Big break for Brgy. Sayao and Sayao Bay, their natural treasures awaiting to be discovered

Construction of Sayao Seawall! Big break for Brgy. Sayao indeed, thank God! And my reminiscences there...

Cong. Lord Allan Velasco thanks the Duterte administration and DPWH as the construction of Sayao Seawall in 2017 has been prioritized by the national government. Kung hindi lamang nagkaroon ng interruption noong 2013...

From FB of LordAllan Quinto Velasco:

Noong taong 2012, hiniling ng mga taga-Barangay Sayao sa Mogpog ang pagpapagawa ng seawall dahil sa pinsalang dulot ng malalaking alon kapag ang tubig ay tumataas at umaabot hanggang kalsada at sa mga kabahayan.

Para sa kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan sa Mogpog, lumapit sa DPWH at kay Sec. Mark Villar si Cong. Lord Allan Jay Velasco upang isulong ang proyektong ito na maipagawa ang seawall sa Barangay Sayao.

The coast of Sayao as it looks today. Photo: LAV

Nais naming magpasalamat sa DPWH at sa kasalukuyang administrasyon sa kanilang kagyat na aksyon sa ating inilapit na proyekto. Ating napag-alaman na ang Barangay Sayao Seawall project ay kasalukuyang pino-proseso at maaari nang maisagawa sa 2017 dahil ito ay napabilang na sa priority projects ng DPWH.

Asahan po natin ang patuloy na pagsisikap ng ating mambabatas pará sa ikauunlad ng ating minamahal na probinsya ng Marinduque. - LAV

Many will be lured to visit this beautiful place once the seawall is constructed.
Photo: LAV

For several weekends in 2012, together with some staff of Cong. Lord Allan Velasco (it was during his first term), barangay Sayao and Guisian became my favorite hideaway. Once shunned by natives due to the presence of  rebels, occasional encounters with government forces, by that time it had been declared a rebel-free area.

There was no end to our amazement discovering many hidden sites such as a waterfall, Guisian shore cliffs where you could dive, several caves and jaw-dropping seascapes such as a little known isthmus leading to a cone shaped hill. 

Most of all, many of the local folks' narratives, from their WW2 adventures in the area to stories that dwell in the realm of mystery have yet to be shared by them. 

I posted some of our weekend adventures in Sayao Bay. It has become my favorite spot in the island of Marinduque. 

A 10-year old boy's tidal garden (in circle) has survived after all.
There's a unique story behind it, please read on. Photo: LAV

Seeing photos posted by Cong. Velasco, such as the one above, I am reminded of that tidal garden story (shown in red circle), that I wrote about four years ago:

A 10-year old boy's tidal garden

Excerpts:

The barangay kagawad saw that I took pictures of some transplanted mangrove seedlings (above) not very far from the estuary, but where no other mangroves stood. Did you know that it's just a small 10-year-old boy who planted those mangroves there, he asked us. No one had asked that boy to do that, he said, he just did it by himself. Then some neighborhood fishermen voiced their opinion, the kagawad said, that it wasn't right to plant there, that those mangroves would never grow there anyway, that it's such a waste of time, that those plants would just be run over by bancas going ashore, that in fact those mangroves, if they survive, would only serve to limit the space where their boats could move more freely.

The boy learned about the complaints, the next thing he did was to install a few long sticks to mark his unique dream tidal garden, just so any thinking boatman would not cross it and not destroy what he was creating.

The boy's tidal garden (2012). Against all odds.

The grown-ups' voices were repeated thereafter, the same arguments, but this time, the kagawad found an opportunity to express his own voice telling the big guys: 'Pabayaan na lamang natin siya at suportahan na lamang ang kanyang ginawa'. (Let's just leave him alone, and just support what he has done).

They have listened so far, and nothing more has been heard from the grown-ups since then, the considerate kagawad said.

The boy's transplanted mangrove seedlings in 2012.
Children play in the sand at low tide.

Read more related stories:

Sayao caves, fishes and a tidal garden story

Sayao Bay's twists and turns

Turbulent past is evident in the shores of Sayao Bay

Sunrise in Sayao Bay (Video)

Sayao Bay Sunset

Busay sa Sayao, Sayao Falls and its message

Sayao's mangrove-lined estuary

Guisian

Revisiting Guisian in Mogpog, Marinduque

Guisian shore cliffs plunging into the sea

Sayao Falls' flare for surprises

Sayao Falls

This rocky isthmus known as Bagtasan connects Susong Dalaga hill (from where the photo was taken), and the highly populated sitio Manlumod in Guisian. The main village is nestled farther down behind the hill towards left.