TREK walking a mile for the kids

MANILA, Philippines - Fuga Island.

The name alone brings visions of a faraway place, waiting to be explored. And indeed, the island of Fuga, part of the Babuyanes, is at the northernmost tip of the country and has just 2,000 inhabitants. Due to its remoteness, the settlers of Fuga are mostly left to their own resources, with very little assistance from public and private sectors.

When I was invited by Trails to Empower Kids (TREK) to join their outreach to Fuga, I immediately accepted, without thought of the how’s and wherefore’s. I just knew I was in for an unforgettable experience.

We began our journey by bus from Cubao at 10 p.m. in order to reach Claveria, Cagayan before noon the following day. It was my first time to take a provincial bus and with all the horror stories of accidents and drivers on shabu, all I could do was pray that we would get to our destination in one piece.

Thank heavens our trip was uneventful, with just two stops for bathroom breaks and to stretch our nearly atrophied legs. It was the longest bus ride ever, longer than flying to another continent. Good thing the bus seats were quite comfortable and the air conditioning super cold. 

After almost 12 hours, we finally got to the northernmost tip of Luzon

After a quick snack, all 30 TREK volunteers and boxes upon boxes of donations were loaded onto two bancas.  We set sail at exactly 10 a.m. and, with no roof to protect us from the summer’s blazing heat, I really appreciated my cap, armsleeves and sunblock. 

After 12 hours on the bus and another three hours at sea, I was so happy to finally set foot on the beach of Naguillian, Fuga Island. My excitement was cut short when I learned that we still had to climb 232 steps to get to our campsite. A first time backpacker, I wanted to faint so they would have to carry me up, but that didn’t happen. With my 50-lb. knapsack and 6-liter water jug, I started to climb – one step at a time.

Almost out of breath and consciousness, we reached our campsite and were welcomed by the breathtaking view of the beach down below and the ruins of an old Dominican church which also served as the community’s chapel and cemetery. The vista laid out before us was reward enough for all the effort. I felt renewed excitement and wondered what other surprises were waiting to be discovered.

After a simple lunch of monggo, fried fish and a mountain of rice, we set up camp. I took time out to check the grounds of Naguillian, which is the primary settlement area of the island. A very small and simple community, their main livelihood is fishing – lobsters and coconut crabs are some of the interesting finds. They grow their own rice and vegetables and raise their own poultry and pigs that are normally found in front of their kubos. There are no stores on the island, so one has to wait for the bancas to cross to buy items from the mainland. The island has no electricity so we had to rely on our headlamps to find our way around in the dark. 

Just before sundown, we started repacking our gifts for the 250 school children of Sitios Naguillian, Bubog, Mudoc and Simabang. All 37 TREK volunteers were busy organizing the school bags, school supplies, hygiene kits, toys, books, slippers and more, while our beneficiary kids eagerly watched.

After dinner, the volunteers took turns using the only bathroom on site. Feeling refreshed, I went straight to my sleeping quarters – a hammock tied between two trees – and passed out almost immediately.

Our second day on the island was filled with fun with the kids of Fuga. Right after breakfast, the kids were grouped by grade levels and gathered under the trees for some activities. Storytelling, games and a drawing/writing contest kept everyone busy. We were also lucky to have members from PAGASA who conducted seminars for the parents on STORM 101.

Just before lunch, everybody assembled on the stage in front of the school and the donations were distributed. Also, the different sitios each received a mini library filled with books prepared by TREK and their friends.

Our culminating activity was a simple lunch for the kids, parents and volunteers that was prepared by the residents of the barangay. The blazing sun and scorching heat were hardly felt by the volunteers as the big smiles of the kids warmed our hearts and lifted our spirits. Every little thing, no matter how simple or ordinary, was appreciated. Even a used toy brought so much happiness that spilled over on all of us.

The afternoon was another treat – unwinding on the beach of Mudoc, 40 minutes by boat from Naguillian. The clearest blue waters and a white sand beach was our paradise playground. The TREK members were exchanging stories of their previous outreach experiences and I couldn’t wait to join them again on their next mission.

The next day we started back to Cagayan, getting on the banca – a lot lighter now, having unloaded all the donations we brought – at 9 a.m. The sea was not as calm, so our journey took almost five hours. I again called on all the saints in heaven to please not make our boat stall in the middle of nowhere, as the banca’s motor was overheating already.

I was listening to the boatmen’s conversation and they all seemed calm and unbothered by our engine situation, so I guess it’s just me. The heat of the sun and the gasoline fumes from our overheating engine must be making me paranoid.

At last! We reach the shores of Claveria a little after 1 p.m., time enough for a quick lunch before catching the bus back to Manila. As I sat there counting the hours to reach home, I recalled my weekend experience and first out-of-town outreach. Thinking of the kids that we helped, the new friends I made and the wonderful God-given natural wonders I saw and experienced, I knew that it was more than enough reason to do it again – and again and again, long bus rides, blazing sun and all.