Clear turquoise waters and amazingly fine white sand - some of us simply can't get over Cagbalete's beauty. But for some of the folks there, its just another day in paradise. You can take the "paradise" bit in a literal sense.

Related post: Revisiting Cagbalete Island

The small island lacks most of the modern necessities [note that "necessities" is always a relative word] and everything has to be brought there by boat from Mauban.


Though the island is largely privately owned, a small fishing community called "Sabang" [the word can be loosely translated to "port"] has flourished on western side near the southern tip of the island. Folks I have asked can't ascertain when the community was established, but whats amazing about this community is that most of the older folks here speak "Bisaya", and we are in an old Tagalog province. Turned out the early settlers came from the Visayas region, particularly Bohol, by way of outrigger boats while looking for rich fishing grounds.

There are a couple of beach resorts in the island, but ironically I think its Sabang that has best beach front [although a bit of clean up is needed] . One of the locals mentioned they may be asked to move soon, presumably to make way for another resort.


Transportation of to and from the island is via two commuter ferries - large outrigger boats that can accommodate a hundred or so passengers, as well as other stuff from the main land. The arrival of the boats always causes a flurry of activities in Sabang. There is no real port and the water is shallow so the ferries stay at a distance from the shore. Everything and everyone has to be brought to the shore using dinghies or "flat boats".

"lost boys (and girls)"

On weekends or during school breaks, the kids there seems to have the lion's share of the activities at Sabang. They man the flat boats and serve as "porters".  I think its actually more play than work for them. Peter Pan's Lost Boys came to mind as I watch them work play frolic.

diving for coins

After a while, it became apparent why these kids flock to the boats: to dive for coins. They prod and beg people on the boats to throw spare change into water.