For years, I have been hearing from OMI confreres that the Philippines has its own version of Venice where waterways and bridges, instead of roads, characterize the place just like its European counterpart. This description has captured my imagination and dream, because Venice occupies a very special niche in my heart on account of my years of stay in Italy.



We took a “slow” boat from Bongao to Sitangkai. As we neared the place, I was struck by the natural and unadulterated beauty of other islands such as Sibutu, Tumindao, Sipangkot, and Omapuy. Their white beaches look like refined sugar. I was told that these islands’ coral reefs stretch into Darbel Bay in Malaysia. Millions of years ago, these coral reefs formed the ancient land bridge that connected the Philippines to Asia. It served as a “highway” of the earlier animal migrations into the Philippines. The monkey, flying lemur, civet, boar and tarsier took this route into the country.

From the “jambatan” (pier), we took a “teririt” (a small pump-boat whose engine gives a “teririt” noise, hence the name) to navigate the waterways into the heart of the town. The sheer beauty of the town center sitting right in the middle of the coral reefs with its natural waterways is simply beyond description. The romantic wooden walks and bridges crisscrossing the waterways are, definitely, no match to the marbles and granites of San Marco Cathedral, piazzas and palaces of its European counterpart. But Sitangkai’s natural beauty and environs speak not of human handiwork but of God’s.

At one time, Sitangkai flourished as a major trading post in the tradition of barter trade between the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. While it still remains a commercial hub for all the nearby islands and islets, it no longer has the zest and dynamism of international barter trading, because of arbitrary borders and regulations imposed on peoples who, since time immemorial, have actually known no borders except the capability of their boats. Well, Sitangkai is the southernmost municipality of the Philippines and on a clear day one sees in the horizon the mountains of Sabah, Malaysia.

The place is enchanted and the people that inhabit the place are very friendly, peaceful and equally enchanting. The experience of walking through the foot walks and bridges as we window-shop is an experience akin to a walk ala-Alice in Wonderland! The best is to sit in one of the footbridges and simply watch the busy market as people come and go with their “teririt”, “temper” (a bigger pump-boat) and speedboats.

Today, Sitangkai is the biggest producer of seaweeds in Tawi-Tawi. Seaweed farmers from all places in mainland Mindanao have found livelihood in the limitless coral reefs that now serve as farms in the middle of the Sulu Sea. The bustling market and seaweeds farming brought the Christian migrants to this last frontier of the country. The increasing demand for seaweeds worldwide and the months of good price for seaweeds have provided the occasion for the few Christian “farmers” to celebrate the fiesta of San Lorenzo Ruiz with a bang. With “flaglets” planted on both sides of the foot-walks, the few Christians in town had their annual fiesta with their guests from the neighboring islands, islets and “pondok” (group of houses in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the vast Sulu Sea). Our group included Bishop Angelito Lampon, Fr. Somphone (Laos), Fr. Raul (Sibutu), and some lay leaders from the capital town of Bongao. We joined the pastor of Sitangkai, Fr. Marcelo Andamon, OMI, in the celebration of their annual fiesta.



But not all is beautiful and good in this idyllic paradise. Comes the low tide, the ugly face of Sitangkai is revealed. It is appalling to behold tons of garbage – plastics, cans, bottles and many more – destroy the natural beauty of the place. People throw their garbage into the waterways and this has been going on for years. At the beginning, they thought that the garbage would be washed away during the night or early morning when the high tide comes and they could begin a new day with a clean environment. But the “fruits” of this bad habit have come back to haunt them with a vengeance.

To make the place reclaim the title “Venice of the South”, everyone, and hopefully with the leadership of the local government unit, will have to embark on a huge environmental clean-up of the canals and waterways that are the pride of Sitangkai and the province. There is the urgent call to sound the alarm, because the garbage of Sitangkai threatens to destroy not only our own natural version of Kevin Costner’s “Water World” but also the vast seaweed farms that have now become the major industry of the province.

Sitangkai is a tiny settlement, which is barely one square kilometer in size. With the political will of the LGU and the cooperation of its inhabitants, the urgent environmental clean-up is doable. Talking to some leaders in the community during my brief stay in the place, I was informed that the cleaning of the waterways was done before though not sustained. There are no if’s and but’s, we need to respond quickly and thoroughly, with all our strength and will, to the impending environmental catastrophe that menaces the destruction of this paradise in the middle of the Sulu Sea.

The other urgent concern in the place is the fast disappearance of the mangroves. There is an existing working model when it comes to rehabilitation of the mangroves. Mayor Edward Hagedorn of Puerto Princesa City has, in a much larger scale, shown the way not only in re-inventing his city as one of the world’s eco-friendly cities but also in replanting mangroves. No doubt, the Sitangkai LGU can follow the way of Puerto Princesa even in a much smaller scale.

The ARMM–DENR and the provincial leadership including the lone congressional representative of Tawi-Tawi, Rep. Nur Ja’afar, have to assist the LGU in Sitangkai in this great challenge of environmental clean-up and rehabilitation of the mangroves. At the same time, the environment is not only the concern and responsibility of the ARMM, the province and the LGU. It is everybody’s concern. Our commitment to the care of the planet invites us to come to the rescue wherever and whenever the environment is menaced. Before it is too late, come and let us join hands with the LGU in saving Sitangkai – the Venice of the South!

Bud means mountain in the local language. Bud Bongao or simply Bud (Bongao Peak) is a majestic landmark that welcomes visitors to the Emerald Isles also known as Tawi-Tawi. Coming by air or by sea, the first sight from afar that captivates the eyes is the towering Bud that tells all and sundry that landfall is near. The Bud is a towering and forbidding sight that dominates the Sulu Sea.

Bud Bongao rose from the bottom of the sea thousands of years ago in a great volcanic eruption that created the mainland Tawi-Tawi and other adjacent islands. This geological cataclysm had produced not only the enchanting Bud but also tells the origin of the Sama people. This perhaps explains the intermittent eruption of violence in an otherwise very peaceful province.

The Bud is not only known for its fascinating beauty but also for its enchanting “mystique”. The Bud is deemed as sacred as it is the abode of the spirits or “jinns”. People go up the peak to appease the spirits and the “jinns” that disturb the lives of the peoples in the valley. People, whether Muslims or Christians, believe that the “jinns” that inhabit the Bud are intimately connected to the people who live below, as well as to the land and sea. It is this mystique or magic that makes the Bud a “holy mountain”.

The town of Bongao sits right at the foot of the Peak. It is the capital town of the province. In 1973, when the dictator Marcos decided to empower the Sama people, he gave them a province of their own by carving the province of Tawi-Tawi from its mother, the Sulu province. But a good intention, even if backed by a dictator’s decree, is never self-implementing! Thus after more than three decades of existence, the province of Tawi-Tawi as instrument of empowerment for the Sama people remains an elusive dream or a promise that has turned sour.

Many are blaming the dictator’s henchman, Romulo Espaldon, for the wrong turn of events in the province. They claim that from day one of the Sama province, the Sama people had always been marginalized. The same “wrong” was repeated when Marcos created the Autonomous Region IX. Thus, for more than 30 years and still counting, the political power of the province of Tawi-Tawi has remained in the hands of the Tausugs.

There is nothing wrong with the Tausugs as a people. But by design and intent, their sphere of influence should have been the province of Sulu with its two Congressional Districts. The very rationale of the creation of the province of Tawi-Tawi was precisely to give the Sama people a voice and political power. Why this is NOT happening is another story of the kind of politics and political manipulation in the South.



Yet, if there is a place in the planet earth to pilot tolerance and peace, Bongao would easily be a nominee. Muslims and Christians live side by side in peace and harmony. Except for the “outsiders”, the inhabitants speak Sama regardless of faith and provenance. They respect their respective feasts and they are not bothered by their differences. They, too, have learned to live together and continue to try to become neighbors to each other. This good relation is true also among the schools and colleges in the place. Mindanao State University, Notre Dame of Bongao and other non-sectarian schools in the town work together for a peaceful and better Bongao.

As said earlier, there are also violent strands in this very peaceful place. Though people of Bongao refer to them as “outsiders”, they equally claim the place. The growing numbers of religious fanatics who are intolerant of differences among peoples, nations and communities become the source of frictions and new insecurities in the place. There is no ready answer to this phenomenon but simply to remind people over and over again that religious intolerance is a proven source of disaster for peoples and places alike. True people of God no longer present religions in opposition to one another but as partners for the good and well-being of the citizens and the planet.

The other “outsiders” often referred to are the “masasamang loob”. They come to the shores of Bongao and other islands to disturb the peace and make trouble for the community. They steal, kidnap and destroy good relations in the community. The generic name given to them are Abu Sayyaf. They are definitely considered as “outsiders” and the peoples are helpless to ward them off. Sad to say, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is of little help against these “masasamang loob”. Like magic, they (PNP) often “disappear” when these “masasamang loob” appear in the horizon. With the presence of Marines and the Navy in the islands, the inhabitants feel, more or less, secure.

I believe that in a paradise like Bongao and some islands in the Emerald Isles, the local government, with strong political will and ethical governance, can truly make a difference in improving the lives of its peoples and jumpstart the development of the place. The province of Tawi-Tawi and specifically the capital town of Bongao with their diverse peoples, rich resources and magical islands and islets can easily be the Shangri-la of the Philippines.

In my last visit to Bongao, I had the privilege of having the company of Atty. Lorenzo Reyes, the former OIC Governor during the time of President Corazon Aquino. He is now overseeing the electrification projects within the ARMM. He is NO “outsider”. He is a native! His folks belonged to the original public teachers brought to the Archipelago of Sulu when General Tasker Bliss of the famed Moro Province brought governance and education to the islands. Though he was a man from the University of the Philippines and Harvard University, he speaks and acts like one of Oblate missionaries who can swim in the seas of loneliness, isolation and “hopelessness”. Why? Because they are either nuts or they are a people who are passionately in love with the peoples and the islands. I believe it is the latter!

While celebrating the fiesta of Bongao parish, I had a good discussion about Tawi-Tawi and the development of Mindanao with PNB Vice President for Western Mindanao, Tess Uy-Sebastian. She, too, is a woman of great passion for Mindanao. With these people around, no doubt, development, progress and modernization are coming to the last frontier of the land. It begins in Bongao. The capital town has electricity, internet, cable TV and cell and land phone services for 24 hours. Sanga-Sanga has cell sites and electricity from 6 pm to midnight. Other islands like Sitangkai and Sibutu and Tongehat would have electricity hopefully before the end of the year. Smart and Globe towers have become symbols in many islands announcing to all that modernization has come!

(Next: The Venice of the South)

The “itch” to revisit the province of Tawi-Tawi was first felt when I heard the tragic news of the brutal murder of Fr. Reynaldo Roda, OMI, last January 15, 2008, in Tabawan in the Municipality of South Ubian, Tawi-Tawi. It came as a jolt of great intensity that raised some unnerving questions about the places and peoples of Tawi-Tawi.

Tawi-Tawi has always been known to me as Emerald Isles not only because of the beautiful islands, beaches and coral reefs but also for the “pacific” Sama peoples that compose more than 70% of the population of the province. The islands of Tawi-Tawi are undoubtedly the most beautiful in the planet. They are home to rare species of flora and fauna. A coffee-table book entitled “Tawi-Tawi – the Philippines’ Southernmost Frontier,” published in 2001, speaks of the riches of the province in terms of its marine ecosystems, which combined with Sulawesi Seas, form the largest in the world. “It holds 30% of the world’s coral reefs, four hundred known species of marine algae, six of seven species of marine turtles, at least twenty-three species of marine mammals and one hundred four species of birds”. The region also is the host to one of the newly-discovered wonders of the world, the Tubbataha Reef that holds the marine treasures of the Philippines.

Why such a beautiful and peaceful place became the scene of a brutal murder beyond description remains a mystery to many. The gory of murder speaks of a heinous crime against humanity. But the face and the work of the victim raise a question that continues to unsettle the living.

Years back when the racial divide between whites and blacks engendered untold cruelties and violence in the US, a novel, “To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Nelle Harper Lee, was published to challenge the morality of the so-called “upright” men and women. “To condemn an innocent man because of the color of his skin is like killing a mocking bird”. No, you do not kill a mocking bird, says the book.

The above story echoes, in many ways, the murder of Fr. Rey. His life was a story of love for the people of Tabawan and for the Emerald Isles a.k.a. Tawi-Tawi. He believed that the powerful and effective way to empower the Sama people in their poverty and powerlessness is through quality education. He worked indefatigably to make Notre Dame of Tabawan (NDT) one of the top high schools in the province notwithstanding its meager resources. NDT has become a regular top performer in all academic contests in the province. And he literally begged his friends and associates for scholarships to send the top-rate students of NDT to college, believing and hoping that becoming professionals would be the “way out” from the conditions that continue to dis-empower the “little” people in the remote islands.

Tabawan, Sibutu, Sitangkai, Batu-Bato, Mapun and Bongao are the few places where the Notre Dame school system is making a difference in these Emerald Isles. They do not have large budgetary allocations and political powers – literally neither money nor gold – but the values they stand for, and their commitment to uplift the peoples and the province continue to work wonders.

The “itch” that I spoke about at the beginning of the story is to rediscover anew these values and to retrieve that commitment and idealism of the Oblate missionaries and their partners in these isles somewhere in the middle of nowhere—the Sulu Sea. I decided to undertake the journey that “I may see again...” Bishop Angelito Lampon, OMI of the Vicariate of Jolo provided the occasion for the visit as he celebrated the annual “fiestas” of the Christian communities in these Emerald Isles.



I had to do basic study again about the province since my visit in the area was about ten years ago. The coffee-table book I mentioned earlier came in handy. I was immediately struck by the book’s dedication – “To the people of Tawi-Tawi whose love for peace and harmony has prevailed…” This was a sort of epitaph that precisely challenged the misgivings that have crept into my consciousness after three Oblate friends—Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, OMI (February 4, 1997 in Jolo), Fr. Benjamin Inocencio, OMI (December 28, 2000 also in Jolo) and Fr. Reynaldo Roda, OMI (January 15, 2008 in Tabawan), were martyred for “The Way” in a span of ten years.

The Emerald Isles are enchanting for its natural beauty. It can easily be the “lost Eden” after the “fall”. Like the lost Eden, it has known peace and violence. Each one of the islands has its own people and lore that captivate the heart. While storytellers speak of people’s desire for peace and harmony, they, too, acknowledge the fragility and vulnerability of the peoples that inhabit the land. There is always the temptation in us to give way to destruction of lives and the marine ecosystems. While still a few have taken the path of fundamentalism and fanaticism, and there is no doubting the havoc that they create in the hearts of people of goodwill. These are the ugly faces that mar the otherwise very beautiful and serene environment of the Emerald Isles.

There were many stories told during my visit with colleagues and friends in the Emerald Isles. These are stories of hard work and loneliness. They speak of the great distances that separate them from each other and the difficulty of travels by slow boats. Their lives are slowly being determined by low and high tides. But amid these difficulties and loneliness, they discover the joy in their hearts and in the hearts of their simple communities. They learn to celebrate the feasts with their neighbors. And above all, they live a simple life style without the complexities of modern city life, full of stress and endless cravings.

Visiting these islands with Bishop Lampon and Fr. Somphone, an Oblate missionary from Laos, has made me re-appreciate with a new fascination the smiles in the people’s faces and the joy of children notwithstanding distance and deprivation. In the same way, the presence and work of heroic colleagues of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have once again re-ignited in me the flame of the OMI Motto – “sent to the most abandoned…”

The Emerald Isles – its peoples and places look very forbidding by worldly standards. But in truth, they have found the key to the kingdom. The islands may look like paradise lost, but to the peoples who live in them, it is never a paradise lost. It is we—the so-called modern people—who are really lost!

I am beginning to understand the meaning of the life of my friends and confreres who shed their blood for the people they had known as friends and for the places they had known as home. They were not brave men; they were ordinary mortals and sinners like all of us. The difference lies in that passionate love lived for their simple and isolated communities that had made them embrace isolation, loneliness, and even death itself, with courage. Yes, Ben, Benjie and Rey died, no, murdered! But their deaths were not in vain. Their blood was like springs of fresh water that continues to give life, especially to the people of the islands.

(Next: Bongao)