by Ferdinand “Doc Ferds” Recio

Traveling to feature wildlife, investigating animal issues and exploring environmental concerns, were aspects that I expected to tackle when I joined GMA several months ago. I was not disappointed. From the predatory crocodiles of Palawan, to the aloof flying foxes of Panay to the tiny earthworms in our back yards, the creatures I have met have fascinated me, and the televiewers, with their roles in balancing the ecosystem.

Recently I was tasked to visit several places in the country to meet the creatures that inhabit the deep underwater world for this year’s Summer Special of GMA called “Sisid.” It was a different spin to the usual issues we tackled in “Born To Be Wild.” Although we had featured a few marine animals in that regular show, meeting the wildlife in“Sisid” was totally surreal.

First I was sent to Subic, Zambales to go “wreck diving.” I visited some of the naval remnants of World War II sitting under the sea. Although these ships were sunk as part of battle strategy, there is now a new meaning to their existence – that of becoming an artificial reef. Once part of the American armada, they now serve as homes for several fishes and corals and a famous dive site for enthusiasts.

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by Miriam Quiambao

Off to our second trip for Sisid and this time, we were headed to Tubbataha.

It has long been one of my dreams to go on a diving trip to Tubbataha, one they consider a diver’s paradise. So when my producer called me and told me of this trip, I readily gave up my weekend to take advantage of this opportunity.

Alas, two days before my scheduled trip, I was down with fever and colds! I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it since it would be a challenge to equalize underwater. I brought up this concern with my producer but he assured me that if I couldn’t manage to dive, then I would be assigned to do the above water shots.

Ok, I thought, I already agreed to the job so I now had to deliver. Dive or no dive. I did my best to rest and get well before the weekend and at 4am, Sunday morning, still warm from a slight fever, I woke up to take our early flight to Puerto Prinsesa.

After a whole day of filming and interviews, Doc Ferds Recio, veterinarian and host of Born To Be Wild, and the rest of the team finally arrived at the Matahimik fishport to load our things into our 40-foot banca.

At about 6pm, we were on our way to Tubbataha. I took an antibacterial pill that Doc Ferds recommended to relieve my cold and cough symptoms and set up my sleeping bag on what we called “The Loft,” the roof above the captain’s deck, and slept the whole night. When I woke up, we were already in Tubbataha. We were fortunate that the water was serene that early morning.

First dive: Amon’s Rock

Our first dive was on an area they call the Amon’s Rock. I had difficulty equalizing at first due to my colds but managed to equalize later on. My excitement to witness the underwater views there surpassed whatever bodily concerns I had. The pills were working!

Doc Ferds and Miriam diving at Tubbataha

I was introduced to Tubbataha’s numerous selection of coral and reef life. The visibility underwater was super clear and I was amazed to see different kinds of colored fish and fan corals. I was excited to encounter a big lobster the size of two feet up against the wall. It slowly backed into the cave behind it, revealing a smaller female underneath. Divemaster Julius Buenviaje later said they were probably mating. Oops!

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by Miriam Quiambao

In the height of all the Dyesebel popularity, I also managed to manifest my own Dyesebel experience in the venue of our filming for GMA Summer Underwater special, Sisid.

At a weekend trip in Club Noah, one of Palawan’s premier resorts, we thought it would be fun to feed the resident reef fish. We brought a bag of bread and some small dead fish.

After putting on our gear, we dove into the turquoise water and proceeded to feed the colorful residents. First, I was a little scared when all the fish started coming at us when we took out our treats but I soon relaxed and thought the activity was quite cool. It was amazing to see them all up close!

If Ariel, the Little Mermaid, had Flounder, I also found my own fish friend in Palawan: a huge Grouper fish (Lapu-Lapu) I now call Groupie, who favored the small fish in our “baon.”

In the beginning, Groupie was watching us at a distance, his eyes as big as hockey pucks, seemingly curious at all the activity. We threw the small fish feed into the water and Groupie would dart into the scene every now and then to feed, opening his mouth as big as bread plate. He was timing his moves so he would neither be caught by us or trapped among the other fish feeding on the bread in our hands.

After a few minutes of feeding, the team decided to move further toward the drop - off point. I noticed that my Groupie kept following us and even had his own possies: two much smaller yellow fish who swam around him at all times. He stayed around us the whole time hoping to catch more of our treats.

It was indeed a lot of fun to feed the fish but we had to leave soon because our tanks were running out of air.

Too bad I can’t breathe salt water like Dyesebel. Nonetheless, the experience was quite memorable!

by Susan Enriquez

Nakakamangha ang ganda ng kalikasan sa ilalim ng karagatan.

Kaya noong nagdive kami sa Anilao, Batangas para manghuli ng crown of thorns at maghanap ng basura sa Boracay, naisip ko na isa ito sa magiging advocacy ko - ang tumulong na mapanatiling malinis ang karagatan at ingatan ang mga naninirahan dito.

Sabi ko nga sa sarili ko, kawawa pala talaga ang mga isda sa loob ng aquarium. Maganda nga silang tingnan sa paningin ng tao, pero ikinulong naman sila at inilayo sa tunay nilang tahanan.

Sana nga lang sa pagkuha sa kanila mula sa kanilang tirahan ay bigyan din sila ng maayos na pag-aalaga ng mga tao.

Naisip ko na two way lagi ang buhay: mula sa karagatan kumukuha ng kabuhayan ang mga tao, kaya ang mga tao dapat lang na pangalagaan ang mga dagat na nagbibigay ng kabuhayan sa di lang iilan kundi maraming mamamayan.

Upang maging mabait ang kalikasan at sagana sa ibibigay na yaman, marapat lang na ang bawat tao ay magbigay ng wasto at maayos na pangangalaga sa kalikasan partikular sa yamang karagatan.

(Reposted from Howie Severino’s Sidetrip blog)

A pilgrimage to a tragic ship, now a prime dive site.

The buzz on TV these days is the hyper-hyped upcoming show Survivor. I took a trip to Malapascua Island in Cebu with a real survivor, on a pilgrimage with a heart-breaking story.

Tito Tabuquilde was on the inter-island ferry MV Dona Marilyn that sank near Malapascua Island almost 20 years ago. He was holding his three-year-old daughter Jennifer close to his chest as the boat with more than 400 passengers was overcome with water. As the ship disappeared below the sea, a huge wave separated him from Jennifer who was tossed into the churning sea as he was pulled to safety on a lifeboat.

Tito saw Jennifer before she was sucked into the water, but closed his eyes and thought of his two surviving children in Manila who needed him to live. It would have been suicide, he said, to jump in after his daughter and try to save her. Soon everyone on his lifeboat either died or got tossed into the sea. Tito floated in the sea with cuts all over his body for nearly 24 hours before he washed ashore on Almagro Island in Samar. His daughter was found dead floating in the sea on the same day by fishermen. “I was bringing her to Samar to meet her grandparents,” he said wistfully in his Waray-accented Tagalog, “so they could see how pretty she was.”

Photo by producer Stephen Patricio

Video grab from footage shot by Ruben dela Cruz

In the sea off Malapascua, Tito pointed out the spot where the boat sank within sight of tiny Gato Island. We — crack underwater cameramen Ruben dela Cruz and Jeff Santos and myself — dove at the spot, where we found the wreck at about 100 feet of murky water and filmed it for Tito to see. He saw the handrails which he clutched until the boat’s last moments.

On our dive boat, Tito talked to his daughter’s spirit and asked for forgiveness, then threw a bouquet of pink bougainvilla into the infinite blue.

Despite reliving the memory, Tito was also gladdened by the colorful corals that now coated the ship’s remains, making it a thriving, living artificial reef. Underwater, the ship is a terrible beauty. Life is growing out of a tragic event. It was eerie down there, knowing the history of that hulking scrap heap. But I sought comfort in the shaggy, radiant organisms living on the steel skeleton while waving with the current. It was not an unfriendly place.

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A GMA News and Public Affairs Underwater Special
Airing Date: May 18, 2008

More than seven thousand islands make up our vast archipelago, and yet little is known about what lies beneath our seas. A deep dive will soon reveal an entirely different world just waiting to be explored.

This summer, GMA Public Affairs takes the plunge with Sisid, an Underwater Special hosted by Howie Severino, Susan Enriquez, Miriam Quiambao and Doc Ferds Recio. Together, they break the water’s surface to bring forth amazing and unexpected tales under the sea.

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