Our visit to our permanent site was packed full of activities and tours – we couldn’t have hoped for a better introduction to our new community. When we arrived, the town was gearing up for its fiesta, known as “patron,” so there were cultural shows each evening and lots of visitors in from out of town.
Our community has a population of just over 40,000. It’s located on a peninsula, bordered on one side by the Leyte Gulf and on the other by the Pacific Ocean. The community contains 60 barangays (neighborhoods/ villages), 44 of which are coastal. The town has both a newly renovated central plaza and a church built in the 16th century. We can get most things we’ll need right in town, with a bank, shipping center, plenty of stores, and internet cafes, so we won’t need to leave our site too often.
At the same time, Samar is one of the least developed areas of the Philippines, with some of the highest poverty indicators. Our community hopes to capitalize on its natural assets, ecotourism potential, and recent infrastructure developments to accelerate economic development and job creation.
Here are some highlights from the trip:
Our coworkers at the local government unit (LGU) planned tours and activities for much of our stay, including this welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
We visited the local Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) office. The BFAR in our community has a well-developed hatchery for bangus (milkfish), abalone, giant clams, snapper, and more. Cultures grown here are used to populate fish sanctuaries throughout the Philippines and as starts for aquaculture entrepreneurs. This is a great resource to have right in our community.
Brandon checking out the mature fish pens at BFAR.
16th century church (and pilgrimage destination) in our town plaza.
Brandon’s office – Municipal Planning and Development.
After checking out the sites in the town center, our guides took us out to the very tip of the peninsula to Calicoan Island, which is known for its beaches and surfing. Here’s the view from one of the small resorts (perhaps one I’ll be working with on tourism development), facing the Pacific.
That evening, we went to the town plaza for the nightly cultural show, leading up to fiesta. That night featured a famous Filipino ballet dancer and his young protégés. After this awkward warm up routine, they performed excerpts from Swan Lake. So random, but great.
Food vendors line the plaza, selling fresh roasted peanuts and barbeque pork on sticks.
Plaza at night.
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