Part 1 of 2
I always look forward to any visit to Guimaras - the beaches, island-hopping adventure, natural and man-made attractions, food trippin' and of course - the sweetest mangoes!
But with the pandemic lockdowns and most recently, the oil spill off Iloilo City that reached the island, Guimaras seemed to be so near... yet so far.
Or so I thought....
A good weather plus the lure of the outdoors after being on lockdown for the past five months help me decide this trip to mango island.
Aboard a RoRo vessel that traversed the Iloilo strait in about 25 minutes, I found myself on Guimaras soil once again!
HOSKYN: "Salty" Path to Heaven
Brgy. Hoskyn hosts Guimaras' only RoRo Port with hourly services to/from Iloilo City daily except Sundays.
It also serves as a gateway to one of Guimaras' landmarks - Bala-an Bukid.
A pilgrimage destination during the Holy Week with its Stations of Cross trek and a gigantic cross at the summit offering a picturesque view of Iloilo City.
It also serves as a gateway to one of Guimaras' landmarks - Bala-an Bukid.
A pilgrimage destination during the Holy Week with its Stations of Cross trek and a gigantic cross at the summit offering a picturesque view of Iloilo City.
The name Hoskyn is derived from the Hoskyn brothers -- Herbert Peter, Richard Franklin and Henry - nephews of Nicholas Loney, first British vice-consul in Iloilo.
They established Hoskyn and Co. in the late 1800s along Calle Real in Iloilo City now considered to be the first department store in the Philippines.
They established Hoskyn and Co. in the late 1800s along Calle Real in Iloilo City now considered to be the first department store in the Philippines.
Hoskyn is also widely-known for its tultul - an artisanal brick salt which an age old tradition in the barangay.
Making tultul is a long and tedious process that starts with gathering of dagsa (reeds, twigs and bamboo from thee) which are then burned to ashes and doused with saltwater.
The collected ashes are strained with saltwater in bamboo containers. The gathered brine is boiled in a makeshift pans until the moisture evaporates, forming bricks of rock salt known as Tultul.
SAWANG: The Path Less Taken
Legend says that when the Moros arrived in this northern portion of Guimaras, they killed the natives and threw them in big cistern-like holes called "awang" in local dialect. It gave the place its identity ( Sa Awang ) eversince and eventually evolved into its present name.
The story is just a thing of the past as this beautiful barangay can be reached through a verdant and narrow roller coaster - like road beside a picturesque cliff.
Along the way, you will pass by two natural rock formations known as Bato Payong. And a rocky coastline and silty beach marks the village's rendezvous with the sea.
Barangay Sawang is the smallest barangay in the Municipality of Buenavista located along the shore facing Iloilo City. It is the part of Guimaras nearest to the island of Panay.
OIL SPILL: Complicating Nature's Path
Hoskyn and Sawang are just two of the 37 barangays in Guimaras affected by the oil spill from a power barge damaged by an explosion last July 3, 2020 at the Iloilo Strait.
Bunker fuel spilled from Power Barge 102 of the Ayala-owned AC Energy Corporation littered the shorelines of these communities in the municipalities of Jordan and Buenavista.
Explosion from the barge docked at Barangay Bo. Obrero, Iloilo City caused more than 250,000 liters of bunker fuel to spill at Iloilo River, its neighboring towns and across to the island of Guimaras.
AC ENERGY CORP. : Paving the Path to Recovery
Immediately after the incident, AC Energy Corp. undertook emergency procedures which led to the containment of the oil spill at around 10PM on the same day of the accident.
Around 170 personnel from AC Energy, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Petron Corp. and Global Power Corp. were deployed to the scene.
Oil skimmers and multilayered spill booms were immediately set up to facilitate the immediate containment and clean-up efforts.
And within a little over a week after the incident, a total of 261,637 liters were recovered representing 95% of the spill. The balance 5% evaporates or goes to shore.
Recovery was completed in 8 days from the event which was at a remarkable speed.
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| Gabi Mejia with Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas. |
Plant Operations Head, Gabino Ramon Mejia and the AC Energy Corp. team have reached out to, and have continued its coordination efforts with the various local government units not just of Iloilo City but also of Guimaras to ensure that concerns and issues are heard and addressed.
Check out Part 2 of this feature.
How Barangays Hoskyn and Sawang responded to the crisis and were able to accelerate the clean up in cooperation with AC Energy Corp.
Check out Part 2 of this feature.
How Barangays Hoskyn and Sawang responded to the crisis and were able to accelerate the clean up in cooperation with AC Energy Corp.