Marinduque: Visiting the ‘palm of the ocean’
By Jofel Joyce Lancion, Maricar CincoInquirer Southern Luzon
NATURAL
BRIDGE The bridge formed by the Ungab rock formation on Mongpong Island
in Marinduque province towers 100 feet above the water. RAFFY LERMA
It is not clear how the patch of white earth, inescapable in the glass-like, bluish-green waters, got its name.
One resident said it may have gotten its name from palad, the Filipino word for palm, since it looks like an open palm of the hand. Another likened it to a plate of bibingka, the white and flat Filipino rice cake, floating on the water.
So imagine yourself tripping and tiptoeing on the palm of the ocean—if nature is kind enough to open its hand.
The tricky part in going to Palád is the timing. Palád “surfaces” and becomes visible only during low tide, and “disappears back into the water,” as residents put it, as the tide grows higher throughout the day. In full view, the sandbar emerges 50 meters long and about 20 to 25 meters wide.
Timing
“It should be visible any time of the year but only during the early hours, somewhere between 5 a.m. to 6 a.m., and again in the afternoon from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” said Maniwaya village captain Francisco Principe. Some residents, however, observe a longer period of low tide during the months of December to February and believe that chances of seeing the sandbar are greater then.
But even this is not an assurance that the sandbar would show itself. When the Inquirer visited the island one April morning, the water on Palád was waist-high. We had to plant our feet firmly on the white, fine sand lest the current carry us to the deeper portions of the sea.
“What I like here most is that the water’s clean, there’s no pollution and it’s not crowded,” said Jastin Cortez, 23, a first-time tourist on the island. He said he was invited to Palád by his cousins on Maniwaya.
Maniwaya Island
Maniwaya (land area: 1,300 hectares; estimated population: 1,500) is the second of the three island villages of Sta. Cruz town when traveling from mainland Marinduque province. Like the other two—Polo and Mongpong (also spelled Mompong)—villagers rely mainly on farming and fishing.
Household water is sourced from deep wells or the rains. The power supply is available from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., except for a few homes that have installed solar panels. A mobile phone signal is not always reliable and, of course, there is no Internet connection available.
But Maniwaya’s 2-kilometer white sand beach is slowly, and steadily, capturing Manila’s attention, mainly through word of mouth, social media and the travel blogs of visitors. Principe said the island’s annual local income had increased from P1.2 million a few years back to P1.7 million when local and foreign tourists started coming in.
Maniwaya is also, by far, the most developed of the three islands if gauged by resort and accommodation facilities, particularly on the island’s eastern side. For one, there is the Residencia de Palomaria hotel and resort (room rates start at P2,000 to P2,500), which offers tour packages and water sports facilities, and about nine other smaller beach resorts (estimated room rates: P1,500).
Ungab rock formation
If you miss Palád, don’t worry. There are other sites to complete the island hopping.
There is Polo Island, the first that comes into view from Buyabod port. Polo Island, though, is not ideal for beach bummers.
“The water in Polo is just as pristine but you can [feel] a bit itchy because of the mangroves,” Principe said. According to the Marinduque environment office, most of the island, or about 200 ha, is planted with mangroves. There is not a single beach resort on Polo but it is a prized view for nature-trippers.
From Maniwaya, the Ungab rock formation on Mongpong Island is definitely another site worth visiting. The cove located in Sitio Ungab boasts of an overarching rock formation that towers about 100 feet above the water. Read more on INQUIRER
