After about 1 hour and 45 minutes SEAIR flight from Manila, we finally caught a glimpse of the northernmost province of the Philippines and from the air, one can see the fields that look like a labyrinthine patchwork of green bordered by tall hedgerows of grass, reeds, piled stones and trees which serve as a crop protection from the fierce winds, and typhoons which commonly pass near the islands as well as huge waves that crash into dramatic cliffs and rocks that jut out into the ocean, which undoubtedly look incredibly similar to the English moors and Scottish Highlands with a Filipino twist. Think Wuthering Heights and you’ll know what we mean. In 1687, English freebooters with a Dutch crew arrived in these islands and named three of the islands in honor of their monarchs- the main island of Batan was named Grafton Isle after Henry Fitzroy, First Duke of Grafton; Sabtang was named Monmouth Isle after James Scott, First Duke of Monmouth and Itbayat was named Orange Isle after William of Orange. The freebooters were led by William Dampier who stayed on the islands for three months but never claimed the islands for the British crown.
Batanes is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, South China Sea to the west, Bashi Channel and Taiwan to the north and the Balintang Channel to the south. It is composed of 11 islands, of which Itbayat, Sabtang and Batan Islands are inhabited while Ditarem, Adekey, Vuhus, Misanga, Dinem, Mavudis and all others are uninhabited.
We held our breaths as the Dornier plane finally landed at the Basco Airport, with its tiny terminal building inspired by the traditional Ivatan stone house, a refreshingly different architectural and classy take on the many airports that I have went through so far. Under the shadows of the looming Mount Iraya in the distance, finally we had arrived in Batanes.
Early in its history, Batanes already had a civilization flourishing on its islands and was ruled by powerful chiefs who exacted revenues, administered justice, as well as exercised military might especially during times of invasion from other tribes. The idjangs or fortresses of pre-colonial Batanes can still be found all over the islands and they are usually perched on hilltops like the ones that we have seen on Sabtang and Batan Island (Itbud). The idjang in Savidug on Sabtang Island is considered to be one of the most perfectly shaped and the most beautiful among all the Batanes idjangs. Apparently, experts have noted how these idjangs are pretty similar to the gusukus found in Okinawa, Japan. The ancient Ivatans who are Austronesian in origin lived on these idjangs since they first migrated into Batanes about 4,000 years ago during the Neolithic Period. It was during the Spanish Inquisition and the Spanish governorship was established along the coastlines and lowlands which forced the early Ivatans- the people of the islands, to come down from their idjangs and convert to the new system of government. It was around 1686 and 1719 when Dominicans sent expeditions to the islands to proselytize and by 1773, the Ivatans became subjects of the Spanish King. It was only in June 26, 1783, over two centuries after the formal colonization of the Philippines by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, when Batanes was formally annexed to the Spanish Colonial State under Governor Jose Basco y Vargas. The capital town Basco, obviously got its name from the Spanish Governor General’s surname.
The Spanish imprint on the islands became indelible when it was finally decreed that no house should be built more than 2,786 meters (half a league) from the nearest church. The Dominican influence is very much alive today in the similar architectural styles of the Batanes churches – the most notable churches are the gorgeous churches of San Jose Obrero Church in Ivana, Sabtang, San Carlos Borromeo Church in Mahatao (1873), Sto. Domingo Cathedral in Basco (the oldest built in early 18th century), Sta. Maria Immaculada (1845) in Itbayat as well as the church in Chavayan, the latter, is the only church left in Batanes which still sports a thatched roof and probably the only pink church in the Philippines, the church of Itbud.
Limestone technology was introduced to the islands by the Spaniards and is still pretty much evident among the Old Spanish Bridges in Mahatao and Ivana as well as the iconic vernacular houses made out of limestone, stones, corals and a thatched roof which dot the three inhabited islands. The Itbayat houses apparently are built the sturdiest as they receive the harshest winter winds from Siberia from December to February. Walking through the tiny villages of traditional stone houses and quiet narrow streets of Savidug and Chavayan on Sabtang felt like being transported to another world and where time just stood still. Chavayan, which is currently nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List, was exceptionally stunning with the village nestled between the tall lush mountains and cliffs on one side and a sweeping view of the sea where the churning waters of the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. It was also in Chavayan where we met Lolo Emilio, Batanes’ oldest resident at 102 years old going 103. Like most of the houses in the islands, the houses in Chavayan are normally left unlocked while the Ivatans leave for the fields to farm or to the oceans to fish. Batanes enjoys an extremely low crime rate so much that we couldn’t help but pay the local police station a visit. According to the Ivatan’s Finest, the local police force’s nickname, aside from the occasional noisy drunks, Batanes is pretty crime-free. Of course save for the Vietnamese, Chinese and Taiwanese fishermen usually caught illegally entering and fishing in Philippine waters around Batanes. Strangers greet each other on the street. After the first day, we finally caught up with this practice and I ended up greeting every person while I was taking photos by the National Highway.
Chavayan Heritage House
Photo by Dave Ryan
Photo by Dave Ryan
Just as the rains started pouring, we ducked into probably one of the quirkiest and the most refreshing places we went to – the famous Honesty Coffee Shop in Ivana. The rules are simple, you choose what item you want to get, check the price list, and drop your payment into a box The owner who prefers to work in the field leaves the store and basically trusts their customers to be honest and pay the right amount even when no one’s looking. One of the signs on the wall reads “This store is too small for dishonest people.” True enough, not one customer has been dishonest so far.
It goes without saying that there are only about 15,974 (2007 census) people living on the only three inhabited islands, making the province the most sparsely populated in the Philippines and at 219.01 square kilometers, also the smallest province by land area. With the sounds of wind and the waves, there was a utter stillness even during the middle of the day in Batanes and moreso at night where streets are literally empty around 6PM. Electricity is on for 24 hours on the main island of Batan while Itbayat and Sabtang have electricity from 6AM-12MN. In the charming fishing village of Diura (three kilometers east of Mahatao town), which faces the Pacific Ocean and the site of busy arayu (dorado/mahi-mahi) fishing season in summer virtually becomes a ghost town during the cool winter season and from the cliffs in Tukun, one can see the only three lit lamp posts in the area. The fishermen of Diura perform the Kapayvanuvanua (which literally means, “the making of the port”), a ritual opening the port to obtain the favor of the spirit dwellers of the sea and signifies the start of the fishing season.
Being master seafarers and boat builders, the Ivatans are known to be well versed in reading the stars and the phases of the moon in relation to sailing between the islands. According to our extremely helpful and hospitable Ivatan guides from the Batanes Cultural Travel Agency (http://batanestravel.com/), Ely Gabilo and Tita Donato, the seas are rougher 3 days before and 3 days after a full moon and a new moon. The boats of Batanes are called the tataya (an Ivatan dory, a smaller boat usually with twin oars), the faluwa, (Ivatan boat, usually motorized as is pretty common with most boats in Batanes now and can accommodate 20-40 people and in some instances cattle and livestock- during our trip to Sabtang from Batan, we had to wait for a cow to be unloaded from the faluwa first before we boarded the last boat for the day) and the chinarem. The boats of Batanes are hardy and in the hands of a good captain, they can skillfully navigate their way through the chaotic waves that are as unpredictable as the weather in Batanes. The way I felt us moving through the waves felt like we were actually surfing the waves ( I could hear similar rushing sounds one would hear while surfing as the boat moved forward and weaved its way through the roaring waves) and eventually my suspicions were confirmed by the boatmen themselves.
The seafaring culture is pretty evident in Batanes even in the pre-Spanish boat shaped burial markers found scattered all throughout the islands (we have reports that one can find such markers at Vuhus Island, an island south of Sabtang facing the village of Sumnanga, another stunningly beautiful village made up of traditional stone houses. Sumnanga is called Little Hong Kong for the number of boats that line the coast of Duvek Bay. There are similar burial markers found on Nakamaya as well as at Nahili du Vutux, an ancient settlement which is characterized with an idjang, boat shaped burial markers, and a gorgeous view of Dinem and the eastern coast of Itbayat Island.
Windswept hills, steep cliffs, and rugged coastlines pretty much characterize typical Batanes topography, as seen in Rakuh-A-Payaman or better known for its nickname as the Marlborough Country as well as the Vayang or the Rolling Hills with the many grazing carabaos (Philippine water buffaloes), cows, horses and goats roaming the areas. The coasts made misty by ocean mists such as what we saw on our way to Chavayan along one lane road that hugs the sides of the cliffs just left us literally speechless for its absolute beauty. From Rakuh-A-Payaman as well as in Tukun, one can see the hedgerows from a distance; the spectacular scenery makes these areas one of the many favorite spots for photography in Batan Island. Tukun is the site of the northernmost Philippine weather station (PAG-ASA) in the country where the province is used as the last reference point of any tropical weather disturbance thus unfairly associating the province with perpetual bad weather. The weather station sits on top of the hill with a commanding and panoramic view of the northern portion of Batan Island where one can literally see both the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean at the same time. Also in Tukun is the beautiful former studio of Batanes’ foremost artist, the late Pacita Abad. The studio which stands on a cliff facing the Pacific is now part of the Fundacion Pacita, a charming bed and breakfast affair run by affable Former Education Secretary Butch Abad and his wife Ms. Dina Abad.
Sabtang Church
Photo by Dave Ryan
Photo by Dave Ryan
Batanes also boasts of stretches of white and cream colored sandy beaches, probably the most famous of which is the Nakabuang Beach on Sabtang with its often photographed stone/rock arch formation where picnics are usually held during the summer months. The smaller White Beach and the nearby Blue Lagoon in Mahatao offers pretty views as well. Swimming is unsafe in Blue Lagoon however, that is if you don’t want to get smashed into the massive rocks while White Beach is a good and passable beach in our opinion (however, we saw a small but growing problem of garbage around the area which we hope would be addressed pretty soon, Nakabuang Beach is in more pristine condition). A private beach, Disvayangan has a row of private picnic houses for rent. Diving (www.divebatanes.com/) is also possible in Batanes with Duvek Bay in Sumnanga having one of the best coral conditions in Batanes as well as in Siayan Island about 5.5 nautical miles from Itbayat which is surrounded by beautiful white beaches and rich coral which teems with abundant marine life.
Itbayat, the northernmost inhabited island in the Philippines, however, does not have any beaches as the entire island is basically surrounded by cliffs. There are other interesting islands in the area, however, they are better reached during the summer months as travel from islands can take a lot of time and the waves can be treacherous. One of the most striking and probably one of the images that we will probably remember about our trip to Batanes would be the Valugan Boulder Beach facing the Pacific where huge smooth stones spewed out by Mount Iraya during an eruption in 400 AD are found right along the beach.
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