A Trip to DANGGIT's Breeding Habitat

Inday Lomocso, the keeper in our local church  came to me in gasping breath but with a big smile on her face."Maayong hapon, kanang kuan ba ingon man gud si Father Finlayson nga kung pwede ba daw ugma mouban mo sa lakaw" she hastily says.

 I was puzzled on how the local priest invited me all of the sudden." Unsa diay day...naay program?"...I answered back. "Naa man gud miabot nga mga bisita si Padre, mga taga New Zealand, unya nangutana daw ug naa ba daw tay environmental organization dire sa atoa, unya kahibalo man si Padre anang Friends of Nature ninyo.

Natingala gani daw to sila kay abi nila wa tay environmental group"....she coyly utters

Asa man diay mi adto day?, kinsay kuyog ug unsang orasa ang lakaw, I say. " Sa Pisaan daw, mokuha ug pump boat si Padre, magsayo daw mo pohon ug lakaw human pamahaw" she finally says.

 After Inday left, I was in bewilderment, me? going to Pisaan? wow, it's beyond comprehension...not on this time when the situation is downright critical.

When I was in grade school, my father used to spend our weekend on our nipa plantation in Balot, so I been always looking forward for Saturdays with great anticipation ang joy. A  smile will always figure in, in my face.

 Tatay just paddled it out in our tiny wooden boat with bamboo "katig". On early morning the boat  will finds its way through the mangroves lining the fresh river going to Balot, the early mist and the morning glow of the sun gave the sunny feeling to the chirping birds that live in the habitat.

The pinkish to fuchsia little flowers that dropped from the bakhawan trees and the magnolia shaped white ones from pagatpats bedecked the placid waters.

It was mesmerizing, a picturesque splendour when the river is basically full of mangroves flowers, just simply adorable and surreal  kaleidoscopic sight to behold.

" Tay, ngano man nga hangtod karon magbugsay man ta, ngano man nga dili man ta mopalit ug pump boat aron kusog atong sakayan, abot ta dayon" was my innocent suggestion, any how I felt jealous by the roaring of those engines just passing on its way, leaving us trying to balance due to its waves effect. "Maayo kini kay walay gastos, " he said. ''Usa pa, aron dili pod nato ma estorbo ang mga langgam, kay sayo pa man, basig nanga tulog pa sila" he continued. I was thinking...nahhhh, we can't afford for sure...or maybe my father was just so frugal, so "kuripot".

I never thought of his wisdom he was trying to impart and convey to my young mind. It was this little conversations that made me realized my father and my father's father were outright environmentalists. The old folks truly respect nature, they understood the relationship between man and nature. They respect each other.

My father will always go to Pisaan for our breakfast. He and Nanay would spread out the nylon net called "PANTI" , it's like a volleyball net actually, spreading it carefully by attaching it on a bamboo pole in one side and the other side I and Nanay holding patiently in our humble sakayan.

 Minutes past and my Tatay signalled to pull the net towards us in the boat. Plenty of danggit, lambay, some alimango, gisaw and lots of other fishes made it through our fresh and fabulous breakfast in the boat.

 The rice was pre-cooked by my mother, and she brought an instant stove!!!! we had deliciously fresh tinolang danggit with just few tomatoes and onions plus the aromatic tanglad. After all my global travel from London to Paris, New York to Switzerland and tasted all the cuisine from these places...surely I CAN'T EXCAHANGE THE SIMPLE TINOLANG DANGGIT FROM DINAS.....it's heavenly for sure!

We made our way to Binuatan for our ride to Pisaan, me and Jon Px ANGON represented the Friends of Nature while a man and a woman were our guests from the New Zealander side.

 After the usual greetings we rode the sakayan ...and OMG!!!! IT LOOKS LIKE MY FATHER'S SAKAYAN!!. " Jon asa man tong giingon ni Inday nga pumpboat?, mura man nig sa akong Tatay uy!!!!, I murmured to Jon's ear." Ayaw jud ug complain , kay mao ni gerequest ining duha ka kagwang! pointing to the two foreign invironmentalists he says. Yay ...in my mind it was a dejavu moment, my father ang these people from the developed country of NZ.

Why the wooden boat?...what's the common denominator then. I WAS SILENT. I tried to recollect fast in my brain the wisdom of my father...go,go,go brain. Peacefully I was with my father face to face in my thoughts......yes, Tatay, I must not ask again for power boats...respect the birds...respect nature. I FELT
CONFIDENT AGAIN WITH OUR JOURNEY. The FEELING OF "ONENESS" with nature gave me a strong conviction.....I am a part of the habitat.

Along our tranquil ride to Pisaan, Jon felt hungry and peeled- off a ripe banana, he finished it quckly and toasted the peel into the water. The two new Zealanders did the same, I was not that hungry so I just watched them enjoying their meal. After eating the bananas they pulled out a paper bag and neatly place their waste into the bag!....wow, we supposed to be environmentalist in local version, and Jon just showed our ignorance about our waste disposal. SHAME ON US.

Our guide understood where exactly the site our guests wanted to see. In Pisaan, there is this so called Marine Protected Triangle Reserve. It is compose of coral reefs where the sweet and healthy DANGGITS dwell and breed. The water there is crystal clear, the army of fishes glistens as they glided merrily undisturbed. On low tide patches of white sands float, making it nice to step down and swim,explore and enjoy the first class amenity nature could offer. Tikala island is just near to the Pisaan coral reef....Pisaan, simply means in English -the breeding ground. And on the outskirt of the opening of the river is the natural habitat of fruit bats, thousands of them, sleeping, playing, laughing maybe...undisturbed too.

Our visitors were focused on what they wanted. So I 've heard that they are here on their marine research. They plucked some whitish seaweeds from the sides of the rock formations on the reef. Then I realized that the white seaweeds added the prestine whiteness glow of the PISAAN REEF. It looks like a sea beds of short fur-like white soft blades....it was again an amazing sight to behold.

With out hesitation that caused my curiousity I asked them why they are so interested with those white seaweeds. The white seaweeds according to them is the major food for our DINAS DANGGIT. The white seaweeds when eaten by our native DANGGIT will give that mestiza skin of the  fish. As I had observed, other danggits from neighboring peninsula are blackish in skin and having those hard texture of skin when cooked. The white seaweeds give the DANGGIT's intestine to be white and super clean, without sands, without other objects...they love ONLY EATING WHITE SEAWEEDS...they are so proud of itselves.....DIFFERENT....its their kind of WHITENING WHAT IS FOR THOSE LADIES WHO USES LOTIONS FOR WHITENING SKIN!!!........OUR DANGGIT SIMPLY DOES.


Our Danggit is the best in the world. It is our most cherished HIDDEN secret.It is our legacy,our natural gift from nature and GOD. Let us protect our DANGGIT....it's  the ONLY PRIZED nature possession for us, the people of DINAS.

We are proud people...because we love our danggit...........

We have pretty ladies and gentlemen because we eat our delicious DANGGIT.
LOVE AND PROTECT OUR ECOSYSTEM................