RIASON family’s Soledad Island in Caramoan, Camarines Sur, is being developed into a resort starting January this year. PHOTO BY JUAN ESCANDOR JR.
ISLETS STREWN off the coasts of this peninsular town are stirring interest for island-hopping tours that continue to spawn local livelihood opportunities.
On the eastern side, tourists can go to Lahos, Matukad, Kagbalinag, Busdak and Minalagos, while on the northern side are Cutibas, Bogtong, Sabitang Laya and Tabgon.
Their enthusiasm to explore the distinct surroundings of karst topography and massive limestone formations is stoked in part by the different country editions of the reality show “Survivor,” which were produced on location in Caramoan, and beamed to television audiences.
Around 50 native tour guides have emerged to serve the tourists.
Knowing islets by heart
One of them, Christopher Alarzar, 35, knows by heart the islets dotting the eastern coast. For accompanying and giving information to the tourists, and performing other duties, he earns P500 a day.
“I am on-call any time, even buying medicines for the tourists or joining them in their trips downtown,” Alarzar says.
For one week, the municipality and the Department of Tourism has trained the local guides on how to explain and answer questions raised by the tourists from the time they arrive till they depart at the Guijalo Port.
Alarzar says travel agencies contact him by cellular phone to inform him about arriving tourists so he could fetch them and bring them to places where they may stay.
Boat operators
New transport operators have also emerged and benefited from the island-hopping tours.
RESTITA San Diego shows off the seashells she peddles, a livelihood she started in 2008 when tourists started flocking to the beaches and islands of Caramoan. PHOTO BY JUAN ESCANDOR JR.
Alan de los Reyes started investing on motorized outrigger boats with an 8-person capacity, including a machinist and boat helper, when the tours peaked in 2008.
De los Reyes says owners of local hotels and inns contact and hire them as soon as tourists arrive.
A boat, which can carry six tourists and two crew members, is rented for P1,500 for a tour on the eastern side. A tour on the northern side costs P2,500.
De los Reyes and other boat owners have also received training on first aid and other life-saving techniques from the local government unit (LGU), in partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross.
All island-hopping boats are required to bring life vests, fire extinguishers and first-aid kits at any given time.
For each island-hopping trip, the boat owners would net from P400 to P500, while the machinist and boat helper would receive from P200 to P250, De los Reyes says.
Failed association
Pedro B. Salazar, village chief of Bikal where the island-hopping boats dock, says the LGU had organized the short-lived Caramoan Motorboat Association, which was composed of motorboat owners and workers earning from the tours, and regulated the daily distribution of tourists-clients among the boat operators.
The association accomplished this by issuing priority numbers to serve as reference as to which boats should be rented first.
Salazar laments, however, that the setup was ignored after several months of implementation because hotel owners went directly to the boat owners they patronized.
At least 50 motorized outrigger boats operate at the Bikal Port, while some vessels are at the Paniman and Tabgon docking areas.
Bookings
Inn owner Godofredo del Castillo says the travel agencies, who handle the tourists’ food, accommodation and island-hopping tour, pay them through the banks. He has established business relations with seven travel agencies in Metro Manila that provide him with regular clients year-round.
During the monsoon months (October to December), inn owners still receive bookings although the number is negligible compared to the peak months (January to June).
Salazar observes that business is getting vibrant at the port with one giant brewery using the yellow paint for its company name imprinted on the motorboats servicing the island-hopping tour.