Maripipi & Sambawan Islands – The Jewels of Biliran

A grassy hill on Sambawan Islands provides an incredible vista of the island chain and mainland Maripipi.

Picturesque rocky islets of Sambawan Islands

After exploring mainland Biliran, I ventured farther to the Waray-speaking islands of Maripipi and Sambawan. Upon approaching the island municipality of Maripipi, northwest of mainland Biliran, a column of clouds ascended from its peak, providing a glimpse of its former self: an active volcano rising out of the Visayan Sea.

Named after two lovers – Maria and Pepe – who eloped to this island ages ago, Maripipi is dominated by a single peak with graceful slopes carpeted with coconut groves and old trees with flying foxes, which take flight at sundown. Its coastline is ringed by boulder beaches and sparse pockets of white sand. It is best explored on motorbike along the meandering 23-km single-lane ribbon of concrete that circumnavigates it.

I hired a habal-habal motorbike to visit Maripipi Island's handful of tourist attractions for a few hours. The first stop was the St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church and Spanish-period lantawan watchtower, overlooking the Samar Sea. The old watchtower served as a look-out for Moro pirates during the colonial period. A marine sanctuary suited for swimming and snorkeling, Candol Beach in Barangay Agutay is the only decent pocket of white sand on Maripipi Island; while Napo Beach Resort is an oasis of comfort with a saltwater pool and private jetty that sits on a boulder beach. Lastly, Viga Cold Spring in Barangay Viga was the clearest spring I've seen! There were lots of fish, too. (I wish I had brought my snorkel.) The spring water flowed through concrete pools properly designated for drinking, bathing and washing clothes.

The only pocket of white-sand on Maripipi Island, Candol Beach is a marine sanctuary suited for snorkeling.

Spanish-period Lantawan Watchtower

Just when you thought you've seen Biliran's best, you come across a sliver of heaven only 20 minutes away from the western coast of Maripipi. Sambawan Islands is a string of stony islets linked by boulders. The eastern side, facing Maripipi Island, harbors some stretches of white-coral beach and crystal waters, while the western side has beautiful volcanic outcrops that wouldn't look out of place in El Nido. Some native cottages have been recently put up to accommodate visitors. 

The best vantage point is the grassy head of the central islet, where the ruins of an unfinished lighthouse stands. The islets are topped with tough cogon grass, which has sharp blades that can easily cut your skin. So it's best to put on some shoes and pants before venturing to the viewpoint. From here, you can admire the entire island chain with magnificent Maripipi island in the background, which somehow reminds me of a downsized panorama of Batan Island and Mt. Iraya from Racuh A Payaman (Marlboro Country) in Batanes. Hands down, Sambawan Islands is one of the most beautiful islands I've seen in the archipelago. 

Crystal clear waters of Viga Cold Spring.

Napo Beach Resort

HOW TO GET THERE: For transportation and accommodation details for mainland Biliran, visit my previous post. A daily ferryboat, Viga Express, leaves Naval for Brgy. Binalayan, Maripipi at 10:00 AM; and returns the following day at 5:00 AM. Confirm schedules with boat owner, Felisa Mulles at +63 9057815295.

Habal-habal motorbikes (1-2 pax) can take you to various points on the island for PHP 15 to PHP 50. The entire island can be toured in a few hours for PHP 400. I recommend my friendly habal-habal driver, Bing-Bing Fua (+63 9268999557).

To get to Sambawan Islands, you can hire a small boat (1-3 pax) from Maripipi Island for PHP 500 (return trip). Travel time is only 20 minutes. Contact Cynthia Requiero at +63 9185166075. Larger groups can charter outriggers from Kawayan or Naval in Biliran Island (1 to 1.5 hours). Entrance fee for Sambawan Islands is PHP 50 per person. Overnighters can rent open-air cottages for PHP 500. For more information, contact +63 9289043673 or +63 9264104866.

WHERE TO STAY: Judith Gaviola's lodging – a "homestay" run by nice elderly sisters – has double fan rooms for only PHP 250 per person at "bungtod" or the main town of Brgy. Ermita, near the old watchtower. Contact May-May Gaviola at +63 9297669790. If you want beachfront accommodation (albeit a rocky one), you can check-in at Napo Beach Resort on the northern coast of the island – cheapest rooms at PHP 600 for double fan rooms.

Bountiful Biliran: Tinago Falls, Bagongbong Falls, Kinaraha Cascades, Almeria Rice Terraces & Dalutan Island

Biliran boasts of beautiful rice terraces. These are the ones in Barangay Caucab, Almeria.

An incredible four-day trip around Biliran took me around the mainland and some offshore islands. Separated from Leyte in 1992, it is an independent island province wedged between Leyte and Samar islands. Brimming with natural attractions from active volcanoes, lush springs, picturesque rice terraces, countless waterfalls and heavenly white-coral islands and rock formations offshore, this undiscovered destination can easily rival popular island provinces like Bohol, Camiguin and Siquijor.

Bagongbong Falls pours into a narrow gorge in Almeria

Inch-small frogs call Bagongbong Falls their home

While Agta Beach – as with other beaches on mainland Biliran – are lackluster, it serves as the jump-off point to Dalutan Island, which has a lovely pocket of white-coral beach with crystal waters. During our stay, Agta Beach served as our home base for exploring the mainland's attractions. The brown sandy beach with great sunsets was named after the mythical Visayan agta, a cigar-smoking, tree-dwelling giant – similar to the Tagalog kapre of Luzon – that locals believe inhabit this shoreline. More than its shoreline, Dalutan provides an incredible vista of the entire Biliran mainland, best enjoyed in the early morning when the morning mist floats above the base of the volcanic peaks that dominate the province's landscape – one of them the active Caibiran Volcano. Other beach options are Higatangan Island in Naval, with its shifting white sand bar; and Sambawan Islands in Maripipi – the jewel of Biliran – which I will talk about in greater detail in a succeeding post.

The sulfurous waters of Kinaraha Cascades provides natural swimming pools and water slides!  

For an island its size, there's surprisingly an inexhaustible number of waterfalls, thanks to the abundance of rainfall and steep mountain slopes. Tinago Falls in Caibiran is the most popular one, which, despite its name, isn't "hidden" anymore. It's easily reached by a concrete access road from the highway. Equally impressive Bagongbong Falls in Almeria, on the other hand, is set amidst natural surroundings, pouring into a narrow gorge. It requires some 20 minutes of hiking to get to from the end of a dirt road. Pundol Falls in Almeria, past the Iyusan Rice Terraces, are popular with local children, who perform daredevil stunts diving from 100 ft high rocky ledges, and sliding down the waterfalls. The waterfalls I enjoyed the most though were the refreshing Kinaraha Cascades in Caibiran. It may not be as majestic as the other falls on the island, but has the clearest waters I've ever seen. Carving swimming holes down a rocky slope, it is fed by hot springs upriver, giving the water a slightly acrid taste. "The water tastes like vinegar!" a German backpacker we met exclaimed when he jumped into one of the crystal clear rock pools. The cataracts flowing down smooth rock also makes awesome water slides! If you prefer a hot bath, head instead to the Mainit Hot Springs which overflows into a stream. There are several more waterfalls on the Biliran, namely: Busai, Recoletos, Ulan-Ulan, Casiawan, Casabangan and Tomalistis – the last of which locals claim delivers "the sweetest water in the world".

The most popular and developed falls in Biliran – Tinago Falls

Lastly, the mineral-rich volcanic soil makes Biliran very fertile. The lowlands are carpeted in coconut groves for copra production. Traversing the "cross-country" highway to the eastern municipality of Caibiran, you will come across Little Baguio, a cool-weathered highland area suitable for growing fruits and vegetables like pomelo, sayote (chayote) and kalabasa (squash). But the most impressive agricultural landscape would be the cascading rice terraces carved along the mountain shoulders across the island. The prettiest ones can be found in the municipality of Almeria in the barangays (villages) of Iyusan, Caucab, Salangi and Sampao. After the world-famous Ifugao Rice Terraces, these were the most spectacular I've seen so far in the country.  From its white-coral beaches to terraced interior, Biliran brings together the best of the country's natural beauty. Here, nature truly spoils you with choice.

Fiery sunset at Agta Beach, with Dalutan Island in the distance.

HOW TO GET THERE: Naval, the provincial capital of Biliran, can be reached from Tacloban or Ormoc in Leyte (2 hours by van, PHP 130). To get to Agta Beach, hop on a Naval-Kawayan jeepney (PHP 25, 30 minutes). Agta Beach Resort offers boats to Dalutan Island (up to 10 pax, PHP 700 return trip, 15 minutes).

Since many of the attractions are undeveloped, hiring a habal-habal (motorbike) is the most convenient option to tour Biliran island. A day tour on habal-habal (up to 2 pax) costs PHP 500, plus gas (approximately PHP 200). Our friendly and very accommodating drivers were Jimmy Badanoy (+63 9182661505) and Benjie Salidaga (+63 9997611704).

WHERE TO STAY: There are cheap sleeps in urbanized Naval, but we opted to stay closer to nature at Agta Beach Resort in Brgy. Talahid, Almeria, a private resort recently opened to the public, which has double fan rooms at PHP 400 and A/C double rooms at PHP 600. Contact Millette Kiamko at +63 9072951650. The VRC Resort next door is more popular, but we found the karaoke-loving guests bothersome, and preferred the peaceful grounds of Agta Beach Resort.

Spellbinding Siquijor: 'Bolo-Bolo' Folk Healing Rituals of Consolacion Achay

87-year-old Consolacion G. Achay has been performing bolo-bolo healing rituals for 45 years

The insular province of Siquijor is best known for supernatural powers, both good and evil. While the notorious reputation of the island being an abode of barang or sorcery persists, there are also benevolent spiritualists called mananambal who harness the healing powers of rituals, prayer and herbal remedies. The most popular folk healer on the island is 87-year-old Consolacion G. Achay – or Nang Conching to her patients – who performs "white magic" called bolo-bolo to cure clients afflicted by natural illnesses or curses brought about by voodoo. The bolo-bolo healing ritual involves using a glass of water, bagacay (bamboo straw) and a magical black stone, which Nang Conching says was given to her by the Santo Niño or Holy Child Jesus in 1967.

The friendly medicine woman has lived on the island all her life, but on some occasions in the past has traveled to neighboring provinces like Cebu to attend to wealthy patrons. Despite her popularity, Nang Conching still lives in a humble home of bamboo and nipa thatch on the hilly barangay (village) of Tag-ibo in San Juan town. She has acquired quite a following, with patients arriving from across the Visayas and Mindanao to seek her help. In front of her home, a sari-sari store and coin-operated karaoke machine keeps clients busy, as she diagnoses her patients. A black cat with yellow eyes keeps watch.

The magical black stone believed to have been given by the Santo Niño (Holy Child Jesus) 

The bolo-bolo ritual combines Roman Catholicism with shamanistic traditions that existed during pre-colonial times. I observed the ritual performed fives times on different individuals. Both an elderly man and a tattooed young woman complained of an itchy rash; while three in our group consulted for skin ailments and arthritis.

Nang Conching begins the healing ritual by pouring water from a plastic pitcher into the clear glass with the magical black stone. Using the bagacay straw, she blows into the glass of water, moving it across the affected area of the patient's body. The name of the ritual refers to the bubbles blown in the process. Now and then, she mumbles what seems to be incantations or words of prayer. Miraculously, the water in the glass slowly becomes murky, filled with brown and cottony organic matter believed to be the bad elements removed from the patient's body.  "Among patients made ill by witchcraft, small fish, maggots or centipedes would appear in the water", she reveals in Cebuano. She examines the dirty water and throws it out; and proceeds to pour clean water into the glass, repeating the process until the water remains clear. She applies a herbal liniment on the the affected area of the patient. "Spread it in one direction," she instructed, as she prepares to diagnose her next patient.

Nang Conching's bewitching companion keeps watch...

Whether there is scientific merit in the bolo-bolo and other forms of "white magic" largely remains to be seen. On the other hand, the socio-cultural values these folk healing rituals inherently embodies necessitates that these traditional practices be preserved for generations to come.

HOW TO GET THERE: By rental jeepney, a visit to Nang Conching at Brgy. Tag-ibo, San Juan can be included in a day tour of the island's attractions. Her home is located on a hill 1 km away from the highway. She accepts donations of any amount for her services.

For more details on transportation and accommodation, visit my previous Siquijor post.