An eco-destination in Eastern Visayas

Nature has endowed the coastal town of Palompon, Leyte with three islets collectively known as the Tres Marias. Individually, the islets are called Tabuk, Gumalac and Cabgan. The three islets form a fringe to protect Palompon from direct effects of wayward wave action. The islets are 15 to 20 minutes ride by motorized/pump-boat from the wharf.

Of the three, Tabuk Islet is the most popular and closest to the town. It is the most ‘developed’. It has a marine park and a bird sanctuary. It is over-grown with four to six species of mangrove trees forming a dense cover and is home to a flock of large fruit bat visibly hanging upside down the three branches.

Older Palomponons talk about the near disappearance from the seascape of Tabuk Islet due to the unmitigated cutting of mangrove trees for fuel, house building, fences or fish pens posts purposes. Also, coralline rocks were broken, gathered as base for houses built along the shorelines of Palompon. These destructive activities spread to the neighboring islets of Gumalac and Cabgan.

Only the timely, strong-willed intervention by the LGUs, NGOs, academe and concerned inhabitants stopped the illegal practice. The people realized that the populations of fish such as ‘danggit’ and shellfish like giant had dwindled as a result of the destruction of both mangrove fish sanctuary and coralline habitants.

The transformation of Tres Marias Islets into an eco-destination in Eastern Visayas was realized through the joint efforts of the municipal environment and natural resources office (MENRO), Palompon Institute of Technology, Gos, NGOs and the resolve of the constituents to join hands in protecting and preserving their nature-given resource. Local governance efforts were evident with their program on mangrove reforestation and adoption of zoning system for fisherfolks activities, and the no-shooting/catching of both endemic and migratory birds.

Marine resources assessment

An ongoing assessment of the islets’ marine resources shows a wide patch of sea-grass population. Among the identified species are Cymodea serrulata, Halodule uninervis, Enhalus acoroides, Halophila ovalis and Thalassia hemprechii); seaweeds with green species of Caulerpa, Halimeda and Ulva; brown Sargassum, Hydroclathrus, Turbinaria, Padina; and Dictyota; and red species of Laurencia, Gracilaria, Eucheuma and Kappaphycus.

The author’s own skin-diving observations confirm that some seaweed species present are edible, appropriately called sea vegetables, while others could be processed into consumer products or plainly as fertilizer.

The popular Siganid fish locally known as danggit, seems to have found the pristine blue, clean plankton-rich water in Palompon, their natural habitat. The peak of the harvest season of danggit is celebrated as a festival by Palomponons. The fish is processed or semi-processed and exported to Cebu and nearby provinces. One mangrove-dwelling sea snake called dog-faced snake (Cerberus rhybchos) has been recorded in Tabuk Islet.

Visitors without passports

The main attraction in Tres Marias Islets, specifically Tabuk, is the swarm of ‘visitors’ without passports – the ‘migratory birds.’ The presence of migratory birds complements the endemic bird population in the islets. Record shows 30 or more species of migratory birds dominated by shorebirds like Gray Plover, Pluvialis squatarola. Other visiting bird species are Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Gray-tailed tattler (Tringa brevipes), Kentish Plover (Charadius alexandrinus), Whimbrel (Numenius arquata), Mongolian Plover (Charadius mongoles) and Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes).

The Philippine Mallard (Anas luzonica), an endemic duck, has the biggest bird population reaching over 700 birds in the islets. Before sunrise, these wild ducks are seen fluttering on the northend of Tabuk and Gumalac Islets. Its foreign counterpart, Garganey Duck/Teal (Anas guerguedula) and Pintail (Anas acuta) pale in number, averaging 25 and 30 birds, respectively.

These migratory birds start their annual trek, riding on the wind and landing at Tres Marias Islets starting in September and stay until March of the same year. Apparently, the birds fly to Palompon to escape from the extreme winter weather condition in Russia, China and Siberia among others. After their Philippine stint, the birds return to their homelands where they breed and repeat the migratory cycle the following year.

Meanwhile, the resident birds aside from the Philippine Mallard, stay in the islets and vicinities all year round, specially the Brahminy Kite (Heliastas Indus), Philippine Bee-Eater (Merops philippinus) Yellow Vented Wren (Gerygone surfurea), also known as the "song bird of the mangroves," Mangrove Heron (Butorides striatus), Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamoneus), Rufus Night Heron (Nycticerax caledonicus), white collared Kingfisher (Halycon chloris), among others.

Amenities

The Eastern Visayas Eco-destination has amenities provided through the joint efforts of the LGU, GOs, NGOs, academe and concerned constituents of Palompon. MENRO is the over-all in-charge in ushering eco-tourists, students, professionals and local tourists providing orientation and guided tours around Tres Marias Islets nature complex.

A guided day-tour is done on board pumpboats and it takes at least three hours to cover the three islets, observing and appreciating nature’s wonders, such as a leafless tree adorned by hanging/resting big fruit bats – also known as Flying Fox. Some visitors want to walk through and appreciate the mangrove forest, be serenaded by twitting melodious sound of the yellow-vented wren or listen to a chorus of sounds from other birds as you stroll through bamboo-made boardwalk that criss-cross Tabuk Islet. Likewise, climb a concrete four-storey bird viewing and sunset tower and admire the seascape of Palompon and its adjacent coastal towns. Finally, you may settle in the stilt houses, built on coralline rocks, seen ‘afloat’ at high tide. It is in this facility that lectures/orientations are conducted and meals are served, take a cat-nap before continuing with the activities calendared for the day!

After dark, the main featured activity is the Marine Safari – the time for visitors to observe night activities of nocturnal animals like flying fish breaking the stillness of the night as they in cadence fly and splash the water. Other fishes are seen gliding alongside the pumpboat, while barracudas and swordfish show their swimming prowess and speed that will keep visitors awake till the wee hours of the night.

Mainland Palompon

Added to nature’s blessings in Palompon are two unexplored caves in Barangays Cruz and Liberty whose architecturally designed stalactites and stalagmites easily catch the visitors’ eyes. So successful are the LGUs and MENRO that both caves have remained untouched and kept from human intervention – their ‘contents’ have remained unknown. Apparently, the caves do not belong to the category of the now famous Tabon Caves of Palawan that this writer had personally visited. In the latter caves, burial jars, Chinese plates, beads and other human tools and ornaments are found, preserved in situ. Nearby Masaba Falls is inviting for a dip and feel its cool, clean and blue water to spice a day’s activities.

Also, further north of Tabuk Islet is an egg-shaped islet called Kalamgaman, sitting on sugar-fine white sand, dominantly populated with few coconut trees. The blue-water surrounding the islet is so inviting that a visitor is likely to dive, do snorkeling of scuba diving to complete his visit to this nature haven. Others may opt to lie flat on the sandy beach for a sandbath.

This islet, included in the strict implementation of fishing activities, shows a higher population of fish, regenerating corals, sea-grasses and seaweeds luxuriantly growing, spread around forming an underwater landscape.

Life among fisherfolks has greatly improved. Catch of commercial fish such as ‘danggit’ has become bountiful following the declaration of the Tres Marias Islets as Marine Park and Bird Sanctuary by the LGU of Palompon. MENRO also deserves much of the credit for implementation of the tenets of Coastal Resource Management Program (CRMP).

Traditional fishing practices in designated fishing zones help preserve the marine reserve and protect the floral and faunal environment, in general. The gradual increase in migratory birds, so-called visitors without passports, and the increasing population of resident bird species manifest he presence of favorable ecological conditions to the bird, including sustained supply of natural feeds in the Tres Marias Islets nature complex.

What needs to be done

The LGU and MENRO with the support of academe (Palompon Institute of Technology) and other concerned organizations/individuals should pool their resources in and urging President Arroyo to issue a proclamation declaring Tres Marias Islets as a marine protected area and make it truly the pride – of Eastern Visayas.

Also, they may seek the assistance of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB-DENR), to have Tres Marias Islets declared a wildlife sanctuary under the Ramsar Convention (RC). The RC recognizes critical wetlands of the world a wildlife sanctuary. In 1994, the Philippines became a signatory cum contracting party to the Ramcar Convention.

The Department of Tourism could be a factor in attracting tourists to this marine park and bird sanctuary of Eastern Visayas by including it among the Philippines new eco-destination spots. Also, this will encourage local tourism and eventually help improve the town’s revenue!

A strong governance by the LGU officials and sustained support by the Palomponons in preserving and protecting this nature’s gift may well place Palompon in the road map of Philippines Marine Park and Bird Sanctuary.