Romblon, hey! (3)
I had a blast with my family and our two current volunteers last Sunday. I said in my last entry, we were to visit the San Agustin Marine Sanctuary to cavort with the fishes. That we did.
Before that, let me say that the sanctuary’s management seems to be at odds with Carmen’s barangay council. We called the barangay chair, talked to one council member, and paid the fee for the lot of us. When we were already on the floating platform a group of sanctuary personnel arrived saying they were not informed of our presence there. What the heck! Don’t they talk? And why were the sanctuary people not there beforehand that we needed to look for the barangay chair?
Anyway, the day was not about them.
Nearing the floating platform, I saw lots of fishes in the crystal clear waters. I jumped right in and was immediately surrounded by all sorts of coral fishes. I felt like another fish in a huge aquarium; a droplet of water making up a rainbow. (Although I concede I look more like a dugong than a finned wonder.) They were that many; they were that colorful.
We brought bread crumbs with us to attract more fishes. And it had the desired effect. Look at the picture. We also saw blue starfishes and giant clams. I saw no giant sea cucumbers though. Maybe next time.
Destructive fishing practices in the past destroyed some corals at the bottom. Its good that not all the corals have been destroyed though. I just wish the sanctuary remains for decades. It’s a good home for all the “Nemos” and “Dories” there.
The view of the surrounding seas and mountains wasn’t bad either. And since it was a sunny day, we even saw Mt. Guiting-Guiting’s famous peaks from behind Romblon Island. I wish to be back there soon. I wish I could spend more time and not worry about work left behind. Thoughts of tasks needing immediate attention dampened what could have been a very relaxing day for me.
This is the trouble with activists and development workers. For all our hardwork and sacrifices, we neither have time nor money to go to nice places whenever we want or needed to. Some activists have it worse. They are being hunted down by gloria’s cowardly dogs. May karapatan pa ba kaming mag-relax?
Maybe I already don’t know how to have a good time. But, that day, I tried to soak in all of Romblon’s natural delights. My wife worked hard to make this trip happen. It’s unfair to her that I don’t smile and laugh as the fishes nibled at my fingers and darted in between my legs. I must have looked like a harmless dugong to them anyway.
