Back in 2012, I was given a chance to go boat riding around the small islands off the coast of Sipalay, Negros Occidental. The place was so secluded that local people aptly call it Tinagong Dagat (Hidden Beach).
It’s beautiful and peaceful out there where one could only hear the gust of the wind, the soft trickle of the waves and the occasional cries of the birds. Its stillness was shattered only by the sound of the fishermen’s motored bancas. We saw a few nipa huts in some of the islands and most of them were empty. Maybe they serve as a resting place for the fishermen. We saw a few of them minding their nets in the clear and shallow waters.
While I savored the beauty of the place, I was also aware of its vulnerability. We all know that many of the mountains of Negros Occidental are barren due to decades of mindless logging and mining operations. Soil erosion and mine wastes have accumulated much on the sea coasts of the province especially in Sipalay. The islets of Tinagong Dagat have remained pristine. I dearly hope that we, especially the government, will see to it that this wonder of nature remains untouched by so-called progress.
Man and nature are connected said one learned farmer to me. Recent natural disasters have proven that to be true. I pray that, in the present rush to develop the Sipalay-Hinobaan area as a major tourist spot, the government and the developers will not only look at the locality with its beautiful beaches, coral reefs and vegetation as a means to gain profit but also as a vital support system that must be sustained so that the organisms that are thriving there at present may continue to exist.