All about Camiguin

Right after my article of my travails in going to Camiguin via Super Shuttle Ferry, I received a forwarded text message from my Camiguin contact. It is from one of my fellow passengers: "...duol nami abot. 10am na wala pa mi kaon. Dugay kaau larga ang boat mga 10 pm na. Guba na ni among oras. Walay aircon ang tourist sa gawas mi natulog. Paet kaau inig uli namo mao gihapon. Ambot naa ba mi mahimo pag change amo accommodation to 3rd class. Grabe jud alimoota! BUTCH (Enerio, a Mindanao-based contributor of The Freeman Lifestyle), PLS. DO SOMETHING! Sayang atong efforts!" ("we are almost there. It's 10am and we have not eaten anything. The boat departed so late at already 10pm. Our schedule is shut. No aircon in the tourist class so we slept outside. It is terrible to consider that we will experience the same thing on the way back. I wonder if we can change our accommodations to third class. It was horribly hot!") Obviously, that last portion was from an LGU official or someone from DOT who asked media help from Butch who, in turn, forwarded the message to me.

I am glad to know that something is being done to address the concerns I have ventilated through my column space. I learned that the Cebu Provincial Board passed a resolution asking the proper authorities to investigate the state of shipping in the region and its effects on tourism efforts...the very same points I raised in my last column article. Thank you so much, provincial board members, for getting a hand to rectify a long-standing problem of ships plying secondary and tertiary routes among our islands. Especially if these ships are charging as high as reliable shipping companies that really deliver a good service, like Cebu Ferries. The traveling public is shortchanged and greatly inconvenienced.

I was expecting, at least, an apology from Super Shuttle Ferry. In fact, they should offer to refund the cost of my cabin ticket which is about P1,200, if not double it for the hell of a time I spent, sleepless, on their dilapidated boat. But not a squeak from them. That's excellent customer service for you!

But being in Camiguin makes you forget all the travails you have just undergone. Good thing for me, unlike that hapless co-passenger of mine, I still managed to watch the ritual performances of the contingents in the afternoon when we were given seats onstage as guests of the DOT-10 Regional Director Butch Chan. I may have missed the street parade but I managed to watch unimpeded the performing prowess of the contingents. They are indeed good and the costumes, props and accessories are impressive in quality and color scheme. No wonder the Camiguin contingent has been a consistent Sinulog winner in the last few years that they came to participate in our biggest fiesta.

We went to submerge ourselves in the therapeutic hot springs in Ardent, now managed by the LGU. The facilities need improvement but are in place, like clean toilets where one can take a bath before leaving the premises. But bathrooms must be separate from the water closets. The restaurant serves delicious food. We brought fresh catch from Mantegui Island where we spent the early part of the morning - catching the sunrise at sea. The restaurant staff grilled and made "kinilaw" of the various fish we had. Then, they made a lovely soup of the clams. Hmmmm! Just the thought of it made my mouth water!

There are a number of good accommodations in the island now, places that we can be proud to show visitors. The Casa Grande, where we stayed, is an ancestral house of an old political family that is now a cozy hotel. Our bedroom was huge with a high ceiling, but the bathroom has hot & cold running water. The Camiguin Highland Resort, with the tip of a volcano as background, is a refreshing retreat with fruit-laden lanzones trees in the sprawling gardens. The Resident Manager - Eddie Dignos - used to be with F & B Banquets when I was PR Manager of Cebu Plaza Hotel. It is always a heartwarming moment to meet former co-workers in the most unlikely places.

Camiguin is touted to be an island that has more volcanoes than towns. There are volcanoes in every which way you turn and springs - hot or cold - everywhere. The lanzones trees are along the highway, in small gardens, in plazas and in hotel properties. Life is redolent of fruits and flowers, laid-back, faith-laden and simply beautiful.