This photo was taken sometime in 2007 courtesy of Tantan Molina.
By: Mar Recentes
Note: This piece was published with GOL in 2007, before another typhoon came and wrecked Duot...
Perhaps only few could take cognizance of the pieces of art God has emplaced at the façade of a coastal community Northeast of Mindanao. With the world’s deepest just few nautical miles away and the Pacific winds literally finding their way through it – the province of Surigao Norte has been a picture of a typhoon magnet. It may seem to be a magnet because it always repels the fine sunny mornings of summer, and continuously attracts down pour of rains making the place a generally wet season almost the whole year round. As a result, the inhabitants of the place had to bear the brunt of what best is left for them, and giving the rest to what heavens have destined them to harvest. Gigaquit, being one of the municipalities located at Surigao’s inner coast facing the Pacific has the biggest share of wind whips whenever typhoons came to town. Amidst all these ‘misfortunes’ God may have been so kind enough to the place, still. Legends and myths had it told about how giant waves walloped attacking barbaric conquerors of Gigaquit, leaving the people safe and unharmed. But legends seem to have gained real grounds on God’s bounty to the place, as He had seemingly emplaced Cagban Island and the shores of Duot as the guardians of the oceans and protectors of Gigaquit Municipality.
Cagban Island? Can please anybody tell me where in the world are these ‘patriot’ guards? One may say about the myth about Cagban Island and its ‘sister’, Duot as the main casts. It may say about the story wherein both became the defenders of Mother Gigaquit, sacrificing their own to save a place of glorious, fine people -- against the fiercest winds and thunderstorms coming from the Pacific, and against tyrant conquerors? And after such a sacrifice, offering these people they love with good providence of nourishment – the bounty of coco fruits and the vast fishing grounds they set array. Both are distinguishable to have faced potential catastrophes – Cagban, for its strategic stance in the forefront of Gigaquit coasts, and Duot beach as the ‘last line of defense’ prior the winds’ pounding hit at the plains of Gigaquit town, preventing them from completely wiping out a community of faithful from the rest of Philippine Archipelago.
The Islands of Gigaquit Municipality are located 9˚ 36”N and 125˚ 42”E of the biggest main island of Mindanao. Their location may appear insignificant from the rest of the Philippine Islands, but to the small people-inhabitants of the coastal town, their presence is a gift of God. Perhaps only few people could see the reasons behind its strategic emplacement, but to an old fisher folk he says: MARAJAW TON KAY NASINGOD RA KAY PARA JAOY ATO HAP-AN. “Better have them beside so that we can find refuge… in times of fierce winds.”
Other than its pivotal roles in appeasing winds and possible tidal waves, Cagban Island remains reserved and untouched. The small polyps-filled land mark is blessed with ‘cliff hanger’, pointed and stone-carved boulders in the east. Opposite its rough side is a 3-hectare shore line of white sand that is obviously not been polluted by city folks, as no evidence of plastic bags and ‘styro’ packs of large burger chains in the vicinity. In front of it, in about a waist-deep of blue ocean water, what can be clearly seen are finely designed corals with a lot of sea creatures typically found in wealthy urban people’s aquariums. Beside the fine sands are structures which are not of human abode, as they are used to carry some fishers’ boats, who come to drop by in case of bad weather, or during the time they take some meals. These structures protect the boats from waves especially during high tides. On the sand are foot prints leading to a small hut, towards the make shift oven made up of three equally-big stones used as prongs where small kettle of rice and another pan are put on one after another to cook food for lunch. Going up the hilly portion of the island, are equally-tall coconut trees. (Legends were told once about some selfish boatmen who came to the island, ate the fruits and bounty to their hearts’ content, and still harvested all the coco fruits which they intended to be sold to the nearby municipality. As they paddled away from the island, the heavens might have been so ‘enraged’ that, weather became worse and brought forth tall waves and punished the coco thieves. Since then, people seemed to believe that a fairy lives in the island. They soon believed about the code that allows anyone to eat in the island, but prevents him to take home the bounty. And so there went that myth through some people’s tongues.) Below the coco trees are cassava and camote plants, widely sprawled around as some vines creep atop the trees, giving the visitors a fresh respite after a hearty meal of fish, shells, cassava roots and camote tops, with the cool beverage of young coco fruit. Refreshing behind the shades of trees as breeze softly sways small twigs of trees nearby, with the nice white sand and blue water as back ground, nobody can deny that in that very moment he is in heaven.
In contrast to what Cagban Island displays, Duot shoreline took all the punishing waves caused by those winds that were not thwarted by the island. After the rains, the shorelines return back to their beauteous state inviting people for a holiday treat. Many stories were told on how graceful the shoreline was. I can still remember my mother told me about the presence of some driftwood tusked into the shoreline in perfect alignment some ten meters away from where waves hit the sand. “Those are wooden bridge posts once!”, she said. I was startled! I could not figure out how ferocious indeed were the waves to have the sands and some pebbles carved out of the shore and pushed them forward just like literally transferring an island to another place. I can attest to that story since I can still remember four layers of coconut trees were then ‘piled’ beside the shore lines. Decades later those trees are in near instinct as waves and winds bring forth some whips, as if hurrying them to get away from the shoreline. My friend lately informed me that the one last pile of coconuts is in near total devastation. With the last pose of defense slowly crumbling down, Duot shoreline now comes to a point wherein it bids goodbye to the place it was tasked by heavens to defend. Just like the spoils of war, Gigaquit folks and their homes start to become things of the past as they now wait for what nature brings them in just merely few years of slow-paced, yet continuous pummeling of the sea.
Recently, Surigao province was intensely alarmed by one irresponsible big mouth that spread rumors about the alleged sinking of the province caused by Earth movement that basically came from the bottom of Pacific Ocean. Since the province lies in awe relatively near the world’s deepest, many panicked and caused some instant commotions and severe state of fright. That phenomenon even caught the witty ears of national media. Later, the alarm was downgraded. Many persons in authority made some official declarations about the incident, explaining to the people the real score of the tale. However, people seem to be reluctant. Fear still overwhelms their minds, which are even more aggravated by the fact that flooding continues to occur and the shores of Duot are being ‘eaten’ by ferocious winds and waves. That long-tongued ‘typhoon’ had made it to the box office, yielding out fear in the people, yet, they should have known about this slow-paced typhoon that had been striking the town many years back, and now prepares to take another salvo – this time more deadly and cruel. I am startled to note that some people are even more alarmed of rumors than real threat!
Some years back, I always spent time at the beach pondering what awaits me some miles away from the horizon just as the sun rays slowly fade away in nearby highland towns. I was thinking of what life was there at the back of the island as I saw one barge breaking the waters a mile away. “Que sera, sera…”, that was what our late jolly principal always told us. He once told us, life is what you make it. Yet, he again sang the “Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be…?” That moment of focus was disturbed by one loud ‘bang’ few miles away north my direction. The flickering small spot lights were then observable leading toward the place of blast that early dusk. Later did I knew, that those boat men were caught by the local police for alleged illegal fishing. I was one of the witnesses of how three boats were tied in the sea wall; their men gripping hands on the rails of INP Detention cell. Just few weeks then, many started to forget about the incident. I also noticed that those people were released for lack of evidence. And that their Big Boss was still continued to be free and richer, was out of my interest that time. Unlike those coconut thieves in the myth about Cagban island, in real situation, bad fellahs enjoy freedom.
The Philippines being generally an all coastal country, is suffering from self-inflicted harm on its resources. An estimated 2,000 tons of coral reefs are badly damaged each year caused by man-made blast fishing. Many “Muro-ami” ways of living in vast coastal areas particularly in Southern Mindanao are causing some drift of fish degeneration as tons of fish kills are openly done by ‘real’ ocean thieves. Corals, said the book, are the foundation of an island. They consist of tiny polyps which are a kind of living material that grows at the foot of the ocean, and slowly holds firm some huge bodies of lands on top of it. Another case is the fishers’ use of fishing materials and equipment which are causing damage to the corals. One of my friends once told me about one fish magnet that ‘swept’ Gigaquit-Bacuag and Placer bay. Allegedly, this man orders his men to use one illegal fishing net known locally as thrawl. There, small fishes, big fishes alike were harvested like the dickens! I sometimes come to conclude that thieves are even more cruel than the waves and winds that whipped Duot shores. The effect affects the local folks so turtle-slow that they even cannot notice them. Gosh!
I sometimes ask myself, “HAMAN NA KAHA AN MGA PUNAW SANAN LUPUGON KUMAN, KAY BISAN MAGBILAR KAW SA DUOT, JARA KON JAOY IMO MAHANAP?” When I was a young kid, I once joined my uncle fishing using big eyed nets known as “Pukot”. In one of our sorties, I can still recall bringing home some 17 pieces, or some 15 kilos of Luyung fish. My mother was so happy that time as I tried to take those chores which I knew would help ease up those ‘trying times’ our family had been to. But now, I doubt if those ‘Mangahigay’’can still bring home one fish!
This sad picture of dwindling gift of nature reminds me of one story about a duck that lays golden eggs. Greed seemed to overcome the owner that in search of more and more eggs, he butchered his priced fowl! Another story my father once told me, said about a family of lazy fellahs. The first day after their father and mother died, they used one window to cook rice; the next day, another one. So lazy that they even could not take a bolo and cut some firewood just in the nearby bushes. In short, in just less than a month, poor orphans lost their beloved house, the only priced family legacy they had! Both stories seem to be an ice breaking laughing stock, but before we open our mouth to growl that giggling hark, ponder rather on the fact that we are actually about to laugh at ourselves.
Cagban Island and Duot shorelines are priced ‘ducks’ nature has bestowed on the people of Gigaquit. The ‘golden’ white sands are glittering -- always inviting everyone to come and enjoy the bounty God has given us. However, some unwanted ‘thieves’, others maybe us, came and rob the place of its beauty. Both the wrath of nature and those of men combined had been the silent and slow-paced typhoon that slowly ‘melt’ the bastion of Gigaquit’s defense. Our parents had just abandoned us. Could we just look at our house being gnawed by our own pride and irresponsibility?
The future of Gigaquit town is in the offing – a disaster. Unless humans intervene, if not God, hopes can rekindle our forebears’ long lost hope in the new generation. Gone were the times when nature seemed to appear helping the people topple Muslim conquerors – a myth that put the people to just merely rely the solution to thy kingdom come. Now, with the nature playing the different role, to whom will the people rest their fate? Saint Augustine might scold you: Get up my son, help yourself, then I will give you strength…
Now, could you, fellow Gigaquitnons, just merely watch as Gigaquit beauties crumble?
