Philippines’ 7,108 Islands

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The Philippines has 7,107 islands during high tide, 7,108 during low tide, to borrow from Charlene Gonzales’ infamous Miss Universe riposte. (In case you don’t know which island is playing hide and seek when tide changes, it’s the Devil’s Island of the Hundred Islands Group.)

If a person were to visit those 7,107 islands at the slowest pace of one island per day, 365 days a year, it would take 20 long years of his life dedicated solely for that purpose. If I were to start doing that now, I should be finished by 2027 at the age of 49 and thereafter, would be able to write my future best-seller “Around the Philippines in 20 years.”

If only the Department of Tourism could fund that delusion, or maybe I should solicit from Forbes Asia’s Top Three Richest Filipinos – Henry Sy, Lucio Tan and Jaime Zobel de Ayala? With say a chopper, a plane and a high-speed boat at my command (a handsome chauffeur wouldn’t hurt too), hey I could reduce the 20 years to 20 days right?

For instance, the 124 islands of the Hundred Islands sit closely together on generally calm water, you can navigate around its group in one day. But that would only include going ashore for a while or getting close enough to rocky islets and taking a few Friendster shots, no time for exploration which defeats the purpose of your trip. On the contrary, Batanes only has 10 islands in its group, but it leads to the open seas of the Pacific and the China Sea further to the north that is often turbulent and dangerous for small boats and that they lie apart, with the northernmost island, Y’Ami, very close already to Taiwan’s Orchid Island. Dao Ming Xi where are you?

I once thought our country is unique with our consistent commercial branding of 7,107 islands. Well, not really. Sweden claims to be the country with the most island territories of 221,800, Finland comes next with 179,584 islands, and other nations like Norway with 50,000 and our neighbor Indonesia with 16,000 islands.

Even very small reefs or rocks (islets), whether they have vegetation and fauna or none, are counted as islands as long as they are emergent land formation surrounded by water. Of the Philippines’ 7,107 islands, only 2,000 of which are inhabited. There are 2,500 islands more yet unnamed and I can’t wait to name one of them as Islet of Riza or Riza Rocks. Why not?!

Only about 500 of the islands are larger than a square kilometer. Since there are 5,107 uninhabited islands in our country, maybe some thousands of them are just rocks poking out of the sea the size of a tricyle? Or a large bilao? And unless you get close to it, you might mistake it for a swollen wave from afar.

I get excited when I learn from someone that he came from an island, I mean doesn’t it sound exotic when you say “I’m from Hurao-Hurao Island” than “Taga jan ako sa Bulacan.” Because Hurao-Hurao, or any island for that matter, conjures up images of pristine beaches with sweeping white sands, hammock shaded from the sun by the entwined, softly rustling leaves of a tree whose trunk juts out to the sea. Oh by the way, my father is from Banton Island. Whoo, what an elation to say that! While I have to settle for “pero ako dito na ko sa Mandaluyong pinanganak, sa labas ha, dun sa Kalentong malapit sa Boni.” Sheesh, how boring.

We are an old nation. How I wish we could have an extensive research data by now about our unrenowned islands. It would be grand to hear more Filipinos who can talk about our smaller islands other than hearing about the usual Big Kahunas – Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, etc.

Even DOT is wanting in this area. Year in and year out, the same places and the same festivals land on the pages of hyped-up magazines and brochures and get promoted in travel shows. The same old banana. The DOT succumbs to the same campaigns. The charm wears off. However if you want to travel in our country, be ready for some setbacks because not only it could be expensive but also critical, especially in the war-torn southern provinces. Since I started school, Mindanao has been at war. It has been going on for so long that some people have actually forgotten what the heck are they fighting for!

Why indeed is there a war? I can easily come up with reasons why – there are Mr. Revenge, Captain Destroy, Ka Selfishness, Governor Greed, Brigadier-General Hunger for Power and everything else Evil. Mindanao can offer some of the best crystal-clear seas and beautiful shorelines. Until that region sobers up, exotic Mindanao islands will remain exotic until my kids’ kids grow old. And the Big Kahunas will continue to prosper and reap all the money because they are blessed with Sister Peace. While I don’t have a tycoon yet (naks yet daw o, asa!) who’d finance this project, for now I would have to settle for my hammock at our backyard under the shade of our itchy worm-infested mango tree, sipping Tang orange juice, while listing down my dream island destinations –

• Capones and Camera Islands (Zambales)
• Caramoan Island (Camarines Sur)
• Fuga Island (Cagayan)
• Hurao Hurao, Nogas and Maniquin Islands (Antique)
• Itbayat Island (Batanes)
• Jolo Island (Sulu)
• La Monja Islet (Cavite)
• Linapacan Island (Palawan)
• Nagarao Island (Masbate)
• Olotayan Island (Capiz)
• Paguriran and La Playa Rosa Islands (Sorsogon)
• Siquijor Island, and
• Sumilon Island (Cebu)

I pick these islands for different reasons; some are home to the unique and richest flora and fauna in the world, mysterious culture, customs and artifacts, colorful part in Philippine history, and unrivaled white-, black- and pink sands and heavenly beaches ideal for swimming and diving alike.

Soon I will share with you the names of our many islands, which I have lovingly plucked one by one from different sources to get us started in embracing our own paradise islands before we travel to other parts of the world. Pinas muna .

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