 |
| PACIFIC SEABOARD BATANES |
| Lower Mainland Batanes - The Old USCG LORSTA BATAN ISLAND in the distance. |
 |
|
| The realist sees the evil in all of us which is the Devil and the real world which is Hell. |
| The idealist sees the good in all of us which is God and the ideal world which is Heaven. |
| BEHIND THE NEWS |
| OTHER STORIES |
 |
| Batanes and Cyberspace Special to The Uyugan Times |
 |
|
|
|
| NEWS |
| << ARCHIVES >> |
| Surfing the Internet is educational and I've been reading tons of information about Batanes on the multitude of Ivatan websites, but nothing compared to my experience reading the writings of five Ivatans. I'm not a cyberspace person, but when one Ivatan directed me to one Ivatan website, little did I know that I'll come across some of the most interesting topics by some of the most interesting Ivatans. The five Ivatan writers and/or columnists were former Ivatan provincial legislator Ely Cataluna and his lady (Juliet), educator Joanne C. Narag and her son Demy, and Dr. Cely Navarro. I personally met cousin Ely and Juliet, as well as auntie Joanne and cousin Demy during my 1999 trip to the islands. I didn't have the slightest idea then that in less than a couple of years, I'll be reading their writings in the Internet, right at home and at the workplace. _________________________ _________________________ All the topics were interesting: Ely on illegal drugs and family values, Juliet on community spirit, Joanne on Beautiful Batanes, landscaping and dogs (Clean and Brown), Demy on urban congestion and Utopia, and the doc on the good auld days and Basco Beach. High alcohol consumption It's unfortunate that the problem of illegal drugs has reached our shores, but true to Ely's words, Ivatan traditional values are too formidable a force for this bane of society to gain a foothold in the islands. Although not as serious, another bane that must be addressed is the high alcohol consumption that borders on alcohol dependency. I don't have the statistics, but the per capita alcohol consumption of the Ivatans could be one of the highest in the civilized world. When I was there, I was an unwilling witness to people, sometimes whole families, fallen on the wayside by the bottle. I think it's time to battle the bottle, before it becomes really bad that we need detox centres. The article on "yaru" or community spirit by Juliet was interesting. I know the Ivatans have changed, and who wouldn't, but it was nice to know that this Ivatan custom or tradition has not been lost. Remember, it's the Ivatan character that makes us apart from the rest. The hardware (the islands' physical features or the islands themselves), we could find that elsewhere in the world, but not the software (the people, their culture, character and temperament). Spices and dogs Narag's "Spices" article was equally interesting, specially on the Clean and Green program. It looks like they've trimmed too much because she was complaining about the scraping of mother Earth and renamed it Clean and Brown. Only a Joanne Narag could write that! This comes as a surprise to me for when I visited, I found too much overgrowth along the sides of the highways, depriving motorists or travelers of a magnificent view of the beaches and fields. There must be balance, I think: something like a manicured lawn is preferable to an unkept lawn. A little trimming here and there could be done (Clean, Green and Beautiful in Narag's nomenclature), and still be true to the efforts at natural conservation. Joanne also touched on the dogs. Well, I stepped on a generous dropping on my way to the airport the last time. Two days before, I saw a couple of dogs doing there "own thing" on the street. It has nothing to do with droppings, if you know what I mean, rather something that's most natural in this whole wide world. My suggestion is to impound the stray, innocent dogs and fine the dog owners. A good source of municipal revenue. Double the fine for droppings, and triple for more serious acts, like ... , but is it a sin to reproduce? I'm also glad to know about employment and the environment in Batanes under the Clean and Green Program. I know most employment programs in Batanes are in government service and public administration, therefore, they fall under current operations. But I hope a reasonable ratio between current expenditures and capital expenditures, as well as salaries and wages and other operating expenditures, will continue to be maintained by all levels of government for an improved quality of life, not just for today, but for tomorrow and for our children and children's children. Salaries and wages, benefit mainly those directly employed, and to a lesser extent the community as a whole. There should be more expenditures in the construction of community centres with libraries and computer rooms for the barangays, or an expansion of the existing barangay halls for the purpose. Demy's description of Batanes was synonymous to Utopia. There's no place like home, indeed. The unfortunate part is that many of us choose to deprive ourselves of the islands. Far from the madding crowd is the name of the game. On urban congestion, Manila or the national capital is one of the most densely populated cities of the world. Encouragement of out-migration from this heavily congested area by creating regional hubs or mini-Manilas (without the congestion) must remain a government priority. Build the infrastructure to encourage industries and businesses to move out of the big city. The Batanes Capitol defaced? Youth! Nostalgia! That in a couple of words partly describe Cely's article. We all lament the lost of youth and our natural environment. Today, we lost the pristine beauty of Basco Beach and its clear, blue waters. The beach is now an environmental nightmare. The waters now has a brownish hue with the rusted hulk of an LST ship resting right at the beach. Not so very long ago in our youthful days, the harbour was clean and the wharf spotless, probably because it was not that often used, although it comes very much alive when an LST calls port. It looks like we've deprived today's youth the enjoyment of the natural beauty that was ours when we were young. I feel sad seeing the kids of today swimming in those murky waters. It could be a health hazard, and people, specially children, should not be allowed to swim in those areas without prior testing of the waters. With the doubling of the Basco population, it's possible that the untreated waters of the town may have saturated the soil and drained into the bay area. I know Basco waters are not as polluted compared to other places, but that should not make us complacent. Cely also touched on the faceless capitol building and asked: Where is the front? I could only say: That was a very good question. Defacement of historical sites is a crime There's no question The Batanes Capitol, the seat and symbol of our government, was defaced. This is a historical building, and I'm afraid the historical people didn't perform a good job in this one. Besides, where in the world would you find a public building without a front entrance? In a less open society, you understand, for their leaders just sneak by the side entrances to avoid the people, but not in an open society like Batanes. I think we are too civilized and too tolerant in Batanes, because in a less tolerant or no non-sense society, defacement of historical sites is a crime punishable by jail sentence, and it doesn't matter who the perpetrators are, be they big or small, weak or strong, powerful or not so powerful. To be honest, leaders or public officials cannot do that here in Canada without them seeing the inside of a jail. I hope the front steps of the capitol will be restored. Utopia revisited If there is one thing in common on the topics of these Ivatans, it was that Batanes has changed, and yet hasn't really changed. But change it must, and hopefully for the best. Indeed, there was change and progress, but not without a price. As family and friends knew, my 1999 trip to the islands was my first in 17 years (to fulfill a trip that was planned when my mother was still around). Nevertheless, during all the years of my absence, I was well informed and educated of the changes in Batanes. Also, my expectations of Batanes were well within reason, being your typical Ivatan with preference for country lifestyle and the simplest of things. Still, nothing prepared me to experience Batanes after having been away for so many years. Aware as I was of the changes, the Batanes on my mind prior to the trip was still one that hardly changed in make up, but with electricity and better local transportation. A Batanes with narrow but clean streets and houses with generous yard spaces. How wrong or ignorant I was. I suppose the Batanes of the 1970s or early 1980s never left my mind. I suppose the Utopia that was Batanes then, at least for me, remained firmly imbedded on my mind. Most of the changes are welcomed. In addition to electricity and local transportation, telecommunications has improved. There are more secondary and post-secondary educational institutions today. Also, more employment opportunities albeit in government service. Interprovincial trade has increased as well. Et cetera. But we cannot win them all. We win some and we lose some. Air transportation on demand [The following was an account of my trip almost two years ago. It's partly outdated for it was reported that negotiations are underway for a new forty-seater airplane to service the islands. I don't completely subscribe to deregulation and privatization, specially in a less-developed economy, but I hope it works in Batanes. In theory, it means better service and lower fares due to competition, but it doesn't always work that way.] One unwelcomed change is the apparent less air worthiness of the airplanes that link us to the rest of the country, but it could be argued that the frequency has improved. Call today's air service to Batanes "air transportation on demand." This air transportation problem, if we can call it that, is one of some areas that deregulation or privatization has affected Batanes in a negative way, although others could argue for the positive side for we all see things differently. My first hand experience with the air transportation "situation" (I'll call it a situation rather than a problem which is too subjective) took place beyond the shores of Batanes when Auntie Maring met me at Manila's International Airport and quickly accompanied me to the Domestic Airport to board an old and rusted airplane for a special LIA flight to Batanes that happened to leave at that very hour. For me it was like a connecting flight. It takes time to acclimatize, and to be honest to everybody else and to myself, it was a shocker to be boarding an airplane that I knew would have been grounded or destined for the scrap-yard in Canada. Progress? What progress? The PAL planes that I took to Batanes in the good, old days of the 1970s and early 1980s were new and modern. We're heading home and that's all that matters The initial shock was followed by another shocker (aftershock) aboard the airplane when auntie told me that the roundtrip Manila-Basco return fare had made me poorer by 7,000 pesos. In addition, she told me, I paid 3,000 pesos for my luggage. I said to myself, this could not be right (or fair) for I paid 22,000 pesos (it's now 30,000 pesos due to forex fluctuation) for the low-season Toronto-Manila return fare which included my 2 pieces of luggage. It's 50 per cent higher for high-season. The shocks, notwithstanding, it was like auld tymes aboard the plane except for the evidence of some rusts here and there, but what more would a poor Ivatan like myself wish for - we're heading home and that's all that matters. Unfortunately, there was thunderstorm in Batanes and we landed and stayed overnight in Laoag City. The following morning we boarded the same airplane and I must have been acclimatized for I hardly noticed it's old, and I hardly noticed it's rusted. I was looking forward to seeing modern day Batanes. Right island, wrong town? This is your captain speaking! Fasten seatbelts! Air turbulence! They all sound familiar to Ivatans. It was smooth flying up to that point. I looked out the window and I saw fleeting clouds, then I looked down and I saw choppy seas. It must be home! Indeed, we were nearing the islands, but severe weather disturbance is not always synonymous to Batanes. The pilot was actually looking for a cloud-opening as we approached the islands preparatory to landing. Touchdown! We landed safely at Basco and my first trip was to the airport terminal's washroom or CR (comfort room). Guess what? I was greeted with a dysfunctional toilet with no running water. It was another shocker for it was not that bad in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was not flush toilet then but it was not smelly. I believe it's well within our resources to fix this necessity to reasonable standards. Cousin Danny met us at the airport and on the short drive to Uncle Nick's house, I hardly recognized the streets. Was I in the wrong town? The Basco of auld with houses of generous yard spaces that were typical of Ivatan towns was gone. Instead, many of the houses and additions were built up to the very edge of the street. I know it's downtown living now and with it the maximum use of space, but it's still a shocker to me. I noticed a structure or few made of flimsy materials. Back in the 1960s, my kitchen as a student was one of few shacks, but not along a main street. Anyway, I was told there's now zoning and building code, but the typhoons that frequent the islands at the time had been the best enforcers of some parts of the building code. Gone was the Basco town of old that was so different from a non-Ivatan town. In the old days, a visit to Basco, specially from Manila, gives one a unique feeling that you're indeed in Batanes. There was that Ivatan atmosphere or "Ivatanness" that makes you feel you're at home or among the Ivatans. Not anymore, at least not to this poor soul, anyway. It's almost like a non-Ivatan town now, but that's the price of progress. After the courtesy call at the Narag residence, we drove south and stopped by auntie Maring's residence in Mahatao. The town was clean and still has the characteristics of an Ivatan town. We continued the trip south with some stretches of the highway between Mahatao and Ivana in need of some surface maintenance as opposed to the "smooth" ride in the good, old days. With more vehicles on the road, it's natural that the highway is subject to more wear and tear, but it was better maintained in the 1970s and early 1980s. However, the stretch of highway between the town proper of Uyugan and Imnajbu was for the most part paved with asphalt. It was gravel road as late as the early 1980s. Home at last! We reached Imnajbu (My Boondocks Hideaway), and guess what? Another shocker. I was greeted by a shack built right at the main intersection of the village. There was none when I was last there in 1982. Can't they build stone houses anymore? Home at last! The old house was in the middle of what can best be called banana and coconut plantations. Back in the good, old days I've a magnificent view of the beach and the horizon where the sky meets the sea on one side, and the meadows and hills that almost ring the village on the other. Not anymore. Visually challenged by the banana and coconut groves, I tried to look out to the hillsides and meadows and noticed they haven't been cultivated for quite some time. Too much overgrowth. Don't they farm anymore? Don't they raise cattle anymore? What happened to the Imnajbian or Ivatan work ethic? Globalization and the technological revolution must have touched my tiny place in the sun! Really? My conclusion based on the initial observation was that the economy (or non-economy) has changed from subsistence-farming to hobby farming. That the economy has shifted from agriculture to services (government service), resource-based to knowledge-based, old economy to new economy? I looked towards the ocean and I could see a dying beach. The beach was destroyed by the soil erosions from the hillsides brought about by the carving and re-carving of hills for the construction of roads or cow paths, all in the name of temporary employment, and probably unconscious of the environmental impact. I entered the house and noticed a thing on the wall that was not there when I last visited home. I switched it on and behold: let there be light. That's progress. But the eroded landscapes remained on my mind. Batanes a protected area If we have to carve hills to build roads, then they must be naturally landscaped for minimal erosion, otherwise, they could contravene the status of Batanes as a protected area. The natural landscape is not for us to destroy. The following day I walked down the beach, and it was indeed damaged. There was mud or silt underneath the waters. It was clean sand in the good, old days. I know a storm surge or strong waves by a typhoon could correct this, but we must also do our part. Clean, Green and Beautiful? Go ask Auntie Joanne, the favourite daughter of Imnajbu. She used to swim the clean waters of that sandy beach. Observations of an Ivatan true to his roots My revisit to Batanes, or shall I say, Utopia, was a wonderful experience. I'm more educated now on Batanes. I'm not as ignorant as before on our home province. Our province has changed but it's still Batanes: the Batanes of the year I visited as opposed to the Batanes of a decade or decades earlier. Batanes will keep moving on for we cannot stand still in an ever-changing world. The province will continue to evolve, whether we like it or not. I've seen change and progress in Batanes. I've seen both the price and the prize of progress. Now, the greatest challenge is on how to balance the costs and benefits of progress, the price and prize of development. The challenge will not be easy, but I see no reason why Ivatans can't prove equal to it. These are observations of an Ivatan true to his roots and to himself and not meant as criticisms of the home islands. It's an attempt to see both the good and the not so good. I know we all have different perspectives of Batanes, but what really matters is for us to see both ways or all ways (the good and the not so good). For in so doing, we can effect changes in how we do things and in how we live our lives for the good of Batanes and the Ivatans. IFDCI and Bandillo Batanes The interesting phenomenon of reading in cyberspace some of the most interesting writings on Batanes by some of the most interesting Ivatans would have not been possible without the technical expertise of the management and staff of IFDCI and the editorial staff of Bandillo Batanes. My gratitude goes to all of them. I could hardly wait for the next online topics. DIOS MAMAJES! - vbc, December 2000 |
 |