The Bantayan Islands

Bantayan Islands is geographically in the center of the Philippines. It is located at the northwestern side of Cebu and northeastern of Negros Oriental. It is a town of Cebu and is about 80 miles from Cebu City. The main Bantayan Island is about 7 miles wide by 10 miles long. About 20 of its islets stretch for another 5 miles long with some being accessible by foot from the main island at low tide. Mostly all the ships or ferryboats coming from Mindanao or south of Cebu have to pass by Bantayan Islands on its way to Manila. The Bantayan dialect is a mixture of native Cebuano, Ilongo (Negros), Waray (Samar), Masbateño, and Boholano, but it has words it can call its own such as “kakyop, sara, kag buwas“ (yesterday, today, and tomorrow).

Bantayan Islands is considered as Cebu’s fishing ground where shiploads and boatloads of fish are transported daily to Cebu City and Negros. Tons of guinamos (salted fish) and buwad (dried fish) are delivered to Cebu City and Cadiz, Negros for further distribution to as far as Mindanao and Manila. Equally important is the thriving poultry industry with hundreds of thousands of chicken eggs produced daily.

Bantayan is one of the nicest or the best places to visit in the Philippines during the Holy Week period. About two dozens floats with life-size statues retracing the death of Christ and with spectacular lighting powered by separate generators are paraded through the town during the processions held at Holy Thursday and Holy Friday. Prominent families in Bantayan are the on-going traditional sponsors of each of these floats. The event is memorable for a devout Christian to witness. Followed with its beautiful white sand beaches lined with palm or coconut trees, Bantayan is comparable to or better than the Caribbean and Hawaii as a relaxation place with beautiful beach resorts available with modern amenities. Fresh seafood is abundant and you can eat them to your heart's desire.

Photos by Dennis Llenes