Quezon is not the top of mind when it comes to beaches even though there's a handful that's frequently visited. Last July 2010, I decided to try a less known place. I searched the internet and was able to see just one blog about Borawan. According to the article, the beach was just opened to the public a year ago. I then set it as my next destination. Borawan is a small beach in Padre Burgos, Quezon. The quality of sand is not as good compared to the popular ones. However, this can be a destination if you want to avoid crowded beaches to bond with friends. For the more adventurous, training on its boulders is an option. My trip to Borawan begins with a bus from Cubao to Lucena Grand Terminal. From there, we took the bus to Unisan and go down to Padre Burgos town proper. It's a slow 30-45 min ride to cover 32 kms because the driver is gracious enough to accommodate every passenger's whim. Last minute shopping can be done in the town proper. We took the tricycle to the boat station. You can also try walking just in case you want to stretch your legs. It's less than 10 minutes and it's not hard to find. You can easily ask for directions. Recommended boatman is Mang Otoy, he is very accommodating to his passengers and easy to negotiate prices with. He also allowed us to take take a bath in his house. He is no lolo techie so you just have to text with his son. We arrived in Borawan at around 6 PM. Just as I hoped, we were the lone visitors for the night. Aling Susan greeted us and checked if there's anything that we need. She is in charge of the maintenance of the place. As I learned the hard way, at this point visitors should negotiate with her the rates for staying in the place. There are huts for rent but we opt to use our tent. There were short bursts of wind but generally, the night was humid and hot. My stay in Borawan left some unahppy memories. Considering the few visitors for the place, litters and garbage in the area is beyond comfort. The general attitude (and probably lack of orientation) of the visitors is quite disappointing. Maintenance of Aling Susan on the place is not commendable despite the high charges she imposes. For the first time, I personally witnessed dynamite fishing. The actual explosion was just 100-200 meters from where I stand in the beach. The fishermen were quite aware that I was watching them since they kept on looking at my direction. They just don't seem to care. Mang Otoy confirmed that in the 1970s, fishing provides a good income for Padre Burgos. However, due to excessive fishing and illegal practices, the industry dwindled to its current sorry state. (I think this explains the better-than-expected port with very little activity). Dynamite is still actively used in the area and the Barangay officials don't act on it. Even the husband of Aling Susan died due to mis-use the explosives as related by our boatman. We were about to leave and just finished loading our bags on the boat when I was called by Aling Susan. She was asking us to pay P300 for our brief stay in the beach. This is where my blood pressure shoots up. She said the fees were legitimate and alsoconfirmed that the beach is public. I argued that all other public beaches (even the very popular ones) are either free or charge only P10-P25 pesos entrance and at most the same amount for camping. I asked for a receipt which is always present for Baranggay imposed fees. I asked for a logbook which is generally used in places asking for donations for maintenance. She wasn't able to provide any proof at all that the fees she collected are recorded and submitted to proper authorities. She argued that some visitors pay on the thousands and they don't complain at all. I replied that its not the amount itself, but just the evidence the fees are legitimate. Considering the garbage, the dynamite fishing, I'm being charge with these fees? It was a perfect way for me to lose my temper. I'm not telling anyone not to visit Borawan. I'm just hoping that we as visitors try to influence the community to help improve their situation. Unfortunately, I was there on a weekend so I wasn't able to air my complaint to the local officials. The place is quite close to the town proper so I won't be surprised if the explosions from dynamite fishing can be heard from there. With this, I assume that the local government knows about the practice but is just tolerating it. I sent an email to Region 4 Tourism officials about this issue but I did not receive any replies from them. If you know anyone who I may approach approach about this concern, please email me at naglalakad@yahoo.com
|