Since the resort offered manicure/pedicure, I asked the staff about the procedure in having one and how the nail clippers were sterilized. They said they just use coconut cream to wash the nails and some wooden branch to push the cuticle. I shuddered at the thought of unknowingly sharing those nail clippers with an infectious guest. We all know how HIV/AIDS can spread and it's not only through unprotected sex.
The danger of having these resorts operate without proper sanitation permits can result in having contaminated guests who are not in the right mind (at the time of detoxifying) to make sound judgment.
What irked me was the first time I met the owner, she ranted about her staff of 'stupid' Filipinos who can't carry out the simple tasks she assigns them and the corrupt mayor who didn't do anything about the sewage problem in El Nido. I thought, hey, she should learn how to respect local culture (which she calls rubbish Filipino ways) and if she doesn't like it, she may leave the country.
The thing is, Filipinos are too accommodating to a point of being taken advantaged of. Local officials should thoroughly check on these foreign-operated establishments since most of them do not respect our local culture. It's a shame to attract foreign tourists who are lured into experiencing "paradise" in a "Robinson Crusoe style setting" in one of the beautiful islands of Palawan. What a rip off! The staff are mostly natives of the island who are in need of jobs, so they have to bear the attitude of the management. Most of them aren't professionally trained to give therapies and there is absolutely no medical doctor or nurse available in the island. The staff could end up injuring themselves with the "energy work" they give.
Let's face it, I would rather experience authentic local therapies from the natives passed on from their elders than being treated with foreign sounding therapies with no substance to back it up. As a consolation, I enjoyed listening to local stories in the island infused with traditional practices and beliefs, plus those exciting treasure hunts in the caves nearby.
I went to visit the fishing village at the back of the resort and appreciated their really simple laid-back life. A simple shack that they built for their sea patroness, San Juan Bautista, serves as a church for their spiritual needs as they celebrate her feast this weekend. They just request a priest from the mainland to celebrate mass before they perform the fluvial procession. It is time to pay respects to the virgin as this year's sea harvest has totally dwindled.
As I was about to leave the island, I got billed for some local items I was about to take home. The staff told me it's free. There wasn't any price list in sight as if I've been pirated off the seas ala highway robbery. Was this their last attempt to squeeze me dry before I leave? I take it as a support to the natives in the island, if the money ever gets to them. It's just how these foreigners seem to take advantage of locals that make me shake my head in disgust. Well, our country has a history of being "raped" with our wealth of natural resources, how much more our people?
I'm back in El Nido where there seems to be a faint sign of civilization. I'm staying in a small room with a screenless window, overlooking the neighbor's bedroom across the narrow street. The theme song from "Titanic" blaring from the nearby karaoke gave me the sinking feeling that I'll be home soon. One day, I'll wake up from this dream of being in an island in Palawan where the 'Sleeping Princess Inabuyutan' lies across from my bed, seven dolphins passing by and butterflies flutter across the ever-changing seascapes. After all, no man is an island.