries-old fortress church, a people with a unique language, several awe-inspiring rock formations, some powdery white-sand beaches, pristine blue-green waters and fresh, unpolluted air.
Recognizing the tourism potential of these island-towns, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law RA 9458 in 2007, declaring Beri, Capul, San Antonio and San Vicente as eco-tourism zones.
DISCOVER SAN VICENTE
Let's start with San Vicente, a sixth class municipality composed of seven small islands known as the Naranjo Island Group. These islands are Sila, Tarnate, Sangputan, Panganoron, Maragat, Mahaba and Destacado, the southernmost islet that is the seat of municipal government and the town center.
San Vicente has a population of about 8,000 who speak Cebuano and a little Waray. Fishing is the main livelihood although some earn from copra-making.
Like the other island towns, San Vicente offers crystal clear waters that are suitable for swimming, snorkeling and diving.
Migrants from Cebu were the first settlers of Destacado and the smaller islands close to it. These islands were under the jurisdiction of Capul town until 1966 when San Vicente was declared a town. It got its name from their patron saint, San Vicente Ferrer.
PINK BEACH
San Vicente is composed of seven barangays: Desacado Poblacion, Maragat, Mongolbongol, Punta Poblacion, Sangputan, Tarnate and Sila, where the unique Pink Beach is located.
It is believed that the pinkish color of the sand in Pink Beach came from pulverized remains of dark red shells of hermit crabs and the skeletons of corals, snails and other sea shells in the seabed which, with the passage of time, were brought ashore by the waves.
What is surprising, however, is that among the cluster of small islands in San Vicente, only Sila Island has a beach with a pinkish sand. Others like Panganoron and Maragat islands have white-sand beaches.
“Snorkeling, diving and swimming are some of the activities there, (but) only day picnics as of the moment for lack of tourist facilities,” said Josette G. Doctor, the provincial tourism officer of Northern Samar.
She added that beach camping is allowed on Pink Beach but visitors have to bring their own camp gears like tents and lamps.
“For personal hygiene, since it's an island barangay (village), some locals may allow the use of their toilet facilities,” Doctor said, referring to Sila village.
GETTING THERE
According to the tourism officer of Northern Samar, there is a daily motorboat trip to San Vicente town from San Isidro, the last town of Northern Samar in the west of the mainland.
“There is a daily commuter trip to San Vicente's main island, Destacado, that leaves at 2 pm. from San Isidro...travel time is 2 hours,” Doctor said. The same boat's early trip to San Isidro leaves Destacado at 7 am, she added. One-way fare for a regular trip to San Vicente is P100 per person.
SPECIAL TRIPS
“Tourists can also have a special motorboat trip from Destacado to Sila Island, where the Pink Beach is located. It takes about 30 minutes to one hour to reach the Pink Beach,” she said.
She said that if special trips are available, tourists can go directly to the Pink Beach either from San Isidro or from the next town of Victoria, about 6 km away from San Isidro town in the mainland.
Fare for one-way special trip from San Isidro or Victoria to San Vicente ranges from P7,000 to P9,000 per group.
San Isidro town is about 60 kilometers from Catarman, the capital town of Northern Samar. There are flights available in Catarman taking the Manila-Catarman-Manila route.
San Isidro can also be reached via Tacloban City, the regional capital located in Leyte, where there are regular flights coming from Manila and Cebu; from Tacloban City, it takes about 5 to 6 hours to reach San Isidro, after a 240-km land travel either by van-for-hire or passenger bus; or from Calbayog City, where ships from Cebu City have a regular trip, which is some 58 kilometers away from San Isidro.
EXPLORE BIRI
Another island town in the cluster is Biri, which consists of several small islands like Biri, Talisay, Magesang, and Cagnipa. It has a population of about 15,000 with fishing as the main livelihood of the people. The inhabitants speak the Waray and Bicol languages.
Situated in the northernmost tip of Northern Samar, Biri faces the vast Pacific Ocean to the east and the San Bernardino Strait, which divides Luzon and Samar islands, to the west. It has a land area of 24.6 sq. km. and is composed of eight barangays (villages), namely Pio del Pilar, Poblacion, MacArthur, Kauswagan, Progress, San Antonio, San Pedro and Santo Niño.
Biri is famous for its unique rock formations. There are seven of these in the island: Magasang, Magsapad, Macadlaw, Puhunan, Bel-at, Caranas and Pinanahawan. Foremost are Magasang and Bel-at – two massive stones, each standing about three-storey high.
The Biri Island Rock Formations was adjudged in 2013 as among the “Top 10 Philippine Gems” in an online search of natural wonders in the Philippines that was initiated by Isla Lipana & Co., after garnering about 15 million online votes.
These rock formations were created by the actions of massive waves, heavy rains and strong winds for millions of years. The rock formations area also has natural pools and a bat cave in Bel-at. In 2000, the DENR has declared the site as a protected area.
Biri has been a favorite destination for photography enthusiasts, nature lovers and picnickers especially during summer. It also attract surfers particularly during October-January when the surging waves are just perfect for surfing.
The Biri Rock Formations first became popular after scenes of a Richard Gomez-Dawn Zulueta-Maricel Laxa romantic movie was shot there. Scenes of Spirit Warrior II, an adventure-horror-drama film starred by Danilo Barrios and Vhong Navarro, were likewise made at the rock formations.
Photos of the rock formations had also been prominently featured in some calendars.
Aside from exploring the rock formations, visitors can also go bird watching, camping, rock climbing, boating, swimming, diving or snorkeling in Biri.
GETTING THERE
From Catarman, take a jeepney ride to Lavezares (fare is P50 per person). Then from Lavezares take a motorboat ride to Capul (boat fare: P50 per person; travel time: about 45 minutes). In Biri, take the “habal-habal” (single motorcycle-for-hire) for a ride to yourr destination within the town center (fare: P10 per person).
The habal-habal can also take you to the Magasang drop off point or the Progress trail (both leading to the rock formations) at a P100 round-trip fare. You also have to pay a tourism fee of P50 per person.
Inns, lodging houses and a resort are available in town, with cost of rooms ranging from a hundred pesos to over P2,000 per night. By the way, electricity in the island is only from 12 noon until midnight.
EXPERIENCE CAPUL
If history or anthropology is your cup of tea, then visit the island-municipality of Capul. The place has several historical and heritage sites, while the locals speak a unique language. The island also offers beaches, caves and diving sites.
Capul is composed of 12 barangays (villages) inhabited by about 15,000 people. The locals speak the Inabaknon language, which is different from the Waray, Bicol and Cebuano languages spoken in the neighboring islands and the mainland.
Centuries ago, a group of people from the southern part of the Philippines migrated and settled on the island. They named the island Abak in honor of their ruler. Their language is Inabaknon, said to be similar to the Sama language in the South.
Very recently, more than 80 foreign tourists from a cruise ship visited Capul, to take a closer look at historical and heritage sites and the people's way of life. The people were able to preserve not only their unique language but also their old songs and dances, among other traditions.
FORTRESS CHURCH
In the late 1500's, some Jesuit priests decided to build a church in Capul, which was among the first places in Samar that they evangelized. But that church, made of hard wood and nipa roof, was set afire and destroyed in a Moro raid. In 1715, a more permanent church was constructed in Capul, with the church, the belfry and perimeter wall all made out of stones.
At that time, the St. Ignatius de Loyola was the most beautiful church in the whole Samar Island. The church was not only a place of worship but also a place of refuge. When guards at a watchtower, located about 200 meters away from the church, see Moro marauders approaching, they would immediately warn residents of an impending danger by blowing a conch. All the people would then run for safety inside the church.
Years ago, the National Historical Commission, in recognition of the important role of the church in Philippine history, mounted a marker on the wall of the St. Ignatius church. In the marker, the NHC cited the Capul church as a primary example of a fortress church during the Spanish era.
OLD LIGHTHOUSE
Trade between Mexico and the Philippines had flourished during the Spanish era. At that time, sailors would usually get provisions from Capul before their long trip to Acapulco in Mexico. Eventually the island's name of Abak was changed to Capul, a word reportedly derived from Acapulco.
In the late 19th century, Spanish engineers started to construct a lighthouse on a rock promontory at the northern end of the island, but this was stopped when the Spanish-American War broke out. The US Army Corps of Engineers continued and finished the work after that war.
During World War II, Japanese soldiers mounted machine guns below the lighthouse, to control passage along the San Bernardino Strait. Today, the same area has been developed into a park where people can relax, enjoy the view and take a breathe of the fresh air.
Capul is also endowed with some wonders of nature that attract tourists such as scenic white-sand beaches, mysterious caves, crystal blue-green waters and colorful coral gardens.
GETTING THERE
Capul can be reached by a one-hour motorboat ride. A Capul-bound motorboat is available at the pier of the town of Allen in the mainland. Allen is about 48 km from the capital town of Catarman, where flights from and to Manila are available. It is about 250 km from Tacloban City in Leyte, the regional capital, where passenger vans or rental cars going to Allen are also available.
Habal-habal or single motorcycle-for-hire is the main mode of transportation
Capul has available accommodations at some resorts and private residences through the homestay program.
ENJOY SAN ANTONIO
The last but not the least of these paradise islands in Northern Samar is San Antonio, which is famous for its kilometers-long white sand beaches and sparkling pristine waters.
San Antonio, or Dalupiri Island, has a land area of 2,700 hectares. It is composed of 10 villages: Burabod, Dalupirit, Manraya, Pilar, Rizal, San Nicolas, Vinisitahan, Ward I (Poblacion), Ward II (Poblacion.) and Ward III (Poblacion). The island-town has a population of about 12,000 and the people speak the Cebuano language but some also speak the Waray language.
In the early 19th century, some people from mainland Samar came to the Island to fish and hunt. A number of fishermen and their family from Cebu and Bohol came to settle on the island in the second half of the 19th century .
The settlers named the island Sugod-sugod, which in Cebuano means just to start or begin. Later, the name was changed to "Matabia," referring to the knife-shape of the island. Much later, they renamed the island and called it Dalupiri, island's name before it finally became a town in 1904 and its name changed to San Antonio in honor of its patron saint, St. Anthony de Padua.
27-KILOMETER STRETCH OF WHITE-SAND BEACH
San Antonio boasts of a 27-km. stretch of white-sand beach around the island, some caves and rock formations and a lake – the Lagbangan Lake. The pristine waters surrounding the island is ideal for scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, jet skiing and marine life observation, among other activities.
A foreign-owned beach resort, the Flying Dog Beach Resort, was established on the island in early 1990's. It was the first foreign-operated resort on the island and probably in the region, but it was closed in 1994 after an Italian tourist reportedly met an accident in a diving site.
Today, the island is dotted with beach resorts such as the Crystal Sand Beach Resort, the Haven of Fun Beach Resort, the Seashore Spring Beach Resort, the Lagbangan Eco-Park and Beach Resort and others.
ISLAND-HOPPING BOAT TRIP
At the Lagbangan Eco-Park and Beach Resort, guests cannot only enjoy the alluring white-sand beach and cool, pristine waters but can also enjoy a boat ride at Lake Lagbangan with its calm waters surrounded by mangroves.
Accommodation are available with prices ranging from P500 (budget room) to P,800 (family room with aircon). Some of these resorts like Crystal Sand and Haven of Fun offer island hopping trips to Capul, San Vicente and Biri at a price of about P5,000 for a group of eight for a full day trip.
Some resorts like Crystal Sand (http://crystalsandbeachresort.weebly.com/), Seashore Spring (http://seashorespringbeachresort.blogspot.com/) and Haven of Fun (http://www.havenoffunbeachresort.com/) have their own websites as well as Facebook accounts.
GETTING THERE
From the town of Victoria, take a tricycle ride to the boat where passenger boats are bound to San Antonio. The fare is about P30 per person and the trip to San Antonio takes about 20-25 minutes.
Victoria is about 246 kilometers away from Tacloban City, 54 kilometers away from Catarman and 64 kilometers away from Calbayog City.
In San Antonio, the transportation in going to any part of the island are for hire single motorcycles. Foot-powered tricycles-for-hire, locally called as “padyak,” are also available for trips anywhere in the town proper.
For those planning for a trip to the four paradise islands in Northern Samar, we suggest that you make San Antonio your jump off point because island-hopping trips are available there. From San Antonio you can go to the Pink Beach in San Vicente, the historical places in Capul and the rock formations in Biri.
Island hopping is really more fun in Northern Samar!
