Bantayan: an island in the sun

I’ve heard of Bantayan Island, four hours north of Cebu City, as the egg basket of Central Visayas. The opportunity to check that out came five days ago. We visited two farms there; our column on the visits will come out later. For the time being, the island is worth talking about. It is one of two islands that I would like to live the rest of my life in – the other one being Camiguin Island in Misamis Oriental.

Bantayan Island is located at the northernmost tip of the Cebu mainland, and is composed of three municipalities – Sta Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos. Durina the Spanish regime, forts or watchtowers were built all over the island to serve as lookouts for invading Moros from Mindanao. These forts were called "Bantayan sa Hari," or the watchtowers of the King of Spain. People began calling the place Bantayan.

It’s a wonder how people know much about Boracay, and hardly anything about Bantayan. But with the energizing enthusiasm of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, who is from Cebu, more tourists are heading to Bantayan. The island has one of the oldest churches in the Visayas and Mindanao, and has white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. Fresh seafoods are aplenty, and dried fish, locally called buwad, abound in the island and make good pasalubong for friends and relatives.

Bantayan comes alive during the Easter Season, hence it is called the "Lenten Capital of the Visayas." People flock to the island to witness the processions featuring life-size images depicting the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

To get to Bantayan, we took a hired van, noting the quiet, neat towns and sugar plantations along the way, and after two-and-and half hours, had lunch at Nena’s Eatery. What a feast it was – of paksiw na isda, bulalo and crisply fried shrimps. Nena was there, and told us she ran the place since 15 years ago, and government officials and big shots stopped by for lunch there. Just like a gregarious Cebuana, she gave us a bottle of chili powder which her sister in Davao gave her.

It took just 15 minutes to reach Hagnaya, the terminal where inter-island boats docked. We got on a tree-decked boat commonly referred to as "Ro-Ro," and with the winds blowing on our faces, enjoyed the sight of small forested islands. We docked at Bantayan after one hour and headed for the Ogton Beach Resort in Sta. Fe, through tree-lined streets, passing by women with winnowing baskets of delicacies on their heads, and children scampering to and fro. It was a truly rural setting, and for that Saeed and I fell in love with Bantayan.

The resort has cottages daintily well laid out by the shore, and professional girls swam in its swimming pool the night we were there. For a swim and tanning, a sister hotel was positioned right along the beachfront, a few kilometers away.

We had a brief stop at Madridejos, where the local tourism staff, Nards, showed us the "baywalk" built by the town mayor. Madridejos is also a pleasant community, with its people seemingly all smiles as our van cruised the streets.

That same afternoon, we had a merienda of maruya and brewed coffee at Maia’s Beach Resort, our host no other than the owner, Maia Becker, who built the place with her German husband some ten years previously. Maia’s is a fascinating place, with its rock formations under bamboo beaches covered by seawater at high tide. The resort is tucked nine kilometers away from Ogton, and is preferred by foreigners who want a peaceful hideaway.

Our trip to this fascinating island was made possible by the Department of Tourism, which "lent" us the services of a young, energetic girl, Cathy Montealto, of DOT’s Central Visayas staff. Communicating with us was Patricia (Don) Aurora B. Roa, director of Region 7, who once upon a time took us to Camiguin Island when she was assigned to Cagayan de Oro City.

And then we descended upon one of the most beautiful spots in the island. The "rest house" of Nena Pacheco, former commissioner of the Sta. Fe Tourism Council, and who is now with the Air Transportation Office, and her husband Jun Pacheco, of Road Runner Freight and Cargo Airline. The airy house stands on a slope in Barangay Tamiao, and overlooks the Strait – a beautiful sight during the day, and at night, with fishermen’s lights gleaming in the dark.

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In Cebu City we were billeted at Marco Polo Plaza, and on our way there, we noted how good the city looked, with its clean, tree-lined streets and parks. It seemed all the taxicabs were new, and more buildings had sprouted. There was feverish construction activity, as facilities are being readied for the ASEAN summit in December. The local papers featured political squabbles among government officials, politicians and construction men over issues including whether the convention center would be finished by November 15.

Our stay at Marco Plaza Hotel was pleasant. The amiable general manager, Hans R. Hauri, is quite popular among local and out-of-town guests. He explained that the hotel is the eighth addition to the internationally-renowned Hong Kong Hotel Group. The other Marco Polo Hotel in the country is in Davao City, and in Cebu, the structure, with 329 luxurious guest rooms, is on Nivel Hills, just 25 minutes from the Mactan international airport, and 10-minutes away from the city’s business and commercial centers.

We had a sumptuous buffet lunch at Café Marco with the hotel’s p.r. director, Carlo Borromeo, and Manila Bulletin’s Ethel Timbol-Soliven, and coffee on the top floor overlooking the city. In the evening, we had the marang fruit and pizza pie by the swimming pool as a trio performed mostly Latin music.

If you’re in Cebu, book in at Marco Plaza Hotel for its ambience and very friendly staffers.

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During this trip we met relatives for the first time – the former Celsa Torrevillas, a nursing graduate of Silliman University, and her husband, Engr. Teodosio P. Creus, former vice-president for operations, and project and general manager of Apo Cement, Naga, Cebu. A recognized expert in cement plant management, construction and rehabilitation, Manong Tuding is now retired, and devotes his time to reading books on philosophy and religion, and, at 81, looks fit by hiking at least three hours up mountain trails just outside the city.

I must mention the fact that the Creuses and I were brought together by the lawyer Coleta M. Aranas of Dumaguete. The Creuses are among the many clients of Colet in Cebu. She takes a four-hour ferry boat ride from Dumaguete to Cebu in the morning then returns to Dumaguete in the afternoon. That’s how quickly people hop from one island to another these days.

At the Creuses, three other relatives came by. These were Cynthia Ansiano Rodriguez who lives in Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte, and her brothers, Capt. Daniel O. Ansiano Jr. and just retired AFP Maj. Gen. Antonio O. Ansiano.

What a way to spend four days – basking in Bantayan’s sunny beaches and meeting relatives.

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