What's On & Expat - Philippines

A local fisherman
checking his catch

Text By Jacqueline L. Ong
Photos By Butch C. Bonsol and Jacqueline L. Ong

Fishermen leisurely walking after a day’s work

Children playing along the shore

The author whizzing past the seacoast

Like in anything, it is always a good feeling when you encounter a new experience in something that has become so familiar.
   Beaches are a common sight in the Philippines and while others say that once you’ve been to the best ones, you won’t enjoy the average ones anymore, I’m a fervent believer that each place is special in its own way and has something to offer no matter how ordinary it may seem.
   The beaches of San Roque in Northern Samar might not boast of the powdery white sand shores like those of the more popular tourist spots, but it makes up for its expansive coast that has never seen a pound of concrete. Here, the gushing waves are in full view from the unruffled seaside. And one can enjoy the pleasant vista—the horizon, the sunlight peeking through the clouds, the bubbly waters combing the wet sand—as they lay there, bare and untainted. From where I sat, I occasionally saw locals leisurely walking past the shore, for a quick breather perhaps or maybe they were on their way from work in the seas.
   It can’t get any more relaxing than when San Roque Mayor Andre Avalon whizzed us through the seacoast on his motorcycle. The light breeze against my face, the occasional splashes of seawater… there’s truth to the adage that the best things in life are indeed free.
   Mayor Avalon admits that his town is not yet ready for commercial tourism, fearing its detrimental side effects. He shares, however, that the nearby smooth currents of Pambujan hold so much potential for parasailing, snorkeling and even scuba diving.

The flat mountain facing the Pacific Ocean is also ideal for a golf course in which a retired German banker had shown interest in putting up. Then there’s also Tabon Island, the habitat of the exotic Tabon Bird. And since the current is towards the town, San Roque apparently is the site of some sunken Spanish galleons , piquing the interest of treasure hunters.
   For now, the municipality is gearing up its drive to pave the roads and electrify the remote areas of its 16 barangays. And with foreign investments such as the expansive jatropha (its oil is used for making bio-diesel) plantation of a group of Koreans, San Roque would no doubt be on the roadmap to success in the future. And wherever San Roque would be say, five years from now, I’m content to know that before commercialism takes its toll, I got first dibs and saw its extreme possibilities when it was still a simple town.

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