Padre Burgos, Quezon: The rocks and the white sands of Borawan

Borawan in pictures is impressive.

 It makes for panoramic photos... the towering rocks with the lush island vegetation on the background, the white sand beach and azure waters on the foreground. Well, it is all that and more.

Unlike popular tourism destinations like Puerto Galera and Boracay, the place has no resorts. You go  there and you get  none of the usual amenities provided by hotels and resorts. No parties. No bars.

Going to Borawan means being prepared to sleep in a tent and bringing and cooking your own food. Well, there is actually a compromise for those who do not want to be encumbered by all the cooking stuff. If what you want is to swim and worry about nothing, you have to make sure to make prior arrangements with one of the organizers in Padre Burgos. They will take care of organizing your boats, tents and food at an extra cost of course. Borawan after all is not for the hardcore going back to basic experience

That is what my friend did, which is lucky since, we arrive in the island very late in the evening.

We were ravenous upon arrival at the island so the first thing we did was to unpack the food. It was a long journey for my friends who came from Manila. Without traffic, estimated travel time aboard a private car would just be around 4-5 hours. It was not the case for them. They started off from Quezon city at around 1 in the afternoon. They were only able to pick me up in Lucena at around 6 in the evening. From Lucena to Padre Burgos is  another hour  travel. On top of that is an extra hour wandering along the Zigzag Road or Bituka ng Manok of  Quezon National Forest Park. Yes, we got lost. Since signal is intermittent, we lost google maps and ended up driving up that route for another hour or so before we realized that we took the wrong road. Took us another forty minutes to travel back and meet up with more friends at Holy Cross Church, the designated meet up place in Padre Burgos.  Last leg of the journey from Padre Burgos to Borawan is another 15 minutes.

In a way, it was nice that we arrived late in the evening. Almost everyone in the island were settled in and were either sleeping or quietly sharing a beer or two which they brought with them in one of the cottages. We had the exclusive use of the beach after dinner when we decided to take a dip in its clear, inviting waters. For those who wonder, the swimming area is lighted. I am still unsure where the power supply comes from since they are not connected to the mainland. Either they have a generator somewhere which I cannot hear or they generate electricity through solar panels.

To keep the jellyfishes out, the swimming area is netted. The nets don’t seem to be doing a good job though judging by the number we saw while we were swimming. Good thing we were forewarned so we were extra careful. Nobody got stung. I couldn’t say the same for the jellyfishes. Some of those in our group, took the task of catching some of these giant jellyfishes which wandered in the swimming area and releasing them back in the ocean. There is high probability that some of those jellyfishes caught and released back were hurt in the process.

One of the giant jellyfishes enjoying a quick dip in the waters with us.

The next day while waiting for breakfast, we kayaked. They have some for rent in the island for the price  of 300 pesos/person/hour. It was fun. We managed to go around one of the promontories close by and saw a good number of jellyfish along the way. Some were brown. Others were pinkish and then there were the translucent ones. Interesting! I have to admit I do not know much about these creatures.

After that, we boarded a boat and travelled an hour to reach to Puting Buhangin which is next to Kwebang Lampas where we had another dip in the ocean. There were less jellyfishes here for sure. Only thing is  the beach is actually very short and there are no designated docking places for boats. They would come and go in the same area where people are swimming. I nearly got hit twice. Those boats are swimming hazards.

No doubt, the waters in Puting Buhangin look inviting. Problem boats land exactly where people swim. Since the beach is actually small, there is no space designated as docking area  and no space specifically for swimming.

In retrospect, would I recommend Borawan? I do not think so. Not because it is not worth visiting but because it does not appear to be coping with the tourism and that there does not seem to be a long term eco-tourism plan for its sustainability.

The management seems to be bent on cashing in on the number of people wanting to visit the place that they disregarded to put in systems to maintain cleanliness and sustainability. There is an entrance fee of 80 pesos, which I guess covers the security guard and the use the toilet and the shower. However, after that visitors have to pay rent for almost everything- cottage, tent space, tent, boats.  I love the idea of not putting up resorts in the place and people who want to visit will have to camp. What this means though is that people will camp only a few meters from the beach since unlike the beaches of Puerto Galera or Pagudpud, the beach in Borawan is actually too narrow. I saw for sure that the water from the shower goes right back into ocean.  I wonder if it is the same with the sewage from the toilet. When tourists also visit, they bring with them everything and that includes all the junk-plastic utensils, plastic bag, food wrappers.  What happens with all these waste after? Do they bring them back to the mainland for disposal?

I can see Borawan as a potential eco-tourism destination. In my mind, my rough idea would be: First, maintain the concept of going back to the basic—tents and all but make the entrance fee inclusive of tent space and the use of kitchen utensils and amenities like common kitchen, running water, well maintained toilets. This would mean less disposable stuff (i.e. disposable plates, cups, forks and spoons) coming from the mainland. In addition, collecting a separate fee for tent space (which management is doing at present at a cost of 200 php/night) on top of 220 php entrance fee for overnight guests and tent rental at 500 php is preposterous. It is like paying for a mid range resort room without the comforts that come with it.

Second, have a designated mess area and tent area in order to manage sanitation, security and privacy better. As of now, the system is you pitch your tent next to the cottage (mess area and hangout area) you rented. The next visitors would probably be pitching their tent right where the previous campers spilled the soup. A designated tent area  would also translate to more privacy for those who are in the tents. I was awakened by the sound of passers by on their way to the toilets and the beach.

Then probably, have the toilets and shower much, much farther away from the water.

Well, that is just me thinking out loud. What do I know? I am just another traveler trying to see as much as I can before I get claimed by the bosoms of Mother Earth.